Reflections

[Allyson Locke]

Kashyyyk, The Rest

The soft sound of leather boots echoed along the quiet hallway of the home of the Silver Jedi. The day was nice and everyone seemed to be enjoying it for the most part. Allyson was mourning the loss of her secret hide out, after a young Padawan named Kat Decoria demolished it with her tantrum and cyborg legs. She wasn’t too fond of being told no by the Corellian as Allyson refused to teach Mechu Deru to anyone within in the Silver Order.

Pushing the loss of her hidden operations and the frustration of the Padawan, Allyson continued down the hallway to the Grandmaster’s office. It was one of the rare moments the Corellian had a break from everything she had on her plate and she did a good thing and called ahead to let Jyoti know she was on her way. When the woman was Master of the Order, Allyson could get away with surprise visits. Not so much anymore. Either way, she was excited to see the Echani woman. Despite everything that had been going on, these small moments always made the mess seem not so messy and terrible.

Arriving at the door, she fixed her brunette hair out of habit, then knocked on the door. “Jyoti? It’s me, Allyson.” She straightened her white shirt as she waited for the Jedi to answer her door.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

There was no answer, Allyson only greeted by silence initially.

However, she should have been able a familiar prescence on the other side of the door.

"Password?!" Jyoti demanded loudly through the door, voice unusually gruff.

It was a struggle to speak in such a way and not burst out laughing.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Ally could feel the familiar presence on the other side of the door. It indicated that the door should have been opening soon, but when it didn’t Allyson raised an eyebrow. Following that, a gruffy voice echoed through the door asking for a password.

“Password?!” At this time Allyson regretted not bringing a slice of the cheesecake she had made earlier with her. A hand rested on the Corellian’s chin as she pondered what could the possible password be, shaking her head she sighed and laughed softly.

“Okay, um let’s see. Do I get any hints?” Allyson figured it was a silly endeavor to ask for some hints, but she made a few guesses. “Cheesecake, plants, S-Dramas for life, uh snickerdoodles.” A grin and she leaned closer to the door. “Allyson is the best.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

For several moments, more silence.

"No to all the above, especially the last one."

"Go away, and please try again later."

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson blankly stared at the door. “What?! I mean I could understand the others being wrong but the last one? The last one is only based in truth.”

Resting her head against the door, she pondered. “Churros, Lightsabers, Nanotechnology, Tea.”

“At least give me a hint if I’m wrong. Jyoti!”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Another round of silence, but it was even wirse this time. It was as if Jyoti was no more in the Force.

This went on for well into a minute, suspence left to grow within the mind of the Corellian.

Suddenly the door swung open , and one long arm reached out to reel her in by the waist. Moments later, she would find heeself nearly smothered in white robes that smelled of lialic.

"You're a funny one. I take it you wanted to see the new office before the bedroom."

Jyoti wrapped both arms around Allyson ,hugging her close at the entrance of the massive airy office. Behind her the door slid shut and locked with a soft click.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The door opened and Allyson was pulled into an embrace, the sweet smell of lilac filled her senses. The soft sound of the Corellian’s laughter and Allyson held onto the Echani tightly. The door shut behind her which meant that they were in their own world. Nuzzling the woman’s neck for a moment she kissed her on the cheek.

“Yeah I heard the Grandmaster’s office is quite big – had to make sure you didn’t get lost in it or something.” A grin and then a poke at the other woman’s side. “There better not be a password to the bedroom.” Allyson lowered her voice to mimic the voice that she heard through the door. She repeated the word password and then laughed.

“You’re terrible you know that.” Shaking her head, she continued to smile. “You settling in alright? Feels like so much has happened and I’ve missed you.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"It's quite the upgrade. It even makes my old office look tiny."

She returned the kiss, raising her hands to cup Allyson's face before pecking her on the lips. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I've missed you as well."

As Grandmaster, most of her days were now spent at or near the Rest, while Allyson was still expected to conduct field work as a Shadow. They probably weren't going to be cruising around together much on her flagship like the old days, which was unfortunate.

She pulled away, then motioned Allyson to join her on the couch situated at the far end of the room.

"I'm doing fine. Aside from the move, my workload honestly hasn't changed that much. Valae may have just resigned, but I have been taking on more and more of her responsibilities in the background for a long time now."

She plopped onto the couch, curling her legs up (boots were left at the door, replaced by slippers) as she leaned back against one arm, letting out a small contented sigh.

"So is that all you wanted, just to check up on me?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

A smile followed the kiss and Allyson was soon following the Echani woman. The concept of it all, following Jyoti it came without question. She followed her into battle several times over and finally followed her to the Silver Jedi. Best decision she had ever made. Foregoing the slippers, Allyson sat on the couch with her legs pulled into her, arms wrapped around them gently as her mismatched socks covered her feet.

A soft sigh and Allyson nodded, she knew the moment that Jyoti had accepted the role as Grandmaster, missions were going to force the Corellian to be alone, or with a new partner. “I remember, I think you had become Master of the Order a little after I first arrived.” A soft smile still lingered on the Corellian’s face as she nodded. “You were always good at stuff like this.” The question came about what the visit was about, and Allyson couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I want other things, but that will have to wait till I can tempt you away from your desk.” A loose fist rested against her cheek, while her arm propped on her leg. “I can think of a few things that could drag you away. I did come to make sure you were doing alright, and you know I can’t stay away for too long.” A shrug and Allyson scooted a little closer to the Echani from the other end of the couch.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"No, you really can't," she said with a smile.

How the times had changed, Jyoti being the one to chase her over all over the galaxy, and had almost given up on the Silver Order. They had come full circle.

"Still, it's odd that you come here instead of my quarters." She didn't miss the Corellian inching closer in those mismatched socks, though she pretended not to notice. "The nice thing about being Grandmaster is that I set my own schedule. There's nothing else you wanted?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

“I didn’t realize you set your own schedule.” Waving a hand to add emphasis to her next statement, “I thought you worked off the will of the paperwork.” Allyson sighed softly at her missed opportunity. “Next time I’ll remember that. I knew if I would have wandered to your quarters I would have probably missed you at this time.”

She had moved next to Echani woman and sighed softly, Allyson wondered if she had everything written on her face which was why Jyoti asked what else she wanted. “To spend some time with you.”

Leaning into the couch, she pondered how to introduce her odd idea. “A girl sought me out a little bit ago, wanting to learn Mechu Deru. Though because of its roots in the dark side, I refused. So, I wanted to know if you would work with me on this little project, to see if we could somehow manage to not make it so dark sided.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti snorted. "If I don't work to the Will of the Force, what makes you think I'd do that. That's one of the perks of being the boss. Not going to lie and say I didn't miss it."

The Echani was one of the few Jedi Masters hold the distinction of serving as Grandmaster twice.

Finally, after multiple attempts at probing, Allyson revealed why she had really come. Assistance on working on a more Jedi friendly version of Mechu-Deru. It was funny that she had come to her about this particular subject now, as it had been something Jyoti had been pondering on her own for a while now.

"This would be quite a useful technique to teach other Jedi, so I'd love to help." she straightened up on the couch as her intrigue grew. "However, before we figure out something new, I need to understand how Mechu-Deru works to know what to avoid. Why don't you explain the process? No one's been able to tell me how exactly Mechu-Deru works."

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson remembered, and she nodded.

“I knew you would, mostly to spend more time with me.” Allyson smirked as she felt clever for having thought this up. She had only recently to think on it, never realizing until she joined the Silver Order that what she did wasn’t something Jedi did.

Staring at the other woman with surprise, Allyson had been thrown a question that she never really had to think about. Mechu Deru came so naturally, that having to explain it was going to take some thinking. Adjusting herself on the couch, Allyson crossed her legs under her and she thought quietly on how to explain it.

“It works by using the force to manipulate the electromagnetic field given off by most machines. The Force in general, you can feel living beings around you because everything has an aura, right?” Allyson was trying her best to draw parallels, “Someone’s force signature or aura – machines and technology give off something like that too, but you don’t really notice it unless you’re in tune, it’s what I feel and see.”

“I can sense tech, feeling it flowing as it was a living being. With Mechu Deru I can manipulate and change what it’s doing. Sometimes, especially with droids they have a sequence of code that tell them what to do and how to do it. Using the Force, you bend that code, change it to what you want it to be. You can wipe the slate and enforce what you want.”

Allyson bit her lower lip as she thought, the more she talked about Mechu Deru and discovered some of its past – the more she felt guilty in a sense of using the power so freely. “I remember being told about something called a techno beast and a techno virus. The techno virus can from what I remember – its still hazy…but stuff like that can force a person or organic to have their genetic structure changed.”

“I think when you dive into that realm, overly enforcing your will over something or attacking someone with cybernetics – turning limbs against the user is when you start heading towards what makes this something terrible.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti nodded along as Allyson recounted her experience using Mechu-Deru, feigning ignorance. Her question much less about informing herself, and more about seeing what Allyson knew. What all she could she could do. It appeared that she hadn't explored the more advanced and perhaps twisted applications of Mechu-Deru - she was much too wholesome for that.

Others weren't. One thing always led to another, which was why she was hesitant to introduce such technique to the Silver Order at large.

"Thank you for that. I think that it's best that I take some time to myself and research the topic further. Then I'll make a final decision about how I would like us to proceed with this. Is that fair?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson stared at Jyoti for a moment as the Echani explained how she wanted to go about this. Research and looking into the subject alone. She questioned quietly why it always turned into her doing things on her own. Jyoti seemed to always enjoy her quiet time, but this was something that Allyson needed to be involved in, on top of her wanting to spend time with her lover. A smile spread across Allyson’s face as she shook her head slightly.

“The final decision is yours of course, but I don’t think its fair.” Now having had scooted closer, the Corellian’s hand searched for the Jedi’s. Fingers moving to intertwine and grasp with a small squeeze, Allyson continued to smile softly.

“I want to spend time with you and learn about Mechu Deru, the Force.” Pausing slightly, Allyson sighed softly, but continued with a smile. “You don’t have to do everything alone, I’m with you. Let’s do this together?”


[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Jyoti accepted her hand, wiggling her fingers as they came together. However, she did not smile, but instead let out a small sigh. Eager for Jyoti's attention, she did not seem to appreciate the gravity of the decision before the newly minted Grandmaster.

She pulled her hand away, then rested it on her knee. "I'm normally happy to have you lend a hand, but this is something I need to do on my own. It's usually too distracting having others around me when I'm trying to do my research. That said, this isn't a solo process. I did hear you out first, and now I'm looking into the advice left by my predecessors."

She reached out, giving Allyson a pat on the thigh, now smiling. "Besides, I'm not starting on it now. It's been a while, I'd still like to catch up. Why don't we watch a movie? The holoprojector is pretty nice in here."

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Alright, Sounds good, just don’t hesitate if you do need me for something.”

It took a moment, but Allyson began to understand for the most part. What was being presented, was something that could hurt someone in the long run. Allyson watched their hands intertwine and then release as Jyoti explained the situation. Nodding, Allyson let it go knowing that it was something that Jyoti needed to do.

The hand on her thigh made her forget her trail of thought as she looked up and stared into the silver eyes that made her forget the world around them. The smile remained on Allyson’s face as she caressed lightly the back of the Echani’s slender hand. The Corellian scooted closer, “Good, I’ve missed you and even though you’re the Grandmaster you do deserve a little fun time.”

Allyson bit her lower lip as she pondered, “What are you in the mood for? I’m thinking something funny, romantic comedy or something.” Allyson laughed. “Show me this amazing holoprojector, Lover.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She shifted on the couch so she could lean next to Allyson, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm never in want of fun times, but it's never quite the same without you."

Through radiotelepathy, the cyborg triggered the holo projector, and the room darkened as the automatic blinds slid closed. She really did have her own little etertainment set up in here, if left uninetentionally by her predecessor. The first images to pop up were a pair of giant mecha locked in an epic clash.

"I was thinking that we enjoy a throwback classic, what do you think?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Feeling the Echani move closer, Allyson found herself leaning into the woman, fitting perfectly against her. It was the simple things like this that she enjoyed. The room went dark and Allyson watched carefully seeing the large office suddenly turn into one of the best entertainment set ups she’s ever seen. Musing to herself, she waited to see what the choice was.

As soon as the mechas appeared, Allyson nearly found herself jumping into Jyoti’s lap with excitement. Lighting up at the clashing mech sized lightsabers Allyson turned to the woman beside her and patted her thigh. “This is perfect.” A hand moved from the Jedi’s thigh and caressed lightly along the curve of her jaw, leaning forward the Corellian gave a cheeky smile and quipped softly.

“You’re going to pay attention this time?” As she finished she leaned forward under the protection of the office, here they were in their own space away from everything. Drawing, her beautiful Echani closer, she kissed her softly on the lips.


[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

The Echani leaned into Allyson's touch, then nuzzled her cheek into the Corellian's neck while pulling her closer by the hip.

"Mmm...sure," she replied with a small nod, patting Allyson on the thigh.

She immediately followed up with a question about Jyoti following the whole show without distraction.

"Maybe," she admitted, her focus already drawing upon something more tantalizing.

In the end, much like last time, Jyoti didn't pay attention to the program.

The third time was sure to be the charm.

------------------​

Over the next few days, she spent time pouring over archival records, holocrons, and public essays over the matter of Jedi using mechu-deru. Perhaps the most enlightening article was Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena, written by a fellow Jedi Knight centuries ago.

She spent another few days in quiet reflection, then finally came about a decision.

A week later, she summoned Allyson back to her office for an official meeting, this time at her desk.

"This took a lot longer than the few days I promised," she apologized, "but I wanted to be thorough with my research. I have determined that...it won't be necessary to create a new technique. In fact, I've found Mechu-Deru, at least the basic form, safe to use. While the Sith may have originally developed the technique, it's not inherently a Dark Side ability, as opposed to Electronic Manipulation. It's similar to how the Jedi have adopted other Sith innovations, such as lightsaber technology."

"Tech specialists within the original Jedi Order were known to use Mechu-deru, however, the technique never achieved widespread acceptance because of our predecessor's aversion to mixing technology with the Force. However, our understanding of the particular intersection has expanded significantly and the Silver Order, in particular, is very supportive of cyberization."

Jyoti, almost completely synthetic, was living proof of this fact.

"If you're up to it, then I will allow you to choose a handful of candidates to teach them to use Mechu-deru on a trial basis, beginning with me. How does that sound?"

[member="Allyson Locke"]