Private Study Buddies

[Zoar]

JEDI ARCHIVES
CORUSCANT
​

A strange sight greeted any Jedi touring the expansive library within the Jedi Temple.

A massive suit of power armor crouched next to a computer. Connected to the terminal by a wrist-mounted scomp link, the suit seemed to study the flickering, shifting screen with a knowledge-starved intensity. From inside the armor, the quietest of protestations could be heard.

//No... no... definitely not... no...//

Zoar didn't often find himself in the temple archives. Most information he needed was at his beck and call, thanks to his cybernetics, and he wasn't the kind to sit down with a good book. The suit didn't have that kind of manual dexterity, and the Miln wouldn't be caught dead outside of it in a public space. No, he was here today because of Jedi Master Valery Noble .

During their mission together on Odacer-Faustin, Zoar had let slip that he struggled with using the Force, far behind his fellow padawans. Master Noble had suggested he try to learn Mechu-deru, or Ionize. It only made sense; he was a tech whiz- maybe technopathy would come easy to him? That was her theory, at least. Might as well give it a try.

Easier said than done. Jedi texts on the subject were few and far between. Which was silly to Zoar. They were surrounded by technology all the time. Why didn't more Jedi learn how to affect it with the Force?

The suit bumped it's head on the terminal in defeat. This was hard.

- Gabriel Pryce -

 

[Gabriel Pryce]

Zoar

The Path of a Heroic Jedi was one of war and battle and while being a Hero was something Gabe aspired to be he felt a strange pull to the archives every time he was on Coruscant. If he wasn't running drills or on missions with Osarla Ridor then he was in the archives searching. For what he didn't know. Today he'd been entranced by a holocron that had been in a section of the archives dedicated to the dangers of the Dark Side and the benefits to understanding that danger as part of the life of a Jedi rather than preaching outright avoidance like many other older texts. It was from an ancient Jedi Master, one from the legendary Luke Skywalker's order.

He was walking to put the holocron back when he saw a familiar suit of power armor hunched over a console.

"Zoar?" Zoar was a techie and a bit craven but he had a good heart and an inquisitive mind. He could talk to him for hours about starship drives and repulsor engines, though he felt like Zoar's interest lied in more specialized tech than that. He walked up to the Padawan and patted the armor's thigh.

"Hey Zoar! What's got you hunched over that console?"

 

[Zoar]

In what felt like routine now, the suit's shoulders jerked in surprise at the sudden noise. A rather undignified squeak of panic accompanied it, before Zoar was able to compose himself.

//Oh! H-hey, Gabe,// the power armor stammered, it's head turning a full three-sixty, and standing up to it's full ten-foot height. //Yeah, ah, long story.//

//So, I went on a mission with Master Noble. She's super cool, by the way.// He allowed himself a moment to silently fanboy, before continuing. //She said that I should try to learn Mechu-deru. It's like... Force mechanics. I guess. Something like that. I don't know exactly.// He shrugged, suddenly unsure. //But these computers don't really match my hardware, so I can't find any good information on it.//

//Oh. Nevermind. It was a short story.// The Miln chuckled nervously. //Can you... help? If you have the time?//

- Gabriel Pryce -

 

[Gabriel Pryce]

Zoar

"Mechu-Deru?" Gabe's face scrunched up as he tried to remember something from the deepest parts of his mind. He'd heard the name somewhere before but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shrugged, giving up.

"I can try," he said hopefully. "Here let me see," he scooted between the big mech suit and the terminal and started typing. "You said its like Force mechanics right?" He didn't wait for an answer though and started typing away.

"As Jedi we get a pretty broad education, more so than most kids our age I'd wager. But you don't need the Force to be a mechanic." He was talking himself through the search process. "Engineering, no...Hyperspace navigation? Definitely not...Droid maintenance...Wait-Technobeast? What the heck is-" The terminal flashed red, big arubesh letters spelling doom to their search.

"RESTRICTED: MASTER ACCESS ONLY"​

Gabe's face fell, then a mischievous look crossed his face and he gave the mech man his best Corellian smirk.

"Think that scomp link can slice the Jedi archives' security?"

 

[Zoar]

The mech suit looked timidly over Gabe's shoulder as he typed away at the terminal, the lifeless eyes of the suit somehow conveying a quiet curiosity. //Yeah,// the Miln quickly affirmed, nodding his head.

//I know you don't need the Force to build things...// He returned, his giant manipulators folding into each other. //Just like how you don't technically need tools, either. But they definitely make it easier, right?//

The giant red letters startled Zoar, his shoulders bobbing in surprise as the warning displayed itself to the two padawans. Well, that was it. He would have to find a different way to connect to the Force. He cringed, thinking of another mediation session.

"Think that scomp link can slice the Jedi archives' security?"

It took the mouse a second to register what exactly the Corellian meant. The giant suit looked scandalized at Gabe's suggestion, taking a half-step back. //I don't know if we should... I mean, it's probably restricted for a reason.//

Then, looking at his fellow padawan's smile, he tried to rationalize. //Well... Master Noble said to look into it. Which means it must be okay for us to take a quick peek. Right? Right.// The mech extended it's hand, connecting it's scomp link to the terminal, the device clicking back and forth in the socket.

//But I doubt I can get in. Ever since the last cyber attack on the temple, they've gotten better at protecting their data. I'm not...//

//Oh. I got it.//

In a flash of pink light, the red letters disappeared, revealing the expertise-restricted material.

- Gabriel Pryce -