Why Did It Have to Be (Sea)Snakes? (Ask First)

[Asemir]

OOC:
Thread takes place on Kamino. OOC thread here. Please inquire before joining.

IC:

Asemir Lor'kora leaned back in the form-fitting cushions of The Redemption's pilot's chair, half-hooded eyes watching the various monitors and displays. Stars and planets streaked by before him as the ship propelled him and his passenger through hyperspace. One of the monitors blinked a small countdown. Estimated time of arrival. Just under two hours.

Their destination was the watery-world of Kamino, a planet known for its vast oceans and its scientific and technological advances. It was the birthplace of the Clone Army of the Galactic Republic, something no more than a vague memory confined to the holograms of a history archive.

It was also home to an ancient Jedi library, a wealth of knowledge that may or may not still exist. Asemir wasn't sure, but his patron was. Jorus Merrill had offered a mission to extract any artifacts that might have survived the centuries of neglect. The Jedi had been confident in his message, and that confidence had been infectious. Still, Asemir had thought, even if their mission came away with no goods, it would at least be an experience for his apprentice.

Apprentice. It was still an alien thought to him. Like a pair of brand new boots from the armory, boots that didn't fit quite right because they hadn't been broken in. Sure, he had trained many people in the past, had had soldiers assigned to his unit to learn valuable skills under his hand. But having an apprentice was different. This was someone he would mold into whatever being he wished to mold her into. He wasn't just teaching a survival skill or a new way of infiltration a hardened structure. No, this was a long-term commitment, a relationship that would span years and its effects would last a lifetime.

The gravity of the responsibility was almost staggering. How long did training missions last? A few weeks? Months? And here he was, teaching [member="Tacitanya"] life skills, Force skills, skills she would need to master that intangible-yet-fully-tangible power flowing within her. Ah, the Force.

The Forgotten sat up, stretched, and focused his mind. Rumination. Years ago, it was something he did a lot. Lost in thought, he would dwell on the past and the what-ifs. But that had only led to disaster, and experience had taught him that once he learned from his mistakes, it was time to move on.

Asemir reached for a glass of water and took a sip. Two hours. It was probably a good idea to give a briefing. Or prepare Taci for the mission. She already knew of it, of course, but now would be a good time to go over any last minute details.

Or just talk. Something to pass the time.

 

[Beowoof]

She rhythmically clattered her spoon against the mess table in the galley. Clink. Clink. Clink. Sure, it was out of boredom, but the funny thing was that she was not even lifting a finger to do it. The twi'lek apprentice had been trying to zoom ahead; impress Asemir and also just try to learn on the fast track. Nothing ever came instantly, but it would be nice to not have to wait ten years before she could throw a wrench across the room with no hands. Imagine that: throwing things with your mind! Perhaps it was not impressive to many of the Force-sensitive kind, but Taci was ecstatic that she could at least rattle silverware across a table. That was more than anyone else she had known prior had been able to do. And on the rare occasion that she was able to completely lift the spoon off the table, the most wondrous smile swept across her face.

All was bliss right now, with no worries about Kamino and what lay before them over the next couple days. Perhaps she was manic--and who could fault an unfortunate street rat for it?--but her self-esteem had risen miles high since the other night as she began to toy around with things. She had slept more than she had in years--and more comfortably, too. Taci was simply at ease.

There were no longer any doubts in her mind that she was 'special'. But just how special? One could dream. And that she did.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

OOC:
I just realized something. Bouncing between two threads is going to pose some challenges. Like how to link what's happened in the other thread with this, and vice versa.

IC:
The clatter of metal on metal echoed down the hallway and reached Asemir's ears. He paused, frowning as he focused on the noise. It was different, something he'd not heard before on his ship. His mind immediately thought it might be a mechanical malfunction, maybe some actuator or pump not operating correctly. Or maybe a valve that had gotten stuck. Or perhaps something caught in an air intake vent?

But, the clanking was too clear, too sharp for it to have originated in the bowels of the vessel. That would lend credence to it being a problem with an air vent. The sound could easily be travelling through the miles of duct work.

Annoyance started to seep into his mind. Murphy's Law. Something that could go wrong would go wrong. Of course it would happen right before a mission. Then again, he supposed, if the clanking was just something caught in the vents, it was a minor issue. It really wasn't that big of a deal, and he would deal with it after the trip to Kamino.

Satisfied that he could safely ignore the problem, he hoped, Asemir continued to the galley. The clanking grew louder, clearer, and then he saw the source of it. Surprise and relief placed a smile on his face as he saw the bouncing spoon. So it wasn't something wrong with the ship, but only his apprentice growing and learning.

"Wow, that's really good progress," Asemir said as he dropped off his glass in the sink. He had spent the majority of the journey teaching Taci how to focus the Force and bend it to her will. It was trying, at first, as she learned to grasp manipulate that empyreal power, and she hadn't been able to do much with the Force. But now...

"How long have you been practicing?" The Forgotten pulled some dried fruit from a storage container. "It usually takes people days before they can start pushing and pulling objects."

[member="Tacitanya"]

 

[Ultimatum]

The galaxy was a beautiful place, especially when looked upon it from a slight angle in space. No atmosphere to make the stars disappear or be dimmed, no distracting noises or people, and above all it was calm. The very silence gave Ultimatum reason enough to enjoy being where he was. Of course, he had places to be, things to do, and stupid organics to listen to, as all sentient lives had apparently. Now though, he would take the peace while he could. He let his receptors and every feeling absorb and record the sensation he was going through. He was so insignificant, nothing, compared to the galaxy that he looked upon. What did that make him compared to the whole of the universe? Was anything that was accomplished here and now worth it? If he destroyed a planet the galaxy would spin on unabated. If all life were destroyed and nothing left the universe would continue as if nothing had happened. Did it matter if he missed an appointment? Did it matter if he died? Did it matter if the star that gave life to Mustafar were to go out?

Ultimatum pulled himself out of his reverie. "Alright time to back in." He didn't speak, he sent a command through his program to the droid ship that we was tethered to. The ship activated a winch that pulled Ultimatum back into its hold. If Ultimatum were an organic he might have complained about the roughness with which he was pulled, but as a droid he didn't have a proper concept to back that thought. He stayed silent until the hold's door slid closed. The lights in the bay turned on and Ultimatum was bathed in light. Another advantage to being a synthetic lifeform: there was no need to waste time filling the hold with oxygen. There was no air in this ship, any type of atmosphere would present a hazard if the hull were breached. There was no need for it, nobody aboard needed air, though there were only two people on at the moment. Those were the ship, which had a droid brain instead of a pilot, thus removing the necessity of a cockpit, and Ultimatum.

Ultimatum stood still for a moment, wishing he could spend an eternity out in the magnificent silence of space. He knew that it was an impossible wish to grant. But he had heard an organic saying that one should dream the impossible dream. Another direct hit, Ultimatum further wished that he could dream. It was supposed to be an absolutely wonderful thing to do, but he wanted firsthand knowledge. Ultimatum sighed, time was a wasting and he had something he wanted to do. He had been wondering about a planet, one of significant importance during the Clone Wars. Kamino was the place where cloning became an art apparently. Ultimatum wanted to see what this was like, organic playing god. He wondered and he looked forward to it. All he had to do was nod and the droid ship moved to begin the journey. It would be a long one, though Ultimatum wasn't about to complain, he wanted to feel space again. It would probably be hours or days before they reached the planet, Ultimatum would have to conserve energy, so he lay down on the metallic ground, unfeeling of its cold. He turned off all his extraneous systems, most of his sensors and body control. He left only the thought processors and the communications in case something happened he would know. He had his processors bring up the sensations within his body. He could practically feel the lack of feeling, if that made sense. What Ultimatum did know was that he was content.

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa_oRD-K5PI

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"] [member="Tacitanya"]

 

[Beowoof]

How long had she been practicing? "Since you showed me," she answered, straight and matter-of-factly. Moving the plate the other night had been a big deal, after all.

It made the twi'lek proud when she heard that she was advancing at a bit of a faster pace with this Force thing. To be completely honest, she was impressed with herself. "It's a little easier if you just put all the 'power' behind it. Kind of like..." Her lip curled maliciously like she was in a standoff with a gunslinger and her hand slashed through the air wickedly, nearly flipping the spoon over with the telekinetic motion. "...That.

"Though it's more random that way. It takes more thought to move it nicely, but you get more control, I guess. At least, that's how I've figured it out so far." Considering how experienced Asemir probably was, she assumed he could just look at it strangely and make the spoon launch out of the hull and free-float into space. Her imagination could get wild, though.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"], [member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir nodded in agreement. "Yeah, using all of your emotions does give you that power, but it's hard to control. There are stories of Sith-Jedi battles that end up with one side literally bringing down the house, and it's usually because someone pulled too hard on their emotional reserves. And then boom they lose control and the Force just erupts."

He used the Force to stand the spoon on its end. "Now that you've learned how to connect with the Force, start paying attention to your emotional state when you do. Gauge just how deeply you're tapping into that well. It'll take some effort to really get a good feel for that, but once you do, you'll start to find the bare minimum of emotion that you need, and you'll get more control that way. Less emotion lets you stay objective, focused, and even-minded."

The spoon clattered as Asemir relinquished his hold on it. "Hey, before I forget, I wanted to ask you if you're familiar with deep sea diving or anything like that. The reports I've read say this underwater city isn't that deep, maybe like twenty or thirty meters, but it's deep enough that there's some safety items we should probably talk about."

[member="Tacitanya"] [member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

The ship traveled through lightspeed. It was supposed to be a hypnotizing, at least he had hear many organics call it that. Personally Ultimatum found it somewhat sad to watch the beauty of stars simply pass by without even being properly seen or admired. In fact, it was a waste to not see that which was here to be seen and enjoyed. Certainly that was their reason, wasn't it? What other purpose could all this have? If he believed in one of the many organic theories he could simply say that it was all random and there was no purpose. He couldn't give that serious though, because it went further and stated that all the universe came from absolutely nothing. That was an unacceptable explanation it wasn't logical, after all nothing comes from nothing. As would be expected, at some point in the past, those same organics had expanded on that theory and stated that the universe came from some substance before it. This still begged the question of what was before. As a droid, Ultimatum was limited in his ability to theorize on that question, in fact he didn't have any idea. What he was certain of was this, "nothing came from nothing". That meant that the universe had come from something. That was where his thoughts would turn to older concepts. He had studied some of those ancient religions, and the vast majority of them had a belief in some god, group of gods, or even a substance beyond the physical from which all of the universe came. Again he couldn't say whether these were true, or if they were even possibility correct. He was a droid, even though he had emotions he couldn't truly answer these type of questions. For all his lack of knowledge, he did know that the stars were not as pretty as seen through hyperspace.

He wasn't really thinking much, it was time for relaxation, while on the way. He would have more to deal with once there. He was saving room and simply reliving the experience of nothingness. Was that what organics feared? Was death like that? How could he ever know? But if it were, why fear it? Why were organics so afraid of that which they didn't understand? What was wrong with them that different and new often caused panic? It seemed that the questions he asked himself would never be answered and that there was no end to them. Part of him looked forward to reaching Kamino, if only because it would give his mind something to do, other than think. Much like keeping a soldier busy to not think on a comrade's death, he had to keep himself working otherwise he would break his processing units from all the questions. It was actually quite saddening to him. He tried to focus more on the replayed recording of his time in space.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"] [member="Tacitanya"]

 

[Beowoof]

The twi'lek shook her head, and bit her lip, unsure if she was supposed to know about deep-sea diving. Where she had grown up, there was no ocean, and hardly anywhere to swim. Taci had never even dipped her toe in a pool. Wading through rain puddles was as deep as she had ever swum. Was this required to be a Jedi? If so, then there was a lot more physical involvement apart from the whole supernatural thing to this gig than she had expected.

"Do we have to breathe underwater or something?" The way he mentioned safety made her wonder just how much he was expecting from her out of the gate. She hoped they would have safety in mind. It was their first outing, or mission--or whatever one called it--together.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"], [member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Asemir]

"Yes, we'll have to breathe underwater," Asemir replied, but then he sensed her discomfort and quickly added, "but it won't be with the Force. We'll be using a standard water rebreather. It'll pull in oxygen from the water and allow you to breathe pretty normally."

He had to grin at the thought though. "I don't know if there's a Force technique to breathe underwater. There probably is, given that the Force is so vast and unlimited, but I don't know it. Plus, I don't know if I'd trust my concentration enough to rely on the Force for something as mundane and crucial as breathing. Not to worry, we'll be dependent on good old technology.

"There's only a few safety issues, actually. First, I've got a few wet suits in the storage locker. I haven't really used them, but now I'm glad I bought them. And invested in the kind that are a universal fit. I hope they'll fit you. Anyways, the wet suits are important because they'll keep you relatively warm in the water. You'd be surprised at how quick you'd lose body heat otherwise, and if that happens, things go bad. Hypothermia kicks in and your swim ends abruptly."

Asemir thought for a moment as he recalled his lessons in diving. It had been a while. "The rebreather will take care of your breathing, but if for some reason you lose it and you have to surface, just remember to keep exhaling. The pressure underwater will mess up your lungs real bad if you try to hold your breath when you go up. Something about the air in your lungs expanding. We shouldn't be deep enough that depressurization will be a concern. I really hope not."

Something occurred to him. "Hey, I never thought to ask, but do you know how to swim?"

[member="Tacitanya"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum had arrived, at last. He had had to shut himself down for a time, just to stop from looping around to those questions. It was such a strange thing. He was drawn to trying to understand organics, as if it were part of his programming. Perhaps it was, maybe a fault with the systems due to the organics who had built it. He had not found all of these small oddities, as a creation of organics meant to be similar to an organic it was as if his whole being was made of these. It was a most annoying thing. He wanted to understand the organics, yet he did not, but he was built similar in mind to them, therefore he did not comprehend his own self much. This then led to the fact that he had difficulty trying to understand the world around him, including organics. An infuriating circle to be sure, but one that he was going to overcome.

The ship began entering the atmosphere as soon as possible, he stood from the ground and opened the back of the ship. Without atmosphere there was nothing really to worry about in so far as being sucked out of the ship. There might have been a concern with the aerodynamics of the ship, but the speed of their entry was too slow to make that danger incredibly evident. Time to get ready. Ultimatum moved further into the ship and opened the strongbox set into the hull. It contained the suit that he would wear and the propulsion equipment he would probably need. His weight was a little too much to be even close to buoyant. While this might not be a problem depending on how far down any of the cities might be, it would be for getting back to the surface. He had heard that the cities he had wanted had mostly been destroyed a long time ago. At least they had been as destroyed as was possible considering that it would take a few baradium missiles to level them completely. It was possible that some lay relatively intact beneath the surface, and he hoped to find at least one of them.

The material that he pulled over his body was akin to a dry suit used by organics. It was in fact a form of flexible transparent metal. Its intent was fairly obvious, to keep water out of those places that would be damaged by it. It would seal against certain metal plates on him so that it would hopefully not come loose. If it did that would be more of a nuisance than an actual danger. His body was relatively waterproof, the circuits were completely sealed and his body was generally stainless. He however did not want water in his body for two big reasons. One, it was better to not take risks with electronics and water, if there was a flaw in his electrical system it could be damaging. Two, the cavities in his body would create large parts of him where the water would catch and slow his progress. It would be a few minutes before he was ready to take the dive.

[member="Tacitanya"] [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum had arrived, at last. He had had to shut himself down for a time, just to stop from looping around to those questions. It was such a strange thing. He was drawn to trying to understand organics, as if it were part of his programming. Perhaps it was, maybe a fault with the systems due to the organics who had built it. He had not found all of these small oddities, as a creation of organics meant to be similar to an organic it was as if his whole being was made of these. It was a most annoying thing. He wanted to understand the organics, yet he did not, but he was built similar in mind to them, therefore he did not comprehend his own self much. This then led to the fact that he had difficulty trying to understand the world around him, including organics. An infuriating circle to be sure, but one that he was going to overcome.

The ship began entering the atmosphere as soon as possible, he stood from the ground and opened the back of the ship. Without atmosphere there was nothing really to worry about in so far as being sucked out of the ship. There might have been a concern with the aerodynamics of the ship, but the speed of their entry was too slow to make that danger incredibly evident. Time to get ready. Ultimatum moved further into the ship and opened the strongbox set into the hull. It contained the suit that he would wear and the propulsion equipment he would probably need. His weight was a little too much to be even close to buoyant. While this might not be a problem depending on how far down any of the cities might be, it would be for getting back to the surface. He had heard that the cities he had wanted had mostly been destroyed a long time ago. At least they had been as destroyed as was possible considering that it would take a few baradium missiles to level them completely. It was possible that some lay relatively intact beneath the surface, and he hoped to find at least one of them.

The material that he pulled over his body was akin to a dry suit used by organics. It was in fact a form of flexible transparent metal. Its intent was fairly obvious, to keep water out of those places that would be damaged by it. It would seal against certain metal plates on him so that it would hopefully not come loose. If it did that would be more of a nuisance than an actual danger. His body was relatively waterproof, the circuits were completely sealed and his body was generally stainless. He however did not want water in his body for two big reasons. One, it was better to not take risks with electronics and water, if there was a flaw in his electrical system it could be damaging. Two, the cavities in his body would create large parts of him where the water would catch and slow his progress. It would be a few minutes before he was ready to take the dive.

[member="Tacitanya"] [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Beowoof]

Breathing underwater may have been a snap thanks to technology, but maneuvering might be a whole other story. For someone gifted in this Force stuff, Taci certainly felt lacking in... just about everything else. This planning process was already off to a rough start.

And this approached her first worry: what if she was not up to the journey she had committed to? "Well... not really." The trainee glanced towards the lockers where Asemir said the equipment was. Yeah, what if she messed up his gear too? "There's not much water where I grew up. None that you'd want to swim in, anyway." She was a master at a few things that most people could not claim to have even tried--not necessarily good things, to be honest, but they were invested skills nonetheless. But some things were not really accessible on Nar Shaddaa, and especially not to someone of her status. Taking a mission on a watery world without the ability to swim sounded like a one-way expedition.

The apprentice returned her eyes to The Forgotten and grimaced. Just deadweight. "Asemir--am I ruining your trip? It's okay to tell me."

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"], [member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Asemir]

"What, ruining my trip? No way," Asemir said with a shake of his head. "Why would you be? You're the reason why I'm here. This trip is really about your development, so you can't be ruining it." He grimaced. "Besides, it's really my fault. I didn't consider your basic training, what you already know before we set out here. I should have taken stock first and then planned accordingly."

He stood and walked to one of the equipment lockers and began rummaging through it. It took a moment, but he pulled out an equipment vest. Various pockets lined the outside and it appeared relatively bulky. He set it gently on the table.

"This is a buoyancy control device. It's really a vest or jacket or harness that's built around a couple of gas bladders. What it does is, it uses a chemical reaction to fill the bladders with air, which allows you to float. You can adjust it by releasing excess gas or creating more, so that you'll float where you are in the water or shoot up to the surface."

He gave her an encouraging smile. "Hey, Taci, it'll be fine. I know you're probably terribly anxious about all of this. Excited to be on your first adventure, to test out this whole Force-business in the real world, and then we're here on this water world and you realize you can't swim. This is all going to be new and exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, but I'm here. I'll make sure that you're safe. And as you grow, as you learn and become more confident, things will get easier and more familiar."

Asemir paused, again feeling the weight of training the twi'lek on his shoulders. This was far more responsibility than any of the combat missions he had led, and that realization caused him to let out a little chuckle. "Sorry, I'm actually a little bit nervous myself. You know, this is actually a good time to mention that there's a Force technique to reduce stress and anxiety. It's very simple if you're up for learning it."

OOC:
Hard to write after another 17 hour day. lol. Ah well.

[member="Tacitanya"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

It was almost time to the plunge. The thin metal now encased Ultimatum much like a transparent cocoon, and he was now safe from the turbulent waters below. The droid now stood on the edge of the open loading ramp. The ship had come to a halt and hovered three meters or so above the water, thought truth be told it moved with all the wind and the rain that buffeted it. The droid could feel the water pummeling the shell around him and dripping off, destined to slide down the ramp and fall back into the ocean from which it had come. A strange repetition, that of the water. To rise into the heavens, only to fall back to the dirt. Drunk by plants and animals, which would expel it again in various forms. Then it would once more rise and fall, following an eternal circle. It was such a limited resource, considering the amount of life that was dependent on it, sure there were worlds like this covered in nothing but water, but more worlds were barren.

The droid turned his attention to attaching the propulsion devices. These were, like his suit, magnetically sealed to him. Such a strong force, magnetism, and so useful as well. It could create the energy that sustained his life and it could hold to objects together so strongly that no organic could separate them. Of course, even so other forces were more powerful. Such forces were the type that could rip worlds and turn life into dust. A single Force stood above all others, a strength that towered as a fantastic Force that only a select few could control. That was something beyond Ultimatum's full comprehension. However he could understand the effects that it had on the world around him and even then it struck him as a complete mystery. There was no true explanation for what it was, not one that he could say was proper and complete. Thus, he kept his attention and mind in areas where he knew he could gain understanding that would satisfy his need, his mission.

With the system on he looked over the edge and just watched the water, the waves were so large and strong. It was an awe inspiring power that nature had, but it did not fully match what was capable with the machines and computers of this time. There was so much that he could do that nature could not. For that he was grateful to his makers, one of the few things he was grateful for.

[member="Tacitanya"] [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Beowoof]

Through process of necessity, Taci had learned to second-guess herself in nearly everything she did. It was no good to sneak into a warehouse if you forgot to lock the windows behind yourself after leaving. Sure, she could get away with her little sally the one time, but her returns would be met with actual security if management ever found out someone had tampered with things. Getting out of trouble by telling a fib was easy enough, but knowing your story just as well backwards was perhaps more important. Thus it was the same with herself psychologically--though, in this case, it seemed to cause more harm than good. She was never confident; never satisfied in herself.

So she took Asemir's reassurances to heart--but not exactly in one piece by the time they got there. "Sink or swim" it was. Taci smiled grimly and nodded. She had expected a lot of personal attention considering that she was being taken on as an apprentice in this line of 'good guy bounty hunting', but for her teacher to go out of his way to some isolated droplet in space was a signal of dedication. She basically owed him her best just for that.

The twi'kek kept mostly silent as he explained the buoyancy device's functions. It was the kind of thing that easily clicked with her and even distracted from the whole point of the exhibition to begin with, curiosity setting in about what chemicals were involved in this reaction. She was more of an electrical enthusiast herself and not much of a chemist, but this sort of knowledge could be useful down the line if not simply amusing. "I think I can get the hang of it fast enough."

Fiddling absently with the fasteners of the jacket, she kept to her typically low and legato intonation so as not to sound too worried but also not apathetic. "You can get rid of stress with the Force too? Whatever helps. I mean, unless we don't have the time." She needed to relax. Her heart rate was hardly above normal, but her brain just spun and spun and spun. She supposed she spent too much time thinking and not enough time immersing in the moment. Old habits died hard.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"], [member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Asemir]

"Well, we have time for me to teach you the basics," Asemir said. "Like anything else, it'll take practice to really refine this ability. You'll likely start out with having to find a quiet place and meditate, but eventually you'll be able to use the Force to calm your nerves on the fly. It's not as effective as actually meditating, but it's definitely helpful."

Asemir took the vest and placed it on the floor, out of sight. "Stress and anxiety is both mental and biological," he said as he took a seat across from Taci. "The biological is from various horomones and neurotransmitters created by the body. I don't understand the specifics, but that's what I've learned through some briefings. Basically, your body reacts to these chemicals and you feel stressed out, with elevated heart rhythm and so forth.

"The mental, as I'm sure you know, is where your mind just keeps going. It keeps thinking about the what-ifs, the future, the past, whatever. You can't focus. And the two affect each other, so that it can lead to a vicious cycle.

"Because stress is two-fold, you'll be using the Force to address both pieces. The Force is weird in that it's this intangible thing that can cause tangible effects. For the physical part, it'll be neutralizing those stress hormones, calming your heart, rejuvenating your muscles. For the mental part, it'll lift your spirits and clear your thoughts."

The Forgotten paused, thinking back to how he'd come to learn the Force meditation technique. It was one of the earlier skills taught to him, and that had been years ago. What he did now was second nature and quite different than the basics his instructors had taught him. "So, the question is how to do this. Well, first, I've always found that closing my eyes helps a lot. It blocks out other distractions. Secondly, visualize or imagine something refreshing. Pull from a memory, if you can. It might be a cool breeze during a particularly hot day, or a rejuvenating shower. Something that brought peace or renewal after a hard situation. Maybe something as simple as a mug of hot broth after you've been stuck out in the cold.

"In essence, you're taking a memory or imagining an experience, and willing it into existence, if that makes sense. Because you can touch the Force, you have the ability to transform your mental wishes into an actual tangible response."

Asemir tried to hide a self-deprecating grin. "I'm not sure if I'm making much sense with this. Teaching is tough. But, why not give it a try?"

[member="Tacitanya"]
[member="Ultimatum"]

 

[Ultimatum]

At last Ultimatum believed he was ready for the plunge. A final system diagnosis and equipment check later and Ultimatum looked over the edge into the dark waves beneath. There was a moment just a single moment, as he prepared himself to jump, that Ultimatum understood the organics' almost natural fear of the deep. It was irrational, it was unfounded, but it was there. It struck the droid as odd that he should experience such a moment of dread, he did not find any real cause for that specific emotion.

The thought process would require more time to unravel, more time than he wanted to spend at the moment. He put the thought to the side, focusing his processors on calculating where he should swim. He hoped his calculations proved correct in that matter, if he got lost then it would require another ascent to the surface and further scans to reorient himself. A painful process and one that he did not wish to have occur. Thus he made certain that he had a basic idea of where he was going and the potential position of the remains.

At last Ultimatum took a small leap clear of the loading ramp and fell into the ocean. Immediately Ultimatum could feel the drag begin to take him below the surface, too much weight, the buoyancy measures took effect and he felt himself float. He wondered how it would have felt for an organic, that moment of apparent no ability to float. Soon he swam down beneath the waves, the buoyancy controls adjusted their effectiveness to fit the droid's needs at each second. It was like having two separate thoughts running at once, in fact that was exactly what it was like. One part of his mind was looking at the calculations and deciding where he was at in those, while the other was sending commands to the controls to makes adjustments as necessary.

He looked forward to reaching the city, what history would be there? He wanted see what could be found and to learn what had long been forgotten.

[member="Tacitanya"] [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]