Private Afterlife

[Mykel Dawson]

The Deep Core opened around them like a curtain of light.

They had dropped from hyperspace a few minutes ago, but Mykel was still mesmerized but what he saw. It wasn't like normal space after reversion, most stars distant glittering pinpricks against a black canvas. Here, he felt like he was in the middle of a forge, clusters of stars were stacked upon more clusters. Everything was presented neatly through polarized viewports, but with the naked eye such a sight could be eyewatering, blinding even.

"Alright," Mykel said, leaning forward in the copilot chair lowering his head back to the console and bringing his mind back to the mission. He ran a hand along the smooth edge of the console, eyes flicking over the holocharts. "We came through clean. Nav-link held with all slaved freighters. No drift, Pathfinder AI is running green."

The technopath gave the panel a small tap, like patting the back of a well behaved tooka.

"Impressive," Kaldor said, the Consular's tone understated but approving. "Very impressive. I did not have to intervene once during the flight." Mykel's master, capable of instinctive astrogation, had sat in the pilot's seat as backup to the AI navigation system. "The Artisans of Coruscul have outdone themselves."

Mykel's chest swelled with pride, having helped his father and other Jedi engineers of the Explorer Corps design the sleek craft back at the enclave. Originally, the navigation system had been crafted for deep space missions past the Galactic Rim to neighboring satellite galaxies, but with the Planeshift anomalies now occurring, the Coruscul Jedi had found much better purpose for the prototype in these trying times. Eventually, after testing they hoped to have a small fleet of such navigation ships available to guide large convoys in real time between ever shifting hyperlanes. The Deep Core, already dangerous with its maze of gravitic eddies and densely packed celestial bodies, was the perfect testing ground.

He turned to look back at the small party of passengers still buckled down, grinning. "Welcome to the center of the galaxy."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery unbuckled her harness with a soft click, rising to her feet with the easy balance of someone who had flown through far worse. She stepped forward, one hand braced lightly against the wall for balance as she moved toward the cockpit. The starlight beyond the viewport bathed her in gold and white, casting sharp highlights along her silhouette as she looked out over the Deep Core.

"Now that's a view you don't get every day," she murmured, voice low with quiet awe. Even after all her years among the stars, the galaxy still found ways to surprise her.

Her eyes flicked down to the console, then up to Mykel, one brow raised with a small, approving smirk. "Nice flying," she said, folding her arms as she looked out the viewport. She gave Kaldor a nod of respect as well, then turned her attention back to the stars outside — to the forge, as Mykel had called it. So much beauty. So much danger.

"But let's not get too comfortable," she added after a beat, her voice shifting from warm to focused. "The Planeshift has changed more than just star maps. Whole systems have gone dark. And if there's something out there waiting in this lightshow, I'd rather we find it first — and not the other way around."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Jedi Robes

Mykel beamed at Valery's compliment. Even though the Pathfinder AI had done most of the heavy lifting during flight, the technopath had been one of the chief programmers of the entire system. He was happy to see the theoretical shift into something useful for the Galactic Alliance during these especially troubling times.

He couldn't help but linger on her words for a moment longer. And then on her. The filtered starlight caught her silhouette, bathing her in a soft golden hue, and he found himself mesmerized by the warmth in her tawny eyes. There was a certain coiled strength in her, a barely contained intensity that seemed to hum just beneath the surface.

She reminded him of a lioness. Graceful, poised, but always ready to strike.

However, her next words of concern would snap him out of his current lull, reminding him that this wasn't a fun little excursion for exploration. This mission was just one step in many in keeping the Galactic Alliance stitched together as more systems were cut off amid the rising disturbances every day. If a solution wasn't found, then even such a powerful institution as the GA could find itself unraveled.

"Yes, Grandmaster," Mykel agreed softly. "We will do all that we can to secure the integrity of the Alliance."

Just as he spoke, the Pathfinder AI hummed quietly in his mind, drawing his attention to an errant transmission. A distress call.

Quickly, he pulled up the transmission up on the main holographic feed for Kaldor and Valery to see. It was an mapping team affiliated with Bureau of Ships and Services, currently stranded in somewhere in the Deep Core.

Kaldor narrowed his dark eyes at the readouts of the transmission. "Those coordinates...it's technically not far, but..." He was cyling through databases on his console's computer. "Based on current databases, there's nothing on record at that point. No planets or astronomical objects. That's not unusual in this case given the nature of their operations mapping new lanes, but we would still be jumping in blind after them. It would have been helpful if they had attached relevant metadata for analysis."

Normally, Mykel and Kaldor wouldn't have hesitated to investigate themselves, but this was hardly a normal situation, as they were hosting arguably the most important figure in the Galactic Alliance: The Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order.

Master and apprentice now looked back upon Valery, sharing hesitation.

Kaldor spoke again, addressing her directly, the Jedi Knight's tone firm but respectful. "I wish to proceed, Grandmaster, but we could dock with one of the freighters and allow you to return to Tython for safety as we continue."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery stared at the holographic transmission for a long moment, her arms folded and her expression unreadable — save for the flicker of light that sparked in her eyes. It wasn't the transmission that brought it out. Not entirely. It was the possibility of the unknown.

Even after everything — decades of battle, war, rebuilding — there was still something in her that stirred when the galaxy whispered of danger and uncharted stars. It wasn't recklessness. It wasn't arrogance. It was purpose and genuine excitement. Her gaze slowly shifted to Kaldor as he offered her a way out. A path back to safety. It was offered with respect, with caution — and even a touch of concern. She felt it in the bond between master and apprentice, and in the weight behind their words.

She smiled. Not a gentle, polite expression, but something sharper, more alive — full of teeth and fire and anticipation barely leashed behind her eyes, "You're sweet to offer," she said, voice smooth but carrying that familiar iron beneath. "But if you think I came all this way just to turn back when it gets interesting…" She trailed off, her smirk widening ever so slightly. "You don't know me that well yet."

Her eyes turned back to the swirling map of stars, to the empty void marked only by a set of lost coordinates. Something was out there. Something had changed. And someone needed help.

That was all she needed to know.

"Prep for a jump. We're not letting that signal go unanswered." She glanced over her shoulder, meeting Mykel's eyes for a brief, electric second. "Let's go take a look."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

"Yes, Grandmaster," Kaldor replied respectfully, though Mykel could sense that his master still disapproved taking the risk.

Kaldor and Valery couldn't be any more different. The Consular more cautious while the Jedi Shadow and Battlemaster was just about gung ho for anything and everything, just like the day he had first found her cleaving through Drengir on Tython. While he understood his master's trepidation, the hot blooded youth found Valery's approach more inspiring. A woman that led from the front, putting her neck on the line with everyone else. His fervor for her only grew.

"On it," he told them, trying to mask his excitement with a professional tone, telepathically communing with the AI to lock in on the coordinates.

Moments later, they blinked out of real space back into the blue waves of hyerspace, their slaved freighters still in tow.

---

Mykel wasn't sure what to expect on the other side of the micro-jump, but it certainly wasn't, well that:

Amid the indigo and purple haze of nebula clouds, the ship drifted before an absolutely gargantuan structure that made super star destroyers look like gnats. It dominated the front viewport with wide crescent like wings that were hundreds of kilometers in span. However, at its flared meridian was the most insane aspect - a fething dwarf star!

He didn't want to believe it at first, but the ship's AI confirmed it. Yet, the radiation output was miniscule for what it was. Somehow the structure was not only suspending the star but also channeling its output. He currently could not confirm how, but there had to be some sort of field holding it in place. There were no such signs - it was beyond the ship's sensors.

"Oh Ashla..." Mykel gasped in shock.

Just what had they stumbled upon?

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Combat Jumpsuit
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsabers

Valery didn't speak right away. She didn't have to. The sight before them — vast, impossible, ancient — filled the viewport like a vision pulled from myth. Her eyes widened, not in fear, but in wonder, the breath she drew slow and deliberate, as if savoring the weight of this moment. A structure that eclipsed the stars, a dwarf sun bound like a prisoner or a jewel at its heart. No Republic or Empire, no Sith or Jedi, no war she'd ever fought had prepared her for this. And that was exactly why she loved it.

Her hand drifted to the console, fingertips brushing the edge as if touching it might bring her closer to understanding.

"Well…" she exhaled, a low, excited hum in her throat. "This just got interesting." She leaned forward slightly, eyes dancing over the data flickering across the displays, her mind racing through possibilities — none of them quite fitting. It wasn't just size or power that made her pulse quicken. It was the mystery.

She glanced sideways at Mykel, catching the shock still fresh on his face, and smiled, wide and bright, alive with fire. "Looks like today's going to be a fun one." Then, standing tall, her voice gained that familiar edge of command, sharp but vibrant.

"Bring us in closer. Let's see just how far down this rabbit hole goes."

Mykel Dawson ​

 

[Mykel Dawson]

Mykel's initial shock quickly dissipated, especially in the presence of Valery. Her excitement was quite infectious, the Padawan letting her rising thrill wash over him like he was basking in the sun. She was so different than what he had expected a Grandmaster to be, but in all the best ways.

"Quite interesting," Kaldor agreed, his cool tone like a freezing bucket of water dropped Mykel's head, helping him regain his bearing. "The beacon is very strong from the port side."

Indeed, when Mykel studied the scanners more closely, a BoSS Code did finally show up along with the initial distress beacon as they were now in range. "It's called the Lambent, Consular-class," he informed them aloud.

"Switching to manual controls," Kaldor said, now manipulating the yoke. "Mykel, start mapping the structure as I make some passes."

"Right," he said with a nod, toggling the shipboard AI to use most of its processing power to render a 3D dimensional model of the megastructure as Kaldor began his orbit. With each pass, a holographic model he had set up became more detailed as more data was added. However, the sensors could not penetrate the hull. Hopefully that would change once they were inside. However, from what he could tell now, it was evident that the structure was made to host vehicles, covered in all sorts hangar bay openings and docking ports.

"Setting her down," Kaldor announced as he aimed for the bay containing the Lambent. To simply call it a bay was an understatement, though, the opening stretching at least a kilometer wide, greater than the length of most capital ships. And it was one of the smaller openings.

That wasn't even the most impressive thing. The hangar was filled to the brim with starships, ranging from snub fighters to corvettes. He quickly spotted the crimson Consular cruiser among the bunch, which stuck out as horribly dated amid neatly parked rows of sleek designs. They appeared so modern - futuristic even - yet he recognized none of the craft belonging to any current manufacturer catalogue.

Mykel's eyes widened again as he picked up on one particular starfighter parked near the Lambent. It was mean looking thing, a black fighter resembling a dagger with wings, but what really caught his attention was crest etched on one wing.

A golden starbird.

Valery Noble