He chuckled at the Grandmaster's mention of the need to for some Jedi to develop their interpersonal skills.
"A silver tongue is as needed as a well forged blade, you are correct Master Ike. I will be sure to peruse everything that the Silver Rest has to offer in the way of education."
He gave the Grandmaster one final bow before departing to change and freshen up for his training.
Back in the residential wards, he looked for Caelia as he found an empty room in the same hall, but she was still gone, probably still engaged for training or instruction for the day. Instead, company in the form of Hecate as she hailed the technopath directly while he settled in his new quarters.
<I didn't think I'd be hearing from you anytime soon. You seemed quite absorbed by the network.>
[Oh it's great! ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶ The place is flooded with other constructs like me! It's like they have their own little world. I've never seen anything like it.]
<Oh? Not even on Kiribi? Much of their population consists of AI and droids interfacing with their networks?>
[Well...I was never afforded access. My...systems were still being fine tweaked before my official deployment, so I was segregated.]
In fact, it was the sixth iteration of Hecate, rebuilt multiple times from the ground up as her core had been highly unstable. Dangerous, even. It was only due to the certain chaotic situation in the galaxy that she had been released from cold storage, to aid in advancing Kiribian hyperphysics. The Sixth time seemed to be the charm, as
Ala Crescent
had determined a dedicated partner would bring the AI stability. Mykel had proven to be the most compatible.
Of course, the Jedi was still left in the dark about these particulars, still being led to believe that she was simply a research tool for the aeronautical division of KSA.
It was better that way.
<In any case, I'm glad you're in your element. This place is quite impressive. I've only had a small taste of the technology here, but it's certainly cutting edge. Things I thought were only theoretical or experimental are being actively applied here in a live setting.>
[You have no idea! They've been dabbling with higher dimensions, among other things.]
<Very interesting...tell me more.>
The AI cheerily shared her preliminary findings with Mykel, at times flooding him with more information than he could process in her excitement. In many ways she was like a child, while the teenager felt like the father sitting back as his child eagerly recounted their first day at school.
Black scaled armor had been replaced by flowing white robes, the consular making his way to the dojo via the internal teleportation network. The system was quite convenient, though he couldn't help but wince as he traveled through it the first time, tingling all over as if his whole body was being dismantled and reset at the same time.
A moment later, he appeared in the dojo in a flash, arriving to find a filled chamber with several Jedi training. There was an equal measure of fencing practice and Force application. He moved around the edges of the dojo, drinking in the sights with his grey eyes while acclimating to the space. It was like his old enclave, except everything was just on a larger scale.
Eventually, he found a quiet nook to settle down in a lotus position. With an exhale, he closed his eyes and settled his palms on his knees. Each successive breath muzzled the sounds around him until he felt like he was in a vacuum. The luminous void beyond space in time.
At this point, he would have extended his senses outward to connect with the greater currents of the Force around him, but the Grandmaster had instructed him to look inward, and so he did, beginning to center his focus on being.
Organ by organ.
Cell by cell.
Molecule by molecule.
Atom by atom.
Particle by particle.
Deeper still, until his world became waveforms, his own personal thread within the tapestry of the Force becoming unveiled, reverberating with its own unique chord that was but one note within the great Song of the Force.
Matsu Ike
Mykel Dawson
