Private Jane Doe

[Ares Dargir]

Location: Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Equipment: Curved-Hilt Lightsaber, Jedi Clothes, Comlink, Utility Toolbelt
Tag: Everest Vale

It was perhaps a strange sighting for a Padawan to be so engrossed within the archives as he scanned through the star maps. The blinking motes of light occasionally blurred as he moved through the charts for something. It was one thing to study where the known planets might be located, and to learn the other scientific notes such as the gravity’s strength, the type of air they possessed, and so on. But not the blonde man as his hazel eyes scanned for something in particular. Yet he couldn’t find it as Ares looked down at the datapad before him.

As if tracing what should’ve been, yet it simply didn’t exist for some strange reason. The finding was concerning as he knew not what the Force was trying to tell him. All he managed to gleam from the Force was an image of a ship that strangely resembled that of a hammerhead class that lazily drifted through space. Is that happening now? Will it happen in the future? Or maybe it had already passed? The questions were only met with a sense of uncertainty. He couldn’t very well suddenly take off without a clear indication of where he was going, but maybe if someone would just listen to his words. If Ares could just pinpoint roughly where this ship was located, then maybe he could save the lives being held?

”I suppose you wouldn’t happen to be a little more clear on what you want me to do?” The Padawan muttered to himself as he was directing the question over at the Force in general. He could only shake his head as he stared at what was a blank spot within the Outer Rim region. Something about it tickled the edges of his mind as he absent-mindedly combed through his blonde hair.

”I can assure you that there is nothing there. Our charts are never wrong.” The archivist’s words hung within his mind when Ares had previously asked them for assistance. It wasn’t a planet so obviously it wouldn’t show up on the charts, but something told him that this was the spot. With a sigh, he wrote down the coordinates on his data pad. He was determined that if nobody was going to assist him on the matter, then he’d just take care of it himself. At least that was the plan.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Ares Dargir

The Archives were quiet, save for the hum of distant holoscreens and the soft whisper of circulating air. Light filtered down in long beams from above, catching dust motes in slow, drifting motion — like stars frozen in time. To most, this space was sterile, academic, but to Eve, it was a sanctuary. A place where knowledge lived, yes, but also where silence could comfort, and where she could simply... breathe.

Her boots tapped softly on the polished floor as she entered, hands tucked loosely into the sleeves of her robe. She hadn’t really come here for anything specific. Not this time. Maybe it was the weight of the past few weeks — of Ilum, of Selvaris, of what loomed on the horizon — but something had drawn her back to the place where she’d once come just to feel the stillness. She thought maybe she’d read. Or just sit.

But then she saw him. A figure stood alone by one of the larger holoprojectors, the galactic map spinning slowly before him in shimmering blue. Stars blinked like pinpricks of possibility. Eve slowed, head tilted slightly. He hadn't seen him around before. He appeared older than, herself. Maybe he was Padawan too, maybe not. She approached gently, not wanting to startle him.

"Hi," she said, her voice quiet but kind. "Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just... curious what you’re looking for?" A small smile touched her lips, tentative, but real.

 

[Ares Dargir]

Equipment: Curved-Hilt Lightsaber, Jedi Clothes, Comlink, Utility Toolbelt
Tag: Everest Vale

The Force was never clear as to what its intentions were, but Ares had long since learned to not press into it. For the Force will reveal in due time, and currently Ares was faced with the predicament of whether he should debunk this vision once and for all. For it could be a disabled ship with a crew pleading for help, or it could be a trap too. Even so, Ares would rather check it out than to ignore it.

The Padawan was so engrossed with the star maps that he didn’t even notice that someone had approached him. A voice that was as soft as a breeze, yet no less elegant like the room of thousand fountains. He blinked as the blonde man turned his head towards the voice’s direction that pulled on his attention. There was a moment of pause as Ares registered that she was directing the question to him before the man spoke.

”Hm? Oh, my apologies. I was attempting to unearth what mystery the Force had revealed to me this time.” Ares had briefly explained with a respectful dip of his head in acknowledgment of her presence. Not that he would expect herself to be privy of the details, but the gentleman proceeded to turn the angle of the charts to reveal a certain constellation. As if he was attempting to align it specifically to his mental image that had been burned into the forefront of his mind.

”I believe that right at this point here…” Ares paused as he pointed at a specific point before the constellation of stars. ”there is a ship stranded in space, and based on the calculations of per minute, it should be…” As the Padawan kept note of the pinpoint location within the Outer Rim, he projected a path that the ship likely would take. It was slow, thankfully, and it was a wonder of how it wasn’t discovered. But it was outside of the major trade routes and hardly anyone ventured in that region of space.

”It should be around here, I would say. That is if the vision is of the present, or in the future.” As he took a moment to ponder over it before he let out an exasperated sigh. Ares turned his attention back to the young lady with an apologetic smile that graced upon his lips.

”Or basically I feel like I’m losing my mind sometimes.”

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Ares Dargir

Eve tilted her head slightly, silver eyes drifting from the starmap to the man beside it. He had a quiet, searching sort of presence — focused, but with a thread of uncertainty running beneath his calm. She could see how intent he was on his task, how carefully he traced the lines between the stars, as if listening for something just out of reach. She offered a small smile, delicate and sincere.

"You're not losing your mind," she said gently. "The Force... speaks in strange ways sometimes. It doesn't always make sense right away... but that doesn't mean it's not saying something."

Her gaze returned to the glowing point he'd highlighted — a quiet, almost forgotten sector in the Outer Rim.

"It sounds like it matters to you," she added after a moment. "May I ask... what made you start looking? You said it came from a vision?"

There was no judgement in her voice, only curiosity — that soft, open sort that left space for an answer, or none at all.

 

[Ares Dargir]

Equipment: Curved-Hilt Lightsaber, Jedi Clothes, Comlink, Utility Toolbelt
Tag:

That was certainly putting it mildly as Ares had come to understand that the Force spoke in different ways. Sometimes it was more like a gut feeling when something was terribly wrong, or when they randomly appeared in the forefront of his mind. Yet for this particular occasion it felt less of danger, and more of searching. Perhaps it was the desire to find himself within the galaxy that the Force had deemed to show him something that had also been lost. A fossil through the age of time. For the ship within the vision was a strange design that Ares was unfamiliar with.

Thankfully the fellow Padawan assured him that it wasn’t just himself losing his mind in search for the forgotten. There was a certain grace to her words that offered succor in contrast to his already stressed mind. At least Eve was more curious than some of the others who seemed to be more keen in telling him that it was just his imagination. That it was nothing. Perhaps in ordinary scenarios, the blonde man would likely have left it at that. Except he knew to place his trust in the Force as even the Jedi Masters can be blind to its call. The possibility that he just might be more sensitive to the Force’s voice than some of the others weighed on his mind.

”You would be correct about that. It has been the equivalent of finding a speck of dust in the vastness of our galaxy.” And it was likely why Ares's ship bore fruit. Then the ship likely had been floating there in the emptiness of space, forgotten as it drifted through the ages. His hazel eyes swept over the charts once more, double checking his math and notes that he had taken within his datapad. There was a bit of redness to the edge of his cornea from staring at the screens for so long that it was starting to irritate his vision. Causing him to briefly close his eyes for a moment.

When Eve spoke of how it mattered to him, and why he was so invested in it. Ares could only open his eyes to look over at the young lady. He offered a ghost of a smile as his mind drifted to a distant memory.

”Well, to put it simply I’ve learned to trust my instincts, especially when the Force deems necessary to reveal.” Ares spoke, his refined speech had been sprinkled with a touch of tenderness, and of regret. His eyes had shifted to the lower left corner of his vision as the Padawan reflected upon himself.

”Sometimes I feel like the Force shows me things in my dreams. Almost like when you meditate, only… I don’t know, it feels like I’m there yet not sometimes.” The blonde man shifted his weight to one leg as he set the datapad down on the desk, the curved hilt of his lightsaber mirrored his movement as it remained clipped onto his belt. With a reluctant sigh, Ares sought not to drag up the regretful past that cost his very identity from being stripped away.

”To put it bluntly, I’d rather be wrong and uncover the meaning of the vision than to sit idly by wondering if maybe there was something, or someone, trying to reach out for help.”

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Ares Dargir

Eve watched him with quiet understanding, her gaze resting for a moment on the datapad he'd just set down. She could sense it, how much this meant to him. The weight of the not knowing. The ache of wanting to do something, even when the answers refused to come cleanly. She nodded slowly.

"It makes sense to want to follow it," she said, her voice gentle. "Even when it's unclear. I think the Force... always has its reasons."

Her hands folded together in front of her, her silver eyes lingering a moment on the star chart.

"And if there's even a chance someone's out there, lost, or waiting, then maybe the Force is hoping someone will be willing to listen."

A pause. Then the faintest flicker of a smile.

"You don't have to go looking alone."

She blinked then, as if just realising something.

"Oh. I'm Eve, by the way," she added with a quiet laugh, a hand resting on the back of her neck. "I probably should've started with that."

 

[Ares Dargir]

Equipment: Curved-Hilt Lightsaber, Jedi Clothes, Comlink, Utility Toolbelt
Tag: Everest Vale

There was clarity in the way the later introduced Eve spoke of said Force. How its methods were often unorthodox, unclear even, and yet there was always a purpose behind it. For what purpose, the Force only knows until it happens. Even then, the outcome ultimately is up to themselves. Whether the outcome was for the good, or for the bad.

Ares nodded his head in agreement with Eve as he still had a mind to venture out and see for himself whether the vision held any merit or not. It most certainly was a far cry and likely would’ve been brushed off given the sheer lack of evidence that back up the claim, and so Ares had promptly been told to focus his efforts elsewhere. In technicality, he would be going against what he was told by the higher ups, be they Knights or Masters. However, the blonde man had learned that to ignore what was essentially a gut feeling like the one he was feeling could spell the end of life if he chose to not act on it.

For a moment, he allowed his mind to drift back to a distant memory, only to be pulled back to the present when Eve spoke of him not having to go alone. It would certainly be helpful to have a second pair of eyes, and yet if Ares was wrong then it would likely get the two in deep water with the Masters.

”Ordinarily I’d agree, but it could lead to serious repercussions if I’m wrong.” Ares responded with a sense of logic, as that was certainly a clear outcome that the man could safely predict. Then again, perhaps it was always easier to predict the shortcomings than it was to succeed. Perhaps it was simply because attempting to predict the better outcomes might seem arrogant and place a false sense of security.

”Ares, Ares Dargir. I wouldn’t stress about it, I myself am usually better at introductions.” He offered a sense of reassurance as he extended a hand out in greeting to the platinum haired Padawan. A warmer smile was present on his lips this time. Even if he was faced with a predicament, Ares had been vigilant in the past to address new faces and at least introduce himself.

"Were you also wishing to pry answers from the Archivist as well? Or did you have other plans in mind?"

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings
Tag: Ares Dargir

Eve accepted the handshake gently with a gentle smile, her grip light, her pale, slender hand seemingly dwarfed by the man's own grasp.

"It's nice to meet you, Ares," she said.

She glanced once more at the star map still rotating in slow silence, her silver eyes thoughtful. His concern was valid. She wasn't unfamiliar with the fear of overstepping, especially where instinct clashed with protocol. But still, something about the way he had spoken… the way he felt in the Force... she didn't sense recklessness in him. Just care. A deep and steady kind.

"I understand," she said after a pause. "The Masters don't always see what we do. Or maybe they just... carry heavier burdens. So they have to be careful. I try to be careful too."

Her voice dipped slightly. Thoughtful, not hesitant.

"But sometimes… listening to the Force means stepping outside the lines. Just a little."

A beat passed. Then she blinked and looked at him again, the faintest twinkle in her expression.

"Not that I'm saying we should do anything reckless," she added quickly, the corner of her mouth tugging upward. "But... if you do decide to follow it, I'd like to help... if I can."

When he asked about her reasons for being in the archives, she gave a small shrug, her tone a little more relaxed.

"No plan, really. I just come here sometimes when I need to think. It's quiet here. And the stars..." She tilted her head, watching one of the projections drift slowly across the room. "They remind me that there's more out there than fear and conflict. That even in the darkest parts of the galaxy... there's still light."

She looked back at him, something steady behind her eyes.

"Maybe your vision is part of that. Some forgotten spark, waiting to be seen again."