Let's Go to the Library!

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Graxin managed to pull himself away from the datacron. He cast his amber gaze over toward his companion, and reached out to gently tap her on the shoulder. "What's that one about?" He asked quietly; brow knit as he tried to make out what was on the screen.


Yes, he could see them staying here for quite some time.


@Lynori Pryde

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori taps at the datacron near Graxin and tilts her head over the side. She shoots him a rather unamused look as he tapped at her shoulder, though mouthing him off in the middle of a crowded library sounded like a bad idea. “This one,” she breathes slowly, “is a Sith Holocron. It doesn’t give much information on what exactly is on it, though here it names the creator.” The miraluka taps near the bottom of the screen then swipes to the side. Despite being one without eyes, her force sight deemed to be quite useful when accessing information quickly. She could only imagine what could be absorbed with one of the holocrons, though she knew she’d probably never find out.

“They usually hold rare jedi techniques, or at least did. Not quite sure what is on them now considering we aren’t allowed to access them directly. Its tantalizing, isn’t it?” Linori glances towards Graxin then back towards the display case. “Having a vessel of such rich information though only being able to read information –about- that information.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Take it.

A Sith holocron here? Graxin certainly hadn't expected that. He had seen such things back on Mytus many times, but never had the opprotunity to prod one for its secrets. Now, one was just out of his reach. The thought to try and access the thing with the force crossed his mind, and he began to reach out to it. TO his surprise, he felt nothing. Not just the holocron--nothing at all. The Protectorate certainly didn't play when it came to protecting their toys.


"You're right actually. It was usually forbidden knowledge or contained the skills a Sith Lord had learned. Sometimes they even created new ones. I've seen a few on Mytus; maybe I could get one for you to see if you want." He almost leaned on the glass as he continued. "It's a tease, but some knowledge is forbidden for a reason. I'd love to look into it...but I understand the precautions."

The former apprentice let a small frown slip, and looked back to Linori. "We should really get some kind of library installed on the new ship, don't you think?"

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Ilias Nytrau]

[member="Cira"] | [member="Ayden Cater"] | [member="HK-36"]​

If there was one thing that the ginger master and libraries had in common, it was the impossible amount of information each of them could and did hold, and with this library in particular, he felt kindred. There were sectors of information that were not so freely available - the holocrons - and the same could be said for some of the things he knew. One did not go nearly nine centuries without acquiring potentially, if not outright dangerous knowledge.

And even fewer still managed to resist the temptation to use it. Such was the burden of responsibility heaped on his very existence. He was not tempted, but others were. Others had, in the past, come seeking and had been turned away. Some did not like it. Some had tried to use force, and failed. Absentmindedly, he adjusted the signet ring on his right ring finger - an item nearly as aged as he was - and resumed poking around the library as he had been doing only moments before. There was something about this place that felt decidedly different from other libraries he had the pleasure of visiting in the past, and he just could not yet put his finger on it. It was not the holocrons. It was... well, it was a presence. At least one, and he could not be sure of his certainty until he laid eyes on the owner. He could never forget a presence, but it had been so very long. However, the chances of anyone else recognizing him that he had not been directly introduced to in the past century were slim - granted, at six-foot-seven and topped with red hair, he was hard to miss.

Laboured with thought on the matter of the presence, and remaining aware, he went about, checking the shelves, seeing if perhaps there were any titles he might recognize from over the years. He had been known to read the odd bit of fiction amongst all the writings grounded in reality that had passed before his eyes, largely due to his own curiosity over what one apprentice or another had been reading. The type of fiction, he believed, told one a great deal about the individual reading it. Even so, he was careful not to make assumptions, or do worse by jumping to conclusions.

 

[Linori Pryde]

“If there were room on the ship, maybe. I believe I would be the only one who would use it.” Linori tucks some hair behind her ear and moves around Graxin to get to the next relic. Her thoughts reeled. While she wasn’t a powerful jedi or sith, nor did she have intentions to be either, she couldn’t help but wonder what was on the holocron. Linori didn’t get far, however, as the mass of people crowding the hall wanted to see it just as much. She’s shoved off the holocron and off to the side. She moves to speak up, then simply walks away. Getting into a fight wasn’t at the top of her list, and she most definitely didn’t want to get kicked out of the library. The miraluka sighs and waves a hand behind her. “I don’t think there’s much you could do to help me get a good look at one, sir.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"That's where you're wrong, actually. I love history." Graxin replied quickly. He turned to say something to the rude throng of individuals, but Linori had already walked away. He let out a slightly annoyed sigh and followed after her. What was he going to do with her?

 

[Cira]

Gold eyes would look upon [member="HK-36"] with a knowing and calm concern, meeting the dull red of his photoreceptors with a quiet acceptance.

The woman was never one to show much emotion publically. It was hard on the woman who had to split facets of herself into different aliases for the protection of the Protectorate and her people.

But every once in a while, it shone through. Much like during HK’s request for a date. Her concession was for him to be her escort to the Magrath’s ball.

“ That is quite alright, the lighting is sure to make it difficult.” came her soft reply and a faint nod, referencing the dim lights for the protection of the paintings.

“It is good to see you well,” she told him, glad that they were alone for the present time. That the media had not come searching for her so soon.

 

[Noah Corek]

Noah smiled as he entered the section that he would most enjoy himself in. Not many people knew it but Noah actually had a masters degree from the University of Coruscant in history. So, needless to say, when Noah heard about a new library being opened on Naboo, he had to be there, if not for appearance, then just for the vast knowledge of history he was currently downloading from the main computer bank onto a datapad for study later.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cira"]

HK turned his head away from Cira, looking ahead of himself,
I guess we are going to do this
He calculated in his programming as he begun to take off his electro-gauntlet that covered his left hand,

"Has Cater told you what happened to me after your funeral? When I was one of the few that did not believe in your demise? I gathered my crew, took the Siege Tower, and I abandoned the Protectorate. Once the Campaign Against Bando Gora was over I left my post on Abregado-Rae and abandoned my rank of Colonel of the Pyre and I sailed into the Unknown Regions with little but hope of finding you."
The droid would unclasp the fore-arm guard of his gauntlet.
"They kept telling me to turn back, and looking for a dead woman was a mistake, but I told them that you were alive. Your presence was strong, your character stronger, and I would not accept that it would be extinguished from this Galaxy so suddenly and easily. I did not wanted to accept that the Force would take you from me, from all of us, so easily. I did not found the trace of you in the dead planet's ruins, so I left for the Unknown to chase whispers and tall tales."
His metal plates scraped against the metal plate being removed.
"Me and my crew wandered, some would say aimlessly, led only by the brief and often false trails we uncovered. I was called a savior, a demon, metal protector, and the Witch-King. To many worlds I have brought development, to others destruction, while searching for our lost Lady Protector, I did not cared how the natives reacted to alien visitors. Whether they praised us or fear us as we showed our technology, in many worlds I wielded the first light-saber they have ever seen. All I cared was finding you."
He gripped the gauntlet in his hands, continuing his story,
"I tested the patience of my men, came very close to mutiny, they were tired of the journey, they were tired of my delusions. I came to peace with you gone at the gun-point of bolters held by my very body guards. I saw a primitive planet burn in fires of a war that sparked by my presence, a presence of techno-gods the natives could not agree how to praise. My guards held me down and made me watch the fruits of my delusions. I saw the war I brought to a peaceful planet and I understood then."

HK would turn around to face Cira then,
"You were not worth it. I missed you deeply, you were our leader and our symbol. But you were not worth it. In the end, you are a mortal, Cira, as am I, your end will come, and so will mine, and neither of us, nor anyone alive, is worth a war being started over. I came to peace then, you were gone, and I was to remember you, but I had my job to do, and it was not to start a war, but to maintain the peace, for I am not just an Iron Knight, but I am the Iron Protector. Forged in hatred, knighted in compassion, to protect the weak and struggling."
The droid scanned over Cira as he kept speaking, going through his memories and describing them in his monotone drawl,
"So we quelled the natives and left them at peace, we found the Protectorate besieged by the Galactic Imperium and we drove them back, I returned to my post and the people welcomed me as I would have welcomed you then. With grand applause and joy. And I was at peace, honoring your memory."
HK slightly tilted his head,
"I did not learned of your return until the speech Cater made of you taking back your spot as Lady Protector. Funny thing, somehow that information eluded me all this time even though it seems we were both present at the Siege of Eriadu, it seems I was too busy fighting the Vong Scourge which rained plasma on the city to watch your broadcast, and Cater did not thought of correcting me when I referred to you as 'late Lady Protector, may she rest in peace'."
His grip on the gauntlet tightened slightly, but not to the point of bending the armor plates,

"Between Eriadu and your inauguration there was some time. You could not sent me a single message or a voice call to let me know you were back and alright? Not a single visit or even brief appearance somewhere off in the distance, just couple seconds of visual confirmation?"
He motioned about this place,
"And if we did not meet her by chance would you ever take time to talk to me? Were you even gone, Cira, or did you just felt like taking a vacation? If not, then why did you leave?"
The droid would snap his head to look down and aside,
"When I claimed that you were not dead, they called me mad. When I told them I will be leaving into Unknown Regions and Wildspace to find you, they called me mad. When I begun to disturb peaceful worlds to look for a trail of you, they called me mad. And now that you finally are back, I am overcome by a surge of emotions. Something I have not felt in such a long time. And I think, I finally am mad."
Slowly he would look back up to Cira, his red dull photoreceptors aimed at her eyes,
"I feel glad that you are back, Cira, I did miss you, and I am happy you are alright and safe. But I also feel betrayed, sorrowful, hurt, and even angry that you left in the first place and that you waited without giving a sign. My nature robbed me of tears or facial expressions, I cannot cry when I am hurt, nor could I when I missed you, I show my emotions in a different way."

With a flick of his hand he would send the gauntlet skittering with a scrape on the floor to Cira, the protective metal glove would stop just before her feet,
"I, Iron Knight, First Baron Observer of the Protectorate and People of Abregado-Rae, known as HK-36, hereby challenge you to a duel, Lady Protector Cira, in five standard day cycles on the training grounds of Military Academy of Abregado-Rae."
He watched her with his cold gaze,
"As I said to others I have dueled, you will not be slain by my blade."

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge's quiet little corner of the galaxy was being swiftly intruded upon by rubberneckers; mostly mystified by the apparent riot squad cowboy with his head buried in a book. In fact... their necks were so apparently pliant that he finally settled the book on the table and closed it with a care at odds with the beskar plating of his armor.

Inhaling, he turned his head to his left and found his red lensed gaze settling upon a small Rodian child; the little green guy was no more than probably five and was just blatantly staring. Brow furrowing beneath his helmet, he tilted his head to one side.

The child followed suit.

Snorting, he debated what to say. The kid beat him to opening his mouth. In Basic that was almost startlingly good, he asked a simple question.

"Why are you hiding your face?"

Well, that was one way to stump him.

Leaning in slowly, almost as if mystified by the fact he'd just been asked such a question by the child, the man merely laughed. "Because I'm ugly." He whispers, almost like sharing a secret. That seemed to satisfy the little guy who turned away and ran back to his parents, talking about the ugly man reading a book.

Still laughing to himself, he stood and set the text back in its proper place on the shelf and began to leave as the crowds reached even this deep sector of the repository. As he was the only person seemingly going against the flow, most seemed willing to give him a decent berth.

But he'd come here for more than just books, so he had begun to make his way through the nearby exhibits - first of which was apparently Art. Ew.

Maybe he'd get lucky. Maybe there'd be a pinup in here.

He paused not too far in, unaware of how 'lucky' he'd just made himself. Cira.

And... HK.

The Jedi paused as the droid seemed in the midst of a monologue. A long, dramatic monologue. It was there in the posturing, the flashing of his 'mouth' as words were emitted. Even the holding of a... glove... thing. He couldn't tell from this distance. But as he closed in, he started picking up more of the conversation.

Mostly because everyone else was going quiet.

She's gonna shut down. She's gonna deflect. Worst place to do this HK.

"So uh..." the man says as he approaches the pair. "...who gave the droid a female hormonal upgrade?" He asks, breaking the tension in the worst possible manner.

A clichéd manner.

[member="Cira"] [member="HK-36"]

 

[Cira]

One would see the subtle changes in her face with every word [member="HK-36"] said.

It began first with the fading of her smile, the corners of her lips sinking until they lay in a flat line. Then came the seemingly relaxing of the corners of her eyes, the warmth that had once been in them dying a slow death as she set the mortar and brick of that intangible wall. Her expression would wane into one reminiscent of graceful stoic nobility.

More like that of a droid than the emotional litany from the Baron in front of her. How curious, that their roles would change in regards towards the revelation of emotions and what stirred within their psyche.

Oh his words held the sharp edge of truth. Each one striking true with every commentary about her inexplicable disappearance. About her position as the Lady Protector, and how that had a rippling effect upon them all.

Ah, she knew full well that she personally was not worth the lives of others. No matter that she would have done the same for any of her own under reasonable circumstances. Eriadu, after all, in the wake of the murder of one of their Observers, had turned into a perfect example of just what she would do if any harm came to her own.

The entire monologue only reminded her of the angry recoil from Sarge and Ayden after she'd been shot and almost killed in her office. How she floated within the confines of the bacta tank as they both blasted that Corellian fury at the risk to her life she so easily made.

Stating that she was the Protectorate. That in her, the ideals and the mission, that bright light of the Protectorate was in her, she was the symbol of their prosperity and freedom.

Ahh, but she wasn't. She was mortal. She had flaws, and she knew far too well that her life could end at any moment. The Protectorate was not simply Cira.... but every individual, every sentient who would stand up to protect and defend for what is right.

There were few things that Cira considered to be personal pet peeves. Making a scene and publicly challenging her were some of them. All the more reason why she disliked the manner that Sarge acted towards her in the beginning. If concerns or issues needed to be addressed, they could be done so privately. In this had been her method of discussing transparency to the full extent of her ability.

The Baron of Abregado-rae should know this by now. Countless times he had come to her office requesting one thing or another, or simply to make conversation. In this she had held his hand during his transfer into his new body, in acquiescing his request as an escort for the Magrath ball, and in listening to his woes -- awkwardly but doing so none the less.

She may not be one to so publicly show affection, but she did it in subtle ways.

He was in the right to be upset. But the manner in which he did it lacked the respect she had given to him time and again.

Gone was the woman who had given him subtle smiles and humoring expressions within the privacy of her office. She had withdrawn into the role of Lady Protector, bearing that weight that demanded her full attention and sacrifice.

In more ways than the Baron could ever understand.

Having Sarge show up in the middle of all that was the last nail on the proverbial coffin. She took a deep breath, her shoulders straightening.

A cool amber gaze would return back to HK, dropping towards the metal gauntlet on the ground. Slowly, she would walk over towards it, pausing only to bend down to pick it up within her hand, her bracelet lightly jingling as she did so.

A couple of steps more and she would stand before the former assassin droid. Her hand extended to hold out his gauntlet to him.

"Abregado-Rae is blessed to have you as her protector, Baron Ach-Kae." she said quietly, ensuring that his gauntlet lay steady within his mechanical hand.

"You are an example as to why the Protectorate stays strong, for it is her people that live in testimony to the sacrifices and toils required to ensure the safety and protection of each and every one of her sentients."

"It is in those ideals that the legacy of the Protectorate remains. Not in a mortal title of a Lord or Lady Protector, for they will come and go at the mercy of mortality."

She gave a pause, lifting her gaze from his hand towards his photoreceptors.

"Thank you, for you loyalty and perseverance." she would give his hand a small squeeze, but in this she would deflect as she was wont to do.

She would not duel him.

"Enjoy your stay in the library. " she would say in parting, turning away not daring to glance over at Sarge as she did so.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cira"]

Protocols

Protocols and structures, that was what HK based his conducts about. There was a method to everything, even his madness.

His monologue, although it seemed dramatic, had a purpose. He opened with background information, he presented the reasons for the issue he had. He presented the issue then, each word emotional, because it was words he had to express emotions in, as he could not in tone or his voice. And then he presented a solution, their duel.

Their location was a public one, but at the same time it wasn't crowded. Although crowds were seen, it was just the two of them, and his guards in the location, that is until Sarge stopped by. Either way, HK did not yelled at Cira, nor did he slammed the gauntlet into the ground but lightly skimmed it across the floor with a scrape. It wouldn't be likely for people to stop their conversations, that many of them would not notice in their commotion.

"Neither Abregado nor the Protectorate would have me if you did not accept me in the first place. And they will not forever, once the Self-Governing Legislative Body of Abregado-Rae is formed, you can expect my resignation from the Protectorate. I am a Warden, and a Guardian, but not a Dictator."
He would quietly retort to the Lady Protector, squeezing back her hand.
As he placed his electro-gauntlet back on his hand, he spoke back up to her as she turned,
"Cira, I did not challenged you to cause you pain, or maim you, but to have a conversation with you, one that will stay between us and no one else could understand. Each duel is different, Echani learned that and taught me long time ago. I do not duel to kill, but to learn, to communicate, to respect."
With a quiet scrape he closed the clasp of the gauntlet, securing it over his metal hand and forearm.
"My lightsaber does not pierce the flesh, or cut the vain, but it is dull, I use it as a shield, to protect those I have laid my oaths to, as a lightsaber should be used. The last being I have directly killed with it was my adopted son, on Mustafar when he has fallen to the Sith and turned on his fellow Jedi. I have taken oaths then and I was given a crystal to make sure I kept them, my lightsaber is not meant to pierce somebody's heart but to protect it."

HK doubted it would make Cira stop or turn back,
"Five solar cycles, Military Academy of Abregado-Rae, Training Arena Number Three, I will be waiting there. Come to talk, with a weapon or without."
If the droid wanted to disrespect Cira, he would not go through the trouble of ceremoniously challenging her, he would probably not challenge her at all but simply attack her. If she thought him to be disrespectful then it was break in communication, HK was more archaic, traditional, and he did change since Cira saw him last, he would not be communicating on the same waves as he did before.

Also, [member="Sarge Potteiger"] was there, but his comment only played on the droid's nerves, he wasn't in much of a mood for jokes like that, it just seemed a bit mocking to the machine, but then again, droid hormones.

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

There was awkward, then there was Cira when she was out of her social depth - in terms of being comfortable. Groaning mentally at the situation, he finally just shook his head as the red lenses of his helmet settled on the droid. "Ya know, for someone smarter than every human ever, you really aren't all that wise." He remarks, immediately turning and moving away to follow Cira.

Sure enough, she'd shut down, deflected and then entirely avoided the situation. If anyone knew her even in the slightest, it was himself. But it wasn't a matter of catching her right now. It was a matter of damage control.

He wasn't so good at damage control, other than in terms of being in control of how much damage he himself did.

Even then it was an iffy proposition.

That didn't stop him from tailing her, though. She'd avoided him on the way out, so he would avoid approaching her in public. That would end in the exact same manner as this. Poorly.

 

[Cira]

There was no denying that HK-36’s words were filled with the sharp edge of truth. But there was a time and a place.

She would linger only long enough to hear the remainder of the Baron’s commentary, only to incline her head in farewell.

There were just some things that one didn’t discuss in public.

She could feel her following her though. That brought up bits and pieces of a one way conversation that had unsettled her.

As much as a letter could.

...You get a lot of time to think in there, ya know? A lot of time to observe. You're in a little six by eight, energy field in front of you. All you have time to do is watch those around you. A simple process, really. You establish their baseline behavior.



With her mask of the Lady Protector safely adorned over any personal sentiments of the matter, Cira would leave the holographic and fine art wing on towards other venues. While she gave the illusion of perfectly poised composure, she was battling an emotional war inside that was getting far more difficult to ensure that not a single crack would show.

There came the pleasant smile, the concern of a leader in her position, the appreciation of history and the arts. Who didn’t enjoy a photogenic woman in a position of power?

Who didn’t want to know what truly amounted to her disappearance?

What she would show to the public and what she kept in private were two completely different facets of her. More so if one began to truly chip away at the pieces at just who ‘Cira’ is.

Complicated, perhaps. But it was all she knew. All she could be, for them.

For their future.

Sacrifice.

Some might consider her cold, with steely determination. But this galaxy had barely begun to realize the true horrors that lurked in the shadows. The One Sith had already shown their hand, and truth be told, Cira was not surprised at all.

It was a wake up call. One she could not afford to be caught unawares and unprepared. If that required more of a sacrifice from her, then so be it.

She could only hope that the one who now trailed her would simply just leave the matter be, even if his written words would echo in her mind.

Life's fair, no matter what anyone else ever says.

It's fair because it's unfair to everyone. It's just a matter of realizing you can draw a new card every turn rather than just playing with the hand you were dealt.

A shame the deck dissolves in water.