The Aftermath of Katarr (PM TO JOIN)

[Celiana]

Regaining consciousness I looked around and saw that Connor had left me here. The healing bracers had done their job well as the wound on my leg and along my arm had healed over fairly well. After grabbing the blade Connor had stabbed me with I opened myself to The Force and called the ruined pieces of my saber to me and walked over towards my other saber. Bending over I grabbed it and and began walking towards my ship, after getting aboard I said "Ares set course for The Silver Jedi Archive station." Heading towards my cabin I grabbed my trauma kit and pulled out a kolto patch and applied it to the arm that Connor had dragged his saber down.

Stripping out of my ruined robes and getting out of my combat boots I grabbed another kolto patch and wrapped it around my thigh. I felt the Valkyrie take off and begin its ascent into the upper atmosphere. Grabbing two of the Beskar tubes I'd stashed in my cabin I set them on my bed. Then I got up dressed only in my underwear and headed down the hall towards the bridge. Taking a right I headed into the med bay and scheduled a bacta bath while the medical probe began its assessment of me. Then I began coughing up bits of blood.

Ares' voice came online "Excuse me m'lady but the course has been laid in and we've begun the jump sequence. I'll signal you when we're ready to begin the jump." Wiping the blood away from my mouth I waited for the probe to finish its assessment...

 

[Celiana]

I waited for the probe to begin its scan and stood there as it began its evaluation. As it began scanning me I felt the Valkyrie slow a bit then Ares' voice came through the comms "Excuse me Mistress but there's a ship requesting to dock in the secondary hangar. Shall I approve the request?" Sighing I groaned out "Yes Ares approve their request and let them know that the pilot should remain in the hangar while I make my way down." The probe began beeping in alarm before giving me its diagnostic report. "Ma'am you've three broken ribs one of which has punctured a lung. You must begin a bacta bath as soon as possible. There is significant internal trauma which needs immediate treatment."

Looming back towards the medical probe I said "Begin preparing the bacta bath I'll be back in ten minutes." Wheezing I pulled on a pair of spandex shorts for decency at a moderate level. Then I walked out of the med-bay and headed towards the secondary hangar to meet this new arrival. Odds were I'd have to have their help getting back to the med-bay but I'd have Ares and the guard droids I'd had built to protect me while I got the bacta and kolto bath. Ares would follow protocol and have one of the droids show the guest to another room on the same level as my quarters. Then two droids to guard the inside of the med-bay and two on the outside. I'd made my way to the tube that'd take me to the hangar they were in and now I was headed down. Guess I'd meet the new arrival soon enough...

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

​"Ryder, we have received orders to remain in the hanger until a representative can meet us there" ​"Lovely, more waiting. There seems to be a recurring theme to these journeys. You know the drill Sam, bring up diagnostics of the station and upload it to my Omni-Tool. Better to be safe than sorry" ​This was the third stop in the search and hopefully the last, but still I couldn't shake a feeling that something was off here. Best to play it cool until I could gather more information however, no point in going off half cocked.

​"Ryder, I apologise but it would appear that this system has increased security compared to the other stations. it would seem that for the moment, you are on your own." ​"Great, this day just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? Just keep me posted then, okay?"

​​I wondered who they were going to send, and why the security here was more advanced than the others. This only fuelled my suspicions however as I left The Tempest and awaited the person they would send this time.

 

[Michael Ryder]

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

The tube hit the deck of the hangars and opened up. Walking out onto the deck I headed towards the hangar bay, before entering the bay I closed the doors then restored atmosphere in the hangar. After doing so I walked through into the hangar and waited for the pilot to step out of his ship and join me. Wheezing I realized I'd need to have help getting back to the med-bay for sure, I was beginning to have problems breathing and as I waited I coughed up a bit more blood. Hopefully whoever it was would be rather prompt about joining me...

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

As I exited my ship and headed for the hanger bay the first thing I noticed was a woman, and it was abundantly clear that she was running out of time and would need immediate help in getting to the med bay, I had asked Sam to detail her injuries so that I'd know what I was dealing with and it certainly wasn't pleasant to say the least ​​"Ryder, it would appear that she is suffering from three broken ribs, one of which has punctured a lung. I would recommend that she receives immediate medical assistance if she is to survive" ​There was no hesitation. I had to get her to the medical bay. Fast. As I helped her a thought crossed my mind. ​"What the hell happened to her? Who, or what done this? And are they still here?"​

The answer didn't matter really. As it seemed that this trip would be more interesting than I thought.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

As he exited his ship I looked towards him. He began heading my way and then I began coughing up more blood. Crap, I didn't want to ask for help from people right off the bat but I wasn't doing too hot at the moment. Dropping to one knee on the hangar deck I looked at him and wheezed out "Hate to ask for help right off the bat but I need to get back to the med-bay as soon as possible. There's a lift back before the entrance to the hangar. Head there with me and hit the button for the bridge. Once we're there I'll direct you to the med-bay and hopefully I'll be in better shape afterwards..."

Hopefully he wasn't one of the people who hated Force users and Jedi...Connor had really gone to town on me and looking back I was lucky to walk away still breathing. Hopefully I'd be alright after the bacta bath and once that was done I'd be able to make introductions to this guy...

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of force users, i wasn't about to leave someone to die, but still. If someone could do this to a Jedi... No. I had to push that thought out of my mind. I had a job to do. Wrapping her arm around my shoulder as a brace I began my slow but sure journey to the med bay, ​"Hate to ask you this but after we get to the med bay I need you to patch my A.I. into the stations systems. It won't be for long I'm just looking for something. Anyways as a side note what the hell happened to you? I don't mean to pry but if someone could do that to a Jedi and they're still here then-" ​

I cut myself short. I wasn't going to let my fear get in the way of my current situation, lest it cloud my judgement. After what seemed like an eternity we arrived at the med bay, and although I'm usually patient, I needed answers and fast, and it seemed like she was the only person who could offer them.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

We made our way to the bridge and upon his request of being granted access I nodded and said "You'll be given access but it'll be through mine. The Jedi station we're headed to won't allow access to people who aren't part of the order so you'll have to use my access. Feel free to look through and make copies of anything you need. Ares I want you to provide my access to The Silver archive network to this man upon my immersion in the bacta."

The projection of Ares came into view as we approached the med-bay. Dressed in her typically revealing attire she said "Aye Mistress it will be done." Reaching the med-bay it refused to open since this visitor was here. Using The Force I unlocked it from the other side of the door and then with his help made it inside. "Long story short I fought someone who used to be with The Silver Jedi, he set someone I cared for on a path towards darkness. Then he tried doing the same with me, I refused and then I followed him in an attempt to stop his continued darkness." Looking towards the bacta tank I turned towards him and said "you're welcome to stay in the med-bay with me and access the records at one of the terminals. The droids aboard will set you up with a room while I'm in the tank. We're about to make the jump towards the station so after about thirty minutes to an hour in here I'll be in a better position to explain things."

I began shuffling towards the lift by the bacta tank and looking back towards this newcomer I said "My name's Celiana by the way, pleasure to meet you." Then I triggered the lift to begin heading up and unsealed the bacta tank. When the lift reached the top I grabbed a breath mask and placed both hands on either side of the tank then slipped down into the tank.

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

​​​"I'm Ryder, and my A.I.'s called Sam. It's nice to meet someone who hasn't tried to kill me" ​Well, that remained to be seen, but I had to take the risk. A Jedi Station? there was no way I could pass up that chance to get the info I needed. What even is a Silver Jedi anyways? ​"Sam? do you have anything on Silver Jedi?" ​"Negative Ryder, I seem to be as in the dark as you are."

So, it seemed that I had an hour to kill before things could get underway. I looked around the room for a terminal before accessing it. As I researched the Keywords "Ark, Hyperion, and Initiative" It became abundantly clear that something was wrong. There was absolutely no results. It was almost as if any information regarding the subject was either erased or moved. Damn, the most probable outcome is that they're all dead. I should just accept that. The Initiative was a failure long before we had even got here, and if Sam can't get any info, then what are the chances that I could?

​"Sam, I'm gonna try to get some sleep. Wake me up if we make the jump or if Celiana leaves the tank." ​"Affirmative Ryder. You are in good hands, trust me." ​Letting out a half chuckle that the remark, I responded with ​"Trust me says the voice in my head. You know this is how serial killers get started." ​And with that, I fell into a restless sleep.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

It couldn't be classed as a dream, nor a nightmare. No, this was different. I was completely aware of what was happening yet it was as if i was reliving it for the first time. I'm not sure if the fact that it was a nightmare made it worse or if time had mellowed the fear that haunted my mind for months but it was back, it wasn't like a lucid dream, as in those you are aware that you are dreaming and you can do whatever you like, but in this i knew that was going to happen yet i could do nothing to stop it. I remember those words that sparked it off ​"We appear to have made contact with an advanced Alien civilisation. First Contact teams report to the hanger bay immediately, Pathfinder teams: You will be providing cover in case things go south but remember, first contact protocol says that you are only to engage should hostile intent be shown, Don't forget that you are representing everyone on this ship. Make us proud."

​​It was a mess, they never intended to negotiate. They gunned down the first contact team and continued to slaughter us. My team made it back to the ship but it was pointless. They were already there. Their weapons were much more powerful than ours. For a while it seemed that we had turned the tide. Until a heavily armoured figure with crimson eyes moved into the corridor. He could kill people with the flick of a wrist and we couldn't stop him. The rest of what happened passes in a blur, I wake shaking and in a cold sweat. For the moment I don't know where I am until I recognise my surroundings. ​"Okay, I'm in the med bay, there's a Jedi in the bacta tank. Celiana I think that's what her name was. Sam? how long till we get to the Jedi Station?" ​"Approximately 13 minutes Ryder." ​"Okay, I'm on the home stretch. I have to find them."

[member="Celiana"]

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

After having slipped into the bacta tank I felt the Valkyrie make the jump. Ryder, not a bad name I had to admit. There was something about him that was a bit off...Setting that aside for the moment I began immersing myself in The Force and putting myself in a healing trance. As my surroundings drifted away I began looking inwardly at my injuries. Three broken ribs and a punctured lung.... Using The Force I began channeling Bacta to the broken ribs and sealing off the puncture to my lung. Then I began channeling air from my good lung to re-inflate the lung I'd just repaired. I could feel my ribs being stitched back together underneath my skin and it itched terribly.

Reaching out I could feel Ryder's presence outside the tank. He seemed to be waking up, coming out of the trance I'd put myself into I flicked my eyes open and as he was turned I used The Force to silently open the lid to the bacta tank. Then I swam to the top and pushed myself out. Tossing a towel onto the floor from the piping by the tank lid I hopped out and landed on the towel. Moving off towards the shadows I realized that it looked like he'd slept here. Whether or not it was because he'd wanted to keep an eye on me or he didn't want to invade the rest of the ship was irrelevant. He'd shown me respect, I was still dripping wet and though I'd landed on a towel I'd need to get changed.

Grabbing the towel I'd landed on I headed over to rejoin Ryder, squeezing out bacta from my hair as I did. Sneaking up behind him and to the left a bit I said "Good afternoon Ryder, seems like you got at least a little bit of rest while I was recovering. Thank you by the way...for not leaving me here alone I mean. Whether or not that was your intention the fact you didn't leave me or try exploring my ship shows that you respect others. Now that I'm back on my feet feel free to ask whatever questions you want. I'm sure you have plenty."

I realized that I'd need to get a change of clothes on before I docked with the Silver Archive Station. So hopefully we'd be able to walk and talk. I'd also have to get the pieces of my lightsabers along with the parts I had on hand to replace them, I'd be needing the small tool kit I kept in my quarters too...If nothing else I'd hopefully have two new saber by the end of either today or tomorrow. Plus I had the feeling that Ryder was looking for something quite specific if he'd requested access to the mobile network....

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

I'd never understood bacta tanks, before the tank she looked as if she wouldn't make it but now, barely a scratch. Now that she was awake I could finally get some answers. You can erase data on a computer but you can't mess with the human mind right?

​"Well... Basically, I'm not from here. That's that in the basic sense. I got here with 20,000 other people on an Ark which was designated as 'Ark Hyperion'. When we first got here we made first contact with a faction or race which called itself the Sith Empire. We tried to negotiate but it seems that they weren't in the mood. They slaughtered us. My friends, my family, everybody. As far as I know the ship wasn't destroyed. I was among the members of my crew that were captured, which looking back seems to be a fate worse than death. I don't remember much. There are huge gaps in my memory. I hoped that the archive on that Jedi Station would hold some answers but it seems that either they don't know, or all information on the subject has been erased. So that's what I was looking for."

Everyone I told this to had told me I was crazy, and to be honest I really cant blame them. I mean a stranger tells you all that and expects you to be okay with it? Yeah, I'd call me crazy too.

The Jedi are my last hope, well if not that then they're my best hope. I've invested too much into this, I know that most of the crew are dead. There's no changing that, In fact. The Hyperion wasn't the only Ark which was sent out was it? Then again. I have no idea whether they are even still active. The thought of them suffering the same fate that we did chilled me to the bone.

Wait, Celiana is a Jedi, she might know something about those 'Sith' Then again, the Sith are treated like the plague by most people that I've ran into, but I had to try.
Preparing for the worst I asked her ​"This may be a stupid question but, what do you know about the Sith empire? Either that or some planet called Korriban. Nobody seems to be able to speak about them, and if they can, the don't. Since your a Jedi I'm hoping that you could shed some light on the subject."

Well, the worst that could happen is that I'm thrown out of the airlock, which didn't seem to be too bad at this point.
Hopefully she didn't think I was crazy, because to be completely honest. I'm not too sure about my sanity myself at this point.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

Ahhhh that'd explain it....Karking Sith. Looking back at him I said "Well in general The Sith don't get along with anyone except other Sith. It was a Sith who left me looking like I did when we met. I had simply been on a sort of pilgrimage to planets where The Dark Side was known to have a presence. He found me there and after exchanging words we dueled, my sabers were more or less destroyed and I was left alive but in a lot of pain. Which is why I'm headed to The Silver Archive station. To rebuild them and find more information on some things of interest to me. In regards to your mind and the gaps in your memory that's likely the result of Dark Side use of The Force to "wipe your mind." The thing is though they didn't actually wipe your memories, they're still there but blocked away."

Waving my hand towards the med-bay doors they opened. Hopefully Ryder wouldn't be too put off by my having told him The Sith screwed with his mind. Thing was though they never had the elegance to make it unnoticeable, odds were that given the opportunity aboard the station we were headed to I could remove the block on his mind and memories they'd put there. Walking down the hall towards my cabin I looked back at him and then realized I was basically in my underwear with some spandex shorts on, and I was dripping wet. Osik, hopefully if he'd noticed it hadn't made him too uncomfortable. As we reached my cabin I waved the door open and pointed to my bed.

"You sit there and wait a second if you don't mind. Not that I think you'll try anything but if my droids see you out in the hall they'll just ask you to identify yourself, then they'll ask why you're outside my cabin, then they'll get defensive. Much easier for you to sit there while I get changed than have to deal with that nonsense." Heading over to my closet which sat behind a cherry blossom dressing screen I grabbed a set of silky, cream colored robes along with a change of underwear and a pair of cream colored sparring pants. I'd be pulling on my formal robes after getting the first layer taken care of. Then I started pulling out of the wet clothes and grabbed a towel to completely dry off. I could feel like Ryder wanted to say something about what I'd told him but odds were he'd speak when ready. I'd make him the offer to remove the mental blocks that the Sith had put up in his mind of course but it'd be his choice to take me up on that offer. Odds were though most of his crew had made it, The Sith had simply made him remember they were lost to feed upon his hopelessness and despair.

Once we reached the Silver Archives I'd do whatever was in my power to help him. I despised seeing other people having their minds tampered with for no cause. Even I with my ability to persuade others with The Force didn't want to use that power. If it was someone's choice to disagree with you then it should be your choice to persuade them of your viewpoint on your own. I didn't need The Force for that.

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

It took a minute to process what she'd said. Memory blocks? Why the hell would they block my memories? The more I thought of it the more it started to make sense. In the past whenever I had thought about it, or really tried to remember what had happened I received flashes. They seemed to be of people screaming, I don't know how many people were broken by their "Questioning" but they didn't break me right? Wait, how did I escape? I can't remember. Hopefully since the memories are actually blocked and not removed then they can be brought back? The question is however, do I want them back? What if this is some kind of ploy and they made me into some kind of sleeper agent? No. They couldn't have. Right? Still, I had to make precautions.

​"Sam? I need to ask you a favour. If this goes bad and they done something to my mind then I need to make sure that if I go crazy, then you'll do what you have to."
​"Ryder, I do not understand. What are you implying?"
​"I mean that if they have changed my mind I need you to stop my heart. Destroy the synapses in my brain do whatever you have to take me down okay?"
​"Ryder I'm afraid that I cannot do that. My purpose is to understand the world and without you I cannot--"
​"Just do it okay!? This isn't a request anymore its a goddamn order. Understand!?" ​I didn't expect to shout that loud, but I'd just lost it. This must have got to me more than I thought, and if that's the case then they've changed me already haven't they? Damn, I needed a rest.

"Sam, I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to shout. Just... Do what you have to okay?" ​That wasn't fair, I'd never have gotten this far without Sam and he didn't deserve to take the brunt of that outburst, damn it Ryder what if someone heard you? It wasn't exactly inconspicuous.

I had to stay strong. If I faltered or broke now then I'd never find them. Hell, maybe I never will. It seemed like this Jedi and her archive held all the answers after all.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

As I pulled on my clothes I could feel an intense emotional surge inside Ryder. After pulling on enough clothing to be decent again I came back around the divider and looked at him for several solid seconds. Reaching for my ceremonial Jedi robes I pulled on the cream and forest green outer robe cover. Folding one side over the other in a formal way I pulled a blue martial arts sash and wrapped it around my waist twice before pulling it into a firm slipknot. The loose ends dangled towards my calf as I pulled on the caramel outer cloak the silvery accents lining the edges of the sleeves and the outer edges of the cloak giving it a classy look.

Padding over barefoot next to the bed I looked at Ryder then took a knee in front of him. "Ryder, I can understand your concerns about what I've told you. It's a lot to take in I know, believe it or not I'm coming from a place of knowing exactly what it feels like. I had the same thing done to me. Only it was my father who'd had teaching from a Sith on how to control others, thing was that he couldn't maintain his control. The reason was that his control would have forced me to allow myself to be hurt. My body's self-preservation instinct wouldn't allow me to comply. In the same way The Sith, however evil they may be wouldn't be able to make you do anything that you would normally never do. Hurting friends, family, betraying your beliefs and so on. It'd have to be your choice to do so, if you're worried about having been turned then again they can't have done so unless you wanted it."

Using The Force I pulled a pair of boots towards me along with a pair of cream colored pantyhose. "I want you to know something before we even enter the system with The Silver Archive station. I can bring down the barriers they put in your mind if you want me to. However I must also give you some words of caution... If you choose to allow me to do that for you, the odds are high that you'll be dealing with some intense emotional pain. You'll fully remember those memories along with everything The Sith did to you or your friends, family, and crew. Thing likely won't be what they made you remember it could very well be that your family is alive but in horrible situations. The knowing is better than ignorance but it'll likely come with a good deal of pain. I'll leave the choice to you on whether or not you want me to do that and remove the mental barriers they put up in your mind."

Rising from my knees I padded over to my desk and after taking a seat in my chair I pulled the loose-fitting sparring pants legs as far up as I could while remaining decent. Grabbing the cream colored panty hose I pulled them on over one foot and rolled them up my calf towards my upper thigh. Then I rolled down the pantleg and slipped my right foot into the split-toed tabi boot. Repeating the process with the other leg I slipped my left foot into the other tabi boot and looked towards Ryder. It would be his choice to allow me to undo what The Sith had done to his mind but I hoped he'd allow me to do so. Odds were that The Sith had done what they'd done because he'd seen things about them, ships, weaponry, numbers of troops. Any of that would be grounds for making someone forget things to The Sith. Another thing was this ship he'd arrived on, if it was tech The Sith didn't know about or hadn't seen before they'd want it. It'd be easier to make him think everyone had been lost...It made me think too, The Sith had been very aggressive recently. More so than usual anyways, almost as if they were gearing up for another attack against The Silver Jedi. Connor had insinuated as much too...

Grabbing my ruined sabers off my bed I pulled out a small leather bag and began stuffing tools, the beskar tubes, saber crystals, leather cords, and various other items into the bag before sealing it and tying a slipknot with the cords of the bag to my sash. Looking towards a mirror I inhaled sharply. My eyes, they'd changed again there were still the maroon there but the green was becoming a bluish green now. They looked like the waters of Eshan. The gold flecks were still there and I realized there were tears coming down my cheeks from what I saw. Beauty, for the first time I saw myself as beautiful. Wiping my eyes I turned to look at Ryder, odds were he was going through a lot of processing right now...

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

Well, at least I knew that i wasn't a time bomb. I let out a small chuckle as I thought about recent events, "The Initiative, bringing humanity to the farthest regions of unknown space, setting the scale on space exploration for the rest of time." I got to admit, it did sound appealing at the time. When I signed up for this I didn't expect it to go so wrong so quickly. In fact, I don't even think that this is the right Galaxy.

We were supposed to be in stasis for over 600 years whilst the Arks crossed dark space, but I think that at some point on the journey our Ark had changed course. It's the only logical explanation for how we got here. I'd asked Sam how long we were in stasis. He replied with "Approximately 10,037 years 7 months, 26 days..." Now, ten thousand years is a heck of a long time. Hell I don't even know how the ship didn't run out of fuel and leave us stranded. Something about this entire Initiative was off, I had to find some way of identifying where I was on a universal scale. So I could figure out how far we had traveled and maybe, just maybe, with the advanced technology here I could find some way of sending word home or letting them know where we are. It's a long shot sure but I'm not exactly crossing my fingers hoping against hope that it would work.

Back to more pressing concerns however, now that I know that they couldn't have done anything too significant to my mind I knew that I had to get this memory blocker removed as soon as possible, and by any means necessary. A lingering question remained however, why would the Sith remove most of my memories about what happened, but leave me with knowledge of the planets that they took us to? They sounded like they were called Korriban and Dromund Kass. My guess is that one of those worlds must be their capital, and the most information is likely to be stored there, there is also a danger however. What if they left me with those memories deliberately? So that I would go there and it would be a trap?

"Now I'm overanalysing things, I really need a vacation." I told myself, I should really wait to see what's in this Silver Archive before I jump the gun. I'll find them. It'll just take time.

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

After having gotten my things together I slipped on my Mandalorian gauntlets. Triggering the hidden blades to release I re-triggered them to bring them back into their sheathed position. Checking the datapad on my left gauntlet to make sure it was secure I turned to look at Ryder. Seemed like he was still coming to terms with what I'd told him, I was curious if The Sith had left any memories intact that weren't tampered with. The odds were small, though also likely. I knew of at least three other instances where it had happened and the person had gone to far off places looking for answers, except when they reached those places they became corrupted.

Taking a knee by Ryder again I said "Hey Ryder, I know I've dumped a lot on your mind to think about. and you don't have to make any decisions right away but if you want me to remove those mental blocks I will. The chances of doing so without bringing up painful memories is small like I said, but you may want to wait until we reach the archives. There are chambers aboard specifically for honing Force energies and bringing them to bear. I can do it whenever you wish though. If you want it taken care of now we can. It'd leave more time for you to seek out answers once we're aboard."

[member="Michael Ryder"]

 

[Michael Ryder]

​"Ryder, I would recommend that you remove the memory blocks now, as it will grant you more time to come to terms with what you will find out."

​Goddamn it. He was right, the best way to handle this is to get the blockers removed now, granted It'll be difficult or painful but It would most certainly be worth it, and as an upside I'd have more time to handle it and come to terms with what happened.

​"If you can remove the blockers now then I'll do it. As you said if it happens now then I'll have more time to search out answers once I'm aboard, but I'm gonna need to ask a favour. If this goes bad and it was all a ploy then I'll need either you or Sam to take me out before I can cause any harm. Because from what I remember they broke most of my crew, and I can't guarantee that I wasn't among them. So yeah, lets get it over with."

[member="Celiana"]

 

[Celiana]

Nodding at what Ryder said I said "Ares stop the ship." There was only one other person I'd offered to do this for and he'd rejected it he'd said that it was his choices to carry with him. A projection of Ares appeared and said "M'lady are you sure? We're only one system away from The Silver Archive station. Is it not counterproductive to drop out now?" Sighing I looked at her and said "Ares it's not counterproductive to him, it's what he needs right now so we're dropping out of FTL."

"Ares, also open up the star deck meditation room if you please." Looking back at Ryder I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. Using my other hand I waved open the sealed ceiling panel and with another gesture I dropped down the spiral ladder. "M'lady the star deck meditation room has been unsealed as requested." Smiling I looked at Ryder and then said "Up the ladder behind me if you please. Also before we begin I need to ask you something, you asked me to end your life if I discover there was a ploy to turn you and you were. The fact that The Sith couldn't do so anyways unless you wanted to alleviates my concerns. What I'm curious about is that you mentioned Sam, is that an AI? And if so how is that AI attached to you?"

I'd had thoughts about having a clone of myself created, with the intent of allowing Ares to merge her digital format into a human body. But before I could commit to such an endeavor I needed to know more about the topic. Merging a digital consciousness to a physical body wasn't an overnight process. Plus Ares wan't a typical AI over the time I'd been with her I'd started realizing that she was fully self-aware. Meaning that she had a consciousness of her own, on several occasions she'd recorded my training sequences with unarmed, and armed combat going so far as to say that the way I moved was beautiful, that she could watch it all day. While a bit un-nerved at that I thought it was actually rather touching.

Based on novels she'd been browsing through she was looking for companionship and she couldn't experience certain things as she was now. If Ryder had an AI integrated within him what I was contemplating wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility. Climbing the ladder I reached the hatch and placed my palm against the metal. There was a humming, then a beep as the bioscanner accepted my handprint. As I began heading up through the hatch I heard Ares say "May The Force be with you M'lady." Smiling I said "Thank you Ares, I'm sure it will be." Then I headed up through the hatch into the star deck to begin helping Ryder...

[member="Michael Ryder"]