Private Two Little Shadows

[Dis]

Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Location: Tyrant's Row
Equipment: N/A
Tag: Kal

[ Theme ]
<"Galactic Basic"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ ​

~ Then I'll talk to the Small Lady! ~ they said; with the Small Lady they thought Eina L'lerim-Vandiir .

Yes, they also agreed that changing the timeline can be a very dangerous thing. They move a stone in the past and destroy the planet in the present. It wasn’t something worth playing or trying. They nodded at Kal's words.

~ Do you think it is possible to change it? Or is it just an assumption that they might be able to? ~ they asked.

It was hard to imagine the Force letting that happen. Last but not least, they thought it wasn’t even certain that it would ever have turned out. I mean, if the past changes everything changes and it may never turn out. At least that was Shadowcat's idea. Possibly they were wrong in this question.

However, after Kal's last words, something came to their mind; which they may not have thought of before. They thought for a few more moments before they shared their idea. Unfortunately, they didn’t have such an acquaintance unless Zahra again, so they didn’t know if all this was possible or not.

~ Did you say, in her mind? ~ they asked. ~ Why haven't we thought about this so far? Why don’t we try to get into her mind with Mechu-deru or non-Force-based telepathy? That would be the easiest, wouldn't it?~

 

[Kal]

<So they say, but I have my doubts. Doubts that it is feasible, anyway. Possible? Possibly.>

He had heard of instances of minor temporal fluctuations - whispers of beings that had erased themselves from reality in their folly, among other things. These were always isolated, however. Contained. Not to mention difficult to prove.

There were those who dedicated themselves to studying the inner workings of time, but Kal was not among them.

<I fear I have no real experience in either, but it may be possible to dig up some information through some sort of telepathic inquiry. It is possible the spirit remembers something the conscious mind does not.> Of course, her ancient nature, her lack of memory, and her binding to a mechanical form might all make this difficult at best.

<Rozri has some experience extricating memories from more forgetful spirits, as do I.>

It was clear as day that such methods were rarely wholly reliable.

 

[Dis]

Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Location: Tyrant's Row
Equipment: N/A
Tag: Kal

[ Theme ]
<"Galactic Basic"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ ​

~ Oh! Interesting! ~ they replied.

They really thought so; as a matter of fact, Dis has never heard of it before. They knew that the past could be scanned in different ways, as the future could be seen in many different ways. Although the future was constantly on the move, the past was not. The past was constant; at least the Shadowcat knew that. They hadn’t heard of isolated cases like Kal, so they couldn’t add anything substantively to that.

After all this, they continued to listen to Kal's words and nodded at their Shadow companion's words several times. They still didn’t have any tangible things to do in this situation. And it wasn't exactly the best in a situation like this. They thought hard about what the solution might be. Unfortunately, not much came to their mind.

~ This is also an interesting and not very sophisticated solution. ~ they answered.

Indeed, the Valkyrja was the only one they knew to understand souls well and would never hurt them. They were protectors, not like Lady Rozri. But they didn’t want to bring them up again, as they had recommended them once already. However, there was one thing that would have been good to discuss before moving on to more drastic solutions.

~ Actually… then I think the most important question is how much do we consider her a living being and how much droid? I mean, do we ask for your opinion and permission, or do we treat it like a machine and do what comes to mind? ~ they raised perhaps the most difficult and most moral question. In their case, the answer was clear that they would be happy if the princess were treated as a living being…

 

[Kal]

Kal considered for only the briefest of moments before answering. <'Living being' is an overstatement, but sentient and in possession of a fully-developed soul? Probably. I would certainly err on the side of caution.>

It would be unfortunate if she refused, but Kal would accept it. How the question was phrased and asked might well impact her decision-making process, of course. <Perhaps you should ask her? I imagine she trusts you more than me.>

 

[Dis]

Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Location: Tyrant's Row
Equipment: N/A
Tag: Kal

[ Theme ]
<"Galactic Basic"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ ​

Dis was glad they were able to agree on the question of whether they considered the princess a sentient being. True, Kal didn't call her a living creature, but the sentient state was already a step forward. Because he didn't treat her like an object. And that meant a lot to the Shadowcat. It would have been very sad if they had just thought of her as an object, because she was much-much more.

~ Thank you for thinking so. ~ they said.

They nodded to talk to the princess. They didn't know if the droid trusted them more, but they definitely wanted to expose her to all sorts of experiments. They didn’t know which answer would be the best they could get. In any case, they nodded and turned to the princess to talk to her. In fact, at the time, they didn’t even think it was going to be a pretty long conversation.

They had to talk to her for about half an hour to tell her all about it. Since the princess had quite a few questions, and Dis tried to answer as best she could. When all the answers were there, they turned back to the woman and Kal.

~ I talked to her, and she agreed to various experiments. But she wants Zahra to do these or oversee them. She trusts her the most and has also agreed to have the Valkyrja help her, and other friendlier Shadows. ~ they said her words.

 

[Kal]

Zahra? Her speciality was matter, not minds, but there was no harm to it if she was willing.

He strongly suspected - bordering on knew - she was, given her interest in the works of the ancients.

---

It had taken a while for all the necessary individuals to gather, but given that only Zahra was of the ageing variety they had no scarcity in that regard. In addition to her there was the 'princess' in question, a Valkyrja which Kal was not familiar with, Kal himself, Dis, and a pair of other Shadows - Braata and 'Happiness Derived from Clarifying Uncertainty'.

<Very good. Shall we begin?>

 

[Dis]

Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Location: Zahra’s workshop
Equipment: N/A
Tag: Kal

[ Theme ]
<"Galactic Basic"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ ​

It had been a few weeks before Dis successfully asked everyone to come and help them. They had to talk to Zahra, figure out what and how to do it. Afterwards, they even had to talk to the Valkyrja to find someone who could help them. They would have enjoyed the Small Lady the most, but Eina wasn’t at Netherworld, because she was busy. So the Shadowcat had to convince someone else who was also very familiar with souls and able to help them in this very unique question.

In any case, a larger company eventually gathered at Zahra's "base" to finally solve the mystery around the Princess. The droid, by the way, has typically been learning and taking an interest in the place and the creatures in recent weeks. She did have a lot of lags, but she learned and developed quickly, as it turned out she could use the Force quite well. Not on a level like a Sith Lord, much more of an apprentice, but really progressed.

Her emotions became much more balanced; she still looked like and behaved than a real Sith, but she understood more and more, she was less confused. The droid body was still very foreign to her, but she was already definitely using it more comfortably. Zahra successfully established it was a completely unique material, some special one from which the armour was made, was probably created by alchemy, which is why she was unable to determine the raw material either. She even told Kal and Dis all this information.

The Valkyrja was a creature of purple lustre, exceptionally they not wore combat armour; for this was the custom of them. They looked at the princess and spoke.

~ It will take a few minutes, as soon as I know something for sure, I will say it right away. ~ they said telepathically, since it was also a common form of communication for the Valkyrja as well.

~ I'm curious! ~ they said to Kal.

 

[Kal]

It was rare for Zahra not to recognise a material, so Kal had been unsurprised by its relative uniqueness.

There were a thousand and one ways to alter matter using Alchemy, no one woman could know them all - let alone see them for what they are on sight alone. Still, the initial failings of psychometry indicated that unusual techniques may have been used. Of course, that would be far from surprising given the utterly alien nature by which the 'princess' had been transferred.

<As am I. Let us hope they meet with more success than our own examinations.>

As usual, he was curious but not particularly arrogant. If someone succeeded where he failed he would happily bear witness to the benefits - and the potential for self-improvement through retrospection.

Dis​

 

[Dis]

Dis the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Location: Zahra’s workshop
Equipment: N/A
Tag: Kal

[ Theme ]
"Galactic Basic" | <"ur-Kittât / Sith"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ ​

The Valkyrja started the process of examining the princess. The process was unfortunately not spectacular at all, it was only in the Force that one could feel they were doing something. Dis sat at the top of the table, tilted their head sideways, watching the events with interest. Most of what was striking from the process was that the pink entity's hand, or just their eyes, glowed several times in a colour that was the colour of their skin in which they gleamed faintly.

In fact, it was completely common and usual among the Valkyrja. Each had its own colour that suited their soul and them. This has usually never changed since. There was an example of that, as in the case of the First, Eina, who changed from blue to gold due to her Force dyad and her chosen crusader. But she has always been a special and unique case.

But going back to the process; in fact, it was all about the Valkyrja concentrating and meditating while the Force swirled around them and the princess. The Force Entity was completely silent, even if they would have spoken, she would have done so telepathically. Incidentally, this was the traditional form of communication for Valkyrja, just as it was for the Shadows.

After about ten to fifteen minutes, the Force's swirling stopped, and Valkyrja opened their eyes.

~ It is very interesting! ~ they said them. ~ I've never seen anything like it before. I am sure the soul within is real, her real soul, not an imprint or an echo. However, she was mutilated, tortured, with little left of it. And I really don’t know how they put it into such technology. Especially at that age… ~

They paused for a moment, then continued.

~ That was the soul. Would you like me to take a "closer look" at her memories? ~ they asked the two Shadows.