Private Unwinding Time

[Makko Vyres]

"Well that's just fucking weird."

He had expected to cross the dune and see the derelict protruding from the sand. Instead the angular shapes gleamed as if they were brand new. There wasn't a single sign of deterioration or rust. The hull was smooth and in tact.

He looked down at the young padawan. He coughed.

"I mean: this is very strange, isn't it?"

He silently cursed himself.

Makko took two awkward steps down the sand dune.

"I was expecting some old war star destroyer. But they haven't logged a crash here in hundreds of years."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Somewhere in the sands of Jedha...

---

A small giggle escaped the padawan trailing a few steps behind Makko, her hand quickly raised and pressed against her lips to muffle most of the sound. She still felt a bit uneasy adventuring without the presence of her master or someone close that Mahsa trusted, though said anxiety had been lessened bit by bit with time and repetition.

This time she’d been assigned to Knight Vyres, the pair tasked with validating an unexpected detail of a report that had arrived from the last excursion to Jedha not that long ago.

"Y-Yeah, I agree. It’s too…" Her gaze shifted towards the mysterious ship that stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the sandy dunes, its current condition entirely unexpected given the desolated landscape around it. "Clean."

Certainly not something that had been buried under the sands for centuries or more, only to be accidentally revealed by some stroke of luck. "D-Do you recognize the model, Master Vyres?" She certainly didn’t, though that could’ve been easily explained by the fact that most ships kind of blended in together and looked the same to her eyes.

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Makko is fine," he said kindly.

He didn't want to sour the working relationship by being a bit of a dick. He didn't like the term 'master' for himself. Not after growing up on Denon. That was a world with a clear divide between those who had everything and those who had nothing.

He had been on the wrong side of that divide, along with ninety nine percent of the population.

"I've seen sith destroyers with sharp angular lines, but they are huge. This is a frigate. All smooth black and... Pointy."

He canted his head to one side and frowned.

"There is still power in that ship. I can feel it. Huh."

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Somewhere in the sands of Jedha...

---

Habits were hard little things to break but, little by little, Mahsa had been chipping away against old and ingrained behaviors as time had gone on. Her own master was not that much different from the Knight she currently accompanied, though Mahsa would never dispel her title when in the company of others. She would be forever grateful to Ioti for all she’d done these past couple of years to help her, and was unwilling to risk any of her Master’s peers from assuming her padawan did not respect the Echani enough to follow expected behavior.

"Ok-kay." She still had much to grow, but when the older Knight asked her to call him by his name instead the Kazelrrian couldn’t help but smile faintly as she nodded. Out here, far away from prying and judging eyes, the girl felt comfortable enough to accept his request without a fight.

It was true that the ship's black exterior had caused her mind to think of the Dark Empire at first, but Mahsa knew better than to assume they were involved just because the ship was black… and incredibly pointy. "I don’t sense the Dark side either… though they could be hiding it, or maybe we’re just too far away?" It wasn’t an unlikely scenario, one of many they could undoubtedly come up with as they peered over the dunes at the unexpected vessel.

Sooner or later though they’d have to get closer.

"Y-Yeah, I hear it…" A faint humm lingered in the air, imperceptible by human standards, but her hearing had always been more akin to that of beast and creatures. Thankfully it was easy enough to ignore if the Kazelrrian put her mind to it. "Should we move closer, Mas—Makko?"

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Should we move closer, Mas—Makko?"

"Getting there," he commented on her slip. "Yes. Let's go and investigate. Keep a couple of steps behind me."

He had no sense of what the danger could be. People had taken pictures of the crash site and no one had been harmed yet. If he sensed anything, at least he could swing his own saber into her path and defend the padawan.

Except that this wasn't a crash site. The ship had come from under the ground not from the sky. As they approached the smooth, straight surfaces started to change colour. It was a dark midnight blue, but shimmered with iridescent greens as the sunlight caught it.

He could feel the power moving between mechanical components. All the way to what looked like an entrance.

Makko reached out through the Force and felt... Nothing.

"Oh," he went in surprise.

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Somewhere in the sands of Jedha...

---

Mahsa couldn’t help the faint pink tint that flushed her cheeks as embarrassment washed over her, though a faint smile lingered as she nodded towards the older Knight—understanding that it was just playful teasing on his side. She was still learning, and would be forever grateful to those like Ioti and Makko who were patient with her.

A frown quietly pulled her brows together as she continued to survey the ship and the sands surrounding it, certain that Makko and others had mentioned they’d be exploring a crash site when the mission had been assigned. "Do you… c-could we be in the wrong place?" Jedha might not be as big as a planet, but the moon was still large enough in its own right.

She made sure to stay close as they approached the vessel, a small "Oooh...!" of wonder escaping as she caught sight of the shifting colors in the hull. She couldn’t remember seeing a ship with shifting shades before, before her mind quickly refocused as new vibrations coursed through the sands and the humming of moving mechanical parts reached them again.

It looked like they’d finally found the entrance of this ship, though the lack of any feedback through the Force about it still unsettled the padawan greatly. It felt weird and unsettling, unnatural even unless…

It was a thought Mahsa decided to not pursue further.

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Do you… c-could we be in the wrong place?"

"This is definitely the place," Makko replied quietly.

"I can normally sense machines and change them," he continued to explain. "I should be able to open this door."

There was a note of frustration there. Makko was not a particularly powerful Jedi Knight. He was better suited to stealth missions where his more unique ability to intercept comms and affect technology was useful.

The surface of the ship was sleek. Even up close each panel was remarkably flat and smooth.

"Look for a button I guess?"

He didn't want to express to the padawan that he didn't want to try and cut his way in and risk the unknown ship still having some defensive measures in place.

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Somewhere in the sands of Jedha...

---

The certainty behind the Knight’s words caused Mahsa to nod in response; there had been no error in their navigation despite their findings clashing heavily with the reports given. His next words however surprised the white haired girl, curious shades of citrine and ocher coming to life in the snowy strands as she tilted her head slightly.

"T-Through the Force…?" While she had learned to tug and push smaller objects with her mind, the Kazelrrian had never thought of pushing towards larger objects—much less a ship—with her senses.

It was an interesting thought however, and one she continued to entertain as they stepped closer to the vessel. Its design was very efficient and sleek, and the pristine condition of each panel only increased the amount of questions without answers swimming inside her head as her gaze carefully studied the surface.

A button… a button… It was hard to make out anything when all the surfaces were smooth and dark, but she refused to give up as her search continued—cautious to not stray out too far from the Knight she accompanied today. "Mas—M-Makko!"

She barely corrected herself in time as she called out for the Jedi, unwilling to tear her eyes away from her discovery and risk losing it in the void that was the hull of this ship. There, quietly nestled between two plates, were the faint lines of something else—hopefully the button that Knight Vyres had instructed her to find.

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"T-Through the Force…?"

"I can't influence machines and tech," he explained as he searched. "The simpler it is, the easier to manipulate."

There were exceptions, but he also had implants from his Denon days that could interface with a range of tech.

He traced his bare finger across the surface of the ship. It was incredibly smooth, barely a hint of joins between panels.

. "Mas—M-Makko!"

"Hey, you nearly got it that time," he said. The angle of the hull meant he needed to tread carefully.

He followed her gaze.

"Now we should be very careful and..."

With a grin on his lips, he hit the button. There was a soft hiss as the door opened. It had been formed of hundreds of curved shards, opening in a smooth iris.

"You wanna wait outside?"

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Somewhere in the sands of Jedha...

---

"Influence m-machines…?" It took a moment for her mind to process the implication behind those words, even if it couldn’t wrap around how such a thing was possible in the first place. Droids and whatnot were inorganic, and she always thought of them as unable to interact with the Force as such, but there was no reason for Knight Vyres to lie about it either.

It caused her to focus on the humming they’d felt before, as if truly listening to it for the first time. "C-Can they… do they sing, t-too?" Maybe this was something Zaiya Ceti could do too? The Lovalla had always been so talented when it came to machines and her inventions…

She managed to nod despite the embarrassment that flushed her cheeks, keenly aware of her second slip up yet grateful that Makko was easygoing with her. Confusion rippled through her hair in shades of citrine as he mentioned they should be careful—the grin that he sported clashing heavily with his advice as the Knight clicked the button she’d found without a second thought.

The hiss that echoed caused Mahsa to jump back a couple of steps, the vibrant hues darkening into thick amber, before her shoulders relaxed upon realizing it was just a door that had opened.

"You wanna wait outside?"
"N-No…!"

There was a pout on her face as she tried to figure out if Makko was messing with her, Mahsa’s voice coming out in a higher pitch than usual as the padawan quickly followed behind the Knight. There was no way she’d miss out on seeing what lay inside this ship…

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Come on then," he said. He stepped into the corridor. It was at a thirty degree angle with a smooth floor. It made walking awkward and he kept one hand on the wall.

Everything looked as if it had been hewn from onyx rather than hammered out of steel. There were no joins between panels in the walls.

Makko pulled a small orb from a pouch. The little light drone glowed a bright blue and bobbed ahead of them.

"I wouldnt say that they sang. Why did you ask thaf?"

 

[Mahsa]

Location: Mystery vessel, Jedha...

---

It’s only a corridor and yet she can’t help but be impressed by the architectural design within. The ship is as much of an enigma from the inside as it was on the outside, and certainly resembles nothing she’s seen before in vessels. The floor is smooth and polished, to the point of almost being hazardous as it tests the balance of those walking above it.

"I wonder who built this…" Curiosity danced in her eyes as swirls of apricot and citrine ripple through her hair, peering intently into the dark surface of the wall as they carry on—an inky void that rivals the deepest parts of space.

"I wouldn't say that they sang. Why did you ask that?" His voice brought her back from her own quiet musings, a flush of embarrassment brightening her cheeks upon realizing her guess had been grossly off its mark. "O-Oh, I see… I just—u-uhmm—I thought m-maybe the Force could help them sing t-too…?"

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"What do you mean by sing?" Makko asked.

He his right hand on the wall. It was smooth. It was so dark that he almost felt that he could fall into it. Fall into the void.

He could feel subtle vibrations. There was working machinery here, but he couldn't sense it through the Force.

"They... I guess that can talk to me? But that's not quite it. It's almost like thinking a thought and sharing it with a machine. It's not words but intent."

The corridor opened up into a wide chamber. There were gold patterns on the floor and tall columns rose above them.

"Why does this feel more like a temple than a ship?" he murmured.

 

[Mahsa]

Jedha
Mystery Vessel

For a moment all the Kazelrrian did was stare at Makko, the confusion she felt highlighted in streaks of dulled amber and bright citrine. Her hand remained pressed against the smooth surface of the wall, the contact meant to keep her steady as they walked through the angled floor.

"Y-You know, the sound that forms when people connect to the Force?" It was a wordless melody that differed from person to person, and some were almost enchanting too… though she had never heard it come from a machine before.

A thought finally occurred to her. "C-Can you not hear it, Ma—M-Makko?"

Her thoughts were pulled towards the open space as they reached the end of the hallway, her attention drawn to the golden patterns on the floor. "W-What is this place…?" She hadn’t considered it until Makko murmured, and the Knight’s words seemed fitting but…

"W-Wouldn’t there be records of a m-missing temple?" Sure, sometimes they were lost to time, but this place looked too… well kept compared to forgotten ruins of the past.

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Hear it? No. It doesn't sound like a voice to me."

He turned slowly to look at Mahsa. He didn't like people calling him Knight Vyres, but he knew he had to step up to the responsibilities of his position.

He was a Shadow and that limited the amount of leadership he needed to provide. Missions were often brief forays into enemy territory undercover.

"That's fine. A lot of people say it's different for everyone. I don't think it's like eyesight where we all see things the same...

"... Or do we? I wonder if I see purple like you see purple. Not important right now. I think this is still a ship but if it's not a praxeum ship..."

One attempt at being reassuring and then he was hinting it could be a sith temple ship.

"It's been here a long time, it will be safe by now."

 

[Mahsa]

Jedha
Mystery Vessel

"I s-see…" She’d come to learn and understand that the Force did not manifest itself the same way for everyone, and it caused Mahsa to wonder how Makko perceived it.

"... Or do we? I wonder if I see purple like you see purple.” A wave of bright citrine rippled through her hair as he gave her some food for thought, brows furrowed in thought until the topic returned back to the mysterious ship they found themselves inside of. ”I think this is still a ship but if it's not a praxeum ship...”

She remembered bits and pieces of the history lessons regarding praxeum ships, the most notable of which had been the Chu'unthor, though she had never stopped to wonder if the Sith had their own versions of them.

It was an unsettling thought to say the least, a faint nod given to Makko as he tried to reassure her. Her gaze turned back to the golden patterns on the floor, head tilted as she tried to make sense of them to no avail, before Mahsa chose to close her eyes and focus.

The usual hum of the Force had diminished as they’d gone deeper into the ship, almost as if it was being muffled by something. A hand rested on the wall at her side to ground Mahsa as her senses began to stretch outwards, careful as the padawan attempted to see if something lay dormant within the vessel still.

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Makko Vyres ​

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko had never heard the Force sing. He had always used technology to visualise problems. His implants had allowed him to exist in a three-dimensional space when he had been an amateur slicer. Perhaps that was why he visualised the Force rather than heard it as a voice.

This is not a place for the light.

You will drown in the darkness

Makko stopped

"That wasn't a song. I heard that too. How well can you close yourself off from the Force Mahsa? Stop reaching out, focus on yourself. Turn your thoughts inwards."

He gave a sharp shake of his head and looked around.

"There is no one alive here. But sith artefacts can be dangerous. And defend themselves."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Jedha
Mystery Vessel

At first she’d felt nothing, something that confused the young padawan. Even the low hum that had accompanied their exploration thus far had disappeared, and curiosity caused Mahsa to reach out further than she’d initially meant to.

ㄒ卄丨丂 丨丂 几ㄖㄒ 卂 卩ㄥ卂匚乇 千ㄖ尺 ㄒ卄乇 ㄥ丨Ꮆ卄ㄒ
ㄚㄖㄩ 山丨ㄥㄥ ᗪ尺ㄖ山几 丨几 ㄒ卄乇 ᗪ卂尺Ҝ几乇丂丂​

Her eyes flew open as a breath hitched against her throat, alarm rippling through her hair in deep amber hues as she looked at Makko—her unspoken question answered when he spoke. She’d never heard a voice through the Force before, only wordless melodies, and Makko had heard them too.

"O-Okay…!" It had always been harder to pry herself away from something than connect to it, but she had gotten better with time and practice. She thought of the times that Zaiya Ceti would stonewall her emotions from others, unsettling as it was to personally experience it, as Mahsa withdrew into herself—focusing on the steady beating of her heart to do so.

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Makko Vyres ​