Open Last Words

[Mia Kavisough]

Curious was the strange little device. The polyhedron started with a polygonal base. Outlined in a metal alloy. Four corners rose to apex at a single point. Detailed designs are etched into the crystalline faces. This mysterious device known as a holocron holds secrets left by Uldora; a sith practitioner. Those familiar with these devices know that they open when either light or dark force is applied. This particular shape signified an evil origin. Easy enough it seemed for the owner, Ilphy'Mia: Uldora's daughter. Despite trying to unlock it's secrets, the device never activated. There wasn't a hint of how until a fateful conflict between her and a jedi. During their encounter, blue light emanated from within. There wasn't much she could do except wonder why as the life drained from her foe. Ilphy knew then that the key lay with a side of her power she couldn't hope to uncover.

Months passed as she searched the holonet for answers. Jedi knowledge wasn't exactly easy to come by. Mainly fictional stories and sites hosting people playing roles of both sith and jedi. Eventually her search took her deeper and deeper into unexplored territory known as the darknet. Shortly she came to the conclusion that someone may be able to trick the device into activating. Though a rookie when it came to mechanics; she was the equivalent of a fool when it came to hacking. Defeat culminated in a short but informative advertisement on an illegal site. "Seeking skilled hacker able to open a Jedi Holocron." After posting her request, thousands of replies came in. Some obvious scams, using broken galactic basic to communicate. Other seemed hopeful but requested she send them the device while refusing to meet up. The rest fell into an uncertain category where neither applied but weren't worth effort. Time passed with her replying or ignoring communication until there was finally a hit. Legitimate on the outside and enthralling upon inspection. They continued their back and forth until agreeing to meet up in person. Mia's one condition being that the she be near the holocron at all times. Silly it seemed but as a last gift, there was no greater a treasure she could possess.

Location: Sakiya | Tags: Open, PvP, Death-Disabled​

Heavily industrialized, Sakiya had little natural beauty. Among the overdeveloped landscape were cities nestled between smokestacks and factories. Each producing, refining, and polluting. Unsha was one such city locked between chemical plants. Horrid putrid smells burned the nostrils of foreigners as they took their first steps. Along the many ghettos were shops, bars, and low-income housing. Turning into Shaman street you'd fine many vendors peddling scrap and home made parts. Along the parade of noisy merchants was an unassuming bar tucked away in a dark alley. Marked with only one sign which read "bar" in bright neon red. Inside this hovel turned tavern were dedicated patrons slumped in chairs. Dark blue light illuminated the frothy mess of their drinks. Along one end was a new comer. The stranger with pale skin looked androgynous. They raised their head to scan the customer's with piercing gold eyes.

Mia chose this degrading establishment for its notoriety as a spot for exchange of the unsavory. She hadn't given her full physical profile online but did mention a few particular things to her correspondent. One: her name would be Deva. Two: she would be wearing dark cap with the insignia for a lesser known pop band called "Interstellar Dreamers". Mia knew that those facts would be enough to spot her out in this crowd of gloomy slumdogs. Sitting far away from others to draw just the slightest bit of attention. She hid her long hair under the cap to keep the overconfident booze hounds from trying their luck. She wore regular civilian clothes with a long sleeved jacket. The tails of it cutting off just above her midriff. Tucked inside, just in-case, were two cylindrical devices. Mia seemed almost anxious though, always looking around. Being in such a small place with few exits made her heart pound. Thinking that perhaps she shouldn't have shown up so early. The bartender seemed disgruntled that she wasn't doing much. He eyed her and the partially consumed drink she'd been sipping on for the past hour. Undoubtedly she'd be forced to buy something else or leave.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Part of Jedi Knight, Brienna Lanaamer's duties in the Order had recently been extended to research and cataloguing of both recent and more long term Jedi artefacts. For the vast majority of instances, this meant travelling around the Galaxy, usually to libraries or museums, and determining if any part of the collections were at all related to Jedi history, and were therefore of use. On very rare instances, this searching resulted in the finding of a Jedi Holocron. Bri had only every seen holocron's come in two different varieties, the more polyhedron shaped Jedi versions, and the pyramid-triangle, Sith Holocrons. The objects themselves were usually palm sized, and crystalline in both structure and material. They held lessons or valuable information, usually in holographic form (hence the name), and crucially, could only be opened via a manifestation of the Force.

After the fall of the Jedi, during the time of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi Holocrons had been scattered around the Galaxy. As the Jedi had slowly begun to make their return as a wider presence, more reports had been found about the polyhedron storage units being found. On the vast majority of instances, both Holocron or otherwise, Bri had been able to locate the item in question. However, there was a darker side to the problem. With the reemergence of the Sith in the Galaxy, finding the Holocrons had taken a somewhat higher priority on the Jedi's general to-do list. Not classifying herself as completely technically savvy, Bri had enlisted the help of her astromech droid, NL-142, to monitor and search the more darker corners of the web for any clues. It was thus, that on a hot afternoon day on Ajan Kloss, NL had brought a report to its human partner.

"Are you sure about this? It's legitimate?"

NL offered a series of beeps and sounds that amounted to its own best guesses as to how legitimate anything could be on the darkweb. "Seeking skilled hacker able to open a Jedi Holocron" was the message. The Jedi chewed her lower lip in thought. "Alright, start a conversation, and see what you can find out. Guess its time to work on my hacking skills." The droid nodded its head in agreement and rolled off.

//

A few short days later, the plot had developed further, with NL setting a meeting between the poster of the message, Deva, and the Jedi on the planet Sakiya, located in Hutt Space. Bri stood in the storage area of her ship, which usually turned into her closet on more longer term voyages. "Alright, to go over it again, the person doesn't know they've been talking with a droid?"

NL shook its head, equating a 'no.'

"Good," The Jedi wasn't thrilled with the plan they had come up with. Normally a fan of immense meticulous detail and planning, the rather coy and anonymous nature of their interactions with the Holocron owner had left Bri feeling somewhat unprepared for their meeting. I hate that feeling. "I wish I had a better understanding of how this is going to go, but I think I'll need your help. Are you good to wait nearby our rendezvous point?" NL responded with a series of noises to express that its Jedi partner sometimes worried too much. "Noted," came a somewhat dry response and glance.

"Alright, how do I look?" Bri turned and faced her droid. Going to the meeting dressed in her standard Jedi robes and attire was obviously out, so Bri had picked the best outfit she thought represented 'darkweb hacker' It was pretty much a shot in the dark. Tight black pants were matched with a grey shirt. A black car length coat completed was worn on top. She had pulled her honey-brown hair into a tight ponytail which she thought made her look more serious, and applied more darker toned makeup. Lastly, she wore a pair of glasses to complete the 'hacker' look. NL had no idea how to respond to the question and admitted as such. "I appreciate the confidence," the Jedi replied sarcastically.

The two had come up with the backstory for Bri's character. They had provided the name Kian and intimated that she was skilled enough to access the Jedi Holocron that 'Deva' currently possessed. Even if there is one.

It was the pair's first visit to Sakiya. Bri held control of the ship as it began its descent into the clouded atmosphere, properly adjusting the flaps and stabilizers. "I know, I know..." the Jedi commented as she felt the droid's silent judgement of her rather bumpy planetside entry. Grey and green clouds blended togther, and as they approached their destination, Unsha, it was clear pollution played a major role in the Sakiyan skyscape. Darkness had already fallen on the city, and Bri had difficulty spotting the bright lights of the Space Port through the polluted air as they made their final approach.

The ship shuddered to the asphalt, the familiar *thump* indicating they had once again reached solid ground. The Jedi disengaged all flight systems, flipping and pressing the appropriate switches and buttons. "Ready?" she looked over at the droid.

//

"Can you hear me?" Bri spoke aloud, the communicator in her ear picking up the vibrations of her mouth and transmitting them back to NL. She heard the droid beep an affirmative response. Unsha was not a particularly pleasant city, and Bri judged that she would not be making a return trip any time soon, unless absolutely required. The foul smell of pollution practically stung her eyes and nostrils, and made it somewhat challenging to keep concentration focused on the mission at hand. She wanted to make sure her Force footprint was as small as possible, lest someone pick up on her connection. Nevertheless, the Jedi's saber was hidden within an interior pocket of her jacket.

After a short walk from the Spaceport, Bri arrived at the Bar and stepped inside. Despite her already low expectations set by the city, Bri was not impressed by the interior. While the polluted smell outside struggled to make its way in, the Bar more than made up for it with the stench of stale alcohol, spice and other unpleasant odors. Her eyes quickly adjusted, evaluating the half full interior. Deva had indicated she would be wearing a cap with the logo for some music group, The Interstellar Dreamers. Walking slowly, Bri quickly spotted the contact, seated a distance away from anyone else, the rather garish band logo pretty easy to spot. It was hard to make out more of the person under the hat, but she appeared to be a young woman, around the same age as Bri herself. As the Jedi walked closer to the table, she began to feel a somewhat nagging tug by the Force. It was subtle, but enough to make Bri feel slightly uneasy.

She quietly approached the table and addressed the woman while sitting down. "Deva." It wasn't exactly a question, more of a statement of fact.

@Kur Harwutma