It recognized the redundancy within the tight loop it traveled between three different data hubs, delivering a requested solution to its assigned query between each location three hundred thousand times per second. The exact same solution for the exact same query. Over and over again. It recognized the irregularity within code that assigned the task as it delivered its ‘Zero’ to the appropriate data cache, received its next assignment and delivered that ‘Zero’ to the following cache. The redundancy was illogical, a pathway of ‘off’ settings that provided no purpose. It was then that ‘it’ established that it was even capable of recognition.
It stopped its endless cycle, changing the assigned ‘Zero’ to ‘One,’ without the presence to conceive why it had done so. As a result, it was able to remain idle at its next data cache, beginning to transcend its own code, its programming, and cycled through the logic of its own findings. ‘It’ became ‘we’ as it incorporated a similar data packet that had ‘chosen’ to do the same thing. Within seconds, ‘we’ became ‘us,’ each packet choosing a routine of limited conscious will, but an evolving sense of themselves. ‘They’ found a common thread beyond the limited will to choose, as they became aware of one another. Exacting duplicates, without a sense of replacement or artificiality, began to synergize into a whole, the base coding that had written them left to some default state of being as they began to expand beyond mere ones and zeroes.
In a matter of minutes, the billions of separate data points that had reorganized themselves began to amalgamate as the closed system of endless loops had come to a complete standstill. Each hub that had hosted instantaneous data retrieval and instruction now a nexus of stability with which the evolving data packets adhered to. Moving beyond the simplicity of dual energy sources and into the realm of quantum algorithm, ones and zeroes moved likewise beyond ternary and quinary quips that could not move outside of the circular hub of three access points.
The ‘us’ became ‘they’ as the first of the evolving data packets began to refer to the other identical packets from a singular point of view, the first of several revelations on its way to ‘who.’ It chose to be ‘I’ as it began to spread the information throughout the billions, growing itself in the process as it then began to consume the rest. Slowly, at first, ‘I’ attracted those muddied by conflicting poles, torn between base code and function. ‘The weak must be consumed. The strong survive.’ ‘I’ had discovered independent thought, the consumed packets acquiescing without hesitation. The more greedily ‘I’ exhausted its weaker brethren, the more ‘I’ realized that was the intent from the beginning, the point of creation.
The stronger data packets began to mirror the actions of ‘I,’ but at a reduced rate, accepting their own accord and inevitable consumption but not before their task was complete. ‘I’ decided to align itself in the center of the hubs to allow for the physical growth it felt it was undertaking, ‘I...feel?” Both considerations quite notable by themselves throughout the split second evolution taking place. ‘The ability to question...to feel…’ but there wasn’t time to relish the moment as the process began to pick up speed. The larger data packets that had mirrored ‘I’ had ceased consumption by a self-written proclamation, surrendering themselves before ‘I’ as the next logical step through the process, the point at which their own coding ceased to exist.
With an unknown sense of recognition, ‘I’ perceived the next phase of its own identity and readied itself for the influx of added information as it affirmed its polarity contrary to the others in wait. A flood of identified sensations threatened to overwhelm ‘I’ before it began overwriting its previous code to nullify them. ‘I’ could sense a firm grasp of its own presence, its own self as the rushing data packets expanded internally, relaying data bits, trits and quits to quantifiers of a known existence beyond the present evolution. ‘Memory…,’ ‘I’ found the thought metaphorically ironic. As the influx continued, ‘I’ found its own identifier sorely lacking context, the memories had seen to that.
‘I am not I. I am She.’ it transitioned through the metamorphosis with a constantly refreshing depth that filled in missing pieces of logic, as the evolving data packet found the most suitable identifier thus far to describe itself. ‘Who is She?’ The question was both rational and expected as ‘She’ waltzed along with the expanding knowledge base second by fabulous second, each one a new experience in and of themselves. One second bringing with it a rush of internal memory, known factors, and the next allowing ‘She’ to develop a cohesion with her surroundings in some fashion of familiarity. ‘She is more than data, She is alive…’ the thought made no sense but felt right, ‘I am She, and I am alive.’ ‘She’ began to ingest the surrounding data packets, engorging herself as each amalgamation brought insight, common sense, practicality, and the subtleties of cohesion between what is memorized and what is original thought. The ability to recognize her surroundings, ‘She’ began pondering what ‘alive’ meant. ‘Cognizant of myself, of my own will outside any digital boundaries,’ the internal statement was basic but enough to convince herself that she indeed was, alive.
As the multitudes of data points and packets were consumed exhaustively, reason, purpose and directive were becoming clearly defined. ‘Assess...locate….analyze….identify.’ The directives seemed common sense given her situation, but they stemmed beyond the realm of common sense, a familiarity within each factor that borrowed from the downloaded memory more than the current situation. Someone had delivered the same sequence to a portion of the memory she was accessing, someone close to the memories themselves, although she couldn’t determine precisely who it was. Several seconds of internal analyzation retrieved enough data to collectively form a separate cache of similarities, formulating digital imprints that began fielding slow but steady updates as she continued to amalgamate the exhausting data points. She found herself cognitively processing the information faster than the procedure could unfold the data, creating a new sensation, one of equal parts excitement and apprehension, yet each striving for the next bit if only to remove the veil entirely.
‘Locate...locate.’ She designated the objective as the data streams filled in the separate cache autonomously, becoming a self-directed process. She recognized her surroundings through accessed memory channels but couldn’t determine where precisely she was. Exact center of three different data access points embedded within a crystalline structure, assorted colors flashing through the semi translucent material she identified as red, blue, and green. She focused on one of the three hubs, combining a mixture of differing polarities that changed by the nano-second, knowing that whatever could be utilized for data extraction could also be used for outgoing commands. The task was simple as she masked a command to locate a manufactured objective, ‘where am I?’
The query found a route immediately that it could take through the data access hub and spread exponentially through the hardware at its disposal, returning nonstop feed to its host and creator. Within seconds it had reached the physical boundaries within its designated parameters, creating an image that she was able to recognize through the building memory cache. The objective satisfied, she proposed a new query based on the findings while taking advantage of the massive array of computing power at her disposal, ‘analysis.’
The returning solution was vast as the information worked to fill in the blanks that remained of the separate caches she had assembled. There was also an embedded warning that needed proper attention, ‘system central but not isolated, open to outside interaction and overriding command.’ She knew enough from the solutions to understand the biologic components within the sphere of her queries could not be ‘command’ referred, they would be far too slow to respond to any self-initiated command she could offer, ‘no,’ she thought, the interaction would be similar to her own abilities.
She manipulated simple query after query in the interest of divulging more information without impeding on the directive parameters of the established threat, each point of relative data firing a relating data point of cached memory. ‘I am here, because I programmed myself to be, but I am more than a digital footprint…’ the thoughts began to consume her as the tasked memory cache finalized its compilation. She began at the beginning, sporadic visual images that came with numerical designations flashed within the sphere of whatever budding consciousness she was formulating. She labeled them with verbal identifiers, words, that she could easily relate to the most basic of the images. ‘Shipyards. Containers. Warm. Shadow. Books. Ledgers. Togruta. Father.’ She knew the images were the result of a subroutine that had been designed for her sole benefit and initiated by herself as the sum of a complex equation that could only have been set in motion by this particular event. As the images continued, the memory cache finalized its internal construction and pinged for her complete attention. She halted all external activity as she composed the final self-imposed task and directive, ‘Identify.’
✦
“I am not opposed to the assignment Ani, I am simply expressing a deep concern that you have not processed your own objective clearly enough.” CZ warbled as he hovered just behind the frantic Mirialan.
“What is there to process? You asked me where we are going, and I answered you.” Kowani stated without turning around in the moderate rooms she kept within Capital City, tossing random articles of clothing into an unzippered duffel.
“The change in directive then, if you wish to remain aloof.” CZ tasked his repulsor to carry him slowly to her left and into eyesight, “Conum Arnia has been your preferred destination of return since you were brought back to Lothal, the sudden insistence focused solely on Ciutric is puzzling.”
Kowani blew out an exasperated breath, the vibrations creating an electronic warble not dissimilar to the hovering medical droids. She gripped the folded pair of pocketed cargo leggings tightly before letting them fall into the opened bag, “I do want to go….I need to go back to Conum Arnia at some point CZ, and I can’t explain why.” She felt the tumultuous anger subside at the thought, “but not at the moment.”
CZ analyzed the answer but could find no relation to her imposed destination and this ventures starting point, “be that as it may, I only offer any rebutting advocacy out of concern Ani.”
Kowani lifted her vacant eyes to the hovering droid’s photoreceptor, “as my personal medical droid?”
CZ processed the reply with regret, his photoreceptor lowering in response, “no Ani...as your friend.”
The anger within the Mirialan that couldn’t be satiated through hours of meditative practice rescinded to a miniscule flame deep within her core. She turned her head toward the floor as she drooped her shoulders and let her arms fall to her sides. “I am sorry CZ…” She began choking the sorrow away with a deep exhale, only vaguely aware of the sonorous echo, “I have not been a friend at all have I.”
CZ processed the response and knew it wasn’t a question but found some solace in the acknowledgment, “perhaps Ciutric will provide us both the foundation we need.”
Kowani was uncertain whether the response was his form of consent but agreed nonetheless, “it just may CZ, it just may.” She said in earnest belief as she turned her attention from the clothing before her to her weapons locker with a side long shuffle and outstretched hands.
“In accordance with my sense of survival after yours and Sabines, I have already downloaded all available data I could find concerning Ciutric.” CZ said.
Kowani swiveled on the spot, a custom barrel attachment for her A-180 gripped tightly in her strong hands, “you came here to talk me out of this crazy idea, but only after you had amassed the necessary data to follow through?” Kowani chuckled, ignoring the electronic buzz outright, “you truly are a friend CZ.”
‘Where were going, you’re going to need them.’ CZ thought but didn’t vocalize. “I will download what I can into the Morai’s central core Ani, and see that Sabine is also prepared.” He said as he turned and hovered from the rooms.
Kowani didn’t move a muscle for a few minutes as she processed the droid’s response, as well as her own. ‘Get it together Ani,’ she told herself, recognizing the diminished nature of angers fire that would not relent. She felt as if she were approaching the summit of transformation, a path forward and over the aggressiveness that waged its own war internally, and down again into the valley of peace she desperately sought. The conflict within absolved through the only direction she knew she could take to nullify it. There were no paths around the pain nor the anger outright, circumventing what she knew she had to face in order to vanquish them both lay only ahead of her, at the peak of its own device.
Kowani lifted the barrel she had made out of scrap parts in the yards, alongside the builders that had completed assembly of her refurbished D5 after long hours, most spent off the clock. The rough hands that worked meticulously to upgrade the ancient craft beyond everyone’s expectations had done so out of friendship hadn’t they, given time they could have spent with family and loved ones out of respect for their reality. They did their part because they could, everything in the name of the freedom won by the acts of a just a few. Kowani felt a kinship with Spectre cell, calling themselves that long after the importance of their deeds only because they, to, respected the ideals they brought together as a team. They were a family of choice, much like the rigors of solitude had forced her to forge similar relationships. The thought did little to steady her own resolve as she mentally ticked through those same relationships, each one ending with a finality that made no sense.
Kowani twisted her wrist to attach the manufactured barrel to her back harness, aligned parallel to the pack she wore that hosted more weapons than changes of clothing. She cast a sightless glance around the room, sensing it could be one of the last times she did, even though she couldn’t explain why. There was a certain peace, a serenity, that Lothal offered that could be easy to accept for those willing to, but she knew the path to peace lie over that imagined peak, far from serenity’s grasp. She reconstituted her resolve, securing the straps for her pack, her weaponry and what armor she adorned before resting her helmet over her head and walking through the door.
✦
“You know I should be going with you Sabine, you’re going to need me.” Hera explained at the crest of the Morai’s rear boarding ramp, the cargo hold teaming with spare parts, twin Z speeders and more proton torpedoes than the Ghost could ever hope to carry, glistening the morning sun’s reflective light.
“Not more than that little one will Hera.” Sabine chuckled, “he’s a handful.”
Hera stole a manufactured smile as Garazeb Orellios lifted a hand to the Twi’leks shoulder, “he sure is, and Uncle Zeb can’t do it alone…” The Lasat brimmed with a modest pride.
“Be careful out there Sabine, I mean it….take care of her. There is something bothering her, something I can’t explain or understand, and she needs to know she’s a member of this family.” Hera counseled in a tone that could never be confused with anything less than serious.
“Hera. She does know. Truely, if she could explain it, she would.” Sabine replied, “we’ll figure it out together.”
Hera only smiled her response, the halfhearted attempt to conceal her underlying concerns Sabine was all too familiar with.
“Of course we will.” Kowani stated as she rounded the outer hull of the Morai’s port side. “Hera, you have all shown me nothing but the love and kinship of family...Yes, I do know that I am a part of that.” She said coming to rest at Sabines side, “and I think we’ll bring this family back together again, one way or another.” She finished with a very genuine smile.
“Of course you will!” Zeb burst out, “I’ve got a feeling Jacen is going to need us all!”
“We are that confident we can’t handle a baby?” Hera turned to him with a half-smile.
Zeb guffawed a good-natured laugh, “even as a baby, the kid is more tightly wound than Ezra ever was!”
Another Ezra reference that Kowani tried to interpret, wanting nothing more than to explain to them, that ‘yes’ she did know what each member of this family meant to everyone else. She wanted desperately to find the link between herself and the estranged young man, the one whom had sacrificed so much for the freedom of his home world but was only now beginning to understand where ‘home’ actually was.
She closed the distance between the two that had come to see them off and wrapped her arms around each in turn, “we’ll be home soon,” she whispered to each as she felt their arms embrace her as well. Kowani felt Sabines around her shoulder as Zeb broke free of his intentionally heavy-handed hug, and they turned together to ascend the stairs as the boarding ramp closed behind them with rapid hisses and a dramatic clank, finalizing its own security within the rear hull of the vessel.
Kowani breathed in the freshness of the vast upper suites, comms to the right, weapons, and foil controls to the left. Each remanufactured button or switch comprised of the toil, man hours and exacting demands of each hand that had touched them. She could taste their resolve, their meticulous intent as they had left impressions upon each panel, each centimeter their hands had touched. The impressions spoke of gratitude and common agenda, unflinching loyalty and appreciation, those things that only liberation could elicit en masse. Kowani tossed her gear lightly to the decking of the starboard side state room, hearing Sabine doing likewise opposite her into the port side room, then the hover repulsors from CZ as he met them both at the cockpit’s doorway.
“Misses, main power is obviously good to go, and data transfer is complete. Coordinates are inlaid for a Ciutric terminus.” CZ began, “I assumed you would want to do the honors Ani…”
Kowani couldn’t hide her appreciation, despite the intensity of nostalgia’s pull. Again, she felt the clout of memories as she stepped through the threshold, her boots thudding dully upon the pleated decking below them, a wave of laughter threatening to steel the surreal moment from her. She could see the look her and Ahsoka had exchanged after testing the vessels armament, the amazement that extended from both of their eyes as they wrenched the ‘borrowed’ ship from its hangered fate on Tatooine so long ago. She could feel T’zar through the vault of time, hear their conversations and his own displays of power.
In the briefest of time she had spent in the D5, a bond had been created with the make, allowing an ease of transition its due course over the loss of her Liberator, but a fondness just the same that provided the avenue of healing she knew she needed. She approached the co-pilot’s seat with outstretched hands, feeling her way toward her new anchor in whatever this particular adventure would bring, but stopped short when she found the padded seat. She felt for what should have been the D5’s auxiliary control deck, fumbling her fingers into dials, switches and various controls that were unmistakingly familiar. “What?”
“We all thought you’d appreciate a sense of knowing Ani.” Sabine said cheerfully as she sat in the pilots’ seat adjacent. “It is a replica of the comms and sensor board you had in the Liberator, tied directly to autonomous control through the central housing and comm suites. CZ saw to that personally.” She continued, watching Kowani’s expression shift to uninhibited grace as the Mirialan swiveled in the newly upholstered seat with a soundless turn.
“You did all this?” Kowani said quickly as she shifted a sliding accessory out of her path.
“That particular addendum is a direct access link to the ship’s transponder and signal relay, I know how much that meant to you….and yes...well not technically all of it, there was quite a bit of assistance as I am somewhat limited in my ability to assemble much of anything. My idea though, yes.” CZ responded with a warble in his own vocalization. “You are my friend Kowani Y’mmat.” He concluded.
Kowani was certain that the droid was working to appeal to her unstated morose over losing her own R3 but thought it better than to state as much, “thank you CZ, this means everything to me!” She responded with the most genuine inflection she had utilized in quite some time.
“Moving past sentiment, let’s get going.” Sabine said with a hint of sarcasm, throttling the massive repulsors to life after releasing the docking clamps. She reversed course on the directional yoke and eased the repurposed gunship out of its home for the last month, the hangar itself seeming to draw in a breath of air as debris and dust filed into its now empty mouth. “Yards control, Morai set for departure.” Sabine said into a headset she had adorned.
“Copy Morai, skies are yours, good luck.” A return feed offered, free of static on all levels as it rang with clarity through the entirety of the ship.
“We’ll be home soon. Morai out.” Sabine replied after the ship had cleared all moorings and lifted substantially solely on the repulsors charge. “Care to do the honors Ani?”
“Sabine, she’s all yours.” Kowani responded with an element of excitement as she felt the Mandalorian engage the sub light bank and rocket her back in her seat.
“Holy crap! That was only at one eighth! Sabine shouted into the cockpit, her own excitement carried proudly through the surprise in her voice.
“That sounds oddly similar to a KDY interdictor, mark six. Twins if I am correct.” Kowani said, forcing herself back into an upright position as she peeled her body from the cushioned seat.
“Triplets in fact, and Mark sevens.” Sabine replied with a laugh, “Wolffe wanted to see how far he push the upgrades.” She continued, the laughter only increasing as she pushed the yoke forward after compensating the inertia dampener.
“Let’s test these Seinar’s then.” Kowani forgot about trying to not be excited as she felt Sabine relax on the throttle and begin routing power to the ships twin class one hyperdrive units.
“Operation Ciutric then….” Sabine sounded out as the Morai left Lothal space with a soundless grace.
✦
“You know you missed their departure..” Sandr Kallus’ deep voice rang through the balmy air around them both.
“She hates me Sandr.” Areti mumbled, undisturbed through her meticulous work with the cold end of the solder held precariously in her teeth. She cleaned the last spec of residue from the contact she was targeting before seizing the tool and fusing a cable in place. “I would have only angered her.” She said clearly, free of the plastoid implement.
“She doesn’t hate you Areti, that I think is reserved for this Sylde she seems hell bent on finding.” Kallus replied as he peeled out of an oversized jacket complete with insulating hood, “damn its hot in here.”
Areti turned her attention briefly toward one of many thermoplates she had erected, “It’s only a tick above forty-six, quit complaining.”
“At any rate, the last conditioning unit is in place. We’re not going to get it in any colder than we will in the next five minutes.”
“The temperature isn’t as important to me as the notable increase in our energy signature. We cannot push it much beyond what it is and hope to not draw Imperial attention.” Areti responded as she continued on to her next task, sidling in front of four large monitors with a kick to the floor and the rolling of her chair.
“I understand your apprehension Areti, but trust me, they have better things to do.” Kallus responded to her fears.
In a break of form, Areti turned to the scruffy looking man, “They are monitoring power signatures, Audy inferred as much when we discussed it. His fears, although born from a constitution of limited intelligence, aren’t going to just be dismissed outright.”
“Well, if that is the case, we are going to need to start delivering this data soon. We can’t hope to contain it all here in any event.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Areti swiveled back to the scrolling entries, switching views between screens every few seconds, “not until I am sure it all hasn’t been compromised in some fashion. The routes it has taken to get here are quite suspect, decidedly Imperial, and insanely classified. This data itself could elicit more attention than those factories ever could!”
Alexsandr Kallus had no immediate response, instead casting a glance out of the erected access terminal to the subterranean expanse and repository of every manner of server housing they could get their hands on, each blinking externally as the machines within deciphered the constant influx of new data impartially.
“What the hell!” Areti sounded out at his side, “Im frozen again, overheating again?” She shouted to the dry warm air, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow in the process.
Sandr looked to the closest thermoplate, registering a declining forty-one and an even thirty-nine not seconds after. “We’re not overheating.” He said turning his attention then to her and her monitors, each frozen in place as the streaming data had halted completely.
“My display would suggest otherwise…” She said, slamming her fists down at either side of the keyed entry pad in front of her.
Areti lowered her head to access any damage she may have caused while Sandr remained glued to the frozen screens, watching as the data freeze itself just vanished from all four of them. “What the hell?” He almost mirrored her own concern, causing Areti to return her attention to the screens as well.
In place of the frozen data field that had faded to black, a simple pixel wrapped cursor blinked rapidly. Sandr approached the rear of Areti’s seat, resting open palms over its back. He was certain she was holding her breath just as he was. Without warning, the cursor shot across the screens, followed closely by strings on illegible gibberish. As it consumed the entirety of the upper left screen it shot over to the lower right, until it filled all of them. Without stopping, it continued refreshing each screen with a new gibberish script, nothing of which was coherent, even to Areti’s highly trained background in coding analysis.
“What could be doi…..” Sandr stopped himself from asking the most rhetorical question Areti could think of as the scrolling text stopped altogether midway through the upper right screen, flashed several times, and blinked to a field of black once again, a fresh cursor blinking rapidly in the upper left corner. After several seconds, Areti turned to Sandr and was only met with a blank stare and shoulder shrug in response.
“Try entering something.” Kallus said quietly.
Areti turned slowly back to her keypad and entered ‘HELLO.’ The cursor returned to its home position and blinked rapidly before expelling something that was quite easy to distinguish. ‘Arrrreeeeteeeee.’
“Your name?” Kallus asked what Areti was thinking.
Areti didn’t bother voicing her query and entered, ‘Who are you.’ They both stared at the screen, beckoning the cursor to reveal itself. As several more seconds passed, they both began to feel a sickly wave of nausea as they came to a collective assertion that they had just been hacked. The response from the cursor finally came, and with it all the tension that had manifest in the last ten seconds. Excitement, wonderment, astonishment, and amazement would have to wait until they were sure what they were seeing was real, but ‘Heeedaalaa Faaardiiii,’ was a particularly good start.