revivalproject | We All Float On

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We All Float On

WHO: Cal Kestis, BD-1 and you!
WHERE: Agrii Ship
WHAT: Keeping busy on the way back to Agra 10
WHEN: During the trip back
WARNINGS: N/A

It's definitely a different atmosphere aboard the ship, now that they don't have imminent threats hanging over their heads. Having a full ship also helps for the mood. True, there have been disappointments and frustration in the aftermath of rescuing all the Agrii, but Cal hardly thinks the Agrii themselves are to blame. It seems clear enough that someone else is at work in all this, and while that in itself is disheartening, there's little that can be done that they haven't already tried in order to get any further clues in that. The current state of those of their own that they've rescued along with the Agrii and Graq is worrying, and not knowing what else to do, he can only hope that Cloud and Bucky come out of their sleep soon.

The padawan takes the time to get to know the Agrii. It's a nice change to be able to speak face to face to them instead of wait for mysterious messages. It's nice to know they're real. But sometimes they can be overbearing, and so he finds retreat as he can.

Naturally it's work that Cal throws himself into, finding the need to do something. Being busy comes easier than meditation at the moment, and there's plenty enough to be done anyway.

A
With no rush to get things finished, he's happy to work on the ships, putting in some perhaps much-needed upgrades. Can't hurt to, right? Given how woefully under-equipped they've proven in what might be considered necessary functions, the padawan's priorities would be to retrofit ships with whatever parts are yet available to provide protection and increase travel speed. He won't mind an extra hand, of course. Or maybe you want your ship to be upgraded next?

B
In a quiet, empty dead-end hall or perhaps even the Green Room, when he's not picking at tech, Cal and BD-1 can be found going over some of the latter's interesting findings. BD-1's been pretty busy with the Soldier, it seems, and now that they've got the time, Cal's trying to catch up with what's happened on the other end.

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"Thanks. To be honest, I'm just glad we're not being shot at anymore." Jon says with a small smile towards Cal and his droid and then watches as the projection appears between them and BD-1 explains to them what they are looking at. Curiously enough Jon can find himself slowly understanding the meaning of BD's various beeps. Though the information themselves are more important right now as for him to pay much attention to that.

"...hero control..." He mutters, crossing his arms in thought. "So they were watching us even before those... Calibrations." His attention shifts over to Cal. "Were there any... Actual recordings of any of us...?" And of course he wonders if the Agrii just expect them to keep putting up with this level of being observed.

The padawan's eyes stray towards the trees further off at Jon's mention of being shot at, recalling the various singe-marks that could only have been made by some sort of blaster. "At least no one was hurt, right?"

He nods solemnly as they both focus on BD-1's projection. "BeeDee says he downloaded what files he'd found there, but he can't translate them, and our communications expert wasn't with them at the time," he explains between the droid's beeping. "They didn't find recordings of us, but there are...recordings. Of some of those who've had previous abduction experiences." Jon had heard about the Atroma, hadn't he? Cal himself has only heard so much about them, and they hadn't sounded like very pleasant beings.

"It was in a separate room, that looked like some sort of theater." Cal nods as the droid brings up the next images of the room itself. "There were thousands of buttons that would bring up different recordings. But there's only one that BeeDee downloaded in full- he says they had to ask Tony to help access the file because the button was missing."

The little droid hoots lowly, the holoimage shifting just a little with the movement of his head. "If it's anything to go by, he says the file dates would go back thousands of years, and the one that they needed help to pull up would be about several hundred years ago."

Nodding at BD-1, Cal then watches as the holoimage flickers as the projection shifts to the actual recorded file. It takes place back on Temba, a thriving Temba with actual Agrii entertaining offworlder guests from the Fleet, conducting trade and business as their visitors sought supplies.

"Some of us... Didn't do well." Jon admits. But he will also admit that he hardly remembers what exactly happened here. His memories are... Fuzzy. And that's an unusual experience for the Archivist. He hasn't forgotten a single thing in years, and suddenly this.

At least it's unlikely that he will simply forget what Cal and the little droid have to report.

It's a little strange to see Agra 10 like this. A fully functioning city. Not in ruins and filled with not only Agrii, but other beings as well. It looks peaceful, but knowing the fate of these beings makes Jon watch with a guarded expression, lips pressed shut tightly.

Then the energy storm starts up in the video, making Jon frown at first, then raise a brow as he bites his lower lip in thought. Now that they know that these storms aren't natural occurrences he can't help but question what he is seeing. "Can you send this to me phone, please?" He asks BD-1, frown not easing up even as he looks over to Cal. "Am I the only one who feels like they are watching one of these old telly shows when looking at this...?"

The sudden onset of the storm in the recording makes Cal gasp. He'd only seen the reaction himself all that long ago. "...that's what happened to Ga Re when we were in engineering. Right when the systems started failing in the ship. She only managed to say it was the storm before she'd collapsed, but we felt it too- the disconnect from the Force, Tommy's speed..."

BD-1 makes a concerned, sad noise once the recording winds to an end. Cal gives the droid a pat, still looking a little troubled himself at this new revelation. It answered some things and yet still didn't provide clear answers to the questions they'd had.

At Jon's request, BD-1 borbles an affirmative. He imagines there are plenty of people who would be interested in seeing the footage either way. The padawan looks at Jon, blinking. "Telly..?" he asks, even as he gives the question some thought for the context. Shows, he can understand, and he begins to nod, frowning. "It does... And if this is all related to the same fleet that the Soldier and Sansa were a part of, then a show is exactly what it was, if the Atroma were involved."

Jon nods. "Yes, we all felt it. It's... Not pleasant." It has only been for a moment, but being cut off from Beholding has been unsettling. That flicker has let Jon know for sure that he is indeed still being under the Eye's permanent watch. "And now we know these storms are weapons. Which means whatever happened on Agra 10 - Whatever keeps happening... It's something someone is causing willingly." And he knows way too little about these Atroma yet, unfortunately.

With another nod, this one directed at BD-1, Jon sighs, then looks up towards the dome-shaped window above and at the stars beyond before answering Cal. "Television. We have these... Old science fiction shows. Guess they may be fifty years by now at least? This recording feels... Rather familiar to them. Up to the heroic conclusion and the departure of the heroes without a proper solution to the issue at hand." He pauses, then finishes with a sigh. "That would be held back until the series finale."

Never having been much into any type of fiction in general, Jon hasn't actively seen a lot of these, but it has proven easy enough to figure out the general path these all seem to be taking.

The padawan nods grimly at that. "And given that strange message we heard when Ga Re tried to return us home...it seems even this supposed rescue might have been staged as well."

The description of the 'telly' and the shows that would be shown upon it makes more sense then. He's only seen a few holodramas himself, and only indirectly, catching glimpses off whatever people were watching in the local bars on Bracca. "The Soldier said that those taken by the Atroma were meant to be their entertainment. He described it as an...intergalactic reality-show mixed with a soap-opera." Which Cal only understood so much of, but the idea still sounded unpleasant. "They could be controlled to some degree- they were given some sort of implant in the back of their necks..." Kind of like what they'd seen with Bucky and Cloud when they'd found them. That had been a chilling enough discovery.

"-I showed him the things you and Tony had brought out of the lake. He said they were Atroma design, he was familiar with them."

"The Graq at least were genuine..." Jon muses aloud, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Their fear was real, as was their confusion. I- I don't want to think about the damage we could have done to them if we hadn't decided to try communicating with them." He grimaces at those words and the hand that has been tapping his chin curls into a fist at the reminder just how nearly impossible it has been to talk to them. "I feel they were picked to try and prevent just that."

As for the Agrii, Jon isn't entirely sure where to place those and how far they can trust them. Yes, from the look of it most of them easily could have died, but the Archivist remains unsure. Yet he remains curious about their alien hosts.

Cal's further description of what he supposes was this Drift Fleet makes Jon wince a little. "Makes you wonder if we were brought here to repair a set piece of a movie..."

"Oh, I have no doubt that either the Gray or the Agrii's fear and confusion weren't. Neither party had any idea of what was happening." Cal had sensed the emotions when they'd made their way through the ship, the confusion, the fear... He shivers a little at the memory of those strong spikes of hatred that while few and rarer, were still quite present.

"Things could have gone very differently," he says.

Jon's musings make him shake his head. "I don't know. I'm not sure we'll like the answer. At least the Agrii needing help was genuine, but I don't like the idea that this was all purposely orchestrated to some pointless intent." And he didn't like the thought that they were all simply being used.

It's not a thought Jon likes to entertain either. Even though people seeking to use him seems to have become such a common occurrence to him back in his world.

"Things could have gone dreadfully, indeed." He agrees with a resigning sigh. "We should be glad things worked out the way they did..." And yet all those questions remain. Worse even: More have added themselves to the already presentable list.

"So we... We just return to Agra 10 now. And resume what we have been doing before this... Intermission."

BD-1 hops over between the two of them what with his projections finished for the time being, and Cal gives him a pat, murmuring a 'good job.' The padawan continues to look in the space where the images have long since faded, considering Jon's words.

"...not entirely. We have more things to think about, to be careful of. I'm sure others have questions too, and may not know as much as others have found out. We should probably get our information together so we can all at least be on the same page."

He pauses, thinking. "I'm not sure what the Agrii will do. Hopefully they won't go too far. We got to speak briefly with Ga Re before things happened. I'm not entirely sure what she meant, but Wanda seems to be familiar with the concept of a singing world- it's why the Agrii came out so far, apparently. They said they needed to find one, and when they did, they...just stopped and stayed, and I have no idea why. You may have heard something of it from when Ga Re had first sent her message. It was...strange, in person. Not something entirely heard- it was on a mental level."

The conversation with Ga Re does make him remember some points. "A few of us had asked her questions- Ga Re was eager to answer, but unfortunately some of us didn't make the best use of the chance." Understandable given the circumstances, but hopefully they'd have more of a chance now that things weren't going to explode. "It was strange though. I'd asked her about what had happened to the other people who used to be in Agra Ten, helping. After seeing that recording I'm not sure if those people are the same as the ones I've caught echoes of, but Ga Re's response was odd. She looked a little confused at the question, kind of lost? And she didn't answer immediately, like her thoughts had drifted." A frown. "And then it was like something had prodded her back on track- she'd winced before she finally gave a response. She said there weren't any heroes before us. They only bring people in, but they don't know why some just suddenly leave.

"...and then I asked about the Atroma, what their relationship was to them. The Agrii are apparently aware of them- the Drift Fleet Atroma. She was confused again- under the impression that they were gone."

"Right." Jon nods at Cal's suggesting of pooling their information. "I would welcome that, obviously." It is what he has been trying to use the library for already: To gather everything they find out and make it available for everyone else. He taps the side of his recorder to indicate the device. "Made my own observations as well." Because of course he would verbally record those.

Hearing Cal speak about this singing world and passing on his experience with Ga Re and the conversation he's had with her has the Archivist's full attention. He frowns as he listens, mentally holding those pieces together in hopes of finding some understanding and cursing himself for not having been there instead.

"So... They can bring us to Agra 10, regardless where we come from and even teleport us to other planets willingly, but they have no idea what happens to those that appear to vanish into thin air?" That sounds remarkably dubious. Especially with the additional details Cal provides regarding Ga Re's more physical reaction.

Jon lets out a sigh and reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Lovely. We finally get to meet our kidnappers and only end up with more questions than answers. I- I mean obviously there's another power involved in all of this, but--" He settles with a defeated groan. Clearly they won't figure this out right here and now.

It doesn't take being a Jedi to know that frustration's there. Cal can only agree, nodding even as he gives Jon an apologetic look. For all he's learned, it just needs more explanation to things they hadn't been aware of before.

"This ship wasn't originally theirs. It was conveniently provided by the Atroma, if that recording was anything to go by. I don't think the Agrii even understood exactly what they were doing when they thought they could just call in people to save them and their world." He sighs, draping his arms over his knees. It's still weak reasoning, he knows, but the Agrii seemed very naive, childlike in a way, and when people were desperate, they clung to any hope they could be given.

"Ga Re at least seemed sincere in wanting to help send us back. Something else just isn't done with any of us, it seems." The thought's an uneasy one, and the padawan doesn't quite manage to keep it from showing on his face. Just what exactly are they dealing with here? He shakes his head.

"I guess for now we just have to keep looking out for each other. Hopefully going back will be uneventful. We have a lot to think about."

It's Cal's wording of something else not being done with them that has the Archivist look at the padawan in silence for a couple of moments. Then he simply sighs, shrugging a little. "Guess I should be used to it by now. If it's not some unearthly power, it's actual aliens. Can't say I have decided which bothers me less..." Though he does reach over to give BD-1 a brief pat on the head.

"Do you believe Agra 10 used to be one of these singing worlds at some point...?" Since the Agrii seem to somehow require that from their planet. Maybe the need to do a lot more research on Agra 10 itself.

BD-1 lifts his head under Jon's hand with a quiet hoot as he glances between the two humans.

Cal liked it better when their reason for being taken away had at least been clear. It was easier to stomach being needed as help, even if it wasn't the best way of requesting it. While he has no doubt that help is still needed, the thought that such had been instigated on purpose for whatever reason just gave him a bad and most unwelcome feeling. Something greater pulling the strings? It was just like the war that had happened back home. The thought turns his stomach.

"It wasn't," Cal replies, glad to turn his attention to something else. "Wanda asked Ga Re if it was. I guess in her time with the Fleet, she'd come across them before, so she'd recognized it right away once we went to find Ga Re. I asked her what they were, and she said they're baby planets." He offers a shrug with that, only repeating what he'd been told. "She said it's what the Atroma used to kidnap them before. It's probably what the Agrii used to bring us too." And then something or someone took it away.

"I see..." Jon nods, but finds himself even less able to see any sense or reason in any of this. Baby planets. This could imply a lot of things...

"That means the Agrii can't bring anyone else here... Or send anyone away." The Archivist thinks aloud. "...but whoever has this baby planet now... They could." Theoretically.

Sighing, Jon gives another nod and pushes himself back into a standing position from where he has been crouching. "Right... I will see if I can ask some of the Agrii a few more questions while we have this chance. Right now I feel like I know literally nothing about these Atroma, for instance." Aside from them being another species of aliens most likely. And responsible for that Drift Fleet that gets mentioned.

"Yeah..." Cal nods, frowning thoughtfully. Not any better a situation than before. He lifts his head as Jon gets up, nodding.

"You might get more answers from those who were part of that previous fleet about the Atroma too," he suggests. "The Soldier- the man who looks like Bucky, and Wanda. Sansa too." Those are the ones he can recall who have mentioned such prior experiences anyway. He's not sure how many others there might be. "I wonder if the Agrii would let us have access to that room."

He extends an arm to BD-1, the droid clambering back up onto his back before the padawan also gets to his feet. "Either way, I think I need to clear my thoughts. There's so much to think about, and even just thinking about the questions to things we don't know is overwhelming right now."

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We All Float On

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