Rothel runs through the Viscara swamps, sweat glazing his forehead and brow, falling from his hair and drenching his clothes along with the already heavy rain and fog. He’s tired, but his pain is something he has to learn to look past. It clouds the mind, makes it harder to focus, makes you do stupid things in the heat of the moment. His muscles are aching, and he’s being chased by several Kinrath all without a weapon.
Picking up the pace, he loses them as he rushes into the old base, slamming the door shut behind him. Not long after, he’s charge tackled by a mandalorian in full armor. He’s thrown against the door and punched several times before he telekinetically pushes the warrior against the wall, knocking him out.
Tired, injured, unarmed, and on his own, he reaches for the datapad on his hip… Its screen is cracked and takes longer to boot up.
“Damnit, come on…”
It eventually boots.
JOURNAL APPLICATION INITIALIZED
BOOTING RECORDS - ERROR. MATRIX DAMAGED. UNABLE TO LOAD RECORDS.
ISOLATING NEW DATA SECTOR - ERROR. DATA CORE DAMAGED. REPLACE IMMEDIATELY.
INPUTTING NEW ENTRY: DATE - ạ̵͇̙̤͇͉̬̺͖͙͙̰̀͗͗͌e̷̳̠̣̦͎̘̫̼̍̆͊̀͑̀̚̕ĝ̷̢̊̀̾̊̽̓̋͆̌̿̊a̸͕͉͉̭̻̱̗̟̫̩̫͇͔̩̜͒̀͐͠w̶̯̤̥͉͖̉̇͗́͂̈́̃̓̊̉̚͝͠͝g̸̨̡̘̟̙̲̱͇̰̻͔̣̙̑̎̓̎̏͌̽́̕̚̚ͅa̸̻͚͖͔̹̦̬̘̖͇̭̺̙͈̜̿̚ê̸͇̗͎͕̦̹̂͊́̏̌̚͠
VOICE TO DATA MATRIX ON STANDBY
READY TO RECORD
A̵̲̓̓l̸͎̹͑̋ẘ̸̛̯͉a̸͎̳̍y̷̯͍̚s̶̫̀ ̴̘͑̊m̴̻͍͂ä̸̜́k̷̬̕ȇ̸͙̯ ̴̤̾̔s̷͖͔̽ų̷̕r̵̹̩̄e̶͉̳̍ ̸̣̹̅y̷̬̏̚o̴͖̅͘͜u̸͈͕͒̈́ ̶͕̑̚ḥ̷̢͒a̶̛͎͛v̴̰̐e̶̹̊̊ ̵̜̆́t̶̤̟̓̌h̶̜̎é̷̢̍ ̶̯̘͋̋p̷̭̦̅̽r̶̢̮͊̐o̶̤̠̍͠p̵̜̤̋̕e̵̳͗͂r̷̢̾̚͜ ̴͔̉͜ț̸͕̈ö̷̧̬́ǒ̸̼ḻ̶̙͐ṡ̴̰̮ ̸̥͊b̴̡͒ȅ̶͓͕̒f̶̤͝o̴̙̮͆r̸̳̞̂̓e̸̢̛ ̸̩͛d̷̡͙͛o̶̫̅̄i̴̖̐ñ̴̞g̴̞̭̔ ̷̺͝s̸̼̤̃͝o̶͉̼̐m̴̡͈͂e̶͎̾t̵̡̤̓̈h̸͉̒̽i̴̫̞͊̚n̵͌́͜g̸̨̣͑.̵̢̛̼̎ ̸͕̓̕Ö̸̻u̴̘̕c̸̽͜͝h̷͇͐̊.̸̱̩̇̊.̴͇̈́̀.̷̲͘ ̷͖̈I̴̱̥͊ ̸̬̒̏t̵̰͓̀h̵̯̹̐͋i̶̘͓͌ñ̷̘͓͝k̸̦̜̏ ̴̻͒́I̴̥̿̓ ̶̞̻̋͌b̶̮̠̿͝ȓ̷̭͝ơ̵̭̆k̶̬͑è̸̝ ̵̯̍s̶̻̊ô̴̮͔̓m̴͚͂̈e̵͉̔͐ẗ̶͍́h̷̠͈̃̀ḭ̵͋n̴̬̈̋ğ̵̻̻́.̸͔̕̕ ̵͖̰̈N̶̟̈͗o̸͍̮̕t̴̞̆ ̴̰̎́ţ̷͚̈́͆h̷͙͇͘ȩ̵̿ ̵̣̌f̸̼̭͗į̸͐͘ŗ̷͍͆s̸͔͆̀t̸̠̟̏̎ ̶̢͉͋̐t̸̖̲̆ȉ̶̠̈́m̴̹̭̌́ȩ̴̟̌.̷̝̏̄.̷͙́͊.̴̝̀ͅ.̷͈̀ ̶̤̰͆̂I̷̺͗’̸͔̈́͝ͅv̴͇͍͗̉e̵̹̎̈́ ̴̞̘͑̇b̴̥͍͘é̷̥e̷̯̿n̶̜̱̐ ̵̫̈t̶̬̲̉h̶̡̕i̵͖͔͗ñ̵̤k̷̬͓̿í̷͓͜n̵̢̜̾̿ĝ̸̢̛ ̴͕͂̏a̶͍͖͑͊b̶̝̒o̸͓͝ǔ̴̲̕t̶̨̺̏ ̵̬͋̊ẗ̸͓̠́h̴̖͆e̶̥͊̃ ̴̮͝ḿ̴͍̚ͅă̴͔ǹ̵͙͐t̶̙̓r̶̺̖͌͘â̴̜̲͘ ̴͙̫̋l̴̼͂a̶̡̢̎ţ̸̱͠ê̶̼̅l̵̲͕͒̈́y̵̲̓̍,̴͕̉ ̸̬͋w̵̫͖̍͗h̸̰̳́̈́a̵͍͗̒ț̴̆ ̶̲͊̒i̷̬̬̊̒t̶͎͆-̷͙̭̇ã̵͍͓͑g̸̠̔̈́ḧ̸̦́͠.̵̠̱̄.̶̛̲̪͂.̶̢͙̇̉ ̶̟̌̃W̵̢͉̓́h̴̭̣͆ä̴͕t̷͖͓͐ ̶̥̹̈́̕i̶͔̩̎́t̷̨́ ̷̮̭̇̏m̸̦̮͋͒e̵͖̒̃ȃ̴̛̘̱n̷͓̘͝ś̴̖̖.̴͈̉̓.̴̖̖̽̂.̵̨̠̃̔ ̸̛̯̻̋I̵̟̮͌͗ ̴̥̹̇g̷̜̒e̶͖͐ṭ̸̱͒ ̴͎̖̑̉ẗ̷̲̦́h̶̘̃ĕ̵̢̨ ̷̲̻́f̴̩̒e̶͕̝̾͝e̸͓̖̅l̴̢̛i̸͚͚̿n̸̺̹̂g̴̩͂̕.̴̙͛.̵͚͇͋͊.̶̧̀͝
ERROR: SAVING IN EMERGENCY DRIVES
SHUTTING DOWN
“No no no No!”
Unable to continue, he stashes the datapad away with an exaggerated sigh and picks up the mando’s blade, making his way back outside.
BOOTING IN EMERGENCY MODE
INITIALIZING RECOVERY PROCEDURES
ENTRY FOUND - RECOVERING
ERROR, PROTOCOLS INEFFICIENT - RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS
SCAN COMPLETE, ATTEMPTING WORKAROUND.
PLAYING BACK FILE.
"Alright. I think I got it working for now… Recent events have, well, let’s say broadened my mind. I’ve more reason to question what I’m thinking on… I’ve been thinking about the idea of a̷͚̠̻̞̎̑̇ẃ̸̲͇̭̽͋̓͒e̴̹͙̪͕̪͈̕ĝ̶̡̛̥̜̫͒͐̋̌â̷̼̫̺̦͙̩g̶͚͉͒̾, and what that means to a Jedi… I think it is something that must be thought about carefully… Most people tend to ǧ̸̩̝̃ã̴̢̲̤̱̩͉̀̿́ë̵͖́̓̍̚r̵̨͓̱̱͙̭̉̏ẁ̴̥͉̳̽̒̂̕͝ȁ̸̫͔̠̫͚̅̿͒͐͆͜ but I think there’s more to it than that… By allowing y̵̆̓̀̾͘͜ö̵̙̘̯̲̰͙̭́̇u̶̡̪̬̮͍͔̪̇̂͂̆̍͒r̵̲͆̈ ̶̞͉͉͎͎̦̹̎̒̀ḟ̴͈̦̟̼͛e̸͉̖͇̪̐͛̾e̸̤͓̤̼̜̖̊͑̈̊̚l̸̩̲̻̮̈́͑̾̃̈́̚͝i̷͎̝̘͑̑͒͆͠n̶̨̪͉͎̝͌͒͜g̷̭̟͍̜̼͒̃̒̇̒́̚ṡ̴͙̟̳̜̺̍̈͑ get in the way, you cause more problems than solve. That much is obvious… But what if there was a medium between yes and no, a middle ground, if you will… It’s gotta be possible to å̵̦̙̳ḛ̷̻̖͛r̸͕̻̲̟̩̀̑h̶̺͈̫̲̹̱͝ș̴͗̏̓͝r̸͎̰̯̥̯̓ͅt̷̺̹̓̀͗̊j̴̳̥͓̙̇͜ò̶̺̥̘̲̒̈͒̋̊͜ͅp̸̣̭̫̍͆͜ï̷͎̩͕̲͋̈͝s̵̡̻͎̯̈́͐̃̚̚d̶͙͊͆͝g̴̢̛̰͇͎̰̱̋̏n̶̲͙̬̤̼̓̀͠͠ä̵̢͇͂̑̐̐ẽ̴̤̤̏́̒̈͜p̶͇̟̏ṟ̷̢̖̯̀h̷̩̃̋̅̓̕a̷̘̙͒̀́̽̾͠p̸̧̛̭͓̪̗͑́͑̈́r̵̡̪̼͖̿͑̈́̇h̷̩̃a̴̟͒ȩ̶̏̉̐t̷̯̫͉̪̅͜j̴͕̳͕̟̓͑̕͜͜h̵̡̢̛̻̼͓͛͜, and, when it counts, be able to cast those thoughts, those feelings aside for the greater good… It’s a dangerous road, certainly, which is why I understand it’s often not a good idea to even attempt, but it falls within the code, its tenets, guidelines, attributes… If you can follow those, and still be able to ã̷̻͚̹̙̹͈́̎f̸̖̯̠̣̜͈͇͂̇̚a̶͎̰̥͙͐͂̄̽w̶̨̨̱̞̫͎̔͜ë̶̡̗̣̤̱̠͖́̎̐̐̔y̴̮̤̹͕͛͋̉ả̶̢̨͔̲̘͝ͅͅe̷̲͛r̷͈̎͐ú̴͕̳͉͓̦͓́͆̚ǰ̸̮̪͖̪͇̿̔̓̿̕͝ḧ̵͎̙̮͓̼̔̓̚͝a̸͎̅̂͝ţ̶̯͕͇͊j̶̟̦̔̀͝k̴͙͛́̈́̾ ̶̭͋̔̚͝ả̶͍̩̰̩̄͌ě̸̦̝̫̈́̾r̷̳̟̯̠̦̻̉͋͗ó̵̢̟̞͇̦̬̤̐̆̈́̃́p̶̧̻̯̟͂̀̍ḧ̸̨̥̦̮̖́͝i̶̻̗̩͉̐a̷̪̟̙͆̿͘͜͝e̴̥̖̦̖̠̳͑ǹ̷̳̩̟͌̄ṟ̷̟̝̊͒̐͌͝p̶̪̠͕̘͖̚g̸̰̳̬͇̜͒̎̈̈́͑͝ ̸̫̣͙̙̤̓̀͒p̶̡̡̞̳͎͍̘̑͊̐̆͌a̴̛̻̤̳̱͌̏̄̃̉͝ȓ̷̡̯̱̦̘̀͛̌̑͜͜i̷͍͙̻̰̓̓̓̄͘̚g̴͖̦͓͓̈́͗̒͐͠͠ņ̴̖̘͇̤̱̙̎j̶͚̼̬̤͚͒̐͂̕ȃ̸̱̥͔̫͙p̷̧̙̪̃̏͂̋͝o̴̠̎̆̄̓̊̽é̷̫̥̣͈͎͎r̵̨͍̳͕̼͙͛̄̐̐͒̊̚h̴̨̰͚͓͙̻̻̃̉̿ ̴̢͙͈̻͋͋̐̽͘
SHUTTING DOWN
Earlier that day…
Back in his apartment, he sets the broken datapad on his workbench. A long and stressful hour later, and he’s fixed it. Collapsing on his bed, he stares up at the ceiling.