The Network

*Chirp* *Chirp*

I awoke in-game to birds chirping outside the windows of the room I was in. Sitting up on the bed, I stretched my body. Somehow, my muscles were slightly sore. This can happen too?

Well, I guess it made sense. We had to use the bathroom and eat in-game too so it was understandable. Still, I would have to be careful in the future to ensure that I don't overdo it.

Making my way downstairs, I found my friends also logged back in. "Hey, guys. Did you hear the announcements?"

Jeremiah nodded. "Yeah, too bad I'm broke as fuck."

I chuckled. "Don't worry. I ordered one for you and Tomas."

Jeremiah's eyes shot open in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Tomas didn't even look up from the datapad he was playing with. "Thanks, dude."

I smiled. "No problem, guys. I'm sure that the two of you will help me get the money back in the future with the exchange."

Tomas nodded and spoke for both of them since Jeremiah was still stunned. "Sure thing."

Tomas had always been the more stoic of the two. He has never been an emotional person and rarely gets overwhelmed. Under pressure, he was probably the person I would trust the most other than my dad and myself.

I then glanced towards Galen who was snacking on some jerky in the corner. "You can get one yourself, right?"

Galen nodded, knowing exactly what I meant. Even though these were my best friends, money can easily destroy friendships. They didn't need to know how the two of us could afford capsules so easily.

The life insurance policy and government compensation is one thing but the items we got from the epic holocrons would be a totally different thing.

I nodded upon receiving Galen's confirmation. "I recommend getting a capsule for anyone close to you as well. I have some plans for when we return to Coruscant."

Galen nodded, smiling at those words. "Sounds good. I won't even bother asking because it's probably gonna be something crazy."

I chuckled. "You right, you right. Anyways, where is Satele?"

Tomas nodded upwards. "She's meditating on the roof. Santos said she was waiting for you."

I nodded, starting to move towards the stairs. "Very well. I'll go see her."

After a short minute of climbing stairs, I reached the door that opened up to the roof. I pressed the button on the security panel and the door slid open.

The scene that revealed itself was vastly different compared to what we saw when looking at the skyline last night. With the sun reaching up and rising into the sky, a lot more detail was on display.

In fact, it wasn't just the details. The view from higher up was completely different and much more beautiful. Even with the damage from the partial razing that was taking place, Aldera was magnificent.

This building was not that tall, but it gave a unique view-point of the even taller buildings. They were absolutely massive from up close and quite impressive.

The only thing taking away from their beauty was the soot covering their white exteriors and the chunks taken out by explosions. Despite this, they still stood proud and tall.

Another amazing thing was the various balconies on these buildings. They all had gardens that covered the entire balcony and even stuck out slightly from the buildings. It truly integrated nature even further into this modern city.

On the roof of this building was one of such gardens. There were various bushes with flowers budding on each of them. Beds of flowers surrounded the bushes and carpeted the soil. There were also a few small trees that provided a great coverage of shade for those occupying the balcony.

In the center of this garden was Satele, deep in meditation. On her right shoulder was a bright red bird, relaxing on the unmoving Jedi. There were also some critters surrounding her. One of them was very similar to a squirrel, almost identical actually.

Satele spoke in a soft voice without moving. "Soryn, join me."

I took a deep breath before walking forward timidly to avoid startling the wildlife. Conveniently, she was slightly off center of the garden, as if she had been expecting someone to join her. I went and sat on the other side of the center of the garden, crossing my legs as I laid my bottom on the ground.

She then spoke again, just as softly. "Close your eyes and open your mind. I can feel the turmoil within. You must calm it."

I nodded and closed my eyes, starting to breathe very slowly and steadily. I ignored everything else that came through my mind and only focused on my breathing. Slowly but surely, everything within my mind cleared except for the steady inhalation and exhalation.

I wasn't sure how long it took for this state of zen to set in, but I couldn't deny that it felt great. I felt at peace, that nothing could disturb me.

Then a realization came upon me; I felt connected. To what? I wasn't sure of that answer. All I knew was that I felt connected to something… no… many things. It was like a network existed around me and I had just tapped into the smallest corner of it.

The feeling kept growing stronger until I was finally able to understand. I was feeling everything around me. The birds, the critters, and plants, all of it. I then felt stronger… things. I wasn't sure how to describe what exactly was in this network as I decided to call it. I could barely discern the direction in which they were located.

Slowly, I realized that these "nodes", which is what I decided to call them, were below me. Well, next to me was a talented Jedi. Why not ask her?

Without opening my eyes or moving, I spoke. "Satele, what am I feeling?"

Satele replied in an even softer voice. "The force connects everything. Living, non-living, all of it. You are tapping into that connection."

Ah! So it was a network! Well, that would make it much easier to understand. I took an elective in college that focused on networks so I had a basic understanding of the theory. Everything in a network had a unique address, or force signature in this case. Through the network, you can interact with these nodes. The capacity of that interaction was something I was unsure of at this time.

Time continued to pass as I continued to explore this network. It was such an exciting and eye opening experience. I couldn't get enough of it!

A voice broke me out of the state. "Your ability in meditation is quite good. However, we need to move forward with this operation. Let's move downstairs."

I opened my eyes and discovered what had happened while I was meditating. There was a bird on each of my shoulders and a "squirrel" napping between my crossed legs. There were also many other critters either nestled up to me or lying on the ground nearby. I was thoroughly amazed.

I gently picked up the "squirrel" and placed it on the ground next to me. I then also gently coerced the birds onto my fingers before placing them on the ground as well. With my body being clear of animals, I stood up.

I looked towards Satele. "Shall we?"

She nodded and began walking towards the roof access door. "This is your operation. What shall our next steps be?"

I thought for a moment, reflecting on a few of the espionage related memories that were imparted upon me during the course. "Well, we don't really have enough information. As I suggested before we left, we should run some counterintelligence ops."

Satele nodded with a slight smile. "Very good."

I then sighed. "The only problem would be how we could blend in. I honestly don't think that going out during the day would be a good idea. I have no doubt that they will apprehend anyone they see. Let's just sit tight until night comes. In the meantime, we can formulate a plan."

Satele nodded again in approval. "I'm impressed. That meditation appeared to be quite beneficial."

The next several hours went by surprisingly quickly. I had a discussion with each individual and determined how we would proceed. I even assigned a task to Satele.

Come nightfall, we would all move out. This capital was ours for the taking and it was well within our reach.