forum Star Wars OxO with Winter

Started Feb 20 by @FanfictionFanatic-The-Elder group

tune

“Calista is fine.” she smiled, as she stood with him. “I… don't think I'm ready to be called a Master in any context. As for where we should go… well, we have options. We can go to your place, or my place… Or the Temple here.” she suggested, though she was a little worried about what Hawkin could accidentally see there.

Hawkin shrugged.
"Alright Calista. We can go anywhere. My place is quite literally one room and a sink in the underbelly of Coruscant. I have all of my belongings with me. So wherever you think is best is where we'll go."
Dex whirred.
"I'm fine with anywhere."
Hawkin rolled his eyes at the droid.
"Yeah I know you're fine, you're a droid. You find a spot, shut down for a little while, and you're perfect again."

"Then… Let's go to my place. I can teach you something that should help you with your… visions." Calista offered. "Though I don't live in the upper levels either. It's more a simple apartment in the midlevels." she explained with a slight shrug. "I'm not used to all the… grandeur of living up here. It feels to exposed."

Hawking picked up his belongings.
"Nice. At least it isn't hyperfuel that's making me see stuff. It's like ghost in my blood or something, right? And Tell me about it. Living in the undercity and then coming up above the clouds every day to work is a little nerve-wracking. It going from an eternal night to an eternal day above the clouds can really mess with a schedule. I've never really been to the midlevels. They sound far better than the unsightly sights and smells of the undercity though."

“No, it's not a ghost in your blood.” Calista pointed out, caught between wanting to laugh and roll her eyes but managed not to do either. “The Force is… bigger than that. It's been described as an energy that flows through everything. Living, sentient, and not.” she tried to explain. Before answering his second question. “Well, it's not an eternal daytime up here, I’ve seen sunsets from some pretty tall building before but I understand what you mean. But the midlevels are probably the closest to a city on an average world, like Aldeeran or Naboo or Dantooine. The sunlight still filters down during the day but it's not as busy or open as it is on the upper levels and not quite as dark as the lower levels.”

Hawkin was still confused.
“So it’s like sentient water in my blood? That’s kinda crazy.”
He then picked up Dex and looked back at Calista.
“I’m going to be really honest. I haven’t seen a sunset in over five years. I’ve kinda forgotten what it looks like. Maybe I’ll see one soon. Things are kind of starting to look up ya know? Maybe I’ll even visit Kiffu again.”

Calista adjusted the collar of her robe and shook her head. “Not exactly. But I do remember hearing a more scientific explanation… a symbiotic relationship with a microscopic organism that lives in the cells of everything thing.” she offered, hoping that would give Hawkin a better understanding.
“Well, hopefully, we can see one together. And I don't see a reason why you shouldn't visit your planet of origin.” she shrugged even though she hadn't seen Corellia since before the war.

Hawkin laughed.
"I'm going to just learn more about this Force business and see where it leads me. Because that sounds a lot like parasites in my cells. And a sunset on Kiffu, if I remember correctly, is a sight to behold. Maybe we could even visit some of your favorite planets. I haven't seen much of the galaxy besides a giant cityscape and what my world used to look like. I'm excited."

“It's not a parasite.” Caslitsa assured, sharing in his humorous interpretation. “If anything the Dark Side is more parasitic than the Force itself. Of course, I could just be explaining it poorly. I was only ten when the Temple was attacked and the subsequent massacre and during the years in between, the Temple and its Archives have been ravaged by so many.” she admitted sadly. She cleared her throat, as if to shake away the somber tone, and smiled softly. “But I’m sure we can still find something.”
“Sure. We can travel, revisit places, and actually enjoy our time there this time.” she nodded before leading the way out of the Senate building.

Hawkin looked at Calista.
"We can go anywhere right? From water worlds, to planets of rolling sand dunes? I bet there's even planets made of ice and snow and crystals. Dex here may have some information on planets that may have even been forgotten. Calista, can you tell me about your time at the temple. What was it like?"

“Slow down, Hawkin.” Calista chuckled at his enthusiasm. “But, yes. Any habitable planet or moon that isn't actively against the New Republic or still clinging to what’s left of the Empire would be the easiest for us to visit.” she agreed, hoping he wouldn't mind her preferences. Though she was definitely interested in the possibility of rediscovering forgotten worlds. “But that reminds me, I should check for reports on Illum… see what state it's in.”
Her smile turned thoughtful when Hawkin asked about the Temple and she adjusted the collar of her robe again, deliberately brushing against the cool metal. “It's been a long time… and I was only there until I was ten, but what I remember was how peaceful it felt. Overall, at least. The war definitely left a mark, for lack of a better word, on everyone. Most of the Knights were almost constantly off-planet, fighting, and so were some of the older Padawans.” she had to pause for a moment to calm back down from the spike of frustration she felt. “The Temple itself was beautiful and the teachers were patient with us until our Master either picked us or were guided to us to be their Padawan.”

Hawkin touched the top of Dex's head.
"It's gonna be so cool. I be there's so much I haven't seen. Like trees. There weren't really any on Kiffu. Mainly rocky deserts. And the temple sounds really nice. Just a peaceful air and no one yelling at you to get an engine done for some backwater diplomat or whatever. I wish I could see what it used to look like."
He paused and looked at Calista.
"Wait… I technically can. If you're comfortable with it, can we stop by the temple? I want to see what it looked like. Maybe there's a memory I can see!"
Dex chimed in.
"You absolutely should not go to the temple. You just realized a few minutes ago that huffing hyperfuel wasn't the cause of the memories. And your understanding of the Force being cellular parasites leaves me wondering about your sanity. I may have seen Jedi from centuries ago, and I know how they work."
Hawkin stopped and looked over his shoulder in confusion, but he couldn't hold in his laughter.
"When did you pipe in and get an attitude?"
Dex replied.
"Since you activated me again. Truly this comes from you."

Calista turned sharply, but smoothly, to look at Hawkin sternly for his idea. However, she was relieved and able to calm down when Dex chimed in with his reasons. “I agree with Dex. You need better control before we go to the Temple… Besides, not all memories there will be good ones.” she admitted with a sigh. “When I was ten, and the Empire was about to take over, there was a massacre at the Temple. Children, some who had been chosen and some who were too young to be a Padawan, were slaughtered by the very army the Masters had commanded and were led by a Sith. I only survived that because my Master had sent her troops on leave so that she could spend some time with and took me off planet. She didn't even tell anyone where we were going.” she explained, shaking her head. “I don't want you to see that. It was one of the darkest times in the galaxy.”

Hawkin furrowed his brow.
"So the temple now, is a graveyard of sorts? That's kind of horrible. At leas you got out okay. I don't know anything about your master. Tell me what she was like."
Dex hummed.
"Yes, Calista I too would like to know what your master was like. I would like to see if she had ideals like the order of the High Republic."

Calista sighed but gave a slight nod. "It's… complicated. Some members of the New Republic want to make it a memorial to the Jedi before the fall, others want to restore it, or make it a museum, or some other kind of historical building. But it's been ravaged by the Empire, trying to erase the presence of the Jedi, and scavengers who think they can find something "special" to sell." she told them, not wanting to keep secrets unless she had to.
But she smiled a little when she thought of her old Master. "Lira Voss. Well, she was Mirialan for a start and always had a deep respect for the Force. Why she chose some kid from Corellia to be her Padawan instead of another Mirialan, I still don't know. Apparently, it was an unofficial tradition according to the senior Padawans at the time." she shrugged. "But she was patient and taught me a lot about the Living Force, ways to seek balance in it… I admit, I still struggle with some of that to this day. Learning to adapt was something I picked up from her quickly, but that I blame more on the situations we were in as we hid all over the galaxy to avoid the Empire."

Hawkin shrugged.
"Well you're the Jedi. They should take your opinion into account. What do you want to happen to the temple? Do you want it to be made into a memorial, or even torn down? What would people even take from the temple? It just seems so wrong to just take stuff from a place that become a mass grave."
He stopped, and thought for a moment, and looked at Calista.
"Is there any place to access the current states of who controls planets? I want to see what has become of my home world. A lot can change in five years."

Calista smiled softly at Hawkin’s opinion and shook her head. “I don't know. I don't think a memorial is right but I don't want to tear it down either.” she admitted. “I guess, what I would like is to restore it, maybe find more students and start again… but the thing is, I’m not the only Jedi in the Galaxy. There was one who defeated the Emperor but I never met them. And who knows how many survived like I did. The New Republic would want their opinions too.” she pointed out.
“That should be public knowledge. So we can look that information up through any holonet access.” she answered thoughtfully. “We could stop at the public archives, if you want, and get a look there.”

Dex chimed in.
"Other Jedi survived? They must have vast knowledge. I would like to find them. To fully understand how much has changed over two hundred years."
Hawkin tapped Dex on the head.
"We'll get there when we get there. I want to know about my planet. Calista, please take me to the public archives. Let's see what has become of my home."

"I don't really know." Calista told Dex as she started leading Hawkin to the public archives. She understood why he wanted to know about his homeworld. Even she had gone through a phase of researching her planet of origin when she was younger. “Sometimes when I meditate, I think I can feel others reaching out as well… other times, all I feel is what should be there. Or maybe what I think should be there.” she shrugged. “But, I know there are others because everyone knows a Jedi defeated the Emperor, and Darth Vader hasn't been seen or heard from since the second Death Star exploded.”

Hawkin looked at Calista and enjoyed the conversation that he was hearing with Dex. He butted into the conversation when he heard Calista talk about a Jedi defeating the emperor and meditating and feeling other Jedi out there.
"So who was the Jedi who defeated the Emperor? They're a hero. And do you recognize any of the presences that reach out to you? Can you talk to them? Why haven't they come back yet?"

“I agree that they are a hero, but the only name I hear for that victory is Skywalker. Which is confusing for me… unless it's a more common name than I thought.” Calista answered. “Well, I think I recognize one or two of them but one feels like they’re in the Outer Rim and I keep getting the feeling that I shouldn't interfere. The other is more complicated. I thought I heard a report that she was dead and even before that there was… an issue with the Council.” she tried to explain since those details had been at a higher level. “Whether or not I can talk to them depends on a few things though. How far away they are, how strong they are with the Force, and if they are receptive to talking. And I wish I knew why they haven't stop hiding yet.”

Hawkin scratched his head.
"Skywalker? That is sure an interesting name to be common. It sounds like we gotta do some digging. Nothing like digging in some public archives."
Hawkin reached a terminal and looked at Calista.
"Can you show me how to use this thing? I've never used the holonet before. I've only used books and hard copy resources. I never had a use for the holonet."

“Yeah… and I knew of a Skywalker before the war but he was already, at least, ten-years older than me and I heard he died either at the hands of the Emperor or during the slaughter at the Temple. So, I doubt it's the same one.” Calista explained with a shrug.
“I can but I have to admit that I’m a little surprised.” she smiled at Hawkin’s request before proceeding to show him how to look up the information he was after.

Hawkin laughed.
"Yeah watch it be like the Skywalker you knew had a kid or something. That would be wild. And be surprised. I don't really ever have much use for technology."
He began looking up Kiffu and his brow became more and more furrowed.
"I hardly recognize it. There used to be wide open plains, with some vergetation, but it's nothing but desert now. Lava fields are more active, and the mountains themselves have been destroyed. I can only assume for resources. I would hate to see what happened to our water world, Kiffex. I doubt the water is pure anymore."