Private 5th Planet from the Sun

[Inanna Harth]

"I don't speak in platitudes I speak what I feel, what I see. I am oath bound to speak truth. Whether you wish to accept what I say as truth that is up to you."

Inanna rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, a bit ashamed of herself. What was between her and Alicio didn’t involve Rianna. Taking out her delayed anger on him now was… inappropriate. And probably very confusing for Rianna, who had no clue what was going on. She could wait a little while longer before she really let him have it…

Rianna took the time to explain the method she would use, describing it as a bubble. The word conjured up harmless, even pleasant imagery, yet Inanna remained uneasy.

The fact of the matter was, her mind was badly scarred. She had endured the pryings of many a Sith, along with countless mental attacks of varying severity—the most recent of which had occurred just prior to her first meeting with Rianna on Tython. Carnifex’s darkness had driven Inanna to the brink of madness; only outside intervention had been able to pull her back from the edge of the abyss.

There was no way to put memory-altering nicely to Inanna; she would always be extremely reluctant to let anyone tinker with her brain, even if they had the best of intentions.

“I hope everything will work out, and such measures will be unnecessary,” she said after Rianna had finished. “I have my own personal reasons for being uncomfortable with the idea, but my comfort is not worth compromising the security of an entire world. So… I can’t promise that I am at ease with the idea, but I will accept it if I must. You have my word.”

Alicio had fallen silent. Yes, be quiet, Inanna thought with some satisfaction. Pretend you’re part of the scenery. You’re like… a tree. The Alicio oak. Just here to offer support.

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna stood still trying to quiet her mind looking first to Alicio Organa then to Inanna Harth colors swirled around them both and for a while Rianna could only think to herself I have no idea what is happening at the moment, is something wrong?

Alicio's colors were all off she wasn't sure but she knew one thing that always helped the kids, she walked over placing her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. If she could help she would but clearly she had no idea what was wrong. She rubbed his shoulder for a moment then pulled back to look at Inanna Harth

Dark splotches appeared in her aura something about what she had explained bothered her? Maybe..maybe not. Maybe..Rianna knew she was going to have to go with a gut feeling uttering a little prayer she pulled some words together.

"You've been hurt by such methods." Rianna rarely touched a stranger but in this she would not use her force abilities. She slowly reached over to Inanna to take her hand, if the young woman would allow it.

"If I am right in my assumption. Something of mind maybe very painful for you. Perhaps I can offer something that would help." Rianna reached out to touch her hand Rianna merely wanted to provide a gesture at first.

"I can heal those pathways, there's a way and for it I wouldn't have to touch your mind. Do you need that type of healing?" Rianna put her palm to the back of Inanna's hand. Just warm really nothing more, no force just a touch.

 

[Alicio Organa]

Rianna's comforting touch wasn't as comforting to Alicio this time. He returned it with a sideways smile, but the grin didn't reach his eyes, and he didn't linger on her's. There was a new unease to him, that went beyond today.

A discomfort he tried to bury. There was more at stake than what he was feeling. They were ensuring a home for millions of refugees. He could stomach these feelings for at least a day.

Alicio could feel Inanna's own discomfort with the idea of memory-altering techniques, which didn't come as a surprise. What did come as a surprise was Rianna's offer to heal her.

The Count cocked his head to the side, a genuine interest overtaking his unease. That kind of healing could be what Inanna needed. A way to make this trip worth the awkwardness.

If there were a time to remain silent, it was certainly now.

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna was caught off guard by Rianna's offer of healing. She initially pulled her hand away from the woman's, even going so far as to take a half-step backwards. Her shoulder brushed Alicio's, and in a comical reversal of her feelings last turn, she briefly looked to him for guidance. Old habits are slow to die.

"I, uh…" Inanna was at a loss for words. She didn't want to offend Rianna, and she figured that the woman meant well, but…

"I have a weak mind," she confessed, her tone a bit brisk. She didn’t like discussing this, and would rather keep the discussion focused on the refugees. But she supposed this was the price she paid for her bad attitude. "It has been violated many times. That’s why I’d rather not have anyone alter my memories. I don’t see how you could heal me without messing with my head—unless you know of some special technique?"

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

The emotions shifted and Rianna would not over analyze it this time. "I am healer some would say I'm one of the best in the galaxy even if I am not out on the front lines every day in every war. Here the refugees get my help, here we train other to help others. Having a weak mind doesn't mean it can't be healed it means it's been hurt and needs training. Oddly enough Aldera can offer both."

Aldera the beacon of light in the darkness.

Rianna nodded when Inanna told her about her mind being violated many times. "The pathways that have been damaged by your mind being invaded I have a way to heal them. Just a short way from here is a Healer's temple. It stands apart from everything not in the open where it can seen like some beacon. No..it is tucked away because it has something that many would covet if they knew it was here."

Rianna took a deep breath for what she planned on sharing was as much a secret as this planet. "At the heart of the temple are two Healing Crystals of Fire. The first one was brought to me by Aedan Miles and the other Matsu Ike , myself and others were able to find . I would have these to heal you. If you wish it"

The Crystals were life giving, they could heal everything, and a trained healer could save lives with them. A Healer Circle offered hope where none existed.


Tags: Alicio Organa | Inanna Harth

 

[Alicio Organa]

As Inanna's shoulder touched his, Alicio froze up, squaring his shoulders and staring ahead with a forcibly passive face. He tried to pretend he didn't notice, until Inanna looked at him. Alicio gave her a supportive, if tense, smile, and subtly shrugged.

If there was a chance Tia Rianna could help, they could at least hear her out.

Alicio crossed his arms in front of himself, grey eyes shaded as he looked to the Shi'ido. "We have the whole day for our meeting. A detour won't change any timelines. But the choice is yours, Inanna." Even if the process wasn't invasive, the Count didn't want her to feel pressured into accepting their help. But neither would he let any kind of guilt sway her from it.

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna had heard of Healing Crystals of Fire—they were famous gems used by the Jedi Order of old. Rianna claimed to have secured two of them in this healer’s temple, right here on Aldera, and she was offering to use them and her skills to heal Inanna’s scarred mind.

There would be no cost. It wouldn’t even conflict with their schedule. The whole thing seemed almost too good to be true. Surely these types of coincidences only happened in books.

Inanna felt something akin to a fist squeezing her heart. She had given up on believing in the benevolent will of the Force a long time ago, it seemed. So why did it feel like she had been led here on purpose, destined to reach this point at this moment in time?

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.” The softness of her voice shocked her. She cleared her throat, her fingers pinching the fabric of her gown with nervous excitement, and tried to lighten the somber mood a bit. “We can all survive without tea, right? Lead the way.”

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna could only watch and listen until Alicio Organa and Inanna Harth spoke together. Rianna understood that she was a stranger to the young woman before her and that trust was often hard to earn. But Rianna had often in her life found herself wanting to help others at the moment she heard they had been hurt. Perhaps that was why she was a healer and a Jedi it was her nature to help.

She smiled softly as Inanna said it wouldn't hurt to try. "I don't know that I can survive without tea." She was of course being playfully sarcastic. "We can have tea and then go.." It would be best for them to all be relaxed

"You could ask questions about Aldera, and the Healers Temple" Just a short distance away from the spaceport was the Healers temple. The main floor which everyone saw would make them think just another office, or home. It was round, glass and what the Atrisian's called zen. It was what was below that spoke of the purpose.

A series of rooms for the hospital but the main focus was a large circular room that was continually bathed in the warm red light of the healing crystals. Anyone who entered the room at first should feel refreshed. It was the connection between the healers and the patients where the force showed its true power.

The force which connects all living things, the force which could heal all living things from the point of almost death that was something to behold. Those patients that could not be helped at the hospitals, the serious cases where medicines failed were brought to the temple. The mind such a delicate intricate organ which provided the deep thoughts and actions of all living creatures was the hardest to mend. But the force within the crystals know life, new the patterns and paths possessed the power to mend them with the guidance of the healers of the temple.

Healers used their own life force to help others and themselves, the crystals were the life force.

"How do you like your tea?"

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio cultivated a small smile as Inanna accepted the offer. He had only been offered a glimpse into her past, but he knew that the Shi'ido had been through so much. Anything they could do to ease her, Alicio was behind one-hundred percent.

He was also behind getting some tea. It was funny, how much the members of House Organa enjoyed the beverage. Perhaps it ran in their blood.

"I have a question about Aldera," Alicio spoke up, quickening his pace to catch up with them. "Whenever a Shi'ido would leave the planet, would they also be subject to a similar mind-wipe?" It wasn't the worst idea, since there was a concern with Maw spies among the population, but the Count was still hesitant about the idea. It would eventually happen. The Shi'ido were known to get wanderlust.

"And if they left, returning would be difficult, with all the secrecy." He didn't want to hold a city captive. That likely wouldn't be the case, but he wanted to be sure.

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Though Rianna gave her a chance to ask questions, Inanna was too lost in thought to muster a query. The moment she stepped across the temple threshold, she could sense the crystals within. It wasn’t quite the same as the gem she wore around her neck, but there was a similarity to their aura. The Healing Crystals of Fire were far more potent.

“Without sugar,” Inanna replied, remembering her past misadventure with Alderaanian tea.

The only thing that pulled her out of her distracted silence was Alicio asking a rather important question.

“... Oh shit. I didn’t even think of that.” Glancing up from the floor, she looked to Rianna, anxiously awaiting the Jedi’s answer. “You wouldn’t hold us hostage here, would you?”

It wasn’t the most tactful way of putting it, but Inanna wasn’t one for tact. In case that wasn’t already apparent.

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

Inside the temple the very air around them changed a warmth of sorts could be felt. "I'll pour the tea." The question was a fair one, and one of course Rianna had answered before.

"Oh my no, no one is held hostage here once they are here." She was certain that when she explained they would be confused and probably think her not quite right in the head, but it had worked so far.

"This place for me is personal, my daughter when she needs respite from her duties comes here, my sister and her children have homes here, Claire provided clothing for those in need here, it's part of us. So no if you decide your people are safe here no one gets the memory secluded, but we do give the talk about security and protecting what we have here. It won't last this seclusion we have, there will come a point where Aldera and its sister planets will be found. ""

She motioned for everyone to sit, "Others have come in the past to look around, some stay, some go. If one person decides no to shield a memory is security, to hold everyone hostage and tell them they can't leave because we are afraid is an impossiblity. Once this is home the thought is that everyone protects home, protects family, its a different place than just visiting. Does that make sense? I know it doesn't I don't know why I'm asking. But no there won't be any memories blocks for those that choose to be here."

She looked at Alicio and then to Inanna. "I swear I'm not a crazy old lady."

Tags: Alicio Organa | Inanna Harth

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio seemed to enjoy the ambience of the temple, taking a deep breath in as they crossed the threshold. The air felt a bit warmer, tousling his black hair as they entered, and his closed his eyes for only a moment, extending his senses into the space. It felt like how Rianna felt in the Force; calm, sure, steady.

At least, how Rianna felt when she wasn't being accused of holding a captive nation. Alicio had been sure it wouldn't be the case, which Rianna quickly explained. But it did come with a new host of problems, which the Count was quick to share as he was prompted to sit by the Jedi.

"I don't think you're crazy, Tia. But it does leave the problem of Maw sleeper agents." Alicio seemed pensive, looking down at his hands, which had laced together. "Some Shi'ido are captured and brainwashed by the Brotherhood to act as hidden assassins and informants. From what I understand, they're nearly impossible to detect. If there is even one of these agents among the people of Erakhis, I don't believe Aldera can stay hidden for long."

Alicio sighed. "At least, not without draconian measures, which none of us want to implement."

It was a conundrum, for sure.

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

While Rianna pointed out that it was a foregone conclusion that Aldera’s location would become known eventually, Inanna was unwilling to accept that answer. “Wouldn’t it be best to try and keep it a secret for as long as possible?” she asked.

Crazy old lady? Probably not. But much like certain other members of the Organa clan, Rianna apparently had a bleeding heart and a self-sacrificial streak. She may have been content to ignore the problem, but Inanna was not. Thankfully, neither was Alicio, who stepped in to explain the unique situation of the Shi’ido.

“Even if we managed to weed out all the secret agents currently among the refugee population before moving them here, others could make their way to Aldera,” Inanna said grimly. “As for draconian measures, there is simply no way… We’d be trading our freedom for security. No Shi’ido would stand for that. I wouldn’t stand for it.”

This wasn’t just a conundrum—it was a paradox, a dealbreaker. Allowing the Shi’ido to seek sanctuary there would cause Aldera to no longer be much of a sanctuary, and so it would defeat the entire purpose of going there in the first place. They would taint paradise with their presence.

Inanna sank down into a chair opposite from Rianna and Alicio, holding her head in her hands. She could feel things beginning to unravel, her chances slipping through her fingers like grains of sand through a sieve. There seemed to be no solution in sight.

And she had been so close…

“Bringing the Shi’ido here will be dangerous. I won’t try to downplay that.” She swallowed hard. “If this world is going to remain secret and safe for much longer, you can’t take us in. We’ll just have to stay on Erakhis, keep up the status quo we’ve had for the past few years…”

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna closed her eyes calming her spirit think Rianna you've been in harder spots in weirder circumstances what do you think, what is the solution, or what would work...opening them to prevent walking into a wall or counter.

"No nothing draconian it wouldn't be the image we want to project to anyone seeking shelter." Rianna walked to the ever-ready source of hot tea and prepared three cups, with sugar, citrus, and milk to the side. Sacrilege to add anything to tea but that was her choice not others.

"Maybe we are thinking too big. Maybe it's not move everyone all at once, but move small groups, get them settled. Then wait...get a few more...this way the population decreases slowly, there isn't a mass exodus, and it gives us time to...evaluate. Maybe make the trip two-fold, bring them through Sanctuary City, then bring them here. like what did they call it....oh...like the Path network. If protecting the shi'ido and where they are is so paramount, as well as knowing if there are agents...we can set up a network...hmm maybe more than two...maybe Alderaan to Hok to Colla IV to Aldera....or even to one of sister planets in this sector..."

Rianna brought a tray to a small table where they had seated themselves.

"I have always been taught where there is a will there is a way. Thoughts"

At least she wasn't a crazy old lady...but in truth she was an old lady with a big cat..the thought made Rianna laugh.

Alicio Organa | Inanna Harth

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio could feel the hope draining from Inanna. She seemed to have already resigned herself to returning back to Erakhis empty-handed. Alicio frowned in concentration. There had to be an answer here. He couldn't accept the alternative. In a galaxy of so many choices, there had to be a correct one.

"Your people aren't going back to Erakhis," Alicio asserted, as if it were a command. "If Aldera doesn't work out, I'll continue to push for you to go to Sanctuary. Or I'll contact Lujo. Or we'll make that city on Alderaan. This is not the end."

Alicio considered the possibility of Rianna's solution, grey eyes boring into the floor. "Okay. So, secretly ferrying small groups to the planet, with a few stops along the way to confuse any tails." Alicio's frown persisted. "It doesn't stop someone from smuggling a tracker along. Or disguising themself as a local once on-planet to escape." There were still too many variables.

"How important is Aldera's secrecy? Could we ever convince them to... drop the veil?"

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Heightened stress could make Inanna forget things. Alicio reminded her that Alderaan was still an option, along with Lujo. Granted, both paled before the promise Aldera held—or had held—in comparison.

“The veil is the whole appeal of our coming to this place, though. I thought that it would discourage the spies from coming in, but I suppose I was naïve…” While her diction remained clear, her speech grew slightly slurred, the words slanted by an alien accent. Another consequence of being under duress—her speech began to more closely resemble her native tongue. “But if they’re already among the population, it would be too easy to sneak in. And once one of them knows about Aldera, that’s it…”

She got up and started to pace.

“It is possible for a Force User to detect the infiltrators, provided they know what to look for. If we divided them into smaller groups and sorted through them that way… it’s possible.”

But there were still, as Alicio said, too many variables.

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

This was important she could hear it in the voice of Alicio, she could see the defeat in Inanna's aura so what was the answer.

"It would be possible to convince the Council to drop the veil as you say but it would mean enforcing our military and face many of the same issues any other does. Maybe this will show them that we can't hide, if we are help people." Rianna rose up and crossed to the window her tea cup still in hand as she looked out on what had been built so far. This temple for starters.

She glanced over her shoulder again to look at Inanna, "If someone is determined they will come no matter what we do. Yes the veil of secrecy is enticing to those looking for refuge. But now this thing you mention a Jedi could sense deception from someone but someone who is convinced they are doing the right thing may not present deception but conviction"

Rianna looked out again, "Ms. Yomin is everyone that is seeking shelter all shi'ido? No others?" Rianna was thinking trying to piece things together. If they are all shi'ido looking for shelter they all can shift right a full blooded elder of the shi'ido was quite capable...the young though..that was different.

tags: Inanna Harth | Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio nodded at both of the women's points, finally taking the time to prepare his own tea. The whole point of going to Aldera was for it's secrecy. If they lost that, they might as well make their home on a better-defended planet like Alderaan.

Alicio took his cup of tea, squeezing the juice from some kind of fruit into the liquid, before dropping the entire rind in. "I think the secrecy should stay, if we have any choice in the matter. The Alderans have worked hard to keep their planet a forgotten memory for their safety. We shouldn't disregard all of their effort."

"Honestly, I like the idea of bringing in small groups slowly. It would be a long, tedious process." He frowned. "But if there's a sure way to identify the spies, a mental marker, it seems worth the trouble."

"The plan doesn't account for every scenario, but no plan does. There will always be risk. We just had to decide whether the risk is worth the substantial reward." He took an initial, testing taste of his tea, enjoying it far less than he would under normal circumstances.

- Inanna Harth - Rianna Organa -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Both Rianna and Alicio naturally latched onto the idea of a recognizable mental marker they could use to root out the impostors, though Rianna seemed more skeptical of it. “There was a Jedi Master who came to the refugee camp to help us," Inanna explained. "He claimed the impostors had a… trigger in their heads which sat dormant until the moment it was activated. But that does not match what I have seen, and the only impostor he was able to find was my chief of security—a rather obvious guess. So you may be right about their… convictions masking all signs of deceit.”

Rianna asked if any of the refugees were non-Shi’ido. Inanna paused. “There may be some interspecies relationships, whether through marriage or adoption,” she finally answered. “My late husband and the children we adopted were not Shi’ido.”

Not that that mattered now, since they were all dead.

“But it is fairly rare among my kind, especially for those who stayed on Sh’shuun—er, on Lao-mon.” She swiftly corrected her accidental use of the Shi’idese word for their planet instead of the more commonly accepted Basic name. “I assume you’re asking because they would be prioritized for transfer, due to the lesser risk?”

"The plan doesn't account for every scenario, but no plan does. There will always be risk. We just have to decide whether the risk is worth the substantial reward."

While Alicio spoke, Inanna had stopped pacing and stood by him, her fingertips touching the arm of the couch where he sat. She had a pained expression on her face, the conflict raging within written across her features. She was especially on edge now, all too conscious of Alicio's tendency to try and please people, especially those he professed to care about.

“Tell me the truth,” she said softly, almost a murmur. “Not what I want to hear.”

Her voice grew louder as she straightened up and posed her question to both him and Rianna. “Do you think it’s worthwhile to bring the Shi’ido to Aldera, risking—almost guaranteeing the loss of its secrecy forever? Or would it be better to choose another world like Alderaan or Lujo, where their presence would be known, but Aldera’s anonymity would still be protected indefinitely?”

Alicio Organa Rianna Organa​

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna put her cup down then folded her hands before her as she looked at Alicio and Inanna.

"Here is my impression, the shi'ido are not just any refugee they fleeing to escape being misused by the Brotherhood. So we need to keep some sort of secrecy to protect them, so why in world do we need to tell anyone where they are going? Yes the Shi'ido themselves would need to know. I asked if everyone was shi'ido because the signatures would all be predominantly the same. So A clawdite working for the Brotherhood would be easy pick out, a human working among them easy to identify. If everyone traveled in their natural form it would take away the ability to hide in the open."

She took a few steps putting the words together in her mind wanting them to be clear, "What is described to me are sleepers with a trigger, so they have something in their mind that doesn't take effect until....whatever the trigger is. Which could be anything usually a word or a sound."

Rianna shook her head, "Anywhere they go if you advertise it to the galaxy oh they all moved to Alderaan or Lujo. Think about it, if the Brotherhood want the shi'ido they know where to go. So I would recommend don't announce it to anyone."

Rianna took a deep breath she could feel her emotions bubbling within there were something that she wished she had more control on.

"If they are brought here, they may think it is Alderaan everything here reeks of Alderaan. If there is a spy the spy will say Alderaan. And it would have to be a message with a pinpoint...a specific frequency....spies don't know one another so that they can't give each other away. So now the defense a mental scan to detect...it could be protected like a bubble until the trigger is given. If we do it in small groups, where I can talk to them I think I can find them...." It would be exhausting there were few Jedi trained in such a process. Maybe Tayla could.

"Thoughts?"

Alicio Organa | Inanna Harth