A New Leaf Turned Over (Open To Force-Users)

[Jak Sandrow]

ITHOR

Once a plant lush with vegetation, Ithor was razed by the Yuuzhan Vong in 25 ABY. One of their ships, the Legacy of Torment, fell through the oxygen-rich atmosphere, igniting it and setting the entire planet ablaze.

It wasn't until 135 ABY till the desolate planet began to finally heal itself - dangerous plants and species cropped up thanks to genetic engineering, but the planet's atmosphere became livable once again.

Now, in 851 ABY, with a lot more natural species and plants living here, Ithor was finally beginning to take care of itself - but it was no longer the lush paradise it used to be. For one, it was a lot cooler - the lack of humidity and the cold rock that was still everywhere on the surface kept most of planet at a chill 15 C even in summer.

As such, the jungles had given way to more coniferous trees, ones that were hardy in cold temperatures, that would turn to seed and proliferate in higher temperatures. That multipurpose resilience was what had drawn Jak, and it was here that Jak could be found.

He stepped between the trees, neck craned to take in their grandeur. The Force was shaky here, a bit nervous to regrow this planet after it had been decimated so thoroughly. But, with no sign of the Yuuzhan Vong even after 8 centuries, the planet as a whole was beginning to regrow just fine. And that was what made Jak so curious - had this planet been so overgrown that it became one collective consciousness? It was all conjecture, as any and all records of Force Users on Ithor simply did not exist. The Ithorians considered it desecrating to set foot on the planet, but with the necessary steps of scientific engineering to help regrow the planet, there were still small pockets of scientists all over the planet. Their job was becoming redundant, however, as the planet as a whole began to turn slowly green again.

Still, Jak surmised, sitting down by a calm lake, there was still room for study. He wanted to know exactly how the planet planned to heal itself. Hell, if he wasn't careful, he could lose decades just sitting here and listening to the planet regrow.

But that wasn't why he was here. He turned onto his side to eye a small sapling as it shivered in the wind. Jak was here to know. He craved the knowledge of the planet's trees... something like that would unlock millennia of wisdom that he could never collect from any other planet, or lifeform for that matter.

His hand reached out, a bit unsteady despite himself, and he touched the tree.

 

[Jak Sandrow]

As gentle as a rose petal brushing along his cheek, the sapling's Force signature shivered lightly at Jak's touch. He let it examine him, assure itself that he was not a Vong, and then it opened itself to him. Jak gently let his presence mingle with the young sapling, enjoying the green around him and relaxing in the life force of the trees. Gently releasing the tree, he smiled as it visibly grew an inch, and he got to his feet.

This was a lovely place. There wasn't enough green on spaceships or space stations - very few people kept plants on their ships these days. He honestly didn't know why - the splash of color could always liven up a room, and the fresher air is an obvious plus.

But that was neither here nor there. He wanted to know. He needed to know - what made Ithor so special?

- - -

As the sun waned on Day 1, he made a small campsite in the nook of a large, cracked boulder. Clearing away some older, dead brush, he gently made a small fire and cooked a small animal he had caught earlier.

When he was finished, he laid back under the stars and sighed softly. It had been so long since he had even a small time to himself, he began to wonder why he had stopped doing it.

Then memories began to trickle back.

Oh. Right, that was why. He tried to fall asleep faster than his memories could clamor their way into his head.

It didn't work.

 

[Jak Sandrow]

It was Day 5, and he still wasn't any closer to figuring out Ithor's big secret. If there was one. He had blazed a meandering trail through the forest, in whatever direction he felt like, but it was still taking him no closer to finding out anything.

Every tree he connected to seemed to tell him the same story. None of them were connected to each other, other than superficially. It was getting him nowhere. He needed to know, he needed to know now, whether this was a fruitless venture or not.

And so he walked. Food was an afterthought, though he did grab the odd berry or tuber. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew, somehow, he needed to do it.