All Good Things

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Joza Perl"]


In the middle of the sad moment, Neldars body shifted slightly, taking the two's attention. The clothing moved a little, and Eddak reached for his holstered gun. But the movement became gentle and slow, and a telepathic message of calm and quietness touched their minds. Just as they started to watch the movement, and feel the effects of the telepathic message, a jellyfish-like creature emerged. It was a Kalduu, and it communicated as best it could. It was sentient, but low on that standard.

Why has my friend died? Where will I go? I haven't left him for so long, I don't know where to go.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza rose slowly with her back to Eddak, pocketing the crystal as she did so. She’d yet to fully absorb the situation in its entirety, and it would likely take her a long time until she managed to sort out her feelings. Slavers were despicable in her eyes. They preyed on the defenseless, treating lives as if they were there for their own personal entertainment and profit. Had she been naive to think that the worker slaves Neldar had were the worst that he could do? Apparently not.

She didn’t want anything to do with Eddak and his men at this point in time, preferring to shut the tap on her emotions before the flooded her system. But she couldn’t turn away, not if it had all been true. If there was one thing Joza got herself into ridiculous amounts of danger over, it was tracking and freeing slaves.

She turned towards Eddak, face set in stone as a brief gaze swept over his soldiers. Men protecting their home, their families. Not the type who ravaged planets seeking glory.

“Do you have any leads on where they might be?”

No sooner did the words leave her lips did a little jelly fish like creature shift out from Neldar’s corpse. Joza’s brow furrowed in confusion, rising in mild surprise as she felt the message touch her mind. Curiosity getting the better of her, she knelt down on bended knee.

“Who are you?” Her own limited telepathy reached out towards the Kalduu before she paused. “If you have no home, I can care for you until we find you one.”

She wasn’t about to abandon an innocent life. Not when it was this cute.

[member="Eddak Manod"] [member="Neldar Poska"]

 

[Eddak Manod]

Eddak looked down, in thought, but also grief as Joza asked that question... if he had any leads. Eddak shook his head, "I know of some of his bases, some of his locations, not many. But I'll be seizing his assets. Some of his people might be angsty, but I'll show them credits are still flowing. I don't know if you knew him much, but if you knew any locations he had been through or near, it'd be a great help. Again, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rui-.: But Eddak was interrupted, a creature leaving Neldar and telepathically speaking to him.

Eddak grew a very confused face as he watched, "Well, feth just keeps getting weirder, doesn't it?" he whispered. The Kalduu spread its short, slimy appendages outward, in no specific way, as it branched out.

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Joza Perl"]


The Kalduu had a very gentle telepathic voice, almost soothing, almost... very young sounding.

I must be held within. Only there, may I live. Why has my friend died?

It kept on with its question. It wasn't a pressuring question, but it seemed it did not know what transpired, at least, while the crystal was active. The Kalduu was not strong enough to break the crystals grasp on Neldar, break through to him, to sooth him or otherwise. It did not know what happened. It can not see, only sense, as its appendages wandered.

 

[Joza Perl]

A twinge of guilt resonated in her chest as she caught the note of grief on his face. “The only locations I know of are on Tatooine and Coruscant.” A pause, and she exhaled lowly through her nose. Her voice dropped, almost murmuring as she thought aloud. “I can do some digging. I typically don’t work out of those worlds but I’ve…experience in finding missing people.”

None specific, though. She crept her way through Hutt worlds, patiently learning the habits of local gangs and waiting to bust slaving operations. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. It was still daunting work, either way.

“Any idea what they might be used for? Labor? Entertainment?” That might help narrow it down, and her voice took on an almost clinical tone.

Initially, she wanted to shy away from the appendages, but Joza held herself well. “Within?” She questioned telepathically. “You mean inside the body?”

There was a squeamish thought.

“All living things pass on at some point. Your friend was very old.” Still, she danced around the answer.

Carefully, so as not to startle the Kalduu, she held out her hand, palm up.

[member="Neldar Poska"] [member="Eddak Manod"]

 

[Eddak Manod]

Thank goodness, Eddak thought to himself. He thought he was going crazy, but he could sense they both could hear and understand the creature. He sighed, stepping away as Joza reached her hand out. Eddak didn't know what it was, nor what Neldar was, for that matter. "I've not one clue what they would be used for. And we're not talking about a few handfuls of people, we're talking about several dozens of families. Neldar had been picking from the Fort since before my great grandparents saw the sun, and probably before."

Eddak sniffled for a moment as he composed himself, putting his hands on his hips as he looked towards his men. He was pondering in what Neldar said, what compelled him to confess. And if the same might ever take hold of Eddak. "Most are probably dead, tossed out somewhere, some may be in a slave traders shackles, others maybe for work. Neldar did take women and children, but less than men. Less girls. The most women he ever took from us, was probably... Our wives... Our families." Eddak pulled a hand up to wipe the sweat, and maybe a tear from his eyes, trying to keep his composure in front of his man. "Dammit, I'm all conflicted about just how bad he was. I nearly did the same to the Gamorreans back... Back when I was just a soldier. It's just, gah," he turned to look at Joza. "I say it's different. They wouldn't stop attacking us and killing us, but we took a lot from them. We made them the bad people while mine took their land, their food, their culture. We didn't leave when they told us, and we took more. So somehow it's supposed to be justified when we slaughtered so many of their villages. What's right and wrong anymore? I didn't even know the man... Thing, whatever. But I only know my story. We killed those Gamorreans, didn't think twice about their young ones, and I'm better than... Him..." at the word of 'him' Eddaks hands made a gesture to point at the dead Shi'ido as he then turned, facing away from everyone. 'What even is good and evil anymore?'

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Joza Perl"]

The Kalduu created a calming effect on everyone, but it slowly opened up their minds to think more clearly. It wasn't forced or strong, but it did take all the bad gunk of hatred and revenge away. It didn't make them happy, but it did the same as it did to Neldar. It helped him think clearly, which is why he stayed alive so long. His judgements were never clouded, he could see clearly to his ideals.

I can heal the body and mind, but I must be accepted, as I accept my host it reached out, it's appendages slowly brushing against Joza's hand. I can not harm. But as I live, my host lives.

 

[Joza Perl]

The whole situation was a bit weird and unnerving, but the Kalduu helped to smooth things over. At least in Joza’s mind, it helped provide a bit more clarity as she waded through the emotional brush. She allowed the Kalduu to move as it did, making no resistance on her part if it tried to merge with her.

When all was said and done, she stood to face Eddak, finding his back turned as he faced his men. When he moved back to face her, he was clearly at a moral dilemma. Or perhaps not so much—but he was still considering the other side.

A step forward, and she put a hand on his shoulder. If he’d looked up, he’d find that the anger and confusion contorting her face had lessened, replaced by a thoughtful look. “You did what you had to do to protect your family. Force knows what I would do to protect my own.” She squeezed her hand, letting it fall from his shoulder. “Does that make it right? I don’t know. That’s not my call to make. But you’ve suffer a great loss—all of you have, I’d imagine.” She shifted her gaze to sweep over the gathered soldiers. “And big losses push you to do some really great, or really terrible things.”

She took a step back now. “From where I’m standing, the best thing you can do for now is to rescue your captured people, Eddak. You’re a leader, aren’t you? Your people need help.”

[member="Neldar Poska"] [member="Eddak Manod"]

 

[Eddak Manod]

[member="Joza Perl"]


Eddak shook slightly as he a gave a 'humph,' hearing what Joza said. He was a leader... His people call on him... Why? These flashy medals and badges only equate to genocide, but he's the good guy. Thry would follow him through hell and back, because he took tge seat of another murderer. Eddak shook his head and took a deep breath, sighing. "Miss," he said, looking up and holstering his pistol, "I've got to go, I need to secure trade deals before the day is over." He gestured one of his soldiers over.

"Could I get your name, and we chat again some time?" He looked over at tge Shi'ido, Joza's recently deceased friend. "I fear there's much to talk about... Much to learn about his past dealings, and perhaps some benefits from our conversations. I'm sorry we had to meet like this." He reached his hand out for a handshake as the soldier pulled out a notepad of sorts.

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Joza Perl"]

The Kalduu sensed Joza's acceptance, choosing to bond with her, rather quickly at that. Out of the body, it was dying. Joza would feel not only calmer, but clearer and healthier. The Kalduu took the breath that she made into carbon dioxide and created new, fresh oxygen. This gave her a new powerful ability, near infinite oxygen. Although, after a time, it would need to be refreshed. She would now be immune to almost all forms of natural diseases and bacteria. But it also connected with her mind. Using its telepathic abilities, it could sense the emotions, force sensitivity, perhaps even their alignment, while also be able to tell what anyone around them were thinking... as long as there weren't any defenses present. The Kalduu could communicate with Joza, ever thinking if she was in danger.

But it said nothing while it joined with Joza. It stayed silent during the final meeting between Eddak and Joza. once it was over, and Eddak had left, Joza would feel something powerful. While the Kalduu was connected with Neldar, she would suddenly see, feel, and experience every memory he ever had. The memories of Neldar were overwhelming, several hundred generations of memories, connecting with Joza. She could see Sarah's face, Neldars friends, loved ones, family, everyone. But she would also see all of their deaths, one by one. She knew everything Neldar knew. Where he kept his private stashes, how he smuggled money from Joza and James Justice, the lies he ever made, the promises he kept and broke. Incidents where Neldar was happy, but destroyed by outsiders. She witnessed the whole ordeal of when Neldar tried to save Sarah, but being too late. She witnessed the absolute rampage Neldar took as he wiped out an entire organization, losing his own in the process for revenge. Neldar was very old, very weak, and could never quite get the strength or willpower back. Watching everyone around him pass on by one way or another, losing everything he ever had, he, himself, fell down a slippery slope that he could not pull himself out of. The darkness had all but consumed him.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTAxzsetw1I[/youtube]​

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza shrugged, a gentle rise and fall of her shoulders. “You do what you need to do.” She extended a hand, gripping Eddak’s firmly in a quick shake. After that, she reached for the pad one of the soldiers produced, jotting down her name and contact information on it. In truth, this had gone on long enough for her. She needed time to absorb all that had happened today, but unfortunately she wouldn’t catch much of a break.

The cantina was now empty of both patrons and soldiers. Not wanting to mill about, Joza reached for her comm, intending to ping her pilot to come and pick her up. Her fingers fumbled with the device, thumb brushing over the contact button as she felt herself being pulled into a rapid emotional spiral—but it wasn’t her own? At least, not yet. Memories flashed through her mind at a rapid fire pace, each different and distinct but all seemingly on top of another. It took her a few moments to realize that these too were not her own, and eventually she’d realize that the timeline was stretched to incredible lengths. At last, it dawned on her that she was looking through the highlight reel of Neldar’s life.

The comm slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor a she took a step back and against the wall. Emotional fury was something she was not a stranger to, and she inhaled steadily through her nose, eyes closing as she tried to force herself into calming. But it didn’t work, and the nauseating mixture of memories and feelings continued to wash over her, soaking deep down into the bone and chilling the Zeltron as she slid down the wall and onto the floor. Eventually, the edges of these images wore away, eaten by some sort of darkness until they were swallowed whole.

When people did bad things, Joza tried to see it from as many angles as possible. In that way, she’d grown softer in some avenues, less decisive in others. Of course there were exceptions, but that was the curse that an empath could find themselves falling into.

“What the hell…” Her voice came out in a shuddering whisper, finding feeling in her limbs again as she sent a hand through her hair. Her face was slick with sweat, eyes wide and ringed with the weight of exhaustion. “…was that?”

She didn’t expect an answer, staggering upwards and reaching into her pocket for an anti-nausea stim.

[member="Neldar Poska"] [member="Eddak Manod"]

 

[Neldar Poska]

[member="Joza Perl"]


When I join with someone, I see and hear everything they do. I become part of those who accept me. Still, we are two entities, but I become truly connected. I do connect to your mind. Everything you know, I know. Everything Neldar knew, you know. I am sorry, we are not meant to join many times, as lifetimes become shared and overwhelming.

The Kalduu spoke, trying to ease Joza's emotions. But just then, she heard a different voice. "Joza..." it sounded like Neldar, but he wasn't there. "I'm sorry." It seemed his life force was inside both the crystal he had given her, and the Kalduu. His heart and mind within the Kalduu, and his willpower in the crystal. "I never meant... I never... To..." but the voice dissipated slowly until it disappeared. The Kalduu could sense that Joza was up and alert, but it did not understand spirituality. Neldar did not come back, nor did his voice. For a time, he woukd not speak again, but he might in the future.