Private Contact on Corellia

[Lora Marken]

"Lora? We're here."

Lora stirred slightly as her father woke her up. The shuttle'd stopped moving. People around her were climbing out of their seats. It looked like they'd arrived, at last. It wasn't supposed to have been a long trip, but it sure felt like it'd taken forever. Yawning, Lora stood, stretching a little at the side. Just waiting for everyone else to get off before she trudged off with her dad.

Corellia was her first stop. It was just a short jaunt from Commenor, so it was a natural place to head to. Her dad had been there before, doing short-term contract work with one of the big ship-building companies, so he knew the place somewhat well. Besides, you couldn't send off your sixteen year old daughter on her own, right? Force or no Force.

They both stepped out into the dwindling, murky twilight. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of locations. Lora's nose wrinkled up as she smelt the smog and dust on the air from the titanic building yards. Her dad caught sight of it and smirked. "You get used to it, honey," he told her as they walked, "we shouldn't be here too long, don't worry." Lora said nothing, just wondering if you truly ever could get used to that assault on your nose. Somehow, it managed to smell worse than her older brother's bedrooms, which was a mildly impressive feat.

It was only going to be a short stay, anyway. Her dad was gonna speak to some people he knew and see if they could arrange contact with... well, some form of Jedi. Since they'd discovered Lora's nascent ability with the Force, her family had tried to reach out to whoever they could. Unfortunately, it seemed like nobody was really listening. The Galaxy always had a lot of strife and conflict. It was understandable that something like a Force sensitive girl might slip through the cracks for a little while.

Lora took a seat on a bench as her dad went inside a cantina. "Have to meet someone I know, talk to them about this," he told her. She wasn't sure if that was just a convenient excuse to get a drink in, but whatever. It'd give her time to sit and think. She watched the people flit past the bench, scoping them out. Trying to work out who, or what, they were based on what they were wearing.

Pilot... security guard... trader... smuggler of some kind, that one's hiding something, she's got way too much money and no sense, she thought, brain focusing on anything to get away from her shattered sense of normalcy.

Abaigeal E'ron

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

So much had changed on Corellia after the devastation, Abaigeal did not recognise any of it. It had been years since her last visit, she had been a child which may have something to do with her lack of memory of this place, but only in part. There had been a shift in her mind, after the events on Coruscant and the Soup Kitchen, she had to step back and reassess what the next step was with the group and for herself.

She had to put some distance between all of that to clear her mind.

The Will of the Force, such a strange belief that many had simply accepted without question, especially those that she had grown up with among the Jedi Temples of her childhood. Her mother had believed it, taught it, lived by the code and because of it had created something extraordinary that still thrives today. So many followed in her footsteps do not realise it, an unspoken legacy.

Abaigeal knew her mother would be proud of it all.

Directionless, Abaigeal had been for years after escaping the dreaded grip of Darth Carnifex. It was not until Coruscant had she found a purpose which fulfilled her and that will not be forgotten, but this unsettled mind was calling for something more, there was something she needed to do. That which was left undone.

A bump in the shoulder snapped Abaigeal out of her revere, she apologised as the person continue their own path. The streets busy with bustling people made it hard to make any progress not that she was heading anywhere in particular. The cantina up ahead offered her a seat outside, on it sat a girl waiting for something or someone.

“You mind if I take a seat?”, Abaigeal asked not wanting to startle the girl.


Lora Marken

 

[Lora Marken]

Lora had barely noticed anyone approaching. Her fingers were knitted together as she leaned forwards slightly, focused on the swirl of the crowd ahead. Too busy in her own thoughts, scanning over the people that hustled and bustled around her. It was better that way, better focused. Better than worrying too much about what might come next. Better than letting that weird, mysterious instinct kick in and remind her why she was there.

As much as she wanted to hide from it though, she felt it then. Something like... a tingle. At the very edge of her consciousness, there was something there. Lora's concentration snapped and she looked up, seeing the woman looking at her. It took a couple of seconds for the words to filter through her mind, to properly register in her head. Then Lora nodded, shuffling to the side a little bit.

"Uh... no. Go ahead. Sorry, I was... miles away," she muttered, running her fingers through her hair. Something still didn't feel quite settled. Like the air around her was just a little more alive. She turned her head towards the cantina door, feeling impatient. How long does it take to have a 'chat' with someone, Dad?

Abaigeal E'ron

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

“Thanks”, she offered a smile as she sat.

Couldn’t help noticing the girl look toward the cantina, Abaigeal supposed she was waiting for someone inside. Possibly. Curiosity tickled at Abaigeal’s mind, the young girl was clearly force attuned and just sitting here on a bench, that alone was dangerous. The value of force attuned people is valuable to both sides of the spectrum. It depended on how you view the definition of luck, but it was better to have a Jedi sitting next to you than a sith.

“You waiting on someone?”, she asked a little concerned just in case she had been wrong, and that the girl was alone. “I don’t mean to pry”.

Abaigeal leaned back to watch the people go by too, but soon she would head to the star port to catch her flight and return to Bespin.


Lora Marken

 

[Lora Marken]

How dull. Sat there, with the Galaxy going by, just waiting. And waiting. Eventually she was going to walk right into the cantina and drag her dad out. If she found him with his hand round a bottle of something, pretending some workmate was a Jedi Master, she'd... she'd....

She'd do something. What that was, she had no idea.

"Hm? Oh. Uh... just my dad. He's in there." She pointed to the cantina, as she huffed. A little strand of dark hair shifted on her forehead. She folded her arms and leaned back. "Said he's going to talk to someone about the J... about something." Probably not the best idea to openly talk about what they had planned there... especially not to strangers.

"It's okay, not like I have anything better to do," she admitted, looking over the woman again. "You waiting for something too? I'm Lora." She gave the woman a small smile, just happy for someone to actually talk to.

Abaigeal E'ron

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

She glanced back toward the cantina door as the young girl spoke. “I am sure his business will not take long”, Abaigeal settling into the seat a little more.

“Oh, I am just killing time before I need to catch my shuttle to Kashyyyk. I have been visiting as I have not been on Corellia for a while”. Not since she was a child.

Abaigeal had travelled via public transport, since her private ship was in for repairs and besides the shuttles were more comfortable on long voyages. Especially if you booked a cabin, at least you could get some sleep.

“Oh”, Abaigeal sudden dug into the inner pockets of her jacket, a quick glimpse of her lightsabre flashed as got two sweet bars, her sweet tooth she never grew out of. “Would you like one? .. this is my weakness”. She flashed the young girl a smile.

“I’m Abaigeal, my friends call me Geal. Nice to meet you Lora”.

As she bit into her own sweet bar, Abaigeal sighed with pure contentment. “Enjoy the small pleasure in life”, she chuckled.


Lora Marken

 

[Lora Marken]

"Hopefully not," Lora said quietly, not really paying much attention. She listened to this stranger talk about heading off to Kashyyyk. Sounded weird, being able to flit about to different planets, however you wanted. Whenever you wanted. Though, that must have been how the whole galaxy worked. A bunch of those people walking right in front of them were probably exactly like that. Nothing but a host of different ships, stations and worlds ahead of htem.

Lora turned as she heard Abaigeal speak, catching sight of her rustling in her pockets. She saw the glimmer of something in there, something... that clicked in her brain. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of her thoughts. "Oh... if you're offering..." she replied, clearly tempted but unsure. She reached out and took the bar carefully, giving a small smile in return. "Thank you. It's very kind of you."

Lora unwrapped her bar and took a small bite, savouring the rush of sugar and sweetness. She chewed a little, hearing Abaigeal sigh. Something was just troubling her mind... that thought slowly working through her subconscious mind. Just oozing through her memories, experiences and knowledge.

Then it hit her. She turned to face Abaigeal again.

"Was that a.... do you have... I mean," she started to say, sounding flusteed, "is that a lightsaber?"

Abaigeal E'ron

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

She stopped mid chew and looked down at the glimpse of her lightsabre. Abaigeal nodded and shallowed the rest of her mouthful. She looked around to see if anyone was standing close to them, coast was clear. Not that she really worried about being overheard but not with the company of a child just in case someone wanted to test her metal.

Abaigeal leaned in closer to whisper, “That is why I am heading to Kashyyyk, to visit the library of the Jedi there”.

Not really sure if the young girl knew of her connection to the force, but there was only one way to find out. “I can sense you, you know. You are very strong with the force Lora”.

She took another bite of her bar, maybe that is why of all the seats on this street, she choice this one. The thought entered her mind as she looked at the girl once more. “What do you want to be when you grow up? Well when you get older”, she was a young lady not a child. Not everyone wants to join the way of the Jedi if they are force sensitive or the other side for that matter, or anything in-between but Abaigeal was most curious now.


Lora Marken

 

[Lora Marken]

The word lingered in her head. Her eyes went wide as she looked right into Abaigeal's. Jedi. No way. That couldn't be. Totally coincidental. What did they call it? Seren-something. Lora didn't know, she'd read it in some holobook once and it'd slipped from her mind.

"I am?" Lora asked, not really believing it. "I mean... I know I can feel it. Sense it. I've moved things with it. Nothing major, just enough to freak out my folks a little bit," Lora admitted. Remembering the looks on their faces wasn't all that pleasant. Neither parent seemed particularly impressed to have her doing things like that.

"I don't know what I want to do, honestly." She leaned back in the seat, feeling the colour spark on her cheeks. The pale, freckly skin turned a bright pink. "I thought I'd be a trader like Dad but... maybe I'm meant for something else." The idea was dancing around her head as she turned towards Abaigeal. "They say Jedi do great things. That they help a lot of people. That's something to work for, right? I'd rather do something like that. Help people."

"Am I right? Or am I way off base? That's why my dad is here too. He was going to see if he could contact a Jedi to help train me. Though... knowing him, it's just some guy playing him to get a few drinks out of it."

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry about keeping you waiting. Stuff kept coming up, super sorry!

Abaigeal E'ron

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

Abaigeal turned a little in her seat, facing Lora more. “Using the force can be frightening to people sometimes, if they don’t understand it or have never seen it before”. But it was a good thing the young girl had a natural talent in some of the skills already. That was, indeed, a good sign.

“A Jedi’s life is a hard life, there are many things you have to give up, but you gain much more from it, I think. Things that others can’t do”. Abaigeal was not talking about learning more powerful skills but to learn the ability to control any given situation, which of course, takes time to learn.

“Learning how to help people is a great goal in life, and I say learning how to help because sometimes we can make a mistake in what we believe to be helping, but that is all part of life’s lessons”.

Abaigeal looked toward the door of the cantina, Lora was probably right in her assessment of what her father might be up against in there. Unless he got extremely lucky, he was not likely to find a Jedi master in there.

“Would you like me to talk to your father?”, she was prepared to do that for the young girl and besides, Abaigeal believed that this was not a chance meeting after all. “I know we have only just met, but I do know who you can become a Jedi, if that is truly what you want”.


Lora Marken