Delivery Umbara

[Jsc]

Umbara Starport


It was a beautifully dark planet. Splashes of red fens amidst a passing fog. Sam Jhovna had only just arrived and now stood uneasy upon the Starport's outermost wall. The low light of the green lamps gave little hint as to what could be waiting out there for her.

She sighed and switched on her Sunglasses. The Light Amplification process bubbled to life and blinked on before her very eyes. Now her world was bathed in blue and she could see for kilometers in every direction. The bounty of technology.

It was a busy cycle today. Vehicles and speeders were leaving the bustling Starport and creating a brilliant line of blinking lights across the nighttime savanna. Starships coming and going. Even a few locals hoped around outside the walls on strange four-legged creatures. Briskly leaping and riding about the 'trees'. Well. Whatever those tall stalks were called. Sam didn't really know.

Twenty minutes later she boarded a taxi cab bound for the Capital. Hopefully someone would be there to meet her when she arrived.

[member="Maria Natalja"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"My goodness, what do you think you're doing?"

Maria was rather furious at the moving service. These four men were supposed to put things where she wanted them to be, not just leave them at the door and then leave. The woman herself had been outside for a short walk when the men were bringing her stuff to her new home - her cozy and comfy Umbaran home. But yeah, she came back just a moment before the last thing was taken out of the van and the service was about to leave. Fortunately. Would have she come a minute later, the men owuld have been gone already and all her wonderful stuff she had ordered would have been just... in front of her house's front door.

"Look, miss Natalja, your stuff already took us so much time and we're already behind our schedule. You're not the only person moving to the Capital City today," they tried to find an apology for what they had done. They were obviously not lying, but Maria still felt like behaviour like this isn't quite right. She had chosen the cheapest moving service there was available in the Capital City mostly to save the funds she had left from the times she was still the Witch of Arx Mortis, but she would have never expected sometihng like this to happen.

"But I am clearly the most important! I am a Jedi and a former ruler of a planet," she spoke, the last one bit of it being a little exaggeration. But the answer she got was unexpected, and surprised Maria quite a bit.

"Yeah, why are you not ruling the planet anymore, then?"

Maria didn't react. OK, she did, but that was only her jaw dropping her mouth open. As the moving team saw a chance to quickly get out of there, they used it and within a moment, they were already gone.

That was crazy. What would she do with all the stuff now? She had ordered lovely objects for her living room and... bedroom. What would she do now? The stuff were all in front of her house which was located in the suburban areas of the Capital City. Yeah, these areas had been the only chance ot get a wonderful living space. And they were the only places where not so skyscraper-y buildings could be found. These were funny little houses here.

After releasing a sigh, Maria tried to start bringing her things inside, but she had no idea how she could get all the stuff in. Especially bed and couches. So that's why she took her holopad out and surfed the holonet to find a much more expensive moving service which was currently not occupied with something. One of them, a rather expensive one, was just nearby, so she quickly ordered their services.

...

It was nearly a quarter of an hour later when Maria was already sitting in a café in the City Centre, which was the busiest place on Umbara. Well, most likely it was. After having ordered only some coffee and a biscuit plate, she enjoyed life. Quite interesting, considering how she had just been really full of hatred only a quarter of an hour ago. Heh, it made even the Jedi Padawan herself smirk.

Her clothing was nothing people would usually see on such a dark planet as she was wearing a light yellow dress and white sneakers. Others often took a look at her when they saw her walking around the city, but usually it was really just a look, not a creepy stare or anything.

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

 

[Jsc]

The Capital

When Sam arrived in the capital she exited her vehicle and walked into the Skyview Hotel. Another Jedi Knight by the name of Chris Merryworth was there to meet her. A sandy-haired human male. They exchanged introductions before sitting in the lobby.

"Welcome to Umbara Knight Jhovna. What can I do for you today?"

"Well. Truth be told, I have a package that needs to be delivered tomorrow. So for right now, I'd just appreciate a great meal."

"I completely understand. Take some time to check into your room and meet me back here in twenty minutes. I know a great place."

"Thanks Chris. I'll see you soon then."

.....


Café Trio

Sam and Chris walked into the café with a happy smile. After a busy day on a strange planet, nothing sounded better to them right now than a good meal. They approached the hostess and began to chit-chat.

[member="Maria Natalja"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

The biscuits were nice and tasted good, Maria enjoyed eating them. Umbara was not a bad planet at all, just a bit dark. And seemingly empty, maybe. But that's what the ones who had never been to the planet's capital would say. Because the Capital CIty was a really cool place. Other areas just seemed to... foggy? The Jedi Padawan had no interest in living anywhere else on the planet.

The best thing was that the world was under Republic's control, so she had no reason to fear her cousin's revenge or anything.

But then Maria suddenly heard some talk coming from near the hostess. Natalja looked that way and noticed two people, a woman and a man, talking there. She may have never seen them if she wouldn't have sensed some Light Side presence. As she was only a Padawan, she couldn't sense too much from these two people, but she was sure they were both Jedi.

She decided to keep her eyes and ears open to see and hear what they may be doing there.

 

[Jsc]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Sam and Chris found a table nearer the windows and sat down. Sam caught Maria's gaze and gave a soft wave. Just to be polite. Then they grabbed a pair of menu's and began to small talk. Mostly about the city and the planet itself. Culture, food, entertainment, politics. The usual light banter between polite associates.

Chris was obviously not a local himself. But placed her on an Internal Investigation following a Military complication. He only planned on remaining for two more weeks before being redeployed back to the Core Worlds. Sam expressed an interest in his police work and the topic shifted.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

That was it. Maria had to go. She stood up with her cup of coffee and the biscuit plate and set her steps towards the two people who seemed to be Jedi. Her walk wasn't too fast, it was confident. If there was a chance to make new friends, she had to use it and get some new friends. She needed new ones now that her old friends probably hated her now. She had betrayed them, but after all it was their own problem they had chosen to follow the wrong side of the Force.

"Biscuits?" Maria asked as soon as she reached the two people. She held her plate out, offering these two the snacks. There were still a lot of them there, after all Maria had ordered a whole plate of them. A smile could have been seen on her face, a real smile not one of these fake ones she sometimes tended to have.

This meeting was a chance to become a better Jedi via communicating with fellow members of the Order.

 

[Jsc]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Chris seemed baffled by the offer and leaned back in his seat with a look of pure befuddlement. Sam only smiled and sought a deeper connection. She waved the woman to grab another chair.

"Welcome. Why don't you join us stranger? My companion and I were just making small talk."

Chris raised his eyebrows with surprise but said nothing. Sam took the plate of biscuits and placed it on the table.

"Pull up a chair. I sense something very familiar about you already. Hehe."

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

Maria smiled while pulling up a chair to sit on. Maybe these two actually didn't want her but tried to sound polite? Why was Maria always so neurotic and suspicious? Trying to wave away her suspicion, she smiled again and then sat down on the chair she had just pulled out. "Thank you for letting me join you."

She then took a biscuit and said nicely, "Have some biscuits."

 

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[member="Maria Natalja"]

"Thank you." Sam smiled. "I'm Sam. And this is Chris. We're Jedi Knights from the Core Worlds. You wouldn't happen to be related would you? You seem to have the talent for it?"

Chris began to nod now. He saw what Sam was doing. This new woman sitting with them was a Force Sensitive and she wanted to look into that. Now it was all making sense to him.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

"Actually, I am a Jed-" Maria started saying, but then she stopped. She was not too much of a Jedi yet, even though she was in the Order. But darkness was still lying inside her so she was not a correct Jedi yet. "I am a Force-sensitive of the Jedi Order," she corrected herself. It was better to be right than being suspected. Because the darkness inside her was no longer that powerful, but could have been sensed by greater Force-sensitives.

"But I am definitely not from the Core Worlds," she said and then chuckled a bit. Her tone was quite high and light when she laughed like that, a bit enjoyable even.

 

[Jsc]

[member="Sam"] Jhovna

"Fabulous." Sam exclaimed, "Then I am so glad you managed to join us. Welcome welcome. My associate and I were just discussing the planet. You wouldn't happen to be from here, would you?"

Sam was ignorant of the locals or their customs. She simply assumed Maria was a local. Chris just shrugged and didn't bother to correct her. He decided to pull up his menu and pretend he was looking for something to eat. He would let the ladies talk for a bit.

"I'm Knight Samantha Jhovna of Coruscant. What's your name?"

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

"Indeed? Well, I am not from the planet, I actually recently moved here as it's one of the places where I could be a bit safer than on the planet I live before. I am sure most of the galaxy doesn't even know of my old home," Maria spoke. She remembered the fall of Arx Mortis, leaving Crystalsong, the run, coming to Umbara... it seemed like it had all happened just yesterday. Even though it was not true at all.

"Following your format, I would say I am Padawan Maria Zam-" she spoke. Then she looked down and sighed. She didn't have a last name anymore. She forgot that. But then she continued her sentence, "... Natalja. Of Nar Shaddaa." Then she looked at Samantha again and tried to force a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you. So are you two here for first time? What do you think about the planet?"

 

[Jsc]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

"It's an interesting planet. Much too dark and foreboding. Though the air is pleasant and the ergonomics are comfortable. I don't mind staying."

She smiled and looked for their waiter. It was almost time to order.

"What brings you out and about today Miss Natalija? Business or pleasure?"

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

[member="Sam Jhovna"]

"I am here just for fun, I guess. I have no idea what I should be doing at the moment, so I came here," Maria spoke. She took a biscuit and then a bite out of it. While chewing it, she had some time to think about the question. Then she continued, "Sometimes it is actually fun to just go and... spend some time in a café. Sometimes it's a chance to meet wonderful people," after saying that she smirked a bit as meeting wonderful people was exactly what had happened, "or help others out, a thing Jedi should do. It's actually quite good to just go out sometimes. I guess I have actually combined pleasure and work."

"But what are two Jedi like you doing on this planet, actually? If I may know that, of course."

 

[Jsc]

[member="Maria Natalja"]

Chris' phone rang and he excused himself to take the call. Sam smiled and answered Maria's question,

"Chris and I are out making deliveries for the Order today. Datacron Extracts and Imports from the Jedi Library on Tython. I think the Order is just updating their files a bit and seeking new entries. Simple paperwork. Nothing more."

She waved the comment away and finally made eye contact with the waiter they could order soon. Well. As soon as Chris got back.

"So Miss Natalja? What do you do for work?"