It’s so peaceful here…the Force permeates everything...

[Nubica Felidae]

When you’ve spent half of your life on one planet and in a certain way of life, you come to accept everything offered as normal. As the way it should be.

But recent trips had allowed Nubica a wider perspective of the galaxy and instead of providing answers and reassurances, had simply opened up a whole host of new questions.

Like, when is a Jedi not a Jedi? Who told you where to go or what to do? Who paid the bills? Did you have to wear robes? Did you use different Abilities?

So when she heard that a Jedi was going to visit the Academy from outside of the Republic Order, she jumped at the chance at being the meeter and greeter at the hangar. To show the Jedi around and explain what training happened on Ossus and the facilities on offer.

So she stood, waiting for the vessel to arrive – never failing to be awed by the hangar that was quite literally cut out of the side of a cliff. The sight of a ship coming in to land was always exhilarating.

She glanced down at her robes. They were so dark brown as to be mistaken for black and had noticed that they showed up fluff a lot more than the more muted tones. So she picked pieces of cotton off them – as well as the stray hair – before returning her attention to a ship that was making its final approach.

She was oddly anxious – and had no understanding as to the why.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

There were Jedi in the galaxy, there were independent lightsiders, there were also those who were against the Order. But Lilin couldn't fit into any of these categorisations. Having been raised in the galaxy full of war and the seemingly endless fight between the Republic and various Sith organisations, she could not truly embrace the side which said they would bring peace to the galaxy yet never managed to do that.

And even though she did really not like the Jedi Order or the Republic, she was not too much against helping them and working along the faction to help the galaxy as a whole. That put her in a situation where she was completely against the faction but decided to help them nonetheless.

Visiting Ossus, the powerful Jedi world, was one of the best ways to learn more about the faction and understand how to aid them. She was merely a Padawan but that didn't mean a lot to her -- most of the Covenant was made up of Padawans and that did not prevent them from being an amazing group of people.

Age and rank meant nothing to her.

Her ship landed in one of the hangars of the planet. She was supposed to meet somebody there, at least that's what she'd been told. Whether it was for security purposes or to just personally greet her didn't matter to Lilin.

After the ship made contact with the ground and she'd confirmed everything was shut down, she exited the ship in hopes that the Jedi will welcome her as they would greet anybody else. Just as they would greet fellow members of the Republic or Jedi Order. Even though she was not officially a member of either of these groups.

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica waited for the ship to touch down and spoke to one of the men in overalls to confirm this was in fact the ship she was waiting for.

Suddenly Nubica was gripped by uncertainty. How should she introduce herself, or address her guest? Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she simply strode to the descending ramp and bowed at the young woman that was exiting the ship.

“Padawan Felidae,” she said – her voice more confident than she felt. “But please call me Nubica.” She smiled warmly. “And you are…” She knew the name given to her but wanted her guest to introduce herself – to gauge how formal the conversation would be. Nubica never stood on ceremony but knew which Jedi liked to be referred to by rank and which were more comfortable being addressed by name.

“I’ve been simply asked to give you a guided tour. Show you the bits you want to see, avoid the ones you don’t and answer any questions you might have.” She smiled again – this meeting and greeting was actually harder than it sounded. You could end up sounding like a walking guide-book if you weren’t careful.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin made her way to the woman who greeted her. She had short hair of a colour she couldn't tell yet and was not too much taller than her. Perhaps she wasn't a lot older than her either, even though she lacked the skill to tell the right age of people so she wouldn't even bother to assume.

"... Lilin. Nice to meet you, Nubica," she replied after the Jedi girl had introduced her. Looked like a pretty decent person, maybe even the first real Jedi she would like.

But something told the girl Nubica was not feeling the most comfortable in this situation. Maybe she was unsure of herself, maybe she didn't like talking to strangers. There could have been various reasons behind that. However, she did think if she released her extroverted nature, the Jedi would not feel too bad in the situation.

"Got it!" she said as the girl told her what she was going to do. So it would be a guided tour -- she loved that.

She couldn't help but smile at Nubica and then offer her hand for a handshake. And just then did she remember Jedi did not typically greet that way, so she tried to fix her mistake immediately and turn the awkward gesture into a bowing motion.

"I'd love to see whatever you think are the best parts of this place."

[ [member="Nubica Felidae"] ]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica smiled. Lilin. She presumed it was a first name, but regardless, it wasn’t some stuffy title. Unless Lilin was a title. She mentally shook her head. No, that wasn’t likely.

And why was she nervous around this guest? Perhaps she was simply afraid of giving the wrong impression. It had been drummed into them that an outsider – even another Jedi – would judge the Order on the first person they met. And she didn’t want tales carried that they were in any way lacking.

But her guest seemed comfortable with the idea of a tour and this relaxed Nubica and the tension quite literally drained from her shoulders.

“I have to admit,” she said, as they left the hangar, “I’ve never done this tour thing before and don’t want it to sound boring, so I’ll stick to the interesting stuff and if you’ve got any questions fire away. And…”

She stopped walking and faced Lilin. “And if it’s OK, I’d love to ask you stuff. I mean, I only know Ossus and the inside of shuttles. I mean, I get to visit places but not as a tourist. It tends to be land, sort stuff out and back in the shuttle.”

She was aware she was saying ‘stuff’ a lot and made a conscious effort to stop it.

“So what’s exciting for you? Classrooms, gardens, the Council Chambers, the training grounds? Did you know the Tython Forge is here? That’s where I plan to craft my saber – once I get the crystal that is.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"Yeah, that's fine," Lilin replied to the Jedi, Nubica, after she'd told her she would like to ask some questions from her as well. And, thanks to the fact that she had an adventurous mind, she had visited a lot of places and had learned quite a bit of life around the galaxy.

And then she took a moment to think. What would she like to see the most? Her heart or the Force or whatever it was constantly tried to force her to take a look a the gardens first. Maybe it was because of her love for beautiful views and the calming power of nature or maybe the fact that she loved spending time in the outdoors. But whatever it was about, he couldn't think of a better place to see.

"Ooh, I hear your gardens are pretty nice. And I've also heard a lot of good stuff about the Tython Forge, so seeing that would be nice as well," the girl spoke after having gathered her thoughts. She was definitely not a Jedi, everybody could see that, but she had had no idea she'd be given the chance to see such things -- something she'd thought to be a Jedi Order secret.

It was no lie she was an ally of the Galactic Republic and had helped the Jedi in various occasions. But he was not a member of the Order and that made her a little bit of frightened about the situation.

Nubica didn't look like more than a Padawan so if she made a mistake and took her to a place she wouldn't have been allowed to bring a non-Jedi, Lilin would probably take the blame some way.

Trying to shake off her hesitations, she started to walk again with steps full of energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes she thought her carefree nature would make a situation better and more fun. That was definitely one of these, so she didn't even try to be overly serious about things. She was there as a tourist. And what did tourists do? Take pictures in the silliest places, look at everything with awe and ask locals odd questions, right?

[ [member="Nubica Felidae"] ]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica did her best not to sound like a guide-book and so tended to say the first thing that came into her head. She was a Jedi but she was also Nubica and their individuality was something they should be proud of. So, with Lilin, she was simply the young girl from Naboo – not a formal tour-guide.

So she remembered all the fun things she could recollect being impressed with the first time around and made sure she pointed them out.

“This is the Clarity Gate,” She stood next to a trapezoid shaped arch that fronted a courtyard which was decorated with a fountain. “It’s how we get to the gardens. We’re supposed to stop and meditate before passing through, but Padawans tend to only stop for a second, and only when a Knight or Master is watching.” She smiled.

“I’m a Padawan. I’ve just been taken on by a Master for my training.” Her face suggested she had a story to tell. “I was a little older than most, given I’ve been here since I was eight. I think I have a reputation for being a bit head-strong.”

She seemed to dismiss the notion and carried on walking, allowing spaces for Lilin to talk or ask questions.

“This path is called the Crooked Way for obvious reasons.” Nubica indicated the winding and meandering path beneath their feet. “It’s supposed to slow us down to admire the scenery. But after eight years, you tend to just want to hurry up.”

It was true the gardens were beautiful but it could be forgiven for taking them for granted after so many years. At least to a sixteen-year old it was reasonable to do so.

They passed by a whole host of buildings that Nubica announced housed ‘stuff’ and headed out into the open spaces of the garden and finally to what appeared a tall copse.

Bowing her head to walk under the branches, Nubica led them into the trees. After twenty or so feet, they entered a circular open space, lined by those trees. In front of them was a small hill into which were stone steps that led all the way to the top. To a small open-fronted temple.

“It’s a bit of a climb but it’s worth it believe me,” she said grinning. “Follow me.”

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

After they'd reached the gate Nubica called the Clarity Gate, Lilin had to admit it was a beautiful place. And the gate did serve a noble goal, even though Jedi Padawans didn't quite follow its purpose. Perhaps they would learn as they age, she guessed, while forgetting that even she may have not wanted to stop behind the gate and meditate -- there was no time for that, especially in the galaxy full of war and unrest. During peace, meditation could have been an option. But as a member of the Covenant, there was no time to just sit and do nothing.

Maybe that's why she was so bad at Force skills.

"Now I can see why people think Jedi Order's buildings are so amazing. The entrance seems beautiful," she commented on the whole scenery. Perhaps if she had to be there every day, she would not feel that way. But now as a tourist and a first time visitor, there seemed to be nothing more beautiful in the whole galaxy than that gate.

As they progressed through the Crooked Way, her eyes jumped from one place to another, not knowing where to look. The scenery was amazing and definitely worth and admiration.

And then they reached the hill. She had no idea what the heck it was, but she was eager to find out. So a small climb meant nothing to her -- after all, there was nothing worse than her trip to Ilum when she had to climb on only her right hand and at the same time bear all the freezing temperature around her.

"Yeah, let's go!"

[ [member="Nubica Felidae"] ]

 

[Nubica Felidae]

Nubica was clearly pleased that Lilin was keen to climb the steps. It was a steep climb but the surrounding trees meant there was no view to show for their climb. Clearly the site was chosen for its privacy.

As they got closer to the top, it was clear the building there was stone on three sides and open at the front. Once they reached the final few steps, Nubica's face split into a beaming smile. In front of them was an ancient machine. Blue runes glowed on its surface and its purpose was not immediately clear.

Nubica walked up to it and touched it - almost reverantly. "When I get a crystal, this is where I'll craft my saber. This is the Forge created by the Jed'aii Order thousands and thousands of years ago. They built it to help craft lightsabers. It was on Tython but was returned here at the time of the last Galactic Event. Apparently the building is a re-creation of its original home. Isn't it wonderful?"

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]