Dev Learn to Soar

[Varys Amun]

B'yaim Haar Cabur,
Inuyahya'baar, Kestri's Moon.

Varys had discovered the kite because she was bored. It was been a whirlwind few days for her, and at first she was glad to have some time to rest. That was until she'd realised she had nothing with which to entertain herself, and as a daughter of a traitor clan, nobody wanted to talk to her.

The clan was getting ready to move, a sort of exodus from Enclave space that Varys herself did not yet understand. She was sure Jenn would explain it in time, but it made her uncomfortable. Still, despte her reservations, Varys had offered to help pack down a room or load carts with boxes, but every time, her offer had been firmly refused.

Varys didn't really like being alone, but she was used to it, so to keep herself busy she'd wandered B'yaim Haar Cabur until she was familiar with its twisting subterranean halls. It was on one of these trips that she turned a corner expecting a dead-end hallway, and a lift to the upper decks, but instead found herself facing a small, dark opening in the wall.

Poking her head in, Varys saw the room was an old storage area, filled with crates covered by thick canvas. The air was stale and dusty, but Varys pushed forward, unable to resist the allure of whatever secrets lay within.

Varys had picked up an unfortunate habit in the time she had spent exploring B'yaim Haar Cabur. Once she had seen most of the base, Varys had turned to rifling through old boxes, mostly filled with junk, and pocketing the more interesting trinkets for herself. She felt a little guilty taking things that didn't belong to her, but she reckoned that if nobody had come looking for it in the last few years, then they probably wouldn't miss it either. Besides, it was a fun little game to keep her occupied in the suffocating facility, to distract her from the sceptical looks and frosty silence. So far, Varys had managed to score herself a leather holster, a carved strill totem, and an owl charm on a string, all without anyone noticing or caring about her treasure-hunting.

Varys felt her way to one of the crates in the corner. It was shorter than the others, a dark stained wooden trunk that appeared handmade based on the joinery. Her curiosity piqued, Varys approached the box, flipping the heavy latch and lifting the lid. She looked inside, and frowned. The entire box was full of a rich red cloth, on top of which rested a bundle of silky white cord and a yellowed book, with a faded cover with a hand-painted illustration that appeared to depitct a figure dangling from an enormous kite. The title above the illustration read 'Senaar'sen: A Beginner's Guide' in flowing Mandalorian script. Varys had never heard of Senaar'sen, and she didn't consider herself much of a reader, but something about the book was alluring.

A sound outside made her jump. Someone was heading down the hall. Her heart racing, Varys quickly picked up the book and closed the trunk, slipping out the storage room and making her way swiftly back to her quarters.

 

[Varys Amun]

Back in her room, Varys took a seat at the small writing desk in the corner and opened the old book and began to flick through it. To her surprise, instead of neatly printed text, each page was full of handwritten notes and scrawled diagrams. It was nearly indecipherable. In the corner was a diagram of a complicated looking knot, with the words 'ESSENTIAL' written below and underlined three times. Varys sighed and put the book down.

It looked interesting, sure, but there was absolutely no way that she would be able to wade through hundreds of pages of scrawled text. She tucked the book in a desk drawer and, slightly disappointed, left to find something else to do.

The next evening, Varys found herself sitting at the desk again, staring down at the faded pages. She had dreamed the night before of swirling masses of black birds, and great swathes of red cloth shimmering in the sky. If Varys had been the type to believe the Manda had a will for her, she would have thought that something was steering her back to the book.

She opened the text to the first page. This time she saw a foreword she swore wasn't there last the first time she'd opened the book.

To my reader. If you hold this book in your hands it means the old vod who wrote it has now passed.

Perhaps you have arrived here because you wish to learn more about the art of Mandalorian Kitework. My hope, dear reader, is that once you have finished this text you will be compelled to pick up the kite for yourself. For the right person, there is nothing more freeing than that which you will learn here.

This book contains everything that I have learned in sixty years of working the kites. It is messy, at times confusing, but I am confident that everything you will need is within these pages.

I discovered Senaar'sen at a dark period in my own life and our people's history. Mastering the kite gave me purpose, and forged a connection to my Manda'yaim that I'd never had. It saved me. I hope it helps you too, reader.

Senaar'sen is an difficult and fickle art. If you choose to pursue it there is no doubt you will oft find yourself frustrated beyond measure. I invite you to stick to it. The reward is well worth it.

Good luck to you, intrepid burc'ya. May the winds carry you far.

- Aurelia Amun

Varys ran a finger over the name signed at the bottom, trembling. Aurelia Amun. Varys had never heard of her, so she must have lived some time ago. But, an Amun had written this book, and she had behind the book for Varys to discover, maybe even to follow in her footsteps.

There could not be a clearer sign. Varys had to read it.
​

 

[Varys Amun]

A few days later, Varys had read A Beginner's Guide cover-to-cover four times. She had covertly retrieved the crate containing the kite, and had spent long hours practicing Senaar'sen's seemingly infinite knots with the white cord until her fingers were raw and calloused.

Finally, Varys decided she was ready to put what she'd learned into practice. She would not fly today, just have a go assembling the kite and getting it aloft. If the book was anything to go off, this would be a feat all its own. In the chapter on the subject, Aurelia, the book's author, had recounted a story of an eager Mandalorian child whose exploration of kitework had ended violently when he was taken off his feet while launching his kite and smashed upon a rocky outcrop. The book was full of similar tales of grisly fates that has befall Senaar'sen practitioners. Varys didn't want any of that to happen to her, so she had read throughly and carefully, and practiced as much as she could in the safety of the base. But, there was only so much she could do in her cramped quarters, so it was time to go out into the air.

Varys had risen before dawn to make her preparations. For reasons she didn't totally understand herself, she had decided to keep her foray into kitework a secret, not only from the rest of the clan, but from Jenn too. Part of it was that she was afraid she would fail before she began. Aurelia Amun's book explained well enough that her learning would be rife with false starts and setbacks. She didn't want to embarass herself in front of Jenn if it turned out she couldn't do it. More than that, though, was a feeling that this was hers. Just hers, like the stolen moments sitting by the creek back home. Something just for Varys. She would show Jenn eventually, but for now it was nice to have at least one part of her life she felt she could control.

Wrapped up in heavy snow gear, Varys fumbled with the manual door release before eventually finding her grip on the latch. Pale morning light and icy wind greeted her as she stepped out. She had stepped out at the base's highest entrance, where the sloping terrain and nearby ridgeline would provide ideal conditions for launching. Even with her extra layers Varys was cold and stiff, but she pressed on setting down her rucksack on a rocky plateau blown clear by the constant winds.

From her bag she retrieved the kite, already painstakingly folded and tied for a quick deployment. The wind tugged at the red fabric, trying to rip it from her hands, but Varys held it fast. She adjusted her feet so that she was in a low crouch and attached the kite, still tucked under her arm, to its carved wooden handle. After a final check Varys decided she was ready, and threw the cloth bundle into the air with a grunt of effort.

The kite billowed out like a sheet, and at last seemed to come alive, and raced upwards like a soaring bird. As the air drove it up Varys could at last see its design in its full glory. It was an enormous crimson crescent, interlaced with golden lines that appeared as great veins and capillaries. In its center was the radiant icon of an owl, its wings outstretched to touch either edge of the kite. Varys was so transfixed that she did not notice the white cord disappear from the bundle in front of her.

When the line snapped taut, Varys was almost yanked off her feet. She skidded forward a short distance, digging her heels into the gravelly surface until she stopped. The kite wheeled above her, swooping high and low like an animal waiting to be freed. It took all Varys' strength just to hold on. Her arms were already burning with the effort.

"Ah!" Varys grunted. "Oh KARK!"

A sudden gust of wind was her undoing. The kite lurched forward and pulled Varys with it. In an instant she had lost her balance and was being dragged along like a toy. Desperately, she tried to dig her feet into the loose ground, but she could not find purchase. A moment later, she was carried over the edge of the ridge, leaving Varys dangling over the void.