Menacing Light

[Nikolas Faselli]

Via
[member="Connor Harrison"]

Ah, the smell of fresh air and untouched nature. It felt like something that wasn't too common in this galaxy. So many of the popular planets had turned into ecumenopolises, and there was no green there anymore. But Via hadn't become anything like that yet. It was a land of beauty, and even though it had cities there, it also had amazing landscapes.

Plains, grasslands, all that stuff Ellya could never see. But she did use other senses to understand and admire the natural prettiness of everything that was around her. Seeyeh, her astromech droid, peeped fast to tell his companion about everything that non-blind people could see. And even though the droid was not an artist and the way he talked about the nature was a bit rustic, Ellya could finally 'see' what was around her.

"Thanks, Seeyeh! Ah, what a wonderful world it is."

She smiled, took a small breath, and then laid down on the ground. She wanted to feel the grass, she wanted to get the energy the planet could give her. Everywhere around her was life, and besides the droid, no technology could interrupt her now, she felt.

"Sometimes I wonder -- what does light look like? All I see is dark."

She tried to project light, but.. it was impossible. Just like with colours -- you can't imagine one which doesn't already exist, but you'll figure it out when you see one. Ellya had never seen light, so she couldn't even imagine it. What was it like?

Light had to be wonderful, joyful, full of hope and protection. At least that's what she had heard.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Via
Viandum System​

South of Voss, just on the edges of Wild Space, Connor Harrison gunned the engine of his personal ship, an E-Wing fighter, as he tore through the atmosphere of the planet Via, an excitable grin on his face.

Feeling a rush of adrenalin, Connor hadn’t had the chance to enjoy being alone and left to his own devices for a while. Company seemed to just get him in trouble, be it one Miss Raaf of the Republic, or his own Silver Jedi Coci Sinopi, Serena Bouie or Nima Tann. Whenever he was with others, he always seemed to be drawn into something bigger than expected – and far more dangerous.

But now, again, he was on his own taking time to explore the mysterious of the Force that he served across the galaxy. This time he was breaking through the atmosphere and coming into a planet not well known to the Silver Jedi, and one that seemed to be wrapped up in mystery; a great attraction for one such as he.

Peering down upon a large outcrop of mountains that seemed to be a focal point on an otherwise untouched area, the nature of the planet took Connor’s breath away. Open plains, rivers, small canyons and the snow speckled mountains he flew over; it seemed to be touched by nothing but nature. On his scanner, the traces of life were massing, and he could only assume it was animals native to the planet and who knew how many settlements or cities stretching the horizon.

Pushing down on the yoke and whistling to himself, Connor went in low and roared overhead, past woodland, kicking up water on large lakes and blowing the grass and fields in a frenzy. Circling a couple of times, Connor brought his E-Wing down beside a large lake, with grasslands on one side and woodland on the other.

Pulling back on the cockpit, it hissed and opened gently letting in the fresh air that smelt nothing but pure. Connor stood in the cockpit, and took a moment to lean back and simply look around at the planet before him. If there was nothing of great interest, it would certainly be a place to return to with others for training and expeditions.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

There was some noise. It was far too close to the girl. Having no ability to see, Ellya's sense of hearing had become dominant, and it had been enhanced to immerse levels. She was not able to hear insects doing their things, but when it came to ships landing many metres away, it was sure Ellya could hear that. This time was no different.

"What is that?"

The droid gave the girl a brief overview of a ship having landed somewhere nearby, and that was all the blind girl needed. She rose to her feet again, shook off some of the dirt, and then started walking towards the source of the noise. Seeyeh was a bit surprised at first, but then followed his companion. Ellya was not new to the planet, so she knew what to expect, making her movement faster. In fact, it looked a lot like the woman was able to actually see.

And soon the girl found herself near a ship. She could tell it by the metallic smell. But just to be sure, she asked for Seeyeh's confirmation, which was positive.

"Hey!"

The girl shouted in the direction of the huge piece of metal, hoping there was anybody able to hear her.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Leaning over the cockpit to fetch his lightsaber hilt and flask of water, the female voice ahead of him caught his attention, glancing up to see one who appeared to be a native to the planet; all earthy and neutral looking.

”Hello there!”

Connor stepped back, fixing the hilt to his belt over his left hip and the flask to his right. Pushing back his greatcoat, he stepped around the ship and casually walked around to the other side, facing the woodland where the girl was stood with an astromech droid beside her. What a peculiar coupling, especially seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

”I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said with a small smile, holding up his hands.

He turned back to the ship to seal the cockpit and lockdown the engine.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya carefully stepped closer to the ship, and to the... man? At least it had sounded like a man, but she could never be too sure about it. The voice was not the lowest she had heard. In fact, some Viatori women had as low voices as this one person over here had. But after he spoke again, she was sure it was a person of the male gender.

"Didn't startle me."

She didn't know the man had smiled to her, because she didn't see that. Neither did she understand it was a time when she could be smiling, too. So she just continued walking, and the closer she got to the metallic smell (which was later accompanied by the smell of the man), the slower did she start stepping.

The astromech right next to her beeped again, to which Ellya smiled.

"Sorry, didn't know you were smiling to me."

A small smile appeared on her face.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Locking the cockpit, he turned back and saw the girl was closer, and looking far more native than he thought. Dressed as if she embraced nature, it was somehow a refreshing change from the heavy armour, robes and uniforms of the greater galaxy. Dark hair and dark eyes, helping highlight the smile that formed on her face with the tooting astro droid.

However, her statement made Connor narrow his eyes slightly, a little amused.

”Well, there’s no-one else here. Your droid, perhaps.”

Pausing for a second, he leant forward and stretched out his hand, looking at her.

”Connor Harrison.”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya had no idea of the man's hand being stretched out. Neither would she even guess it was there for a greeting. Her droid didn't even make a noise this time, due to understanding her companion was hopeless at meeting new people. He just looked around, driving around the ship with the intention of learning what it was.

"Ellya."

She kept her eyes at the man, even though there was nothing to see there. The girl's huge minus was that she had developed irises and pupils, unlike many Viatori. It meant most people didn't get she was blind. Yet there was a good thing about it -- she had a chance of gaining the ability of seeing later in her life.

"Nice to meet you."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Tapping his fingers in a little embarrassing twitch, Connor dropped his hand and nodded. Porbably part of her culture, or psychosis not to make contact.

”Ellya. A pleasure.”

The astro droid made a series of chirps and whistles, seemingly scouting around the E-Wing. Connor turned and walked over to where the droid was, inspecting it.

”So what’s your unit doing? Sniffing out the Jedi or something? He’s a feisty little one.”

Connor crouched down to watch the droid and chuckled softly. He never had a droid companion, but when looking at it, he could see why many did.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"Seeyeh is naturally curious. He was programmed that way, I think. Probably just wants to inspect your ship to find some inspiration for tuning mine."

Ellya looked in the direction of the ship, which ended up with her actually looking far away from it. The smell was everywhere in the air, so she couldn't get find the source anymore. And the fact that her droid didn't stop moving around didn't make finding the ship any easier.

"He has to gather every little piece of the environment around me to give me the information I need. Him being curious is essential to me."

Her voice was a bit cold, but not the typical kind... The timbre wasn't clear -- it was soft and cold. She looked at the man again, which she got right. Looking at people made them feel like they were accepted and listened to, she had heard, so she had made it a habit of seeking for others' eyes, even though it gave her nothing at all.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking between the girl and the droid, Connor felt she was uncomfortable. She was also, interestingly, giving off a slight Force signature which would be useful.

”I see,” he said, looking once more at the droid and then back to the girl.

He stood up and brushed down his knees from the damp ground.

”I have to say it’s a beautiful planet. I didn’t know it even existed until a month or so ago.”

Connor paused again, unsure of her intentions with the droid…and his ship. Maybe she was simply a scavenger out to take it.

”Listen, do you know how far the nearest city or settlement is? I’d like to find out a little more of this planet, and you seem busy so don’t want to take up any more of your time.”

Busy, no. Distracted, yes, by what? Even being alone, he didn’t want to make someone feel uncomfortable, and Ellya was either distracted or uncomfortable.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Yes, Ellya felt a bit uncomfortable. She was not too fond to hanging out with random people, and that was typical for a member of the Viatori species. They were shy -- unlike Ellya -- and mostly introverted, meaning they didn't want to always be with people.

"I... Can come with you. It's only about twenty kilometres away."

The girl tried to smile, but she didn't know if it was the right situation for that. Not having met many outsiders in her life, she was rather awkward around them, not to say completely embarrassing. Being blind made it only worse.

"I know a lot about the planet. As it's my home. Or at least was it. Antiquus City, the most wonderful of our settlements, is nearby, and it's the best way to learn about Viatori culture."

She finally understood she hadn't lend her hand to the man after greetings, so she did that now. Which made the whole situation even more embarrassing to both of them.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Blowing out his cheeks gently, looking around the plains around them, it worked out around 12 miles. That was a bit of a walk. But, he couldn’t just up his ship and leave her now she offered to help. Still, his com was active if he was needed. His flask was full, so it was too late to back out now.

”Well, yes, ok. I’d appreciate the guide, thank you.”

He couldn’t help feeling something was wrong. However, she seemed to make the effort finally which must have meant she was ready to accept his presence to walk with her.

”Thank you Ellya, any information I can get to take to my Order, and for my own knowledge, will be greatly appreciated.”

He finally took her hand and gently shook it, inclining his head gently. He took his hand away and pointed at the droid.

”Please say your little droid will be coming? I rather like the little guy.”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya took her hand away and laughed with a high, innocent, soft voice. She hadn't expected Connor to want to be that close to Seeyeh, but as he was important for the girl, he had to come along, anyway.

"Yes, I'll take him with us."

The laugh disappeared from her face and she looked just as serious as she had been before in just a matter of moments, unlike some people who had a hard time at shifting from one emotion to another. It could have been a Viatori thing, or it could have been just her own trait.

"Now, Antiquus is to the east, so we should be going..."

She tried to understand where they were, and to which side she was pointed to. She didn't have a sense of magnetism, so it was not easy to do that. But she did circle around a bit and then understand where she was. Of course, she had been to the south before, then turned to east, and talking to Connor she had faced west. So she just had to turn around.

"... that way."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a nod, Connor glanced back to check his ship…he was wary leaving it here, but hopefully it wasn’t glaringly in the open and it was locked down. Fingers crossed it would be here on his return or it’d be an embarrassing call for pick up.

He then looked to Ellya for direction, but frowned once more at her peculiar ways. She looked lost almost, as if sensing which way to go. Connor shook his head slightly as she circled around, and simply put it down to her native ways. Who was he to question a stranger.

”Should’ve brought a map,” he muttered to himself and he kept his head down and checked his belt was tightly fixed.

Looking up, he moved forward beside the girl and gestured forward with his hand to lead the way.

”Lead on.”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya whispered the words, "Seeyeh," and the droid found her place right next to the girl. They started moving together, slowly, so that the girl wouldn't take a wrong step. The droid made some noises to give information about the environment to the girl so that she wouldn't walk into a puddle or anything. The combination of these two worked out rather well.

"Why did you come to the planet?"

Her voice was blunt and to the point. She was not too polite of a person and didn't know much about proper manners.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Watching the droid roll over to them, chirping and whistling and whirring, Connor smirked at the odd duo – one seemingly devoid of knowledge of the outside world, but embracing a piece of technology that represented another world.

He wasn’t fazed by her question, just as he expected from a native.

”Well I’m here simply to investigate a planet our scouts in the Silver Jedi Order informed me about.”

He turned to her.

”Before you ask, there’s no observation or anything, it’s simply a planet we never came across before and I’m acting alone from what we’ve seen.”

Connor turned and took a few more steps forward, thinking about his next reply.

”I’m curious about a planet with little history of Jedi and Sith involvement, and how the Force seems to be present here, but also not. Does that make sense? It’s simply a planet I want to understand. That’s all.”

Turning to her, he frowned slightly.

”I’m not a danger to you, alright?”

She may not be overly polite, but Connor could also be blunt when he wanted to be.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"I get it, you just wanted to see what this mystical Via is all about."

Ellya didn't turn around or anything while speaking. She heard the man just fine, and she thought Connor would hear her correctly, too. She sensed the man was getting as rude as she was, so she decided to back down a little bit. Might have been better to leave a good first impression to people rather than make them hate her forever. She didn't have any friends besides Seeyeh in this galaxy, after all.

"If you'd like to learn a little bit about the culture and... our philosophy, I could tell you something. If you want that."

The droid made some serious noise, but Ellya didn't notice that due to being in her own thoughts, and when she noticed her droid beeping furiously, it was too late. She stepped on an unexpected rock and nearly lost balance. Well, actually she did fall, but landed on the droid.

"Oh god..."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked around as Ellya spoke with a clear tone that was still unknown to the Jedi, as then she offered help, which was nice.

His eyes darted between the droid beeping and rocking, and its Master seemingly oblivious as she spoke, and then all he could do was wince as she awkwardly stumbled and fell onto her droid with a dull thud.

”Woah, be careful!”

He moved quickly, something he should have done moments before, and placed a hand on her arm as help.

”You ok? Need to keep your eyes on the ground I think, can’t have me carry you with a twisted ankle for 12 miles!”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya felt the man's arm and understood he was trying to help her. It was nice to know that some people in this huge galaxy still care about people like that Viatori girl. She took the helping hand and with it help, she stood up.

"Thank you!"

The droid buzzed a bit, but then calmed down. He was a bit angry at the girl not listening to him. Maybe it was jealousy he felt -- jealousy because of the man having gained all of the girls's attention. Maybe it was just a warning to the woman that she should be more careful. Who knows, because Ellya didn't listen to the droid anymore.

"I gotta tell you something. I'm completely blind."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The Jedi nodded, smiled, ensuring she was back on her feet and stood back a little, as the droid was obviously not happy at being a cushion.

He chuckled, and then Ellya spoke the obvious which made him smile, rolling his eyes at her teasingly.

”You can say that again! Don’t worry about it, let’s just move on. I don’t think your droid is too happy either!”

Moving forward, he watched the droid shake and whistle, the dome head turning back and forward. He didn’t go too far for fear there would be a little shock coming his way.

[member="Ellya"]