Place of Refuge

[Makari Valeal]

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Makari came to Dagobah to record footage of the wildlife and seek out a mythical creature if it was there. He was hired by the Ralla Family, who owned a lucrative news organization. They paid people for dangerous footage, and Makari had made a good deal of money in his teenage years by skirting battlefields and recording scenes of genocide and mayhem for them. It was dangerous work at times, but the money was good, and at the time Makari’s family had really needed it.

As he got older, Makari had learned that there were better ways to make money, so he had taken on safer jobs with lower risks. Like this expedition to Dagobah for example. He had heard many things about the planet, but none of it was eye-raising or dangerous. Or at least not in comparison to the other planets, where Makari had to constantly look over his shoulder because of the wildlife or the suspicious locals.

His expedition team consisted of him and four others. They were friendly people, but they were too talkative for Makari’s liking. He didn’t like unnecessary chit-chat and these people wanted to talk about everything under the sun. It only got worse as the days went by, and on one particular day, Makari had finally reached his breaking point.

“I’ll be back before sundown,” he told them. He packed up his backpack and left the campsite with the intention of not returning for several days.

He ended up wandering through a swamp and for some reason, his body seemed to pull him in a certain direction. He wasn’t sure what the feeling was, but he thought it was slightly familiar. Like maybe he had felt this feeling in the past before and he had forgotten?


[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

"WELCOME TO DAGOBAH, WATCH YOUR STEP."​

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Those were the very first words Kiara ever heard on Dagobah, and they were handy as well. The place she now lived was surrounded by thick sandy puddles, which with a single misplaced step could sweep you in and keep you under for a good fifteen minutes. If you were lucky, you didn't have to suffocate under the watery sand, and instead be eaten alive. Or calm down and turn on your jetpack. From just outside, the old blue robed hermit who called this land theirs threw a rock into one of the sandy puddles and watched it quickly become overlapped with sand, and disappear beneath the ground. Her eyes wondered it for a moment, then a tickling shock rode up her spine.​

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Without a moment to lose, she found herself running back into the small dirt hut she had taken a liking to, surrounded in shrubs and bushes to better hide the disgusting form of man-made construction. There she rapidly flipped herself in front of a line of holo-monitors to see just out of the blue of her eye, someone new walking just out of range of her camera. So, there was more visitors. She could have imagined all of the thick trees she put in the way would have kept them, but this one... was obviously different.​

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She knew it was coming, and there was no stopping that. Nothing to lose but a house full of scrap metal, she gently clasped her hand around a firm metal staff and closed her eyes, helping to more direct the man to her humble abode. It was only a matter of time and skill to find the mud hut behind the bushes.​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

“Where the chit are you taking me?” Makari asked himself. Where the hell was he going?

He looked around his surroundings and every common sense bone in his body, told him to turn around and walk away. This wasn’t like him. He didn’t take risks like this for no reason. Why was he going forward? Why was he being stubborn?

He put a hand to his chest and tried to understand what was moving inside of him. Was he possessed? Was he becoming like his crazy uncle, who rambled on and on about firing lightening from his fingertips-the ridiculous nut.

What was this?

Hiss.

Makari nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the Dagobah python. He backed away from the Gnarltree, firing a few rounds from his pistol to scare off the snake, but his body got stuck in something thick.

“Chit!”

The sandy puddle tried to swallow him, but Makari was a Valeal. He knew a thing or two about surviving in the wilderness. Before he could get completely pulled in, he found something to latch on to, and he used his body strength to pull himself up. His clothes were dirty, but at least he still had his life in the end.

After he used a towel from his backpack to wipe himself off, Makari continued forward.

He had come too far to stop now.

No sooner had he thought that, when Makari came upon a curious sight. His expedition team had been on Dagobah for days now, and they had never come across any signs of intelligent life. Yet, as Makari maneuvered through the thick trees, and the shrubs and bushes of the swamp, he came across a small dirt hut. It was inelegant, but Makari just needed somewhere to rest for a few hours.

He approached the hut with caution and announced himself clearly.

"Anyone home," he said in a loud voice. He waited patiently for a reply.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Oh, so he did make it. With help, of course, that was all too obvious. It just took a moment of silence after the knock, before she suddenly barked out in a raspy, old voice. "What do you want?!" Her voice trembled lightly in the air, with a mixture of a fearing voice laced in her words. She knew a thing or two about knocking strangers away.​

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The door swung open not a second after the sound came out, revealing the messy red head in her dirtied blue robe, and behind her, a brightly lit hut with dirt walls and several mechanical beings strapped down, all powered off. There was also an occasional shelf, with a jar of food, or even a jar of water, though it all seemed to be made out of clay. ​

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In fact, the whole thing was just a mix of primitive and real technology. Makes some people wonder.​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

Makari blinked as the door swung upon and a messy looking woman emerged. He wasn’t sure why he was expecting her to look any different when she lived in a swamp, but Makari was still off-put by her appearance. He tried not to let it show in his face as he raised his hands in a “I come in peace” manner.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Makari said. He tried to force a smile so she would relax a little. Unfortunately he had forgotten that his blaster pistol was still visible on his hip.

He thought on her question, and he wasn’t really sure how he wanted to respond. Why was here? That was a good question. He couldn’t really tell her the truth.

Would she believe him if he told her that his body had moved here on its own? That there was a small voice in his head that kept whispering for him to march forward?

No, she would probably think he was crazy. Even if she was the crazy-looking one who was out here alone in the swamps.

Nah, Makari knew how he wanted to play this.

He nodded towards the hut behind her and spoke sincerely. “To be honest, my body is at its limits right now. I’ve been walking for god knows how long, and mosquitoes have been terrorizing my neck, and chit--bloody sand puddles of death are everywhere out here, and not to mention the snakes. I have a really bad phobia of snakes.” Makari lowered his hands to rub his face, and remind himself not to ramble. He put his hands on his hips and let out a deep sigh. “Look, I just need a place to rest for the night. Or just a few hours, your call. I don’t like to impose on people like this, but I’ll honestly make it worth your while.” Makari set down his backpack, and shuffled around for some things. He pulled out a small bag of credits and tossed it to her.

“If that’s not enough, I see you got some droid parts back there in your hut? If you’re good at fixing things, I can hook you up with a person who pays well for your skillset.” Makari scratched the back of his head. “So how about it? Are we good? Can I stay here for a bit?"

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara's scary electrical blue eyes stared forward for a long moment at the man, only to raise her hand once to fetch the coins out of mid-air, with nearly lightning fast reflexes. She slowly looked down as the rambling came to a close stop, feeling the credits in the bag loosely. She had so many credits she didn't know what to do with them, but still, as a hermit, you had to act as if you had nothing, or people would assume you're hiding something.​

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The feeling in the air slowly vanished and replaced itself with the average that surrounded the swamps at every living moment. Without speaking, she flung the door in all of the way and put the bag of credits next to a small astronomical droid that looked to be well behind in ages. Probably something past the Clone Wars, even. ​

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Soon the old woman turned her head just barely to look at the man from the corner of her eyes, giving a small grunt of annoyance to him. "Come in," She said in a gravely voice. It wasn't too obvious to tell this man was lying, at least a little bit. He wasn't telling the full truth, and she had a small hunch as to why he was really here. ​

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"You can help yourself to the bed, and... that's it." She added on, marking the ground several times as she paced with the metal staff, going left and right to close up some hatches of droids, and put a lid on some jars of food in case someone decided to have sneaky fingers. Even then, she couldn't see everything all too well.​

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[member="Makari Valeal"] ​

 

[Makari Valeal]

When she said “Come in”, Makari was slightly surprised. He expected a little fight, or a little sass, but he wasn’t going to complain when he was desperate to get some shelter. He picked up his backpack and started heading for the inside of her hut, but there was a self-destructive urge in him to tell the woman she should be more on guard around strangers. But of course, he kept his mouth close.

As he entered, he wasn’t surprised by the simple set-up. It didn’t bother him; he had slept in far worse places, but the amount of mechanical parts she had was eye-raising. Was she a scavenger?

When she had told him he could help himself to the bed, Makari was getting ready to tell her thanks, but she did something that made him snort with a mild laughter.

I’m not a thief.

He wanted to tell her that, but he was too amused to interrupt her. As she started closing up hatchets, and started putting food away like they were sacred treasures, Makari could only chuckle at her assumption of him. It was okay if she thought that, he thought. At least it showed that she wasn’t completely oblivious that he might be a danger to her. But that didn’t stop him from a little teasing.

“You forgot a hatch over there,” he smiled, when the woman had missed a spot.

He let her do her own thing, and while she did, he did his.

He took off his jacket and set down his backpack. Before he could even think of a quick nap, he had to feed the grumbling that was coming from his stomach.

He took out his rations and spread them on the bed. He had packed a variety of meats, protein bars and other treats, not to mention the fresh water and a pack of smokes he also took out.

"Hey, you’re welcome to help yourself over here,” Makari told her. Maybe the offer of goodwill would make her feel more comfortable with him staying there. There was nothing that she had that he wanted, although that peculiar looking old droid in the corner had intrigued him. He could have probably made a killing if he sold it to a collector, but of course, he would never covet something that wasn’t his.

But of course the woman wouldn't know that. Well not yet, at least.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara slammed the hatch down with the butt of her cane, creating a loud threatening echo in the bounds of the dirt hut. After a moment of making sure everything was closed, and the unnecessary information was turned off or covered, she stood before the man with many items, and more mysteries he probably didn't even know about.​

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How amusing, that he hadn't even gotten picked off by the governments and factions yet. They were good when it came to claiming people's bodies and souls to their own religion. The twin blue eyes stared for another quick moment, then the body swooshed to the side to gather a single piece of equipment. A tarnished gold ring. She rubbed it off with one of the many oily rags about, then slowly neared the human boy once more.​

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"Starting from this point on, all guests must equip this ring for as long as I say, or until they leave." She stated plainly. She didn't want to go for the offering. Who knows what polluted antibiotics and steroids went in them. She preferred to poison herself from her own garden. The ring flew in the air after a quick toss, with it's empty body aimed straight for the man's chest. ​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

Makari flinched when she slammed the last hatch down. Maybe his joke had struck a nerve? He bit his lip to keep from laughing, but the humor in his eyes quickly died when she approached him. He looked at the ring she was carrying and raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t going to be a marriage proposal was it? A joke in his mind clearly, but when she told him to put the ring on and flung it at him, he looked at the woman and wondered if she was crazy.

Holding the ring in his hand and examining it, he wanted to make a joke and say, “Just so you know, I’m happily single,” but the woman struck him as a person who wouldn’t appreciate the humor. Instead, he put the ring on and continued snacking on his food.

Whatever.

He didn’t know why she wanted him to do it, but frankly he was too tired to care or ask questions. He was sure that if he didn’t put the ring on anyway, she would probably huff and puff and kick him out.

He didn’t want those problems.

For now, he would do anything to accommodate her, since he was the guest that was intruding on her privacy, but still, he had a growing inkling that maybe she was up to no good.

He looked at the ring again and smiled thinly, “So what is this ring for anyway? Is it supposed to zap me if I steal something?” he chuckled.

Another joke, but he honestly wouldn’t put it past her. There were some weird inventions out there and he had seen his fair share of weird side effects from encountering them.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Men who thought they were funny usually didn't do good outside of business. Kiara rolled her eyes at the man's final jokeable question and turned away to gather a few supplies. A small stick, a stone, and a pile of dirt, all sitting on top of each other. She brought it forth, then sat down and crossed her legs, simply staring at him.​

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The three didn't seem at all able to fit together. The stick, full of lumps and turns, the rock, edged and broken in several places, and the dirt, far too much and far too dry for it to fit comfortable. Yet it all did, and in that order on top of each other. Like a circus trick of sorts. "Can you see this properly?" She asked in a snappy tone. "If you can't, then seek out and try to see it clearly."​

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Sure he may have been a guest, and sure he might feel uncomfortable. That was a given thing when going into a crazy hermit's house and taking rest there, but it didn't stop Kiara from doing what she would. Even if that meant him leaving. The more joy for her in the end. ​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

She liked to ignore his words, Makari mused. He looked at the ring on his finger and wondered why she didn’t elaborate on what is was for. It was whatever though. He went back to his protein bar and started to pull up a music video on his datapad, but the woman seemed to take a liking to disturbing the chit out of him.

First the ring, now she was playing around with sticks and stones? He shook his head. What was it with this woman? Was she trying to scare him into leaving?

He looked at the display she was showing him and thought it was slightly odd, but he wasn’t sure what she was trying to convey with it.

He took another bite out of his bar and simply shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I see it……Is this supposed to be a puzzle or something? I’m not very good at that type of stuff. You might have to break it down for me, if you’re trying to show me some weird symbology type of thing. Stuff like that flies right over my head.”

It really didn’t, but Makari was too tired and exhausted to play mind games. But he was sure the woman didn’t care about that.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

The hermit lady softly adjusted some of the dirt to pile higher, and higher on top of each other, then had it stop and stared at the strange man who came to visit her house. He was like an alien, as her ways of speaking probably were to him. "This is me." She said, pointing in between the rock and dirt, the sticks and rock with two fingers. "The rock is grey witchfullness, barely able to be broken with only one side of the two. It is their support, their barrier. The dirt is dark. Easily corrupting, standing tall. This is full of dark hatred. The sticks are light, and kind. Fragile. They are the bright, who do not think they stand high among others." ​

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The figure of sticks, dirt, and rock slammed onto the ground as Kiara threw them before she stood up. "And they're all useless unless you choose a side! Which are you, boy?! Are you a rock, a piece or dirt, or a stick?!" Her mood, for whatever reason suddenly changed. The candles in the room suddenly became lighter in some areas, while in others became near pitch black.​

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There were three areas in the room. The dark, the light, the grey, and perhaps if you could find it, an area where all three hit you at once. ​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

Makari continued to chew on his protein bar as she spoke. He wasn’t particularly interested in what she was saying, but he paid attention and listened. He didn’t want to be rude, and he had a growing inkling that maybe she was starting this conversation for a specific reason. That reason, he would learn soon enough.

What he thought was a pointless circus trick, turned out to be a question to explore his morality and personality. He would have asked her why she was asking him this, but she did something very peculiar. It wasn’t the sudden rise in her voice that made him jump up to his feet. No, well that disturbed him too, but it was the flickering of the candles in the room that really rattled him.

He blinked and he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

He wasn’t.

He could have sworn as soon as she got angry, the candles started acting spooky, but he was calm. As calm as a person could be when they were trapped in a hut with a woman who might possibly be a lunatic. He took a deep breath and thought on her question. And not just her question, a contingency plan in case he had to pack up and leave.

After a while, he rubbed his chin.

“I don’t really agree with lumping people into categories like dark, light or grey. I think we have a bit of all of that in us. It just depends on what circumstance we face that determines the face we show.” Makari pointed to himself. “Take me for example. It’s not hard for me to do the right thing because I’m only accountable for myself. But say I was a leader of men, and I was forced to choose between doing the right thing and preserving my principals, or doing the morally wrong, and obtaining victory? What is right and wrong? It would depend on the person I think. What you may think is dark, may be the light and salvation for another.”

Makari shrugged his shoulders.

“So I suppose I don’t have an answer to your question. Or at least not the type of answer you’re looking for. Maybe you should ask a Jedi or a Sith this question? Force users tend to be hung up on that dark and light nonsense. Regular people like me just don’t give a damn.”

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara grumbled and loosely threw an idle stick at the boy, a weak little throw, not even really aimed, and went over to one of the machines lined across the wall. She slowly prodded a finger into one of the circuits and pulled it out, then went back around to one of the holopads. It was attached, and instantly a line of numbers and text appeared. ​

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The hermit's busy hands worked as they would, as quickly as they could, and didn't much bother to look back as she continued to speak. "With that type of attitude I can already tell you'd be a Sith when they find you." She punched in another command, then ripped the card out and put it back in the droid, going to work on the next, tearing it out and bringing it over. ​

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She was quiet now. The candles returned to their normal state, and the mood was returned to it's original grumpiness.​

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[member="Makari Valeal"] ​

 

[Makari Valeal]

Well she didn’t like his answer, Makari chuckled. She threw a stick at him, and went grumbling away like he had said something that offended her. He wanted to ask her what the problem was, but it was better to leave it alone. She had finally given him some quiet, and a break from her weird antics, so he would enjoy the peace while he could.

He laid down on the bed and tried to nod off, but the woman had said something else to steal his attention.

He leaned up from the bed and stared at her with a snort. “A Sith? You think I’d be a Sith?” Makari let out an infectious laugh. “There’s no way that would happen. First of all, I’m not a force user, so there goes your theory right there. Second, even if I was a force user, there’s no way I would fit in with the Sith. They seek power and dominance. I only want to live quietly. There’s a difference. ” He started to laugh again, but something else she said started to bother him. “And what do you mean, when they find you. Whose supposed to be finding me? What are you talking about?”



[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara only snorted in response to him, busily switching out various cards and then the wires. It wasn't long before the skeleton of a droid was being stuffed full of stuff, and starting to take the place of an actual creature. She liked this one a lot. It was a beast of sorts - a large toothless feline with a massive tail, looking to once have had something spiking at the end.​

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"Don't lie to yourself little boy. You can feel it true. You are a Force user, and you are Sith." She hissed through her teeth, pulling another wire into place as the time trickled her by. "If not Sith, then Jedi. If not Jedi, then grey! If not grey then witch! If not witch, then me! You're just going to find it, and you better find it before someone does it for you." ​

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With the last word, she flipped a small battery into place, leaving the droid to flicker to life, making several broken ticks and grinds against metal. She turned it off, then started to fill it again, this time dismantling and sliding gears into their places.​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

This woman was getting more ridiculous by the moment. Now, he was supposed to be a force user? He shook his head. There was something seriously wrong with this woman. He was starting to think that if he tried to fall asleep around her, she might try to experiment on him, like she played around with some of those droids. It was a disturbing thought.

“Look here,” Makari started. He pointed to himself for emphasis. “I’m not sure why you think I’m a force user but I’m not. I’m just a regular person. And stop calling me a Sith. I’m a pretty nice person you know?”

When he reflected on her words more, he caught the subtle hint that she was a force user. Well, he thought that’s what she meant. Not Jedi or Sith. Not grey or witch. What other type of power was out there, he wondered?

He was slightly curious.

Frowning, as if he knew she wasn’t going to give him a straight answer, he asked

“And who are you? What are you? And most importantly, what are you doing out here alone in this swamp?”

He had wanted to ask her that since he first stepped into her hut. This was a strange place to live, and he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to live here willingly.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

"Oh, right, because Sith are the bad guys!" Kiara scoffed loudly in response to his remarks. So ignorant and foolish. She began to bolt things together rapidly, trying to finish the droid as soon as she possibly could so she could send it out to gather the skins she needed. "Quit being so foolish and rest up so you can get out of my home. You obviously aren't comfortable here, and neither am I." She flipped a wrench out from a part on the wall and used it to bang in quick lever.​

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"If you really want answers then just look around you! Don't you know you're magical? Don't you hear about those people who can read minds, teleport, send lightening through their fingertips? It's all inside you." Kiara finally took a breath and slowly twirled the wrench in the air, before turning back and crossing her arms loosely, with her blue robes creating a dramatic swooshing effect. "You're a Jedi, Makari."​

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[member="Makari Valeal"]​

 

[Makari Valeal]

Well yeah, the Sith really were the bad guys when they were out there devastating planets and oppressing the galaxy, but given her temperament, he knew it was better to keep his mouth shut. She seemed like she was one bad joke away from blowing a gasket. Yet, it was hard to keep quiet when she was out here playing the victim. Why was she making it seem like it was his own fault for not being comfortable? Chit, it seemed like she was trying to make him uncomfortable on purpose. All of this random morality talk, and the talk about sticks and stones.

What would it take for her to understand that he wasn’t a force user? He didn’t know, but he knew the woman was being slick by dodging his questions.

“You still haven’t told me who you are, but that’s okay. What’s not okay is this weird idea you keep trying to peddle. Look, I’m flattered you think I can wield the force, but I’ve honestly never done any of the things you described. Not remotely close. I’ve never read someone’s mind. Never teleported. Never sent lightening through my fingertips. How do you expect me to believe you? This sounds like crazy talk.” Or a crazy hustle.

He remembered in Coruscant, there were group of people who lie to parents and tell them that their children were force-sensitive. Instead of taking them to be trained in the force, they were taking away to slave labor camps.

He hoped this woman didn’t think he could be gamed so easy like that.

He was nice but he wasn’t stupid.

[member="Kiara"]

 

[Kiara]

Kiara stared at the man for a short moment, then gently twirled the wrench in her hand before pressing it into one of the loose holes spotted on the droid for it to keep. "You think people who can do that just suddenly know how?" She said with a bit of a normal set tone. She was still baffled this man thought Sith were the bad people, but then again, that's one of the reasons she left. People went ahead and accused other people for taking orders to protect someone. Killing someone. Like whatever side you chose didn't have the same goals. Concure and destory each other.

"Whatever. I don't care what happens to you. Just rest." She said with a wave of her hand as she turned her back to the boy, busily and more paced-like working on the giant heavy feline droid.

[member="Makari Valeal"]