Searching for the Legends

[Saria Messoa]

Saria never expected finding her place in the galaxy would be easy, but she never expected it to be this hard. She was still a young woman coming from a small planet in a big galaxy, with hardly any experience contacting outsiders. She left, without really thinking about how it would affect her to have so little to her name, and now the young woman was paying for it dearly. She lived hand to mouth, from whatever job she could get paid for to the next. Most of it was shipping, but she had also taken some less-than-legal offers for piracy lately. She was getting desperate, enough so to break the law like that and put herself in danger.

Her ship the Crusty Boon came out of hyperspace with a lurch over Voss. Her delicate fingers quickly moved over the control panel, making adjustments and lowering the ship towards the surface.

Qiilura had been rather isolated, but they had legends of the beings called Jedi that she had heard as much as any child growing up. When she got older, she dismissed them too, like her peers as stories like dragons, fairies, and so on. But through her brief travels, Saria had learned they were indeed, very real, far from mythological tales like she had been lead to believe. The legends said they were infinitely wise and able to move massive ships with a mere thought or heal the near dead with a wave of their hand. But still, they were kind and gentle enough to even care for the smallest of birds and the weakest of children.

That's what brought her here. If even half the myths she heard were true, they'd be able to help her. Saria had so many questions she wanted answered, and if they could help, then she'd be better for it. How was she able to cure Fellhorel of her cancer? Why could she hear and feel other people's emotions and thoughts? What was her place in this galaxy?

The Crusty Boon gave a jolt as they entered atmosphere. And she needed fuel--and food. She didn't care if she had to scrub every floor on the planet and wash every dish, Saria needed something to eat as well. She was barely living from hand to mouth as it is.

The Boon settled on the duracrete landing platform with a groan. Saria tentatively stepped out into the open, her loose-fitting white tee-shirt hanging off her form in contrast with her black leggings that clung to her legs with deefinition. Saria didn't see or hear anyone at all, but she could feel some through this massive stone temple-like place. Her knee-high boots clacked across the duracrete floor as she stepped into the open, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

[member="Stephanie Swail"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

"Work those ball bearings, carefully, remember. Don't muck it up like last time."

Stephanie Swail sat hunched over the small workshop table out in the Silver Jedi external courtyard. Sometimes she just liked to get out and work away on her small projects in the fresh air, with the little tinkering astromech droid B2-P9.

"Beeeeep bip-bip-ooooop," B-2 chirped.

A couple of Force Spinners lay on the table as the pair worked on another, fixing the weights, crystal and paint to make an innocent little gadget. They kept themselves to themselves, but the sound of a ship coming over caught Stephanie's attention. Placing down her small tweezers and soldering iron, she glanced up, squinting into the sky.

The ship must have been allowed to fly around the Silver Temple perimeter as it was coming down on the external public landing-pad. Stephanie watched as the ship let off exhaust pressure, deployed the landing gear and touched down. A few seconds later, the ramp descened and a woman hopped out. On first sight, she was no Jedi. Probably...a mechanic or traveller? She looked like her old friend, Kyra.

"Keep working on this one, and be careful," she smirked, tapping the droid on the dome as she stood.

Walking across the large landing pad towards the hulking vessel, a couple of other pilots took notice of the ship, but the woman called out. Stephanie waved, and walked to close the gap, taking her all in.

"We are here, stranger. Welcome to Voss." Stephanie wiped down her hands, standing dressed in her cream Hapan gown, sandals and braided hair, lightsaber fixed to her side. "My name is Stephanie Swail, Padawan of the Silver Jedi Order. Can I help you?"

She had a peaceful smile and extended her hand for a greeting.

[member="Saria Messoa"]

 

[Saria Messoa]

The place was pretty big, Saria had seen some sizable settlements, but she still wasn't used to the biggness of the galaxy. On Qillura, she lived 15 minutes from the nearest refuel station and ten more from the closest city, which had 4 stop signs and only one old fashioned signal light. The only space port was at Prosperity, where she had bought the Boon from in the first place. But Prosperity was a far cry from how big apparently big the rest of the galaxy's worlds were.

Another woman stepped out from an adjacent corridor to the platform. She was pretty, well-dressed, and she generally just felt nice. she called herself Stephanie Swail. Saria hadn't seen clothes this nice in person. Saria had loved fashion since she was a little girl, she had bought the fashion holomagazines as often as she could and spent hours browsing the net, just looking at the gorgeous looks out there. In school, she was always considered one of the best dressers. But she had never seen anyone dressed like a Hapan in person till now.

"Oh, um, hi," Saria said, her cheeks redding at the realization she was staring. "I'm Saria. Messoa." she jerked her thumb back at the ship over her shoulder, "That's, um, mine. I need fuel and maybe some food. I don't have any credits on me and, um," the woman had said she was with the Jedi. Saria didn't know what the Silver in that meant but she knew she came here for their help. And guidance, "And I've got some questions for you Jedi if that's ok too."

[member="Stephanie Swail"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

The girl - Saria - was honest, upfront and not hiding anything. She was clearly not here for nefarious reasons. Stephanie glanced over her shoulder towards the ship, then back to her guest. She smiled softly.

"Pleasure to meet you Saria. Welcome to our temple. Come."

Holding a hand out for Saria to follow, Stephanie started walking beside her, away from the ship and towards the large atrium separate to the main temple grounds. Along the walk, she pulled across a pilot and gave orders to refuel the ship.

While the Silver Temple wasn't a tourist attraction, there was areas secluded for more public visits and those not here on specific Jedi business. The atrium overlooked the surrounding waterfalls and hangar, giving those a pleasant view and lots of places to take refreshments, study and chair meetings.

"Your ship will be refueled, and I can provide some refreshments for you. Maybe one day you can pay back the favour without even knowing it." She gave a little crinkle of the nose. "So. What questions do you have? Did you come here searching for something, or simply passing through?"

[member="Saria Messoa"]

 

[Saria Messoa]

This lady seemed nice, and she felt nice too. Saria just hoped that all of the Jedi were like her. Saria followed Stephanie into the temple, but once she saw the areas that were open to the public she slowed down a bit, her eyes roaming across the entire great room, taking it all in. It was all grander than anything she had ever seen, Saria had never been exposed to this many marble columns, or columns this tall for that matter. She had never seen ceilings that spanned like this, or wide open spaces that were this magnificent. It was all like a palace to her, and she was just a farm girl.

"Wooooow," she breathed out at last in wonder. Saria realized that Stephanie was already a few paces ahead and quickened her step after the other woman.

"Your ship will be refueled, and I can provide some refreshments for you. Maybe one day you can pay back the favour without even knowing it."

Maybe the stories were true after all of the Jedi, not just how powerful they were but also how kind and giving they were. Saria was overcome with thankfulness, she blinked looking for the right words to say, "Thank--thank you. Thank you very much."

"So. What questions do you have? Did you come here searching for something, or simply passing through?"

"Where I come from Jedi are a legend," Saria confessed, "I wanted to find out if they were real, and you are real. All of you apparently, all of it must be true," she gave a wave at the awe-inspiring place around her, "and more than I dreamed. I have this thing where I can feel things from other people, and sometimes I hear their thoughts. Its really scary for me sometimes, especially when those people think bad things or feel mean things. I can't turn it off or on, its like its there all the time--and its been that way for as long as I can remember," Saria arched her brows up in worry. She had never really told anyone this before, except Koda. And she had advised her to go find someone to tell her more. Well, here Saria was, throwing it out there. Saria knit her hands together nervously, "Am I broken?"

[member="Stephanie Swail"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

As the two walked, Stephanie smiled at Saria’s bewilderment and awe at the temple. It was a wonderful piece of architecture, blending old and new design and technology together to help transcended generations, allowing nobody to feel too old or too young to be within the walls. The girl’s reaction was akin to how Stephanie felt all those months ago.

"You are welcome, Saria."

On the girl’s admission to how she felt, Stephanie slowed down a little, lacing her hands together, cocking her head in a more intent way to listen and study this visitor. What she talked about, on the front of it, sounded like something Stephanie had. An empathic nature. A gift and a curse, it seemed. She could also be Force sensitive.

"I see." She stopped and leaned on a large oval window, lining a long corridor that overlooked the gardens and orchard below; mountain range on the horizon and purple clouds in the autumnal sky. "For one thing, you are certainly not broken, and if anyone says you are then they themselves should consider if they are the broken ones. No, forgive me for assuming, but you could be one of two things, or even both."

Stephanie held up a finger.

"You could be empathic, or," she held up a second, "you may well be a Force sensitive being, like us. Like the Jedi. Which means what you thought were legend are most certainly true."

Another soft smile. Stephanie was also one of those girls who, at first, thought the Jedi were stuff of legend. Names she had heard in her years with the Republic Army; places, wars and heroes all banded around in stories she wanted to believe were true. Now, after finding her place with the Silver Jedi, she knew they were nothing BUT true.

"Tell me how you feel, Saria. Be honest. Do you feel you came here on a random occurrence, or do you feel something was drawing you here? Something you couldn’t identify but also couldn’t ignore."

[member="Saria Messoa"]

 

[Saria Messoa]

Stephanie told Saria that she was not broken, the girl felt a little relief. She wasn't a freak or a monster, what she had been so terrified of being in the first place. Stephanie said she was probably either some kind of empath or like one of the Jedi. Saria's eyes widened and she swallowed. She was sure that Stephanie knew more than she did about this stuff, but it couldn't be true. She couldn't move things with her mind, or run incredibly fast--and she certainly wasn't all knowing.

"There must be some mistake," she said softly, her voice trailing off, "I'm just a farm girl. I'm not like you."

"Tell me how you feel, Saria. Be honest. Do you feel you came here on a random occurrence, or do you feel something was drawing you here? Something you couldn’t identify but also couldn’t ignore."

Saria didn't really know how to answer that. She thought it might be a test, she hated tests. Things rarely ever went well with tests for her. She didn't know what sort of answer Stephanie wanted, and she was so nice to her and so pretty, Saria didn't want to give her a wrong answer.

"Well," she said truthfully, "I came because I had to know if all of this was real. I was curious. And I heard that you were wise, and I had to have answers. The urge was really strong, like I just had to know and I had to find out for myself," she arched her eyebrows up in fear and wonder, "Is it true? Can you really move entire planets with your mind? Can you really fly? And can you really cure the deadliest of diseases?"

[member="Stephanie Swail"]​

 

[Stephanie Swail]

It was hard not to smile at the innocence of Saria. So many questions, doubts and worries, but all so genuine and easy to quell. There was no desire to call her Master for this; Stephanie wanted to be the one that others could come to for help and guidance, and now it was her time to do so. She tapped her fingers on the window.

"And of course you are not like me. Nobody is like the other. A Jedi isn’t a set standard of being. You’re just a farm girl? Well, before I came here I was a soldier bred for battle in a science lab for the Republic." She raised her brows a little and chuckled. "Please, relax. I can feel you’re worried. Don’t be."

With that, and Saria’s questions, she started to walk again.

"We don’t move planets, and I don’t think even the strongest Jedi could! Yet I know some who can pull an Imperial Star Destroyer out of the sky. And fly? Not quite, but some can leap great distance and levitate. And cure disease? We can, like all good people, try our best. Here on Voss we have many Jedi dedicated to healing. All Jedi can help mend broken bones and repair tissue damage, but those who truly focus the Force into their work can probably achieve far more than what we can imagine."

She kept her tone light, knowing there was a lot to take in. They came to one of the smaller visitors cafes and she pointed in.

"Come, what would you like? If you have any questions, keep them coming. I may have some myself for you when we sit down."

[member="Saria Messoa"]

 

[Saria Messoa]

She guessed Stephanie was right. People were different, even from her small town, everyone was a little different from everyone else. But that was still nothing like this where she could see more races and walks of life that she could ever imagine. Before she left home, Saria only met a few non-humans, and most were near-humans. Her travels had created quite a culture shock indeed.

It was hard for Saria to imagine this nice lady in front of her was once a soldier made for combat. Her mouth visibly gaped at the mention, and her brown eyes grew wide as saucers.

"You?" she gasped, "No, you must be kidding. That can't be true."

Stephanie told her to not worry. That was easier said than done. Saria was a worrier, as high strung as a cat on a telephone pole as they would say back home. She was always full of anxiety, especially around people. Saria rarely if ever knew what she was going to feel next.

"I will try," she promised with a tentative nod.

Stephanie explained how deep the myths ran. They couldn't move planets but plucking ships like that out of the sky was still incredible. And Stephanie knew someone who could. Saria guessed they never had to worry about stretching to try and get the remote from the other side of the couch. And it sounded like they could jump inhumanly high and heal those sorts of injuries.

"I think I did that once," Saria said lowering her eyes, "My senior year of high school, my best friend, Fellhorel, had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball. The doctors said she was going to die. One day I went to visit her and wished with all I had that she could get better, when they tested her later, Fellhorel's tumor was gone," Saria looked back up at her, "Do you think that was me? Or was that a coincidence?"

She glanced at the menu, "Oh, a fried nerf stick is good. You can ask me anything, I'll do my best," she said and offered offered a frail smile.

[member="Stephanie Swail"]​