Dev Shadows of Atrisia

[Junko Ike]

There was also the Io on her mind who she cared for... the thought of her brought something warm to her as she could feel her mind reaching out and through the force she almost could see her while her dreams shifted and weaved through the fog of thoughts. She thought for a moment she could feel Io's arms around her snuggling but she was uncertain. She knew Io was hard at work in her new position.. she had taken to working in the summer palace... isolated on an island that was obscured by sentries to forever be in mist and fog... a little on the nose but whatever made her happy and she knew how to live by herself with Junko coming to visit her from time to time.

There were other reasons for the island it was also a place where the children of the jedi had fled a safehouse as it were from the fall of the old republic and rising of the empire. The Altisian jedi had created several locations where they could and would be abel to live and hide out but there was not a lot to it.... that Io chose to stay there in the shrouded palace they had rediscovered well.. that was telling in many different ways. Junkos thoughts drifted more about parts of Atrisia where they were working on it and she knew a few others like Maggie Cho were hard at work on combating problems within Atrisia itself as she worked water purification.

 

[Junko Ike]

Beyond the purification there was also the advances in defensive technology that they were developing to go along the walls. Thick hijarna stone that was set up to reinforce the walls around the cities. THey were checking on some o the really big cities.. the villages and towns that were being set up int their own districts of the walls. The internal roadways were going to be important for letting vehicles and airships move around. The new defensive weapon that they were working on were important endeavors as wellas they worked on some of the visions that the emperor had for the planet and the commonwealth. WIth even more as they were working on an augmented reality system for more training.

She knew they were wanting to work on some other things like reinventing and developing the rangers toolkit... they wanted to improve upon the design using what they knew for miniaturization technologies that would allow them to stick more components into the gauntlets and with proper materials it could be made as well as a combat bodysuit. The Yovshin themselves she knew were somewhat expanding... their outer regions of the Atrisian system were being worked on to try and really develop more and more the hyperspace security network which was being expanded and turned into a sort of corridor leading and connecting the worlds within the commonwealth.

 

[Junko Ike]

The time she was asleep without a dream or a thought was rare but she didn't toss and trn.. she wasn't uncomfortable... if anything she knew how to live and she knew how the mind worked for herself. Waking up with the smell of fresh tea being brewed and it there was food set out as she rolled over and looked. Rising out of the bed to a fresh kimono hanging up before she went to the fresher and then towards the scent of food. Finding a few of them had made a place for her at the table and she could see some of the children who were here training. They were different then the other ones she had seen outside... these ones were much more serious.

If anything as she was observing them they presented quite a sight to behold as the jedi princess got a better chance to listen in on their conversations. The children were speaking and understanding different languages... different ones from Atrisia but also the galaxy as they were taught like the rest of the court itself. She had o grin at that as it was much the same as their students had been in the schools and academies. They were learning languages and a number of subjects plus fitting in a cram school that would teach them year round but the benefits of it was their scores for tests and potential was going much much higher on the charts.

 

[Junko Ike]

But test scores couldn't be the only thing that they went off of... no they needed to really work on proving it with skills and she knew they were going to be doing just thatt with some of the technical plans that had been developed as well. From the new aircraft that were planetside to a number of the new ships... she could see it. The Uneti trees that they were able to grow and cultivate would be able to do a lot more in terms of a connection between the commonwealth worlds. If they could do it properly and build up the worlds with Atrisian standards for the people to really beef up their food and technology production.

She finished the spread of food using the beard they provided to absorb and soak up the juices from the meats so that it was succulent to eat and there was bacons... three types with the thinnly sliced meats that had been fried.. delicious. Fruits she could eat and she saw how well they were living and was a little jealous but it wasn't because the Kensai were living like this while many starved they fed everyone it just happened that they had grown their own.usiing the living modules as well as their own farm and hydroponics areas. They were making their food here better for everyone as the jedi princess finished eating and drank some of the juices they had brought her.

 

[Junko Ike]

The grape was by far the best... cherries was delicious but way to tart for her liking though the tangy pineapple was welcomed in the morning as she was thinking about it and finished eating the food. She allowed herself to have a moment though thinking about it and there was the parts of it... she was seeing some parts of it here as well. The floating world was even more elaborate then she had initially thought.. she could see some of the screens they had and what she had thought was richness was more from thousands upon thousands of years.. she could make out gilded statues in alcoves covered in rare silks and jewelry that made things interesting to behold.

She finished and was taken with some fo the others to the massive bathing area.. the sunken in stone had been polished to a reflective sheen and the black marble was inlaid with aurodium, gemstones, crystals and Junko could see much more. The scent of flowers were all around her and she could see that hey had thousands of petals in the steamy water while she got a chance to go inside and felt the tension leaving her body as she stood there in the water. Breathing in deeper and deeper the scent of the flowers mingling with the waters that would sloshed around her. "You look much like I remember princess... well except the title."

 

[Junko Ike]

Junko looked at her and stood there for a moment as she only raised her eyebrows. "Last time we saw each other was oh my almost two decades ago andyes I was just an awkward girl in the city whose mother was special investigator.... your family though was so proud of you but after Mythos attack on the planet I don't know if they survived. Not many did." She said it with a certain sadness to it all though as she hoped Halmaoni wasn't angry or worse numb... she had only known her family for a few years and practically been raised by the Keisai out here so it was much like the jedi or the Atrisian empire in some ways for Junko.

"They died in the battle well one of them, at least my mother. My father ent to the resistance and protected a few of us from Mythos men but for the most part I didn't know it was him until one of the historians gave us all of the names of those who had perished and those who had been exiled to record them. I wept for a few days in sadness but they had sent me here for a better life." She said it with a look on her face though as she nodded her head. "But my family drama is nothing compared to yours.. I have had a chance to read it and didn't realize what my mother meant by one of the oldest families on Atrisia Junko... quite a legacy."

 

[Junko Ike]

The got a small snicker from her at the thought but well she stood there for a moment though before relaxing back itno the waters. "It is not exactly something to do... others will bring it up but family while important on our world only takes you so far... you could be from a line of emperors and empresses but still be one fo the worst or be one of the best examples to strive for." There was a a grin on her face though when she started to soak her hair in the water and submerging her head let all of the tension out of her face before she broke out of the water swinging her hair for a moment and rolled her shoulders releasing all of the tension so her body felt limbless for a moment.

She just laid there in the water and floated extending her arms while the feeling of the water washed over her and her senses were deprieved for a few fleeting moments.. at least hearing shecould still sense everything with the force itself around her before she was checking out more parts of it. She could feel Halmoani was still there andless watchign her as she was just relaxing the same way. The girl she used to know and the woman who was here with her now were two very different people... for one she didn't have a gap in her front teeth nor a messy mass of hair that was wild and covering everything. That helped see her as a new person a lot easier.

 

[Junko Ike]

"You are staring or at leat trying to see the girl I was when I first left... it is funny princess." She said it and stood there over junko with a brush as she rolled over in the water and came up finding a groove in the marble to sit and she was getting her hair combed... for the moment it was silent with just the sound of the water coming around them. "Yes but I knew you were here didn't I? Or at least I knew you had come this far out but there was so many things that have happened that I hadn't expected to see you." A smile crept across her face though while they were going and to have plenty to talk about maybe.. she doubted she would learn much about the training here and she wasn't going to exploit her old childhood friend.

She was surprised though when she really got to look around the room she was in and it was beautiful.. imported marble that had been crafted and carved into statues around the sides of different Keisai sprawled out along the edges in various states of interest. Captured faces and smoothed features... gilded edges to give it contrast with the white and steel colors of the wall. She was observing more of it and felt a little heat in her cheeks seeing some of the statues. "I take it someone had a sense of humor or well modesty and some more were checking things out as she had a grin on her face though with Halmoani sitting there behind her.

 

[Junko Ike]

"It is no secret that ancient Atrisia was hedonistic princess.. really the biggest question you should have is more what might have been kept down in the lower vaults... if those are the things that have been kept here. Granted no one who is an outsider to the village would normally see them so it much like some of the pictures or texts wouldn't be seen anyways." She said it with a smal on her face though as the jedi master turned to look at her and she had her hair... she had her interest in a number of things here finishing with the mass being brushed through the comb. "True, I am looking at what we might have to see but I do not know what to tell th emperor and empress."

That was the other thing and she wasn't certain how much to reveal but she was also not going to lie... the leader of the village was smart though so letting her here even though she knew that Junko would likely be able to see and remember everything with a clarity thanks to her force skills and her own family who were well known for their abilities. "I am sure she would want you to deceide how much to tell them... she is worried about a couple of things but not the empress or even the emperor.. they have worked hard with the people to foster this village over tens of thousands of years so they would keep us here much like the Sarnoi."

 

[Junko Ike]

The was another place that Junko more knew about... no one ventured to the Sarnoi and usually entered.. the golden city which was massive... it was filled with stonework and buildings but said to only have the population of a village with a few hundred for tens of thousands of homes... there were the priestesses who maintained the area and no children... but it was known that favors from them required a sacrifice of ones children who would be taken to the Sarnoi and more. She knew the legendary palace of the god emperor was there.. a lake of storms and destruction that was unknown.. that few went to see but she had wanted to visit.

"Princess." There was a voice and Junko came back from her thoughts as she was looking at her for a moment. "Sorry I got distracted it is all so soothing and wonderful here... I am usually tense and in the middle of some sort of frey." She was looking at what else they might be able to discover... at something else they might be able to bring to the forefront of their conflicts and there were always stirrings... there was always a danger out there but the jedi master had a plan to deal with that. They were checking outa few other idseas when she got out of the bath and there was massive towels she could wear and a kimono set out that was perfectly matched to her size.

 

[Junko Ike]

She was somehow not surprised that they were able to do that.. she was guessing either they had some trained eyes or they might have been able to have scanners that would ensure that they had everything. was perfect. The jedi master stood there and she looked at herself within a mirror before she was walking around and slipped her feet into the geta they has set out for her. She looked at some of the rooms as they opened to reveal a number of bays and modules for growing food, they had some livestock being raised and more plants. The pungent smell was there but it didn't travel beyond the fields of the room where she could see more weaving and making clothing.

Still there were others, they made the flowers they wore in their hair, the beads that were braided, ink for their faces and make up from crushed pearls.... opulence was a wonderful thing and she knew that the Keisai were in many ways easily able to afford their own world if they wanted to. no idea what they would do with it but if there was a chance for some of the mysterious worlds within the Atrisian system... hmmm something to think about if they wanted to try and protect as well as give these people a more secluded and protected location. The commonwealth was going to have a lot more space and scarcity was going to be the biggest thing they tackled.

 

[Junko Ike]

The smirk was back on her face though as she walked and entered an orrary.. the Atrisian star system being built from models and they had been changing things to add to it. Beautiful metls that showed the hyperspace security network... the asteroids they had created as stations. There was the moons which were being worked on and displayed as changed... sections created to reflect the new superstructures on them and the work that was going into the other planets in the systems. The asteroids that were were in the outer regions and the suspected asteroid clearing house of Jia Ren... they had a model of it and she wondered if it was a real representation.

There was even more there...the ancient hyperlanes that Atrisia had connecting itself to several of its colonies.. the commonwealth itself that stretched out through the area of space they were in. The nebula and pockets of stars that were closer together. The well of pulsars in deep space that created a corridor few could pass through. Hmm she would have to work with those and try to think about what they could do as this was showing them a whole lot of things here. She knew political turmoil in the CIS and other neighbors would come to them soon enough but they would need to best handle the situations. They were working on a lot of it to protect the commonwealth.

 

[Junko Ike]

Junko continued to look at it.. she continued to look at everything they had around them and she stopped as she stood in the center and could see the atrisian system's sun itself. They had even set up a mini for Ao'tuin which was sailing around in the either on a track yes but it was able to change and made it look like it was going thorugh and around the system. Interesting to say the least and the level of detail here was what she really liked as they were changing the moons to reflect the new changes. They were even making up and changing some of the planets to reflect the changes that were going on there to the moons and the worlds themselves.

"It is beautiful isn't it, painstakingly set up and monitored to go with the latest reports fromt he royal survey corps that you helped establish to show the progress of the Atrisian system as it is being rebuilt. To show and foster the sense of pride that has been beaten and attacked by so many in the past." The woman who was standing there was tall... almost impossibly tall and while she looked skinny but she was muscled... you could see the definition even with what she was wearing and in how she was standing properly. "It is, most everythign I have seen here is beautiful... the Keisai take it more seriously then some of the nobles do in many cases it would seem."

 

[Junko Ike]

That seemed to get a snicker from the woman. "We do, beauty is an art form and we are supposed to be walking art.. we take no husbands, no wives, we do not sell ourselves we sell our skills. To be among the sisterhood of the Keisai is about what we do in the shadows. We have been looking to build more in the village but we are not looking for much here.. we are looking to improve what meager defenses that we have." She said it with a shrug though and was walking around the room. "But I am likely boring you, I know you met with the grandmaster and she has told you all that she could... but there is always more. the mountains around the village where some live without protection are just as different."

That was an interesting take on it and since they had approached bythe water they hadn't seen the roads that led up here towards the village. She imagined there might be some homes or villages outside of it but.. hmm if there were others then she would have to check it out now. "Well Then I know where my next destination will be to go after this.. I know there is the dinner your grandmaster wanted to set up but we have discussed mostly everything here. We can send engineers here to see what you want or what you need." She said it and there were bound to be a number of changes... there was the chnce of buildiong mountain walls and gates that would protect them as well as air defenses.

 

[Junko Ike]

She was thinking about some of the other simple things they could bring in like tanglefoot fields and disruptors for targeting weapons unless there were specifically tagged people. She knew the Keisei well had some sort of defensive force... even if it was themselves who fought more like a well armed and equipped militia... she had seen when the attack came they were able to lock down their little village and some of the surroundin area in case of attack. The closest they had to a space port that would let them go off into the distance continents was well mostly owned but outside of the city. "We can upgrade some things for you but yur wealth got many of the upgrades we made to help with things."

She said it and had a grino her face though while they were looking at some of it and shecame into one of the areas. Seeing another painting as it was of the village and the crowds were all Keisei with their white faces, colorful kimonos and Junko spoke. "This is beautiful and Somins vision was.. well did she reall imagine this would happen?" Junko said it and the quasi mystical figure who is credited as the creator of the Keisei here was well considered by many hero, villain, visionary, witch... any number of things compared to many others." The Keisei was looking at it and she spoke. "Perhaps, she imagined a place for the other keisei to be and thrive but maybe not imagining the numbers."

 

[Junko Ike]

"I doubt even Somin or Kokiden figured what would become of their village. They came here for a purpose but it has changed over the thousands of years into this... what was refuge is now prospering to the point we have riches to rival the great houses of Atrisia... there are mines in the mountains we own and control with droids, there are fish we raise in the lake here and even more that we have in terms of livestock. We built the water gardens which bring in riches from even the emperors and while mthos was bad for everyone his... forcefulness on Atrisia saw Keisei chroniclers who learned about his accounts and assets. We have been compensated with some of the offworld accounts he took over from other worlds."

Junko raised an eyebrow at that and it made a sort of sense.. the Keisei were well they were in every court throughout history on Atrisia... at least all of the ones from before some of the eras.. they were ancient and offworlders who came here well they didn't realize just how skilled they were at gathering information.. it was why they stayed on the world though they didn't have the same level of influence and power but who knew what they might do. Some did go with the navy ships and they had visited the colonies mostly to recruit and see if the orphans from attacks could be brought it. Junko hadn't seen if they succeeded but she knew they had welcomed any Atrisians.

 

[Junko Ike]

There was also the mountains around them well themselves to consider... technically looking at this she understood how they had managed to buy all of it... they owned the plots of land and maintained the mines within the mountains themselves. The smaller villages and communities that had developed at certain areas were not considered part of the Hanamachi... but the Keisei well they had bought it all and they created their own little trade economy here with tens of thousands of little mines that could be operated by mining droids and others who wished to work.. Junko had never seen complaints and she knew they fed the people offering food and supplies for portions of what they mined.

There was also well she knew a few tales about what they had here and expanding outwards they might be able to bring some defenses itno the mountains... some better monitoring or control stations to help with the weather and possible wildfires... there was just quality of life upgrades that would allow the Keisei to improve and bolster the economy of the world. Much like Kansai and Jar'kai... the other regions of the world would be getting all of th aid it needed to effectively boost and proper itself up into a stronger force among them. She also knew that there could be expansion sets for them... there was a chance that the better ideas would come.

 

[Junko Ike]

"His accounts will be useful... he should do something good for the people he kept killing and trying to rule finely... plus there is maybe a sense of justice or irony in it." Junko shrugged as she was not certain if it was exactly ironic... still she and the keisei chuckled at that thought... they were not so backwards that they didn't know what was happening and well there are some who come from offworld to meet the fabled force users.... they brought offworlder currency and riches to pay for it which benefited them as they could then grow the plants or raise the animals... New exotic species that would sell high across Atrisia and its colonies.

Junko was looking at more as she hada chance to go back to the main entrance hall. The floating world was interesting to be inside but she was exiting the tower and a chance to see the village in the daylight as it had the people bustling around. Where she was looking oncethe light struck her eyes and everything was colorful... kimonos in every shade and hair styles that looked beautiful. Others were wearing feathered cloaks or capes... clothing that reflected the thousands of different colored birds on Atrisia. Children roaming around in their lessons and there was tourists.. the ones who had paid for the singular experience to spend a day here being pampered and taken care of... a lifetime of comfort in a single day.

 

[Junko Ike]

She was looking at more of the village, from the streets where the trees were overhanging and giving shade to the river going through the center of it wih its bridges... Each bridge highly arched and wide so processions could walk over it. Lanterns and banners hanging from it that made each one look beautiful. She could see the swirling cherry blossoms that were going around and there was small cleaning droids who were maintaining things.. they were keeping everything clean as initiates and the younger Keisei were roaming around preforming tasks for the different keisei who were cooking and weaving. Others were painting and practicing their music with smiles.

She stood outside the one shop.. where they were making ramen and the keiseii was older who was behind the counter... her hair covering parts of her face and she didn't wear make up... if anything she wore her pain and annoyance on her face and shoulders as the jedi master stepped inside. Looking at the tall woman who was radiating with the force. Junko looked at her and the woman turned her head up to look at her, eyes narrowing but she didn't speak much as Junko sat down and she rolled out some noodles and then was cutting them into strips. Each one going into the hot broth where they were cooking and veggies, meats were being sliced up.

 

[Junko Ike]

Compared to the other Keisei who were well exceptionally beautiful... this woman was not ugly she was striking and her scar defined her a lot more as she didn't seem to try and cover it up with make up she used her hair in different styles that could be seen. She was also wearing an outfit that changed and hid her physique.. she was more muscled when she squared her shoulder and looked at Junko for a moment but she nodded and motioned to one fo the seats that could be given. She was checking about in the shop itself where some others were sitting.. they were mostly keisei... initiates and some of the adults who were taking a break from their daily lessons or chores.

"Don't even say it." She said it and they were looking at Junko who bowed her head and received a bowl with a cup of tea. It was being given a chance but the keisei herself spoke. "I am not one for requests and this is generally not for the people who come here hoping for whatever." She sai it and she knew from the small escort that Junko wasn't a tourist but she was also not going to play it nice and just give her anything as they were eating and Junko smiled. "This is very good and no I am not a tourist who has come here for the mystery of the keisei... I am just here as an envoy from the Emperess and Emperor." She said it and got some looks but they were not angry.