The Unknown [Kara]

[Qae Shena]

Carida, once known as Ord Carida a very long time ago, was a planet destroyed in the ancient wars in the early years after the Battle of Yavin. Almost four hundred years later, however, it had been rebuilt by the efforts of the Yuuzhan Vong and other terraforming powerhouses in the New Galaxy Rebuilding Plan. Not once in his life had Qae visited one of the planets that had been reconstructed, so now was the perfect time to while he had little else in his life to do.

The Sky Dancer II had brought Qae to this world, and now the wandering warrior was taking his leave on a meander through the local spaceport. The sights and smells of a new planet were always something to drink in and, as true to his new tradition, Qae wore little more than his sleeveless black top, tunic pants, and a pair of strange black bracers adorning his wrists and forearms. Yet, he wasn't drawing a single look from the others around here. Everyone else seemed to think the novelty of a wanderer was no different to the norm, even for a very imperialist world in its tradition.

Some things never changed, even in destruction.

There was no telling who or what Qae would run into out here, what kind of trouble it would be. However, there was an unspeakable feeling running through his stomach, warning him, telling him that things were about to go terribly wrong...

 

[Lief]

The single-man-ship the Republic had provided her with, upon hearing of her pilot-training, despite her young age, shot through space. Kara had still yet to decide where she would venture to, but for now she was enjoying her freedom. She could go where she wished, do as she pleased, and it felt empowering to the ten-year-old-Umbaran. When a planet came into view the young girl smiled, and checked her navigation charts. Carida, breathable atmosphere although the gravity is slightly off. Varying terrain. It sounded like a good place to land and stretch her legs, to explore and re-immerse herself... Well, with herself.

And thus she guided the ship down into the planet's atmosphere, lowering it into an open-aired spaceport. She docked it in a small-hangar, out of the way, and leapt out. I wish R1 were here with me... Perhaps she should head into the Empire, if only to retrieve her old droid. I could be in and out before they knew it. I hid R1 very well... And the astromech had proven an invaluable ally to one so small. Yes, she would have to return to Dromund Kaas. I could disguise myself, or use the White Current... Or... Or something. In truth, she didn't care what. I could always have R1 meet me somewhere... That would have to wait, however. She was too far away to summon him, after all.

Heading out of the spaceport the little girl shifted her sensitive-gaze around, avoiding the blinking glare of the sun. The city itself was only small, mostly made up of the spaceport and other traveller-destinations. Kara's first stop would be the small market square. I have some credits somewhere... Fumbling around in the robes she was wearing, she tried to find the chips. Supplies were already running out, and she didn't want to risk going without necessities... Especially considering that she had no idea where it was she was going. At this point she wasn't really watching where she was going, hoping that her keen senses would pick up on any obstacles before she walked into them.

 

[Qae Shena]

And then thump.

Qae, not staring at where he was going but indeed distracted by the everything around him, walked headfirst into a little girl. More like chest-first, but all things considered that wasn't a real problem. More the fact that he'd wandered into someone because of his stupid and the Force's idea of a practical joke. Which happened. Yep, it was happening. Fortunately, she didn't fall over. That would've been bad on his part.

"Whoa. I'm so sorry," Qae said instantly, frowning, offering her a hand to stabilise herself. He really needed to pay more attention to what was going on if he was going to be any kind of not sucky. Especially if he was meant to be working his way towards the highest ends of a martial art. He'd bumped into a kid! Come on, that was just shameful.

Now, most people would have just left it there - apologise and move on. But no. Qae was a nice person. Besides, something was off about her; the Force told him something was definitely up. She was Force-sensitive. But where from?

"Say, uh, you don't look like you're from around here," Qae asked curiously. "Where are you from?"

 

[Lief]

The little girl stumbled back upon impacting with the body of another, and the credit chips she had just managed to find scattered to the ground. Sucking in a breath the child quickly knelt down and picked them all up, they were all she had, and she couldn't afford to lose them, not yet. Looking up at the man the child finally began to rise back up, murmuring an apology of her own. "I... I wasn't paying attention" she whispered, her eyes ever so slightly wise.

And yet the man too was apologising, so maybe it had been an honest mistake on both of their parts. Lifting her gaze further she tried to gauge where she was in relation to the market square, while avoiding the sun's rays. But the man began to speak again, so she refocused in on him with a tender frown of thought. Where was she from..?

"I... I'm from..." Why couldn't she remember? "Umbara!" She said, glad that she had recalled it, but that wasn't her home... No-where was her home. And by admitting to Umbara she had made it clear that she shouldn't be here, infact she shouldn't be anywhere save for Umbara itself. Part of her prayed that this man did not know of her people's customs.

Backing away slowly she raised a hand to rub the back of her neck, wondering if he'd let her go now. I need to get supplies, before the market shuts she realised.

 

[Qae Shena]

Now that Qae was done accidentally being a fool, he could take a step back and actually look at this kind. She was... pale. Pale like the Supreme Chancellor, except more so; pale like a ghost, like the utter opposite of a shadow. Her skin was so blinding that he wasn't sure whether he could look directly at it. But, this was a world he knew. A world that he understood to some degree.

"Oh, you're an Umbaran? I've heard of 'em," was his reply. Which was true. As a Vagrant, he heard spacer stories all the time. As the owner of a space station, he heard even more. There were plenty of tales - some true, some not - of every walk of life from every planet across the stars. Some of the stories took some sorting through, but there was nevertheless the fun of learning about peoples and societies from just about everywhere. Qae liked his job.

"Look, I'm really sorry I ran into you," he said, rubbing one of his head-tresses and frowning slightly. The kid looked a little scruffy, in need of a decent meal. And, hell, he was in a good mood. Carida was a stop-over for the Dreamer on his way to the other side of the Galaxy. Besides, this was a little girl, who was practically wandering around without parents. Probably an orphan. Something good in Qae was sparked straight away. "Let me get you something to eat. Save your credits. Get whatever you need, and it's on me."

 

[Lief]

The child worried ever so slightly the moment he stated his knowledge of her kind, and yet he showed no inclination to dragging her back there. Maybe he does not know as much as he thinks, which was a relief. When she had met Tyrin she worried he would drag her back, too... Only he hadn't. It was odd, but she wasn't going to dispute it, she did not want to be on Umbara, she wouldn't mind if she never returned again. I still have to be cautious around fellow Umbarans, though. But for now, well... For now she was safe, again.

"Yes, Umbaran" she murmured, nodding her head to emphasise the point. Her gaze drifted up and lingered upon his, waiting to see what would be done, whether he would permit her to carry on. "It's fine... I ran into you too" she added, before trying to side step his body. But instead of being able to the man halted her with words, and began to speak yet again to her. He wants to help me... Was he another Syn-figure? Maybe it would do her some good. She had promised Syn, after all, that she would not return to the Empire, or even Sith Space. At present she had no idea whether she was in Sith space or not, but maybe this man could inform her of such.

"Where in space are we?" She inquired of him, with a frown, before softly adding, "This... Isn't Sith Space, is it?" Her tone betraying her slight worry, yet outwardly, aside from the voice, she seemed sturdy and independent despite how young she appeared. "And... Why are you helping me?" It was a notion she had still not gotten used to, even after a year with the Jedi who had wanted nothing more than to help her. They also wanted to redeem me, but that did not work.

 

[Qae Shena]

"No, this is Carida. You're in Republic territory, in the middle of the Perlemian Trade Route. Further along are Nak Shimor, Tirahnn, Taanab and Roche, until you hit the neutral zone before Sith Space," Qae said offhand, trying to remember his basic astrography. It wasn't easy given that there were so many damn planets to remember, but for the most part he remembered the basics of the trade routes. Mostly for his job of wandering the infinite sea of stars, which was never an easy one; he'd wandered everywhere from Telos to Tatooine and back again.

"As for why, I told you, I feel bad. You're a kid and you need your credits more than I do. Seriously, it's no big deal." Welcome to the Galaxy, in which an act of kindness needed to be questioned. Qae sighed. It was like this everywhere. A great deal of skepticism went a long way, certainly, but one simply couldn't be kind for the sake of being kind without being questioned. It was a universal, and sad, truth. There was nothing that could be done about it.

The Nautolan gave the little girl a relaxed smile, and patted her on the shoulder. She was lost if she had no idea where she was, and to be wandering like this on her own... it didn't seem right, for Qae. Kids were meant to have stable homes and a decent upbringing, or at least someone to provide for them. Maybe she'd have a good day on this strange world if he helped her out.

 

[Lief]

Republic Territory... So it still wasn't exactly where she wanted to be, but all the same it was something. I need to angle towards the Unknown Regions when I'm back in the ship she decided, but hearing what he said, the direction she was headed, brought about some sort of longing... Daxton wasn't a bad Master she reflected, He doesn't even know what happened to me. It seemed that it was becoming quite the habit, for Kara to disappear without a trace. Granted, the first time was mostly her doing, although she hadn't anticipated the torture, but this time... Well it was all down to Syn.

"Carida... Thank you" she bit her lip ever so slightly, glancing around the area they had stopped within. "I don't want you to do something out of pity. I've lasted this long on my own." Yet she couldn't help but feel like she needed it. She was down to her last few credits, and it would hardly be enough to stock up on supplies to the next few planets, let alone out into the Unknown Regions.

When he smiled and patted her on the shoulder, she realised that he really had her best interests at heart. Something about that reminded her of Daxton, and so she begrudgingly nodded her head. "If... If you're sure." It was an odd notion, accepting aid from others. She had always been her own provider, the desire to have one make their own way in life was exercised continually throughout her upbringing.

 

[Qae Shena]

"I am five hundred percent sure," Qae said warmly, smiling. "Eat. Get yourself a decent feed while the getting is good. Just be glad you're not in a bazaar on Tatooine - you wouldn't know half the food on Mos Eisley from dung you'd wipe up off the street." Qae was speaking from experience, there. Some of the food and the languages found on the dustball of Tatooine were terrifying, not to mention the heat that he just couldn't stand. Not like that. Dry heat was icky.

Besides, this kid was scruffy and lost. Probably didn't even have enough supplies to last her the week, all things being equal. Qae wasn't about to let a kid like that wander the Galaxy on her own without a helping hand; it went against what he stood for as a Vagrant. As Master-at-Arms, his honour required him to be helpful and kind to people just like him. Hopeless wanderers had a language all their own, after all. It was a language he was not only fluent in, but spoke well. And it was a kid, for Force's sake!

Besides, did she even know where she was going? Qae had too many questions, but didn't want to prod. As he guided her towards whatever food she wanted, he decided to ask a few basic questions. "Do you have star maps to... wherever it is you're headed?"

 

[Lief]

"I've never been to Tatooine" she remarked, in a tone of voice which suggested this was somewhat shocking to the little girl. She had seen many great planets in her very short life time, from Korriban to Coruscant, Ilum to Ziost and even the Shadow World of Umbara, naturally... And yet she had never visited Tatooine. Although that is probably for the best... My eyes would not like that. "What is it like, aside from the sun... Well, suns?" It was a well known fact, for Kara at least, that there were two suns to the planet, likely the reason it was so warm.

She began to move away with the man, but in truth she had no idea what food was a good idea to try or not. All she really knew were ration packs, having been travelling for the majority of her life. Yet she knew that this man wanted her to find something to eat, he was definitely akin to Daxton in that remark... Although she doubted their likeness spread any further. Kara was still wearing the tattered grey robes which Vazela had presented her with years prior, having left the browns and creams of the Jedi behind when she was permitted to exit Coruscant. She looked like the worst kind of traveller, but honestly? Kara did not care.

Biting her lip she glanced up at the man, and murmured; "There are no star maps, because it hasn't been mapped out yet." There it was, now she had said it Kara had made her plans official. The Unknown Regions it was... But that didn't make getting there any easier. I really need supplies, but it had been so long since she'd had to buy any that she had quite forgotten what she required.

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Saeldar"]

"Tatooine is easily one of the most terrible planets in the Galaxy," Qae said. "Endless desert, dry heat, two suns, scary people and bad food. It's the last place I would recommend anyone to go, and yet everyone else seems to find it interesting. I just don't get it, myself." And he didn't. Being aquatic, dry heat wasn't his friend; humidity was okay, to a degree, but he still preferred cooler temperatures. Cool, like the ocean he lived in. He liked that coolness, that gentle quiet, the way it played on his skin and his mind all as one. He could never turn away the truth of his youth.

His only answer to where she was going: "Ah. I see." He did, too. Actually, he knew what she meant and didn't want to tell her just how well the Unknown Regions were mapped out thanks to the efforts of his compatriots in the Lords of the Fringe; he had full access to their work. Well, mostly access. He wasn't one of their members, but the Fleet had a partnership with them and their leaders were his Masters. It was a very convenient arrangement for this kind of work. However, that meant in her uncertainty, Qae could offer her some sage advice, one traveller of the stars to another.

"You're going to want food, water, comlinks, and weapons, as well as survival gear," Qae said. "If you crash somewhere, you need to be prepared. Watch out for pirates and raiders who prey on the unwary traveller. Most important, keep your wits about you and don't be afraid to run from trouble."

There was a lot to remember, but common sense and knowing your basics got pretty much everyone through most bad situations. A bit of good luck helped, too. And being a good pilot. Definitely that.

"Are you expecting too much trouble?"

 

[Lief]

"Hm..." The tiny Umbaran thought to herself for a long while, in silence as they walked, listening to what he said. Tatooine did not seem like a good planet for a girl such as she, raised in darkness, akin to shadows, her eyes wouldn't last very long, she was struggling enough in that regard as it stood, and the light here wasn't even that harsh. "I think I'll skip Tatooine entirely" she finally murmured, although more so to herself than the man. Glancing over him one more time she realised just how odd he looked, at least for a child who had never seen one of his species before. Biting back her inquisitive nature, the remained in step beside him as they walked through the markets and bazaars.

And then he began to list requirements for such a journey. Most of it she already had in mind, but comlinks? Survival gear? They weren't things she typically had to hand, she avoided contact with others as best she could, and had no idea what one needed in order to 'survive', she had done well enough so far, right? "What do you mean by survival gear?" She finally inquired of him, as she finally slowed to a halt, glancing over a stall to her right. It contained exotic-looking foods, the likes of which she had never seen before, in all manner of colours. The child in her rose, and a tiny grin formed upon her face, the kind she had never before exercised until she met Syn and Thurion. The thought of them tugged at her chest, but she could not dwell on it. Her decision had been made.

The question of trouble, however, almost made her laugh. Everywhere she went trouble seemed to follow: in the form of Sith, Jedi, Bounty Hunters... It didn't matter, if they were possible to get entangled with, Kara would be on the receiving end of their 'mercy', which until now hadn't been all that merciful. Torture, choking, poisons... It was an average day for the little girl when such happened. But to the man all she said was "Perhaps, I shall see." It offered possibility, but also a desire for it to be otherwise.

@[member="Qae Shena"]

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Saeldar"]

"Avoiding Tatooine is always a wise choice in my book," Qae said with a nod, knowing fully that he would do so himself for as long as possible. It was not an overstatement to say that of every planet in the Galaxy, Qae hated Tatooine the most - two suns, permanent heat and light, barely any water. You could get rich just by farming water from the air, and that was a telling sign that Tatooine was the worst place for a fish-man. No need to go there, he knew.

Then she posed a question that, really, he should have expected. She was a kid, not a space traveller that had been seasoned by practise. Probably very lost in the Galaxy, too, and Qae couldn't help but feel for her. "Survival gear is anything you'll need if you end up on a hostile world, honestly - tents, blankets, condenser units. A decent dura-shelter, a rebreather and a thermal cape will do you in a pinch. Maybe a breath mask. Think of it this way - if you end up on an ice planet, you need to keep warm. If you end up underwater, you need to breathe, right? Somewhere to sleep doesn't hurt, either. I keep plenty on my ship, so if I've got some spare kit, I'm sure I can give it to you."

Man. He was being nice to this kid.

Quirking the proverbial eyebrow at her statement, however, Qae's curiosity was piqued. Yes, he could feel her own curiosity, and it was now reflecting back; the Nautolan tended to match and mirror those around him, thanks to his pheromone-sensing head-tresses.

"Perhaps? Sounds like you've seen some trouble already."

 

[Lief]

With a bit of a smile to herself she added, on the subject of Tatooine; "The suns wouldn't agree with my eyes." No, Kara would definitely not like Tatooine. Still smiling at how colourful and exotic the foods were here the child pressed on, tilting her head up to glance upon the odd-looking man. With a frown, she begins to inquire about what he was, innocently of course, after all she was only a child and meant no offence by it. "What are you..? Are you a... Lizard... Reptile? And... A-Are those snakes?!" She said, pointing to the tresses which fell down the back of his shirt.

He began to speak about survival gear, so she eagerly nodded her head and made a mental note of everything suggested... But there was a lot to remember, most of which she didn't have a clue about. "I've lasted this long without... Without all of that!" She said with a bit of a frown. Three years she'd been roaming, and it would likely be longer than that before she was done. "But... If you think it's best, I'll keep an eye open?" Slowly the girl was opening up, saying more, and actually beginning to enjoy herself. A small smile plastered itself to her lips, the likes of which only Thurion had ever managed to produce.

"And... Maybe... A little." With a small sigh the child looked away from him. Part of her wanted to pass over the question, or more so her answer, as quickly as she could, owing to the fact that she didn't want the memories to arise again. "B-But... Not anymore!"

@[member="Qae Shena"]

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Saeldar"]

There was a laugh, an honest laugh, as Kara tried to discern his species. Being a Nautolan, he got this very rarely; most people knew about the aquatic homeworld of Glee Anselm and the nature of its inhabitants. Being a major Republic world, Glee Anselm was large enough on the Galactic scale that most people had at least an inlking about the fourteen-head-tressed Nautolans and their cousins the Anselmi. However, he'd never heard someone get so out there with the description. It was enough to put a smile on his face, too.

"No. I'm a Nautolan. Nautolans are an aquatic species from the wonderful sea-world of Glee Anselm. We have two hearts, can breathe and speak underwater, and have these things we call tresses. These tresses sense pheromones and stuff and we pick up emotions very easily, like a Force empath can." He patted the top of her head. "If anything? I'm a fish. Or a squid. Whatever you prefer." Another laugh.

The rest, however, concerned him. She'd been wandering the Galaxy with little to nothing and relying on nothing other than blind luck - and luck had a way of catching up with you eventually. Qae's had run out long ago. He was floating around on his skills and wits now, honed by years of wandering the stars like a vagrant.

"Do you... have a weapon, or something? Something to protect yourself with? I'd feel bad if you didn't." And he knew he could spare her a blaster off his ship, or something. "Honestly, as condescending as it sounds, I don't like the idea of a little girl wandering the Galaxy without being looked after. If I didn't help out, I'd feel terrible."

 

[Lief]

The little girl outwardly blushed to his laughter, realising that she had likely made a fool of herself. Her gaze instinctively slipped down to her feet, her hands settling right up against the side of her body, a natural defence mechanism so to speak - one she had outgrown on Umbara, but evidently it had begun to return. Time away from the Sith had likely softened her back up, and if she wasn't careful then the Umbaran would find herself in further trouble. No, that definitely wasn't what she wanted. Instead she listened while he explained what he was, a Nautolan, softly nodding her head.

When he patted her head she frowned, and bit her lip, everything this man, this Nautolan, did reminded her of just how young she really was. Should she be running around the Galaxy alone? The likely answer was no, but she couldn't change how things were anymore; she had taken her life, her future, into her own hands at the age of six, and these were the repercussions of doing so. "You're a... A..." She didn't even know his name, so instead she said; "I'll just call you a Naulotan, sir..."

When he asked about a weapon she instinctively frowned, feeling the pressure of her curved duellist hilt upon her arm where it settled, ready for quick-release. But if he saw that, he would know... No, you changed the crystal over... For all he knows-- For all he knows wasn't a good way to live ones life, she had learnt quickly. "I... Can defend myself" was all she said in response, looking up at the funny snake-haired man. The lightsaber hilt brought with it a cold yet comforting feeling, which assisted in making her feel safe, but a weapon wasn't enough in a world such as this, it wouldn't sustain or shelter.

@[member="Qae Shena"]

 

[Qae Shena]

@[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

There was a sudden shift in her mentality, from calm and quiet to a small measure of shame with a very sudden impulse to protect herself. This was the curse of being empathic; sure, it made conversation easier because you could measure the response of the other person involved. However, it was always a downside - because everyone was brutally honest with you whether you wanted them to be or not. It was never a good thing to know that she was scared of him, to a small degree, or that his words were upsetting her in ways he did not wish them to be.

Qae frowned, quietly, remaining wordless for some time as he considered what to say next. Instead, he just nodded when she admitted her ability to defend herself. He could have expressed the fact that he knew she was a Force-sensitive, that she had a refined aura, that he could tell she had training, but no. He did not. No sense in embarassing her further. It wasn't his intent to do that, so he left it all there.

But what to do, then?

Moments passed and needless to say it was somewhat awkward that he had made a fool of himself. That had to be changed. "How much of the Galaxy have you seen?" he asked, curious - one wanderer to another.

 

[Lief]

For a while she stared down at her feet, usually-pale cheeks flushed red. Shifting her body backwards a few steps she made a few murmured sounds, but the words themselves were lost before they left her lips. She did not like the silence as it spread between them, but she could think of nothing to say to break it, so instead rocked back and forth on her feet to avoid going crazy, her hand subconsciously raising to rub the back of her neck in an awkward gesture. Part of her wanted to turn around and flee, but it wouldn't be fair on this man who had taken time out of his day to help her.

She could sense from him a certain knowledge, that he was aware of who and what she was - and it made her flinch in minute worry, if not fear; did he realise now what it meant to be an Umbaran away from Umbara? Would he throw her right back at the authorities and have her resume the caste system? Unanswered questions ran around her mind, flaring incessantly until her paranoia reached a critical level. "I'm sorry" she blurted out, "P-Please don't--" It was then that he spoke, and she felt even greater a fool.

Trying to cover up her panicked state she murmured, "A-Alot.." of course in comparison to many explorers it likely wasn't. "U-Umbara and Maramere and Ziost... K-Korriban, Dromund Kaas... Coruscant, Cathar, some unnamed planets... Dagobah, Dac..." now she was rambling but it was all to try and hide what she had said. "A-And Elom..." she finally breathed, the stuff of nightmares to her, that which plagued her each day. There were more but now she had mentioned Elom her body trembled, lip quivering, and she had the sudden urge to flee, backing away from him further and stumbling into a nearby stall.

@[member="Qae Shena"]

 

[Qae Shena]

He gave her an interested smile as she listed off her planets, one by one - she'd been all across the Galaxy, to places light and dark, in the midst of many of the great empires that dominated the Galaxy. Truly, she was a wanderer, drawn to sites powerful in the Force. If there had been any doubt in the Nautolan's mind that she was a Force-sensitive, then that doubt was now long gone. Qae would not ignore that. However, instead of being cruel about it, he was dead honest.

"I've not been to even half those places, and I'd love to some day," Qae said. "Korriban and Dromund Kaas. That's the heart of the Sith Empire. Maramere, Dac, Coruscant. Those I've done. You've seen some interesting things - and I'm a professional wanderer of the stars!"

To that, he laughed.

"Are you worried about what you might find on your adventures?" he asked her, honestly. "You've been to some dangerous places, too. It takes a lot of courage to go where you've been."

 

[Lief]

Her eyes widened; how had he, as an Adventurer, not been to the places that she, a mere child, had? Tilting her head to one side, and raising a brow, she frowned. "Which haven't you been to?" Part of her wanted to grab him by his fish-hand and run off with him to show him the stars and the planets she had visited within them, there were so many, even more than she had mentioned to him already, and the more she thought about it the more she realised how much she had been through in such a short space of time. This pulled the frown tighter upon her lips, until she shook her head in thought.

"I-I'm not worried!" she asserted, trying to make herself seem bigger and more confident than she was or felt, tilting her head to the other side. "Adventures are better than... W-Well than the alternative." Biting her lip she pondered on it all - of her journey from Umbara to Maramere to Korriban and Ziost and Elom... All of it, until she reached this exact spot. And then a large shiver ran down her spine. She didn't want to think about it any more. What good was having adventures when you couldn't think back to most of them. Sticking her hand in her pocket she felt something suddenly strike her knuckles, and she frowned.

Taking the item into her hand she pulled it gently from her pocket and stared down at her palm. A pebble, tiny, shiny and pure white. Just the mere look of it hitched her breath and made her eyes water. Thurion -the only person to ever truly believe in her. The boy she had left behind upon Coruscant... Stuffing it back into her pocket she blinked, feigning having something in her eye, and wiped the tears away on the back of her sleeve. "C-Can we go, now?" she asked, staring past him, somewhat distant.

@[member="Qae Shena"]