They Say I'm a Bookworm

[Aneya Maev]

D E N O N​

Central Park​

​

A bench. A girl. A book in her hands. Sounds like Aneya? Well, yeah, because that girl is Aneya. She loved hanging out in the nature while reading a book, but sadly she had chosen a very bad planet for that. Denon was a huge ecumenopolis, half the size of Coruscant. She'd managed to find a park there, which was definitely an achievement. But to find anything more than that was impossible.

It was a world-spanning city, which of course meant there were only a few artificially made parks around. She had to note, breathing such an air was really nothing like breathing real air. Oxygen didn't seem to be the same as it was elsewhere in the galaxy and the dullness of air's aroma was just unbearable.

But it did have one positive effect -- the girl could focus solely on the book and not have to worry about breathing too much and looking around and lying on the ground or anything.

She loved it. Not the air, but the effect it had on her. Which, logically thinking, meant she actually loved the air.

Ah, whatever.

Aneya had been studying the History of the Jedi Order for a while now, trying to work her way through splinter groups like the New Jedi Order and the Silver Jedi Order as well. As a non-force user, she had a hard time understanding their differences, but she guessed it was important for the real Jedi.

She would have given everything to be Force-sensitive herself, just to do even better research about the Force and its philosophies. At the moment, she could only learn everything theoretically or talk about these things with real Force-users.

But the dream of not having to do that was something she'd always had.

And she would not stop dreaming about it.

[ [member="Connor Harrison"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was a long shot, trying to contact the Sith Witch Matsu Xiangu again. There was business he had left unfinished with her, seeing now only the danger she posed to not just herself but every being she encountered. It was time to get away from One Sith space – down the Corellian Run from Duro, and across the Mara Corridor to Sanctum space. Much like the Antarian Rangers, he would move fast and move with precision to avoid unsettling the other systems he passed and their watchful eyes.

Once he returned to Voss, he would start repairing the damage he had done.

First, however, was Denon. Refuel and refresh.

Taking the freighter down into one of the main landing ports, circling around a little to get his bearings in his new ship, now without Silver Jedi markings, Connor Harrison strode out and left precise instructions about what fuel his ship needed and the security measures on it. Two Grans were happy to oblige and directed him into the bustling hub of the sector he was in.

Central Park.

Connor rolled his tongue around inside his mouth and clasped his hands behind his back and, after looking up at this ship, turned to take a slow walk around the park and see what this planet, this park, had to offer.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

The girl had gotten to the most interesting part of the book, which happened to be the chapter of Invasion of Coruscant. It was definitely one of the most powerful conflicts to happen in the recent times, so of course she would love to read about it. Especially from the perspective of Jedi, so that she could make notes of how it affected the Jedi Order.

What was really sad was that the comprehensive Jedi Temple Archives were under One Sith control due to their victory at the invasion. Losing a powerful library like that to a foreign power was, to Aneya at least, the most terrifying thing that could happen.

But there was nothing she could do about it now. She was not a Jedi, not a soldier, so all she could do was hope that the Galactic Republic would one day get the planet under their control again. That is, unless some other faction managed to grab it before them. Nonetheless, anybody else was better than the Sith.

She sighed as she set the document down for a while. She had been reading a little bit too much lately and had to take a break. Even though she hated it, her eyes were tired of all the reading she had done and she would have to take some time off -- maybe look into the distance, daydream a little bit... She loved doing that, especially when she thought about how she herself would one day open her own library.

It was one of her other major dreams besides the wish to become a Force-user somehow.

She took another deep breath before she would put he book away completely. The day was nice, she had to admit, and spending all of that on reading was definitely not what she wanted.

[ [member="Connor Harrison"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Keeping himself to himself, Connor walked gently along the edge of the artificial lake in the middle of this park – seemingly such a naturistic delight wasn’t natural at all, not like Voss. In such a raging nexus as this city, rather the whole planet, it was an acceptable relief from technology and skylanes.

There were a few people milling around, a few people reading and sitting and walking arm in arm. Connor glanced back to where his ship was, up on the top of the incline to the park, which obviously was a landing pad leading to other sectors of the city.

Stopping by the water, divided by a decorative stone brick pattern running around the edge, Connor looked into the distance and nonchalantly drew patterns in the water. Not with his fingers, no – with a lazy application of the Force. Just toying with the elements before him, making swirling patterns aimlessly as he lost himself in thought and the gentle ripple of the water.

There was nothing he had to hide from anyone; typical Connor. It’s not like this wasn’t showing off – he was simply doing what he had been given to use at birth. Not even the swoop bike passing by distracted him.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"You can use the Force?" Aneya asked as she made it to the artificially made lake the middle of the park. She'd thought of taking a little break near the water; like she had learned, water was one of the most calming things for Jedi. Why wouldn't it then be one for her as well, even if she couldn't use the Force? Yet as soon as she had made it to water body of water, she saw odd ripples coming seemingly out of nowhere.

She looked at the man -- looked rather old with his bear and moustache and slightly grayish hair. She was not good at assuming other people's ages, so she didn't have a general idea of how many years the man had lived.

But it had to be a lot more than her.

"The ripples," she added after a short while. It had not been a huge moment of silence, just a second or so. "Ripples are also what make up the Force, is it so?"

At least she had read that some Force philosophies handled the Force as if they were ripples of something.

[ [member="Connor Harrison"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

”Well I doubt the fish can make such perfect patterns as this.”

The voice broke his thought, and he peeped out of one eye, turning his head, and lowering it, to meet the wide-eyed wonder of the girl beside him.

”I do have certain abilities concerning the Force, yes. I can tell you do not, however. I guess you could say ripples are like the Force, in the fact that the Force ripples out from all living beings. You, me, the fish even. It’s how you mould and absorb the ripples that matter.”

He moved his head a little to look at her properly, still sanding with hands behind his back. She was inquisitive, and brimming with eagerness to learn and to absorb information. An admirable trait.

”Tell me, what are you studying specifically to fuel your interest in such a thing? ”

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Well, yeah, I lack the power, which I am a little bit sad about," the girl said as a response to the remark that she is unable to use the powers of the Force. What was the best thing about not being a Force user, she was able to live however she wanted to and didn't have to worry about something making her fall to the Dark Side. That's why she didn't hesitate to talk about sadness and hatred and detest and jealousy.

She turned to look at the lake. So ripples of the Force were all around them? She didn't know how to take it in -- she'd never actually thought about it this way. She'd never actually realised how... odd it would be to feel all those ripples around and having to mold them in different ways.

"I study about the history of the Jedi Order. Which practically means I study Jedi," she said openly. No reason to hide that, she thought. She wasn't afraid of anything per se. She trusted people.

"I also learn briefly about splinter groups like the Silver Jedi and New Jedi and everything. But mainly the original vanilla Order:"

[ [member="Connor Harrison"] ]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was always nice seeing people wishing they could be like Connor, the Jedi in general more specifically. However, with that sort of power loomed a great shadow hanging over them all.

”I see. Well, don’t feel TOO disappointed. The Force certainly has it’s perks, but it also has it’s downfalls. It’s the wafer thin divide between man and monster if it’s not controlled, and those who have it will either be constantly looking over their shoulder to see who or what is seeking their knowledge and skill for the best or worst reason.”

Connor folded his arms and turned fully to her.

”Ok, here’s a little test. Tell me what you know, if anything, about the best splinter group of Jedi out there – the Silver Jedi. You may know them as the Silver Sanctum.”

There was a playful glint in his eye, and a curious tone to his voice. It would be nice to see and talk to someone who wasn’t looking over said shoulder all the time.

[member="Aneya Maev"]

 

[Aneya Maev]

"Well, I do know they are led by the Silver Jedi Grandmaster Thurion Heavenshield and that its Master of the Order is... Coci Heavenshield, I think?" Aneya tried to remember what she'd learned of the faction. She couldn't say the Silver Jedi were her favourite subject, but she did think it would be the best if she knew as much as she could.

"Uh, I know it's a little bit more 'brutal' in its ways. That its main focus is on driving out the Dark Side. Or at least that's what their original concept was. It broke off the Jedi Order... I don't know, a decade ago or something like that."

She cleared her throat.

"My knowledge on that topic is a little bit foggy and there's definitely a lot more for me to learn."

[ [member="Connor Harrison"] ]