What I Don't Know

[Kurt Meyer]

Kalinda University
[member="Asha Hex"]

Kurt frowned slightly, looking up at one of the larger buildings on Campus as he tried to identify where exactly he was.

Kalinda University was just about the size of a city, and finding ones way around was something of a habit. You had to first learn where everything was, and from there...well from there you kind of just did it. Kurt hadn't actually been able to reach that stage just yet, probably because he'd actually only been at the university for a few weeks. Most of his classes had already started and were going strong, though a few of them had his head spinning.

He'd never been particularly smart.

Jamie had encouraged him of course, and so had his parents, but he was finding that this was all a lot harder than he'd initially thought it would be. He remembered school pretty well, same with flight training in the Republic, but this? This was something else.

It didn't help that half the other students made him feel like a complete idiot.

No one was openly insulting of course, in fact most were actually genuinely nice and willing to help, but it was clear that Kurt was out of his element. He was a farm boy from Tatooine, a Pod-Racer, and a pilot. That was it. He wasn't meant to be a University student. Higher education was difficult for him, and although he tried his best he often found himself holo-calling Jamie or one of his parents to ask for help with homework.

That alone was rather embarrassing, though they assured him it was okay each time.

He hoped that in time all of that would go away, but for now...he just needed to find his next class.

 

[Lief]

Despite all she had faced in the past few years, Asha could undoubtedly say that this was the most daunting.

She was no stranger to new experiences, to meeting people for the first time, or being out of her comfort zone, but the sheer scale of the University Grounds had her reeling. Not just that but the multitude of people all seeming to head in one direction, it made her feel like she was swimming upstream.

Because while they were heading to classes and lectures, she had the main building to find. It shouldn't have been far from a spaceport, she knew, but the grounds were littered in them, and she knew that she had been dropped off at the wrong place.

Probably didn't help that she was several weeks late.

Thankfully [member='Jericho'] had pulled some strings to get her this place despite that fact, though it meant a lot of catching up on her part, especially considering the program she was here for. Her heart raced uncomfortably for a moment at the reminder of all that lay ahead, and she closed her eyes and breathed out a slow sigh, lost there amidst the tide of students.

You have experience in this field, you've taken lessons from professionals, rendered aid on battlefields... You've got this.

But... Doing something and knowing something were two entirely different principles. What if she wasn't as much of a learner as she'd always been told she was?

Opening her eyes she continued on her way, eyes seeking out some sort of map of the University, or a sign post, or anything that would lead her where she needed to go.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

Kurt had managed to meander his way over towards one of the many sign posts around campus.

The University was well aware of its problem when it came to size, mostly because the place was so overly large that most were overwhelmed when they first came here. He frowned slightly as he glared at the map, trying to find the right building among the many hundreds that were labeled.

"I am here." He said poking his finger against the map.

At the very least this was something he could actually do. All that time spent in the deep core surveying with Kaile had actually made him quite good at utilizing maps, though granted those were generally without any labels at all. The Courier peeked around for a few moments and then finally found what he was looking for. The Kuhn Science Building.

It was one of the larger locations on Campus, the sight of many laboratories and the like.

Kurt had to go there for Chemistry 101, something he was actually looking forward to. His mother had been a chemist, and he hoped that some of her knowledge had somehow magically transferred over to him.

 

[Lief]

There.

Finally, a holographic image of a map could be seen jutting from a post. With all the grace she could muster she wound her way through the crowd and hurried over to where it lay, muttering quiet apologies to anyone she inconvenienced by cutting through them in such a way.

Not that anyone seemed to notice.

It seemed as though they were still on their high, experiencing life away from home, the freedoms that came with it. Some looked exhausted, likely having spent the night before doing anything other than studying. It amused her somewhat, though she couldn't exactly empathize... She'd never been much of a child or a teen, just Asha. Couldn't exactly keep friends when your Father insisted on dragging you around the Galaxy, never stopping for more than a couple of days.

Still she wouldn't change her upbringing for anything.

Someone else was already pouring over the map, so she awkwardly stood to one side and tried to peek over at it. It seemed as though they were pretty close to the Science Building, that was good - it was where she'd be spending most of her time. So with that on lockdown in her mind, she traced the path with her eyes and...

Drat, she couldn't quite make out where the damn main hall was. So she shuffled a little closer, trying not to be rude or get too close to the other students who had paused to look too.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

Well at least he knew where he was going, that was something he could be glad about. The only real issue he had was that his dorm was basically on the other side of Campus from the Science building meaning he'd have to walk the length of the place every single day in order to get to class, a fact that annoyed him more than it should have.

The Courier mumbled quietly to himself, thinking how quickly he'd get across the school ground if he still had The Messa.

Consumed in his own Thoughts he hardly noticed as Asha slowly began to creep closer to him in an attempt to study the map. He was oddly oblivious to it, though that was no surprise given how much out of his element he actually was in a place like that. After a moment he finally saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He took a half step back out of sheer reaction.

"Oh." He said suddenly as he realized it was another person.

"Sorry about that." Kurt said with a smile and a shrug. "Did you need help finding something?"

He didn't exactly know his way around, but he had the hang of the map.

 

[Lief]

Again she tried to trace a line between her present location and the main building.

Honestly this was alien to her. Star maps were easier to follow than all this nonsense, she was used to having Jericho with her, or knowing the places she was visiting, or simply exploring. Most of the time when they came to a new world her Father was the one who had a set purpose, and Asha had been free to venture as she wished, no specific place to go, no need for a map... Just freedom and exploration.

Somehow he'd always known how to find her.

Except that one time...

That wasn't worth thinking about, though, those days were gone.

When someone half-jumped she took a light step back, feeling her cheeks turn a very pale shade of pink at her own surprise. She hadn't meant to startle.

"I'm sorry, I was just..." She looked from the man back to the map, before laughing quietly at herself. "Yes... Do you know how to get to the main hall from here? I got dropped off at the wrong docking bay, and well..." Letting out a small sigh she shook her head, and glanced back to him. "Late arrival," she explained, Very late arrival... "So, uh, the main hall... Is it far?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

Surprisingly Kurt actually knew where the Main Hall was relative to where they were. He had come here along with Jamie when they'd first settled him at the University. It was apparently a requirement that all students pass through there, though why you couldn't just do everything over the holo-net was a mystery to him. He had shrugged at the time, but he still found it rather odd.

"Sure." He said as he turned to the map.

For just a moment he studied it, trying to find the right building so that he could use the maps interactive features to draw her the correct path. The campus really was confusing when you came here for the first time, especially if you weren't used to big cities. For a few seconds he observed what was in front of him and then sighed.

They should really have guides.

"You know what." He glanced at his Chrono. "Why dont you just tag along with me."

The Main Hall was located directly in the middle of campus and he had to cross that way to get to the Science Building anyway. It would be easy enough to show her where the building was, and from there he could continue on to class. "I'm passing by that way."

 

[Lief]

She gave him a moment to study the map, and after sneaking a good look at his face, in order to remember him if they ever crossed paths again, she turned slightly to actually marvel at the sights around them.

Despite the fact that it was so large, and in many ways foreboding, it was quite beautiful here, so much to see, architecture she'd never thought possible. Even the setting was idyllic.

When the stranger spoke once more she turned back to him and sheepishly smiled to hide her discomfort. She didn't like putting people out, she was typically a very independent individual, used to figuring things out for herself, that was simply the way she had been raised, so his offer caught her off guard for a moment.

Still, if he really was headed in that direction then it couldn't hurt to have someone else swimming up stream, could it?

"If you're sure," she said, noticing how he had checked the time in the process of speaking. Hopefully she wasn't keeping him from anything important, "I'd appreciate that, thank you. It's a little overwhelming, isn't it?"

And that was coming from someone who had seen a ridiculous amount of space, countless cultures, adjusting to things was second nature. This was something else. She couldn't imagine being a homebird whose first taste of what the Galaxy had to offer, of its vastness, was a place like this.

Nosiree.

"I'm Asha, by the way."

May as well get that out of the way, she'd already waited longer than was deemed appropriate in many places to introduce herself.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Kurt." The former Courier said with a small smile.

She was right of course, Kalinda was huge. He'd visited dozens, maybe even hundreds of worlds during his time as a Courier and this place was something else. It wasn't that it was bigger, no, compared to Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa it was actually quite small, but there was something else to it. Perhaps it was the fact that every building here was dedicated to the same purpose, perhaps it was because everything was just so well put together.

Kurt couldn't have said for sure. "It is, I'm not really used to it yet either."

He said truthfully as he waved his hand and ushered her onto the path next to them. The walk to the Main Hall would take a few minutes at least, though the pleasant sunny weather didn't make that much of a problem.

"So." He began as they walked. "Where are you from, Asha?"

One of the more unique things about Kalinda was it's open enrollment policy. It didn't matter if you were from an Imperial Planet, Alliance Sector, or even a random contested Space Station, Kalinda would always accept you. So far he'd met half a dozen people from all corners of the galaxy, his neighbor was from Bastion.

 

[Lief]

Kurt.

She set that into her memory along with his face, something to recall at a later date if the pair ran into each other again. Given how large this place was though... That was uncertain.Still it didn't hurt to be prepared.

When he stated that he himself had not adjusted she found it both relieving and disconcerting all at once, at least she wasn't on her own here in this bubble of uncertainty and yet if the students here hadn't gotten the hang of it after several weeks then what hope did she have? Something to work on, in between all of her countless classes.

Why had she gone with pre-med again?

Stepping up beside him she followed him along the path, her eyes darting this way and that. Apparently it must have been close to class for many of those she had been walking against earlier, because the walkway was surprisingly less cluttered this time. What a difference a few minutes could make.

His question had her frown for a moment, genuinely thinking up an answer that would be suitable. But she drew only blanks.

"I'm not from anywhere, really," she offered, with a very tiny frown, "I was born in space... and I've been moving ever since."

Quite the life, so much so that the frown dispersed back into a smile. Yes, she definitely wouldn't change that.

"What about you? Where are you from, Kurt?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Huh." He'd never actually met anyone that identified their homeworld as 'space'. He supposed there was probably quite a few people who could say they were born on one starship or another, but usually they identified as coming from their parent's homeworlds. It seemed odd to him that Asha didn't, but Kurt had never really been one to pry, at least not when he was just making casual conversation and the outcome didn't matter.

A shrug rolled over his shoulder.

"Tatooine." Most people knew of the desert world, though the light they saw it in was rarely anything better than 'greatest hive of scum and villainy in the galaxy'. He saw it entirely differently of course, but he wasn't about to get into that. "A little outside of Mos Espa."

Several hundred miles outside of Mos Espa in fact, but that also didn't really matter. "My parents own a moisture farm."

A very successful one, though that was only because his father was a fantastic engineer.

From the way he spoke it was obvious that Kurt had a fondness for his homeworld, far removed from the enmity that most felt for the desert world. For him the twin suns were the most beautiful things in the galaxy, the expansive deserts were gorgeous, and the far reaching cliffs were wondrous to behold. Kurt well and truly loved his home.

 

[Lief]

Tatooine.

She hadn't pegged him for an Outer Rimmer, though then again she had known him for all of two minutes so the bar wasn't set particularly high. It was difficult to tell in a setting like this, it was a melting pot and though she'd barely cracked its surface she knew that the longer she spent here the more surprises she'd be met with. Compared to what was possible, this truly was nothing to balk at.

"I enjoyed my time on Tatooine," she said, with a grin, "Jyn despised it, something about too much sand, and enforcers..." When Asha had visited in her youth there were no dang enforcers, it had taken a bit of convincing for her to believe Jyn's story as anything more than a tall tale. "I liked the heat, and even the dunes..."

She recalled getting lost amidst the dune sea, if it hadn't been for Jericho she'd probably still be out there now. Or dead. Likely the latter. Still there was something oddly freeing about an ocean that could be walked upon, that tried with all of its might to drag you under yet never succeeded. At least, not in her case.

"Do you miss it?" she asked, hoping that she wasn't prying too much. All the while she allowed her gaze to wander freely, trying to take in any signs that were present, any landmarks that could be used to find her way around again in the future.

Maybe she'd find some sort of interactive map for the datapad.

There had to be something like that, right?

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

Kurt shrugged.

"Kind of." He admitted. "It's not like I'm homesick or anything like that, but it's just..."

Kurt trailed off as he tried to think of the right words. Jamie always made fun of him for liking Tatooine so much, or rather she didn't really understand. He didn't blame her for that at all, most people in the galaxy thought of his home as little else besides a ball of dirt. He was sure that he would be able to convince her once they visited together, but for now it was still rather difficult to actually say what he meant in regards to all of that.

Mostly because he'd never been very good with words. "It's home."

He said with a smile.

"No place like it." Kurt said with a grin. "I'll never know anywhere else as well."

Though there were a few spots in the galaxy he was now quite familiar with, Naboo being one of them. Frequent visits to see Jamie had made sure of that. He had wanted to learn Theed like the back of his hand, mostly because he didn't want to have to rely on Jamie to know where to go every time he visited.

 

[Lief]

This was honestly a topic of conversation which Asha could not empathize with, and such was rare.

Home was never a concept she had understood, there had never been somewhere to return to, stable surroundings, just her Papa and whatever ship he was piloting at the time, he had the dodgy Hex gene where such was concerned, so ships never lasted long, it wasn't as if there was a specific one that she fell back into and simply thought Yes... That's it... I'm home. No. Nothing of the sort.

She supposed the Prophet came close, but she'd only had that a few years and most of that time had been on the Durasteel Graveyard... No. She didn't need a home, and if she ever found one one day she doubted she'd realize it.

There is Korriban, that's one of the few worlds Papa continually returned to.

When she hadn't known where to find him, she had gone there. Wasn't about to admit as much to a complete stranger, though, Korriban had negative connotations, even if her Papa had walked among the Light for most of his life, even if he now walked the path of Balance, no doubt he'd be pegged a Sith, and she by association.

That very thought had her mentally scoffing, though outwardly the same timid smile remained on her lips.

"It sounds like a nice thing to have, I hope you're able to find time to visit between all the studying we'll have to do here."

Speaking of which, she looked to him curiously, trying to deduce what he was even here for. But she had learned pretty quickly that you couldn't judge a book by its cover, especially not here. That left just one thing.

"What are you here for, anyway? Maybe there's some crossover in classes," though she doubted it. This place was huge, the number of students it must have carried was likely ridiculous, and the chance of any overlap was slim to none. Still, it didn't hurt to ask.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

He shrugged.

In truth he wasn't all that worried about heading home. Sure he missed it at times, but Tatooine would always be there, plus in order to actually get home he now had to travel through Imperial territory and that...that bothered him. It wasn't that the Empire was really all that bad, they weren't Sith after all, but after what had happened on Bimmsaari he couldn't help but feel more than a little bit of bitterness towards them. His teeth ground together for a moment.

Besides, visiting Jamie was better anyway.

The Courier let out a sigh eventually, taking in a breath as he tried not to focus on the bad and instead move towards the conversation he was having with Asha. She was turning out to be decent company for the walk across campus, though they'd likely part ways soon. "Starship Engineering."

He said with a smile.

"It's just about the only thing I can do." Kurt gave her a grin.

It was true enough, though a bit disparaging of himself.

 

[Lief]

For a moment he seemed frustrated by something.

It was held within his expression though it wasn't as obvious as it might have been in others, the way he grit his teeth, and the slight furrow to his brow, but she wasn't so self-deprecating enough as to think it was something she had said... After all, she had barely said anything, and definitely nothing offensive.

At least, she hoped.

It was gone as quickly as it came, however, and talk moved on from homeworlds to the University itself, or more their place there.

"Starship engineering," she said, raising one brow in curiosity. That... Oddly made sense, though it was something she had overlooked as even being an option. They lived in an age of budding technology and advancement, though most of the foundation had been done generations before, and if it was going to continue on that way then they needed engineers and the like.

"So you'll be in the science building, then? Huh."

Of all the different departments, and for how big this place really was, that seemed rather coincidental to her, not that it was a bad thing of course. Plenty of overlap in courses, no doubt they'd both be studying chemistry at the very least.

"I'm pre-med," she added, with a very light shrug of her shoulders, "Perhaps I'll see you around. Then again, this place is insane so anything could happen."

Attention shifted from Kurt to the path they were taking. No doubt they'd reach the Main Hall soon enough and from there Asha's day would become one of mayhem. Orientation, schedules, moving into her dorm, catching up on the things she'd missed by arriving late... Perhaps she ought to enjoy this moment of calm before the storm.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

"Yeah there's pretty much a building for everything." Kurt had learned that more than once by stumbling into a place he wasn't supposed to be. A few times he'd gotten yelled at, though once or twice he'd stumbled into a cooking class and that experience had been rather pleasant.

The truth was though he enjoyed it.

There was something to this, the allure of college life that he never really would have expected before. It reminded him of a far more relaxed Naval Academy, and honestly that was a time he had enjoyed quite a bit as well. Perhaps it was the sense of freedom. He wondered briefly just how all of this would turn out, though he knew that in the end he would stick with it. Kurt wasn't here for himself after all, he was here to make himself better for someone.

To make her proud. "You'll learn your way around eventually."

Kurt told her.

"My neighbor says you kind of get used to it." He shrugged. "I've only been here a week so i'm not exactly a pro either."

 

[Lief]

A building for everything.

She was becoming more grateful by the minute that most of the core courses she'd be subjected to were all the same subject. There were a few which deviated, of course, mostly those which dealt with psychology and the like, but for the most part her life would revolve around that science building.

Hopefully the dorms would not be too far, then again a good walk each day likely wasn't a bad thing.

Maybe not now, but what if the weather turns?

She had no idea what the climate was like here, whether it suffered from intense seasons... Perhaps that was something to look into. Truth be told she knew very little about it. [member='Jericho'] had chosen it, said something about it having great credentials, and an awesome pre-med program.

It wasn't that Asha hadn't wanted to search for a University for herself, more that she knew if she fell down that rabbit hole she'd have spent years finding the 'right one'.

"There's got to be some sort of app for the datapad, right? A map or something that can be portable. If not, someone should really invest their time in making one, I bet they'd make a killing."

Asha would pay a few credits at least for that.

Then again, she was pretty good at adjusting to new landscapes, she found her way a little easier than most but that was probably due to the way she was raised. Had to learn quick, or get lost... Literally.

"Thank you, by the way, for helping. I hope I'm not making you late for a lecture or anything."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Asha Hex"]

He shrugged. "Dunno, never really been good with technology."

The statement was probably about as absurd as one could make in a place like this, but again Kurt told no lie. On Tatooine his family never had the money for fancy gadgets, and when he'd finally earned enough with winning the races...it had never really been all that important to him. Flying and fu-well, other things had always come first, there had never really been a point in learning to fumble around with a datapad. Not when he could do things hands on.

Some people thought of him as ignorant because of that, and they were welcome to it, but Kurt would rather not be reliant on a tiny screen all the time anyway. Just about the only time he used stuff like that was when he was talking to Jamie, and that was mostly because it was the only option.

"I'm sure you can ask around." He told her. "People at the Hall might know."

Another shrug. "Don't worry about it, I'm late anyway."

It was hard not to be with the size of this freaking campus.

 

[Lief]

Now that was something she could empathize with.

Aside from her datapad, which her Father had insisted she bring with her, and of course her commlink, there wasn't much she used when it came to technology. It all seemed so... Pointless. Like shortcuts to things she was more than capable of doing on her own.

A map, however...

A map was something she definitely could use.

Her eyes caught a sign post, and for the first time since arriving there was some sort of evidence of the fact that the Main Hall actually existed. She could feel her stomach twist with anxiety, uncertain as to whether this was the right call. She could just as readily call someone to pick her up, forget the whole thing.

But that simply wasn't her way.

Hex's didn't give up.

"Yeah, if anyone knows then it would be the folks at the Main Hall. Or I can just take a picture of the next holomap I see..."

Wasn't a bad idea actually.

Though she felt a little guilty about the fact that he was late for wherever he was headed, the fact that he didn't mind eased her mind a little. Another reason to hope her dorm was close to the science building, she couldn't imagine how easy it would be to end up late, or lost... Or both.

She was excited to explore, when she had a moment, find out what else there was here outside of the department buildings. To live a little... Act like her age, rather than whatever it was she had been molded into.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]