By the time the star-freighter had reached Alderaan, Elori had come to
learn much of the planet's culture and history. Her fellow passenger - the
toothless old man - whose name she now learned was Erdana, spoke at great
length on the subject of Alderaan. At times he spoke like a true historian,
and on occasion he would ramble off...muttering about other times and
places in his life. She found herself - strangely enough - taking a liking
to his presence and even found comfort in his wild babblings.
As soon as the freighter had docked, the old man got up and packed his instrument into its case. He breathed in deeply and walked towards the exit. Elori immediately rose and followed him outside.
A great torrent of rain was pouring down, and Elori watched in surprise as Erdana skipped down the ramp with his heavy case, smiling at the dark rain clouds in the sky. He then spun around and shouted to Elori.
"Remember when you used to run into the rain? You'd scream happily, spinning around and around until your mother had to shout herself hoarse urging you to come in."
Elori ran up to him, placed her arms firmly on each of his shoulders and spoke with a degree of panic and urgency in her voice.
"What did you say?! I have no mother! I never ran in the rain! It's not me, you old fool! Not me!"
He looked down at the puddle of water they were both standing in, and lowered his case onto the ground. He then slowly reached into his weathered coat, extracting a small, rectangular wooden board. He loosened her grip on his shoulders, and opened her clenched fist with his hand. In it, he placed this gift. Elori looked down at it and saw that it was a painting. A painting of a place enveloped in mist. Tall leafless trees stood above the mist, standing proud against the twilight background.
"Sometimes," he said eagerly, "when you refused to come in, she would come out as well. And laugh in the rain with you."
Elori shut her eyes tightly, wishing he would stop. But she couldn't tell him. Couldn't tell him because there was something rooted deep in her mind that tormented her relentlessly.
"You can't say you didn't have her since you can't remember! Accept my gift, stranger. You have very few possessions. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes, not. Keep what you have close to your heart, your memories...I urge you not to cast them aside! Follow them home."
Elori couldn't think of anything to say. Perhaps a 'thank you' would suffice, but before she could speak, Erdana stared behind her and his face broke out into a wild grin. She turned around to see a small crowd of children running - pushing and shoving against themselves - to get to the old man.
"My friends! My friends!" He chuckled gleefully as he walked away with his entourage, leaving Elori to stare at her gift, watching the rain drops splatter onto the painting and roll off its edges.
* * *
The rain had slowed down to a patter when she looked up. Grey clouds had broken up in some parts of the sky, and sunshine glimmered through these openings. Elori's thoughts were scrambling around frantically in her mind, as if they were trying to rearrange themselves - but nothing fell into place. No coherent sense could be made of it all. Screw it! She was fed up of this pathetic weakened state that she had allowed herself to fall into. This self-pity, these emotions - they were the characteristics that she looked down upon. And yet now here she was, in that very situation. How perfectly ironic life could be.
Elori longed to be in control. While in training, she would experience these similar emotions - to a breaking point that she would shut herself off in her quarters for hours and hours, not eating nor drinking. Her Master would not disturb her during such moods. Not out of sympathy - no, he was incapable of that - instead, out of the knowledge that these fits of emotions were highly beneficial to his apprentice. Her sole savior was in fact, her rage. The anger that conquered all the lesser feelings gave her power; it gave her the control she longed for. It was this control she now sought.
She was about to walk away from the docking platform when she happened to glance at some crates that the loading crew was transporting away. The color, the emblem on those crates jolted her. Too familiar to be accepted as chance coincidence. She strode over to some that were left stacked on the ground, and fingered the emblem as if fingering her own memories with the hope that she would understate the significance of what she saw before her. Then suddenly, as if she had been sucked into a vacuum, she gasped. Where was it...when she was dueling with that man, the man she had killed...she got hurt...and she saw, she saw her brother lying on the floor of a room...and in that room...she saw the crates. With the same emblem on them. Why hadn't she recognized them before?
Immediately she turned on her heels and walked towards the transports. She got on board the one that would take her to the visitor's center. Elori felt something flame up within her, fueling her with a sense of purpose. A sense of control began to seep into her.
Meanwhile, one of the freighters' crew members had gotten on board too. She slid up to him nonchalantly.
"Noticed that you have to ship everyone's belongings in those large crates. Must be heavy work." She said, not looking at him.
"That's right." He said. He wasn't much of a talker.
"I have a couple of bulky boxes myself, I'm moving off to another planet pretty soon...and I need a reliable service to help me ship all my stuff out of here."
"Look kid, if you're suggesting I help you move, forget it. Firstly, I ain't moving nothing today coz I'm retiring tomorrow. Secondly, you look like you're only old enough to ship your rocking horse." He wasn't very bright either.
"No," she said, biting down on her anger, "You see, I only wish to know the name of this company. There must be several here on Alderaan, but this service company looks like it might be quite decent. I merely wish to know the name, that's all."
He grunted. "You sure ain't from Alderaan are you? If you were, you'd know that this company's owned by the Organa family themselves. The only shipping service on Alderaan. First rate service. First rate prices." He retorted, apparently quoting the their slogan.
"And it's not available on any other planet? Only here on Alderaan...?"
"Yeah."
She looked away to hide her surprise. Was it possible that Aidan was killed here on Alderaan?
As soon as the freighter had docked, the old man got up and packed his instrument into its case. He breathed in deeply and walked towards the exit. Elori immediately rose and followed him outside.
A great torrent of rain was pouring down, and Elori watched in surprise as Erdana skipped down the ramp with his heavy case, smiling at the dark rain clouds in the sky. He then spun around and shouted to Elori.
"Remember when you used to run into the rain? You'd scream happily, spinning around and around until your mother had to shout herself hoarse urging you to come in."
Elori ran up to him, placed her arms firmly on each of his shoulders and spoke with a degree of panic and urgency in her voice.
"What did you say?! I have no mother! I never ran in the rain! It's not me, you old fool! Not me!"
He looked down at the puddle of water they were both standing in, and lowered his case onto the ground. He then slowly reached into his weathered coat, extracting a small, rectangular wooden board. He loosened her grip on his shoulders, and opened her clenched fist with his hand. In it, he placed this gift. Elori looked down at it and saw that it was a painting. A painting of a place enveloped in mist. Tall leafless trees stood above the mist, standing proud against the twilight background.
"Sometimes," he said eagerly, "when you refused to come in, she would come out as well. And laugh in the rain with you."
Elori shut her eyes tightly, wishing he would stop. But she couldn't tell him. Couldn't tell him because there was something rooted deep in her mind that tormented her relentlessly.
"You can't say you didn't have her since you can't remember! Accept my gift, stranger. You have very few possessions. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes, not. Keep what you have close to your heart, your memories...I urge you not to cast them aside! Follow them home."
Elori couldn't think of anything to say. Perhaps a 'thank you' would suffice, but before she could speak, Erdana stared behind her and his face broke out into a wild grin. She turned around to see a small crowd of children running - pushing and shoving against themselves - to get to the old man.
"My friends! My friends!" He chuckled gleefully as he walked away with his entourage, leaving Elori to stare at her gift, watching the rain drops splatter onto the painting and roll off its edges.
* * *
The rain had slowed down to a patter when she looked up. Grey clouds had broken up in some parts of the sky, and sunshine glimmered through these openings. Elori's thoughts were scrambling around frantically in her mind, as if they were trying to rearrange themselves - but nothing fell into place. No coherent sense could be made of it all. Screw it! She was fed up of this pathetic weakened state that she had allowed herself to fall into. This self-pity, these emotions - they were the characteristics that she looked down upon. And yet now here she was, in that very situation. How perfectly ironic life could be.
Elori longed to be in control. While in training, she would experience these similar emotions - to a breaking point that she would shut herself off in her quarters for hours and hours, not eating nor drinking. Her Master would not disturb her during such moods. Not out of sympathy - no, he was incapable of that - instead, out of the knowledge that these fits of emotions were highly beneficial to his apprentice. Her sole savior was in fact, her rage. The anger that conquered all the lesser feelings gave her power; it gave her the control she longed for. It was this control she now sought.
She was about to walk away from the docking platform when she happened to glance at some crates that the loading crew was transporting away. The color, the emblem on those crates jolted her. Too familiar to be accepted as chance coincidence. She strode over to some that were left stacked on the ground, and fingered the emblem as if fingering her own memories with the hope that she would understate the significance of what she saw before her. Then suddenly, as if she had been sucked into a vacuum, she gasped. Where was it...when she was dueling with that man, the man she had killed...she got hurt...and she saw, she saw her brother lying on the floor of a room...and in that room...she saw the crates. With the same emblem on them. Why hadn't she recognized them before?
Immediately she turned on her heels and walked towards the transports. She got on board the one that would take her to the visitor's center. Elori felt something flame up within her, fueling her with a sense of purpose. A sense of control began to seep into her.
Meanwhile, one of the freighters' crew members had gotten on board too. She slid up to him nonchalantly.
"Noticed that you have to ship everyone's belongings in those large crates. Must be heavy work." She said, not looking at him.
"That's right." He said. He wasn't much of a talker.
"I have a couple of bulky boxes myself, I'm moving off to another planet pretty soon...and I need a reliable service to help me ship all my stuff out of here."
"Look kid, if you're suggesting I help you move, forget it. Firstly, I ain't moving nothing today coz I'm retiring tomorrow. Secondly, you look like you're only old enough to ship your rocking horse." He wasn't very bright either.
"No," she said, biting down on her anger, "You see, I only wish to know the name of this company. There must be several here on Alderaan, but this service company looks like it might be quite decent. I merely wish to know the name, that's all."
He grunted. "You sure ain't from Alderaan are you? If you were, you'd know that this company's owned by the Organa family themselves. The only shipping service on Alderaan. First rate service. First rate prices." He retorted, apparently quoting the their slogan.
"And it's not available on any other planet? Only here on Alderaan...?"
"Yeah."
She looked away to hide her surprise. Was it possible that Aidan was killed here on Alderaan?
