Tarot
Ben knows that his message to his mother will take a while to be received since they are far away from the Core. He's almost grateful for the slowness because the tracks will be cold by the time his dad and Chewie go on the hunt for him. The ship jerks as it makes the jump into hyperspace, and Ben morbidly wonders how many more jumps until it becomes a pile of scrap. He sighs and turns off the comm panel. He gets away from the desk and settles upon the one-person sleeper. He can smell the dust from the dark sheets, but the pillow is nice and soft. He could sleep, but the Force may offer him insight if he can meditate properly. He gets away from the pillow and crosses his legs. He closes his eyes and reaches for the Force.
"Hey, Ben, how are you—" Armitage comes in, chipper and freckled, without so much a knock.
"I was meditating." Ben blurts and wants to smack himself for sounding so harsh.
"Oh, like the Jedi way?"
"Yes. I was trying to connect with the Force."
"But what about breathing?"
"I can breathe and meditate at the same time."
"Oh, when I meditate, I focus on breathing."
"Why?"
"Because that's what the Commandant taught me."
"No, why would you need to meditate."
"Because when I get extremely nervous, I would cough up blood."
"…."
"I had all these speech classes in the Academy because I took the command track, and talking in front of a crowd made me really anxious. I used to cough up blood in the fresher's sinks before I would give a big speech. Anyway, someone tattled on me to the Commandant, so he decided to teach me meditation."
"You should see a doctor."
"It's one of my mutations."
"That's not how—"
"Can you teach me how to meditate like a Jedi?"
"…..Fine." Ben tosses a pillow onto the floor. Armitage sits cross-legged on it, looking up at him like an eager akk pup.
He's almost eighteen, but he's cuter than a baby Ewok! Focus!
"Meditation is about aligning your mind and body with the will of the Force." Ben quotes hazily. "Since you're a beginner, you need to do this like five times a day."
"Aren't there three types of meditation for the Jedi?"
"And how would you know that?"
"I know a bartender who used to be a Jedi; he would put me to sleep by reciting the Code from his memory." Hux answers too quickly, and Ben suspects that he's not telling the full truth. However, he puts his suspicion aside for a chance to impress Hux.
"There are three types of meditation to help achieve a deeper state. The first being Empty Meditation is where you purge your negative emotions and step back from attachment. The second is Moving Meditation helps increase your focus. Finally, Rising Meditation broadens your connection to the Force, to the point where you may levitate and have visions from the Unifying Force." Ben recites by rote.
"Which one do you use?"
"I have to do Empty Meditation. My Master does Rising Meditation, which makes him levitate often."
"So he's taught you all three and then you decided Empty was the best?"
"Well, no, he decided that Empty Meditation would help me because I have…anger issues."
"And does it?"
"…..Some of the time, but I'm very strong in the Force, so meditation doesn't really quiet the Force."
"Then, why don't you try the other two forms? It sounds like Empty isn't really helping you anymore."
"My Master—"
"I'm asking about you, not Skywalker."
"Because Empty Meditation is supposed to purge the darkness!" Ben snaps and makes the lights flicker overhead.
"But it doesn't." Hux says so gently. He's not looking at him with fear like his uncle did when he first made the ground crack. Nor weary when his mother had to deal with his tantrums. His handsome face expresses patience. The same kind of patience that his uncle used to have when he first arrived at the Temple. And there's hope too. The same kind of hope that wins the heart of systems. It burns him.
You haven't ever properly mediated before. What would you know? Ben bites down on his tongue from saying such poisonous words. He closes his eyes and reaches for the emotionless Force. It's a verdant green—the Living Force in all its passion—and feels warm. He hears laughter and nearly joins in himself.
Wait, what?
He opens his eyes and sees Hux on the floor laughing with tears rolling down his freckled cheeks.
"S-Stop tickling me!" Hux manages between his fits.
"I-I'm sorry!" Ben squeaks out as he retracts his invisible hands from the ginger. He did this once to Voe; she didn't believe him when he said it was an accident and refused to be alone in a room with him since.
"You don't have to look so stricken!" Hux chuckles. "I'm fine. Laughter is a fine medicine for your troubles. Well, actually, learning is like Merlin said, though it really didn't help Wart in the end."
His green eyes glow bright with excitement.
"Would you like to learn my meditation?" He proposes with a foxy grin.
"I can breathe."
"But can you focus on just breathing?"
"That's not going to stop the Force from tearing me apart." Ben deadpans.
"It'll help your anxiety. It won't cure it, but it'll bring it under control. And that's what I think you need, some control in this uncontrollable world."
He won't leave me alone until I let him help me.
"How do you meditate, Hux?" Ben concedes.
"First, get into a comfortable position."
Ben sits cross-legged just like Hux on the floor.
"Then, you close your eyes."
He closes his eyes.
"Inhale and exhale, but slowly."
Ben breathes in and then out after a few seconds.
"Now, we'll do this for five minutes."
"We?" Ben opens his eyes and sees Hux beaming at him.
"Yeah, I'm going to join you."
"You seem pretty calm to me."
"I haven't meditated with someone in such a long time." He hums and closes his eyes. Ben sighs quietly and closes his eyes again. They both inhale and then exhale. Inhale and exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Ben yawns loudly like Chewie after two days without sleep.
"Now, you're properly relaxed."
"I'm sleepy."
"Same thing." Hux waves his white hand and then stands up. He goes over to the corner with the narrow door.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting you another pillow. I don't think you would want one with my arse print on it." He opens the closet and pulls out a pillow from the shelf. He tosses it to Ben who catches it easily.
"Thanks."
"Try to sleep. You've had a long day." Hux says softly and grabs the arse-contaminated pillow from the floor.
"You sound like my mom."
"I'm pretty certain your mom would be offended by that comment." Hux leans against the doorframe.
"She has more pressing concerns." Like putting out the New Republic's political fires, while you languish in a life that she chose for you. The voice reminds him bitterly, and Ben pretends he didn't hear.
"She'll try to find you."
"What?"
"She will. It's not like you're going with your u—Master to find some Jedi artifacts. You're with me."
"I didn't give her your name."
"But I gave mine to your Master."
"Poodoo." Ben buries his face into his hands. "I've just caused a war!"
"Hey, that's not for another decade or so." Hux teases lightly before adopting a more serious tone. "I don't know your mother, but I do know of the First Order. We may project strength to the rest of the galaxy, but that's mostly bluster. The first year of the Order's founding was just desperation, fear, and, well, the unknown. I was terrified and confused like everyone else, but I was also a kid and decided to dream up a better world. Got some of the child soldiers to indulge me."
"What!?"
"And all of them were orphans, so it's not like their parents sold them to the FO."
"I'm fairly certain child soldiers break the concordance."
"They were Rax's, and once he was killed, Sloane gave them the choice to go back from where they came from or stay in the FO. They all chose to stay."
"Like you said, they were orphans and had no one who would miss them. Of course they would stay if it meant food and shelter." He rolls his eyes.
"Point taken. But we can talk about the moral failings of my government another time. You need to sleep, remember?"
"Alright, but I'm not going to promise that I'll sleep the whole way through."
"Some is better than none." Ben has a feeling that Hux has used that answer far too many times.
"Okay then, night."
"Night."
The Alsakan Circo-Menagerie has pitched their brightly colored tents on a planet known as Vestar. It's lush with verdant jungles that not even the garish tents can eclipse the natural green. It kind of reminds him of Hux's eyes. Ben shakes his head and reminds himself that he's here on a mission: to meet some Grays and extend a branch of peace.
"Why are we at the circus?" Ben asks as he looks around at the crowd. He sees a couple of Wookies, a lot more humans, and four of the creepiest bear-humanoids in his life. They are short and stubby like Ewoks, but they have no fur and their black eyes lack any hint of emotion.
"It's rude to just stare." Hux comments.
"They're following us." And smiling. Force, their smiles are so creepy like a pack of antique dolls looking for some human to murder.
"I know some of the Bilars operate the gaming booths, and we are walking down the gaming alley."
"All of the booths are occupied. And what's a Bilar?" Ben whispers the last part so they wouldn't hear.
"They're a group-mind; it takes about four of them to form, but rarely there are more than ten. They're quite nimble, so they make great acrobats. Though their career paths aren't limited to entertainment, I know a few that work in the underworld."
"Do they have the Force?"
"You tell me. I'm just a learner, remember?"
"…..I don't sense it from this group." They're going on all fours now. Force, their skin is pink like human flesh. It's like they're wearing a really tight skin suit! Ben decides to keep his eyes forward and put his faith in the Force that the Bilars won't eat them.
"Ah, here we are!" Hux announces cheerfully before the crimson tent. There's a painted sign with a crystal ball and a cloaked woman manipulating it.
"A fortuneteller. Your lead to the Grays is a fortuneteller." But I do sense the Force in there, so maybe the fortuneteller is Force-sensitive. And probably using it for her con.
"The Prophetess will help us."
"Is that really her name?"
"It's actually Sariss, but she's hates strangers using it." Hux lifts up the tent's flap. "You coming in or what?"
Ben glances back and sees the Bilar standing a meter from them. Their smiles widen, threatening to tear at the pink skin they called a face.
"I'm coming!" Ben practically sprints into the tent, while Hux muffles his snickering. The inside of the tent is a nighttime purple. A round table with three stools is at the center of the tent. A glitter-dusted, gray cloth covers the table. Ben is disappointed at the lack of a crystal ball.
"Please, take your seats." Ben turns around and sees a woman cloaked in black. Her hood tightly restrains her yellow hair. Her blue eyes are like springtime pools, bright yet chilly. She carries a silver tray laden with porcelain to the table and lays it down. She does not look at them as she pours the tea into the three cups.
Hux takes his seat first like a good boy, while Ben dawdles. The Force offers no answer on the woman, except to confirm that she has the Force.
"It's Ansionian tea; it's sweet enough to not require biscuits." Her Core accent shines through in that one word. She offers a cup to Hux; he gladly takes it without a second thought. She takes another cup, but, instead of offering it to Ben, she decides to take her seat.
"How did you know that we were coming?" Ben asks with Solo suspicion.
"It was in the card." She sips at her tea and then puts it down. She produces the card from her sleeve and tosses it like a knife at Ben. He catches it. He sees two boys, one with dark hair and the other with red hair, holding up sticks and standing outside the red tent.
"The Page of Wands. It represents activity, creativity, youth, and messiness." She looks particularly at him, and Ben resists the urge to glare back.
"So you rely on cards to tell you the future?"
"I divine the Force with the cards, Jedi." She says Jedi as though it were a curse. Ben's eyes harden.
"Speaking of which, I suddenly became Force-sensitive. Not sure if it's permanent or not, but in the meantime I'm looking for three Grays to teach me. Ben's here to befriend them."
"Only three?"
"The Academy will start up again in a couple of months." Hux grins. Ben can feel Hux's eagerness in the Force, which causes him dismay.
"Ah, we'll get started then." She takes the lid off the teapot and procures a miraculously dry deck of cards. She shuffles them like they were playing sabacc. She draws threes and leaves them face-down into the table before them. She then uses the Force to flip them over. One by one.
The first card reveals a man raising a golden goblet before a dark temple.
"The first is the King of Cups. It represents the strange, the emotional, yet hiding issues. The Krath."
The second card shows a woman dressed in a suite of armor and hiding most of her face with a red cloak. She wields a golden-colored lightsaber with a red pentacle glowing in the background.
"The second is the Knight of Pentacles. It represents the young, the ambitious, yet old-fashioned. The Jensaarai.
The third card is another woman. She shimmers like a desert mirage and wields a lightsaber, nearly as white as the background.
"The third is the Queen of Swords. It represents the sharp-minded, hardly emotional, yet with few friends. The Fallanassi."
"Where are they though? And what are they aside from being Grays?" Ben demands impatiently.
"The Krath are excavating a temple in the Red Nebula."
"And the cards told you this?"
"I have a colleague amongst their ranks."
"What about the rest?"
"That is for the both of you to figure out. Perhaps, the Force will tell you."
"Thanks." Ben replied sarcastically.
"Thank you for your help." Hux said sincerely.
"May the Force be with you."
Author's Comments- Here are the links:
Here is an image of a Bilar. They pretty much smile all the time and need at least four in a group to be sentient since they rely on a hive-mind. They also creep me out: a href=" . /revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20091203183539"Link/a
Here is an image of a younger Sariss; she was the daughter of Warlord Cronal, himself part of the Prophets of the Dark Side, but didn't know of their relation, and was raised in the Church of the Dark Side. Her father viewed her existence as a horrible offense to his dark nihilism and sought to correct the offense through sexual abuse and allowed his followers to abuse her as well. She was the "Prophetess" in ANH that moved aside for the Stormtroopers going after Artoo. She was there to work as a spy for the Empire, but after RoTJ, she abandoned her post and became a Dark Jedi to Jerec, formerly an Inquisitor, and would be killed by Kyle Katarn. Her ultimate fate is quite different in my stories: a href=" . /revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20060815020640"Link/a
Here is an image of the Krath. This isn't the card, but it's one of the few on the Krath: a href=" . /revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20130122181120"Link/a
Here is an image of the Jensaarai card: a href=" . /revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20060404172810"Link/a
Here is an image of the Fallanassi card: a href=" . /revision/latest/top-crop/width/360/height/450?cb=20090525005148"Link/a
The learning reference is from what Merlin (or Merlyn in the book) said to Wart in T.H. White's The Once and Future King:
"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you."
Thanks to 2020, I decided to take up meditation to calm my nerves. And by meditation, I mean the one I found through the Google search engine. So far I've been devoting five minutes a day to it and it's made me calmer, or well, sleepy. Also, all my tarot info comes from my notes on Tarot 101 that I took during the shutdown.
Next part: Hux and Ben meet the Krath. Oh, and Leia finally gets Ben's message.