The Next Day

"Good morning, Matron," Master Oteg greeted her the next morning, and she was all courtesy again. Master WenSuul's trespass seemed forgotten, for now. "I trust you slept well?"

"I did," she confirmed. "It is the warriors' and servants' burdens to take the watches. Mine is to keep the fog from my mind so that it can move when it needs. I can never stay late, even if I want to."

"Why would you want to?" Nariel couldn't help but ask. "Sleeping through the night seems like quite a luxury."

"Indeed it is, but as those who come from the stars should know, the heavens are full of wonders. And the night sky gets the larger share of these. Every year, Raudraksha sees a rain of stars on the ninth month. Every nine years, that spectacle is especially beautiful. I last saw this almost twenty-nine years ago. Back when I was a young dame. There are other things to see, such as the flights of the mahahamsas, or the lunar lights."

"Everything has its downsides it seems, no?" Master Oteg told Nariel meaningfully, and she averted her eyes.

"What brings you to me so early this morning?" Sumathi went on. "The Camp will take another hour to pack up."

"How far is Jnanaprastha?"

"Two and a half yojanas. We should be there tomorrow evening. In time for the second night's prayer." ZS added: "I believe that should be around thirty-two kilometres, Master Jedi."

"I see. Matron, at that distance, our shuttles can get us there in half an hour or less."

"Eh—?" The woman's mouth dropped.

"Matron, what has happened?" asked a warrior Nariel didn't know. Others started to gather around them.

It took several tries for the woman to get the words out. "It seems we will arrive in time for the invocation, thanks to our visitors' sky barges." There was a stunned silence before the cheering started.

Jnanaprastha, Raudraksha

The entire journey was a unique treat for the Raudra. They all reacted differently to their first flight. Some eagerly looked out of the viewports, gaping down at the land several kilometres below while others trembled like leaves, praying to their gods. There was no in between, and it was a singular pleasure.

The ships landed around a kilometre outside the capital of Raudraksha. Runners were sent ahead in order to let the Raudra know that they needn't be afraid of the incoming shuttles. They were given a twenty-minute head start, then the shuttles took off again.

They landed in a pasture outside the northern quadrant of the city, where the shepherds had to attempt to calm down their flocks and herds while themselves gawking at the landing ships. Many Raudra rushed out to see the spectacle for themselves, and everyone stared in wonder and awe.

When Nariel got her first look at the Raudra children, she was instantly captivated. They were… so cute! Their eyes were so wide and round, especially their third eye, which was dark as starry night. Was this what children were like? Nariel had hardly spent much time around them, not since she left the nursery. All of her training, all of her trials, all of her life had taken place in the company of adults.

While the adults stood back, the children were uninhibited. Ignoring their parents' calls, they ran to the new arrivals, encircling them and hurling a never-ending stream of words at them—which Nariel assumed were questions or greetings.

Sumathi stepped out in front, waving all four of her hands, shouting something that made the approaching adults relax. Looking around, Nariel saw the children particularly interested in the aliens among their escort, such the Twi'leks and Nautolans. Several of them offered toys to Masters Oteg and WenSuul, clearly mistaking their age because of their size.

The children were quickly rounded up, parents profusely apologizing for the noise and attention. But their words quickly turned to welcomes and invitations. Nariel found herself presented with several gifts ranging from pretty shawls to jewellery.

The shawls were all very similar to each other; colourful, handprinted designs on top of a base colour. The jewellery was silver, gold, or beads on string, with the occasional ivory. All except the beads came with an inscribed prayer on top, written by an expert hand. Some few had precious stones set in them.

"I can't pay for this!" she protested. "My money isn't good enough for—"

But the tall Kuberan pressed a hand on her shoulder to ask her something.

"Do the gifts offend?" B8 translated.

"Oh, no, no no no no!" Nariel protested. "I love them! But my money isn't any good here!"

The protocol droid exchanged several sentences with him, then he laughed. His reply was long.

"The 'wares' they bring to festivals are 'free'," B8 explained, sounding like there was a lot more than he was willing to translate all at once. "They have a… somewhat complex system involving scribes. They log all exchanges, decide who got the better bargain, and the more generous one gets… 'credit', allowing them to take a certain amount of stock from the communal stores. It's complicated, but the point is… oh, just keep it all! They're gifts, anyway, I trust you know the concept!"

Nariel nodded. "Then… can I look around for more? These look so good! And this feel… Master, feel that fabric, look at the designs!" She shoved it in front of his face, and he nodded.

"It is indeed good. Take B8 with you, and any escort that want to explore. Do not go overboard. B8, keep track of all the transactions. I will radio the ship, ask them to send down some 'gifts' we can give in return. Meet me back here in an hour."

"Yes, Master Jedi."

In fact, they had to wait an hour for the gifts. Nariel learned later that several ships actually flew to nearby systems to buy their gifts. Whoever went chose well; they got tiny statuettes of bronzium, semi-precious stones, windchimes, precious metal ingots, ivory, and paints. All good gifts, but not too much for a pre-industrial civilization.

And by the time they'd arrived, Nariel had gone and picked out quite a selection of wares. More shawls and jewellery, some small idols, several miniature paintings, a small drum, a flute, and a carved staff. She also tried out more of the food. The food she'd eaten at yesterday's dinner had been simple but tasty, and she was eager for more.

There was the congee she'd been served yesterday, but with different blends of spices; there were porridges sweetened with fruits like berries; there were many, many milk-based sweets; and dishes made of cottage cheese or meat cooked in clay pots.

And she enjoyed sightseeing the city itself.

The city was a near-perfect circle with a diameter of around three kilometres. Almost all of the houses were double-storey buildings big enough for perhaps seven people. They all had compound walls and gardens, with statues decorating the gate and roof.

There were tall statues on every intersection.

Most of the walls in the city had carved reliefs, hand-painted. It was really nice to gawk at.

And some of the festivities had already begun; the streets were full of stalls and revellers.

It was some time before Nariel realized with a start that she was taking too long. She ran back to the landing zone as fast as her feet—and the milling throngs—allowed her.

"I see you enjoyed yourself, Padawan," Master Oteg said.

"Master, the crafts here are really, really nice!" she gushed. "They—"

"You can show—and tell—on the way home. For now, your timing is impeccable. The invocation will start soon, and we have been granted prime seats. In addition, later today, we will receive an audience with the—for want of a better term—ruling council. Or rather, they have requested an audience with us. Sumathi told me that the phrasing was different than usual. Apparently, this is how they word it for kings and great nobles, high priests, premier scholars, master artisans, and champions. The concept of diplomat is new to them, as they have ever seen themselves as one people. Apparently, Sumathi has been making things up as she went along, deciding our position as guests, what our ranks in their society is, how to treat with us, and so on."

"What does that mean, Master?"

"It means our friend is even wiser than I had first thought. And her wisdom is known and respected, for she was allowed to come to her decisions with the full backing of her superiors. Not a single act of hers has been challenged, much less overruled. I fear their society is more complex than I could learn in such a short time."

"It's not just their wisdom you should keep in mind, Master Jedi," Tarsten piped up from Nariel's side.

"What do you mean, Soldier?"

"You should know, this city is immaculately planned. I noticed from the air how perfect a circle it is, and I do not think it was an accident. The sewer system is good, as is the layout of the city itself. There are wells for every block of four houses. Architecture is sound, all those heavy looking structures that don't make the bottom crumble. And that temple over there is over three thousand years old, too! The one in the very heart of the city. By the way, I guess that's why they have cities at all; they're centres of worship, and all the houses are for people who work at the temple and the attached government centre."

"I see!" Master Oteg looked surprised. He rubbed the top of his ridged head. "What about agriculture? And storehouses? Wouldn't they need permanent settlements for all that?"

"I don't know yet, Master Jedi. I can ask around if you like?"

"Please do. And if you can, try to glean how their social structure works. Even the basics would help."

"Aye aye, Master Jedi! Come on, Bait."

The droid followed, grumbling all the while.

"That was insightful. Padawan Pridence, are you alright?"

Nariel closed her mouth. "I'm sorry Master. That was… a lot. I just… I wish I could notice things that easily."

"You will learn, Padawan. We are not born all-knowing.:

"Yes, Master. Thank you." It was at that moment when Nariel noticed something incongruous. An older woman, perhaps Sumathi's age, who held a small child in her arms. Unlike all the other children she'd seen, this one was dull and almost lifeless. He took no interest in the shuttles or visitors, nor played with any other child. His third eye was closed tight. Every so often, a child ran up to him and stayed for a little while, speaking, singing, dancing, or playing flutes for him.

"Master… I think that child might have some disability."

Oteg turned to look. He observed the child for a while before cursing softly. "Why, Nariel! I do believe that's our mysterious survivor. Vajra… poor boy." He shivered at the end, for the boy's eyes shifted in his direction at the mention of his name. "Impossible. Did he hear me? At this distance? No… it wasn't his ears at work. Hmmm. I think Uupa might be right about him."

For a second, his third eye seemed to open. It was white as a pearly moon.