Strange World • New World by TruView
FanFiction Author's Note: Omega relates a second vision which appears to be cut and dry, i.e., simple enough to interpret, but is there more to it? Barriss seems to think so. Enjoy!
The sun was long gone now, and even the residual purple-pink of its passing had faded to black. Only the light of the stars remained to illuminate the sleepy desert, save the flickering firelight of their humble accommodations. Omega's gaze lifted up from its small dance of illumination back outside past the endless sand dunes in search of those same drop ships from much earlier skating the horizon –the few there were. And was surprised to see that all had vanished, meaning that it was truly night time. Casting a sideways look at the venerable Master, she asked somewhat amazed.
"Is the whole planet asleep?"
"Clearly not." Barriss chuckled at her naiveté "In these regions, the Planetary Guard exerts more control over certain social practices –especially where families reside. In an effort to solidify our longstanding influence on the greater Trifecta community however, we've had to make some allowances like bars, dance clubs, and even repair facilities for space-fairing vessels along with a handful of other such establishments... on a provisional basis that is. But I can assure you, those spaces are few and well contained."
"You mean well policed," Omega ventured, "I'd guess that at anytime, you all could curtail said activities or even bring them to a halt." Barriss approved nodding the way a teacher might toward an apt student.
"Exactly!" She said finally. "Mirial, will always be run by Mirialans. Some of these changes are good and even necessary –bringing us up-to-date with current technological standards and practices. Even I can recognize that and will therefore submit to it. Our hesitation... or my hesitation to be more precise, is simply due to the fact that I belong to the old guard. But I'll not let that stand in the way of progress."
"Impressive." The word came in a whisper. It was one in which had been born a renewed admiration for this Orthodox culture and its native peoples.
"Even so, we were never meant to be a Coruscant, a Corellia, or even a Shili?" Barriss regarded the younger woman once again. "Speaking of which, I believe you were going to share a second vision with me… if it's not too late. Or maybe we should save it till mor –"
"NO! No." The repeated word was much lower in volume. "We can go through it. Actually, now would be a good time to tell it."
Omega checked on the med droid, AZI, whose optical receptors were still powered down assuring that all was well with the child. Satisfied, she sat back and spoke sounding conspiratorial but it was only that the memories of Ahsoka's parentage of her younger self hung heavy in the heart. Bubbling up to the surface of forethought gave her words an eerie quality. In point of fact, she was merely pensive and then saddened by how quickly it had all been taken away.
"Ahsoka and I visited her homewor-" She started to say and then amended it, "her birth world, Shili, on a handful occasions but they were mostly diplomatic runs. I was practically with her the whole time. In retrospect, I think she was teaching me the fine art of diplomacy in a round-about way, only I had been too aloof to real—ize it at the t—time." The tempo of her words slowed until finally she just stopped talking entirely.
"Omega." The Mirial called gently. "Omega, are you still with me?"
"Yes! Sorry. Guess I kinda... spaced out there." The clone offered a thin defensive smile.
"Apparently." The host agreed. "Lost in reverie I see. Tell me, where did the memories take you just now?"
"I was," Omega found it difficult to offset whatever unspoken hindrance had truncated her thinking. "…just, can't seem to find the right words with all this buildup of emotion." Her eyes became watery.
"Then use the wrong ones," Barriss peaceably advised. "Don't worry about perfection right now. Just, let it all pass through you like water through a Gungan dam. We'll figure the rest out as it comes." And with absolute confidence, the great master placed a caring left hand on Omega's right shoulder. Through the Force, she made to ease the pain of loss focusing on a release of tension throughout the younger woman's entire body; most of which had accumulated in the joints and the chakras. Doing so, let loose the flood gates and Omega cried unreservedly. All that baggage concerning Ahsoka's untimely demise had finally cleared out. This act seemed to lift whatever burdens she had taken upon her tired shoulders since then, real or imagined.
"I thought I had already gotten through the worst of it." Looking over at the Mirialan through a downpour of tears, Omega smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
Barriss' chin dipped once. Recalling her hand and resting it on own lap, she opened the other waving off the statement. After some minutes, Omega continued.
"This next vision is about Usiku's visit to her ancestral home. Like all visions, it gets blurry at times. But what I know, I will share with you."
[Second Vision, nearing the planet Shili, ancestral home of the Togruta race] A Probable Future?
The cutter came in at an angle of approach best suited to its thin razor design so that from the Terran surface, she looked like a dagger stabbing into the heart of the planet. Its ablative shielding easily deflected the boiling heat of ozone so that its dark volcanic red bombardment upon the thin layer of durasteel lining the hull cooled into a tolerable but oppressive orange before dissipating altogether. Fully submerged within the Shili troposphere where sound could exist, its single engine gave off a tiny high-pitched yowl until it became a deafening roar consequently strafing the skies and causing the atoms of nearby cumulus clouds to split releasing their moisture.
Moments later, a young woman undid the locking mechanism popping the canopy open. Rising out of the diminutive craft, she somersaulted off its spine and onto solid earth. Eager to kick start a sense of familiarity with her surroundings, she threw off her shoes and dug her bare feet into soft black soil stopping an inch above her ankles. With eyes closed and arms outstretched, she lifted her gaze skyward communing through the Force. At first, there was nothing. And then all at once, EVERYTHING! Infinite streams of the planetary life cycle cascaded into her awareness with great intensity: There was the crackle of fallen branches under the hooves of an intrepid kybuck chancing a closer look at whatever made those harsh grating noises fallen from the sky. Through a fistful of pine trees, it spied a young Togruta standing next to her trinket of a starship before darting off in the opposite direction anxious to rejoin the rest of its kind; a light wind blew softly beyond that scene fingering the tops of a colorful sea of grasslands reaching to just over two meters in height –their combined thickness easily concealing any large game animals lying in wait; in the skies high above, a small collection of avian scavengers were circling about zeroing in on some unsuspecting prey –probably wounded from an attack or fight; unintelligible whispers of a young virile Togrutan male teased her ears. So close was he that she could practically smell the lingering hint of cinnamon on his breath. It felt as if she were right next to him sharing the same cot. He made her giggle by tickling her playfully. His strongly accented voice spoke in an unfamiliar dialect of the common tongue but the Force conveyed his sentiments all the same: He was very desirous of becoming the father of two strapping boys and at least one girl. Consequently, the warm embrace he gave to his beloved companion tightened with such grace and tenderness that it made her cry the quiet tears of joy. Their communion of hopes and dreams always occurred at the conclusion of another passionate episode of intense lovemaking; it was their thing. This night however, he was to patrol the parameter of their cozy little village located somewhere far to the North in the company of a few other men. She kissed him long and hard before letting him go making him promise to return. When he was gone, the lonely lover cried even more wanting to tell him that she was already with child –children, actually! The force user felt a little guilty for having savored the intimacy of this young couple for longer than was necessary. Reluctantly, she turned off the inflow of images, thoughts, and feelings from the world around her like a faucet.
With a heavy sigh, the female Togruta finally opened her eyes. And pressing her chin to her chest, she saw two huge yellow slugs, a growing number of fire ants, and various other insect life bleeding out of the ground where her feet were rooted. Angry and upset, some even began biting her for the trouble she caused. An apologetic smile was all she could offer. "Sorry guys. I meant no harm." One foot cautiously uprooted, followed by another. Both hands were then brought out front frozen in a claw-like manner. And in a humorous imitation of an adept in the sacred order of the night-sisters of Dathomir unleashing powerful magics, she wiggled her fingers. But there was nothing inexpert or mendacious about the maneuver. Indeed, her command over the Force was skillful enough to cause no injury to any of the lifeforms she delicately plucked from her lower legs or to the few that managed to get as far as her knees. Very much like the drizzle of rain that fell blissfully upon entry, did she sprinkle them back onto the fertile soil out of which they came.
In the midday sun, the planet Shili was getting to be unbearably hot. Only the giant trees provided shade and while her moons offered some protection from their central star, they could also prove burdensome at times. The physical variations between each of the moons were so minuscule that it was a game for younger Togrutan children to learn to distinguish them from one another. Somewhat equidistant, they serenaded the planet preventing almost anything from happening. Their size and weight acted as a counter balance to the gravity of their sister moons so that the seas were mostly quiescent. Winds blew sporadically if at all. And even the various tracking location systems of some of the more advanced frigates that visited this backwater(which was almost never) were spotty –not to mention all the magnetic interference coming from the huge ore deposits on each of them. The most of what could be said for these heavenly bodies, was that they presented beautiful vistas at given times of the Shili-year.
The R2 unit situated behind the cockpit back up in the space cutter piped a few beeps recalling her attention from what it perceived to be an insatiable wanderlust.
"...better make it a whole two weeks instead." She suggested.
The machine chimed again in its fashion.
"You hold onto it. I'm pretty sure I won't need it. My people have done well here without the use of such an elegant weapon. Should I do any less?"
It's response came in sharp rapid blurting tones making her blush.
"I'm not being silly. And don't worry so much. I'll be alright and yes, I'll have my comlink." She depressed a button on the small device which the ship was able to pick up. This seemed to satisfy the astromech droid who was clearly one of the overly protective sort. It let loose another series of beeps and whistles while revving up the engine.
"Got it!" She said, "See you in two weeks." Retreating a few paces allowed the tiny vessel to move into high gear lifting up so that it hovered several feet off the ground. As it continued to rise, it's nose shifted toward the stars accelerating at incredible speeds. Tilting her head with a dawning curiosity, the female Togruta realized that the droid had conducted the tiny vessel in ways that would injure an organic or even kill one. And then suddenly, it was gone. Using its sub-light speed to break orbit and then jump immediately into the tunnel of light as if shot by a humongous cannon pulse laser.
What was I thinking in coming here? She thought to herself. Her first few steps into the Shili jungle were slow and cautious. And with no lightsaber in hand or weapons of the local variety, this whole ordeal felt a little unsafe but she rallied her wits about her remembering that her ally was the Force. This realization seemed to do the trick. With each step, she regained a little more of her lost courage. She walked for what felt like hours and still there was no end. "I should have done some planning of this trip." She said to no one but herself. Realizing that she had not reached the makeshift sanctuary fortifications of a small village or anything remotely close to it led her to believe that perhaps this vicinity was crawling with dangerous predators like raxshir, a man-sized sabertooth feline or other ravenous beasts stalking lonesome prey. Ultimately she had to rest, if only for a moment. Coming to a full stop, she considered some huge ancient tree with broad and healthy branches and climbed it. So tired was she, that after securing herself in a tiny alcove in one of its protruding arms she immediately dozed off.
Hours later, she had awoken to a picturesque view of the moons hung in the air like strobe lights in the night sky. Their version of the Aurora she surmised; essentially, it was just the diversion of mostly charged electrons and protons in the magnetosphere being ionized into plasma creating this festival of lights. Still reclining there in the recess of that branch, she reached out a hand pretending to touch the closest one when she suddenly became aware of a lurking presence. So furtive was it that she did not hear it at all. Only through the Force did she sense it getting closer and closer. Her head spun frantically as if on a swivel anxiously scanning the other tree tops for sound or movement, but there was none. Trying in vain to calm her nerves and relax did nothing, because there was something THERE in the dark. As it approached, she was able to pinpoint it with greater precision. This creature or whatever it was, had been scaling the same tree, her tree! A raxshir? A low growl almost inaudible vibrated heavily but not in her ears, it came from the very pit of her stomach. And then without preamble, the beast jumped!