Green Moss Under Red Lava

[Armand Temi]

​

Location: Underground Tunnels on Sullust​

While Sullust could be a foreboding and inhospitable planet, Sylvia Nuru, Rogue Fifteen, tried to look at the bright side wherever possible. Aside from the toxic air and the egg-like sulfur smell that permeated every crevice of the Alliance base, there were a few attractions for thrill seekers - or just utterly bored pilots - like the Lavaride which allowed for a harrowing ride in a pod through an active volcano. There were also moss and lichen gardens underground, sometimes rather extensive and labyrinthine, built and cultivated by the Sullustans to provide not only food but a cool place to sit, relax and contemplate the galaxy.

The redhead pilot heard that members of the New Jedi Order would sometimes mediate in these hidden gardens, so that day, Sylvia went exploring the tunnels under the main base. She passed a couple of green spots that looked promising until she realized they were covered in mushrooms and drutash grubs, and between the fungi odor and the wriggling, it was unlikely she’d be able to relax in either of these places. Finally, Rogue Fifteen came upon what appeared to be an abandoned and untended moss garden, and upon further inspection, Sylvia realized that it was not a garden at all, but a small city underground, and that moss and lichen had grown over everything, leaving a green fuzz, soft to the touch, on any surface.

​

It was beautiful and wild, just the sort of area one did not expect to find on Sullust. She wondered if any of the Jedi had discovered this place as well, because if she were a Force user, she would have used the verdant solitude in which to meditate.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin was not much of a Jedi who would meditate. She wasn't a Consular, she didn't have fantastic sage skills, so she didn't really need to meditate much. Only when she really needed to calm her mind. But even then, she tried to work out her problems in some other way -- she didn't like meditation or being alone with her own thoughts.

Instead, she found it far more interesting and important for her fitness to use her free time for practising her fighting skills. She loved spending time in the Jedi Temple and the lands surrounding it - even though she was there rarely - by having a phantom duel and coming up with new moves she could utilise in the battlefield.

This time, she had found a really perfect spot in the underground. It was not the typical moss and lichen, but real grass and greenery around her. It had a steadier ground, meaning she would find it a lot easier to stay on her feet because she didn't have to fear any surprising bumps in the ground.

Her blue lightsaber projected some blue light onto everything around her and it made a buzzing sound she had come to love. It was like white or pink noise, calming the girl down and making her not worry too much. Or the more likely theory was that the effects Micah Talith added to the Covenant Sabers kept the user calm.

[ [member="Sylvia Nuru"] ]

 

[Armand Temi]

Sylvia came from Coruscant and went right from her pilot training to the ranks of the First Order where she spent most of her time on an ISD, then straight to Sullust to continue her career with the Galactic Alliance. The petite workaholic spent most of her time on RAG duty or on solo practice missions. The last time she had a vacation it was clubbing on Soceras, and even further back, as a teenager with her parents who would go to a cloistered resort world or the Naboo Lake Country.

Needless to say, this wild, green forested area - even underground - was an unusual sight for the redhead pilot. Her eyes wide with wonder, she explored each gap and niche, marveling at the various colored mosses, mushrooms, ferns and yes, lichen that grew. The smell was of loam, and also of the ubiquitous odor of sulfur which permeated the air even down here. But due to the high volume of greenery, the air was full of oxygen and seemed somehow fresher.

This is definitely my new favorite place, thought Sylvia.

Suddenly she heard a metallic hum, and out of the corner of her eye, spied a blue glow. In addition to beautiful, picturesque places, Rogue Fifteen had very little experience with the Jedi, so the lightsaber noise was not cause for alarm.

She rounded the corner and saw the Jedi Master practicing… her, the moves that… well, Sylvia barely knew, but the sly Force user had also discovered this lovely place. Who could blame her?

"Oh hi there," said Sylvia, her clear, distinct voice, lightly accented with Coruscanti vowels, penetrating the silence. She gave the girl a wave to show that she was friendly.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

Lilin was startled by the woman. She thought she was the only one there and that nobody had found that spot yet. Guess she was wrong about that.

Just like a typical fighter, her reaction to such a sudden appearance of another human was to face them with a stance showing they were ready to fight. When she saw a friendly person waving at her instead of an old Sith Lord, she turned her lightsaber off, letting the blue blade disappear before standing up straight.

"Hey," she said with a friendly yet breathy voice. "Scared me there."

She didn't make a huge number out of it -- she didn't necessarily need to train at that moment anyway, so there was no need to be angry at the interruption. Instead, she saw the moment more as a chance to meet a new person and widen her circle of acquaintances in the Alliance. That is, if the person was from the faction; which was very likely, considering how Sullust was the most heavily defended planet in the Alliance space.

"A nice day, am I right?" she said, holding a pleasant joyful tone.

She eyed the woman, but that gave her no clue to who she was. Didn't look much like a Jedi to her, neither could she really feel any Force presence radiating from her. So it was safe to guess that she was either a civilian or an army/navy person. Both of these options seemed interesting to Lilin.

[ [member="Sylvia Nuru"] ]

 

[Armand Temi]

The flame-haired pilot realized that she’d started the Jedi. Oh feth, I did not mean to do that, thought Sylvia. You are lucky she didn’t stick that thing right in your gut, Rogue Fifteen. And that thing – a dazzlingly bright, blue lightsaber – was de-ignited by the Jedi when she realized the unassuming pilot was… well, no more than five foot five and was dressed quite casually today, not in her normal flight suit, but an asymmetrical shirt and loose fitting pants.

“So sorry,” she said, smiling and brushing her fingertips through her crimson locks. “I didn’t mean to give you pause. I honestly didn’t think anyone would be down here.”

Sylvia reached up and plucked off a stray lavender flower growing from a disheveled bush of ferns.

“It’s absolutely beautiful here. I can’t believe that all of this foliage grows here underground. But don’t let me interrupt you. I’m happy to watch you practice. Your moves are rather graceful,” she said. Sylvia hadn’t know many Jedi at all, in fact, she’d only been tangentially aware of them throughout her whole life. This was a chance to get to know one up close and personal.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"Oh, thank you!" Lilin replied to the compliment this woman made about her moves. She had gotten really close to perfecting the first form of the seven major ones, but all of the other forms were somewhat clumsier, some of which she only had bare knowledge of. Of course she would occasionally focus on all of them, but Shii-Cho just served well in battle and if it was used in a clever manner, it could also win a battle.

Not like she would get to use that form a lot when using two lightsabers, though. She just didn't have the black lightsaber with her that day to try out Jar'Kai.

Of course she could tell the woman, as she was no Force user, wouldn't be too interested in her ramblings about lighstaber dueling, so she did not talk out loud about that. Instead, she would just smirk.

"I've done training for today, anyway," she said. "I've seen many places where wildlife grows in the least expected places, but this is the most beautiful I've encountered so far."

She loved how the untapped beauty of Sullust made the planet something more than just a ball of death roaming around the galactic core. She had to admit she had not liked the planet a lot at first, but as soon as she found out such a beautiful scenery could be found below the volcanic crust, she started appreciating this place a lot more.

"How did you even find this? I thought it was a miracle I could find this place using Force Sense," she laughed ironically at her poor Force skills. Master rank didn't necessarily mean one would be amazing at the Force. She was just mediocre. It was her battle prowess which had granted her the title. And well, her reliability, she guessed.

[ [member="Sylvia Nuru"] ]

 

[Armand Temi]

“I just kept wandering,” admitted Sylvia. “I get a little claustrophobic at times on Sullust, although I grew up on Coruscant, so I should really be used to the darkness and constantly staying indoors.”

Rogue Fifteen wasn’t quite there yet in appreciating Sullust, but perhaps with time…

But still, it made the Alliance pilot a little proud that she’d found this bucolic space with no use of the Force. And even more grateful was that someone else was down here now in case she was on the cusp of being lost.

“I’m Sylvia by the way,” she said running her hand through her thick, wavy red hair. “I have to admit that I don’t know I’ve ever met a Jedi before. I was at that Ball at the Jedi Master’s estate, but never did get to meet the man. What’s it like? What does the Force… feel like?”

She hoped she wasn’t intruding or asking too many personal questions. But she was curious about the life of a Jedi Master. And she really wanted to know about the Sith – again a sect of the galaxy which had been forbidden to the young girl only because of the strict circles she’d traveled in.

[member="Lilin Imperieuse"]

 

[Liliane]

"I'm Lilin," the Jedi Master said, not wanting to put any emphasis on her rank or position. "Nice to meet you, Sylvia." She hadn't met too many other women in the Alliance. Those whom she had met were either in the New Jedi Order or held some other rank of great importance. This one -- she didn't know about. Didn't look like a commander or anything, maybe a pilot?

"Oh, looks like you've finally met a Jedi," she chuckled. "I've been told I don't look anything like how people portray a Jedi in their heads. I'm very OK with that, though."

She finally attached her lightsaber back to her belt and took the Jedi robe from the ground.

"The Force, huh... It's a difficult thing to describe." It really was. She had never before had to do that in her life. Perhaps she must have had if she had had a Master to teach her. But she didn't, so there had been no situation in her life in which she had had to talk about the Force.

"It's like constantly being in a water that is lighter than air. It brushes your skin and your body and even your mind, but it doesn't touch anything. It connects us all, making our sensations stronger and more vivid," she tried to explain how she felt. "Imagine the lightest ripple in the water -- it is a lot softer than that, it is much lighter. But once you start to tap into its powers, it can turn into the most empowering thing you've ever felt. Like a hurricane, just at least then times stronger."

[ [member="Sylvia Nuru"] ]