Hope in a Hopeless Place

[Lumi Snow]

The Techno Union's flagrant rule of Naboo showed such little care for the people it made Lumi sick. Their hospitals were sub par, their treatments had gone down hill, and the doctors had reached a point of apathy towards the poor and the weak. It hurt Lumi in ways few could understand that a frail telepath could hurt. She could hear the screams of desperation, the cries for relief, the sobs of the hungry. It wasn't auditory only. She wished it was, then she could have plugged her ears and blocked it all out.

No the woman could hear it in her mind.

She couldn't see the crying children to know they were starving and malnourished or the patients to know they were beginning to develop gangrene. She could feel it, hear it, on a deeper level. Lumi had spent the last 26 hours on her feet at the hospital, working herself numb. The endless barrage of need was something she couldn't turn away from. No, instead she worked to fix it, to heal what she could. A half a wing of the hospital had been cleared out of patience because of her. At last the staff had forced her to leave and get her rest. She had done enough, they said. Despite her protests, she was shown the door.

Now her aching and atrophied muscles were carrying her along to the Chrome Ark, her home away from Zenva. But she desperately needed some food first, so the half-Mirlaku grabbed a hand cart with her limited force-sight and began strolling down the isles, feeling her way towards what she needed. She wasn't going to grab much, not that she ate that much anyway, but some would still be needed to keep her body moving.

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

So, this was it. Elion looked down at the little loaf of bread her last credits bought her. No more travelling, no more different night skies, just this little loaf of bread to keep her going before she would have to revert to stealing or finding a job. She looked out at the busy street from the alley she was in and blinked back tears once again.

So this is where I will die? Elion feared many things, but she felt a sort of peace come over her as the sun set slowly on the mountainous horizon, as if something was telling her it would be alright. Contrary to her thoughts, her body and clothes were filthy, from her black shoes, to the purple eyes on her jacket hood. her own purple eyes had a broken look to them, as if something inside her had been shattered but no one had tried to put it back together, so it never healed correctly.

At least it's pretty.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

"Excuse me, sir, can you direct a blind woman to the meal bars?" Lumi asked one of the cashiers.

Ugh I hate my job. She's cute though. "Yeah, follow me."

He took her gloved hand and lead the woman down the isles to one where there were meal bars.

I will never amount to anything. "Which flavor do you want?"

"Oh, anything is fine," she said in a mildly tired but cheerful voice. She was grateful for her leather clothing, which made it easier for her to block out most of the negative effects of her rampant telepathy. "Try four of each."

Why is my life so pointless. I should have gotten my degree. "Sure, anything else for ya?"

Lumi felt the basket get slightly heavier as the man added the bars she requested and she heard them be tossed in. She shook her head, "Hmm, no, thank you though. You've been very helpful."

After checking out,, Lumi began walking out the door when something pricked her mental ears. She stopped in the doorway, listening. Is this where I will die?

It was a young voice, not old enough to die. No one was old enough to die, but this was a child. A young, small child. Lumi felt her frown deepen and she was called to it, slowly and gently walking towards the point it had come from. She almost tripped over a street cat, and a few boxes in the way, but that was her life after all.

"Are you alright?" She asked mustering what little strength she had left to smile tiredly.

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion put the loaf of bread inside her knapsack before a voice spoke to her without warning. She jumped and knocked over a box which made a loud crashing sound before turning and seeing the woman who had spoken. She looked up at her and tilted her head to the side, calming her breathing.

I should've been more careful, she could've been an attacker. Elion shook her head, but after a bit of silence, she realized the lady couldn't see her.

Oh, she's blind. Oops.. Elion mentally slapped herself.

"I'm okay, just a little hungry." Elion smiled as best as she could, but then remembered the lady was blind. The other half of her mind, Ender, butted in to her thoughts.

You're more than hungry. Shut up. Well, you are. Go away, Ender. Fine. Elion shoved Ender back down into the corner of her mind before looking back at the lady.

The lady almost radiates kindness.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

[member="Elion Menaio"]

Lumi nodded, understandingly. The bag in her hand, full of groceries was heavy and getting heavier. She was a very weak individual, barely able to run a dozen feet before getting utterly winded. Growing up in abject poverty with six siblings had done it to her. Oh she's blind. Oops.

She heard the inner dialogue and gave a slight frown. Why did so many people seem to have so many voices in their heads? It was so strange. No matter, the girl needed help, she would help her.

"Tell you what," said Lumi, giving a tired smile, "if you help me to my ship I will give you food, would you like that? I am blind and I don't know the area that well."

She offered her free hand, "I am at the Main space Port, docking bay 4."

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Food? Elion jumped up and took the young woman's hand, eager to help. This lady was going to feed her! She grabbed her knapsack and swung it onto her back.

"I'm sorry if my hands are a little filthy, but I will help you." El then began to lead the young lady through the streets, slowly since it was crowded and so the lady didn't trip or anything. When they finally got to the spaceport, Elion finally asked a question as she was looking around for docking bay 7.

"How did you hear my thoughts?" Ender would not have spoken up unless she knew something was going on, but Elion tried to keep ender a secret from others.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi shook her head at the mention of grubby hands and giggled, "No worries, little one."

She followed the small one grateful she was going slow. She was as much grateful for her tired body as she was for her blindness that the little one was taking her time. The poor woman's weary muscles were aching every so badly from her long work hours. Even as they went along the mostly empty streets she could hear the buzzing of humanity around her. Such mental noise. So much, it was like a symphony sometimes. Others it was like an ocean of chaos or a wave of screaming angst. Chaos was the name tonight.

The spaceport was thankfully less crowded than it had been the night before. Why is it that so many people were so bad? Why did they insist on hurting others and stirring up the chaos or the sadness? There was so much more joy in bringing love and happiness to the world than there was in---

"Hmm?" she asked, missing the question at first. She had gotten too caught up in her thoughts, "Oh, yes. Oh well that is a very long story," she said biting the inside of her cheek to think, "My mother was a Mirlaku, born blind. And I was born blind too. But my father was an Epicanthix, and he was a telepath. He was alright, not the strongest. In fact he wasn't very strong at all," she said with a wistful smile, "I grew up my whole life not being able to see but hearing the sounds of thoughts. Its kind of like," she knelt down low, next to the girl, her face even with hers. For many of those who could see, closeness was connotative of intimacy, even her Zenva. "have you ever been blindfolded in a room full of people? And you listen and you hear things, and that is how you know they are there? That's how I know where people are. I wish I could control it, not many people like it, but its my life and I live with it, I suppose," she said with a smile.

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion shuddered at the thought of being blindfolded. She was afraid of being kidnapped, and many other things.

"No, but I have been in such a dark place that I couldn't even see my hand, but I could still hear. Is that's what it's like?" Elion's brow furrowed and her mouth frowned in a sort of thinking way.

"So does that mean you are Force-sensitive?" Spotting the docking bay they were looking for, Elion helped the lady to her feet and began to walk towards Bay 7.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi nodded at the girl's question and began to follow her, "Yes, its something like that, darling. Something quite like that."

The doctor laughed softly at the second question, "Well, darling, I wouldn't know. My own brain scans indicate that I have just some parts of the brain that are built slightly different."

That was an understatement for the century. Her ocular portions of the brain were completely non-existent. At first there had been many tests to confirm it before the scientists and doctors had believed it. These not only didn't exist, but in their place was a portion of the brain that had delt with speaking and hearing. It was so much bigger, three times its size. And for some reason, was able to interact with her prefrontal cortex to hear and decode other thoughts. Different was an understatement.

At last the reached the Chrome Ark. Leading the girl aboard the vessel, run by droids Lumi took her into what was the kitchenette in her small apartment area of the vessel.

"I am afraid that I am not used to taking guests," Lumi said, "Now, here is the deal; you can eat when you have washed up, dearie, the bathroom is over there," the doctor said nodding sweetly, "And when your done, your meal will be all ready for you and your clothes will be clean."

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion practically jumped with joy.

"Oh, thank you, ma'am! Thank you!" With that, El ran into the bathroom and hopped out of her filthy garments and into the refresher as fast as she could. She cleaned herself until her skin was a somewhat heathy glow again, and her hair was it's normal shade of almost-black brown. Turning off the water, stepping out, and wrapping a towel around herself, Elion looked over at the mirror and started at the skin-and-bones girl she saw staring back.

Am I really that thin? I look like a bag of bones. She didn't even need to take off the towel to know that her ribs were showing through her skin. To Elion, that meant she would have a less chance of finding a modest and civil job on this planet. She'd probably end up getting herself sold as a slave or dancing at a cantina. She shuddered at that thought, she would never let herself do something so against her morals.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi let the automatic kitchen begin to do its work with the cutting and the cooking of the veggies. It wasn't that she didn't know how to cook, she was very good at it. It was the truth that she wanted to get this done fast for the youngling. She was going to find out what her story was, and she was going to help this little one.

While the girl was in the shower, she took the dirty clothes and deposited them in the washer and drier combo. Poor thing, it had to be days since their last washing. In the mean time, time for the half-Mirlaku to get into something more comfortable. Her outer garments of leather were discarded, leaving her in a tan camisole and skinny jeans. The young woman slipped on a soft cashmere v-neck that was two sizes too big for her. She was ok with that, it was warm and soft.

At last the food was read, and it sounded like the girl was ready too. Lumi knocked on the bathroom door, "Darling, food is ready, I have a warm clean shirt for you to wear as well."

The telepath grabbed a new shirt, using her memory of the place and had it ready as well as the plate of food. The shirt would most likely be a dress for this diminutive being. And Lumi was ok with helping her like this.

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion open the door slightly and gratefully took the nice shirt from the lady and threw it on, her stomach loudly protesting at the smell of food. Ignoring it, she sat down politely and, resisting the urge to devour the food on the spot, began to savor it slowly.

"Wow! This is amazing! Thank you again ma'am!"

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi was sure she would have enjoyed the site of the joy and gratitude on this child's face if she could have seen it. The doctor smiled and began the automated process of whipping up more food, she had a feeling this youngling was famished, "Of course. I understand what it means to be hungry."

She took a seat on her bed and gave it a pat for the girl to come sit beside her on the clean linen sheets. It was much more comfortable than the stuffy table would be. Besides, there was no need for all that. Taking a pillow in her arms, Lumi hugged it close to her body in an act of her youthfulness. She gave the young child some time to begin eating before asking what had been nagging at her mind.

"So tell me," she asked, "What is your name, and why are you here all alone, if I may ask?"

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion quickly finished her meal and sighed at the young woman's question. She answered in a mature voice

"My name is Elion Menaio. I'm originally from Alderaan, but I left to see the galaxy. I wish I were not alone sometimes, but nothing has been the same since the Netherworld event.." She took a shaky breath and continued,

"I once had a wonderful family, with a loving father, a caring mother, and two silly younger siblings, and we were so happy. That fateful day when billions of people disappeared, my whole family was taken.. Except me. I-I don't like talking about it." Elion swiped away the tear that threatened to fall and continued, not allowing herself to break.

"As for why I am here, I just recently ran out of money for traveling, but in order for me to earn more, I have to get a job. The only trouble is that there are no wholesome jobs on this planet that a weak small girl like me could get without training."

Elion had considered begging, and would probably revert to that and/or stowing away on freighters.

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi nodded as she placed a reassuring hand on Elion's shoulder.

"I know what it feels like to loose family," she assured her in a gentle, soothing voice. She had lost a lot as a child, and family was part of it.

The doctor whet her lips and swallowed before continuing, "I know you can make it through alright. I know you can. I made it working hard through to college, without anyone. I know you can too. You just hang in there, and I will see what I can do to help you find work. A place in this galaxy, would you like that?"

She gave a warm, genuine smile. Then the timer dinged and the next batch of foodstuff was ready for Lumi's guest. The doctor rose and grabbed the food, plating it on a fresh set of dishes before turning around and setting it before Elion.

"And," she added, 'I can take you out, and we can work on getting you a new set of clothes so that for your work yo have a fresh set. And more so you can have a whole wardrobe to look good when you work, every day of the week," the doctor smiled.

She was compassionate. She was kind. She was love embodied. She wanted to help this poor girl, more than anything.

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion choked out another thank you. Her happy tears were over flowing and she couldn't help the smile on her face.

"No one has been this kind to me since my family disappeared. I-I don't know what to say." Elion hugged the lady. It then dawned on her that she didn't even know the lady's name.

"I just now realized that I don't even know who you are. To whom do I owe thanks?"

[member="Lumi Snow"]

 

[Lumi Snow]

Lumi felt the small girl's body pressed against hers and her arms wrap around Lumi's own frail frame. She smiled and held the small girl in return. Her fingers wrapped around a bit of her shirt's free fabric. It was much too big for her, by about three sizes or so. Letting the tender fabric of the garment glide across [member="Elion Menaio"]'s face, she cleared the tears away and just held her for a few minutes before answering.

Affection, it was the thing we needed most. It was the thing that money could not buy, and though it could not fill a belly or cloth a body, it was the most important of all commodities that many would do dangerous things to get. Through the touch, Lumi's latent telepathy became strong. Too strong for her to control. Waves of pure, raw kindness and compassion rolled off her like waves into the small child. Its alright, little one. It will be alright.

"Lumi, Doctor Lumi Snow," she said at last. "That is my name."

[member="Elion Menaio"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Elion felt a calming sense and a feel of hope come over her as she hugged Doctor Snow, as if everything was going to be okay.

"Doctor Snow. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget your kindness." Unknown to Elion, but possibly to Lumi, Ender was brooding in the back of El's mind. While Elion felt a burden lifted from her shoulders, Ender saw everything she'd worked for start to slowly break away.

Foolish, naive Elion. One of these days I'll be in control, I just have to be patient.

[member="Lumi Snow"]