Private It Was the Heat of the Moment. Telling Me What My Heart Meant

[KAR]

Location: Coruscant - Galactic Library
Wielding: 1 lightsaber with white blade | ELG-3A Blaster

​

This building had once been a great Jedi library, but now it seemed to be a public library for citizens of the galaxy. So much had changed and trying to figure it all out was madness. The historical section was the place Katarine had decided to start. She thought perhaps there would be a timeline or a detailing of galactic wars at least. When she couldn't find much there she moved on to old copies of digital newspapers. She was sitting at one of the machines scanning different articles, but trying to piece them together into a coherent picture was a bit difficult. She gave up and started wandering the shelves aimlessly in frustrating.

After a few moments she reached for a book at random, but it seemed to be stuck. She tugged a bit harder and realized someone had a hold of the other end of the book. She let go in surprise, and several books came crashing out of the shelf. She winced and went over to the other side. "I'm so sorry."


Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Location: Coruscant - Galactic Library

Gray had been away from the Galaxy for some years now, choosing to retire to a small and quiet planet where he could live in Peace. Away from all the political drama, wars, Conquests. And most of all, the common force user. Jedi, sith, grey or neutral, didn't matter. For as long as Gray had known, they had caused trouble. Their fight over ideologies was meaningless in his eyes. So after some Things had gone sour, he had done a few well-paying jobs, and gone into Retirement.

But now, that had ended. Meeting an old friend, and getting involved in the 'bigger heppenings' again had changed Things, and he had returned. And boy, had Things changed. The sith and jedi were still major players in the Galaxy, so was the CIS for that matter. But there were New treaties, New major players, New laws, many of Gray's old Associates were gone. It was too much to find out about from his ship and the holonet alone. So he had gone to the Place where one was most likely to find information. And also, one of the Places Gray did not like to go, at least not above Level 1313.

The once Capital of the Galaxy: Coruscant.

Gray had been quick to find a promising Library to start looking for Things. It had to have all the major changes that had happened. But it was harder to find to right Things there, especially for one who frequented Shady bars, and not Libraries. But after some time, he had found a section of recent happenings in the galaxy. One book caught his attention more than the others: "Power Plays and Governments". He reached up to take it. But it didn't budge. He was at first taken aback, but continued to pull. And suddenly, he fell backwards, as the book suddenly let go of the shelf. And as he fll backwards, othe books fell out too, some of them on top of him.

He managed to avoid crashing into the shelf behind him, but he landed on the floor. As he sat up, he heard someone from the end of the shelf. He looked over, and saw a fairly Young woman standing there, apologizing. "So that's what held the book back," he said, jokeingly. "I thought the jedi had placed some kind of force binding on them or something, so only they could read what had happened in the Galaxy."

He got to his feet, and walked over the the woman. "Name's Gray. You looking to read about history too?"

K KAR

 

[KAR]

Katarine saw that the person she had toppled was a man who looked extraordinarily out of place in a library. She smiled at him and nodded her head. "Katarine. Yes I'm a bit out of the loop and was hopping to take a bit of a refresher." That was and understatement, but she figured the man didn't need to hear that she was over eight hundred years old and had no idea how she had time traveled. She'd already checked time travel in the library but all the books were fictional and meant for fun.

"I hope I didn't hurt you? Are you a history buff?"

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

"Nah, just startled me a bit," Gray replied. "But we should probably get those books beck in the shelf before an angry librarian comes."

So he bent down, and started picking up books. Many of them had strange titles, and some of them Gray thought shouldn't even be in the history section. "I wouldn't Call myself a history buff," he said. "Not at all, actually. But like you, I've been away for some time, and wanted to get updated on what has happened while I was gone. And the holonet only got me so far." He found the book him and Katarine had fought over earlier, and put it on a Chair that stood nearby. "Thus, I was forced to come to this wretched planet."

"Any specific event or part of history you want to refresh, or just in general?" He himself just wanted to know about the big events and changes that had heppened recently, but it wouldn't hurt to help Katarina find what she was looking for. After all, she had, in a way, given up the book they had faught over. "How much out of the loop are we talking? Living secluded, or more like memory loss?" The last part was said playfully

K KAR

 

[KAR]

Katarine helped him return the books to the shelf, noticing as she did so some of the titles were odd. Maybe they weren't the only ones who had spilled books and put them away at random, because there seemed to be a few in the wrong section. As she put one of the last ones away she smirked at his description of Coruscant. He did not seem to have a high opinion of the planet, and he seemed mistrustful of Jedi based on his earlier comment about them bewitching shelves.

His questions were friendly but she had no idea how to answer them without freaking him out. Thus far she hadn't told many people about her little detour into time travel. "It's a long story Handsome. But I'm about eight hundred years behind on galactic events, give or take." If he took notice of her attire he'd see indeed her clothes were out of style and very old fashioned. The flight pants, tank top, flight jacket, and boots were from the days of the old rebellion. The lightsaber concealed in her jacket was also ancient compared to what was built these days.

She took a seat in one of the seats next to the one he put the book on. There was a little table in front of the two seats, offering a makeshift station for people to read at. "How about you? Something had to drag you to this planet, which I gather you are not fond of?"

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Handsome? Had she just called him handsome? Gray had been away from the rest of the Galaxy for a long time, and hadn't really gotten around to fix himself up yet. But maybe he wasn't out of the loop anyway? From the looks of Things, she was several years younger than him, but not so much that it would hurt. He dragged his hand through his hair, trying to look seducing...

But stopped midway through, only now dawning on him how many years she had said. 800 years? How was that possible?

"What the Blazes do you mean 'bout 800 years, darling?" he asked, trying to sound somewhat rational. "That was right after the old Republic was tranformed into the Galactic Empire, and the wars that followed. You some kind of time traveller, or something?" He laughed of that last part, thinking it impossible

He picked the book of the Chair, and put it on the table, and proceeded to sit Down himself. They were nearly done cleanign up the fallen books, so a short break couldn't hurt. "Anyway," he said. "I came to this planet for the same reason as you, probably. To learn what I had missed in my years of absence. And the giant city planet that have been the galactic Capital on multiple occasions seemed the best Place to start. Otherwise, I would never have come toa Level this high on the planet. Stinking city, With well-standing Citizens, and big buildings. Best Place on the Whole damn planet is Level 1313. Only bad thing is, it is also the most Dangerous part of the planet?"

K KAR

 

[KAR]

She could tell he thought she was crazy, or maybe just a little slow. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing that someone said everyday after all. She'd probably think she was crazy too if she was in his shoes. "The last memory I have happened a few years after Emperor Palpatine fell. Now I'm here. I guess time travel works just as well as any other explanation."

She eyed him sideways, worried she was freaking him out, and decided to change the subject. "If Level 1313 is the most dangerous how can it be the best place on the whole planet? You don't like well-standing citizens and big buildings?"

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Gray just stared at her in silence. For the first time, he was actually speechless. And he had faced Down sith, who could make you choke on Your own breath With just a flick of their wrist. He didn't know if he thought she was crazy, or if it was the truth. She seemed sane enough. After all, she had called him handsome. And she seemed genuine in the way she spoke. But no sane person would claim to have lived at the same time as legends like Han Solo, Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. Still, she sounded truthfull enough.

"No, it can't be true," he said, more to himself than to Katarina. "If that is the truth, that you lived 800 years ago, tell me, who were the founders of the Rebellion, that signed the Correlian Treaty? Only those interested in the rebellion would know that nowadays."

She seemed to want to continue With what he had said earlier, about Coruscants Levels, and his dissapproval With the planet. Pulling himself together, he tried to explain. "I've lived as a smuggler for most of my life. And for People like me, well-standing Citizens aren't well liked. And Level 1313 has no such Citizens. There, you'll be Lucky of you only meet drunks or pickpockets." It wasn't exactly true, as there were normal, non-criminal People there too. But it was by far the most criminall part of Coruscant. "There, you won't be judged by how you dress, or behave yourself. There is no police, or other form of Security there. So smugglers like me can mostly do what we want there. You just have to be carefull about Your wallet, and who you're talking to."

K KAR

 

[KAR]

She smiled at him as he verbally expressed his disbelief. She didn't blame him, sometimes she couldn't even believe it herself. His explanation about dealing with ordinary common thieves was far more interesting to her. She had met so many like him during her days as a Jedi Investigator. She had lived undercover among the scum of the galaxy to gather intelligence and help break up crime rings. There was a certain honor among these people that she had to give them credit for.

"I understand what you mean. It's an honest place. Nobody pretending to be anything more than what they are." She sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest and sat her chin on them, watching him.

"You know, it's interesting that things haven't really changed that much in eight hundred plus years. I fought for freedom and to try and make the galaxy a civilized place. But here we are, with new empires and new darksiders and new criminals and new horrors. It makes me wonder what the point of it all was? Even 800 years latter you describe the lower levels of Coruscant as a crime haven, and the upper levels as a political sideshow. It just makes me wonder what the point of anything is anymore." She was almost reflecting more to herself than to him. Realizing this, she seemed to snap out of him and and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"and it was Mon Mothma by the way. Leia Organa, Bail Organa, Garm Bel Iblis, really a few key players that signed that treaty."

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

It was true. The way Katarine spoke, her knowing about the key-figures who started the Rebellion with the Correlian Treaty. Even her clothes told Gray that it was true. This woman had actually lived during the reign of Palpatine, at the same time as the Rebellion. But how could it be true, though? No one would have survived that long in carbonite, and Gray doubted any form of force hibernation would sustain anyone for so many years. He had heard of a few species that could live several hundred years, but Katarine was definately a human.

"Maybe we should og somewhere more private, to talk about Your..." he said, still baffled. "...lifespan." A Library wasn't usually a Place where People tried to listen in on others, but it was too Public for Gray's paranoia. Especially when the subject of the conversation was something as extaordinary as this. "I have a ship parked not too far from here. Or if you have found someplace to stay in this New... time, then I'd be happy to go there. Coruscant isn't known for being a private Place, so I can't think of any other Places here where it would be safe to talk." He paused, and thought for a moment. "That is, if you want to tell me more about it? I am, after all, a stranger you just met."

K KAR

 

[KAR]

The man seemed very paranoid and Katarine wondered if these days people had to be more paranoid. Was that how the galaxy operated now, where talking in a library wasn't even safe? It wasn't a pretty thought. She bit her lip and tried to decide if she trusted the man. Even if the galaxy wasn't a place of trust anymore Katarine couldn't help but relate to the stranger she had met. She decided to trust him and hopefully that would not be a decision she regretted.

"I am staying at the Victory Hotel, which is just a few buildings down. I'll lead the way."

She lead him out of hte library and down the busy street. Everywhere normal citizens were going about their days and the ever present speeder traffic was clogging up the sky. Eventually they reached a large hotel building and went into the lobby. There was classical music playing and freshly polished floors, giving it a fancy hotel feeling. She lead him to the lift and took him up to her floor. With the little keycard they gave her she opened the door and lead him inside.

"Make yourself at home."

There were no personal belongings in the room, but Katarine was used to having little. Jedi didn't own a lot of things. There was a table and chairs, and a small kitchen unit.

"Do you want something to drink? I have water, caf, I think there is a mini bar. Oh that stack of papers on the bed is what I've been able to piece together about a plague that I guess really hurt the galaxy a while back. It's a pretty interesting read." Of course he probably already knew about the plague but it had been news to her.

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Gray followed Katarine as she lead him to the hotel she was staying in. For some reason, she chose to trust him, which is more than Gray would have done in her position. The room she was staying in was pretty standardly furnished. He picked up one of the papers about th Plague, and sat down to read it. "Thanks for the offer, I'll take a coffee," he said as he rapidly looked over the paper.

"The Gulag Plague," he said out loud. "Yeah, it messed up the galaxy real good during the 400 Year Darkness. Luckily, it was gone long before I was born." The Plague wasn't one of the things Gray knew most about. In his youth, when he lived on Balmorra, his parents had made sure that he knew about it, and other important parts of the galactic history. Not that Gray had paid much attention at the time. "But it was only about 30 years ago, give or take, that the Galaxy had begun stabilizing itself again. Still, things will never be like they were before. In your time."

Gray put the paper down, and looked up at Katarine. "The biggest change, I guess, is that there are now multiple major groups deviding the galaxy, where in your time, there was only the Empire and the underdog Rebellion. Even the sith and jedi have had peace in this time. Have you read anything about the different factions around the galaxy?"

K KAR

 

[KAR]

Katarine was busying herself with the caf maker and soon had a cup of coffee ready. She brought it over to the small table in the room and sat it down, along with a few sugar packets. He was talking about the plague, which she was interested in. This was the first she was learning about it, though it seemed common knowledge in this day and age.

"The Jedi and the Sith are at peace? Never woulda guessed that." She laughed and went back to the kitchen to get her own mug of caf.

"Well I've been looking at galactic maps and I notice the Sith Empire controls a lot of territory. That is concerning since I know they can be awful, or at least they were in my day. But if the Jedi are at peace with them that makes me wonder if I'm way behind the times. There is a Confederacy of Independent Systems as well, which was the faction that built the death star back in the day. It's all very confusing. There doesn't seem to be a clear good or bad in the galaxy anymore. Maybe there never was."

She sat in one of the chairs and started to blow on her coffee.

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Gray took the coffee, and smiled at Katarine as she went back to get her own cup. She seemed to be surprised and fasinated by what he was telling about the plague and the factions in this time. Which only proved further that she was telling the truth about coming from a different time, something Gray still thought sounded impossible.

"I'm not sure I'd say thay have a lasting peace," he corrected himself from what he stated earlier. "It's more like they don't openly fight each other in a big war, kind of peace. But from what I know, they still try to kill each other if they meet on a planet. And things might have changed since I left for my temporary retirement."

Gray listened to what Katarine told about the big factions of old, but he had to snort at the last thing she said about good and bad.

"Good and bad? No, no I dont think there ever was good or bad." He stopped, and took a sip of the coffee. "Everyone has always been out for themselves, republic, confederacy, galactic allience, even sith and jedi. You might call me crazy for saying that about the jedi, but hear me out. In all time, they have waged war. Mostly, it has been a pointless war over ideals with the sith, where no one won in the end, and the civillians were the ones who got hurt. And in your time, it was against the Confederacy, if I'm not mistaken."

"They are not the peacekeepers they claim to be. They are just as much warmongers as the sith, just more accepted by the wider galaxy."

K KAR

 

[KAR]

As she sat there, holding a warm cup of caf in her hands and watching the man with her deep green eyes, Katarine couldn't help but understand what he was saying. She had fought for so many years against an empire and saw so much blood shed and so many innocent lives lost, and for what? Here she was over eight hundred years in the future and nothing had changed. There were still empires, still wars, still a galaxy spiraling out of control. What was the point of any of it?

"I think that perhaps the Jedi fooled themselves into believing the ends justified the means. But you are right... nothing has changed in over eight hundred years. There is still war and still suffering and still a political battlefield costing innocent lives." She sighed and glanced towards her bed, where there were stacks and stacks of papers for her research. Maybe she knew all she needed to now. Maybe it was the same stuff but a different year. It did beg the question what would she do with the rest of her life however.

"So you've come out of retirement? Any particular reason or were you just getting bored of sleeping in?"

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

Gray thought it was Nice hearing that Katarine understood his point of view. Not many did. At least of the People Gray had spoken to. Most of them thought the jedi were the good guys, who always helped civillians and did nothing wrong, though most of the People tGray knew that had that opinion had some Connection to the jedi. Others made a profit of the wars, or tried to get big and powerfull themselves. Gray took anothe sip of his cup.

"Retirement never really suited me," he answered. "I was living on a tropical vacation planet, where tich People took their holidays. Jerrilek, maybe you've heard of it. Anyway, the days were mostly the same: watching the holonet, going out to eat, og on a walk or Down to the Beach. The closest to action there was when an archeologist found something important." He paused, and stared into the air. "Blast, I can't believe I lasted as long as I did there, With all the boredom. Luckily, someone from my past came, and I got dragged into Things that made me leave."

"So that's that story, nothing more to say, really." It had only been a few weeks since he left Jerrilek, but more Things had happened in his life in that time than in the years on Jerrilek. Safe to say, he was not regretting his desicion on leaving.

"But what about you, what were you doing back in Your... time? Any job or proffesion, or something else you were doing?"

K KAR

 

[KAR]

She hadn't ever heard of the planet he mentioned, but a vacation planet sounded like a good enough place to retire. If you wanted to retire, which judging by his words he had found very boring and changed his mind. It was easy to tell he wasn't the retiring type, just looking at him she could tell he was more of a talk latter and do things now type of person. His question about her past was a little more difficult to decide about. His view of Jedi wasn't great, and she remembered a time when just mentioning she was a Jedi lead to hostilities. She did not want them here, in a hotel, where innocent lives could be hurt. Of course nothing about him was hostile so far. She decided to tell him the truth, just maybe not mention specific words like 'Jedi.'

"I was running the rat race just like everybody else. Working against an Empire and determined to make the galaxy free. I spent a lot of time undercover in criminal syndicates. It was fun. Despite their views of the law criminals have a special type of honor that I had never found anywhere else in the galaxy. I think eventually I was worried about going native though. " She smirked, remembering when she had once contemplated giving up a life as a Jedi and just selling something or otherwise hanging around with the scum and villainy. for all the good the rebellion had done maybe it would have been better if she just had.

"I don't think that life is one I'll start again. The Jedi... or whatever group... fighting the endless war to save the galaxy. It really doesn't seem to get anybody anywhere. Here I am almost a century latter and the same war is being fought. It kind of makes the whole thing look foolish. But I also don't think I'm the type that can sit on a beach and drink all day either, so I'm not sure whats next for me."

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

What Katarine said reminded Gray of how he had@been, how he still was. If there ever came a big group that took over the galaxy, and oppresed everyone, he would join an eventual rebellion against it. But as soon as the fight was won, or lost, he would disappear, and stay away from what was to follow.

"I know what you're feeling. For a time, I was part of one of the bigger groups in the galaxy. The Outer Rim Coalition. I didn't agree with everything they stood for, but they tried to make the life easier for the people of the Outer Rim, the common people. Those who were the most affected by all the wars going on. And, they were hunting slavers. But from what I know, they have changed. And for all the good they... we, did, little changed. Wars were still going on, affecting the common people. Politicians were still ruining lives. And the force users were still on top."

Gray leant back, and drank some more of his coffee, but noticed what little was left had gotten cold, so he put to cup down. "Part of the reason I'm fascinated by the Rebellion of old, is that it actually managed to do something. It managed to overthrow the Empire, and establish some for of peace, at least for a time. It also sepperated to force from the major politics, from what I know. Too bad there is nothing like that now."

"You should probably get to know this time a bit better, before deciding what to do with your new life. But my advice is, to not try to change the big things. There will always come someone who brings it back, and continues the war. There is only one group I know of, other than the Rebellion, who was on the right path to managing an end to wars."

K KAR

 

[KAR]

All of this talk about wars and the inevitable was depressing. Katarine almost felt like going to a bar, which was hilarious because in her younger days she had not been a bar rat at all. She remembered the first time tasting alcohol she had spit it out and coughed like a moron. Ah to be young, innocent and free. But the galaxy had a way or ruining those days like so much else.

"The Rebellion I think had the advantage of there only being one enemy. Or maybe the Republic just did such a good job at squishing any other form of government that only one could rise to be an Empire. I don't know. I guess you could look at it either way and see either side to blame."

She got up and sat her coffee cup in the small kitchenette, and then turned and leaned against the counter.

"I think you are right. I've never been one to float around aimlessly but I've also never been over eight hundred years old. I guess if anybody deserves to take it slow for a while its me. I'm a senior citizen after all." She grinned and pulled her long dark hair behind her shoulders.

"What about you? Did you figure out your future plans from the library detour? If you haven't a clue then I suggest putting dinner on your to do list. I was going to eat alone at the dive bar down the street, but you are welcome to come if you want. Unless you need to get back to your ship and your research?"

Gray Venasir

 

[Gray Venasir]

"Well, I didn't get much reading done at the library," answered Gray, jokingly. "But talking with you have helped me more than any book or holorecording probably could. As of right now, I'm gonna stay away from all the major stuff going on, and just go with the flow. Take small jobs when I find them, trick the occasional sith or jedi."

Talking with this 800 years old woman had actually been enlightening. She was alive and fighting the Empire of old, when there were only two big factions fighting each other. It couldn't be easy for her to wake up in this new era, where everyone were fighting each other. That had made Gray realize that he didn't have to be some big-shot, taking a side in one of the wars going on. Taking it easy, but still staying in the game.

"Well, it so happens that my research is not more urgent than my need for some food." He checked his watch theatrically, even though there was no need. "I can't say I've ever been to the bar you're thinking of, but the food is one of the few things that is better in the upper levels of Coruscant. As long as they have other things than sea-food on the menu, I'm in." Gray was sick of sea-food from his retirement on Jerrilek. He got to his feet, and held out his hand for Katarine. "Shall we go?"

K KAR