Menacing Light

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya tired to put her right hand on top of the droid, but he rolled a bit away from the girl just when her hand was about to land on the robot. Looked like she wouldn't be patting her. Droids were so strange people. They were offended too easily.

"Seeyeh, don't be dumb."

She smiled, but only out of the awkwardness of the situation. A little gesture or an expression couldn't fix that, though, so she decided to continue talking. Where had she stopped? At the philosophy part, maybe? Talking about culture needed being in the Antiquus City, because that was the most important part of the Viatori life.

"We believe in a god. In a god who uses the Force as a tool."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking on at the spatting couple, Connor chewed the inside of his lip, raised his eyebrows and took careful steps as the grumpy droid – Seeyah – moved on over the unstable woodland terrain, but it carried itself very well.

”A God who uses the Force?”

Connor pursed his lips in thought.

”You mean a Jedi? Or someone who came before? And what do you mean a tool?”

It was ironic that days ago a Padawan had told him the same thing, so to speak, that the Force was a tool to be used only as needed. However it was partly true, Conner felt deep down it wasn’t a tool. It was a gift; to be understood, controlled and used correctly.

”And who is ‘we’, may I ask?”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"Uh... I don't know exactly. Our information about him is vague. I mean, Viatori people's information about him is vague."

She tried to find the right words to describe the god as he was. It was not easy -- most people never spoke of him, and he was only portrayed on one picture somewhere in the cultural capital of Via.

"He's the creator. The one who made all universe and the Force along with that. But he is not omnipotent. Just... has the whole control over the Force which he made. The Force is what he uses for absolutely everything. He kills people with it, he makes them. He can wipe out an entire galaxy with it, or create one froorm absolutely nothing."

Now was an awkward moment. She didn't believe in the god. Neither did Connor seem to believe in that.

"I myself don't believe in him. I think there is no god. But most Viatori think he exists."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Listening to Ellya, Connor couldn’t help but think her people really were detached from the outer workings of the galaxy. Of course, he had a duty to respect and understand other cultures and ways of life, and she proved to him that things in the galaxy still surprised him.

”Ellya, I understand what you say, but I don’t think one person created the Force. The Force comes from life itself – the energy and particles that bind us together as one. It’s been here since the first second our galaxy was formed by physics. It’s just…there, and many have the ability to harness it inside them, others don’t.”

He looked over to her as he stepped up and over a tree trunk, landing with a crunch.

”You have the ability to harness it, you know that, right?”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Ellya nodded. Listening to Connor made her truly understand how wrong Viatori were. Yet she still felt a bit bad to know that her own species was so wrong about something, that their whole culture was based on lies.

"I do? I... knew I am able to use the psychometry ability one day, because all Viatori can do that when they train. But... being able to actually use it..."

She couldn't imagine being a master of using it. She couldn't imagine anything at all. Just the knowledge of having the ability to use the Force made her feel so... different from others. Most Viatori didn't have the ability to do that. She might have been a special snowflake. Now, the question was -- where did the ability come from?

"Wow."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He smiled gently at her seemingly honest discovery of what she radiated, but didn’t seem to know.

”It’s not overly strong, but I felt it when we were close. That means you have that ability, and that means you will be able to understand and control the Force as you see fit. If you wanted to.”

He let it sink in.

”I can help you, if you wanted one day.”

Connor then looked to the droid, who was acting oblivious to their conversation, but that didn’t mean droids weren’t watching, listening and monitoring.

”Hey, that means you’ll be able to enhance what you see and feel so no more tripping over rocks and sticks!”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

The ability to see? That was interesting. That was really interesting. And even though she knew there was a chance she could gain the ability due to having normal eyes, it had been a really low one. Maybe now it would turn higher?

"That would be amazing."

Ellya was still feeling rather strange. Being sensitive to the Force was something she hadn't been thinking of. And now knowing she actually had the power? It made her feel dizzy, so she shook her head and tried to clear her mind again.

"But I won't be joining the Jedi."

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She really was unaware of what was outside of the planet she lived on it seemed, and Connor was always happy to help those who needed it as long as he felt they were genuine.

He was about to speak but her statement about the Jedi stopped him.

”Mm, I see. So you would stay with your people, avoiding the Jedi and Sith – the Sith particularly I hope.”

He wasn’t going to help someone who didn’t understand the divide of good and evil and how the Force could serve either.

”You know of the Sith and Jedi as a whole, right? And I’m not a typical Jedi – I don’t serve the Republic, I am with another Order.”

Connor looked ahead, as he had a feeling he was wasting his breath going into the finer structure of the Jedi.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"I know what they are, I've heard a bit of them."

Why was the man so interested in that? Like she was able to tell, Connor was a force-sensitive, just like she had turned out to be. But all that fuzz about all of that was... distracting and tiring. She wanted to know a lot about the Force, but not in the way Jedi or Sith did it. She found their philosophies to be lacking something, but she wasn't able to tell what it was.

"Why are you not with the Jedi Order?"

It was time for her to ask a few questions.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The planet thrived around them as they walked, moving gently through woodland and fields, passing small lakes and waterfalls. Engaged in conversation, Connor noticed most of it was ignored by Ellya and her droid – but then again, she’d lived here all her life.

And the questions began, which was only fair.

”Why am I not with the Jedi Order. Good question, with a complicated answer. What do you want – the long or short version?”

Connor itched the back of his head for a moment, thinking of a less-complicated answer for one who wasn’t in tune with the Jedi and Sith.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"The short one. Thank you!"

Indeed, the girl was not too interested in hearing the long one. Even though it would have been a nice way to spend the time they still had before they'd get to the city. And it could have been a way to learn more about the different philosophies of the Force.

"Or the long one, if you really can't tell me all of that in a few sentences."

The droid next to the girl made some noise which told the woman she was about to step into a hole on the ground. So Ellya took a quick step to the right to avoid falling again. She knew the man now had the knowledge of her being blind, but... Wait. Did he really actually know he was blind? His words didn't indicate him understanding it. He had been... joking about her disability, after all.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Nodding in submission to her blunt, yet infectious and refreshing, honesty, Connor thought for a second.

”Okay…short…”

He noticed more beeps from the droid – such an odd couple, he was like a guide and protector more than just a tin-can. For a hunk of metal and wiring, the droid seemed more alive than most.

”Basically found my Force awareness as a child, was taken to the Jedi Order of the Republic, as most are in the galaxy who want to develop their ability, learnt for 23 years, pushed myself too far and had an accident, lost my ability to control the Force and lost my confidence, left the Order as a failure, wandered around for years, came across another Order known as the Silver Jedi, was taken in as they understood my imperfections and I have been there for 3 years now.”

Connor took a breath.

”That do you? Anyway, what’s your story – what do you do here?”

He smirked to himself at how ridiculous that story must have actually sounded to someone like her.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Okay, time to speak again.

"I was born here, as a Viatori to a family of intellects. I hated my family for a reason I still haven't found out, and only a few months ago, I left home. I started wandering around the galaxy, got Seeyeh. Because being blind in the huge space is not easy without a companion who would help you. Well, then I started adventuring and trying to find my own place, which I still haven't found."

That was it. Probably. Most likely. She still didn't know what her story was, but she would find it out soon.

"Is that all you wanted to know?"

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Ambling along and listening, thankful to not have 100 questions about why, where and what plagued his past life, Connor listened and stumbled across some of her words, brow furrowing.

When she finished, he turned and looked at her face; her eyes.

”Sorry, did you mean you’re…blind?”

It suddenly made so much sense – Seeyeh, the whistles, the stumble, the late greeting. Connor looked up and closed his eyes. He didn’t know what he was more – embarrassed or just angry at himself.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"Umm... Yeah."

Then she turned towards the man and asked while raising her right eyebrow, "Didn't I tell you that?" She was a bit surprised, to say the least. But whatever, these things happen sometimes, so she didn't make a huge number out of it.

"So. What else could I say. Ah, why are Sith so hated, for example?"

She didn't get it. Why were there such wars going on just because people thought in different ways?

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As the girl turned, it seemed to be she was looking straight at him. Time seemed to slow a little, and the droid between them whirred softly, as if picking up on the air of awkwardness. Connor looked in her eyes that seemed so full and taking in everything in view. Her question went over his head.

”You’re really blind?”

He brought up his hand, moving it close to her face, and leaning to the side quickly. It was almost like a young human seeing a Gran for the first time – something fascinating about something different. Connor hadn’t been around a blind person before, so this was new to him. However, did it mean that she was suddenly a burden? The walk wasn’t yet over, and he didn’t want to have to worry about her.

But she had survived this long with her droid, hadn’t she?

”I’m sorry…I didn’t know…you hide it so well, you and your guide here.”

His hand came up again, finger tracing in front of her eyes, his view focused to see a flicker or slight movement to follow him.

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"Well, yeah, I've grown used to all of that."

The girl turned around. And she had no idea of the man waving his hand right next to her face, even though she thought she smelled the man's scent too close to her body. It had felt weird.

"Now, let's make things less awkward and just continue whatever we were doing, okay?"

She thought a bit, but the situation they had just had didn't allow her to keep her mind clear. It was a funny thing that a person didn't know a woman (who was obviously blind) couldn't see anything. But these things happened, she told herself again. Maybe the man had an obvious disability, too, and she just hadn't noticed that? Even though she had a reason for that if it was true after all.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stopped as she spoke, feeling rather stupid and rather rude.

”Of course, my apologies. If it means anything to you, blind or not, I don’t see you as anything different to anyone else out there.”

He followed them both steadily, and let a moment pass before picking up her previous question.

”What did you say; the Sith? Right. Well, I don’t really know. It’s something that has been raging in the galaxy since time began probably, I’m not sure. Two different people had two different views of the Force – one now known as the Light, one known as the Dark. It basically came across as who used the Force for what purposes; aggression, control, violence, greed etc.”

Connor gave a little bemused sigh.

”Two different ideals about one power led to conflict and people followed one or the other. The Jedi favoured the Light and the Sith, the Dark. Those wishing to serve the Jedi see the Sith as evil, and vice versa. The war raged on, and does so today with new methods, new warriors and tyrants and heroes and villains. I think we are all just playing a part in something far bigger than most of us can really understand or will see an end to in our lifetime.”

It all sounded so bleak and real.

”To be honest, I can see why you would want to stay clear of either and focus on a place like this, as it seems to be untouched by this conflict.”

[member="Ellya"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

"Eh, these people are stupid. No offense."

Ellya was rather disturbed by how far the ideological war had gone. Most of the galaxy was divided into three groups - Jedi, Sith, and the neutrals - and it didn't look like the neutrals were very neutral anymore, either. The whole galaxy fought, and for what? To get the meaning of the Force and life right? That was odd, and not the good kind of odd.

"Staying out of the war will have to be my goal. Staying completely neutral seems to be the best thing to do. Maybe if everybody did that, there would be no war anymore."

But Via was, of course, a little bit out of the center of the galaxy and that's why Ellya didn't know too much. Or why she didn't have a very good understanding of life outside the planet.

[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor stopped to cross a small bridge over a small stream, bathing in sunlight and surrounded by the woodland that seemed to stretch forever. He was impressed - even without sight, Ellya knew where she was going. A blind girl and an astromech droid. The stuff of cantina jokes anywhere else.

"Don't worry Ellya, have the time I don't know what I'm fighting for. It just feels all we do is buy time until the next invasion of a planet, and then it's over - people die, cities fall, we wait, then it happens again."

With a shake of his head, he tapped his hand on the wooden rails stretching the bridge as they made their way over. Even now, Connor glanced at Ellya now and then to see how she coped with the blindness. It was fascinating.

"The only difference I can say between Jedi and Sith, is take Via. A beautiful planet. Really. The Jedi may come here to ask if they can set up a training ground, or sanctuary or temple, to bathe in nature and the Force. If not, we leave. The Sith would break the atmosphere with warships and Dark Lords, destroy everything in their path until they took what they wanted."

For the first time, he felt a stab of pain that people like Ellya would be in danger - someone so peaceful and unaware. It was sickening.

"The Sith fight to destroy you. I fight to protect you."

[member=Ellya]