Naboo's beauty

[Kheera Reach]

[member="Xena Amonali"] [member="Bethany Kismet"]

"What was it again? The Rancor eat the Twi'lek who tried to escape..." The scream of a Jedi echoed through the Hangar bay as Kheera tried to think about the riddle. She was too busy speaking with her Padawan, Xena, about her riddle. Her paws were on the control panel located within the cockpit, but she wasn't necessary pressing the buttons. The ship made contact with the side edge of the Hangar bay's entrance and a loud screech shocked the Jedi who were roaming the temple. Sparks flew up, covering the metal of Kheera's ship and within seconds, they were out of the hangar and into Ossus's beautiful clear sky. Another scream of horror escaped the Jedi's lips as he watched the ship twirl down for a breathtaking moment before it began to climb it's way up again. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "May the Force have mercy on the co-pilot."

Kheera's ship that used to resemble a Consular-class space cruiser pierced through the atmosphere layer of Ossus and made it's way into space. Every single metal panel of Kheera's ship has been either scratched or was damaged to the point that not a single living soul could recognize it back. The once pink paint chipped from the silver, the once straight edges were now crooked. It was a mess, but it was Kheera's mess.

The inside of the ship was in great condition: It contained a custom build Medical bay that was located beside the Captain's quarters and stored everything she could wish for. A small Bacta tank, a table and countless of shelves that stored medical instruments. It was for sure the biggest chamber within the ship, she sacrificed her own bed for it after all. The Captain's quarters and seating for the guests were elegantly yet modernly decorated in black and white furniture and contained a touch of green thanks to a couple of plastic plants. The more royal seats all stored a very thick blanket, covered in fur.

"That's it! The Rancor eats the Twi'lek who tried to escape. Who is the Twi'lek?" Kheera turned around in her seat, watching her Padawan with amused eyes. The riddle made no sense what so ever, but she was proud that she managed to create one. It was one of her most favorite things to do, messing around with her Padawan who she loved so dearly. However, without waiting for her Padawan's answer, Kheera abruptly moved her furred hand over towards the 'glowing' red button as a robotic voice began to announce a countdown: traveling to a new planet was something she enjoyed as well.

"Five... Four... Three... Two... One." Once the countdown reached for zero, Kheera made a fist out of her claw and smacked the button. The engines made an unhappy roar as the ship began to speed forwards until the stars turned into thin stripes that reflected on the ship's front windows. Kheera's pupils widened as she observed the stars rush by, it took away her breath each time. Something about it was so magical and hypnotic. It reminded her of the nights on Ilum, where they all lay outside of their hutts, watching the stars glide over the night sky. After a few minutes, her attention snapped back to her Padawan. "I'm sorry dear, you were saying?" Kheera spoke with her soft yet usually bubbly voice as her head tilted to the right, a warm smile drawn on her lips.


The Cathar was traveling to Naboo with her Padawan for a reason. Kheera wanted to show Xena more about the galaxy that she loved so much and Naboo was no exception. Naboo was a beautiful planet filled with unspoken knowledge and history. Therefore Kheera decided it was the best planet to start the journey. She even already knew what spot to visit first: The ruins of an old Jedi Temple. To walk in the footsteps of the Jedi before them, to feel the Light-sided Force that most likely still shined brightly. A beauty for the eye, a knowledge gem for the brain.

 

[Xena Amonali]

"I'm sorry dear, you were saying?" Looking over towards her master Xena just chuckled a bit, "Keep your eyes forward when you are flying" she said shaking her head a few times. She had gotten used to Kheera's piloting from all of the flights out, though she did worry that they would eventually just break something major. Reaching into her bag Xena pulled out a small book she had been reading, looking over at her master. Honestly Xena saw Kheera as something more then her mentor. Kheera was like a mother, or at least and older sister to Xena. Someone she could go to if she had to, someone who could calm her down if she couldn't.

Getting up to her feet, after unstrapping the 5 point harness she had on, Xena made her way back with Kheera to the lounge room. Sure they should probably stay in the cockpit and keep an eye on everything that was going on to make sure the ship didn't fall apart. Then again, the ship had lasted through much worse then a small hyperspace jump. It should be fine. The small lounge had a little holoboard for them to play games or look at movies. Xena ran over to the lounge couch, plopping herself down onto it and quickly pulling over one of the blankets before turning on the holomovie that she had been watching. Looking over at her master who was grabbing a sandwich from the fridge; Kheera always had her smile on her face, tossing a sandwich over to Xena for the younger girl to catch. Glancing down at the sandwich the young girl nodded her head, going to take a bite from it. "Also master.. some of your riddles make no sense," she said giggling a bit before going back to her movie.

The ride to Naboo was a quiet one, with Xena having passed out while watching the holovid and Kheera just doing what she does. The young firrerreo's skin in her resting state was a nice golden hue that complimented her eyes well, if they had been open that is. Her hair draped lightly over her face with the blanket across her body. It was rare that Xena was like this; all peaceful and calm. It was honestly a welcome sight for Kheera, considering normally when she flies everyone else has the look of sheer panic on their faces.

Both of them were looking forwards to a relaxing trip, doing something to just unwind and learn.

---

[member="Kheera Reach"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"]

 

[Bethany Kismet]

N A B O O

Slowly, ever so carefully, the waters were taking back the temple.

The air was heavy with the damp, living scent of moss. Mists rose from between the columns, filling the empty rafters with ghosts of the arches that once reeled over head. The sound of water, bubbling and laughing, played with the senses, offering more than simple sound- it offered presence, the haunting voice in cheerful counterpoint to the emptiness of the ruins. Plants grew riotously and lush in the broken shadows, sunlight and streams alternating their movement and patterns from one breach in the ceiling to the next. Snaking up the inner wall, the trunk of a tree held the roof in place against the onslaught of weather and time. The inner most branches buttressed the arcing planchement, hands of foliage spreading out as though to support the sky itself, before the canopy burst through the largest hole to embrace the outside of the temple's dome.

It had been over 500 years since Bethany Kismet, Jedi Master, had walked these halls. Stepping lightly over a stream that now ran through the entry way, she paused to kneel on the other side. Small hands brushed away half a millennia of detritus, working slowly and without concern. Very slowly, her thumb rubbed across the smooth tile that ran beneath this portion of the temple.

Once, the blazing white columns of the temple's vestibule had arched high and pure overhead. The cobalt ceiling had gleamed, reflecting a cool, peaceful light back down on those entering- whether it was the first time or the hundredth- that light offered rest. And here, beneath their feet, had been a complicated mosaic of natural life on Naboo. The sea and the land, entwined in a thousand shades of green and blue, highlights of yellow, red and violet all set against the pearl white that joined each tiny piece of porcelain in gleaming threads.

Reaching out, she scooped up a handful of the water whispering nearby and poured it over the place she had cleared.

Dark, rich mud ran. Another scoop. And a third.

Tilting her head, the diminutive Jedi smiled, soft and wistful. The curling of one of Naboo's native vines, captured forever in olive and forest ceramic, peaked out at her. Given enough time, she could, from this single point only a few centimeters across, trace the entire floor from memory.

For now, however, she stood, brushing her hands off gently on the moss growing on a jutting stone that, she suspected, had once been part of the ceiling.

Especially here, the sheer smallness of the woman was magnified. She seemed completely insignificant, when taken solely in body. Long black hair flowed straight down her back. Pale skin shone in the shadows. Though her clothes were simple, dove grey tunic, brown leggings and soft boots, she moved with the assurance of someone who belonged. Brilliant emerald eyes cast around as she walked, pausing here and there, as if rebuilding what had been lost.

Slowly, Bethany let out a long sigh.

She was home. And it was empty.

[member="Xena Amonali"] [member="Kheera Reach"]

 

[Kheera Reach]

Once the ship reached hyperspeed, Kheera lowered her body out of the pilot seat that was always just a bit too high for her. Small footsteps echoed through the cockpit as the two left it and reached for the lounge room. Worry didn't even occur in Kheera's mind, the ship would be just fine without them in the cockpit. She just longed for a calming time with her Padawan. No hurrying, no fighting, no wasted tears. Just the two of them, having a good time.

While Xena laid down on the lounge couch with a blanket, Kheera reached over to the smaller fridge and opened the door. She hummed softly to herself while reaching for the fish sandwich she prepared before leaving. It was Xena's favorite. It was a simple sandwich: it contained an odd red-type of fish, combined with lettuce, slightly cooked unions, garlic-butter and homemade bread. She tossed the sandwich to her Padawan with a warm smile before sitting down beside her. Both Jedi were small, allowing them to share the couch.

Her eyes darted over towards the holomovie with a warmer smile. She has watched it a countless of times, but it managed to stay entertaining. "Also master.. some of your riddles make no sense," Kheera rolled her eyes, followed by a soft yet genuine laugh. "At least I try!"

The time flew by and Xena ended up falling asleep on the couch. Kheera ran her hand through Xena's black hair, watching her calm and peaceful expression. Despite the girl being only six years younger, she felt like a daughter for Kheera. It made training her as a Padawan easier in her opinion. It was lovely to be around her, to see her grow up and experience new things. Even after he passed away, she managed to stay happy and push through. She slowly let go of Xena's hair, taking a deep breath out.

How long must it have been by now since he took is last breath? A year? It felt like a few month.

Slowly the Cathar shook her head and looked over towards one of the glass windows. No time for grief, it was time for fun and creating new memories with her Padawan. It was what he would've wanted.

Her pink dyed hair rested over her shoulder in one of her more rare braids. She often didn't have the time to braid her hair, but for today she decided to put a bit more effort in it. Small white flowers that originated from Ossus have been tied into the thick braid, mainly to give Kheera a reminder of who she was and to never step away from it.

Her robes on her body were slightly too big; The brown under robes and thus sleeves were dragging beside her, the white upper robes that decorated her chest was so long that it almost looked like a dress. The only tight parts about her Jedi uniform were her belt - that were covered in needles -, her leather boots that revealed her heel and the standard black legging. But she enjoyed wearing it, especially the green strap. Another reminder of who she was. A Consular and a leader.

After a while, the ship leaped out of the Hyperspeed and Naboo came in view. Kheera directly sprinted up from the lounge couch, almost falling over Xena's blanket while her tail swung around in the air to keep her balance. "We are there!" Kheera shouted excitedly while diving into the cockpit, landing a bit awkwardly onto the pilot seat. The seat turned around for Kheera to face the control panel and she placed her paws back onto the buttons, adjusting the speed of the ship. They were entering Naboo's atmosphere and were aiming for the long lost Temple.

[member="Bethany Kismet"] [member="Xena Amonali"]

 

[Xena Amonali]

Sleep.

It was something the young firrerreo normally feared; nightmares often clouding it, making her relive horrors that would make a hardened soldier crumble. Yet while resting on the couch in the lounge of the ship, she had a dream. An actual dream that kept her mind calm and filled her with joy. In her sleep she had cracked the smallest smile; finally she could have a peaceful rest.

Her dreamscape was vast, a forest clearing that was surrounded by large trees. Bird sung their melodic tunes out for all to hear while insects buzzed and jumped away. The calming sounds and feel of nature was everywhere. Deep grassy and wooden scents flew to the young girls nose, scents that she hadn't had the pleasure of smelling since was taken from Kashyyyk. All around the field wildflowers blossomed in vibrant hues, filling the grassy clearing with even more life. The vibrant scents of it all mixed with the normal wooden and grassy smells, giving it all calming garden feel. It was all surreal; she didn't remember arriving in this clearing, or even where she was exactly. All she knew was the calm coming from it, she knew she was safe and that she could just let her inner self free to play.

A small giggle, and then another. Soon the young girl was laughing, running around the clearing. The grass around her tickling at her bare feet, sending small shivers across her body. Running, jumping, even rolling around; the young girl played. It was like watching a puppy that had just experienced its first snowfall. The sheer euphoric feeling of being free to just be a kid was something that Xena took the time to enjoy. Flopping onto her back she continued to giggle. Letting the sight of the clouds moving in the light blue sky fill her vision and spark her imagination. Each and every cloud of the dreamscape shifted into a new animal, ship or face. They all twirled and mixed around giving her new images to let her imagination run wild.

Getting up, her eyes darting around the open space, she suddenly realised how alone she was in the clearing. Sure she had the wilderness all around her in all of its beauty, but it was missing something. Maybe a companion or two to share it with? She kinda wanted to play around with some of the old friends from the Jedi outpost. Almost on queue, a bunch of other young kids started to run out, giggling and laughing with her. Sure most of them were wookiees but it was at least someone. The low grunts and growls of the large furred beings was something Xena hadn't had the pleasure of hearing in years, it was something that warmed her heart. The wookiee children all ran around the clearing, chasing after each other in a game of tag. Each of them sounded like they were laughing and having fun. They motioned for Xena to come over and she more then happily obliged.

It felt like hours, the group of children had run around the clearing playing tag, gone to the nearby stream that ran through the clearing playing around within it. Catching some of the local fish that ran through the stream, skipping rocks across its slow moving surface and just having a good time all around. They all ended up laying on their backs, looking up at the sky, each of the pointing to a cloud and growling out in their native language as to what they thought it was. Xena, having understood them just giggled back in response before speaking up herself, "How does that look like a bird? It reminds me more of a starship or a dragonfly." Everything she said was melodic in comparison to the wookiee children around herself. "What about that one?" her hand drifting up to a new cloud that came by, to her it looked like a small moon. "That looks like a battlestation I heard the elders talking about," the gruff growls of one of the wookiees replied. A few of the others agreed with him nodding their heads, fur shaking around all over the place.

The peaceful dream went on for what felt like ages in her head. The sky grew darker above them and the wookiees all waved at her before running off to their parents. The young girl looked around, spotting her friends now smiling and going home, looking frantically for her parents. She spotted them, just off in the distance. A huge surge of joy went through her, she could finally see them again. Finally hug them again, hold them and never let go. On quick feet she closed the distance between herself and her parents, running to give her mother a big hug.

"We are there!"

The loud voice of Kheera shouting startled Xena from her sleep, the young girl throwing her blanket up a bit before settling down. Her heart was going at a mile a minute, her eyes opened wide and her skin having altered to a dull silver of her just being scared out of her wits.
Taking in a few calming breaths she got herself up. Her hand resting gently on her chest while she worked to calm herself down. The thumping of her heart reverberating through her chest and into her palm.

Another dream... Not a nightmare but a dream. What was going on, what was that all meant. Her older masters at the outpost once told her that dreams are just visions of the past or the future. So was that a vision of her past... Or her future?

"Focus on it later... time to enjoy the sights," she thought to herself, getting herself up to get ready to go.

Xena herself was wearing some decently casual clothes for lounging around. After a quick run to the room that her and Kheera shared, and the refresher to use the shower, she returned in her normal outfit. A simple, slight oversized, brown tunic with some baggy cream coloured pants that looked more akin to sweat pants that anything. Her black hair hung loosely on her head, still drying from the quick shower she took. For once she was actually wearing some shoes, something to keep her feet clean. Naboo is known to be quite muddy, especially in its forests. Across her shoulders was a bag, filled with everything they would need for this little trip. Some food, sleeping bag maybe, her glow light and of course a waterproof datapad. A quick check over of supplies and she was good. All in all she looked ready to go and more akin to a school child in some odd brown clothing then anything.

Stepping to the cockpit with Kheera, strapping herself in quickly for the final descent in. It was a necessity when the person who was piloting enjoyed the distractions on the other side of the viewport. Though Xena was secretly hoping that they didn't basically crash this time. For the sake of the ship.

---

[member="Kheera Reach"] [member="Bethany Kismet"]

 

[Bethany Kismet]

Slowly, carefully, Bethany mounted a series of stairs. Once, the white marble companionway had led up to a circling balcony beneath the main dome. But between the temple sinking slowly over half a millenia and the slow, sneaking damage done by clinging vines, it ended halfway up. Backtracking slightly, the petite Jedi Master ducked out of a second story window- now even with the ground outside.

She blinked, slightly bleary eyed and sheltering her face for a moment from the bright sunlight streaming down. Just midmorning, the glare cast from the shallow sea was too strongly to look at directly. As her eyes adjusted to the change, the view she saw brought a small smile to her lips.

Here were the gardens. At one time, she had been the curator and keeper of the winding paths and carefully tended beds here. Time had done their job, obliterating the walkways and spreading seed and flower in a vast array of natural entropy. While it was not the careful order and cacophony of diligently tended flowers she had once known, it was a blending of the efforts of Naboo herself and the long ago touch of the Jedi. Bethany couldn't have found disappointment here even if she had tried.

She paused, kneeling for a moment in the grass. Small purple flowers dotted long swathes of the view.

"Bethany, those will never grow here."

Barely fifteen, the dark haired girl looked up at Torin and frowned.

"They grow on Dantooine- on the prairies there. I thought they were pretty."

Torin scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. A year old, and freshly minted a Jedi Knight, he'd become positively insufferable in the last month.

"The climate of Naboo is very different from Dantooine," he said dismissively. "You're wasting you're time."

She turned back to the small plot she'd been allowed to tend- the first space that was hers in her entire life- and secretly made a face when Torin couldn't see.

"You'll like it here," she whispered, pushing her face to mere centimeters away from the cheerful purple blossoms. "I promise."

And they had spread, slowly, by mere centimeters each year. Eventually, Bethany had been knighted- in time, Mastered (though too young, she understood now, far too young). The garden had been turned over to her care, not simply that tiny corner, but every tree and shrub. These purple flowers had been the smallest speck there.

Emerald eyes swept up, following the arches and bridges that spread like a purple river through the ruins of the gardens. Her gardens.

And she smiled.

[member="Xena Amonali"] [member="Kheera Reach"]