Sullust: A Search for Meaning

[Progflaw99]

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Location: Sullust, En route to the Jedi Academy​

Transportation: Low Grade Civilian Shuttle​

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The flight hadn't been terribly long, just a short trip from Naboo. It was all in Galactic Alliance Territory as well, so the route was relatively safe and they hadn't encountered any issues. Brushing a stray lock of hair that had fallen across her face, the petite blonde smiled. Naboo had been wonderful. It was a nice getaway from the normal bump and grind of daily life, besides, they had a quite extensive art collection there that she'd been wanting to see for years. During her stay there, she's learned precious little, however, she would admit later that it had been well worth the visit. From there she had paid for transport on a small civilian shuttle headed for Sullust. While on Naboo, she'd learned there was a Jedi Academy there, but it hadn't prepared her for the harsh landscape that greeted her eyes through the small view-port next to her seat. Ever since her first flight on a shuttle, she couldn't stand being stuck on the aisle seat, she had to be able to look out. She didn't like to admit it, but she felt much more comfortable on the ground, the problem is she liked visiting new places too much!

The landscape of Sullust was mostly volcanic, the black ferrous rock shrouded in ash and soot from the volcanic eruptions on its surface. Today the weather was pretty mild, but to Lilith, it was a rude awakening from the calm atmosphere of Naboo. As if to speak to the vast change in scenery, a spurt of superheated rock erupted. A geyser of lava shot out of the earth followed by a cloud of sooty black smoke far below the shuttle. As it streaked across the gloomy sky, Lilith began to have second thoughts about her trip to this barren world but she would withhold her judgement until she actually made it to the surface. A brief shudder shook the shuttle as it flew over another small geyser, well outside of its reach. Frantically at first then almost embarrassed, Lilith gripped the armrests on her seat before letting them go and looking about the cabin. She hoped no one had seen that.

It only took about twenty more minutes before they'd finally landed. They were stuck in a holding pattern as a squadron of small fightercraft came in for a landing. It seemed as elsewhere, military craft got priority here. If Lilith had recalled correctly, this was not only the site of a Jedi Academy but also the main hub for all Galactic Alliance's Naval Fleet, the headquarters located in a base built deep into the rock of Sullust. As she'd disembarked, they'd pointed her in the direction of the Jedi Academy, the elderly Sullustan at the information kiosk had even circled it on the small map they handed out to tourists. How sweet. For now, she wandered as she slowly made her way towards the Academy. Maybe she would find a kindred spirit on the way, studying was fun for her, but by herself she had no one to bounce ideas off of, and that could be terribly boring.

[member="Areti Naerys"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Sullust.

Not her favorite place to stay and go around settling things between citizen while maintaining lessons at the Academy. Moreover, she'd occasionally jump on a speeder to the Navy's Hub to check on ships and their weaponry. If there was something she had learned from her 'father' that was weapons. In and out, from handheld to capital ship grade ones. This time, though, Areti wanted something else for a change.

It was on her way to her favorite local stimcaf shop when she felt the uncontrolled signature in the Force. A Padawan ? They all should be in class at the moment. Perhaps an initiate but why only one ? They usually travelled in groups towards the academy led by a mentor. Areti raised her eyebrow as she halted midway and changed her direction towards the signal in the Force.

Curiously, she increased her pace until she was a few feet behind the beacon that emitted the Force. A younger woman than her, she would find out as she got closer to her. Fiery red hair and smooth features was what the exterior said but tapping into the Force would reveal to the Jedi Knight that a certain dose of curiosity and thirst for adventure brewed within the young lady.

Perhaps, a lost apprentice.

"Trying to find your way to the Academy ?" The black-haired woman smiled as she walked up besides the red-haired force sensitive.



[member="Lilith Sedarri"]

 

[Progflaw99]

Lilith had been minding her own business, eyes lazily observing the locals. Strange ones, their anatomy mostly humanoid but their faces, strange folds of skin on their wide faces an irregular sight to the young woman. She didn't discount them for it, but it did intrigue her. As she was making her way towards the academy, a slight itch began to form along the back of her neck. She raised a hand, brushing her blonde hair off her shoulder as she lightly scratched her neck. She felt a woman approach from behind. Without stopping, she did slow her footsteps to allow the woman to catch up easily.

"Why yes, I am actually, are you a teacher there?"

She turned her head as she walked. The woman appeared to be of similar age, though maybe a bit older. She could sense a power in this woman that was much more advanced than her own. She could almost physically feel her presence. It was a guarded presence, but she felt no immediate ill will. She made a quick decision in her own mind, slowing her footsteps further and turning on a toe, gracefully. She stood there and looked at the woman who had accosted her, an interested expression on her face. She was eager to get to the Academy but this woman intrigued her, her dark hair and striking features along with the strong force presence drawing her attention.

[member="Areti Naerys"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Teacher ?

Perhaps. Some would say yes, some would say no. It all was a matter of perspective. Personally, Areti loved teaching, she also believed she was a good teacher despite his way of teaching being different than how usually Jedi scholars taught. She was more of a field person, a practical rather than a theoretical person. The woman had been criticized in the past for that but she was a capable teacher, nonetheless.

"I am. So-" She halted herself realizing that the girl besides her was wearing no mask. Areti was used so much to passively using the Force to be able to breath on the surface of Sullust that she'd forgotten that those that are not as adept in the Force or non-Force sensitive require masks to breath well without any lung problems in the future. The Knight tapped into the Force and connected with the woman beside her, as a Force sensitive she would most likely feel a graceful touch caressing her. It was the Force manipulated by the black-haired Jedi to cleanse what little toxic fumes she might've inhaled. Afterwards, she imagined a barrier, a filter. Areti would hold that connection with the Force until they would reach a safer place - underground.

"The surface of Sullust is possessed by toxic fumes, did you not come with a group here ? Did your group leader not tell you about this ?" Areti slightly shook her head. Perhaps that was not the case and she decided to keep the girl calm rather than worry her. "I've cleansed what little you've accumulated and you will have no problems to venture on the surface for now..."

"If the Academy is truly what you seek, then follow me. It is not on the surface." The Knight made a sharp turn left and left towards a tunnel where one could notice that the population was becoming more non-Sullustan. While gesturing for the blonde girl to follow her, she would ask her an overdue question. "My name's Areti, a Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order."

"What do you seek of the Force ?" The black-haired woman smiled softly as she kept a slow pace towards the tunnel. A simple question but with an answer that could reveal a lot.


[member="Lilith Sedarri"]

 

[Progflaw99]

Lilith looked around her as the woman noticed her lack of a mask. She hadn't really thought about it, her natural sense of wonder at this place shrouding her normally acute sensory perceptions. Now that the woman had drawn attention to it, she had noticed a slight change in her breathing pattern since she landed. She gave an embarrassed smile.

"Oh, a group? No, I traveled here alone, from Naboo!"

She wasn't sure why she felt comfortable talking to the woman, she sensed it had to do with something the woman had done through the Force. She was untrained, but Lilith still had developed some skill in perception by simply following practices of meditation she'd found in library archives before. Her footsteps picked up once again as the woman before her turned down a corridor. Areti. It was a simple enough name, but it held a certain kind of elegance to it. She smiled as the Jedi knight introduced herself, waiting patiently as she spoke. When Areti asked her question, she nodded.

"Lilith. Nice to meet you Areti!"

As for the woman's question, that was a deceptively simple question. The answer could be simple, but it was also a question to which the answer would tell the inquirer much. She paused for a moment, trying to put words to her mind. What did she seek of the Force? She hesitantly spoke, he words chosen carefully.

"Of the Force? I seek knowledge, and understanding." She paused for a moment more, her mind fixating on a single word that would describe in full what it was she wanted.

"Wisdom."

She looked at the woman as she said this, eyes burning with a strange light. It was entirely true, that is what she wanted, but there was more. She wanted understanding, she wanted knowledge, but she couldn't say why. It had always been that way, an inexpiable pull towards the Force. It had always intrigued her, and bothered her that she did not know more. From her studies, she learned much, and many children who were force sensitive were committed to the Academy's around the galaxy at a young age. Lilith had entered adulthood, still untrained... till she had taken it upon herself to learn as much as she could about this strange and wonderful power called the Force.

[member="Areti Naerys"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Lilith.

The name rang a bell for some reason, it sounded familiar. It was one of those moments that you hear something familiar but the feeling is so outlandish. Perhaps it was a very common name or there was more to it ? Was the Force trying to hint something ? It often did but Areti was not attuned that much to be able to read through such 'coding'.

"Naboo, nice." She politely nodded her head. Areti had never been there despite it being a planet that was indirectly connected to a lot of turbulent changes of events. "Nice to meet you too, Lilith!"

The Jedi Knight continued her stroll besides the younger of the two women as they both entered into the tunnel. The dim light was only for the first couple of yards before they reached the turbolift that wound send them into the depths of Sullust where a whole network of cities were located. Quite an interesting view.

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Areti did not need the Force to notice that Lilith thought through her answer. It was rather a simple answer but also very broad. It was only normal that she took her time to answer and the Jedi did not blame her. If she had been asked what she sought of the Force, she also would probably take her time contemplating on an answer.

Yet, her answer was broad as well.

"Understanding ? The Force has had hundreds of different understandings ever since the dawn of existence. Who is right, who is wrong ? A matter of perspective." Areti begun then cleared her throat. "Perhaps it depends on who you are and that is how you comprehend the Force. That is how you build your understanding."

She paused thinking her next few sentences through. The woman besides her was new to this whole new world that had opened to her and as a Jedi that often tracked down dark sided taints to eliminate them she saw that Lilith would either turn as a beacon of hope or a tool of destruction. Rarer were the cases of selfish agendas or what was known as neutrality.

Ugh, it is even hard for me to explain this.

"Who are you, Lilith ?" Areti asked directly, her eyes focused upon the blonde woman's eyes as the turbolift descended. "What use of the Force have you got ? The New Jedi Order will certainly teach you knowledge and understanding. It will teach you the price of peace. It will teach you the price of harmony. "

Are you capable of paying it ?

Her experiences as what once upon a time be dubbed a Jedi Shadow drove her tongue. She felt responsible to show her the right way. To prevent another sword and hopefully create a sturdy shield. Was it manipulative, was it brainwashing ? Not at all. Just caution. Not once before had carelessness cost the galaxy a heavy price of blood. The Force was not dangerous, it was the character, the personality that wielded that was dangerous.

Tread carefully.


[member="Lilith Sedarri"]

 

[Progflaw99]

Lilith looked about her surroundings, a large turbolift directly ahead. As they entered and began their descent, the sight that greeted her through the dura-glass of the lift shocked her. There was an entire city here, structures as large as office buildings spanning from the large cave roof to the floor far below. Between them were networks of skyways and vehicle lanes, the sheer size of it breathtaking. During their descent Areti spoke, Lilith listening carefully. The words held meaning on their own, but there was something else there, something deeper. Her mind wandered slightly between the woman's sentences.

Right. Wrong. It was something people were born with inherently. When it came to philosophy however the water got murky and one could be hard pressed to find the truth. As the woman said, it was all a matter of perspective. Something about that didn't sit right with her, how could something be entirely subjective, such as the Force? There had to be a universal truth... didn't there? That was a question for another time and she quickly brought herself to reality. They were about halfway down to the main portion of the underground city, the view from here no less intriguing. It was slightly jarring, the next question the Jedi asked of her.

"Who are you, Lilith?"

Her cool blue eyes met the woman's gaze as she listened, trying to glean the motive of the question.

"What use of the Force have you got ? The New Jedi Order will certainly teach you knowledge and understanding. It will teach you the price of peace. It will teach you the price of harmony. "

Who was she? Who really was she? Lilith didn't truly know, and perhaps that is why she paused, biting her lower lip as she searched for the answer. Not the answer the woman was looking for, but what was Lilith looking for? She'd said it earlier, but she searched deep within herself for the answer. Wisdom. That was a goal, but a very wide one with no real purpose. What was the end goal, what was her end game? Was it truly knowledge or was it more, something more sinister. Revenge? Power? Not even she could put a finger on it. She knew she wanted to find herself, find out who she was meant to become and this was but a stop on her journey.

"I... I want to know myself. I can feel it, the Force. It is much a part of me as I am of it, yet I have so little understanding of it. I want know myself, and to do that... I must have a better understanding of the Force."

She bowed her head in thought, a slight frown as she clasped her hands together in front of herself.

[member="Areti Naerys"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Good answer.

The turbolift doors opened once again and Areti walked forward to exit it into the streets of the underground world. Silence between them would occur for a little bit as they proceeded towards the direction of the New Jedi Order's Academy. People passed, speeders flew. Just another busy weekday. Areti's mind was elsewhere though.

Lilith had given her a good answer, different than most. Usually she would hear the naive answers of most newcomers to save the galaxy. Yes, that was a good answer too but only after one had touched the Force and understood it. After they have experienced why it was necessary that the Galax knows peace. Why the weak needed protection rather than culling as it was mostly with Sith philosophy of the Force.

Perhaps it was time to be more specific in the topic.

"The Force is within us and beyond us at the same time. It is there and not there at the same time. It binds all life together. " The Jedi Knight began. " But do you believe you do not know yourself even without the Force ? Do you believe it a neccessity ? And if so, why? Had you been trained as me in the Force right now..."


"To what end would the means of the Force lead you had you had understood it now ? What then?" One did not need the Force to know at least a bit about themselves. It was who one was that guided his actions and his connection with the Force.

[member="Lilith Sedarri"]

 

[Progflaw99]

As the turbolift reached the bottom of its journey the young woman unclasped her hands, letting them fall to her sides. The view that greeted her was intriguing. She spent the next few minutes excitedly looking down streets, eyeing some of the more well established shops as they passed, her sense of awe at this underground city plainly evident. She'd never thought such life could flourish here, especially when seeing Sullust from above, the harsh molten world that it was. The woman beside her seemed deep in thought and she didn't wish to interrupt as their footsteps took them through the underground city. Lilith had been excited to visit the academy, her mind set on visiting the archives there but it almost seemed as if she may even acquire training here if she wished...

It was then that the woman began speaking once more.

"The Force is within us and beyond us at the same time. It is there and not there at the same time. It binds all life together. "

This she knew. She'd felt it before, not only was the Force inside her, but she felt the flutter on the edges of her consciousness. She could feel the Force in places alone, devoid of people and in objects. Somehow they were all tied together. It was how and why they were tied together that intrigued her, and what impact did the Force have outside of being a point of energy to draw from? What was the nature of the Force?

" But do you believe you do not know yourself even without the Force ? Do you believe it a neccessity ? And if so, why? Had you been trained as me in the Force right now..."

And then it was a question. Lilith narrowed her eyes slightly. The woman had brought up a good point. Did she know herself? She felt she did, it was the Force, and this newly developed region of her life that cast doubt about her life. In her eyes, not knowing the Force as much as it was a part of her, was equivalent to not knowing herself.. so perhaps she did not... it was a circular question.

"I feel as if I know myself..." She paused, her footsteps maintaining a comfortable pace. "...but there is more. The Force is all around us, I can feel it, but I don't understand it."

"To what end would the means of the Force lead you had you had understood it now ? What then?"

What was Lilith's end goal? Was it to better herself? To better the Universe? She was not as naive as that. There was a hint of selfishness in her desire to learn, her desire to acquire knowledge... but she was willing to admit that. That being said, she also wasn't sure what she really had in mind. The Force was merely a means, not an end in and of itself. Perhaps she needed to look deeper. A thought occurred to her, but she pushed it away quickly, burying it.

"What end? I have to admit it is a somewhat selfish motivation. I may be young in the grand scheme of things but I am not blind nor naive enough to say I only want to make the universe a better place. The Force, from my understanding can be used as a tool, and it's ultimately what that tool is used for that determines whether it is good, or bad. Light or dark. Though, I do want to say... I've witnessed my fair share of hardships..." her mind strayed for a moment, memories of the orphanages on Chandrila filling her mind. Forcing them back, she continued. "...and I would like to think I would be able to help in some small way, the suffering that there is back home on Chandrila."

[member="Areti Naerys"]​