The Furthest Reaches [Masamune, Invite]

[Callista Gseran]

Along the edge of Levantine Space

Among the stars that littered the edge of Levantine Space, a lone vessel drifted. It was a Defender class corvette, or at least a very good copy of one. A vessel from another time. It was a vessel which Callista had found blueprints for in some of the Order's older records. Over the last several years, she along with several others had lovingly recreated the vessel, giving it upgraded tech and weapons to meet current threats of space travel.

And yet, here she drifted on the edge of a galaxy she knew not. Months before, Callista had set out on a galactic voyage. One upon which she intended to search out healing and other techniques, such as those used by the Aing Ti. And so, she'd set out on a journey across known space. Her known galaxy. Due to the fact that the exact length of her journey was unknown, Callista had taken to the habit of slipping into a Jedi hibernation trance during the long stretches. She would wake every so often to eat and meditate on the next step of her journey.

It was during one of these times which she had set her navicomputer to take her to a system close to the galaxy's edge. And something had gone wrong. During the hyperspace transit, her ship had run across some sort of... rift.... a bridge of sorts, for lack of a better word. It was that phenomenon which had caused her ship to end up here, millions of light years from her home galaxy. A flash of light that would have blinded anyone looking at it was soon followed by the Defender slowly appearing...as if emerging from some other.... dimension. It definitely wasn't the normal reversion to realspace following a hyperspace transit.

Aboard the Defender, all was silent and still except for the faint hum of ship's power and the whisper of the environmental systems as they stabilized. Many of the cabins were dark. The ship had but a crew of one droid, save for the one human lifesign located in the aft passenger cabin. Her vitals were weak, but there. Some might think she was in a coma, but an experienced Jedi would notice the signs of a hibernation trance.

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

A single ship drifted silent and alone
Through the dark and lifeless void.
It drifted quietly and far from home,
Its engines cold and lifeless.

Its make and model was ancient, old,
A forgotten ship of a lost time.
A wayward relic only explored by bold
Souls with strong hearts and brave intentions.

The ghost ship sailed on as it drifted,
The ship itseld eerily quiet and calm.
A lone figure moved along while hands lifted
The hood from weathered face and shaved scalp.

The swordsmith had come, his eyes were to see,
He was one of many to investigate the ship.
The teams lay behind and let Masamune be
As he searched on ahead by himself.

A lone source of life he had felt,
Lost in the dim corridors of metal and steel.
His senses pushed the material aside like melt
From a glacier when the summer sun rose high.

A single soul he could feel,
But not awake, not alert.
As the void outside met starship's keel
Masamune searched further for the lost one.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

The air in Callista's cabin held the bite of chill, and her breath was visible in the cool air. There was no telling how long the ship had been adrift, and she still slumbered, as the nav computer had not alerted her that the ship had reached the next waypoint. She always had set a safe word if she was travelling with others, which they could use to bring her out of the hibernation trance when it was safe to do so. Being that she was travelling alone, she had set herself to wake to the nav computer's chime notification.

As Masamune made his way to the aft cabin, he would notice several things. First, against the rear wall there would be a meditation cushion in an alcove with low subtle lighting. Also in the cabin were some shelved containing a few personal items, one of which included a small holocron. One the bed against the bulkhead, he would find Callista herself. She laid on her side, with her hands tucked under her head.

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

The hum of the ship blowing
Recycled air throughout the halls,
The emergency lights showing
The dim and dark doorways all 'round.

A single spot, a lone door
Stood out to Masamune as he walked.
Quiet feet upon cold, metal floor
Moved as he followed his senses.

The aura was calm, quiet.
It gave no cast of hatred or fear,
No splashing emotions, no riot
Of color and feeling cast far and wide.

It was a simple, subtle
Thing to feel upon his senses.
No forces to smother or muddle
The light he could feel before him.

He reached out in the Force and keyed
The door before him, the portal opening silently.
He moved into the room quietly, no undue speed
Or haste guiding his movements, his mind calm.

Inside were the quarters of a simple Knight.
No clutter or mess, it was clear and clean
With typical places a Jedi would use, not for might
And war, but for calm, meditation, peace.

The figure on the bed lay silent, calm,
Her head resting upon folded hands.
He placed his hand upon the wall, palm
touching cold metal, and simply waited.

The Force flowed through space and time,
Heedless of both reality and unreality.
He felt it had drawn him here, for a rhyme
And reason of its own calling, to wait.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

Something had changed. But it wasn't a sound... at least not the one she was waiting for. Slowly, Callista began to surface from her hibernation trance. Her chest rose and fell a few times as she took deep breaths; even as the cold air caused them to catch in her chest. it took a few moments for her eyelids to begin fluttering as she began to wake fully.

There was no telling how long she'd been in the hibernation trance, and right now, that was the least of her concerns. Something felt... off. Even in her sleep-muddled state, she could feel something wasn't quite right. After a moment or two, she rolled onto her side - facing towards him as she coughed a few times. The cold air burned in her lungs.

With a groan, she rolled carefully onto her back and concentrated on taking slow, even breaths. it was then that she began to cautiously expand her awareness... and noticed him. At first, she froze in sudden shock. Cautiously, she lifted her blur gaze to his as she hesitantly probed his presence in the Force. When she had, she blinked. His entire being radiated calm, in fact, he seemed to wear the sensation much as he did the cloak which was wrapped around his shoulders.

His right hand rested flat against the bulkhead, and his gaze was steady as he regarded her. Chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip, she slowly reached up ti run her fingers through her hair for a moment. When she'd done so, she sat up very carefully and turned to regard him for a long moment, her palm resting on the bed next to her, and not far from her saber.

After a few more seconds, she spoke. Her voice was soft, yet firm and carried a sense of sureness, but also wariness. "First off... who are you? Second... why are you on my ship..? And third.. where the feth are we...?"

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

"I am Masamune, smith
And bushi of the Tametomo family.
This ship was found with
Our sensors not long before.

It did not move, only drifted,
Leaving us to believe it was abandoned,
But with that assumption lifted
And your presence here, the truth is found.

You are near Levantine Sanctum space,
A haven for those who serve others
With selflessness and honor, a place
Known to those who serve the Light.

From where did you travel?
This ship design is ancient and old,
It is no longer made, a mystery to unravel
By how you have obtained it in today's age."

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

She listened intently for a moment, her blue eyes searching his face intently. "I left Cataan on a galactic journey some months ago..." At the name, she saw confusion cross his face. "It's just Coreward of the Cerenia System, along intersection of the Harrin trade Corrdior and the Kira Run." She could see his confusion persisting. After a moment, she fumbled with the small holoprojector which she drew from a pocket of her robes. "It's just here.." she said, activating the holomap. It sprang to life between them, casting a faint blue glow across their faces as she held it steady and reached out to expand the hologram along the Harrin Trade Corridor.

As she did so, the Cataan System expanded to fill the space between them. "It's a planet.... which has a culture of warriors, and an ancient history of Samurai traditions... warrior traditions." She sighed in frustration when she realized the name wasn't really clicking for him. "Levantine Sanctum space? I've never heard of such a group..." She trailed off slightly as he explained a bit about them.

"As to the ship itself... I found copies of the blueprints for it in some of the old records our scholars had recovered from ages past.I spent a couple years building one and carefully refurnishing it as it had been in ages past." She sighed again, still feeling as if there was some sort of... disconnect going on. "What... year is it...?" she asked softly, setting the holoprojector on the edge of the bed for a moment as she tried to process what was going on. If he didn't know of Cataan, something had happened to it.. or she was lost, perhaps in another galaxy and another time..... but she wasn't quite sure just yet.

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

Of Samurai, bushi, he knew
For he was of the warrior tradition.
Whether another such tradition grew
From similar roots elsewhere, he couldn't say.

"I know not of this planet or race,
Such names are foreign to me.
Nor do I know of such a space
Within the galaxy that you have shown.

It appears different from our own,
Perhaps dated, perhaps not.
You say you left only months, shown
Me a strange map and strange stars.

Perhaps not all is as it seems
For so many thing appear odd.
Therefore I must attempt to glean,
What year did you venture forth?"

He knew not if this was a question of time
Spent lost in hyperspace as occurs very rarely.
Nor did he have any reason nor rhyme
If she came from from a distant galaxy or space.

Thus his questions, thus the strange
Things he asked of this newcomer.
They came not from an unstable, deranged
Mind, but from one who spoke with concerned tone of voice.

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

As he spoke, her frown deepened considerably. If he didn't recognize the area of the galactic map... the planet... She swore softly, and stared down at her fingers which were clenched in her lap before she looked back up at him, her blue eyes wide. "You've not seen it at all before?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I left...approximately six months ago. The year would have been... 90 ABY by our calendar..." She frowned even more and stared at him. "What...year is it....?" There was almost a note of panic to her voice, as quiet as it was. She'd never encountered such an occurrence. Where she came from, Cataan was well-known, especially considering the recent Sith attack on the system.

It was very disconcerting for her to wake to find an unknown person aboard her ship, who appeared to know nothing of which she spoke. Maybe he really didn't know. Galactic maps didn't lie - unless they had been tampered with. But, she could see no evidence of tampering. As she thought it through, she studied his face again.

"I know not of what you speak, either..." She took a slow breath. "And that can mean one thing. That I'm in a galaxy not my own." She swallowed. "It would also explain why you don't recognize anything on my map, either..."

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

"837 ABY is the year,
It is, perhaps, midday.
There is little to fear,
Though much to understand.

Your galaxy seems strange,
But familiar to my eyes.
As of little of note has changed,
But things are not as they seem.

You understand my words,
Which means the two are the same,
But it seems you are cast forwards
In time and space, perhaps reality.

The galaxy seems the same
As the one we now stand within,
But things are different, a game,
If you will; a puzzle to decipher

Perhaps we need not look
Upon time and space around,
But instead search for the hook
That is named reality, of fate itself

A different galaxy or new
Dimension is the potential.
Perhaps winds of change blew
This ship into the currents of reality.

A tear, perhaps, of the fabric
There as it lay in the void.
A slip, a tear, a worn place in the trick
That is what we see and hear around.

For that is what we are,
What life truly is among us.
A facade, a screen, a great war
Between logic and reason.

Here we see conflict between
What we understand and what
We cannot even possibly seem
To grasp that which is beyond understanding.

A dimensional rift, a tear
In the fabric of the universe.
This ship could only have been there
At such a time and place as fate decides.

Therefore we must determine what
Fate has in store for us all.
Not for ourselves and our wants, but
For what it has decided is necessary for us to uphold."

[member="Callista Gseran"]

 

[Callista Gseran]

[member="Masamune Tametomo"]

A frown remained on her face as she considered his words carefully. His way of speaking was... strange to her, but she could make sense of it, regardless. She braced herself with one hand as she set the holoprojector down and rubbed at her temple with her now free hand. "I... suppose so. What you says makes a certain amount of sense. There are a great many similarities from what you describe, and yet it is only my map which is different from what you know."

Sighing softly, she picked absently at a bit of lint on the hem of her outer robe for a moment. "I don't suppose such a rift is charted at all...?" she hedged, although she could guess the answer. There was a silence between them which stretched into minutes before she spoke again. "I am.... untold lightyears from home in a galaxy that I don't know... what can I do....?"

 

[Masamune Tametomo]

"It is less a question of what should
Be done and more a question of why?
Not why in the sense of what could
Be done in such a place, but a higher sense of the word.

Why? Why are you here?
By what hand were you delivered?
It is not a question to fear,
Merely to ponder in time.

The Force has placed you within
This galaxy, within this time and place.
Perhaps meditation should begin
To determine the exact reason?

The Force works in strange ways
And often does not reveal all to us.
In time, I feel, after many months and days
It shall show you your path, your reason.

For now, you are lost in space
Alone here, on this ship.
Come, let us leave this place
And bring you to the others nearby."

[member="Callista Gseran"]