One Month Later…
Change is a constant part of my profession – changing objects into stone and metal, changing situations of violence to those where the fighting has stopped… and as I change the world, the world changes around me…
I have returned to NavKor, and have taken up an employed position as a general pilot and security person (and I’m sure my looks and nature would lend well to diplomacy, if necessary). Navaar was welcoming, though as business-like as ever, and she gave me no information about events that had plagued NavKor in the recent past. Tix supported this decision, but it was clear that he was not happy, especially with said events. I know he was just worried about my welfare, but I assured him that whatever happened, I would not be alone in missions, or in defense. We got into a lot of arguments along these lines.
I was certainly not alone when I encountered Buroko, the thorn in my side from my old squadron. He was looking for Tix, trying to recruit him to track down the saboteur who struck ONI… in other words, Vao. Kalei Vondar, the 16-year-old son of one of NavKor’s employees, and Rival, were with me, and both came to my defense as I squared off against Buroko. It seemed hopeless, even when I used some of my untested earth abilities, Rival used his physical enhancements, and Kalei produced a vibroblade and stabbed Buroko through the back. I even used my petrification to break off one of his arms… during this time, Buroko managed to disintegrate part of Kalei’s blaster, as well as my clothing. Finally, he escaped using a very uncanny trick – he disintegrated his entire body, and let it turn to dust and drift away – I can only assume that he reformed later.
When I talked with Tix about this, he revealed that he had had a personal vision, of my death after one of my missions from NavKor… that a ship I was returning on would explode as it landed, and that there had been information that such a disaster would happen, yet NavKor did not act on it. I assured him that that would be highly unlikely, considering the troubles they were trying to prevent.
And indeed, my first mission, to Sullust, was both uneventful and amicable. Well… apart from Emerald, Rival’s Orion fiancee. She, Rival, I, and another human named James, went to Sullust to negotiate a trade agreement. Emerald did most of the talking, and I’m sure she made some convincing arguments… the Sullustans thought I might have been the leader at first, but I assured them that I was only the pilot. They were friendly, and negotiations went well – we even went to a resort called Piringiisi, which was fantastic… apart from the unfriendly discussion that I got into with Emerald while in the mud baths. It ended up with me almost getting suffocated by the mud I fell into accidentally. Emerald pulled me out, and we made a little bit of peace that evening, helped along by a group wine-tasting session.
On our way back home, I was contacted by Tix… and he was in trouble. Apparently the ONI members that Buroko had been with had found him, and were getting him to come along with their plans, by force. I was so frightened, so desperate, that I gunned the ship fast, and got home earlier than expected… but it was still too late. Tix had a plan – he would turn against his former colleagues, and lure them away before they decided to turn on NavKor. For that, he needed my ship. When I got back, he hadn’t left yet, and I managed to get Hermes out of the Vision… but just as I did, Tix arrived, pursued by ONI… and he kissed me goodbye. He said he would always love me… and then he was gone. I was left, hugging the only family I had, when my friends arrived. I don’t remember what I told them… I think I was in shock by that point. I don’t even really remember how I got to the medcenter, but I was taken care of there – Shara looked me over, and the others even made me a special meal, so I could get my strength back. I’m grateful for that… but my heart was broken. Again.
The Vision had been my home, too, so I applied to live in NavKor’s dorms… but it wasn’t for me. It was too confined, too restrictive. However, when I looked out my window there… I saw an island, not too far from the beach a little ways away from the dorms. Kalei and I went to explore it, and found that there was a ruined old mansion on it, which looked incredibly Greek. There was a lot of forest and overgrowth, and wild beauty… and the place compelled me. I wanted to live there, so I did some research. Apparently the owner of the island passed away a while ago, with no heirs, so the place was deserted. The price was very high… but not beyond what I could do.
Before I was able to buy the island, though, I participated in Rival and Emerald’s wedding, at Rival’s request. I sang there… I sang a song that I’d heard on the radios during my travels, and it was the first time I’d ever really sung in public. From what I could tell, everyone enjoyed my performance… but of course, I wasn’t the main act. That would be Rival and Emerald… and at this time, Emerald was so happy that she really didn’t care about what there used to be between me and Rival. However, that magnanimity didn’t last…
I had other things on my mind, though. While they were on their honeymoon, I bought my island, and renamed it. After some thought, I chose some ancient root words in my language – Phren Eirene. Phren deals with both the mind and the heart, and Eirene deals with peace or harmony… thus making my island a place where such harmony could be sought and found. I brought the necessary credits needed, and soon the deed was in my hands. I didn’t waste much time in trying to fix the place up – used my abilities to fix the stonework, did some other things by hand, hired technicians for other issues… soon the place was livable, and I started to furnish it.
During that time, something odd happened – a young man appeared on my island, after crashing his ship in the ocean nearby. He said his name was Jacen Solo… a name which surprised me, since the Solo family is fairly famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) in the galaxy. He was handsome, and somewhat polite at first, and a flirt… but he refused any sort of help from me, would not accept even a cup of tea or a blanket to keep him warm at night. It confused me… and it infuriated me. He took me out on a date (even though I kept insisting that it shouldn’t be considered as such), and even managed to kiss me… and I have to admit, I did like it… but I felt it was too soon to be pursuing any sort of romantic relationship… plus Jacen’s refusal of aid became a very sore point between us. I can’t understand it, really… was it that he didn’t want to be in debt to me? He was clearly attracted to me, but it didn’t seem like I could get to know him comfortably. He attempted to get his ship out of the ocean twice, by using the Force, but failed each time – the mission he had, before he crashed, was to track down his sister, and since he had found no sign of her, he was trying to get the ship out, so he could repair it. It was only after I’d reached an emotional breaking point with him that I unleashed some of my earth abilities, raising the land under the ship so that it could be above the water completely.
Such an ability, raising ground from water, is something that Poseidon, the god of the sea, can do. And, after perusing NavKor’s library, I found a series of tales which suggested that Poseidon, not Damien, was my father. It shook me to the core, knowing that I had such lineage. And sure enough, my father took the time to visit me, and tried to make amends. It turns out that he punished my foster parents for the way they treated me, and that he was afraid of what I might think of him, that I might have the same moody disposition that he does. I suppose I do, a little bit… but only when I’m feeling lonely. Father expressed that he was proud of me, and gave me an enchanted necklace as a gift. He’s shown up a few times since then, most notably when I raised Jacen’s ship.
Jacen kind of hid himself after that… and I was preoccupied by a new situation at NavKor… an attack. Apparently a species called the Thalassians, a group of slave traders, had pursued some people to Tynnara, and found that it was full of free people, ready to snatch. They sent waves of ships to try to do that, so NavKor recruited help. They had fighters in the air, and fighters on the ground – I was one of the latter. I was lead by Darman, a Mandalorian who was once a clone trooper – he stayed one night in my mansion, and enjoyed both the peaceful setting and Hermes’ company. The battle went on the next day… and during that chaos, Rival was taken, protecting Emerald from being captured. She was hysterical… and I was furious, as much at myself as I was at Rival’s captors. I was not part of the team that eventually got him back… but I armed them. I armed them well, and gave them my silent blessing.
The defense was successful, and NavKor and Tynnara are again safe. In the aftermath, a mysterious and powerful figure appeared on both the planet and in my life… the Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn. I was surprised when I first met him, because he, like the Solo family, is somewhat famous… and he was supposed to be dead. He was evasive on that subject, but otherwise very calm, collected, and friendly. When I heard that he was going to live in the dorms, I surprised myself by offering him a place to stay on Phren Eirene. After consideration, he accepted, albeit a day after he arrived, so he could familiarize himself more with NavKor.
On the day that he chose his floor (the 1st) and moved in, I also showed the island to another new acquaintance – a woman named Lorinne Kirn. She is very pretty, but not so much in a flashy feminine way – it’s more subtle, but no less attractive. She is very sad, however, partly because she is… well, owned by someone. She has a contract, which belonged to one person, but was bought out by another, a man named Jaeger Marques. I have encountered this man before, in a chance meeting, and his smooth-tongued praise of my own beauty both flattered and disgusted me – if my looks are all he wants to talk about, it’s not something I want to hear. Lorinne lives with Jaeger in an apartment, but she stays out and about as much as she can, checking in with Jaeger at regular intervals… like a parolee and her subsequent officer. I’m worried about her… if she’s feeling too trapped, she may do something desperate and unsafe. However, it seemed that she felt comfortable with me, Qui-Gon (briefly), and grew to like Hermes as well.
Qui-Gon and Hermes are also very friendly now… and it seems like Qui-Gon belongs on this island as much as I do. His calm, peaceful demeanor matches the feel of the land and the sea. He’s a pleasant companion, enjoying cups of herbal tea and chats in the night. He also has shown incredible feats in terms of the Force, doing high jumps to different levels of the mansion, as well as jumping down… and this evening, he even *flew*. What is more unusual is that he did jumps while holding *me* in his arms… and that I allowed him to do that. I’ve known him less than a week, yet I’m putting great faith and trust in him… and it seems well-founded. I’ve told him much about my life – how and why I petrify, my lineage, I’ve even shown him some of the gemstone cranes I created. He admired the amethyst one, so I told him he could keep it… I mainly meant in his rooms, but I’m willing to give it to him as a possession outside of the mansion… and judging by his commentary, he would accept it.
He is amazed by the skill I use in petrification. This evening, I changed a fragile wooden trellis to stone, and used it to climb up to the roof. I also changed a simple rock into an emerald, and gave it to him. As he is fascinated by my skill, I am fascinated by his… basically by how he is a Jedi. I have so many questions for him in that respect, but I don’t want to bombard him; at the same time, he is a very receptive person, so I know he would try to answer my questions as best he could. And his eyes… there is a great serenity in them, in their blueness… it’s something I’d try to capture in a stone, to put in a pendant, but I don’t know where to begin.
Looking at these words, and reflecting on my actions… I’m wondering if I feel I am moving on now. I have no idea if Tix will survive ONI’s pursuit, or if he will ever return if he does. Part of me hopes he would… but at the same time, my life has changed so much. Even when I was with Tix, I felt lonely. When spending time with Jacen, I felt useless. Qui-Gon makes me feel the opposite – he doesn’t mind sipping tea and talking, and he praises me for the strength and courage I’ve had throughout my life. He seems comfortable with me, enough to pick me up and send us both flying through the air… but it may just be a friendship, albeit a close one. If it is to be more… then it’ll be that way at its own pace. Whatever I may feel – admiration, respect, something leading elsewhere… – I will wait until I know that such feelings are mutual, if ever. In the meantime… I need to order more herbal tea. At the rate we’ve been drinking it, it’ll be gone by the end of this week!
