#what if Vessel had a LOW TAPER FADE

[awingedinsect]

My, my, those eyes like fire…

[ryder-s-block]

Jaig Eyes (Ch 42)

Jaig Eyes (42/?)

Summary:

Kida, a former slave who now thrives as a bounty hunter, finds herself sucked into the war she advised Jango Fett against. Now that she's involved, she has to finally mourn the loss of Jango, seeing his face in the clones that man the GAR. What happens when she allows herself to get attached to one, not for his resemblance to her former mentor, but for his heart?

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Chapter Forty-Two: A Place Unlike Any Other

“Are you sure this is something you want to pursue?” the older Weequay asked from where he was projected on my holotable. “It could be a trap.”

I glanced sideways at my friend as I guided my ship out of Dantooine’s atmosphere. “It’s not like I’m not prepared for the worst, Merl,” I teased. “I can handle myself, you know.”

My friend sighed through the comms. “Yes, yes with your new powers,” he mocked playfully, quoting his fingers in the air. 

I rolled my eyes as my engines engaged, sending me out into space easily. I’d stopped at a port on Dantooine to refuel on my way towards a signal Apex had picked up during one of my jobs.

“The distress signal,” Merl mused, stroking his chin. “I haven’t seen that smuggler code used in years.”

“I know. So it’s either someone who is very much lost or is really bad at laying a trap.”

“And yet they seem to be drawing you in just fine.” He wasn’t happy with me, I knew. Part of it was that I was still technically the owner of his club and my reputation was a form of protection for both the establishment and him. Not to mention that he was terribly fond of me, even if he was too tough to admit it.

“Relax, Merl. I’m just going to investigate. That’s all.” My fingers flew deftly over the panels of my shuttle, readying the ship for jump. 

“Star map is locked,” Apex announced through his interface in my ship. “Hyperdrive primed to engage.”

Merl listened to the AI while watching me with concern. “Keep your nose clean, kid,” he said with a small smirk. “And your blaster up.”

I returned the smile and cast my friend a wink. “I will so long as you keep my club from burning down.” The hologram faded out as our connection ended, my hand pulling back the lever that sent me into hyperspace travel.

Leaning back in my chair, I pulled up the readings of the distress signal again. Apex had noticed the ping during a job on Agamar. At first, we thought it was just a jumbled heap of leftover signals--likely from a junker that was still transmitting from some of its salvages. But then, imbedded inside the mess, was an old smuggler distress signal. It had been used before the Clone Wars began by smugglers who got into trouble but couldn’t let the governments find them.

That was back when smugglers still had some loyalty to each other. I hoped that this smuggler felt the same way and would actually pay me for my help rather than try and shoot me and steal my ship.

Of course, if they tried that, I’d just shoot them first.

“Miss,” Apex interrupted my thoughts, the stars streaking past my viewport. “We are approaching the signal origin now.”

“Good,” I responded, sitting up again and readying myself to take control of the ship again. “Are you still receiving the distress signal?”

“No, it went dark shortly after entering hyperspace.”

I hummed, fingers thrumming against the joystick. “Alright. Raise our shields and begin prepping our hyperdrive for another jump if we need a quick getaway.”

“Of course, miss.”

I watched the AI interact with my console, the shields raising to full power before we dropped out of hyperspace. “Damn,” I groaned, my viewport empty except for stars. I turned in my seat, checking my scanners for any ships. “Are you getting anything, Apex?”

“No other ships are in the area, miss. I am recalibrating the--” My eyes lifted from the scanners suddenly as my AI stopped speaking.

“Apex?” I called, trying to get him back. A few taps to my computer told me he’d lost signal to me. That was unlikely, considering I often relayed his server straight through my ship’s computer. “Where’d you go, buddy?”

My senses prickled, the hairs on my arms raising. The power shut off, leaving me blind and defenseless. I glanced out my viewport, but saw nothing. Diving below the console, I wrenched open the panels to inspect the wiring. From what I could tell, there was no sign of tampering, or a surge, for that matter.

So what had made the power shut off?

The engines whirred as the systems came back online, illuminating the cockpit again. I looked around in surprise, my hand getting a nice shock since it was still wedged in the mechanisms. With a low curse and a shake of my smarting hand, I lifted myself back into my seat…to see something that had certainly not been there before.

“Apex, are you seeing this?” I asked allowed, only to find that my AI still had no contact with my vessel. 

Before me, floating in the previously empty expanse of space, was a massive black mass, diamond in shape. Red accents glowed on its surface like a dark warning. My ship lurched forward, the object drawing me in.

“Osik!” I cursed to myself, hands flying over the controls to try and engage my reverse thrusters. Nothing seemed to be working. Whatever this thing was, it was pulling me in without a tractor beam. Alarms blared in my ears as the shuttle’s systems went into overdrive, the power diverting to try and resist the pull.

My breath left my chest as the center of the diamond began to crack open, a blinding light coming from the gap. I wondered briefly if this was death. Maybe I had hit something while in hyperspace and died…this was me entering the afterlife. I strapped myself in as the ship shook harder, the light making it harder to see as it spilled into the cockpit.

I squinted against it, but saw nothing.

And then suddenly everything stopped. The light was gone and the ship had stopped shaking, the alarms going silent. I opened my eyes to see that my ship had landed itself, it seemed. The area around my shuttle was rich with flora, the plants and ground green and thriving. Rocky cliffs and rolling stone hills surrounded me, the sky a beautiful blue. 

My scanners showed that the atmosphere was breathable, but couldn’t lock down where I was. My star charts were all scattered--unable to determine my place. 

“Apex?” I asked the room softly, trying to get my ship to work. A system diagnosis told me that everything was in order...but still nothing was working anyways. “Are you there, buddy?”

There was no response. I frowned, getting up and collecting my pistols. After a second of hesitation, I opened the panelling in my quarters, retrieving the lightsaber I hadn’t ignited since Korriban, several months prior. When I stood up to my master at the time.

When I finally broke my own chains. My way.

Something about this place, whether it was a planet or asteroid or something else altogether...it was strong with the Force. Not as Korriban had been, or even the ruins on Tython. It wasn’t a history with the Force. It was made with the Force.

Something had drawn me here. And whatever it was...it wasn’t good.

I slipped the lightsaber into the belt pouch that ran along the small of my back. It wouldn’t be shown then, but I could grab it if I desperately needed it. 

As a last thought, I took one of the ignition gauges from the console, clipping it to my belt. I wasn’t about to let anyone take my ship from me while I searched the mysterious place. The gangway descended, bringing with it a scent of life. Flowers and foliage.

Strangely, I heard no creatures in the vast expanse of nature. Nor did I sense any. The place was unnerving, but beautiful. Mountainous rocks floated in the air, levitating by some unseen force. 

Perhaps it was the Force itself.

“Are you the one?”

I whirled, pulling out my pistols at the feminine voice. Before me, seeming to appear out of nowhere, was a humanoid female. Her skin was porcelain white, her green hair full and flowing down her back. She stood rigidly in a gold and cream colored dress, practically glowing. And that’s not figurative to express her beauty. She was literally giving off a gentle light from her very being.

“Who are you?” I asked, my pistols trained on her. She didn’t seem very bothered by my threat. It didn’t take long for me to feel her power. Her abilities in the Force. Still, I sensed no threat from her. I sensed only...the Light.

“I am Daughter,” she said immediately, taking a step forward, her head tilting. “Are you the one?”

“The one what?” I pushed, not letting my pistols drop. 

“I will bring you to him.”

“To who?” I asked, taking a half step backwards. “I’m not going anywhere with you, lady.”

She watched me closely for a moment, her eyes squinting. I could feel her Force signature prodding around at my mind. “You are not the one. Who brought you here?”

She seemed angry. I turned my stance to better protect myself, my own frown finding its place on my face. “I was hoping you could explain that, Daughter,” I snarled her name, trying to appear more powerful than I felt at that moment.

Her nose crinkled at my words, her demeanor darkening despite the light she gave off. “Leave this place,” she demanded, turning away. “My father called the one here, and you are not him. You are not welcome here.”

“Woah,” I called as she began walking away. “I got pulled here. I’m not even sure where here is.”

“Leave this place,” she said over her shoulder. “Before night.”

I was going to pursue her, especially since she was the only living creature I’d seen any evidence of since arriving on the planet. But something told me not too. She was a follower of the Light, but she was still incredibly powerful. That meant she was dangerous. 

I took a step backwards and turned to return to my ship, but stopped in my tracks. “Hey,” I called over my shoulder to the woman. “My ship’s…” My words tapered off when I saw no one there. It was like she had evaporated.

Just like my ship, apparently.

It was gone, not leaving so much as an imprint in the place it once rested. Whatever was going on, it was certainly beyond my understanding. Not to mention my power. With no other option, I ran off in the direction the woman had gone.

Sure, she’d told me to leave. But I tried that and apparently someone didn’t want that. Or something.

As I hurried in the direction she’d gone, I was quick to discover that she either never existed at all, or moved at impossible speeds. She was nowhere to be found and I had no idea how to get off this rock.

The longer I travelled, the weirder the place got. As the day turned into night, the seasons changed with it. The flourishing plant life withered and decayed. The dirt beneath my feet turned black, rain pouring down as dark clouds moved in. The husks of the trees began to glow blue, thunder rumbling the sky.

I sensed the lightning strike before seeing it.

I dove to the side, electricity striking the ground where I had once stood. My hair stood on edge, the air smelling of ozone. I decided rather quickly that I needed to find shelter from the storm more than I had to get off the planet in that moment. 

Dodging more strikes of lightning, I made me way into a nearby cave, the inside glowing with blue crystals. My chest was heaving when I made it inside, my nerves fried from dodging being...well...fried.

Soaking wet and trembling from the cold, I stepped further into the cave, feeling a familiar presence. It called me to me gently, pulling me closer. I followed willingly, knowing who was waiting for me.

“Why have you come to this place?” 

I turned slowly, not really caught off guard, to see the gentle glow of the once Jedi Master. “Master Qui-Gon,” I greeted, dipping my head slightly. “I’m not entirely sure I can answer that. I was following a beacon, but I didn’t realize I’d come here.”

The spirit stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Something has called you here. You must learn what it is.”

“Where is here?”

“A place unlike any other.” Qui-Gon’s hands folded behind his back as he paced, leading me further into the caves. “A conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows.”

“How can you know that and not why I’m here.”

“I believe you are here to be tested. And to help.”

“Help what?”

Qui-Gon graced me with his gentle smile. “Not what. Who. My former apprentice has been called here as well.”

“Obi-wan,” I breathed. The last time I’d seen him, he was reporting on my actions with Dooku to the council...where they were trying to decide my fate. 

“Skywalker and his padawan will be with him. There are three beings from this world who seek Skywalker.”

“When will they be here?”

Qui-Gon glanced at me, still walking through the dark cave. “Soon. By the next rise of the moon.”

“I don’t understand how I’m supposed to help them. And who are these three beings? I know the Daughter--she was anything but pleasant. And she mentioned a father.”

“These are things you must discover for yourself. Know this, Kida,” Qui-Gon came to a stop where the cave opened up again--an exit. The storm was receding, a tower glowing in the distance. “This is a dangerous place for those who know no balance.”

He stayed still, nodding to me as I moved past him. I knew my destination was the tower. Otherwise, Qui-Gon would have never led me to it. “Master,” I called, turning back to look at his blue-tinged form. “The Daughter asked me if I was the one. Does she think I’m the Sith’ari like Bane did?”

Qui-Gon breathed slowly, shaking his head. “No. The legend you were told is a bit like the Sith version of the Prophecy of the Chosen one. Where the Sith’ari would make the Sith immortal and powerful, the Chosen One is destined to bring balance to the Force.”

I thought over everything he’d told me. “Skywalker. They think it’s Anakin, don’t they?”

“They do.” 

I regarded the man before me. A man who had taught me so much over the past months. He’d taught me balance, but also given me range to learn from others. He told me that, in death, there was so much more to the Force than we had ever imagined.

“Do you believe that Anakin is the Chose One?”

Qui-Gon met my gaze. “I do.” 

I let out a slow breath before nodding. “Alright. Then as a follower of Bendu...I’ll do what I can to protect Anakin. And the others.”

The jedi gave me a small smile. It held pride, but also sadness. He knew how difficult this would be for me--facing the jedi I’d once called friends, who may very well be my enemies now. “Thank you, my friend.” 

I turned away after a small nod, knowing that he wouldn’t be there if I looked back. Steeling myself, I began walking towards the glowing tower, the seasons shifting as the sun began to rise again. 

[6four1-blog]

June 29th, 2017 (Kavousi, Crete, Greece)

When I resurfaced, my hands were treading through the turquoise waters of Agriomantra. I felt like a video game character whose eyelids were just opened, with only his hands and beach ahead of him. I saw five boats parked on the shore and nearly thirty people under the large olive tree. Even from out here, I could smell the scent of the aromatic oregano and the mouthwatering lamb that seemed to ebb and flow out towards the sea like the very waves themselves. In the periphery of my vision, I caught a glance of the young children attempting to climb the sheer, orange cliffs. They were climbing up the rock precipice that I had been on just a few moments ago, nearly twenty-five feet above sea level. The stones were jagged and sharp, unbothered by human use and wear. As I scanned the small bay, I realized it was encircled by a large rock protrusion that protected the little beach from the rough waves of the Aegean. The tiny rock peninsula reached out towards the west in the direction of Pachia Ammos and Agios Nikolaos, almost like the welcoming arms of St. Peter’s. This arm calmed the furious waves so that we could swim in the exotic waters and explore the dreamy cliffs. I could hear David yelling at James to stop being a μαλακα and to jump the cliff. I could hear Britney and Marissa giggling about some joke that seemed to fade into the gale, as every sound naturally did in Agriomantra. My vision paused as I found a narrow gap in the rocky extension. There was a cold gust that flowed through that crevice, inviting me as if Boreas, the Anemoi of the north wind, was whispering “ελα, Paul, ελα.” I subconsciously began swimming towards it, as Odysseus’ men must have when they heard the beautiful songs of Aglaope. Starting with David, my friends started following me as if we all found the same allure in the same chilly wind.

We approached the tunnel slowly like ships in the Bermuda triangle, incessantly afraid of the unseen projections below that could end our dig season in an instant. We climbed into the cave-like passage on all fours like Golum in Lord of the Rings, careful to watch for not only rocks but also sea urchins. The ledges were unembellished and sharp, utterly merciless towards mere mortals like us. Climbing through that cave either made you appreciate your life or ended it. Despite knowing that the rocks were slippery and each step may have been my last, something told me to continue, to see just a little more, and to dare to be more adventurous that I have ever been before. We were now facing north in this narrow strip of water. The landscape that surrounded us was like that of a miniature Argolid, as if we were perfectly nestled on the tapered cavity of a snake’s tongue. Out in the distance, we could see the island of Pseira and a few boats wayfaring the waters like lost nomads. But beyond the island and the vessels, there was nothing but vast ocean as far as the horizon could extend. Unlike Agriomantra, the waters here were a dark navy, glimmering with a depth and ferocity that pervaded your heart and stopped it for a second, making you question whether you could ever leave if you plunged into its abyss.

I jumped. Of course I did. I took a large gulp of the sea water on my way up, which was repulsively saline but enchantingly feral. Even after more than ten years of competitive swimming in my childhood and adolescence, I was not ready to conquer these waves without modern machinery. The cliffs towered over me and the waves thrashed me around like a rag doll. Bobbing up and down in this open cavern, surrounded by baleful scarps, reminded me how small I was in this big, magnificent world. The inaccessibility of this location is what kept it beautiful, looking the same as it would have been if Theseus took a detour to Eastern Crete thousands of years ago. It is inherently tragic that the beauty of a place, like Agriomantra, is its own curse. These Mediterranean gems invite us, human beings hopelessly obsessed with their grace, to explore them, to trample them, and to ruin them. Luckily, the village of Kavousi seems to have kept Agriomantra on the down-low, passing it on generation after generation like a village heirloom. I have never been to the fabled Santorini, but I think I can confidently say that I had a breathtaking and authentic experience that would have put the touristy island to shame.

I found my way back through the cave into the calm company of Agriomantra and started swimming back towards the beach. I watched each stroke as my arm slid into the crystal-clear water, again and again. The gentle waves were like Poseidon’s nudges of encouragement and the alternating warm and frosty currents were like physical manifestations of his wisdom, advising me that, no matter the hot or cold times, I should never take this beach, these friends, or this experience for granted.

As I approached the shoreline, I could see Katis in the distance feasting from a large glass bowl. Through the translucent stained-glass, one could easily see the red and green hazes and tell that it was a ginormous Greek salad. After I got out and dried myself, I scrambled away from the beach into the gorge looking for some relief. I found a small rock protrusion that offered me privacy from the beach party, but the goats swarmed the sides of the cliffs like archers around a battlefield. That day, I proceeded to #1 in front of nearly 20 goats on both sides watching me unwavering interest. It was a first, and I hope it is also the last. Shortly afterwards, I observed that the welcoming arms of Agriomantra could easily be climbed by scaling some rocks further inland. The cliffs were steep but I felt like I could finesse my way around some sharp corners, especially since I was now wearing my Adidas Ultraboosts. Here in Greece where most activities take place outdoors, I have felt a strong disposition for climbing natural scenery. By climbing these rocks, I was able to take a picture of Agriomantra from a bird’s eye point of view, the stereotypical beach picture which I am sure my friends and family would enjoy. As I turned around to face north, I faced the vast, deep navy, and windy Aegean. I sat on a rock and got completely lost in my thoughts as the wind inundated my face, wondering if Aegeus ever shared the same dumbfounded wonderment thousands of years ago when he waited for Theseus to return home from Crete.

In the middle of this week after a hot work day, I was hanging out with David in his room since Weston and I don’t have functional air conditioning. Just from my experiences and observations, the winds in North Eastern Crete seem to come from the north during the day and from the south at night. It’s an interesting phenomenon that I probably would never have noticed if not for our shitty air conditioner. So, before we sleep, we have to step outside to survey the wind and temperature, then specifically select certain windows to open for the night. 

David proceeded to ask whether I would be down to sleep on Azoria for the night. With my current air conditioning crisis, I approved without hesitation. Not surprisingly, when we went to ask Weston ten minutes later, he jumped on the bandwagon. We went to the local supermarket to buy water and supplies. Keep in mind we had to buy enough water for three people, accounting for the night and the following seven-hour workday. We proceeded to buy two bottles of wine and 18 liters of water - that’s 20 liters of fluid that we had to take up to the mountain. It was about to be a dreadful hike until Jerry, a local Scottish man, offered us a ride up in his Jeep.

In hindsight, we picked a terrible location to pitch camp. Irini had started a new trench and the soil on the side seemed fresh and soft. We judged the book by its cover and did not realize that the soft silt layer was only about two centimeters thick. The rock hard cobble fill below was not an easy terrain to sleep on and I would find that out later on in the night. We took a few trash bags and ripped them open, creating tarps for each of us to sleep on. I even used a trash bag as a sleeping bag, which was warm but the terrible breathability made me reminisce my bed back at Tholos. Indeed, our setup was quite trashy (haha).

However, before we slept, we did two more things. First, we went to Haggis’ tree and gazed down at Mirabello Bay. Professor Haggis hangs his orange Arcteryx backpack under the same olive tree every day. It oversees the D trenches and is one of the only locations on site that has shade during lunch. The leaves’ green pigments were slowly darkening as the domesticated olive tree continued to turn feral over the centuries, a lengthy metamorphosis that I will never be able to fully witness in my lifetime. Sitting from that tree, I could see all of Kavousi, Pachia Ammos, and Agios Nikolaos. The lights of Kavousi and Agios Nikolaos glowed brightly like stars in the Sahara Desert on a clear night. The lights never stopped twinkling in red, blue, yellow, green, and all the colors you could imagine on a Byzantine mosaic. The night lights of Kavousi showed the outline of the tiny village and it stuck out in a sea of darkness like a complex constellation. The voices and music from Maria’s tavern drifted into the mountains and hazed into a comforting muffle, which I think is best described as the hum of civilization. Some freighters on the waters in the distance had flashing green lights as dim as a dying cigar. With my arms over the railings, I felt like Gatsby standing on West Egg, ogling at the lights from Daisy’s house. Apart from the outline of mid-Northern Lasithi, the waters seemed completely empty like an endless Tartarus. I could now see what frightened sailors for generations and gained a newfound appreciation for the ancients who had the courage to venture into the unknown. One can be lonely anywhere, whether that be a big city like New York or an ice field like Antarctica. If I go out to sea in the future, I have always pondered if the solitude and emptiness could possibly ever conceive a sense of peace and tranquility for me.

Second, we took some time to lie down on our tarps and stargaze. David often sleeps in the olive grove when he’s drunk, and he tells me: “Paul, you can see the Milky Way at night, so you should come sleep with me in the olive grove.” I didn’t believe him until I slept up on Azoria that night. As my pupils dilated and grew accustomed to the boundless darkness, more stars began to appear randomly on the black canvas. The Milky Way formed before my eyes. Constellations by Jack Johnson got stuck in my head. David was right, you could see it all. As an excavator helping Professor Haggis collect data and build a narrative for Azoria, I realized that, apart from pragmatic reasons why the Minoans might have settled on this hilltop, this was simply a really nice place to be both day and night; the view of the Bay of Mirabello during the day and the stars at night were hard to beat. I also saw my first shooting star that night. 

Then, the next thing I knew, I woke up and the stars were gone. The deep black was replaced with a soothing light amaranth. I could hear the bees buzzing and, somewhere in the distance, a goat let out a loud bleat followed by the gentle chimes of its bells. I got up and sat next to David and Weston in silence, appreciating the morning view of Kavousi. On the slopes, the trench masters’ 6:30 a.m. truck swerved up the hill. Minutes later, when the engine stopped in the parking lot, I got up from my schist stone seat and trotted down the slope - back to the B trenches, back to reality.