Ask Sernpidal A Light in the Dark

[Liana Mason]

​

The Jedi aligned words were under attack and Liana's hard bled. It hurted her to witness that after everything that had happened, after the Sith' exodus, after a brief period of peace, there was suddenly war all over again and the people suffered. Bastion was lost and Lia was convinced it wouldn't take much longer before the Empire would push further, however war wasn't the only thing the Order was busy with.

While the Galaxy's attention was mainly on the contested territory, others were still in dire need of help. Sernpidal, a planet that shared quite some history with the Jedi Order, had sent a distress call for the Order after having faced some issues that followed an open, escalated protest.

There were some voices amongst the citizen who had apperently spoken up for for joining the Empire preemptively before expecting an invasion, but at first the government bad managed to prevent a mass panic. A few days later though, a hospital had been attacked by a group the Sernpidal government had entitled as 'terrorists' and somehow ever since more cases of apperent attempts for sabotage had surfaced. The Jedi had been called to help before anything worse happened to Civilians, and so Lia was on her way to the planet.

Today, she wasn't alone though. The Order had assigned her a padawan who was supposed to tag along. Lia expected an investigation and so she had figured it was safe enough, also the Council was promoting getting padawan out there to gain as much field experience as possible and so the young Knight was excitedly waiting for the quick layover in which the padawan was supposed to board her ship.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

It would take a long time to become comfortable with starfaring.

T'vani staggered off the ship she was being transported on, her hand clutched over her mouth as she struggled to keep her lunch where it belonged. Her white, downy ears lay flat against her skull as she leaned against a nearby wall. When passersby inquired about the young girl, she responded dismissively with reassurance that she was well. She wasn't, but being heckled by a crowd wouldn't do. Pressing on was the only thing she could do.

Regaining her composure, T'vani peeled herself off the wall. Her meeting with Jedi Knight Liana needed to happen as soon as possible. They were to continue their transit to Sernpidal, a place T'vani had never heard of. She repeatedly questioned whether it was wise to send her, given her lack of training. It was assured to her every time that nothing dangerous would happen, and even if something did happen, Liana would protect her.

T'vani began making her way through the crowd with a sigh. Even with the constant noise bombarding her large, sensitive ears, she remembered exactly where she needed to go.

She ducked and weaved through the crowd towards where she was supposed to meet Liana. Regardless of how short she was, T'vani was difficult to miss in the masses. Even if she didn't see Liana, Liana would notice her. One doesn't see a small girl with snow-white hair and vulpine ears sifting through a crowd every day.

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

While still struggling to contain the light sparks of excitement, Liana began to pace. Not much longer, according to the pilot's mission the initiate was already on her way and their next transport was still right on time. Everything according to plan, at least for now.

Lia was still rather new to this, but she had learned a lot. Her previous experience with mentoring came in handsome and she was still hoping for this mission to be an easy one, but before her thoughts could start to spiral, Liana's big, dark blue eyes found the little Fiani making her way over to her.

Lia's eyes widened as a happy, warm smile spread across her lips - oh, she wasn't even that small, perhaps she was even a little taller than herself, given the ears, but once she reached her, Liana extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, T'vani! I'm Knight Liana Mason", she greeted the girl as formerly as it was expected from her, but the kindness bleeding into her tone was genuine.

"How was your journey? Is everything alright?", it wasn't hard to tell for the empathetic Echani that the initiate was worried, so she decided to inquire right away. They had a few minutes to chat before they'd have to get going, but it was important to Lia that she was doing well.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

Liana's sudden appearance caught the small Fiani off-guard. T'vani jumped with startled alarm at the premature declaration, looking around hastily to find the source of the voice. Burgundy eyes soon fell on the girl who introduced herself as Liana. The difference in age between the two didn't appear to be much, but apparently, Liana was already a Jedi Knight? Perhaps she was exceptionally skilled, or maybe T'vani didn't know as much about the Jedi Order and how it operated as she believed she did.

"H-Hello, Miss Mason," T'vani said as she faced the girl and lowered herself into a respectful bow. "It's nice to meet you. The trip was good! I feel a little sick, but that's because I'm not used to flying through space. It's happened every time, but I'm feeling better now," she elaborated. She stood straight as she finished her statement, folding her hands against her legs. Her eyes fixated on Liana, and the corners of her lips curled up into a faint, reassuring smile.

"I've also never been here before, so I wasn't sure how easy it would be to find you, and... I-I don't have any training in the Force or how to fight. Are we sure it's a good idea for me to come?" she asked. It was a prevalent concern she'd had since the beginning, and even now, she questioned the legitimacy of her presence here. She was only an Initiate. She had been under the impression that only Padawans were chosen for and went on missions, but here was T'vani.[/abox3]
@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

The Fiani seemed relatively scared and unsettled, so Liana was really hoping for their talk to be effective. Her gaze was warm and soft and her smile widened ever so slightly as she began to explain- okay, she was queasy due to the flight and apperently hadn't had any unpleasant meetings with other travellers, so that was good.

She still emphasized with her, hoping the fresher air would help. "I'm sorry to hear...do you want to take a little walk? It's not much further", she promised, knowing they still had to reach Sernpidal's main spaceport, but they weren't in a really bad rush.

"You don't have to worry", she reassuringly replied as she motioned for her to walk alongside her, "first of all, you've made it! You've found me and you're not alone anymore". What radiated off her was sheer calmness, hoping she'd manage to soothe her quickly.

"I've never been on Sernpidal before either, but that's totally okay. I love seeing new places, and we'll be okay. The people have requested our help, but I promise I'll keep you safe"- perhaps she was a little surprised by how T'vani had no training at all from the sounds of it, but she was excited to get started then.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

T'vani nodded in affirmation to Liana's question. A walk sounded nice. They helped her clear her head, focus on herself, and gather her bearings. The girl fell in line alongside Liana as she began walking.

"I enjoy seeing new places, too. All of these new planets have been really cool to see after spending my life on Fiana," T'vani answered. "I don't know what I could do to help, though. I don't have training like you do, Miss Mason. I don't know how to use the Force very well and haven't had any combat training. I know you'll protect me, but..."

...she felt like she would only be in the way. She was little more than an Initiate trying to earn her place in the Jedi Order, and she didn't know how to do that on a field mission. The more she thought about it, the more out of place she felt. Liana would have to protect T'vani and herself if something happened. What if T'vani was in the wrong place at the wrong time? What if she messed something up?

"I promise I'll try not to get in the way," she said, her ears folding back and tail curling up close behind her. "I also promise to help however I can, though! I don't want you to have to do all the work."

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

Liana met her gaze, not beaming at her like she would have done years ago, but still more than friendly and warm for a Jedi Knight. "Do you want to tell me a little about Fiana? What did you like the most?", she asked her, trying to use the little distraction to keep her head of the nausea.

When she mentioned the Force, her smile widened a little. They were leaving the very busy parts of the station and where approaching a less frequented area around the hangars. "Don't worry. This is why I'm here. I'll help you strengthen your connection to the Force", she reassured her, feeling optimistic.

"Oh I believe you! We'll both do our best to help the people...are you feeling a little better?", Lia glanced down at her datapad, viewing the conversation with the local government representative. The situation seemed stable, but Lia knew Sernpidal would be safer once they'd finish their investigations.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

"Fiana is cold," T'vani said. It was always the first thing she told someone when they asked about her home. "There's almost always snow. There are a lot of mountains and valleys, too. My favourite thing was the Glimmerblooms," she continued. That was the other thing T'vani also mentioned when talking about her home. Saying the name was enough to help her envision them blooming across every hill and dale after a wildfire passed through.

They brought a precious moment of comfort to the girl. Her apprehensions regarding her presence here were still high, even with Liana's constant reassurances. T'vani looked up at the woman and offered her a faint smile, doing her best to put on a confident face.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better," she answered. "What about you, Miss Mason? Where are you from?" T'vani inquired. It seemed every person had a different planet they were from, and to her, that was one of the most fascinating things about leaving Fiana. Everyone seemed to be from somewhere she had never been nor seen, and her inquisitive mind implored her to seek answers and learn everything she could about these foreign places.

"And what do the people here need help with?"

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

While the kept walking, they soon approached the hangar of Lia's ship that was readily fueled and prepared to take off, but for now she stopped at the ramp, intently listening to the stories T'vani told. "Glimmerblooms...what do they look like?", she curiously wanted to know while she noticed how talking about her homeworld soothed the initiate just like she had intended.

It wasn't just good to know that she was feeling better, but Liana also enjoyed getting to know her and so she didn't mind sharing some details about her own homeworld. "I was born on Echan. I enjoyed the fields and forests a lot", she smiled at her, sensing that her presence within the Force was finally calm and so she motioned for her to follow as she walked up the ramp.

"It's only a short flight now. We'll visit a hospital that had been attacked two days ago. Apart from trying to soothe the people, we'll also try to find traces of the terrorists who have committed the atrocious act. There are some unrests on Sernpidal and our presence will help". Lia explained that with confidence. It was always good if the Jedi showed presence, also it didn't seem like they were expecting another attack. The situation had gotten a lot more stable, yet they'd have to figure out who exactly they were dealing with.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

"Glimmerblooms are small and fragile," T'vani explained as they approached the ship. "They're short and have broad petals with pretty designs on them. They also glow in the dark, and an entire field at night looks like stars in the sky if you're far enough away," T'vani fondly elaborated.

When Liana explained her home, T'vani's ears bobbed. Echan. She was sure she had heard of the planet in passing, but the memories escaped her. Her time at home on Fiana felt so long ago, and the abundance of stories she had listened to about various planets made it difficult to recall details about specific ones. Even the details about the fields and forests seemed passingly familiar, but try as she might, the girl couldn't will the knowledge to return to her.

Unable to recall the specifics, T'vani focused on the task at hand.

"Attacked?" she asked. "Someone attacked a hospital? Why would they do that?" T'vani wondered. A frown tugged down the corners of her lips. "That's horrible. If I can do anything to help them or find the people who did it, I'll gladly help. I want to make sure these people feel safe and secure, and do whatever I can to help them feel that way. I'm ready to go when you are, Miss Mason!"

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

Liana listened to her explanation with great interest, the smile on her lips never fading. "That sounds absolutely stunning! It's remarkable they can withstand the cold that well...", she remarked, meeting the Fiani's gaze. They soon were aboard the ship and given that she was seemingly feeling way better, Lia asked the droid pilot to prepare for take-off.

Their conversation soon shifted onto the mission ahead of them and Liana began elaborating to ensure she was up-to-date and well prepared. "Political unrests...terrorists that wanted to sent a message. Reports indicate that a group has started to form- they resent Sernpidal's collaboration with the Jedi and support the Empire's aggressive campaign", her features grew more serious as genuine empathy spread through her.

She felt bad for the people, especially those who had suffered under the attack, and while freedom of opinion and choice was something she clearly supported, she resented those aggressive matters. "We will! I'm glad you're on board. Let's buckle up then!". They'd move into the passenger compartment of their ship before for ship would start its final journey to Sernpidal's surface.

It wasn't a long flight, but Lia made sure she kept T'vani distracted in order to help her overcome the slight travel sickness. "When was the first time you've realized you were force sensitive?", she wanted to know.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

Terrorists wanted to send a message by attacking the sick and helpless? The young Fiani struggled to wrap her head around the concept. If the people were unhappy with how things were, why would they take innocent lives? She knew this place wasn't like Fiana. Why would they attack the defenceless that had nothing to do with what transpired?

"Yeah," T'vani murmured as she followed Liana's advice, fastening the security harness after she took a seat. "When was the first time I realised I was Force-sensitive?" she echoed. "When a Jedi visiting my home told me," came the girl's answer. "It wasn't something I learned on my own. My parents knew but never told me. I didn't start learning how to use it until I arrived here, if that counts."

It wasn't until after T'vani arrived at the temple that she learned some of her "feelings" and impulses back home were the Force attempting to guide her. Back then, she didn't know what the Force was or that it was affecting her. So, in reality, she discovered she was Force-sensitive after she arrived at the temple.

At the very least, the conversation was serving well to keep her sufficiently distracted from the lurching of the ship as it took off.

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

T'vani looked a little worried, but admittedly, they were dealing with an atrocity that had been commited against innocent in a hospital, simply to spread hate, to wreck havoc and thus send a message od terror - she despised the behavior completely, thus she couldn't wait to find out who did it so that they'd could be put behind bars.

She curiously listened to T'vani stories, a hint of sadness sneaking into her expressive features asbshe mentioned that her parents had tried to keep it a secret though. "Who was that Jedi? Maybe I know them", she was really curious, but was not asking for more details about her parents, wanting to avoid making her sad.

"We'll be there in a few minutes...we'll speak to the Govenor as he'll bring us to the hospital. Do you have any questions so far? Feel free to ask whenever", she offered, her voice kind as always as she gave her another warm smile. From the looks of it, she was much better now, and so as they started approaching, Lia was hopeful.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

"I don't remember his name," T'vani replied. As much as the girl tried, no matter how deeply into her memories she dug, she could not recall the name of the Jedi who visited her settlement and brought her here. She was beginning to doubt whether or not he ever offered his name, and perhaps it had never occurred to her to ask. T'vani could recall faint details about his face, height, and how he carried himself, but she couldn't remember his name or even what letter it may have started with.

"I'm sorry, Miss Mason. I just can't remember," the Fiani girl apologised. "The only questions I have are... what exactly will we be doing once we get there?" she inquired. "Will we be trying to heal people? Are we just trying to find clues about who did it? Are we trying to calm them down?"

Despite the information Liana shared about the mission so far, T'vani still found herself trying to piece together their overarching goal. The vague idea was that they were there to assist in finding clues or hints about who may have done it, but that also sounded like a job for the planet's law enforcement. There had to be an ulterior motive for their presence there. Or, perhaps, maybe she was overthinking it and looking too deeply.

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

"Oh it's fine!", Lia chimed in, not wanting to make her uncomfortable with all the asking. "No worries! I was just curious", she admitted, giving her an apologetic smile. T'vani continued by asking about their exact objective and Liana was more than happy to elaborate.

"Okay so the Govenor will give us the latest reports first and take us to the hospital. After the briefing, we'll see what we can do. Our presence will help, we'll try to soothe them, spend hope and comfort where it is needed and yes, we'll try to help the wounded as best as we could. I assume you don't have any healing experience yet?", she was relatively certain, but asked nonetheless. It would be a great opportunity to teach her.

"Then we'll have to investigate the crime scene. Maybe we'll have to do that first, depending on the state there. Our goal is to find out who did it and to help the authorities catch them", she elaborated further, meeting her gaze, still radiating calmness. Perhaps that would make it clearer. "Always feel free to ask". Their ship had already entered the atmosphere and was approaching the surface quickly.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___"Reports, hospital, briefing," T'vani murmured to herself like a personal mantra. "Reports, hospital, briefing, and we'll try to help however we can," she continued, only being stopped from her quiet mumbling as Liana asked about her expertise in healing. The Fiani girl shook her head. "It's like I said, Miss Mason, I haven't received formal training at all yet," she confessed again. As often as she had said it so far, T'vani still wasn't feeling any less embarrassed about the fact.

___"So, reports, hospital, briefing, help the people, investigate," T'vani added to her earlier assessment of their agenda. "Or reports, hospital, investigate, briefing... no, wait, reports, hospital, briefing, investigate, help people," she continued, her ears fanning back as she mulled over the order of things. It all seemed like so much to remember, and it was obvious that she was struggling to commit everything to memory. T'vani sighed.

___"How do you remember all of this, Miss Mason?"

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

The little initiative kept repeating their agenda, again and again, adding items here and there before she lost track. Liana found it extraordinarily cute, and she couldn't fully suppress her soft chuckle. "Don't worry! I'm sure you'll learn a lot today", she confidently replied in regards to the training, before she motioned for her to calm down.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I know it's a lot. I'm a little nervous, too", she admitted truthfully. "But see, you're doing great already. The Govenor will help us, too and we'll get it all done, one step at a time. I've been on a few missions already, so some routines help, but I'm convinced we'll make a great team and you'll remind me of things I might even forget", she added with a soft, encouraging smile, before they touched the ground.

"There, I can already see the Governor. Do you have any more questions before we disembark?". She'd give her all the time she'd need to mentally sort herself, but Lia already stretched herself out.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___T'vani sighed. She gave up trying to memorise the order they needed to do things. It was too much to commit to memory for her right now, and the possibility their priorities could change was a genuine possibility she had to consider. The girl nodded, offering a meek smile as Liana praised her performance and dedication.

___"One step at a time," T'vani echoed. She nodded again, those words bringing her a measure of peace. "All right, Miss Mason. I promise to do my best," the initiate stated, her small hands balling into determined fists as she steeled her resolve. "I don't think I have any more questions! Let's go and try to help these people!"

___The small Fiani beamed at her teacher. She was still nervous, that much was sure, but she still exuded an air of confidence and bravery to take on the challenge to the best of her abilities. T'vani walked up to Liana to stand beside her, prepared to depart on her first mission as a learning initiate.

@LadyRen

 

[Liana Mason]

Despite still sensing a hint of nervousity in the young Fiani, Liana gave her one last reassuring look. She was confident T'vani would do well and thus as the ship's ramp finally hissed and began to open, she led her out with a soft smile on her lips.

They were indeed immediately met by the Governor who literally couldn't wait to see them. "Welcome, Jedi!", T'vani would notice his polite smile was nervous and he immediately began shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "I hope your journey was pleasant...Oh! Where are my manners? Selkas Krynoth", he briefly introduced himself, extending his hand, proving further that there was a lot on his mind.

"Oh it was, thank you, Govenor. I'm Jedi Knight Liana Mason", she shook his hand and waited for T'vani to introduce herself as well, radiating nothing but calmness as she hoped it would somehow soothe the Governor. "Come, follow me to the transport. I'll update you on the current situation on our way".

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___As the ramp to the starship opened, and the two stepped out, T'vani did her best to muster her confidence. She was literally and figuratively stepping into a whole new world, and her heart was in a mix of excitement and worry. The governor immediately greeted them, and T'vani promptly offered a respectful bow.

___"Jedi Initiate T'vani, sir," T'vani responded. The young girl did her best to mimic Liana's behaviour, and while the young girl had the spirit and was doing an admirable job, she was forcing it. Her movements were stiff and rigid, almost robotic, as she did her best to radiate an aura of bravery. She was confused, but she certainly had the spirit!

___At the same time, T'vani reached through the Force to understand the governor's emotions. The aura of the Force around him was scrambled and chaotic. A hue of panic would flit one way, only to pull back in and branch off in a different direction, a separate colour than before. T'vani could feel his stress crawl across her skin, and were she not as in tune with the Force as she was, the Fiani worried it might overpower her. However, the initiate remained true to her senses.

___Otherwise, T'vani stayed quiet. She'd allow Liana to speak, control the flow of the conversation, and offer her input as asked or if she felt she had something unique to contribute.

@LadyRen