Alida found a quiet corner
of the garden as her mind went back some sixty years to Coruscant, when the
Jedi Temple still stood as a beacon of peace and Light to a galaxy that had
only the vaguest recollection of what galaxy-wide strife was like. Certainly,
each planet had its own share of conflicts, but these rarely touched the rest
of the galaxy and, once settled, life continued on.
She smiled slightly,
remembering the gardens within the Temple. The coolness of the artificial
breeze that played with her braid as she strode through the doors had been a
source of amusement for Alida. She had traveled enough with Master Aaro to know
that regardless of how much work was put into any of the indoor gardens on
Coruscant, they would never match nature in its true state. The breeze carried
nothing on it but a faint wisp of scent from the flowers and plants that lay
spread out ahead of her.
Alida closed her eyes and
allowed herself to become immersed in the memory; a time before all here but
Xanatos and herself had been born. She sighed. At that point, Xanatos had been
'dead' for five years.
"Alida."
She opened her eyes.
"Good morning, Master." At seventeen, Alida was far too old to be
smiling broadly, even when she was as happy as she was at the moment.
"I'm pleased to see
you've chosen to spend your extra time wisely this morning, Padawan. Are you
ready to leave?"
She nodded. She'd been
ready since he'd told her two days before that they would be traveling to
Mrlsst. She had spent all of her time since then re-familiarizing herself with
the culture and the language of the Mrlssi, eagerly anticipating a visit to the
Planetary University. The business she and Master Aaro had there would not take
long and the president of the University had graciously invited them to remain
for some time after their duties were complete. There was so much Mrlsst had to
offer!
The trip out had been
spent with her Master making sure her Tsi was up to his exacting standards. Like
most Jedi trained as field agents, Alida had learned at least the basics of
well over a dozen of the most common languages, but for certain diplomatic
events, such as this, she was expected to be fluent in the language of the
people they would be working with, even if it was one not heard commonly in the
galactic arena. And it was those languages she enjoyed learning the most, for
it meant travel to planets far from Coruscant; travel to planets where nature
had been allowed to thrive.
When they returned, it
had been to the garden she had ventured once more. Alida had always felt closed
in on Coruscant, surrounded by the towering spires of the cityplanet. At least
in the gardens she could imagine herself back once more, surrounded instead by
the towering greenstalks. In the distance she could almost still hear the
gentle patter of the artists and poets, living in their communes.
Alida opened her eyes
again. Some things did not change. She could still 'hear' the musicians of
Mrlsst, when she listened hard enough to her memories. And she still preferred
being out of doors, something reinforced even further by decades on a dead
planet. She wondered if the gentleman she, Jennifer and Everard had spoken with
the day before truly had any idea just how important the work he and those like
him were doing in keeping Shardakour's natural resources pristine.
She could even appreciate
the mountains of Telos, for as many lives as they had claimed and for much as
they seemed to be feared. Yes, they were harsh, but they were natural. She
smiled to herself, wondering what Everard's reaction would be if she did
suggest a hike up through that area. Perhaps after their son was born, she
thought to herself.
Alida stood, looking across
the gardens to the palace. Inside that building, things were happening, lives
changing. Out here, it was quiet; a place for reflection and meditation. Alida
headed back inside. Just as meditation was good for the soul, so was change.
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