Low Orbit
Aboard the Endor's Revenge
Glee Anselm
Talis sat in quiet contemplation. His wounds that he sustained during the Polyphemous Operation had completely healed. Currently his ship was on its final approach to a set of coordinates he had obtained from a long time contact. They were coordinates to a small island on the planet Glee Anselm. The home world of the Nautolans. His contact was extremely excited when he gave him the coordinates but would not divulge his reasoning. He just told him. “You will know when you get there brother.”
“Captain,” A voice broke through the silence of his cabin.
“Yes, what is it?” Talis replied dazed.
“We are coming into optical range and will be landing shortly.”
“Roger that I will make my way to the landing ramp.”
The Jedi Knight rose and adjusted his armor. He didn't know if he was walking into a trap or not so he decided to be cautious about it.
The Miralukan arrived at the foyer of his ship where the entryway was and waited. He could hear the engines rev and felt the steel around him lurch a little before it lightly set down. The door's locks could be heard clanking open and the pressurized hiss of the door pistons activating echoed in the seemingly empty vessel. An R2 unit rolled up next to him before stopping just shy and beeping at him.
“I will call for you Beenine when I know it is safe.” The astromech's depressed response cascaded back at the Sentinel. He placed his hand on the droid's dome and offered an apologetic smile.
Talis exited his ship and entered the warm humid air of the planet. He made his way down the ramp of his ship and up the causeway of the landing pad to the island. Four beings well armed waited for him. All of the men were Nautolans. They wore matching armor with blaster rifles in their arms and a vibrosword on each of their hips. The leader of the security detail stepped forward and presented his hand.
“Your lightsaber please.”
“Not until I know what this is.” Talis readied himself as the security detail raised their weapons an waited for him to comply.
“That is enough Captain Altre!” A voice erupted from behind the group. One of the security detail flinched hard and accidentally squeezed off a shot. Talis reacted on instinct, spinning away from the shot and drew his lightsaber before igniting it and holding the point up to the throat of the captain.
“Everyone weapons away!” A second voice could be heard. This time a woman. Her voice was strong yet nurturing. Something about it felt welcoming.
Two hooded figures approached Talis. Something about them made him calmer and safer. He waited a few moments before he put away his lightsaber.
“Who are you and why am I here?”
“I am Anillan,” The male robed figure replied.
“And I am Sablis,” The female robed figure followed suit.
“Why are you wearing hoods in this muggy weather?”
“Our people have grown accustom to the humidity and today is quite cold in comparison to our normal days here.” The male replied.
"I do not usually do business with people who hide their identities under a hood." Talis shifted uncomfortably.
“It is only fair that you remove your helmet as a show of faith, if we are to remove our hoods.” The woman's voice was smooth.
“Sure.” Talis removed the phase two clone trooper helmet revealing his eye wrappings to the group. The feelings of shock and embarrassment from the four sentries made the current altercation even more confusing.
“I knew I sensed someone new in our enclave.” The woman pulled back her robe revealing a regally designed eye cover and Anillan removed his to reveal a simpler eye covering. The Miralukan stood in shock. “You must have many questions for us.” The woman's excitement could hardly be contained.
“That's an understatement.” The Jedi snapped back unintentionally. For some reason Talis felt ashamed of that and apologized to the woman. “Sorry ma'am.”
“It is nothing to have taken offense to,” Sablis replied with a smile, “I can only imagine the shock new comers get from meeting us here.”
The trio made their way through a wall of trees and into a clearing. On the other side of the clearing a small town became visible. They spent the walk in silence as the young Knights mind raced. He had thought his people were wiped out by the Brotherhood after Grand Master Pravus took over.
'How could there be a city of Miralukans? What had happened to lead them to Glee Anselm?' the young man thought to himself.
The trio entered town and people turned and looked in awe at the imposing figure of the armored Miralukan Jedi. More people poked their heads out of their homes and the trio grew into a small mob of inquisitive faces.
They came upon a temple structure that had the planet and twin moons emblem of the Luka Sene. A group of force sensitive Miralukan not unlike the Jedi. Their emblem was of Tython and its two moons, Ashla and Bogan. Talis spent countless hours researching his peoples history in the Jedi archives on New Tython. He had never lived with his people so he only knew what the holorecords told about it. The crowd stopped short of the base of the stairs leaving the trio alone in the opening created by the vacuum. The Odanite tossed a gaze back over his shoulder at the group. Who all stared up at the temple entrance in awe.
Three figures stood at the top of the stairs. Their power in the force was awe inspiring even at the distance they stood from him.
“We wish for an audience with the Grand Master of the Luka Sene.” Sablis bowed deep and held it. Talis turned to Anillan who was also bent over at the waste in a bow to the three. The Gray Jedi stood there like a statue, unmoving and emotionless, staring up at the three white haired beings above him. He would not bow to these men. He had never bowed to any being and he was not about to break that ongoing record.
“Why do you not supplicate yourself before us,” The figure on the right motioned to the other two, “the Masters of this temple.”
“When I broke my bonds of slavery I swore to never bow to another person.” Talis never turned his gaze away from the man in the center. “I do not plan on breaking that oath.”
“If you do not supplicate.” The figure on the right was silenced by a fourth being who had emerged from the temple behind him. A weathered old man meandered up next to the man in the center. His aura was blinding but soft. Talis relaxed a bit upon seeing him. He had no clue who the man was but he felt that he could trust him. The old man didn't say anything he just waved the young man forward. The collective feelings of awe and confusion swirled around those in attendance. The Odanite followed the old man into the temple.
They walked for some time before coming out into a cave. Creeper vines clung to the walls and a small spring sat in the center. It fed into a small creek that dug its way out of the cave through one of its walls. A stone tablet was set into the wall across from the entrance. On it was engraved the emblem of the Luka Sene. Instead of just being stone the two moons were large gems. Both about the size of a mans chest and perfectly round and smooth. One was red and black swirling together, representing Bogan. The other was a opalescent white with no other colors, representing Ashla. On the floor sat two pillows a few feet apart. The Old man took the seat under the Bogan stone and motioned for the Jedi to sit under the Ashla stone.
The two sat in silence staring at one another. The old man broke the silence when he reached into his cloak. This caused the wary visitor to rest his hand on his lightsaber hilt. The man pulled out a bag and pulled some rock candy out and tossed it into his mouth. He smiled at the tense warrior sitting across from him before reaching out and offering him some. Talis reached forward and took a few and tossed one in his mouth. They were surprisingly delicious for something so simple.
“Miralukan are a lot like these candies. Not always inviting to the eye but once you try them you fall in love.” The old man's voice was soft like a pillow but stern with wisdom. “I am sure you have many questions. Feel free to ask all of them.”
“Okay.” Talis eyed the old man. “After Pravus took over the brotherhood I heard they bombarded the planet of Alpheridies and slaughtered the survivors. If that is true, then how are you all here?”
“This temple has been here as an enclave for centuries. It was only known of within the upper leadership of the Luka Sene. We sent out an invitation to all of the survivors.” The old man demeanor changed to sadness. “We were not quick enough to get to them all. Our Luka Seekers were sent out and brought in who they could find and freed others that were in slavery. Every soul counted. Our race is on the verge of extinction.”
“So the Luka Sene have been pretty active across the galaxy?”
“Yes. We have Miralukans from all over the galaxy here from all walks of life.” The old man paused and smiled. “Sablis was a Jedi like you. She never completed her training but she has been an immeasurable help to us here at the temple.”
“Why isn't Sablis a member of the Luka Sene?” The Odanite leveled his gaze at the man.
“Well,” the old seer sighed, “those who are not strong enough in the force to avoid the temptation of the darkside have their force sensitivity suppressed for their own good.”
“For their own good?” the Jedi's tone darkened, “and how exactly do you make that decision.”
“We don't, she made it for herself.”
“Fair enough.” Talis ate another one of the rock candies and mulled over the answer a little. “Why have you not attempted to contact the Jedi order. Clan Odan Urr could use your help. We are still in this fight.”
“And you may be.” The old man crunched down another candy. “But we are not.”
“I saw your city. There are at least a thousand strong fighters here.”
“What you saw where men and woman who fled here from the persecution of the Grand Master of the Order your Clan followed.” The old man's gaze stabbed through the younger man. “They would not fight for or with you. They wish to be left alone.”
“I.” Talis stopped and thought about it. “Thats fair.”
“Any other questions?” the Grand Master's cheery tone returned.
“I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I stayed around and learned more about my people.”
“Ah an inquisitive sort, are we?”
“I have just never been around my own kind. There are other Miralukans among the Jedi but they don't really know that much either. I would like to learn more about the Luka Sene and the Ashla and Bogan if you would give me leave to study.”
“You are welcome to learn as much as you would like. We would have to find a place for you to stay.”
“I have my ship and its comfortable and will keep my up to date with the Jedi and the current war effort.”
“That works, makes my day easier, keeps me from having to talk to much to those wet blankets.”
“Wet blankets?”
“The three masters.” The old man offered Talis another candy but he politely refused. “Suit yourself, and do not worry. They are not mentors. Think of them as the deans, they are more a political group of pains in my joints.” The two shared a hearty laugh before Talis made his way back to his ship.
It wasn't until he returned to the ship that the realization of what he had found hit him. He would have to buy his contact a couple rounds after this.
The Odanite made his way to his comm and sent a message to Junazee. He kept his real meaning to himself but sent her the coordinates hidden among the Garza Cipher that their unit used.