Saga States of Mind (O/Cs, Angst, In Response to Fic-Writing Challenge -- COMPLETED 5/28)

Ardinel Praise stepped into the brightly lit room, surveying the crowd.

Beings of all sizes and types mulled about, sampling cheeses from trays carried by droids. Small sections of wall divided the room, a picture hanging on both sides of each.

The place was called Sewest?nis, an establishment named in the native tongue of the owner, the young Nevsian woman Dirre Thunders. The place was an art gallery, and, tonight, was hosting an opening for many artists as Sliva, Dirre?s younger sister, made her society debut as a hostess.

Arden, as he was known to his friends, squeezed between a few groups. He walked a wide arc to the right around the crowd of Bothans exchanging friendly banter, waved to an Eloquerian who shot him a friendly look of greeting from across the room, and ended up against the table holding refreshments. He picked up a glass.

Holding it in the light, the blue glass reflected beautifully. The stemware, a large wine goblet that shone just enough to catch the eye from any direction, cast a blue shade over his face as he stared up into it.

Nearly identical to the glass he had seen on Tatooine.

*****

Arden squinted under the Tatooinian sun. On the outskirts of Mos Espa, he had set foot on the sandy ball of rock more than an hour ago, and still had not been able to find where he was supposed to be. He had been told that he had to go to Mos Eisley, a name he knew from the Council?s briefing of his mission, but he had no idea which way he would have to go to get there and had, as of yet, not found anyone willing to take him.

A rickshaw drove by, and Arden could have sworn the male passenger looked like the Skywalker boy everyone called ?The Chosen One,? but that was impossible. He was with the Nubian Senator, trying to protect her from another assassination attempt.

Great. Now the heat was playing tricks with his eyes.

He ducked into a cantina, and ordered? he couldn?t remember what. It had to be something fairly tame. The only thing that would be worse than being lost in the sweltering heat would be being lost in the sweltering heat buzzed from the choice of beverage.

The dug wiping glasses behind the bar had pushed a glass goblet toward him. The glass was well-made, typical of Tatooine. It seemed natural to Arden that a planet covered in sand would make good glass. The cup itself, though, was remarkable in its hazy grey-blue color, somehow at once smoky and completely transparent. He held the blue glass up to the light before drinking its contents.

Finally, he caught the Dug?s attention. ?Hey, can I ask you a question??

?Yeah, what?? asked the Dug, plopping his feet on the counter and leaning against them.

?How do I get to Mos Eisley from here??

The Dug began rambling, partly in Basic and partly in Huttese, describing the directions. Eventually, he came to his conclusion. ?The best way would probably be to rent a speeder. I?d try next door for that.?

?Hey, thank you.? Arden took a final drink from the cup. ?And who makes this glass??

The Dug looked back over. ?Why??

?Well, I might want to buy a set. My master collects glasses, and this is really nice.?

The Dug grabbed the glass and turned it over, looking at the seal on the bottom. ?It looks like? yeah. Dawnsailer Glassware. They?re in Mos Eisley.?

?Thanks,? Arden said as he laid down a credit chit.

?No, no daktari,? the Dug said.

Arden rolled his eyes, but had been prepared. He pulled out some wupiupi from his pocket and placed it on the bar.

?Have a good trip,? the Dug told him.

*****

Arden turned the glass over, finding the label ?Dawnsailer Glassware.?

He gave a half-hearted smile as he began filling the glass with punch. He took a little taste. It was sweet, probably made with Blue Ardeberry wine from the vineyards on the planet Arden. It also packed a bit of a punch; he noticed the open bottle of Kameer hrakna, a potent liquor. He thought maybe he also tasted some other tangy fruit; it was as if someone had put a shuura teabag in the punch.

?Quite good,? he said a

 

Arden stood before two pictures. One was a watercolor that showed a royal coronation ceremony, the other was an animated holophoto showing a peko peko as it descended on the water.

?That?s a nice display, isn?t it?? said a voice behind him

Arden turned around, nearly running in to a man he had known, years and years ago. ?Fallon Anasazi??

?How are you, Arden.?

?I?m doing well, how about you??

?Good, good,? Fallon said. He pointed to the watercolor. ?You like The Coronation of Jinnayah? It?s one of my favorites. I like the way all but the red in her royal makeup is done in blue and green tones. And the fact that it?s a watercolor? it?s so perfectly Naboo. Can you tell what that is, though?? He pointed to a mark on the queen?s forehead.

?It?s a pendant,? Arden replied. ?A flame. She was called the Flame of her people.?

?It?s a good complement to this picture, too,? Fallon said. ?You know, this was mass-produced, but this is the only one that can be viewed. All the others are actually in evidence lock-up in a Republic Guardsman investigation. This one is actually owned by a Guardsman. He?s here tonight, too. Tygon Jinnus. I?ll see if I can find him.?

?So, Fallon, do you ever hear from the others?? Anasazi and Arden had once been in a training group, back when they were padawans. The padawans had formed a special group, to say the least.

?Well, Atana, Atrus, and Jason are still working with an order like ours. Get this; they?re working with Nekia?s granddaughter.?

?Wow.?

Fallon looked at the other side of the partition. ?You like the nature photography? There?s another one over here.?

Arden rounded the other side, finding a panoramic holo of a herd of banthas.

*****

A herd of banthas kicked up sand as Arden disengaged the speeder after the day?s trip. He looked up, seeing Mos Eisley for the first time.

He had been sent to resolve a dispute. Apparently, a hutt by the name of Baddana had challenged the territorial limits of the space presided over by Jabba and Gardulla, and the latter had asked for outside mediation.

Being outside the proper Republic, only one Jedi had been sent.

As he walked into the city, he spotted a small shop inside one of the sand-covered structured. The sign outside read ?Dawnsailer Glassware.?

Stepping inside, he found a display of the blue stemware.

?How much for a set of these?? he asked, seeing a pale purple Twi?lek behind the counter.

?How many would you like?? she asked.

?A set of four??

?Do you have wupiupi??

?Yes, ma?am.?

?Two hundred six, then. That?s about sixty-four daktari.?

Arden pulled a few daktari from his pocket, then took a moment to survey the store. It was cool and clean, compared to the rest of the planet. The walls were painted, the floor carpeted, and the counter made of the same glass as the cups.

?My master collects glasses. She?ll love these.?

?Really?? the Twi?lek was just making idle conversation, but Arden didn?t mind. ?What?s her name??

?Sondara Ealocin.?

The Twi?lek looked up. ?Ah, really? Yes, she?s got quite a name for herself at our Coruscant outlet. Lucky her, she?ll get out newest stemware a month before we release them to the Core Worlds.?

?Well, thank you, very much,? Arden said.

?Shall I wrap them for you??

?That would be lovely, thanks.?

As the Twi?lek turned around, Arden stared at the flowers on the counter. Nubian bloodroses, from the looks of them, though faded to the point that they were a lovely cream color.

*****

Arden turned away from another vase of cream-colored bloodroses, finding a tank of fishlike creatures. Fallon was behind him, looking again at The Coronation of Jinnayah.

He heard a commotion. The hostess was about to make her entrance.

He took the opportunity to freshen his drink.

TBC

 

Dirre and Sliva Thunders walked through the door. The Nevsians were tall, shapely humanoids, each with six small wings in three pairs down the center of the back. Each strand of their dark hair had a small blonde band, forming a golden ring, of sorts, around each head.

They were dressed in shimmering, silky, yellow dresses, and, like tiny capes, wore orange bandanas draped over their backs, held in place by necklace chains. The bandanas were very yellow, with just enough red to contrast against the dresses. Nevsian hostesses typically wore brightly colored bandanas. That was the way with Nevsians. Everyone had to notice the hostess.

?Mr. Praise, so delightful that you could make it,? Dirre said as she and Sliva approached the refreshment table.

?Thank you for inviting me, Ms. Thunders.?

?Have you enjoyed the view??

?Oh, very much. That Naboo wall in particular.?

?You know, the owner of Peko Peko Descending On Water is with us tonight. Here, I must introduce you to Tygon Jinnus, Republic Guardsman.?

As the two Nevsian women moved on, Arden shook hands with the older man, who stood tall in his uniform. ?It?s nice to meet you, Jedi Praise.?

?And you, Guardsman Jinnus.?

?Have you seen this piece here?? the Guardsman asked, making conversation.

Arden took a look at the piece, called Fire of the Jaded Angels. It showed the planet Ila-Tac, probably the capital city, looking through the buildings at the water lapping at the pebbled sea shore. A brilliant aurora shone over the city, on a video replay so the colors kept shifting, back and forth. As Arden leaned over for a closer look, the picture began playing a sound: a clock tower. Maybe the chimes of the planet Intiraph?

?Wow. It gives such a sense of loneliness.?

?Really?? Jinnus asked. ?I thought so too, but you?re the only other person who?s picked up on that tonight.?

Arden took a sip of his drink. ?Well, maybe it just depends on your state of mind.?

Jinnus took a sip of his. ?I suppose so.?

As the chimes continued playing, Arden shot a look back over at the hostesses. They were, as usual at events on Coruscant, explaining the orange bandanas.

*****

Sweat ran down Arden?s face; he certainly wasn?t used to the midday heat of the twin suns. It was no wonder this place was a scorched desert.

Pulling a handkerchief ? or was it a bandana? ? from his pocket, he wiped his face off, then stuffed the fabric back into his robe.

It was the third day on Tatooine, and well past time to meet with the Hutts.

He stood outside one of the many public venues of Mos Eisley. The Hutts had rented a grand conference room for the arbitration.

As he paused to open the door, he heard his commlink buzzing. It was a message from Coruscant, using the familiar ?Old Folks Home? designation.

It was probably the Council, asking why it was taking so long.

He dropped the commlink back in his pocket and continued inside.

*****

Jinnus had walked right past his own Peko Peko Descending On Water, and was now looking at the banthas.

?Loneliness, huh?? Arden said to himself. ?I suppose it does depend on the state of mind.?

TBC

 

?Now, see, this is something,? Arden heard Tygon Jinnus say.

He looked over, to see a large collage. ?What is it??

Jinnus smiled. ?A tribute. It?s nice to see some people will never be forgotten.?

Arden looked over. The collage was plastered together, news clippings, tiny embedded screens displaying datapad news headlines, video holos projecting across. From the looks of it, it was a celebration of a troublemaker, for sure, though a fairly famous one. From the headlines, he could tell it was a woman, a small woman, one who beat up on a lot of people. A Jedi?

?Nadja Moranna,? he said to himself, recalling the stories he had heard about her.

?It?s the sort of thing she would have liked, too,? Jinnus said.

?What makes you say that?? Arden asked, curious now.

?Well, look at it. Does anything? stand out to you??

?Like what??

Jinnus moved to one side. ?Its shape. It is sort of reminiscent of her, uh, most prominent feature, if I may be allowed to point that out.?

Arden looked around to the side. The plaster had been applied to a shape, that was for sure. The shape was more like two shapes, side by side, both round, sticking outwards. It looked almost like?

As Arden?s jaw dropped, Jinnus chuckled to himself.

Arden noticed that Jinnus was fidgeting, playing absentmindedly with his pocket-sized vibroblade. He looked back at the collage, seeing a large photo of Clyon Tower, the great stone on Alderaan that stood in memorial to Moranna.

He looked back over at the vibroblade.

*****

When the weapon had come out at the meeting, Arden must have winced noticeably. Thanking the Force that no one had decided to try this yesterday, he ignited his lightsaber.

As the blue blade hovered in the air, the Twi?lek deactivated the vibroblade and took his place behind Jabba.

?Mr. Fortuna, may I remind you that this is to be a civil arbitration??

The pale pink Twi?lek sighed as Jabba shot him a look, muttering something in quick Huttese.

The meeting, up until the point that Barddana made an ugly reference to Jabba?s mother, had gone smoothly. For a moment, he began to wonder why a Jedi was needed at all.

Then Bib Fortuna had taken initiative for Jabba and pulled the weapon.

All in all, it was over quickly. The incident with the vibroblade had passed, and it seemed to Arden that the whole trip could have been resolved had a Jedi officiated by videolink from Coruscant.

At least, though, he had the lovely advance-model glasses for Sondara.

His commlink buzzed again. He saw the code. He ignored it again, hoping just to finish the meeting and be on his way back before giving a report.

*****

?I?m sorry, what?? Arden suddenly was aware that Jinnus had said something.

?I said I?d love to be left a memorial like this.?

?Yeah, it would be nice.?

?I?ve got a pretty good collection of stories, too,? he said, ?though nothing compared to Miss Moranna here.?

?Well, I think everyone?s entitled to some celebration. We all need something to remember our loved ones by.?

?Nicely put,? Jinnus said, walking off to freshen his drink.

Arden squinted at one holophoto, showing Miss Moranna after breaking up an illegal fight club.

That couldn?t be?

It was Tygon Jinnus, staring back at him in the picture.

Arden nearly laughed, trying to imagine that scene.

He raised his glass before the collage, then took another sip.

TBC

 

Arden walked down the hall between the partitions, works of art surrounding him, though, honestly, he couldn?t understand most of them. A misshapen pair of hydrospanners seemed to pass for art now.

Some of the other works, though, were quite good. There was one rather elaborate track that led blobs of plasma, the kind used in racing in the outer rim only smaller, around a holographic landscape. Even if it didn?t make the same sort of statement as some of the others, at least it was more fun to look at that the stupid hydrospanners.

He found himself in front of a painting formatted for holoprojection. It was a close-up portrait of a woman in a Jedi robe, one with flowing, long, red-blonde hair. She looked quite a bit like Sondara Ealocin.

Arden raised his glass, as he had done in front of Moranna?s collage, then took another sip of the drink. He stared at the picture, then into the blue glass.

*****

As the ship took off from the outskirts of Mos Espa, Arden stared out the windows, watching the dust as it was stirred up around him. He held blue stemware in his hand, taken from the small box he had bought.

His commlink buzzed.

He pulled it out of his pocket, and saw ?The Old Folks? Home? scrolling across the data screen.

?Hello, Masters??

?Knight Praise, where have you been?? came the voice of Mace Windu.

?I?m sorry, Master Windu. I was in the middle of the Barddana and Jabba litigation. What?s going on??

?We meant to tell you earlier. We?ve just returned from a planet called Geonosis. We had hoped you could join us.?

?Geonosis??

?I?m afraid things took an awful turn. We?ll have to brief you upon your return. We?re at war with the Seperatists now.?

?War??

?And there?s more bad news.?

Arden set the glass back down in the box. ?What is it, Master??

?I realize it has been a while since you worked with her, but you do still keep in contact with your old Mistress, don?t you??

?Yes??

?I?m afraid she didn?t survive the first battle.?

Arden dropped the commlink. He heard it clatter on the floor.

How long had they been trying to get in touch with him? Since before the battle. He looked at the ship?s computer and found Geonosis; it was less than a parsec from Tatooine.

He could have gotten there. He could have been there before everything happened. But he didn?t answer the blasted commlink!!

He threw the box of glasses on the floor, seeing the two on the bottom shatter into millions of tiny pieces, blue glass sliding all over the floor. The two on top cracked, falling out of the box into the mess of shards.

He kicked one of the two, hard. It went flying against the wall, breaking into thousands more pieces. It sparked as it broke, nearly catching the ship on fire.

Arden slumped down against the opposite wall, throwing the commlink against the wall where the shards were accumulating. It burst into a dozen melting pieces.

*****

Arden found himself in front of a painting of the blue stemware. It was done in watercolor, seemingly lit by lightning.

Standing next to him was a Kameer, one of the small rodent-like beings from the planet Kecyrk. He spoke with a speech impediment as he looked up at the same stemware painting. ?It?sch lovely, ischn?t it??

?Quite.?

?Do you know who the artischt is? It?d be the perfect cover art for my novel.?

?You wrote a novel??

?Watching Ana Gilenya. My firscht.? The tiny creature smiled. ?My name?s Hailin Anglotov.? He pronounced his name carefully, sounding out ?Hailin? like the first part of ?Highlander.?

?Ardinel Praise,? Arden replied. ?And I?m sure it wouldn?t be too hard to figure out the artist?s name.? He looked at the card that displayed the painting?s label.

The Glass Storm
Fallon Anasazi

?I suppose that figures,? Arden said to himself, finally smiling. He pointed to Fallon?s head across the room. ?That?s the artist, right over there.?

?Really? Thanksch.?

?Don?t mention it.?

Arden turned back around to face The Glass Storm again.

?I don?t get it,? he heard