Trek to Theed

Have you ever gone into a city and were just awe struck? Theed is such a place. Old regal buildings, wide avenues, large open areas, all the amenities that a large city should have, but without having the sterile look and feel that a city like Coronet on Corellia has.
When you walk out of the Starport in Theed, on Naboo, you can’t help but gawk, it’s that beautiful to look upon. A wide-open square with a large fountain located smack dab in the middle. Buildings surround the square, large hotels, bridges on the perimeter to take you across the many free flowing rivers. Many people set up areas to barter and trade goods here, Sentient species of great diversity can be found offering their skills and training at reasonable prices.
I stood in front of the starport, remembering. A lot has been coming back to me over the last several days since leaving the hospital in Coronet. When I left my house in Eden’s Grief, I had decided to walk rather then take a shuttle or my swoop into Theed. I figured the time spent just making the trek would help me to assimilate what I have found in my house.
It was on this walk that I discovered a few things. One, just because you have an assortment of weapons, doesn’t mean you know how to use them, and two, make sure you know how to take care of yourself when you find out about number one.
I had crested a low hill, and was making my way across a small ravine, when out of the brush jumped a Shaupaut. These things look like a cross between a monkey and bear, and will try to sample anything that wanders into their area.
I staggered back just in time to keep from taking a swipe of its clawed paw to my head. I frantically back crawled up the side of the ravine kicking with my boots as it tried to gain purchase on my legs. One kick landed square on its snout, sending it tumbling back to the bottom, giving me a chance to gather myself up and reach the top.
Adrenalin pumping, I looked around for anything that I could use to defend myself. I found a stout branch and prepared to take on this creature dropping to a defensive stance. It was then that I remembered the rifles in my pack. Hastily I pulled one of the rifles from it. A wicked looking weapon, it was also very complicated. I fumbled with it trying to work its safety interlocks and couldn’t get it to work. By this time the Shaupaut had managed to extricate itself from the bottom of the ravine and was doing its best to climb up to where I stood.
I threw the first rifle at the dang thing and pulled a second rifle from the pack. I was really starting to get a bit apprehensive by this time, for the shaupaut was almost upon me. I raised the rifle and pulled the trigger, “click”, nothing happened. I glanced at the LED reading for the power pack, it indicated full. “Click” still nothing!! “What the Kark!!” I had just enough time to shove the barrel of the rifle into its belly, making it double over.
Throwing this rifle also at the shuapaut, I backed stepped more and pulled one last weapon from the pack, this time when I pulled the trigger it bucked! I missed it by no less then 10 meters! And the next four shots I managed to get off, faired no better! “Uh oh!” was the only thought I had time for before the blasted thing was upon me.
It plowed into me at full stride, knocking the wind out of me and sending me flat on my back. Before I could recover it was all over me, snarling and nipping at my hands and arms. I fought as hard as I could, but I knew this was a fight I wasn’t going to win, so I did what I think most would do given the situation, I played dead.
It’s a good thing that shaupauts have a short attention span, for it wasn’t long with me just lying there that it lost interest and wondered off back into the brush. When I was sure it was gone, I sat up and took a look at my wounds. I found nothing to serious, just some nasty bite marks and a few cuts and scrapes I received form the tussle.
I remembered seeing a self deploying camp kit in my pack, but for some reason I couldn’t make the dang thing work. Some hunter or markswoman I turned out to be. I felt that maybe the vision I had back at my house meant something, but after my performance in the face of an actual fight, I was pitiful.
I found some bacta patches in my pack and went about applying these to my wounds. As I was doing this my thoughts drifted to what had happened. When the shaupaut first surprised me, I didn’t feel scared. I had instinctively gone into a defensive stance, and sought to defend myself. When I remembered I had some weapons in my pack, it was like I knew what to do, just that I couldn’t get it done. Then as I finally found a rifle that worked I couldn’t hit the karking thing! But I knew I could! I just seemed blocked in my mind and couldn’t get my hand and eyes to follow suit.
I promised myself, that when I got to Theed, I would seek out a person skilled in the art of weaponry and see if they could help me to defend myself. I also thought I better find someone that could reacquaint me with camping.
Feeling a little better, medication applied, I again started to the city, but this time I had re-programmed my data pad to alert me to anyone or thing within a 128 meter circle of myself. I wouldn’t be caught off guard again.

My House (Part Two)

I wandered around the main room, examining the different knick-knacks arraigned on the bookcases and tables. My word! There was a lot of stuff here. Holo-cubes, Death Star fragments, decoders, strange colored crystals, and numerous others odds and ends.
I eventually made my way up the Grand staircase and found my bedroom. It was at the top of the stairs to the left. I had gone right first, and had been led through a small room, like an alcove to the roof. I found nothing here except another spectacular view of EG and the hills beyond.
My room was actually sparsely furnished. There was a bed, dresser, bureau, small table, and a few plants and flowers. I looked in the bureau and dresser, but all I found were more clothes and knick-knacks. I sat on the bed with a sigh. I had hoped I would have found something, anything, which would have given me direct evidence to my past, but I feared that I was not going to find it here.
I had gone through most of the house by this time. There were still a down stairs to look at, but by this time, I was not really into finding more disappointment, as I already had. “OK” I thought one quick look. What did I have to lose? If I found more of the same I didn’t know what I was going to do, but at least I could say that I had at least tried.
I found two rooms in the lower part of the house off a long hallway. I peeked in the first and the room was empty. In the second room I found crate upon crate of supplies. Hides, meat, bone, med packs, pure water, metals of many different kinds. “Great” just one more room with more of the same. With another sigh, I started to head back out when a small satchel caught my eye. “Hmmm what have we here?” I took up the small bag and opened it. Inside was a data disk. I remembered having seen a reader in the main room on one of the bookshelves.
I ran back upstairs and finding the reader inserted the disk. Nothing! My spirits sank. Oh hell, Duh Ebe! I flipped the power switch to the on position and the small screen stated to glow. Finally after an unbearable pause the words “Disk ready” were displayed. I opened the disk directory and found only two entries. The first appeared to be a note to myself, about asking someone named Veki about the force, and that we were to meet in the Theed cantina. It was dated several months ago. This was the second time I had seen this name. The first time was on the entry list to my house. “Who the kark is Veki?” I thought.
The second one went on about a botched mission to recover a lost treasure on Tatoonie in its northern sector. Holy bantha droppings!! The northern sector of Tat was a place I remember to avoid as it was crawling with Dragons, Kryat Dragons. Just the thought that I may have been up there sent chills down my spine.
Both entries were very interesting, but it was the first I felt I needed to investigate. First, Veki’s name has come up twice; Second, I knew where the cantina was in Theed. Getting to it wouldn’t be a problem. What I hoped to find there I didn’t know.

Eden’s Grief, My House (Part One)

Lights began to flicker on, moments after I crossed the threshold of the door. The house had that musty smell they tend to get from having stood unoccupied for a long time. I stood at the base of two stairways that ran upwards to both my right and left. The light at the top of the right stair seemed a bit brighter then the one to the left, so to the right I went.
At the top of the stairs I found a structure maintenance terminal, a large room to the left and a doorway leading to the right. A quick look through the door to on my right revealed a passage that led to the balcony I first saw while standing outside. The room to the left looked to be empty, but on further investigation I noticed some containers tucked neatly in a corner labeled meeting room furniture. I found this strange, only because it made me wonder. Was I unpacking or packing? Or for that matter had someone else been in here doing one or the other for me?
I went back to the maintenance terminal. I was able to access it without problems, and found out a couple of things. There were a couple of names held within, though somewhat familiar, didn’t set off any alarms in my mind. I read once more through the list and committed them to memory. I checked the few other functions I could, like maintenance fees, and found that I was paid up in advance for months.
I went back through the door to the balcony and was stunned by the view. I could see most of EG from here, but it was the view of the surrounding countryside that really took my breath away. I could understand why I must have chosen this location to call my oasis. It was that beautiful.
On the far end of the balcony was another door leading back into my house. Once through this door I went through a small hall and down a short stair, stopping at an intersection, where the hall continued forward to another stair leading further down, a stair to my right leading to the entryway, and a door also to my right. In this part of the house I found several packs lined up along the wall.
I went through the packs one by one, and found things like furniture, clothing, and weapons…lots and lots of weapons. Why in the name of Hydens Way would I need so many weapons? I did find some power packs that could be used in my comm. unit and stuffed those into my belt. I still wondered whether I was in the process of coming or going.
The room on the right was what appeared to be the main room. I say this because it was the largest I had found so far, and the fact that it was full of artifacts. Bookcases lined the walls. More weapons hung around the perimeter. There were small sculptures, and a couple of large statues. Pictures hung on the walls and rugs adorned the floor. Potted trees and plants were placed about the room. It was a large rug placed right in the center of this room that caught my eye, for it was a rug embossed with the Imperial emblem.
A vague remembrance stirred within me as I stared at this rug. I could see myself in uniform, as a recruit in the Imperial Army, firing a rifle on a range with others. I saw myself standing next to a TIE fighter, a broad grin on my face. Flashes of faces came and went. I saw myself preparing, lying flat on my belly gathering information, helping others apply camouflage, and giving orders. I was comfortable with this. I knew without a doubt then that I was indeed a soldier, but the question remained, why hadn’t I been contacted? Had I been on a mission for the army at the time I was injured on Dath? Why is it that no one had sought me out after all this time? These were definite question I had to find the answers too, if I were to regain my past. Hopefully I would get some answers as I continued with my search of my house.
A grand staircase led from the center of this room upwards and branched off to the left and right. At the top of the stair stood one of the large statues. I slowly turned a circle surveying the room. One corner was a sitting area, with a couple of chairs, a couch, and small table. In another corner were holograms of some ships, armor segments hung like plaques and a Master Hunter trophy skull. The more I took in of this room, the more a feeling of recognition formed in my mind.
I went over to the trophy, and placed a hand on it. A picture of traveling the galaxy, hunting game came to me, a vision of people seeking me out, of me standing on a hill, a rifle in my hands, overlooking a group that were hunting Fambaas. Beside me stood a man, a man that was flanked by a couple of big hunting cats. We were both smiling as we watch the hunt going on below us. Suddenly the darkest blue eyes imaginable consumed my vision. I hastily pulled my hand back and the memory vanished. When I reached out and touched the skull again, I felt nothing, just cold hard bone.
I found that I was breathing hard. The vision had been very powerful, and it took a minute to settle down and regain my composure. I looked around me, at the skull, the voritor segments hanging on the wall, all the different weapons on display. Was this who I was? Was I a soldier in the Imperial army and some type hunter of big game? I remembered the rifles I had in my pack when I back on Corellia. I hadn’t at that time given them much thought. Maybe I was once a hunter. That would explain a few things I found in my pack, the traps and chits for hide and such, but what of my involvement with the Army? I will have to explore this a little further after I see if there’s anymore I could find here in my house.

Theed to Eden (Part Two)

Green!! Surrounded by green grass and multi-colored flowers. I stood on the steps of the shuttle port, surveying my surroundings. Small rolling knolls and beautiful brick houses and building lay before me. The air clean and fresh, puffy clouds drifted lazily across the mid day sky. The city of Eden’s Grief took my breath away…yet, something wasn’t right. It took me a moment, but I finally saw what it was. For all the buildings and small vendor shops and tents that were here, there wasn’t a soul to be seen. EG appeared in my eyes as a pristine ghost town. Again I pulled my data pad out and consulted the city map. A blinking curser with an arrow gave me a direction to Ebe’s Oasis.
Walking in the general direction the arrow indicated, I marveled at the beauty of EG. I couldn’t understand why it was so deserted? Where was everyone? I felt that EG was once a bustling metropolis, and as I walked, images crept into my mind of people gathered around each other laughing and joking, of businesses thriving, of many people coming from all over wanting to be here, so what happened?
I stopped next to a gazebo style structure in what appeared to be the middle of town. Directly in front of me stood a very large and imposing building. The plaque attached to the building read “Eden’s Grief City Hall”. Staring at the building, a very powerful feeling came over me. No, that’s not right, very powerful feelings! Came over me. I felt Love, sorrow, joy, anger, and a host of others. I knew this place! I had spent many a day right here on this spot. Vague memories of people that were important to me came to mind. Blue eyes…blue eyes? Now where did that come from?
Excitement and anxiety filled me. I wasn’t far from the waypoint now and started up the avenue toward its indicated direction. I walked past a med center, and between two large buildings. Both were on opposite sides of the street from each other. They were labeled as Guild Halls for groups called Babes, and EGO. Just past the Babes Guild hall I saw it, a big beautiful brick and stone house. I stood facing this two-story house, with a balcony and large archway in front; I was standing next to a fountain that was placed right in front of it. I glanced at my waypoint indicator and confirmed that this was the place.
Again, the feelings that had hit me when I first stood in front of EG’s city hall, pounded at me. I rushed up the steps to the house, and the door slid open automatically, revealing a darkened interior hall. I stopped at the door. I knew this was my house, I knew that inside lay parts of my past, maybe clues or the answer as to why I was on Dathomier, yet I was hesitant to just enter. The greater part of my mind screamed to go inside, find out who I was, but a small area whispered, “You don’t want to know”.
Ultimately, the need to know buried the fear, and I entered.

Naboo, Theed to Eden (Part One)

Rain could be heard pelting the hull just before the shuttle jolted upon setting down at the starport. As the few people that had made the trip from Corellia gathered up their belongings and made their way towards the debark ramp at the front of the shuttle, I remained in my seat, eyes closed, trying to relax, thinking. Eden’s Grief definitely held a strong meaning to me, and seeing a waypoint in my data pad with my name on it filled me with an almost irresistible urge to run, not walk to this place. I knew this was the wrong thing to do; I needed to work out a plan, organize my thoughts, before jumping into action.
I had no idea what I would be running into, or for that matter who I would be running into, not with what I already knew of possible connections to the Imperial army! What of the weapons I carry? I found several different types of Rifles in my belongings, why would I need to have these? No, running blindly off into the wilderness of Naboo would not be the wisest course to take.
My musing was interrupted by one of the shuttles crewmembers. “Ma’am? You’re going to have to move along, we have a very tight schedule and you’re about to hold us up” I let out a deep breath, opened my eyes and gave the crewmember a warm smile. I gathered up my pack and made my way out.
The rain was coming down in torrents! So hard in fact, that I could barely make out anything past the entrance to the starport, from the ship ramp. Pulling my cloak tightly around myself I made my way toward the interior, from the docking berth. Inside I was surprised to find the starport almost deserted. “strange” I thought. Surely a place like Theed Naboo would be bustling with all walks of people, but on this day there were but a few sentient and humans waiting or wandering around the lobby. I went to a ticket machine and punched up planetary shuttle ports, and there it was Eden’s Grief! “Hmmmm, ok, only 2.6km from Theed” thinking that I could hike that far if I needed too. I accessed my data pad, and checked my current credit amount. “Whew” I had plenty (smile). I purchased a round trip ticket to Eden, and then headed back the way I came to wait for the next shuttle.

Into a New Old Galaxy

The next two days were taken up with nurses and doctors coming and going checking my health, ensuring that I was fit to go. Finally I was cleared as fit as a person could be, and directed to where my belongings could be picked up. I wasn’t able to get much more information from the Sullistan doctor other then I had been in the hospital for over three months, and what he had already told me of the miner. His only suggestion was that maybe in my belongings I could find some things that might jog my memory.
I was escorted to the locker room where they were holding my personal belongings by an intern, and unceremoniously handed a backpack and the clothes I had been wearing when I was found. I thanked the intern and made my way out of the med center.
I was almost blinded by the sun, upon walking out of the hospital, it was so bright after having spent so much time under the artificial lights of the med center, but the air was sweet and I filled my lungs full of it. “OK” I thought to my self, “where am I?” I looked around me and saw nothing but buildings. Some tall, others squat, almost like barracks. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath and headed off in the direction my feet were pointing at that moment.
I found a nice quiet park square not far from the med center I had just left. I located a secluded bench and sat down, my pack set in front of me. “Well Ebe, lets see if we can figure out a few things about our self” I thought, as I opened my pack.
I turned it up on end, and dumped the contents on the ground. Lying in front of me was a whole assortment of stuff. I had chits for hides, meat, and bone, stim packs, preserved foods, some changes of clothes, armor, some traps and some very mean looking weapons. I also found two of the most important Items held within my pack, a comm. unit and a data pad. The rest I would get back to later.
I examined the comm.; “blast!” it was going to need a new power pack before I would be able to access it for information. I set it aside and picked up the data pad.
Pushing the on button it slowly glowed to life. “Hello Ebe” it said in soft luminescent letters, “Please select a function you wish to access”. Under these words were several functions I could choose. “Galactic Map (Reference Only), Planetary Map, Stored Planetary Way Points, Personal Inventory, Personal Message Center”. I selected the function “Planetary map”; a large-scale map of a planet replaced the previous screen. Up in the left hand corner was the planets name “Cororellia” and down in the lower part of the map pulsed a small blue triangle with the words “Coronet” next to it. There was a symbol overlaid on top of the triangle that basically meant, “You are here”.
So I was in Coronet, on Cororellia, a planet located within the inner rim of the galaxy, and a very far distance from Dathomire. I assumed I was brought here for the medical facilities, as Dath is a rather primitive planet.
I next checked the “Personal Message Center” function, but received the message “File corrupt”, “Double blast!!” so much for getting anything useful from here. I had hoped that there might have been names or notes or something that would help me. I will see if I can locate someone that might be able to access it.
I scrolled through “Personal Inventory” and was really surprised at what I found. I had quite a bit of stuff squirreled away! I found my credit account and saw that I had plenty of credits. This was good, as I had no idea what I could do to earn a living. I also found that I owned two hyper-drive capable ships, one being a Surrosub Personal ship, and the other surprisingly was an Imperial Advanced TIE Fighter. Both were docked on a planet called Naboo. “A TIE fighter? What the Kark! What was I into before the accident?”
I checked the “Planetary Way Points” next, and found plenty. The one’s shown for Coroellia mostly appeared to be either POI’s or merchant locations. It was the list for Naboo that really got my attention. There must have been over thirty! But the one that got my heart racing was the one for a city named Eden’s Grief, for here was a WP called “Ebe’s Oasis!” To say I was excited would have been an understatement! Just the name of the city where this oasis was located brought on feelings of familiarity. I knew this was where I had to go to start my journey to finding myself.
Gathering up all my stuff and putting it back into my pack, then consulting my data pad for a city map, I headed off in the direction of the nearest shuttle port.

Awakening (Starting Over)

“What? What happened?” I awoke in a fog. I was lying in a bed, facing a door that lead to a hallway. People were scurrying back and forth past the door, obviously in a hurry.
As my eyes slowly came into focus, I started to look around the room in which I lay. Apparatus of undetermined use were arraigned all around the room and the bed I was in. One near the bed had small tubes running from it right to my arm, slowly dripping a fluid. “I’m in a med center!” the sudden realization as to where I was jolted me from my haze.
“OK” I thought, “How the heck did you end up here?” As I was trying to fathom out how I had ended up in a med center, a Sullistan dressed in a smock, and carrying a clipboard walked in.
“Ms Lightcloud!” He said, “Were so pleased to see you finally awake, it’s been touch and go with you for the last several weeks. Honestly we thought you were going to remain in a coma for the rest of your days, but when you started to respond to our advance medicine, and shown signs of coming around, we knew you were going to be OK”.
Ms Lightcloud? It was at that moment I came to realize that I didn’t know who I was! I mean I knew where I was, and what species the doctor was and all the things that one should know, like what tables and chairs are, but I couldn’t think of what my name was until the doctor mentioned it, or everything else for that matter about me. When I tried to recall my past, it was like looking into a black hole.
My mind was starting to spin out of control from this realization, when the doctor voice brought me back to focus “…extremely lucky girl, if not for that mineral miner coming across you lying unconscious in that ravine on Dathomier, you surly would have died. Well not to worry young lady, you should be ready to leave this infirmary in a day or two”.
Dath? What was I doing on Dath? I thought, as the doctor continued. “All of your vitals look outstanding! Ah…to be young again, when the body can take a beating and still recover with no adverse effects”. Adverse effects? “Doc!!” I blurted, “ I can’t remember anything that has happened to me! I didn’t even know my name until you mentioned it!” The doctor stopped and just stood there looking at me. After a moment he said “really?” I nodded. “Hmmmmmm…interesting” he mussed. “Well Ms Lightcloud, under the circumstances, lost of memory is not all that uncommon to sentient that have suffered some sort of head trauma like the one you did”. “I had a head injury?” I asked as I started feeling around the top of my head for a metal plate or something to that effect.
The Doctor laughed, “Ms Lightcloud, if your looking to find where we put you back together again, forget it, were too good here at this facility, but as to you not remembering anything, don’t worry, most sentient regain full knowledge over time” he said. “How much time?” I asked. “Well…umm…now I can only guess…but I’ve seen some regain only after a few weeks, but others have taken considerably longer” I swear I heard him mutter under his breath “Some never recover”.
The doctor finished his exam and told me I would be discharged in a day, two at the max. He told me he would drop in tomorrow and to get as much rest as I could. I tried to get more information from him, but he put me off, giving me a shot through the IV that made me very sleepy. As I drifted into unconsciousness my thoughts drifted to Dath, to the world full of nasty things like Rancors and Nightsisters. “What the hell was I doing on Dath?”