Capital Agendas

Posted on Fri Nov 16th, 2012 @ 10:52pm by Bomoor Thort & Thane & Berry

2,629 words; about a 13 minute read

Chapter: Chapter II: Era's Dawn
Location: Dock 590, Senate District Spaceport, Coruscant
Timeline: 1000 (Local Time), Day Five

OLD

No one had a chance to reply before the Raptor began its final descent. A Coruscant Security officer garbed in the usual CoruSec navy blue with his arms clasped behind his back was flanked by two Customs Bureau agents, ready and waiting to inspect the peculiar and suspect craft now landing at Dock Five-Ninety. The CoruSec officer's stripes identified him as a lieutenant, and his face seemed permanently forged into a grimace, as if his job was the most important occupation in Galactic City.

Even so, Thane could sense the greed and lust for a higher station within the lieutenant, and whilst he felt disgraced that a law enforcement official had such urges, it nevertheless benefited him in this situation. Even as he felt some comfort at the certainty of safety concerning Bane's holocron, he hoped the officer would one day suffer for his greed.

But not today, he mused, turning the credit chip in his hand.

NEW

With the credit chip gripped firmly but secretly in his gloved hand, the CoruSec lieutenant watched with narrow eyes as Thane walked over to where Bomoor and Berry were stood, ready to depart Dock Five-Ninety to pursue their goals. Paid off, the lieutenant let the customs officials conduct their sweep of the Red Raptor, with the Human Jedi having explained their various purposes quite honestly to them, and Sev and Kip had already gone about on their own ventures into Coruscant, whatever they may be.

"Easier than outsmarting a Gungan," Thane declared as he reached the Near-Human girl and his Ithorian fellow Jedi. "I would have used a mind trick, but as greedy as that despicable officer was, he was still no fool."

The trio went through the various customs gates, one of the other two having already apparently paid the fee for the Raptor's docking, and were soon in the main chamber of the Senate District Spaceport - easily the busiest transport hub on the whole of the Third Republic's capital planet. Innumerable amounts of various species were walking, trotting, slithering or floating about, engaging in conversations in dozens of different tongues, and with varying types of emotion and interest. Off to one side of this section - devoted to docks five hundred to five-ninety-nine - was a less prominent senator, surrounded by paparazzi and aides, all clambering to quiz or help the orange-skinned creature.

Announcements blared overhead, repeated in a selection of the most widespread languages of the Republic, calling passengers to their transports, or asking for missing persons to present themselves and so forth. The room they found themselves in was nothing short of gargantuan, reaching extreme heights with several balconies, and the sky could be seen through the roof of the spaceport, with a lot of vessels going to and fro. Great displays and billboards surrounded the two Jedi and the informal apprentice, interactive images of different figures trying to convince travellers to purchase whatever produce they were advertising.

Whilst Thane found the sheer greed and money-driven nature of these people and setting, he was still comforted by the sight and feeling of Coruscant, the planet that had been his home after his sudden and tragic departure from Caanus so many years ago, where he had trained as a Jedi and had met the one friend he truly held dear, the very same Ithorian who was now ambling along beside him. Even with the comfort, other familiar feelings also flooded the young Human's mind, as he saw a corpulent being with two (paid-for, of course) beautiful escorts, another banker from the InterGalactic Banking Clan moving along, born into vast wealth but with no intelligence to go alongside it, as well as sensing the thoughts of a nearby deathstick-addict, his mind so loud as to throw images of the man he had robbed the previous day into Thane's own, although he could pinpoint the perpetrator in this unruly and disgusting mass of people. His sense of security had been quickly been replaced by his disdain for the general populace and how society handled itself.

Chaotic and uncivilised vagrants, he found his inner voice declaring, and the part of him - the Jedi part - that usually tried to quieten such thoughts, reminding him that they were misplaced and immoral was quieter than usual. If anything, he thought he could hear Darth Bane commenting approvingly. Bane had already made it clear his views on people: that the strong must rule the weak. Whilst Thane presumed this meant his doctrine towards those less physically capable and less tuned into the Force, he had his own application: those with the ability to save and protect others should do so - from themselves, lest they become like the drug addict somewhere hidden in the crowd. He urged himself to try and keep such considerations to a minimum as he caught sight of another Jedi in the spaceport - it would not do for the Jedi High Council to hear such thoughts.

Or would it? He pondered, largely tempted to challenge the Masters with a Sith's own words, but then decided it would be a good way to end his learning from the holocron early; the Jedi had an irrational fear of the unknown, and Thane could not help but feel annoyed by this, simply because the weak and incapable abuse and fall victim to it.

Bomoor was becoming uncomfortable with all the people shunting and shoving his large frame. The sheer mass of people made him rather uneasy - busy minds chattering away. Part of him felt angry at the disturbance they were causing hum but he calmed himself, reminding himself that everyone had their own agenda and nobody was interested in the two Jedi and their companion.

The ithorian looked to Bería beside him. She had mentioned that Coruscant was her intended destination originally. He didn't know how she had ended up on Nar Shaddaa and he decided he didn't want to know. Although he was rather curious why she had been coming to the capital planet. Knowing that might help him to understand the bigger picture of the events that had drawn them to this point. He made a note to ask her later, when they were free from the bustling transport centre.

Berry could not even gasp as her eyes popped out of her head. This...was...crazy!!!! Her mouth could not close.

The trio finally made their way through the hulk of people and towards the large open exit, large enough to accommodate dozens of people at once, as well as many large vehicles. They were instantly greeted by surprisingly fresh air, a bright and clear sunny day, and the welcome noises of a living and thriving city. Above them, speeders and ships of all sorts darted about in their lanes, the odd CoruSec coming by, as well as massive towers and spires dotted about. The Senate District, unlike nearly all of Coruscant, did not have as many mega-skyscrapers, but the massive dome that formed the Galactic Senate itself could be seen a few short miles away, rising high and wide as a monument to the grandness of the Republic government.

It was an awe-inspiring site, and something that even Thane felt some pride in. "It's quite something, isn't it?" He asked Berry, in a tone that was not too far off how a proud father might ask their child about a wondrous site on holiday. "And down there," he went on, angling the part-Aquar to look in the opposite direction, "is the Jedi Temple - where Bomoor and I will be heading."

Berry frowned slightly as she turned back and forth, comparing the two buildings. "Eehhh, I like the other one better 'cause it looks like a mushroom." She paused, her bright red shirt fluttering from the many wind currents generated by the traffic. Although it wasn't as cool as a mountain like back home. And where were the trees and water?

Wait a second...that mushroom building looked familiar. No, felt familiar. It felt like déjàvu. The part-Aquar's eyebrows suddenly knit, and she glanced at Thane. A brief, frightened look escaped, but in a split second it passed, and she looked around with wide eyes. "Uhh, so are you guys going now?"

Bomoor was not so keen on the towering structures of the city. While he shared the feeling of awe when looking up at the large sculpted buildings that shot into the sky, he did not like the hard, gritty ground and the cold metal rails. When he had first come here from Öetrago, it seemed like some massive prison caging him in. While it was now a second home, he still could not see any great beauty in the planet.

"Going?" he was suddenly drawn back from the towering skyline to look towards Beríá, "Well yes. We need to go back to the temple and speak to the council. But we will be back later today. Perhaps you can find somewhere to eat for a while."

Bomoor rustled around in his waist bag and pulled out a glimmering credit chip, which he proceeded to hand to the part-Aquar, "Just stay in this area so we can meet later. There's the Senate building over that way - you can meet us on the steps at sundown if we don't find you before then."

Bomoor turned his wide head to glance at Thane. His friend's connection to the girl seemed to have deepened even on the short journey to Coruscant. He had no doubt that Thane could find Bería, even in the bustling metropolis.

"You've also got your comm unit," the Human announced, as if in response to Bomoor's thoughts about the apparent connection. Whatever the vision may have been, it definitely led to some sort of link between the pair. Whilst on board the Raptor together - whether together and talking or otherwise - Thane had felt her influence on him; it had even seemed to make him easier-going and more chirpy at times.

As he regarded her curious eyes flitting about, he just hoped that he had some sort of similar calming effect upon the voracious young woman before he glanced up and over to the Temple again. "We should get moving, Bomoor. It's going to be hard enough for us to sell our point without being late to boot. If you think I'm a picky bastard, you'd hate to have to put up with them." Although Thane said it as a joke, a hint of reluctance in his words betrayed the truth behind them. "Our wise and benevolent leaders," he muttered under his breath to the Ithorian.

Bomoor put an arm on Thane's shoulder, "I fear you may be right my friend," he replied, turning them to face the long road leading up the the Jedi temple. The building shot upwards with its great spires attached to the main body of the temple. Great steps ran out from the very front of the temple and joined onto the main road, like a great grey tongue.

"So long Bería," Bomoor hummed as the two Jedi began to walk towards it.

"The place fills me less with warmth these days, and more with annoyance," Thane confessed as they continued their trek. The size of the Temple from this distance was misleading, as it would in fact be a much longer journey than it appeared, but it was nice to stretch the legs more freely after a few days on a ship.

The Temple itself was now reaching its seven hundred year mark, having been reconstructed out of the 'New Jedi Temple' built by Luke Skywalker's incarnation of the Jedi Order over a millennia ago, which had then in turn been turned into the Temple of the Sith by Emperor Krayt's One Sith, during the rule of the Second Galactic Empire. Of course, history recalled how under the Galactic Federation Triumvirate, formed of the Alliance Remnant, Empire-in-Exile and New Jedi Order, Triumvir Jedi Master K'Krukh had the New Jedi Temple opened once again. Naturally, with the Grand Proclamation, Grand Master Junuun Waay had it destroyed, due to the inherent darkness within it.

For a good amount of time, a smaller enclave served as the primary headquarters on Coruscant as the Third Republic took shape, and the Reborn Jedi Order took shape and grew in size once again. In the hopes of restoring the 'glory' days of the Old/First Republic, Waay had the third Coruscant Jedi Temple built in the manner of the original one, before the rise of Palpatine's New Order, hoping to capture the essence of what made the Old Jedi Order so grand. He lived long enough to see it through its two-hundred year completion, and it has since served as the headquarters to all the Order, where most Jedi are trained and the High Council resides. The only truly difference in design is the use of the central spire as the High Council Chambers, and - of course - different statues from those of the Old Jedi Order.

As the pair drew closer to their place of learning, the concentration of Jedi in the crowds grew, and some that recognised Thane and/or Bomoor nodded their greetings, but largely kept to themselves. Thane took in a couple of deep breaths, closing his eyes as he did so, feeling the might of the Force presence in this location, the sheer number of Jedi Knights, Masters and padawans having a massive impact upon the Human's senses, and he knew Bomoor would be even more so, with his in-depth connection to the Living Force.

"It is a grand building," Thane said, looking up at the might and majesty of the Jedi Temple, its four lesser and one greater spire looming well overhead. An inspiring, but arguably fear-inducing, structure, its sheer size and high-class materials could either reassure those about it of safety and wisdom, or suggest a dangerous and potentially oppressive power. In truth, Thane felt that the Jedi no longer represented anything of the sort; they spent more time being fearful of invisible and imagined enemies, rather than spreading counsel or security, and they would never take enough responsibility for anything to become powerful leaders - benevolent or otherwise.

A waste, he thought, in so many ways. He looked to the various golden statues that heralded the main entrance to the Temple, the visages of several venerated Masters - new and old (but only those that captured the philosophy of the Reborn Jedi Order) - immortalised in shining metals. Naturally, there was a mighty statue of Grand Master Junuun Waay, the progenitor of the current Order and an author of the Grand Proclamation, a Chevin held in high regard for what he did for both the Jedi and the Republic. "I wonder if Master Quellus will have one built of himself," Thane asked the Ithorian, half-grinning to his friend.

Bomoor chuckled, "I wouldn't be surprised. Quellus has quite a legacy by now. At least, a legacy of doing the same thing his predecessors did."

It was true, despite Quellus' years of study and work within the order, his greatest achievement to date seemed to be maintaining the status quo. Removing or destroying anything that might supposedly drag the Galaxy back into darker times. Bomoor wouldn't be surprised if Quellus saw this as a great deed - as though his everyday actions kept the galaxy spinning. While the Ithorian respected Quellus and the council, he certainly had his doubts.

Precisely what the council would make of Thane and Bomoor's report could only be guessed at but they would certainly be finding out very soon.

RSS Feed