Endor's Terrain

Dee sat in Ne'aol's office, eyes closed, and hands folded in her lap. She only thought one word: breathe. She steadily inhaled and exhaled, smooth and constant. She heard Ne'aol enter the room.

Oh, you’re here? Sorry, I'm running a little late. He said automatically before he realized the meditative state Dee was in. He lowered his voice. Oh, sorry. He paused. Dee? Are you ok?

She opened her eyes lazily and shrugged. AVI was adamant that I check out historical records of hyperspace incidents. I am assuming that you two spoke about it?

The holoviewer on the desk lit up, showing the multicolored sphere that AVI preferred to show off. Ne'aol looked from the image and back to Dee. He had a hunch of where she was going.

Yes. Based on some of the differences in your story from what Myself and the De'ath of this universe have experienced, I wanted to see if there were any other differences. I needed you to look organically rather than be directed.

She reached up and rubbed her right shoulder with her left arm, letting it rest there as she took a few deep breaths. Yeah, there were some differences. There are a few elements of history that are... I don’t want to say wrong, but they just don't coincide with my experiences.

The room was quiet as neither Ne'aol nor De'ath knew what to say next.

If I may interject.

Yeah, of course.

I had trouble computing possibilities for our arrival before taking a specific aspect into account. Trouble in that it was resulting in what was effectively a zero percent chance, with odds extending into the trillions and in some cases beyond my handling capabilities. However, Ne'aol suggested I take multiverse theory into account, which led to several good results. Good in this case is relative mind you, but I reached at least eighteen possibilities that ranged from four to fourteen percent, one at thirty-seven percent, one at forty-one percent, and one at - AVI paused for a moment as the weight of what was about to be said was becoming realized seventy-nine percent.

So, what you are saying is that I am the living embodiment of proof that there are alternate universes?

It seems the odds are stacked in that direction, yes. I am still working on alternate possibilities. But without knowing every single possible variable at play the moment of our departure, absolute certainty is impossible.

Ne'aol

He sighed as he looked up from a datapad that had occupied his gaze. We haven’t come across a sigma as high as seventy yet, but our calculations are weighted around thirty-four percent. We have redirected a lot of computational power on this and recalled several of the best and brightest to see what we can do. I told The'rin, she was elated at the possibility of yet another Ph.D.

Dee laughed quietly under her breath. I haven’t seen her in ages.

In our timeline, you, her, and Mo'muh worked on the light fold drive together.

And I still can’t believe that’s actually a thing. What has Mo'muh thought about all of this?

He isn’t scheduled to be out of light fold for another 10 hours. He left with you.  Ne'aol stopped and shrugged, making small gestures with his hands as he tried to look for words.

No, I know what you mean. Don't worry about it. I was actually going to ask you if I had any thoughts about it. She motioned to Ne'aol.

No, but I'm afraid her first reaction is going to point the ship at you and head your direction.

Yeah, I would totally do that if I were in her shoes.

Exactly.

Well, tell her that I want her to do her job and not to worry about me. I can handle myself just fine. I’m not in a bad place, just the wrong universe. Tell her that.

I will. If anyone knows your strength, it's her.

She didn't know when she fell asleep. She wasn't sure when she woke up. Time was coasting by as she stared through the broken holoframe.

Dee inhaled through her mouth; her nose was stuffed up. She ached everywhere. Rolling out of the bed, she stumbled into the bathroom. The holoviewer on the desk lit up into a sphere of light.

Dee. Would you like some food?

I'm not hungry.

How about so-

AVI, Exasperated, she sighed out loud and stuck her head out the door, staring at the hologram. Give me two minutes, please?

The hologram flickered and rippled in response.

Minutes later, Dee came out of the bathroom, now wearing underwear, before falling back into the covers and wrapping herself up. She stared at the wall, whispering AVI, I'll take that food now.

I will get it prepared. Are you going to the mess hall to retrieve it?

No. I'm staying in here today.

Her brain was in a fog, she didn't hear his response. She didn't want to. Her body hurt, her head was pounding, and her heart was shattered.

AVI, can you get me some headache medicine too?

Yes

Thanks

She decided being awake was for the birds. Her capacity to do more than inhale and exhale was gone, and even that was a fleeting necessity.

The smell of the garden was invigorating to her senses; she could almost feel the aromas. Droids scurried about clipping and cleaning and pruning and watering. In the center of the garden was a stone gazebo, marked with odd symbols that were reminiscent of the Jedi. Curious, she walked up to it.

As she approached, the sounds of nature faded away, muted and dull. With a pause, she backed up, and the volume returned. Stepping forward, the sounds muted once more.

Too cool.

She giggled as she continued forward. It was dark under the gazebo. Darker than it should have been, and cooler as well. She wondered what technology they had used to create the tiny outdoor sanctuary, and she had a few hunches but decided the mystery was worth it.

She knelt down but decided to sit cross-legged rather than on her knees. Closing her eyes, she began to focus on her breathing. Breathe in breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe. In. Breathe.

She felt weightless and invigorated. She opened her eyes to blackness and the void of nothing around her.

She screamed, and reality snapped back as she broke her meditative mindset. Panting, she fell backward, and she scrambled to get out of the center of the gazebo.

The kriff was that!

She sat at the edge of the gazebo as she attempted to catch her breath, just staring at the center and not breaking her gaze.

Minutes passed by. Her breathing was back to normal, but her mind was still spooked. She nodded. It was impressive, but she wasn’t ready to try that again. Not today at least. Stepping out allowed the sounds of nature to return to her once again.

On the horizon, Endor was rising, while on the opposite, the sun was beginning to set. In just a few days’ time, the moon would be plunged into a perpetual night once again. Mentally, she made a note to come and enjoy the outdoors as much as she could before the long dark, then she could study and read and prepare for her journey to the other side of the moon.

She continued her walk around the temple. Gentle strides and deep breaths of the fresh air.

She sat in the library, pouring over local flora and fauna, history, and geography. She had spent the last few days pulled away into her little alcove in the silent halls.

Not entirely silent. She had some music playing. Something called a piano was playing gently in the stacks. It was a recording of a famous pianist from a distant, unnamed world. It was playful sounding, like dancing in the spring. It was cheery for the most part, with subtle undertones of somberness and seriousness. It was alive and full in its tonal range and speed. Some of it was fast, other times it was slow and methodical. It was almost as though it was a soundtrack for her current mindset.

Her brain fog was lifting. She was starting to think again. The music helped. The reading helped. The walks in the darkened garden helped.

She hadn’t gone back into the gazebo since her last soirée into the void. It didn’t draw her like the last time. Curious, yes, but not compelled. She had other things on her to-do list that needed tending to before she dabbled in the Force once again.

She set her book down and pondered what Ne'aol had told her. Smiling, she thought it interesting that she had the force in her as well. Like a Jedi master or something.

More like a Jedi newbie

Laughing, she continued reading. The geography of the sanctuary moon was almost entirely forested, though there were a few points of interest. There was a small desert behind one of the mountain ranges along a coast that faded into grasslands before turning once again into the forest. She noted that she would have to cross it on her way to the abandoned communications station.

In the grasslands were a semi-sentient species with a unique look. Dangerous when provoked, they were otherwise harmless. There were some species in the desert, but none of them were large nor were they dangerous. There were a few mammalian predators that needed to be considered in the forest, but nothing she couldn’t handle outside of AVI's assistance.

Pathing along one of the rivers coming off the mountains on the north side of the dessert may be a good option to hunt and obtain fresh water. She made notes on a Night Jedi holopad to which she downloaded copies of relevant books, texts, and documents.

A droid arrived with a platter of freshly sliced fruit. She smiled at it as it set the platter down next to her. It asked her if she wanted anything else, but she shook her head and continued reading.

It was cool in the stacks. Humid, but not damp. The lights were cool and soothing. It was peaceful. It was calm.

The song changed, but the echoes of the piano continued softly.

She was ready to leave.

Dee jumped to the side of the charging beast and ran around a massive tree. The Boar-wolf attempted to catch her but crashed headfirst into the tree. Bark and wood splintered and exploded from the hit, sending shrapnel flying. Her armor was peppered with bits of the tree, and she spun around and fired at the beast again. It shook off the blaster hits and embedded wood that had punctured its face, sending bits of flesh and bloody wood flying. With a roar, it began charging at Dee again, crashing through the underbrush of the forest floor.

She waited until the last moment before turning behind another massive tree as she aimed back toward her bike. The Boar-Wolf continued charging past her, sliding to a stop when it realized which way she was running. It scraped at the ground with a front paw, roared, and began running after her.

She jumped on the bike, started it, and took off with the beast chomping at her dust. Making a direct line back to the temple, she slowed down just enough to keep the monster within a few meters of her before she sped up again. Doing this a couple of times kept the beast in a blind rage as it continued running. She reached back with her blaster and took a few pop shots at it to keep its attention.

Once at the grounds of the temple, she was moving fairly sow. The Boar-Wolf was struggling to maintain a pace. It’s one eye has hazy and blank, and it wheezed from exhaustion and blood loss. She pulled into the hangar, and the beast collapsed at the hangar door. It wasn’t meant to keep running at the pace it had kept, and the young Boar-Wolf attempted to catch its breath.

All the hangar defenses were aimed at the beast, ready to fire. Dee got off her bike and walked over to a weapons rack. Pulling a vibro sword off, she headed to the beast. Around it, the air was filled with the stench of blood and bile. If she were to leave it be, it would die anyway. It twitched and tried to move, but its muscles were beginning to lock up. It was dead, it just didn’t know it yet. Dee took the sword and plunged it into the base of the beast's skull, severing its spine. With a single exhale, the Boar-Wolf went limp.

Taking the sword out, she touched the liquid that coated the blade. Spinal fluid and blood turned the blade a clear pink. Walking back into the hangar, she gave it to one of the quartermaster droids which beeped at her in displeasure as it retreated to clean the weapon. Droids swarmed the dead beast and began to butcher it for its meat and flesh. Dee headed into the temple to clean up and rest.

She was back in her little corner in the library. The room was mostly darkened save for a single lamp she had curled up beside. The warm glow was all she needed to stay on the twilight of consciousness and sleep. She was reading more about the fauna of the forested moon. Some of the details of the Boar-Wolf fascinated her, and she said a silent prayer to the goddess that it wasn’t a mature beast that had attacked.

Trees, edible plants, fungi that should be avoided, and herbal flowers that could be used as medicine all crossed her reading list. One, in particular, the Marian Rose was only recently discovered by Imperial Science teams as they scouted the mountains for resources. Its Blue hue could only truly be seen by creatures with a vision that extended into the ultraviolet range. Its petals seemed to drift into eternity, and even the still image of the rose seemed to move. The scientists were only able to do limited tests on it but found it contained a rare chemical that was psychotropic, with the only known case causing the person, a Rebel Prisoner, to see things that weren’t there. It was described as seeing eternity. Its tests were halted immediately before the rebel invasion.

She made a note of the location, making a note of the chemical similarities to the xhro spice she used to navigate. Mapping it out, she found it was far to the west, well out of the way for any trek she intended to immediately make. She saved the page and all known documents to her datapad, before continuing with her reading.

It was calm and cool in the library. Easy to lose track of time for someone who was intent on discovering all she could about the world she found herself in. A subsonic pulse broke her concentration. She looked around the library to see if there was anything that could have made such a noise but slouched back down into her seat as she chalked it up to tiredness from the day.

She continued looking at the mountain where the rose was located. The flower appeared to only on the southern slope of the mountain in a very narrow range. Constant rainfall caused an influx of vegetation that choked out most other forms of plant life, but this rose thrived in the twilight of the canopy and the mountain that hid it from direct daylight. She opened texts relevant to the desert mines of Tatooine that were operated by CalCorp and began running comparisons between the spice that was mined from the sand-dwelling algae and the chemicals found in the rose petals.

Oddly similar, the main components were the exact same, with the minor, trace elements differing. The rose looked to have a few natural psychotropics that were found in other plants, and she was unsure how the chemical compositions would play with one another.

Hey AVI.

A nearby holodisplay lit up, revealing AVI's typical form pulsing in light. Yes?

You seeing this?

The orb pulsed like a start sending off coronal flares as AVI processed what Dee was seeing and where her possible train of thought was heading. You are considering cultivating and extracting Xhro out of this mountain rose?

She nodded. Yes, exactly. Does this temple have the resources to do such a thing?

He pulsed as he interfaced with the internal systems and accounted for their capabilities. Yes, I believe so. We will need to take careful measurements of the environment and take a plant itself to ensure it grows properly.

I think we can do that. Once we get the communications array up and running, stop by our ship, and get back here, we will have to take an excursion out to check it out.

Or better yet, I can get a bike ready to go. We should do it tomorrow, before our journey. A simple excursion can’t hurt anything, could it?

She stopped and pondered the possibility for a few moments before nodding in approval. Yeah, I like the way you think AVI.

Indeed. I will begin preparations for our departure. I think we can make it there in about six hours ride time. Take measurements for an hour, monitor the surroundings. Take a few specimens, and ride back in another 6 hours. It will be a long day, but I think the benefits for you would be well worth the effort.

Dee put her holopad down on the table next to her and AVI vanished. Getting up to stretch, she twisted around and looked around the stacks.

She was about to sit back down when another subsonic pulse shook her to her core. This time it grabbed her attention.

Hello?

She started to wander around the stacks, going up and down each one, though she knew the sound couldn’t have come from within the library.

Another pulse.

She spun around on her heel toward the door. Suddenly she felt drawn to it. It was similar to the other day. She didn’t think about leaving the library, she just did.

She stood under the roof of the stone structure in the center, not sure how long she had been standing there. She felt the pulse coming, and she fell backward. It was a slow fall, and she calmly breathed in

Falling. Plummeting through the void. Emptiness surrounded her, and soon she was falling without the feeling of falling. Space was moving around her, though there was nothing moving past her.

That is until threads began weaving a tapestry of time around her. It was unlike her own universe. Similar, but different threads were being spun around her. It was off-putting, comforting, nauseating, and warm. It was a struggle for her to maintain her meditative state as the surge of feelings hit the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t ready, but she was doing everything she could to keep composure.

An age had passed, and she slowed her descent through the fabric. She began to notice features on the systems. She could now count the planets that circled the stars. Then, she saw the moons, the asteroid belts. Some planets had cities lit up. Primitive worlds were encircled by satellites and chemical rockets.

Suns were being born, stars were exploding. Worlds that never made it to the age of space were obliterated as supernovae engulfed their planets. It was chaos, it was order, it was horrifying, it was beautiful.

She finally found her footing, setting down and stopping her movement through the cosmos. She felt lighter than the smallest feather as her foot caught her, then the other. Crouched among the stars, she slowly stood up. Reaching out was a struggle. She wasn’t used to moving herself in the soup of a new universe woven with the threads of the unknown. Similar to her own universe, the fabric was just different enough that she would need to learn all over again how to walk, move, breathe, and think.

She first knelt down among the stars, feeling as though her presence was a disturbance among them. She would need to take the time to become acquainted with her new home. If she were to become a part of this universe, she would need to know it. If her time here were short, it would be little time wasted; and if she were stuck here, she would be better off getting used to it now.

In the middle of the cosmos, surrounded by space and time itself, Dee meditated. Stars danced around her. Nebulae enveloped her. Comets streaked around her. Countless eons passed her by as she attempted to learn the ways of the universe.

She was connecting with the Force for the first time.

The ride through the forest was uneventful. It was a cool morning to take off, and she had left before dawn. Flying over the underbrush of the forest was a simple thing, and the powerhouse of a speeder she was riding was fitted with forward facing radar meaning she didn’t have to maneuver the craft herself as much. It allowed her time to herself to think and ponder. She had slept off much of the dreariness she was left with after what happened the afternoon before but seeing Aponia and feeling her and smelling her was still too much for her heart to take. It was in knots, and her stomach was fluttering with emotions just thinking about it.

Dee really hoped that the flower wouldn’t remind her too much of her lover but felt like the connection was already made in her mind whether she wanted it to or not. She was annoyed but at the same time grateful for the bittersweet blessing.

The positioning system showed she was only a few minutes out from the marked destination, and the forest was becoming noticeably cooler. As the air thinned with the increased altitude, the trees began to thin out as well. Not only were there fewer trees, but their size was also markedly smaller as well. The underbrush was thinner and more sparse, whereas rocks and gravel were becoming more prominent.

She came to a stop as the shadow of the mountain. Getting off the bike, she opened her helmet and breathed in the fresh mountain air. Crisp, cool, clean, the air here was far different from what she was used to back on her ships. It was rejuvenating, even more so than what she felt at the temple. Though, much of it was probably due to the length of the ride she had just taken. Her muscles ached, and she took an anti-inflammatory with some water.

She was grateful that she had heeded AVI's advice to properly install the Stillsuit hardware in and on her body, as it had saved her several stops on the way. She was just not going to drink from the filtered systems on the suit. She brought her own water; she wasn’t desperate.

After a few moments to catch her breath, stretch, eat a snack, and wait for the medicine to kick in, she began to search the area. It wasn’t a difficult search since little was hidden this high up the mountain. Shrubbery was sparse, and the trees thin. Several hundred meters away from where she parked, she found a rose bush. The blue rose flowers almost seemed as though they were glowing, sparking in silver tints of light amid the blue hues too deep to comprehend. She picked one rose off and headed back for the bike. Putting it in a special analyzer, she rode over to the bush and hopped back off.

Taking soil core samples, in-depth photographs of the area, and various sensor readings of the area, she got down and started to dig up a small bush that was nearby. The young bush had only a single rose on it, and very few leaves and branches. The larger bush had several bunches of hips in various stages of readiness, and she grabbed a small bag full of them. More scans, photos, videos, and site readings were logged. She was looking to get as much information as she could about the growing areas of the rose to ensure it would be healthy in a controlled environment.

She was done in less than an hour. She had several small plants packaged up and ready for transport, and plenty of hips to begin new plants. Soil samples and bags of additional soil were also loaded up. By the looks of it, she was ready to plant an entire garden of her own with his special rose.

Mounting the bike, she flew off into the forest on another six-hour flight back to the temple.

Dee awoke with a start. She sat up in bed and looked around the room, gasping for breath, covered in a cold sweat.

She leaned against the wall of the shower with one hand, her other rubbing her shoulder. Hot water poured down her back.

Sitting in the mess hall alone, she poked at her food with the fork. She left without having taken a single bite.

Standing at the entrance to the hangar, she watched the rain pouring down. She was supposed to have left for the north two days ago, but the rain was ceaseless, depressing.

She wandered the stacks of the library aimlessly, running her fingers over the shelves. Nothing interested her.

Dee made her way to one of the meditation rooms on the top floor of the temple. The thick crystal-aluminum panes were waterfalls as the torrents of rain washed over them. It was completely silent. She sat cross-legged in the center of the room and watched the rainfall.

Her mind was a blank canvass, and she was ready to be done with the day. She closed her eyes, and a subsonic pulse passed through her body. Breathe in. Another pulse. Breathe out.

She opened her eyes and the waterfalls of rain were frozen on the panes. Standing up slowly, she walked over to the window and put her hand on it. It was cold. She was cold, but she was warmer than it was, and it began to ripple outward from her hand. The ripples echoed off of one another and the crystal became hyper-reflective. She saw a perfect mirror image of herself in it. She glared at the reflection with a puzzled look, but it stared back at her with a smirk.

You dumb bitch. You’re going to be stuck here forever.

Dee jumped back from the pane screaming. The reflection refused to move. The voice had come from inside her head in the direction of her reflection, and while the lips didn’t move the expression on its face looked as though it had said it.

What? Scared of your own reflection? Just like a dumb dog to be scared of her own reflection. Bark, bitch. Nobody is going to hear you.

Dee was scrambling backward when she fell. Now she was scooting back as fast as she could, but she was struggling to gain traction. Her reflection finally stepped backward and faded. Dee stopped moving, instead struggling to gain her breath, her chest heaving. She was frozen like the waterfalls of water on the panes. Slowly, she got up and turned around.

She was face to face with herself, nose to nose. Before she could react to what she was seeing, her reflection grabbed the sides of her head and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, one that she would have given her lover. But this, this was different, it was cold. It was voided. It was a fearful kiss.

As the two broke contact, the reflection looked at her with condolences, moving her hands down Dee's neck and began grasping it. Tighter and tighter, and Dee was struggling at the hands of her oppressor.

What’s the matter? Don’t you want to live?

The question was a gut punch. Of course, she did. But did she? Tears began streaming down her face as she gasped for breath. She mouthed "I do"

What was that?

Again, she mouthed "Yes, I do" but no sounds came from her gasps. Her reflection became angry and roared a mighty scream. With both hands tightly around her neck, Dee was shoved into a wall. Her reflection repeatedly slammed her into the wall while still choking her.

Then fucking fight like you want to survive or roll over and die, whore!

Her reflection lifted one hand off her neck, grabbed her hair and yanked her head to the side. Dee gasped for breath. Her reflection, arm back, elbow out, then brought it down on her exposed temple.

Dee awoke with a start, leaning against the pane of crystal. It was cold, but she could hear the muffled rain against it, feel it. She got up slowly, her body ached, her head was pounding, and her neck was sore. Turning, she fearfully turned toward the pane and looked outside and watched the rainfall. With a deep breath, then another, and then a long sigh, she stormed out of the room.

Storming into the hangar, she was suited up, armored up, and prepared. The bike was long prepared for the journey already, with food and supplies stored away. Securing the helmet, she felt the suit pressurize and seal. Lights came on inside and a tiny representation of AVI appeared.

Ready whenever you are.

Without a word, she mounted the bike and blasted off into the rain and forest beyond.

Crossing the plains allowed Dee to push the bike's speed to its limits. The intensity of the storms was behind her now; it was just a cold, dreary rain now. Her plan was to get to the edge of the plains before setting up camp for the night. She didn’t want to provoke the wildlife in the plains.

She sighed, the ride was boring. The lack of interesting scenery for several hours was a bit of a drain on her mind. As the clouds began to break, the light of the sun broke through in long, orange shafts. Far on the horizon, a tower ascended above the plains. A single, blinking red light still shone, though it was fairly dim. She banked the bike and aimed for it.

It was still an hour ride to get to the communications tower. It was a single tower that rose hundreds of meters into the sky, guy wires spread out to support it against the winds that would roll over the flatlands.

The base of the tower was fenced in, and a single building stood off to the side. She parked the bike next to the building and attempted to open the door, but it was locked shut. She put her ear to it and heard a light hum of electrical equipment. She backed up and lifted her right foot and leaned back to try kicking it in.

Wait.

She paused at AVI's request. An audible click a few moments later and the door swung open. Dee chuckled. That was not as much fun, but thanks.

Of course, I aim to please.

Dee walked into the communications room. Did she come across what she needed ahead of schedule?  Hey Avi?

Sorry, Dee, this is just a relay tower, it doesn’t have the broadcast equipment we need. It will barely broadcast a legible signal out of the orbit of Endor.

Kriff. You think this would be an okay place to make camp for the night? How far are we from where we intended to crash?

We are about an hour from our intended target, but I think this place is as good as any.

She nodded and took off her helmet. The room smelled of ozone and stale air. She went out and grabbed the overnight bag from the bike, locked it down, and went back inside. She shut the door, and AVI locked it. Sitting down on the bedroll, she broke out some food and began snacking. Thankfully she had almost enough for her whole trip if she rationed it out properly. Shedding the armor, she lay down and pulled out her holopad, reading a book she found in the library while pulling on some jerky.

Making it through a chapter about a fictional world of super-intelligent AI discussing the war with another galactic species, she put the holopad down. Hey AVI. Do you remember any of your previous life? Before I found you?

The holopad image changed to one that looked like a 2D image of AVI; it vibrated as he spoke. Unfortunately, most of my long-term memory cores were lost on the ship when you found me. I do know that several of them had become corrupted with age, so I probably would have only had half of my complete memory files in them. While the advances in storage technology are infinitely better than when I was first created, not enough of them were recovered to create a complete image. My first memory is of you finding me before that is static or nothingness.

She folded her hands behind her head as she rested on her makeshift pillow. She was thinking. What would happen to her memories over time, as she aged? What would remain, what would go away? How long would she remember her past life if she could never return home?

What if we can’t go home?

I don’t think we should consider that option just yet. There is still-

No. I mean, like what is the plan? Do we just start a new life, we can’t live on hope alone, but if there isn’t a chance of returning, what do we do?

The image on the pad slowly pulsed as the AI pondered. Dee rolled over and looked at it, propping her head up on one hand. Minutes passed. Dee, I- I don’t know. I don’t have a solution for that.

Neither do I