227 ABY. (Give or take)
Coruscant Jedi Temple
Twenty years before present day.
The boy was perhaps eleven years old. He was lean, with the rangy proportions of a youth bound to be tall someday. Copper complexioned, with dark eyes (and a simple pair of corrective eyeglasses), darker hair, and mostly dominant Panathan features. He wore the garb and weapon of a Jedi student; while his slightly too-short pants and tunic sleeves were telltale signs of another recent growth spurt.
Zhi Jonan stepped into the main wing of the Temple’s healing hall. First things first. He moved to the sink and absently pushed his sleeves higher up his wrists so that he could wash his hands in the hot sanistream. Not that he expected to touch much of anything here today, but it was a good habit to form.
“Hello, Zhi. Are you looking for your mother?”
Zhi dried his hands and turned around, politely bending his upper torso and offering a familiar smile to the staff member who first noticed him.
“Hello, sir. No, not today. She’s still offworld as far as I know. Thank you, but I don’t need anything.”
“That’s right. I didn’t think she was back yet. Alright. Let me know if you do.”
“Thank you, I will.”
The medic returned to his routine tasks of the day, and the boy moved proceeded with his mission of the afternoon. He glanced over the neat exam alcoves and workspaces, the rows of the beds with simple sage green linens; neatly made up. There was a surgical suite in use currently, but Zhi had checked the roster and was aware that the attending healer was Master Drayke. She wasn't who he was looking for on this occasion, so the boy continued further into the Healing areas
Past the bacta and kolto tanks. Past the burn unit. The quieter rooms for longterm convalescence. Offices and supply areas. Various patient-care spaces, each filling a particular need. There had been numerous times of crisis in the boy’s decade of life experience when he’d seen many of these beds and spaces full; even with gurneys spilling out into corridors when it was especially dire. But there were many peaceful times, too. Like today.
Zhi paused and looked through the transparent door into a pristinely maintained garden room of medically noteworthy flora; something like a greenhouse. He loved that room, but very rarely entered it. He didn’t mind. The Temple's infirmary staff took painstaking care to keep the med garden—not sterile, exactly, but controlled to very particular environmental specifications such that each plant would be available for its specific medicinal use at any instant. Very often, his mother took care of the plants there. It was a particular knack that Kaytren had, and Zhi understood that the carefully selected herbs and flora within the room were a project dear to his mother’s heart. The Master Healer had been away from Coruscant for fifteen days now, though.
That meant someone else had to care for the medicinal plants. There was a roster in this case. And something of a long checklist. His mother left it specially. Zhi had looked it up, both for study purposes and to ascertain this particular piece of scheduling information.
So this afternoon at 14:30 hours, the boy settled cross-legged on the floor and waited politely for the healer caring for the plants to finish with the necessary harvesting and reports. Soon, Zhi caught a glimpse of the man through the glass door while he seemed to be clearing supplies away. They'd seen one another before of course, but not really. Not lately. Zhi had been nine the last time, and the healer had not been Knighted or finished with his training yet. The boy’s shoulders twitched into even straighter posture. He felt his heart rate increase slightly. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He reminded himself to be calm and polite. It felt a little like reminding himself to continue breathing oxygen. But reminding couldn’t hurt.
Oh... but on the topic of oxygen.. Zhi realized belatedly that he actually had been holding his breath. He flushed and reminded himself to correct that as well. There... Better. By the time the young Knight in question stepped back into the outer infirmary area, the dark-haired youth watching for him was generally calm and in his element, but with a mild undertone of energy when he hastened to his feet. Zhi waited until the man's gaze caught his, and then bowed respectfully. Whatever the boy had considered saying fell out of his head, unfortunately but Zhi flushed, smiled, and spoke anyway.
“Master Balmore. Um, hi. Are you still busy please?”
Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
The half-Sephi stretched as he finished putting away supplies and tending to the plants. If there was one thing in this world that made him smile more than anything it was tending to the plants, it was so relaxing and soothing on more than one level. Each movement was deliberate and mattered, the care that was spent paid off, but not all at once. Successful techniques could often time take days or weeks to show themselves whereas mistakes were often shown relatively quickly by the plant's response and were brutal teachers.
He smiled as he eyed the day's work, he had been doing thing this long enough that he knew what the planets liked and what they did not, occasionally though mistakes were made, it was indeed a delicate process. He had felt the presence of the younger Jedi waiting patiently outside for awhile now, but he had been waiting to see when he would come in and did not want to force the issue. When he finally finished his chores and left the room, Zhi had stood up and bowed, Luka returned the gesture but then stood up straight and offered the younger Jedi his hand. Formality was something that did not necessarily need to be a pillar that one propped themselves up on but he did appreciate the sign of respect from the younger and slightly nervous youth.
The flushing was apparent, but there was nothing to do about it but try to put the young man's mind a bit more at ease. Anxiety was a cruel mistress, often times causing its victim to think in circles regarding something that was really like quite simple like the current matter at hand. He was not entirely sure what brought the younger Jedi in, but if he thought about it he could probably take an educated guess. The young man was respected well amongst his peers and was a fountain of wisdom well beyond his years.
"Zhi. My friend, It is wonderful to see you today. Luka is fine in this setting, we are all Jedi after all right? I've always got time for other Jedi."
He offered the younger man a warm and comforting smile that seemed to say 'relax' without letting the words escaping his lips, no need to exacerbate the young man's anixety whatever it may be about.
"Gardening is wonderful don't you think? It is incredibly relaxing, I've noticed that the plants much like other Jedi tend to pick up on your aura and the attitude that you show the plants is almost as important on your physical interaction with them. A postive attitude seems to speed up growth and yields, but a negative one seems to slow it down and occasionally lends itself to wilting. I find it fascinating. Do you garden Zhi?"
He smiled as he eyed the day's work, he had been doing thing this long enough that he knew what the planets liked and what they did not, occasionally though mistakes were made, it was indeed a delicate process. He had felt the presence of the younger Jedi waiting patiently outside for awhile now, but he had been waiting to see when he would come in and did not want to force the issue. When he finally finished his chores and left the room, Zhi had stood up and bowed, Luka returned the gesture but then stood up straight and offered the younger Jedi his hand. Formality was something that did not necessarily need to be a pillar that one propped themselves up on but he did appreciate the sign of respect from the younger and slightly nervous youth.
The flushing was apparent, but there was nothing to do about it but try to put the young man's mind a bit more at ease. Anxiety was a cruel mistress, often times causing its victim to think in circles regarding something that was really like quite simple like the current matter at hand. He was not entirely sure what brought the younger Jedi in, but if he thought about it he could probably take an educated guess. The young man was respected well amongst his peers and was a fountain of wisdom well beyond his years.
"Zhi. My friend, It is wonderful to see you today. Luka is fine in this setting, we are all Jedi after all right? I've always got time for other Jedi."
He offered the younger man a warm and comforting smile that seemed to say 'relax' without letting the words escaping his lips, no need to exacerbate the young man's anixety whatever it may be about.
"Gardening is wonderful don't you think? It is incredibly relaxing, I've noticed that the plants much like other Jedi tend to pick up on your aura and the attitude that you show the plants is almost as important on your physical interaction with them. A postive attitude seems to speed up growth and yields, but a negative one seems to slow it down and occasionally lends itself to wilting. I find it fascinating. Do you garden Zhi?"
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
Zhi watched Luka return his bow, and then offer him his right palm for… A handshake? Or just a handclasp? The youth's smile flickered slightly; not so much from nervousness as because he realized that he wasn't sure what he should do. He'd lived mostly with Jedi from birth... even when they went to the Truce grounds on Naboo; there were mostly Sensitives of some kind or another. He’d shaken hands occasionally enough of course; mostly at the service facility if someone offered, but it wasn’t at all an intuitive greeting to him yet when it came to Force users; especially Jedi. He didn’t feel sure what the right etiquette was or which motion the half-Sephi Knight had intended for them. Zhi’s brow creased slightly while he wondered about it all. But then he simply clasped Luka’s hand—briefly, but with pressure and warmth that matched Luka's.
“Thank you, I appreciate it a lot,” He returned Luka's smile with a small grin; thankful for the gesture.
“I don't have a garden.” He was only eleven, after all. Zhi reached for the most relatable experience he could think of and continued on. “But, I help with our plants on the days when I'm in our home - instead of the student hall. We do have a lot of them. And I understand what you mean about other living things picking up on our mind toward them. Things thrive better when you’re calm and they know you want them to. Our mother is very good at that... I will be. I am practicing. And, for plants, I also healed a blighted patch one week. Our mom pointed it out to me so that I could do it. I have practiced with Plant Surge, too.”
His left hand drifted up to slightly adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose. They hadn’t shifted much, but sometimes when he bowed deeply enough, he could feel the frames settling a little differently than he preferred. Considering for a moment, the youth took a breath and kept going. He’d specifically asked for a conversation, so Zhi felt it was his responsibility to be proactive with it.
“Do you.. like healing as much as horticulture?” It occurred to him that he might have been a bit forward with that question, but Zhi felt it was very relevant to him. He wanted to know.
“Thank you, I appreciate it a lot,” He returned Luka's smile with a small grin; thankful for the gesture.
“I don't have a garden.” He was only eleven, after all. Zhi reached for the most relatable experience he could think of and continued on. “But, I help with our plants on the days when I'm in our home - instead of the student hall. We do have a lot of them. And I understand what you mean about other living things picking up on our mind toward them. Things thrive better when you’re calm and they know you want them to. Our mother is very good at that... I will be. I am practicing. And, for plants, I also healed a blighted patch one week. Our mom pointed it out to me so that I could do it. I have practiced with Plant Surge, too.”
His left hand drifted up to slightly adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose. They hadn’t shifted much, but sometimes when he bowed deeply enough, he could feel the frames settling a little differently than he preferred. Considering for a moment, the youth took a breath and kept going. He’d specifically asked for a conversation, so Zhi felt it was his responsibility to be proactive with it.
“Do you.. like healing as much as horticulture?” It occurred to him that he might have been a bit forward with that question, but Zhi felt it was very relevant to him. He wanted to know.
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
"Healing has it's own rewards my friend."
He smiled, and offered a slight nod to the younger Jedi.
"Healing is really the same thing and being adept at one tends to lend itself to being adept at the other. Healing is about patience and perserveance, the same as horticulture. I'd have to say that the thing I enjoy most about healing is seeing someone walk away from the infirmary in much better shape than when they came in, especially when that outcome was in grave doubt."
He took in a breath and looked around the room for a short moment. Perhaps they should venture into the infirmary, perhaps there were patients that he could show the young Jedi, but his mother could just as easily do that. The half-sephi scratched his chin and met Zhi's eyes once more.
"One of the great joys in this universe is being just good enough to beat death most of the time. It is a constant struggle that all living beings are constantly engaged in and every once in awhile death gets the upper hand and tries to take them. It is a natural part of life, but being able to bring someone back from the grip of death is an experience in and of itself that makes you feel good about yourself."
He paused and his blue eyes saddened.
"Then of course you have the other side of that. Just when you think you are all powerful and get arrogant enough to think that you have won, death puts you back in your place and takes one of them right before your eyes. Despite everything you think you know, death always knows just a bit more. It is incredibly humbling and it makes me personally take what I do even more seriously."
He exhauled and smiled again.
"I guess to fully and simply answer your question Zhi, I love healing, the good outweighs the bad."
He smiled, and offered a slight nod to the younger Jedi.
"Healing is really the same thing and being adept at one tends to lend itself to being adept at the other. Healing is about patience and perserveance, the same as horticulture. I'd have to say that the thing I enjoy most about healing is seeing someone walk away from the infirmary in much better shape than when they came in, especially when that outcome was in grave doubt."
He took in a breath and looked around the room for a short moment. Perhaps they should venture into the infirmary, perhaps there were patients that he could show the young Jedi, but his mother could just as easily do that. The half-sephi scratched his chin and met Zhi's eyes once more.
"One of the great joys in this universe is being just good enough to beat death most of the time. It is a constant struggle that all living beings are constantly engaged in and every once in awhile death gets the upper hand and tries to take them. It is a natural part of life, but being able to bring someone back from the grip of death is an experience in and of itself that makes you feel good about yourself."
He paused and his blue eyes saddened.
"Then of course you have the other side of that. Just when you think you are all powerful and get arrogant enough to think that you have won, death puts you back in your place and takes one of them right before your eyes. Despite everything you think you know, death always knows just a bit more. It is incredibly humbling and it makes me personally take what I do even more seriously."
He exhauled and smiled again.
"I guess to fully and simply answer your question Zhi, I love healing, the good outweighs the bad."
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
The eleven year old nodded. Zhi could already think of a dozen more medical-related questions from ranging from the technical to the emotional, but then… it had already occurred to him to him that he might miss something important if he continued restricting the conversation in that way. He was going to learn healing regardless. They all knew that. Zhi obviously wanted to hear about Luka’s thoughts and experiences regarding medical care, but the youth wouldn’t have been in this room at all now if he hadn’t already researched the healer somewhat extensively.
And now the Knight had fallen comfortably quiet again. Zhi was beginning to suspect that Luka’s relaxed lapses in conversation might have been intentional to see how he himself reacted. It made knowing whether or not he should carry on the conversation feel a bit tricky. The boy wasn’t sure that he minded that, but he was beginning to wonder if he was a little out of his depth here; not that that was a bad thing.
“Thank you for your answer. I understand the heaviness of it, but it’s the talent and temperament I have, so it’s what I’ll choose either way. It’s helpful to meet others who love it even when it is difficult.”
The youth glanced past Luka to the greenhouse room behind him again, and then thoughtfully around the room as a whole, before he eventually looked back to the half-Sephi.
“I’m not sure what to say next,” he admitted a flush. “Um. Is it normal to ask what you do… the rest of the time? When you’re not working or on a mission now.”
And now the Knight had fallen comfortably quiet again. Zhi was beginning to suspect that Luka’s relaxed lapses in conversation might have been intentional to see how he himself reacted. It made knowing whether or not he should carry on the conversation feel a bit tricky. The boy wasn’t sure that he minded that, but he was beginning to wonder if he was a little out of his depth here; not that that was a bad thing.
“Thank you for your answer. I understand the heaviness of it, but it’s the talent and temperament I have, so it’s what I’ll choose either way. It’s helpful to meet others who love it even when it is difficult.”
The youth glanced past Luka to the greenhouse room behind him again, and then thoughtfully around the room as a whole, before he eventually looked back to the half-Sephi.
“I’m not sure what to say next,” he admitted a flush. “Um. Is it normal to ask what you do… the rest of the time? When you’re not working or on a mission now.”
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
"The talent and temperament that you have? I can see that in you, in time you will be a great healer I am sure of that."
Luka offered the youth a warm smile and motioned for him to follow.
"Words are failing you eh? That's okay, healing is often more cerebral than vocal anyway, you'll need the words, but you don't heal with them."
He chuckled as he made his way out of the infirmary and headed towards the room of a thousand fountains. He had heard the question of the young man, but there was something about it that just seemed a bit odd. What did anyone do when they were not at work? He questioned whether the young man had something else on his mind that he was trying to get off of his chest, something that was a bit more pressing. He looked at the young man who had now matched his stride as he continued walking.
"Yes, that's normal. I don't know, I suppose nothing too fascinating, I spend a lot of time meditating, when I'm not meditating, I am reading whether it's medical journals, those are always interesting. We do things our own way, but it is good to keep up with non-sensitive techniques as well you'll never know when you'll need them."
He paused and smiled as they approached the fountains.
"Not healing related, I have always enjoyed literature, do you fancy literature at all Zhi?"
His gaze turned turned more studious as if he was contemplating something, something that had already crossed his mind a hundred times before, but not something that he had really thought about. He grounded himself in the moment and opened his mind to what the Force was telling him. His eyes met those of the younger man.
"Or perhaps a more appropriate question, what do you do in your free time Zhi?"
Luka offered the youth a warm smile and motioned for him to follow.
"Words are failing you eh? That's okay, healing is often more cerebral than vocal anyway, you'll need the words, but you don't heal with them."
He chuckled as he made his way out of the infirmary and headed towards the room of a thousand fountains. He had heard the question of the young man, but there was something about it that just seemed a bit odd. What did anyone do when they were not at work? He questioned whether the young man had something else on his mind that he was trying to get off of his chest, something that was a bit more pressing. He looked at the young man who had now matched his stride as he continued walking.
"Yes, that's normal. I don't know, I suppose nothing too fascinating, I spend a lot of time meditating, when I'm not meditating, I am reading whether it's medical journals, those are always interesting. We do things our own way, but it is good to keep up with non-sensitive techniques as well you'll never know when you'll need them."
He paused and smiled as they approached the fountains.
"Not healing related, I have always enjoyed literature, do you fancy literature at all Zhi?"
His gaze turned turned more studious as if he was contemplating something, something that had already crossed his mind a hundred times before, but not something that he had really thought about. He grounded himself in the moment and opened his mind to what the Force was telling him. His eyes met those of the younger man.
"Or perhaps a more appropriate question, what do you do in your free time Zhi?"
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
The eleven year old quietly turned the conversation around in his mind as he followed the elder Jedi’s lead and they moved away from the Healing Hall together. Zhi questioned whether he’d been too forward when he described himself or his goals. Would he be a great healer someday? Truthfully, yes, he estimated that he would. But becoming ‘great’ was hardly his focus, and he didn’t feel that it was a relevant goal yet. His goal was to become adept and skillful. The rest could develop on its own.
He wondered, too, if he’d been too nervous in their conversation and given the young Knight, whom he looked up to, a wrong impression. Overthinking things would hardly be helpful right now though, so the tall young student dismissed the concerns from his mind while he walked with Luka and listened.
“Well…” he replied thoughtfully as their path led them to the fountain room. “It depends what you qualify as literature? I study, uh, a lot. Usually non-fiction, but sometimes cultural literature… it all ties together. I love to choose a planet and familiarize myself with the climate and history, the physiology of sentient and animal wildlife, any native peoples and colonized, political and trade relevance… impact on history, impact on the present… They’re all connected. Have you ever been to Utapau or seen a varactyl? They’re easily 4 meters tall at the shoulder and classified as reptavians because nobody can decide whether they’re more avian or reptilian. Several Utapau species are similar. But, despite being huge, the varactyls make astonishingly agile mounts on their homeworld. They were imported centuries ago from Utapau to Pijal and bred down into a completely different subspecies meant for racing. Master Kenobi rode one during a ceremonial hunt near the time of the Clone Wars, which indicates he was already familiar with the species by the time he was searching for Count Dooku on Utapau. The prior experience must have been a help to him. He bonded with a female of the species called Boga as his steed, and the varactyl helped him in his fight against the Count… Sadly Boga was killed during Order 66… but she fought beside Dooku with him and helped save Master Obi-Wan’s life in the campaign before that. It must have mattered because in all the chaos, the surviving notes he made about it still mention the name of the reptavian steed that he knew for a few weeks, and seemed to relate her to the past experience on Pijal. That… hit me as very interesting and human.”
Finding a stopping point, the lanky youth glanced at the half-Sephi Knight to gauge his reaction with a light flush and a crooked grin. See? He could talk on about his interests, too. The student was particularly curious what the Knight would do in reaction that, but he didn’t feel especially concerned or anything.
He wondered, too, if he’d been too nervous in their conversation and given the young Knight, whom he looked up to, a wrong impression. Overthinking things would hardly be helpful right now though, so the tall young student dismissed the concerns from his mind while he walked with Luka and listened.
“Well…” he replied thoughtfully as their path led them to the fountain room. “It depends what you qualify as literature? I study, uh, a lot. Usually non-fiction, but sometimes cultural literature… it all ties together. I love to choose a planet and familiarize myself with the climate and history, the physiology of sentient and animal wildlife, any native peoples and colonized, political and trade relevance… impact on history, impact on the present… They’re all connected. Have you ever been to Utapau or seen a varactyl? They’re easily 4 meters tall at the shoulder and classified as reptavians because nobody can decide whether they’re more avian or reptilian. Several Utapau species are similar. But, despite being huge, the varactyls make astonishingly agile mounts on their homeworld. They were imported centuries ago from Utapau to Pijal and bred down into a completely different subspecies meant for racing. Master Kenobi rode one during a ceremonial hunt near the time of the Clone Wars, which indicates he was already familiar with the species by the time he was searching for Count Dooku on Utapau. The prior experience must have been a help to him. He bonded with a female of the species called Boga as his steed, and the varactyl helped him in his fight against the Count… Sadly Boga was killed during Order 66… but she fought beside Dooku with him and helped save Master Obi-Wan’s life in the campaign before that. It must have mattered because in all the chaos, the surviving notes he made about it still mention the name of the reptavian steed that he knew for a few weeks, and seemed to relate her to the past experience on Pijal. That… hit me as very interesting and human.”
Finding a stopping point, the lanky youth glanced at the half-Sephi Knight to gauge his reaction with a light flush and a crooked grin. See? He could talk on about his interests, too. The student was particularly curious what the Knight would do in reaction that, but he didn’t feel especially concerned or anything.
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
The young Knight and healer smiled at Zhi's response, his eyes lit up in fascination as Zhi described in intimate detail everything he could about the animal and as a point, Luka had in fact been to Utapau with his master and had seen one up close. He tossed the idea back and forth of telling Zhi, he didn't want to come off as bragging about the experience, but he decided that Zhi would likely geek out more than anything so he landed on telling the younger Jedi of his experience.
"Four meters? I was there when I was about your age with my master and I was a lot shorter than you then, but I could've sworn that the one I saw was easily six meters tall, but based on what I know the size was probably exaggerated in my mind by my age and fascination. They are majestic creatures to be sure and to see them moving with any sense of speed or purpose is a force of nature in and of itself. I think sometimes we don't give animal life much credit in this galaxy. We have Animal Friendship as a an ability for a reason, my....half brother, is incredibly adept at animal friendship and based on what he has told me, they are so much more complex than the galaxy gives them credit for."
The smile turned more into a grin as he thought about the recent book he read, he was sure it would pique some fascination in Zhi.
"As far as Literature is concerned, I read all kinds of stuff fiction, non-fiction, everything. I am particularly fond of the Mon Calamari scholar Balan Backban. If I I didn't know better I'd say he was a Jedi or some force wielding individual. Anyway, I just finished this dramatic non-fiction work by him called 'The Living Planet.' It's all about Felucia, a planet that is sort of the opposite most other in the galaxy. Basically the plant and fungal life there has evolved to the point where it is the dominant species on that planet, which you probably have heard. This resulted in the living Force flowing through the planet like nowhere else in the galaxy. During the clone wars, the planet was nudged towards the dark side. In fact Master Shaak Ti, went there to try and push some of the few local indigenous tribes back to the light before she was unfortunately killed. These tribes mostly live underground and when the Galactic Empire came they tried to fight them off with some success, the planet has changed hands countless times since then, but no one can really set up a colony there because indigenous tribes or not, the native plant and fungus life eventually fights off anyone who tries to setup a permanent colony. All facts, but Backban hypothesized that the plants and various fungi have evolved past the point of just doing what they do as a response to their environment and have become sentient beings capable of all most of the same things we are in terms of thought.
I found the whole thing fascinating."
He stopped, realizing he had been ranting for several minutes, in turn he now looked directly at Zhi and watched for a reaction. It felt like they had both let their guard down for a little bit and all of the sudden the unembellished truths of both of them came flooding to the surface, they were nerds and it appeared that they were both proud of it.
"Four meters? I was there when I was about your age with my master and I was a lot shorter than you then, but I could've sworn that the one I saw was easily six meters tall, but based on what I know the size was probably exaggerated in my mind by my age and fascination. They are majestic creatures to be sure and to see them moving with any sense of speed or purpose is a force of nature in and of itself. I think sometimes we don't give animal life much credit in this galaxy. We have Animal Friendship as a an ability for a reason, my....half brother, is incredibly adept at animal friendship and based on what he has told me, they are so much more complex than the galaxy gives them credit for."
The smile turned more into a grin as he thought about the recent book he read, he was sure it would pique some fascination in Zhi.
"As far as Literature is concerned, I read all kinds of stuff fiction, non-fiction, everything. I am particularly fond of the Mon Calamari scholar Balan Backban. If I I didn't know better I'd say he was a Jedi or some force wielding individual. Anyway, I just finished this dramatic non-fiction work by him called 'The Living Planet.' It's all about Felucia, a planet that is sort of the opposite most other in the galaxy. Basically the plant and fungal life there has evolved to the point where it is the dominant species on that planet, which you probably have heard. This resulted in the living Force flowing through the planet like nowhere else in the galaxy. During the clone wars, the planet was nudged towards the dark side. In fact Master Shaak Ti, went there to try and push some of the few local indigenous tribes back to the light before she was unfortunately killed. These tribes mostly live underground and when the Galactic Empire came they tried to fight them off with some success, the planet has changed hands countless times since then, but no one can really set up a colony there because indigenous tribes or not, the native plant and fungus life eventually fights off anyone who tries to setup a permanent colony. All facts, but Backban hypothesized that the plants and various fungi have evolved past the point of just doing what they do as a response to their environment and have become sentient beings capable of all most of the same things we are in terms of thought.
I found the whole thing fascinating."
He stopped, realizing he had been ranting for several minutes, in turn he now looked directly at Zhi and watched for a reaction. It felt like they had both let their guard down for a little bit and all of the sudden the unembellished truths of both of them came flooding to the surface, they were nerds and it appeared that they were both proud of it.
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
Luka had a half-brother here at the Temple? Zhi was briefly fascinated about that detail and wondered who this other Jedi might be, or if he knew of them. The Order wasn’t that large, and Luka wasn’t that much older than Zhi was… so he probably did… But the young Knight and Healer was in the middle of relating his own experiences with Varactyls and Utapau and Balan Backban and Felucia, and...
....And the eleven year old found himself entirely absorbed, staring up elder and slightly taller young Jedi in delighted fascination.
“I researched Nysillin last month,” He chimed in abruptly and perhaps with a little more excitement than he’d meant to, aiming to demonstrate that he also was familiar with the living planet and its bizarre fungal forests and crops. “It’s such a potent medical crop that farmers have tried to colonize Felucia over and over to grow it, but they’re always getting pirated, and then the fungi and the planet don’t seem to want them there, so it turns into a moot point. Not that I’m trying to bring up medicinal plants again, but it’s always strange to think about how hard some of the best ones are to grow in any environment beside their native one. Even in the greenhouse here, Ma—my mother, can barely get Nysillin to grow at all, let alone Barenth. I guess you know that better than I do, but I do help her with it. The strangest things about Felucia is the sarlaacs. The biggest individual recorded was found there.. uh, by Master Shaak Ti actually if you remember that part? She tamed it or befriended it, and it was her ally for a while in her mission. They’re not the most relaxing to think about, but their anatomy is so complicated that we can’t even understand it. They build up their own sentience with the messenger RNA strands of the sentients they swallow… and somehow part of each victim’s brains stem and memory cores are kept alive while they do it… keeping all their remnants of prey alive for centuries while they digest. It’s gruesome, but one of the most bizarre things to think about. When we were initiates I wondered why any Master would’ve ever chosen to name Shii-Cho after something that violent. But it’s the patience form…. and it makes sense. They’re a lumbering, huge, undefinable and non-understandable sentient that exists for millennia, spawns across planets, and lives completely outside of the way humanoids think. It makes me remember how small we are… And be grateful to be human… although that’s a very limited human thought, but I am. Essentially anyway.”
Zhi realized that they’d unconsciously stopped walking somewhere in the past several minutes. The boy exhaled and glanced around their mossy surroundings in the fountain room, and took a few heartbeats worth of time to take in the sounds of hundreds of clear water sources. He’d always associated it as one of the most Jedi places he could think of.
“So… I read, and I practice a lot. I train obviously, but we all do. I speak decent Mando’a and some Panathan, but the second one is more for cultural reasons than it was practical. Um. I don’t pilot as well as I’d like yet. That’s still a goal for this year. I… like.. camping?”
....And the eleven year old found himself entirely absorbed, staring up elder and slightly taller young Jedi in delighted fascination.
“I researched Nysillin last month,” He chimed in abruptly and perhaps with a little more excitement than he’d meant to, aiming to demonstrate that he also was familiar with the living planet and its bizarre fungal forests and crops. “It’s such a potent medical crop that farmers have tried to colonize Felucia over and over to grow it, but they’re always getting pirated, and then the fungi and the planet don’t seem to want them there, so it turns into a moot point. Not that I’m trying to bring up medicinal plants again, but it’s always strange to think about how hard some of the best ones are to grow in any environment beside their native one. Even in the greenhouse here, Ma—my mother, can barely get Nysillin to grow at all, let alone Barenth. I guess you know that better than I do, but I do help her with it. The strangest things about Felucia is the sarlaacs. The biggest individual recorded was found there.. uh, by Master Shaak Ti actually if you remember that part? She tamed it or befriended it, and it was her ally for a while in her mission. They’re not the most relaxing to think about, but their anatomy is so complicated that we can’t even understand it. They build up their own sentience with the messenger RNA strands of the sentients they swallow… and somehow part of each victim’s brains stem and memory cores are kept alive while they do it… keeping all their remnants of prey alive for centuries while they digest. It’s gruesome, but one of the most bizarre things to think about. When we were initiates I wondered why any Master would’ve ever chosen to name Shii-Cho after something that violent. But it’s the patience form…. and it makes sense. They’re a lumbering, huge, undefinable and non-understandable sentient that exists for millennia, spawns across planets, and lives completely outside of the way humanoids think. It makes me remember how small we are… And be grateful to be human… although that’s a very limited human thought, but I am. Essentially anyway.”
Zhi realized that they’d unconsciously stopped walking somewhere in the past several minutes. The boy exhaled and glanced around their mossy surroundings in the fountain room, and took a few heartbeats worth of time to take in the sounds of hundreds of clear water sources. He’d always associated it as one of the most Jedi places he could think of.
“So… I read, and I practice a lot. I train obviously, but we all do. I speak decent Mando’a and some Panathan, but the second one is more for cultural reasons than it was practical. Um. I don’t pilot as well as I’d like yet. That’s still a goal for this year. I… like.. camping?”
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Luka Balmore
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:24 pm
Re: Years Ago - Jedi Temple Infirmary
Luka nodded with fascination a certain glimmer in his eyes as he was listening to Zhi go on about the Sarlaacs. Truly fascinating creatures that no one really seemed to truly understand, he had done his research on them as well and was absolutely fascinated by their anatomy.
"I've often wondered how would handle a situation where I had to heal a creature like that. I mean you look at the opening on them and how they are just this giant hole in the ground that is what appears to be a giant mouth that devours anything that goes into it and the instinctual gut reaction as a sentient creature is to say 'that thing is evil it's going to kill me!' Well just like other life it will stay out of your way if you stay out of it's way and it is actually completely non-discriminate in the way it hunts. It doesn't go looking for things, you find it and wind up in there. So if some poor Sarlaac was attacked because some local tribe thought it was evil and the it was hurt, I've often wondered about not only how I would go about trying to heal it or simply what the ethical thing to even do in that situation was."
Camping? That was a fascinating thing to say, he picked up on the younger Jedi's excitement and it almost seemed to him like they had finally broken totally through that awkward stage of just really meeting and were now almost bonding on a level that a few minutes before hadn't quite seemed possible. It was funny how the force worked, he smiled widely.
"I love camping. Sometimes I feel that the times when I am at my most Jedi is when I am alone in a tent in the middle of nature, one with the force and all of the incredible creatures that inhabit it. I love to spend time mediating around a camp fire and during the day I'll go on long walks and try to seek out what mysteries the forest or whatever environment I am has hidden for me to discover. At night, after the fire of course I'll stay up late and read about anything that happens to catch my fancy, or whatever book I packed that I had put on my to read list awhile back. It's really relaxing."
He paused again and the reflection of the fountains danced in his eyes, the sound of falling water was soothing to him and it brought a bit of tranquility to their conversation. He looked at Zhi and smiled again.
"Alex Lynd is my half brother in case you were wondering, we have the same paternal DNA."
He didn't hide anything or try to change the subject, but continued on.
"Well piloting is something that you can work on. Speaking of which, I'm flying to Naboo next week, I've been assigned there temporarily, I could use a resourceful co-pilot if you are interested in joining me."
"I've often wondered how would handle a situation where I had to heal a creature like that. I mean you look at the opening on them and how they are just this giant hole in the ground that is what appears to be a giant mouth that devours anything that goes into it and the instinctual gut reaction as a sentient creature is to say 'that thing is evil it's going to kill me!' Well just like other life it will stay out of your way if you stay out of it's way and it is actually completely non-discriminate in the way it hunts. It doesn't go looking for things, you find it and wind up in there. So if some poor Sarlaac was attacked because some local tribe thought it was evil and the it was hurt, I've often wondered about not only how I would go about trying to heal it or simply what the ethical thing to even do in that situation was."
Camping? That was a fascinating thing to say, he picked up on the younger Jedi's excitement and it almost seemed to him like they had finally broken totally through that awkward stage of just really meeting and were now almost bonding on a level that a few minutes before hadn't quite seemed possible. It was funny how the force worked, he smiled widely.
"I love camping. Sometimes I feel that the times when I am at my most Jedi is when I am alone in a tent in the middle of nature, one with the force and all of the incredible creatures that inhabit it. I love to spend time mediating around a camp fire and during the day I'll go on long walks and try to seek out what mysteries the forest or whatever environment I am has hidden for me to discover. At night, after the fire of course I'll stay up late and read about anything that happens to catch my fancy, or whatever book I packed that I had put on my to read list awhile back. It's really relaxing."
He paused again and the reflection of the fountains danced in his eyes, the sound of falling water was soothing to him and it brought a bit of tranquility to their conversation. He looked at Zhi and smiled again.
"Alex Lynd is my half brother in case you were wondering, we have the same paternal DNA."
He didn't hide anything or try to change the subject, but continued on.
"Well piloting is something that you can work on. Speaking of which, I'm flying to Naboo next week, I've been assigned there temporarily, I could use a resourceful co-pilot if you are interested in joining me."