A Room With A View

[Ner Giza]

Otah Gunga, Lake Paonga, Naboo, Mid-Rim Territories​

Otah Gunga, she later would learn the city’s true name, really wasn’t all that bad once you got used to it. Ner’Giza stood in the small ovid-shaped room with her arms crossed over her chest gazing out into Lake Paonga. The room was not your typical prison cell but instead consisted of a comfortable sleeping chamber and a small bathroom. A spiraling ramp of sorts led up around the outer edges of the globe-shaped room to the sleeping chamber. The bed was ridiculously large for her form, as were the small table and chairs down below, but oddly comfortable despite its unusual proportions. She had stored her armour in a chest by the bed, and was clad solely in her garments of crop top and trousers.

Officially she and Aurelian Keth were honoured guests of the Gungan, pending the arrival of the negotiators and the results of those talks. Having made contact with the Gungan, gone before their council, and been given permission for representatives of the Galactic Alliance to meet with the council in Otah Gungan, the pair of explorers were being held prisoner. Had it not been for the precarious situation and the tension this gave rise to, the Twi’lek would have been quite at ease.

Her eyes took in the marvel of the underwater realm noting the abundance of aquatic life in their numerous variety. Well, maybe there was one huge fatal flaw in her ability to be truly at ease for Ner’Giza couldn’t swim. Oh she had thoroughly examined the room to make sure it was really as air tight as it seemed, but she couldn’t find any structural weakness at all. Logically there should be no reason for being submerged in the depths of the massive lake amid all manner of fishes and watery beasts to put her so on edge. Not even the fact that some of those animals out there were shockingly huge.

Why they didn’t attempt to break into the fragile looking barriers to feast upon Gungan was beyond her ken. Even so it was irrefutable the city provide protection to the Gungan from nature and all it contained and had done so for a very long time. It didn’t help her fear of the water one bit. Perhaps when Aurel woke they could do some of that touring they had been promised, provided their volunteer ‘escort’ Commander Nalskel Tarlaps were not busy. There were many things to be learned in the time they were here and any one of them would have helped distract her from thinking up 1000 different ways she might drown.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Putting on his plain robe he’d brought with him in the shuttle the man hummed happily to himself as he finished getting dressed. His weapons had been taken by the Gungans, although they’d left him his sword as a sign of respect and his armour was tucked away safely in a chest at the end of the bed his hosts had provided him. Well perhaps “host” was a bit of a strong word, although they’d been named as honoured guests of the Boss of Otah Gunga, in truth they where hostages. Prisoners until the Galactic Alliance completed it’s diplomatic efforts towards the race although the High Council had promised a safe release no matter the outcome. The opening talks when Aurelian and Ner’Giza had first arrived had went remarkably well, especially for the scholar, and he had been treated well for it by the upper-class of the Gungans. The rest of the race had been friendly enough seeing the visitors as curiosities more than anything else.

Once he was done dressing Aurelian affixed his sword to his waist. The Gungans had misunderstood and got the strange idea that it was a weapon of great honour or something which was why they’d allowed him to keep it. The cultural misunderstanding had turned out to be impossible to fix and as he tried to convince them to take the vibrosword they’d begun to get offended. So Aurelian just decided it was easier to play along and wear the blasted thing.

Moving over to the corner of the room (well not really a corner as the room was an orb but out of the way regardless) he reached around the back of the silver droid and flicked the switch. It’s eyes came alive as it’s unchanging face turned to stare at him. “Good morning master.” the droid said in it’s polite and refined Coruscanti female voice.

“Good morning MR4-DX8.” he said using her full designation knowing how annoyed the protocol droid acted when trying to shorten it. Since the first moment of their stay as “guests” of the city Aurelian had spent every waking moment with DX8 to try and absorb as much of the Gungan language as possible, still it had been a short time and even his natural gift with languages meant he’d only learnt a little of what he needed to know. It didn’t help that DX8’s understanding of the language was limited and pieced together although it had been useful enough that she uploaded the entire dictionary she’d created to the Alliance ship in orbit so as to help the next few rebel teams that planned to contact the Gungans.

Gesturing for the droid to follow he moved across his room to a portal, which served as the door, passing through the exit which led to a short corridor and to the adjoining room. Stopping at the door he knocked thrice and then after waiting a few minutes he stepped through.

“Tsu’za Nera.” he greeted with a smile at the sight of his friend. “Sleep well?” Aurelian was aware of her fear of being underwater although he decided against pointing out that at this depth being able to swim wouldn’t safe them if the Orb-like rooms sprung a leak. He’d discovered from Nalskel Taraps, the warrior and commander who was their personal escort, that Gungans had large lungs which was what allowed them to swim such large distances without needing to come up with air. Just like frogs.

Walking over to the wall to look out at the great ocean beyond a wicked smirk touched his lips as his back was to his friend. “Have you touched the walls?” he asked innocently “They’re not completely solid you know.”

Drawing back his foot, pausing for dramatic effect, he kicked the side of the orb as hard as he could. Ripped where sent through the ray shielding that served as barriers, or walls rather, of the underwater constructs. A dull wobbling sound echoed through accompanying the ripples which still after a few moments.

Clearing the smirk from his face he turned to look at his friend with a friendly smile. “Rather amazing isn’t it.”

 

[Ner Giza]

Aurel’s voice made her turn from the watery view giving him a smile and slight nod. ”Tsu’za Aurel”, she muttered yawning suddenly before including the protocol droid in her greeting, ”MR4-DX8”. She yawned once more and said, ”I did, actually”, sounding a bit amazed. ”The bed is a lot more comfortable that it looks. How about you?”, she inquired.

Stretching her arms she limbered up a bit as she crossed the floor planning on bringing up a tour. His words broached a topic she would just as soon avoid. ”Yes, I know…”, she began and waved her hand at him turning away. But when he actually started kicking the walls she turned round and spat in alarm, ”What are you doing? Leave that alone!”

Ner’Giza froze as the ripples resounded around her fully expecting the room to shake apart but instead of the waves amplifying they were dampened and decreased until still. It was over all rather swiftly, the construction fine tuned over countless generations of Gungan. It hardly mattered as the fear spiked through the Twi’lek, paralyzing her in place for the brief span of an eternity.

Breathing out slowly once the world had returned to normal, she folded her arms across her chest and glared at her ‘brother’. ”Ixta tuno, Aurelian Keth!”, she shivered before laughing nervously. ”That’s not funny”, she lightly scolded him, feeling no anger toward his exploitation of her fear. She knew it was illogical and that her sudden arrival in Otah Gunga would spell its doom.

Smoothing her hand across her stomach to sooth her nerves she said, ”There must be better things we could do with our time than staring out into the lake…”. While she had not been confined to her room, she actually hadn’t felt it would safe for her to question their escort too freely.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Aurelian Keth]

Aurelian threw her a wicked grin in amusement to how riled up she’d gotten. “We could fly a dozen Tempest Hunters at this place, firing guns while bolting at full speed and colliding straight into any of the domes. It wouldn’t make a difference to the structural integrity. This shielding technology is spectacular so stop worrying.” he said revealing the reasoning for his taunting. If she didn’t get past a basic fear of the underwater City then she wouldn’t enjoy their limited time here.

Smiling Aurelian shook his head. “That’s why I came to your room. The Commander is on his way as per usual to provide our escort.” he explained.

As soon as he’d finished speaking a bell dinged and the door to Nera’s room slid open. The familiar face of Nalskel Taraps appeared as the tall Gungan entered the room. He spoke slowly, understanding that Aurelian had been trying to learn their language, but even at that the scholar still only caught every third or fourth word. Luckily DX8 was present. “Commander Taraps is saying that because you have both been here for three days, without incident, he has been told to inform us by the High Council that you are both free to explore the City. There will be two guards with us if we need anything but they will be silent and simply present for security reasons. They are waiting outside the room in the hallway.” Aurelian noticed that the Commander didn’t say whose security.

Aurelian grinned and bowed deeply to the Commander and thanked him. The tall Gungan smiled and nodded before leaving swiftly, apparently he was in a hurry perhaps he had fallen behind on his duties being forced to baby sit the two visitors up until now.

Turning back to his friend Aurelian grinned. “Anything you want to see first?”

 

[Ner Giza]

”It’s no good countering me with logic, Aurel. Of course it makes no sense; that’s why they call it an irrational fear, no?”, she smirked a bit and shook her head in the face of his wicked grin certain he was rotten to the core. He was right though; she didn’t fear the vacuum of space and that was dependent upon a technology so common place she didn’t even think about it.

She unfolded her arms and let them swing free to walk across the room and grab the back of one of the over-sized chairs fixed to the floor. What she really needed was her Lyaer'tsa and a good workout to take her mind off this bit of nonsense. Looking to the door that exited the dwelling, she sighed. No way was she going to ask for a spear so she could work out.

Eventually Aurel smiled and let her off the hook causing her spirits to lift. No sooner than he had finished speaking than Commander Tarlaps arrived delivering good news. It would be good to at least stretch her legs and as DX-8 proceeded with the translation she wore a smile upon her face. Bowing to the Gungan she was relieved by the development. Once they were alone again she said, ’”Well that’s an improvement”, moving nearer to the door trying to get a peek at the new guards.

The door slid shut and she turned round to face Aurel once more. The answer to his question was easy and she hardly had to struggle with it at all. ”I want to see it all, Aurel. How about instead of taking breakfast at the mess, we get a care package and make a day of it?”, she suggested. During the three days of their captivity they took their meals at a near-by kitchen of sorts. Apparently the council had arranged for their upkeep during the negotiations which was very hospitable considering the alternatives.

@Lazy Swordsman