Ask Constantly Seeking; Never Reaching

[Xolani Mai]

Xolani listened at the exchange between Ripley and the monk - nodding when appropriate. They did deserve peace - of that Ripley was absolutely correct. But, there was more to it than that; their senseless murders could not be answered by anyone in the galaxy still living (unless Palpatine had found yet another way to live beyond the grave). But, Xolani was still found...wanting. Why tell these two their stories, if all they sought was rest? What was the deeper purpose of their message, from the beyond? Questions that could not be answered now, but demanded an answer nonetheless.

"Jedha deserved a longer life than it was given. To keep it alive as-is would be wanton cruelty." He paused to reflect, raising a hand to his chin. "But are these the only two options, spirit?" Through the Force, all things both natural and supernatural were possible. Perha "We are equipped with the histories of this world, the intimate stories of . But they deserve it on their homeworld; here, on Jedha."

"Is this planet truly beyond healing, or has the galaxy merely forgotten and moved on? Transition would be a mercy if the former is true, but if the latter..." Too quickly were atrocities forgotten, ignored, swept under the rug when politically convenient. There was little thought about the fates of the worlds, the peoples, of the galaxy - expediency and efficiency seemed to be the only metrics, Jedi included, people were interested in. Restoring Jedha could be an impossible, fruitless task; but shouldn't they try.

"Those who have passed on should transition to the next world, join the Force, be allowed peace beyond their suffering. Jedha, though. What if we could restore its holy city?"

@Nefieslab @llamallove

 

[The Storyteller]

The Monk that was more than anything that could be just continued to watch as the two travellers came to their conclusions. What The Monk thought of their opinions was impossible to read upon it's features. For all they knew, The Monk was actually incapable of having any kind of opinion about anything, much less their decisions. It emoted, to an extent, but after an interaction this long it seemed to both travellers that the emotions were only surface level.

That The Monk was little more than a hollow shell.

A shell of what they did not know.

"Curious."

A tapping as The Monk seemed to consider both of their answers.

"Both of you carry the pain and suffering of untold thousands. Both of you have those experiences seared into your souls and, yet, both of you come to different conclusions." The Monk nodded to Ripley, "To let go and find release..."

The Monk eyed Xolani.

"Or to labour to undo the past."

A beat of silence.

"It matters not in the scheme of things, I suppose. The planet Jedha could, potentially, be reassembled through the means of technology and the application of trillions of your credits. Perhaps it is possible." The Monk allowed before resting it's attention on them both, "But do you believe either of you have the ability to achieve this?"

@Fine Dining Set @llamallove

 

[Xolani Mai]

He could not believe what he was doing - about to argue with a spirit of the Force. Yet, "Not to undo the past," he paused, thinking reflectively to the mere moments ago when he had died a thousand times. "But to regenerate, create for the future. As dead growth in the garden provides the foundation for fertile soil, . Perhaps it is not the physical task of rebuilding the planet," an effort that certainly would outstrip his capacities as an individual or former Jedi. "But, spiritual regeneration. I feel we must live out these stories somehow, would you not agree, Ripley?" He could not simply leave and forget about these experiences; ignore the cries through the Force that had brought the two there in the first place.

It was at this point that Xolani appreciated the spirit for what it was - a hollow shell. What Xolani struggled against, searched for answers for, could not be provided by the splendid representation of spiritual wisdom that had appeared within him. Truly, he knew, the answer lie only in the decisions that him and Ripley would make. They would have to make peace with themselves. Something Xolani still felt unready to do.

Yet, he felt "There is no greater gift than wisdom. I thank you for this opportunity, Spirit." It wasn't fully honest, but it was not a lie, either. Years on the superstitious world of Savareen had taught him that the spirits, representations of the Force, were due etiquette above all else; to be brutally honest about one's doubts was to commit heresy. In truth, he felt harrowed by the experience; completely sapped of willpower, of energy. His brief protestations were reflective of the bowels of his spirit, his life force that clung to existence and hope against the depravity he had endured. Not even him, but others; so many others who had laid bare their souls to Ripley and Xolani. They were surely an undeserving audience. Yet, the stories had been told.

There were many questions yet unanswered. Continued lingering would leave them unsolved; he was endlessly called forward. What would happen next?

@llamallove @Nefieslab

 

[Ripley Virago]

"But do you believe either of you have the ability to achieve this?"

Ripley's keen eyes slid toward Xolani, white irises taking in his countenance and his words. The Monk, on the other hand, was impossible to read. The Arkanian did not know if he had perfected this ability over the decades of life he had lived and experienced or if it was just another part of the mystery, of the supernatural element that flowed and ebbed around him. He was an enigma, just like this place.

Like the Monk, Ripley found it odd that she and Xolani had experienced the same emotions, lived and died the same lives, and yet had come to two very different conclusions. Ripley believed that the souls that had perished here deserved to be released from their suffering and put to rest, while Xolani believed that restoration was the true answer to their quest for peace.

Was it the Jedi teachings that set Xolani apart from the Arkanian? Or was it something else entirely? Perhaps they were merely two sides of the same coin. Their goal was the same, but not their methods. Not their journey.

Finally, the historian turned toward the Monk to answer his question. "No," she shook her head. "I do not have the resources to restore Jedha nor its temple to its former glory..." Her eyes swept the expanse of the ruins behind them. Briefly, she thought of her father. True, he was a wealthy man, but Ripley had no practice of soliciting funds from him. She prided herself on many things, her self-reliance one of them.

She shared a rare, sympathetic smile with Xolani. "I still believe that release is what these dying souls deserve."

@Fine Dining Set @Nefieslab

 

[The Storyteller]

The Monk watched silently as the two of them disagreed despite having the same level of understanding when it came to the suffering of Jedha. It was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch onward before the Monk nodded once, as if coming to a decision. Despite being a hollow projection of something else, it was imbued with enough of a facsimile of sentience that it could make decisions such as this.

“It seems you are at a disagreement but I shall allow both points of view a chance to be proven correct.”

Reaching up, the Monk gestured to the ruined sphere of Jedha in the distance with a hand. In time with an odd twitch of his fingers, the molten core of the planet pulsed a bright and ominous red before it continued its slow bleeding.

“You have half a year, Jedi of Old, to seek a way to heal the wound. If you are unable to do so, Jedha shall let out its last breath, the core shall be snuffed out and the remnants of its surface will be set adrift in the void forever.”

The Monk turned back to both of the travelers.

“BEGONE.”

His voice wasn’t raised, it wasn’t a shout or a scream but it seared itself into their minds like a brand. There was no warning as the Truth behind the single word became more and more known to them, slamming into them with enough shock that both of them were forced to close their eyes for a second to simply accept the command. When they opened their eyes, they were no longer looking at the Monk, instead they were back in their environment suits, kneeling before the altar.

Upon the altar itself, the kyber crystal that had been sacrificed glowed a bright, forest, green as the parts of the lightsaber spun around it. Without a thought from either of the two watchers, the lightsaber assembled itself perfectly before resting on the altar again.

Had it truly happened?

Had it all been in their minds?

Both travelers could doubt as much as they liked but the emotions they had been forced to experience remained within their minds. But aside from the mental effects still lingering, both of them would feel something beneath their environment suits – something that had not been there before. A comforting weight of a band around the middle finger of their right hand, a warm feeling wrapping around Xolani’s and a cold one around Ripley’s own.

Unknown to either of them at this point, the navicomputers of their ships would have updated themselves with a new location in the Outer Rim.

Lothal.

@Fine Dining Set @llamallove

Spoiler: Heart of Jedha Ring - Xolani

Spoiler: Death of Jedha Ring - Ripley