Afterglow II | The Clone Wars

11 | Actions

Upon taking the awaiting hand of the spirit, her initial thought was that her fingers would faze straight through the apparition and grasp onto bleak, dreariness of nothingness. However that was not the case much to her dismay. When her tanned hand touched hers, the flesh, bones and metal of her battered body fell away and the spirit grabbed hold of something else entirely, her spirit.

Dakota gazed up at the spirit with uncertainty as she noticed the way her shell fell away from within, and a blue tinted version of her own body emerged. She stood up from out of her body which remained sitting up and slumped in posture, her head down and hair displayed messily over her closed eyes. She looked down to her empty body, trying to make sense of what felt like nonsense.

"Am I dead?" she found herself asking again, voice low. To her, it wouldn't be much of a tragedy if she were. Being dead must not feel all that different than how she already felt.

"That's for you to decide" the spirit offered a shrug and continued to tug her in the direction of the cave wall. She lifted her free, ghostly hand and stuck it directly through the rock as if it wasn't there.

In an instant, they were no longer bound by the confines of the moist cave. As force ghosts, they traversed through the stone walls as if they were mere illusions, emerging into the realm of Dakota's awaiting memories that resided on the other side. The breath was stripped right from her chest at the unexpected transition as she shadowed the spirit. The stones around them were replaced with colors of purple and yellow. They stepped onto soft dirt, becoming encircled with tall grass and a warm, gentle breeze.

Dakota recognized the place that they had arrived in. She knew the nostalgic scent, the accustomed feel, the warmness of the spring suns on her tanned skin. She felt it all without restrictions and without remorse. In the vibrant, labyrinth of gardens of the planet Kalevala, where the air was alive with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers and the gentle hum of buzzing insects, a young Dakota Ky walked hand in hand with her mother, the Mandalorian Duchess, under the azure sky.

Dakota's heart swelled with joy as she skipped contently alongside her mother, her small hand clasped firmly in the Duchess's elegant grasp. Dakora Kryze, the former Duchess of the Mandalorian people before Satine took over the role. They were both adorned in traditional Mandalorian blue royal attire, the rich fabric flowing gracefully around them as they moved through the garden. Her mother's skin was dark, her indigenous features a stark contrast to the pale inhabitants of the Mandalorian planet.

Dakota looked similar, but not quite. Her skin a soften shade of brown, a mix of Kalevalan and Sorgonian, resulting in a hybrid heir to the royal throne. The sunlight danced upon their faces, casting a golden glow upon their smiles as they laughed and shared secrets amidst the vibrant tapestry of colors surrounding them. Birds sang melodies of pure delight, adding to the symphony that no composer could ever reenact.

No shadows of status and royal responsibilities could be seen there.

The Duchess's laughter echoed like music in Dakota's ears as the child tugged her to an unknown flower. As they wandered through the garden, Dakota's eyes sparkled with wonder as she marveled at the beauty of the nature surrounding them. Her mother bent down to pluck the delicate flower, its red petals as soft as velvet, and tucked it behind Dakota's ear with a tender smile "It's called Nysillin" she explained, fluffing her daughters hair "a rare healing herb, and treasure to this galaxy"

And as she watched her younger self meander with her mother amidst the flowers, Dakota, who stood off to the side with the ghost, stood with her arms crossed and head tilted with gentle disbelief "It's been so long" she thought out loud, and the spirit nodded "I had forgotten what she looked like. What she... sounded like"