Star Wars: Soldiers of the War Eternal

Home Away From Home

"Ae. You ok?"

That was what he'd said. Trin's mind returned again to the young man with silver hair, frowning at her, tilting his head to one side, his pale skin and hair stark against a vista of black, broken plains and distant peaks. The question in his voice. The image and words still bright in her mind. Was 'Ae' a person?

"Eighth bell. Don't forget!" Teela's call from the top of the academy steps brought Trin back to Tython and the here and now.

"I heard the second time," Trin called back as she trotted down the last of the steps and headed into the town, destination home. "Have I ever let you down?"

"Yes," came the reply, but she was already too far away to give such a ridiculous accusation the rebuttal it deserved. She would be on time, as always. Or thereabouts.

Trin was at the entrance of the Lanes before it dawned on her that perhaps Teela had meant that she had let her down in ways other than being late for a night out. Fair enough. That was entirely possible.

The Lanes were a maze of narrow, cobbled alleyways crammed full of small one-bedroom apartments. Its twisting, branching terraces gave the impression of having grown organically on the mountainside, and their appearance reinforced this, the curving walls smoothed over with plaster and painted bone white. The inhabitants were free to paint their dwelling's wooden doors in any color they desired, resulting in a myriad of bold patterns and designs punctuating the blank bright surfaces.

Most of the students lived somewhere in the Lanes. Trin was in the lower, downhill section, and after a few minutes walking, came to her one-of-a-kind door: a blue, green and purple design that reminded her of sunsets. She unlocked it and walked in.

The curved, white plaster surfaces of the street extended into apartment interiors, though better finished, and the cobblestones were replaced by flagstones that were refreshingly cool in summer but tiptoe chilly in winter. Trin had done her best to make the small three-room space as comfortable and personal as possible, within the constraints of her Padawan's allowance. Locally woven rugs made a cold floor more comfortable, and worked well as hangings in the hot seasons, giving the walls a splash of color as well as deadening sounds.

The quarters were long and narrow. At the front, they received natural light from windows either side of the door and this was where the food preparation area had been situated, with worktop, cupboards and cooking equipment extending along one side of the room. Trin walked further into the interior to drop her bag onto a low table, next to her holo unit, and collapse onto brightly colored cushions that covered the curved seating extending from the wall. This built-in sofa was constructed from the same whitewashed plaster that covered most of the apartment surfaces and had been designed to prioritize appearance over comfort; she needed to buy more cushions to ensure no contact between backside and the stone underneath.

Opposite her was the door to the bathroom and on her right, further inside, was an arch that led to a cozy space containing her bed and wardrobe, and - in Trin's opinion - the best feature of the place; a small window that filled her room with the sunrise and started each day with a view of the valley.

Trin lounged on the cushions and reviewed. Meet at the eighth bell, at the courtyard above the Lanes. It was just past six now, so she could easily cook a quick meal, clean up, take the usual call with the family at seven, and have plenty of time left to make herself look devastating.

The boy with silver hair and pale eyes frowned at her.

Enough. Push that shit out of her mind for now. It could wait. But what if it happened again? The first time was right after she'd touched that thing on the shrine. That must have been the cause, somehow. Force only knows how, but it had to be. But this second time, she'd been nowhere near the shrine. Did this mean it could happen at any time? On each occasion she'd seen through someone else's eyes and been a passenger in their body. Was it the same person, twice? The sudden disorientation and loss of control was frightening. She didn't want to go through that again, but how could she stop it?

Where might this lead? She had no idea, only a gnawing worry.