Waves on the Sand

Welcome to Maika

From her seat on a standard commercial passenger transport, Ahsoka looked out over the planet below her. Even from orbit, crystal blue seas, broad white beaches and lush, green jungle could clearly be distinguished.

Maikaʻikahonua, commonly referred to as Maika, was one of the most significant planetary tourism destinations in the Core. An entire planet of shallow, warm seas, wide beaches and jungle, it might have been purposefully designed for the role. Dressed in a blue tank top, knee length denim shorts, and carrying a small rucksack, Ahsoka fitted in with most of the passengers on the ship. Young, perky, presumably looking for a good time. As part of her cover as a tourist, she wasn't wearing shoes, just a pair of flat, laced sandals. Admittedly, not looking like a Jedi was beneficial if you were planning on a beach vacation with a friend.

Her commlink had chimed before she even reached planetary orbit, with a hotel name and room number. Opening it up again, she read the details.

"Hotel Maika, Suite 283. Party name of Bonteri. Looking forward to seeing you, XX."

She grinned as she looked at the text-only message again. It'd been a few weeks since she last spent time alone with Lux. A stay this far from Coruscant had so many possibilities for the two of them to continue exploring.

Re-entry was one of her secret joys. The bright, orange glow, dimmed by the photoreactive transparisteel that made up the windows, reminded her of a warm campfire. Despite the speed of re-entry, the transport's inertial compensator was able to almost completely damp out the turbulence that would have thrown the passengers around.

On landing, Ahsoka collected her luggage out of the overhead locker, and headed for the steps, slinging her bag over her shoulder. A couple of paces from the door, she could feel the air temperature rising above the one the shuttle's environmental control system maintained. The rolling warmth told her that it was anything but cool outside, and the sounds of bird analogues spoke of rolling waves and warm sand.

Walking down the steps was like walking into an oven, and she found it hard to breathe for a few moments, as her body adjusted to the temperatures. Without thinking about it, she drew on the Force, creating a layer of cooler air next to her skin. The relief was immediate. A short walk across the duracrate landing pad took her into the terminal, and the cool blast of air conditioning.

With no contraband to worry about, Ahsoka wandered through the 'nothing to declare' lane. No-one looked twice at the young togruta, who fitted in with the rest of the multi-species medley of young humanoids in summer clothes. A small, furry animal, presumably a local species, stood in the middle of the corridor, attached to its handler via a short lead. With a shrill trill, it pulled forward, attaching itself to a pair of humans in expensive looking clothes. Without looking back, Ahsoka felt them being led away, resigned to whatever would happen next.

Passport control was the next hurdle. Given that she was no longer any sort of Jedi, going through on what the Jedi called 'The Robe and Saber Passport' wasn't an option. That meant standing in a queue, waiting for people ahead of her to show their passports to the six, very overworked, staff. Her hearing and other senses were not helpful, either. Perhaps five people behind her, a human or near-human boy, a couple years older than her was clearly ogling her rear end.

Ahsoka was surprised by how nervous that made her feel. Dressed in Jedi robes, she inevitably got attention, but it wasn't usually staring. It appeared that being a humanoid female in moderately revealing clothing had a different outcome. Admittedly, Lux had tried to flirt with her, even when she was clearly a Jedi.

Shuffling forward with the rest of the queue, Ahsoka kept one mental eye on what was going on around her. Her observer was off-putting, from her perception of him. Big, perhaps a head taller than everyone around him, with a force presence that stunk of self-satisfaction. She'd encountered the sort before, when visiting an expensive university or the senate.