Internment at Almas
 
Even after everything the group has seen in the last few months, being on Almas ranks as the most unsettling. Almas, itself, has a lot to do with it. So far removed from the system's sun, the planet sees very little light. Still, its surface is bathed in a gentle glow, thanks to the native Kaluthin. This thick, wavy grass covers the entire planet, glowing naturally from its green and purple stalks. To those not used to it, the fact that the light comes from beneath them, rather than the sky above, can be quite disorienting. Of course, the stone markers facing you are easily the biggest factor in your unease. This is the first time you've seen them - that you've been forced to face them. Being on the run has obviously kept you from being able to visit before, but it is only now that you realize that a big part of you didn't ever want to be here. It makes it too real. The names are all familiar, some more than others. Master Balthazar. Minister Kayne. Master Durron. Duke Hoodan Qoo. Lofryyka. Magnus Brand. Eli's buddy. Countless Almas Jedi lost in the post-Order 66 attack on the Academy here. And now, the Wanderer's family. To those who have lived among Jedi for some time, the sight of actual gravesites is curious. Master Don had shared that he had been sending our lost companions and loved ones to Almas for funeral rites, but you just assumed that they were cremated. That is the Jedi way, after all. The body is burned to release all of the being's energy - to allow the individual to be completely at one with the Force. The thought occurs to you that this place may be a tangible sign of Master Don's mental state - that this place has become his own personal reminder of the fact that his entire way of life is now extinct. To keep yourself somewhat sane, you force your eyes from the ground and take inventory of your friends. Almost in front of you is Eli, his hands balled into fists and his shoulders visibly vibrating. The sight makes you assume that he may be mourning the dead with tears, but as you step beside him, you see an anger in his eyes so focused and intense that it could manifest only as involuntary shaking. The Wanderer, you worry, is even further consumed by the moment. Despite the fact that their bodies are more than adequately covered, he remains on his knees in front of the two freshest sites, continuing to move earth over his family. You feel the need to pull him away, but Feen steps forward first. Just moments ago, she pissed you all off by openly calling The Qoo "her ship," but the sight of the beautiful Twi'lek being moved to tears on behalf of beings she barely knows makes you see how Silas can trust her so implicitly. Silas and Don stand near the rear of the group, but they are not the furthest removed from the internment site. Almost fifty yards away is Mashi, crouching low in the grass as a hunter instinctively would. You wonder if he is giving the group room enough to grieve the ones he didn't have the pleasure of knowing. However, as you watch him stand and shift his position nervously, you realize that the graceful creature is simply having difficulty watching his new pride feel pain. "You've lost this many?" Silas asks, his forehead wrinkling as he tries to grasp the cost of our survival. "And more," Master Don responds, his right thumb tapping at his robotic thigh without even realizing it. "Much more."
Friday, June 16, 2006