driftfleet | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Vima and Nomi Sunrider
Broadcast: Nope
Action: On the station!
When: After Nomi gets off the Marsiva.

Once again, Vima was waiting impatiently for her mother. At least she wasn't angry this time. Or rather, she wasn't angry at Nomi. This was another thing not to blame on it he will of the Force."

She'd been keeping her ship close to the Marsiva until Atroma shuffled Nomi off. Once Vima could sense her on the station she disembarked right away, following the Force to her.

As soon as Vima saw her--hair redder, face younger-- she broke into a run. "Mother!"

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That faction had existed, yes, and she was aware of it. It wasn't something she agreed with, and it wasn't something Odan Urr would have either, she thought. He hadn't been detached himself, none of her teachers had been. They'd cared, and it was because of that care that she and the others who learned from them had thrived.

"No attachments or family...I think that's the heart of it. It's living in an ivory tower, I think. Self-imposed exile away from the population. That's not how we should live our life, as Jedi. We serve the people, and how can you serve the people...if you're detached from them."

Stated more to herself, fingertips trailing along the lip of her cup, Nomi considers Vima's statement.

"I was told, too, that the Sith appeared during the war. And that the people...turned against the Jedi, that the Jedi had become unpopular. Fallen out of favor. I think you're right, Vima. Between the war and that hopelessly myopic philosophy, they have plenty of reason to doubt. And doubt, as you know...leads to fear."

And fear to...well...you know.

Vima shook her head. That was right; living in isolation, you couldn't understand people, you didn't have new ideas or viewpoints. Their problems became distant and unreal.

And considering from the non-Jedi point of view... how could you truly trust people who kept themselves detached and locked away?

"I suppose they think it keeps them truly impartial--safe from dark influence. But it keeps them from learning. They don't understand others, and others don't understand them. I can see how people would grow to mistrust them if their only view of a Jedi is a soldier with powers they don't have themselves."

She sighed. "And then once that starts, it would be hard to stop. Fear breeding fear."

"Which again leads to the rise of the Sith, and with the galaxy fractured and divided..." Nomi sighed and leaned forward, reaching out to take one of Vima's hands.

"Not exactly what we'd have hoped for, but I'm told there is still hope. The Force will balance out, as ever it does. A strong light to counter a strong darkness, as was in our time."

Speaking more of the united Jedi Order, less about the two of them. Though, they were a part.

"On to more pleasant topics though. Ahsoka seems to think quite highly of you. It's good you're making friends."

Vima clasped Nomi's hand, glad for the contact, and nodded. She believed there was hope, too--Leia was there, so was Luke. That was proof that the Jedi could return. History repeated itself in the good as well as the bad.

She grinned when Nomi turned the subject to the more everyday concerns rather than how to feel about the distant-but-not-future. "I gotta say, it was a shock to say hello and start hearing that I was some kind of great legendary Jedi with a holocron," she said. "But I think she sees me as more of a real person, now--I like her. It's nice having a Jedi close to my age here."

"Oh I can imagine. I'm still shocked to hear we're remembered that far into the future."

She chuckled a little, curling her fingers around Vima's own hand, soft, but still calloused from work. She was never one for desk-work.

"She seems very genuine. I like her. And Beverly. Who else have you befriended, dear?"

"Me too. I'm pretty curious about the kind of stuff I put in my holocron."

Vima took a second to think about that question--there were enough, after all. "There's Stefan," she said; she had met him on the first day and stuck with her since. "He's nice--he tends to have a lot on his mind, but he's a good friend. And Leanne, the tactical officer on our ship. Our captain's a good guy too, but you've talked to him already."

There was a slight inquiring tone to the last sentence; Vima had noticed that the conversation went to private, which she assumed meant they had been talking about her.

"James, yes." Nomi noticed that twitch in her daughter's voice, and she doesn't need prompting to go on. She won't leave Vima in suspense, either.

"He told me about the difference in your age, mostly. And after that we discussed my eventual transfer to your ship, as well as the Force. I had thought, perhaps, that not everyone would be some comfortable with Jedi aboard. Even in our own home galaxy, we're often viewed with some worry, and I wanted to address any potential discomfort."

A beat.

"There was none, just so you know. He also spoke highly of your skills as a pilot."

"Nah, we're--we were uncommon enough here that nobody's been looking at us funny," said Vima. "Most haven't even heard of a Jedi until we tell them what one is." And as for discomfort, well, people on the Heron had long enough to get used to Vima levitating things around when she practiced her skills.

And she grinned, half in relief and half in amusement when Nomi explained what she and Bucky had talked about. "That's good. I haven't had much experience before getting the augment stuck in my head, but I haven't run into any asteroids yet either."

Or suns. She'd just not mention that right now. Among other future matters.

"I'd hope not. Though our ships are considerably bigger than my personal transport."

She's just glad you're doing so well. That's really important to her, you know. However there's another matter she wants to at least broach, if not talk about in full.

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about. Doctor Crusher mentioned that the two of you had...shared memories?"

Ah yes... the calibrations. That was some months ago now, but Vima still remembered the things she had seen, and what other people had seen in her own mind.

"Yeah--a few months ago, we were all sent to the Marsiva, and we ended up in each other's heads when we slept. I was in Dr. Crusher's mind one night, and then she was in mine."

"I won't ask you what you saw. And I think you, she, and I need to sit down and talk about that sometime. But..."

Nomi squeezes Vima's hand, a look of concern on her face. She really doesn't think that's a pleasant thing to experience, at all.

"Are you alright? I know that can't have been easy."

Now that would be interesting--Vima wondered if Crusher would mention that she had actually kicked Vima out at the end for being too nosy. That could be interesting. But she nodded agreement. It was a good idea, and Vima was glad (though not surprised) that Nomi wasn't asking without Crusher present.

"I'm fine," she said, squeezing Nomi's hand back. "It's been a while, and... mostly, the memories people saw in my head weren't so bad." One of her visitors had stumbled on the destruction of Ossus, but mostly, the memories had been of a more personal and less catastrophic nature. "Not that I'm looking forward to a repeat."

"Let's hope it doesn't repeat. I don't particularly want anyone in my head, either."

Since she has some decidedly ugly memories, that she wouldn't wish on anyone. But seeing that her child is fine, she shifts gears one more time.

"I guess...we should also discuss your training. That'll have to begin soon. Or continue. What have you learned so far, so I'll have an idea of where to begin?"

"If it does, I'll make sure to be careful not to snoop," said Vima. Honestly, if it did, and she was aware of it--she probably wouldn't touch anything. There were a lot of bad things in there, and they would be as clear and defined as a four-year-old memories were not.

She took a deep breath when Nomi introduced the topic of training... Vima had been expecting it. How much to say? She didn't want to talk about Ulic right now, right this second. But she wasn't intending to lie either. "I know the basics. I've been doing things on my own--meditation, moving things with the Force, sharpening my senses. I've started sparring with Ahsoka, too, though we have to use sticks."

Nomi nodded and finished up her tea with a quick swallow. So Vima had the basics, and that was a start. That was more than she'd expected, really. And lightsabers, too. Good. Ahsoka probably was good for that, and it was like playing, too. Bonding with another teenager.

"Good, then we can start there. I can help reinforce those lessons, and you can keep practicing on your own, and with Ahsoka. And we can probably start introducing more advanced things into your training as well. I have a few ideas, things I learned quickly, and that you likely have an affinity for too."

Vima nodded. She had always wanted to train with Nomi--had always dreamed of that, assumed that it would happen.

It was a good thing, really, that it hadn't happened the way she'd thought it would, but she had been ready to train under her mother before getting yanked into the Fleet. Telekinesis wasn't hard to practice, but things like Battle Meditation... that, Vima would like guidance with.

"Maybe an affinity for the things you can do," she said. "I've always to follow in your footsteps."

"And probably some things I can't. You may follow in my footsteps for now, dear." Nomi laughed wryly at the image alone. "But one day you'll discover new paths too."

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