Noventa - A Star Wars Story

Sharn had committed the map from the tome to memory, and now deployed in the vicinity of the mountain range quite away from the city to get an idea where, if even there, the place could be.

Committing the map to memory was an excellent start. But the more you began your mountain trek, the stronger the feeling you felt, just as back at the ruins. Dark, oppressive and palpable.

Instead of fear, though, this feeling was seductive, enticing. Looking for you, as it were.

Your instincts serve you well. I can feel you drawing closer,
Chiss.

"It's you again." Sharn puffed. "Do you have a name?"

Are you so surprised that I would return? There was a tone of amusement in the question, as the form began to appear just at the edge of your periphery again. I thought we were becoming well acquainted, Chiss. But my name is my own here. Once you have found me, I can share with you that little bit of information. The formless body stepped next to you, following alongside of you. This place seems so familiar, even with all the change. The trees have grown and receded and grown again. Magnificent, isn't it? The flow of time and nature.

"I suppose you've managed to anchor your consciousness in another dimension to escape biological degradation and now you're retro-manifesting. Your name constitutes only a distant interest as the time it might have meant something is long gone in this instantiation of multiverse. I was just being courteous, but you again chose to be difficult. That's an obstacle to becoming better acquainted." Sharn mused, studying the contour. "I'll pick out heat sources in infrared and recompute the landscape without them. What landmark should I be looking for?"

Has anyone told you that you can be difficult, yourself? Perhaps it is why I could 'manifest' so easily with you, at first. A bit of myself. The featureless face turned to you. I will say I do appreciate the courtesy being offered. In my time, there were those who knew power in names. I have not felt that presence, though, perhaps that knowledge has been lost. One... cannot be too careful, Chiss.

The path moved deeper and deeper into the forest of the mountain, the sky darkening behind the canopy of trees.

Landmarks are only as good as the terrain I can remember. With so much change, it isn't appearance we are going by, but feeling. The Force binds everything together, that will bring you to me.

"Difficult? The accurate word for me is: complex.Thank you for reminding me that I shouldn't divulge my name to you." Sharn chortled. "The Gate to Darkness, hmm? There are reasons to think you weren't too benevolent back across aeons when you were more organic and your name meant something." He decided to walk forth for a while.

Benevolence is immaterial. I only sought true understanding of the Force. What others thought of me is inconsequential. Their interference has only led to a delay, not a stop. There wasn't emotion in it's tone, only pure confidence, as if it was the most basic, universal truth. The mystery of my name will be cleared up, and soon, it will matter once more.

"So, back in the day, what was your daily modus operandi in this pursuit of knowledge? Clearly you don't have much appreciation for laboratories and mathematical models." Sharn couldn't hold back some mockery.

"Meditation. Application of my own skill, and constant training. And delving into the knowledge of my masters, and theirs before. So on and so forth. Often times, it meant studying even more ancient tomes. But it was all about feeling it out, learning inwardly versus cold, calculating study." The voice mused as it walked net to Sharn. "Why do you trust mathematics so implicity? Why not go with what you can feel, or do?

"Because unlike your unspecific, magic methods it has continued to explain phenomena in a testable, verifiable and engineerable ways. Hyperdrives, turbolasers, synthetic intelligence are all because there's a language in which the way they work can be flawlessly written down. You are probably used to having power without understanding the rules by which it flows through you. Just like a gut bacterium which knows how to thrive on nutrition flows through intestines, and eats the host itself if the nutrition stops flowing, but never learns to describe the biochemistry by which it all happens." Sharn chuckled. "And I do trust my feelings. They are algorithmical in nature, also mathematics, though not fully written down yet. The Force must be mathematical too, and I will find the equation."

From up in a tree only a few feet away from where the Chiss now walked a voice came suddenly from above, "You always talk to yourself while you're walking in the forest?"

"This gives me the certainty that I talk to the most intelligent creature on this planet and that I don't waste my time." Sharn replied reflexively before looking up.

Banks chuckled and hopped down from the tree. He dusted his knees off before commenting, "Wow, you really lean into the whole Chiss superiority thing quite well don't ya?"

"Of course. My execution of Chiss life is by definition superior." Sharn commented. "Do I know you?"

"Name's Banks. We crossed path's yesterday at the crash site of those Imperial pods." He replied.

"Sharn. I was too busy to memorise your face but you may be right, someone did down the Viper and it was not the blue Twi'lek. There was also some dumb human kid and her grandpa." He shrugged. "Hiking?"

He nodded, "The one who took down the Viper would've been me."

He then turned to the scenery, "Hiking? I guess... I'm somewhat of a survivalist. Hadn't been up to these parts in sometime and wanted to take a quick look to see some potential sights to go on an excursion."

He then asked, "What brings you up this way?"

"Magic treasure hunt." Sharn quipped. "I hear voices that lead me on."

"Sounds trippy." He said with a nod and a mild look of skeptical acceptance.

"That happen to you a lot?"