Chapter 60: 61. Chapter

A young togruta girl was silently meditating on the edge of a lively forest. She was partially hidden under the shade of an aged oak tree. 

From the perspective of Ahsoka. 

A huge cupola cuts through the sky. Birds are singing on the tree branches, a mechanical sun spreading its warmth and light to the denizens of this majestic place. Many differently sized pyramids reaching towards the sky in a thousand years old race fueled by the misguided hope to touch it, always remaining just out of reach. Here that very sky seemed to be made with intent, which had been lost somewhere in the forgotten pages of the universe history. A different galaxy, the ruins of a completely unknown civilization with a technology that far surpasses our wildest dreams of subatomic teleportation. It was here, and I had seen it and experienced it, but it was still hard to believe it. This place, the force surrounding it, was completely different than in any place I had been before. The force here was gentle, almost meek, but there was a hidden edge to it, a spring that could snap out with power and precision if the need arises. 

This place, it was so far from everything I came to know and understand. It was hidden, from the eyes of the Republic. Hidden from the eyes of the Sith, and the Separatist... Hidden from the wars that seemed to become just another natural part of our everyday lives...

The silence, the peace, was not just another empty phrase here. It was everything. As if this was the only way, and I know, it could have been.

My haunting thoughts of war, my once so vivid fears and everyday worries seemed so far now, as if they belong to a different life. 

I felt a small and warm hand seek to grab onto my half-open palm as I sat on the ground surrounded by lively green grass and flowers gently waving in the wind.  

I felt a smile come to my face so naturally, as if it was always allowed to be happy and joyful and show it to the world, even for a jedi like me.

My eyes opened and I found my smile only  to widen. There was a three or four years old togruta girl, and a slightly older togruta boy standing a few steps behind her, looking at her sibling with a slightly worried expression.  

-Apologies, master jedi. My sister seemed to sense your discomfort. She only meant to cheer you up. 

 Stated the boy with an appologetic smile.

-There was no harm done. I was finishing my meditation anyway. 

I answered with a warm smile, then I picked up the little girl and placed her in my lap playfully. The little girl cheered and laughed aloud, with an innocence radiating from her, through the force and through her expression just the same. I felt my troubled thoughts disperse, as if a healing salve had been applied to my soul. 

It might be the little girl, doing something, she was force-sensitive. Anyone could sense it thanks to her radiating force presence. 

There was a mild flare in the force. I turned my head towards it with curiosity. 

An old man with an opaque form appeared from thin air. He was wearing the traditional clothes of a jedi master. He showed me a disarming smile, as he waved towards the spot next to me in the grass. 

-May I join you, younglings? 

Sounded a warm voice from the bearded man, his eyes smiling in a mischievous playfulness, typically reserved for the elderly. To have such a spark in one's eye is nothing short of a miracle in this world.

I nodded, somewhat shy, at his sudden appearance.

The children, on the other hand beamed with pure happiness. 

-Master Joseph! So good to see you again! 

Said the boy, while the girl only laughed and waved towards the man from my lap. 

The man or, the apparition of a man crouched down and finally plopped on the ground next to me. He smiled and looked towards me. 

- One would think, that in death your hips will at least stop aching if nothing else. 

He leaned a bit closer to me while I tried to process the meaning of what he just said. 

Then he whispered to me, followed by a wink. 

- Unfortunately, one, would be mistaken. 

At that moment his expression turned into a betrayed one with a tired resignation at the end. It felt so comical with the whole situation, that I couldn't help but laugh.  

The man's eyes glinted warmly, seeing my reaction. He waited patiently until I finished laughing, and looked at me once more. 

-There are many things in this world which couldn't be solved. Things that are not meant to be solved by us. The world flows, onward, time unending, forever. It is good to live in the moment for a little bit, and it is needed. Remember to laugh, that is the only true weapon against the darkness in the end, and maybe a warm smile.

He showed me once more such a smile, and I found myself speechless by how genuine it felt. Then the little togruta moved in my lap suddenly, and I had to turn away to straighten her posture. Why did she start acting up out of nowhere… The moment that thought was born in my mind, the girl seemed to calm down, again. What the... Oh well, kids are kids in the end…

Then I looked up to ask something of that man... but he was nowhere to be seen anymore... He just disappeared. I felt speechless again. I looked down at the small girl in my lap. She turned around and smiled up at me. There was a hint of mischief in her eyes. 

-Did you? 

She laughed again. 

-... no matter... 

It was easy to forget that many things in this place, were not exactly what they seemed to be... 

-So a warm smile, you say... 

I closed my eyes and sensed the sun rays caressing my skin as the soft wind moved the forest around me. There was no need in overthinking things... Some were simply meant to experience, and enjoy? Is that what they tried to tell me... to enjoy this place while I am here? 

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This place... it was majestic, indeed, but not just because of the glorious pyramids, the cupola, or because of that weird sun.

It was partly because of its unique force presence; yet the true mystery was far greater than I could have ever imagined. This place, this city was a city of the dead, and also of the living, existing side by side in a balance. 

The name Unity, its meaning wasn't as simple as uniting the darkside and the lightside. It was much more. It was uniting the living and the dead. The cycle of nature was broken, yet it still continues in its original way, at least in some sense. 

The meanings, and the borders of life and time were distorted here. It lost its original edge. The fear of death, was more like a fear of change here. It was not dreaded in the sense that we knew it. The only thing it took to change it fundamentally, was to see that there was something behind that last bridge... something to experience. 

I felt as if my soul eased up for the first time since I learned of the meaning of death... An incredible weight was lifted as I felt my eyes water a bit. I looked up towards the sky, towards the sun of this place. This... changes everything... I realized that this place strengthened me in my beliefs as a Jedi in such a short time and through means I could never think of. The force was alive here.

I heard a blunt laughter echo around the open plain. Then a few words were spoken to me, as the voice of the old man weakened. 

-Tell, my foolish apprentice, that I said hi. She should wake up soon. 

-Okay? But who is your apprentice, and who the heck are you? 

I only heard a gruff smirk, and something about younglings... then the voice disappeared. 

The boy next to me answered the question instead.

-He was Master Joseph. His apprentice, is Nizzal the Grey, I think you should know her already.

Stated the boy, and he picked up her sister from my lap, grasped her hand, and walked away while both of them said hi to me. 

-Eh? Thanks... and see you soon, guys... 

There was a knowing smile on their faces, as both of the children's bodies flickered and dispersed in the air. 

I was left in the grass shocked,  and speechless, looking at the empty place where they had stood seconds ago. 

-The force could take many forms, just as life itself. Only does who look behind the curtain may glimpse into its true nature. 

I heard the voice of the boy whispering from the air changing its location at every spoken word, flowing with the wind.

I found myself frozen in place with a completely shocked expression. The warmth of the girl's hands and the weight of her body sitting in my lap was still fresh in my mind. I couldn't understand it... they were not... alive? Opaque ghosts were one thing, but this... 

A warm voice broke my awestruck silence, as the voice of the young girl spoke for the first time in a bell like voice.

-There is no death. 

She stated without the smallest hint of doubt, and the voice of the boy followed closely, finishing the familiar phrase.

-There is only the force.

I don't know how long I was sitting in the grass, completely shocked by what happened. 

At the end, I blinked away the stubborn moisture that seemed to continuously flow out of my eyes. Those kids... Why do I feel like I have seen them somewhere... 

I took a deep breath as I forced myself to stand up. My legs felt sore from sitting for so long. I patted the dust off of my pants and turned in the direction of the main pyramid. It was impossible to mistake. The temple of the order was much larger than any other pyramid here. Of course there were other buildings too, not just pyramids... 

Yet, it was without a doubt one of the main or most unique features of the place. The light of the sun slowly began to weaken, as the ancient technology tried to imitate the natural cycles of day and night. 

However, it will not be turned off entirely. There was always enough light made by it to be able to walk the streets. The warmth of the place was also ideal, it was a bit colder at night but still good if you pulled on a jacket. 

It was the second day since we had arrived here. Nizzal was still asleep. The girl slept through a whole day practically and still didn't have enough of it. Yet the spirits stated she would wake soon. It will take a while since I walk back to the centrum of the city from the edge of the forest. So I hope it will be enough for her to wake up. Otherwise I might decide to splash her with a glass of water... Yes, I am acting childish, but I don't care. 

I picked up the jacket from the grass. I was sitting on it the whole time, it had a grassy smell as I pulled it on. I brushed off a few attached halm and leafs.

Finally I began to walk towards the temple. While watching the hovering drones equipped with many arms. It reminded me of a Separatist torture droid...  

I shook my head to get rid of that thought as I looked at the drone once more, it became clear that it was equipped with tools to work the fields. Those droids were the ones who grew the food here, on this flying city. 

The city's form had been described to me as a disk and from what I have seen, it sure looks like it. There is supposedly a spike like peak at the middle of its top and bottom. 

Should I call for instant transmission? I thought about it.

Yesterday after our arrival I got this wristband from Laora. It was continuously emitting a unique signal. Everyone here seemed to have their own wristband, coming with their own signal. and by the push of a few buttons I could be warped from literally anywhere from the ship to many predetermined locations on it.

In the end, I decided against it. I couldn't look around, if I am teleported after all.

-I am also interested in what master is doing at this time. 

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