genessia | [ACTION] Not The Sith Temple You're Looking For

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[ACTION] Not The Sith Temple You're Looking For

Ahsoka stepped confidently through the portal out of the World Between Worlds, the convor she called Morai fluttering just above her -

- and found herself on her back, cushioned inside a silver ovoid, groggy as if she'd been drugged.

Using the Force, she leapt from the odd bed, landing a few feet away, lightsabers drawn but not activated. She was in some sort of cavern, but definitely not the Sith Temple at Malachor, and Morai was nowhere to be seen. Nor was the portal still open behind her, for a quick duck back and another attempt. A small box clattered to the ground, spilling open. She bent to examine the contents: a necklace, a flat glass rectangle, a jaggedly-cut piece of metal, and a pamphlet.

WELCOME TO GENESSIA

Sinister, but oddly polite? And likely this sort of arrival was a regular thing: why have all this prepared for a single accident from a mystical portal only a handful of Jedi and Sith had ever known of?

Since there was really nowhere in the galaxy but the ruins of an ancient Sith temple where it was at all safe to be seen with a not-red lightsaber, she secreted her weapons away, tugged her tunic down, and walked out of the room.

Having been undercover on dozens of worlds, she knew the drill: keep a steady pace, don't let your gaze linger too long on anything, keep your story simple and as close to the truth as possible. Time to be "Ashla" again, at least until she could connect back up with the Resistance.

She left the room, noted the rack of flimsy brochures, and activated the holographic display - something familiar, at least!

"Hello, my name is Weiss Schnee..."

Ahsoka - Ashla for the duration - read through the flimsies, settled on Nova City as the most likely place to find the resources to get herself out of this - collective kidnapping? harvesting? highly detailed hallucination? - and back to the people who counted on her.

She clasped the necklace around her neck under her montrals, and stepped out into Nova City.

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One of the first beings she may see was a familiar cyborg, stalking along the street. Grievous looked pretty much the same from the times she saw and fought him during the Clone Wars, his long grey and red cloak swirling behind him as he strode along, looking like he was on important business.

He paused when he spied the Togruta, not immediately recogising her since she was older. But he did recognise that she was an alien from their galaxy and that was rather rare.

Approaching her, he may give the impression of being a threat simply due to their past history, even if currently there were no weapons drawn.

It was the walk she recognized, even before the all-too-familiar metal body: the long loping stride could only belong to Grievous!

Ahsoka quickly ran through possible responses: evade and escape, attack - but she needed information, and it was just possible that Grievous had been another "kidnap" victim as well.

Her hands drifted towards where her lightsabers were tucked under her tunic, but she called out as neutrally as she could manage: "Grievous, explain this!"

He had been here for over a year and much had changed within him. She will find him not having quite the hostility he once would have had upon any recognition.

Which comes now as she speaks.

He recalls her being here before... but her words make it seem she may be a new arrival. It happens. People came and went without warning.

"Explain what, exactly?" He questions gruffly. Possibly she was asking about something other than simply being here in this world.

He hadn't attacked.

Or even engaged in his usual threats and posturing. Ahsoka's instincts were proving true: things here were not as she might expect.

Her hands relaxing a fraction from battle-ready, she responded, "What is this place? And" - thinking about that odd brochure about jobs and resettlement - "what is your role here, Grievous?"

He straightens up proudly as he answers rather formally.

"I am Deputy Guardian of Nova City. Any trouble will not be tolerated, from the Jedi or any other who wishes to disturb the peace," the advice is a general one that he gives to many new arrivals. "You have stepped into Nova City and I am sworn to protect it."

Ahsoka blinked. "Protect? I've never known you to be interested in anything but destruction. Who is your master in Nova City? Who -" - she doesn't say "holds your leash;" he's not done anything to warrant resuming the old conflict - "who do you actually serve?"

"And," she added, much more to the point, "I can give you my word I'm not out to disturb the peace, so long as I'm not given a reason to do so."

There is a growl at her words, as if he feels he has been insulted and he clenches a clawed fist.

"I have always been a protector of my people and my world. During the conflict we faced I protected the galaxy from the Jedi scum that permeated and corrupted everywhere they went." From his point of view.

"Nobody holds my leash. My mind has been restored and I do my duty under the current Guardian."

Ahsoka takes a step back, looking to defuse any potential conflict.

"There are no more Jedi, Grievous. And I am not looking to fight old wars again. If you protect the people of this city, and mean harm to none who would do it no harm, we have no quarrel today.

"I...just arrived here, and I have no idea what's going on. I don't know if this is some sort of illusion, or Sith paradise, or - community of refugees. I'm certainly not here to start a war."

Once upon a time she might have added "...today" with a smirk. But she had long since outgrown the role of wisecracking fighter, or of soldier in a war that served only the Emperor's rise to power.

*Today,* she just might be able to take Grievous at his word. It certainly wasn't even in the top five strangest things to have happened to her since her day began.

His golden eyes search her face for a moment as if to gather how sincere she was being. There is mistrust there but he understands how this place works and knows something of the future from others who have been here.

"There is no clear answer to why we are here or how we have been brought here. But we have to adapt and accept it, for now. I have been here for a long while and there are no ways out. No starships. No exits. But also no war," he explains. "If you have any further questions, I shall endeavor to answer them."

He falls back into his Deputy role, helping out newcomers.

No, she thinks, she was wrong. Fighting her former master to the death? Interndimensional attack by the Emperor? A time-traveling Ezra Bridger saving her life? She was about to have *a civil conversation with Grievous.*

She relaxes fully and obviously, signaling to Grievous that she's standing down. "I have *a lot* of questions. If... Can you show me around a bit, or is there some place we could go to talk? I feel like I'm standing in the doorway of your city."

And for now, she'd take it in good faith that this city was something of a refuge, and Grievous it's unlikely protector.

She just hoped the rest of the day would be less weird, though she was about ready for Obi-Wan's ghost as a cantina pole-dancer...

A year and a half ago, he too would have thought this very strange. But he's seen other people from their galaxy come and go here, including many hated Jedi. The depth of that hatred has lessened but the bitterness always remains. Regardless, it isn't enough to stop him being civil here. And not only for his job and duty.

"We may walk and talk. Ask your questions," and he ushers her along with a gracious gesture as he indeed begins to walk away from the archway, further into the city.

Ahsoka fell into step alongside Grievous, stretching her legs to match his long stride. "This place - there are people here from all over the galaxy? And we can't get out? Who runs all this and why? What do they want from this?"

She continued her barrage of questions as she looked around to take in the strange city, the giant cyborg almost a welcome anchor of familiarity.

"I have seen many from known worlds and from unknown worlds. Some vanish as easily as you have arrived. Without notice or warning. None know how they are transported or know the purpose. Here, we live our lives as much as we are able," he begins, explaining as much as he knows. "If you accept this, the life here can be productive and there are some ways to see your home again, even if it is something of an illusion."

He pauses at that intriguing little tidbit.

"I haven't had a home in a very long time, and I've little taste for illusions. And this -" - she gestures around at the vibrant city - "is far nicer than most of the places I've lived since I last called anywhere home.

"So - you arrived here much as I did, found a place to stay and a job with the - police? - and settled in? Is that just what we do, here?

"And, I suppose I should ask - are you hiring?"

"There are many occupations available," Grievous says. "Rarely, they hire new deputies but there are other ways to protect the city. As a side, I also oversee a trauma centre for those in distress."

The latter might seem surprising to her.

It took all of Ahsoka's training to not stop and boggle. Her stride barely hitched as she considered. "You know, I understand that.

"I'm not - I'm not any of the things I once was either. We both seem to have left our pasts behind us."

On an impulse, she stuck out her hand. "Call me Ashla. I'm glad to meet you, and I thank you for your time today, deputy."

There was a cautious glance at the offered hand before he briefly clasped it in his cybernetic one. Not too hard or else he could crush her flesh. It was a polite gesture.

"You have indeed become less reckless, it seems," he notes, remembering a feisty young padawan under another name. "It is a fine thing that we should come to an understanding as I did with Skywalker, although in his case it took more time."

"Skywalker?! He was here?! When?!

Edited 2018-07-25 01:36 (UTC)

Grievous takes a moment to think.

"Some months ago may have been the last I heard from him. Perhaps he is still here but it is unlikely. If they have not been seen for some time it is most likely they have returned to our galaxy without warning. This can happen to any of us at any time."

"Months ago?! "

Ahsoka was horrified and confused - this made no sense! Anakin had been Vader for years, but Grievous sounded as if it was the old Anakin who had been here...

"Wait. Months ago, and he was... himself? That's not possible! He's been...gone... a dozen years or more!"

"Of course he was himself. Who else would you expect him to be?" Clearly, her words confused the cyborg, who was unaware about Vader and all those details of the future Sith.

"There have been people here from past and future times, however, Anakin Skywalker has always been Anakin Skywalker."

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.

Ahsoka almost envied other people's ability to just go to pieces. She'd been trained since childhood not to, that training refined in years of warfare.

Still, she realized she'd been staring blankly at Grievous for long moments now, but still could not think of a single thing to say. Now, for the first time, she was truly lost in a world beyond her understanding.

He misinterpreted her silent staring twofold.

"I have no reason to lie. You must be confused upon your arrival... Or re-entry," he pauses after that cryptic moment, then adds, "I have seen you here before also. Again, not for some time. Reappearances are not uncommon. However, we must take this as a new beginning. Without war, we must find a common ground to keep the city safe."

Ahsoka slowly processed Grievous's comments. "So...we can go - and come again. I could vanish, or - Anakin - could return. Here. Any time."

She composed herself: she'd do her processing, let out her hopes and fears, and recover from the horror of this day, in meditation alone.

"Thank you for your welcome, and the information. I'm sure that we will find common ground in keeping the city safe, as you say. In the meantime - I think I need to find a place to stay. If you could point me towards these - starter apartments - that the recording mentioned, I'd be grateful. And I'll let you get back to your rounds - I know you've spent a lot of time with me."

"To get to the free accommodations you need to return to Genessia City, near to the Bay in which you entered. They are located not far from there."

Everyone arrives in that way, to his knowledge, so it as a given that was where she'd first found herself.

"Here in Nova, you will need to find work in order to pay for the apartments on offer. You are, of course, free to also go to the other areas and cities and decide which suits you best."

Part of him knew this felt odd to be so cordial to her, considering their past, but he was set in his duty a Deputy Guardian and he took that work very seriously.

Ahsoka felt she might need to meditate for the next thousand years, but really, this was not unlike her life in the years after Order 66, except without Imperial death squads on her trail. Find shelter, be useful, observe. Just one more world, nothing more...

She bowed - not deeply, but sincerely - to Grievous. "Thank you, Deputy, for your time and your help. May we cross paths again in peace." She turned and headed back to the Bay, and a place to rest from the longest, strangest, and perhaps most awful day of her life.

Once she's found her bearings and maybe settled a bit, Ahsoka will likely notice this bounty hunter with the highly noticeable wide-brimmed hat. He's wearing his typical outfit and appears to be suspiciously lurking down a side street. Maybe he's merely waiting for somebody, but maybe he's up to no good...

Ahsoka recognized the outfit instantly, but was struck by an unusual indecision. Having met Grievous, she couldn't assume Bane was up to something nefarious. And, she certainly was no agent of the law here.

But, her curiosity won out, unsurprisingly. She called out from the street, "Cad Bane. I bet you're running the local orphanage here, right? Or are you the city's Alley Inspector?" She stood hands on hips, with a lightly mocking smile, but she was ready for anything from an awkward reunion to a rooftop chase.

He didn't startle but he did look around at her words. His dry reply isn't as polite as Grievous'. His official position here is much as it was back home - still a bounty hunter, our for what he could get for himself.

"Well, if it isn't the little Jedi... all grown up, I see," Yes, he was also aware of time anomalies that could happen here so he isn't surprised by her appearance.

"No Jedi, Bane, not any more. Just another refugee, I suppose. What are you up to back there?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, now is it?" He returns flatly. But his curiosity is somewhat piqued. "Not a Jedi? Did you fail their tests to advance or something?"

He doesn't know a lot about how the Council make their knights and masters advance in ranks but he's assuming they have to do something to gain the titles.

"It sounds like you've been gone a while. I quit... just before Palpatine had them all killed. They're all gone, and Palpatine rules as the Sith Emperor. Not a lot of room in the galaxy these days for independent operators - you wouldn't like it one bit."

"Oh, I'm sure I would find a way to cope...," his tone is serious, his crimson eyes calculating. He was a resourceful survivor and he has faith in his own skills.

"So you're saying you gave up on saving the galaxy."

A few years ago that barb would have sunk deep, and wounded her. But after her work as Fulcrum, after nearly dying in a battle with the evil that had consumed her master, it meant nothing.

"Hardly. The Jedi are gone, but good people remain - and the Force is strong with them. We were changing the galaxy again, and I'm sure they're still doing fine without me.

"So, this place hasn't changed you at all, then? Nothing to learn here?" It wasn't entirely a taunt, more actual curiosity. Grievous was the last person she'd expect to grow and flourish; she didn't know what it might mean if Bane hadn't, but it was still interesting.

"Change? Do you think you've been brought here to learn some lesson?" The answer was cynical and he tilts his head with a wry expression. "No. You're kidnapped and brought here by unknown forces and you just have to find your place until such time as they send you away again."

Ahsoka shakes her head. "Some of us learn and grow, and - become different things over time. I guess some of us don't." But there were more important things than the old game of taunts. "But - you don't know anything either about-" she gestures around "-all this? No good information, not even for a price?

"Not," she quickly added, "that I could afford it. But still, you've always been good at - acquiring - information..."

"If I knew, it'd cost you. But no, I don't know," he admits somewhat reluctantly. "I don't think anybody here knows all the secrets of this place, not even the ones most in charge of running things."

That was interesting. If anything could be learned about this place, Bane would have: whatever his character, he had the skill and motivation. Their existence here truly was a mystery, it seemed.

"Well. If you ever get a lead..." She shrugged. They could work together effectively if need be, but no point in promising anything when it seemed there was no prospect of learning anything at all about whoever ran the place.

Ten is just wandering out and about - in his blue pinstripe suit with his red sandshoes and appears to be human. When spotting the other - The Doctor doesn't seem to notice that there's anything strange about 'Weiss' at all. When he speaks he's calm and warm.

"Hallo. Do you have all the answers you seek?"

He's wondering what those sort of sonic screwdrivers looking devices might be and knows that she's not from his universe and can't seem to place her - otherwise.

Ahsoka blinks at the apparent-human in the odd costume. A beat, and she bursts out laughing. "I don't even have the *questions* anymore!"

"Call me Ashla - and to get right to the point, what are we doing here?"

A rude and not ginger remark; "I'm sorry. Did I say a funny thing?"

A pause;

"The Doctor." Then pauses again; what to say; you know besides probably in some big multiverse zoo that is trying to harvest the best qualities among all the different creatures by the giving up; things; organs, memories, irreplaceable items - in order to come back from the dead or for that piece of your home you so depeserably end up wanting.

"Being given a chance to mingle with the multiverse's finest."

There's the sexy eye wink.

"I'm sorry - I meant no offense. It's just - since this morning, I've been killed by my former best friend and mentor, yanked out of time and space, nearly killed again by the person who turned him to the Dark Side" - ((Capitals Clearly Pronounced)) - yanked out of time and space *again* -"

Ahsoka steadies herself and responds to the man's good humor - and notices he is *strong* in the Force - "I'm pleased to have the honor of mingling with you, Doctor. And may I ask, just how many things are you the finest *of*?"

Ten's eyes turn sympathetic about having been killed by your former best friend; "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry."

That hits him hard on a personal level too - with how him and The Master have been for regenerations.

As well as eyeing with the *again* being yanked out of time of space. Like wide eye, eyeing.

Oh - snap. She's going to humor him. He's inwardly facepalming and hoping Rose doesn't find out. He's got to stop being a flirt - somehow. Even if it's just harmless
Rose her human jealousy or rather insecurity when someone playful flirts.

"What do you mean yanked out of time and space - again? When was the first time?"

Ahsoka was touched by the Doctor's - or was that "the The Doctor's"? - genuine sympathy.

"Well, I suppose that depends on your perspective. For me, it was today. For the people who rescued me, about a year.

"I haven't had the best day."

This place and putting those from the same universe from different when's and gently asks;

"What's your favorite food?"

Ahsoka tilts her head, catching up with the conversational shift. And all she can think of is her Master - Anakin - laughing as she bit into the spicy Ahrisa ball, catching the drippings on a flatbread, street food from his homeworld.

"Oh, really, anything but ration packs is a delicacy! Do you have something in mind?"

Ten doesn't answer; rather he leads Ahsoka to one of his favorite places which is the 50's Diner. Why? Because they have the best banana milkshakes and the rest of the food isn't bad either. When the walk-in; there's a Chuck Berry song playing.

Ahsoka is delighted by the bright colors and happy music, and visibly relaxes from a combat veteran's alertness.

"I've seen places like this on Cor- where I used to live - but not this *happy.* What should we eat?"

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[ACTION] Not The Sith Temple You're Looking For

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