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Smuggler's Alliance

Chapter Two

A sleek, black and gold freighter is slowly making its way through the Perlemian Trade Route on its journey to the Corellian Sector. The navigator, and owner of the ship, is busily calculating the next hyperspace jump at the ship’s console. On the open deck behind him, a young woman is intently running through a demanding physical routine.

“Master, why must I always find a center to start from? Shouldn’t I have a different direction or at least some kind of motive for the things I do? Not everything can be given over to a ‘search for higher knowledge.’” Meesahran Tofallin asks of the gray haired man sitting at the navigation controls of the simple freighter craft, as she continues to perform a series of intricate movements with her body.

“Are you so sure, young one? Is not the purpose of life to quest for knowledge?” The gray one continues his ministrations at the keyboard, pausing only to stroke his equally gray mustachio. “Perhaps you should spend a bit more time in meditation and less time on your physical training. The most important muscle in your arsenal is the one between those ears of yours...” Falion Mussiri chuckles a bit with his last statement and turns to his young travel companion. “Meesahran, you must be able to trust that your actions will not be made in error, and the only way to assist you in that regard is to always be in a place of serenity within yourself. Only through peace will the answers you arrive at, be the best ones.” Crossing over to the young woman, he takes hold of her shoulders and makes certain that she is looking into his eyes, “You will know when you are at peace, passive, and from that center you will always be true to yourself and to the Force.” She lowers her head and nods in obedience.

“I can see that now, Master, but it can be so hard to find that center when I am fighting for my life, or defending yours. How can I find my center when there is so much turmoil around me?” She brushes a lock of white hair from her eyes and again returns the gaze of the gray one.

“Only with time and attention will you be able to master your own emotions, which is why meditation is so important to your training. Without it, you will never find peace, and you will stray from the path...” He stops for a moment and turns inward, closing his eyes for only an instant. “Meesahran, you should rest for now, I fear you will tire yourself out with all of this physical training. Meditate for a while and then turn in. I will man the controls for now.” The gray one returns to his station and opens a journal log. Calling over his shoulder, “Tomorrow, yes tomorrow we will discuss philosophy some more, but tonight you must rest. Sleep well young one...”

Mees was shocked by Master Mussiri’s sudden dismissal, though she should not be by now. He was a terribly mysterious man, and there was still so much about him that she did not know. She knew he was from Alderaan and that his family followed The Way, and that he himself held many of their ideals as his own, but he was unable to follow their path completely and so he left his home to seek out his own path. She had heard of some of his adventures and everywhere they went, there was another being that considered him a dear friend. Smuggler’s, merchants, students, teachers, holy beings, politicians, militarists, and simple trades-people; all very different, but all knowing and liking the man she had come to accept as her “Master.”

She was not his slave, but his pupil, and a very willing one at that. Mees had virtually grown up on the streets of Coronet City after her parents had both been killed when she was very young. That thought made her clutch the chain that hung around her neck. The one that she kept safely tucked under her shirt. The one with her parents’ bonding rings on it. It was truly her only possession, other than the clothes on her back and the blaster at her side. And of course the mysterious tattoo on her left shoulder; the meaning of which, according to her last caregiver, was something known only to her mother and father. That thought brought her more sadness; Tadanna had been such a lovely woman and a friend of her mother’s before her death. But Tadanna, too, was killed during one of the uprisings in Coronet City, during the Dark Times, before the planetary government came to be and before relative peace had been bestowed upon all of Corellia.

Mees tried to meditate, but whenever she started she would think about her life and about all of the sadness that she had endured before she had found Master Mussiri. Before she had made a few loose friendships toward the end of her smuggling days. That thought brought her back to her only good friend, Jae-Lee. The two had done a few jobs together when they were younger, working for two different, competing and collaborating smuggler’s groups, but their friendship had truly begun when Toman Higaeri had taken over most of the smuggling operations in the Corellian Sector. Toman had paired the two on many runs and missions in her last years under his employ. It was then she discovered that they both had been following the same life path and that they both seemed to have these unknown and strange abilities. They learned a great deal from each other and she was saddened when he told her that he was leaving to explore his own search for knowledge. It was a very long and lonely last year in Toman’s employ, until Master Mussiri came into her world.

Mees tried once again to reach down and find her center, and complete the exercise before she retired for the night. She closed her emerald eyes and let down her long, wavy hair. The cascades of golden hair surrounded her face and the streaks of white only accented her beauty. She opened her eyes and could see herself in the reflector. That white hair; how she hated it. She had tried coloring it before, but it simply would not hold the color for more than a day. Another after effect of the Tralusan Wasting Fever she had endured as a girl, the price for her first kiss (but she guessed it was worth it, the boy had been really sweet and very cute). But once again, Mees closed her eyes and looked deep within herself. Trying desperately to find that center her master had insured her was there.

Falion Mussiri was a mysterious man, and so were many other beings in the galaxy like him. They called themselves the Followers of the Force, but they were so loosely held together that it would be hard to call them anything more than a collection of like-minded mystics. Still, Falion was certain that they were only missing some simple and key element that would join them together as a whole. It was just that he did not know what that something was yet. And so he continued his travels, in the hopes that he would find it, some day... He had been looking for a long time, a lot longer than many realized. His age was unknown to all, and he liked it that way. His face and his body would not betray him for some time to come. He did not know why, but of that he was certain. He could remember a time when hyperspace travel was only a distant abstraction, something discussed only in theory by the engineering elite. It used to take months even years to reach the next system in his youth, but he had been traveling the galaxy for a very long time. That thought caused him to pause and stroke his mustachio all the way down to the ends, where it gently rested on his chest. He supposed it was time to trim the unwieldy gray beast once more. When he reached for his sharps, he caught a reflection of himself and noticed that his braid was a bit disheveled: probably from training with his young companion again. She really was quite gifted in physical combat and the training seemed to help quiet her nerves on long flights between systems. He slowly began to unwrap his long, grayed hair from its braid and after combing through the mass, he meticulously re-braided his full and flowing hair. He remarked to himself that the hair seemed to be growing at a much slower pace now and it had been sometime since he last had to trim it. Perhaps age was finally starting to catch up to gray one, after all. He chuckled a bit at the thought, and then went about trimming his mustachio, once his hair was properly braided again.

Falion was a simple man by nature, but by his past, he was anything but simple. He was one of the first leaders of the Followers of the Force, and he had left the council in search of that missing link a very long time ago. Many believe that the “Original” Falion Mussiri is long dead, having become one with the Force, but there are a few who know of his quest and his existence. Elassi Mehand, leader of the Chandrillan’s being one of the most notable. He had befriended the adept when she was just a girl at the request of her father. Elder Mehand was a great man and knew of his daughter’s great gifts and sought out the leaders of the Followers of the Force to assist him in her upbringing. Falion had taught the young girl to harness her abilities and yet shield others from learning of them. Many years ago, the adepts were persecuted because of a fear of their powers and many people thought them to be witches and evil demons, often searching them out for destruction. Falion taught Elassi to respect her abilities and to use them only for the good of others, as was the way of his parents and the other Followers of the Force.

He and his young companion were currently on an expedition for the Ruler of Chandrila, though the girl was unaware of it. Falion needed to reach an old smuggler boss of Meesahran’s for Elassi and he did not want Meesahran to know the nature of the visit to Coronet City, to insure that the smuggler chief would not have a chance to become suspicious. He felt a bit of guilt at the deception, but until the girl was able to control her emotions on a higher level, it was necessary.

They had another two days aboard the SkyDancer before they arrived in the Corellian Sector and then another day to locate the smuggler chief and probably another day before they met with him and his people. Falion knew this was not going to be simple errand, not just because of the vision he received when holding onto young Meesahran, but also because of the nature of the request from his former pupil. This should prove to be a most interesting excursion, and there was not a doubt in his mind about that fact. But, perhaps this would prove to be a good test for his young pupil. Yes, a test of her will and her concentration. A perfect test for the both of them…

Creator: PtrsonsZOO (Jennifer)

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