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WHO: Altair Kallig & You!
WHERE: Risa!
WHAT: Vacation!
WHEN: During the Risa Event
WARNINGS: None! Will update if this changes.

[A - Markets]

He had to visit eventually- searching for supplies that would be useful once they returned to Agra 10, but also searching for some items not related to survival alone. While wandering, he kept his senses reaching far, feeling the peaceful emotions of all around him while he wandered- while also keeping an eye out for anyone familiar, be it only slightly so, or very much so.

The Sith was determined to at least enjoy part of this vacation while they had it.

[B - Gardens]

Chiss were not made to handle heat- even mixed breeds like himself. Altair didn't know what his family had been before his parents, and his grandparents, but he knew they could not all be fully Chiss- logistically, it was impossible. Aloysius had been a pureblood, Altair was sure, given how the Empire had been even more anti-alien back in those days- but then, it had been nearly two-thousand years since Aloysius had died so if there was pure Sith blood in his veins, it was so diluted it might as well not be there.

Still, the Chiss in him was indeed not good with heat- and as such, he found himself down in the glowing gardens, where it was cooler.

He could be found wandering about with a sketchbook and pen- drawing the different plants he saw. Having grown quite fond of the medium of paper and pen.

Every now and then, he'd also find a bug or two, and stop to fawn over it- even picking some up to inspect the creatures more closely. One could think him insane, given that he would speak to any bug he wasn't familiar with in rather the way one would speak to something utterly adorable.

"Why hello there, aren't you a beauty..." and "Oh, look at you... Don't think I've seen one like you before... Care to hold still while I draw you?"

Even on Agra 10, he'd been a bug lover. Here, with the relative safety, he felt okay to let that show just a bit.

[C - Meditation]

Risa, being what it was, was perfect for it.

Anywhere it was nice to sit down- places with pristine nature, a somewhat less traveled path with benches, down on the beach- he could be found in deep meditation, cross-legged, and breathing.

Speaking, too, when he thought himself alone enough- reciting the Sith Code as he always did, when he felt the need to meditate, clear his head, calm himself.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion...
Through passion, I gain strength...
Through strength, power-
Through power, victory-
Through victory, my chains are broken-
The Force shall free me..."

[D - Wildcard]

(Come up with a scenario of your own! Altair can be found here and there on Risa, just exploring, shopping, relaxing...)

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Thrawn was the one to look startled now and in surprise he blurted;

"I frighten you that much?"

He had, of course, met Force-sensitive humans before. But, to him, those were aliens and Altar was Chiss. A male Chiss and an adult to boot. Thrawn was fascinated... which means that Altair was being thoroughly examined, like something in a petri dish.

"I will try not to startle you in the future. And to answer your question; I am not disturbed by any measure of Force-sensitivity. For my people, 3rd sight is considered a rare and precious gift. Those who possess it revered."

"You do."

It wasn't said to be rude or cruel- the opposite, in fact. If Thrawn knew, then he could take care to not sneak up on him in the future. And maybe then Altair could finally stop being terrified of him. He knew Eli would be happy, should they get along.

And it wasn't like Altair was opposed to them at least being acquaintances.

It was his turn to look startled when Thrawn spoke, though it lasted only a brief moment before he looked off to the side, looking thoughtful.

"... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that things have changed over the thousands of years between my time and yours."

His tone wasn't bitter at all. Perhaps a bit sad.

"That is not how Chiss see Force-sensitivity in my time. Chiss who are Force-sensitive are seen as impure, and made to suppress their connection. If they cannot, they are exiled. Or executed."

It was rare, of course. There weren't many Force-sensitive Chiss- he only knew of one besides himself and he'd had to fight and kill him.

"Of course, I wasn't born in the Ascendancy, but..."

Well, part of his family had been. And they had brought that way of thinking with them.

"Neither was I."

Thrawn was deliberately cagey about speaking of his past. But perhaps Altair would understand that he was not like other Chiss. Even in his own time.

"For my people, Force-sensitivity is revered, as I have said. But third sight is the Force-gift of precognition. This allows those serving as navigators to "see" the various obstacles in their path before the ships encounter them. But it is an ability that fades with age and is often lost entirely at puberty. For this reason, it is most often children that become navigators."

Those children were being used by the Ascendancy. So it is debatable if it is was worse to condemn Force-users or not.

"You don't have to share anything about yourself that you don't want to to assure me you're not a threat, you know."

He could tell- sort of. Maybe. Just something about his voice, perhaps. Or his expression. Altair had gotten better at reading those over the years he'd been at home, without his veil covering his eyes. And he couldn't get a read on a Chiss through the Force.

Maybe it was just something he needed to say, really.

"I'm scared, but that's not on you. It's on me."

Getting along with Thrawn was difficult, that was true. But Thrawn wasn't to blame for Altair being terrified of his own kind, "I'll get over it. Given some time. And I'm willing to try and get along with you."

He'd gotten used to the Chiss who had left the Ascendancy to join his Alliance, after all. They still scared him if they sneaked up on him, but he could talk with them now, without feeling the desire to toss his dualsaber at them and bolt the other way.

As for what Thrawn was saying, he tilted his head, "I see. Not something that's easy on children, I imagine."

And he couldn't really imagine what it was like to have one's Force-sensitivity fade with age- after all, his own strength in the Force had grown over the years and he was well into his adulthood now.

"Still, I imagine they're able to live a normal life in the Ascendancy afterwards?"

Thrawn knew Altair would most likely never "get over it." He said nothing about it but rounded his shoulders in what passed for a shrug from Thrawn.

"I believe that it would be hard for any child. Force-sensitive, or not."

It was very subtle but there was an undercurrent of something. Something that sounded like anger. Or possibly bitterness? It was almost not there at all so it was impossible to tell.

"Whether or not they live a 'normal' life is something else. As they mature they are still treated with the same reverence, regardless of whether or not they have any ability left to navigate. It is a part of Chiss culture now and sets them on something of a pedestal. It is also a closely gaurded secret of the Ascendancy that they exist at all."

Edited (Fixing words) 2020-06-11 20:02 (UTC)

Some time ago, it would be difficult for Altair to talk to another Chiss like this. Having one sneak up on him was something he'd never get used to, not without some amount of fear, but he could speak to someone of his own species now, without instinct screaming at him to run. He could look at someone of his own species now, rather than hide away behind a veil.

Progress had been made. But that was Altair's business, not Thrawn's.

"I suppose so, yes."

While he couldn't sense any anger, for it was impossible to get a read through the Force on a Chiss, Altair was observant. He could hear it. Barely there, but he could hear it. Perhaps because so many Chiss had left their home in the Ascendancy to join the Alliance. Because at least part of Altair's people were Chiss too.

"Being one of these navigators might not be easy for children. But at least they aren't hated for something they can't help, treated like Force-sensitivity is a choice, like it's something they can willingly turn off, and that to not do so is to turn against the Ascendancy, to choose to be impure."

Shutting oneself off from the Force was possible. But Altair certainly didn't want to. And most people he knew wouldn't want to either. Force-sensitivity was a blessing, not a curse.

"And at least they aren't exiled or executed for something that isn't their fault."

He shook his head then, and sighed, "I'm not saying that it's fair. But I'd choose it over the hatred, over being taught to fear, over being taught to hate myself for something that isn't my fault any day."

Not that he hated himself any more. But he had, as a child. And he still carried fear in him, too.