The rain continued to pour down in heavy sheets, as it had for the last three hours. Standing on the elegant and roofed balcony, Hawk stared out of the windows, observing the rain wash the stony buildings clean by the brute force of the torrent. A scant few kilometers away, the same rains relentlessly tried to invade the tropical forests which covered the bulk of Nim Drovis. Scents of rainfall mixed with those of the rainforest into fragrance which could have seemed to embody paradise. But Kitty ignored the allures of the locale, focusing on a task so mundane that even the simplest laborer took for granted: thinking.
Thinking.
Thinking and thoughts were as common as air, and like the air which people breathed and the food that they ate, provided sustenance to all; regardless of their walk of life. People realized the value of thought; it was what had brought the triumphs and marvels of every great leader; of every great nation; of every great technology. But they took it for granted; perhaps even more so than the food they ate. And why should they not? Thinking and maneuvering through the most simple of mental processes was something people inherently did from the earliest of ages. But after studying under the Saarai-kaar, and with her recent travels aboard, Kitty had lost most of those paradigms. She continued with her exercise.
After having spent several months at the dreary but enlightening Almas Academy, Kitty was finding her travels as Pro-Consul Christina Thorn’s “aide” as a completely opposite and highly enjoyable experience. For three months, the two women had journeyed across the Meridian Sector from planet to planet, cultivating relationships with both the powerful elite and the everyday man. Thus was Thorn’s brand of diplomacy. Rather than relying on grand speeches which could temporary influence thousands of people, she forged relationships that would last lifetimes, and through the people she met, spread a nearly viral influence across entire planets. It was certainly a slower method, but one which established longer-lasting results, particularly loyalty. And it went both ways: the people they influenced had influenced them. Hawk had spent three days hunting on Durren with a man, and she had become so enthralled with the hunting culture and lore, probably because of their shared values of high self-dependence and independence, that she had resolved to spend her vacation there within the forests. And hopefully, with the same hunter she had met.
For the last week, the two had been touring the free port of Bagsho, originally found by Alderaanian colonists nearly four hundred years ago. Through the use of Kashan records and galactic databases, Christina had discovered that she had some distant relatives in Bagsho. As a result, most of the last week was more of a Thorn family reunion than their plebian-style diplomatic mission which had thus far dominated their travels. But for Kitty, it was really just the same as hunting on Durren.
Locations and people changed. Her purpose, her mission, her education, did not. She continued to think, and not in matter than most did.
The eerily glow; the odor of pesticides; the desert; the hardship; the camaraderie; the training; the knowledge… And so an endless stream of random words seemed to flow and slosh through her mind just as the rain being collected in the city’s gutters. But despite the randomness, these were words that all had one thing in common to her: Almas. Before her conversion, if asked by the proper authority where the Academy was, she would have simply stated Almas. Now if asked, a flurry of associative words flooded her mind before resolving themselves into amalgam in the deepest recesses of her mind into the word Almas. It had taken her some time to get use to thinking in such an unorthodox manner, never mind improving its efficiency to the point where she could think as fast as the normal person did.
And Hawk had to agree with the Saarai-kaar. Such a protocol; such a manner of thinking could, and would, be invaluable to an agent of the Confederation; of the Jensaarai. For in doing so, Kitty was completely reorganizing and disciplining how her mind worked. And in doing so, she was almost certainly going to foil her opponents when it came to mind games.
The door behind her creaked open, and Pro-consul Thorn stepped onto the balcony. Kitty slowly shuffled about to face her. Each eyed each other quietly; Perplexation rippled forth from Thorn’s mind and manifested itself readily to the Jensaarai. Kitty, for her part, remained coolly apathetic and unmoved by Christina’s presence. An awkward smile fluttered onto the Kashan woman’s face.
“Ah, well…I just wanted to check up on you,” gently informed Thorn, “the Gerors are about to serve up desert, and I thought I’d let you know. I would appreciate it if you would join us; and well…the Gerors might find it slightly suspicious if you’re continually out of sight, somewhere in the house. I don’t want to give them the wrong impression.”
A weak grin engendered itself on Hawk’s face, and she wryly shook her head. “No, you’re right. I just felt that I needed some air; to sort of get away from it all…I’ll be with you shortly. It’s in the main parlor, right?”
“Yeah,” replied Christina, “I’ll see you in a few minutes?”
“I’ll be there,” agreed Kitty.
