Dreaming…
I tossed and turned in bed last night before finally falling into a deep sleep.
I found myself standing in a stark, door less room. A few feet from me stood a terminal, lit up brightly and beckoning. I willed myself to move toward it but my feet did not budge. I struggled for a few moments and finally managed a step… then another. For a moment I forgot about the terminal and simply delighted in my ability to walk about.
But suddenly a pale Twi’lek appeared. I froze and watched as she startled awake and without a word immediately went to the terminal and vanished. My thoughts swirled with questions. Who was she? Where did she come from? Where had she gone? Had she seen me? What did that terminal do?
I cautiously made my way to the terminal. I remember seeing spheres floating, feeling a bit dizzy and I know I reached out toward the terminal… then it all went dark.
A flash. I was suddenly bathed in light. I covered my eyes with my hands trying to keep the burning brightness from my vision while also trying to catch a glimpse of my surroundings. It was hopeless. I couldn’t see anything but light.
I became aware of a constant noise, a din. I listened carefully. It was voices. The sound of many people speaking all at once. But I could not understand what they said. There are people here.
The moving shadows I was catching glimpses of through the slits between my fingers were people - humanoids of some sort. I spread my fingers a bit further. My eyes reacted by involuntarily shutting again but I willed them open desperate to see who was there. I caught sight of a darker area to my right and stepped toward it.
I felt the sand on my toes as I stumbled toward what appeared to be a wall. It blocked some of the light and there in shade my eyes finally adjusted and revealed my surroundings.
I know this place.
It was Eisley. Good old Mos Eisley. And it was packed with people. More than I’d seen there in a long, long time. The Medical Center was nearby and I ducked inside to let my eyes recover for a moment.
What I saw convinced me I must have suffered permanent damage to my eyes. I saw doctors! Humanoid doctors! It’d been so many years since the medical center had employed humanoid doctors. The work had all been delegated to the surgical droids for so long…. but here they were! Real doctors tending wounds, curing disease and lifting the spirits of their patients with the kind of bedside manner no surgical droid could offer.
My joy was quickly shattered by the realization that what I was seeing wasn’t quite right. It was then I noticed my clothing. I was dressed in rags. How did I arrive in such a state? I reached for my backpack only to discover it wasn’t there. I had nothing. No clothing, no supplies, no vehicle, no resources…. and no credits?!
I rushed back outside pushing the panic away. There had to be an explanation. What had happened? It must be a dream. No, a nightmare. Certainly something bad will happen now that will prove it. And then I will wake up and vow never again to eat 3 day old leftovers from the fridge…
Then it happened. A good friend appeared. He was himself and yet I don’t remember the last time I’d seen him quite so giddy… oh, yes, that time at the Life Day party when he’d had a bit too much to drink. I still wish I could get the image of him in him dancing in his helmet and underwear out of my mind…
Then another friend appeared. And another. And another. They all found themselves in similar states of poverty and incompetence but joyfully went about the business of finding work and learning as if it were all normal and expected.
And I find myself wondering…. am I dreaming now? Or have I finally just woken up after a long, intricate dream of another life?
I don’t suppose it matters much. Whether I’m there - with the big house, expensive rare items, comfortable bank account balance, factory full of resources, list of well paying customers, collection of vehicles, etc. Or whether I’m here - dressed in rags, credit less and without a means of transportation save for my well worn sandals…
Either way I have my good friends to keep me company. And that makes me the richest, luckiest girl in any universe.
((OOC))
(( Loading into the test server of the SWG Emu was nothing short of amazing. It’s a work in progress but there is so much that’s done and playable. Seeing the game in it’s original form has only solidified my opinion that with the NGE, SOE destroyed so much of what once made SWG great. Judging from the incredible population on the test server of the EMU it would seem that tons of folks agree.
I encourage you to go to the SWG Emu site, read about the project and witness the passion of the folks working to restore the SWG I love. And if you’re up for the challenge, log into the test server.
Look me up when you get there. I’ll be around, digging in the dirt for the resources to make |Bahama-Wear| clothing to put up for sale… cause my feet are tired and I’d really like to buy a vehicle :P ))
