Chapter 25 – Vima-Da-Boda

Layan walked through the streets of Lianna City, he was used to hiding in such places during his day as a wanted man of the Empire, before becoming the leader of a group.

Nothing changes, even twenty years in the past. The looks of despair or evil glares coming from criminals were fairly common here. He already visited Lianna slums with Master Shaak Ti, maybe a few things changed but it shouldn't be drastic.

He was searching for an informant who could tell him Vima's location. From what he learned of his vision, Vima was living a life of misery and posed as a fortune teller to win some money and subside to her needs.

Maybe she chose this life as a self-punishment for failing her daughter or maybe because she breached the code and yield to anger. What was sure was that Vima wanted to punish herself.

Layan thought that Vima was the perfect candidate to serve as an instructor into the New Jedi Order not only because she felt anger and knew how the dark side affect someone, but also because he didn't learn of her death in his past life. The Empire loved to use propaganda to inform the galaxy when a Jedi was killed, but Vina's name was never mentioned, and she didn't die before the Empire rise, otherwise, Shaak Ti would have told him.

For an ex-Jedi like her, carrying the Sunrider bloodline, it was strange we didn't hear of her during the Clone Wars or the Jedi purge. She let the galaxy by herself and stayed hidden living a life of misery and dwelled on her self-culpability when she was needed.

Layan could elaborate several hypotheses for Vima's actions or non-actions. She was old as a human being, almost 200 years so she may have felt that the next generation had to take care of themselves. Add to that was the fact that her mental health must have taken a serious blow what Layan saw in his vision.

Another hypothesis was that after that she lost her daughter, she may have felt betrayed by the Jedi Order as she was the sole person that tried to save her daughter and felt that their destruction was well-deserved.

Or under her self-guilt, she felt weak and useless and thought that her help would have proven to be useless.

In any case, she didn't act, and it is an opportunity for Layan.

Maybe she used her force-abilities to be unnoticed as no one knew about her but Layan got a stroke of luck as he found someone which has is fortune foretold by Vima, but others around him didn't seem to know. Except for her clients, maybe a person of interests no one remembers her, she was a ghost.

He got a direction and after a bit of time, he found her seating in a small alley. She appeared extremely old, her face was covered in wrinkles and her eyes were hazy, lost in her thoughts. She was wearing a filthy brown fur coat and had a cane beside her.

Layan saw her in her prime in a vision, and he could tell that she was really at the end of the rope. Such a prestigious and powerful Jedi reduced at such a state.

"Vima-Da-Boda."

She didn't react at first. It took a few seconds before she raised her head toward him after he told her name.

"What do you want? What do you want of Vima?"

Her way of expressing herself made Layan raise an eyebrow, she was talking at the third person and her high-pitched voice didn't augur the best.

Her voice was old and broken as for her way of smiling strangely while looking at him make Layan create another hypothesis, she became crazy and even forgot everything about herself under the mental trauma that was the loss of her daughter.

"I want you to join me. I'll need someone with your abilities to train a new generation of Jedis."

"Jedis! Vima is no Jedi! "

"Leave! Vima doesn't want to see you!"

Looking at her, what he saw was someone broken from emotional loss and could only sigh as it would be complicated to bring her back.

"Vima, I know your story. I know you want to punish yourself for not being able to save your daughter, to have let her go as she needed you even if she didn't know it herself. You were a prestigious Jedi and her mother. You should have known she was going to her own destruction. You acted only when it was too late and you feel guilty for it."

"Vima was wrong. All of it was Vima's fault. She was unable to understand Neema. Vima has to be punished."

She started to cry and put her head between her knees. Through the force, he could feel her emotional distress. He said it all, he dwelled on the past she tried to forget as the pain was too much for her to bear.

While she appears pitiful, Layan was impressed. As his path in the force was like walking on a tightrope, he knew how easy it was for someone to fall to the dark side. He faltered more than once himself. Vima has suffered during decades but her mind wasn't corrupted, maybe it has to do with the fact that her presence in the force was thin, but she bore with the pain and never let the dark side took over her.

He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to appease her. She calmed down after a couple of minutes and raised her head to look at Layan.

"What do you really want? The force acts strangely around you. Give me your hand."

Layan did so, he knew what she wanted to do, use the force to see his future and if he was trustworthy.

She had no visions. The force was blocking her abilities to see his future.

"I'll repeat myself but I want you to help train a new generation of Jedis and also bring you back to health, you deserve better than that. You punished yourself enough during all these years. You must have felt it, the force guides me to you."

"Yes, I felt it."

"A catastrophe will soon befall this galaxy, and I need you to prepare a New Order to fight against it. You are one of the wisest masters around, please give me your help."

The crone was hesitating but as she thought of the few years she has left; she may as well follow the will of the force. Then, what must happen will happen.

"I agree. I will follow you."

When Layan walked side by side with the old woman, peoples were surprised at her get-up and ugly appearance. No one remembered her, but all had a feeling of familiarity when they looked at her.

After what was a long walk for someone her age, they reached the Phoenix. She wasn't tired and must have used the force to walk for so long despite her great age.

Seated in the cockpit, Layan was ready to take off. The woman was seated beside him and was looking at him strangely. He was an enigma. The force acted strangely around him and his future was unpredictable. She will have to guess what kind of mystery was surrounding this young Mirialan.

"Where do we go?"

"My headquarter. The base of the New Jedi Order. Ossus."

He was smiling when thinking about the future and will make Ossus one of the most important places of power of the galaxy.

"I thought this world to be unhabitable."

"Not particularly a good place to live, but I'll change it."

The ship left the planet and entered hyperspace. The trip was short, and they soon arrived above Ossus.

Layan landed near Ood resting place and started to unload the cargo with the help of everyone who saw his ship land on the planet. They just got up as it was the morning two days after Layan's departure.

"All of them are force-sensitive."

The old Jedi woman by this matter of fact as force-sensitives individuals weren't cabbage and were hard to come by. The Jedi Order had to use blood tests at birth and several of their members had to roam all around the galaxy to find their future members.

"Yes. Now, come with me, you have to meet someone."

Layan led her to Ood while his helpers continued to unload the cargo.

When Ood felt Vima force-signature and saw her appearance, Layan could swear he saw a tear flow on the tree bark.

Vima, on the other hand, was bewildered when she saw a living Neti in the flesh, and even more when he introduced himself as Ood Bnar.

"What's your name?"

"Vima-Da-Boda."

"Vima. Like Nomi's daughter. I'm happy to meet you and that your and Layan paths crossed.

Meanwhile, Layan was watching on the sidelines the reunion of these two old Jedis.