Nar Shaddaa

The park had been torn up by the crashed barge. The Jedi garden was buried in rubble. Other than a few private conservatories the Menagerie might be the last refuge of nature on Nar Shaddaa. The enclosures were far from natural of course, but the beasts they contained were still far from tame. Galen sat in the small cantina, nursing an Ottegan mead and enjoying the primal energy of the building.

Fee hadn't been to a Zoo in a long time. This seemed as good a time as any to take a break and so it was. Moving to the cantina as well and ordering something, the Mon Cal sat near Galen. Apparently the fish was pisciverous with the plate of fish served.

"Afternoon," Fee said to the stranger nearby with a somewhat weary and tired voice, nodding in his direction.

"Afternoon." Galen nodded. A small creature on his table looked up and peered over at the newcomer. It hid behind his cup a moment later.

"These explosions and bombs are crazy right? It's insanity. Damn governments bringing their war here." A shake of the head followed by a little fish being slurped down.

"Definitely." he agreed. "If this is what happens during peace talks, I hope I'm never involved in the actual war."

"I'll still be chasing it and trying to clean up after it." A small sigh of resignation. "So many suffering in the wake of philosophical differences and millenniums old hatred. And while I'm no fan of the Hutts, their space had certainly been a potential relief from the war even if it came with it's own problems. I wonder... after all this."

"There will always be differing opinions and those who fight over them." he shrugged. "It's a bit easier with animals. Violence has simpler motivations for them and is committed on a smaller scale."

"It's terrifying and terrible how many can be killed on the orders of a few. I think that's what I despise the most. Violence is part of the galaxy, but it need not be on such a scale. The large governements are what make such horror possible. And their massive war machines."

He nodded. "Survival can be hard enough without Empires trying to topple one another all around you."

"Well, I try to do what I can to help as many as possible. Right now, that's here. I had come to see how the talks panned out, and partially because I expected two enemies that hate each other to break out in fighting. After these talks are over, which will probably just lead to more violence, I'll head back out near the front lines to help refugees and war victims."

"You're probably right." he nodded. "I'm not sure about this particular death of destruction, though. There's been a lot happening on Nar Shaddaa, seemingly directed against the Hutts."

"If people wanted to hurt them, this would be the time. While they're hosting they're spreading resources thin and hurting them now would increase profile of attacks. A bunch of shameless opportunists, that don't care about those that suffer for their actions." Another fish is lifted into the Mon Cal maw.

"Are you a local? Are you staying after all this?"

"I've bee part of a crew that's worked from here." he explained. "But, I think it's time for me to move on."

"I can imagine the egress of crews and money after all this violence is going to upset the hutts. Stay safe when you do so," Fee replies with a nod. "Any idea what you'll be going on to?"

"That is still to be decided." he sighed. "I have a few things I'd like to learn, but my options for teachers are somewhat limited."

"Well, I've spent some time as a teacher, and some as a student. What are you looking to learn?" Fee asks.

"The secrets of the Force." he shrugged. "Well, not all of them."

"Of that, I have not yet been a teacher. Only a student," she says with a smile. "But what do you want to do with that knowledge? Perhaps I can provide some insight?"

"I know a little." he explained. "Enough to survive and get by. But, I'd like to understand more, to be able to do more. I might have been able to help prevent some of what happened here."

"Seeing the future and preventing the future are two different things. That's why elected not to learn or study how to do so. My teacher showed me that often on the path to preventing what we see, the actions taken set the result in motion, even if by a different path. It takes a lot to break free from destiny," the fish says in a light, gender neutral voice. "And then you run into the existential crises that come with knowing the future and not knowing if you can change it. Seeing the future to prevent things from happening is not worth it in my opinion."

The Mon Calamari smiles gently... it's not a pretty thing. "I've learned to utilize the force in the present. To speak with it's authority, to build things with it's understanding, and to heal with it's power. Because with those tools, I can be of most help to the people around me."

"I meant more directly." he explained. "Protecting people from threats they cannot defend themselves from."

"For me, that means building emergency shelters and keeping people healthy enough to flee when the time comes. It's impossible to protect everyone, especially from themselves. But I can be there to pick up the pieces. I won't fight, because I've swore an oath not to bring harm and to heal those in need. I understand that some feel the need to fight, either to prove themselves or to protect, but that is not for me. I can teach you how to speak, heal or repair with the force if you're interested though."

"Maybe." he nodded. "You seem like someone good to have as a friend, though. My name is Galen Sol."

"Fee Bua. And friends are the best way to know people." A nod. "But then, I don't have a great deal of time to spend getting to know people so don't have many friends. I tend to go where I think I can make the most impact."

"That seems like a sound philosophy." he shrugged. "I'm not particularly good with people, myself. Animals are so much easier to deal with."