[Private thoughts, hackable if you can read her mood]

For all the holes I could point out in the Warrior Princess's reasoning...why didn't I keep investigating on my own? At the first remotely plausible suggestion from one of the kidnappers, I just sat back and followed orders. Used the meager tools I was given for tiny, insignificant comforts instead of continuing to look at the big picture.

That's not happening again.

[/Private]

[Public, Audio, intended to be filtered from NPCs]

I understand a few people have traveled to the boundaries of the Garden and returned. I'd appreciate any information you have to give, as well as volunteers for some reconnaissance-in-force. I'll be leading an expedition to determine details of the border areas and try to find any unguarded and traversible paths that may exist, as well as bringing back more samples of the strange matter there should we fail to find an exit.



Even if I have to go alone, it's time we forced some detailed answers out of this place.

Did anyone have better luck than me with talking to that new woman? She seems more competent than the other two, which is worrisome.

[When night falls on the Gardens tonight, something different happens: instead of the bright-as-daylight sea of stars, a more normal sky eventually fades into existance. Stars can still be seen, though they're nowhere near as bright as the wishing stars.]

[Video]

[And then, not long after night fully envelops the Gardens, the Vine's mirror unfurls, revealing a rather serious-looking woman.]

I hope you all learned something from this. Simply wishing for something isn't going to make it happen; wishing for things from home, wishing to bring the excess stars down... you put no effort into this.

Contrary to what most people may think, this holiday is not some festival celebrating light; it's a celebration of a military victory against overwhelming odds.

As a final note: Damsel, you pronounce Chanukah wrong.

[ Apparently, Revan has just finished changing out of the white shift she arrived in; she's found her Jedi robes, and the video feed catches her fastening her belt and checking the various attached pouches, then pinning her hair up out of her face. The flash of the mirror seems to catch her eye, though, and she looks up, blinking at it. ]

Well, this is— [ She walks over to it, studies it. ] Different. A communications device of some kind? Can anyone see me, or hear me?

[ Her lips part as if she's about to say more, but her attention is abruptly arrested away from the mirror — one of the rabbits is gnawing on the hem of her cloak. ]

Hey, that's— [ She laughs. ] You'll get indigestion, bunny. Go on. [ Shooing it away, she picks up her cloak from the grass, shrugs it on. ]

I should take a look around, see what's here. Maybe find another of those cats; the first one was helpful at least. Though I can't say I've ever heard of using cats to carry information.

[ She looks around again, thoughtfully. ]

Huh. This place reminds me of Dantooine in the spring — only with more flowers.

[Vanille is smiling at the screen, greeting anyone watching with a wave.] Hello, Gardens!

Uhhh, I just have a question. Did anyone... hm. [She purses her lips, giving herself a minute to figure out how she is going to ask this. It is quite random, after all.]

Well... did any of you ladies have, say, a power of some sort before you got here that you no longer have now or has changed a bit?

[ action ]

[It's almost normal through the day, with the sun shining merrily away in a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. But as the sun sinks down to the horizon, the light doesn't go out. Instead, new light starts to shine in, and by the time the sun has slipped over the edge of the world (which may actually be true here), the sea of stars is back, glittering ceaselessly.]

[ video ]

Well, now!

[Tonight's subject is a young woman. The background is a bit vague, but it seems to be a round, white stone room, with a window looking out into the sea of stars.]

It's only good manners to introduce myself, isn't it? I am the Damsel, and tonight, we're going to start taking care of a little problem together! Only you shouldn't think of it as a problem at all; think of it as a Chanukah opportunity!

[She pronounces the Ch in Chanukah like the ch in church.]

Although I suppose not all of you even know what that holiday is, being from different worlds and all that, but learning is fun, don't you think? It's a holiday about light! Every night, you light more candles. So we're going to have a reverse Chanukah. Every night, there will be fewer stars! How will we do this, my friends? Why, we're going to wish on the stars!

Make wishes! Make all the wishes you like! With every one, a star will fall. Who knows? Perhaps your wishes will come true. Wouldn't that be romantic? Now let's get to our wishing-work!

[She starts to reach over to turn off the Vine, but then stops.]

One more thing! The Queen means well, but she can be a bit easily distracted, and I notice she forgot to provide you all with clothes other than what you woke up in and what you came here in...well, I've fixed that! Take a look in the necessities sometime. I hope you like my choices!

[And indeed, the necessities now have various sorts of closets and wardrobes containing clothes of exactly the size whoever opens them needs. Unfortunately, they're all a very specific style: flowing dresses and skirts, lacy blouses, flowery things. Except for a few items, slipped in amongst the others, that are distinctly racy in nature, from slinky little dresses to shimmery lingerie.]

I know a lot of people with special talents but it seems like it all ends right there. Almost all of them would be better suited to being here than myself. At least they could help out others or at least do something. I always thought that being able to fly in the sea of stars would help everyone. Everyone on Earth could work together to discover new planets and plan to send even more people out into space.

But how is that any help? I'm only a pilot. Not a survivor or fighter. Maybe...maybe with a ship or even the Astelion, I could fly out of here but what good am I without that?

I need to find something that I can do.

Message posted on or about 2115 hours, 11/29/17 by my home's calendar.

Mirelle has told me that the area bounded by the Garden is finite, and that there's a definite edge with... something beyond it.

I'd like to scout it out, and would like some assistance doing so. If any of your are skilled fighters or investigators, I need your help.

Something is going on out there, and I for one would sleep better at night knowing what it is.

Thank you in advance.

- Anna Lin

( OOC )

[What seems to very distinctly be a young girl's voice comes out of the Vine's megaphone. Either she's been trying to get it to work for some time now, or she doesn't know she's being recorded––she cuts in mid-sentence. She sounds a little quiet, as if she's not very close to the megaphone.]

--Tano, with the 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. If you are receiving this transmission, this is a distress call. I am at an unknown location on a foreign planet, alone, and cannot reach command. I repeat, this is a distress call. This is Commander Tano, with the––

[Pause. Rustling.]

What's this? Hello? Is this plant some kind of communicator? Can anyone hear me?

[Maybe someone didn't bother to read the scrolls all that carefully, huh?]