Sandra Mana: Home Body

MOOD MUSIC: FF8 Fisherman’s Horizon

Sandra makes a trip to Mon Cal to meet with Bernie, Head of Security at the Mon Cal’s Consulate, calls Sandra to come and meet with him. The ship lands in Mon Cal’s port and Sandra tries to tie her hair up quickly as she power walks through the city.

She shows up at the consulate and quickly throws on her blazer before entering Bernie’s office. Bernie is looking on several datapads and pacing back and forward. As Sandra enters, he looks up and gives a slight smile and nod.

“Agent Mana, welcome back. I know you’re not on contract right now, but I’d like to call in a favor. There’s something i’m currently too busy to handle and I need someone with a great education as an intelligence agent and you’re it.”

“Sir…?” Sandra’s head tilts a slight

“I’d like you to give you a lecture about methodologies of an intelligence agent, or at least your own methods, because they seem rather successful. Granted I taught you a quarter of them, hahaha!”

“A L-Lecture? Like a teacher? To whom? When? Where?” Sandra quickly chirps

“Coruscant. A Military Academy of officers and soldiers. This class has students looking to expand into other kinds of agencies such as intelligence work, in this case. The class has about 90 students. The lecture and questioning should be about 4 hours.”

“This is a little…unusual for me. I’ve done teaching before, but on a very small basis and to Jedi.”

“Listen, Mana… you won’t be young forever. You’ll need an outlet for all that experience if you live long enough to pass it on. This is a good foot in the door for you for the academy if you’re looking for work that’s aside the life of a field agent or operations agent. Put that big brain to use, right? Let others take a few bites of it. Feed the Masses.”

“I understand. I will give it a go then.”

“Great to hear! Now the academy won’t chew my ass off for not being able to attend, hahaha! I’m sure they’ll be glad to know I sent someone well experienced to handle my lecture. Do good by them, Sandra. They are the movers and shakers of tomorrow like you are.”

“Yes, sir. I will handle the situation.”

“I know you can do it, Sandra. Give em a good brain rumble, right! I’ll be here managing these bloody datapads as if they were little babies needing a teet. Bloody reports. My advice? Don’t get old, HA!”

Sandra giggles a slight and nods lightly before giving a little salute and leaving the office. She pauses down the hall and leans on the wall. She sighs heavily and thinks about the idea of giving 90 students a lecture about being an intelligence agent. With that, she goes back to her ship and goes to decide what to wear.

It wouldn’t be unwell to wear her robes, but maybe that would be an odd callout at this time. Maybe the normal skirt and official uniform would do well enough without calling out being a jedi TOO obviously.

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Sandra flies her ship to the designated parking structure and takes a taxi shuttle to the academy. It was utterly gorgeous. The structure was such a modernistic design with brilliant glass and steel lining that made this place gleam in the day and the night. But this was an evening class, and the way the lights lit up the area was such a sigh to see. The soft glowing on the structure was almost romantic in a way. She felt a tinge of excitement to be at a place that offered education in a different way than Jedi did.

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The hallways were filled with former soldiers, military of various sorts, different species and nationalities were all over. It reminded her of the Jedi Temple in a way where there were many kinds of people looking to learn. It felt a little more comfortable for her.

She takes an hour to wander the halls and explore the various rooms that are here. There are many facilities that are surely available, though her exploration time was coming to an end. She makes her way down a series of hallways and when a datapad slams into the ground, she turns and looks behind at a fellow who dropped his datapad. When she looks back she sees the person she’s suppose to meet. A taller woman who has long blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and someone who looks to have sharp features of someone in a general bad mood.

“Are you Agent Mana?” She asks sharply.

“Yes, ma’am. I am here to give the discussion for Bernie today.”

“You’re Sandra Mana? How old are you, agent?”

“Twenty, ma’am.”

“I’ve read the parts of your dossier that weren’t blacked. You have a mission list longer than most veterans. Is this the kind of action Jedi can preform? You’re like super mutants or something.”

“Ma’am…?”

“Nevermind, the classroom is this way. Follow me, Agent Mana.”

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Sandra Mana: HomeBody Pt 2


[Final Fantasy VIII OST] Balamb Garden Music Extended

The day starts a-bold for busy Callista. The morning rituals are bright and fair before checking the waves of e-mails from the Order’s updates and other various open tasks. Callista, already taking temporary residence in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, breezes through her daily routine. Meditation in the Room of a Thousand Fountains (so tranquil!), some time spent exercising and training in the great practice halls of the temple (so austere!), a while studying in the grand Jedi archives (so inspiring!), everything just seems “right” here. As much as she would love to spend the entire day taking advantage of the rare opportunity, however, she knew that there was something in particular she had to be timely about. A while before midday, she makes her way to the outer speeder parking zones and finds her way to one of the Order’s droid-manned transit vehicles. Stepping on, she bids the mechanical chauffeur to take her to a particular military academy…

It’s about 30 mins to get to the glass formed structure with gorgeous durasteel lining. This modern marvel is a testament creative architecture. The academy is place to many uniformed and well dressed gentlemen and women of many races coming here to learn, grow, and decide their military careers from here on. The place may be a version of the Jedi Temple, in its own metaphorical way.

Looking around at all the assorted people and feeling decidedly out of place on multiple levels, Callista can’t help a faint sense of social anxiety, and the urge to dip her head and timidly slip through the crowd and try to make her already relatively small frame even smaller, avoid drawing attention. She squashes these instincts quickly though, especially after realizing that her Jedi apparel makes going unnoticed in this environment nigh-impossible. They might look like simple robes in outer rim sectors, but on the home-world of the Jedi Grand Temple they were easily recognized by such well-educated and informed persons. Straightening herself up, Callista wanders into the academy proper and searches around for any map screens, before simply deciding to approach someone older and official-looking to ask,

Excuse me, am I right that there’s a lecture scheduled soon by a certain Sandra Mana?

Aside from the passive glances and wondrous gazes, or disgusted looks, she makes her way. The older officer looks to Callista and gives a crisp salute.

“Welcome to our academy. I’m Vice President of the College, Richard Fowler. Let me take a look.”

He takes up a datapad and with expert efficiency, he finds out quickly.

"There’s a guest speaker today in a class by that name. It’s two sections down on the right in the larger room with the two sets of double doors marked 'Studio’”.

=====================

The way to the studio isn’t too adventurous. A military academy is cleaner than a glass bowl after being hand washed by angels, spun through a gentle breeze. But the open rooms are rather large. In the large Studio are some of the men whispering and …women too.

“Did you see that guest? She’s SMOKING.”

“Shush, if the captain hears you, you’ll be thrown off the building…”

“Hey, I saw her earlier too! Are those legs registered weapons? Geez.”

“Bruh, the hair tho. THE HAIR.”

“Cassy! I think i’m gay now…”

“Morris, how is that teenager a bloody agent. They pulling our legs right?”

And so many more voices ponder and question the mysterious woman they saw earlier.

A faint smirk crosses Callista’s lips briefly as she makes her way there. That sounded like Sandra alright, so prone to showing off in little ways that made a huge impact. Of course Sandra would have such an effect on these people, although it still surprises the young Knight as to the extent. Just how much did the redhead emphasize herself today…? As she approaches the studio, Callista begins to suspect that getting in might be easier than she suspected. Maybe her Jedi status was affording her more access than she’d thought…?

The other students don’t really acknowledge Callista. A few look her way, but assume she might be a guest. There’s still plenty of seating and opening for Callista to take any position of height she likes. The outfit that Sandra walks to the podium is fairly similar to an officer’s uniform. Except her legs are showing instead of the semi normal black pants lining that is sometimes used. Her figure is hugged like a towel after a hot shower. Her long hair flows behind her like a moving sunset. She steps to the podium and delivers a slight bow. Her soft and gentle voice is projected over the mic. This person hardly seems like the trained killer, Ex-Jedi, super spy, that exists.

Callista sits up and listens, a faint smile on her face. Seated roughly in the middle of the audience and slightly back, she watches Sandra’s body language, listens to her voice. ‘Smoking’ and ‘the hair’ indeed, but… for all the confidence the woman deserves, she’s shy and nervous. It’s cute… but that isn’t what Callista is here for. She takes a short time to listen, hands folded in her lap, before shutting her eyes a moment and reaching out through the Force. It’s little more than a soft tap, a gentle nudge mind to mind, soul to soul. No sophisticated message to convey, but a small prod of encouragement. Of confidence.

Sandra feels the nudge and smiles to herself a little before beginning to speak. Her voice reaches out to the audience and begins a story of what being an agent means to her. It’s one of creating a galaxy that can be allowed to be open to possibilities, but without them, the others won’t get that chance. This seems to be something a fair bit resonate with and the lessons go on that are akin to the ones Callista hear’s Sandra saying to some of her Jedi students in the past. The various one liners that carry so much meaning.

There is a vigorous Q and A session with Sandra pacing on the stage slowly to approach the closer section of whom ever speaks. It is a lively session. After the 4 hour session, the class is dismissed. As Sandra exits the back stage into the hallways, she’s flooded with more than two dozen students who have questions about her career or her personally. Her shyness makes it difficult to approach them all at once, but she finesses her way to at least getting them organized.

Callista files out of the studio into the halls as well, and slinks by in silence, watching. As she passes in the distance, behind the students and trainees querying Sandra, the blonde catches the now quite popular agent’s eye for just a moment. She gives a smile, a thumbs-up, and a wink, before carrying on down the hall, with one more little nudge in the Force — this time of pride.

Sandra smiles gently to Callista as she passes, blushing faintly. As Callista is leaving the building, Sandra catches up, panting a slight as she ran. On the stairs before the Academy she smiles cutely.

“Callista…! I am glad you came. What did you think…?”

The blonde turns around and grins brightly. She steps forward and pulls Sandra into a hug, squeezing her shoulders, and then leans back again to look her in the face.

“You did great! Everybody seemed really invested in the whole thing, that line after was huge!”

She blushes red.

“It was quite new, hehe. I am glad that things turned out well. I was really happy you were there. A familiar face made the difference when I was nervous…”

“I’m glad~. I wanted to make sure you had someone supporting you; I know how shy you can be, even if you try not to show it.”

Callista gives her a teasing poke on the shoulder.

“You should’ve heard all the gossip going around the halls before it started. Were you trying to turn heads, or can you just not help it?”

She huffs playfully

“I’m not always seeking such attention. Maybe it’s just my existence. I suppose it’s always the skirt.”

“Uh-huh, toootally unintentional, hm?” Callista giggles, swiveling around to walk side by side with Sandra and stroll with her along the walkway outside the building.

“Had nothing at all to do with strategy to get their attention so you could win them over with your lecture?”

“Rude…humph. Maybe i’ll wear beggers rags and see how that changes their perception, heh. What will you be doing now?”

“Hmhmhm~. I’ll be looking around the city some, I think. My ticket back to Viscara has my flight for late tonight, and I didn’t get to do any sightseeing last time…” Callista’s grin softens into a casual, warm smile, looking to Sandra.

“What about you? Got any pressing super-spy instructor business?”

“This was all of my plan for the evening. I was thinking of returning to the studio they left me for the evening that was meant for Bernie. We can go back together and have dinner!”

“That sounds great! I’d love to catch up, we haven’t gotten to talk much lately…” The red-gold duo chat and make their plans for the evening, a much-needed and rare respite from the tiring rigors of wartime life…

END

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