Letters to the Senshi from an Unnamed Planet

1.

Dear Everyone,

Hello from planet #94360071! The people here don't call it that, of course, but since they can't seem to agree on what it should be called, the number remains. It seems to be an interesting place so far - kind of a cross between Tatooine and Naboo, strange as that sounds. Most of the signs in the capital were printed in Basic, along with five or six other languages. But I haven't been able to read any signs since we left the city, and hardly anyone here speaks Basic. Hopefully I can pick up one of these languages while I'm here!

The first thing we did when we arrived (and I was so tired!) was go to this beautiful temple. It was smaller than the Jedi Temple of course, and the outside architecture was so different from any I've seen. The inside was white with flowers painted all over the walls of big bright rooms and little hallways. And there were these oddly shaped notches in of the walls, some big enough for me to climb in; some with tiny windows opening into other rooms. I confess I used them to spy on people, though only because I thought it would be fun to spy for a minute.

But the hothest thing that happened there was when I was in one of the bright, narrow corridors on the second floor, right by the temple's bell tower. They started ringing to mark the hour, and then they played one of the most beautiful, joyful songs I've ever heard! It's been ringing in my head all day long. I wish I'd had a recorder so you could all hear it too, but I don't think it would be the same. But I send you some of the joy in those bells........

Oh, and I forgot to mention before I left that there's a translation screen attachment thingie for RE-4b. It's under my bed at the Jedi Temple, just in case anyone really wants to know what he's beeping about. And could somebody please water the alyssum in our garden? I know everything gets watered regularly, but just make sure it doesn't get missed, okay? And whoever helps themselves to whatever dresses are left in my closet (ahem, Yoshiko) please don't spill any weird exotic drinks on them! Other than that, enjoy my clothes.

Okay, I guess that's all. I should be arriving in the city I'll be staying in – Votaras – in a couple hours. I'll write you more after I get settled in. Please don't defeat the forces of evil in the galaxy till I get back. I love you girls!

2.

Hey girls!

I've been here two weeks. So of course I know how to ask "how much does it cost" by now, but I had no idea how to say "is it three Parees per cookie, or three for the whole bag?" If it were part of a homework assignment, I could've figured it out, but on the crowded marketstreet, I drew a blank. And it certainly didn't help that the boy selling the cookies was surprisingly cute!

I finally pulled a cookie out of the bag, wondering just how far I was crossing the invisible boundaries of the street vendors, especially after the episode at the "audio-video" kiosk yesterday (ask me about that later!). "Three Parees?" I ask in his language. He repeats me. "Three?" holding his fingers up. I could try a thousand different ways of pronouncing the word for "three," and it would always be wrong.

I tell Cute Vendor I'll take three cookies. That's nine Parees. Of course, I spent my small bills on ice cream (that was an ordeal, too) and so I handed him a fifty - I think. He keeps his change under a book. He counted out four tens and a Paree coin. And he seemed uncertain as he hands it to me; I was not uncertain. "Yes," I said. "Thank you." And he smiled (and I realized just how cute he was) and says... something. I take it as "have a good day," although I didn't hear "good" or "day." So I smile and walk away. It could very well have meant "stupid offworlder." That occurs to me, and I start wondering if I didn't hand him a hundred and only get forty-one parees back. And then I think about what I would mean to be cheated out of fifty parees:
It's about a Credit. That might get me a soda on Coruscant.

That settled, I'm barely past the roller coaster (did I tell you there was a roller coaster?) before I realize that I'm probably the girl of his dreams and he'd better hurry up if he ever wants to catch me.

But I guess the lines to buy flowers were much longer than he anticipated and he lost me in the crowd. Oh well. I'll walk by his table again tomorrow and maybe give him another chance.

P.S. No, I have no idea why I always fall for cute merchant boys on backwards planets...

3.

Hi. ^_^

The first few nights here, I would stick my neck out the window searching for the stars. I never saw more than one or two dim ones; maybe it was cloudy, I don't know... but now that I think about it, I still haven't seen any stars. Maybe tonight I'll make it a point to look at the sky as desperately as I did when I first got here. Maybe I'll see a star. And if I don't... well, better me than Priire, I suppose.

Other than that, things are fine. But I think I might be going through a little bit of culture shock, in the form of pop-music deprivation. Sure, I've been known to sing along with a few N*aboo songs, but I always thought I was a bit too old to truly like boy bands. And then I got here.

Every so often, between the long strains of local music, I hear a few beats of "See Ya Later See Ya Later See Ya Later" or even the loathed "Gungan in a Bottle," and it's like heaven. I even stopped to listen to "The Song About Very Revealing Underpants" the other day! I HATE that song!

Well, enough of my humiliating confessions. See you in a few weeks!

4.

Hi-

Remember the really cute cookie merchant? Today he smiled at me as I walked by! Oh, I’m the happiest Senshi on this planet!

And I think my knowledge of the native language here is increasing. Today I managed to tell the woman at the inn that my dress was in the soup. And believe it or not, that's actually what I intended to say!

5.

Hey Girls,

I never thought I would daydream about nerf nuggets. Somewhere on the other side of this planet I think you can get them, or at least a variation on them. But not here. Here they eat cherries.

It's not that I don't like cherries. I was really happy to see a big bowl of them waiting in my room. I ate them all. And now they're haunting me. Cherries at breakfast. Cherries at lunch. Cherries at dinner. Cherries with tea. In fact, I was made to take a large bag of cherries with me when I left the house this morning in case I got hungry. And believe me, the way they feed me, I'm NEVER hungry!

You know how we often have food at our meetings in the Room Behind the Waterfall? Okay, we always have food. But my point is, when I come back... please don't let it be cherries!

6.

Boy am I glad they made me take a bag of cherries with me this morning!!! Here’s why:

I was walking down the crowded street carrying my huge bag of cherries, not really going anywhere in particular, when I realized that I had walked to the part of the street where all the cookie sellers sit. Now, I haven’t bought cookies from that cute boy since that first time I told you about. That’s mostly because I just prefer ice cream, but also because whenever it crosses my mind to stop and buy cookies, I get nervous. Now who’d have ever thought I would be too nervous to buy cookies? So anyway, I usually just walk buy, uh, two or three times.

But today I was brave. And even a little hungry (but not for cherries). And so when I got to his table, I stopped. I pointed to a yummy looking cookie, paid for it, realized he’s like nine times cuter than I thought, and turned to leave. But then he says something.

“What?” I said. That’s what I always say when people speak to me here. Either that or I ignore them. But if I had ignored HIM you guys would’ve gotten a far more whiny letter.

And I think he blushed (how cute!!) and said “I was only saying that those are my favorite kind of cherries.” (Can you believe I understood all that?!)

I did not hesitate. “Do you want them?” Of course he said no. I said “I don’t like cherries,” because that’s simpler than explaining that I do like cherries, but if I have to eat another one today I’ll die.

He thought about it for a minute. Finally he picks up a cookie. “We can trade,” he said, smiling. I agreed, fervently hoping his next suggestion would involve a wedding.

But it didn’t, and that was all that happened today. But be sure I’ll let you know of any future developments! (I am acting so silly!)

7.

Hi!

Next week I’m going back to the capital for a while, and then I’m coming home! I can’t believe how fast the time has passed! Here’s some good news: cherry season ended! Though now they won’t stop feeding me apples! The not-so-good news is that I haven’t brought myself to ask the cookie-boy his name. Or even buy more cookies! Not that I need to buy cookies every day, but I can’t think of any other excuse to talk to him. But Maiko said (in a letter called Flirting 101) that it wasn’t a good idea to buy cookies everyday anyway, because “nobody likes an addict, Chikako!” But I’ll be so sad if I leave this planet without even finding out his name. Because how likely is it that I’ll come back here – to this city? I mean, who makes return trips to planet #94360071?

On a less silly note, I found a really hoth holovid store today! They have all these great holos I haven’t been able to find anywhere, and they’re really cheap! I don’t know how authentic they are... but then again, I don’t think the Republic’s copyright laws really matter out here. (None of their other laws seem to!)

Well, I better start doing all of the things I’ve been meaning to do since I got here, like eat at the Alderaanian restaurant down the street. I’m curious about how Alderaanian food turns out when no one making it has ever been anywhere near Alderaan...

8.

I’m on my way back to the capital. I went out this morning with the intention of going up to that boy and saying, “What is your name?” because it’s not like I’ll probably ever see him again and it would satisfy my curiosity. And I could stop calling him “cookie-boy.” But as I approached his table, I realized it just wasn’t going to happen. I tried to slow down, like I was thinking of buying a cookie, but I just couldn’t make myself stop walking. So I bought a battery-pack from a girl a few tables down (and found out her name was Tralisa, just for practice.) And then I walked by him again. But as soon as stopping entered my mind, I got all fluttery and just couldn’t. I walked by twice more before I decided to give up, because even if he didn’t notice me go by four times, Tralisa sure did, and I couldn’t handle another “What in the Outer Rim are you doing?” look from her. Oh well. It will forever remain a mystery. (Hey, when did I start acting so melodramatic? I’m going to blame this on... Annika? Yeah! This is all your fault, Princess! hehe)

P.S. Did I mention that he was ninety-three times cuter today than he was last time I saw him?

9.

Hello!

I’m in the capital now, and there is so much to do here! I didn’t realize there were so many museums and parks and theaters and things in this city. And the hotel I’m staying in is really nice (actually, I think it’s the only one here. Good thing it is nice!) Except this city is a lot more expensive than Votaras was. Everything costs three or four times more. I’m not liking that a lot, but at least ice cream is about the same. And I found a pretty cheap café not too far from hotel. I had breakfast there this morning. OH and guess what – the waiter, whose nametag said Rorrtann or something – looks SO much like Ajani! Remember, that guy on Tatooine who gave me RE-4b? And this waiter was really nice and could even speak Basic... so I’ll probably have breakfast there again tomorrow. And the next day too. And probably the day after that. And to be honest, most likely the next day, too; but after that, I’ll be on my way back home, where once again I’ll be a mature, responsible, not-quite-so-boy-crazy Protector of the Galaxy. Right? Ok, see you then!