thisavrou_log | ( may event log )

Entry tags:

( may event log )

Who: Everyone
When: May 1st and on
Where: The Moira + Amissis-Re
What: The crew finds themselves visiting the very barren planet of Amissis-Re.
Warnings:None, but please label your content!

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far from nowhere
"the trees rustle in the evening when we stand uneasy before our own thoughts."

With the events of Del Pascia behind the Moira, things are only now beginning to settle—and not very well. Through the combined efforts of some of the crew, D-E-L and her permanent residents were incinerated into the dust of space. While it’s not the most peaceful end, it is one, and not many are going to be thinking back on how nice Del Pascia’s facilities were for quite some time. Repairing what they could of the ship’s interior and putting as much distance between the Moira and the prison as possible, those aboard are informed by Navigation that they are approaching another planet. This means, of course, the potential for better supplies, as some things are beginning to dwindle, and the Captains elect to dock so long as the crew follows protocol.

WELCOME TO AMISSIS-RE

Amissis-Re is an unregistered planet with no documented histories or signs of life. The Moira’s Navigation crew have scanned the planet for any usable resources and have discovered a faint signal emitting from beneath the surface of Amissi-Re. Using the transporters and any other crafts located in the Cargo Bay, the crew are able to travel to the source of the signal. Upon arriving in its exact location, they’ll find a small series of lakes that lead to a tower-like structure that appears to be in use. Crew must cross a poorly assembled bridge system that sways and dips when weight is applied to it in order to gain access to the entrance. Once there, a woman comes out to greet them and explains, excitedly, that she is so very happy that they have come to Amissis-Re.

Everyone can go home.

Their host insists that she has done the impossible and has somewhat fixed the Ingress that’s been built on Amissis-Re a long time ago, and what’s more, she can send crew home for short bursts of time. Upon following this woman inside, crew will find that the planet is not, in fact, barren at all. Diving deep into the underbelly of Amissis-Re, it’s like an eternal factory of machines, and while vast, for whatever reason, it also seems incredibly welcoming...

☄ LEAP OF FAITH ( 05.01 and on )

The barren planet of Amissis-Re is devoid of vegetation and organic life except for a lone woman, and the planet itself is an intricate honeycomb of machines that go for miles below the surface. Yet, that seems insignificant and unimportant in comparison to the news that the crew has just received. After Thán has looked at the Ingress, he tells the crew that he cannot say for certain that it is properly functioning, but Emiri native, Ben Link, will volunteer to test it out.

An elevator takes crew down to a glass platform that overlooks an inverted Ingress portal. In order to return home, the Moirans will have to take a leap of faith and jump in. Ben, in order to show his commitment to the crew and willingness to help get them home, takes that jump with Captain Thán seconds behind him. Jumping feels like dropping through wind; lights swirl, it’s warm, and a soft buzzing encompasses you as you fall. You don’t feel the landing. One moment you’re falling, and the next, you’re in a new world.

A few hours pass before a similar elevator rises from below and to the left of the Ingress, stopping beside the platform. Ben and Thán step out unharmed.

It works, and everyone can temporarily go home. Will you jump?

☄ COMBINE THE EXTREMES ( 05.01 and on )

The woman that greeted the crew and led them to the platform will allow anyone that wants to go home the opportunity to go. There’s only one catch: it’s not permanent. She’s worked for years to fix the Ingress so that she can return to her own home but hasn’t been able to make the trip an everlasting one. Everyone always comes back. Always. They go for a few hours, at first, but that amount of time increases with each visit.

The one guideline, she says, is that you can’t go alone. Each trip requires a partner, or it becomes too much for the mind to bear. These rules are simple: the world takes shape depending on who jumps first, but if crew go hand-in-hand and leap at the same time, the worlds combine. This new world will be populated with people that existed in both and may appear to be a jarring combination of both worlds. It may seem unusual, but if the woman is asked, she’ll explain that the combined world does exist as there are more universes than can be imagined. The Ingress tries to take the person to their own home, their original home, but when jumping together, it finds the closest possible match and deposits them there instead.

From that point on, you can travel the world together or split up, but remember, this world is a living, functioning world. It doesn’t matter if it’s the home of one crew member or a combination. You meet other people. You can get hurt. You influence and are influenced by others.

Be cautious, and enjoy your visit “home”.

☄ LINGER ON ( 05.05 and on )

The more times the Amissis-Re Ingress is visited, the more it seems that your trips last longer and the experience becomes even more vivid. More real and harder to distinguish from the current reality that you know. It’s difficult to explain why, but you get the feeling that maybe if you went without the aid of the host, that perhaps you’d be able to stay. Forever. It takes some subterfuge, but in time, you see your chance: she’s nowhere in sight, and you take it.

The world you are in now is completely your own, whether another crew member accompanied you or not. The people you know are there, everything around you is exactly as you remember. A few hours pass, and you don’t feel that familiar tug, that invisible hook at the base of your spine that signals that your visit is over. Even more time goes by, and you’re still in that world, your home. When the first day has passed, you begin to question if you’ll ever go back, or if life on the Moira was all a dream. The person with you won’t be able to convince you otherwise, and they’ll start to feel less real, a stranger that you used to know.

There’s only one way to go back to the Moira. Someone from the other side has to come in and retrieve you both. Once in, contact with a third will jump-start a link through the Ingress, and it will pull all crew back to the platform.

( ooc; For questions, go here. Please comment to activity check to receive new ranks (if applicable)! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She's got plenty of reason to accept this for what it is, what she wants it to be. Han isn't so sure, and even if he'll let it go without complaint she can bet his hand isn't going to stray too far from his blaster, no matter how tranquil the scenery.

All in all, he's pretty good at sticking out like a sore thumb.]

If they let us in,

[he muses, not quite able to keep his cynicism wholly at bay. Still, he's going with her readily enough, that ought to count for something.]

This is my home.

[Literally, and not solely in the sense of ah, yes, we're on Alderaan again. With her free hand, she gestures up at a specific tower.]

That was my bedroom.

[Something in her gut twists to say it. From present tense to past so quickly. And, of course, Han's point is still relevant if this is a time before her...but in that case, her knowledge of side entries will come in handy.]

Trust me. I can get us in.

[She doesn't even have to prove it. When they approach the guards, the bows and Your Highnesses speak for themselves, and soon enough, they're standing inside one of the vast halls of the palace. This time, she does have to shut her eyes, little as she wants to, or she's certain tears will start coursing down her cheeks.

I'm home.]

[It was her home. That doesn't mean it is right now-- but he's too busy being suspicious to argue. And then--

Hell, it works. He can't believe it, even as they let her through, even as they let him through.]

So--

[what's the plan? he's about to ask, but he catches the look on her face and bites it off, just gives her hand a reassuring squeeze. Truth is, having flown into the debris field right after Alderaan's destruction, being here is unnerving enough for him. He can't imagine what it's like for her.]

[She needs a moment to take it in, to gather herself up and tell herself she's not going to waste a moment of this, if this is really what it seems. Han can see Alderaan, not just the rubble left behind, and she can remember it. This is an opportunity, and it isn't an opportunity to waste.]

If they know me--[and she's looking up at Han with clear eyes and a please humour me expression on her face]--let's find out if my parents are planetside.

[Mother likely would be, but with Father, one never knows. Which is how she ends up walking decidedly towards their private rooms, still pulling Han along beside her.]

[Humoring her is exactly what it feels like, though he'd rather not say so. It's too easy, too good to be true-- something she wouldn't have imagined she could ask for, something playing upon her emotions. There's gotta be a catch, right? There's always a catch.

But much as he wanted to know what she has planned, he was not ready for that.]

Your--

[And then he's being dragged along, not watching where he's going because he's too busy staring at her in disbelief.]

Are you sure about that?

[Coming home with a criminal in tow?]

They'll be able to tell us when exactly we are.

[It's reasonable to want to find them. Anything she and Han need to know, they'll be able to find out from Bail and Breha.

And if she can hug them both and tell them just how much she loves them, that's merely a side benefit. Definitely not the reason for searching them out in the first place.

Glancing up, she takes in the look on his face.]

Why? Worried they won't like you?

[It's a tease more than anything. Surely it's obvious enough that the only opinion that matters to her--on this, at least--is her own.]

What's not to like?

[Bravado aside-- not that he's going to let it flag in her presence-- it's kind of a concern. Not so much because he doesn't think he can be likeable when he needs to be, but because it'll raise questions that will be hard for her to answer. How she met him, what he does.

Plus, what if they run into her, if Alderaan is whole and well and the guards don't seem surprised to see her?]

Exactly.

[She grins, though it's a smile that's as much bravado as anything he's offering her. If she doesn't fortify herself with a false front, she'll be sobbing all over people who won't understand why she's so upset.

People like her mother, who's resplendent in shades of blue and black, head bent over three different data pads at a desk in her parlor. Leia freezes in the doorway, taking in the sight of the woman as she sets one data pad down and glances up to see who came through the pneumatic door.]

Lelila! I thought you were coming home tomorrow. [The old nickname, friendly and only a little surprised as Breha Organa stands and crosses the room to hug Leia. Wrapped up in the sweet-scented warmth of her mother's embrace, she can't bring herself to say anything, only to cling a little longer than necessary.

When they do part, Breha glances over at Han with an appraising eye.] And you've brought a companion, I see.

[For all his misgivings, he can't even make an earnest effort to talk her out of it. Leia might not talk much about Alderaan, but he knows it's on her mind often. Maybe always, or nearly. Part of why she pushes herself so hard all the time. Given the chance to see everything she's lost one last time?

Yeah, he gets why she has to take it. There's no place with that kind of hold on him, but he understands the feeling.

Well, if they're doing this, they're doing it. Except maybe she should've briefed him on how exactly to deal with royalty. Ah, well. He flashes Breha a winning smile (at least, he hopes so) and dips his head in what his hopefully a sufficient bow. Companion is better than acquaintance, at least.]

Your majesty, [he says pleasantly, offering a hand. Do queens shake hands? Is this a hand-kissing situation? Hell.] Han Solo.

He's working with me in the Alliance, Mother. One of our very best pilots.

[Leia offers the information as Breha clasps Han's hand. She's a small woman herself, if taller than Leia by a few inches, but she exudes the sort of grace and elegance Leia's spent a lifetime trying to match. Everything about her mother's manner always seemed--seems, for now--so natural, so easily done.

It's Breha who speaks next, and it's to Han. If she approves or disapproves of him, it's not clear to Leia; mostly likely, she's still deciding what she thinks.]

I hope you plan to join us for dinner--I'd be happy to have another place set for you. It isn't often my daughter brings friends home with her when she visits

[He can't help but puff up a bit at the praise, even if it's a bit impersonal. Fair enough, it's not like he's expecting her to dramatically announce to her family that they're lovers. And it's perfectly true; he is one of their very best, and he knows it.

Trying (and probably failing) to be less than obvious in his scrutiny, he considers the resemblance between the two of them, thinking that he might not guess there wasn't a blood relation if he didn't know. Leia is perfectly capable of that kind of measured grace, when the situation calls for it. It means, by extension, that she's hard to read, which is a handy quality for a politician to cultivate.

Without knowing how temporary this might be, he's a bit reluctant to make plans, but he can't imagine there's any answer but to accept the invitation.]

That's kind of you to offer. [He glances back to Leia, looking for affirmation that she's up for this.] Leia?

We'd love to. Should we dress?

[The nod is immediate--sorry, Han, but scruffy doesn't pass muster today.] I'm sure you can find something of Bail's for your friend to wear. If you hurry, you'll be on time.

[It's said with some amusement, and Leia gives her mother a bit of a sheepish look. This would hardly be the first time she was late finding her way to dinner. Leia glances up Han's way and nods towards a door across the room.]

We'd better get going.

[He tries to hold off on giving Leia a startled, somewhat wounded look until Breha has turned away. That was definitely not in the plan. Raiding a king's wardrobe and looking-- well, like he just raided a king's wardrobe-- that was not part of agreeing to try this experimental Ingress thing.

Utter betrayal. What's so wrong with scruffy?]

Of course, [he murmurs, not impolite but startled into being subdued, and trails toward Leia, offering her his arm stubbornly. Fine, if she wants gentlemanly then she's getting it.]

[Leia takes his arm--and when they're out of her mother's sight, she gives Han an apologetic look. He looks so disappointed in this turn of events that she can't resist stretching up to kiss him on the cheek.]

Mother can be a little particular about things. [Her voice is pitched for him alone. And as much as she doesn't mind scruffy on this particular smuggler, she can't help but give him another glance up and down.] Let's just hope my aunts aren't around.

[And thus they're wandering up a flight of stairs in search of her parents' bedroom and Bail Organa's wardrobe.]

[That little gesture does a lot to smooth his ruffled feathers... As does the fact that she took his arm at all. It's perfectly respectable but it's still pushing it, a little, laying a claim he thought she might balk at. Han has never had any reason to hide the nature of their relationship, but these are her parents and they're royalty. He'd be miffed to be demoted to acquaintance, but he'd get it.]

This is the craziest thing you ever asked me to do,

[he insists. Yes, that includes all the near-suicide missions. Somehow her tone suggests this might be one after all, if her mysterious aunts are in.]

[Leia snorts.]

Don't be so melodramatic. It's dinner, not outrunning the Empire.

[Even if they have to sit through Celly, Rouge, and Tia probing for all the details of their companionship, it won't be anything like flying through an asteroid field.

To be completely honest, she's hoping this will be fun--or, at least, survivable. Han never had the chance to meet her parents, let alone spend time with them, and she never had the time for a relationship serious enough to bring home. This is her one opportunity to rectify that, and she's not going to waste it by pretending he's just a friend.

(She just hopes she won't have to call him something more specific.)

The master bedroom is enormous and airy, with sunlight pouring warm into the room. Her father has his own walk-in wardrobe, as one does when one's viceroy of a planet, and Leia strides in without hesitation.]

I'll see if I can find you anything on the simpler end of things.

Yeah, but I'm real good at outrunning the Empire.

[The crooked grin that accompanies that is as much for his own benefit as hers. It's true, though. Not that he's not capable of being well-behaved... But he knows himself well enough to think he'll say the wrong thing out of sheer contrariness.

It won't be that bad. Probably. Probably it'll just be small talk, some vagueness about the Alliance, maybe some questions about the nature of their relationship, depending on whether or not her prying aunts show up... Probably more awkward for Leia than for him, really. Which he can handle. Might be fun, even, because teasing her generally is-- only because he knows she'll get her vengeance quick enough.

Yeah, this could be going much worse.]

I'm not sure I want to see the not-simple end.

You aren't bad at dinner. I've seen you eat.

[His table manners can, at times, leave something to be desired, but hopefully his role in the rebellion will make up for any faux pas. Besides, if worst comes to worst, they'll leave in a few hours.

This, she thinks, can't be all that bad.]

I don't think he'd appreciate if we put you in his coronation robes. [She's flipping through suit after suit as she speaks, occasionally pausing to look critically over at Han, as though trying to imagine what he'd look like in a particular outfit.] Here--try this.

[The dark trousers and lighter woolen shirt are straightforward enough. The cloak might be another story.]

I am pretty good at eating.

[Does it matter which fork you're using when you're talking about daring, heroic strikes against tyranny?

Granted, given the fate of Alderaan, they'll have to be careful on the details they give up.

Coronation robes are probably too complicated to even joke about. Either way, there's no getting out of this, so as she searches he busies himself getting out of his own clothes. Even if there are too many forks, it's probably good food, and showing up late would cause more of a stir.

He can't help rolling his eyes a little at the cape. So not his style.]

[If you're the sweetheart of the crown princess, it might. On the other hand, that might give you more latitude to slip up--who knows? Leia guesses they'll find out.

No matter what happens, they won't reap the consequences, at least.

It's not hard to figure out which part of the outfit has Han rolling his eyes. He wears pants and shirts on a regular basis, but capes are more of a Calrissian thing.]

If you wear the cape, I'll let you pick out what I wear. [Since her mother doesn't seem shocked to see an adult where her daughter is, Leia assumes most of her own wardrobe is going to fit her. And nearly all of it will be appropriate for dinner with her parents.] Hold still--I'll put it on you.

[Lando can pull off capes if only through sheer force of will. Han is pretty sure he'll end up tripping. Also, somehow Lando will know, and laugh at him.]

Doesn't seem like a fair trade.

[He can't imagine there's much there that wouldnt suit the occasion.

Still, he stays obediently in place, ducking a little so she can reach more easily.]

How long do you think we've got?

[Not a complaint, just wondering. If they vanish in the middle of soup, what then?]

It's my only offer.

[He doesn't look bad in a cape, really, even if it's not what either of them would put him in, given the choice. With the stripes lined up correctly and the fabric draped neatly around his shoulders, Han almost looks like he could be Alderaanian, not just an accidental Corellian visitor (and possibly from a parallel universe).

When she's done, she pats his chest fondly, hand smoothing over the fabric. Sometimes scruffy cleans up well.]

I don't know. I was told a few hours, but... [A little shrug. Who knows? Truthfully, she's trying not to think about when this is going to end; she already knows the answer will be too soon.] Come on, let's see what kind of shape my room is in.

[Yeah, yeah. Counteroffer: she can let him lean down to kiss her forehead before they hare off in search of-- if experience tells him anything, probably a dignified white gown, that's usually what Leia favors. Well, even if there's nothing to tease her over in the royal closets, maybe it won't be so bad.]

After you, your worshipfulness, [he drawls. Just trying to get the contrariness out of the way.]

[She'll accept this counteroffer, and even the your worshipfulness with only a roll of her eyes. Gathering up the rest of Han's clothes, she leads the way out into the corridor once more.

Her room is as she remembers it: smaller than her parents' but still rather large, equally sun-drenched and trimmed in white. (Alderaanian princesses have a colour.) The broad bed, the desk in front of a window out onto the city of Aldera and the plains beyond it, the shelf of holos of her childhood, even the little keepsake box in the corner--it's all as it should be.

She stops short on the threshold, almost afraid to walk in further and disturb the room. But then she squares her shoulders and strides in with purpose. If anything in this world is hers, it's this space. er presence isn't a disturbance.]

Let's see what we have. [More to say something than any other purpose, as she walks toward her own wardrobe.]

[If they try this again they'll have to bring something to carry their own clothes, if they're going to have to disguise themselves. That's not what this is, strictly, but it feels that way.

Walking through Leia's childhood home is strange; it's more or less what he'd have expected, knowing her and her title, leaving him grudgingly admiring her for not being stuck up about it. Breha and Bail, he imagines, must have been decent folk regardless of titles. Even in borrowed clothes he feels conspicuously out of place. The only reason he's moving about unchallenged is because Leia vouches for him, and that itself seems oddly like a display of power, the fact that her judgment of his character is so absolute.]

What's the fanciest thing you've got?

[Whatever it is he's not going to make her wear it to dinner, but he's curious. And as always, prone to teasing.

Besides, maybe showing off will be distracting. Being in her old room, he feels more intrusive than he has anyplace else.]

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