thisavrou_log | ( august intro log )

Entry tags:

( august intro log )

Who: Everyone
When: August 1st and on
Where: The Moira
What: New “guests” join the crew on their journey and implement some changes.
Warnings: None for now. Please label your content!

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old but unfamiliar faces
"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once."

The Ingress has pulled you in. Your body experiences several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. Once equilibrium has been reestablished, you will notice you are standing on a long platform and that the room is filled with a soft cerulean light. It's slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you, and nothing is familiar. Shortly after, you are led out and toward the medbay.

Inside this room, you are given a physical scan and offered a contract to sign that states you are now part of the crew of the Moira with a specific job. Any questions you might have would be answered in a straightforward manner as well as an explanation about how the Ingress, the thing that has pulled you onto the Moira, is broken and bringing people here unintentionally. This process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health, and afterwards, you are given your MID, a device that is integrated into your hand or wrist with only the slightest pinch. From there, you are guided out of the medbay and to your living quarters.

At first, this month seems no more unusual than the previous one for those who have been aboard the Moira for any amount of time. The crew who had landed on the slaver outpost were rescued, and with everyone aboard, the ship has pushed forward into the darker parts of the Runoff. Anyone arriving through the Ingress follows the same routine—moving from the Ingress room into the Medbay for their physical and contract before being assisted by seasoned crew members and helped to their assigned decks. But all familiar things must eventually come to an end: two final travelers come through the Ingress. The first, and most noticeable difference between them and all the others, is their clothing. Both are dressed in standard Moira uniforms, though they bear the insignia of one sharing the same rank as Captains Cúrre and Thán. After a moment to take in all the people on the platform ahead of them, one of the two latest arrivals approaches one of the Ingress panels and begins to manipulate the controls. The Ingress completely shuts down. Unlike before, however, there isn’t an imbalance felt across the ship; everything remains normal and stable.

Utilizing the computer systems located in the Ingress room, they send out the following message to the crew via the MID:
To all those aboard this vessel: I am Ira Phirun, assigned captain of the Moira. First Mate Egan and I will be commandeering all rights to the ship as soon as word is sent to those currently in charge. Expect a more detailed report as soon as all records and logs in Navigation have been reviewed by myself and the First Mate. All questions will be answered in a timely matter. For now, there will be no interruption of daily routine or reprimand if conduct among ranks is broken. Thanks for your time.

Heading to Navigation, the Captain and First Mate, for seemingly unknown reasons, approach Navigator Manasseh and have her show them all records and logs of the Moira. Those working in Navigation when the Captain and First Mate arrive will see Mana greet them in a professional manner. Oddly, the Captain and First Mate act very familiar with the Navigator. They review all documents, but when they come upon news that the Ploiatos is on board, their mostly friendly demeanor shifts quickly. The Captain issues a sharp order, unintelligible to those who are close enough to overhear parts of their conversation, and without any warning at all, Mana loses consciousness and collapses right there on the bridge. Within minutes of this happening, the ship as a whole falls into a low power state with basic functions only. Mana’s MID alerts Medbay, and without hesitation, Captain Cúrre places her in cryo with strict orders to those who work there not to disturb the unit.

As promised, the Captain and First Mate soon address the crew.

☄ lights down low

The lighting has dimmed in all the rooms and halls, the normally crisp air that is pumped from the vents low, and all machines and tech are running at half-speed. These effects can be found throughout the ship. Water in the showers remain hot for only a few minutes before reverting to cold. Recreational equipment powers off not long after it has been turned on. The sanitation and water filtration systems require an hourly manual reboot, and all unused areas of the ship have no power allotted to them until a crew member steps inside. Even then, most functions are not optimal. It’s as if the Moira has been transformed into a dark house with only a candle flickering on the window sill.

☄ reuse & recycle

The Captain and First Mate are quick to establish that this is a new regime and go about making the ship and its crew more efficient in the wake of their change in course and the low power state of the ship itself. This means they will systematically inspect each occupied barracks room and leave notes for what needs to be disposed of or stowed away. Unlike before, this is no longer a pleasure cruise, and each member of the crew is a guest on board; they will not tolerate useless clutter. Anything seen as unnecessary will be either placed into storage in the Cargo Bay or disposed of through the airlock. This new need for efficiency also extends to the need to conserve resources until they reach their destination. The showers are set to an automatic timer to minimize water waste. Those few minutes of hot water are all a crew member is now given. Meals are smaller, bordering on ration sizes, and luxuries are done away with entirely in order to preserve supplies so that the ship can go longer before needing to dock at a planet.

☄ new jobs, same faces

The Captain and his First Mate, as expressed in their addressing of the Moira, explain that work efficiency is a priority. Applications for a head of the following departments will be accepted for a short period: Navigation, the Tower, Medbay, Defense, the Hold, Sanitation, Ingress work, and the Galley/Mess Hall. (Here.) After reviewing what they receive, one head of department will be chosen and tasked with helping crew find positions relevant to those departments and their own skillsets. They will be allowed to retain any positions that they held before that aren’t ship-functional jobs, but they will have to be done in leisure time. In two weeks time, they’ll be accepting department position applications which will be approved, and all those that do not apply will be assigned in accordance with their initial work application. They will also choose three individuals to act as guards of Ploiatos to ensure that there is a rotation available at all times. Will you choose to follow this new decision and promote yourself into a position of responsibility? Or will you simply wait for a reassignment?

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mother.

[A title breathed out in a tiny, breathless whisper before Padmé turns to her. The sight of her grounds Leia, despite the knowledge that she's looking at the woman who loved the man who became Darth Vader. Slightly taller than Leia herself, with the same dark hair and eyes, as well as a grace to her movements that seems inborn despite her uncertainty.

You know Nomo deck. You were--but clearly she doesn't and wasn't, not as far as she seems to know. After a few weeks gone from the ship, perhaps memory of it disappeared. The Ingresses are so tricky and unpredictable that it doesn't seem unlikely.

(What that means for the rest of them--for Luke, now gone, for her own knowledge of Ben Solo and the future awaiting Han--she's not sure. And she can't afford to think of it now, if she wants to have a conversation with someone else.)

Leia draws up a smile in hopes of covering that stricken feeling--my mother has returned--and nods. She's not so ungraceful herself today: in a long white gown, with her thick hair braided in loops at the back of her head, she fits the title princess as well as ever.]

Nomo is one of the barracks decks. I can take you there.

[Within the confines, it is not something that Padmé hears, nor would it be something that she would register as being addressed to her. She is a mother, yes, for all of ten minutes, if, and even then, that is the extent of her motherhood. While she had politely inquired as to whether there were any babes aboard during the medical examination, the answer provided to her did have her thinking that she had come separately and apart, which likely was for the best. What fate awaited Luke and Leia, Padmé couldn't know, but there are few she trusted as she trusted Obi-Wan.

There is something that registers, although only briefly. Some sense of recognition that she doesn't realize and that she cannot put a name to. After all, why would she think beyond what has happened to her to what could happen decades from now?] I wouldn't want to inconvenience you.

[Which is true. So long as the instructions aren't overly complicated, Padmé believes she can find it.]

[She feels a twinge of disappointment when it really becomes clear that Padmé remembers nothing. But this is an opportunity as much as anything. They'll begin again, she and her mother, and she'll be able to shelter her from some of the pain of Luke's absence.]

You couldn't possibly. [Her voice is gentle, with a warmth beyond any she'd use for a stranger.] Please, let me.

[Now it's simply a question of how to address the fact of who they are to each other. There's no easy way to do this, but considering that neither of them appear to be drenched in blood this time, Leia thinks it can't possibly go more awkwardly than the last time she did this.

As they walk, she speaks lightly, as though this doesn't actually matter one way or another. As though the desire to hug the woman and bury her face in her mother's dark hair isn't bubbling up inside her.] I think I should introduce myself. My name is Leia.

[It is a turn of phrase that does draw Padmé's attention, for the word choice is curious. Words have always been her weapon and shield. She is good with a blaster, but she is far more at home- or was- in the Senate, where what she said could make an impact. She truly did believe that many hostilities were simply a failure to communicate properly, for each side to take a step back and listen, truly listen, to what the other side was saying. It is why her brown eyes search out hers, although she knows little about this individual, other than a tickling sense of something that she simply cannot put words to.]

You have my gratitude then.

[And she did.

Padmé's own words are warm in turn, and she falls easily beside her, casually stealing a glance now and then. She reminds her of someone is the conclusion that Padmé draws, although she cannot quite place the name or the face, which does say something. She tends to be quite good at remembering both.

At any other time, Padmé would have already introduced herself, but she is frazzled, still attempting to gain a footing. Yet, whatever purchase had been made does come to a complete stop, just as Padmé does at the sound of Leia. Her own gasp is sudden and sharp, for it hits her like a punch to the gut, the name given to her daughter, and she is reeling.]

Sorry. It's just- [But how to even explain?

Her eyes draw up again, and she is reminded of Anakin, of herself, of someone else still not identified. That spiel that she has been told upon arriving comes back. A contract signed. Different galaxies. Different... times... But it couldn't be, could it? No, she is being silly, but-] Leia?

[She pauses when Padmé does.

That Padmé recognizes Leia's name is strangely exciting for her. The last time they met, Leia had been a familiar-faced stranger to her mother. Seeing that moment of recognition is something she always longed for: a moment when her mother truly saw her, without having to be told who she is. When she was a little girl, though she was certain Bail and Breha Organa were the only parents she needed, she'd always longed for the soft smile and kind spirit of the woman who bore her.

And now she's before her again, this time looking at her as though she can't believe what she's seeing.]

That's right. [Soft, with warm eyes filled with hope.] My name is Leia.

[I have a brother called Luke, she wants to say, but now that he's gone, she's not sure bringing him up won't cause more heartache for Padmé. And if she can do anything for her mother, she wants to save her pain.]

My mother passed away when I was very young. Her name was Padmé Amidala.

[She has no idea that there was a time where she wouldn't have known Leia's name, although she would come to understand in time here how it is possible. She's truly only heard it spoken out loud once, mind you, and that was from her own lips as she gifted each child only one thing- their name.

Of course in Padmé's mind, there is still a babe but newly born and it is hard to rectify that with the grown adult that is standing before her. She knew she would miss much, or rather everything, but that small stray thought as the darkness came versus the reality of it is as stark as day and night. But there is not a trace of doubt that this might be some falsehood or jest. The proof stands right before her.]

You're far bigger than last I saw you.

[Came that tender voice as she steps towards her, a hand tentatively reaching out to cup her cheek. She seems to favour Padmé when it comes to looks, although at the moment it is all that Padmé can comment internally on. Both her and Anakin were strong willed individuals, stubborn with a touch (or more) of recklessness to boot, yet compassionate as well.

And she is staring now, but not rudely, rather almost in awe.]

Hello, Leia. I never thought- This is unexplainable, but wonderful.

And I remember you larger. [It's one of the most precious things she has, that memory: less of the particular time and place, more of Padmé's warmth and goodness. And, of course, the sorrow that threaded through her like the veins of a leaf. Luke had suggested once that it was an impression born of the Force, and if that's the case, it's the finest legacy the Force has ever given her.

But it's nothing compared to seeing the woman before her once more, after believing their opportunity to know each other ended weeks ago. Tears prick at the corners of Leia's eyes, but she presses them back with long practice. There are certain things she doesn't do in public if she can possibly avoid it, and weeping openly is one of them.]

I always dreamed of speaking with you. I still can't believe it's possible. [Her own smile grows a little wry.] But here we are. You must have so many questions--did you just arrive?

[While one might think that nothing can surprise her further, hearing those words does throw Padmé for a bit of a loop. After all, how or why would either Leia, or Luke, remember her aside from possible holos or stories that were told about her? Yet the way Leia says it doesn't make Padmé think of tales or pictures, but something deeper.

They are bitter-sweet words, as while Padmé cannot explain how it has happened, it has. Yet, as Leia says, it would otherwise only be a dream by a daughter who would never know her mother's pride at the woman she had grown in to. A family had always been something that Padmé had desired, but duty had always come first. That, and finding someone, and even then, it is a Jedi that she wed.]

I do. [Because she does have so, so many questions. Who raised her? Was she loved? Was she happy? The list can go on, but she nods at that latter question posed on her.] Not that long ago, although it's a bit hard to judge time without making note of it.

Just in time for our new captain. [Leia's not yet decided on what she thinks of the new leadership on the Moira, but there's a wryness there as well that hints at just how unimpressed she's been with the ship's chain of command in general.

What an awful fate, though, to come upon her mother by chance and spend the time talking about the pettiest of politics. She changes the subject, reaching out to take Padmé's hand in hers.] Would you still like to see Nomo deck?

[Or should we find someplace to talk? is on her lips, but Padmé's bunk is as good a place to do that as any. With austerity measures as they are, she's not sure whether they can get some decent caf at this hour.]

[For better or for worse, Padmé cannot say where that statement will go. She has always had an apt mind at working through politics, but even then, she needs to have some basis to start. No doubt she will find herself occupied in learning the intricacies of this place, along with everything that will happen personally.

She gives a small squeeze, still marveling at how grown her daughter is. Tiny hands. Wide staring eyes... She might not have had long with her twins, but their young faces are burned in to her memory. Yet she does pause, but concedes to Leia who no doubt knows more about this ship and its workings than Padmé currently does.]

If you believe that to be the best choice.

[If it is somewhere that they could talk. On Coruscant, Padmé would know where to go. There do tend to be prying ears everywhere, but some places do offer more protection than others. Here? She knows too little to even start to make a guess.]

It's as good as any.

[She gives Padmé a little smile and tugs lightly on her hand. There's little to worry about for being overheard, unless they get into very sensitive territory. Given just who Leia's father is, that's certainly possible, but she's hoping their first conversation doesn't have to be about Darth Vader.

If it must be, let it be Padmé's choice.]

Where should we begin? I can tell you whatever you'd like to know.

[Even if it's painful to speak of.]

[It isn't something that Padmé has thought about, although she does wonder just what Leia knows about- well, about anything and everything surrounding who she is. Her pregnancy isn't something that she had announced, as if anyone had figured out that Anakin was the father, not only would Padmé have lost her position, but Anakin likely would have been removed from the Order.

Yet, Padmé is selfish in the respect that she wants to know about Leia, to know everything, to make up for the fact that she wasn't there for her first step or her first words or her first day of school... There are so many firsts that she doesn't even know where to begin. And after, everything else. What she is like, who she is, although that is more from learning about how rather than bluntly asking her that.

She recalls her own relationship with her sister as Leia tugs her along, and Padmé follows with that inherent grace of hers. Of course there is the question of where to start.] I suppose... I know I wasn't there but... Who were you raised by?

Bail and Breha Organa. [...were my mother and father is on the tip of her tongue, but speaking more than their names before the woman who bore her seems disrespectful. There must be space to love all three of them, her mother and the parents she knew, but at least to begin with, it feels safer to divide that affection somewhat.] They were very kind to me, but they couldn't tell me much about you. For my safety, of course.

[It occurs to her to wonder just how much of those safety precautions were things Padmé had planned for her children. Had she known that they'd be raised so far from each other? Had she decided that would be the case? How had she chosen that one would have everything in the world and the other, nothing?

She's not sure, and she's not sure she'll want to hear the answers Padmé has. But she knows she'll have to ask eventually.]

When...I'm sorry if this is a difficult question to answer, but how long did you know us? I know we were very young, but...

[But this is something I wanted to hear from you, not Obi-Wan or Anakin.]

[It will never be something that Padmé could hold against her. How could she? She wasn't there to raise her, and how could one call someone mother who one didn't even know?]

Bail- [Given Padmé's response, it hadn't been something that she had planned. No, it had always been her intention to raise her child- children- once born, but what she had planned and what the reality was were two completely different paths.]

He- he was a very close friend of mine. We worked together on the Senate and I respected him greatly. It- he was always kind and wise. Breha too.

[And oh. Oh. She swallows softly. Padmé had tried to shield Bail from any backlash, which is why she had not had him sign his name. Given everything that happened, it likely was a good thing that she didn't know, although a part of that does break her heart. Yet she cannot be selfish over that, she scolds herself, knowing that the sun had set and darkness is now spreading across the galaxy. Knowing that Anakin had fallen with it.

There is a shake of her head though at that question. It is not that Padmé is denying it. No, never that.]

Please. Never fear to ask anything of me, Leia, and I will always answer to the best of my ability.

[Honestly and truthfully. Yet, there is a flash of sadness on her features. A part of her wonders if she will ever be as joyous and carefree as she had once been on Naboo, sharing a picnic with a young padawan...]

Not long, I fear. I- I passed shortly after your birth. A few minutes, maybe.

They were. [There will always be a shade of grief in her voice when she speaks of them, she thinks--or, at least, there will be for a long, long time. Maybe in a few decades, she'll be able to speak of them easily, but at this point, she's still too easily reminded of the brief, unspeakable dread they must have known when the Death Star's laser fired on them.] I owe them everything for the opportunities they gave me.

[It occurs to her after she speaks that it might sound like they treated her as something less than a daughter--to think of owing anyone anything. But she can always correct that misconception if need be. All she knows is that she could never have been a senator at fourteen if not for the parents she knew and loved as her own.]

I'm sorry. [That she died, that she'd have to speak of such things, that she couldn't have known Luke while he was here. And then, soft:] It's a miracle that I could remember you.

[They were. Past tense. Padmé doesn't fail to pick that up, and while she knows that it is possible that they have met some natural end, there is a feeling that it isn't the case. And she wants to know, she does, but looking at Leia, recognizing the tone in her voice, she cannot. Will not.

Her hand does give a squeeze, as knowing both Bail and Breha, Padmé knows that they would have moved stars for the child that they raised as their own. Bail had always been hardworking- just as much as she- and Breha had been no less. It was a pity that they had had no children before, but it seemed that they wouldn't remain childless.

Of course she is blinking softly, rapidly, seeking to keep those tears that threaten at bay.]

I learned much from Bail, and he from me. I owe him much as well.

[And moreso, it seems, for raising Leia. But she understand that Leia is saying, can see what she means without her saying it. She knows Bail and she knows Breha. Both are steadfast and true, and no doubt they would have instilled all their virtues upon her.]

It is... And I am sorry that it is all you had. But I am glad that you did have at least that. I would have loved to have given you more- so much more, Leia. I was terrified, yes, at finding out I was pregnant, but happy. So happy as well.

I was fortunate. I don't think Luke remembered anything of you. [It occurs to her that it might sound to her mother like both her children were raised in the royal house of Alderaan. And Leia can't abide by lying to this woman, if she can help it.] He grew up on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle.

[My aunt and uncle, too, but she'd never known Owen or Beru, except through Luke's stories. And the thought of counting them as her own is still...it's difficult. Knowing they were Anakin's kin, without knowing them, raises a wall she can't bring herself to knock down.

At least she'd gotten to know Shmi through her own words before she found out just who Anakin was. She'll claim her grandmother without question.]

I think anyone would be a little terrified. [A little smile, more self-conscious than she'd allow around other people. Just when she has Ben is still unclear, but if it's near the war, she doesn't doubt she'll be terrified, too.]

[An overlooked act of omission is never anything that Padmé would hold against someone, and it isn't every day that one is confronted with someone that they never knew and could never know. Of course as Leia says that, it is on the tip of her tongue to ask why, but she already knows the answer to that. The universe has grown darker recently.]

Two children who were likely Force sensitive would have been easier to find than one. And Naboo would have been pretty obvious if Sola suddenly showed up with a newborn- although I think Ryoo and Pooja would have loved that.

[Her slip of calling them his aunt and uncle isn't even noted, although Padmé wouldn't find that strange. No doubt Luke wouldn't see Bail and Breha as parents as just how much interaction would they have had growing up? Owen and Beru had seemed quite settled on Tatooine, unlike to travel, and it likely was for safety as well.]

Anakin had been gone for some time, and it wasn't exactly planned.

[She can admit that to her, having no shame in it. It might not have been something that Anakin and her had sat down and discussed as to exact dates, but Padmé had always wanted a family.

And war... Yes war had been all around. Leeching and sapping them. Draining them. Dragging them down.]

And your life? Have you found something you are passionate about?

[Sola, Ryoo, Pooja--they're evocative sounding names, and they aren't far in sound from Padmé, but they don't mean anything to Leia.] Are they...relatives of yours?

[She's never thought of the possibility that maternal kin might exist for her, that somewhere out there might be cousins or grandparents, aunts or uncles, belonging to her birth mother. The royal family of Alderaan stretched enough that she hadn't wanted for extended family, and the mystery of her mother's sad smile had always occupied her thoughts. But now--now, if she could return home and find any of these people, she gladly would.]

He was gone? [It's Leia's turn to stop, staring at her mother with worry in her eyes. Anakin had said nothing of this--but then, Anakin wouldn't know, would he? He was too far away from the possibility of children when he was brought here. Padmé's question is set aside for a moment, to be returned to when things are more clear.] He left you?

My sister and her two girls. [Padmé replies after a moment. Of course, of course. It would go all ways, wouldn't it? It is still hard to adjust to, knowing that she could never share her children with her own mother, or tease or be teased by her sister again.] My mother and father still reside on Naboo, as does my sister, her husband, and their two children.

[It is clear though that despite the hint of sadness in her voice that Padmé does remember them all fondly. Yet, thinking of them now, she knows that they will be devastated to learn about her death. She had always tried to protect them from the knowledge of just how dangerous her line of work had become, and she did tend to keep most of it from them. Anakin had let it slip the one time they had visited her home but she really did hate having them fret.

Yet Padmé gives a soft hum that is akin to a yes when Leia asked if Anakin was gone. It takes her a moment to register the expression that her daughter is giving her, and a moment longer to register what she thinks Padmé has said. Her vocalizing it does bring Padmé to shake her head, and she seeks to remedy the misunderstanding.]

He was a Jedi, Leia. The Code- I don't even know how much has survived to your time after- after everything that has occurred. They are not supposed to have any attachments though. Our marriage was a secret, held on Naboo with only the priest and Artoo and Threepio in attendance. He left, often, to fight against the Separatists, but he always came back.

[Although there is a pregnant pause there, thinking about that last time. Then... Maybe then he had, going down that long dark road that she could not tread upon.]

I don't doubt that had I told him I was pregnant, he would have dropped whatever it was that he was doing and returned.

[Although her tone suggests that it would have been dangerous. They each had their duties and couldn't just make such selfish decisions.]

Oh. [She's not sure there's much else that can be said. An aunt and uncle, two cousins, possibly even grandparents--they can't all have perished at the Empire's hands in twenty years' time, can they?

Of course they have. But Leia wants to hold out hope. She has to, if she's ever to know her mother's family.] When I return home--once we leave this place, I'll have to plan a trip to Naboo. I've only visited a few times.

[And now she understands why. She remembers suddenly the moment, years ago, when she'd thought a stained-glass queen was looking at her. A trick of the light, she'd thought.

But now, looking at her mother, with her inimitable grace--so much more natural-looking than Leia ever feels--and gentle face, she's not so sure.]

I see. [She'd rather not ascribe such fidelity to Anakin, but there's no denying that he's been anything but inattentive in the time she's known him.] We know little enough of the Jedi in my time. They're--[a shake of her head]--My brother is the only one. My brother and a Jedi master called Yoda.

Naberrie is their last name.

[Although she isn't certain how much weight that holds in this place. She has no future to return to outside of this ship (and she still cannot explain how this has happened) but others might, and can they take that knowledge? Even if there is just a whisper of a word left in her mind, Padmé is willing.]

It is a beautiful planet. Or perhaps was.

[She isn't certain what toll her people will have to pay now that Palpatine is Emperor. It has always had abundant resources and the people there do not suffer. It would be a pristine planet to take and take and take from.]

I'm not surprised. They were branded as traitors, but that was simply a rouse. They were protectors of the peace and of the Republic for many centuries, but they were reclusive and withdrawn, as some would say. They had their own code to follow.

[Yet that expression softens.]

I know of Master Yoda. He was old when I first met him. In a way, he seems almost timeless... But, only Luke?

[She cannot even begin to speak of the Jedi, although would Leia not have the same potential of Luke? Or is it something that works as it will upon who it will? Then again, who would have trained Leia, especially after the demise of so many great beings?]

The galaxy became a darker place when their light went out.

[Leia nods, tucking the name away for future investigation. When she returns home, she'll reach out to them, if any are left to reach out to. If they know as little as she did about her origins, she thinks, perhaps they will be glad to meet her.

And Luke, of course--and Han, even. Leia's family has been destroyed twice now, but she's managed to rebuild it. Her Nabooan relatives might be one more step in that direction.]

Only Luke. Obi-Wan Kenobi began his training, but he-- [She presses her lips together, less out of a worry that she might say too much and more for the difficulty of that memory. They're so fortunate to know him here.] I'm afraid he passed away a few years ago. It's up to Luke to keep their ways alive now.

[Leia's met Yoda only once, and only since arriving on the Moira. Whatever he is, he's wizened enough that she's not sure how long he'll outlive Kenobi. And when he passes, Luke will be alone.

She's not sure how he'll manage that, but she plans on helping however she can. If only she can bring herself to return to her own studies...] We live in dark times. But we will not allow evil to win.

[Her mother... Oh, there is a part of Padmé that does truly wish that Leia will find her family. Her mother would, well, be her mother. She is a person that Padmé always looked up to, someone who was kind and considerate, and would cook enough food to feed a whole clone battalion. If one doesn't roll out of her house, her mother seems to think she hasn't been a proper hostess.

A few years ago... Judging by Leia's age, it seems that Obi-Wan lives a fair number of years, although what kind of life he has had, she can only guess. Not the same as before the war. No, any Jedi would go in to hiding if they were smart, and Obi-Wan is.]

They always say the Force will guide, so I suppose trust must be placed within it that it shall.

[Yet Padmé cannot help but regard this woman who is her daughter, that wistful expression upon her face. It is much like what she would say. That she has said. It might not grow as bright as it once had, but Padmé has not given up hope that one day, perhaps farther away than she desires, that the galaxy will find its balance again.]

As long as there are those who stand against these injustices, there will always be that ember waiting to be ignited again.

And that's what we do. Luke and I, and Han. [It's just second nature to mention him at this point, enough so that it doesn't entirely occur to her that Padmé has no idea who he is.] We're a part of an organization called the Rebel Alliance. We've spent years fighting the Empire.

[Some of them longer than others. It's knowledge of Padmé's own history as a politician--of her friendship with Bail and their professional associations--that leads her to continue speaking. It feels almost boastful, but somehow, she doubts her mother will think of it that way; they have so much time to catch up on, between the two of them, and politics are a way of life for Leia.]

I've been trying to bring justice to the galaxy for almost ten years now. I was elected to the Imperial Senate when I was fourteen.

[She's never rested since, and she wasn't exactly a slouch beforehand, either. Between lessons and training and steeplechase races, Leia's spent most of her life busy.]

( august intro log )

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