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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?
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-08-01 12:13 am
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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.
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[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.
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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.
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[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.]
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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?
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[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?
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[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.]
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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.
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[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.
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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.
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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.
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[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.]
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She doesn't doubt that it is dangerous work, but Padmé also doesn't doubt that they live in dangerous times. Not that she is saying that her time had been soft and gentle, but the Republic had stood as a beacon for centuries, and now an Empire...]
Fourteen... I was elected queen of Naboo at that age. [So young, Padmé thinks, but then again, look at herself.] But the Senate. What of it? I can't see Palpatine allowing it to have any true abilities. Were you part of this Rebel Alliance already at that time?
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[Someday we'll marry and have a son. Someday our son will kill him.
Better that they move away from the subject of Han Solo, if they can.
Besides, there are so many other things to discuss.]
Anakin mentioned that. [Any fondness in her voice is solely for Padmé herself, however.] And you were a senator after.
[Other things to discuss, like Palpatine's reign as emperor. Leia's voice grows a little stonier.]
The senate was little more than a puppet show for Emperor Palpatine. I tried my best, but-- [But Little Miss Inalienable Rights found that her efforts were constantly tabled or edited or argued off the floor.] My fa--Bail, that is, he was a part of the rebellion from its start, but I didn't start working with them in earnest until I was fifteen.
I had a scheme. I'd bring ships and supplies to planets in need and somehow-- [She laughs a little, snapping her fingers.] Somehow, the rebels always seemed to steal them out from under my nose.
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I was, yes. It was an honour when the new queen asked it of me.
[Not that she had planned it. No, a part of Padmé had been debating starting a family already, but there had been several key components missing at the time, being that it had only been herself. But duty had called, and much of Padmé's life had been spent towards duty, which she had never minded.]
You can call him father, Leia. It is all right. [That softness in her voice. She would never want Leia to diminish the ones who had raised her. Yet she listens, not surprised at what Palpatine has done, and nods.
And keep doing all those things we can't talk about. All those things I can't know. Promise me, Bail.
The words echo through her head, and she hopes the advice she had given proved to be worthwhile. Play the role. Be good little Senators. Keep your head down. It seems to have worked, at least for a time. For how many though? Bail had never publicly been one of the Delegation of 2000 so that would have offered him some cover. The others? Mon Mothma and Jar Jar? Although Jar Jar always had an uncanny knack of both destroying things and keeping himself alive.
Yet there was a surprised noise at those last words. She is clever then... Very clever. And no doubt Bail had his hands full with her if Leia even had one speck of Anakin or herself in her.] How utterly terrible for that to happen. Two birds with one stone, it would seem. Helping those in need, and also pulling one over the Empire.
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She can't, exactly, bring herself to refer to Father and Mother as such in front of Padmé. It seems cruel, somehow, as if she's rubbing in the fact that the woman who gave birth to her couldn't see her grow up. Though she gives Padmé a nod, she thinks privately that it might be easiest to avoid the subject for now.
Besides, there are so many other things to talk about.]
You can see how convenient it was. [What years those were--exhilarating, frightening, without the certainty she has now. She was safer then, in some ways, but she was also constantly in danger of being found out as a traitor to the Empire.
There's a sort of comfort, comparatively, in being a known rebel. While it still involves sneaking around sometimes, she doesn't have to lie about who she is on a daily basis.] The Empire did, too. But it was a good place to start--and now we're doing greater things. I really think we have a chance.
[Some days, her hope is stronger than others, but overall, they've been succeeding. They have to win this fight--she's sure of it.] But I'll have to get home if I'm going to see it, and they're awfully coy about their ETAs here.
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I can. [A part of her wants to say that she hopes Leia took care, that she kept herself as safe as she can be. Given some of the things that Padmé had been up to growing up, and even up until her death, she knows she has taken some risks of her own. At times it is what one needs to do, to risk everything for something worth while.]
The Republic wasn't perfect, but I cannot see any good from an Empire.
[Where Palpatine reigned as supreme. Where the Jedi were dead. Where the rights of all beings were likely trampled in to the ground.]
I don't doubt that you can prevail.
[A small squeeze given to her hand as Padmé does believe those words to be completely true. There is a strength to Leia. A confidence that emanates from her, reminding Padmé so much of herself, of Anakin, and even of Bail and Breha.]
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But with her mother at hand, she can't bring herself to continue speaking only of the Empire. Telling Padmé all the darkness that lies ahead is only going to give her things to worry about--things a dead woman can never change.]
Thank you. [The corner of her mouth tugs up.] It won't be easy--but nothing worthwhile is.
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No. It never is, but for all the hardships, the end result does always make it worth the effort. Worth the sacrifices.