genessia | 001; action/text

Entry tags:

001; action/text

[ Action; Genessia City; ]

[ Hera feels, for lack of a better term, detached from everything that's going on around her. It's not really her fault, given all she's been through lately. It might be for the best, though, because at least she's not panicking. No, in general she's feeling mostly numb. So she seemingly takes her arrival, and the infodump provided, in stride, and before she knows it, she's wandering the streets of this strange city that seems to be nowhere near Lothal or any other place she's familiar with in the galaxy.

She's stuck. Grounded. And people are staring at her like - like she's some kind of freak. Have none of them ever seen a Twi'lek before? ]

What are you looking at?

[ Her voice isn't defensive, it's mostly - dull. But there's an underlying hardness, as well. A certain amount of suspicion, like she doesn't trust anyone here.

Eventually, she finds her way to a series of shops and small cafes, and when she gets a whiff of something - baking bread or a pastry of some sort - she makes a nauseated face and turns away from the smell, her brow furrowing a little. There must be somewhere to sit down, right? Maybe she just needs to sit down. ]

[ Text; ]

I need the services of a medical doctor familiar with non-human biology. I'll come to you.

- H. Syndulla

[ ooc note: please see my ooc intro and Hera's permissions post for more info and opt-out stuff if necessary. ]

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[After the losses he has known on Scarif it doesn't surprise Cassian to see Hera looking distinctly not like someone celebrating a great victory. If hers was anything like his victory it doesn't feel like one.

He nods, happy enough to keep with the change of topic.]

It takes getting used to, especially when you meet people who are dead in your time. Or people you know but they don't know you yet. I have been reunited here with people who died with me on Scarif and met people who were leaders during my childhood.

That - that has to be strange, yeah. You - you actually remember dying?

[ Hera shakes her head a little. ]

Sorry, that's probably too personal a question. You don't need to answer that.

And normally I wouldn't. But you are a fellow rebel. So, yes, I remember dying. It isn't very pleasant but I have died only once. Others here have died more often, both here and in our own world.

[Such as Kay but he won't mention that unless he wants to brjng it up.]

You can die multiple times here?

[ Hera looks baffled. ]

Yes.

[ He grits his teeth, face grim as he recalls K-2SO dying a second time here in Genessia. ]

We, the pendant bearers, can't die a permanent death here. You will die and be restored. But make no mistake. You lose a piece of yourself. An important skill, a memory...

Not that I was looking to die here in the first place, but - that's good information to have, I suppose. Thanks.

[ She hesitates a moment, because, well. She's not keen on telling anyone about her condition just yet, but she should probably tell someone from home - someone from the Rebellion, someone she can be reasonably sure is trustworthy. Because her condition is a vulnerability. A potential weakness to be exploited, if someone wanted to. ]

I don't want to dump this on your shoulders, but you might be one of the only people I can trust with it at the moment - I'm pregnant. Obviously, I don't really want this getting around right now, but - someone other than the medical droid I spoke with should probably be aware.

[ There's a long, dumbfounded silence, ended only by an almost-squawk of ]

What? Now?!

[ And he's deep in thought already, going from full ground-to-a-halt brain stop right into paranoid overdrive. ]

Then your protection has become our top priority, General; nobody knows what happens to an unborn child if you die here. [ Blunt, maybe even cruel, but it's where his thoughts immediately go. And the rebels didn't recruit him to mince words. ] As far as I know we have no Imperials here right now, but both Palpatine and Thrawn have been here, and I'm not certain that Kylo Ren, a Dark Side user from our future and an enemy of the New Republic, is truly gone. He hasn't been seen in months but he could be hiding from the Jedi. We can't take risks.

[ His reaction is both a little more extreme than she was expecting, and also more or less what she knew he'd do - he is, after all, a rebel spy and Fulcrum agent. ]

Thank you. I - Thrawn was here? [ That does send a pang of fear through her chest, even moreso than Palpatine in a way - Palpatine is a distant, unknowable evil. Thrawn is personal, close. Knows and understands her. ]

I don't plan to take any risks here, Captain. I promise. My child is my top priority.

[ She bites her lip, and mentions one more thing, because it might be relevant. Especially if there are Sith, or Inquisitors, or other Dark Side Force users here. ]

The child's father was a Jedi. I know I can't keep the pregnancy secret forever, but that is - it needs to stay between us. Trusted rebels.

O[ perating based on worst-case scenarios is how he rolls, and Hera revealing the nature of her child's father only turns his mood even more solemn. He nods firmly, his lips pressed into a thin, grim line. ]

That will stay between us. It's far too dangerous. We all heard these rumors about Force-sensitive children disappearing... and there are others here, magical people from other worlds, who might see such a child as an opportunity to gain a new servant or student. There are dangers from our world, and it's our responsibility to deal with these, but this place is a melting pot of powerful and dangerous people from dozens of realities. We can't ignore these in favor of familiar dangers.

[ It's a lot to take in all at once. Kriff, his stress level is already skyrocketing and he isn't even pregnant here. How is Hera handling this? Well, being able to handle such things is why she made General, but still. ]

There are six of us here, counting you. K-2SO, my partner of many years who has my complete trust, as well as General Skywalker and General Solo who fought in the Rebel Alliance, but are from farther in the future, from the New Republic. And then there's Fulcrum, the Fulcrum, she's from right after the rise of the Empire. But we have made reliable allies in this place. [ And now that he's thinking about it, speaking of Jedi... He turns grim again. ] Actually, there is one more problem. There is, or was, a Sith Lord here. From 3000 years ago. He has never taken hostile actions and I haven't seen him since the arrival of the many Jedi. But with a Jedi child...

I've seen how the Emperor hunts Force-sensitive younglings, firsthand. I know what it means.

[ Kanan had taken it upon himself to help those he could, always. Part of why she loved him so. But now his unborn child is potentially in a similar position, even here. ]

I don't plan to get too comfortable here, regardless. At this point, though, the best we can really do is stay vigilant, and make sure this information doesn't become common knowledge. I appreciate your assistance with this, Cassian.

[ Cassian gives a nod, without noticing it he has straightened up to proper military posture during their conversation. ]

Of course. You can count on me, General. I never had the chance to serve with you at home, but I feel honored that I get the chance now. [ He smiles a little. ] Not many of us get to serve under the command of the hero of Lothal.

There is only one thing I will ask of you, and that is that I may share information freely with K-2SO. My trust in him is absolute.

[ She is not the "hero of Lothal". She would never, ever take that title for herself. Kanan, Ezra, the people of Lothal, are its heroes. But there's no point arguing that, here and now, with him. ]

Yes, that's fine. If my own droid was here, I'd feel the same way.

[ He hesitates, just short of explaining that Kay is more than a droid to him. In the end, he snaps his mouth shut again. ]

Thank you, sir. We're in Attleton, when you have time you should visit us. Our house is a safe retreat for all rebels, and you could meet Demyx, one of those we can rely on if it ever comes to that.

[ Hera would likely say the same of Chopper - he's been her best friend since she salvaged him when she was eight years old. But not everyone gets that, and she long ago learned how pointless it is to try and explain it to people. So "my droid" is what she defaults to. ]

Thanks - I'll be sure to do that. People keep telling me this place is safe and the Empire isn't here, but it's easier said than done.

[ It's hard to make people understand that you have a droid as your best friend, harder even to make them understand when you are more than friends. In the year here Cassian's gotten used to the easy acceptance by people from other worlds, who have no other baseline than Kay and him. But in some ways that's only made him more cagey around people from his galaxy. ]

That's fine. Take your time. It took me weeks until I was convinced this place isn't an Imperial attempt to brainwash me. [ After a heartbeat he adds ] And it's not safe. It's just dangerous in different ways. But life can be good here.

I suppose there's no such thing as a really safe place. But compared to where I come from - it seems relatively quiet here.

That's true. And this place needs us... maybe not us as people but the Rebel Alliance's values we fight for. The future we are trying to build. That is a future we are fighting for here, too.

[And what an ugly lesson it has been, that getting rid off the Imperials is only the beginning of the struggle.]

A future. I've always been fighting for a future - for other people, not so much for myself.

Me, too. I never expected I would live to see the peace after the war. Never thought about what I'd want to do with my life. That made ot hard to settle in here.

I imagine it did.

[ Hera is already having similar problems. Mostly along the lines of "what do I even do here?" ]

It took me months to find my purpose. You will find yours in time, too.

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