borntorebel | ✧ First Rebellion

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✧ First Rebellion - Redux ✧

Luke's Home - Bathroom

[Between the fighting with the remnants of the Empire, never-ending meetings and trying to fit in time to train her power with the Force alongside her twin, Leia hadn't seen Han Solo for more than three or four minutes at a time. In nearly a year. Having a relationship with anyone was virtually impossible and it was starting to wear thin.

She remembers going to bed in some hole that offered nothing more than something that might have been palatable to eat before falling into a deep sleep, but maybe because she had been so exhausted that she couldn't really taste it.

What she doesn't remember is moving at any time in the night. So, to open her eyes and finding herself in a...bathing room is different. But the itch between her shoulder blades and the nearly see-through white dress that falls to her knees is familiar in a dream-like sort of way.]

Again?

[Carefully, she stands and wonders vaguely why she has a headache. Didn't she have one the last time she arrived too? Looking around the small, enclosed space, she can't find any of her clothes or her blasters and sighs. That damned book is sitting on the back of the toilet though, looking innocent as can be.]

They could have at least left my things nearby like last time. Walking through the entirety of the village in this outfit isn't exactly what I had in mind with my day.

[With a careful look in the mirror to see that she does indeed have the strange forest-green wings once more and shakes her head before turning the knob to find out where she is.]

Later - Action/Text

[After a very interesting welcome back, Leia heads out to make herself acquainted with the village once more. Luceti has changed in the almost-year she's been gone, but it remains much the same. The library still seems to have books from every galaxy and world that the residents are from. The general store still has much of what one would need, including the backroom where all of her belongings were neatly stacked when she walked in. The grocery store is still stocked with foodstuffs for nearly any taste.

But there is a feeling of a profound change in the air, and one that doesn't bode well for those here. It doesn't sit well with her. She'd seen Luceti as a way to get away from the troubles back home. Now, she's not sure what to think of it.

Especially not with the group that's gathered in her brother's home now. It leaves her with a lot to think about. Which is now she ends up spending most of the day in the library.]

I'm not sure how many of you remember me from my previous visit, but I am Leia Organa. I understand that there was a recent bout of fighting and many of you are recovering from the conflict. I've done a little reading up about our situation. I would prefer to get your own views on our...oppressors.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Which ones?

[It's said dryly, though it's directed less at her and more at the situation and said oppressors.]

I'd say the Malnosso and Third Party both fit the role to some degree. And frankly, I'm no fan of either. One puts us through stupid Shifts, the other tries to kill us off for some ridiculous ritual... But I guess if I had to choose between them, I'd side with the Malnosso.

You're the first I've heard say something like that. This Third Party you speak of, what else can you tell me about them?

Hmm... Well, for one, they're actually from this world. At least, that's the impression I got.

[Too many things seem to stack up, like Luceti-born children gaining larger wings.]

And for the most part, they're insane. All they want to do is take people and use them in a ritual that kills them permanently. And during the last draft, they even dropped a Shift Bomb on us. We would've been goners if John hadn't stepped in.

I wasn't aware that there were people originally from this world. I haven't gone through all of the books in the library, but that seems rather pertinent information. If they wished to truly oppress their victims, that would be something to keep suppressed.

[At least she understands that's the way the Empire operated. Don't all evil organizations follow the same rule book of oppression?]

What good would permanently killing us do? [And, boy, doesn't that sound strange to say aloud.] I'm not sure what a Shift Bomb is. Can you explain?

Well, it's not just the Third Party. Some people have had children right in this enclosure.

[And some have had those very same children taken away. Riku can't imagine going through such hardships, especially when one's stay in Luceti is hardly absolute.]

And supposedly they want to break the cycle of death and resurrection. As for their bomb... It basically wiped out the entire city in one fell swoop. And the scary part is, they powered the thing by sacrificing all the people there.

[Leia takes a moment to think over what is being said. It's only logical that in a place where men and women of all ages are left by themselves for long periods of time that human nature would take over and the need to procreate would kick in. Children are the bi-product of said actions.

But there's something sinister about the way this entire process is handled. She's seen no women walking around the village with babies. And Luke's never told her about it happening either. It makes the Alderaan princess's stomach curl up in to a knot just thinking about it.]

Break the cycle? By killing us so far from our homes, despite the disruptions in timelines and events that may or may not depend on those here? That's...horrifying shortsighted, since there is a chance that we can be returned to our own worlds at any time. And the very fact that they use human lives to power such a weapon is barbaric.

The thing is, the Third Party doesn't care about the repercussions to our worlds. Either they're too focused on their own agenda, too insane to realize, or all of the above. Think that's what makes them an even bigger threat than the Malnosso, too. After all, those guys at least claim to be trying to find a way out. The Third Party's content to throw lives away without even knowing if it'll work.

[And the sad part is, the Shift Bomb incident proves that it wasn't just murder. He still remembers the boiling, drowning, sensation. The feeling as if his whole body was disintegrating and the presence of rotting flesh...

The mere thought sends shivers dancing up and down his spine.]

Neither sounds as if they should be fully believed. Especially if the better of the two still engages in kidnappings and experiments. This Third Party just sounds as if it is a more immediate evil.

[Luceti was becoming less and less of a break from her hectic life as a member of the Rebel Alliance and more like being thrown into a fight she had no choice but engaging in. Wonderful.

Strangely enough, this conversation has actually been the most enlightening she's had in either of her stays. Even Luke hasn't been this forthcoming.]

You must have been here for a while if you've been able to gather what sounds like first-hand experience with both the Malnosso and the Third Party.

Well, the thing about the kidnappings is that they're part of a rogue faction-- so it's not the main Malnosso group, but it's still a problem. The experiments, though... yeah, those are still a problem. And lately we've been having some weird, time-related shifts on top of that. I'm not even sure what that's about.

[He heaves an exaggerated sigh, reminded of that time Mickey stumbled upon moldy cheese. Yuck.]

And yeah, I've been here for five years now, so I guess you could call me a seasoned veteran. Came here back when I was fifteen, and now I'm twenty.

Yes, I was warned about those smaller, personalized shifts. They're random, yes?

[She shivers as he tells her how long he's been here. She knew, intellectually, that many residents of Luceti had been there for years—Luke included—but to hear of someone so young, it was disheartening.]

That is a major chunk of your life to devote to the whims of others.

Completely random. One minute you're staring at the ocean, the next you're looking out into a desert.

[And that's just one example. Though Riku's managed to avoid the bulk of the problems, he's still seen others bite into spoiled food and watched the barrier shrink and grow at random.

But she's right: it is a long time. One fourth of his life now, and at that, a weak smile crosses his face.]

It's been kinda rough, but I've gotten a few breaks in between to catch up on things back home. Last time I was gone for a whole year and only ten seconds passed here. Funny how that works out.

That's an extreme that would unsettle even a Jedi. Especially if it's a sudden change.

[The thought of her serene brother or Master Kenobi facing something like that is mildly amusing. Both men play at being so capable of dealing with anything that either of them startled is nearly unheard of.]

I'm glad that you've been able to return home. The time differences between our own worlds and this do take some getting used to. This is the second time I've had to make the adjustment. It doesn't seem to be any easier than the first.

[Of course, that could be the addition of the husband this time around, but that's just a guess.]

A Jedi, huh?

[The word's rather foreign to him. Foreign, but interesting, and even if he no longer possesses quite as much wanderlust as he did at age fifteen, it's always exciting to hear about new worlds.]

Yeah, it's a lot o take in. Different worlds run on different time axes, but Luceti's just about the only one I've seen that seems to exist outside of time. While we're here, the rest of the worlds are on hold, and I still can't figure out how that works.

Have you not heard of Jedi then? Some people here have and others haven't. I'm not sure who is who just yet.

[Besides, any explanation Leia could give would be inadequate. If Riku was truly interested, he'd be better off asking any of the Jedi Knights at the Skywalker farm. There were four there, after all.]

Outside of time.

[Her voice is thoughtful and heavy.]

That would explain a lot of things. Including how we can be from different points in time compared to others from our world.

Well, it's news to me.

[Something to look into, if nothing else. And as for timelines... heh, she pretty much hit the nail on the head.]

And yeah, speaking as someone who used to be about a year behind my friends, that really is the only explanation. Otherwise the worlds would be thrown out of balance.

[Well, they would in his case. Given all the time Sora spent coming and going, it would've... stalled things, if nothing else.]

If you're interested in learning more about them, I would suggest you talk to Luke Skywalker. He probably knows the most about the Order.

[Leia might be training, but she knows only what she could get from her father's secret papers. Vader and Palpatine destroyed nearly everything they could get their hands upon after they came into power.]

Yes, I'm sure that if any one of here suddenly came up missing in our timelines, then our realities would face voids that could destroy things altogether. Especially when such large groups becoming missing from the same world.

[The Force moves in mysterious ways. Or something like that.]

[Luke, huh? He'll have to make a mental note of that. File that away for later.]

Exactly. Removing one person from the picture can change everything. Sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst, but it'd definitely make an impact on somebody's life, even if it was just friends and family.

Only way I could see it working is if it created a split timeline, but that's opening up a whole new can of worms.

I fail to see how removing a person can be seen as good if it is like this. No, things happen for a reason. Time isn't something that one can predict, but nothing happens for no reason.

[She knows that's true. Even Alderaan's destruction was useful in pushing her and the others from her home world into action against the Emperor.]

A split timeline? No, that's far too complicated and dangerous, I'd think. This place existing out of any known timeline, however, seems to make a warped sort of sense. It would explain the Shifts as a whole.

True, but sometimes it's hard not to think about those what-ifs. Back home, there's this guy who's caused problems for the whole universe... Take him away, and a lot of people would probably be happier.

[But he and his friends never would've gone on their journeys. He would've never grown past all his struggles and strife.]

And I guess that's the easiest explanation. Still doesn't explain a few oddities, though, like how some people come back with memories, others forget... I've even seen someone leave, come back as a blank slate, and then pop back here with an older set of memories.

Yes, but playing a game of what-ifs and could-have-beens is very dangerous. It can sometimes only leave you feeling angry and lonely.

[She knows this one only too well. What if Anakin hadn't become Darth Vader? What would her life had been as the daughter of the famous Padmé Amidala and the powerful Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker? What would her life had been like if she'd been allowed to be sister to her twin brother?

She probably never would have helped take down the Galaxy's most dangerous and evil man. She might have never met Han Solo and fallen in love. She would have never known Breha and Bail Organa.

No, that game was far too dangerous to play, even for a moment.]

There was someone like that in my world as well. Evil, despicable person... However, there are good things that came out of what he did. A very few, but they exist nonetheless.

And I can see that the other things that cannot be explained by the Shifts themselves sound like side-effects from the reality warping the way it does during a Shift.

Yeah... Guess you can make lemonade out of the sourest lemons. I know I wouldn't have come as far as I did if I hadn't screwed up along the way.

[And multiple times, at that. So maybe she's right. Maybe it's better to set those what-ifs aside and focus on the moment. For better or worse, these are the cards they've been dealt, and unless the time travel rules of his universe become less complicated, he doesn't see that changing any time soon.

Hmm...]

I've seen people speculate that every time a person comes back here as a blank slate, they're a slightly different version of that person. Don't know if it holds much ground, since you gotta factor in stuff like time... Guess it's just one of those unsolvable mysteries. You're right, though-- could just be one of those weird side effects. The Malnosso would probably know better than me.

[Man, did he really just say that?]

Edited 2014-08-03 03:11 (UTC)

Since I've heard they claim to be victims of the Shifts just like us but for a much longer time, I'd say it's very likely that they know more than any single person in this enclosure.

Well, how else could they create Shifts themselves? They've probably taken their experience with the natural Shifts and used it to their advantage.

[This young man has given her quite a bit to chew over. Only Han has done so since her arrival.]

Yes, being long-term residents would make it easier to gain knowledge enough to use it against others.

Still, makes you wonder why they've been stuck for so long when most of us are lucky to last a year in this place. What makes us so special?

[If you can even call it that. He knows plenty of people who'd much rather spend their lives in Luceti.]

✧ First Rebellion - Redux ✧

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