video/action;

[firstrebel]

Who: Hera and YOU!
Broadcast: Video; fleetwide.
Action: The Marsiva hospitality deck.
When: January 4

[ Well, this is clearly a ship, in space, but it's not the Ghost, or any other ship she might be familiar with. It also clearly isn't an Imperial Star Destroyer - if Hera had been captured by the Empire, she'd be really obviously in a prison cell, or worse. Plus, there are no stormtroopers in sight. So, probably not Empire, but probably not the rebellion, either.

Other than that, it could be just about anyone holding her. And she needs to get more information on the situation. A number of possibilities present themselves - she could keep her head down, sneak around, and see if she can eavesdrop it. Or she could play the wide-eyed innocent, and use this handy-dandy video link she seems to be equipped with (seriously, who gives a captive a comm link anyway?)

The comm could be some kind of trick or trap, but Hera trusts her own resourcefulness, so eventually, she flips it on. ]

Uh, hello? I think there might've been a misunderstanding of some sort, here. I've lost track of my ship - were we supposed to go through some kind of inspection?

[ Hera Syndulla: Totally Innocent Freighter Pilot. ]

Comments

[firstrebel]

I suppose that's true enough. Even I've had to perform for others once in a while.

[ Being a Twi'lek has certain... stereotypes associated with it, that's for sure.

But she soon sees the document he's sent, realizes what it is and how helpful it might be for her. ]

Thank you, General Kenobi. My name is Hera, by the way. Hera Syndulla.

[beardstrokes]

[ He'd say he's surprised at being recognized so quickly, but that's hardly true. Syndulla. It seems lately, all he has been meeting, are the descendants of his past. ]

Hopefully, it won't be for very long. Am I wrong in guessing that you're related to Cham Syndulla?

[firstrebel]

[ That's precisely why she offered her surname - she thought maybe he'd recognize it, after her father's dealings with the Republic army during the Clone Wars. ]

He's my father. I was just a little girl during the Clone Wars, but I remember the assistance we received.

[beardstrokes]

We tried our best. It was trying times for your people.

[ And sometimes, that was rarely enough. He remembers Ryloth clearly. ]

[firstrebel]

It was a trying time for lots of people, but your people were a source of hope. That was as good as anything else.

[ Hera knows how important hope is. ]

[beardstrokes]

[ Hope. It was comforting to hear that. Two years of war, and people dying because of him had taken its toll. ]

Well . . . I'm glad. So, have you followed in your father's footsteps?

[firstrebel]

Me? I'm just a pilot. And the Clone Wars are over.

[ There is no war. Technically. Though, Hera knows it's just a matter of time now. Phoenix Squadron Leader. She just wants to get back so she can help. ]

[beardstrokes]

[ The Clone Wars are over. He seizes on that. ]

And how exactly did they end?

[firstrebel]

[ Geez, he really doesn't know. This is so bizarre, she hardly even knows where to start. And his question - her hesitance probably shows on her face. ]

Are you sure that's a question you want the answer to?

[beardstrokes]

[ From the way she phrased, the truth was laid bare. They had lost. He closes his eyes briefly. All of that, for nothing. . . . But that would be false. ]

Yes. I do.

[firstrebel]

[ Naturally. Well, Hera really, really doesn't want to be the one to tell him this - but who else is there? She doesn't know. And this is Obi-Wan freaking Kenobi she's talking to. How can she just say no?

She takes a moment to consider her words, though, to consider how to say it. She's still suspicious, too - not necessarily of him, but of this network, of who else might be listening to this conversation. And she has people to protect, even if they're not here. ]

You have to understand, I wasn't there for it. There are things I suspect, and things I've heard secondhand, but I only know the official story.

Officially, the Jedi turned on the Republic and attempted a coup. The clones remained loyal and put down the Jedi. In the chaos that followed, Palpatine consolidated power, dissolved the Senate and declared himself Emperor.

/2

[beardstrokes]

[ Put down the Jedi. Suddenly, there was nothing but fear and doubt (how did Yoda not see this? How did he see and not tell them?)

For a moment, he wished he was not broadcasting this to video, that he could sit down, and grieve, like anyone would. He should be allowed to grieve, he thought traitorously.

But there was no time, and he was more than grief and sadness and shock. He was Jedi and now he must act like one. ]

[beardstrokes]

[ Palpatine. He had never liked the man, not then and certainly not now. However, Anakin was close to the Chancellor. Suddenly, a lot of loose ends made much more sense. ]

I see. Thank you for telling me. I cannot imagine it was easy, living in such times.

[firstrebel]

I'm sorry. [ Sorry - that it happened, that she is the one who's telling him this, that he has to find out about it, all of it. Maybe she has an inkling what he's going through - if nothing else, she feels compassion for the man. The same way she feels for Kanan, who's told her the story in a general kind of way. Even though she knows he's a grown man who can - has - dealt with it on his own, she still sometimes wants to take him in her arms, hold him, protect him, heal the great big gaping wound that Depa Billaba's death so obviously left on his heart. Make everything right, somehow, for him and for everyone who's lost so much to the Empire.

It should be obvious to the General that Hera doesn't buy the official story, that she doesn't believe the Jedi to be traitors - her tone of voice should confirm that, the way she spits the name Palpatine like it's a curse. But so far as she knows, the Empire isn't yet arresting people for seditious tone of voice, so she lets it be. ]

Something tells me it's not over just yet.

[ But what does she know? She's only a pilot. ]

Anyway, I shouldn't take up any more of your time - that's a lot to digest, I know. Thank you for answering my questions.

[beardstrokes]

[ He is aware that she does not hate the Jedi or believe the story, though there's scant comfort he can offer her right now, when his own feelings are in turmoil. ]

Of course. Feel free to seek me out should you require assistance.

[ His tone is slightly dismissive, but he finds a deep-seated urge to be alone, to ponder this new information. In a way, Anakin's family . . . even Anakin seeking things outside the Order was not as much as a surprise as this. ]

[firstrebel]

I will.

[ But, probably not for a while. Because this guy? Clearly needs some space. With that, she'll end her transmission with him. ]