01 | video + action

[ontrial]

Who: Barriss + OPEN
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: July 6, later

[ for all she really doesn't appreciate waking up somewhere entirely unknown, barriss handles it well. she checks for her lightsaber, then for any lingering effects of being drugged, and then for communication devices. ah. making sure it's not broadcasting, just in case, the green jedi spends her first few hours aboard the marsiva investigating what she can. it's not much, but methodically going through everything she can access makes her feel a little bit better, at least. she's solitary, for the most part, unless eye contact is made, as soon as it becomes apparent that none of these people are her captors.

nope, all kidnappees here.

it's only once she's established that that barriss goes back to the network, presenting herself for a clearly carefully worded message. ]

At this point, it's quite apparent that we're nowhere near the planet I was last on. In fact, this isn't known space to me. [ she sounds like that's a big deal. she may or may not have a good handful of star charts from home memorized, just in case. ] So we're captive, but why?

And more importantly, who does a person have to negotiate with to get back to Republic space?

[ she's pretty sure she can kick their ass if it means getting back to coruscant, she means. ]

Comments

video;

[forcesensitive]

[Something about this new arrival catches Finn's attention, and when she mentions "Republic space" it clicks for him. Someone else from their galaxy! So he clicks on the video feed, showing him with what looks like a forest in the background.]

If I knew that, I'd catch the first ship headed out there. But apparently, we get too far from the Marsiva and it teleports us right back, so we're stuck for now.

[ontrial]

Teleportation technology?

[ barriss looks part baffled, part impressed. and then she inhales and it's back to looking relatively neutral. ]

I guess that would explain how I got here. We got here, I suppose, by the sound of it. Are there natives to this galaxy?

[forcesensitive]

Seems like, yeah. Don't know if you can see it from the viewing platform up there, but we're in orbit around an inhabited planet right now. Most of the Fleet is down here on shore leave cause we just got out of three weeks in deep space.

[He pans the camera over to show a row of shops built around or into the trees and lots of happy, humanoid residents.]

[ontrial]

Oh. [ the planet had been spotted, but with no frame of reference for what it was, she hadn't thought much of it. ]

How thoughtful of our... hosts. Those people seem peaceful. Do they have anything to do with why we're part of this fleet, or are they just citizens minding their own business?

[forcesensitive]

Minding their own business. They've never even heard of us or the Atroma--the people who claim to be in charge. But we're probably in a densely populated sector or on a trade route, because they're used to travelers here.

As for why? [He shrugs eloquently.] The cover story is we're on some kind of holodrama, and nothing really contradicts it.

[ontrial]

I see.

[ and she needs a moment to process that, sorting through a few more sharp responses before she picks a reasonable one. ]

I thought a person had to be asked if they wanted to be on a holodrama. This seems more like bizarre news coverage.

[forcesensitive]

[Finn make a rude noise.]

They're not exactly big on consent with us.

[ontrial]

Just like the worst of reporters, then.

[ she agrees with the rude noise, tbqh. ]

[forcesensitive]

I don't think I ever ran into reporters that were that bad.

Anyway, I'm Finn.

[ontrial]

It's nice to meet you, Finn. Barriss Offee. [ have a nice polite head bow, before she gets right back to the reporter thing. ] Most don't have the decency to be reporting on what they should be. But I guess none of them have ever kidnapped forces for a story, at least to my knowledge.

[forcesensitive]

Good to meet you, Barriss. [She didn't give a title, so....]

Media, definitely. We all got accounts that get more money in them when we do things that audience likes. But I don't think news is it, cause we're from all different places--even different times.

[ontrial]

[ she's pretty sure being a jedi knight isn't going to help her much here, so just 'barriss' will do fine. ]

So not just teleportation, but time travel and reaching across what I can only assume is multiple galaxies. I've read about the possibility of such things in the Jedi Temple's archives, but there was never anything provable, not from any of the ancient races, or... Sorry, this is still interesting, for all I'd rather be elsewhere.

[forcesensitive]

[Finn's eyes brighten at the mention of the Jedi Temple.]

Hey, at least you're not complaining like most people. You've been to the Jedi Temple? On Coruscant?

[ontrial]

Yes, of course. [ oh, right. ] I'm a Jedi. That's where I was raised. And where I was looking forward to a few more nights in my own bed before I woke up here.

[forcesensitive]

[All right, more Jedi! Finn grins.] That's great. Uh, what year is it for you?

[ontrial]

Well, that depends on what calendar you're using, doesn't it? I think the most popular ones currently put us at twelve years since the Naboo Crisis or two and a half since the Battle of Geonosis. Do either of those work for you?

[ she could go on. but that might be overkill. ]

[forcesensitive]

[It sure is convenient that everywhere in the galaxy uses a standard calendar. Oh wait. But that's good enough for him, actually.]

I'm from a good five and a half decades after that. But you must know Ahsoka and Anakin, then?

[ontrial]

[ barriss opens her mouth to respond and then stops, startled. she was willing to accept time discrepancies on the whole, but to think that people she thought were relatively safe on a mission might be here is something different entirely. ]

I do, actually. You know them?

[forcesensitive]

[Thinking the startled response is more likely to be because he's from the future, Finn relaxes a little.]

Sure. I met Anakin a couple times, but Ahsoka's my friend. She's teaching me how to use a lightsaber.

[ontrial]

[ her response is a bit delayed, due to some internal screaming, but at least she manages to school her features into just looking surprised. this isn't the first time barriss wishes she had clear-cut guidelines for all of the ridiculous conversations the universe seems intent on throwing at her, and it almost certainly won't be the last. ]

Ahsoka's an amazing friend to have. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a Jedi, too.

[forcesensitive]

[Lawwwwwl he's the opposite of a Jedi. Finn shakes his head ruefully.]

Oh, I'm not. But people keep handing me lightsabers. Figured it'd be better if I could learn how to use one right instead of just swinging it around when I didn't have any other weapons.

[Even if Luke had said that you need the Force in order to do that. Even if the other Jedi were pretty convinced he had the Force. It's still something he doesn't think he's important enough to be.]

[ontrial]

Oh. That's... fair. [ someone who isn't a jedi but isn't a sith doesn't seem like the right sort of person to be using a lightsaber, but if he's ahsoka's friend, barriss knows she can't read him the riot act about the significance of a lightsaber. she's too far away - not to mention too fresh to the situation - to rightfully evaluate for herself. she covers her hesitance with a brief smile. ]

Ahsoka's techniques are aggressive, but very effective in battle. I'm sure her teachings will be incredibly useful the next time you need to swing a lightsaber around.

[forcesensitive]

[Some day he might accept that there's something more to it, but for now his life's been in enough upheaval that it's more comfortable to repeat the story as he knows it.]

General Kenobi recommended her to me--he's here too. I really only want to know how to hold someone off long enough for backup to arrive. I'll be just as happy if I never have to use one for real again.

[And yet, knowing how unlikely that is, he's doing the training anyway.]

[ontrial]

[ this just raises further questions. ]

You must get along very well with Ahsoka for both Master Kenobi and Skywalker to leave your training to her. I don't know if you've seen them all in action, but she takes after them in talent.

[forcesensitive]

Anakin I haven't. But Ahsoka's more my speed than General Kenobi, I think. Plus I bet she likes not being the most junior one.

[Also, she's not nearly as intimidating. That helps.]