02 ★ good morning, sunshine

[diplomacme]

Who: Padmé Amaidala & you
Broadcast: video
Action: on the Heron
When: September 4th - evening

video

[ Padmé’s been asleep for about a month, but she still seems a little tired. As usual, she’s sitting in her office when she broadcasts. ]

Good morning, everyone. [ She smiles kindly, though it doesn’t dispel the glimmer of melancholy in her eyes. ] For those who do not know me, my name is Padmé Amidala. Apparently I took a month-long nap-- I apologize for any inconvenience I’ve caused for my crew. I may need a little help catching up on current events.

[ She pauses, unsure. ] I do have a different sort of question. Has anyone experienced side-effects from our stay on Hea-Guaa?

[ Because her telepathy augment upgrade seems to have finally kicked in. ]

action

[ Padmé is idly walking through the Heron. Officially, she’s checking their supplies and making sure there aren’t any pressing issues to take care of. She rather hopes there’s some kind of pressing issue, if only to take her mind off of everything and bring her back to her everyday life on the Fleet. But she’s clearly restless and distracted. ]

Comments

for Anakin

[diplomacme]

[ She smells flowers.

Padmé is expecting the smell of caf and the soft clank-clank of C3PO walking in with a tray. Her groggy mind tells her that she’s overslept, yet she still feels herself struggling to wake up. An unfamiliar aching sadness throbs in her chest.

Her memories rush to catch up with that sadness.

The Senate chants “traitor, traitor, traitor!” She’d tried to open up dialog with the Separatist Senate. Mina tried on her end. She was killed for it.

Padmé’s body feels heavy but she’s aware of it now as the memories run their course.

Mandalore. Poisoning. Satine’s hand resting on a sick child’s forehead. Padmé sees the worry she’d once felt as Queen. A worry she still feels today, though differently.

(It’s Bail who tells her about Satine. No funeral, no memorial. Mandalore burns, turning Satine’s hard-won peace into ash.)

She breathes a deep, sleepy sigh.

Flashes of little victories and losses-- the losses pile up higher and higher as the rift between the Republic and the Separatists widens. She reads the lists of the dead. Bail asks her why she does it even though he already knows why. Everyone else might accept the war but she never will. Peace is the only goal.

Finally she’s able to shift slightly, her last fitful dream-memories floating by. Ahsoka with her arms wrapped around herself, looking small. Padmé puts on a brave face and feels determination burn in her veins. Clovis comes to her for help too, but it all blows up in their faces. “I’m sorry, Padmé.” He falls. She makes the mistake of looking down.

Her eyes open slowly. For a frightening moment, she doesn’t know where she is. But then she sees Takeshi’s picture pinned up on her wall. The Heron. Padmé groans slightly as she sits up, her stiff limbs complying under great protest. But if she’s on the Heron, he should be nearby. Right? ]

Anakin? [ Her voice is hoarse from disuse. ]

[sandhate]

[ his voice comes from the corner of her room, where he's been tinkering away. he's at her side before she can say anything else ]

I'm here.

[ his hand curls into hers, lending her support. he's in his simple fleet wear and without the glove hiding his mechano-arm. he watches her cautiously, noting every detail and opening himself up to her emotions. she's older, more tired and he feels it. he shifts and sits behind her, giving her his chest to rest against.

softly: ] Hey. How are you feeling?

[diplomacme]

[ She leans against him, grateful for something solid while her mind tries to reorient itself. ]

A little disoriented. Confused. How long was I asleep?

video

[resnipstance]

Padmé! You're awake!

Oh boy am I glad to see you.

video

[diplomacme]

[ Padmé's smile brightens a little when she sees Ahsoka. It's been... how long? A month for Ahsoka but it feels like both a shorter and longer amount of time for Padmé. In that month, she'd watched Ahsoka grow up. Padmé frowns briefly, as if trying to puzzle something out. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to take such a long nap. How have you been?

[video]

[ranoutofluck]

[--Padmé Amidala. The name's familiar, but it takes Han a moment to place it. It takes him a little less to recognize the eyes, though--those he's seen before. Bantha shit, he does not say, because Han has at least gained a little more sense in the years since Endor to not swear in front of someone who has his wife's eyes. (Who is his wife's mother.)]

You took a nap for a month? [Yeah, that's what he's going to focus on, and also how casually that's been brought up. Excuse him, he's new.] That something typical around here?

[video]

[diplomacme]

[ She recognizes his voice before his face. ]

Han Solo?

action;

[therewillbeorder]

[After his day and a half away from the Heron the last thing he's expecting is to suddenly be face to face with Padmé Amidala herself.

When the Emperor had reformed the Republic he hadn't entirely erased her legacy as he had with many other things. Her public service record, including her work in the Senate, had all been included in the Imperial records. He had only looked at her files a few times with curiosity but he still recognized her.

He raised his chin, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at her for a moment. It was too late to pretend he didn't see her anyway.]

Padmé Amidala, what a surprise.

action;

[diplomacme]

[ She hasn't spoken to him since their brief interaction over the network, even though he's been assigned to her ship. Things tend to get chaotic on the Fleet, especially when they're docked.

Padmé's expression is neutral, and her voice is calm and even. ]

You're Hux, correct?

video;

[stefanged]

[He's only seen Padmé in passing - hard to not notice her, when she and Anakin are awfully close - but it's enough to greet her with an equally faint smile.]

Hey, Padmé. Glad to see you're alright.

As for your question, I'm not exactly sure. I can't promise anything, but I could check it out, either on your ship or the Paisley.

video;

[diplomacme]

[ She smiles, grateful. ]

I would appreciate it, whenever you have the chance.

[ video ]

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan is relieved. He's seen enough of these month-long naps not to be worry, but relief is a welcome change.]

It's good to see you on your feet.

[ video ]

[diplomacme]

It's nice to be on my feet. How have things been?

[ Because everything is in one piece but appearances can be deceiving. ]

action;

[aigue]

[Do newbies count as pressing issues? Or at least, one black fox with a very dead pigeonhawk in her mouth, trotting down the hall to her room. At least she's planning on eating it right away instead of storing it in an air vent where it can stink up the place.

She'll pause when she sees the other woman, tilting her head slightly. If this is a visitor she isn't actually sure any other crew members are around at the moment.]

action;

[diplomacme]

[ Padme has learned to expect almost anything, both in her life back home and in her life on the Fleet.

A black fox wandering the Heron defies her expectations rather soundly. It stops to look at her, pidgeonhawk hanging from its mouth, and Padme can't help but get the feeling that she's simply being watched. It doesn't seem as if it will attack. ]

Are you lost? I'm sure you won't like it in space-- you should go home.

video; encrypted

[forcesensitive]

[Judging by the backdrop, Finn is down on the nearest moon somewhere.]

Welcome back. What--what kind of side effects are you thinking? [He rubs the side of his head thoughtfully.] Cause I kinda found the whole feeling what other people are feeling thing didn't really go away.

video; encrypted

[diplomacme]

[ Padme smiles when she sees Finn but her expression turns thoughtful when he asks. ]

No, it's not that. I've been accidentally projecting images into other people's minds. Though it's possible that we're both suffering from side-effects. Did you fall asleep as well?

Video

[spontaneouscombustion]

Oh hey, you're the ambassador lady from Finn's party, right? I'm Pinkie Pie, welcome back!

Video

[diplomacme]

Thank you, Pinkie Pie. I never got a chance to tell you how nice the party was.

[ A nice, normal conversation will help her feel better, she thinks. Even if it's with a pink pony. ]

Text - anonymous

[flawless_precision]

[Oh ho what have we here. Phasma continues to attempt to keep her own identy under wraps, but finds her own covert way to engage Amidala.]

Is this a common occurrence? Sleeping for such extended periods?

text

[diplomacme]

It's not unheard of, but it's only happened to me once since I've been here. The prevailing theory is that it's an augment malfunction as the sleeping person usually doesn't suffer from the same symptoms as someone in a coma would.

video »

[steeledskin]

[ it's time to be brave and properly talk to the people who mean so much to people who mean so much to her. ]

Side-effects like which ones, my lady?

video »

[diplomacme]

[ Padme smiles kindly. Although their conversation had been brief, she does like Sansa. And any friend of Ahsoka is a good person in her book. ]

Well, it seems I've been accidentally projecting images into others' minds. It happened a few times on Hea-Guaa, and the locals seemed rather startled by it.

video;

[ontrial]

[ people she knows from home isn't really a surprise anymore, but barriss isn't sure how she feels about never having known that padmé was here. she has no real fondness for the senator, but out of all the politicians she knows, this is a decent one. one that people she trusts speak highly of, too.

so she feels compelled to respond to her broadcast. ]

Senator Amidala. I'm glad to see you well.

video;

[diplomacme]

[ Padmé prides herself on her ability to keep her expressions in check and not give away what she's thinking or feeling without intending to. Not to strangers, at least.

But it fails her this time. Barriss' face brings up fresh memories of Ahsoka's trial. You were going to leave her to die, Padmé thinks viciously. Because she'd seen the verdict in Palpatine's eyes right before Anakin barged in with Barriss.

Padmé looks at her coldly, reminiscent of her days as Queen when she stared down her opponents with a cold, distant glare. It takes all of her skill to smooth it out to something more neutral. She hasn't done any of that yet. Maybe there's time to change it. Still, her anger is a cold, hard lump in her chest. ]

Thank you.