New kid on the block

[ezra_of_lothal]

WHO: Ezra and anyone, shipmates especially welcome
WHERE: Network and hangar
WHAT: Introductions and settling in
WHEN: Mid Feb/first few days after Ezra arrives
WARNINGS: Some discussion of violence and body horror

.
A. Network [Video]

So, I'm new. My name's Ezra Bridger. I'm from Lothal, if you know where that is.

Mr. Vanth recommended I go by the hangar, so I'll be doing that in a little while, if you want to say hello face to face. It looks like I'm assigned to the Vanquish. Whatever that means, in a practical sense.

I guess my first question is - what needs doing around here? I have some experience scavenging and setting up base in only sort of habitable spots, but this situation doesn't quite fit anything I've done before.

How are we doing on, oh, food?

B. Hangar

He can see why people might congregate here. It's a relatively enclosed, defendable space, and the ships have systems that are probably easier to maintain than the entire infrastructure of a mostly abandoned city. And it's familiar to him, too, sharing ships about this size with a handful of people.

On the other hand, before he joined the crew of the Ghost, he'd had an entire communications tower to himself. It had taken him a while to get used to sharing a cabin with Zeb, and adjusting to all the demands of being part of a crew.

He hasn't made up his mind, which living situation he's leaning towards, here and now. He plans to pitch in, regardless, that's nothing wrong with having some space to himself again.

Once he actually lets himself onto the Vanquish, he's very open about looking around, and a little more cautious about touching than he'd been years ago, the first time he really was on a ship. Years of Hera being particular about her ship have made their mark.

Anyone he come across, he tries to shoot them a friendly smile.

Comments

B

[tempredmental]

[When Ezra got to the hangar, he found Keith finishing up on some work on the Bloodsport. Keith glanced at him, caught the smile, and nodded back in greeting.]

Hey. New here?

Re: B

[ezra_of_lothal]

Very new. I'm Ezra.

[ video ]

[beholding_archivist]

[ And for a change Jon willingly turns on the video feed to greet Ezra with a little nod and a smile. ]

Hello, Mr. Bridger. I'm Jonathan Sims and- I admit I'm unfamiliar with Lothal. If tis is the name of a planet, then Earth would be the one I come from.

It appears we will be stuck on the same ship should we get sent out again. I left some tea on the Vanquish, which you are welcome to.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Continued from here.]

Ezra grins at BD-1; the little droid seems pretty cheerful. He's used to Chopper and AP's various forms of grumbling.

"Yeah, communicating with animals, I'm pretty good at. I'm sure there are all kinds of things I don't know because I only have a few years of training. I did have a lightsaber, but I left it behind when I went up to the fleet, since I was supposed to be surrendering. Kinda regret not having it now."

[ezra_of_lothal]

Yeah, Lothal's a planet. And I've never heard of Earth. Hmm. [Who names their planet 'Earth'?]

I won't say no to tea, at least without giving it a try. Thanks. [He'd take coffee too. He's not picky, and both have some positive associations with some of his favorite people.]

So we're shipmates. And the ships just...sit there, unless we're being, um, sent out?

[out_of_order]

"Most of the creatures I've come across have been hostile, but I've managed to make a few friends," Cal says. "Not really my specialty though." He knows some Jedi have that affinity though, and Ezra's certainly coming off as one of those.

"I've only really just recently gotten back to the level I'd been before everything. I had to relearn a lot of things." Surrendering? "Except you weren't really surrendering," he mused with a lopsided smile as he put things together. He lifts his hands in a shrug. "Well, it might not have made it along with you anyway. It seems like the Agrii limit what comes along with people. I think I was lucky to still have BeeDee. I had a lightsaber before I got here but...it wouldn't have been much use."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Shattered crystal?" Ezra asks, wincing in sympathy and thinking of his first lightsaber.

[out_of_order]

Of his memories from before he was brought to Agra 10, that one is the freshest. Cal nods slowly, still unsettled by the experience. "...I was on Dathomir. I've been traveling with another Jedi- seeking out a holocron that has a list of Force sensitives. The key to finding it was hidden there, and I think it was some kind of test."

He remembers the shadow of his master, the harsh words. Cal closes his eyes, shaking his head. "...I failed."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I've been to Dathomir, briefly," Ezra says, thoughtfully. "I don't know what it was like then, and I know the people who lived there weren't Sith, but it felt...very Dark while I was there. Are you sure it was the sort of test you were meant to pass? Or even would want to?"

[out_of_order]

"Dark about covers it," Cal says, the smile that flickers on his face a short-lived one. Dathomir hadn't been a pleasant place to visit. Being chased by the undead without having a weapon to defend with had definitely made it worse, but even that hadn't stung nearly as much as what he'd faced in the ruins of the Zeffo tomb.

"I...I don't know. After that, I was't sure about anything." It's a difficult thing to admit. Being here has given him time to think, to reflect, but if what he's heard from those who have gone and then returned, it might not matter so much. "I just knew from clues left by another Jedi that an astrium was hidden there, and it would open the vault where he hid the holocron. ...there was another astrium, but an Inquisitor got her hands on it before I could."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I don't know what an astrium is," he admits. "But that seems like a strange place to hide the way to a Jedi holocron to me. Assuming it was a Jedi holocron. Maybe it wasn't your mistake, or not your mistake alone?"

He's still not completely sure what Master Yoda had been thinking, telling him to find Malachor. Ezra knows he'd pressed the ancient master hard for help to fight the Sith, and made a lot of mistakes on Malachor and afterwards, and that's all on him, but - he still wonders. He and Kanan, and even Ahsoka, had learned a lot from the fall out of Malachor, too. Maybe Master Yoda had caught a glimpse of the long view.

"I have to ask though," he says, pointing to the hilt. "What's that, then?"

[out_of_order]

"Honestly, I've never heard of one either before then. The Jedi Master who hid the holocron- his name was Eno Cordova. I guess he was really interested in ancient history and so a lot of the places I've been to have ruins of a people known as the Zeffo. They studied the Force, and had these massive tombs..." Cal shakes his head. "I don't think Cordova meant for anyone to go to Dathomir, but the astrium I tried finding on the planet Zeffo was, like I said, taken by an Inquisitor. Not sure if you're familiar with them but they're not good news, and the last thing any of us want is for the Empire to get their hands on a holocron of Force sensitive children."

It's easier to say now, being in a place that's virtually outside of any time he knows, maybe even completely removed from any familiar galaxy. He wouldn't have that luxury otherwise, and the Empire moved quickly.

At Ezra's question, Cal glances at his hip with a breathless laugh. He unclips the sleek thing from his belt. "This? A replacement. Obviously I'm not going to find any kyber crystals around here. But I found something that seemed to work well enough for a focus. There's...just a slight problem." At BD-1's pointed beeping, he concedes with a dip of his head, "Okay, maybe a little more than a slight problem- which is why I'm not going to switch it on while we're inside a ship." It might not be that bad, but he figures it's better to be safe than sorry.

Bbbb

[on_repeat]

The white armor has been familiar to several of Temba's residents, but not always in the best of ways. Still, it has its distinct markings; blue stripes seem to be a theme all over the trooper's kit as Echo steps out of the Bishop.

Even just stepping outside of the ship is all very professional and poised, just like a soldier should be. Except after a beat, he glances down briefly to swat at his kama to get rid of a few lingering sparkles.

"...It'll have to do," he sighs through the vocabulator, shaking his head before looking up again to see Ezra hanging around the...well...hangar. "Hey. Are you looking for something to do?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

Ezra gestures towards the scars across his cheek. "Inquisitor. And I've helped hide babies they were hunting for, so I get it."

He eyes the hilt a little more dubiously. "If it doesn't sing like kyber, I think I'd stick with something ranged, myself." He doesn't mind blasters, as a rule, but wielding a blade he couldn't feel in the same way would be weird. "I'm guessing that's not exactly the problem you mean?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I'm partly getting my bearings but sure, if there's something I can help with..."

He squints; he definitely knows that helmet shape. That can't be a coincidence, right? "Are - are those 501st colors?" he asks, a little hesitantly. It certainly looks like the blue on Rex's armor.

[on_repeat]

As soon as Ezra mentions the 501st, a click of recognition immediately sets in. "Yeah. Yes, they are." Echo's tone is tinged with the slightest bit of relief, yet it's almost as if he isn't sure if he's hearing this correctly. "You've heard of the 501st?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I know Rex," Ezra says, breaking into a smile. "The war was before I was born, but he still had most of his armor."

[out_of_order]

Cal winces at that. "How many of them are there? I know there have to be at least nine- I managed to take care of the Ninth Sister back on Kashyyyk." Somehow.

Looking at the lightsaber again, he shakes his head, although with just a slight quirk of a smile. "Not exactly. The crystal I found is basically a raw version of what the Agrii made the rods they used to power things here. Soooo...the side effect it has when I turn it on is that things that run on power tend to get boosted slightly." A beat. "...and it makes metal glow."

[on_repeat]

Another one further down the timeline from where Echo is, but there's a degree of consolation found in what Ezra says about Rex.

"He's still alive..." Mixed feelings color his own words, but he manages to recompose himself. "Not that I didn't doubt he'd survive. He's the captain, after all." After a moment, he decides to break the seal and remove his helmet, slipping it under one arm to reveal the same clone face – only younger. And maybe a tad concerned. "ARC-1409, Echo. How long has it been since the war ended? And where did you last see Rex?"

[ezra_of_lothal]

"I'd say that's a hitch," Ezra mutters. Yeah, blaster sounds like a better and better idea.

"I've seen four inquisitors at various points, although I know they're all dead now. And uh. Darth Vader. But that guy's in a scary class all his own. The first time I saw him, Kanan and I managed to drop a walker on him, and he got back up like it was basically nothing. The second time, he took out my first lightsaber in seconds. I'd have been a goner if Ahsoka hadn't swooped in and grabbed his attention."

[ezra_of_lothal]

"Well. To be a little more accurate, I was born right as it ended," Ezra corrects. "So, a little more than eighteen years."

"As for Rex, I saw him only a few hours before I got here. He and two other clone brothers, Gregor and Wolffe, came with us to Lothal to help us try to end a blockade and occupation. They volunteered," he adds, with emphasis. "Lothal's my home; I'm really grateful."

[beholding_archivist]

I'm surprised there are so many planets inhabited by humans, I must admit. And I can't claim familiarity with either of them.

[ Don't worry, Ezra. It's good tea. Though Jon would drink coffee as well, he's too British not to have stored tea almost everywhere.

He nods and gives a little sigh. ]

As far as I know they don't start unless we are required to use them.

[ezra_of_lothal]

I guess that keeps them from being stolen in an effort to get away, but it's also just stupid. We could be using them to explore more of this planet. You know, the entire area effected by the storms, not just this corner.

[beholding_archivist]

I know, I know. I have been thinking the same. Even tried asking the Agrii, but... You see where we are still.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[He hadn't imagined that was really a new thought - at least, he hoped not - but.]

That's not a great sign.

You know, if they'd just asked for help, I'd have probably been happy to? A sentient species on the verge of extinction, that's not something to just shrug and ignore. And if they could get me actually home afterwards, even better.

Right now, this feels a lot like being jerked around.