Assimilation

It had been difficult leaving her home world, the only place she had ever known, for the first time. Nevertheless, at the same time it had been liberating - bittersweet. It helped that she had learned a simple level of Galactic Basic prior to applying to the Imperial Academy which prevented complete ostracisation from her peers, though some days the comfort of familiarity was more welcome. It had led to her befriending another Hapan who had left their home world under similar circumstances. There was nothing left for either of them there.

He had been hesitant to engage with her initially, wary that she might belittle him and act with the superiority typical of their divided culture, but after a few tentative conversations it was clear that she wasn't treating him differently to anyone else and so they'd occasionally meet over a meal in the mess hall if their scheduled aligned. It wasn't as though they relied on each other or they were the other's only friend with each having different specialisations and squads, but both enjoyed the familiarity of the other as they adjusted to their new lifestyle. It was also one of the few opportunities they got to speak in their native language nowadays.

"Aer ven trie velin hener lon trairi vo leid?" She asked her Torin as he placed his tray of food down at the seat across from her. It was the first time they had spoken for a few weeks so it was no surprise that they had a lot to catch up on. "Ilaen, tal gen yiestri byr laae." He replied. "Rayj aer lerzan oen. Yaj fio meiae trairi byr laae. Yikta ojae hepa vay monn adasela-" She began but was interrupted by a voice behind her. "Hey." The voice called. Initially, she wondered if she could ignore it, as it may not even be directed at them, but her companion's fixated gaze suggested otherwise.

"Can I help you?" Torin asked the stranger who approached the pair and took the empty seat beside Katja. No one ever approached them so she could only assume it was with hostile intentions and it was no surprise why. "Yeah, you can start by speaking Basic for one." The woman replied. "Balara jahim vris. Arae haer daiy aeyash." She told her companion as she scooped up a forkful of pasta, without looking at the woman beside her, but her response soon turned the other's attention onto her. "What did you say?" She asked with scrutiny. "If I wanted you to know then I would've said it in Basic." Katja replied as she continued to casually eat her lunch which only served to anger the other woman more.

With a flick of her hand, the private beside her tipped the tray upwards, spilling the contents down the Hapan's shirt. By now, those around them were privy to the altercation and watched eagerly to see the next move but Katja didn't answer with violence. Instead, she reached across to her companion's tray and picked up his apple. "Do you mind if I..?" She began. He shook his head. "No, go ahead." He replied. She continued eating as if nothing was amiss. "Linir daer una quea doe lon adasitt jad." She commented idly to Torin.

"Wait, I've heard that before. Is that.. Hapan?" She asked the pair. Katja didn't answer, unsure how to respond, but their silence was enough of an answer. "Are you scared of the dark?" She asked, mockingly, a smug look on her face. "Yeah, we are. Anything else?" She replied nonchalantly, giving the answer that was wanted but not expected. "What about him? Does he speak or does he just let you speak for him?" She continued trying to provoke them into reaction. "He probably doesn't want to speak to you any more than I do." She replied. The woman's gaze flicked from Katja to her companion, expecting a response. "Please leave." He requested.

"Fine." She held her hands up in feigned defeat. "But remember you're in the Empire now. If you want to speak differently to the rest of us then go back where you came from." She told them before rising from the seat to seemingly leave them in peace. After a couple more bites of the apple, waiting a few moments to ensure that the other woman had gone, Katja spoke up. "Aer dela ven sia unnin tei."

"Katja..." He started. "Hm?" She replied as she took another bite of the fruit. "Maybe we should just speak Basic." He seemingly relented. "What? It's not like we were excluding anyone from the conversation." She defended their actions. "Maybe we were. No one sits with us. Maybe they would if we were more inclusive." He argued. "And she's right, we did choose to join the Empire and leave our home world. We should try and live by its way of life."

Katja pondered momentarily before responding. "Well, yeah..." She started, agreeing that there was some sense to his sentiment and it wasn't totally unreasonable but her own views didn't completely align. "I just don't think it's a big deal." She brushed it off. He only offered a shrug in response before quietly finishing the remainder of his meal. The silence was awkward but it also gave her some time to reflect until he abruptly stood up. "You should probably get cleaned up." He eyed the stain down the front of her clothes, prompting her to look at the state of herself for the first time. "Yeah." She acknowledged. "I'll see you later, then." She told him, watching him walk away a few moments later.

She glanced over her shoulder at the woman who had harassed them earlier and rose to her feet with a sigh before exiting the hall.