Faction Total Exziostion

[Spirit of Patience]

GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE | NACHE WAYPOST STATION
FOLLOWING THE INVASION OF ZIOST...
WE ALL LIFT TOGETHER

It was darker inside Nache to Meet You than some might have liked –– but that was typical for a weekday. It wasn’t until Thursday or Friday when the ultraviolet lights and isotope beats from Sword of the Jedi band–– a small reminder of home –– were more hype aboard the space station. If the squadrons wanted to revisit tomorrow, they could enjoy the light show. They probably would, given they were resourced to stay in Sith Space until the next attack. But tonight, they could revel in the shadowy façade of the cantina. Especially the special operatives, who were slowly becoming unaccustomed to the light of day, and didn't wish to be seen clearly.

Most of the lighting came from overhead vidscreens playing highlights from Monday’s Nuna-ball game. Others showed exciting maneuvers from the latest Shockboxing match; Salvor King gesturing triumphantly into the cameras.

The reality of the dim interior was to allow the people inside to see newcomers before newcomers could see them. A tactical advantage for these sorts of things. Perhaps it was those decor decisions that resulted in the majority of patronage being The Alliance’s defence force.

An outrageous assemblage of humans mixed freely with alien counterparts. Tentacles, claws, and hands were wrapped around various drinking utensils that varied in size. Conversations were a steady babble of human and alien tongues, all of it indistinguishable. Small snippets might be realized here and there –– most dialogues seemed centred around the recent effects of Ziost.

Did you see the sky? When it curdled real blood-like?

Were there Jedi on your team? They seemed to have lost it. ​

How long do you think this campaign’ll be? ​

I want to go home.

Who’d you lose?​

Additionally, another layer to the noise was a steady stream of rhythmic vibrations coming from speakers that were planted in random corners.

Through the sea of bodies, there was a small knot of rough-looking troopers lounging, drinking and trading stories over hands of cards. Members of the Mightnight Company who'd drunk enough to possibly forget the collision with the dark Emperor outside the Citadel. A spine-quaking laugh erupted from the circle, and brawny arms stretched out to collect stacks of chips in the centre of the table. The large player drew his winnings in towards his chest with a triumphant grin.

“If you played as well as you shot you wouldn’n’ta lost that hand, Snipes.”

“Hey man, you never let the brawn lose.” The loser shrugged while the victor claimed his spoils. Letting the conversation stagnate and the next round of cards be dealt, the sniper of Midnight Squadron –– Finon Nalle –– glanced through the crowd at the shadowed patrons. "S'just fact."

His jovial tone took a turn for something more sombre and reflective, thumbing through his hand of playing cards. It took him a moment to speak and get past the sob that threatened to overtake his dialogue. “I miss her.”

Major Tom knew exactly who the sharp-shooter was referring to. “Me too.” Placing two pieces down on the table, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “She never just let me win.

Check your hand.”

 

[Aaran Tafo]

They said that the reward for work well done was more work.

It was times like this that Aaran desperately wanted that statement to be true. He knew that on an intellectual level that his body needed a chance to heal after his bout of Sith Hospitality. It was probably due to him only being a guest of the Academy for short period of time that allowed for a recovery with minor lasting damage. A few scars and minor side effects of exposure to their Force-conjured lightning.

Thankfully the Sith were spending more time preparing for the attack than they were entertaining their guests. So, in a way, he got off lucky. All he needed was some routine treatments, bedrest and probably some checking over by Auteme to ensure he was not tainted with any leftover surprises.

But he still felt restless. He knew he still had to get back out there. To keep moving, keep fighting. There were still so many faces unaccounted for. Still so many that might still be in danger.

So many reminders that no matter how hard he fought, he still could not protect everyone.

To Aaran, battle was easy. Find one's rhythm, let the Force guide your actions, keep your head on a swivel and never stop moving. It was a tried-and-true method that saw him through countless battles. What he always hated was the aftermath. Dealing with the consequences of your actions. The lives that you had to cut down to remain alive at the end of the day. Those who followed you into the fight but were unable to get out of there with you.

Fighting today was easy enough, it was finding the strength to live on through to tomorrow that was hard. Loss had a horrible way of sticking to you. More so than guilt or anger. It just kept reminding you of what you once had.

And so it was, the melancholic Jedi sat by the bar. A drink in his hands of such high potency that it was probably unsafe for a human to consume. But he seemingly had no difficulty imbibing it. Taking this brief evening to sit in his grief until he was strong enough to return to the grim work that this foolish war asked of him.

But right now, he was desperate for a distraction. Something, anything to take his mind away from the dark cloud that hung over his thoughts.

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku | The Prosperity​

"I'm so tired," she groaned, yet still unwilling to close her eyes and sleep. Maybe she was afraid of the dreams that'd come to her. She'd gotten maybe two hours the night after the battle, but tonight she was far too awake. Her ears rang, and her mind was in a bit of a haze, but she was as aware as she'd been when she'd been staring at Carnifex.

Her muscles still ached. When she closed her eyes she could feel her skin burning, her flesh suddenly put under pressure, as if it were about to slough off of her bones, and she'd be turned to a puddle.

She stared at the light on the ceiling. Maybe being awake was better.

Though the couch of the common room was comfortable, it wasn't her bed. The Prosperity's halls were mostly empty with much of the crew on shore leave on Nache waypoint. So, she and Lucien had taken up residence in one of the many lounges. She was pretty sure her tiredness -- along with her acute awareness and subsequent griping -- was grating on him.

She rolled her head on the armrest to look at him as best she could. "We should do something," she said, before her mind switched tack. "Could you... grab me a juice from the fridge?"

 

[Bayaz]

GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE | NACHE WAYPOST STATION
FOLLOWING THE INVASION OF ZIOST...

​

222nd Nova Corps.
521st Legion.
312th Attack Battalion.
Twilight Company.

Marcus looked at the handful of holotags he'd managed to collect sitting to his left and then at the mug of cheap Sith ale sitting to his right. Twilight. It had been a good company.

"It still is a good company," he reminded himself harshly and took a long drink of his ale before sitting it back down. The 222nd was getting decimated by this campaign. A lot of units were after the skies turned red and soldiers and Jedi alike began turning on one another. Not to mention the Graug that had occupied the city in some areas.

By the Force he'd never thought he'd see those horrid beasts again after the One Sith wars. Sure, he'd heard they had taken over Mandalore after the traitor Carnifex turned on his favored lapdogs. But to think he'd see them here? He'd been in his teens when he'd faced down his first Gruag horde now here he was nearly two decades later and he was fighting the nightmares-

He took another drink, draining his mug and slammed it into the counter. The Togrutan bar owner jumped. This had been a Sith station until the GA had rolled in and taken it. The people seemed to more or less be fine with it. He didn hear some of them murmuring about trying to fight back but they hadn't been rebellious for the sake of the Sith Empire, just people wanting to protect their home. He understood that. Marcus waved his hand and pointed at his drink. The Togrutan woman folded her arms over her chest in a scolding manner before filling his mug like he'd asked.

"Yeah I heard we took such heavy losses they've gotta bring in the army."

"The Army? Those mud slingers probably haven't seen anything bigger than a combat skiff in their lives! What's the brass thinking bringing them out here. THey'll get slaughtered worse than us!"

"Nah man, I heard its rangers. A whole Division." Marcus nearly spat out his ale as he listened in to the conversation.

"A Division of rangers?" Marcus interrupted. Even the Marines had to respect the rangers. They weren't your average mudslingers and could KTF with the best of them. Weren't they special forces? He didn't know.

The two marines looked at him startled. They were wearing their naval uniforms for shore leave. They weren't officers, just a couple of Troopers. By comparison, Marcus' Lieutenant bars registered immediately and they both snapped to a salute but Marcus waved their formalities away, shaking his head to turn back to his drink.

"Damn mudslingers meddling in our work," he said, loud enough to be heard.

 

[Suri Vullen]

GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE | NACHE WAYPOST STATION
FOLLOWING THE INVASION OF ZIOST...

​

"So I said to him, if you had'na been a dirty imperial sympathizer, maybe your wife would'na come crawlin' to my bed." His guffaw was even more ridiculous when drunk, causing Suri to chuckle herself.

"Got off lucky then, Ronan. If I was him I would have given you more than just a black eye."

The Corellian laughed again, while the woman tipped back her mug, draining it.

"A Division of rangers?" Marcus interrupted. Even the Marines had to respect the rangers. They weren't your average mudslingers and could KTF with the best of them. Weren't they special forces? He didn't know.

The two marines looked at him startled. They were wearing their naval uniforms for shore leave. They weren't officers, just a couple of Troopers. By comparison, Marcus' Lieutenant bars registered immediately and they both snapped to a salute but Marcus waved their formalities away, shaking his head to turn back to his drink.

"Damn mudslingers meddling in our work," he said, loud enough to be heard.

The words caused the rangers to look at each other in unison. A sly smile crossed Ronan's face as he watched Suri's nostrils flare.

"They've 'un it now." He muttered.

The woman spun on her heels, eyes flickering across the group who stood at the counter.

"Who fethin' said that?" She demanded.

There were no answers spoken, but as the troopers looked to each other and then to Bayaz , it was an answer in itself.

Inching closer to him, her brow was furrow as her gaze was locked on.

"Maybe us damn mudslingers wouldn't have to meddle if you marines were worth a ryv." She spat poisonously. "But since you all couldn't hold your own, they had to send us in, the big guns. It's alright though, we'll show you nerf herders how a war is won."

 

[Bayaz]

GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE | NACHE WAYPOST STATION
FOLLOWING THE INVASION OF ZIOST...
Suri Vullen

​

He didn't answer because he didn't think the question dignified an answer, but when the little mudskipper turned her venomous gaze his way he had to set the mug down. Marcus wasn't a tall man. He was actually short by Corellian standards, but what he lacked in height he made up for in musculature. When he stood up from his barstool to face the woman he made damn sure all one inch of height difference he had on her counted.

His lips curled up in a snarl. This uppity woman just had a look that made him want to deck her in the face. Maybe it just wasn't his night.

"Wouldn't wanna be anyways. Way I hear it, our illustrious Jedi golden boy's a child-murdering psycho. Damn Jedi damn near slaughtered us on Ziost. But you jaggaths wouldn't know much about front line combat, sitting back in the Core worlds with your cushy base deployments." The part about the Jedi wasn't entirely true. Sure, some of the Jedi had gone mad, but just as many marines had turned on one another as well. It still felt good to say it though. He turned his head and spat on he floor.

"I've known shinies worth more on the battlefield than you karking mudhumpers."

 

[Suri Vullen]

GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE | NACHE WAYPOST STATION
FOLLOWING THE INVASION OF ZIOST...

​

Suri's face contorted as her lips drew back in a sly smirk.

"Know more than you do, obviously, or they wouldn't have sent us when you lot floundered out there." She retorted.

Eyes from all around the counter were planted on the pair, watching the heated exchange. The Corellian could feel the presence of the gazes, which only egged her on further.


"Word on the street was the Jedi weren't the only one killing innocents. Thought it was said that you laserbrains even turned on each other. That what comradery means in the marine corps?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow. "And now a bunch of your men sittin' around, talking about wanting to go home? Cowards. When the fight gets hard, you don't quit. Not until it's over."

 

[Teica Giraan]

[Location: Nache Waypost Station - Nache to Meet You]
[Focus: Captain Teica Giraan]

The Captain let out a loud sigh as she strolled inside the crowded establishment. Unorganized. Filthy. Wretched. It was the perfect break from military duty. The perfect break from the organized and polished bridge of the Peacemaker.

Teica readjusted the collar of her clean blue uniform before crossing her hands and making her way to the bar. She took her time, occasionally looking around at the rest of the patrons. Ziost had taken its toll on all of them. She remembered the feeling of watching the front of the Peacemaker being ripped apart. She remembered the pain of fruitlessly watching the corpses of crewmembers drifting through the void.

She remembered the tears in her eyes as she watched the Peacemaker's charred and beaten hull being scrapped.

"Cold water," She told the bartender.

Teica rested her elbows on the counter as he rested her head in her hands. I'll miss you, old girl. Her grieving was interrupted by a few sentences from a ground troop.

"--your men sittin' around, talking about wanting to go home? Cowards. When the fight gets hard, you don't quit. Not until it's over," Came the voice.

The Captain turned her head to face the left side of the counter. She let out a loud sigh as she watched a growing argument between marines and army units. And so, the navy arrives with assistance, she thought. Teica stood up, crossed tired arms behind her back, and made her way over, stopping just short of three feet from the participants.

"Is there a problem, fellows?" She didn't even bother to hide her annoyance.

[Sorry for the interruption, I just demand to see your manager commanding officer]

 

[Sol Stazi]

NACHE WAYPOST STATION
GA OCCUPIED SITH SPACE
​

"No. There's not."

A voice carried across the dim makeshift cantina. Its owner was seated in a corner along with the rest of the so called 'mudhumpers' holding sabacc cards in one hand and a stubby cigarra in the other. His face was burned and scarred. One arm and both of his legs were cybernetic replacements. He was most certainly not up to the Galactic Alliance Defense Force's standard uniform code. He looked more like a wild man or tribal savage than a soldier except the major's pins on his collar said otherwise.

"Just a few comrades letting off some steam," the duros glanced between Suri Vullen and Bayaz briefly, "Isn't that right?"

His expression made it clear there was a correct answer to this question before shifting back towards Teica Giraan . Crimson eyes betrayed no hint of emotion. His scrutiny was not unlike that of a stalking predator's. Before resuming his commission he'd been operating for years off the books in the Outer Rim Territories. Now that the Galactic Alliance was officially at war with the Sith yesterday's terrorist was today's freedom fighter. He was absolved of his sins as far as the records were concerned.

"Major Stazi. 76th Regiment. Infiltration and force recon. This is Vullen."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Auteme | The Prosperity

---

---

Luc sprawled out on the floor of the common room shortly after both him and Auteme had claimed it for themselves. He was exhausted after their encounter on Ziost with the former Dark Lord of the Sith. He was drained mentally, if he were being honest. It had took every ounce of perseverance he could muster to withstand the sheer pressure that Carnifex had exuded, and in the end the best he could do was simply to hold him off, and just barely at that.

He chalked it up as another loss, but it didn't weigh on his conscious for too long. By the time the two had reached the Prosperity, he'd come to grips with the encounter's outcome.. In the end he was just satisfied that everyone had come back from the mission safe, if not a bit beat up and exhausted. And so he let himself become lost within his thoughts, content to laze around on the floor and let Auteme claim the couch for herself. He could tell she was just as exhausted he was.

Eventually her voice called out to him, and his eyes moved to meet her own. He lifted up onto his feet, ignoring the pain within his muscles as he slowly drifted in the direction of the fridge. Luc returned to the couch once the deed was done, making his way onto the only open spot on the couch.

"You look pretty beat for somebody who wants to do somethin' else than rest, y'know~"
​

​

 

[Takui]

His first steps off the transport were awkward. Lightheaded, the world spun around Taku as he planted his feet as firmly as he could. It did not good. The Padawan lurched forward and fell to his knees, one good arm barely able to support him as he dry heaved.

"Takui," the Mirialan Padawan, Xashe rushed forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He pushed it away when pain erupted through his body. "Feth, Takui, what happened?"

Blood and bile cascaded from his blistered lips to the floor. A closer glance told the girl that he was not in any normal condition, and should have been brought back to Prosperity on a gurney. "I'm going to get help, you-"

The boy looked up at her, his eyes haunted. His fingers clutched her wrist like a vice, and all of his flesh was paler than death. More than anything, his gaunt expression was graver than she had ever seen. "I'm fine," he said. Taku gulped back more viscera that threatened to projectile in the girl's face. "Master Varobalder," he said, gasping for air as his lungs still burned. The pain was receipt for his transgression. "I need to.... I have to talk... to him. Before anything else."

Taku remained on his knees, barely able to hold himself upright. His eyes were haunted, and they pleaded with her to do this one thing for him. "I'll go find him," she put a hand on his good shoulder and nodded affirmatively. "Don't even think about moving."

As she ran down the corridor, he cast his gaze at the blackened mess that pooled near his knees. His own blood twisted and turned to poison inside of him at the behest of some ancient evil. He was powerless to resist it, and so many people were...

...oh no.

He felt another wave of nausea wash over, and his hand hit the floor in the middle of bile and blood. More freely flowed from his mouth, and the smell only evoked more. Tears did not come, but the ducts stung from where his body attempted to loose the toxins and release everything. One arm hung limp at his side, braced against his body in order to prevent it from movement.

Taku didn't want healing. He didn't know what he wanted anymore. There were things he was not ready to see, and he had witnessed them all. Asmundr said that this was something he had to face, to grow. What kind of fruit would he bear now?

Asmundr Varobalder

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

She propped her head up on the armrest and took a little sip of her juice. "Thank you," she whispered. After that she spent a good minute rolling her head around in search of the most comfortable resting position. Eventually she gave up, and talked to Lucien.

"I know. Probably couldn't... do anything anyways. This is fine." She took another sip of her juice, then placed the glass on the floor by the couch. "But it's, you know, the kind of tired where you wish you could do something. There's so many people injured, still, and I could be helping with that. I should be checking up on people- I mean, did we even find Ryv? And Aaran, it's his first battle in a long while, and I don't know how he's holding up."

Auteme's eyes settled on his face, and she smiled. "I'm wondering if they're in as excellent company as I am."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Auteme | The Prosperity

---

---

"Mhm.." He mumbled, following the conversation quietly. Off the edge of the couch his arm hung, and within his hands he toyed around with a small and metallic object. It stole his attention away from her for a spell. Long enough at least for his mind to wander once more, until he shoved it back into the inner pocket of his jacket and returned his gaze in his direction.

Luc reached out to his exhausted girlfriend, pulling her into his arms with a smirk. "You make it pretty easy for a guy to be jealous of your friends sometimes~" He was teasing of course, for the most part. "You've always got the well-being of the folks around you on your mind, even when you're down and out like everyone else." He shrugged. "I think everyone's alright-- or fine enough, at least. It was a long and exhausting day for pretty much everyone. Can't guarantee they're in as good of company as we are though."
​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

A little bit of energy seeped into her system when Lucien pulled her closer. She breathed deep, then grinned to him. "Oh, c'mon..." She leaned over and gave him a kiss. A bit overkill to chase away a little bit of jealous-ness. "Jealousy's a terrible color on anyone."

Of course, if other people were jealous of her, there was a little satisfaction she could get from it; like she was somehow desirable, or worth something a little more than usual. Knowing someone wanted her...

She bit her lip. "Okay, we don't have to do anything, but we should do... something," she said, trying to wrap her head around how little sense that made. She propped her elbow on the couch's back rest. Her eyes wandered to the holoprojector over by the front of the common room. "We could watch a movie. I can make some popcorn, and you can pick one."

He knew she wouldn't be able to pick, anyways.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Auteme | The Prosperity

---

---

Though he was mostly joking, the kiss did manage to remove any lingering jealous thoughts from his mind. Besides, he knew what he'd signed up for the moment the two started to date, including the hundreds of parsecs between Coruscant and Nirauan. The latter would prove to be less of a hindrance thann either would've imagined. The heart grew fonder with distance, but it also prompted the exiled Prince to do what he did best.

Sporadic trips to the Core turned into weeks-long vacations, and so far he'd shown no desire to return back to his duties on Nirauan. Eventually he would have to return home, but not anytime soon. He was happy with his life, despite his commitments that kept him pledged to go to war against the Sith. He was building a life outside of the war for once; something close to the normality of a mundane existence without the worries of intergalactic politics or war.

"Popcorn sounds great."

Luc smiled. Their movie nights were a great beginning to that semblance of normality he longed for. He scrolled through the selection until he found a movie that the two of them would enjoy. "We should get away for a while, once things calm down. From the politics, the Order, the Alliance-- all of it. I think we've earned it by now."

​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

She grunted with the effort it took to get off the couch, then walked towards the small side kitchen. A bit of rummaging through the cupboards revealed a white-and-red striped pack of microwave popcorn. She scanned the instructions then tossed it into the microwave, the popping sounds distant compared to Lucien's words.

"I..." Her fingers curled on the counter as she thought about it. "I'm worried I can't even do that," she said, turning to look at him.

"Not that I don't want to spend time with you, I mean- I do. And I want a break. But I don't know if I could take one, in good conscience." If her mind was occupied by worries for her friends after only a day off, what might happen if she took a real vacation? She traveled often, but there was rarely a day where she didn't feel like there was some form of work. Maybe a week of just watching movies would do her good.

"There's always so much going on, you know? If I'm not here, doing what I can, I've got to be back on Coruscant with the Senate and the rest of the Jedi. There's always work to do."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Auteme | The Prosperity

---

---

"Auteme."

Lucien leaned an elbow against the arm of the couch, resting his face against his palm. "There's always going to be work to do." It was a lesson he learned first-hand, given his eagerness to prove himself after joining up with the New Imperials. "Your role within the New Jedi Order and the Alliance is important- I get that. But take it from me, the mission isn't always worth sacrificing your well-being, if you wish to maintain your pleasantly optimistic outlook on things."

Perhaps he was being selfish, given his vested interests in the topic. But there was truth behind his words, even if the only thing he cared about was her in the end.

"..And I love the way you remain positive, regardless of the shit we've gone through and seen. I've been fighting against the Sith since I was seventeen. I didn't think I had it in me to be happy anymore after all the things i've seen during this war. All the good men who died because of my orders. It was always the mission that came first; my happiness came second, and everything else was left to the winds. It made me..numb to the world. I still feel that way, when I'm back home."

The smile faded away for a moment, his thoughts shifting to the numerous battlefields he'd entered since the beginning. Kyber Dark was still imprinted on his mind. The eyes of Avernus were burned into his psyche, the moment the Sith Lord knew his time was close to an end.

"All i'm sayin' is you deserve and need a break. We all do. If not for yourself, then for the sake of those you wish to support. You don't wanna end up lookin' always wound-up and wrinkly like that old Chancellor of yours, do you?"

It was fun to poke the bear, occasionally. Especially when she was too tired to fight back. ​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

"I don't want wrinkles," she said, pouting a little.

The popcorn finished up; she removed it from the microwave, then poured it into a bowl. To her it was some odd kind of delicacy. Empty calories? Unhealthy, but it was good for movie nights, so she made the exception. She walked back over to the couch, draping her arms around Lucien's neck from behind while placing the bowl in his lap.

Too tired to give him a bantering retort she resorted to giving him a little peck on the cheek. An angry one, of course, as angry as she could be in her exhausted state. She clambered over the couch's back then snuggled into place beside him.

"You're right," she admitted. "It sounds kind of stupid, but it's kind of... easy to forget to take care of myself. But I can't help people if I don't help myself."

She started to fidget, rubbing her fingers together. "I always look for the good in things, but it's tiring to imagine that other people don't think the same way.

"Carnifex was terrifying," she whispered. She couldn't imagine seeing him redeemed, or even attempting to do something good. It scared her. It exhausted her. She pushed those thoughts away, and looked for the good in things.

"What are we watching?"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Auteme | The Prosperity

---

---

He listened quietly, and only offered a smirk in response to her words. In his view, it was tiring to look for the good in people. His experience within the New Imperial Order had only solidified his belief that the world was filled with people whose baseline was not good. The world was far more nuanced, and that only proved more true as the galaxy descended further into chaos. He'd seen Jedi fight for Sith of all things. Sith-- the same people who butchered and set ablaze entire quadrants of the galaxy in just the past century alone.

It was impossible for him to see the good in people, when even his own existence proved a nuanced one at best. Exiled from his homeland, embraced by outsiders, only to eventually find his way towards the Imperials. It was kind of depressing to think about. So he did the opposite and replied to Auteme's response.

"Terrifying is one way to put it."

He may have felt the fear permeating off the Emperor of the SIth, but fearful he was not. If anything the experience only served to invigorate his desire to grow stronger. Luc had no choice but to soar higher than the strongest Jedi known if he wanted to reach the height needed to destroy those who threatened the ones he loved.

"I'll be ready the next time I meet him."

He tossed the remote to Auteme after grabbing a handful of popcorn to stuff in his mouth. "It's a movie 'bout some spacer kid who goes back to the future. It's kinda old, but it's still holds up."

​

​

 

[Auteme]

Lucien Dooku
​

"How do you go back to the future? That seems kinda silly." But she took the remote and hit play anyways. Despite being the one to suggest it, she felt as though she wasn't going to be watching all that closely. The flicks they showed were never especially complex. She could afford to miss a few minutes.

"A month," she said as the opening rolled. "I mean, I know that seems like a long time, but it'll be short in the grand scheme of things. We'll just... I don't know. Rent a little cruiser, fly out to some planet in the Rim, explore a little. Just the two of us, a real break, a real disconnect. I can get someone -- Dagon, maybe -- to cover the Senate, in case there's any meetings, and we can get away."

She grabbed a few kernels from the bowl. "After... after we know the Empire can't recover, that they're really on the decline. Then we'll come back, help with the recovery for that region.

"I guess -- I mean, this is. This is my vacation, most of the time." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Just spending time with you, or out with Loske and Ryv doing something normal, you know? I know you might feel numb, and all, but I- I don't know. You're an anchor for me."