riverviewlogs | ( open ) slow i'm getting up

Entry tags:

( open ) slow i'm getting up

who: Cassian Andor + open!
what: rebel spy poorly adjusts to civilian life
when: mid september?? whatever is convenient
where: various! multi-choice.
warnings: will edit as necessary!

i. perimeter guard

[cassian has gone beyond the wall a handful of times by now, but he has yet to stay more than one night. when he's at the headquarters, he hangs out in the hangar, poking around at the transit, or with the maps, pouring over them very meticulously. sometimes he's hunched over his own map, adding details or working on a copy to keep. survey work is easy enough, because surveillance is key to being a spy. he's got a very good memory.]

[other times he's sorting through a haul of old scraps and pieces of technology he managed to pull in, figuring out what can be fixed, what needs to be tossed, and what can be reused. it's all sorted into three distinct piles, and once in a while he tinkers with some of it, trying to make it work again.]

K2, what do you - [oh. no. wait. it's instinct to just ask his droid for technical opinions, but he cuts himself off and his entire expression darkens while he turns his screwdriver a little too aggressively.]

ii. perimeter guard redux

[he's very prepared for monsters in the sense of combat experience. most of his life, however, has been spent fighting people not beasts. cassian is meant for stealth; he's a sniper, an assassin, an informant, and his kills tend to happen quickly and quietly.]

[of course this one happens when he's alone, having separated for about an hour from jyn to cover more ground, though he hasn't gone too far from the wall. he'd shot it from afar and knocked it out, but it hadn't been alone; the companion zeroes in on cassian's location as he switches his blaster from stun to kill, any sense of invisibility lost when he fired the gun the first time. great good monster times all around.]

iii. how do you food

[grocery shopping is bizarre. cassian has lived essentially his whole life off rations or basic levels of food (sometimes even whatever he could snag on the streets). he was fed appropriately enough, but the Rebellion hadn't exactly been brimming with fine cuisine. the stores here sometime feel like too many options. he spends more time staring at the choices before picking the least flashy, unable to break the habit. he also piles his basket with enough food for two people, a habit he's picked up in the month or so he's been here.]

[he's keeping a very cool and collected facade, but there are probably little signs of uncertainty that should not belong to someone who's just browsing through a grocery store. frowning at perishable packages and the rainbow of juices, squinting at labels warily. he may also have an obscene amount of water bottles. you can never have too much!]

[he's perpetually grumpy at nearly every box he picks up to read over ingredients.] These percentages are far too precise. How is this necessary?

iv. how do you escape hypercompetency

[the perimeter guard keeps him busy, but cassian hasn't stopped reflecting on what jyn said weeks ago, how he doesn't have to be a spy here anymore. there is no one to report to, no war on his heels, but the habits don't die out even when he tries to remind himself otherwise.]

[he goes to the library and tries to find books for leisure, but ends up looking between the shelves to see who else is there, skimming the titles belonging to the person sitting next to him. he takes out too many because this is a luxury at least he can share, and some of the books he picks aren't really leisure.]

[every time he turns a corner inside a building or out on the street, he looks around in a very calculative way. he steps around people and weaves through crowds too easily, turning over his shoulder to make sure none of them noticed him. paranoia doesn't sit well with civilian life.]

[he often goes for a run in the mornings, stretching it further each day to keep testing the strength of his leg and spine. sometimes it becomes too much and he has to rest on a bench, practically chugging his water as he watches the people slip by him. he catalogues them without realizing, huffing out a sigh.]

[he really doesn't know how to turn it off.]

Maybe I need a hobby. [muttering to himself is not a good hobby.]

v. wildcard!

[make up your own or hit me up: communism @ plurk, romanitas#5368 @ discord, pm this journal.]

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I would imagine not many have. {Considering Jakku was more or less than a dirt ball than no one paid much attention to. Not unless there was a droid wanted by the Resistance and the First Order.]

Could be...depends on their condition. Or, if they haven't been picked apart for anything useful.

[Assuming the dead bodies inside were already cleared out. That was her fear when she first started to go into the AT-AT. She didn't want to deal with a dead body, or bodies. Thankfully, it was empty.]

[it could be a time thing! but he knows jakku is not really on many people's radars, at least in his era. but maybe unkar plutt is a big name in the future.]

If not houses, I am sure any scraps could be repurposed for something, especially if resources are rare - as I'm sure you are very familiar with. I would rather see a walker in pieces than upright. If you have not seen one in use, you are quite lucky.

[he wants to know what she might have seen on that front.]

[Doubtful a time thing. Unkar Plutt isn't exactly a big thing outside of Niima Outpost. Outside of Jakku even. So maybe he was just a thug who no one could stand up to.]

Depends on the metal and how well you can construct a home from it. You wouldn't want something too flimsy and fall apart during a sandstorm, or cook you alive.

[Because that was always a possibility, but yes, she knows how rare resources could be.]

Wouldn't say that exactly. Have you been shot at by a TIE Fighter? [Or a lot of them? Or be captured by the enemy? She hasn't seen an AT-AT Walker up right, but she knows what they're capable of.]

It does not have to be used for a home. But if the Empire strips resources from planets to build their death weapons, their walkers can be re-purposed into anything and I would not care what.

[not entirely true. there are a lot of things he wouldn't like to see built! hyperbole is fun.]

[what a strange question? he supposes it's no different than asking after stormtroopers. TIE fighters just seem like such a normalcy.] More than once, yes. On land and in space.

Edited 2017-10-14 19:53 (UTC)

Their walkers can be repurposed for anything, any ship could be really. Depending upon the scraps that are left over. Could be houses, could be for speeders. Depends on how creative you are.

[Really, she was drawing from her own experience in this. She built her speeder from other parts of ships, left over scraps of metal, and old wiring. Then her home was a Walker so...one has to be creative in a desert.

She's just covering her bases and testing the waters a little with what she could say.]

Yeah, been shot at by those on land, and while trying to leave Jakku. Stormtroopers too. It's not pleasant, regardless of where you are.

[he nods easily.] Am I right in assuming you are one of the creative ones?

[complimentary! but not a falsehood. he assumes she's good, from the way she's spoken about it all so far.]

I did not mean to imply any sort of easiness to your life. [but - he frowns a little.] If the Empire is gone, why do their stormtroopers still terrorize? Are there pockets of sympathizers remaining?

[he saw it with the separatists - only most of those people became rebels in the end.]

[There's a hitn of a smile on her face.] Not a wrong assumption, but you had to be creative on Jakku. Otherwise, how else would you survive?

[One had to be flexible and learn how to use the resources around them otherwise, they would most likely die.

The question causes the smile to fade from her face. She wasn't going to lie to him, that wasn't who she was. She wasn't a liar or a thief, but how much could she tell him? How much should she tell him?]

The Empire is gone, but there are those who wish to carry out the Empire's legacy. [That...seemed like a decent place to start.]

You have to be creative in most places. It doesn't always come down to constructive creativity. What sorts of things have you made for yourself?

[it's not a question aimed solely for information this time. he's genuinely curious what she can do, and not just out of spy instincts.]

[his expression sours.] I am not surprised. Their control is too vast and the galaxy too large to wipe out all possible fanatics so soon after defeat.

[There's a pause as Rey debates on telling him. It was too soon for her to say if she could trust him. He was a member of the Rebellion, yes, but old habits were hard to shake. Then again, he wasn't a scavenger and there wasn't any of hers to steal.]

Made a speeder from different parts, made my staff. [She gestured to the one slung over her shoulders.] Configured the flight simulator on the AT-AT computer to generate the harsher considerations to practice on. [Just, you know, small things. Though, there is a bit of pride in her voice.]

No...and even years after, people still manage to find ways to sympathize with them. How, or why, I'll never know.

You taught yourself to fly on a simulator? [he lets himself sound a little impressed, because 1) he is and 2) maybe she'll tell him more!]

A want for power. Hatred deep in their bones. Desperation, on the other side of things. There were those who felt stability under the empire instead of oppression. [it was important to understand the other side's motivation, especially when trying to pull people over towards siding with the alliance instead.]

Yeah. [There was a nod of her head.] I had to do something to keep my mind occupied. [And well, just in case she ever had to pilot a ship, she'd have the skills for it.]

...Don't know why they would've felt such hatred. [The words were murmured softly, her mind circling back to Kylo Ren for a brief moment, but she quickly pushes it out of her head.] But, I know of at least one person who defected. He knew it was the right thing, even after all he went through, he didn't believe in what he was told and came around.

Have you ever flown a real ship? [it's hit or miss, honestly when it comes to finding pilots. the rebellion had a hard time finding any they didn't teach themselves, but who's to say what the future holds?]

It's an easy emotion to get swept up in. [he looks over at her.] I have known quite a few defectors. [probably pulled some of them over himself.] There are many in the Empire who do not believe in what they are doing and just see it as a means to an end. A livelihood. The Empire sees them as cannon fodder.

[a pause.] I knew a pilot, who left the Empire at great risk. The Death Star would not have been destroyed without him. You should be very proud of your friend for making that choice.

[There's a nod of her head.] I did. Found this .. [A small, but sad smile comes over her lips.] This garbage of a ship that Plutt had and to escape Stormtroopers, hijacked it with a friend. First time flying and it was to out run Troopers.

[The memory was funny in hind sight, telling Finn to stop grabbing her hand and not knowing they were aboard the legendary Falcon. Then meeting Han...]

They're nothing but fodder, yes, just bodies with no identity of their own. [At least that's how Finn made it seem to be.]

I am...I'm very proud of Finn. He was a Stromtrooper for a while and he defected. He was brave enough to leave on his own and make it out alive.

[he doesn't smile, but he almost could, and that's a very new feeling.] Even a garbage ship is a good ship if it does the job. I've flown quite a few terrible ones in a pinch.

[he lets out a tiny sigh.] There are always more bodies. Even those in power are expendable to a certain extent. Replaceable, save for the Emperor himself.

[that's very curious though. he's never heard of a stormtrooper defecting before. they're so indoctrinated, and he's killed so many without thought.] He left all on his own? No recruitment?

[There is a smile that comes over her lips. Yes. The 'garbage' was a great ship, even if she didn't know how 'good' of a ship it was at the time.] It was a good ship, one of the best I ever flew. Come to find out it was stolen more or less.

[The smile disappears into a line as she nods her head.] The number of people who have died for the Empire's beliefs...it's like they didn't matter. They're expandable, like you said. Just canon fodder.

[Another nod of her head.] He did. We never got into the story of it, other than he said that it was the right thing to do.

[there's a lightness to his tone.] The Alliance relied on a great number of stolen ships. I could not tell you how many I've flown that were not mine. [even the last one he ever flew in was stolen! :'D]

[HE ALWAYS HAS TIME TO SHITTALK THE EMPIRE.] Fanatical belief can be weaponized, just like the bodies. I have seen the Empire raze planets without a thought for the people on them, even when they were devoted to the Imperial cause.

[strangely, the story of her defector friend is a hopeful one. it reminds him so much of bodhi, and his chest hurts. maybe they died, but the future looks brighter if people can still make good choices.] My friend, the pilot, believed similarly. He listened to what was in his heart, decided to make things right. He was not a stormtrooper, but there are many out there who will always be swayed by the right thing to do.

[belatedly, he realizes he called bodhi his friend, and that makes his chest hurt even more.]

I'm guessing at least 10. [There's a faint smile on her lips, imaging Cassian stealing a ship or two to help with the Rebellion.] Anything good at least? A TIE Fighter, maybe?

[Her eyes go wide at what he tells her. She should've known the Empire would reach those levels. After all the First Order, and what they did to the planets that were part of the New Republic...it was deathly.] They hold nothing scared, do they?

[His story of his friend makes her miss Finn. She hopes he's doing okay. She hopes the rest of the Resistance is doing well, and that the path she was on now wouldn't cause the First Order to win.] Did he want to join the Rebellion at first? Your friend?

[he doesn't quite smile, but talking about stolen ships is oddly easy to talk about.] Higher, probably. I have blown up TIEs but have never flown one. [TIE fighters are not exactly subtle and cassian does his best to be subtle even if he's sabotaging a hangar.]

The resources take priority over the populace, whether's it's minerals or crops. They take what they want and leave the planet to die. [or blow it up, thanks to the death star.]

I don't think he set out to join. But he knew what he needed to do, knew the Rebellion could help him, and he made himself a part of it anyway.

[It's easier to talk about ships rather than her own past, or the time frame she comes from. ] In the hundreds, or thousands? [The smile on her lips grows, picturing him stealing ships, destroying them all in the name of the Rebellion. Which begs the question of how long he's been with them.]

Mm, they made that much obvious, and those who follow in their shadow hold the same principles. [Drain a planet for its resources, or create a planet like Star Killer base to destroy other worlds...nothing was scared, and anyone could be disposed of.]

Sounds like he was good and brave friend. It takes a lot to walk away from the Empire, much less change sides... You can't help but wonder if there were others like your friend, or Finn, who know what they're doing is wrong, but don't have the courage to leave.

Probably not quite in the hundreds. [but he has been working against the empire for essentially his whole life. some of the ships ended up abandoned, some made it back to the rebels.]

It's why they must be stopped. [always of the utmost importance.]

I have met those I swayed to help the Rebellion, whether they realized it or otherwise. [sometimes nicely! with friendship! but mostly with bribes! or by ruining their lives! it's the whole spectrum. the people he's pulled from the empire always tended to die faster than regular people.] The choice to walk away is almost unheard of. Building the Alliance has been a long and difficult road.

Would imagine it would be in the hundred, or in the hundred range.

[There was a slow nod of her head. Yes, the Empire, the First Order had to be stopped. No matter what. They couldn't rule the galaxy and force people to do whatever they wanted.]

Swayed? [Rey can't help but raise an eyebrow at him at that. She could read between the lines. Either he changed their minds by force or with reason. Or maybe he used other methods, she wasn't going to judge.]

I can only imagine. The Alliance had so many things stacked against it, but they still took down the Empire. [It was a miracle really. Though there was one question that popped into her mind.] How long were you with the Alliance? Since it was first started?

At least a hundred, over the years. Some were abandoned, some destroyed, some taken for the Rebellion. [depends on the ship! depends on the escape!]

I have been fighting the Empire in various forms since even before the Alliance was made official. [cassian helped build it, really, as a recruiter. pulling people in and growing the numbers.] Part of that has involved recruiting people to the cause. [hence the "swaying."]

Really? Anything good? For the Rebellion I mean. [She was curious as she had knowledge of old Imperial ships and their inner workings. Plus, hearing a story about his ~~heroic~~ past missions would help piece together those missing pages in history.]

Oh? Then... [She maybe taking a gamble here. Considering how many people were part of the Rebellion and the ranks and such..he may not have been in contact with her.] Did you meet Ge--Princess Leia?

[Or did he end up helping to recruit the former Princess turned General?]

Our supplies were not always great or well stocked. Anything could be good if reused properly. The early Rebels stole quite a bit beyond ships. [what a ragtag bunch of needy nerds. they really did use every scrap they could.]

I met her a long time ago. Her father has been vital to the running of the Rebellion, however quietly. [leia is still very much involved, but with her family's position in the galaxy, their less than lawful activities are kept under wraps.] I have mostly seen her in passing over the years.

[There's a nod of her head. When you're starting something to fight against the Empire, anything and everything was needed. They had to survive by any means necessary. Rey could sort of picture it, she had been in that position before where she had to keep working in order to survive.

As for Leia...]

She's still alive. She was a Senator for a while. I've only met her once, but she was the one who got the message about the Death Star. It's.. [There's a faint smile on her lips, recalling what she knows.] Quite the story..

[But maybe they should end things where they are. They have been talking for quite a while.]

If you need anything, or just want to talk, I wouldn't mind.

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