#spectertwo

[libertydestined]

@spectertwo asked: " you can't understand . not unless you were there . " - jedi!hera

comparing their pain would only hurt the both of them. padmé was careful to keep that thought conscious in her mind, to allow it to bite her tongue. she did understand. though she was no jedi, a part of her had known & felt the tragedy as it happened, as jedi all across the galaxy were cut down brutally & mercilessly on chancellor palpatine's orders. she had never felt something so intensely in her life: undoubtedly from the force - sensitive twins that she had carried in those tragic moments. that had paled compared to what had happened on mustafar, the mania in anakin's eyes, the blindness to what he had become... her own weakness, the guilt eating her alive, that she had not been strong enough to try to stop him. if her thoughts lingered on it too long, she could feel his suffocating grip around her throat again. what they had been through had been intensely different, she had no qualms about that, but padmé felt firmly that she had been there.

the silence, the stillness in the air had gone on for too long by the time that padmé pulled herself out of her own thoughts. silence of such magnitude in itself was half of an answer, but it was not a fair one to hera. still, it was difficult to gather her thoughts, to try to organize them into a coherent, manicured answer as amidala so often did. but perhaps, in this moment, she could just be padmé. if she even knew who that was anymore.

"my experience of that day is different than yours, yes." how honest could she be? padmé trusted hera, but it was bigger than that. "but i was there. i would not have survived myself if it was not obi-wan. there is more to that story. i'm not sure if you would like to hear it, or if it would be too painful to get into any more detail of it."

[libertydestined]

@spectertwo

there had been some tension between the two of them ever since the so - called incident surrounding the well - being of master kenobi as well as her own two children... growing far too fast, but at least for now, back to being safely at a distance from the too tight grasp of the empire. padmé held a bit of uncertainty about how much of it was in her own head, a reflection of the anxiety that she felt about the entire situation. she was no jedi, after all, and a... bit more susceptible to letting that feeling engage with herself for far longer than what might have been productive or helpful.

words had failed to feel like enough in this situation, though padmé was not sure that there was really anything that would be enough. it was a difficult situation all around. she wished she had the words.

actions, sometimes, were easier. that was somewhat limited given that they were often working with little resources. padmé had collected a few extra ingredients on her own to take to cooking, making hera's favorite meal, information that kanan had generously slipped her under just a little bit of pressure. he'd caved on that easier than she expected.

"come and eat," padmé called out with a gentle knock on the door of hera's quarters. she took a few steps back to give some physical space when she hopefully opened up. "i think you'll like it."

[sandcrwls]

[ HIDE ]: sender tackles the receiver to the ground, out of sight, in order to stop them from being seen.

[ HIDE ]: sender tackles the receiver to the ground, out of sight, in order to stop them from being seen.

" WHAT do we— " her would-be question dies in her throat as her back slams into compact earth, knocking the air from her lungs in a single blow. only well-trained reflex lets her lift her head in time to not smack herself unconscious, though the impact still leaves her dazed, the stars spinning out of control overhead.

" what was that for, " the jawa hisses into the narrow space between them, though she makes no move to get up or crawl out from where hera has her pinned. this close to the ground, she can abruptly sense what her companion no doubt noticed ; rhythmic footsteps. stormtrooper marching rhythm. " never mind, " she whispers, barely a breath as she trains her ears on the sound, whiskers twitching.

closer, and closer still. there's no time to move. when they're only a few paces away, cheppi releases her tightly-held tension, going limp and silent as she sinks within herself, within the force, wrapping them both in a thick fog of notice-me-not and deadening the sounds of their beating hearts beneath the thin cover of the ferns.

the random patrol passes, the dull echoes of their marching boots and marching minds vanishing down a bend in the ravine.

gently, she sunders herself from that quiet peace, the feeling of a wrenching ache lasting only a moment before she's nudging hera with an elbow.

" c'mon. we better get gone. "

[bendures]

who else knows you're still alive?

who else knows you're still alive?

" EVIDENTLY, most of the empire, " ben answers grimly, dropping onto a crate with a wince he doesn't bother to conceal. around them, the rebellion bustles like an anthill as yavin iv is emptied out — he'd quietly excused himself from the tactical table, claiming a need for meditation. not his most subtle lie, but nobody had questioned it, allowing him to slip through the harried crowds until he found who he was looking for.

the shock of sensing her lingers ; a struck chord deep beneath his sternum, the ache all too familiar. regret. i have failed you.

" i should not be here, " he sighs at length. " i'm putting you all at risk. he'll be hunting me, now. "

ben looks up from his hands, old and worn and twisted in his lap with the worry he wraps around himself as a heavy cloak. despite its weight, he manages to smile for her, blue eyes glinting beneath snowy brows.

" enough about me. i'm alive, and so are you — and that is what matters. " there's a lifelong sorrow in his gaze, but also warmth, crow's feet deepening as he takes in the sight of her.

" it's good to see you, padawan. "

[libertydestined]

@spectertwo asked : ❛ every day i fight, i fight for all of us. ❜

it was rare that padmé ever became directly involved with any kind of action within the rebellion: she had taken a role in the shadows to use her resources, what her public memory stood for, to pull strings & move things around in the way that was needed. it was safer that way, determined necessary... she knew exactly what would happen to her if vader or palpatine had concrete evidence to believe that she was alive, let alone abetting the growing rebellion. the codename amidala was rarely actually her in the flesh, but things were always changing. things that weren't necessary then were now. she had heard a lot about the ghost crew, chaotic & excellent in the same breath.

"i have no doubt about that. i've heard many great things about you, captain syndulla." they were safe for now, at least. padmé was confident that hera had lost the empire's trail - she'd been this close to being exposed before her arrival.

[neverklled]

[ X ] "you saved my life. (HELLO 👋)" @spectertwo

"You didn't exactly make it easy," Echo teased. She's a familiar face, and one he's not upset about running into. The galaxy is a large and lonely place as he works diligently: he wouldn't give up his work in the rebellion until his body finally gave up on him. But force it's nice to be able to sit down once and not worry about being shot at. "And from the radio chatter I've intercepted, you're not keepin' out of trouble either."