dear_mun | (no subject)

Not just out of a X-wing. You're no good much of anywhere.

[David's not ordinarily given to pity but it's hard not to feel a little sympathy for the guy blindly groping for a place to sit.]

[Luke startles a little and turns towards the voice.]

I know. If I wasn't so confident back there I'd be worth something. [Oh, the bitterness here.]

It's not the worst thing in the world. At least you're alive.

[Even as the words leaves his lips he knows how lame they have to sound. Maybe it's not the worst thing in the world, but it's definitely up there.]

[Heavy sigh. Luke's been thoroughly humbled by this incident.]

I know... I know. Given time and darkness [he gestures at the ragged blindfold] I'm even supposed to heal.

But it was still... I screwed everything up.

[David sits down on a rock close to the one the blind man's sitting on, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands.]

It's pretty hard for one guy to screw everything up by himself. [The observation's almost wry.] What happened?

[He's quick to add] If you don't mind me asking.

[Blind!Luke is all of nineteen and on the small side, even accounting for his posture.]

I dunno, I think I managed.

Long story. I guess... [Commence rambling.] Okay, we have the Empire, and we have the Rebels, and... I'm a Rebel. And they wanted me to get people to support us. So I went and met a king who said bandits kidnapped his daughter and took her into the sun crystal mines, and I went and tried to find them.

Only when I did I scared them all - I was kind of half riding half trying to kill a giant worm monster and my goggles broke - and that set me off, and like an idiot I turned on my lightsaber... Sun crystals, they reflect light and intensify it exponentially. Wham, blinded.

And that would have been bad enough, but no, some of them wanted to kill me, so I up and attacked them. Maybe thirty people. Took them all out - the only good thing is that I didn't kill or cripple any of them. [The fact that he overpowered and subdued thirty people while reeling after being blinded doesn't seem to impress Luke.] And I took the Princess to her father, and then it turned out they weren't bandits, they were other Rebels, and he was an Imperial sympathizer, so I got all of us thrown in a dungeon.

She snuck us all out, but not before the king went and called for the worst butcher in the Empire to come visit. He's not going to be happy that I'm not in that cell. So, basically I made everything worse for everyone because I couldn't stop and think things through.

[It's hard for David not to think of this guy as a man, even though he's barely bigger than he is, and probably not too much older. There's something about him... he's not sure what it is yet.

And the funny thing is, the more he talks, the stronger than impression gets.]

... You took down thirty guys by yourself? While blinded? [Excuse him for a minute here, Luke, that's pretty impressive. Yeah, he could probably do that, but you don't have his powers. And he sure couldn't do it blind.]

So that's why you're all the way out here. You escaped and now you're on the run. But where are all the others? Did you get separated from them somehow?

[He doesn't like where this is going. Not the Empire, not the Rebels, not any of it. But even he can't leave a guy who's basically helpless to fend for himself.]

I thought I had to. Then they rushed me, and I just reacted. Stupid...

Anyway, they weren't fighters, and... my father was a Jedi. They don't need to be able to see to fight. I'm... I was going around pretending I was, too, but... stars. It would've gone better if I hadn't.

They're off having a meeting somewhere. I'm not invited. I can imagine why.

I can't. If you took out thirty guys by yourself, I'd want you in any meeting.

So wait, they just told you to go off somewhere so they could have their meeting? That's kinda rude. I mean, yeah, you screwed up, but you also kinda saved their butts with the thirty guys and the giant worm... thing.

So does being a Jedi mean you're psychic or something? It's not doing you a lot of good as far as I can tell.

No, no. The meeting is made up of the Princess and the thirty people I attacked. I attacked the wrong people, the people on my side, and got them captured.

It's... complicated. Sometimes. Sort of. But there's a difference between someone with Jedi blood and an actual, thinking Jedi.

Oh... oh.

... yeah, I kinda see how that could be a problem now.

So uncomplicate it. Does it matter more if it's in the blood or if someone's 'an actual thinking Jedi'?

Just a little bit.

I don't know. I've had like no training, and I know I'm not disciplined, or wise or thoughtful or any of that. I'm a farm kid who thinks one big thing makes him great.

So if you're just a farm kid like you say, why'd they send you to go looking for new allies? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just, someone somewhere thinks you're worth something if they sent you on this mission.

Either that or you've got a really small rebellion.

I'm kind of... it was a really big thing. So... I'm a propaganda sort of figure. And kind of disturbingly famous, now that I think about it. They tell me it's all in the symbolism.

So you took advantage of that to get people to join up with your outfit? Isn't that kinda... manipulative?

They - the other Rebels, I mean, just sent me to make contact with our people. I don't know about recruiting - not sure how to do something like that. Leia would know.

So tell me how you got to be a propaganda figure in the first place. It's kinda weird that they'd let you out of their sight like this if you're so important to them. Hell, I could be working for these Empire people and already had you dragged off by now. Or not be working for them and do it anyway for the reward.

Even if you were, I wouldn't let you.

[This is said in a subtly different tone then the horrified crushed one he's been using. He's stating a fact. ...and then it's back to a kind of stunned cynicism.]

I... the Empire built a worldbuster ship. Big. Supposed to be invincible. It took out one of the Core Worlds. There's - they, we, sent five hundred X-Wings after it once, large-scale assault, didn't even dent the hull. Then it found the Rebel base.

They recruited me - didn't take much - and sent me and a couple dozen other pilots after a weak point, a thermal exhaust port. Almost all the others died getting me there. Biggs... well, I got it.

So you blew up this worldbuster ship and that's how you got to be famous. Yeah, I can see how that'd work out. If I was the joiner type I might even buy into someone like you trying to sign me up.

[It's weird. He'd expect someone like this to be more of a fanatic. But that way he rebuffed him earlier.. it was calm without bragging. He sounds a little more interested now.]

Pilot, propaganda symbol... anybody ever tell you you're a busy guy? These Empire guys would probably pay really good for your head on a stick. Makes it even crazier the others just left you on your own like this.

And my father was a hero. So there's that hope, that idea that I can do as much, as well as he did.

The assignment was simple. They thought I could get it. So did I. And, we're pretty critically understaffed.

Yeah, no kidding. Rebels usually have that problem. Most people just want to keep their heads down and not get involved.

You ever wonder if it's pointless, what you're doing? Last I heard, the Empire was still around and not going anywhere. And recruiting people here doesn't seem like it's going too well.

[He seems startled.]

Of course it's not. The Death Star is gone. Leia says if they build another one it'll take a massive buildup of resources - and destroying it shows that the Empire can be fought and overcome.

Plus they were talking about how many Imperials were defecting now. They have to be... people have to find out if they're sincere, of course.

[Oh, but it looks like he hit a nerve there.]

That doesn't make any sense. You just said before your group was running on a skeleton crew, and now you're saying there's a rush of defecting Imperials? It's got to be either one or the other.

You know what I think? I think this is just one person's crusade and the rest of you are being used. Maybe this Leia person. If they valued you for more than being a pilot and a propaganda symbol, why would they leave you alone out here like this, huh?