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dragonlady7via http://ift.tt/29ZTrt0:
I got delayed a whole day by travel but here is chapter 3, finally.
Golden Chain, in which a great many things happen, including Teeny and Bolt’s assessment of their choices, Kes getting a really interesting promotion, Poe realizing he doesn’t make the best choices when endorphin-addled, and Rey having a realization.
(I had to take out the BB-8 part but it’s not deleted, just pushed to next week! I will aim for next Saturday for chapter 4, alas, but there’s no way I’ll get everything done by Wednesday now.)
Kes considered that a moment, then shook his head. “No, give me one of the infrastructure missions. I can’t be trusted with politicians.”
She tilted her head and looked sidelong up at him. “Do you really think I’m the root of quite all evil?” she asked, and there was real hurt in the question.
Kes gave her a pained frown. “Nobody has ever said you’re the root of evil,” he said. “Leia, your curse is not your fault.”
“What should I have done?” she asked, shaking her head slightly. “What could I even have done differently? Was it my blood? Was it my arrogance? Why should I be the one to blame?”
“Leia,” Kes said, softer. “I said, it wasn’t your fault. You’re not to blame.”
“But I did it,” she said. “I have done all of these things, I have been the center of so much death and destruction and I only ever wanted to do good.” Her teeth were gritted by the last word, face taut.
Kes took a steadying breath, held it a moment, let it out slowly. He was so tired, and the last thing he wanted was to delve into this disaster, but it really wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t fair. He looked at her and remembered the little girl standing next to Breha Organa at a formal audience, holding the holocorder, tiny and solemn and resplendent with purpose.
They had been friends once, and with so few of them left now, it was no good trying to keep any distance. He held out his arm. “Come here,” he said. He knew Leia Organa well enough to know that she bent her neck for nobody. He’d seen her distraught twice now since he got here, and that was twice more than he’d wager pretty much anyone else here had seen.
She hesitated, but then leaned against him, and he embraced her. “It isn’t your fault,” he said quietly. “You’ve done your best. There was nothing else you could have done.”
I got delayed a whole day by travel but here is chapter 3, finally.
Golden Chain, in which a great many things happen, including Teeny and Bolt’s assessment of their choices, Kes getting a really interesting promotion, Poe realizing he doesn’t make the best choices when endorphin-addled, and Rey having a realization.
(I had to take out the BB-8 part but it’s not deleted, just pushed to next week! I will aim for next Saturday for chapter 4, alas, but there’s no way I’ll get everything done by Wednesday now.)
Kes considered that a moment, then shook his head. “No, give me one of the infrastructure missions. I can’t be trusted with politicians.”
She tilted her head and looked sidelong up at him. “Do you really think I’m the root of quite all evil?” she asked, and there was real hurt in the question.
Kes gave her a pained frown. “Nobody has ever said you’re the root of evil,” he said. “Leia, your curse is not your fault.”
“What should I have done?” she asked, shaking her head slightly. “What could I even have done differently? Was it my blood? Was it my arrogance? Why should I be the one to blame?”
“Leia,” Kes said, softer. “I said, it wasn’t your fault. You’re not to blame.”
“But I did it,” she said. “I have done all of these things, I have been the center of so much death and destruction and I only ever wanted to do good.” Her teeth were gritted by the last word, face taut.
Kes took a steadying breath, held it a moment, let it out slowly. He was so tired, and the last thing he wanted was to delve into this disaster, but it really wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t fair. He looked at her and remembered the little girl standing next to Breha Organa at a formal audience, holding the holocorder, tiny and solemn and resplendent with purpose.
They had been friends once, and with so few of them left now, it was no good trying to keep any distance. He held out his arm. “Come here,” he said. He knew Leia Organa well enough to know that she bent her neck for nobody. He’d seen her distraught twice now since he got here, and that was twice more than he’d wager pretty much anyone else here had seen.
She hesitated, but then leaned against him, and he embraced her. “It isn’t your fault,” he said quietly. “You’ve done your best. There was nothing else you could have done.”
