#60 Here and There

Posted on Mon May 9th, 2022 @ 6:24pm by Captain Rogue Green {Meji}

Mission: Weapon Investigating
Location: quarters
Timeline: Current

ON:

The call of nature. An unfortunate byproduct of being a humanoid. Especially when one is awoken by the need to urinate. Rogue moaned to herself as she rolled from her right side onto her back, eyes fluttering as they began to open. Being who she was, now classified as a meta-human due to the pod that had rewritten her genetic code, Green did not require much sleep in her life. Her longest record with no sleep was ten days, but by the time the tenth day had arrived she was exhausted. So, with that in mind for the rest of her days Green would usually go in and meditate, then sleep, every three days. This was one of those days. After redesigning her saber hilts she had done an hour's work and then crashed out. Thankfully, by the clock, she had been asleep for about six hours, and with her full bladder crying to be relieved she groaned and got up, heading to the WC (water closet). Once done and hygiene complete she meandered back into her room, seeing her bed in the dim illumination from the wall panels and the stars outside her viewport. It looked enticing. So, deciding to catch a couple more hours of sleep Ro stepped forward, placed her right knee on the bed and did a slow dive onto the mattress...

***

...and landed on the downward side of a dry river bed bank. She had avoided blaster fire with her diving maneuver, her turbaned helmet wrapped in sand colored cloth matching her outfit. Cosmo rolled up next to her while the blaster fire whizzed by overhead. He was telling her that she had switched and was now in the other galaxy that Qeritas had spoken of. Suddenly, in her mind, images and knowledge whisked past her conscious mind and then settled. Green hadn't realized it but while her brain was catching up woth where she was she had held her breath and put her arms out, bracing herself on the side of the ravine she was in. Once the download had stopped she exhaled and went straight onto her back. Breathing heavily and blinking her eyes as if trying to clear them Green reached into the Core and calmed herself, gaining control of her mind and body. Almost instantly all the chaos in her mind cleared, her breathing relaxed and the fear she had felt was dissipated. Opening her eyes she sat up, blaster fire still whipping by overhead.

Her mind now knowing where she was Ro got up in a kneeling position and checked herself. Khaki colored combat outfit, matching breastplate made from plasteel, tactical holster on her right thigh with a blaster pistol holstered. Her saber, as memory began to return, was in her small backpack. She knew some things, but there was so much more she didn't know. Perhaps that was the point of Qeritas sending her here. To learn to be someone else, to change oneself for the better and fight for something nobler than oneself. "Cosmo, where are we?"

He spoke back to her, explaining. "Tatooine? Okay, that does me no good." She looked around at the arid landscape. "Bit shy on water, dontcha think?" Cosmo responded. "I live here!?" A blaster bolt struck the edge of the ravine above her head, sending a shower of sand, dust and rock particles down around her. Ro sputtered and brushed the offensive material away as best she could, staying low and removing the helmet to shake out the sand. "Okay, if I live here then why am I in a firefight?"

The answer was given. "A swoop gang?" That came clearly to her mind. It seemed as more dots got connected the more it jarred her recollection of who she is in this galaxy. "Come on, we need to beat feet." Ro put the helmet back on and then moved along the ravine back toward her house. It would make a crescent turn towards one of her moisture vaporators, which she could use for cover. Then, it dawned on her. There was blaster fire, but it sounded as if it was one group against another. Taking a chance she stopped and looked over the edge of the ravine seeing two groups of beings firing at each other. Her house was on the edge of this tiny town, and the townsfolk were fighting back against the swoop gang known as the Twisted Spawn.

~Come on, Ro, this isn't like you. If this were back home you would be in the middle of the fight right now~ "Cosmo, we need to help. Cause a distraction." Cosmo acknowledged the order from his master and zipped off down the ravine. Rogue continued to watch the firefight, hand on the butt of her pistol ready to draw and charge. Then, something within her caused her to release the pistol and reach back, grasping her saber hilt and bringing it down to her side. Out of nowhere the moisture vaporator that was hers blew up, sending a huge fireball into the sky and causing a concussive blast that stumbled the Spawn. Drawing on the Core Rogue energized her body with the energy and leaped out twenty meters, landing amongst the frontline Spawn members. The villagers stopped firing, seeing the bright blue blade now active within the enemy's ranks.

Rogue's saber moved almost of it's own accord. Through Control and Sense she spun, blocked, deflected and destroyed blaster after blaster. If she didn't hack the weapons in half then she would use the Core and yank them from their grasp, sending them flying meters in any direction. Most times, towards the townsfolk. When it was all said and done Rogue stood over the leader of the motley bunch, saber point near to his throat. The leader was clutching the stump of his right arm in his left hand, the right hand having been hacked off by Green. Several members lay around moaning in pain, some crying out with it as they too had been relieved of their limbs. But, no one was dead.

"This is the last time you bother Mos Ada. Should you return to bother these people ever again, my mercy will not be given. Understood?" Green glared at the man.

One of the Leader's men who had been sent flying with a sidekick to the chest and had been knocked unconscious, had awoken as the fight was ending. As Rogue stood over his boss and threatened him, this Spawn reached out and picked up a blaster pistol very quietly and aimed it at Green's back. He froze, unable to move at all, even his trigger finger wouldn't work enough to squeeze off a round.

Ro gave an evil grin to the Spawn Leader. "He thought I didn't know he was there. I felt your rush of hope that he would kill me. Tsk, tsk, tsk." Spinning from this man Ro turned and walked back to the other and with the wave of her hand in a dismissive gesture, the blaster was ripped from his grasp and sent flying off into the sand. His body released, able to move again. Immediately he got to his hands and knees and began to move back and away from Green, the fear clear in his eyes. He stopped and stayed on his knees, sitting up with a pleading gesture.

"Please! Please! I didn't know you were a Jedi. My apologies. I'll..I'll go and leave the planet. Go work on a moisture farm, anything! Please, don't kill me."

Having listened to his pleading Rogue closed her blade and hooked it to the left side of her belt. Out of all he had said she had narrowed her focus to just one. "What the hell is a Jedi?" She knew she wasn't a Jedi here. Whatever a Jedi was. Her persona in this galaxy was that of a seasoned fighter pilot who was granted her fighter as severance for retiring. She had chosen Tatooine because it was sparsly populated. This Green had helped establish and build Mos Ada, and she had used her mechanical expertise to maintain and construct whatever the town needed. The lightsaber, in this galaxy, had been a family heirloom given to her by an estranged uncle on his deathbed. He had explained everything to her younger self as to who she was and where her bloodline comes from. But, despite her best efforts Ro could not recall any of those memories. Some things in this galaxy were a blank slate to her.

The other odd thing was that she perfectly understood this man. His language was Basic, in this world. Yet, she spoke and understood it perfectly.

The Spawn looked confused even through his palpable fear. "You carry a saber. You use the Force. If you were Sith you would have killed us all. You're not a Jedi?"

"Sith, Jedi--doesn't ring a bell. All I know is that you need to collect your sorry companions and get them off our lawn. Leave Mos Ada be, or I will find you." Green hadn't been speaking quietly anyway, but as she finished that portion of her threat she spun to face the others, raising her voice a bit. "All of you."

The Twin Spawn who still had all their limbs helped their wounded companions to their swoops. Some swoops had to be left so the injured could ride double.

The Leader looked at Ro as he sat on a bike that would carry him away. "What about our rides? We can't take them all right now."

Ro acknowledged his difficulty. "They will be here when you come to get them. Four swoops means four members. Any more than four show up they all die. My only warning."

The Leader gave a nod and a grin. "Despite my missing hand, I like you. We should talk some more."

Green gave a noncommital shrug. "Perhaps we should. For now, please go."

The Spawn mounted their rides and off into the dusty desert they rode. Rogue turned to face the townsfolks and let them know all was well and was greeted with cheers. As she entered the crowd she shook hands, got clapped on the back dozens of times, hugged, kissed, you name it. Once she got through them to her front porch/deck she got up on it and spun to look at them. "We should collect all their weapons and store them in case others feel daring. We're all okay, no one was hurt seriously." Cosmo rolled up beside her.

"Thank you, Ro," said the town Mayor, Orgus Bahl. The crowd voiced that sentiment, as well. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Just let me live." Ro motioned to her small cottage and the warehouse behind it that housed her X-wing. "Knowing you lot are safe is all the paymeny I need."

Orgus came forward, standing just below her. "We heard you say you're not a Jedi, but the way you dispatched the gang was very...Jedi-like. You chose restraint when you could have killed them all. You showed mercy when you had them at your whim. You even told them to come back and get their belongings."

Everything he said resonated with Rogue. It was true. She could have killed them all, especially the one who tried to get the drop on her. Yet, she chose to show mercy and to allow them to leave. "If we kept their property then we would be no better than they are. Yes, they came to sack and steal, but they got an ass whoopin'. Instead of creating more discord between us and them by taking their swoops I gave them the opportunity to come back and see us as we are. The town. Maybe, in time, we can even cut a deal with them to haul small cargo for us across the Dune Sea, or the Jundland Wastes."

The Mayor gave a smile. "That would be beneficial. Mos Ada always needs supplies. Anyway, we'll leave you be, and thank you once more for what you did." The crowd dispersed.

Green went inside with Cosmo, seeing the interior of her exceedingly clean and organized cottage. Time to dig into who she is here. Closing and locking the door behind her Ro began to search the place for anything that would aid her in determining who she was. Hours of scouring and reading had provided quite a bit of information, but now she was tired from all the activity and from all the reading. Going to her bed she removed her gear and clothing and climbed in, falling asleep quickly.

***

Ro's eyes popped open. She was on her right side, facing the door to the main room, blankets pulled up to her neck as she was dug in like an Alabama tick. It took her brain a moment to realize she was back in the Milky Way. Back to Starfleet. Throwing the blankets off, and seeing she was naked, Green headed for the shower.

OFF: