'Meat' 'n Greet

[cityship]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a green-skinned alien and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Comments

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"Stacy woke you up, you've been in a kind of hibernation--like carbonite, kind of--she's been transporting us all around. It's just like she said though. We've been... recruited, to fight the Ohm." The close air in here must be getting to him, Luke thought. His eyes were stinging. After what he'd seen in his nightmares, after that false Ben in the dreams the Nightmare King sent him... it was more than good to see the true Ben here and know that he was safe.

"Oh, son..." Luke stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Ben--and probably running a danger of cracking some ribs with its strength. "I'm glad you're all right."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"Dad," Ben groaned, his voice belying the relief washing over him. He patted his father awkwardly on the shoulder. "You know none of that makes sense, right? What happened to the Shadow?"

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Oh. Right. Teenager. They didn't do physical affection with their parents.

"I know it sounds crazy, but as far as any of us know, it's true," he said, stepping back and lowering his arms, thinking on Ben's second question. "The Shadow's not here, as far as I know, I haven't looked all through the hangar, though, it might be there, I know a whole squadron of X-Wings and the Falcon are. Why?"

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"Because I'm pretty sure I should be in the co-pilot's seat," he blurted. "How did I get stuck in hibernation? How did I get here?" He waved an arm, hoping that the sweeping gesture encompassed the strangeness of it all.

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

Arha had followed the familiar pull of the Force and Luke's reaction. The similarities were very much there and her smile was brilliant. This was Ben. This was Luke's son.

This was, like Mara Jade, his family.

Her eyes were just as bright as her smile and the joy the rippled from her was undeniable even as she sought to pull it in. She caught his questions and tilted her head slightly as she stopped beside the two of them. She caught Luke's eyes and her sunny smile widened.

"The answers to those questions are," Arha sighed, "not easy ones. And the are hard to bear. But I should like to welcome you. I am Arha Masaari and I am so pleased to meet you."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Luke smiled at Arha. "Arha, this is Ben," he said, putting a hand briefly on his son's shoulder. "Ben, Arha was one of my first friends when I was awoken here. Obi-Wan's taken her as an apprentice, but she's not originally from our world."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"Obi-Wan?" Ben echoed. "Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

"Ben," she said with a nod and another bright grin as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"People come from many places in their lives," Arha. "The Obi-Wan Kenobi aboard this ship is..." Her head tilted, the motion birdlike. "Not the one your father knew. He is much younger and hails from the battles known as The Clone Wars, many years before your birth. You shall meet him and he shall be pleased, perhaps more so than I am, to make your acquaintance."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"I was starting to pick up on the time thing." Between Kyle Katarn and Tycho Celchu, it was pretty obvious that Stacy -- whatever she was -- didn't care much about bringing everyone all at once. But it was their mention of Obi-Wan Kenobi that had him rattled now. Master Katarn and General Celchu were familiar, if a few decades too young. But Obi-Wan Kenobi was a complete unknown, except for the simple, critical fact that the Jedi Master had been one of the most important people in his father's life, and Ben had no idea what to expect from his famous namesake. He put a small smile on anyway. "Thanks, Arha."

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

"You are welcome, Ben Skywalker," she said, then added sotto voce, the humor lighting her voice, "I can assure you, Obi-Wan Kenobi does not bite. I am his student. Such is a thing I ought to know, mm?"

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Jedi are supposed to keep a few surprises up our sleeves. It's why they make the arms on our robes so big."

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Luke groaned, but the smile on his face completely counteracted that. "You'll give away all our secrets at once," he said, ruffling his son's hair affectionately. "And then Obi-Wan won't have anything left to teach her about the Jedi mystique."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

He ran his fingers through his hair, restoring it to its rightful, parentally-untouched, proper style of tousledness, and noting that the tentacles had done a fair job wringing all the goo out of it. "Right," he sighed dramatically, "no more revelations about our stylish wardrobes." He glanced down at his own tentacle-supplied uniform. "We should probably get back to talking about the world-saving stuff anyway."

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

"Do you wish Jed-Eye attire?" Arha said, eying Ben speculatively, blue-within-blue eyes quite possibly even more intense as she figured his dimensions. "I have left over fabric enough should you wish both tunic, pants, and a cloak. They would be cream and sand."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

He glanced down at whatever the ship had dressed him in. It was comfortable enough that he hadn't thought about getting anything else to wear -- he was still more interested about the Ohm than suiting out in Jedi attire. "What's inconspicuous around here?"

[craaazyisland]

Steve showing up at podpop in the first place was kind of rare. It just spoke volumes for how glad he was to be out of quarantine at last. He caught sight of Luke and a smaller teenager-- and immediately suspicious, approached a little slower and chose to remain out of sight. For some reason.

That must be Luke's son, he concluded after a moment of spying. Well... this was... kind of uncomfortable.

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

Ben was certain that this faint prickle wasn't danger sense or over-amped nerves. In fact, he didn't pick up malevolence at all -- just the slightest feeling that someone was watching him as intently as he'd been watching Master Katarn before his father had appeared in front of him. But even after scanning the crowd, he saw found no one who felt like that brush of attention.

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

Luke had been looking around, scanning the crowd--maybe one of his family or friends, or someone else coming up from the pod caverns, would have arrived by now--and sure enough, lurking in the crowd of people greeting the newcomers and those others milling around, he saw Steve. Grinning, Luke stepped away from his son for a moment and went over to greet his young friend.

"Steve! There's someone here I want you to meet, c'mon!"

[craaazyisland]

Uh oh. Dammit, Luke, you and those freaky powers of yours...!

Steve looked just a smidge terrified at being caught, and froze up like Luke was marching him off to an audition. "Is, uh-- is that your son...?" he asked hesitantly.

[restoresbalance.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Come on, I'd like you to meet him," Luke said, smiling and putting a hand on Steve's shoulder and guiding him over to where Ben was standing.

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"You're a friend of dad's?" Ben ventured, holding out a hand. "I'm Ben."

[craaazyisland]

Man, when did he turn so awkward around people close to his own age? Steve longed for the days when he had been confident enough to assume shared age or a shared acquaintance was enough to start a conversion without, well. This.

"Ah, hi." Steve shook Ben's hand and desperately tried to act casual. "Sort of... I'm Steve." I borrowed your dad. Hope you don't mind.

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"Sort of hi or sort of Steve?" Ben grinned.

[craaazyisland]

"Sort of friends," Steve corrected, and started to resemble his hair color a bit. "Ugh. Sorry. I don't get out much."

[sithhavecooties.livejournal.com]

"It's fine," he reassured. After months with his father, the Kel Dors, the Aing-Tii, the Mindwalkers, a camp full of Dathomiri at war, and one lying Sith for company, he reasoned that he was two or three strange planets away from turning into a teen recluse himself -- if only to avoid irritating conversations with Vestara Khai en route to the Maw. "What do you know about this place?"