with tweaks by Josh Nolan
"I still can't believe you get past the no-fly rules. We're heroes-"
"Hey!"
"The kind everyone knows about," Face sighed.
"Consider me momentarily placated." Fes reached across to press up a switch and glanced out the window to verify his position.
"We have to jump through all sorts of mauve tape to come visit," Hobbie said. "The only reason we get through is because of family-ish ties, half-galactic genetics, and friends in high places."
"Not quite nepotism - but it works," Face shrugged.
"As I was saying - we have to suffer the indignity of clones -"
"And SACUL have an abominable sense of humour using WEES clones."
"Shut up, Face - playing transport-driver both on and off planet! Do you have any idea how it feels, not being trusted to fly-"
"I do!"
"Shut UP, Face!"
Fes grinned. "Lensmen."
"Lens-who?"
"Lens-what?"
"DOC SMITH!" Sylvana narrowly missed falling out of her chair in laughter by simply having not taken her restraints off yet.
"You'd be surprised the kind of ideas one can get from Terran fiction, Klivian."
"Like Terra Group?"
Fes just watched him a moment before shrugging. "Okay - not so surprised."
Syl gasped for air from her giggle-fit. "Oh no, you didn't!"
"Oh yes, I did!"
"How? I thought that stuff was pretend."
"That's because you're a medic. I used imagination and a little help from some secret relatives of the Historical Machinophile Persuasion."
"You mean-"
"Raven's Omen has been with me since I first escaped this marble."
"Why didn't our parents do that so we could go home, then?"
"After all that happened?"
"Stupid answer."
"Dumb question."
Face waved his hand in the air like an eager student. "Galactics, here. Still lost. Explain, please!"
"There's a series of books - the original space opera," Fes began.
"Lensman," Syl clarified, "By Doc Smith." She paused. "Maybe he was a stranded Galactic?"
"Think Old Republic Jedi Law Enforcement."
"Like what Farmboy is starting up."
"Luke isn't all that bad once you get to know him. You don't need to call him that."
"I'm still mad at him. And yes, I really do."
"That was almost a decade ago, and it all worked out. It wasn't even his fault, it was Da's!"
"Still angry. I'm good at grudges."
"What are you, twelve?"
"I'm older than you."
"By TEN MINUTES!"
Hobbie coughed. "Lensmen? Please?"
"Sorry, hon. It's about genetically superior humans and non humans-"
"Like Jedi."
"HEY!"
"SHUT UP FACE."
"Who also happen to have super epic-"
"Thankfully non-ferrous-"
"Scanner resistant-"
"Space craft-"
"Made out of-"
"Beryllium!"
"Which is...?" Face dared break in, despite his previously unsuccessful attempts.
"Weren't you listening?" Syl asked.
"Invisible to scanners." Fes explained. "Plus, Phaanan and counterfeit Riikki keep me up-to-date on their scanner sweep patterns."
Sylvana grinned. "The better to avoid them, my dear - and the little ship too! Mwee heehee heeheehee hee!"
"Mwee. Hee. Hee?" Fes asked, looking over his shoulder, staring at his sister.
"It's my Diet Coke of Evil laugh. Because. Not evil, here."
Hobbie patted her head. "I beg to differ."
"Doesn't count," she watched him bang his head against Fes' chair, "don't hurt your head."
"Or break my ship," her brother put in.
"He does have a hard head, doesn't he?"
"It's my theory," Syl said, patting Hobbie's shoulder, "That his hard head is how he survived his dates with gravity so many times."
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
* * *
Sylvana started napping somewhere over Florida. Her dream was strange, though much tamer than the one she'd had several days earlier (the massacre still made her stomach clench with anger. She hoped. How she dared to hope it was just a nightmare). In this dream, however, there were hidden weapons (normal); searching for people before their time ran out (also normal); eleventh hour decapitations and defeating of bad-guys (still normal); and a giant eyeball (the organ, not the fighter - she felt she needed to distinguish the difference even in her dream) bouncing through a Mendellian forest like a pinball machine, with pink lightsabre flappers sending it on its way every time it started heading toward the oceanside (okay, that was a little weird).
* * *
"My arm went numb over an hour ago."
"Sissy."
"We just passed over Costa Rica a little bit ago, we'll be to Mendellia shortly. You should get your parachute on now, Syl."
"It's a Terran Parachute."
"We've been over this, a Galactic Hoverchute would make a blip on a watched area of the planet."
"Getting us all incarcerated."
"It's a primitive sensor combined with CLOTH."
"And you've done it hundreds of times."
"...I'm entitled to my token balking. Shut up."
"HAh! It wasn't me this time!"
"Shut up, Ricky."
"Damn."
"I promise to slow down enough that you won't become a pancake when you jump out."
"Mmm Pancakes." Yawn "I still haven't convinced Queenie to give me her recipe. I could SO go for some right now."
"You and your stomach."
* * *
Goodbyes weren't long, nor drawn out. They'd been gone over so many times before, twice a year or so up until recently, once a year since. It really was rotten that they couldn't take separate leave times anymore. She had no way to get off planet, let alone out of the system.
Still, thousands upon thousands of Terran families lived in the same one-month-a-year plan, and survived just fine.
It still sucked.
Hugs were exchanged, as was a kiss ("Ugh! I didn't need to SEE that!") before Syl leapt out the hatch and plummeted toward Mendellia.
Toward the forest.
"Why can't I ever 'chute directly on target?" Syl grumbled to herself as she jerked in the air to a slow descent.
Her eyes scanned the horizon toward the palace, then toward the airport. Good, Kristy had made sure folks know she was coming. She looked down. Forest wouldn't be so bad, there really wasn't anything to worry about in-
"Sithmonkies." She got hit by a gust of wind and began to drift away from the edge toward Ewok territory.
Lovely. Sylvana yawned, then slapped her face a few times. Maybe she'd get lucky and either see nobody on her trek toward the road, or run into a few fuzzy friends. Either she'd get a challenge fight in when she was near dead with exhaustion, or she'd be able to convince them of a place to cat-nap before she went to the Palace
With it still in the dark before the swift coming dawn, it could really go either way.
It figured she'd get her parachute stuck in a tree on the edge of the village. "This'll be fun...."
Sylvana unclipped herself and scrambled up the ropes to start untangling it from the tree. First, however, she swiftly undid her loose braid and tucked her hair tightly behind her ears before re-braiding it. She'd found, over the years, that sight of the tattooed pointed ears seemed to cause swifter recognition. She never asked why - but then her Ewokese was about as well as a toddler's grasp. Languages were more her little brother's forte.
Plus, she's a girl. That frequently helps when dealing with people like Ewoks.
She ducked a spear that flew over her head, lodging itself in the tree above her.
Then again, being known meant they knew she was a warrior, too.
"Sithspit."
* * *
The spear ended up having been lobbed in order to help her scramble higher to get the parachute out of their tree, and not a challenge to a fight - thank TAWG (and didn't that thought make her giggle, considering!). That was nice, it meant they were in a good mood.
It took some time for her to get the parachute untangled, and a few minutes more to climb down without breaking something while carrying the unwieldy thing. Several Ewoks came out of nowhere and began helping her fold it up, much to her surprise. She caught a few words here and there, her Ewokese was better than most the planet, but still on the 'toddler ewok' side of things. She was well aware she sounded like a two or three year old child.
Which had the benefit (detriment?) of being treated like a toddler whenever she went to look in on them.
<"Honourable Man-">
<"Celebration today!">
<"Join us, Tree-Cousin?">
Were about all she was able to make out among the excited chatter. Wasn't their Honourable Man festival usually coinciding with late summer or early autumn? (she never could keep it straight, it was never the same set of days!)
She gave them an apologetic smile, sure to not bare her teeth while doing so. <"Tree-Cousin is very have to go."> She couldn't fight the yawn. <"So very sorry, I come upping to stay soon visit.">
One matronish female tugged her arm until she crouched down, then patted Sylvana on her head. <"You are speaking better. You will learn. Do not feel bad, little Tree-Cousin."> Then she tweaked her ear, <"No yawning when speaking, it is weak.">
Sylvana stood, rubbing at her ear. <"Sorry. Can point you me to home for my sleep?">
The Ewok tutted shaking her head, and all but dragged Sylvana further into the village. <"Come rest in my home, then you will eat and train one fight, then your home. Do not argue with me.">
Sylvana hid a yawn (to save her ear another tweaking) and agreed. <"I not argue with you.">
<"Wise choice.">
After a restful nap on the surprisingly soft (if small) pile of skins in the corner of Latara's home, a small meal, and a sparring match with her husband Chuka (spear work with an opponent half your size is difficult) - Sylvana was set on her usual way to the palace about mid-morning.<"Strength to you.">
*
Taking well-memorised short-cuts had Sylvana arriving about lunch time. For the first time in years, she was required to show, and prove, her identification before entry to the castle - despite living there. That was a lot weird.
Also, very unsettling, because it meant something hugely awful was probably happening - and she wasn't called home for more benign awful reasons. However, things weren't too bustling - and Sylvana phoned Kristy as soon as she got in. Being told she sounded tired, and to take a time out to wash up and change before coming to find her or Thayer. She thanked her profusely before setting to do just that - washing off the grime and sweat of the past several hours before changing into some clean clothes and tightly braiding up her hair. Old habits die hard, and her stiletto and laser-scalpel found their way into her braid (along with a set of lock-picks she'd acquired after the wedding).
She set off to find the his Majesty, and was gleeful to meet up with Mike on the way. "Hey, you! Long time no visit!"
Mike seemed to have an idea of what was going on, and quite happy to NOT fill her in. They met with Thayer who brought them into a briefing room.
Sylvana left the room feeling ill and, even more so, angry. Her dream had been accurate after all, if not by face, by event. They were back in business, it was back, and they had only what they'd managed to hide away before they were stripped of their duties by the powers that were.
Which meant they were in business vigilante style.
Lovely.
When they got to the Batcave, Sylvana bounced in glee, sobering news set aside for the moment. "It's just like old times!"
*
The picnic was wonderful, the conversation more so. It was wonderful to be back in business again - and it was entirely unfair that something so tragic was what brought everyone back together. Still, something in Sylvana said that the surprises for the day were not entirely done with. It was a feeling she shoved aside for the moment, because it did not at all feel ominous.
It grew as the night went on, however - and just before the battle of Hoth began in the second film of their marathon, Sylvana left her desk-chair and sneaked around to lean over the back of the couch to talk to Josh Cochran a moment.
"Hey, Jedi-boy, have you picked up one of those 'I've not felt that presence since-' vibes?"
"Yes. But I know why," he glanced up at her and looked far too amused - in her opinion - when he answered, "and you don't."
Sylvana stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm going to check it out after the battle scene, then."
"You do that. Have fun. Now shush, you're setting a bad example for the kids."
She went to flick his ear, but he moved in time (as expected) and she moved to perch on the arm of the loveseat on Lenka's side in order to watch the Hoth battle.
*
Battle over, Sylvana left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her in order to keep from interrupting everyone else any more than she already had, and went off to investigate. She trailed her hand along the wall as she concentrated on the not-quite-foreign feeling in the flows - following those threads to their source.
She looked up and grinned.
"INCOMING FRIENDLY ALLY SO DON'T KILL ME!" Sylvana shouted as she ran up to Josh and jumped up to hug him with all her limbs, giving him a big kiss on the cheek. "IT'S YOU! IT'S YOU! IT'S YOU! IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU! YOU'RE HERE!!!!"
Thankful that Sylvana had warned him, and thus saved them both a very embarrassing, probably deadly, outcome - Josh patted her on the back a few times before prying her off and setting her back on her feet. "That was quite the welcome," he said.
She tilted her head as she looked up at him, her grin turning to a puzzled frown. "You're stoic. Stoic-er, I mean, than before."
"I just woke up. Also, it's been a while."
"It has. Still, you're of my Anam Cara, and therefore you're MISSING OUT, because we had a picnic. But that's okay, there weren't pancakes -- now we are watching The Movies, and you are joining us because you are home now." Sylvana's tone brooked no argument, though her hand tugging on his arm and half-dragging his bemused self back the way she'd come might have had something to do with it.
"Anam -what?"
"Anam Cara. Soul friend. C'mon, you can't expect any less considering what we've gone through together."
"Almost a decade ago."
"Time is irrelevant. I've missed you, you know."
"Yeah, I guess I missed you too, but... I had to get away."
"I know. Still, it sucks - almost everyone's gone now, you know. Though what's going on," she frowned again and sighed, "I'm glad we were able to get even a small of us back together. It'll be great working with you again, this time without trying to kill each other," the smile was back as she glanced up at him.
Josh was keeping his face carefully neutral. He forgot how... bubbly she was. She hadn't aged a day since he'd last seen her, which was disconcerting. He studied her a moment as she continued chattering, then noticed a set of symbols trailing up her right ear when she absently tucked her hair out of her face.
"...Do I have potatoe salad on my face or something? Maybe barbecue sauce - the kids were a bit rambunctious earlier and-"
"What's that on your ear?"
"Oh! Everybody. You're there too. Each one is a tiny symbol I designed from the initials of people I've known and fought with in Terra Group. Gone, but not forgotten. NEVER forgotten." She didn't feel the need to mention she'd added the 'current' team when Terra Group had disbanded, that a certain Duros and Caamasi were included as well, and she didn't let him say anything else as she shoved the door open. "Look what I found!" she called in, disturbing Yoda teaching Luke to do fancy hand stands.
Film paused, everyone converged with homecoming hellos.