That gets a bitter smile out of her, staring into her coffee as she reflects on it. It's so far from anything she'd ever had to worry about, Leia is almost wistful to imagine such simplistic concerns. Domestic politics... ha.
"No, I've been staging a rebellion against a tyrannical empire. Princess is just a title now."
"Oh. That's what the rebellion is rebellin' against?"
That's a lot more than he'd actually given her credit for. But with her talk of servants and lack of knowledge about cleaning, he'd assumed it wasn't that serious.
"You're quite the interesting young woman, ain't you?"
Going from royalty to Senator to leader in a rebellion army had not given Leia a lot of time, at the age of twenty-five, to take on grunt work. Even in the Alliance, she was too busy coordinating and planning, and they were millions strong. She was far more in-demand as a member of leadership than as a regular crew member like she is here.
It's hard for her to conceive of someone not knowing about the rebellion, even now, but intellectually she knows most people here wouldn't have any kind of context for it.
Nonetheless, Leia gives him a mildly sarcastic look. "I'm not on the galaxy's most wanted list because I had a snit with an uncle, that's for sure."
"Well, even the 'galaxy' don't mean much of anything to me. I suppose it's a sensitive topic, but if you'd like to tell me I hear I'm easy to talk to," he says, with a little smile for her. She really is interesting, and Arthur doesn't like to talk about himself.
"Oh, it's not sensitive," Leia counters immediately, not bothering to offer an explanation for what a galaxy is. It seems like a pointless diversion.
"It's extremely public, and I've been recruiting people to the Alliance since I was a teenager. Don't hold back on my account." She really doesn't mind talking about it; life under the Empire is just a fact to Leia, the way things have always been. If her slow, growing realization throughout adolescence about the need for a revolution had been an internal journey, it's by now a conclusion she has set in stone inside her, unshakeable.
"No, I don't need the Admiral to win my wars for me." That would be such a hollow victory, when the Alliance has fought tooth and nail for every meter they've won. "The Empire is a cruel dictatorship propping up an evil man that exploits common people for his own power. I'm part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic -- what we want is a return to democracy and self-governance, and to diplomacy rather than conquest."
Leaning back in her chair, she cradles her mug and crosses her legs. This counts as normal tea time conversation for Leia. Obviously she's a biased source, but there's an easy confidence to her account that makes it clear she really has been recruiting people for years.
"What the Empire wants is for the whole galaxy to fall under their control specifically, and under humans more generally. Nothing is beyond them. Genocide, brainwashing, torture -- " Leia shakes her head. "That's just the start of their methods."
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momijizukamori
no subject
"New king and queen take over?"
He doesn't mean it facetiously. He just assumes, since she's a princess, that they chased her out.
no subject
"No, I've been staging a rebellion against a tyrannical empire. Princess is just a title now."
no subject
"Oh. That's what the rebellion is rebellin' against?"
That's a lot more than he'd actually given her credit for. But with her talk of servants and lack of knowledge about cleaning, he'd assumed it wasn't that serious.
"You're quite the interesting young woman, ain't you?"
no subject
It's hard for her to conceive of someone not knowing about the rebellion, even now, but intellectually she knows most people here wouldn't have any kind of context for it.
Nonetheless, Leia gives him a mildly sarcastic look. "I'm not on the galaxy's most wanted list because I had a snit with an uncle, that's for sure."
no subject
"Well, even the 'galaxy' don't mean much of anything to me. I suppose it's a sensitive topic, but if you'd like to tell me I hear I'm easy to talk to," he says, with a little smile for her. She really is interesting, and Arthur doesn't like to talk about himself.
no subject
"It's extremely public, and I've been recruiting people to the Alliance since I was a teenager. Don't hold back on my account." She really doesn't mind talking about it; life under the Empire is just a fact to Leia, the way things have always been. If her slow, growing realization throughout adolescence about the need for a revolution had been an internal journey, it's by now a conclusion she has set in stone inside her, unshakeable.
no subject
"Can you give me the abridged version? What does either side want, what are you fighting for, and are you here to make sure you get it?"
no subject
"No, I don't need the Admiral to win my wars for me." That would be such a hollow victory, when the Alliance has fought tooth and nail for every meter they've won. "The Empire is a cruel dictatorship propping up an evil man that exploits common people for his own power. I'm part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic -- what we want is a return to democracy and self-governance, and to diplomacy rather than conquest."
Leaning back in her chair, she cradles her mug and crosses her legs. This counts as normal tea time conversation for Leia. Obviously she's a biased source, but there's an easy confidence to her account that makes it clear she really has been recruiting people for years.
"What the Empire wants is for the whole galaxy to fall under their control specifically, and under humans more generally. Nothing is beyond them. Genocide, brainwashing, torture -- " Leia shakes her head. "That's just the start of their methods."
no subject
"Jesus. It almost seems like something you'd read about." Or maybe see a movie about! Who knows.
"Can't imagine what it must be like to be in the middle of that."