Aboard the Ghost in the GFFA, Friday Afternoon, Fandom Time

[uncertain_dume]

The supply run to Tarkintown had gone surprisingly according to plan, this week. They'd picked up the food and tools to bring to the Lothal folks who had been displaced, dropped them off, helped the locals hide them away somewhere that wouldn't be immediately noticed by Imperials, all while Kanan sauntered around in the Stormtrooper armor he'd... liberated... on that trip for medical supplies that had gone to hell the moment they'd stumbled across Imperial prisoners.

Hera blamed the success of this mission on fortuitous timing and solid planning.

Kanan, mostly just to be contrary, blamed it on his clever disguise.

"This armor is still stupid," he informed her, "but I'm keeping it."

[OOC: Open for texts and phone calls! Thread with Hera last chronologically!]

Comments

[thatwaslucky]

Rey had had two bad weeks in a row, and that was to be expected, and she was fine, but she also wouldn't mind a distraction from it

Luckily it was Friday, so Kanan's phone was ringing.

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan made a quick mental note as the phone rang that he was going to have to start A) keeping his phone on the outside of the armor, and B) put the thing on silent the next time he was actively out on a mission with it.

It took him a couple of rings longer than usual, but he did eventually manage to peel his ab-plating and belt out of the way and answer his phone.

"Rey! Hey!"

[thatwaslucky]

"Hi. Are you busy?" she checked, and it probably said something that she knew how long it usually took him to answer.

[uncertain_dume]

"Not busy, just wearing a pile of plasteel," Kanan explained, trying to work his way out of the arm gear as he spoke. "Been back on the Ghost for a while now, but I haven't gotten around to entirely working my way out of my gear yet."

[thatwaslucky]

"What kind of gear is this?" she asked, curious.

[uncertain_dume]

"I, uh, might have mugged a stormtrooper," Kanan said, after a pause. "And left him naked behind some cargo on a mission a while ago."

A beat.

"It's terrible armor," he added. "But it's easier to blend in when you look exactly the same as everyone else."

[thatwaslucky]

"And it can be dirt if fun when it's not yours," Rey pointed out, and added quickly, "The equipment. Not the mugging. I've never done that."

[uncertain_dume]

"Hey, if it's troopers we're mugging, I'm not in any position to complain," Kanan pointed out, clearly amused, even over the phone. "Have you tried this kind of armor on before? The helmets are absurd. They had much better visibility during the war."

Opinions. Kanan had opinions.

[thatwaslucky]

"I've tried it," she said. She'd been a kid who lived in a fallen AT-AT, she'd had to. But it's felt weird, and the old Rebel stuff she'd found was much better to her. "I still have parts of it around at home in case I need them. I haven't seen anything elde to compare it to."

Trooperwise, at least.

[uncertain_dume]

"I suppose that makes sense enough," Kanan admitted. "They've been phasing out the clones and their gear for a few years now. I haven't seen proper, decent armor in some time."

Which was for the best, admittedly, given that his reaction to them was... never great.

Still sorry about that, Stance.

[thatwaslucky]

Rey smiled. "Are you an armor snob?"

Which was fine. But amusing.

[uncertain_dume]

"I'm allowed if I'm wearing it into enemy territory," Kanan chuckled. "I know what armor I'd rather be wearing, but this will have to do."

Admittedly, the armor he'd rather be wearing was more along the lines of 'Jedi Knight during the war,' but that one was entirely out of the question.

[thatwaslucky]

"And there have to be ways to upgrade it," she said. "Make it at least a little bit up to standard."

[uncertain_dume]

"The trick is bringing it up to standard without changing its outward appearance," Kanan mused. "I don't suppose you've got any ideas in that area?"

[thatwaslucky]

"It depends on what you have available," she said. Scavenger rule. "But I would look for a way to fortify the back side of the armor, maybe weld something on that will strengthen it. It would be thicker than what they use, but probably not in a way that they'd notice. I'm not sure what materials hold up to blaster bolts, though."

A benefit of not getting shot at.

[uncertain_dume]

"Something to take into consideration," Kanan mused. "The added weight would be a consideration too, but I can handle a little bit extra, anyway."

Little bit.

"It's a good idea, thank you Rey."

[thatwaslucky]

"That's why you test materials," she said brightly. "How did things go?"

[uncertain_dume]

"Smoothly," Kanan said, and he sounded weirdly bemused by that, yes. "No bumps picking up the supplies, no bumps dropping them off. We just need to get through our last Imperial checkpoint and then we'll be on our way."

A beat.

"I don't entirely trust it."

[thatwaslucky]

"Things can go okay every now and then, you know," Rey pointed out, like an optimist or something.

[uncertain_dume]

"Yeah," Kanan chuckled, "but it's still weird when it does."

Sorry, Rey. He came by his pessimism honestly.

"How have things been going for you?"

[thatwaslucky]

"All right. A little slow, but that happens sometimes," she said, sounding pretty okay about it. "It'll pick up."

Continuing that optimist trend.

[uncertain_dume]

"Can't stay slow forever," Kanan agreed.

... Because if it started to look like it might, he was crashing Jakku with a care package, dammit.

"This is how it usually goes? With the slow periods now and again?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Sometimes. Everyone's competing for the same stuff, so you might be left with things that aren't worth much. So it's a matter of finding what others haven't yet," she explained. "It's annoying but fine."

Well, okay, it wasn't fine, the system was broken and terrible and she knew that, but it was what she had to do.

[uncertain_dume]

Kanan had told himself he'd stop saying this, but...

Hell. The Space Dad was strong with this one, lately.

"If ever it isn't, you know I've got your back," he said, going for a nice air of 'concerned dad casual,' there.

[thatwaslucky]

"I know," she said, and she still appreciated hearing it. "I promise I'll let you know, too."

Maybe.

[uncertain_dume]

"Okay, good," Kanan replied, and his relief was right there in his voice, too.

Yeah, Space Dad was gonna Dad.

"I have faith you've got this, though. You were taking care of yourself for a long time before Fandom, and all."

[thatwaslucky]

"Exactly. And I was smart about bringing things from Fandom, some of which you sent me with," she assured him.

[uncertain_dume]

"Right," Kanan agreed. "The first aid things and all."

Maybe one of these weeks she'd call and he'd manage to make it through the conversation without being all quietly concerned!

[thatwaslucky]

No.

"And I haven't needed to break into that at all," she said encouragingly.

She left off the "yet."

[uncertain_dume]

"Well, that's good," Kanan said, encouraged. Mostly! "I'll send you replacements for anything you have to use." A beat. "Carefully, so nobody notices."

He was learning.

[thatwaslucky]

It was a relief to hear that, because she hadn't wanted to make him worry more by telling him how much attention she could get for getting too many things.

"Thank you. Though my goal is to not actually need it," she said lightly.

[uncertain_dume]

"And that's a respectable goal," Kanan replied with a little grin. "Let's keep it that way, then."

For a certain value of 'us' that meant 'Rey,' since Kanan wasn't physically present to do the dadding in person, sigh.

[futurespacemom]

Hera gave him an amused side-eye. "It's certainly useful." She flipped a switch and made sure their spoofed transponder was working before sneaking into the accepted space lane away from Lothal. "How much longer till our portal?"

[uncertain_dume]

"Probably about... an hour?" Kanan was working his way out of... well, it was a codpiece. It involved a bit of hopping on one foot. Please hold. "Chop should already have the coordinates entered into the system. All we have to do is clear the last checkpoint and make the jump."

[futurespacemom]

Hera nodded. "Should take us half an hour for that, so we've got a bit of a buffer. We'll just take our time, blend in with the rest of the traffic."

[uncertain_dume]

"There's no point in hurrying, that's what gets their attention in the first place, right?" Kanan was frowning a little as he dropped the armor piece to the side and sat himself down to work on those leg guards, next. "Pretty sure we can have that portal held if this ends up taking longer, anyhow."

[futurespacemom]

"I can't see why it would," Hera said, "but that's good to know anyway."

There was no sense tempting fate.

"Where should we go for class next week?" she asked. "Do you think there's a medical facility that could use help? Or maybe we could go smaller, find a local garden or something."

[uncertain_dume]

"Garden sounds like a good way to get people back into the swing of things," Kanan mused. "One of those community ones that grows food for the homeless, maybe. They probably need help with the harvest this time of year."

[futurespacemom]

"That's a good idea," Hera agreed. "Maybe the folks at that soup kitchen can point us in the right direction."

[uncertain_dume]

"If anybody can, it's--"

Kanan didn't finish that sentence. The moment he got the last piece of armor off, he promptly turned into a loth-cat.

"Rrrr?"

COME ON. HE WASN'T EVEN ON THE ISLAND.

[futurespacemom]

Puzzled, Hera risked a glance back. Then did a double-take.

"Space, at least we're in the lane." She flipped on the autopilot and thumbed the comm. "Chopper, keep an eye on the helm!"

Then she was piling Kanan's armor to one side, eyeing the lothcat. "Kanan? Please tell me this is just the island doing something weird. Are you okay?" Apart from the obvious. Hopefully he was an okay lothcat.

[uncertain_dume]

Yeah, yeah, he was fine. He was ANNOYED, but he was fine. He gave a little growl of annoyance, tail thrashing behind himself, and plodding around Hera's ankles for a moment before jumping up and parking himself in the co-pilot's seat.

[futurespacemom]

Hera sighed. "Well, at least it didn't happen on the ground." She sat back down in the pilot's seat, checked everything, and kept them going. "We'll be back to the island soon."

She thought about it.

"Hopefully I won't be an ancient Jedi Master again this time."