Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Garth Thul]

She turned to Garth then, her own eyes narrowing not unlike Vaylin's had.

"Great. Just great."

She kicked over one of the heavy bags of soil for the hydroponics bays. The thud it made was nowhere near as satisfying as she imagined making the whole place shake would feel.

Garth felt suddenly small and insignificant, under the disapproving scrutiny of the two powerful women.

"What th' actual frakk was that? You know that powerhouse?" He asked Layne as he checked the area for structural integrity after Vaylin's temper tantrum.

[Layne Hoshin]

"You couldn't just be a little nicer to her?!"

Ugh. Why was she getting so angry? Vaylin's reaction to Garth's muttering had been just as bad as the muttering.

"...Instead of complaining about slaves like we're supposed to fall on our knees and hands for you?"

Ugh. Was *that* why she was angry?

"...That was the daughter of the emperor."

[Garth Thul]

"Nicer?" Garth splutters, completely flabbergasted.

"Short o' bendin' over an grabbin' mah ankles ah showed 'er every courtesy. Fer all ah know she were one o' those pirates ah shot down earlier t'day. We are still in an active engagement. Protocols need t' be obs...." Garth paused as Layne's words sank in.

"Emperor's daughter, an she's just wand'rin round here unsupervised? Who's genius plan were that?"

[Layne Hoshin]

"Courtesy? Oh is that what that was?"

Now it was Layne's turn to take a moment to breathe.

"...feel free to bring up your concerns to the people in charge, I guess."

[Garth Thul]

"Mah concerns? Dammit woman she near shook the room apart an' us with it. All because ah made th' mistake of thinkin' she were one o' them liberated slaves."

Garth pinched at the bridge of his nose. "Ah know mah foot lives in m' mouth quite often but with her power, if she so easily offended, an' quick t' anger she's a threat t' this whole base."

[Layne Hoshin]

"Those slaves that ought to just set all their trauma aside for the sake of 'etiquette', right?"

Foot in mouth indeed.

"You ever think that maybe, sometimes, angry people'd be less of a threat if people just acknowledged they maybe have a reason to be angry in the first place?"

She shooked her head. "...I don't know, seems like the kind of thing people should be thinking about more around here."

[Garth Thul]

"Even I ain't dense 'nuff to think that's somethin' so easily overcome Layne. I know people can be emotional for damn good reasons, an' no matter what th' Jedi say anger is as valid an emotion as any."

"But ah said a word, a single kriffing word and it set her off like that. I'm not saying her anger ain't valid, cos I know nutjin' bout her situation, but when y' got that level of power, y' gotta take responsibility fer yer action. Ownership and consequences."

[Layne Hoshin]

A momentary flash of anger ran across her face at that.

"The more people talk like that, the more the opposite will happen... People like her don't need people like you throwing stuff like that in her face all the time."

Idiots. The lot of them.

[Garth Thul]

Garth took a deep breath and carefully sat down on a nearby stool talking gently.

"Ah'll admit t' never feelin' that level of anger, but th' look on yer face an' the passion in yer voice tells me y' might’ve walked that path a bit. Any insight on how t' be less of an idiot? Ah'd like ta avoid another potential catastrophe."

[Layne Hoshin]

A bit!?

She wanted to punch him. Instead she let out an annoyed-sounding sigh.

"...what is the worst thing that's ever happened to you?"

[Garth Thul]

"Mah parents were killed 'fore ah was old 'nuff t' walk." Garth admitted openly. He had very little to hide, and had led a comparatively blessed life.

"Ambushed by space pirates, that's part o' why ah volunteered fer this mission."

[Layne Hoshin]

"I don't mean to sound callous, but that's like every other person on the Outer Rim. And if it happened before you could even walk, well, I'm guessing you weren't there to see it and probably don't even remember them, right?"

[Garth Thul]

"Nope, yer right. T' be fair ah've led a pretty blessed life, perhaps that's why ah had trouble relatin?"

[Layne Hoshin]

"Those who've lived blessed lives will never be able to understand..."

She balled a fist.

"...Do you know what a slave's life is like? I suppose you imagine it's no different than the one your servants on Alderaan live. And for some it might be. For others... it's nothing but pain and struggle. Imagine being a child, and every day you get pushed to do the kind of labor that breaks even grown men. Imagine that every day you get beaten or shock-collared because you missed your quota by half a percent. Imagine starving half to death every day because your owners think it motivates you to work harder. Imagine that sometimes, you have to squeeze the life out of a fellow slave so *you* can go on living for another day yourself. Imagine that this goes on for years, and years, and years, and all you have to look forward to is the day you die."

The fist balled itself tighter a little more. Her anger wasn't just flowing from what she was saying; but from the things she *wasn't* saying.

"...And then one day you're free. One of the 'lucky' ones. But you're never free from what was done to you, nor what you had to do to still be around. To say nothing of all the slaves still out there, judging you for no longer suffering as they do. Now, do you think that would make you angry? Maybe even let that anger make you do things?"

[Garth Thul]

"Look, ah know it's bad, an ah know I'll never understand just how bad cos ah've never experienced it." Garth replied calmly as he tried to read between the lines.

"Ah understand th' concept, but not th' intensity of th' anger at what was done.But how long can y' live with the anger, before th' anger defines you? Takes you over?"

[Layne Hoshin]

That same anger returned to her face.

"So, you think that's what someone in that situation wants to hear? Someone who doesn't understand telling them how to feel about it? If you think that's helpful, then you really don't understand."

She forced herself to unfurl her fist. She wanted to take out her frustrations on him. But like so many others, he was just simply ignorant. All of them, just trying to help without realizing.

"...that girl wasn't a slave, and I don't know what she specifically went through. But I'm gonna guess it's the same basic thing if you break it all down to its base elements. Pain. Torment. No future of her own. No control of anything. Suffered and caused suffering because of it. And now she's free. But she *isn't*."

"Right now, she doesn't need people lecturing her, making her feel even more like the monster she probably already thinks she is. Or the monster she made herself into just to make sense of what was done to her... what she needs is for people to just be there. Acknowledge what was done to her. Not try to cast it in some moralistic light that only undermines the process."

Of course, there was a not-insignificant chance that she would just force choke Layne again if she heard her talking about her like this.