WHO: Bail Organa & Sharon Carter (MCU) WHEN: Mid-afternoon WHERE: Camp at the caves. SUMMARY: Bail shows up and is suspicious. Sharon's the first person he finds. WARNINGS: None, really.
Disoriented was the only word that Bail Organa could use to describe how he felt. He thought the entire situation had to be some kind of Imperial trap, some imprisonment that he hadn't heard of yet. He'd heard of them doing a lot, but this was one step too far. When he came to for the second time, this time in caves that were unfamiliar, dark and dank, in the type of garments he had never worn before in his life, he had to count backwards from 100, first in Basic and then in Alderaanian, before he could breathe soundly again.
If this was truly an experiment as that woman, Alfa, had informed him, then what could Bail do besides play along until the time came that he would be released and could return to Alderaan. It was imperative that he get there soon. This was a wrinkle in his plans that he would have never imagined happening.
Nearby, a blonde woman hovered, and he cleared his throat to get her attention. "Pardon me, miss -"
Wandering through the damp, tropical caves, Sharon Carter was a bit lost in her own thoughts. She was not entirely sure what to make of her budding friendship with Kylo Ren, but she supposed that it was better not to overthink it. After all, once you’ve almost been eaten by a lava worm with someone, it was sort of inevitable that you formed a kind of bond. It wasn’t a life experience that everyone could relate to.
It was completely by accident that Sharon stumbled -- stunned -- onto the new arrival. She could tell by his posture who he was, and she froze, a little unsure what to do. But when he noticed her and tried to get her attention, she knew she couldn’t continue to stand there uncomfortably, and so she drew a bit closer, offering him a friendly wave.
“Hi -- you, you must be new?”
Bail nodded once. "Yes, I've only just arrived," he said. Though he wasn't sure what scenario he had been thrust in to, and he wasn't interested in making any missteps. He looked at her for a moment, trying to gauge if she knew who he was by sight or not. Deciding that she might, or at least that she might recognize him as someone familiar, he stepped over toward her. "I'm Bail Organa," he said. "Of Alderaan."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought that perhaps he shouldn't introduce himself straight off the mark, in case this was some kind of elaborate trap. But in that same moment, he recognized that if this was a trap, it was possible anyone who would do the viceroy of Alderaan any harm would know who he was and do so anyway.
“It really is an honour to meet you.” Sharon offered, realizing that it might seem a little hollow given the circumstances. But she thought there might be something comforting in the fact that his position was respected even in this strange place. “My name is Sharon Carter, and I’m not really from any place you’d know about -- but I’m a prisoner in this world too, like you.”
But she’d been here long enough to know, as well as anyone could, the ins and outs of the place. She was familiar with the compound, and the fact that the entities that brought them here were powerful enough to move them to different locations without them even being aware. But she only had the same basic ideas as to why they were here that everyone else did, so she wouldn’t be much use to him if he had that many question. “But I can help you -- there’s a few of us, we’ve built a camp in these caves.”
He inclined his head in acceptance of her words because it was comforting, however slight. His eyebrow arched as she continued though, seeing as how as a diplomat and a senator, Bail believed himself to be very well-educated on all worlds in the universe, even though far out past the outer rim. "It's good to meet you, Ms. Carter," he said. "Even if it is under these circumstances."
Bail glanced around. "Thank you. I would appreciate any help you have to offer. Do you know what world we're on? How many other prisoners there are?"
“No one is sure what world we’re on because it -- well. It changes. Sometimes we’re in one place and then we just wake up somewhere else. It’s as unbelievable as it sounds, I know. And -- from what I gather, there’s about fifty prisoners.” Sharon rubbed the palms of her hands on her skirt. She knew she wasn’t exactly in the best shape, currently. Her hair was tied up in a bun because she hadn’t managed to wash it with anything but salt water in over a week. And her Fred Flintstone-esque orange dress was short, and torn up because she’d used it to bandage Holden’s shoulder after he’d been wounded. “Give or take a few. Right now we’re all scattered throughout these caves and the forest outside, so it’s hard to keep track when some of them are quieter than others. There are a few people here from your world though, including some Imperial officers -- and your daughter, Princess Leia.”
Bail listened to her, filing each piece of information away for comment and question later. But his head snapped over to look at her, his attention caught immediately at the mention of Imperial officers and then - then - his fist clenched against his thigh when she said his daughter's name. "Leia's here?" he asked, too quickly to pull it back, admonishing himself for showing his hand with the concern in his voice and expression on his face. He changed his expression immediately, neutralizing it, though his mind raced. When had she been captured? He hadn't even had a chance to speak with her yet, and the last he knew, she was safe back on - "Where is she?" he asked, an edge of demand in his tone.
“She’s done on the beach, the last I heard.” Sharon kept her tone even. Part of her training was similar to what they gave 911 operators: to always remain calm no matter what she was confronted with. It was necessary in her work as a spy when she had to think quickly without giving too much away. Staying steady also helped whomever she was talking with level out, too. Given everything that Bail Organa had to process right now, she could understand his being a little stressed out; she could hear the concern in his voice and she understood it. “You can communicate with her using the device you’ve been given. She has her own camp set up down there.”
Most of the camps, including their own, were damaged significantly in the rain and floods that had occurred over the last few days, and she didn’t know how well Leia’s camp had survived the storms, but she felt Cavetown would have heard some news by now if the Beach Camp had run into too much trouble.
There were many things that Bail didn't like about this entire situation, only one of which was that Leia was here. Was she being held by those Imperial officers that Sharon mentioned before? His stomach twisted in on itself. He needed to see her, to know that she was all right. "Can you take me down to the beach?" he asked. "Or is there someone else who can?" Using the comm device to speak with her was one thing; seeing her with his own eyes was another entirely. He needed the latter.
Besides, leaving these caves and camps would give him an opportunity to see for himself what kind of world he had been taken to. Once Bail had a better sense of place, once he met some of the other prisoners, he hoped that he'd be able to figure out the next best step for him, for Leia, and for any others as well.
“I can try.” Personally, Sharon wanted to keep Sharon away from Cavetown for as long as possible. She knew that Kylo Ren had complicated, negative feelings about his mother. Putting that conflict off for as long as possible seemed like a wise choice. But, getting downstream to the beach wasn’t going to be that easy with the weather like it was. The path was washed out and the way was treacherous. But there were a few people she knew from the Beach Camp that had made their way up already. If she asked nicely, she was quite sure that Clint would take her back down that way. He owed her a favour after the extraction team she’d pulled together to help him get out of Kuwait, a few years back. If she had to, she could call that in. “Come on, let’s meet up with the others and see if there’s anyone that’s going down that way.”
Bail gave her a smile. “Thank you,” he said, taking her hand in both of his and giving it a shake and a squeeze. “I very much appreciate it.” Anything, he thought, anything he might be able to do or offer to her in return, he hoped he be able to do so. Right now, he needed to see his daughter and hoped it wasn't some Imperial trick or, worse, trap.