Rey Skywalker (sandstorm) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2018-12-20 20:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, *jeanna, *laura, hercules hansen, rey |
Nobember 2018 backdated
Rey + Herc Hansen
The Park | G
Hanging out with their doggies
Complete
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Herc still wasn’t quite sure what to make of Atlantis. It was a better alternative to what he had waiting for him back home, which was a whole lot of nothing. No, that wasn’t true. Mako, Raleigh and Tendo called him often. Tendo sent photos of his family. Mako and Raleigh had visited him on the ranch; they’d stayed for weeks, destressing, cutting themselves out from the rest of the world. They’d deserved the break; they all had. But it wasn’t much, overall. He’d helped sort the PPDC out, and then he’d stepped down. He’d given enough. He was done. Atlantis offered a new sort of life. It offered a second chance. He’d be a fool not to take it. He’d woken up early, as was his habit, and took Max to the park - after stopping by a bakery for coffee and some pastries to share. It was beautiful here, he thought as he sat down on a bench. He could see how it wouldn’t be hard to get used to. Rey loved these early mornings in the park. Marty loved being able to run around and play while Rey often meditated and kept an eye on her. It was a part of the day that belonged to the two of them and she loved it. That being said, she didn’t mind the least bit when Herc had suggested they meet. Being new wasn’t easy, she remember how strange it had felt so she was more than happy to make a new friend. She spotted them and as soon as Marty saw the other dog, she started jumping, excited to make a new friend. Rey laughed and said “Calm down, we’ll get there in a minute.” As soon as they reached the bench where Herc and Max were, she took off the leash and sat down. “Hi. As you can see, Marty is happy to meet someone new.” “Well, of course she is,” Herc answered, a soft smile on his face. Max had gotten up from where he’d been lazying about on a patch of grass, and he was sniffing the new four-legged companion curiously. He hadn’t ever spent much time with other dogs, in the Shatterdome. Plenty of people, but not a lot of dogs, not until Herc left and went to the country. It was still an adjustment, but he was doing well. Herc eyed him for a moment, and then looked at the young woman. “I bought breakfast,” he held the bag up, “if you’re hungry.” It had seemed like the polite thing to do. “Oh thank you,” she said. “That’s wonderful and I’m always hungry first thing in the morning.” Most of the time she stopped for coffee and something to eat on the way to the park but this morning she had forgotten since she was meeting Herc. “one thing about Atlantis is that there is a fabulous variety of food. Just about anything you could think of and a few things you have never experienced. The planet I grew up on wasn’t much in the way of food.” It’d been a safe bet to assume she might be hungry, but Herc was glad to see his instincts hadn’t been wrong. She looked to be about Chuck’s age -- although his judgement might be off -- and Chuck would’ve eaten them out of house and home if it weren’t for rationing (and they even got more than everyone else did, because of their position). “There’s more variety than I’m used to as well,” he agreed, his gaze shifting downwards to take in how the dogs were getting on. “What was it like where you’re from?” Rey took a bite and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. When she’d swallowed she opened her eyes and smiled at Herc. “I’m sorry, sometimes this place still amazes me. I grew up on a planet called Jakku,” she said. “It’s nothing but desert, no real towns to speak of, villages scattered around here and there. It’s very hot and also very boring. Food was hard to come by, we had to barter for it by scavenging things. Having all the water I want and food to eat really blew my mind at first. And the water comes in flavors!” Rey laughed. “My friend teases me about how I’ve tried every flavor there is here. I’m sure I’ve missed a couple but not many.” Jakku. He’d never heard of anywhere called Jakku, but there were worlds upon worlds that he’d never heard of represented here in Atlantis, so what was one more? Herc had never imagined other worlds actually existing until the kaiju first arrived, and even then, he couldn’t picture what their dimension was like at all. It was so distant, so removed. And such an enormous threat. But these planets with humans and existences that felt more like the one he knew -- it was simultaneously exciting and humbling. “I’d do the same,” Herc assured her. “You’ve got a chance to experience things you don’t where you’re from. Who wouldn’t try everything they could?” His son had grown up in a world where resources were slimmer and slimmer every day, and he knew he would have encouraged Chuck to take advantage of something new the first chance he got. “My life changed really fast in a matter of days,” she said and shook her head. “I went from being a scavenger to finding out I had some kind of power that I never even knew existed. Then I ended up here just as I found someone who give me some answers.” The irony was that the person she’d been seeking had come here too but he wasn’t exactly the same person by any means. “I have my answers or at least some of them but there’s a lot I still have to learn. Im not sorry I picked up that coin though. I’ve gotten to know people from places I never even knew about. It’s amazing.” “Funny trick with the coin, that was,” Herc commented. He remembered Max snuffling around in the dirt by Herc’s feet, and having to pry it out of Max’s slobbery mouth before he swallowed it or one of the other animals did. The next thing he’d known was waking up in Atlantis. It all still seemed so much like a dream to him. It wasn’t, of course, but Herc kept on wanting to pinch himself. So far, though, it was better than the alternative of hiding away in the back country so the press couldn’t find him and ask him questions about the future of the PPDC and what it was like to b b be the father of a hero. “What do you do here? Surely it can’t be scavenging.” “I started out as a mechanic. I’m pretty good at it but then I got kidnapped by the COS, ten of us did and that made me think about some things. I wanted to be part of the fight so I transferred and became a field agent. I haven’t been on any missions yet but the training keeps me busy and my turn will come soon enough.” Then there were also her extra sessions with Luke, learning how to use the Force so she had plenty to do. “I still help out when they need it in the garage.” As he listened, one of the things that stuck out to him was that she’d been kidnapped -- not just taken from her world to this one, it seemed, but by those they were supposed to fight. Herc knew that those sorts of things could be touchy subjects, so he left it alone, deciding to bide his time to see if she’d want to talk or not. Some people did, some didn’t. He’d gotten used to seeing the different signs in people through his work with the ranger trainees. Some were like him. Some kept things close to their chests. “Makes sense, why you’d want to fight. Why lots of people would.” Herc had noticed that a large number of people were doing just that. He wasn’t ready -- though if push came to shove in an emergency, he would. “We’ve all got our part to play, I suppose.” Rey nodded. “That’s true. Not everyone that comes here comes to fight. Whoever brings us here gives us a choice. Most people end up staying though at least for a while. There is plenty to do if someone doesn’t want to fight.” She whistled for Marty who had gone a little further than she’d wanted her to and the little dog came running back. Rey laughed and gave her a dog biscuit that she in her pocket. “I lived a pretty isolated life at home at least until a few months before I came here. Being part of something bigger than myself has been good for me I think.” There wasn’t much left for Herc in Australia -- or anywhere in his universe, really. Raleigh and Mako were there, only a phone call away, but he’d lost everything else that was important to him. He wasn’t eager to go back to endless heartbreak. He had that in Atlantis, too, of course, but there was a chance Chuck or Stacker might arrive one day, and he couldn’t pass that up. Max dropped his head onto Herc’s shoe and looked up at him, so Herc bent over to scratch him behind the ears. “I believe it,” he said, “it was good for my boy, too. You learn there’s more out there than just you.” “Even if it hurts, it’s good to see the world I guess.” Rey’s experiences on the Finalizer and Starkiller Base had certainly taught her a lot about pain. Not just physical pain either. She felt a sharp pang as she remembered watching Han die. Even if she had only known him a short time he’d become important to her and no one should ever have to die at the hands of their own child. Even though he was here in Atlantis, he was still many years away from that and she could never tell him what she knew. He didn’t need to know. There was a sadness in the young woman that he thought he recognised, even though this was the first time they’d ever met. It was something familiar he could hold onto. She’d been to hell and back; it didn’t take a genius to see that. Herc understood what that was like. “Even if it hurts,” Herc echoed. Even if it hurt, it still taught him something. He had to try to remember that. He hadn’t figured that out before he picked up the coin. He was running from pain instead. “Could’ve used some of that wisdom before I got here.” He smiled a little, but it was stiff and didn’t reach his eyes. She gave an embarrassed little laugh. “Oh I wouldn’t say that I have any wisdom. I just lived a lonely life for a long time. Which is why I appreciate being here so much. It’s good to have friends and people who feel like family.” Just then Marty ran up and hopped on the bench beside her. “And I’m rather fond of this little girl too.” Herc still thought it sounded a lot like wisdom to his ears, but he wasn’t about to argue. Instead, he smiled fondly. He’d spent so much time alone -- not just in recent months, on the ranch, but before that. Even when Chuck was alive, Herc was alone. He’d shut his son out in a lot of ways. He’d built a life that was lonely when it didn’t need to be. He couldn’t change the past, but perhaps there was something in making sure he didn’t end up that way here. “She’s got Max’s stamp of approval, too.” Too many of Max’s years already had been spent more in the company of people. Herc was glad to be able to change that now. “If you two have places to be, I won’t keep you. But we should do this again. It’s good for him to have a friend besides me.” “I need to take her home since I have to get ready for work,” she said reluctantly. Rey had enjoyed spending time with him and she was glad that the two dogs got alone. “Yes, we should. Maybe even make it a daily thing since I bring her out every morning anyway.” |