The Way Things Are

When he first saw the planet behind that nebula cluster, his first thought that this was some sort of dream and that he would wake up at any moment from it. This planet, this place, couldn't have just existed without anyone on the outside not knowing about it, especially at the height of the Empire or even when he had been part of the ISB years ago. It should've been found a long time ago, if the way the Empire had been striving to have control of every planet in the galaxy – that is if he hadn't started asking questions when he did. Of course the rational then had been that there was the Unknown Regions, or a few planets close to the Outer Rim that the Empire hadn't dared tread, that not even some of the high brass of the Empire – or even some from the then-Rebellion – would dare put even a TIE Fighter into. But hadn't he tried to do just that, when he had told Zeb that this place seemed so eerily familiar?

Alexsandr Kallus was damn grateful that he hadn't succeeded in capturing the Ghost and its crew that day. For while he was happy that he was given a new chance on Lira San, that Zeb had found a place where the Lasat were thriving, he also knew, deep down, that there would always be those looks he'd always be given, the growls that were masked underneath smiles, and the few glares towards him for his part in the massacre of Lasan. The first few days of being on the hidden planet he hoped that whatever stories Zeb and Chava might've told everyone about him, it wasn't the truth about who Alex used to be, at least to a point where it wasn't some of the horrible things he had done in the name of the Empire. That was something he had wanted to gradually open up to the population of the small village him and Zeb had decided to put their own dwelling at, something that he was still trying to amend with Zeb, Chava, and Gron before he atoned to the rest of the remaining Lasat. Even maybe get used to living on Lira San long enough to understand the customs and even the differences in dialect from what Zeb had taught him before he slowly revealed what he had done.

But his past had a way of catching up with him. On the first few days of settling in, Alex had found himself the center of unwanted attention from the local elders of the village they now resided in – or, rather, on the outskirts of, like several Lasat families had done. He, Zeb, and Chava had been all but dragged to a private meeting with them, with Chava glaring at the elders and mumbling something about disrespect to the former Captain of the Honor Guard and his mate. Out of the six elders present, only one ignored the old Lasat and had started a line of questioning about what Alex's full past was, what he else he had done for the Empire, why he had defected, what else he had done for the Rebellion turned New Republic, and so on. This one did not let up on her questioning even when the other five tried to get a word in edgewise and were on the brink of calling the meeting to be adjourned for a brief talk between the six, only stopping when Chava banged her walking staff hard on the floor and growled, in a low and dangerous tone, that these questions were out of line. Even Zeb, who had faced death itself in the face countless times in his life and rarely showed anything but a brave warrior face, shrank back from the raging fiery look on the old Lasat's face.

The other five elders had the same mindset and waved the three off for a time, so that they could talk in private among themselves. Zeb and Chava stalked out of the meeting room of what passed as the council hall building, Alexsandr walking stiffly behind them with his eyes moving all around him with his shoulders slightly slumped. If this was the way things were going to be, if one member of the village's council had serious doubts about how he was different from the man he used to be, why should he stay? He did not need to put Zeb's home in jeopardy, nor his ability to be welcomed on Lira San, and had started to think of ways to leave without hurting Zeb any more than he already had. Those thoughts soon were pushed out of his mind when he felt a strong, furry arm move over his shoulders, Zeb nuzzling the side of his head before he gave his ear a quick kiss; this was a comfort to him that banished the thoughts of leaving. Chava just smiled at the pair, a pleased look on her face.

The three stood outside of the meeting room for over a half hour before they were beckoned back inside, the tension between the elders thick in the air and in at least one of them glaring directly at the only human present. One of the other elders, a female that was slightly taller than Chava and had a similar coloring and markings to Zeb, apologized for the last round of questions and began to ask a different series of questions. Ones that wanted to know what Alex intended to do on Lira San, what kinds of jobs he'd be interested in, and what his intentions were going to be regarding his past. The first few questions were easy to answer, that he wanted to have a simple life with Zeb, hopefully to settle down in anything he could do with his hands to keep him busy, to tend to a garden and maybe a few chickens if they could. But the hardest question he had to answer, was how he was to move forwards in regards to his past.

It was clear that most of the Lira San Lasat knew what had happened to Lasan, what role he might have played in the destruction, and what he needed to do to move past that. Alex didn't need to look at Zeb to see his face contorted in a grimace, the low growl was enough, but he pressed forwards with his answer. All he wanted to do was to prove to any survivors that he was no longer the man that he once had been, that he wanted to make amends for what he did, if they allowed him to. Deep down he knew, he understood, that no one outside of Zeb, Chava, and Gron would want to forgive him in any capacity, so any amends outside these three might not be appreciated. He didn't say that exactly, instead he informed the elders that he wanted to try to make up for his past deeds by doing anything, anything at all, and hoped that it would not cause any sort of open hostility towards him and his lover standing next to him.

If these answers pleased the elders, they didn't show it in facial expressions nor with many words, five of the elders taking in consideration not only what they had been told but also what Chava and Gron had spoken about him. He and Chava were dismissed, leaving Garazeb Orrelios behind to deal with the questions of concerned elders.

xxxx

The home that they had found for themselves was simple yet cozy, seemingly built for both Human and Lasat in mind. The ceiling was high enough to cater to both of their heights, with a small hallway at the front door to hang their rain coats and a place for Alex's shoes, which lead into a kitchen that overlooked a large room that had a few overstuffed chairs and a couple of large cushions that was just right for mid-day naps (or so Zeb claimed). The walls of the room were still a bit bare, a few pictures Sabine had painted just for this home, and a couple of trinkets lined the mantel above the fireplace near the door that lead outside to a small covered, and enclosed, porch that overlooked their backyard. Across from the kitchen, and on the other side of the fireplace, was the only bedroom of the house, with a nest-like bed that Alex found rather comfortable, a far cry from the bunks he had been used to from the Star Destroyers during his time in the Empire to the Ghost's small bunks.

The kitchen was stocked with a few necessities to get them through the rest of the week before they could properly get to the market for their own food. One of the things that Alex was looking forwards to, besides trying new and different versions of foods, was trying some of the local teas that Gron had been talking about the day before - if these teas were as good as he said they were, why not give them a try? That was one of the thoughts he kept in his mind to stay positive about staying on Lira San, along with Chava's assurances that he still would be welcomed within the community despite the things he had done in his past. He kept those assurances running in his mind well after the older Lasat made sure he got inside his shared home properly, then she left to either go to her own home or to one of the temples the Lasat had for prayers to the Ashla and community gatherings.

It was getting later in the day, the sun was beginning to set, and Alex, having heated some water for his dwindling supply of tea he had brought with him, was starting to worry. With a cup of tea in hand, he moved to the glass sliding door that overlooked the enclosed porch, gazing outside to try and keep his mind occupied long enough until Zeb came home. It had been an hour since Chava had left, nearly two and a half hours since they had left Zeb with the elders, and he was beginning to fret about how much longer they were going to question him. And what they were questioning about, although he should know what they were questioning him about giving their questioning of Alex earlier. That just made him even more nervous.

"Alex?" Zeb's voice called from the front of the house, the door closing as Alex snapped out of his worrying state and shook his head. A smile came across his face, banishing the frowned that had deepened, as he turned around to see Zeb walking into the kitchen, looking tired and holding a small cloth bag as he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry 'bout that, the elders took a bit long with their questioning, didn't expect it to last so long."

"Hmm," Alex mumbled, taking a sip of his tea as he joined his mate in the kitchen, eyeing the bag he set on on the small bar that stretched just long enough to break the kitchen from the bigger living room but still had enough room on either side to get around it. "What's in the bag?"

"Some fruit for breakfast tomorrow, bread for the leftover soup we had yesterday. We'll go to the market properly soon, I promise." Zeb came around the bar and put a hand underneath Alex's chin to push his head up so he could look into his eyes. "I'm sorry about the elder's, they were out of line with their questions."

"No, it's fine. They need to know, to make sure that I'm not going to be a threat." He moved a hand onto Zeb's wrist and pulled his furred hand to his lips, so he could properly kiss each of the four fingers, with a light purr in response to those kisses. "I am thankful that I have you here with me, to settle any doubts that I belong here."

"You do belong here, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, even yourself," the Lasat growled, giving Alex a deep kiss and a small lick on his nose. "I made sure that the elder's know that you've changed, you're one of us now. That you deserve to be here."

"Good," Alex said softly, pushing the few pangs of self doubt down as he set his tea cup down and opened the bag enough to look through it. "So, who's going to reheat our dinner tonight?"