Saga “Evermore”, OC Barin Samye one-shot, Corellia, Underrepresented mod!challenge

Title: “Evermore”, an OC Barin Samye one-shot for the “Representing the Under-represented Mod! Challenge”

Author: AzureAngel2

Co-editor and muse:@DarthUncle

Main beta editor: @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

Length: one-shot

Summary: A man simply wants to go home after a day of hard work in the office. But there is a group of people who make mockery of him. Who discriminate him for his actual height.

Time frame: The story takes place 31 BBY.

Planet of choice: Corellia

Reader warning: Please excuse my weird English! I am German. English is only my Second language!

Disclaimer: SW is owned by George Lucas, Lucas Ltd. and now The Walt Disney Company



I would tell you about the things
They put me through
The pain I've been subjected to
But the lord himself would blush
The countless feasts laid at my feet
Forbidden fruits for me to eat
But I think your pulse would start to rush

Now I'm not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes

You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes

Morality would frown upon
Decency look down upon
The scapegoat fate's made of me
But I promise now, my judge and jurors
My intentions couldn't have been purer
My case is easy to see

I'm not looking for a clearer conscience
Peace of mind after what I've been through
And before we talk of any repentance
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes

You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes

Now I'm not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes

You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes

You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments i kept
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes



Coronet Spaceport was right ahead. The Corellian sky was cloudy and stormy, which was a normal sight for this season of the year. Underneath their star ship the ocean was wild and black.

Some passengers started to puke into their sick bags. Barin Samye felt fine. Even when a huge tremble ran through the spaceship. He was a true Corellian. Neither afraid of the sea nor of the depths of space. His stomach could hold a lot in.

One of the other passengers, an almost toothless Mirialan lady muttered, “But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its water churns up mire and muck.”

Barin Samye shook his head at the prophet of doom. There was worse in life than a turbulent landing in bad weather. Much worse. Plus he never liked to be told the odds. If somebody bothered him anyway, he tried even harder to make things even. Fair play was not always possible when it was about naked survival.

His father had been 'a lone dad'. The moment his mother, Dale, had noticed the newborn's dwarfism, she had left the hospital in her scrubs and was never seen again. They had been fine without her.

During check-out Barin Samye allowed himself to tenderly think about the man who had given his best to raise him. Despite the harsh shift work at the fish factory. Despite the constant lack of money. Despite the discrimination many in Coronet had in stock for a boy with achondroplasia.

Since the dawn of mankind dwarves were the butt of jokes. Within the Galactic Republic it sadly remained one of the last bastions of acceptable prejudice.

On the streets of Coronet Barin Samye had had a tough upbringing, but he still was willing to credit his parent for a relatively happy childhood. His father, Gordon, had taught him how to outwardly deal with people's reactions. Hobbies, such as fishing and mechanics, had been encouraged. His condition had been presented to him as a difference rather than a hindrance.

As one of the last passengers he queued up for the custom office. Most of the commuters knew him and gave him acknowledging nods. But there were strangers who smirked at him and a Coruscanti couple even made rude jokes, that he chose to overhear. Words could not hurt. They were like rain drops dripping off him.

Finally, it was his turn.

The CorSic customs official, a human woman called Falthina Sharest, gave him her brightest smile. They knew each other since school days and had always gotten on well. “Long time no see, Barin.”

He shrugged. “The past two months you had but strange shifts, Fa.”

Her lips, painted with an extra bright lipstick, twisted. “I am glad you noticed. Nobody else does.”

“That bad?” he asked with much sympathy in his deep voice.

She threw up her hands. “Payment also gets worse and worse. Somehow, my overtime is not awarded any more.”

Barin Samye lowered his voice to a whisper. “If the system works against you, then find ways to profit from that.”

Her eyes widened for some heartbeats, but then her bright smile was back. “Anything to declare today?” she said professionally.

“My underpants, perhaps?” He winked at her. “Because they are too hot to handle.”

“How did you get Nagina to marry you, you old scoundrel?” Falthina Sharest laughed.

“She loves difficult and small persons.” The thought of his wife, waiting at home for him, made him warm and smiley. “This is why she became a kindergarten teacher in the first place.”

The CorSic customs official rolled her eyes at him. “I keep telling you since 1st grade, Barin, do not make yourself smaller than you already are. Your wife loves you because you have a heart of gold and are loyal. Besides, she knows you are a terrible flirt.” Then she added, “It is either true love or pity from her side.”

Both grinned at one another, while Barin opened up his attaché case, full of data disks and flimsi plast print outs.

“Looks suspiciously harmless,” Falthina Sharest smiled. “But then again, you are more of a grease monkey than a smuggler.”

Barin Samye was glad of this compliment. His hobby made him very popular among his friends and acquaintances. “Give Wezz my regards and tell him that I will work on his motor this weekend. He only needs to pop by.”

“I am coming, too, if you don't mind. Nagina wanted to give me some advice on child care, regarding my nephew.”

They finished the custom procedure and took farewell of each other.

To get a ride to Juni Street Station was not difficult. But the moment Barin Samye left the maglev train building, he knew trouble was ahead.

A group of nine humans hung around in the entrance area, seven men and two women. Most of them were holding on to metal flasks. The smell of Corellian ale and spice hung unmistakably in the air.

Of late, the Teeno Village district was not really a community for artists any more. Like a magnet it attracted all kind of scum. He should have moved to Coruscant with his wife straight after the wedding. The problem was that his old dad, now retired due to health reasons, would never willingly relocate. Once a Corellian, always a Corellian.

Barin Samye jutted his chin forward and walked on.

“Hey, kiddo,” bawled a bald giant. “Should you not be in bed already? Does your mummy know you are a bad boy?”

“Devron,” giggled a brunette in a tight dress. “This is not a child. Look at the beard. It's a little man.”

“Let us check if everything about him is little,” gave another gang member to consider.

“What do you really want to pull his trousers off?” the brunette said, acting disbelief and shock.

“Yeah, and then we could toss him around a bit.” The bald one smiled profoundly. “Just to check if he is a flying ace.”

Barin Samye walked on, his left hand fisting in the side pocket of his coat. With the other hand he held on to his attaché case, a present by Sheev Palpatine himself.

Even though his wife's uncle was the most powerful man in the galaxy, he could not help that low lives like the people at the entrance existed. Ever since the Naboo crisis the Supreme Chancellor had better things to do than fighting for the rights of Little people in the galaxy. It was a lost cause really. Like demanding equal rights for droids.

“Hey, there! Midget!” called the bald man. “Come over here with those stubby legs of yours!”

If Barin's old friend – the Jedi knight Nejaa Halcyon – had been around, then chances would have been even.

He sighed deeply.

Tonight he carried very important business papers with him. Documents he had worked on for Galacticon Insurance the past three and a half weeks. He would hate to lose them. Of course he had security copies back at the Coruscant office, but he did not feel like a street fight tonight. He rather snuggle with Nagina on the sofa, or even better in bed. It was the end of a long working day in insurance business. After facts and figures he just needed his wife.

“Devron!” shrieked a skinny looking woman, who came out of nowhere.

Some gang members started laughing, while others averted their faces in a motion close to shame.

“Qi'ra has been crying since hours,” the woman whined and walked straight up to the bold man.

“So what?”

“I gave you money for her medicine, not for booze and glimmer sticks.”

The bold man grunted like a Gamorrean. “How can I be sure that the baby is even mine? You have slept with half of the city last year, Ala.”

With her bare fists the woman started attacking her somewhat surprised partner. “I will kill you. Better no father at all than you.”

It was not his place to intervene into what seemed to be a sort of domestic quarrel. So Barin Samye just clung on to his attaché case and started running, not looking back. There were better times and opportunities to fight.



Sources:
The song “Walking in my shoes” by Depeche Mode (1993)
Isaiah 57:20
Quotes by the actor Peter Dinklage himself, taken out a NY Times article, that was published on April 1, 2012
Wookieepedia – The Star Wars Wiki
Jedipedia, a free German Star Wars-Encyclopaedia

 

Wonderful response to the challenge. Barin is wonderfully secure in himself: the love of his father and wife and good, true friends help make the insensitive crude remarks of others less harmful than they could be.

 

I really love Barin, did so already in your Nagina stories, and the previous 'meeting the uncle' short, and here again. As @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha said, sure of himself, but also kind, with empathy towards others. You fit him in well with our new canon knowledge of Corellia we got from Solo. I guess here we witness a bit of an interlude of the earlier story where Qi'ra featured; though Devron doesn't seem like a nice guy, I still felt a bit bad, knowing how it ends for him. And did I spot another Solo (background) character there? Great how you got the banter and life into her too. That Solo visual dictionary definitely paid off in giving you more inspiration!

 

Well, that sets things off on an ominous note! The brief experience of the Daily Odd Transit Encounter who gives us this line does seem to be a harbinger of things to come. And anyone who's been on public transportation regularly knows that you can overhear the strangest things some days...

Barin always seemed interesting in what few glimpses we've had in other works, and this story definitely shows that as well! I like that we get to see his live-and-let-live attitude towards many of life's minor and major annoyances, but also the fact that he feels outcast and has come to expect heckling (from other Humans especially, it seems -- way to go, spacefaring humanity ). His father sounds like a wonderful person, and I can see where some of the caring, practical nature that Nagina loves him for must have been learned.

His advice to Falthina on how to handle the lack of pay is... well, rather Corellian of him. In a way, I can't help thinking it will have unintended consequences. But these two could definitely use someone to gripe to, and the banter is a bright spot in what turns out to be a not-so-great day.

The crowd of bullying strangers that Barin runs into feels like a foreshadowing of the future that will exist more so when his in-law comes to power rather than less. It's rather worrying that he seems to be almost used to this kind of harassment -- not to the point of ignoring it, but still sort of expecting it whenever he's out and about in the neighborhood. That's pretty scary to have as a baseline for what you can expect just walking around in a familiar place.

Lucky for him that he does know how to recognize an escape opportunity and makes himself scarce when his tormentors are distracted by an entirely different confrontation. (Yikes, that poor little kid. She really doesn't seem to have a stable parent in either of those two.) Barin's knowledge that he has to pick his battles is sensible. It seems like a small reward for having to get through such a minefield on a regular basis, but at least it keeps him steady when dealing with all of this.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha: Thanks for the kind and true reply. Family & friends can be helpful factors in ones life. Plus a decent portion of Corellian self-confidence.

@DarthUncle: Thanks for finding the time & wits despite your daily PD home sessions to give me feedback on this story here. And thanks, that I was allowed to buy "Solo: A Star Wars Story The Official Guide" by Pablo Hidalgo.

And yes you might have spotted that very character...

Often people are not what they seem to be. Seen how overworked some of my colleagues at work are, I wanted to give Falthina Sharest a certain background that lead to the crucial events in the Solo movie.

@Kahara: The bible quote is due to my older brother who basically stalks me with those. If he goes on that way he surely will be elected as the next pope after Francis.

Public transport, which I use at least 5 days per week to get to work, is indeed tough. How my husband can stay so calm with his
catheter inside him & the wild crowds, which press into buses, the underground tubes, the regional trains and the trams, is amazing.

It might be that DarthUncle´s latest obsession with the TV series "The Expanse" helped me writing this.

Anyway, thanks for such a long, wonderful and thoughtful feedback!

 

Obsession? I have seen obsession in my own house, and my enthousiasm for the expanse isn't an obsession. But I am glad it was at least interesting enough so far to inspire you.

 

@DarthUncle: I am the Vader fangirl and Krennic lover. You are keen on men going jolly-round in fast cars and I am not talking about "Top Gear" here.

Anyway, I am glad that this wee fic got some reader replies.

 

This is an interesting look at a character who's had a rough hand dealt to him in life but not let it grind him down. That rough hand starts early; how sad is it that his own mother abandons him just after birth? His father though, sounds like a wonderful man, who takes on the challenges of single parenthood love and grace in the face of poverty and prejudice. This:

is beautiful--the best thing you can do for any special needs child Gordon is such a great dad to emphasize this and to emphasize Barin's abilities rather than any real or perceived disabilities. You can see how this compassionate upbringing has shaped him in his conversation with Falthina

as a customs agent, Falthina is nothing more than a nameless cog to most people, but Barin pays attention and notices when she's not there. And she sees him as more than his height, appeciating his talents and humor.

On one-hand Barin has that kind of self-deprecating humor, almost an "I'm going to make the jokes before you do" kind of attitude with his comment about "small and difficult persons". On the other, he seems, as @Kahara and @Findswoman note, a sort of weary resignation that the jokes will be made anyway. It's sad that he's not able to simply go about his daily routine without facing ignorant bullies. I think he chooses the better part of valor by not engaging with this drunken crew; sadly that's usually the only thing you can do with these types. (And a nice tie-in to your story, Aliikai at the end! )

Thanks for this look a very intriguing character and another great contribution to the Underrepresented Challenge

 

@Findswoman: Thanks for your long analysis and kind feedback for this fic.

Unfortunately, one gets used about bullying all to soon. With some of us those injuries stay forever more, haunting us even in the worst possible moments. (I know what I am talking about.) Luckily, Barin has better coping mechanisms than most people.

I had the honour to deal with parents like that. So Barin´s dad as a character is a mix of all those unique fathers and mothers.

I am so glad you noticed that. You are a very thoughtful reader.

Running away is at times the best solution. I have seen that over and over again on the streets of Berlin and in its underground stations. Once I was in the middle of such a conflict that had sprung up out of the blue. And because I ran to get the police involved (back in 1997 not everybody had a mobile phone) my parents & their friends survived. Until his death in November 2017 my father still suffered from side effects of that brutal attack. My mother has long term injuries, too. (I wish those 3 men unbelievable sorrow and heartbeat in their cursed lives plus a lot of pain until their death rattle. Sorry, but in this I am unforgivable.)

There is actually a side story to that. Actually a one-shot for the One-Hit wonder challenge. I don´t know if you have noticed. But it is indeed that very Qi'ra.

The name from Barin is based on a character in the Flash Gordon stories.

In my line of work I was also confronted with parents like that and Dale is a summery of all those people.

I wish that all mothers and father could be that way.

Falthina showed up in the actual movie and having a lot of stressed-out RL friends I wanted to show how she changed over the course of the year into somebody bitter. Just taking from the system and not giving any more. Her nice chats with Barin end in the first months of the Clone Wars when his passenger ship is taken down by Separatist fire. A great loss for her, too, not only for Nagina and Sheev.

Your assumptions are right.

@Raissa Baiard: Thanks for finding the time for reading and commenting to my fanfic.

 

That is a heck of a commute that Barin has got.

Nice rapport that he has with that Customs officer, and that they have known each other since being kids.

Although I read your Palpatine and Barin meet-up story, at no time did I get the impression that he was a little person.

Also, apart from maybe the forehead, I have no idea how his 'mother', Dale, could have detected Dwarfism in him at birth.

You managed to present an oppressive atmosphere just by having these bullying humans at every entrance of the transit, with suitable descriptions to help with visualising, and a nice touch having Qi'ra (hello, familiar name)'s Dad grunting like a Gammorean.
Feeds nicely into the sort of upbringing she would have had to be boosting cars in Coronet City later.

Nice working in of the 'never tell me the odds' Corellian stand by.

Good story.

 

I also asked myself if one can diagnose dwarfism during pregnancy, @Sith-I-5. This is why I did research and in addition asked friends & acquaintances of mine who are doctors. And they also pointed out that there are some indications right after birth.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.

 

Interesting stuff. Thank you for the link.

 

Unexpected, but most welcome news from the Mod!Challenge this story belongs to, @DarthUncle:

"Evermore" by @AzureAngel2
Most resolute and stoical protagonist
Most Resilient Protagonist
Best Depiction of a Canonical Setting (Corellia)