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Saga - ST Black is the Color - One shot for the OTP challenge and the Celtic Song Challenge - OCs

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by divapilot, Jan 3, 2019.

  1. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Title: Black is the color
    Author: Divapilot
    Genre: Romance/introspection
    Era: ST (AU)
    Characters: OCs
    Summary: Although they are separated by his continued military service and her need for safety, Breha Solo is never far from Blue’s mind.


    Notes: written to fulfill two challenges:
    1. The OTP Distant Beloved Challenge . I received as my reason for separation “Military Service.”

    2. The Celtic Song Challenge. The song I received was “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair.” The lyrics and a link to the song are provided under the spoiler.
    The two challenges dovetailed nicely into each other!

    ‘Nother note: This story takes place later in the timeline of “The General’s Wife.” Spoilers for that story ahead (if you can call it that; anyone who has ever read my stuff knows exactly what will happen when my OCs cross paths…)


    ***

    choral scholars of University College Dublin

    Lyrics:

    Black is the color of my true love’s hair
    Her lips are like some roses fair
    She has the sweetest face
    And the gentlest hands
    And I love the ground whereon she stands

    I love my love and well she knows
    I love the ground whereon she goes
    And how I wish the day would come
    When she and I can be as one.

    I go to the Clyde and I mourn and weep
    For satisfied I never sleep
    I write her letters just a few short lines
    And I suffer death ten thousand times

    Black is the color of my true love’s hair
    Her lips are like some roses fair
    She has the sweetest face
    And the gentlest hands
    And I love the ground whereon she stands
    I love the ground whereon she stands.



    ***


    Someone once said that a medic’s life was days of tedium interrupted by moments of sheer terror and chaos, and Blue couldn’t argue with that now. The last six hours had been nonstop; one battle wound after another, until finally there seemed to be a slowing of the casualties.

    He looked around at the few remaining tables. The most seriously wounded were being treated by the medical droids, and the few who waited their turn didn’t seem to be in any danger. Those who had been treated were being sent to recovery rooms, with healer assistants and droids accompanying them. With most of the patients being redirected, the biohazard mouse droids had emerged and were beginning to clear the area of the splatter and gore of a trauma center.

    The human surgeon in charge, Dr. Ha’annok, came over and stood beside Blue to survey the room with him. After a moment, she spoke quietly. “We’ve got this under control,” Dr. Ha’annok said. She turned to the younger medic. “How are you doing, Sargeant?”

    Blue sighed and looked at his hands. “Not as well as when I started, ma’am,” he admitted. Fatigue had taken hold, and the shaking was becoming more obvious.

    Dr. Ha’annok nodded with understanding. “Look,” she said. “You aren’t any good to anyone anymore. As much as I respect you, Blue, a droid would patch things up more cleanly than you could at this point. Why don’t you take a break?”

    Blue nodded. He thanked his commanding officer, then, assured that the remaining patients were taken care of, he logged out of his medpad. He made his way to the sterilizer where he decontaminated himself of any infectious agents he may have been exposed to during the surgeries, then exited through the bio-barrier and into the corridor.

    People jostled him in the narrow passageway of the medical frigate. He made his way down the corridor until he found a small quiet area off to the side, and he put his back to the wall and slid down to a seated position on the floor. Blue wearily pushed his surgical cap back off of his head, then loosened the band that held his long hair in a tight, neat knot and shook it loose. He caught his breath and closed his eyes.

    His moments of quiet solitude soon came to an end when he sensed someone come near him. He opened his eyes to see a young woman approach— he recognized her as the Zeltron communications officer, Virina. She sat down beside him. Her short pink hair brushed the side of her face. “I hope you don’t mind my joining you,” she said quietly. “I just need to catch my breath.”

    “It’s fine. You can stay,” Blue replied.

    She glanced nervously into the corridor, still busy with personnel, droids, and medical patients. “This is my first tour,” she explained. “I thought I knew what to expect. I had all the training, all the instruction -- but seeing the wounded coming in like that was unreal.”

    He grunted in acknowledgement and twisted his surgical cap in his hands. “It’s my third year. It could be worse. I’d rather have it busy with survivors than quiet with body identification duty.”

    A silence fell between them again. Virina stared into the distance, lost in her own thoughts. Finally she spoke. “All that pain. I can feel their suffering in my own body. It’s the price of being an empath,” she said. She paused, then asked quietly, “How do you get through days like these?”

    Blue tilted his head as he looked over at her. “I try to think why I’m doing it. What it’s all for.”

    “It’s overwhelming.” She shook her head. “Does what we do help, I wonder? Is it worth it?”

    “Yes,” he said sharply. She looked up, surprised at his reaction.

    He rubbed his eyes again as another wave of fatigue washed over him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean -- yes, it’s worth it. To protect the ones we love.”

    Virina leaned back against the wall. “I suppose.” She thought for a moment. “I’ve found that people are either fighting for something or fighting to get away from something,” she said. She placed her hands on her lap and smoothed the fabric of her tunic. “It’s a bit of both for me. I remember stories of what happened to Zeltrons under the old empire, and I didn’t want to see that come back under the First Order. I have no intention of ever being on the end of some gangster’s chain. The quickest way to avoid that destiny was to join the Resistance and help put an end to the new slave trade before it started. They took me in, and here I am.”

    She looked up, and her amber eyes met his purple ones. “What about you, Sargeant? Are you running away from something or fighting for something?”

    Blue stretched and flexed his tired shoulder. “I started out running away from something, too. But now…” His voice trailed off. “Now I’m fighting for someone. If I can do my part to end the horror of the First Order, then I can protect her.”

    They sat in silence for a moment, then she spoke again. “She must be special, this woman,” Virina said, a small smile on her face. “Is she Barolian like you?”

    He shook his head. “No. She doesn’t look like me, other than being human. Her hair is dark, almost black.” His voice lowered, and he closed his eyes. “She has eyes as dark as ororro wood. Her voice, well, it’s like the ocean waves. Strong and steady. She has every reason to be hard and angry -- life has been cruel to her -- but she’s not. She’s kind and gentle.”

    “She sounds lovely.”

    He smiled, his eyes still closed, as if he were seeing a private memory. “She is.”

    “Where is she?” Virina asked.

    Blue opened his eyes and looked at her. “I’m not sure. She’s in hiding right now. When it’s safe, she promised to send word to me.”

    Virina frowned sympathetically. “That must be so difficult for you,” she said.

    Blue shifted position against the wall, wincing as his tired muscles adjusted to the movement. “Every moment away from her is difficult. I send her messages but I have no idea if she even gets them. All I can do is pray to Lannash, the goddess of safety, to protect her.” He glanced at Virina. “They say that when Lannash walks barefoot over the ground, flowers bloom in the imprints of her footprints. The soil is blessed to be stepped on by her.” He raised his hand to his forehead and tapped it, then opened his hand and raised it, palm upward, towards the sky. “Gods forgive my blasphemy. But my love blesses the ground she walks on, too. The air she breathes is sacred, and when I kiss her, her goodness flows into my own being. To lay down beside her is a privilege; to wake up next to her is a miracle. I think of her constantly, waiting for the time to be right to contact me, and I pray to Lannash that we can be together again soon.”

    They sat beside each other in silence for a moment, each lost in private thoughts. Then Blue pulled himself up from his sitting position, and he held a hand out for Virina. She gracefully put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up. They stood side by side, and Virina held onto his hand as she spoke. She winced. “All the emotions of the wounded affected me. My muscles ache, my head hurts. But a Zeltron has ways of relieving the pain.” She caressed his palm with her fingers and drew him close to her. “My people are a generous race. I like you. We could spend some time in my quarters. A night together to counteract the pain and suffering and to ease our loneliness for a little while,” she said quietly.

    “I’m sorry,” he said, drawing his hand out of hers. “I can’t be with anyone else.”

    Virina drew her hand down his sleeve, but Blue gently removed it and shook his head. “I love her,” he said firmly. “I can’t. I know you’re offering this out of kindness, but I would rather be alone with my thoughts of her than be with anyone else.”

    Virina smiled ruefully and shook her head. “Ah, you humans and your monogamy.”

    Blue smiled back at her and laughed softly. “Thank you for your generous offer, Virina. Maybe someone else can help you.” He looked at her, a wistful expression on his face. “I’m hers. She’s mine. And that’s how it will always be.”

    “She’s lucky.” Virina stepped back and looked him in the eyes again. “I hope you hear from her soon. Good night. Dream of her.”

    She turned and walked away and was soon caught up in the rush of passers-by. Blue watched her leave. “I always do,” he whispered, before turning away.


    This takes place the ST, in an alternate timeline to my previous Blue/Bree stories, which were set in Legends Beyond (True Blue, The God of Second Chances, One Hundred Blessings). Blue is an OC that I’ve been writing for a couple years now. He is a Barolian medic who serves the Resistance. Breha is the second child of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo; however, unlike her brother Kylo Ren, she is completely non-Force sensitive. In this alternate timeline, his love, Breha Amidala Solo, is the wife of Armitage Hux. She has gone into hiding to protect her from her abusive husband. Other stories in this alternate timeline are Bad Romance and The General’s Wife.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2019
  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    @divapilot , superb melding of the challenges.

    =D=

    Even though this Blue comes from a different place back-story wise, he still has that wonderful, indescribably lovable, eloquent, gentle, and tender and loyal qualities I loved in the Legends Blue.

    ^:)^ ^:)^

    His lady is indeed lucky to have him. @};-

    Loved the talk he had with Virina about "is it worth it" and the way the pain of others affects them, and especially his distant beloved. Their mutual empathy and sharing have at the very least forged a true friendship.

    [:D]
     
    AzureAngel2 and Findswoman like this.
  3. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Ooh, this is just gorgeous. [face_love] Though when is that not true of a divapilot story, especially with Blue and Breha? And a perfect fit for both of these challenges, too—how amazing is that? When I was compiling the Distant Beloved challenge list and added “military service,” my original thought was of the absent character being the one serving, but it obviously totally works just as well for it to be the present character, too. Blue is such a dear in so many ways—he is truly devoted to his service as a medic, especially now that he has someone to fight for, and it’s natural that his thoughts would go to Breha even now, even here, as he’s worked himself almost to the point of exhaustion. His thoughts take on an extra note of concern given Breha’s recent history, as known from “Bad Romance” and “The General’s Wife,” and the fact that she’s in hiding for an indefinite amount of time, in an unknown location. All that uncertainty has to be rough for both of them! And yet at the same time he remembers her beauty, her dark eyes and hair, the way her presence brings blessing to everyone around her—just like the speaker in the song. And very cool integration of those images here, especially in the “ground whereon she stands,” with the comparison to Lannash’s flowery tread (absolutely stunning recording too, by the way).

    Virina certainly is... generous in her offer (and I’m guessing that kind of suggestion is more, er, socially acceptable among Zeltrons than among many other species), and she clearly has some unspoken weight on her own heart here, too. But like the speaker in the song, Blue can’t get his own love off his mind, and his thoughts of Breha, and nightly dreams of her, are more than sufficient company for him. She is lucky, as Virina says, and more than lucky! [face_love]

    Beautiful work, as always, and thank you for this sparkling contribution to both challenges! =D=
     
  4. Vek Talis

    Vek Talis Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2018
    Very cool, divapilot!

    My people are a generous race. I like you. We could spend some time in my quarters. A night together to counteract the pain and suffering and to ease our loneliness for a little while,” she said quietly.

    “I’m sorry,” he said, drawing his hand out of hers. “I can’t be with anyone else.”


    This was quite interesting. It reminded me, a little, of BJ Hunnicut and the nurse, uh, what's her name, except BJ took her up on her offer and could have fallen for her if not for his love for his wife back home.

    Excellent story and answer to this challenge. =D=
     
  5. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    What a merge! Only you could have been so bold & brilliant at the same time. Congrats! =D=
     
  6. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Very nice work.

    Lovely to see a Zeltron inserted into a ship role, and then the way you personalised her and ramped up her contribution to the story.

    I was initially miffed by her intruding on his desperate-looking respite, but that turned out to be small potatoes compared to her real, even if well meaning, intent.

    Blue's descriptions of his beloved, along with his deity, and the action and words for same - tapping forehead, and cupping palm, as well as the soil feeling blessed to have Lannash and Breha step on them, were great.

    Breha transmitting that energy to Blue when they lay together and kissed, was sublime.

    Good to know that Breha has a more positive future, beyond The General's Wife.

    All great stuff, and well done.
     
  7. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Thank you! I appreciate your continued support! Blue is still essentially the same guy - this one is a little tougher, a little more confident than the Legends Blue, but he is still someone who is deeply compassionate. You can tell by the conversation with Virina that he has thought about this, what he is doing in this war and why is he here. Virina respects his decline of her generous offer; there's a good chance that they could be very close friends.

    Thank you so much for this detailed and thorough response! When I got "military service," I thought ...naw, too good to be true. I already have half of an OTP in the military!
    Blue is one of those people who go all-in with whatever he does. It's part of his personality, and it can be a liability too. He fixates. That's fine for him when he has to focus on his work for hours on end, but it also makes it hard to control his addiction issues. He works himself to a point where the underlying damage to his system from his past drug abuse makes itself obvious - his hands are shaking so badly now that he can't even do his job.
    Breha is his new addiction. He loves her, that's true - but she has become his new fixation. Being without her is a kind of withdrawal for him. In a sense, he and Virina have a lot in common. She craves physical release to relieve her anxiety and her physical pain as an empath, he craves Breha.
    I'm glad you liked the religious imagery. ST Blue has that in common with Legends Blue - he's deeply religious. Confession time - I was too lazy to dig up the actual name of the Goddess of Safety. I fudged my own fanon here. :p
    Virina is a Zeltron, and Zeltrons have very few sexual inhibitions. Sex has no commitment to them. It's actually healthy for them, since as a natural empath, Zeltrons physically feel the negative emotions (hate, fear, cruelty) of others. The only way to soothe that pain is to, well, you know. (Hey, this is canon. I didn't make this up!)
    Breha and Blue have found solace in each other from their violent, unfortunate pasts. They each deserve a partner who is gentle and compassionate.

    Thank you! I appreciate that! I used to watch MASH back in the day. It's been a while though! I guess when you're away at war, and you have all that stress, it's easy to make relationships of convenience. Blue wouldn't do that - he loves Breha, he would never lie to her, and he couldn't betray her. Memories of happier times will have to do until as the song says, "she and I can be as one."


    Thank you! I was lucky - the two challenges were a perfect fit. A person in the military and a distant beloved, dark-haired beauty.

    Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it.
    I actually had a Zeltron in my other Blue stories, but Virina is a little more assured and confident than the other character I wrote before. She has ...needs...and Blue is a handsome guy. It was worth a shot.
    I'm glad you liked the religious imagery. Blue's Barolian religion is a huge part of his life. It makes sense that his first thought of what to compare Breha to would be a goddess. That religious devotion seeps into their relationship, making their time together almost sacramental. (Blue takes things very, very seriously...:p). His unconditional and selfless love for her will be a huge part of Breha's recovery from her nightmare marriage to Hux.

    Thank you all who stopped in to read and/or reply! [face_love]
     
  8. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    Well, I suppose I can now consider myself spoiled. ;)

    But more seriously: this story fits very well with your song for the Celtic Challenge, as Blue, the medic away at war, is separated from the dark-haired woman who is absent only in her actual physical presence. It's more clear here, than in the song, exactly why they are not together--Breha is in serious danger, the sort of danger that far too many people in this world must face. And he can't know with certainty when that day will come that they will once again be reunited. He has only his faith to go on, but that is clearly a lot.

    I have to admit that, until I was reading your responses to the previous comments, I hadn't really connected Blue's fixation on his work as part of his addictive personality, even though I am the same way. But now I can see what must have just been too close, and too obvious to me before. I do gather that, whilst he has the same history of addiction (and I suspect that Blue would agree that there are no recovered addicts) as his Legends self, he is not running from the exact same regrets he had there.

    And you're right that he is fixated on Breha, or her memory, to get him through the night. But while that sort of thing can oftentimes be unhealthy, the way he spoke of her never reminded me of Anakin's definite fixation with Padmé. He loves her as a person, not as an angelic ideal. And there is quite a difference between--to quote Virina--running from something, and fighting for something. Breha gives Blue a personal reason to serve the Resistance.

    This story is also about the moment of connection Blue has with Virina in the hallway as much as it is about his relationship with Breha. She is certainly upfront with her offer of sexual healing, but--especially from a Zeltron viewpoint--it never hurts to ask. It isn't meant to be, but they both handle it like grownups, and they could well get to be friends. And I must say that I hope that Virina does go on and find someone in that place who needs what she does.

    Finally, thank you for writing this for the challenge!
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2019