atlas stuff

[resnipstance]

[Once everyone had been accounted for and safely strapped in, the actual take-off was easy. Between Anakin, Breq, Allura, half the crew of the SS Enterprise, and many others, there was no way they wouldn't be able to figure out how to fly this behemoth of a ship off of this dustball of a planet, even if it was alien tech and half-buried in sand. Finding the strange crystals underground that powered the ship had been the turning point to realising they really could escape.

But getting the ship flight ready? That had been an entirely different problem.

There was so much sand in the engines, so many parts to repair. And it wasn't like they could just drive down to the local store and pick up what they needed. Teams were formed to work on the ship. By consensus, some rooms and parts were cannibalized if they were deemed extraneous to survival, used instead to patch up the ship's more vital functions. But with how quickly the ship drained power from their suits, the work, it seemed, would have to be done in shifts. The pace of repairs went at a crawl.

As for Ahsoka-- the slow pace of their progress on the ship seemed to visibly chafe at her. Now that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, she wanted to get going. Her tension and impatience she channeled into organizing the camp with renewed vigor and bossiness. If there was anything that the Clone War had prepared her for, it was organising others with no prior military experience for maximum efficiency. She very suddenly had less and less time for personal one-on-one conversations, instead pouring all her energy into making sure everything ran smoothly.

When Ahsoka wasn't doing her shift working on the ship, she'd busy herself with something else. Usually hunting. (They weren't sure how long they'd be in space-- sure, they had some map data, but with no idea of how fast the ship moved, it didn't mean a great deal. The camp all comes to the consensus to start stockpiling food early on. Of course Ahsoka throws herself into that, as well.)

When she wasn't hunting or gathering, she'd be teaching someone else how. Or yelling instructions at someone else on their shift while she stands from a safe distance away from the ship, waiting for her suit to recharge. Or drawing diagrams in the sand with the other tech-heads and trying to figure out how exactly they're going to solve this or that new technical problem of the day.

As the weeks of prep wear on, Ahsoka only gets bossier and more intense, and her eyes seem to shine with a burning drive behind them-- a need to save everyone. She starts to seem permanently older than her seventeen years, and it's unclear whether she actually ever sleeps. (She can sleep when they're safe.) She and Anakin start fighting about stupid stuff every third day, like about what part to replace, or what food should be stored for the trip. It's their way of blowing off steam, but finding Ahsoka stewing and pacing around the campfire with an air of annoyance becomes increasingly commonplace.

It takes them a month, all up, to get everything ready. The actual flying is the easy part.]

Comments

[ceruleo]

Stop hitting yourself.

[ He comes to sit next to her, looking considerably less strung-out--stress is bad for your skin!--but vaguely worried. ]

Like, seriously. Take a nap or something.

[resnipstance]

[ It's a measure of how tired she is that she doesn't even roll her eyes at him, instead continuing to stare out into the distance for threats determinedly. ]

I can't do that! It's still my watch.

[ Cue another involuntary yawn. ]

[ceruleo]

Nope, none of that.

[ He motions for her to make some room. ]

Scoot over, you're being officially relieved.

[resnipstance]

[ She makes room for him to sit beside her, but she doesn't move as if to leave. ]

I don't remember that part of the roster.

[ But the look she shoots him is grateful. ]

[ceruleo]

Roster schmoster. [ He waves her off. ] I'm a selfless volunteer.

[ To the tune of: Aren't I amazing? Praise me. ]

[resnipstance]

[ Ahsoka doesn't have the energy in her tonight to smack talk. So she just laughs instead, humouring him. ]

Very selfless. Thank you.

[ Then, more seriously: ]

What's got you up at this hour, anyway? Can't sleep?

[ceruleo]

[ The corners of his mouth turn up, not genuinely expecting her to play along. Man, she must be really tired. ]

I dunno. [ Not entirely true. He's not sure why he's being dishonest, but it takes a moment before he unsticks the words from his throat. ] Guess it's just--we're so close, you know? I can practically taste it.

[ And he's...nervous? Excited? Both? ]

[resnipstance]

[ She nods. ]

I know what you mean.

Before, it just seemed like a far-off dream... now it's all happening. And we have no idea what awaits us out there.

[ceruleo]

[ He looks up at the vault of the sky, mouth drawn tight, before his eyes flicker back down at the night-time desert. ]

Is it weird that even though I'm not gonna miss this place...I don't wanna forget it?

[ He's doing that more often, now, when they're alone together: prefacing his comments with is it strange if or you'll probably think this is weird but--not often, but enough that it lets his insecurity linger through the cracks. ]

Visiting other planets, you know? To me it's still pretty crazy.

[resnipstance]

[She gives him a sort of quizzical look, smiling but with one eyebrow raised.]

Why would that be weird? I mean... that's only natural. Our life experiences are what make us-- us. The good and the bad. Wanting to forget would be like... wanting to forget a part of yourself.

[There's that Jedi upbringing again.]

[ceruleo]

[ He rolls his eyes. ]

Not like that--I mean like...I wanna make sure I remember this place, you know? Like, I wanna say 'I was there' and mean it. And you know--it wasn't just bad stuff that happened to me here.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka tilts her head.]

I don't understand what you mean.

I can't picture ever forgetting this.

[ceruleo]

[ He glances sideways at her, and he can't help it--his mouth curls. ]

I'm pretty unforgettable, I know.

[resnipstance]

Ugh, you had to go and ruin it.

[ceruleo]

You say 'ruin', I say 'improve'....besides, if we'd never been here, we wouldn't have met.

[resnipstance]

[Now it's Ahsoka's turn to eyeroll.]

Is it even physically possible for you to go more than five minutes without flirting?

[ceruleo]

[ He grins, loose and happy. ]

Not when you're around, that's for sure. Admit it, meeting me was the best part of Kharas.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka leans in and pokes a finger to his chest, one side of her mouth turned upward in a grin and her eyes narrowed.]

That's what I mean. You're always saying dumb stuff like that. But you're never serious. ... Admit it. I don't think you'd actually know what to do with yourself if a girl actually took you up on all of it.

[ceruleo]

Excuse you! I've had girlfriends before!

[ Like, one. When he was thirteen, for about two weeks of summer vacation. ]

Besides! I'll be serious when I'm old or something. Haven't you noticed that like, everyone here is serious? All the time?

[resnipstance]

[Oh. That. That wasn't what she wanted Lance to take away from that. At all. Except she can't correct him without being more direct, and that would be embarrassing, so--

Instead, the stripes on her horns turn a deeper shade of blue and she seems to flounder for a few seconds, speechless. Why are boys like this!!]

Well-- that's-- it's kind of a serious situation!

[ceruleo]

[ That's a good question, Ahsoka. Sadly, she won't find an answer with Lance because he's a dumbass. He naturally completely misses the implication of the blue flush of her horns, which he's seen just once before. ]

I know! But you still gotta kick back sometimes, or you'll go crazy.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka opens her mouth and takes a breath to argue against that, but ... it's actually true, so in the end she closes her mouth again and looks away.

She draws her knees up to her chest and looks out at the sand again.]

... I guess so.

In the past... I always found comfort in meditation. But... I guess I haven't been so good at that lately.

[ceruleo]

[ In his defense, he wants to be supportive. ]

You? Meditating? Gimme a break.

[ He just doesn't quite make it there. ]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka actually looks a little bit hurt.

She might not be a Jedi anymore, but for someone to imply they can't even imagine her meditating means she's fallen pretty far from the path.]

... What? It's not that far fetched. I used to meditate all the time!

I just haven't been able to since-- [since Order 66]

--for a while, [she amends, lamely.]

[ceruleo]

[ It dawns on him belatedly what he's done, and his expression drops instantly into something more somber. ]

Oh, um. [ Unwilling to say I'm sorry but not willing to let her stew in unhappiness, he admits: ] I never really meditated much. [ A shrug. Just in case it wasn't 100% readily apparent that it doesn't suit him much. ] Used to do yoga with my sister, but that's about it.