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suitably_heroicThey'd been walking for a long time. The cold was a distant ache in Atton's stomach, a familiar but unwanted old companion that had popped back into being the second they slid down the hatch.
That had been hours ago. And it was dark.
"Stop," he said. He flashed his glowlight at the wall, frowning at the metal threaded through it. "This? This looks familiar." Beside him, Mira stopped as well, holding up her lightsaber to brighten the wall further.
"You see these patterns?" he said, gesturing to where they started, high up, just below the ceiling. "It's not exactly their tech - but I saw the same thing near the engines on their ship."
"Huh," Mira said. "So maybe you weren't making that up."
Atton pulled a face at her.
"Have you met you?" Mira threw back at him, rolling her eyes. "Okay, we found something. This is as good a place as any to camp out for the night."
Atton wasn't in the mood to complain. Much, anyway. "I said that two hours ago," he muttered, swinging his pack over his shoulder. "You weren't wrong about these passages. How much further does this go anyway?"
"At least two more days in this direction," Mira said. "Enough to give Asida 'ship fever."
Atton put their glowlights in a tight circle and reached for the ration packs. "Reason number 83 I'm glad I don't have a Padawan," he said.
There was a soft 'thump' as Mira sat down next to him on the floor. "I don't get how I'm saying this, but you know it would help if you took one on, right? You'd be okay at it," she said. "I mean, if you stop leaving sixteen-week pauses between bits of useful advice."
"Unlike you, I still live on the island that turns people into cats every two weeks," Atton said. "And I apparently need a babysitter to go down into creepy dark side ruins. And I don't wanna."
"You know that's just because of what this place, specifically, does to you?" Mira said. "I mean, you're an idiot, but you're not a raging Sith anymore."
"Hey!" came the token protest.
"It's true," she said. "We both know you don't have to be whatever came before forever. I'm a Mandalorian who believes in non-lethal force and goes crawling around creepy dungeons with smelly, pathetic ex-Republic soldiers for a living."
"If you can call that a living."
"I mean, it's tempting to start turning in people for their bounties," Mira said. "I'd be rich if there was still a blanket bounty on Jedi going around."
"And you'd still have to turn yourself in," Atton pointed out, sedate.
"I think I can get out on a technicality: I don't wear the robes."
Atton let out a soft snort. "You're right," he said. "Not about the robes. My past isn't all of me, of course I know that. But it's part of me. And becoming responsible for molding what someone else's past is going to be?"
He shook his head. "I'll leave that to the professionals."
A pause. Or maybe, more of a silence.
"Hold up."
Atton rose to his feet, walking back to the wall with glowlight in hand. This time, though, he didn't just look - he reached out, pressing his fingers to the electronics threading the wall.
A wave of cold slid down his fingers in an instant. He yanked them back like he'd been burned. "Poodoo," he growled.
Mira's eyes darted from their makeshift camp to him. "What is it?" she asked.
"This tech is solid dark side," he said. "It might be radiating whatever's setting me off in here - like a network of arteries. But you can't tell until you touch it." He took a few steps back. "Hm."
Mira digested that.
"Is it going to kill us right now?" she asked.
That got a huff. "No," Atton said.
"Then let's eat our ration bars, go to sleep, and think about what it means tomorrow."
[[ establishy ]]
That had been hours ago. And it was dark.
"Stop," he said. He flashed his glowlight at the wall, frowning at the metal threaded through it. "This? This looks familiar." Beside him, Mira stopped as well, holding up her lightsaber to brighten the wall further.
"You see these patterns?" he said, gesturing to where they started, high up, just below the ceiling. "It's not exactly their tech - but I saw the same thing near the engines on their ship."
"Huh," Mira said. "So maybe you weren't making that up."
Atton pulled a face at her.
"Have you met you?" Mira threw back at him, rolling her eyes. "Okay, we found something. This is as good a place as any to camp out for the night."
Atton wasn't in the mood to complain. Much, anyway. "I said that two hours ago," he muttered, swinging his pack over his shoulder. "You weren't wrong about these passages. How much further does this go anyway?"
"At least two more days in this direction," Mira said. "Enough to give Asida 'ship fever."
Atton put their glowlights in a tight circle and reached for the ration packs. "Reason number 83 I'm glad I don't have a Padawan," he said.
There was a soft 'thump' as Mira sat down next to him on the floor. "I don't get how I'm saying this, but you know it would help if you took one on, right? You'd be okay at it," she said. "I mean, if you stop leaving sixteen-week pauses between bits of useful advice."
"Unlike you, I still live on the island that turns people into cats every two weeks," Atton said. "And I apparently need a babysitter to go down into creepy dark side ruins. And I don't wanna."
"You know that's just because of what this place, specifically, does to you?" Mira said. "I mean, you're an idiot, but you're not a raging Sith anymore."
"Hey!" came the token protest.
"It's true," she said. "We both know you don't have to be whatever came before forever. I'm a Mandalorian who believes in non-lethal force and goes crawling around creepy dungeons with smelly, pathetic ex-Republic soldiers for a living."
"If you can call that a living."
"I mean, it's tempting to start turning in people for their bounties," Mira said. "I'd be rich if there was still a blanket bounty on Jedi going around."
"And you'd still have to turn yourself in," Atton pointed out, sedate.
"I think I can get out on a technicality: I don't wear the robes."
Atton let out a soft snort. "You're right," he said. "Not about the robes. My past isn't all of me, of course I know that. But it's part of me. And becoming responsible for molding what someone else's past is going to be?"
He shook his head. "I'll leave that to the professionals."
A pause. Or maybe, more of a silence.
"Hold up."
Atton rose to his feet, walking back to the wall with glowlight in hand. This time, though, he didn't just look - he reached out, pressing his fingers to the electronics threading the wall.
A wave of cold slid down his fingers in an instant. He yanked them back like he'd been burned. "Poodoo," he growled.
Mira's eyes darted from their makeshift camp to him. "What is it?" she asked.
"This tech is solid dark side," he said. "It might be radiating whatever's setting me off in here - like a network of arteries. But you can't tell until you touch it." He took a few steps back. "Hm."
Mira digested that.
"Is it going to kill us right now?" she asked.
That got a huff. "No," Atton said.
"Then let's eat our ration bars, go to sleep, and think about what it means tomorrow."
[[ establishy ]]
