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suitably_heroic"So you're really serious about this whole 'I shouldn't be around the kids' thing, huh," Mira said.
They'd been here for over a day. There had been silences. There had been food.
Mostly, there had been a lot of talking. After the past week, Atton wondered faintly how it was that he and Mira hadn't killed each other yet.
"I've already done the best thing I can do for those kids," he said, stretching his legs out across the rock. "I brought them Sparkle."
There was a short silence, as Mira thought about it. "You know he's part of the reason I decided to take a Padawan on in the first place?" she said. "I mean, not him, specifically. He didn't talk me into anything. It's just... You know Meetra, Mical, they all preach about how important it is to have all these deep connections to people. But I lost my family a long time ago, I've been fine - it always sounded like sentimental stuff to me, you know? Why build something back up when it's just going to come apart again?"
Atton shrugged. "Don't ask me," he said. "I've got no idea."
"But you do, you snivelling liar," Mira said quietly. "You treat Sparkle like family. It made me think... if even a guy like you, who's been running away from everything including himself for most of his life-- a lying, untrustworthy--"
"Okay, okay, I get it!"
"... if even you can find someone who puts up with you, maybe there's a point to it after all. Having people, I mean. Family. Who aren't part of your tribe, specifically, but just-- are."
"Huh."
Mira twisted the top off her water bottle. "Don't tell anyone I said anything nice about you," she said.
Atton opened his mouth to retort - and then something else came out. "Life signs," he said. "Up top, inbound."
"Poodoo," Mira exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.
---
They couldn't see anything. Yet. Atton's best guess was that they were sending in smaller ships instead of the big shuttles he'd been expecting. It didn't matter, anyway: the bad guys were clearly inbound.
He leaped off the edge of the rock, trusting Mira to follow him. They followed the path down into the upper compound, the way they'd done at least ten times before by now.
"East side," Atton panted.
"Where we found the consoles?"
"Yeah."
"I'm letting Mical know," Mira said, thumbing her belt as they ran through the hall at top speed.
"They're inside now," Atton growled, hands sliding for lightsabers that... weren't on his belt. Dammit. "Can I have something to fight with yet?"
"No!"
It was as if Mira's voice had set off a chain reaction. Red lights flared on, followed by sirens. It was more life than this complex had shown in the months since they'd found it.
"What in space was that?!" Atton yelled.
"Looks like there's still enough juice left from those batteries," Mira panted, "Or maybe the juice they've been storing just kicked in--"
"But for what?!"
And suddenly, the world was upside-down, Atton's back slamming hard into a wall. Dizzy, all he could register was that the entire complex was shaking... and all the life signs had just entered the building.
"I have a bad feeling about this!"
[[ establishy! ]]
They'd been here for over a day. There had been silences. There had been food.
Mostly, there had been a lot of talking. After the past week, Atton wondered faintly how it was that he and Mira hadn't killed each other yet.
"I've already done the best thing I can do for those kids," he said, stretching his legs out across the rock. "I brought them Sparkle."
There was a short silence, as Mira thought about it. "You know he's part of the reason I decided to take a Padawan on in the first place?" she said. "I mean, not him, specifically. He didn't talk me into anything. It's just... You know Meetra, Mical, they all preach about how important it is to have all these deep connections to people. But I lost my family a long time ago, I've been fine - it always sounded like sentimental stuff to me, you know? Why build something back up when it's just going to come apart again?"
Atton shrugged. "Don't ask me," he said. "I've got no idea."
"But you do, you snivelling liar," Mira said quietly. "You treat Sparkle like family. It made me think... if even a guy like you, who's been running away from everything including himself for most of his life-- a lying, untrustworthy--"
"Okay, okay, I get it!"
"... if even you can find someone who puts up with you, maybe there's a point to it after all. Having people, I mean. Family. Who aren't part of your tribe, specifically, but just-- are."
"Huh."
Mira twisted the top off her water bottle. "Don't tell anyone I said anything nice about you," she said.
Atton opened his mouth to retort - and then something else came out. "Life signs," he said. "Up top, inbound."
"Poodoo," Mira exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.
---
They couldn't see anything. Yet. Atton's best guess was that they were sending in smaller ships instead of the big shuttles he'd been expecting. It didn't matter, anyway: the bad guys were clearly inbound.
He leaped off the edge of the rock, trusting Mira to follow him. They followed the path down into the upper compound, the way they'd done at least ten times before by now.
"East side," Atton panted.
"Where we found the consoles?"
"Yeah."
"I'm letting Mical know," Mira said, thumbing her belt as they ran through the hall at top speed.
"They're inside now," Atton growled, hands sliding for lightsabers that... weren't on his belt. Dammit. "Can I have something to fight with yet?"
"No!"
It was as if Mira's voice had set off a chain reaction. Red lights flared on, followed by sirens. It was more life than this complex had shown in the months since they'd found it.
"What in space was that?!" Atton yelled.
"Looks like there's still enough juice left from those batteries," Mira panted, "Or maybe the juice they've been storing just kicked in--"
"But for what?!"
And suddenly, the world was upside-down, Atton's back slamming hard into a wall. Dizzy, all he could register was that the entire complex was shaking... and all the life signs had just entered the building.
"I have a bad feeling about this!"
[[ establishy! ]]
