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Kira wasn’t entirely sure why she was here. Her hands were still dirty with grease from the ship and her clothes were probably just as horrid to look at. All of these people were so fancifully dressed, in their large armchairs and their boots that were so clean she could easily see her reflection in them that she felt it might be better if she just disappeared. She'd never been around so many people before and to be the focus of attention was making her astoundingly uncomfortable.This place was too large and echoed too much for her liking. She was used to tight compartments and dust and darkness. This building allowed all of the sunlight to stream inside and she had no choice but to squint. Maybe this planet got better at night? Would she even be staying here tonight?The nautolan who’d brought her here had let go of her hand the minute they entered the room and Kira began to wonder why he’d been holding it to begin with. Her parents never did anything like that so why did he feel inclined to? Maybe it was to keep her in line and prevent her from wandering off, however usually she would get yanked by the arm or yelled at to keep her from doing so. This creature had been nothing but gentle with her and it was very, very odd.She tried to search the features of his dark, inky eyes but he only kept peeking down to make sure she was still alright and she could sense it was genuine. It was better than what the collection of strangers offered her.Feeling all of their eyes on her she should have felt intimidated but Kira just found it annoying. They were full of judgement, likely wondering what possessed one of their colleagues to snatch up this little girl from a planet like Corellia. They had questions for the tall, green Nautolan who’d flown her here, and they were talking to him like the police tying to question her when they’d come to raid her parents’ place of business. While she never felt bad for them, she did almost feel sympathy towards the nautolan. “You have yet to explain what you were doing on Corellia in the first place,” the man in the brown robes queried, his fingers forming a triangle that touched his chin. “It was a mission of recruitment, Master Windu. I was hoping to make contact with some of the youth facilities and see if there was anyone who presented any promise. To see if I could detect any strong signatures.”The nautolan, Kit. she recalled as his name, stood his ground although she knew perfectly well that he wasn’t being completely honest with the others. You’d have to be blind to not see that she clearly wasn’t the product of a Corellian orphanage; but of something much worse. “But unsuccessful, you were?” The tiny green creature sitting right across from her had eyes as large as the balls she used to toss around with the other scrapyard kids. He spoke funny, and she bit back a giggle at the strange way he formed his sentences.“I do not understand, Master Yoda,” Kit spoke, tucking his hands into the deep sleeves of his robes and Kira admired how cool it looked. “You had claimed to us during your first check in that you’d come up empty at all three centres. One of which even turned you away. So, how exactly did you come to have this child in your possession?”The bald man’s expression was unnerving, and she saw a lot of her father in his sternness. This just made her want to push herself forward on her feet; maybe show him that he would have to try harder in order to push her around. He only arched an eyebrow at her frown and in that moment Kira decided she didn’t like this Master Windu.“A side quest you took, perhaps?” The little green creature named Yoda continued. Kit shifted on his feet before he begrudgingly recounted the tale of how Kira had been caught by the mystical figure.“I was returning to my ship and this little girl ran out from underneath it, a piece of my engine regulator in her hand. By the time I had caught up with her the child’s parents were terrified that I was going to turn them over to the Corellian officials for attempting to steal from a Jedi.”“They didn’t care what I stole, just as long as I didn’t get caught,” Kira mumbled, wringing her hands and the scars of her knuckles. “So you were raised a thief?” Another one of the strangers asked, and she almost gawked at the length of his head and the small wisp of a ponytail that hung behind it.“It appeared she didn’t have a choice, Master Mundi,” Kit answered for her and Kira peered up at him. “She was more a hired goon for her parents than she was their child. Turns out they were spice runners and they were only worried about losing their most treasured employee. It only took a couple hundred credits to convince them to turn her over to my care and the care of the Temple. Didn’t even say goodbye to her. They were just thrilled they wouldn’t have to work for a little while. Disgusting.” Kira didn’t like reliving what had happened, nor did she like remembering the threats of abuse her father had whispered in her ear if she ever brought up their names with the police or the Jedi. They had assumed Kit would be taking her with him and while it would hurt their business to be without their best stowaway on the large spice cruisers they would be even more hurt if they ended up going to jail with her.They would always protect themselves over her.“Will I ever see them again?” He raspy voice piped up The entirety of the strangers in the room had their attention set on her as her question was met with nothing but silence. This only irritated her more. So far all she’d seen was a bunch of old people questioning her presence in this building and wonder why of all the little junk rats scrambling around the innards of the city Kit had found interest in her. Why her? Why was she even here?“Well, Kira, that depends on if the council accepts you in being trained.”Kira recalled Kit mentioning something important to her on the flight here, as well as something to her parents. He had said that her ability to locate and remove the pieces of a Jedi cruiser was nothing short of remarkable for someone her age. Kira didn’t see how. She always just knew where to look. It was more like following a feeling than anything else and it had always been with her. This feeling, however, to Kit had a different name. It was something called the Force.She didn’t have the faintest idea about what it was or why her possessing it meant she had to leave her home planet but she didn’t care. If it meant no more beatings and no more empty stomaches then she was never going to go back. Not now, not ever.“Is that what you want, young one?” Another man asked her and Kira felt a sense of comfort in his voice. His hair was long but finely combed and tied back to reveal his face. He seemed to be the only one other than Kit who was addressing her like a person and not just a tool. Kira felt a little better with knowing that at least to one person in this room cared about her feelings.“Yes, sir,” Kira nodded.“And why is that?”Kira paused a long time but in the end decided to just be honest. “I just don’t wanna be forced to work for them anymore.”Kit gently patted her shoulder, and Kira felt supported once again, similarly to when he’d offered her a snack on his ship. “The child has been through absolute hell, any sensible person can see that. I felt that she was deserving of a chance to do something better with her life; a chance to learn more about what she experiences when things seem too overwhelming.”Kira watched as Kit knelt down before her, staring back at her with assurance and a strong hold on her shoulders as he held her in place.“A chance to learn about the Force.”There was that word again. The more Kit alluded to it the more it interested her.“You do realize she’s too old to begin the training,” Master Windu sighed.“With all due respect, Master Windu, I was seven years old myself when I started,” the long-haired man chuckled gently. “The council has always bended the rules when it comes to facilitating a young protege. Especially if they appear to hold great strength in the Force.”“Master Qui-on, we have yet to see the potential of this child,” Mast Mundi reminded. “Kit, what is it about her that you find so promising?”Kit just returned his gaze back to Kira and a small smile curled up his lips. “I suppose it’s just a feeling.”Kira’s eyes widened at that and a small chill found its way up her spine and into her hands and fingers as they lay limp at her sides. She didn’t know why, but she felt that this was a special proclamation. That this nautolan’s words would determine her fate and that likely he was taking a bit of a risk standing up for her. She could feel a tear coming but she held it back, she didn’t want to cry in front of all these strangers. She didn’t want to chance everything Kit had done by sobbing like a baby and ruining it all. “I strongly believe we ought to give the child a chance to prove herself,” the kind man named Qui Gon spoke to Master Windu. “Let her settle in and then we can see if this is truly where she belongs.”Master Windu rested back in his seat as he looked over to the thoughtful Master Yoda for confirmation or objection but he was just met with a few ear twitches and an expression Kira couldn’t interpret. A weight had begun to build in her stomach as her future hung in the balance.“Very well then. We will have her set up in the youngling’s quarters and she will be tested tomorrow morning.”Kit rose to his feet, keeping his hand resting on her shoulder and Kira felt her heart rate calm at having him still at her side.“And who will train the girl?” Master Mundi asked. Master Qui-Gon rose from his seat and Kira saw his lightsaber dangling at his side. She’d only seen one so far and she liked how different each of them appeared. She wondered if each person got to make their own? If she would get her own someday…“I sincerely offer to train her along with my padawan, Obi-Wan.”“The laws of the council forbid a Master having more than one apprentice at a time,” Windu reminded his colleague and Kira was dismayed. She liked the man quite a bit, and she was angry some stupid rule prevented him from being the one to teach her.She sighed sadly as she watch Qui-Gon return to his seat. There was now nothing but anxiety as any of the remaining strangers could voice their chance to scoop her up and plant themselves as her teacher.“I was hoping I would get the chance to train her,” Kit spoke up. Sadly Master Windu still had more questions. “Kit you are only freshly a Jedi knight. Do you really feel ready to take on an apprentice?”Kit looked down at Kira again and she only stared up at him with awe. He must have enjoyed the look she gave him for he only smiled before presenting his case. “I feel that I am,” he confirmed. “I feel responsible for Kira and I think she would do best under my supervision. She’s smart and cheeky, and kind of reminds me of when I was young and terrified of what would come next.”His words made Kira’s hands feel warm and she could feel another tear prick at her eye, pleading to come out.“What do you think, little Durane? How would you like being my padawan?”Kira looked back at the leaders and they simply awaited her response. She didn’t like how they made her feel, looking at her like a disturbing anomaly. But with Kit’s hand on her back she regained some semblance of confidence. He had removed her from a place of smoke and a future that promised nothing but danger and pain at the hands of her caregivers. Maybe life with Kit would be different. Maybe for once, with him, she would have something she only dreamt of on those cold nights sleeping on the floor of her parents’ ship.She would have freedom.“I think I’d like that, Master Fisto.”
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“Master, I don’t think I can do this.”“I wouldn’t have let you into the hangar if I thought you weren’t ready, little one.”Kira found her time with Master Plo Koon a great detachment from her time with Master Fisto. Despite how intimidating she found his appearance at first, she had warmed up to the man quite easily in time, mostly from his compliments while watching her saber training. Telling her to make use of her long reach but that her footwork was superb. Master Plo made her feel very good about her progress, and with the notes from Master Fisto she finally felt like she might have the potential to be a decent duellist. Maybe as good as Master Yoda if she worked really, really hard. The thought brought a little spring to her step as she trotted alongside the imposing Jedi. A few other padawans were milling about behind Master Yaddle, who was giving a tour of some kind. She wondered if they were about to be shown the same thing Master Plo was leading her towards. Today Master Fisto had taken off to visit the Senate buildings along with Master Windu to discuss boring political matters that barely held Kira’s interest. She had finished her exercises and her chores for the temple and now she was Master Plo’s temporary companion for the day and she couldn’t be more thrilled as it meant she got to see the home for all the Republic ships. Their sheer sizes overwhelmed her and caused her mouth to fall open as he led her underneath the hull of a Jedi star cruiser, at least that’s what she thought it was. She’d seen a few diagrams in one of the books her bunkmate was looking over, although she wasn’t sure if it was the most recent model or one of the older ones. Either way it was impressive and she could’t stop staring up at the ship’s exterior. A lot of these pieces would’ve ensured large meals for her for a whole month if she was back on Corellia. Damn it, she thought. Why would she look at this magnificent ship like a piece of meat, ready to be dissected? Why couldn’t she just see it for what it was: a piece of art. These ways of thinking still weren’t completely shaken from her brain, but she was getting better. It was all about baby steps and looking at the world with kinder eyes. Hopeful eyes. “What do you think, Kira?”“It’s amazing!” She exclaimed, her neck growing sore with how far back her neck was straining. “I’m very glad you think so. Because in a few moments you’ll get to see it from the inside.”Kira’s head snapped back so hard she felt dizzy. See it from the what now?“Inside? We’re going to go inside??” Master Koon chuckled. “Of course. Why else do you think I would take you here?”“I dunno. Maybe to just take me on a tour like what Master Yaddle was doing?”“I hardly think just reading or being told about starships is a fine away to learn about them. In my humble opinion the only way to experience them is to, well, fly.”Kira must’ve misheard him. She must have. “You’re going to take me on a ride, Master Plo?!”“Now, now, little one. Don’t get too excited. First let’s get ourselves boarded and settled in.”The tall man walked her around to the other side where a large red ladder lay propped against the side of the ship, and Kira wrapped her little hand around the railing. She was a little larger now so this ladder wouldn’t prove as much of a challenge as when she had to climb up into her little compartment at night. She had to do it all herself back then.But now she had the support of Master Plo’s hand to push her up to the next step as she made her ascent. “Now go ahead and get yourself situated and I’ll be right behind you,” Master Plo assured her. Kira grew impatient as the steps never seemed to end. She wanted to get into that cockpit and look at all the little buttons and switches. She’d only ever gotten to take the ships apart but had yet to actually experience one flying so up close and personal. She flipped her leg over the opening hatch and flopped down hard into the pilot’s seat with a gasp. She was only nine years old but she still had the clumsiness of a toddler sometimes. Master Plo was much more graceful, using his long legs to swing herself over and Kira scooted forward so he could fit. “Now how’s about we get this thing up in the air?” Master Plo asked cheekily and Kira enjoyed his energy. He was so wonderfully different from the mild-mannered nautolan. “Oh I am so ready!” She laughed as she sat back into the Jedi’s lap and he assisted her in securing her safety belt. “Always safety first. Remember that, always,” he reminded her and she rolled her eyes. Master Plo reached past her to flip an entire row of switches up and Kira felt the engine of the ship buzz to life. She remembered how loud the ship Master Fisto had flown her in was like but this one was calmer; smoother. Master Plo continued with preparing the ship for take off with the turning of some levers and sliding the switch to close the hatch. There was a little jolt as he told ahold of the controllers and pushed the ship forward. She peered out the window and giggled as a bunch of Master Yaddle’s group gawked at seeing the shiny star-craft cruise along the hangar and towards the bay doors. Kira was more excited than she’d ever been. Her toes were curling in her boots and her heart was set to burst from her chest as Master Plo told her to hold onto his knees and she did, maybe a little too tightly.The engine zoomed with delightful mechanical music and before Kira was able to take in the brightness of the afternoon sun the ship was through the wide doors and out into the open air. The Coruscant sky traffic was thinned out and thankfully Master Plo was able to soar above the weight of it and higher and higher until Kira wondered if they would run out of sky. “Don’t you think we could maybe go a little faster, Master Plo?”“Ha ha, now you’re just reading my mind!”Kira yelped as she was thrown back in her seat while the Jedi stayed true to his word. Grabbing ahold of the thrusters he propelled the ship forward and the lights of the city began to blur past her. This was more exhilarating than anything she’d ever felt, even more so than the one time Master Fisto allowed her to hold his lightsaber; not ignited, of course. Flying was something she had never imagined she’d ever get to feel or see. It caused her breath to fall into her abdomen and her limbs to feel light as a feather. It was terrifying in many ways, but Maker did she love every second of it. “This is amazing!!!” She screamed. “I am very glad you’re enjoying yourself, little one,” Master Plo said over the screech of the After hearing all about your knowledge of spaceships from your Master I knew something like this would be just to your liking.”Kira was overjoyed to hear that this powerful and formidable man had paid attention to her interests. The fact that even any of the Jedi had discussed her with any form of positivity made her feel cautiously happy. Before coming to the temple no one had ever showed interest in her, nor had many people ever made an effort to even get to know her in the first place. It was something that was gradually growing to be more common but she still needed to work on accepting the possibility that she was deserving of it. “Master Fisto told you that?”“He did,” Master Plo said truthfully. “And I think it’s important to get some time out of the temple once in a while.”“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much of Coruscant before!” Kira said, admiring the beginnings of the sunset as the sky started to turn a different shade of pink. “Well, perhaps we should fly out just a little farther. But first,” he pushed on the thrusters and directed the ship to go a little towards the left but shortly after that he popped down a switch and the ship settled into a neutral cruise. “I think you should take the controls.”Kira attempted to crane her neck back to look up at the Jedi master, her jaw slack and her eyes close to popping out of her skull in shock. What did he say??“I should take the what?”“Here,” he directed, taking ahold of her hands in his claws and placing them carefully over the control stick and thrusters. “It’s really quite simple. You use this one to push the ship forward and the other to help control where it goes. If anything starts to go oddly I’ll come take over, alright? It’s perfectly safe.”Kira’s hands had never felt so limp. She tried to take the controls with a firm grip but her brain was having trouble in making her hands do what she wanted. She was absolutely terrified. She’d never done anything like this in her life. Not even had the chance to drive one of the little junk carriers on her home planet as her parents didn’t want her to do anything so brazen. They wanted to stay quiet and small. Under the radar. “I-I don’t know if I can, Master Plo-““It’s quite alright, little one. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Remember to collect your thoughts and not let them control you. Just take a minute and feel.”Kira closed her eyes, the little mantra Master Fisto taught her rolling through her mind as she worked to control her breaths. She liked how much it helped. She liked how much Master Fitso always knew what to do. Gradually Master Fisto let go of her hands until she was completely in control. It would only be a second until he would release the auto pilot and she would be in charge of flying a Jedi star cruiser. A very, very large and very important star cruiser… that could very well crash…Stars, what was she going to do?The auto pilot shut off with a jolt and Kira nearly yelped as she felt the weight of the ship in her grasp. It fell short for a moment before she regained slight control and was able to pull it up and away from plummeting to the ground. That was a start, at least. “Ok what do I do now?” “You fly the ship, of course!”Kira exhaled sharply and pulled the thruster back, learning that it didn’t move the ship in reverse but instead shot it forward. Trying to experiment a little, Kira yanked the joystick to the left and the ship generously followed her command. She soon discovered it was easier to guide than she initially thought and after a supportive pat on her head, she decided to go a little further. “I think I’m gonna try to go up!”“Marvellous!” The Jedi’s deep voice resonating in the small compartment. He seemed to be enjoying this just as much as she was. “Let’s see what she can do!”With confidence finally working its way through her veins she shifted the thrusters up and the ship shot up into the sky. Past the other ships flying above the skyline and past the tallest point of the tallest building the planet held. It wasn’t long before the colours of the sunset fell away and Kira saw that they were entering space. A part of her was afraid that she had taken the ship too far but hadn’t heard a peep from Master Plo yet and so she assumed that things were going ok. Spaceships were meant to fly in space, after all. Feeling a little more adventurous, Kira opted for pushing down on the controls and seeing if she could do something similar to a somersault in the air. Master Plo laughed as she fell and then regained speed to push the ship and over again and again until she started to feel a little dizzy. “Maker, I haven’t had this much fun since Master Mundi’s robes caught fire at the anniversary reception!”Kira liked hearing an adult laugh at her actions. She liked causing someone the same level of happiness that she felt in this moment and she wanted to hold onto it forever. She wanted to try more tricks and see if those made the Jedi just as gleeful, at least as gleeful as a mild-mannered space wizard could be. Experimenting further she tried out a few more maneuvers, everything from something called a “figure eight” to a round of spinning and the whole time Master Plo praised her for her adaptiveness and great skill. Kira didn’t feel skill had much to do with what she had pulled; she’d simply followed her gut and done whatever came naturally. “You’re quite the talented little pilot, Kira.”She greatly enjoyed the sound of that. She liked being in charge of this ship and playing with the controls. Something about being the reason that the ship was able to soar as fast as it did and getting to see the stars so up close and personal made her heart so full. She never wanted to let this feeling go. “How much longer do we have, Master Plo?”“I’d say we have time to learn another trick,” he spoke and Kira could hear his smile behind his mask. “Yes sir!” She cried, and with a shot she took off through the emptiness of space.
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She’d come up here to be alone. Her arm was almost dead weight at this point, being held into place only by some wrappings Tech had managed to scrounge up from their poor excuse for a medical aid kit. He’d wrapped them rather thoroughly and warned her not to put too much stress on it else it would only worsen. She didn’t like being far from fully functional. Having the remnants of a blaster bolt burrowed into her skin like the remnants of a field after the collision with a comet, scarring her for the rest of her life was infuriating to say the least. It wasn’t her first serious wound and because of her now making her presence on the battlefield a permanent position it was obviously not going to be her last. But now she had trouble climbing and even propping herself up from her cot in the morning. Being an invalid was not good look for her and she wanted out as soon as possible. She wanted to be out of the sling and stretching and maybe if Hunter was up and about they would get another round of wrestling. Maybe even Crosshair would be interested in joining them…He’d been more angry than she ever thought someone could get. She’d never thought to consider Crosshair anything other than a man who was severe and blunt and unapproachable at the best of times but his fierceness nearly brought her to being afraid; and it usually took a lot to bring her even close to that point anymore. “Hunter might let this slide because you’re our general and we’re all just supposed to go along with what you say. You’re a Jedi so you know best. You put everyone here at risk for a short-sighted plan you didn’t even know would work. Tech could have died, and you could have-“He paused, sucking in a cold breath as she watched, waiting for him to finish. Wanting to know what he meant by including her in his fears. “We have stayed alive through more missions than you know because we trust each other. We trust each other to do what we do and we don’t ever think to take things in our own hands like you do. You might come off as the person to lean on when we need them, that you’re our friend. But you can’t even trust us in battle. So what’s the point?”Kira hadn’t even attempted to go after him. She knew what that kind of exit meant and if she had sought him out to reason with him or to try to explain her side it would prove moot. He was closed off from all kind of compromise or discussion. But she didn’t even want to chase. She wanted to let him be; a clemency he’d never granted her before. Her cot was unbearable to lie about in as he mind continued to swell with thoughts, most of them bordering on frustration and disgust. Did they really think this way about her? Or was Crosshair just spouting out of his ass, like he usually did…?Oh, what did he know? She’d sincerely tried to extend a hand of friendship to them to match the same one that they had offered her and she’d yet to hear a single complaint from the other three. If they didn’t feel she was proving to them that she had their back and that she trusted them to have hers. She did, didn’t she?Avoiding laying too hard on her arm she turned over to her other side, her eyes falling to the steel floor reflected by the orange lights. Did she trust them? Or had she just been kidding herself this whole time? Fuck, she didn’t want to think about this right now. She had to get some air and so she’d made her way out of her room and released the lock to the ship’s doors. The Marauder was parked right near the edge of the snow-coated forest, just close enough that the shade of the trees covered the ramp and Kira kicked away some of the green needles that had fallen over the course of the day. She didn’t bother with the snow as it would just pile up again in a few minutes. Orrebor hadn’t seen a break in the relentless snow storms in months. It was as if the finality of recovering the data from the Republican tower and saving Clip had sent a cue to the powers of nature to finally give the small company an aura of tranquility while they remained on the ice planet. It was below freezing but for one reason or another Kira didn’t entirely notice. She was dressed in nothing more than her tunic with the addition of a thicker jacket that zipped up to her chin. She didn’t tend to freeze quickly but she also knew as she began her ascent up the small metal rungs protruding from the ship that this time outside wouldn’t run very long. Kira nearly slipped on the last step but regained her footing and used her free hand to pull herself up and over the ship’s severely scuffed dorsal. Stars, when was the last time this ship had seen a proper military wash facility? The snow hadn’t stuck to the ship very well and she was thrilled to see a little bit of a dry patch that looked perfectly welcoming for her to settle herself on top of it. She wasn’t sure if she liked snow or not. It was ethereal at times and almost like magic as it danced through the quiet wind. It wasn’t quite as cold as it would soon get at nightfall but that was at least a little ways away and she would be able to breathe her fill of the fresh, icy air before being forced to return to the warmth of the ship. But it would also mean returning to the bitter storm of thoughts that awaited her in her small room. Thoughts she wasn’t quite ready to pick back up and sift through just yet. She wanted to just sit and let the cold consume her for a little while. There was something about the prickles of the frost blossoming in her hair and lashes that was mildly invigorating. It awakened something in her that she didn’t quite understand but she enjoyed its company.Her comm buzzed with an incoming message but she opted for turning it silent. She didn’t need to hear about an issue at the base or another gruelling accusation from Brass about something superfluous. She was deserving of at least a few moments of peace and quiet, although everyone seemed to think otherwise. Her comm’s screen lit up another two times and the anger began to boil over. Didn’t they have other people they could consult for their stupid little problems? Since she clearly didn’t trust them then why would they refer to her? What did her authority matter? She was a danger to every clone who patrolled this base and to every one of the men stowed below in the ship she sat upon so why the fuck would they need her?!Letting her anger take ahold, she whipped her comm off of her wrist and tossed it far into the dark trees, hopefully never to be seen again. Good riddance. Finally releasing her pent up breaths she allowed her hand to return to the frigid metal and leaned back, trying to take in the gorgeously painted scenery. The colours from the planet’s trees soon fell darker and darker as the orange sun began its descent. Days on this planet were almost half the length of the ones on Coruscant and while it did get to her, adjustment would hopefully come in time. She would just have to learn to cope. After a few moments she came to realize just how many changes she had seen in only a few weeks. To anyone else it would prove to be an excellent source of trauma and perhaps a little more than stressful, but she’d managed okay, didn’t she? Maybe just a little too much, so much that those she’d been assigned to protect and guide had been left behind. She was working with more than just one member of a team, again. She had to do better than this, because she owed it to them. She owed it to all of them. An echo of metal against metal clanked against the ship and she jumped. Who the hell was it this time? Was it Tech reaching out again to see why she wasn’t answering her comms or was it Hunter checking to see what illness brought about her stupid decision to sit out in the cold in the evening? Neither options seemed appealing and whoever it was she didn’t want them here. “Please not now,” she projected, leaning back further to catch a glance at the unwelcome guest. “If it’s all the same to you, I don’t really want to come back later.”Turning her head quickly she found the source of that indisputably silken voice and was met with the stern expression of Crosshair. His armour was now replaced with a thick jacket made of a combination of animal fur and leather. She needed a minute to take in the sight of him wearing something closer to that of a civilian. Why did it suit him so well?“What in the hell are you even doing up here?” He grumbled, taking in the icy patch Kira had settled into for the evening. “I just- I needed some time away, alright?” She sighed, wondering if he was planning to stay or hopefully fall off the ladder and into the snow below. “You seem to do that a lot,” he observed harshly. “Yeah? Well you should also know I do it to be alone. Something you’re making rather impossible.”Crosshair didn’t speak, although Kira had half expected him to come up with some snobbish little retort that would just lead to more fighting and the energy Kira had been trying hard to create would be gone for the rest of the night. He stayed there, just standing on the last rung of the ladder as if he were trying to make a decision on what to do. Kira stared back at him, trying to hide the fact that the cold was getting more and more intense by the second and she could only imagine how horridly pink her cheeks had turned in the last few minutes. Goddamnit, what was he thinking? Why was he keeping her in this ridiculous limbo?“Well?” She spoke, her voice coming out a little softer than she intended. Crosshair looked unchanged. The only thing Kira could focus in on was the way his eyes darted back and forth over her face and paying no attention to the little flakes nestling into his grey hair. She wanted to say something atrocious, something cruel to get him to leave but for one reason or another she couldn’t find the energy. If she did that then maybe Crosshair had been right about everything. Maybe she wasn’t truly a friend to his brothers but only managed kindness when it meant little to no effort on her part. Had she ever really tried with Crosshair? No, not even close. She never saw the point. But yet here he was, standing on the side of the ship in the freezing cold of the ice planet simply checking on her without any evident motivations. He wasn’t coming to relay a message or to escort her to the commanders. He was here because… he wanted to be?Could that be the truth?A few more seconds passed and Crosshair inhaled before making his decision, hauling himself up and on top of the frozen roof. He muttered something about it being a hazard but Kira just bundled herself up further in her coat and kept her eyes forward. She could feel the timid heat emanating from him the minute he sat down next to her and she shuddered at the sudden change. She hadn’t been this close to him since their interesting little round of fighting, and after that she had been avoiding him at every chance. She wondered if he’d noticed. Had he sought her out and she’d been too aloof to notice?Crosshair shifted about as he settled onto the metal seat, sniffing a little and looking about as the snow began to fall a little harder. She wasn’t looking at him yet but she could feel him looking back at her at small moments. “Why did you have to pick now of all times to come out here?” He grunted. “Tech insisted I rest so I wanted to stay true to my word a little. The days are so short here, anyways so it just… got away from me, I guess.”Crosshair hummed, turning his head away and adjusting the collar of his coat. “You were smart to listen to Tech. Or else you’d never hear the end of it.”Kira let out a small chuckle at that and Crosshair rolled back his shoulders at the sound. It was something he’d probably only heard once before so it might have sounded alien to him. A lot of people might disagree but Kira was capable of laughter and sometimes even joy. It wasn’t her fault it alluded her so much. They sat there together for a while, mostly in silence but neither of them seemed to mind. Kira definitely didn’t. Crosshair never seemed to speak unless it was an absolute necessity and right now he seemed to be in the same mindset as her. Their focus was dead set on simply watching the gentle flakes of snow fall along with the dimming sun as it sunk behind the scattered trees making up the skyline. Kira would occasionally glance over the sneak a peek at the glooming man, but was surprised to see he wasn’t looking so gloomy in this moment. His chin was pointing out and his eyes were glinting with the orange of the falling sun, awash with warm colours and a softened expression on his face. Kira had never seen him like this. He looked so… relaxed. Before she had a chance to look away Crosshair had caught her eyes on him and he looked back with no wavering or uncertainty. It was still gentle, but at the same time heavy with something a little more solemn. It was very similar to the face he’d had when she’d shouted in his face on Keniir and said things she still regretted. Maybe now, he was the one with regret. “General-““Crosshair, for god’s sake how many times do I have to tell you. Please. Call me Kira.” She turned her head, honing in on the last little sliver of sun as a sense of distraction from the piercing eyes of Crosshair as he remained fixed on her. The planet would soon grow colder than beyond anything they had seen today and any sensible creature would be hurrying to get inside of any sort of heated shelter but she didn’t feel cold in that moment. She felt warm.“Fine. Kira.”