Fault
Simmons’ Personal Log Entry Six:
“The rapairs on the ship have been going-- Well, we've hit a few snags. We don’t have the tools on hand at the moment to repair the engine and the warp core. Helen has gone out to see if she can find anything we can used; Any other crashed vessels or debre that might be useful. If any one can find what we need in the middle of this jungle I know it’s her. Although, Skye offered to go with her she declined, saying that “It would not be advisable to leave the hostage alone for extended periods of time”! What a ridiculous statement! And one I know she doens’t believe. I’ve been working so hard along with them to get this ship up and running so she knows Iwouldn’s leave them stranded.. Even if I could. It’s almost as is she’s been purposly finding excuses to leave Skye and I alone. I swear, I don’t understand what is going through that android’s mind sometimes. Oh well, she’s gone and I’ve been working to repair one of the conduit’s all morning. I think Skye has been working on fixing the “Kitchen” as she calls it, I keep telling her we have enough MREs to last for several months, so fixing the replicator isn’t a priority. She begs to differ. I-- Think I might go and see how her repairs are coming along...”
.
.
.
“They could have possibly hid on this M-class planet in sector 25614-09, the atmosphere can support human life but the atmosphere is thick so they could have shielded themselves from the Avenenger’s sensors in an emergency.” Captain Morse’s navigation officer, one luitenent Ruslana Stasuik 4'11 human with incredibly long hair, was currently pointing to a large hologram showing a series of planets within sector 25614-09.
She had broght on ever body she deemed useful to help with finding Jemma Simmons.
One of Ruslana's teammates, another human who simply went by Mai, pulled up several more pages. “They wouldn’t last, that planet experiences violent storms year round which is why none of the dominions have claimed it for a colony.”
“Yeah also they have class five subterranian predators. It’s not a friendly place.” A Xran female that Morse didn't know pointed out.
Bobbie listened to her officers talking about the newly found planet as she circled the detailed hologram, her thumb and forfinger resting absently on her chin. She moved her hand out and twirled the planet around, analyzing its features and terrain.
She held a hand up, silencing the officers, “This would be their best option.” She tapped on the planet, causing the hologram to wobble and bend, “Set coordinates to this planet.”
She started walking away when one of the officers stopped her in the doorway, “But what about the storms, would they even survive that?”
Bobbie turned around cooly, “The storms are managiable right now, it has month long period where they subside. I should know.” She turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, “Now set the coordinate’s, luitenent.”
Morse's second in command, a young, inexperienced woman fresh out of the academy named Yewande Rose, followed closly behind her, loyally. Morse felt bad bad for putting her through this on her first official outing but she needed Rose.
Rose may have been green but she was organized and to the point without the usual arrogent bullshit that usually came from young officers.
"Why are you so sure that they are on this planet, Captain?" She asked naively.
"Because it's where I would have gone if I had Natasha Romanov on my ass."
"But what about the storms and indigieous species?"
"Trust me Yewande, If I had to choose between a determined Black Widow and a giant subterranian predator, I'd pick the worm with teeth every time and I'm guessing so would Skye."
.
.
.
“Can you believe this view!?” Skye was yelling from the top of the ship into the latch where Jemma had just appeared at the bottom. She raised her arms in awe of the scenery in front of her. Jemma climbed up the hatch next to where the captain was sitting perched on top of the ship.
Jemma slid next to her and lifted her head towards the sky, she exhaled as she took in the sun which had just begun to set. It had more colors now, than when they had first arrived, added now to the pinks and the reds there were purples and blues threaded into the sky, whisping about the horizon like some brilliant painting. However, jemma was sure that no artist from earth could ever capture a sunset like this one without actually experiencing it for themselves. This was something that imagination just couldn’t fill on it's own.
“Why do you think it’s changing like that?” Skye asked in wonder of the phenomenom. Jemma merely shrugged and continued to look up.
There was some worry in the back of Jemma’s mind, it had been some time since she had studied the various meatrological occurenes of alien planets so she couldn’t without reference give an explainaton. However, the worry was only in the back of her mind and for the first time in her life she wasn’t desperate for an answer. She was content with just experiencing it without question.
She leaned over and bumped shoulders with Skye who stopped looking at the sunset and instead stared curiously at Jemma. “What?”
Jemma shrugged her shoulders.
Skye didn’t look away but she smirked slightly, “You know I think staring at the sky in this place is one of the few things we don’t argue about.”
“Well, you have to admit that I certainly do have a reason to be argumentative.” Jemma said, matter of factly, and Skye chuckled.
“Yeah, i guess you do. No hard feelings though, right?” Skye glanced over at Jemma, an eyebrow raised curiously.
“Of course there’s hard feelings, you bloody took me captive!”
“Yeah, but i just thought, I don’t know, maybe we were getting along pretty well, for the circumstances, anyway.” Skye explained but Jemma just rolled her eyes.
“Getting along well or not, I’m still your captive and you could kill me or leave me anytime you wanted and that creates a rather large imbalence, don’t you think?”
They were’t looking at each other as they talked, still watching as the sun went down in all of it’s glory, and the planet’s three moons were just becoming visible above the horizon, a light glow becoming apparent around their outer edges.
“Yeah, but I’m not. I thought that was clear by this point, I mean, you’ve literally driven the ship! And you’re left alone in the cabin all the time. I mean, if I wanted to keep you captive I wouldv’e just trapt you in the hold.” Then she added exasperated, “I’m trying to be nice here!”
“First of all,” Jemma held a finger up, “If you wanted to be nice to me, you could’ve left me on the Mockingbird instead of holding me hostage. And Secondly--”
“Oh the headache I would’ve saved if I had left you there...” Skye mumbled off to the side,
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing, sorry, go on.”
“And secondly,” She continued, “You’re a pirate, you’re not supposed to have a moral compass, or am I truly ablivious to the profession?
The sun had almost disapeared behind the landscape, leaving a purple glow behind the towering mountains to the south and the Moons were now fully formed glowing orbs hanging in the sky. Their light cast a pink haze over the world, the ship, and the two women sitting on the roof of the Hula Girl.
“Just because I’m a criminal doesn’t mean I want to destroy and maim every where I go, there’s a gray area between good an evil and I like staying there.”
“And what gray area is that?” Jemma asked skeptically.
Skye turned, leaving one leg hanging over the ship and bending the other one in front of her as she faced Jemma who simply turned her head in the captain’s direction. “It’ that area where I don’t want to be chained to societies rules and I don’t want to burn it either, I just want to be free.” She paused, thinking her words over carefully, “I want to explore, get rich and live my life while also helping the people who really need it. Does that make any sense?”
“Yes. It does.” Jemma was staring at the moon while Skye glanced at her, surprised,
“Really?”
“Yes. And the more I spend with you and Helen and Alecta, the more I realize that the place you’re refering to is a reality. That grey area I never thought existed. You’re a different breed, Skye...” Jemma turned her head gently to look at the captain and they sat in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the jungle echoing around them.
“But that doesn’t get you off the hook for kidnapping me and stranding me in the middle of a jungle.” Jemma stated curtly.
Skye grinned. Jemma broke and smiled back at her a few moments later. "And you? You like following the rules? It makes you feel nice." Skye repeated what Jemma had previously said.
"You know that. What of it?"
Skye shrugged, "I'm just excited to see your dark side come out a little more, that's all."
"No you don't." Jemma said, shaking her head.
"I'm just curious is all."
"Yes well, even I find it hard to believe that such a part of me exists as well but I've learned more about myself this past month than I have my whole life. And it's strange, as out of control and rather grim as this situation is, I must confess that I've never felt stronger, more hopeful than I do now... I don't know if it's this place--" Jemma paused and glanced around at the pink soaked world. "--This ship, or you.."
Skye remained silent, staring at the other woman intently.
"And if I make it out of this alive-- I'll never be the same again." She drifted off before then returning to her usual curt tone, "Which, as many things in my life right now are, is your fault."
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."
"Take it however you like, Capain Skye, but I'm not leaving you, letting you die, or sabatoging any of your plans until you've properly paid me back for dropping me into this bloody situation." Jemma crossed her arms and flipped her hair.
Skye sat next to her looking utterly confused, "Uh-- Thank you?"
Jemma stared, lost in thought at the ground below her swinging legs, Skye kept an eye on her as she spoke, "You're a different breed too, Dr. Simmons... And have you really spent your life thinking that you weren't strong enough to handle the wonder of space?"
Jemma nodded.
Skye didn’t question her any further.
This had been happening a lot, with the two of them meeting in the evening, talking and bickering until they went silent as the darkness closed in save for the moons, casting strange shadows around the ship.
.
.
.
“Are you lying to me?” Ward asked venomously, he was standing outside of a dirt hut among a small village of similar looking huts. Their surroundings were baron and dry, dust flew everytime the wind blew even just a tiny amount and it was easy to see that Ward’s patience was wearing thin, if not by his tone by the resting disgusted grimace on his face.
The man that was standing in front of him was taller than the captain and he held himself high despite Wards attempts to make him feel inferior. He stood in the doorway of the small hut, glaring at the intruding captain, he wore simple white cloth pants and shirt that was fraying and staining at the edges, the fabric glowed against his dark skin.
“You’re the first vessel to pass by here in two weeks, I’ve already made that clear. Now leave, we have no business with you.” The man made to turn back into his small house when Ward held a hand to the edge of the opening.
“I heard you. But I don’t believe you, Triplett. You’ve earned quite the reputation for harburring fugitives is all I’m saying. And if you’re telling the truth, no harm done, I’ll even donate a few water capsules. What have you got to lose?”
Triplette pushed his hand away from the opening of the hut and stepped out, “Take a look, all you’re going to find is dust and the sick and helpless. Now get the hell outta here, I’ve got better things to do than listen to you’re squaking.”
Ward backed away, smirking, “You know I don’t need a warrent to search the place.”
“And you know I don’t care about O-Nah’s damn policies or if I have to shoot you.”
Ward backed away from their standoff towards his ship, farther away from where Triplett was standing guard at the entrance, “You can’t hide behind Jupiter's diplomatic immunity forever, Antoine” He called, before turning around and walking up the ramp of his ship.
Antoine Triplett glared after the captain for several moments until the hand of the young man that Ward had dropped back off tugged on his shirt sleeve along with a whispered, "Doctor Triplett..."
Trip turned around immedietly and attended to his patient, trying to push Ward's smug attitude and the fact that for some reason that scum was going after Skye out of his mind.