C O N F L I C T E D.

[bensolotm]

sansa.

There was quite a lot Sansa didn’t understand on this ship. One of them being- whatever this machine was in front of her. She had gotten the basics down- but she still had to lean in and squint at it and jumped whenever it beeped or did something she didn’t tell it to do. She was pulled out of her battle with the computer (which was more her glaring at it than anything else at this point) by a man she’d seen in here quite often. He hardly ever spoke to her- most of the time it was just a nod and he’d check stuff out and go- or she’d be the courteous one and tell him to have a nice day. “I..” she trailed off, squinting at the computer again before swiping a few things around, “that looks like one book. And this is classing it as rare,” she looked at him again, analyzing him. She had to wonder what these jedi and sith were and why this book was rare. “Follow me,” she said, stepping out from behind her desk and beckoning him to follow her. “Forgive me for my curiosity, sir- but what are these… teachings? Is it magic?” that would explain the rarity of the book.

his eyes were on the books that were in his hands, but as he flipped through them he wasn’t finding anything. so as he laid them on the counter his eyes went to her as she helped look up what he was trying to find. after a moment she seemed to find something on the force and silently followed her through the library to where, hopefully, he could figure out what was happening with his connection to the force. he couldn’t sense the book in here, but perhaps they weren’t sacred texts. “it’s not magic.” he answered simply, almost scoffing at the term. as if magic was real. “you don’t know what the force is?” he assumed most people did even if they thought it was just tales or myths. “it’s the energy field that surrounds, penetrates, and binds everything together.” that was the simple answer. “some have a connection to it, like i do, and are able to use it to their advantage.” why he felt the need to explain this to her, he didn’t know. perhaps he wanted her to know that he held a power in the room.

[bensolotm]

leia.

leia had yet to be trained in the force by luke. they’d talked about it, but never gotten around to it. well, truth be told, she wasn’t entirely certain she would ever be trained, and it didn’t phase her much either way. there were some things she could do, and even more that she could feel and sense, and she was happy with those. the last thing leia had expected to hear upon waking up out of cryosleep was for someone to be calling her mom. still, as she turns to look at the other with a confused look across her face, she can’t deny the feeling she has towards him. there’s a connection there, but… what? “‘mom’?” she repeats, raising a brow. “i’m sorry, i think you might be mistaken… i don’t have any children.” she replied. “but…” she trailed off, her brows furrowing together as she tried to make sense of the feeling, the pull, towards him. “what is your name?”

she didn’t know him. the look of surprise crept onto his face before he attempted to mask it with a colder expression. he should be relieved that she didn’t know who he was, but something in him stirred uncomfortably. it was a painful twinge that went through his chest and he did his best to ignore it, but it reached his eyes despite his best efforts to remain emotionless. he didn’t care. he didn’t care. the thought ran through his mind as he stared at her. she kept talking and he was speechless, trying to breathe through the feeling in his chest with each word she spoke. she didn’t know him? at the question of what his name was, he realized his eyes fell from her because he had to bring them back to meet her face. “kylo ren.” he answered after a moment of hesitation. ben solo was dead... even more now than ever since she didn’t know who he was. “i am mistaken,” he tried correcting himself and play it off as a misunderstanding. “you look like someone i thought i knew.”

[bensolotm]

katniss.

Giving Peeta a look that could only be described as, ‘You think I’d ever willingly volunteer for anything after what happened the last time I had to,’ Katniss’ mood shifted back into the negative space it had been occupying since she returned to consciousness in this new place. Only for a moment did she want to selfishly walk away before Peeta stepped closer and she was once more brought back to her senses. She’d gotten good at ignoring her conscience after returning to 12. With no one around except for herself in her purposeful seclusion, it was too easy to stop caring. That look in Peeta’s eyes as he stood close to her, she couldn’t ignore that look. She didn’t want to. He was stuck in the same thoughts as her. He seemed kinder in spite of them. Not like her. Katniss had been dismissive and often times downright rude to every one she’d come into contact with on board the Expanse. She needed that look to break her heart, and it did. “I know,” she whispered with a quick nod. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.” She gave into her need and reached out for him, her reddened palms where her fingernails dug in too hard were soothed by the coolness of Peeta’s skin. “It was supposed to be over. It was supposed to, right? That wasn’t a dream. Please–” Katniss fought to catch her breath, her pulse racing so hard it was like she could hear it. It didn’t help that she was in space with an ear that never healed from the second and third explosions. She’d had to stop wearing her aid after her ear began to bleed again. “I don’t know what to do this time. Peeta… I’m scared. I can’t- I can’t lose you again. It’s too much.”

peeta couldn’t help the edges of his lips twitching at her words. how could he have been so foolish to think that she actually volunteered for this? he might have, but that never meant katniss had. “that was a dumb question.” his eyes fell from her as he shook his head some. perhaps the small grin shouldn’t have pulled at the corners of his lips because he knew what she had been through. he knew what she might be going through now - or so he thought. yet the smile faded almost as quickly as it came and he set his eyes back on her as soon as her hand reached his face. his eyes searched her face quickly, unsure of what to do to comfort her. a hand reached up to her own that was on his face before he let it gently wrap around her wrist in some sort of attempt to be soothing. “one of us should have been happy.” and he wished it was her. “that’s why... i’m sorry you’re here.” she deserved all the happiness in the world. after everything. surely she thought the same of him but if peeta could take her place and send her back to district 12 to live out the rest of her days in peace, he would. “i’m scared too, katniss.” he didn’t think he was helping her much but the hand that was around her wrist moved to caress her face. “you’re not losing me. i’m right here.” he said and then pulled her into another hug, arms wrapping around her tightly. “we’ll get through this together. like we always have...” it was hard to be comforting when he shared her thoughts. he was afraid of being separated from her again or having their roles reversed. what if the plan to turn him against her failed so badly that they sent them on this ship to turn her against him? he closed his eyes, still holding her, and letting the thoughts be forced from his mind. he couldn’t have those thoughts now. “i’m right here.”

[bensolotm]

hermes.

Hermes nods. “It’s gorgeous. But try delivering mail to everyone here. I work day and night. It’s crazy.” He loved his job though. He worked day and night to be a messenger to the gods as well. He was a god, he didn’t need sleep.

jim let out a soft chuckle at the other’s words. “i can imagine it’s a lot.” he said and then glanced about the ship around them. “aren’t there, like, millions of rooms on this thing?” he questioned and let his eyes move back to the other. “and you deliver mail to all of them?”

[bensolotm]

hope.

HOPE TURNED HER HEAD IN the direction of the voice when he spoke, eyes scanning her surroundings as she pondered his question, before she shrugged. “beautiful? yeah. but home? absolutely not.” she shook her head. “i didn’t ask to be here.”

he wasn’t really surprised by her answer but he hadn’t expected it. “i never said it was home,” he told her gently. he didn’t think it was home - it would never be the enterprise. that ship was his home and this ship wasn’t that ship. “do you know who volunteered you?” he questioned, curious. did people even know that sort of information when they woke up?

[bensolotm]

barbara.

barbara was buried in technology – and she did truly love it. she’d gotten too good at this back home, she could hack a database in her sleep. the ship though had tech she’d never accessed before though, it provided her a new challenge. her attention lifted away from the tablet in her hands as she heard the man nearby speak, responding with a nod of her head, ❝ yeah, i mean, i’m pretty well versed with the leading tech back home but all of this… it’s really something else. i might have to learn a few new alien languages to get through all the system’s coding but – ❞ she paused realizing she’d started in on a ramble. ❝ sorry, it’s really interesting. i’m barbara. but my friends call me babs. ❞

“i have someone who could probably help you learn those languages.” jim was a little rusty on his languages, but he could understand and speak enough of a few to get by. uhura, on the other hand, was fluent in a lot of different languages and surely she might like to teach this woman - maybe. jim probably shouldn’t have been offering up his friend’s skills to anyone else. “i bet it’s not that hard.” he waved a hand, scrunching his nose some. learning a new language was pretty difficult, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a little supportive to this stranger. “jim,” he answered back when she introduced herself and he held out his hand for her to shake. “what do you do on the ship, babs?”

[bensolotm]

rapunzel.

“It’s such a beautiful ship,” Rapunzel agreed quicker than she realized those words might not have been meant for her. Even when she did realize it, she didn’t stop. “I’ve never seen anything like this place before. I’ve already explored every part of the ship I’m allowed in, and a little in the off limits section before I was found and escorted out, but in my defense I was too busy looking at everything else and I might have missed the sign posted that said crew only.”

his eyes went to the girl that had agreed with him about the ship. it was a beauty and he hadn’t gotten the chance to explore much of it yet. “i haven’t seen a ship this big before.” but he had seen some like it, just not as big. a smile came onto his face as she talked about her adventure and how she had to escorted out of an off limits section. “it’s a shame you got escorted out. you should have tried to blend in.” at least that’s what he would have done - but he was always getting into places he shouldn’t. “maybe we’ll have to give exploring the off limit sections another try.” he wasn’t the best influence around.

[bensolotm]

jack.

“I’m afraid I don’t know anyone you’re talking about. I did meet a man named Steve Rogers if that’s helpful.” He smiles. “Earth’s mightiest heroes? So they wouldn’t tolerate scaring people? It’s harmless fun I promise. We’re not mean or anything.”

at the name he mentioned, her eyebrows rose some. “yes! that is helpful.” she smiles back at him with a few nods. now she needs to see if she can track down captain america on this rather large ship. maybe he knew where the rest of the avengers were. “i’m sure they wouldn’t mind a little harmless fun.” her smile fell some, but it was still a smile on her face. “i didn’t take you for someone that was mean.”

[bensolotm]

harry.

As he stared silently at the stranger, Harry had to wonder if he looked like someone who cared about the location of some so-called heroes whom honestly sounded more vain than Harry naturally was. Harry never once gave a thought to the heroes he did know of once on the ship. “Earth’s mightiest heroes, you say? Mmm…” he pondered the woman’s self righteous question with no small amount of mockery, which he felt the woman deserved for immediately talking down to him as though he was stupid instead of merely being ignorant. The fun he was planning with Uma to takeover the ship would just have to be put on hold now. “Can’t say I‘ve seen any of these high and mighty heroes around,” he continued, before his interest turned chillingly genuine. “But if I do, I’ll be sure to welcome them with no expense spared.”

as the other seemed to ponder the idea of seeing any of the avengers around, carol eyed him for a moment before giving a small smile and a nod. “thank you,” she said simply. “they all will be a wonderful addition to this ship.” she said and then took her eyes from him for a moment to glance around. “since we’ve all been assigned a job.” she said before looking back over to him. “what do you do?”

[bensolotm]

rose.

rose really hadn’t gotten to know anyone; it was clear when the blonde woman asked her. eyes went to her feet as she shook her head slowly. “i’m sorry— i don’t know anyone by those names. nor have i ever been on earth.” brows pressed together, teeth dragged against her lower lip. “uhm, i can offer to help look ?? as long as you have any descriptions — so i can help, i guess it doesn’t help that i don’t know what they look like !!” giving the other a smile, as she looked down at her feet again. “i— you don’t mind if i help, right ??”

carol tilted her head to the side softly when the girl said she hadn’t been on earth before. “where are you from?” she questioned, hoping that it wasn’t too personal. it wasn’t as rare to meet people from other planets, but she had been to a lot of planets and liked to try and remember where everyone was from. there were so many planets out there and she did her best to save them all after thanos. “i don’t mind if you help.” a kind smile came across her face at the other woman. “in fact, that would be really great of you.” she said and then let her eyes wander over the people around them. “there’s a few of them, but i can do my best to describe what they look like.”

[bensolotm]

alexander.

Alexander stopped when he felt someone approach him, his gaze darted all over the woman before he made eye contact and a confused look took over his face “Avengers?..Earth’s mightiest heroes? “ Now according to him, all Earth needed was a unified shadow world “Can you describe them for me? Maybe I have run into a few of them are they–part of your team?”

she rose an eyebrow as he seemed to size her up - or so she thought - until their eyes met. “sort of,” she answers rather simply, with a small shrug. “tony stark? dark hair, beard, probably wearing sunglasses?” she eyes the other for a moment. “maybe steve rogers? tall, blonde, muscular? natasha? really pretty, perfect figure, maybe blonde? or red head? she’s a natural red head, i think.” carol’s eyes darted away from him for a moment to think before looking back to him. “any of those ring a bell?”

[bensolotm]

tony.

Tony had set out on a mission to systemically map all of the ship’s locations, and maybe locate his nanites. Rumour had it that their weapons had been taken and were being stored somewhere on the ship, and apparently his nanites with them. And no nanites meant no suit, meant no FRIDAY, meant that most of his tech wasn’t available to him. 

“Fury? Nah, and good riddance–” he paused, glancing up. “Avengers, though. You’re looking at one. Tony Stark. Who’s asking?”

carol recognized tony and smiled as he approached her. yet his words rang in her ears and caused her face to fall and her eyebrows to furrow together. “good riddance?” she questioned, clearly a little offended by the statement. she didn’t say much more when he introduced himself to her, the confusion still on her face. he clearly didn’t remember her and she was taken aback by that fact. “carol,” a hand went out to shake his, trying to muster up a friendly smile. “carol danvers. i’m sort of part of the avengers now.” she said and dropped her hand back at her side. “more like an honorary member, i guess.” she paused for a moment and stared at him. “you don’t remember me, do you?”

[bensolotm]

uhura.

JAMES T KIRK was in the f l e s h, uhura didn’t elude the fact she was EXCITED to see him. face stayed stoic as she turned, long ponytail whipping around. “—-about time you showed up, jim.” an eyebrow rose, lips were pressed together before she broke. “am i GLAD to see you on this beauty !!” jim was many things – number one being her friend. second, he was her captain, always. 

a smile came onto his face as soon as he heard the familiar voice of the one and only nyota uhura. blue eyes turned to meet her own eyes, the smile still on his face. “are you surprised i’m a little late?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. despite all of the things jim was and used to be, he was pretty responsible. showing up on time and doing his job to the best of his ability was something he prided himself with. “but i’m glad to see you too, uhura.” he said and glanced over her face for a moment. “have you seen any of the others?”

[bensolotm]

rey.

No. No, no, no. She knew this had to be some sort of trap. Some sort of- First Order trick designed to bring her to him. At first, Rey just sat there by the ship she’d been fixing, her eyes fixed on him and hoping she was just seeing things. But she wasn’t. And every time she looked at him she saw Han Solo’s death. “You…” she breathed, dropping the tool and reaching for a staff or a lightsaber that was no longer there. Instead, she resolved to hurling the same tool she’d dropped at him with as much Force power as she could muster right now- probably a stupid decision on her part, but she’d have to work with what she had. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself enough to speak without hurling something else at him- last thing she wanted was to have security drag her away for being hostile, “I woke up on this ship with no memory of how I got here or who volunteered me- I assumed it was you so you could finally be rid of me,” but maybe she’d been wrong, the hostility in her voice fading with each word, “I’m down here because they decided I work here as an engineer,”

a tool came hurdling at him and he waved his hand in the air to project it from the path to him, allowing it to fall to the ground and crash somewhere else. “i didn’t volunteer you,” he stated, eyes narrowing some. “i didn’t volunteer to be here either.” he said and was about to say more about her being down here but her words cut him off. he seemed to compose himself a little. “of course they did.” he stated simply, eyes moving away from her to scan the ships for a moment. “just stay out of my way and don’t touch my ship.” dark eyes moving back to her with a hint of warning. while this ship was big, it certainly wasn’t big enough for the both of them... and the fact they pretty much “worked” in the same section was not helpful.

[bensolotm]

katniss.

Even over the roar of her fearful thoughts, there was a wonderful sense of peace Katniss only felt when her arms were wrapped around Peeta and his around her. It was a silent assurance that as long as he was alive, everything had a better chance of turning out okay. Part of Katniss still didn’t want Peeta to be targeted for anything on this ship, but the other part resolved to never let him be alone again. After everything, returning to District 12 to recover as well as she could, every time Katniss was ready to end it, thoughts of Peeta gave her hope. He always gave her hope. He talked before of no one needing him, and her words to him rang more true with every day that passed. Having to pull out from the hug, Katniss looked at Peeta as he spoke, confusion etched across her face for a moment until she remembered this was the first time they’ve properly seen each other in months. Maybe even years, Katniss wasn’t sure. She lost track of the seasons so long ago. “Peeta,” she started after he stopped speaking, finding anything beyond his name impossible to speak as she tensed up. She wanted to hug him again but she was afraid. If she couldn’t speak to him the way he seemed to prefer, he might not stay. She couldn’t ask it of him anyway. It had already been asked of him too many times and it never got him anywhere good. She closed her mouth and looked down at her hands for a moment, clenching them into fists in an effort to stop shaking. Eyes met his again and she managed a brief nod. “It’s nice to see you, too.”

a sigh of relief escaped from him when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. he didn’t want to let go and he remembered never wanting to let go. yet there was still history between them and most of it unfinished. he was doing better after the capitol brainwashed him, but he still suffered from episodes and the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt. once pulled away he gave some space between them by taking a step back. she spoke his name and his eyes went to her immediately, waiting for the next words to come. her eyes fell and his eyes stayed on her while her words hit his ears. he nodded some and eventually let his eyes break away from her to roam around the ship, looking for something to make this less awkward. he felt awkward. there seemed to be a lot of things he wanted to tell her and yet he couldn’t think of anything to say. “did you volunteer to be here?” was the only thing he could think of as his eyes went back to her. he took a step closer to her, his voice lowering as if he needed to whisper it - like someone was listening. “after everything we’ve been through i —” a light shake of his head. “i don’t know if i trust this place.” his eyes roamed her face for a moment. “you’re the only one i trust.” his voice was practically a whisper now. “and while i’m glad you’re here, i also wish you weren’t... in case this is something.”

[oscar-piastri]

“I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?” → peeta mellark for @bruceswyne

[klausesdiego]

sweet love of mine