A Life Without Meaning

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕟 (𝕀𝕀)

A shrill beeping echoed through the hull of the Crest, jolting Ellia out of the weird half-asleep state she had fallen into. She had attempted to at least try and get some rest, still propped up against the cold, steel wall of the ship, but it wasn't going well. The beeping continued, and she recognized it immediately. Tripping over herself, she ran to the bottom of the ladder, shouting up at the man who was still sat in the cockpit.

"What's going on?" she called.

"Coolant's leaking." his low voice answered, sounding annoyed.

Ellia set her jaw, climbing up the ladder quickly, inviting herself into the cockpit with a purpose. Inside she could see the Mandalorian trying to do about a thousand things at once, the angry beeping of the alarm still blaring in the background.

"I can fix that." she announced, already at the left-most wall panel.

"No, I will-" he had tried to argue.

Ellia turned towards him, an eyebrow raised curiously,

"What? My work not 'sufficient' anymore?" she asked sarcastically.

The beskar helmet turned towards her, and the two briefly engaged in a silent staring contest. One that apparently Ellia won as the Mandalorian turned back around without as much as a word.

Ellia couldn't help the triumphant smirk that made its way onto her face as she went to work. Reaching her hand inside the panel, she pushed some wiring aside, and reached for the leaking tubes beyond them. Thankfully they had already dropped out of hyperspace before this rupture occurred, or else they would've been in big trouble. Using the pocket tools that she still had clipped to her belt from her time in the mechanics guild, she made quick work of re-welding the wires and plugging up the tubes. When she was finished, the alarm satisfyingly cut off, letting a soft silence fall over the cockpit. Ellia sighed contentedly as she hammered the panel back into place with the side of a closed fist.

Looking over her work with a nod, she then turned to glance over at the pilots chair where the Mandalorian had remained. But he hadn't so much as moved.

She furrowed her eyebrows, a little agitated, but turned around to silently stalk out of the doorway. However, just as she placed her first foot on the rungs of the ladder that would take her back down into the hull, a voice stopped her.

"Thanks" was all it said.

Ellia glanced over her shoulder, but the Mandalorian still hadn't moved. Her eyes rolled lightly before she continued to climb back down, her feet hitting the ground below with a finality. As she turned around with a huff, she was almost immediately greeted by the sight of the child wadling about the hull.

Despite everything, a smile slowly graced her features. He seemed to notice her standing there and squeaked out a greeting, his small arms raising slightly. Ellia crossed the floor and easily scooped him up. She brought him over with her, where she sat down with her back propped up against the wall just outside the safe room the Mandalorian used for sleep. She placed the child onto the floor in front of her, safely in between her legs. He stared back up at her curiously, tilting his head to the side. His eyes were just so big and bright, and as Ellia looked back at him, it felt as if he could see straight through her, straight into her thoughts.

She smiled, reaching out to gently pat his head.

"At least one of you likes me, huh?" she asked jokingly.

The child made another soft sound, as if asking her what she meant.

Another laugh escaped her throat, her hand stayed outstretched and the small creature grabbed onto the end of one of her fingers.