Chapter Text
"Aaaand done!"
Tessas' words were punctuated by the click of a button on her laptop, the lid closing down soon after, the device being shuffled onto the nearby control panel for safekeeping. The technician followed suit in repositioning herself as well, exchanging the cold metal floor for one of the two remaining swivel chairs. Despite how worn down the seat looked- the leather cracked in cobweb patterns over the majority of the item, the metal frame squeaking even under Tessas meager weight- it made for a much more comfortable sitting arrangement, albeit a little more awkward given the confines of Tessas suit. Still, the change in seating was a worthy sacrifice for the comfort, even if she couldn't fully enjoy leaning all the way back, her helmet restricting the movement.
J watched the display with focused optics, before turning attention back to herself. At the click of the button on the laptop, the drone had felt a subtle change in herself- similar to a metaphorical weight being lifted from her form.
She could take a pretty good guess at what the technician might have done.
Exchanging her hands for blades, the chains holding her wrists in place clattered onto the surface of the metal workbench, their use outlived for now as J regained full access to her arsenal of modifications. She wasted no time in using her newly reavailable swords to cut away at any remaining restrictions with ease, the entirely display holding a captive audience of one as the technician simply sat and watched, a detail J had noticed with her additional eyes, the eyes of her visor still focused on her bindings. Once she was satisfied with her work, J took a stand from the workbench, arms outstretched over her head as she let the unused servos in her arms shift back into place, tail curling arcs in the air to do the same, several quiet clicks emitting from the appendage as she stretched. J repeated the same motion with her wings, giving a few experimental stretches to loosen up the joints (Even if the action did still hurt a bit- she'd have to look into their maintenance at another point in time) before tucking the appendages back into her back ports.
Turning her gaze toward the other entity in the room seemed to snap them out of it's trance- Tessa jumping in place as J's focus landed on her, sitting up straighter in a futile attempt to hide the fact she had been staring at the entire display.
Veiled by the tinted visor, Tessas' gaze shifted off of J- the drones' gaze making her feel intimidated, even if that clearly didn't seem to be the target goal, with J looking more expectant than anything. Right. Tessa hadn't thought this far ahead, even if its what she had been hoping for she hadn't actually fully expected to run in to anyone on this planet, let alone a murder drone. Pupils studied the interior of the pod, realising she hadn't actually taken a good look around besides shifting the broken chair off to the corner. When she'd first gotten in here J seemed to take center stage- and Tessa had either been asleep or anxiously watching the drone while she had been recovering earlier, as if expecting her to wake at any moment (Or pounce- After lugging a murder machine onto a workbench and seeing how durable and strongly built they were up close, it seemed a better idea to keep an eye on that rather than oogling up whatever machinery still worked in here).
Besides the dried oil and...interior damage the room had sustained (By J, if she were to take a wild guess), the pod looked rather orderly. I mean, considering how long it had been situated here, at least- the metal legs supporting the pod from the outside HAD been sunken into the permafrost that shrouded the floor of the planet. Most of the surfaces seemed...rather tidy, with the exception of a few of them lined with tools and an assortment of machinery parts. It wasn't messy by any means, anything on any of the surfaces clearly put there with some amount of precision and intent, but it wasn't spick n' span either. The area was clearly used- though perhaps not lived in if the lack of charging stations and anything resembling a bed was anything to go by. Maintained as well it seemed, the subtle discolouration of some of the interior panels clearly having been replaced, though with care and intent for longevity. One panel seemed halfway through such a repair- down beside the control board, a mismatched panel seemed to have not been reattached yet- a window into the plethora of wires and cables the spacecraft contained within its walls. Beside it sat a few select tools, though none of which would be used for welding the panel back on- had this panel been intentionally detached?
"What were ya looking for, girl?" Tessa questioned, J following her gaze toward the work in progress repair she had been working on before her... unforseen shutdown. When J hadn't responded, Tessa turned her head back around, gaze taking a scenic route over the interior of the pod to gather more clues to an answer before settling her focus on the drone.
"Were you trying to repair this, J?"
It was a wild guess, but a pretty safe one if any of the context clues Tessa had to go by were worth a dime. Despite its clear interior upkeep, it was clear the pod hadn't been used in some time- Not that it could have been with the giant corpse spire surrounding it. That aside, the weather conditions on this planet weren't exactly favourable- It would be much easier to come down in a ship than get back up, especially for how long this craft must have marinated in such circumstances.
J seemed to stiffen slightly at the mention of her name, gaze trailing from her handiwork back to Tessa, attempting to pertain an heir of confidence as her arms crossed. Despite her attempt, words seemed to slip by her synthetic lips before she could stop them- clearly not what she wanted to say aloud if her eye contact wavering was anything to go by.
"There's nothing left for me here."
J's tail swung low in dangerous arcs, and it didn't take a genius to pick up on that body language. She was stressed.
Tessa paused, mulling over her next words. The last thing she wanted to do was upset the drone more than she clearly was- that train of thought seeming to claim importance over the fact that J wasn't restrained now, either.
"Where were you planning to go?"
That seemed to be a good rebuttal-perhaps if J didn't want to talk about her past right now (Which, given the state Tessa found her in, she doesn't blame the poor girl), the future seemed like a good thing to focus on. They could circle back to the rest at some other point in time. Tessa gestured gently towards the empty seat across from her for good measure- she wasn't sure how healed J was (And HOW she could heal for that matter), but thought it best to not take any chances, knowing J likely would try to hide any evidence of physical struggle to keep up appearances.
J visibly relaxed, clearly silently thankful at not being prodded for answers she did not want to give. To Tessas surprise, J sauntered her way over to the seat, placing herself in it, hands coming to rest in her own lap, tail coiled around the metal support holding the seat up. At least they were moving in the right direction, Tessa supposed.
"I'm not too sure, I'll be honest, " J begun, tone casual but collected,
"I'd have to try and get some sort of navigation systems restored first. I don't suppose there's much left of the other exoplanets- it seems this one got lucky."
"Yeah, its been looking pretty barren out there." Tessa replied solemnly.
She hadn't realised the weight of her words until she saw J's reaction to them, optics subtly widening in surprise. The drone didn't press further, though- whether to give Tessa the option of explaining herself or whether J feared what that answer would be if she asked, she wasn't sure. Nonetheless, Tessa couldn't help herself. It had been so long since she'd been able to talk to anyone, even longer so since being able to talk about what had happened up there. Besides, Tessa found chatting her heart out was just in her nature, at least now it might be a bit less unhealthy than just rambling to herself.
"I was holed up on one of the spaceships for ages before I managed ta scamper my way down here. Its a blasted wreck up there, let me tell ya. At least down here you seem ta have some sort of weather system to keep you company, the serenity o' space gets bloody creepy after a while, 'specially when you know its just going ta get quieter and quieter."
J studied Tessa for a minute, lost in thought to an internal debate. She subtly shifted a few times, as if trying to cover up a failed attempt at a reply, before finally managing to respond.
"What made you choose to land on this exoplanet now, then?"
Tessas' mission of saving face in front of J seemed to slip- the prospect of being able to rant about even a little of everything she had to put up with way too tempting.
"The fact I *could* choose, for one. Wasn't stayin' there of my own desicion, trust me. Landed here because I thought somethin' - or someone I suppose- might still be surviving down here, and look at that! Technology is a bloody marvel, ey?"
While not a request, it seemed J did trust her, or have trust in her story, at least, as she replied.
"Is there anything still left out there?"
Tessa pulled a breath between her teeth, unsure how to word such an answer. The beginning of her reply started in a hesitant, high pitched "Wellll...." before she was cut off by the drone sat in front of her; J's expression tense, freckled with sadness.
"I know about Earth."
Tessa paused, a quiet "Oh.." escaping in response. At least that wasn't a blow she had to deliver.
"I'm sorry, J."
Silence fell between the two, J shying away from Tessas gaze. It was... a lot to ask of the drone to reply right now- while the circumstances were clearly terribly for them both, at least Tessa had already been exposed to the truth of what (or rather what no longer) lay beyond the stars. Just as Tessa moved to speak, J beat her to the punch.
"You must've had some stellar views, at least." Despite everything, J wore a small smile as Tessa moved her gaze back to her. She hadn't seen her smile, even if this was clearly one worn to be more understanding than genuine. The look suited her well.
Tessa chuckled to herself, a smile encouraged by J's own and the pun that she wasn't entirely sure J had realised she'd made. Tessa rested her helmet on the palm of her hand, the chair creaking as more weight rested on the arm of the chair. Images of seeing the destruction of planets flashed in her mind, but she bit back the temptation to rant any further. J had made an effort to meet her halfway, and the last thing Tessa wanted to do right now was ruin that smile J had worn. Besides, universal destruction aside, Tessa HAD gotten some pretty good views of the cosmos while stranded in its grasp, the views of stars sprinkled across her vision forever being a beacon of hope that, in those moments, she wasn't truly alone in the universe.
Not yet.
And not now.
Not ever again.
"Oh, definitely."