Chapter Text
Those krifin’ Imps. Every time, right as she’s about to leave. She waved her hands, letting the force give her additional help to start the emergency take-off sequence. She prayed to the Gods the mechanic hadn’t be lying to her when he said he was a machine when it came to machines.
The small but heavily armored freighter wheezed to life, the engine straining to whir to life. Wanda threw herself into the seat and buckled in her five-point harness. “Go, go, go,” She prayed, yanking as hard as she could on the thruster as she felt her ship finally gain air, lurching into the rush hour, then higher and higher. Stormtroopers in small crafts were hot on her heels and she squeezed her eyes shut, fully expecting to get dashed to death when her hand came down hard on the hyperdrive activation.
Alarms of every type blared in her ear, her whole ship screaming expletives at her as every hunk of trash in the sky banged into them. “Agatha!” Wanda yelled at her ship as she toggled emergency triggers and dialed corrective measures. The ship yawed left, and she heard the cargo on decks 4 and 1 tumble. The console began to smoke. “Agatha!” Wanda yelled again, pounding her fist on the short-range sensor monitor, and found herself winded when the ship suddenly stopped altogether, a jarring and dangerous spontaneous drop out of hyperspace.
Manual steering automatically engaged, and Wanda took the helm with a grumble. “Drop out of hyperspace before our destination. Of course. Overheat. Why not?” The long-range sensors she had installed a year ago were offline, but at least no one had followed them nearby. She let out a breath. “Thank you, Agatha.”
The ship turned on the fan system to suck out all the smoke, and Wanda unbuckled from her seat. “So, what’s broken now?” She let down two buttons of her flight suit and relished the coolness of the cabin calming her skin. Her fingers brushed the walls as she traveled towards the engine room, petting her ship like a beloved pet. “Aggie, talk to me.”
“Erm-“ A voice replied. Wanda flexed her hands, ready to throw the intruder head first against the wall. “Don’t shoot.”
Male. That accent. A red hand appeared from around the blind corner of the hallway leading to the ship’s core.
“I am unarmed. Merely seeking some information.” The voice continued, a second hand appearing slowly. Wanda stomped towards the hands and came face to face with a droid mechanic she had begrudgingly hired out of the green contact list she had for the planet.
His face and jumpsuit were covered in grease, the metal ribbons adorning his skin dull from grime. The top of his head was nearly flush with the ceiling and an amber jewel adorned his forehead, flashing slightly as Wanda glanced at it. She felt a pull from it, like a moon to a tide, and when she met his electric blue eyes, it clicked.
“You’re not a droid,” She said, stepping closer and raising her hand to his gem.
The synthezoid pulled his head away, stumbling backward. “Don’t touch that!” The gem lit up vibrantly, a warning, and Wanda backed off. “What is the purpose of my abduction? I would greatly appreciate it if you were to return me to my home.”
Wanda reached out in the force to his mind and felt panic rise in her as she felt a push back. Her hands directed the force, picking up the synthezoid and pinning him to the wall. His forehead lit up, the light steady and strong. She almost choked when he broke free of her binds and powered past her, his long legs making his walk equivalent to her jog.
Her head whipped around as he headed towards the cockpit. “Agatha, Code H.”
Purple fog flooded the hallways, and several large clangs and hisses echoed as the hatches sealed off the passageways. Wanda anchored her hand back on the walls and hurried to the cockpit by feel, coughing on the purple fog as she went. She tried to reach out to the gem again and her stomach dropped.
“She won’t let you take over,” Wanda banged on the sealed hatch. “Agatha, open the hatch.”
Nothing happened. The synthezoid made a shout on the other side and Wanda resumed pounding on the hard metal. “Agatha, you bantha tok, open the kriffin hatch!”
In typical fashion when she lost her temper with the ship, the hatch opened at a snail’s crawl, and Wanda squeezed through the moment she could fit, her hands up and ready for anything.
Except for the mechanic to be sitting in the pilot’s chair, head in his hands. “I apologize,” The gem was still glowing bright, but his voice was soft and low. “This is not an abduction, is it?”
“No,” Wanda could hear her heartbeat in her ears. “It was this, or be boarded.”
He lifted his head from his palms, his gem calming, and Wanda was taken aback by how human the synthezoid looked. She could feel his helplessness, his fear.
“You blew both hyperdrives in your retreat, and fried several other units including the long-range sensor and water recycler.”
Wanda felt the disappointment over her actions in the weight of his words and prickled. “I saved my hide, and likely yours too. You’re Jedi.”
He shook his head, refocusing his gaze on the stars before them. “I’m a mechanic. I work with machines. Nothing more. I could have spoken to them.”
She crossed her arms, shaking her head in response. For her, it was plain as day where the truth laid. “That’s amber from a temple tree. You’re Jedi.”
The synthezoid stood, drawing to his full height, and Wanda realized how strong he looked, his jumpsuit hugging his broad shoulders and biceps. If he wasn’t a Jedi, and Wanda hoped he wasn’t, he was still an impressive threat.
“Captain Maximoff, we are idling in the outer rim with several critical ship functions non-functioning or damaged. The nearest friendly port is a month and a half’s pace away, and that is assuming we are not boarded, ransacked, or dashed to death by debris. My occupation is mechanic, all else of my lineage is unimportant. I would appreciate if you could assist me in returning us to a place of safety, but if you are combative I must inform you I have no need for rations or medicine and am more than capable of waiting out your demise before trudging forward.”
Wanda felt her eyebrows in her hairline. “Fine.” She stepped deeper into the cockpit, clearing the path to the hatch. “Go fix… whatever. I’ll make sure we don’t crash.”
He was gone in an instant, and Wanda buckled herself back into her seat, her whole body on fire with frustration and rage. Wait out her demise? How dare-
She let out a noise of frustration and began to map courses, only becoming even more upset as the month and a half timeline was confirmed. “Agatha, show me our rations level.”
A monitor blipped to life and Wanda stifled a scream.
“Mechanic!” She yelled once the initial flare of fury subsided. His voice crackled to life on the intercom. Of course, Wanda fumed. Of course he figured out the intercom.
“Ms. Maximoff,” Wanda smiled at how annoyed he sounded. “You’ve realized the haste of our situation and wish to urge my expedience?”
She pressed the talk button to reply. “We need the cycler fixed first.”
“Hydration, yes.” Flat acknowledgment fizzed to her ears. “I do not require that provision, but your input is noted.”
“Noted? You’re on my ship, Toaster, so if I say first—"
The intercom died. Wanda pressed the button again, trying to bring it back online to no avail. Instead of yelling, she unbuckled herself and stomped towards the core. The synthezoid was crouched with tools in his pockets, his gem a dull glow. “Toaster—"
Her nose was in his chest in an instant when he stood, and she felt how cold his skin was through the fabric. She balled her hands into fists, pushing her anger towards him and scowling when the gem pushed his back.
She glared up at him, ready to shout back at whatever it was he had to say.
“Ms. Maximoff, my name is Vision. I am sorry for my harsh words previously, but we are stuck together it seems, and I wish for an atmosphere of respect if possible.” He fiddled with the tool in his hand nervously, and she noticed the prickling of tears at the corner of his eyes. All her anger, her frustration melted away.
Wanda took a step back into the hall to gain some space. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you that.”
His gaze fluttered from her face to the floor then back, and then the floor once more. “I accept your apology,” Vision licked his lips hesitantly, carefully weighing his next words. “It is not every day one is put on the run against their will, and certainly not with illegal cargo and a human life to worry about.”
The nervousness was contagious, and Wanda found herself looking over his shoulder rather than directly at him. “I only have enough water for two weeks. If you could please prioritize the cycler, I would be very grateful, Vision.”
The gem fluttered when she spoke his name, and Wanda fought her urge to reach for it again.
“I will get to it as soon as possible, Ms. Maximoff,” Vision squatted back down, his clothing pulling against his butt and thighs. “Please return to the cockpit and steer us away from all danger.”
Wanda hesitates, her eyes wandering over the crouched form once more before nodding and turning away.
A month and a half stranded with a sexy Jedi.
She had a bad feeling about this.