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fandomweekly2019-02-18 02:00 pm
alobear) wrote in fandomweekly2019-02-18 02:00 pm
Entry tags:
[007] Keen To Act (Wayfarers)
Theme Prompt: 007 - Travel Plans
Title: Keen to Act
Fandom: Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers
Rating/Warnings: None
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 602
Summary: Pepper finally knows how to get back to her planet and now she wants to save all those she left behind.
Pepper was throwing things frantically into a bag when Sidra walked in.
“Going somewhere?”
Pepper whirled around and started gesticulating wildly as she spoke.
“Now we’ve found Owl, we can go back to the planet Blue and I escaped from and rescue all the other girls!”
Sidra cocked her head to one side.
“Um, you’re just going to fly there and - what? Scoop everyone up and carry them off?”
Pepper turned back to her packing. “I have to do something! There are so many people there - children, mostly - who are suffering. And I’m basically the only person who knows about it. I couldn’t do it before because I didn’t know where the planet was. But Owl can take us there.”
Sidra walked over to her friend and took hold of Pepper’s hands, pulling them away from the sweater she was folding into the bag.
“Hey, hey. Slow down. Let’s think this through, okay?”
Pepper snatched her hands away. “There’s no time! I abandoned them all and it’s been so long. Who knows how many others have died while I’ve been living here in luxurious freedom! I have to go and save them!”
Sidra kept her tone gentle. “I get it. I do. But just listen to me a minute. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You were a child yourself and you did the best you could to keep yourself alive. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I know! But now I can do something, so I can absolutely blame myself if I don’t act.”
“Okay, so you can find the planet now. But how big a ship are you going to need? Do you even know how many kids we’re talking about? And how are you going to get past the robots guarding them? And don’t you think the people in power might come after you if you remove their entire workforce?”
Pepper spun round to face her, eyes blazing. “Why are you trying to stop me? I have to help them! You don’t understand!”
Sidra didn’t let Pepper’s aggression get to her. “I do understand. Believe me, I do. And I’m not trying to stop you. I’m just trying to get you to think about what you’re doing and see how impractical it is.”
Pepper stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly deflated and sank down onto the edge of the bed, covering her face with her hands.
“No, you’re right. I can’t do this. It’s impossible.”
“Hey now,” Sidra said, sitting down next to Pepper and putting an arm round her shoulders. “I never said it was impossible. We just have to make a plan. And taking the time to do that will be better for the kids on that planet in the long run than just rushing off without thinking.”
Pepper turned to look at her, this time her eyes shining with unshed tears. “So what do we do?”
“We get everyone together and we brainstorm the best way to approach this. Now we’ve got Owl, there’s a ton of evidence and information she can provide. And that might help us persuade the authorities to come in on our side. Maybe we can set up some kind of diplomatic mission or official inspection, which would force whoever’s in charge on your planet to make reforms.”
Sidra felt Pepper’s shoulders slump in despair.
“I know it’s not the quick fix you were looking for,” Sidra said. “But it’s the best option - for everybody. We’re not going to let this go. It’ll be slow and it’ll be painful. But we’ll get there in the end. I promise.”
Title: Keen to Act
Fandom: Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers
Rating/Warnings: None
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 602
Summary: Pepper finally knows how to get back to her planet and now she wants to save all those she left behind.
Pepper was throwing things frantically into a bag when Sidra walked in.
“Going somewhere?”
Pepper whirled around and started gesticulating wildly as she spoke.
“Now we’ve found Owl, we can go back to the planet Blue and I escaped from and rescue all the other girls!”
Sidra cocked her head to one side.
“Um, you’re just going to fly there and - what? Scoop everyone up and carry them off?”
Pepper turned back to her packing. “I have to do something! There are so many people there - children, mostly - who are suffering. And I’m basically the only person who knows about it. I couldn’t do it before because I didn’t know where the planet was. But Owl can take us there.”
Sidra walked over to her friend and took hold of Pepper’s hands, pulling them away from the sweater she was folding into the bag.
“Hey, hey. Slow down. Let’s think this through, okay?”
Pepper snatched her hands away. “There’s no time! I abandoned them all and it’s been so long. Who knows how many others have died while I’ve been living here in luxurious freedom! I have to go and save them!”
Sidra kept her tone gentle. “I get it. I do. But just listen to me a minute. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You were a child yourself and you did the best you could to keep yourself alive. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“I know! But now I can do something, so I can absolutely blame myself if I don’t act.”
“Okay, so you can find the planet now. But how big a ship are you going to need? Do you even know how many kids we’re talking about? And how are you going to get past the robots guarding them? And don’t you think the people in power might come after you if you remove their entire workforce?”
Pepper spun round to face her, eyes blazing. “Why are you trying to stop me? I have to help them! You don’t understand!”
Sidra didn’t let Pepper’s aggression get to her. “I do understand. Believe me, I do. And I’m not trying to stop you. I’m just trying to get you to think about what you’re doing and see how impractical it is.”
Pepper stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly deflated and sank down onto the edge of the bed, covering her face with her hands.
“No, you’re right. I can’t do this. It’s impossible.”
“Hey now,” Sidra said, sitting down next to Pepper and putting an arm round her shoulders. “I never said it was impossible. We just have to make a plan. And taking the time to do that will be better for the kids on that planet in the long run than just rushing off without thinking.”
Pepper turned to look at her, this time her eyes shining with unshed tears. “So what do we do?”
“We get everyone together and we brainstorm the best way to approach this. Now we’ve got Owl, there’s a ton of evidence and information she can provide. And that might help us persuade the authorities to come in on our side. Maybe we can set up some kind of diplomatic mission or official inspection, which would force whoever’s in charge on your planet to make reforms.”
Sidra felt Pepper’s shoulders slump in despair.
“I know it’s not the quick fix you were looking for,” Sidra said. “But it’s the best option - for everybody. We’re not going to let this go. It’ll be slow and it’ll be painful. But we’ll get there in the end. I promise.”