<USS Avalon> "What's Really Important To You"

"What's Really Important To  You"
Skyler and  Tavi
 

With  the shuttle enroute to the abandoned ship Skyler grew quiet. Even 
though Tery  was next to her and Tavi was behind her. She knew she should be 
happy 
but  memories were starting to flood back from her time on the "B", some she 
wanted  to remember and some she didn't. Putting the shuttle on auto-pilot she 
stood and  quietly made her way to the back of the runabout, stopping at the 
replicator.  "One glass of Ice water....very cold." She waited as the drink 
developed. Her  thoughts still wandering. 


Tavi was fidgeting a little in her seat.   She had a very clear idea of the 
places she wanted to go on the old ship.   Did she dare voice her plans to the 
adults?  She wasn't sure.  She  knew Ms. Francher was supposed to stay with 
her when they got there, and would  probably not object to her plans.  But what 
would Skyler  think?

With her drink in hand Skyler found  an empty seat in the back and sat down. 
~Why is returning to this ship  so.....difficult? It shouldn't be. It is after 
all just a ship. A bunch of  circuits, metal plating and other things.~ After 
sitting she took a long  pull of the water letting it sooth her parched 
throat. She also wondered what  Tavi was feeling. She could see her fidgeting 
in 
her seat.  


When Tavi realized Skyler wasn't returning to  where she'd been sitting 
before, she got up and went looking.  There was  Skyler, sitting all by 
herself.  
Did she want to be alone, or was it  something else?  Tavi looked the Captain 
over appraisingly, and decided it  was something else. She walked over and 
plunked herself into the empty seat  beside Skyler.

Looking over Skyler saw Tavi sitting next  to her. "Is there something I can 
do you little miss? Can I buy you a drink or  something?"  


Tavi grinned.  "You looked like you didn't  really want to be by yourself 
right now," she said simply.

Smiling Skyler nodded. "How is it you know me so  well in such a short time?" 
Getting up she replicated another glass of water and  handed it to Tavi. 
"So....have you come up with a family name yet?"  


"Not yet," said Tavi.  "It might take a  couple weeks to come up with a 
really good one, you know."  She was still  puzzled that Skyler never had a 
family 
name of her own.  She took the water  and took a sip.  The air on this shuttle 
was very dry compared to the big  ships.  "So why did you sit by yourself if 
you didn't want to be alone?"  she asked.

Thinking for a moment Skyler wasn't sure  how to answer that. "Well, I 
suppose returning to the Avalon is harder than I  thought it would be. For you 
it is 
exciting and an adventure. For me well....I  don't know what it is?" She took 
another sip of water and just kind of stared  into space.  


"Mmm."  Tavi drank some more of her  water.  "Maybe not exciting.  Really I 
just wanted to go because  there's stuff I want to get that somebody else might 
not get for me if I  asked.  And because you're going."  She paused.  "Maybe 
it's kind  of nervous for you because part of you thinks if you had done 
something  different, the ship might not have died." 


"Hmm, what kind of things did you want to get?  All you had to do was ask and 
I would've gotten them for you." She looked at  Tavi and thought a minute 
about what she said. "I don't know that I could have  done anything different. 
Everyone did everything they could. It is just hard to  abandon another ship. 
Someplace I had called home for so long......" She let her  comment hang there. 
 


"I never had a home," Tavi shrugged.  "So  home is wherever I want it to be.  
I think a lot of people who live on  ships are like that, from what I've 
seen.  But some aren't.  It's okay  if you aren't," she hastened to add.  "And 
the 
stuff I want to  get..."  The girl hesitated.  "It isn't my stuff.  But the 
person  it belongs to isn't on the Avalon any more, and if he ever wanted it 
back I'd  give it back."

Putting her arm around Tavi, Skyler pulled  her closer. "It's more like the 
Avalon-B was my home. I served on her almost as  long as the Avalon-A. I never 
really considered either a home until I found out  I had a sister and suddenly 
I had a family and a home. I had a home when I lived  with Georgia and Henry 
but it wasn't the same." Sighing she took her water and  watched it swirl 
around in her glass. "Let me guess you want to get the  engineer's stuff don't 
you?"  


The youngster blushed deeply and nodded.   "His tool kit... it got left in 
the turbolift when they rescued us.  And  some other stuff he had in his 
office."

"I see. I had a feeling that  you would be going after his stuff. Just what 
do you plan on doing with the  tools once you get them back to the ship? You 
going to start repairing things in  our quarter's?" Skyler smiled at the 
thought 
of Tavi walking around with the  engineer's tools around her waist.  


"I dunno," said Tavi.  "I just kind of  wanted to have them, so they wouldn't 
get... disrespected, I guess."  She  drank some more water.  It sounded 
silly, but it was how she  felt.

"Well then have them you shall. I can't  think of anyone who would take 
better care of them.  I know you will take good care of his things. I am still 
trying to decide  what I want to bring back from my old quarter's. Will you 
help 
me decide?"  what should I bring back? Is there anything I want to bring  back? 

Tavi  nodded.  "You should keep things that are important to you," she  said. 


"I am. I'm keeping you. That's important."  


Blushing, Tavi didn't know what to say.  She  wasn't used to being important. 
 But it felt all warm and good to think  Skyler cared about her and thought 
she was important.  "I meant, things,  not people," she said finally.  "People 
are important, too, but I meant  things." 


"I don't have many things. I learned early to  travel light. A few holovids. 
Everything else I gave to my sister. So there  won't be much there and even 
less if the looters took anything." Looking at the  young girl beside her she 
smiled. "As long as I have you in my life I am happy.  So you haven't said 
anything about Tery?"  

"She's okay."  Tavi grinned.  "I think  she doesn't know what to think about 
me."

"Why do you say that? You two really haven't  talked yet. Gotten to know each 
other. She really wants to join our family. Of  course you don't know what to 
think of her do you?"  Skyler took another  sip of her drink. 


"I think if she makes you happy, that's  good.  And if she hurts you, I'll 
hurt her bad."  Tavi spoke  with conviction, and her eyes flashed as she made 
her threat.

"My protector. I feel really safe now." She pulled the girl close  and hugged 
her tight. "You make me so happy. I hope you know that." What did  I do 
before I met you little one? What did I do to deserve you?  


Tavi giggled a little.  "I'm your family  now.  Families have to take care of 
each other.  Even more than gangs  do."

"You are absolutely correct. We are a family and we have to take  care of 
each other. We are our own little gang. Well, you think we should return  to 
our 
seats." Smirking Skyler looked at Tavi, "Or......would you like to try  and 
fly this ship?"  

Skeptically, Tavi responded,  "You're not really serious, are you?  I think 
I'd better practice on much  smaller shuttles first!"  Her eyes widened after a 
moment.  "He didn't  take it with him, did he?" she asked suddenly.

Chuckling a little Skyler  looked at Tavi. 'I'm serious if you want to try. 
Tery and I will be right there  to help you out. You want to know if the 
engineer took his little shuttle? I  don't know, but I don't think so. Even if 
he 
did we have other shuttles or we  can replicate one like his if you want." 
 
"I would take very good care of it for him," Tavi  said softly.  She stood 
up.  "Okay, I'll take a look at how this one  works."  She carefully deposited 
her empty water glass in the  recycler.

With her hand on Tavi's shoulder she spoke  softly, "I know you would. I know 
you would. Now let's go see how this sucker  works." She walked down the 
aisle to the helm console with Tavi at her side and  felt like a proud parent. 
Something she never thought she would feel or be. It  felt good. 



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