WHO: Anakin Solo & Nico Di Angelo WHEN: January 3 some time after this WHERE: Anakin's new yacht. SUMMARY: Anakin and Nico take Anakin’s Christmas present up into space for a test drive. WARNINGS: None I think.
"We're going to need to give her a name," Anakin Solo ran his hand across the paneling of the SoroSuub 3000 yacht.
He hadn't really expected to get it, after all it was something his Uncle Lando or Aunt Mara had, not him, but he'd wanted something he could take up with his friends and his X-wing wasn't that. He might enjoy taking the X-wing up, and had, but he wanted to be able to actually take Nico and Tahiri and other Camp Halfblood kids, or whatever, and his X-wing would not fit the bill at all. This ship, with its living area and observation deck, definitely could. This one was less personalized and ridiculous than the Lady Luck had been, but that was alright. Anakin wasn't exactly Lando at all.
Going up felt as if it'd be a good thing, what with Will coming, and there'd been a lot sort of happening here, but they were here at the start of a new year and what better way to start one than to take a ship up. Fiver whistled behind him, and then scooted past him towards the cockpit and Anakin turned around to grin at Nico. "You ready to break atmo?"
Nico raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he looked around the ship. It reminded him of the Argo II, even if the proportions were different, making the yacht seem both bigger and smaller than the flying ship that Hephaestus’ cabin had constructed and Leo had rebuilt. After all, the Argo II was more of a warship, meant to transport troops, supplies, and weapons. This obviously was more along the lines of the Prettiest Star and Nico had to admit that the floor to ceiling windows were a nice touch. Sure, the Argo II had the top deck and screens to make the communal areas feel less contained, but the windows were a really good addition.
“Maybe something bird based?” he suggested, thinking of the Falcon. “Or…” He frowned before focusing on Anakin, his head tilted to the side. “Does your X-Wing have a name?” He couldn’t remember if Anakin every mentioned it. It’d always been just ‘my X-wing’ or the actual vehicle model it seemed. Never an actual name. “Because you could link it with that if it has one. Otherwise…” He shrugged as a smile tugged at his lips, Anakin’s grin infectious. “Maybe we need to see how it flies before coming up with something.”
Anakin grinned, a lopsided thing that he punctuated with a shrug. "Well, we can definitely see how it flies first," he reached to pull up the boarding ramp, and then he nodded towards the cockpit. He'd been in one before - his Aunt's ship - although it had been a while since he had been and this one might be a slightly different model. He wasn't worried though, he'd asked for this ship specifically because it could be flown Solo.
The cockpit was mostly how he remembered and as he stepped into it, he glanced around the controls, checking on certain things, and familiarizing himself with all of them. "I want something fun and snappy. My X-wing really doesn't have one, because mostly I just never really got around with it, but we could do one for both that's connected, maybe." He turned the co-pilot's seat around and tilted his head at Nico: "Technically I can fly this alone, but a co-pilot isn't a bad thing. You want the gig?"
Oh, that crooked grin. Anakin really didn’t need to have any sort of Jedi mind tricks when he had a grin like that. Not to mention, who needed a jacket or blanket with how that smile managed to warm someone up. Like now. Which is probably why the most ridiculous horrible pun came out of Nico’s mouth. “Fun and snappy? Sounds like Crackle and Pop.”
But really, between that grin and then the whole co-pilot speech, could anyone blame him on the verbal flub. He tried to make up for it by offering a shrug of his own as he made his way to the chair. “I don’t know,” he drew out as he inspected the chair. “I might be over-qualified considering everything I know about spaceships I’ve learned from Solos.”
Anakin laughed, even as he was rolling his eyes. "Okay, not Crackle and Pop, Nico. You're a Demigod, you've got to have a hundred thousand cool names up in that brain of yours."
He slid into his pilot's chair, and he looked up at Nico. "Well, guess overqualified is better than underqualified so we should be good. And hey, you can tell me what I'm doing wrong even." He grinned, cocky enough to definitely not be serious on that front, but hey, he had a reputation to uphold there. "If you'll take a seat, we can do our prep for take-off stuff."
Nico couldn’t help laughing right on back between the dismissal of the horrible names and then also that teasing challenge. Even if the Han who had been there on Coruscant had praised his piloting skills, he really doubted he could actually correct Anakin on anything. Other than ‘don’t run into that thing’. Which if he had to make that comment, they’d be really bad off.
Slipping into the co-pilot’s seat, he swivelled it around, but not fully so that it faced Anakin instead of the console. “There are plenty of cool names in Greek and Roman mythology. Snappy tends to be a little too literal with most of the ship ones though.” A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes and he tapped a finger to his lips as if in thought. “Well, first off in that ‘you’re wrong’ thing, you might be missing some take-off prep steps.” And ok, maybe that deep thought gesture might be less thoughtful and more suggestion.
Anakin glanced over at this, and gave Nico an arch eyebrow. Okay, but he was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, in Anakin's ship, not just like a ship, but his very own yacht with space for multiple passengers, and a copilot, and sure it wasn't the Falcon, but Anakin suspected that he and Fiver given some time? Could totally make this ship better.
He leaned over, planted a quick kiss on Nico's lips. "Better?"
A pleased smirk quirked his lips at the kiss before Nico schooled his expression into feigned assessment. “Mmmm, it’ll do,” he murmured, hovering a moment before he turned his chair the rest of the way to face front.
The controls looked pretty standard from his limited experience. Sadly, it wasn’t Anakin’s X-Wing, but, well, going up in that was complicated due to space. Maybe they could figure something out eventually, but even with magical possibilities, he didn’t want to do anything that may harm the vessel. Plus there was something nicer about this. Sure, Anakin taking him up for a joyride would be great, but getting to fly something together? He liked the idea of them doing it as a team. Not to mention the added control. His stomach fluttered in both excitement and worry. Flying would never be his personal thing the way that it was for Anakin, but he had enough experience to like the idea, even if his last deep space travel hadn’t been the greatest experience.
“So, what first, Captain?”
"Pre-flight check," Anakin responded immediately, suddenly slipping down into all business as he ran over the different controls and status checks that they needed to cover. There were several of them, and some of them Nico'd heard about before back when they were on Coruscant, but this was different - it was a different ship - and Anakin was able to show him where each control was, what the status should be like, and since it was sort of important, he also tried to explain briefly why.
"I put in local sorts of planetary data into the computer yesterday," Anakin told his boyfriend. "So we should be good to go on navigation. You want to turn her on?" He tilted his head, serious but he couldn't quite keep a grin away, at the control button.
Nico nodded along as he listened and watched intently. There was a vague familiarity to it all thanks to the flights on Coruscant, but, ok, that definitely wasn’t a luxury yacht. There was a whole lot of information, but he felt he got most of it. Or at least enough that if something bad happened, instinct would kick in and he could follow Anakin’s orders well.
“Just how local is local?” He knew that they could go as far as the moon now, but he also wouldn’t be surprised if Anakin kept trying to test that boundary. After all, they’d had no warning on first the ships going airborne and then them getting to go into actual space. Not that the answer really mattered to him. Space was space. “Well, you’ve done plenty to rev the engine already,” he said with feigned innocence before he reached forward to push the button.
Anakin looked over, grinned his lop-sided grin. "You're a menace, Di Angelo," he told him. But he was still grinning as he checked over his instrument panel. There was a question about the local and it was a reasonable question. He'd been up to the moon of course, and it wasn't as if he didn't want to try to push it, but not today, he didn't think. Not in this ship and not with Nico with him. Besides, his x-wing felt like a better ship to try that in anyway.
Fiver whistled and wheeled into the cockpit, and Anakin turned back to give him a quick grin. "Think that's it then, let's get off this rock."
He initiated the lift off repulsors, and then talked Nico through the basics of what he was doing, and when he needed something from the co-pilot as the moved up, out into the atmosphere, and then up above the atmosphere. It was a smooth transition, even more so than his X-wing, but of course it would be because this ship was built to be luxury and comfortable. There was a thrill he couldn't quite tamp down, and despite the fact that his attention was on what they were doing for take-off, he couldn't entirely keep from stealing looks at Nico as they moved up. He had to stop staring long enough to move them into an orbit holding space.
"And… welcome to Earth. From space." He looked over at Nico. "What do you think?"
Nico just stared out the front window for a long time in silence, unable to find the right words. Or any words. Part of him hadn’t really been expecting this to feel so big. He’d been in space. Spent months there on that horrible big spaceship plus all those trips to and from planets. He’d been high up in the air on Earth. He’d spent far too many nights sitting up on the top mast of the Argo II amongst the clouds and stars because it felt so much better than anywhere else after wasting away in that jar. But all those planets hadn’t been Earth and he’d obviously never flown this high. There was a completely different feel from every other place they’d been. He had a connection to Earth unlike those other planets. To feel it and see it stretched out in front of them…
He breathed out a long sigh as he carefully rested his arms on the console so he could look farther out into space. “Nothing like the pictures,” he finally said. “Hard to believe it’s even real.”
Anakin grinned, and didn't make any movement to move them towards the moon. That could be done, and there'd be time for it, but for right now, let Nico enjoy taking it all in. They could orbit for a little bit. For Nico this was his planet - even if it wasn't his version of Earth - and he'd never been up before, and while Anakin didn't have anything that he could really compare it too. After all, he'd practically been born on a spaceship and had no real knowledge of what it was like to be planetbound until he'd arrived with the displaced, but he could imagine.
"It's pretty incredible. Every planet has a different look from its orbit, but Earth's is a pretty gorgeous one I have to admit." And this was true. It was nothing like Coruscant with its geographical shapes of mostly cities, and only a spot of sea and ice cap. It was nothing like Tatooine with all of its red, or even the near total green of Yavin IV. It was blues and greens, and some clouds in white, it was pretty.
"I think that's - probably what, Europe?" The landmasses were pretty recognizable to Anakin at this point. "We're headed out towards Asia if we keep going this way. Anywhere you want to see from space?'
“And feel,” Nico added, tilting his head from side to side slowly as he considered the planet in front of them. “I hadn’t realized it before. On that cruise, every planet was just a relief, it was hard to tell the difference.” His cheeks pinked as he cleared his throat. “Well, aside from that planet with all that life force…” The one where they’d taken things to the next level after way too many awkward moments. Another clearing of the throat as he nodded towards the Earth. “But here… I’ve seen pictures. I’ve felt it through the ground. But it’s so different to just see it in its entirety and… feel that pull…”
He nodded as he scanned the surface. “Europe. There’s Italy’s boot.” He rested his chin on his arms, twisting his head so he could look over at Anakin. “What about everywhere? Can that be my answer?”
Anakin nodded at this. Even if it didn't have the same exact meaning to him that it did to Nico. "Yeah, I can definitely see that and even - like, Yavin IV feels completely different from Coruscant to me, and a planet I don't know at all, different again. They have personalities, like cities, and people, and all that."
He looked over at Nico, not really paying much attention to the cockpit for a moment. Fiver whistled in behind them with a querying whistle.
"Yeah, we're gonna do an orbit for a bit, then maybe shoot to the moon, then home," Anakin said. "Cause I think Nico wants to see everywhere." he grinned. "Unless you want to go to the moon now, and save everywhere for another trip?"
Nico shook his head as his lips twisted in an amused smirk. “Let’s do Earth first before possibly pissing off Artemis. As much as I’d love to piss her off.”
His look turned thoughtful as he turned his attention back to Earth, taking in each slight difference due to just time and weather of the view in front of him from the pictures he’s seen. They’d talked often about their lives often. The similarities between the Jedi and the demigods and their power sets. The conversation just made him think of all those conversations and the introspection. “What’s Earth feel like?” he asked with genuine curiosity. “Through the Force.”
Anakin laughed, a brief huff of amusement at the fact that he had to consider gods in a serious way because of his boyfriend. But he pulled them around, letting them fall into a very easy orbit around. They wouldn't see the entirety of everything well, but they'd see enough for a first trip. He was quiet, checking buttons, watching Nico mostly, and the question caused pause.
"Balance, I think is the best way to describe it. There's life and death in all worlds, and you can feel like everything in the Force, but there's - like, a world like Yavin IV that has mostly wild jungle, has a very different feel from a world like Coruscant where it's covered with life, but also durocrete and shite. And Earth is somewhere between those. It's not the wild life - at least not overwhelmingly so like someplace like Yavin IV, but there's definitely growth and life. Balanced. It's … a bit of a thin balance - like it could tip one way or another really easy - but yeah…"
Nico’s head bobbed along with Anakin’s words. Familiar from previous conversations they’d had, but also because of the general feel. Just more of those Jedi/demigod overlaps, especially with their powersets. Anakin felt more, of course. The Force spread farther than his own powers, but it was still something he could understand. Human life grouped differently in cities versus the ‘wilds’. Death ebbed and flowed differently, clinging to some while straining thin in others.
“The cities keep expanding and pushing at the wild life,” he added, an agreement to that thin balance. “But the wild life won’t go out without a fight.” He tilted his head again to focus on Anakin. “Someday we’ll get you to meet the dryads and satyrs from my world.” He wrinkled his nose. “Even if Coach Hedge would have words about sharing rooms.” He shrugged. “Or maybe not considering we’re both adults.”
Anakin grinned over at his boyfriend and then punctuated that grin by reaching over to slide his hand over Nico's. "We are totally both adults, so nobody gets to yell about anything. And I love the idea of meeting dryads and satyrs, or honestly people from your world in general. Besides your Dad, because that was terrifying," he grinned cheekily. Hades hadn't actually been that terrifying - just intimidating mostly.
That last comment and that grin earned Anakin a fond laugh and an amused smile. Nico appreciated the joke. Yeah, his father had been on what counted as his best behavior while around and, really, it’d been far better circumstances than he could’ve dreamed of for a boyfriend-parent meet-up, but Hades still had a certain air to him. That Anakin could still tease good-naturedly about it all was refreshing.
Straightening up, he turned towards Anakin, twisting his hand so he could wrap his fingers around Anakin’s. He squeezed gently as his eyebrows raised. “Well, you’ve met my Dad.” He lightly bumped their interlocked hands against a non-essential part of the console. “And all my sisters.” Another bump. “An odd version of my mom.” Another bump this time coupled with a grimace. “And now you’ve got my complicated dating life.” A wry smirk tilted his lips. “So, barring some gods, it should be smooth sailing for my world.” His smirk shifted from wry back to amusement. “And Coach Hedge will still yell at us for fraternizing.”
Anakin smirked at that. "You know, if I can handle Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara I'm guessing Coach Hedge will be easy peasy," it was perhaps a little cocky, but he was a Solo, and after all, there wasn't that much likelihood of them ending up there. Leastwise not today, or tomorrow. It was a chance, but not particularly likely.
"You want to drive her for a bit?" He asked, glancing at the controls in front of Nico. There wasn't anything too horrible to bump into up here, and they weren't going that fast.
Nico gave another short snort of amusement along with a roll of his eyes. He honestly wasn’t sure who would be harder to deal with. On one hand, there were lightsaber, Force wielding Jedi. On the other, there was a very, very stubborn satyr with a baseball bat. All of them were likely the same level of overprotective though. And grumpy depending on what flavor of Luke came through.
But none of them were here at the moment either. And there was that offer that always had him grinning as if he was going to jump right into battle. Yeah, maybe it was childish, but every time he got to be at the wheel at something flying, it felt like retribution for the rejection of driving Apollo’s car. He gave Anakin’s hand a squeeze before letting go so he could turn to the controls with a flourish. “Bored already?” he teased. “Let’s see how this compares to the car.”