He didn't need to be. Octavia might even tell him so, later. He was doing the best he could.

She didn't relax, but there was some kind of shift in her posture as soon as she felt his arms tighten around her. Pressure was better, more grounding, more here. Not as much -- back there.

On a planet with no future.

Her voice sounded thin. "You've seen the... entire human history, and you say most, or many people have disappointed you." She swallowed. Shuddered. Lost even more of her voice. "So what did I fight for?"