Inevitable {Tech}

Chapter Fourteen: Escape

She was sworn to protect and she let him run off on his own with a target on his head while she fled cowardly into the depths of space.

What kind of protector does that?

She pulled herself up with a distressed sigh and watched the glow of hyperspace surround her. She was so tired of feeling helpless and weak. She greatly welcomed the new feeling that came with joining Echo and company, but that aching yet numb feeling kept finding ways to crawl back into her.

She yearned for the comfort of being in Echo's arms and enveloped in his brotherly love, as well as the silent alleviation Hunter's energy brought her. She wanted nothing more than to hear Wreckers laugh and see Tech roll his eyes. Maker, she missed everything about Tech. Whatever the force was trying to tell her about him in the short time they were together was incredibly strong and unexpected. But as she flew further away from him, the less she sensed the connection. The absence of that feeling unsteadied her. Pile on some sedition accusations and attempts on her life and she was feeling just peachy.

And Crosshair. She thought her simple gestures and subtle kindness had gotten through to him, but perhaps he valued the Republic far more than she thought. The rest of the boys didn't seem to see everything as black and white, never going by the book or following orders as they should. What made Crosshair fall so far to one side?

As she rested her eyes and observed the light through her eyelids, the ship came out of hyperspace with a jolt and ceased just outside the atmosphere of Seleucami. She took a second to shake off her despondency and shut off the auto pilot. As her finger went to switch the steering to manual, the fuel light went off. Her stomach dropped and she was frozen in place as she watched the little red light flash. It teased her with its blinking, making her feel foolish for yet another mistake.

She cursed herself once more and looked out of the cockpit to the planet so close—yet so far— in front of her as she floated just outside its cloudy atmosphere. Green and brown canvassed across the planet, and she wished that she could be one of the fauna to peacefully roam on its terrain. Or more simply, she wished to be anybody but herself at the moment.

She input her code into the ship's comm system and accessed the Jedis' personal stream. Trying to reach Coruscant was her best bet to get in contact with another Jedi without alerting the Republic. To her dismay—but not to her surprise—everything was shut off. Nothing was coming through or going out except one message. A hologram of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi displayed on her dash, and his rushed message began to play.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place..."

She felt dizzy at his words, her head hurt trying to wrap her head around the whole situation. But what did he mean by Jedi Order and Republic? As far as she knew, the Republic had just won the war and was seemingly at its peak. She definitely wasn't getting the full picture.

"This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret... but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and, in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you always."

When his message ended and his hologram began to replay, she shut it off and sighed heavily. If she wasn't floating helplessly in a useless piece of metal, perhaps his words would have meant more to her.

Trust in the force.

She had been told to do that her whole life but she never seemed more out of tune with the force than now. Nothing felt right to her, she felt at a loss when she reached out and nothing grabbed her back.