Technical Error

Chapter One

Part One
Observational Skills: Nil

You were a technician in the First Order, which meant that a number of the Stormtroopers found pleasure in kicking away your tools when you were not looking. The officers generally ignored you unless they were in need of your assistance. The latter did not bother you in the least, as it allowed you to finish your tasks without interruptions. The former, on the other hand, would cause you to scowl. You dared not say anything in response; you had heard of many a technician who got mouthy with the 'troopers and the resultant visits to medbay. During cafeteria hours, a few of the lower-ranking officers would engage technicians in small talk. The Stormtroopers, if they were especially bored, partook in the idle chitchat.

This, of course, explained why it was that technicians had a tendency to travel together. In twos or threes or more; it all varied given that some circumstances were out of their control as to who would be in their group. It sometimes made you feel like the odd-woman out given that you had only three or four individuals who readily agreed to accompany you. They often were unable to do so, their position higher in rank than your own and/or their daily tasks taking them to different portions of the Star Destroyer.

This time, you were alone.

In hindsight, you supposed that you should have been more attentive to what had been said during the course of lunch. You were normally more alert and aware of your surroundings, yet it had been a particularly busy morning after several maintenance droids malfunctioned and at least ten calcinators needed to be rewired. Following your afternoon meal you were to report to a different sector aboard the Finalizer. It had recently been remodeled after several minor explosions—the causes of which you were still uncertain—had demolished a number of the closets and the two refreshers. Had you paid attention to the chatter in the cafeteria, you would have been made aware that the refreshers had been switched; the male washroom was now on the left, whereas that had been the location of the female bathroom previously.

With your toolbag in hand and a full bladder threatening to give way with every step, you rushed into the refresher without glancing up from the floor. You could hear someone urinating, could see a flash of black—how strange, you passively thought without pausing in your steps—and about threw yourself into the nearest stall. You slammed the door, hit the lock, and dropped your bag to the floor before quickly shoving down your pants and sitting on the toilet.

"Stars, man," you whispered under your breath as you began to relieve yourself. You had nearly not made it in time. As you released a deep breath, your eyes caught the movement of boots underneath the door of your stall. You knit your brow, leaning to the side on the toilet so that you could peer through the crack.

Suddenly you wished you hadn't. A shift of those black boots, which were thankfully a few feet away, and a rustle of clothing indicated that the person had since finished urinating. A zipper being draw up in a single, sharp movement. You gulped as the toes of those boots turned in your direction. The material of the pants, from what you could see through the crack between the door and its frame, was also black. Black-gray robes. Gloved hands. Facing a Stormtrooper or an officer of any rank would have been preferable to this.

Of all the times for you to accidentally walk into the wrong bathroom, you had done so while Kylo Ren was using the facilities.

He needs to wash his hands...gloves... was your candid thought despite the terror that was beginning to flow through you.

Another part of your brain told you to move, and yet your bladder had not been fully emptied. Commander Ren was not moving from his place, and you half-wondered if he was watching you through the crack. What a pervert! your mind supplied on the off-chance that he was, indeed, observing you pee. You shook your head, willing away such thoughts and insults in case he was also delving into your mind. You had heard that he could read people's thoughts, and you would rather not be killed for words unspoken.