Technical Error

Chapter Sixteen

Repairs: Some Aren't Your Responsibility

Forgiveness did not mean forgetting. In many respects, you were stuck between a rock and a hard place as you sorted through the various options of how to handle your current situation. The repairs to General Hux's shuttle had not taken long, and when you had completed them you had been once more assigned to the medical ward. With the influx of patients, components needed to be kept in tip-top shape. You visited various rooms and stations to ensure that everything was running smoothly; only two other technicians were given an identical order. With hundreds to thousands of personnel being treated for both minor and major injuries, you felt as though more technicians should have been called in. Fate would have it that things broke down here and there; some of the tools had not been used in quite some time and had never been checked before they were required.

It was as you were walking by his room that your mind again darted to the subject of forgiveness. Aside from watching you, the man had not done anything to garner your attention. He had never asked for forgiveness. Either he did not believe he needed it, or he did not find himself worthy. You doubted you would ever ask him which case was the truth. If it were the former, you would be disgusted. In the case of the latter... You did not know how to feel, as you partly believed it to be the truth.

One of the nurses caught you by your upper arm, and you looked his way. He nodded in the direction of the room you had bypassed. A request that you check the equipment therein; neither of the other two technicians could gather up the nerve to do so. You nodded, held back a sigh, and turned around. The door was closed, the curtain drawn over the glass so that the man was concealed. You paused a mere three inches from the door. Your eyes roamed the surface, your head buzzing with thought.

If you did forgive him...would it be for everything? For keeping you in the dark in regards to your supervisors... For being an utter ass to you... For toying with your emotions... Hurting you in ways you had never been hurt before... Would you ever be able to forgive him for everything? Not forgetting it—you would never be able to forget it even if you wanted to.

You raised a single hand, curled your fingers into a fist, and gave a single knock. Not that knocking was necessary; you knew he would be able to sense your presence. A soft yet still audible sigh issued from the other side. His voice was level when he uttered the single word enter. You shifted your hand to the panel, touched the appropriate button, and waited as the door slid open. You then stepped inside, not surprised in the least when the door slid closed the moment you were out of the way.

His gaze was on you for a fleeting second. Kylo Ren almost instantly flicked his eyes towards another direction. You spared him a glance as well prior to walking over to the nearest tool that would potentially need fine-tuning. Your fingers skimmed along the surface. Your brain did not want to work; it was offering random thoughts, an assortment of memories that had nothing to do with your job. Various emotions that were clouding your concentration.

A shifting on the bed drew you back to the present. You were thankful that he did not address you. Kylo Ren had simply laid back. A brief look showed you he was staring up at the ceiling. Meditating perhaps. General Hux had mentioned a mistake on the Force user's part. Who knew what that entailed?

You removed your hand from the device then walked over to the next instrument. This one had a slight error in its readout, and you set to work to remedy this. "Your droid can be brought to you." You paused, blinked, and at last bit down on your bottom lip to keep from saying anything—because you did not know what would come out of your mouth. When you did not respond, his gaze once more fell upon you. It caused goosebumps to pimple along your flesh. "If you require—"

"I...don't want special treatment, Commander," you said as you completed the last portion of repairs. This statement was given no response. You moved on, inspecting three more tools in his room before giving yourself the chance to look at him. A bacta patch covered the better portion of half his face. Bandages and more patches were on his body. You had heard that he had previously been submerged in a tank to help with some of the more major injuries. Kylo Ren narrowed his eyes as you stared at him, as though challenging you.