Technical Error

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Part One

Connection: This One's Broken

The muscles in your legs were tense enough that you felt an ache cutting through the fear fogging your mind. Your chest had grown rather heavy, likely due to the fact that you had ceased breathing. You were waiting for the impossible occurence of the broken light repairing itself so that you could properly witness the battle in the throne room. All the while, the ship was screaming at both you and Drejuhl that the shields were at critical. Another well-aimed shot, and you could very well lose your life. With two fingers hovering by the icon that would alter the amount of gravity on the Supremacy , you swallowed. Sucked in air to fill your burning lungs. You increased the pressure rather than eliminating it. Another of the lights popped, broken. Now you cried out in frustration. Fixed what you believed to be a mistake.

Until you read on the displayed binary that Kylo Ren had said words of praise. Your actions had caught most of those fighting off guard, but some members had been expecting something to happen. Luke Skywalker and Snoke had pushed away from one another, a percussion of energy knocking into those around them; the increase in gravity had alleviated some of that pressure by forcing it downwards. You imagined it was similar to being thrown about in the cockpit as you were.

Now that the fight on the Supremacy had held your attention for an extended period, you looked up from your datapad to assess your current situation. More TIEs had arrived to fend off the enemy. Some acted as distractions. Your heart hurt whenever one took damage; a small blast that would have bounced off shields meant death and destruction for the TIE pilots and their vessels. You did not have the resources to help those TIEs nor to repair the damage done to the shields on Drejuhl's ship. You were, essentially, helpless and unhelpful.

The Knight of Ren encouraged you to stare at the screens on your device. He did not want you freaking out; he did not say this, but you knew. You were no idiot. As a means of forcing yourself to calm down, you once more slouched in the seat. You closed your eyes then started to recite lines of code in your head. The modifications and upgrades to the shields and weapons for those now in the throne room. You could not alter them further. Yet you were able to better understand the advantages each of the Praetorian guards possessed.

Without opening your eyes, you began to type commands to Squeakers. The droid would repeat your words to Kylo Ren, although this was risky. Anyone else able to understand binary would know. That was a necessary risk. There were weaknesses in the shields that the guards had. Some the same as what your allies were armed with. Others different. It was those differences that you focused on.

Squeakers released a very audible shriek of fear. Your eyes flew open, darting between the binary readout and the visual transmission. The Praetorian guard that had been set on striking Kylo Ren had changed course, aiming for your droid. You were torn between grinning and looking horror-struck. Such a reaction meant that you were doing well. A fresh wave of Force electricity sprung from Snoke's fingertips. It arced past Skywalker, hitting the shield that your droid had put up to protect itself and Kylo. The readout on your datapad informed you of the overload, of how the shield was disabled.

Squeakers was in the same predicament that you were, save for the fact that the droid had a weapon of its own, albeit one that hardly did any damage. The blast it was able to muster successfully warded off an attack from the Praetorian guard that had moved in to wreck it following the Supreme Leader's attack. General Hux and Captain Phasma joined Kylo Ren where he stood. The three of them were standing so that their backs were to Squeakers, their shoulders touching. They worked to protect the droid, which fired at the red armored warriors to assist with the attacks of the triumvirate.