Technical Error

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Paths: Of the Many to Take

Twenz held a hand up to his ear, cupping it and blocking it from your view. You hadn't realized that he was wearing an earbud until you did a double-take. It was not standard, at least not for your rank, and so it was something you had taken for granted. You looked to Drejuhl, who had yet to tear his gaze away from the screen though the transmission had ended. The alarms were sounding in the Finalizer once more. You closed your eyes in order to focus on what was being said. Some of the Resistance's allies were dropping out of the battle. It could not be that Luke Skywalker had perished; there was no way that particular bit of news would have become so widespread in the short amount of time. Rey, the former stormtrooper, and the other members that were in the throne room during the battle would only just then be getting off the Supremacy , if they managed to escape at all.

You worried at your lip at the thought of Rey, a Force user, escaping. Would that keep the First Order in a state of war?

That train of thought had your stomach dropping, flipping, churning. You wanted the war to end eventually. It was only now, as Supreme Leader Snoke fell along with Luke Skywalker, that you were realizing the size of the First Order fleet meant that it wouldn't happen so easily. Not immediately.

As a technician, you could easily find work in a non-military environment. The officers and pilots, on the other hand, would be displaced. Those who supplied the First Order, and at times the Resistance as well, with equipment, they would be out of business as well. Except they wouldn't allow it. Your calculations for how the world would work, how the universe would work, this war would work, they were all off. This was not the end. This was not the sum of the war: victory over the Resistance was simply one factor in another string of equations that were visible once you flipped the page.

Your mind conjured up a quick slideshow of the faces of those you cared for. How many of them had been killed in this battle, and how many had died believing their death was for this final victory? Thinking that it was a notable sacrifice. You did not want to think that they had died for nothing. Their sacrifices would not be in vain. One day the wars would all end...but not now. Even if Rey had been killed as well, there would be others who did not agree with the First Order.

Fighting for what you believed in—only, you had been fighting so that there would be peace in the galaxy along with a government that would ensure crimes on other planets to include the Outer Rim were not ignored by senators who were so out of touch. And you knew, truly, that Kylo Ren wanted this as well. The difference was that he had to have understood that things were nowhere near an end. Suddenly some of his behavior in the past made even more sense to you, those same actions that you had previously forgiven him for.

Twenz touched your arm, making you jump in surprise. Drejuhl reacted to you being startled by wrapping his hand around his weapon. "Captain Phasma is in contact with the stormtroopers. The order to eliminate those involved in the modification projects had come from Snoke." He looked over his shoulder to consider the final individual in the room. Then turned back to you. "There was a list of top targets. Your name is on it. And clearly we cannot easily uncover the identities of everyone privy to the list. Snoke's death won't save you if we miss—"

"I'm not staying in here," you said. Your grip on the blaster tightened. "Drejuhl's with me." The Knight snorted, clearly amused. "Staying here, doing nothing... I'm going to drive myself crazy."

"Idle hands," the Knight of Ren said in agreement. You nodded, considered the blaster, and holstered it. "There will be plenty of systems that will require technicians. I can guard her while she works."

Uncertainty passed over Twenz's facial features. For a second time, he looked to the other technician, who made a gesture of helplessness to say that both you and Drejuhl were correct. With a frown, Twenz gave a sharp nod of approval. It was not a dismissal, however, and so you waited until your superior handed you a new datapad and clearance cylinder before moving towards the door. You were not permitted to blindly traverse the corridors of the Finalizer . The datapad and cylinder had informed you exactly where you were to go. There were a limited amount of personnel that would be able to get to you. A temporary fix. You could not live your life in fear.