Technical Error

Chapter Thirty-One

Part One

Minds: Departed from a Hive

Squeakers chittered more than he squeaked following the modification and repairs. All the same, you were not about to give the droid a different nickname; that did not feel right to you. Thus you pursed your lips a little when another technician referred to Squeakers as Chatty Droid, CeeDee for short, and narrowed your eyes until said individual walked away. You knew that the nickname would be uttered in the future whenever the beloved droid was not in your presence. That perturbed you, however you had too much work to do to dwell very long on the matter. A standard week following Kylo Ren's ascension to Supreme Leader, and the Resistance was not entirely wiped out. Likewise, the enemy slumbering within the ships of the First Order fleet were not eradicated. Personal shields could only be given out to select number of individuals, otherwise you would unintentionally and unknowingly provide your foes with defenses.

Also on your mind was the list of names that you had looked over on more than a single occasion. The list of those lost in the battle one week before.

With every correction of the programs assisting with defenses both for the ships of the fleet and the individuals, you mentally repeated the names of those you had personally interacted with. Their loss was heavy on your conscious. A part of you appreciated that weight as you moved forward. You did not want to forget those who had passed, though you knew that this was what some of your comrades had chosen to do. It was not that you let yourself become distracted by grief either. That would be an insult to their memory. As for those who had survived, it was perhaps more difficult. Some remained in medbay. Others had been discharged from the First Order, no longer able to serve in any capacity. There were also those working through their physical and/or mental traumas. It was your job to help ensure their protection. That was huge; upgrading defenses in and around medbay. One of the Knights of Ren injured during the throne room battle would be discharged the following day cycle.

The chittering droid shifted forward and away from you. Squeakers had a tendency to wander off towards those it had interacted with in the past. In particular was Andel, who suffered from altered mental status, a result of sepsis acquired during care for her injury. According to physicians, she was doing better, improving. It would take her quite some time to fully recover though. That was why you wanted to protect her more than some others due to the personal connection.

Squeakers nudged Andel's left foot while you moved over to a chair situated a little more than a yard from her bed. You did some of your best thinking while in her presence. If you had to guess as to why this was, you would say that seeing that she remained breathing, alive, kept worry from flooding you. She also would have been an important part of your team. Working alongside the Knights of Ren was challenging given your limited understanding of the Force. Other Force sensitives, and those suspected of potential Force sensitivity, were being factored into every equation. Allies. Enemies. Kylo Ren, as Supreme Leader, hoped to cause the Force to thrive. He wanted to teach more how to harness such power. How to respect it.

You puffed up your cheeks. One of your main tasks was to find a means of providing Kylo Ren with lightweight armor that could withstand blows from lightsabers and the Force. He wanted to pursue the girl, Rey, in hopes of having her join this cause. The war would not end quite so easily, you knew this. Even if the remnants of the current Resistance disbanded should Rey join Kylo, there would be others not satisfied with this outcome.

That was an unfortunate truth of the universe: there were far too many beings, which meant nothing could ever please everyone.

Andel would have had a plethora of suggestions. Answers to questions that popped into your head. The other technicians on your team did provide plenty of insight. They were some of the best. It wasn't quite the same though.