A Seam Within the Galaxy • Kylo Ren

Ch.25

"More help?"

BB-9 beeps at my feet with a relentless dedication only he could sport, eager and ready to help me with any matters possible. I believe he was happy to have seen me make a recovery, as the last time we were together, he had powered down on the shuttle while I was on my last legs. He was exceptionally relieved when I picked him up from the repair sector he had resided in, cleaning out the build up and replacing different vital pieces of himself that had been tarnished by the snow.

A difficult reunion it was, seeing him once again, after everything was placed behind us. Much like an anxiously excited animal that had gone years without seeing their owner, BB-9 was utterly relieved we had both made a miraculous recovery since our return from Hoth. We had spent a good portion of our morning working together, side by side, the droid never roaming throughout the room too far. In the event of grabbing different papers and filing them in their specific folders, he did so with a frantic vigor that paled in comparison to his previous personality. If I thought he was riddled with nerves before, it was nothing as compared to now.

We sat in my quiet office, only the taps of my fingers against the holopad and the soft whir of the droid from below, which only ramped up higher as it adjusted to his ever racing calculations and worries. I straighten my posture to more of an upright position in my seat to stretch, yawning as I gave the droid my reply. "Sure, sure. These can go in alphabetically." I tell him, patting the small stack of papers at the end of my desk.

He swivels closer and I help him by handing over the stack of papers. Quickly, he zips across the room and to the filing cabinet near the door. I sigh as I arch my back over my chair, feeling the tightened vertebrae of my spine stretch and pop. I hummed out with ease.

Although we are both working, the droid is much more skilled in the art of multitasking than I am, bringing up different topics having to do with the future as he alphabetizes rather effortlessly, sticking papers in their desired files and moving on to the next. He even mentions the next mission I am to embark on, and the possibility of him coming along.

"I am unsure, my friend." I tell him truthfully as I am caught up with filling in different skill sets for a particular student. I did not see the need for him on a mission if Commander Ren and I, plus the troopers, already had it covered. My hair falls over my shoulders as I observe him, my thumbs sliding across the edge of the holopad mindlessly.

I hear his movements slow down a bit, grabbing each paper to examine by order of last name, then sliding it into the right file with care. He gives off a few soft and somber beeps to himself, not necessarily saying anything of importance, more like his way of sighing. I roll my bottom lip in between my teeth as I set the holopad down, switching it off as I swivel my chair out from behind my desk to better view him.

"We don't have to worry about it now, I'm sure you could help us in some way in the future."

He seems to perk up a bit more, his movements added with a sudden speed. He agrees to my comment, surely looking forward to being a helping force in the Order's success. He adds on the mention of the meeting I am to have this morning, asking if I would return afterwards.

"Of course, can you hold down the fort in my absence?" I chide, rising to my feet and wiggling my toes within my boots. My body was still plagued with the soreness from my return to base, my movements slowed and a bit more laborious than usual. Any training sessions with students would be led carefully, while one-on-one's would be primarily the student following my guidance, just to ensure I was ready and able for the next mission.

My droid sings out a few proud beeps from his place in front of the filing cabinet, shutting it and zipping back to my side. Carefully, I lowered the holopad to the ground for his use while I attended the meeting, happily keeping up with logging electronic files of my students onto hard copies in case we lost power and needed to get to them. I see the droid is already apprehensive of parting ways with me for a little while, but he puts on a brave face and pushes through his storm. I throw my hair into another pony, absentmindedly patting down my pockets and wondering if there was anything I needed to bring.