A Galaxy Freed (Book 4)

Chapter 8: Searching for a Flicker of Hope

"You are broken. But that does not mean the fight is lost. That does not mean your only option left is to give up. For if we are not prepared to fight for those that we love, then we deserve to lose them..."

An unrecognizable voice seeped into my mind. The way they talked to me felt as if they've known me my entire life. It was as if they were privy to every event that transpired since I became a Jedi, since I met Fives. I took what they said to heart. I couldn't give up. Not after how far I've come. I closed my eyes, part of me trying to reach out to the voice that was in my head, the other trying to figure out what to do next.

After several minutes of focus and deep meditation, I felt a wave of calm energy flow through my body. Immediately after, I felt light, quiet beats underneath the palm of my hand. My eyes widened and I felt myself create a small smile. "Thank the Force," I said. A single tear fell from my face onto his chest. I wiped it off and just embraced him. My mind was still racing with thoughts of what just happened and what was going to happen in the future. I was also unsure of how I did what I did but there was no time to figure it out right now. I had to get back to Coruscant as soon as I could. There's no telling how much time he has left. I did my best to cover up and treat his deathly injury with what I found on the small shuttle. All I could do now was hope that he would make it back to me alive.

Thankfully the auto-pilot was controlling the movements of the ship, I was still too in shock to even focus long enough to deal with flying. As we neared the hangar, the ship slowed down and began the landing procedure automatically. For a brief moment, I looked out of the viewport and saw the other Jedi waiting for my ship to land. They must have been worried when they noticed my ship was not among theirs. Several clones were also with them as well. Were they concerned as well? I looked back behind me to check on Fives. His breaths were shallow and slow, but he was still breathing. Alive. That's all that mattered. I just had to make sure he stayed that way. The hatch lifted with a loud hiss. The constant crying throughout the journey here was enough to make my voice hoarse. I wanted to scream for help but no longer had the strength to do so. I hoisted Fives over my shoulder, ignoring the weight, and stepped down off of the ship. The silence was enough to tell me everything I needed to know. No one was expecting this. Kix was the first to run up to me. "I'll contact the cloning facility right away to get a medical bed ready," he said, his tone indicated quick thinking after the sudden shock.

"Do everything you can," I replied as I carefully placed Fives's body in his arms. Rex and Echo, both looking incredible distraught, rushed towards Kix and Fives. I wasn't surprised. Both of them were extremely close to Fives. I didn't want to dwell on what was going through their minds.

Kix, Rex, and Echo, along with Master Shaak Ti left to make their way to the cloning facility. The other clones were following behind them, wanting to make sure that their brother was going to make it through this. I just stood motionless in the same spot I was in when I got off the ship. "What happened when we lost contact?", Master Kenobi said, wanting to fill the silence.

"We were caught in a tractor beam; strong enough to pull us out of hyperspace. It was a trap from the very beginning. Cold and calculated."

"Did Vinera escape?", he asked another question.

"Yes, Master..." I lowered my head. "But she made sure she dealt a grievous blow before she did."

"But he is alive," mentioned Master Luminara. "The injury he sustained seemed nothing but deadly."

"It was," I replied. "I saw the life leave his eyes. In that moment, when all the hope I thought I had was lost, I remembered what he told me. About our future. I refused to let that go. And so, I let the Force take control."