Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Far From Home

How? How did this happen? What did I do wrong? Did I jump too early? Were my calculations off? Think, Y/N, think! I ran diagnostics on my systems one more time. To my surprise, everything was functional. The engines were stable, the hyperdrive was recharging, and my main power supply was flowing normally. This didn't make sense. I knew I screwed up something. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up here, in this strange place. I began to panic again, taking short, choppy breaths. What do I do now? I can't keep flying or I'll run out of fuel. I looked out at the stars again, hoping to see someone, something, anything fly through my field of vision. But the seconds turned into minutes. Still nothing. Seeing no other option, I brushed my thumb against the comms. This is the only way. I pressed the button to open a channel. "If anyone can hear this, I need help," I said, trying to remain calm. "I'm stranded in God knows where and there's nothing in sight. I repeat, if anyone can hear this, I need help." I pressed the button again to transmit the message. Now all I could do was wait. I had enough canteens and ration packs to survive for about a week if I was efficient. Only a week? Is that even going to be enough time? I didn't want to starve to death, stranded in space after everything that had happened. It had been a long and illogical day up to this point, so I forced myself into slumber, hoping help would be on the way soon.

I woke up feeling a little fatigued. Predictably, no one came. I had to try again, however. It was for my own survival. I beamed out another signal into the starry expanse of nothingness, hoping my desperate sound patterns would be intercepted by someone who could help. "If anyone can hear this, my ship is stranded out in open space. I need help," I said. Then I waited. Still, nobody heard my message. I did the same routine repeatedly. Send a distress call, eat and drink, then sleep. There was no concept of time in space. I was growing increasingly more concerned that help would never come. I had to be in the far reaches of this strange place. My rations and my fuel were slowly depleting. Day after day it was more of the same. I could swear I was starting to go insane from being alone for so long. My only friends were my oxygen surrounding me and the light show in front of me. At least there's something pretty to look at. The day soon came when my rations ran out. I wouldn't risk burning my fuel in desperation. Being stranded and starving was a recipe for death. And this prospect was slowly morphing into a possible reality. I grew sad thinking about this. I tried so hard to get home and I ended up further away. Now I might die here where nobody can find me. Not my friends, not my family, not my allies. Exhaustion threatened to overtake me, but I couldn't allow myself to fall asleep, as I could very well never wake up again. My eyelids grew heavy, my body was shivering, and my head screamed for water. I felt numb. I remained slouched back in my seat, completely checked out as the waiting arms of the afterlife guided me toward the other side. With the miniscule amount of energy I had left, I sent one last distress signal. Then everything faded to black.

The next thing I saw was a faint glimmer of light. I blinked my eyes to adjust my focus, but I still had to squint. Is this what they call the light at the end of the tunnel? I tried to walk towards it, but my legs wouldn't move. I looked down for a bit to see I was floating. The beam was growing bigger and bigger. I was getting closer and closer to my final destination. I couldn't believe it. The journey ended here, but I strangely felt at peace. No starvation pains, no stress, no bad memories. This blissful feeling hypnotized me, washing a wave of tranquility over me. I was drifting towards a better place, my new home for all eternity. One with the Force, I think Kanan called it. As the glow almost completely encompassed me with its radiance, I suddenly bumped into something. I blinked again to see what this mysterious barrier could be, but the brightness of the light impaired my vision. I floated towards the light, again. I got bumped backward, again. I began to hear some sounds. I focused my ears to hear the voices of people speaking. Their words were muffled and incomprehensible. It could be those of my ancestors. I don't know if they'll be proud or disappointed with the peculiar life I lived. "Wake up," one of them said, finally giving some clarity. Wake up? What does that mean? "Wake up, kid," another voice spoke. I suddenly began to glide backward, away from the light. Perhaps it wasn't my time to go yet. I accelerated, and I regained feeling in my body. I felt weak and in need of nourishment. My head was spinning. Aches and pains held my muscles hostage. "Come on! Stay with me!" one of the voices shouted. I was greeted by a different light. One with a colorful scheme, in contrast to the blinding whiteness of what I thought to be the afterlife. I crossed the gateway and shot awake, gasping for breath, where I was greeted by the sight of a few worried faces.