5 | Hope Isn't Lost

Chapter 16 ༄ Things Don't Go to Plan

Freedom waited a few beats before following Mouse into the Phantom II.

"What's the hesitation?" Mouse asked from the pilot's seat, where he seemed mildly confused with all the buttons in front of him on the console.

"Mom's going to kill me, that's all." Freedom mumbled and sat down on one of the benches and strapped in. "You're sure you know what you are doing?"

"Yeah... give me a second." Mouse mumbled. "Think Mouse think." He banged his head on his hand a couple times.

Freedom watched him, a bit worried.

"I got it." He said after about a minute of this and began to hit the buttons at an alarmingly fast pace, but sure enough the engine started and the ship began to lift off the ground.

Freedom breathed a sigh of relief, wondering why he even thought to ask Mouse to fly him to Kay.

I could of asked Tel or even a random stranger probably would of been a better idea. He thought and watched at the ship entered the atmosphere.

"So Freedom how's the love life?" Mouse asked as soon as the ship jumped into hyperspace.

Freedom blushed and then yelled. "I'M EIGHT AND THIS IS HOW YOU START A CONVERSATION."

"Wow, you act a lot older than you are and you look older too." Mouse admitted, not that phased by Freedom's outburst.

"It's because I have to." The small boy admitted and sighed.

"I can't really relate I've always acted younger than I am." Mouse said and Freedom nodded.

"How old are you?" Freedom asked him.

"39." Mouse ticked numbers off his fingers.

"Really?" Freedom raised an eyebrow. "You look at least a few years younger."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smirked back at Freedom.

Freedom shook his head and leaned back in the chair and watched the blue of hyperspace. He didn't traveled in space much. He had a couple times before for various things, but this was the first time in a while.

"I love space." Mouse said, when he noticed what Freedom was looking at. "I feel like I was born here."

Freedom raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well I don't know where I was born, but I would like to think it was in space out there near one of the million upon billions of stars." Mouse smiled. "Or maybe my love of space is because I haven't spent a lot of time on solid land in my life." He laughed. "Well I wouldn't say I liked it working on that star destroyer with your fa-" Mouse stopped himself mid sentence.

Freedom gave him a confused look. "My father?" Freedom thought about all the nightmares he had had about that and shuddered.

"Hehe." Mouse laughed nervously. "I forgot a while back Sabine warned me not to talk about Ezra's past with any of the kids. She really didn't want any of you to know, well at least till you were older."

"I already know bits and pieces." Freedom looked down and didn't meet Mouse's eyes. "But I'm sure I don't know all of it."

"Sabine is going to kill me." Mouse said. "Well if I'm not dead yet, I doubt she'll be the one to do it." He decided. "So as I was saying I wouldn't say I liked working on a star destroyer with your father, it was nice to just be in space all that time. I never got into the action a lot. Some would call that lucky, but whenever I was fighting I didn't have to worry about anything just my life and my friends."

"It would probably be wrong to say I miss those days back fighting the Empire, but I do I can't help it." Mouse admitted.

Freedom kind of zoned out when he said. "working on a star destroyer with your father." Freedom was lost in thought, but Mouse kept on talking.

"Sometimes I feel like I was made to fight and nothing else. It's kind of scary sometimes." He laughed at himself to ease the air, and looked down for a moment. "But I'm working on it."

"What did you say?" Freedom looked up at Mouse with an expression of confusing and guilt for not listening the first time.

"Oh nothing." Mouse smiled. "I'm just ranting about cheese again."

Freedom nodded and the two patiently waited for the ship to pull out of hyperspace.

༄

The silence made Freedom only think of his absence father more.

What exactly did happen in the past?

Where is he now?

Is him missing and his past somehow connected?

Freedom has a million questions and not a single solid answer. Freedom closed his eyes to try and sort out his thoughts.

Freedom couldn't help worrying about these things along with a million other things. It was his nature to worry, he had to worry for Kay, for Amber, for his mother, for what was coming next.

Kriff this! I'm eight! He yelled at himself in thought. I need to chill. I have no chill though. He suppressed a sigh and tried to think of his sister. It has only been a few months since she left, but he missed her all the same. He didn't think he would ever stop missing her as long as she isn't just around the corner.

༄

The ship pulled out of hyperspace and Mouse let out a small yelp as well, jolting Freedom out of his train of thought.

"What was that for?" He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Mouse.

"Jumping out of hyperspace always gives me a scare." He said less than convincingly. Freedom shrugged as a voice came though the comms.

"This is an protected area, state your business." A harsh female's voice said. "Or be prepared to be fired on."

"Oh hi I'm Mouse." Mouse responded and Freedom facepalmed. "I'm here with Freedom Bridger and we want to see his sister."

There was no reply so Mouse continued.

"Kay Bridger... This is the Jedi academy right?" Mouse asked, a bit worried he misjudged the calculations for the jump.

"This isn't the Jedi academy." The woman spoke back and Freedom and Mouse heard the sound of ships approaching.

"Oh karabast!" Mouse cursed and began to hit the buttons to fire up the guns.

"What's going on?" Freedom asked from behind him.

"I have no clue." Mouse yelled back, trying to find the source of the familiar sounds that were apparently gaining on their position fast. "Get strapped in and prepare for a bumpy landing." He yelled at Freedom.

Freedom nodded and strapped the seat belt across his chest. He held onto the safety bar with his life as the first shot hit the ship.

༄

Tekara looked up at the ceiling of the training room and ran out without a word.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mona made a figure eight in the air with his lightsaber.

"Let the man be." Sebrin put a hand on his shoulder and slashed her own lightsaber in the air next to his.

Mona smiled at her and Sebrin flipped Mona over her head.

༄

"Oh shoot!" Mouse grumbled as he saw the tie fighters in his sights. He fired back at them, hitting two of the five that were in the vast space between him and the snowy planet's surface.

"Ties?" Freedom questioned, trying to keep his heartbeat from going though the roof.

"We are going to hit the surface." Mouse said as the hyperdrive took a direct hit and he lost even more control of the ship. "Hold on!"

Freedom closed his eyes and held on. Praying to the force they would survive this.