Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter XV

"I want to scream 'I love you' at the top of my lungs, but why should I? Talking's just a breath, and living's just a waste of death, and why put a new address on the same old loneliness? It's nothing really - a lost cause, a long shot, a bet I should have never taken. We're a mess of youthful innocence, fireworks that went off too soon, and there are things I haven't told you, things I'll never tell you, secrets I'll take to my grave, but know this: I'd do it all again if I could." - Pete Wentz, scrawled in the margins of his copy of Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

Patrick was standing on the edge of the sinkhole, and he wanted to scream. Pete was gone, and here he was, all alone in the galaxy, the last survivor of the Jedi Order. There was nothing left for him anymore, not without his old friends, not without the other Jedi, not without Pete Wentz. He'd never felt so hopeless, so empty inside.

Patrick took a step backwards, hoping to avoid following his pizza-obsessed friend to his certain death. Pete may be gone, but he had to stay alive. If he died now, the Jedi Order would be gone forever.

He glanced into the sinkhole, his vision blurry with tears. There was one last thing he could do. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he didn't know if he had the strength to do it. He had to try. If he didn't, he would never forgive himself. He wiped away his tears, took a deep breath in, and let the Force guide him as he looked over the edge one last time. He was terrified, but he knew what he had to do.

He came one step closer, and he jumped into the sinkhole.

Patrick plummeted downwards, passing by bustling streets and huge, beautiful buildings. He wasn't sure whether to feel afraid or exhilarated as he felt the rushing air, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the pull of Utapau's gravity. He held onto his black fedora as he fell, desperate not to lose one of his last reminders of Pete's presence in his life. He was doing this for him, after all.

Patrick knew he was going too fast, so he used the Force to slow his fall. His speed slowly decreased, and soon, he wasn't falling at all. Instead, he was languidly gliding to the bottom of the sinkhole, as if he was attached to an invisible parachute. He smiled as he realized that he was going to make it. He would survive this.

Against his better judgment, Patrick looked down. He was still hundreds of feet above the bottom of the sinkhole, but he could see it now. There was an ocean down there, with crashing waves and deep blue water stretching out in every direction. As he came closer, so close that he could feel the water spraying onto his skin, he felt Pete there, resting beneath the surface. He drifted even closer, sure that he could find Pete somewhere under the restless, unforgiving sea.

Patrick plunged into the ocean, the icy cold water freezing his skin. He took another deep breath and ducked beneath the surface, and when he looked around, he could see him. There was someone maybe nine or ten feet below him, and with his jet black hair and intricate tattoos, he knew it had to be Pete.

Patrick surfaced and took another breath before he dove down toward Pete. He swam as quickly as he could, and when he got to Pete, he took his hand and pulled him up to the surface. Even after they surfaced, Patrick couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead, but he took him to shore anyways. He dragged Pete along as he swam, hoping that he wasn't just carrying a corpse.

When he finally made it to solid ground, Patrick climbed out of the water, and he brought Pete ashore with him. He took a moment to catch his breath. His robes were soaked, and he smelled like saltwater, but he didn't care. He'd gotten Pete out of the ocean.

Patrick glanced toward his friend. Pete's body was bruised, bloodied, and mangled, his limbs bent at unnatural angles, but all of a sudden, he took a few shallow, ragged breaths. Patrick breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Pete was alive. Then, his eyes fluttered open, and he leaned over and coughed up water for what felt like forever. "Is everything okay?" Patrick asked after he was done.