Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter XXI

"No matter what happens, don't forget to look up at the stars once in a while." - Ephin Baskalar, from Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

As it turned out, the Black Mariah crew fit in perfectly with the rest of the Rebellion. It wasn't long before they all became close friends with Andy and Joe, and as they trained, they got to know some of the others as well. The Truwel Rebellion was a diverse lot - there were princes and paupers, humans and aliens, those who wanted to restore the Republic and those who wanted a new form of government, people from every walk of life. The only thing they all had in common was a deep desire to destroy the Empire once and for all.

The more time Frank spent on Truwel, the more he realized that Joe wasn't exaggerating when he'd said that half the city was involved in the Rebellion. Even Hayley, the woman who had insisted that the Truwel Rebellion didn't exist, was actually Andy's second-in-command. With so many people committed to the Empire's destruction, Frank was sure that it would fall before too much longer. Soon, the galaxy would be free.

While they were training, Frank tried to spend as much time as he could with Gerard. He practiced flying starfighters with him, read his favorite comic books, and took him out for coffee. Sometimes they talked for hours, sharing every last secret they had.

"Target practice is impossible," Gerard complained to Frank after training was over one day. "I didn't realize being a rebel was so much work."

"It just takes practice," Frank said.

"But I'm no good with a blaster, Frank. I can't aim to save my life."

"How about I help you?"

Gerard thought about it and then said, "Yeah. That would be great."

He took out his blaster and held it into the air. "Try aiming for the tree over there," Frank instructed.

"Which tree?" Gerard said. "There are a million of them."

"That one," Frank said as he pointed toward the tree right in front of them. Gerard still looked confused, but he readied his blaster anyways. "Not quite," Frank said as he repositioned Gerard's fingers, relishing the feeling of his soft skin. "You need a better grip on the blaster. That will help you aim better."

"Maybe I should just stick to drawing," Gerard grumbled as he pulled the trigger. The blaster bolt flew out of the gun and narrowly missed the tree he was aiming for.

"Almost," Frank said. "Try aiming a little further to the left."

Gerard tried again, and this time, the blaster bolt passed right through the center of the tree, burning a hole in it. When he looked toward Frank and smiled, Frank felt his heart pounding. He wondered how he'd gotten lucky enough to end up with someone like Gerard as his friend, and he wondered if they could ever be more than that.

"That was amazing," Frank said.

"It was all because of you," Gerard said.

"I didn't do anything. You were the one who fired the blaster."

Gerard paused and then said, "You know, they're teaching us to kill. Who's teaching me to love?"

In the moment, Frank couldn't find the right thing to say, but Gerard's words stuck with him. When he was curled up inside the Black Mariah that night, drifting off to sleep, they echoed in his head, over and over again. Somehow, he found a little bit of comfort in what Gerard had said.

Because he knew exactly who was teaching him to love.

Meanwhile, Mikey was learning something completely different. He was spending his days with Pete, honing his abilities and strengthening his connection to the Force. While his brother was busy learning how to shoot a blaster, he was lifting rocks, learning to use Pete's lightsaber, and spending long hours chatting with his new friend. Pete kept on trying to convince him to join the Rebellion, but Mikey knew better than to get involved. More than anything, he could hardly believe that all of this was real, that he'd had this power within him all along, that it was growing stronger with each passing day.