Star Wars: Saviors of the Broken

Chapter XXXIV

"Falling in love is the greatest sin a Jedi can commit. Becoming romantically attached to another is a betrayal of the Jedi Order, and it will inevitably lead to the dark side of the Force." - Motta Kreeta Kuka, from Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

As the Horseshoe Crab flew away from Brendon's Star Destroyer, Patrick found his own little corner of the ship, away from everyone else. He tried to help out around the ship where he could, assisting Joe with navigation and teaching Mikey new lightsaber techniques, but when there was nothing to do, he retreated to his corner. Sometimes, he sang to himself or rewatched old holograms, but most of the time, he simply meditated on what had happened over the last few days.

Thinking of Pete seemed to be the one habit he couldn't break. He was like a song stuck in his head, playing again and again. He thought of how Pete had rescued him, how he'd had the bravery to fight off Brendon, how his hand had felt nestled in his. He knew he wasn't supposed to get attached like this, but he was irresistible.

Besides, Patrick was sure that his feelings for Pete were pushing him toward the light side, not the dark. He'd always been told that attachment led to fear, anger, and depression, but whenever he was around Pete, he felt confident, calm, and happy. He felt like he could do anything, as long as they were together. How could the Jedi say that was a bad thing?

One day, as Patrick lay on the floor in his corner of the Y-wing, replaying the fight in Brendon's Star Destroyer in his mind for the millionth time, Pete walked in, carrying a teacup. Patrick admired his tan skin, his tattoos, his deep brown eyes lined with black eyeliner, but he didn't seem to notice. "Hi Lunchbox," he said. "I brought you some tea."

Patrick smiled. It was times like these that made him realize what an amazing person Pete was on the inside, how kind and generous he was, even when nobody else noticed. "Thanks," Patrick said softly as he reached out with his good hand and took the teacup.

"Do you want anything in it?" Pete asked.

"A little bit of honey would be great."

"Honey is for bees, silly bear," he said, but nevertheless, he left to get some.

While Pete was gone, Patrick sipped his tea. He thought about the past, the present, and the future, and he wondered if the galaxy would ever know peace again. Someday, maybe the Empire would fall, but he worried that it would take more than just a handful of rebels to bring them down. They couldn't take down the Empire if they were fighting just to survive.

Pete returned with a container of honey, and as he poured a little bit into Patrick's tea, Patrick's thoughts drifted back to the beautiful boy in front of him. "Thanks Pete," he said once Pete was done.

"No problem," Pete said as Patrick drank more of his tea. "I'm so sorry about your hand, by the way. I tried to be careful, but my lightsaber slipped, and..."

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is!" Pete exclaimed. "I cut off your hand!"

"It was an accident, and it's just metal," Patrick said. "It can be replaced."

"Yeah, but how are we going to do that? We're in deep space right now."

"We'll figure it out." Patrick took a deep breath and then added, "Pete, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it, mon cheri?" Pete asked as he sat down next to Patrick.

"I've just been thinking about what it was like in the few weeks after the raid on the Jedi temple, before we met the others, before we joined the Rebellion, and I miss that. I miss having you as my best friend, my partner in crime."