Chapter One
There were people screaming somewhere in the distance. Maybe it wasn't so far away, but everything sounded like I was underwater. Where am I? I couldn't remember… My eyes flew open as someone pulled on my arm. I was face to face with Admiral Onasi, and the world crashed back to me with an enormous headache. I tried to sit up, but my limbs felt like rubber.
"We've got to move," Admiral Onasi's voice was sharp.
I forced myself to sit, and found I was in the rubble of the escape pod, a dark sky above me. Smoke was rising from the debris. "Jetson," I croaked.
Admiral Onasi gestured behind him, where the scout was lying crumpled on the ground.
"I heard there were escape pods crashing in the undercity, but I didn't think any would land here!" A woman's shrill voice came from somewhere behind me.
"Call the authorities," a man answered sharply. "If they're from the republic ship, we'll no doubt get a reward."
I managed to crawl over to Jetson and Admiral Onasi. "He's unconscious," Admiral Onasi told me, "can you help me move him?"
"To where?" I asked. I scanned the rooftops of the buildings around us.
"Let's try to make it there," Admiral Onasi looked at the complex to our right. It looked like a basic housing unit for apartments.
I slung one of Jetson's arms around my shoulders and Admiral Onasi did the same. We moved to the side of the wreckage as more people gathered around the crash site. I moved my head so my hair would hide my face. My leg throbbed with every step, and I found I was biting the inside of my cheek to distract myself.
We pushed past more civilians who came rushing to ogle the crash site. We freed ourselves from the crowd. We made it to the doors of the apartment complex before I collapsed, gasping for breath. Admiral Onasi struggled to hold Jetson up.
I struggled to try to make it to my feet again, but promptly fell. I grimaced in pain as I finally looked down at my leg to see my pant leg was completely stained red. "I don't know if I can-"
"Wait here with him." Admiral Onasi stooped down next to me and left Jetson with me. Admiral Onasi handed his blaster to me. "Hopefully the civilians are distracted and don't question you. If they do, you were injured from the debris from the wreckage. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." I answered weakly.
He disappeared into the apartment complex. I leaned over Jetson, pulling his head onto my lap. "Jetson, can you hear me?" I asked. He had a massive burn mark on his arm and a purpling bruise across his forehead. If he hadn't found me on the Endar Spire, I might not have made it off alive. "Please wake up," I whispered.
Another group of people ran past us and I turned my face away, hoping people would keep rushing by without stopping. The housing complex we'd crashed by was run-down and looked to be old as well. I thanked our luck for crashing so close to a housing unit, then wished for a bit more good luck that there would be one abandoned room that Admiral Onasi could find.
I tried to move Jetson and I further into the complex, but I realized with horror I couldn't feel my leg anymore. My breathing picked up. Calm down. Panicking isn't going to help anything.
Swallowing hard, I inspected the blaster graze on my leg. It seemed to have to stopped bleeding.
Admiral Onasi was back, standing over me. "There's an abandoned apartment not far. If you can't help me with him, that's fine. Can you make it a little bit further?" How his voice was so calm, I didn't understand. He grabbed Jetson's arm and pulled him up, entirely supporting his weight.
I used the wall to help myself up and then leaned against it, panting. "I can make it," I said through gritted teeth. I staggered along the wall, following Admiral Onasi as he pulled Jetson along the halls of the apartment complex.
Just when I thought I was going to drop to the floor, Admiral Onasi pulled Jetson into the open doors of an apartment room. I dragged myself and my useless leg inside the room and Admiral Onasi closed the doors behind us.
On the floor, right next to the doorway, I slide down against the wall to the floor. My head was screaming from when I'd hit it on the Endar Spire, and my numb leg was nothing but a dead weight.
Admiral Onasi staggered to the single bed and let Jetson down.
We sat in silence for a few moments. I rested my head against the wall. "Admiral?" I croaked. "Is Jetson…"
"He'll live," Admiral Onasi answered, his voice wracked with exhaustion. He moved to stand over Jetson, peeling his eyes open and looking at his burn marks. "I think it's just a concussion and some minor burns. In a few hours, I'll go out looking for some med supplies for him. And for you. How's your leg?"
"Can't feel it," I managed to say. A laugh bubbled to my lips before I added, "At least it's not hurting, right?"
Admiral Onasi did not find it amusing, and walked over to me, crouching next to me on the floor. He swore as he pulled the fabric of my pants away to get a better view of my shin. "You're lucky your blood clotted before you could bleed anymore. I might have to go get some supplies now."
"It's too dangerous right now, Admiral." I answered shakily. "I think I'll be fine for a few more hours."
"We're just fortunate to have found this apartment," Admiral Onasi muttered darkly, relaxing his stance to sit down next to me. "The Endar Spire… she exploded just as our escape pod launched."
I swallowed hard. "Taris is under Sith control, right, sir? So the others who took the escape pods… will they be arrested if they're found?"
The Admiral nodded his head in defeat. "Survivors will probably be arrested. And that's hoping that there were any survivors to begin with." He looked at me, taking in my ruined and tattered uniform. "You're a tech, not a soldier?"
"Yes, sir." I replied. I closed my eyes, "I had to beg my family to let me go on the Endar Spire. They wanted me to just work as a technician at the docks, but I applied for the Endar Spire and was accepted. They were worried about me being so far away."
Admiral Onasi didn't answer, and I realized I was babbling. I clamped my jaw shut, trying to ignore the pain in my head. After a few minutes of silence, I was beginning to fall asleep. Admiral Onasi's voice cut through the darkness and pulled me back, "You need to stay awake. You've lost a lot of blood." He paused, probably too tired to talk. "What's your name?"
"Hakota," I mumbled tiredly, forgetting to address him as 'sir'.
"Stay with me, Hakota," Admiral Onasi said. "The soldier over there—his name is Jetson Khar, correct?" I nodded in affirmation. "How do you know him?"
"He's a scout, not really a soldier," I explained, my voice thick with sleep. "He knows a lot about technical work. He liked to spend time with the other techs instead of the soldiers."
Admiral Onasi looked at me, the bags under his brown eyes dark and his face etched with pure exhaustion. "I'm going to move you close to Jetson. I want you to keep an eye on him while I go out to look for supplies."
"It's too dangerous now." I tried to protest as Admiral Onasi helped me to my feet and adjusted my arm around his shoulders. Both of us were tall, so he didn't have to stoop over to lead me over to where Jetson was. I sat down on the edge of the bed with the Admiral's assistance. One look at Jetson's pale face kept me from saying anything further about the Admiral going to get supplies.
"Try to stay awake, Hakota. I'll be back as soon as I can." Admiral Onasi said as he left, the doors sealing behind him.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get my head to stop pounding. Jetson was deathly still when I looked at him again. I pressed my fingers against the side of his neck and felt a slow pulse.
I should've just listened to my parents and never left Alderaan. I could be safe at home right now instead of barely alive on Taris. When my parents hear about the space battle, they'll probably think their only daughter is dead.
Jetson shifted his weight on the rickety bed. I looked at him, his dark hair hanging in his eyes. "Jetson," I said pleadingly. "You've got to be alright. Everyone else… everyone else is dead." All the other technicians I had met on the Endar Spire, and the soldiers I knew—they were all dead. My eyes burned, but I brushed away tears angrily with the back of my hand.
