Gone

Her smile of utter happiness was crushed down by the weight of sheer disbelief. Grateful, but saddened faces glanced her way. Her eyes scanned the room one more time. Her heart wanted to see what her eyes wouldn't let her, but once again the numbers didn't add up She counted in her head, then she counted again, only one face was missing. It was the one that mattered the most.

The old man stood before her and she was glad that he didn't have any sight, as tears built up in the corner of her eyes. Juno cleared her throat, "Where is he?" her voiced quivered . Even with his white, senseless eyes Juno felt as though he saw straight through her. His aged hand rested on her shoulder, Juno twitched back with the unfamiliarity of closeness and compassion. Kota's voice was soft ,and for a moment Juno recognized his tone. She'd heard it once before when she had learned about the death of her mother.

"He's gone, Juno. He's-"Juno backed away slowly, her left hand covered her mouth in shock. She had to close her eyes and take in what Kota said. He's gone. Gone, gone, gone. And he wasn't coming back.

Those he'd rescued stood in a corner looking relieved, their hushed voices became a dull noise. Juno let out a breath she didn't know he had been holding. Among the rescued, a woman stood huddled with the rest, her eyes met Juno's for a minute as if she was sorry, but Juno knew none of them truly knew what she had lost. No one knew how she felt about Galen. Juno guessed Kota had somehow always known.

Her heart choked when she said his name in her head but swallowed down her feelings. As natural as it would be to slide down to her knees and cry, that kind of emotional compromise was uncomfortable for Juno. Instead she asked, her voice strong and dead, "Where would you like to go?"

Kota breathed in, "Juno, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do, "Juno interrupted putting her hands on her hips. Having some sort of structure was keeping her together. Her training had taught her to go forward. Find a purpose, a destination, anything to keep her from breaking.

"Well? Any place you'd like to go or should we just sit here waiting to be captured again?" Juno stood a little straighter daring her emotions to get the best of her.

"Kashyyyk. We'll go to Kashyyk, please Juno." Kota turned his back moving towards the group of the rescued.

How fitting, thought Juno as she walked slowly towards the cockpit, counting each step with a heaviness in her heart that she didn't think she could feel anymore. Kashyyyk had been Galen's home, now it was meant to be his memorial.

The jump was calculated perfectly the first time, but Juno was a perfectionist and calculated it once more to be safe. Galen would have killed her if she let anything happen to those he'd just sacrificed himself for, including a silly jump gone wrong. Juno found herself to be smiling. Then her smiling turned into an uncontrollable, unnatural laugh. She laughed till her sides her, suddenly like a switch had been turned, the laughter transitioned into sobbing. Juno sat in the pilot's chair, her hair falling out into her hands with each sob that jerked her body.

Years ago, Juno believed she had purged herself of emotions like this. Emotions that compromised her, emotions that truly showed her that we still gave a damn. You almost fooled everyone. Just almost. Here you are crying over the only person who cared enough to come back to find you. You should have shown him you cared so much sooner. Juno chastised herself in her mind. Black gloved hands hit themselves against the console ripping slightly. No longer greiving, Juno was angry. She had everything she'd ever wanted in her fingers, and yet she let it slip away. It had been like holding the sea in one's hand. You can't quite get all of the sea, but you can hold a small piece. This piece had run straight through the cracks between Juno slendor fingers. Her tongue grazed over her lip, and she could almost feel the only kiss that ever mattered there.

Juno wiped her eyes watching the droplets slide off her fingertips onto the cold floor. Her eyes lifted themselves to the chair beside her. Juno closed her eyes knowing that if she opened them she would find heartbreak. He wasn't here. He was gone.

Juno opened her eyes again and gazed at his chair. She could almost imagine Galen walking into the cockpit. His cocky smile would meet her face, and he was sure to tell her that she was being overly dramatic. Juno waited, but he didn't come. There wasn't anything that Galen had left behind for her, and Juno was glad for it.

The air held a stillness and Juno could taste her own salty tears on her lips. Once again she wiped off her tears. Publically she would never show her emotions. Galen would not have wanted her to mourn for him. Although it was never spoken, somewhere deep within her, Juno knew that Galen had died for something he wanted.

A hopeful smile grew on Juno's face. The only Galen she'd known was one that followed orders. It was merciful to think that in his last moments he'd been free.

The dashboard light up with glistening greens and blues. The jump was completed, and now Juno needed to take over from the auto pilot. The blonde hairs that were previously fallen in the way of Juno's sky eyes were carefully pinned back. Juno sniffed back the remainder of her saddness while straightening out her shirt and coat. For anyone else the loss of a loved one might have crippled them to the naked eye, but Juno was always one to never show her imperfections.

The planet looked so much the same, and yet there was something different about it, but the small hut Galen had described to Juno still stood. The Rouge Shawdow landed without any hiccups. She was a reliable ship, and had never failed Juno in the past, but something about this machine felt foreign to Juno's insides. With the landing ramp lowered Juno watched the passengers make their way, one by one, towards the haunted past of the man who had given everything to free them.

This had better be worth it Galen, Juno thought as she walked slowly from the ship. Still making her way down the ramp, Juno slipped off her gloves and tossed them to the side. Juno wanted to feel the cold billowing steam from the ramp, the steel and wires that held together this sacred place with her own skin. Fingers could feel the chilled metal and then something soft. Juno's fingers tugged at the softness she could feel but could not see. Kota called to her.

"I'm coming," she yelled with her fingers still trying to pull the soft from its hiding place. A small rip sounded as Juno pulled harder. Something floated down and landed on Juno's boot.

Closing her eyes, Juno put a hand to her mouth. Juno opened her eyes again trying very carefullly not to let her eyes trick her. It wasn't a trick. There lying like a sleeping creature was a torn, dirty, and very small piece of white fabric. It was unmistakeable to Juno where is came from. Juno picked up the cloth gingerly, and smiled. This was something tangible that Juno could hold on to. It was proof of the final encounter she and Galen had exchanged. It was some proof, real proof that Galen had lived. Everything of his was gone. As if he'd known that he wouldn't be returning all of Galen's clothes had vanished, his miscellaneous "toys" dissappeared, and even his friend was buried somewhere in the snow.

Juno pocketed the precious find, and headed towards the others. She could feel her heart breaking, but the world would never know.

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the support and I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. Keep on the lookout for my companion piece called: To Walk With the Stars.