Chapter 19: Forgiven
Someone's coming.
This warning from my Voice precedes a tapping on the hull of my ship. Trying not to wince, I push myself out of my seat and go outside.
"Kaie!"
Oh, no. Force, no. Will he never stop following me?!
I stare at Zeke for a moment before I make up my mind to talk to him. "How did you find me?"
"A lucky guess."
I sigh. "If you say so. I suppose it won't hurt anything if I invite you to come inside to discuss my parting speech." I might as well get it over with.
"Why not?"
Once we've settled into our seats in the cockpit, I jump headfirst into the conversation. "I'm guessing you want to know the details?"
Zeke shakes his head. "No. I think it's better if I don't know. But at least tell me this: why did you kill them?"
I stutter over my reply for a minute before the words finally come to me. "I didn't know it was them. The Sith told me they were holograms, and I guess they were, because they didn't look like Wil and Syra and Jeren. So I fought my battle and won. And when I discovered what I'd done, I turned on the Sith and killed him too."
He nods, and I open my mouth to continue, but he stops me. "So it wasn't you fault."
"If you think about it in a certain way it's not. But I don't see how anyone can forgive me, or how I can forgive myself."
"I forgive you."
I glance up at him, at first surprised and then hopeful. "Really?"
Zeke smiles at me. "Really."