Renegade

4 BBY, Lightspeed to Yavin 4

Jon never felt better, he felt free. This time for sure! He felt his crystal smile, it called out to him in a beaming smile that made him warm up. And as often as it called, he noticed the jewel glow a whiter red.

"What's happening to it?" Jon asked.

"What you've done here today has rescued the crystal," Bothka explained. "But you still have a long way to go if you are to reach the spectrum." The two victors headed down to embrace their partners Lam and Beethree. All hugging as Padraw's ship blasted off to the stars.

"The rebellion will appreciate all that you have done here today!" Bothka glittered with happiness for Jon and his friends. "If you'd like I can get you permanent spots in the rebellion."

"We would enjoy that a lot!" Beethree lit up as the others began rounding up the troopers and the hostages for Yavin.

The new sleek ship had the rescuees in a jolt of happiness. The now dubbed 'Menacor' by Bothka had a fully functioning crew cabin and the lounge area. Following them was a stormtrooper transport that carried saved troopers. Who would be a big benefit towards the Rebellion and it's dwindling army.

"Drink up!" Lam joined up with Jon to celebrate. "The base will take a while to get to!"

"No thanks! I'm covered!" he smiled as he glanced down to his holocomm. His mind was elsewhere. He enjoyed the victory but in his mind was his soulmate Nor. Jon hesitated to call her, she hasn't answered since the last time they talked and he was at that point of giving up.

"Hey, umm what should I do if I want to apologize to someone for something?" he surveyed Lam as hey got busy fondling around with the ladies.

"Try to say 'I'm sorry' that would work!" Lam smiled in celebration.

In final hesitation, he took a deep breath and let out a sigh of 'this is it'. He tapped the holocomm and out came a recording of himself that captured his message. As it began recording he took a moment to think of what he would say but only began with her name.

"Nor," he said calmly. "I'm sorry for what I did to you! I'm sorry for my stupid actions that caused you to be taken away from us. Our little friendship." Trying to choke back a beam of tears he sniffed hard to stop himself from breaking down. "Just know that I've changed and that I love you till the end of the galaxy."

"If you see this." lastly. "Know that I will always remember you."

"Goodbye, my love!" he said as he tapped the holocomm that quickly took down the holograph of his image. Holding the device tightly he traversed the ship to the trash compactor and threw it to be consumed by the ship. He stood close watching the device shriek for its life knowing that she would never answer.

Bothka walked towards Jon and stood next to him watching the compactor do its job. Without even asking him, he knew Jon was hurting; he wanted to do something. He wanted to ask about her, he felt her presence clouding his mind.

"How did you avoid it?" Bothka surveyed the boy as he gazed below.

"Avoid what?"

"The dark side?"

In a deep breath and a glance at a past life, Jon remembered all he had gone through. "It just wasn't me, it almost broke me. I faked it for so long so that the suffering could end!" he sighed.

"I never was to be the one to suffer, I was to help others!" he beamed with a smile to hide his inner conflict. "But it's hard, it's like the force is tearing me apart. It wants me on this side...then on this other side."

"Where are you now?" Bothka looked at him gracefully desiring to know his secret.

"For me, there's no light or dark. I feel balanced." he quietly noted. "I feel like I'm in control and the force is in my hand. I feel it, I touch it and it obeys."

"Well, the force chose you. You have the power of the spectrum," he calmly noted. "Now all you need is to train!"

Jon looked at Bothka as if there was a moment there. And yes, there was a moment. The boy had found his master the old fool. He beamed with a smile and his heart melted. Since it's the first time somebody cared about him, well except for Nor, yes. He locked arms with the old fool that ended him up in a hug.

-

Coruscant became foggy, the weather had never pissed off Padraw since it rained. The air was almost unbearable for him; adjusting to the newly warmed temperature he roared with a cough that bounced off the city's skyscrapers. Probably even cracking a few windows. As the ship zoomed out in space, he crept around the ship to reach the cockpit.

With the ship locked on lightspeed, he had to act fast before the ship could be thrown into a star. He pulled his body up to the chair to sit up and figure out what to do. He pulled up the hyperdrive lever and the cylindrical wormhole of space-time, sped into a point that revealed a bright shining star.

As he watched the ship scream through space, he punches the comms to contact Jasu'lane. The poor man would be spending hours trying to get himself out of the situation. By now who knows where he ended up.