Guarded Heart ~ A Star Wars Story

Solus

Space is an endless void. It is nothing but cold, darkness that spans further than the mind can comprehend. Its tendrils are ever moving; ever-flowing, reaching for something that is not there, for without space there is nothing. Yet space is nothing. There is nothing to suggest its existence, yet one can not imagine a place without it. Without space, every planet, every solar system, every galaxy would not exist. It is like water in the sea, it connects places, carrying travelers from one land to the next. Yet one can not draw all similarities. Unlike space, the sea is confined, forever trapped in a single space with a definite end. The seafarers know where a path will take them if they follow it. The wave can only travel so far. The waves of space will take one and whisk them away if they are not mindful, bring them deep into the endless void that is-

A loud beeping interrupts my thoughts, tearing my gaze away from the cockpit window. I slowly shift my eyes toward the control panel, looking for the source of the incessant beeps, quickly identifying it as the warning for an approaching planet. Surprisingly, the warning does not affect my sluggish brain as I continue to stare blankly at it until the continued beeping jolts it awake. I sit up fast, quickly pulling my feet off the control panel before moving to realign the ship to head right for the planet. Blinking quickly, I begin flipping switches to take the ship out of deep space mode into planetary mode. Not long after, I hear metallic footsteps behind me, followed by an equally robotic voice.

"Master, are you alright?"

I glance back over my shoulder as my IG companion comes into the cockpit.

"Yes GG, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I reply, turning my chair to look at the droid. He stands in the doorway, watching me. I look up at his image processors, which I just call scopes, as they swivel around inspecting me.

"You took 5.96 seconds longer than usual to respond to the ship's alarm system. I am concerned about your well-being." He moves into the small space, sitting down next to me in the copilot seat as I turn back around.

I chuckle softly as I respond, "Don't worry so much GG. I'm perfectly fine, I promise. But you are more than welcome to evaluate me when we land."

"I do not question your physical health. I am more concerned with your mental processing abilities."

"You are worried about my mental health?" I question, raising a brow under the helmet that hid my face.

"More specifically, the part pertaining to the thing you describe as 'feelings'."

"My emotions?"

"Correct."

A deep sigh escapes my lips as I lean back into my chair. Sometimes I swear this droid is becoming more of a counselor than a proper bounty hunter droid. Though I suppose it's my own fault, I was the one who reprogrammed it.

"I was just deep in thought GG. Nothing to worry about. Although it has been a while since I last slept, so I'm probably just tired. Maybe after we take care of this bounty we can finally get some good relaxation. For now, instead of worrying about me, could you contact the Mos Espa tower and find us a landing port?" I sat forward in my seat once more, even standing up slightly to flick some switches a bit higher up in the cockpit. I could feel GG's scopes eyeing me closely, trying to spot any signs of fatigue.

"We are returning to Tatooine? I was unaware of this plan" the IG-unit stated in its monotone voice. Despite his unawareness of the plan, GG did contact the tower, putting in the landing pad coordinates as we talked.

"You couldn't tell by the giant desert planet in front of us?" I ask sarcastically as I gesture through the front window before I continue, shaking my head slightly. "The client agreed to meet here to drop off the bounty, so we have to stop here before I execute my plans to relax. Besides, I have a few things I need to take care of at the covert."