"Far, Far Away..." - Part Two

 

Part Two

The Star Destroyer loomed like a god in the sky.

Tabitha Thorne stood frozen in the middle of her quiet suburban street, frying pan trembling in her hand, wine still fogging the edges of her mind as reality shattered around her. “That…” she whispered, her voice barely holding together, “…that ain’t NASA.”

Beside her, the man she had accused—the man she had cornered—was no longer looking at her. He was gazing up at the sky with something far more complex than fear.

Recognition.

“…Oh, that’s not good,” he muttered.

“What do you mean, ‘not good’?!” Tabitha snapped, panic rising in her chest. “That thing is the size of—of—of Utah!”

“Bigger,” he corrected under his breath.

The roar intensified. A low, vibrating hum rolled through the neighborhood, rattling windows, setting off car alarms, and sending dogs into frantic barking fits.

A beam of pale blue light descended.

Tabitha didn’t even have time to scream.

Now…

Skeeta dragged a hand down his face, feeling very cramped in the holding cell he shared with Tabitha. “…Nine hundred years,” he muttered. “Nine hundred years, and I get captured because of a frying pan.”

Tabitha hesitated.

That number stuck.

“Wait… what do you mean, nine hundred—”

“Not important.”

“It feels important.”

“It’s not.”

“It definitely is!”

Skeeta spun on her, eyes sharp again. “What’s important is that we are currently imprisoned on a fully operational Imperial battle station capable of destroying planets, and your grand escape plan involves using my shoulders as a step stool!”

“It almost worked!”

“You fell right on your butt!”

“Right before I said I almost had it!”

CLANG!

Heavy footsteps outside.

Both of them froze.

Skeeta’s posture shifted instantly—alert, calculating.

Tabitha… tried to look casual. Failed.

The footsteps didn’t pass this time.

They stopped.

Right outside their cell.

“…Oh no,” Tabitha whispered.

The door slid open again with a hiss.

But this time, it wasn’t just one Stormtrooper. It was four. And behind them, a tall Imperial officer stepped forward, hands clasped neatly behind his back. Cold. Precise. Observant. “Well,” the officer said, his voice smooth as polished steel, “it seems our unregistered guests have been rather…active.”

Tabitha smiled nervously. “We’re just big fans of…uh…space tourism?”

Skeeta didn’t respond.

He was staring.

Not at the officer—

But at the hallway behind him.

Listening.

Feeling.

Something deeper.

“…You,” the officer said, pointing at Skeeta. “Step forward.”

Skeeta didn’t move.

Tabitha slowly looked at him. “Maybe just…do what he says?” she whispered.

Skeeta ignored her.

The officer tilted his head slightly.

Curious.

Annoyed.

“Restrain him.”

The Stormtroopers moved in.

Big mistake.

The first trooper grabbed Skeeta’s arm—

—and in a blur of motion, Skeeta twisted, pivoted, and slammed the trooper into the wall with a force that rattled the entire cell.

The second trooper raised his blaster—

Skeeta kicked it clean out of his hands.

The third—

Down.

Hard.

The fourth didn’t even get a chance.

Silence fell.

Tabitha stared. “…Oh my gosh.”

Skeeta stood there, breathing steadily, rolling his shoulders as if he had just shaken off an inconvenience.

“…Okay,” Tabitha said slowly, “so you’ve been holding out on me.”

The officer didn’t flinch.

If anything, he seemed more interested.

“Fascinating,” he said.

Then—from the hallway—a sound.

A mechanical inhale.

Slow. Deliberate. Impossible to mistake.

Skeeta’s expression changed.

Not fear. Not quite.

But something close to…recognition.

“…Oh,” he murmured.

Tabitha blinked. “Oh what?”

The officer stepped aside, and the hallway seemed to darken. “…You’ve attracted attention,” the officer said quietly.

Heavy footsteps echoed. Measured. Unstoppable.

Tabitha swallowed. “…Why do I feel like this is worse?” she whispered.

Skeeta didn’t answer.

For the first time since she’d met him, he looked genuinely concerned. “…Because it is.”

The black figure emerged into view.

Cape flowing.

Mask gleaming.

Presence suffocating.

And suddenly, the cell felt a whole lot smaller.

Tabitha leaned closer to Skeeta. “…Okay,” she whispered, “new plan?”

Skeeta’s eyes stayed locked forward. “…Yeah,” he said quietly. “Run.”