"Far, Far Away..." - Part Five

Part Five

The Death Star never truly slept.

Even in the quieter sectors, there was always a hum—machines breathing, systems thinking, the Empire watching.

And now—

It was hunting.

Tabitha moved fast. Not running, not panicking. She was focused and purposeful. Skeeta followed just behind her, watching—not leading this time.

That alone said everything.

“…You got somethin’ yet?” he asked.

“Oh, I got somethin’,” she said, not breaking stride.

“That usually worries me.”

“It should.”

They rounded a corner—Tabitha immediately ducked back, pressing against the wall.

Skeeta followed, silent.

A patrol.

Two Stormtroopers walking past, blasters ready, unaware.

Tabitha leaned closer to Skeeta, whispering. “Okay. Step one.”

“I’m listenin’.”

“We need uniforms.”

Skeeta blinked once. “…That’s your plan? Do the same thing they did in the movie?!”

“Hey, if it worked for those two guys and the big dog-thing, it’ll work for us,” she argued. “Besides, that’s just step one of my plan.”

“And step two?”

She peeked around the corner again, watched the troopers, and took a measure. “…Step two,” she said, “is we don’t ask politely.”

Skeeta’s brow lifted. “…I like step two.”

Moments later, the patrol turned the corner and walked straight into them. It happened fast—too fast. Skeeta grabbed the first trooper, yanking him forward and slamming him into the wall with a brutal THUD. The second barely had time to react—

Tabitha swung. Hard.

The stolen blaster rifle cracked across the trooper’s helmet.

“OH!” she winced. “That was harder than I thought it’d be—!”

The trooper collapsed.

Silence.

Both of them stood there for a moment, breathing.

Then Tabitha looked down at the unconscious trooper. “…Did I do that?”

Skeeta glanced at her. “…Yeah.”

She blinked with a slow, proud smile forming on her face. “…Huh.”

Skeeta shook his head, almost amused. “Alright,” he said. “I’m officially revisin’ my opinion.”

“Darn right you are,” she smirked.

A few minutes later, they stepped out into the corridor again, now in disguise. Stormtrooper armor wasn’t exactly built for comfort…or visibility.

Tabitha stumbled slightly, momentarily removing her helmet to recover her bearings. “Okay—how do these guys see anything in these things?!”

Skeeta adjusted his helmet. “You don’t. You just point and hope.”

“Guess that explains why they have such cruddy aim.”

They started walking. Not too fast. Not too slow.

Trying to match the rhythm of the place.

“Now what?” Skeeta asked quietly.

Tabitha didn’t hesitate. “Now we walk right into that lab and act like we belong there.”

“…That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s your grand plan?”

She glanced at him—confident and dead serious. “People get away with a lot when they look like they know what they’re doing.”

Skeeta studied her for a moment. “…You’ve done this before.”

“Grocery store line enforcement is a battlefield,” she said. “You learn things.”

He almost laughed. Almost.

They approached the same lab as before. Bright lights, technicians moving, and the sphere—still at the center.

Still untouched. Still waiting.

Two guards at the entrance.

Tabitha didn’t slow down. She didn’t hesitate. She walked straight up.

Skeeta followed.

“…Identification,” one of the guards said.

Tabitha didn’t miss a beat.

She gestured vaguely behind her. “Oh, we’re with the recalibration unit. They sent us down because your energy readings are all over the place.”

The guard paused. “…Our readings are within acceptable—”

“No, they’re not,” Tabitha cut in, firm. “You’ve got a phase fluctuation on your containment field.”

The guard hesitated.

Skeeta turned his helmet slightly toward her.

Phase fluctuation?

She didn’t even look at him.

“You did notice the feedback loop, right?” she pressed.

The guard shifted.

“…We—there was—”

“Exactly,” she said. “Now are you gonna let us fix it, or do you wanna explain to your supervisor why this thing explodes?”

A beat.

The guard stepped aside.

“…Proceed.”

Tabitha walked in like she owned the place.

Skeeta followed—and for the first time—he was impressed.

Inside the lab, the air felt different—charged.

The sphere sat at the center, surrounded by cables, scanners, and Imperial tech that clearly didn’t understand what it was touching.

Skeeta slowed, just slightly.

He could feel it.

Closer now.

“…Hey,” Tabitha murmured. “Stay with me.”

He nodded and refocused.

They approached the technicians.

“Status?” Tabitha demanded, slipping fully into the role.

One of the engineers looked up. “We’re attempting to breach the outer shell, but—”

“But it’s not responding,” she finished.

“…Correct.”

“Because you’re doing it wrong,” she said.

Skeeta almost choked.

The engineer blinked. “Excuse me?”

She stepped closer to the sphere, unafraid. “You’re treating it like a machine,” she said. “It’s not.”

Skeeta watched her carefully.

“…Then what is it?” the engineer asked.

Tabitha paused just for a fraction of a second. “…It’s reactive,” she said. “You push too hard…it pushes back.” She turned to Skeeta slightly. “…Right?”

Skeeta stepped forward. And for once, he didn’t contradict her. “…Yeah,” he said. “That’s right.”

The engineers exchanged uncertain glances.

Good.

Confusion meant control.

Tabitha leaned in closer to Skeeta, whispering just low enough, “…Okay. We’re in. Now what?”

Skeeta looked at the sphere.

At home.

At everything he lost.

At everything he almost lost again.

“…Now,” he said quietly, “…we take it back.”

Tabitha smiled. That same spark in her eyes. “Good,” she whispered. “Because I’ve got an idea for that part, too.”

Alarms didn’t sound—not yet.

But something had shifted.

The pieces were moving.

And for the first time, they weren’t just running.

They were taking control.