Laeo hadn’t slept in eighty hours.
He didn’t dare leave the cockpit. He didn’t dare let go of the vibrosword in his hands, even as they trembled from how tightly he gripped the hilt. He couldn’t go back out there– they might be out there. They had only remained in his dreams before, tormenting him with their pain. Waking had always kept them at bay– the safety of the day was all he could hope for, but now even that was gone.
He didn’t even dare close his eyes. He went minutes without blinking, and his usually calm, appealing pair of sapphires were left bloodshot, veins bulging in his sclera. His feet were still throbbing with pain– he’d done a sloppy job pulling out the shards and applying bacta. He shivered from the cold, still naked from his hasty exit out of the shower, but all of the discomfort was worth it. He was safe in here. They couldn’t get him now.
He had to tell himself that in order to stop from breaking down again. He was safe here because he had to be safe here. If it wasn’t safe here, it wasn’t safe anywhere. Not when he was asleep, not when he was awake. Not when he was in his ship, not when he was out on the town, not when he was doing a job. At any moment, at any time, they could accost him, and there’d be nothing he could do but beg for help that could never come.
No. No, as long as he had a weapon in his hand, he was safe. As long as he could see all that was around him, he was safe. The force pulsed and shifted around him, giving him near total awareness of all that went on in the confines of the little room. The clicking and whirring of the ship in the background, the filtration system recycling air over and over again, the energy within the power cell in the small sack he had on the floor, all the parts for what he needed stashed inside.
Usually he’d be able to extend that awareness beyond the confines of a single room, but he was so gripped by terror that it didn’t even occur to him. He needed peace, calm to reach the full extent of his abilities, and days of sleepless paranoia had left a shell of himself.
When the ship beeped a warning that they were to drop from hyperspace, Laeonas let out a yelp, eyes wide and hands trembling as he turned, before slowly calming down.
He moved carefully through the ship, wincing with every step. He clutched his sword tightly in one hand, bloodshot eyes darting through the dimly lit corridors.
When he made it to his room, he slipped into his usual fatigues. By the time he landed, he was breathing a bit more steadily– barely.
He practically threw himself out of the ship when the ramp opened up, eyes darting around until he spotted a droid.
“Welcome to Lothal,” it chirped at him, in a tone of voice that was friendly and grating. “What can I do fo-”
“Temple.” He spat, voice quivering. The droid’s photoreceptors refocused on him once. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.”
“How? How do I get there?” He asked.
“Can you perhaps clari–”
“JEDI! TEMPLE!” He snapped. The droid whirred and stood still, regarding him for a few moments. “...sir, I believe you may be in distress. Do you require h-”
“FINE!” He exclaimed, even as he visibly trembled, occasionally whirling his head around whenever someone passed or looked at him too long. None of them were burning, none of them were calling for his help. They were real– he was real.
The droid couldn’t feel it, but the force was roiling around him. Anyone close by could feel it– nervousness, uncertainty. People would begin to tug at their collars, or sweat, or start walking a little quicker.
“I’m… fine. Very fine, I’m good. I need to get to the Jedi temple though.” He declared. His voice was choppy, his tone uneven, the volume and pitch shifting with almost every word.
“Sir, the temple ruin has been sealed off from public access for years since the Mandalorian attack.” The droid answered. Laeonas stared at the thing, expressionless.
And without even touching it, he crushed it’s head like a tin can.
There were a few cries of surprise, but Laeonas walked off like he’d just finished a pleasant conversation. He remembered now; he didn’t need directions to the temple. How could he ever forget where it was after nearly dying to protect it?
And so, the exile began to move– and he wasn’t going to be stopped.
@HoneyMagpie
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