One week later…

Kogar stepped out of the flyer and onto the sands of the Stone Barrens. Behind him, the driver said, “You sure this is the place?”

Off in the distance, a lone structure stood. It was only an hour past sunrise, but already the sounds of metal on metal could be heard drifting on the wind.

“I’m sure.”

“Do you want me to wait? You won’t find a ride back. Not way out here.”

“You can leave. I’m meeting someone.”

“Suit yourself.”

The flyer engine revved, but the vehicle stayed in place. After a moment, the driver said, “I remember you. I was just a kid, but I saw you when you fought off those Aski raiders. I always wondered what happened to you.”

You’re not the only one, thought Kogar. When he didn’t respond, the flyer roared off to the east. The driver might tell the story of picking up a famous passenger today, but odds were no one would believe him. Nobody had time for fairy tales these days.

Every step kicked up sickly yellow dust. He cranked up his internal cooling to compensate for the heat, but it wasn’t quite up to the job. He hadn’t thought he would ever have reason to come to this desolate waste again. The memories here weren’t good ones, but maybe that was why Namil had chosen this for a home. Of the group, he’d always been the most inclined to live in the past.

As Kogar got closer, he saw that the building was just a square block of dark green metal. Waves of heat from the forge inside rippled out the open doors. The ground all around was littered with broken flyers, spare parts, and rusted out junk. There was no sign.

Maybe it’s not a business, he thought. Maybe this is just a way to pass the time.

“Namil!”

The harsh clanging carried on for a few moments, then stopped. It was followed by the sound of Namil’s heavy tread. Then the smith peered out of the door, saw Kogar, and said, “Yeah. No.” He promptly vanished back inside.

“It’s important!”

“For who?”

“Everybody.”

“Then go ask everybody for help.”

“It’s our problem.”

Something slammed against the wall of the building. Namil stormed out onto the sand. His armor was dusty and dented and there was a void where his left arm used to be. He was a good head taller than Kogar, even when he stooped over, which it seemed he still did from force of habit.

“No, we don’t have problems anymore. You have problems. And the main one is forgetting that it’s been 20 years since anyone wanted you coming to the rescue. You were the one who said it was over, ‘team leader,’ so it’s over. Now get lost.”

Kogar felt anger rise up in him. He hadn’t wanted to make this trip. He didn’t want to see any of them again, not even Shona. His last memory of her was the reproach in her eyes at the funeral and he had no desire to see that again. It hadn’t been a big step to go from burying a friend to saying the hell with all of it.

He knew what Namil was thinking. None of them owed anyone anything. It wasn’t their responsibility anymore, and hadn’t been for a long time. And his old partner was right.

But Kogar also knew what it felt like to wake up in the middle of the night second-guessing his actions, going over everything that happened and trying to figure out what went wrong. He knew what it was to go over the same memories again and again, like a holo-vid that couldn’t be switched off. He couldn’t go through that a second time.

All of that flashed through his mind as he raised his right arm. A moment later, Namil’s home wrenched itself free from the ground and rose 30 feet in the air. Pain exploded in Kogar’s head. He hadn’t used this power in far too long and his whole body protested the effort.

Namil looked up at his entire life hovering in the sky. If Kogar cut the power off, the structure would slam into the ground, the walls would accordion, the roof would collapse on his tools and his forge and the few other objects he still owned. In that case, he might as well take a few steps forward and stand underneath it when it fell.

The building began to descend, but slowly and awkwardly. When it had only a few feet to go before reaching the sand, it suddenly dropped. Namil could hear his tools crashing to the ground and his anvil toppling over.

Without a word, Kogar turned and started the long walk back to the city.