“Damn it, Jack! I knew thing were bad but not like this.” Says Sierra, frustrated by Jack’s decision.

“You know why he’s doing this. He blames himself for what happened. Of course he’s acting self-destructive. Shit like that takes its toll.” Says Xel.

“All the more reason for us to find him before he does something stupid.” Says Sierra as she storms out of her room.

As Sierra makes her way for Farron’s office, she recollects the incident that caused Jack to leave the Humpback. Back when the Humpback crew had the Adaptus program, everyone was under constant watch in the event they ran into the Republic. This included regular starfighter patrols lead by Jack. One day, several owl starfighters performed as series of stealth attacks on the Humpback. This resulted in Jack leading a squadron of starfighters to take down the stealthy starfighters. While this was happening, a Mako unit rushed the Humpback and sunk its teeth into the side of the massive ship. This allowed for Republic troops to enter the humpback and make their way for the Adaptus program. The crew tried to fend off the Republic troops to no avail. Many crew-members lost their lives and many more were severely injured. This included Xel who lost an eye in the fight. By the time the starfighters have dealt with the owls, the Republic got their hands on the Adaptus program and left.

Everyone took this defeat hard. From the casualties to the injured, the Humpback and its crew had seen better days. Sierra and the engineers had to work extra hard to repair the damage from the raid. Xel was unable to perform medic duties until they got their eye replaced with a cybernetic one. Jack to it the hardest, blaming himself for what happened as if he was cursed with misfortune. One night, Jack left behind a message and hid it in a small compartment where he hoped no one will find it. From there, Jack took the eagle and soared into the vacuum of space where he hoped will protect the crew from him.

Back in the present day, Xel catches up to Sierra as she continues making her way for Farron’s office. Both Sierra and Xel know Jack is not to blame but Xel has an odd theory as to another reason for Jack’s departure.

“Sierra. Wait! I have a… let’s just call it a crackpot theory. What if, Jack left so he could take down the Republic by himself? It would explain why he doesn’t want us involved.” Says Xel.

“Xel. What the hell are you talking about? Jack is not a hero. Heroes represent ideal and serve to inspire us to do better. Jack is a person much like anyone else and right now we are dealing the rise of authoritarianism. It’s up to us ordinary people to band together and put a stop to it.” Says Sierra.

“Sierra, I’m a medic not a philosopher. My specialty is putting people back together though medical means. Doesn’t matter if it’s through medicine or prosthetics.” Says a tired Xel.

“And the person we’re dealing with is someone I know personally.” Says Sierra.

“Man. By the way you talk about him, I would’ve though you two were dating.” Says Xel as a slight jab at Sierra.

“What? No! We are not dating. What we have going on is completely platonic. Last I checked, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Says Sierra, disgusted by Xel’s jab.

“Right. See you around Sierra. Try not to kill the Captain.” Says Xel before leaving.

Meanwhile, Farron prepares another cup of coffee in his office, preparing for the headache that is paperwork. Suddenly, Sierra barges into his office and recommends that they search for Jack immediately. Farron takes his cup of coffee and sits down by his desk. He then recommends that Sierra does the same. Sierra also takes a seat by Farron’s desk.

“I can tell Jack means a lot to you. In a sense, I see myself in both you and Mr. Rider.” Says Farron, taking sips from his cup while doing so.

“Then you know why we have to get him back here. For all I know, the Republic is likely to execute him the first chance they get.” Says Sierra.

“And yet he’s been actively avoiding us. Let me tell you a story. About a century ago, I was the second in command for a cetus class ship called the Moby. Much like today, I kept a close eye on the well being of my crew, including my daughter Cerata. One day, we were ambushed by Federation troops and while we were able to fend them off, it came at a great cost. We lost many crew-members and sustained many more injuries. My dear Cerata was among the injured and her were severe to were her tail had to be amputated.” Says Farron, his voice cracking as he recalls the events.

“I’m sorry Captain. I had no clue you’ve been through something like that.” Says Sierra.

“At the time, I had some very dark thoughts crawl into my mind. The kind of thoughts that haunt me to this day. Were it not for my crew and my wife Varana, I don’t know what kind of monster I would have become. Luckily, Cerata made a fully recovery and nowadays does charity work with her mother. Even now, I stay in contact with them. In a sense, I do all of this for them.” Says Farron.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Asks Sierra.

“My point is that Jack is letting his dark thoughts take control of him. He needs someone to pull him out of those thoughts. He needs someone like you.” Says Farron.

Upon this realization, Sierra thanks Farron and leaves with new found determination. As Sierra leaves, Farron sits back on his chair and looks at a photo of his family.

“All mother, give me strength. Not for my sake, but for theirs.” Says Captain Farron.