Jedi Order Summer  Lore Contest 2022

Here is where all articles on the Lore Contests hosted in the summer of 2022 is stored!

Frozen Wastelands - 2022 Summer Lore contest

By zenslaw

3rd place in contest

Note: Please listen to this whilst reading, as I believe it makes the experience better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nvvbf5s6x8

Disclaimer: This story is based off of my Crystal Gathering. It has been given writing to make it more interesting, so please do not feel confused when something that is not in the game happens.

PROLOGUE

Tension, anticipation, excitement and fear, the four feelings we were all experiencing. Huddled and shivering like penguins, we stood there gazing at the monstrous wall of ice, looming over us like the Coruscant skyscrapers. Around me stood thirty or so others, each dressed in the same blue wooly jacket, their only frontier against the subzero climate. Behind me, there was a subtle crunch; another had arrived to participate in the event. Their leather boots were drawn to the kneecaps, which not only looked silly, but was also a bad idea for running and heat preservation. The monotone white and gray were the only colors distinguishing what was sky and what was land, but it was still a hassle to comprehend this. In fact, one would perhaps feel like the two were inverted, and we were walking on the sky. Hanging above our heads was a giant crystal, dangling gracefully and majestically in the air, whilst soaring statues peered down at us. A sneeze, the wind, it was all we would hear, until..

“Younglings, the time of the Gathering is upon us…”

Chapter 1: The Gathering

It would be a lie to say that we were not startled by his voice. Before us stood a man, his head and face partially shielded by his hood. But the voice was no mistake. It was Master Keny, his voice dominating the surrounding rooms. At once, sixty or so eyes darted up, watching his movements, waiting on what would happen. A smile appeared from below the hood, and he drew a breath.

“Today, you will embark on your journey to find your individual lightsaber crystals.” he boomed. “I’m sure you’re all excited.”

Several little smiles erupted from the crowd of younglings, each with shining eyes. On and on his speech went, most of it droning about the history of Ilum and the Gathering. Though not the Jedi way, we became tired, and from that, impatient. In fact, it almost seemed like my friends were phasing through concentrating on what was happening around them and their own minds. It seems like Master Keny saw through our expressions, as he began shuffling us towards the grand ice wall, warning us that being trapped inside will yield no help. Something was off though, I could sense that Master Keny was startled or unsettled. It wouldn’t be long for me to realize why.

None of us knew how we would get inside however. Some perhaps speculated about shoulder bashing our way through, crushing the ice with the Force, or Master Keny would carve the ice with his lightsaber. It was then that we heard the groaning and creaking of something above us; the giant ice crystal I had seen earlier. Rotating gracefully in the air, a beam of light shot through the diamond like structure, shining upon the ice. Before we could comprehend what was happening, small ice blocks would plummet from heights at least 25 meters high. It was just ice at first, but then a trickle of water, then a stream, and lastly a flowing waterfall. Elegantly, the former ice ran between our snow covered boots and down the steps. The excitement was all but short lived, as soon as Master Keny spoke up again.

“You have 10 minutes to find your crystal and get out. Failure will mean being stuck behind the ice. Go!”

Determination swept my face, the adrenaline pumping, my legs began to dash.

Chapter 2: The labyrinth of ice

Have you ever seen or imagined rush hour on Coruscant? Tens or hundreds of thousands of beings flying hundreds of meters high in the sky at speeds unimaginable. That would be the best explanation of the Gathering. As our legs pumped and ran, we would always be blocked off by another. Wherever you went, you would collide with someone else. It’s a good thing I stopped to check my surroundings, as a good 10 meters in front of me was a great chasm, it’s deep hidden from the icy fog. To my right was a rather large cave opening, and I saw at least 20 people going that way. On my left stood a smaller cave, with only a few people going inside. It was common sense which way I would opt for.

It was then that I realized the difficult part and why Master Keny looked so startled at the beginning. The light was gone, there was nothing to see. Instinctively, I stopped to examine the cave. Without sight, I would need to depend on my other senses. The icy-cold made my nose weak, and my eardrums would be ruptured by the constant creaking ice. In other words, my best choice would be through touch. I backtracked a bit and punched a small ice stalagmite, chipping off a rather blunt crayon of ice, and a simple ice tableau, acting as a pen and paper for me to mark my directions down. Shutting my eyes, I took a deep breath and stretched out my arms in front of me. Step after step, I would move forwards, letting the Force guide me. For what seemed like an eternity, the snow, crisp and gentle, was crushed below my feet. It was then that I sensed it. I was standing before a junction. Left or right? One could take me to my crystal, the other someplace else. I had to be rational, it must have been 3 or 4 minutes already. Taking no chances, I went left, noting my direction down as I did so on my ice sheet. As the old saying goes, left is always right. Thundering down the path, I didn’t have the time to react to the gaping cliff right below my feet.

A small and quick yelp was all I was able to get out before I tumbled a couple meters. Though it was just mere seconds, I felt like time slowed down. It felt like I was regretting decisions, regretting things that have happened; come to think of it, I believe my life flashed before my eyes. Thudding into the deep snow, I was knocked back to my senses. Like an angel, I lay in the snow, gasping for breath, my eyes wide like craters. Tiny little puffs of smoke rose out of my mouth, dissipating into nothingness. I lay still, waiting, pondering over if I was dead or alive. How long have I laid here? 2 minutes? I scrambled onto my knees, drawing a sharp and icy breath. If I didn’t hurry, I would be trapped inside to die. Clawing at the powdery snow and ice walls, I began running. Faster, even faster! I ran so my legs would burn, using every bit of oxygen I had in my frozen lungs. Panting, crunching snow, it was all I heard, until a tiny shriek erupted down the chasm. It didn’t matter to me. My priority was my Kyber, and that alone. Speeding down the alley, lights began to flicker. It was quite so easy to notice that these lights were in fact, crystals, hidden behind the ice. A window of translucent ice stood to my right, and inside, a tiny flickering crystal. It was so close, but so far. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to reach them. Anger, pain, fury. I slammed my gloved hands on the ice, pounding it over and over, lashing out in exasperation. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but it was then that I saw it. A familiar face, gazing through the ice on the other side of the wall. Her eyes were like deep blue jewels, peering through my soul. It seems like she had noticed the Kyber Crystal too. My mind searched the memories of who she was, straining to even remember. I had known this face before, but where?

Chapter 3: A crystal crisis

That grin, those eyes? Who was she? I must have known her from my days as an early Youngling. I just… I couldn't place my finger on it. But one thing was for certain. Neither of us were going to get this crystal. Between us stood 5 meters of dense and thick ice, something we wouldn’t be able to break without a lightsaber. Not even force pushing the ice would help. My brain frantically scurried thoughts; she had to be the one that yelled out earlier. Nobody could have been this close for me to hear it so well otherwise. How much longer? 4 minutes? I broke the glare and dashed down the hollow. Sensing her footsteps, I increased my pace, knowing that if there was a crystal nearby, I would need to get it first. Hurrying down the path, I saw the wall disappear, and her cloak wave in the air. Before I knew it, she tackled me, sending us both down a steep hill. My mind raced, what was she doing? She’s a Jedi, she shouldn’t be harming me! Instinctively I threw my arms over my head and neck, closed my eyes, and awaited the pain, bumping on the way down.

Once I opened my eyes, a few seconds later, I think I noticed it before she did. Just 20 meters away from me was a shining white crystal, lighting everything in the vicinity up. Groaning, I pulled myself together, bringing my legs to stand. The pain was exasperating, but there was no other choice. With little stamina left in my body, my only option was to limp towards the glowing orb. Step after step, I drew closer and closer, each step granting a sharp pain in my chest. Time felt like it slowed as I dove at the crystal, my hands cupped like a bowl.

It was magnificent, sharp on all edges, but also smooth. It’s funny, at first it looked large, too big for my hands, but as soon as I closed in on it, it shrunk, turning into a fine icicle of about 3 or 4 centimeters. Shimmering like a ripple of water, the white began fading, revealing a magnificent sapphire blue hue. It was so strikingly beautiful, that it took quite a lot of incentive to get back on my feet and escape. But that’s when I realized, what had happened to her, the girl who tackled me? Throwing my head around, I surveyed the mound of snow, struggling to get even a glimpse of her coat. But alas, there was nothing. Had it been just a dream? Had my head been damaged in the fall? Was I just hallucinating?

It wasn’t my priority however. I had to have a maximum of 3 minutes left before the crystal wall freezes over again, leaving me behind to succumb to hypothermia and the cold. I had to go, and now. My hallucinations were not of priority, even though my mind was still racing for who and how that had happened. I shook my head, almost in an attempt to clear my mind, which resulted in me clambering to my feet and starting my run. My tableau of ice was a life saver, as I had noted each and every turn that I took, even in the dark. Using notations such as “L” for left, and “R” for right, I retraced my steps, almost feeling like the walls around me began to slow down as I sped up. Within moments, I had made my way to the steep crevasse that I had fallen into minutes before, but just like that sprang a new problem. How would I get over this wall? It stood a couple meters high, and it was much too steep to climb. The time ticked, my brain strained, and then I got an idea. I took my chisel and hammered it over and over into the thick ice wall, creating almost footsteps and hand grips to climb on. Slowly, one hand and one foot after the other, I carefully traversed the gap and ascended over the ice. Eventually after what seemed to have been an hour, my fingers scraped at the edge. I was too tired, my body was in pain, my ribs shattered and limbs cracked. It wouldn’t be enough to use all the energy I had left in my body, I needed to use the Force, or I would just end up falling back down into the crevasse, only to be discovered by an unlucky youngling taking the same path that I did, many years before. With that unlucky thought, I stopped for a moment, and drew a deep breath, letting the oxygen flow through my body. Then, as quick as lightning, I threw my hands down, using the Force to push myself up and over the fringe. I believe that I overestimated myself however, as I shot multiple meters into the air, somersaulted, and landed on my back.

“This day is really not going well for me huh?” I sighed, getting back up onto my feet and sprinting away. I didn’t have much time. I needed to get out before I got trapped inside forever.

My legs ached, it felt like they would break any minute now. My heart was pumping faster than before. And yet, I felt slowed down, almost, frozen. It was then I remembered the hot beaches of Scarif. I had initially been so used to the heat that I had not often had the need to wear a shirt. My wooly jacket only slowed both me and my senses down. I took my Kyber Crystal out of the arm pocket and placed it in my pants pocket, then threw my hood off and bolted. Perhaps this cardigan would be here for decades, with groups of initiates passing it every time. It was almost like a souvenir to this place. Maybe, one day, it could be reunited with me by a Youngling who saw the nametag.

A piercing blindness almost made me buckle. “Light!” I thought. With newfound motivation, I ran even harder. But the light faded, producing a deep shadow, stretching past my legs and into the deep cave I had just been in. The Ice Wall perhaps? If the light was changing that fast, it must mean that the Ice Wall was freezing over right now. A small lump of snow stood in front of me, but that didn’t matter. I ran so my legs would break, so my lungs would crack, so my heart would stop. Around me stood various looming statues of Jedi Masters. “I must be at the end now.” I assumed.

It was quite a good thing that I did not forget about the huge drop at the beginning of the cave system, as I rolled to the right immediately after exiting the cavern, dodging the never ending fall. I then saw the ice wall, gradually growing larger and larger, with only a small bit of light coming from below. There was only a good meter or so of space left. On my six, I heard panting and footsteps. I glanced over; another Youngling. He was holding a crystal in his hands, emitting an Orange shade.

“He’s a lucky one.” I muttered, throwing my eyes back towards the ice. I knew that if I didn’t slide now, I wouldn’t make it. There was only maybe 75 centimeters of space left now, and I was at least 50 meters away. My bones cracked, but I pushed on, enduring the pain. My lungs felt like they were being torn apart, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out, my life was much more important.

25 meters, 20 meters, 15 meters, the wall got closer, but the light got smaller. It was now or never, I leaped, almost backflipping, landing on my rear, and slid through the gap. Nevertheless, it was not over yet, the ice had grown so far deep that my forehead scraped the sub zero ice, opening a gashing wound, with the blood streaming down my face. It was fine, I remember there was a Consular at the Gathering. She could heal me. Skidding to a stop, I lay down, panting. The unknown Jedi Consular came running to me, her hands outstretched. Some form of a lime green aroma erupted around my body, encasing me in what looked like a flame. It didn’t hurt though, in fact, it almost felt… good. The blood stopped dripping from my forehead, which now felt fine. Bringing my left hand up to feel my brow, I only felt skin. There was no blood, there was no pain. I tried standing up, which should have buckled me over, but there was nothing. I could walk just fine, but my leg still felt out of place. Perhaps the crack was something more serious?

Chapter 4: The crystal, the blade, The Jedi.

Limping my way to the pads, my eyes widened in horror. There were only 7 of us, including me. Of 30 who attended, just under a quarter had made it out. Inside of those caves, 20 poor younglings were trapped, banging on the ice door. I was surprised when I saw Master Keny step to the door, bring out his Lightsaber, and slit a door sized opening. Only 3 Younglings escaped out, each of them grasping their Kyber Crystal in their frost covered mittens.

I looked empathetically at my crystal, admiring the azure tone. Cocking my head, I hovered my crystal in the air, rotating and spinning it, analyzing every articulation it had. Eventually, I would let it fall gently into my hands, as I heard Master Keny’s voice boom out inside of the hall.

“Congratulations to those of you who have passed, you truly have done well.” He grinned down upon us. “Now, it is time for you to construct your Lightsaber.”

A spark of excitement burst through my spine, making me shiver. It was finally time to do what I had dreamed of. As I stood there shivering, one of the spectating Knights gave me a new wool jacket. It was so warm and cozy, something I needed in this bitter cold. Shuffling in a line, we were moved to a small section of workbenches, each with two titanium stands, glistening in the gloomy light of Ilum.

“When I call your name” he said, “you will move to an available workbench and construct your saber.”

One by one, we were filtered to the workbenches. I was almost falling over with anticipation. Standing at the end of the line, I watched carefully how each Youngling assembled their Lightsaber. One line I would always remember is, “Righty tighty, lefty loosey.” Though a simple line, it spared me uncountable time from building my saber.

“Lucius, your turn.”

Immediately, like clockwork, I rotated my hips 90 degrees and paced slowly to the desk. In front of me was a holocron, so elegant but so fragile. It reminded me of my crystal in a way I wouldn’t be able to explain. Lifting it into my hand, I concentrated, letting my muscles relax and the Force flow through me. It levitated, hovering there so gracefully. Slowly, the knobs twisted, eventually producing a hologram of a Lightsaber manual.

On my right was a tray of ornament-like objects. Picking each up, I evaluated their looks and their feels, making sure that the parts I would pick would be comfortable in my hand. Raising my crystal, I placed it carefully inside of the crystal changer, right below the focusing crystal. I was very watchful with my saber, making sure there were absolutely no faults in it. After verifying my lightsaber three times, I screwed everything together, remembering the “Righty tighty, lefty loosey” rule. Within only perhaps 10 minutes, my saber was constructed, fitting like magic in my hand. A smile erupted from my face as I attached the lightsaber in my belt. I looked up, and saw everyone else watching me and the other Youngling pace back to our spots.

“And with that, the Gathering comes to a close. It is time for you all to repeat the Crystal Code. Repeat after me.” Keny said, his face smiling eagerly over us all.

“The Crystal is the Heart of the Blade.” spoke Keny, and we repeated.

“The Heart is the Crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the Crystal of the Force. The Force is the Blade of the Heart. All are intertwined. The Crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one.” Keny continued, all of us replying in perfect speed and tempo.

“Younglings, ignite!”

The most brilliant lightshow you had ever seen flared up, the entire rainbow, strikingly beautiful, all in front of us. Yellow, orange, green, blue, purple. All of the colors, so elegant, so stylish and so graceful. My blade, a deep blue, rose from my hilt, piercing through the air. It had happened. After years of training, I had become one. I was a real Jedi.

Summer: Dantooine 2022 Summer Lore contest

By Ilnoxll

2nd place in contest

Heat

Dina, the sun of the Dantooine system shone ablaze with scorching heat today. If it weren’t for the gentle breeze that rustled the leaves on the blba trees, the temperature would have been unbearable. Enenra, the Academy’s Caretaker of First Knowledge, looked up to see the twin moons hung vaguely above the arid savannah plains. He was personally training some Consulars in the Academy Courtyard. There was quite a crowd. Among the ranks were atxmiczz, LeoAlienia, rucas2001, smllworld, emmknightking, and Polarrity. They were all being disciplined in the way of healing and defense. A special lesson by the Caretaker of First Knowledge himself. Though the exercise was strict, the Consulars were hardworking and determined to impress the overseer of their path. After a long class in the calidity of the Dantooine weather, the attendees collapsed in exhaustion.

Enenra dismissed the class with a quick bow and turned on a heel. With sweat on his forehead like glass beads, he quickly made his way to one of the Meditation Chambers accessible from the Courtyard. The cool shade in there was a boon. Enenra used this opportunity to take a meditation session. He situated himself in the center of the room and locked his feet in a crossed position. After that the Force took over. He felt himself lift and levitate above the soft cushion that sat idly in the room. Enenra saw peace. Serenity. Balance. But there was something else, something dark.

He saw chaos. He peered in, just for a moment. Pain, death, red, suffering. Fear. Enenra dropped to the ground with a thud. The straw pillow cushioned his descent. Clutching his head, Enenra thought what that vision could have meant.

This quick image Enenra saw would be something of great threat to the Temple. But at this time, he was oblivious…

Anguish

Enenra was in the Temple Archives pacing back and forth in worry. He heard the powered doors of the Archives open. He stopped dead in his tracks to find that MaisyMesa, a member of the Council of Reconciliation had entered the room.

“What are you doing here?” Enenra asked. “You’re usually with the Sentinels.”

Maisy replied, “I’m here to do some light reading. Just taking things off my mind.”

“Maisy? In the Archives? Reading?” Enenra jabbed with a chuckle. “Sorry. It was just… unexpected. I do admire your will to learn though. Enjoy your time here.”

“Thank you. Unto my point though. When I walked in, were you pacing? You looked very troubled. You’re a wise member of the Order, Enenra. Things normally don’t perturb you. You should seek guidance from the High Council.”

“I appreciate it, Maisy. I’ll do just that.”

After Enenra’s efforts on Korriban after slaying a Terentatek while he was a Knight, the Council granted him the rank of Jedi Master. After that, he worked hard to become a member of the Council of First Knowledge, then becoming the Caretaker of First Knowledge. Despite reaching such height in the Order’s ranking hierarchy, Enenra was still raw and half-grown. He still needs guidance from his higher ranks. He requested that he speaks with one, if not, several members of the Jedi High Council. His request was heard. ErosVermillion and Stainslaw were sent to listen. Enenra was happy that these two were sent specifically. He has much fondness and admiration for these accomplished members of the Order. Eros, Jedi High Councilor, is his former master during Enenra’s Padawanhood. And Stain, Master of the Order, was responsible for hosting Enenra’s Knight Trials. He knew the two well, and the two knew him. The three headed to the Jedi Council Chamber.

Enenra described his vision with as much detail as he could utter. The vision seemed to trouble Eros and Stain just as much as it did him. The sight he has was simply too short for the Jedi High Councilors to interpret. But one thing was clear and certain; This was dark. If this vision wasn’t addressed, it could mean the fall of Enenra, or even the Temple itself. “Enenra, has anything been on your mind lately? Any discomfort you’ve been feeling towards anything at all?” Stain was the first to speak. “You’re strong in the Force. I doubt this is a mere dream. This could be a premonition of something that is soon to occur.”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that sir,” Enenra sighed. “I was emotionally stable until this sudden vision.” Stain leaned back in his seat. He put a finger to his grim mask and wondered. Eros spoke next. “This is the first time you’ve seen something of this sort?”

“Yes.” Enenra replied. There was a moment of silence and anguish in the Jedi Council Chamber. “This can’t be…” Enenra broke the silence. “Eros, remember what it said on the Terentatek datapad I recovered?”

Eros sensed what Enenra was about to say and sighed. Enenra and Eros’ Force bond allowed communication to some extent non-verbally. Stain noticed the two had caught onto something. He wanted to know what the two were thinking. “On the datapad, Terentateks were described to awake from hibernation when the Sith are regaining power. What if that was only the start? The Academy could be attacked, or outright demolished if nothing is done about this.”

Peace Before the Storm

The quiet was unnerving that night. There wasn’t a single gust of wind to make waves in the gold and lavender fields. Not a single iriaz bleating to keep Enenra awake. But now he knows that the sounds of grazing iriaz were more comforting than pure utter silence. It was as though Dantooine itself was afraid of what’s to come.

Unable to doze off, Enenra sauntered his way to the Archives. Some light reading ought to make him drowsy. A familiar face was there. Eros. “Awfully quiet tonight, hm?” Eros inquired while reading an archive entry.

Enenra was confused. “You too?”

“Indeed,” Eros replied. “I worry what will happen to this Order. I came here to do some reading and hopefully take my mind off things. You know how meditation never eased me.”Enenra nodded and then suggested, “Should the Academy exterior be reinforced with more Temple Guard? It may just be a suspicion of mine, but this vision of mine…” He paused for a moment. “what if it’s an attack on the temple?”

"Hm." Eros mumbled. He paused. He stood there thinking with an archive entry in his hand. It was almost like he thought Enenra's suspicion could be a true possibility. "Go," He said. "Preparations for an attack must be done immediately. For now, rest, Enenra. I shall inform the rest of the council." The next morning, Enenra was simply exhausted. He was unable to sleep the night　prior. He decided to stray away from his Jedi duties temporarily and wander the Fields of Banir, the northeastern region of Dantooine's main continent. He walked through the tall grass field, so vast it was like an ocean of golden-yellow. Enenra brushed his left hand along the grass, letting it tickle his palm as he meandered through this terrain. After walking a long way, the Jedi Academy was all but speck in the distance. For the first time in a long time, Enenra felt calm. He laid down, ensconced by the rustling grass fibers. He closed his eyes and listened. The wind etched waves in the field and rustled the turf. The wild thunes ruminated the fiber-rich grass. Soon all his senses faded, and he was fast asleep.

Enenra saw it again. Red, pain, destruction. Death. He woke up in a cold sweat with a jolt up in the air. He was panting. It felt like he was drenched in water from head to toe. It felt like he was falling through an endless pit. After sitting there awhile, Enenra sensed something though the Force. Someone was watching him.

“Show yourself.” Enenra said aloud. The stalker appeared from behind a tall biba tree with their hands up in a gesture of peace. Enenra thought he had seen this man’s face before, but he pushed the conclusion away.

“I mean no harm,” The mysterious stranger said. “I don’t expect you to remember me, but I’ll explain everything.”

“Go on.” Enenra answered.

“You may have known me as Additional111. Before the attack on the Temple. After the attack, I fled to the northernmost edge of this known galaxy and started a settlement upon one of the planets there. After a while, I started to hear a voice. One informing me that the Order has been rebuilt. I came here in search of the Temple, or anyone that I may have known in the past.”

Enenra was dumbfounded. “Additional? It’s… really you?”

Additional nodded with a stern face. “I wish to rejoin the Order and serve the will of the Force once again. I’ve already settled everything with my community. I’ve placed someone of trust to take care of my people.”

“I’m… absolutely surprised that you showed. I thought you had… died. This needs to be taken care of immediately. Please, follow me. I’m sure the rest of the Jedi Council will be pleased to hear this. At least, the ones who know you.” Enenra, with his former comrade reunited, trekked back to the Temple. He took Additional to the Jedi Council Chamber, where the Jedi Council was already discussing Enenra’s vision. As soon as the doors opened, Additional was met with gazes from the members in the room. Some confused, others in shock.

Enenra, seeing the reaction of Stain, Eros, Inter_Ivashkov, Segonium, EirisBlossom, and Arisonium, spoke up. “Yes, this is Additonal111. From before the first attack. He shall inform you of his upbringing. After Additional clarified his situation with the council, he was welcomed back with open arms, much to his and Enenra’s relief. The Jedi High Councilor segonium wished to speak with Enenra, so he met him in the Council Chamber that night.

Segonium had a smile on his face. He always did. Enenra always felt something off about segonium. Something peculiar. Almost like he didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the Order. Enera knew segonium was ambitious. He could also sense a radiating confidence and sometimes a lack of justice, but he was intelligent and is on the High Council for a reason.

“Well well, the concerned bird finally decides to fly in.” Segonium spoke with a booming clear voice. Enenra replied quite quietly, not expecting segonium to speak so loudly. “You wished to see me, sir?”

Segonium walked over, and put his arm on Enenra’s shoulders. “Yes, yes,” he said. This time, in a whisper. “So you’ve been bothered by your little dreams, yeah?” Enenra nodded silently. He was confused at how fast segonium was changing his speech. He did notice a twinkle in his deep eyes, though. Segonium was a passionate and bright person. Beaming with giddy positivity. His charismatic charm kept Enenra reeled into the conversation.

“All I wanted to say today, is that it’s going to be fine.” With that last phrase, segonium let go and strode off with a grin. Just before he reached the doors, Enenra heard him mumble, “I trust you’ll take my side, Enenra.” With that, segonium was out of sight.

Calamity

Enenra woke up to the same vision he’s been experiencing these past few days. Only this time, it was more intense. He felt his skin sizzling like his skin had touched the surface of Dina itself. After taking a moment to ground himself, Enenra made his way to the Archives, where Stain was sitting on one of the seats. He saw Enenra and got up.

“Morning, Enenra,” Stain said in a calming, bold tone. I was hoping you’d have a more pleasant awakening but your expression tells me otherwise.”

“Yes. It’s the same situation. Only, it feels like it’s getting near. The events in the vision…” Enenra replied gloomily.

“Sit down with me,” Stain gestured to the seating beside him. “Let’s talk for a bit.” Enenra took a seat.

While looking at the dim blue luminescence of the Archive shelves, Stain spoke to Enenra, “It’ll be fine. The council fully supports you Enenra. We’ll push your back and give you all the support you may need.” Stain’s voice was unwavering. He was always so calm and stoic. Almost like a pond on a windless evening. Yet even without Stain making eye contact with Enenra, he could feel the compassionate man’s sincerity.

“Um, thank you. I don’t really know what to say. All I can do is prepare and move forward.” Enenra felt reassured. “If there is any change in the behavior of this dream, let me know immediately,” Stain asked, finally looking at Enenra in the eyes.

Enenra answered straight away, “I will.”

Swiftly standing up, Stain informed Enenra that Segonium wishes to meet him on the bridge and left. As Enenra left for the bridge, he felt unusual, irregular. Like, a tingling sensation on the nape of his neck. He decided to keep going. And did his best to not be afraid of what may come. Segonium was there on the bridge, sat down at the ledge, looking down at the landscape and river. For once, he seemed serious. A flame ablaze in his pupils.

“Walk with me.” Segonium spoke solemnly.

The two walked for hours with barely a word traded with each other. Segonium was unsettlingly silent. The two quiet Jedi walked across rivers, between valleys, over hills, but to what end? After what felt like days of walking, Segonium and Enenra arrived at a cave. The entrance was almost completely closed off by jagged stalactites and stalagmites; like the teeth on a maw of a great serpentine beast. The only slivers of openings revealed nothing but a void of pitch-black darkness within. As Segonium waved his hand smoothly, the pointed pillars of stone buildup became all but dust. Just as the dim entrance was revealed, a chilling low-crawling gust hit Enenra’s feet. It was like stepping barefoot into a frigid river. As goosebumps crawled all over Enenra’s body, he heard a subtle ringing in his head. When Enenra raised his hand to put it on his ear, an electrifying pain rushed over his entire anatomy. Every cubic inch of his body was writhing with agony. He dropped to the ground. He heard voices that spoke in ancient Sith, unintelligible, but seemingly tormenting the Jedi on the ground in ache. Then, everything came to a stop. He felt nothing, heard nothing. Everything went to black…

To be continued…

Three Times Mello Fell And One Time She Rose - 2022 Summer Lore contest

By jpgmellow

1st place in contest

On a faraway planet, north of the rims of the galaxy, lay a kingdom amongst many others. Tall mountains were circling the frozen domain, making it a fortress. In the middle of it all sat the palace, a beautiful and imposing white marble building surrounded by rows of small houses. The city was crowded at day and as night fell over the snowy town, people awakened and warmed up the streets. But the kingdom inside the mountain range wasn’t always like this. Not longer than a year ago, the people had fallen into terror. There weren't kids running around and playfully yelling at each other. There weren’t young couples walking together on the side of the icy river. People were so scared they used to hide around while doing mundane activities.

Mello thought about all this often. Resting her hands on the windowsill, she looked outside the cabin at the frozen land. The girl had moved to the outskirts of the kingdom to live with her sickly aunt. It wasn’t a decision she wanted to make, but a burned down village could not house her anymore. She remembers it like it was yesterday. Mello had found a man injured and confused. Tending to his wounds, the girl could only wonder where he came from, maybe from up east on the other continent. Not long after that, he had woken up; the man was full of questions. It was more than a pleasure for the young girl to talk profanities about the evil tyrant with the amnesic individual. But alas, he left as quickly as he came. And then her house burned down because of the very same tyrant… and all came back full circle to the present.

The windowsill is empty as Mello opens the cabin door and walks behind the house. There is no need to worry about getting warmer clothes, after all, her house wasn’t any colder than the outside. As she leans on the house’s wooden planks, the sight of the snowy hills from her childhood come into her vision. When she was younger, all the kids would come and play here on the outskirts of the kingdom. Even though Mello never felt like she belonged, they were all brothers and sisters because of their sorrow and loneliness.

“They used to say that I looked like the core’s molten marrow.” the young girl reminisces, putting a hand on her cheeks. Soft and white hands touch a black and silky texture that seems to pour from her hairline all the way to the bottom of her cheeks. When she was young, no one knew what it was. As time passed, her parents told her that the weird substance was her own blood pouring from her pores. It was a weird way of her body protecting her by warming the face with the black liquid. “I suppose tough times make tough kids…” While she looks towards the mountains in the distance, strong winds blow towards the cabin, moving her long and black hair in all directions.

A crow flies through the mighty winds and lands on the girl’s small hand. Its tiny beak carries a rolled letter, tied at the end with a delicate red ribbon. Mello gently takes the letter, and the bird caws loudly in her ear. With a confused look, the letter is opened and the contents of it alerts the girl. War will begin in a few days and her presence is requested on the battlefields.

“War will break out soon and it’s all the way to the other side of the kingdom. What do you say, buddy? Shall we go fight for what we stand for?” She addresses the bird and receives a happy chirp in response.

“Aunty! Look at this! A letter came from the palace! The ruler calls all the capable people to war to fight against the old tyrant and his army!” Mello rushes to the front of the garden, yelling louder and louder with each step. When she gets close enough to the old lady, she puts a hand on her shoulder and vigorously shakes her aunt.

“Walking through the town… It’s all shimmering, Carols all around… With a lingering echo in the sky…” the women sang. Her gaze was stuck to the bush, not registering the hand on her shoulder. Mello’s face fell, sighing in defeat. She could never truly wake her aunt up. Almost like it was sensing her inner turmoil, the crow yelled again. Caws loud enough to make the girl look up to the sky echoed everywhere.

“I’m coming, don’t worry!” Mello runs through the forest, jumping over twigs and fallen branches. Behind the hurried steps of a girl, all the way to the isolated cabin, a soft song could be heard.

“Holding back my tears… As a window reflects my inner fear… When a piece of me is missing by my side… It’s getting colder outside… “

But Mello wasn’t ready for what was to come. It’s been 8 years since then, the start of the war, and heavy armored soldiers still march on the battlefields. It felt like no progress was ever made, even when they were now tacking the higher ground. On her body were scattered cuts and wounds that healed wrong because of the harsh conditions she was in. Needless to say, war was not what she expected. At first she wanted to befriend the others, to make things easier in this hard time. Mello would approach them and strike conversations, but as soon as the battles started and people saw she lacked fighting skills, their commanders and higher ups easily pushed her to the side. Fair in all honesty, she wasn’t as skilled as others, so she stuck with people like her. For some soldiers and fighters, it seemed like this was all they wanted their whole life, battle and blood and screaming. Scary people really.

Coming back to the tents covered in snow, Mello sat down on her bed. It was an old thing that almost fell apart, but with time, it got comfortable. The tent became like a second home to her after all this. While she was unbuckling her heavy boots, a conversation started on the opposite side of the tent, almost 2 beds over to the side.

“I saw him a few weeks ago when he was giving a speech to my battalion. He was quite tall, honestly. I don’t think I saw any soldier here taller than him.” said a boy who came to this division a few days prior. Mello and the two talking became best friends quickly, sharing many things in common.

“I heard he wears really high heels!” The other girl replies, giggling at her comment. Sensing an opportunity to join in, Mello sneakily made her way over to the two. Walking slowly, she jumps and catches the back of the boy, shaking him strongly.

“Taller than me?! That is scandalous! But uh… who are we talking about?” Says Mello immediately, looking at the two with curious eyes.

“Mellohi, you scared the living crap out of me!” Mello is pushed off of the guy and gets to sit cross-legged on the floor. “We were talking about the king of the Northern Kingdom, Additional. He gave a speech a few weeks ago. Plus, you are 5’5, almost everyone is taller than you!”

“That is completely not true! I am quite average, mind you! So what does he look like? Our ruler, I mean. Except being tall. I’ve never had the opportunity to see him.”

The boy, Yeet, as some have named him after throwing himself head first into danger multiple times, leans forward. “He has long and wavy hair, and as the height… hmmm, I’d say he’s about 7 feet tall from what I remember.”

Mello hums in acknowledgement. It reminds her of someone but she can’t figure out whom. She lies on her back, looking at the ceiling of the tent, tuning out the conversation. A man like that… there could be many people that fit that description, but her mind wound up to the day her village was burnt. That stranger who came on the day of the disaster… he looked like that as well. It’s a shame he didn’t remember his name back then. Maybe Mello could’ve had something more to remember him as other than a homeless amnesiac.

One month later was the last drop. Mello couldn’t take this anymore. Another deep wound just healed and she soon got word that the Northern Kingdom’s troops will fall back. The enemy is pushing at the front lines. The girl thinks that perhaps this is the hardest part of the war. Not the enemy closing in or the wounds on her back. The toughest part was deciding if running away was a better option than fighting in what felt like a useless battle. But, as days passed by, her decision was made, and she soon found herself far away from her country and the front. Almost on the completely opposite side of the continent, Mello was searching for a place that wasn’t heavily affected by the war. She had walked day and night, hid on top of trees and evaded everyone who came in her way. Now she was in a new country, known on the entire planet by its advanced technology.

Since she stepped foot in the new land, everything seemed different from her old home. From the houses to the shops, everything seemed so advanced. Walking on the busy road, Mello looks at the local shops and motels for a potential job and a place to sleep at. She could live on the streets, but why miss an opportunity at a decent bed? There was a lady at one point that saw her tired form and ripped clothes and asked if she were in need of something.

“I am looking for a place to sleep at. Could you show me a cheap inn not far from here?” Mello asks, a hand on her bag and one waving around, empathizing what she meant. After being led to a local inn, a tall and lanky one with square windows that shined with blue light, Mello bids goodbye to the amiable lady. Her luck ended quickly after that. This was apparently the cheapest inn in the area, and it was 10 times more expensive than she could afford. She made sure to have a decent sum of money on her before living the kingdom, but even that wasn’t enough.

“-and don’t come back!” the receptionist yelled at Mello after she was kicked out.

“What the heck, man! I just argued a bit and now you’re kicking me out?!” Mello retorts, but the doors to the inn are glued shut. People are now looking at her after hearing the commotion. Scoffing in annoyance, the girl walked around the building and rested her back on a wall in the small alley. It was dark here, clearly messier than the rest of the streets. Mello crashed down, muttering a song under her breath.

*beep beep boop* The noises come from behind the wooden crates. They are repeating over and over. Slowly crawling towards the noise, Mello pushes the crates to the side and finds 4 mouse droids all beeping around a broken one.

“Now, what are you little guys?” The small droids scatter around when the girl approaches, the only thing left behind being the dysfunctional machinery. It was three times larger than her small hands. Mello holds it from all angles, trying to figure out what it was. Picking a few metal pieces from the ground, perfect for a makeshift tool, she disassembles it. After she took a small scarf out of her bag, she put all the pieces of the mouse droid on it.

Mello took a long gaze at it, sticking her tongue out. “Well, it is time to put it all back now, somehow…” While working on it, the girl could feel eyes watching her from the shadows. But as all things are, she paid attention to the more important thing, putting the pieces back at their place. Not even an hour later, the mouse droid is anew. Turned on, it walks around the small space of the alley. Laughter escapes her mouth, and she shifts on her knees, watching her creation happily.

“Haha, there you go! All new again!”

“Hah, you are right. You have done an amazing job with this. Tell me, do you specialize in this domain?” says someone, stepping out of the shadows. It was an iktotchi. His left cranial horn was fractured.

“Ay? Technology, you mean? I just picked this little buddy up and patched him a bit. Not that complicated, if you ask me.”

“Have you ever worked on a droid before?” The iktotchi spoke, slowly making his way towards the mouse droid and checking it with his foot.

“A droid? Ah, you mean that… It’s my first time. When I was younger, I used to help my mother with all sorts of things, but I don’t think they were as complicated as this. I guess I just have a flare for this. Who are you anyway? It’s rather creepy to spy on people.” The girl stands up, crossing her hands and looking at the other with a suspicious look.

“I am one of the ten great scientists of this nation! Tonight, a large package was supposed to arrive here at the border. It’s for an extremely difficult project me and my colleagues have been working on. But with the war up north, shipment has proven… difficult. I wound up here after hearing the commotion back at the inn.”

“I suppose it’s nice to have a country so advanced. I bet everyone here can build things like that.” Mello says, looking down at the small droid. It had made its way to the street, where it was quickly hit by a few pedestrian’s feet.

“Well…” the older man says, following Mello’s gaz. “You’d be surprised to know that not all common folk know how to disassemble and reassemble a droid like you did. I see you are not from these parts. Perhaps from up north? Well anyway, since you seem in need of some pocket money and a place to stay at, what do you think of an internship? I’ll teach you properly how to build and after that, I will offer you a job as one of the scientists from the capital. What do you say?”

In all honesty, the food was terrible. Mello thought that the capital would have such amazing food, but she had been here for almost 6 years and it still tasted like dirt. It lacks salt, and it’s full of really spicy condiments! Not even meat tastes like the one in the Northern kingdom. It’s all soft and people eat it almost raw. She had opted to visit the lab’s cafeteria as little as possible, instead sneaking into the kitchen and preparing some quick foods, like back home.

The prestigious project was a few days from being finished, and she couldn’t be more thrilled. It was a spaceship, rather big if you ask her. Normally, a spaceship wouldn’t take almost 6 years to design and build. This one, however, was designed for something no one on this planet has achieved yet, traveling to different galaxies in less than what would be 25,000 light years like with a normal one. Mello had learned from her colleagues that being outside the galaxy is, in fact, not optimal. She didn’t know precisely how it flew so fast. That was 3 of the other scientists’ jobs. What she worked on the most was making the ship strong, unbreakable at high speed. Not being a lifelong researcher like the others didn’t allow Mello to work alone at first, so she helped with certain parts when someone else got stuck. And as time passed, she got more skilled. Mello got to work on the ship by herself, coming with new ideas on how to resolve certain problems.

Tomorrow will be the official announcement about the ship to the rest of the world. The team waited so long to not give fake hope to the people. Mello was walking to the exit of the cursed cafeteria when she caught a conversation down the hallway. At this point, it was more of a habit for her to eavesdrop on people’s conversations. It wasn’t her fault that people kept talking so loudly about anything everywhere.

“Yes, after inauguration, it will be sent to make some powerful allies. The war needs more troops if we want it to end any time soon.”

“I can’t wait for those Northerner idiots to perish already.”

“… What the… “ Mello whispers to herself, getting closer to the two of them.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to turn this war around. I think the king made an excellent decision to ally with him in private. You see, if no one knows about it, we will have an upper hand.”

“I don’t know. It’s amazing that everything went well. Who knows what will happen if we lose everything at the last moment!”

“Hey don’t jinx it! You know- ”

Mello quickly runs over to the bathrooms, emptying her stomach on the floor. She felt nauseous and her eyes welled up with tears. 6 years, it took 6 years to build this ship, and she was so preoccupied with building it and being of service that she couldn’t even realize what it was for! But everything was actually a lie, well kept from her, as it would be no good to let someone, especially from the Northern Kingdom, know about this. She had never felt this sick in her life, and she took part in war!

Her hands were clutching the sink, the tab turned on. Mello had washed her face to feel better. The black and silky substance on her face had washed down her face, falling into the sink. It was quickly replaced by a new layer, covering her face like it always has. Her reflection was staring at her in the bathroom mirror.

“I wanted a better life for the people I cared about, so I took part in the war. And then I got tired… and… scared! So I ran away. I thought that I could build something amazing with them… maybe we would’ve gone far away, found something to bring peace over these lands… HOW FOOLISH COULD I BE?!” Her grip on the sinks tightens until it cracks.

“I can’t let something like this happen…”

That marked the second time Mello had run away from the problem, this time taking a spaceship with her.

The stars in the Northern kingdom were brighter during the night than anywhere else on the planet. Mello always admired them. They were very few and far away from her planet, but they shined so brightly. It was a tradition in her village for the young kids to run to the snowy hills and stargaze. Every spring before the new moon, they would quietly watch the shiny dots in the sky. Now she was amongst them, thousands of miles away from her home. Her escape from the lab was done in the middle of the night, unseen by any eye. It wasn’t difficult to avoid the guards. Mello just had to pretend that she wanted to do some check-ups before the big day. She entered the ship swiftly and opened the enormous doors from the ceiling. The guards didn’t have time to question her. The space ship launched itself into space in the blink of an eye.

“I am so happy I stayed to listen to the chef pilot ramble about these things. I.. still don’t fully know what I’m doing, but me and you are going to go far away, Butter!” Mello spoke with the ship. Years of working on this brought her sentimental value for the enormous piece of metal that it was. No one understood why she named it Butter, but it was all passion. The spaceship was now a few days away from the closest planet. She took long strides across the ship, thinking about what’s next. The bed here was better than half of the ones in her life. Many things on this spaceship were simple yet sophisticated. Although, the mirrors in the ship have been mostly covered or removed in the past days since she has been here. Mello’s reflection stared at her with disgust in her eyes. Her quiet moment was distraught by the violent shaking of the ship.

Outside there were a few smaller space crafts, flying at high speed. They were shooting the ship, carefully damaging but not destroying it. Mello tries to evade the attacks, but her lack of piloting skills showed.

“No, no, no, the motors are damaged, crap!” The tablets kept beeping and flickering, displaying every affected part of the ship. The motor was damaged pretty badly, everything else resisted well. Her attackers probably focused all their attacks there.

“Come on, Butter, you can do this!” Mello vigorously shakes the paneling board, despair apparent in her voice.

Eventually, they entered the spaceship. Mello was hit off the pilot chair and her hands were bound. The group of people presented themselves as pirates and this was now their latest capture. Her attempts at putting up a fight were futile after she was quickly hit across the head. When she woke up, Mello discovered that a deposit chamber became her new prison, guarded by one armed person. The chamber was emptied. All that was left were crates that couldn’t be opened with her bare hands.

“Hm, as much as I hate this, I don’t think it’s the end for us.” She looks around, analyzing the situation. Mello got up and hit her hands repeatedly on the corner of one crate. Her hand binds broke after a few hits and she massaged her irritated skin.

“Listen, Butter, my beloved creation. I can’t afford them taking you. Who knows what disasters they will cause? Ah, my head hurts… How much time has passed?” The doors were guarded from the outside. It was an advantage she couldn’t lose. After opening the door, Mello hit the man and stole his blaster, shooting him in the head.

“Now this… is much better than piloting a ship.” Over the other side of the hallway was where the other from the crew were. She made her way towards them, and when shouts rose, the blaster was pulled from behind her. A show of light started, Mello’s shoulder barely avoiding an ugly hit. With two of them down, shot from across the hallway, she closed the distance and entered hand to hand combat. Catching an arm, she pulled it and rotated it, kicking them in their back and into the wall. A dagger from her boot impaled the neck of one. The idiot took it out and blood splattered all across the floor. No one here knew Butter’s corridors better than Mello. She took shortcut after shortcut and, after a few more casualties, arrived in the piloting room. Her breath was taken aback when she looked outside at the enormous glass. A big planet, with shades of brown and bronze, sat before them. They were probably in its orbit. Blasters were quickly shot at her, Mello dodged most of them. Her left leg was shot in the upper side, but she quickly recovered her stance and shot down everyone else. With the motors not working, the ship has been transported the last thousands of miles with the help of the smaller ones.

She can’t land the spaceship without the other space-crafts and they probably will attack her. Even if she were to land on this new planet, she was easily outnumbered. The pirates on the ship were a few, but they didn’t compare with the ones outside. Her injuries didn’t help either. Mello looked around and saw the bright panels turned on. On it was displayed the name of the huge planet in front of them, Tatooine. Pressing a few buttons, she discovered the planet was used for illegal activity and was full of smugglers. If the ship fell in the hands of bad people, they could travel the galaxy in a few weeks and carry a significantly bigger amount of stolen cargo. Or an army.

“I’m sorry, Butter. We have to do this.” A tear was shed. Her fingers lightly pressed the ship’s buttons and soon after, she was crashing down from the atmosphere, going at high speed towards the planet. There wasn’t much time left, but running through the ship, Mello finds herself in front of the escape pods.

Even from far away, Mello could see Butter crash. The ship was a total wreck, way beyond reconstruction. The sky was filled with black clouds that could be seen from miles. Both the escape pod and the ship had fallen far apart from each other. They were both in a desolate area. The land was all just dunes of sand with nothing else in sight, not a life form or a landmark.

After opening the pod’s door, hot air filled Mello's lungs, doubling her over and making her cough. The heat was too much for her skin, giving a sensation of burns both inside and outside. The Northern Kingdom was a chilly place, some people called it completely frozen. Even the country from down south where she spent almost 6 years of her life had harsh winters, even if the spring melted most of the snow away. Mello lived her entire life in cold conditions, her body even adapted for the harsh weather.

Trying to breathe, she sits down and calms her breath. It takes a while, but her body doesn’t feel like it’s dying anymore. Even though she got a hold of herself, Mello still feels an outrageous amount of pain from everywhere. A wind stroke blows sand towards the pod’s way, making the girl choke on the grainy mineral. The girl shakily gets up and walks in the deserted land, taking a few layers of clothing down. Her pants were pulled above her knees, her shirt long taken down leaving her in a simple top. Mello combs her messy hair with her hand to put it in a bun. When her hand comes to the top of her head, she feels two little stubs. Her horns never got to grow, staying at a small size, kept out of eyesight by her hair.

Walking for a while, Mello finally collapses to the ground, her face being engulfed in sand, burning her body even more. Her breath stops, making the girl go unconscious. Even in her slumber, she could feel burning rays on her back.

The heat was agonizing. It was like all the pain she felt her whole life combined in one. Is this what she would’ve felt if she didn’t escape the fire back in her childhood village? Her family, her friends, feeling such an absurd amount of heat. Her throat was dry and her skin dried, all the water in her body slowly evaporating. As Mello prepares to give her final breath, someone reaches out to her.

Her head was spinning and her limbs felt stiff. Mello peeled her eyes open and a wave of nausea hit her. With a hand on her forehead, the girl slowly sits up and looks at her surroundings. The place looks like a storage room of some sort, wooden crates, weird glasses and potted plants, even a few steel cages. Underneath her were some soft pillows and her arms and legs were bandaged. Taking a deep breath, Mello comes more aware and realizes there were plenty of noises coming from the door to her left. Music, cheering, yelling, objects breaking, all the noise you could name came from that room. Her body didn’t seem too damaged. There were only a couple of small burn marks, most of them covered by the cloth. With a hand on the crate, she pushes herself up and stays on shaky legs. Mello turns towards the door, preparing to exit this crowded room. When she puts a hand on the handle, the door bursts open.

“-selling her! And that’s final!” a zabrak woman yells, bumping into Mello afterwards. The two stared at each other, Mello feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.

“Uh… sup’?” the brunette says with a nervous laugh.

“You! Come here.” the woman says, putting a harsh hand on Mello’s shoulder and pulling her outside the room. Before her were about two jawas, a hutt and a rodian. All four of them were staring down at Mello with various degrees of annoyance or intrigue. The zabrak is holding both of her shoulders from behind, squeezing her lightly as she speaks. The girl looks around. They were behind what looked like a bar. On the other side of it was a very spacious room filled with various species fighting, drinking, or talking.

“Just look at her. She is basically in perfect condition! I’m telling you, I have a good feeling about this.”

“I don’t know, I think we could get some good amount of credit from selling her,” the rodian says looking rather annoyed. The jawas nodded happily at the other’s comment.

“Wait, what now?” Mello says, panic suddenly surging to the surface.

“Shh, as I was saying, didn’t you see how advanced that ruined ship was? Our friend here clearly was on it. Surely she must be important!”

“And that is why we should sell her!”

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you don’t see the potential! You, tell us, why were you on the ship? Did you steal it? Do you own it? Are you rich?” The zabrak turns to face her, having a huge grin on her face.

“Uh…” Mello thought about what they said previously. They were planning to sell her. If she made herself sound like someone important, would the group want to sell her more? Or would they do that if she had no skills?

“I helped build it. Almost all the defense was done by me and also some of the ship’s weapons. You still need an expert pilot for such a ship…” Her speech became more quiet once she started reminiscing about what happened. Ships shouldn’t be so hard to pilot, really!

“You built it? Hm, we could use some capable hands around here. These new ships and droids are becoming too much for these jawas.” Angry noises came from the two, kicking the hutt with their fists and legs. “Calm down, you two. You know that what I’m saying is true.”

“Great! Then it’s settled! I am Ceriz, and these 4 are my crew.” the zabrak, Ceriz, says.

“YOUR crew? I’m sorry but when did-”

“And what is your name? Oh, we are going to be the best trafficking team in this galaxy.”

“I am Mellohi, wait trafficking? What??”

The bed underneath her was comfortable. It had a crimson red blanket and round pillows. Mello was on one side of it. Ceriz was inspecting her wounds and applying more ointment on some of her burns.

“Your wounds started to heal up nicely. I see you regenerate rather quickly.”

“Yeah, back at my home, I was the only human that healed this quickly. Others were jealous of me.” At her words, the zabrak looked at her weirdly.

“Sweety, you are clearly not a human. I didn’t know you hit your head as well. Let me have a look at it.”

“What? Of course I am, both my parents are. So are my aunty and my grandparents. Or at least, were.” The hand is smacked away from her hand and a serious look appears on her face.

“Your eyes are fully white and you have some… black thing on your face. It seemed to have dried recently, I guess it’s from the climate. And look at your head, you have small horns peeking out from your hair!”

“No, no, no. I am a human, all these formed because of evolution.” Mello says with full confidence in her voice.

“… Girl, do you hear yourself? Listen, i ‘worked’ with a lot of humans in my life. I know one when I see one. And you sweety, are not one. Humans don’t grow horns. Yours are so small… If you believed your whole life you were a human, perhaps they stopped growing because of a mental blockage or something like that.” The end comes more like a mumble, but it’s still understandable to the other girl.

“I… my family wouldn’t lie to me! But if what you’re saying is true… then what AM I?”

Working at the bar was her favorite part. It was way colder than the outside, which she appreciated with her whole heart. Although the amount of rude people coming here to drink something during or after a deal of some sorts almost always ended with a fight. Once someone would get punched, the whole place would become a war between drunk idiots and traffickers with anger issues. At those times, Mello puts the glass she usually plays with her hands down and jumps over the bar. Hits would fly her way but were easily avoidable. Harshly putting her hands on people and throwing them back in their seats would calm some of them. Others she had to hit twice, sometimes hit their heads on the tables, until they stopped fighting. But the most annoying people were the ones that thought they were the best fighters in the galaxy. They clearly didn’t fight in a war like her. In front of the bar the space is empty, leaving room for people to walk around. All the tables and chairs were pushed to the side when a fight would start between Mello, trying to actually stop the fights, and the presumptuous idiots, trying to prove how idiotic they are. The black-haired girl waits for the others to come at her and when they do, she avoids their attack and hits them in their stomach. When they get up, their balance is off center, a quick swipe across their legs sends them plummeting to the floor. Hand to hand combat is her favorite after all.

These were her spare days anyway, when she didn’t have to go look through the dunes in search of fallen ships and broken droids to repair and sell. The hot air still made her nauseous from time to time but she quickly got the gist of it. All of them are taken at Butter for repair. The mighty ship became a house after it was dragged close enough to the more populated area. It was broken beyond repair, huge chunks of it missing. Most chambers inside were almost intact, so the crew of 5 moved in here. Ceriz never came with her in a search of droids, no matter what feelings she had for Mello. The zabrak woman said she would rather look for more ‘alive’ stock.

While Mello sits on the round couch, poking at her grown horns, Ceriz comes and rests next to her.

“Your horns have grown a bit, haven’t they?”

Mello hums in agreement, lost in thought.

“What? Do you not like them?”

“Hm? No it’s not that. It’s just… I guess even with them, I look exactly like I did my whole life.”

“Well, you can always cut your hair. It’s sooo long. We’ve known each other for a couple of years at this point and I have not seen you once cut it! You just keep it in a bun all day!” the zabrak chuckles and rests her hand on top of Mello’s. “Or maybe you can wear some accessories… Speaking of that…” She sits up and takes a small black box from behind the cushions. “I thought I’d give you this. Your horns are getting bigger by the month. This would look good on them.” Mello takes the box. Inside it were thin golden chains, a decoration for her horns.

“Ceriz, these are… They are gorgeous! Can you help me put them on?”

“They look amazing on you. But you’re still missing something. Tell me, are you sure you don’t want to do anything with your hair?”

“Well, I could cut some of it. Maybe I could dye it?”

Mello had found weird things at Freetown’s merchants before, even if usually all they had were rocks. She finds one rather quickly. This one is her friend because he always has small and uninteresting stuff that no one other than her buys. Looking at the objects he carried in his enormous bag, Mello spots a small glass container. It had a pink liquid inside of it.

“It’s for hair, right? Great. Here, take these.” Mello pulls out more money than needed, but neither of them brings it up.

“Well, if you’re interested, I found this on a fallen spaceship a while back.” The merchant says after seeing the surplus of money. It was an easy way of making him bring out the good stuff. “I haven’t seen one of these stones before. Do you like it?”

The stone in his hand looked more like a gem. Taking it in her own hand, the small precious stone started glowing at the touch. As soon as it started to shine, the merchant took it back and examined it, amazed, a bit disappointed when the glow disappeared as quickly as it came. Mello felt like a force was trying to make her take the stone back. It was something she had never felt before. When she saw an opening, she quickly took the stone back.

“I think I will take this, too. Nice making business with you.”

Before the other could say anything, Mello turned around and left.

This was the first time she was in front of a mirror in a long while. Ceriz was behind her, dyeing her hair a pink color after she poured a bottle of chemicals on her long black hair to make it lighter. She had claimed that it was the only way for the color to stick. Looking at herself, Mello couldn’t think about anything else than the stone in her pocket. It’s like it calls her.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Hm… I am just afraid you’ll make my horns pink, too.”

“Oh, don’t be like that! I’m almost done, anyway.”

“Ceriz, you’ve been on this planet longer than I have. Have you ever seen a stone? But not a normal one of course, one that would, I don’t know, make you feel different?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Ceriz chuckles and Mello decides to drop the subject.

Exiting the room, the crew was there, ready to see Mello’s new look. Her hair was bright pink and caught in two buns. She even got some bangs. Her black horns were decorated with golden chains. Everyone was cheering, telling her that her new look was perfect. The zabrak looked the happiest of them all. Mello tried to enjoy this moment as well, she really did, but her mind was still in a different place.

“I was meaning to ask you guys…” Some time had passed, and it was night right now. They’ve gathered on the round sofa, retelling stories from the previous day. “Have you ever seen this before?” Mello asks out of a sudden, pulling the stone from her pocket. The shiny rock levitated in her hand. That made a tingling feeling rise inside her. Was it giddiness? She just thought so much about the stone today and now it started to float.

Everyone looked at the glowing stone in curiosity. The hutt’s face got serious quickly, and he looked at Ceriz. Mello sat cross-legged on her lap and she could feel how her friend froze in an instant.

“Is this the stone you were talking about?” Mello nodded her head.

“Give it to me.” Ceriz says seriously, pinning Mello down with her angry stare.

“Why? Is there something wrong with it?”

“You can give it to me and afterwards I’ll tell you.”

“Or you can tell me now and I'll keep it.” Mello says while clenching her fist around the stone. She could sense Ceriz slowly raising her hand towards it. Not getting a response immediately, Mello sits up and looks at her friend.

The zabrak sighs and looks at the hutt for approval. After a curt nod, she turns her horned head towards Mello.

“The little stone that you have is actually a kyber crystal. They are the heart of a lightsaber. The only people who can use these lightsabers are people that channel the Force.” Her explanation didn’t seem like the stone was bad or this so-called Force was either, but Ceriz’s voice was serious and her frown unhinged. “The Force is… how do I put this? These Jedi people say there is an energy field of some sort around us. That it is everywhere! It’s a bunch of lies, really. The reason I want you to not have it is because these Jedi people are dangerous! They come with their fancy swords and take our loot from us!” The hutt hums in approval behind them.

“Every time we get our hands on some good species, some Jedi come and attack us.” He said with as much seriousness as the other.

“You guys are kidding me… You literally kidnap people, to sell them, and complain that people try to stop you?!”

“Of course we do! When did you become so bothered by all this?” Both of the girls are now standing, their hands articulating every said word too much for anyone’s liking. Mello grips the zabrak’s shoulders and shakes Ceriz as she had with so many people that she cared about.

“Are. You. In-sa-ne?” The girl says, pronouncing each syllable loudly. “Ever since I found out I’d have to work with fricking people TRAFFICKERS, against my will, mind you, I have tried to constantly run away!” The argument slowly transformed into yelling, leaving the two jawas cheering for a fight.

“That is just not true!” Ceriz steps back from Mello’s grip on her. “When did you try that? We always had a great time together!”

“No! You had a great time telling me how much fun you have selling illegal things while I had to go through agonizing heat to get SCRAP and rebuild it! My potential could never show when all I do is patch stupid droids or tiny ships! Every time when one of these little idiots didn’t look at me in the first couple of years, I’d try to turn on a ship and get out of here, but everyone is constantly up my arse! ‘Mellohi do this, Mellohi fix that, Mellohi did you go there? Mellohi you’re not allowed to do that!’ You just never saw it because you thought there was something between us!”

Hurt is all across Ceriz’s face as she takes a few steps back. “So what? Do you want to become a Jedi now? Just because you are Force sensitive or whatever, you want to leave us all behind, your family?”

“But you are not my family! Yes we had great times together, yes we all had nice moments, but you need to understand that everyone in this room made me constantly do things I didn't want to do for years. And that includes you too.”

“Just… Get out of here! If you want this freedom so badly, then you can leave.”

“It’s not about freedom. It’s about being forced to-”

“I said get out!”

Back at the bar, it was one of those quiet nights where it would be half of the amount of people. She sat down on a stool and stole someone’s drink, taking a long sip from it. A human prepares to hit her over the head for their stolen drink, but when they recognize her face, they back up quickly. As Mello sighs deeply and rests her head on the bar, a hand comes their way on her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me.” She mumbles angrily, unbothered to look up.

“I’m sorry. I saw my sibling running away from you. Usually you give them quite the beating when they annoy you.” Another human says. Mello registers him as one of the human twins that often come here. Usually the first one would say something annoying, Mello would hit them, then this one would apologize and he would start a conversation.

“Yeah, I am not in the mood for that”

“Oh, that is very unusual! Tell me, did something happen? You look beaten down.”

“it’s just… “ Mello considered telling him about the fight between her and Ceriz, but eventually decided against it. “I was actually wondering if you know anything about the Jedi?”

“Jedi? I think I knew one, actually… he wore a mask, but hell if I know where he is. Overall, they are ok but we do not share the same ideals so our relationship is not optimal.” He chuckles lightly. Mello finally picks herself up, resting her elbows on the bar. She takes the empty glass and plays with it. Her gaze is lost in the glass's reflection.

“Could you tell me about them? I’ve only recently learned about their existence.”

“Yeah, of course. Well, as much as I know, anyway. Most of them nowadays are on this planet called Dantooine, where they established this Jedi Order-”

After a long night and several drinks on the human’s side, Mello turns around to face him fully.

“You know, I want to be better. I don’t want to go back from where I just came but… I think I’ve made poor decisions throughout my life. Honestly, I’m just so done with hurting myself and others. I’ve constantly run away because I refused to confront the consequences of my actions. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. It’s just that… How long can I do this for? Maybe… this stone glowed when it was in my hands and I felt something because I’m not a lost cause. These Jedi… I want to be better, but I can’t do that by myself. Maybe learning their ways would help me grow as a person, not a fighter or a scientist. You know what I mean, buddy?”

The human was long asleep, dribbling on the bar underneath him.

The blue ship flew swiftly across the galaxy. Mello had thought long about just stealing one that night in the bar. The human’s ship was a beauty and rumors were that it had a thing called “auto-pilot” if it were true in the first place. In the end she got out her money pouch from her bag and paid more than this ship was worth to a guy she knew that sold this kind of stuff. Even having the right connections, she got an overpriced spaceship, and it was on sale! It was a hard decision. Living so much with the old crew, bad habits became a thing she could hardly get rid of now. The small blue ship was named Mordecai, and it was her pride. Right now, she flew by Dubrillion. It wasn’t long until she would arrive on Dantooine, the planet being the next one in the direction she was headed. Her heart was beating faster in her chest as anxiety rose. What if they didn’t accept her? She had connected more with the kyber crystal, meditating every day, but that didn’t make her feel any better about all this. Taking deep breaths, Mello slowly calms down and opens her eyes.

In front of her sat Dantooine. It was a beauty from afar, and after her landing, Mello could confirm that it was completely divine. With one foot in front of the other, she gets down from her little ship and takes in the fresh air. A breeze came her way, but it was neither freezing nor melting her skin off. It was pleasant and welcoming. While looking around, rustling came from a bush. Mello thought about what kind of fauna this planet had. She stepped closer to it. When she was a few feet away from it, a human jumped out of the green plant.

“Hello!” He said, but Mello was speechless. “Hm, do I know you?” The man stepped out of the bush and took off the leaves on his pants. His gaze was searching her face for any familiar features that could jog his memory.

“I don’t know if you remember me, Yeet, but my name is-”

“Oh, Mellohi! I am so glad to see you. Everyone thought you were dead!”

“Please, call me Mello. I’m sorry I disappeared on you back there.” She puts her hand on his shoulder, tears come to the corner of her eyes.

“Hey it’s alright, no one really knew what they were doing, you know. War is not something people want to go through. Are you here to become a Jedi too?” Yeet asked, almost like he knew what she was preparing to say next. Mello nods happily. “Then you gotta let me give you a tour! We’ll have so much fun.”

And as tears are falling down her cheeks, for the first time in her life, Mello hugs the person in front of her.