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Chapter One: The Midnight Raid

I awake suddenly in the middle of the night. I try to figure out what woke me up when I see the bright red light and hear the sound of heavy blaster fire and screams of terror outside my home. My family runs in, yelling, “Come on, Ray. We have to go!”

“What’s going on?” I ask, tired and disoriented.

“The First Order is here, Ray!” My younger brother, Taro, yells. “They say we need to join their army or they’ll kill us and destroy our village!”

We run outside and into the backyard, because the First Order was at the front of our house. We skid to a stop suddenly. The First Order is in the next row of houses, too.

“They’re everywhere!” My father, Ret, yelled. “We need to get off Kyria!”

My family has lived on Kyria for hundreds of years. To leave it behind so suddenly would be like abandoning all of our family history. But, there are some sacrifices you have to make in order to keep said family safe.

“How are we supposed to get to the spaceport from here? It’s five hundred meters away,” my mom, Zayra, stated. “We’ll never make it.”

Numaan Kwaa Spaceport was the only spaceport on Kyria for seventy kilometers. If we were lucky, we could catch a small transport ship and get off-world. Maybe we could move somewhere in the Outer Rim. The First Order probably thinks there’s nothing in the Outer Rim except lava planets like Mustafar, or desert planets like Tatooine and Jakku. But my family knew of a habitable planet in the Outer Rim. It was called Tíran.

As we ran toward the spaceport, explosions and screams of terror filled the air. Dust clouded our vision, but we still ran, blind against the elements. My dad stopped suddenly, and I wasn’t quick enough to stop and ran into him. Peeking around my father, I see a First Order flametrooper, dressed all in white, with a helmet that had a small, line-shaped visor and a rebreather on the bottom to keep out the smoke from the huge flamethrower he was carrying.

“What do we do, Mom?” Taro yelped. “We can’t go back, and we can’t keep running.”

But my dad had other plans. He pulled out a concealed NN-14 blaster pistol from somewhere inside his shirt. He squeezed out a shot, and before the flametrooper knew what had happened, he had an extra, smoking hole in his head. My mom grabbed the trooper’s fallen weapon and shouldered it.

Suddenly, we heard a female voice bark, “Halt where you stand, by the authority of the First Order!” We turned around and saw a stormtrooper with a shiny gray chrome helmet, obviously one of high rank because of the pauldron she wore across her right shoulder.

“My name is Captain Phasma,” the trooper said, “Now, I come to give you a decision: Will you join the merciful and benevolent First Order, or will you be slaughtered along with the rest of your pitiful heathen neighbors?”

“We will never join your kind!” my father spat in the dirt. “I would rather die than join that order of scumbags you revere as the Emperors of the Galaxy!”

“So be it,” Captain Phasma growled with malice in her voice. Two shots were fired and my father and mother were lying dead on the ground in front of me. Taro screamed next to me and took off in the direction of the spaceport. I knew he would never make it, and right before my eyes, I saw a third blaster bolt put a hole in his head, too.

“Now,” Captain Phasma turned to me, “Will you make the same mistake your family made, or will you join the undying, unmatched glory of the First Order?”

“Um, I’d like to join, ma’am.” I croaked, not wanting to meet the fate of my fallen family.

“Excellent,” Captain Phasma said. She then turned to the Stormtrooper on her left. “Lieutenant MN-1126, please inform Commander Ren we have new Kyrian recruits,” she commanded him.

New recruits? I thought. There’s more than just me?

As I walked to the First Order transport ship, I saw the charred bodies of my fallen neighbors. The air stank with the acrid smell of burning flesh. As the ship took off, leaving Kyria far behind, I started to wonder if I had made the wrong decision by joining the First Order. Then, I remembered the other choice was death.

“Entering hyperspace, destination Coruscant,” the pilot of the ship, an Ardennian, droned, operating the cockpit with three of his four arms. I looked around, finding that it was only me, the pilot, Captain Phasma, Lieutenant MN-1126, another thus-far-unnamed stormtrooper, and one other smug-looking boy. I recognized him immediately as Sandorian Dosat, the guy at school who I absolutely hated. He was a total First Order supporter, taking any chance he could get to tell everyone how great the First Order was, how they were going to save the galaxy, and how when they came to our planet he would join them. We blew off this last comment, because we never thought the First Order would come to our planet. I was wrenched out of my thoughts by a sharp pain in my arm. I looked at my arm, and saw that Captain Phasma had put a needle into my arm. The drugs kicked in almost immediately

Chapter Two: Orientation Day

I wake up in a dark room. When my eyes become more accustomed to the darkness, I see that I am in a sort of barrack. Beds line the walls, and a loudspeaker is mounted on the wall. Captain Phasma’s voice suddenly chirps over the loudspeaker, “Welcome, Cadet RV-8716, to Coruscant, base of the all-powerful First Order.”

“Um, my name is Raynoldus Vadam,” I said, “Not Cadet RV-8716.”

“Incorrect. That was your name. Now, to the First Order, you are only known by your call sign, Cadet RV-8716.”

Oh, great, I think to myself. I’ve joined an army that has no respect for proper names.

“You will have the chance to earn your name back by doing services to and winning battles for the First Order,” Captain Phasma informed me.

Suddenly, a door to the right of me opened, and more kids about my age flooded into the small room.

“Hey, look!” one big, burly kid crowed, “The newbie’s awake!”

“He looks scrawny,” Another, shorter kid snickered, most definitely the first kid’s toadie. “Ready to give ‘im the orientation?”

Orientation? I didn’t like the sound of that. Before I could protest, the burly kid had me in the air, hanging by my legs above the floor.

“Heh, heh,” he chortled, “This is gonna be fun.”

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As I suspected, the orientation was not good. As I dangled by my legs above the john, images of the burly kid being disemboweled by a pack of hungry rathtars filled my brain. Oh, how I wished I could get them back for this! But, I suppose that time will come.

“I’m Carro,” the burly boy laughed, “And these are Temiri, Shiro, Mitobe, Okha, Turk, Kabe, Quay, and our Imperial droid K-3SA.” Each being stepped forward as they were addressed.

Great. I’m in a squadron of grade-A nerf herders, I think to myself. Could things be any worse?

Chapter Three: Training Day

“Wake up, Cadet RV-8716. It is time to begin your training,” Captain Phasma’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker the next morning.

“See ya later, Newbie,” Carro snarled from his bunk. “Do us a favor and try to get shot.”

Wow, rude. I think to myself. What’s his problem, anyway?

I walk into the training room. It’s basically a school gym, but the walls are lined with every kind of weapon imaginable, even weapons from before people used blasters and just cut at each other with metal blades.

“Welcome to your first training session,” A computerized female voice drones over the training room’s loudspeaker. “Please grab the B-17 blaster off the wall.”

I do, and the voice says, “Correct. Now, do you see the target dummy against the back wall?”

“Yes,” I say, drawing my blaster.

“Good. Now, aim carefully, and fire.”

I fire, and the dummy is thrown back against the wall. I examine my pistol. Its safety is locked in place in the “Stun” setting. Figures, I think, that they don’t trust me with a real blaster yet.

“Congratulations, Cadet RV-8716,” the voice drones, “You have completed your first training session.”

Exhausted after my first day at the Stormtrooper Academy, in which we only learned 4 subjects; First Aid, Weapon Studies, Creature Studies, and Languages. We also had Physical Education, which lasted almost half the day, working to train our bodies into ridiculously high standards. Now, I’m not the most “in-shape” person, so I absolutely hated P.E.. The rest of the classes were okay, and I was soon at the top of my class. Carro and my other bunkmates were at the bottom of the class, just barely passing. They were, however, at the top of P. E., which was no surprise. They had the muscles of a Trandoshanーwhich one of them actually wasーbut the brains of Dewbacks. All except Carro, who appeared to be their leader. He was terrifyingly smart, and the others followed his every whim like nerfs follow their herder.

The only good thing about the academy was her. Cadet SB-2736. I was the only one who knew her real nameーScerra Blaize. She was one of the only girls I had seen so far in this school. I knew there were more, but SB-2736ーsorry, Scerra, force of habitーwas the only girl I’d seen take off her helmet. And boy, was she beautiful. Something about only seeing people with helmets on, minus Carro and his ugly mug, made me realize how beautiful everyone’s faces really are when they have their helmets off.

Another reason I loved Scerra was that she seemed to be one of the only troopers besides me who remembered their life before the First Order. Our memories were mostly wiped by the First Order’s brainwashing, but memories of our past would resurface sometimes. I remembered my original name and the fateful night the First Order “saved my life,” and she remembered the same about herself. Whenever a memoryーwhat we called an awakeningーwould surface, we would meet under the cover of night to discuss. We contacted each other through a secure channel she created on our comlinks.

Scerra’s voice, slightly garbled from the scrambling signature she put on it, chirps into my ear through the comlink. “Ray, I need to see you tonight. I’ve got something to tell you.”

Chapter Four: The Secret

“Roger that,” I say, just as the general gives an order. He nods at me, believing I was acknowledging his command. We’re on our first real mission, which is to perform reconnaissance on Dantooine. The jungle planet was hot and humid, but our betaplast armor kept us at the perfect temperature and moisture level so we could perform at our peak. Carro and his cronies were put into my cohortーjust my luckーand were clearly not taking this seriously.

“What do you think they’re making us look for?” Carro rasped. “So far, all we’ve found are stupid animals.”

“Those animals might be useful to the First Order,” I countered, “they could produce milk, be used as meat, or even war animals.” I eyed a Kath Hound nervously. It regarded me with the same level of wistfulness.

“Look, I think it likes you!” Carro shouted, pushing me into the Kath Hound. Luckily, the Kath Hound didn’t attack, even though I was wearing armor. It ran off, whimpering with fear. Carro and his buddies cracked up.

“It isn’t funny. Just wait until I tell our corporal what you did,” I warned, looking to the cohort leader for help. He nodded to me, and stepped forward.

“Cadets CD-5814, TC-5815, SR-5816, OL-5817, MK-5818, TG-5819, KP-5820, and QU-5821,” our cohort leader said, “you are impeding the progress of other troopers. After this mission, you will be placed on Academic Probation, and be given a job in sanitation.”

I didn’t have to see Carro’s face to know he didn’t like that. His shoulders tensed, and his buddies looked at him nervously. “Butー”

“Do you want me to tell the Captain you showed insubordination?” The leader warned.

“I- no, sir,” Carro said, unable to hide the quiver in his voice. Sanitation was not a job you wanted. Ever.

“Understood. Continue with your assigned task, Cadets,” the lieutenant said.

Our search mission continued until around 15:00. Then, we were transported back to the academy to eat our dinner and retire to our bunks for a little free time. That isn’t what I did, though. The minute I was done eating my rations, I snuck down to the reactor room. No one ever goes down there, because the reactor is monitored by repair droids at all times. The droids don’t notice or report me and Scerra being there, so we use it as our meeting spot.

Scerra was already waiting for me when I got there. She smiled at me when I walked into the room. Oh, how I wanted that smile to stay there forever.

“Ray, I have to tell you something!” she says.

“I know, you told me on the comlink,” I say, not quite sure why she was at the level of excitement she was. “Why do you sound as ecstatic as you do?”

“I’m pretty sure this memory is important!” she says, then lowers her voice, “I remember hearing stories about an order of powerful sorcerers called Jedi. Supposedly they could move things with a stroke of their hand.”

“Everyone can do that,” I scoffed

“But, see, here’s the thing. The Jedi never had to touch anything to lift it.” She counters.

“All right. So, why is this important?”

“Well, according to the stories, the first ‘Emperor of the Galaxy,’ Sheev Palpatineーyou might know him as Darth Sidiousーeradicated all of the Jedi,” she then stares me straight in the face, her bright blue eyes almost glowing, “but I have proof they weren’t all killed.”

“Where? How?” I question her.

“Because I can do what the Jedi could,” Scerra says, extending her hands. She takes out her gundark tooth, which was from her first ever kill. She sets it on the ground, and shows me both of her hands. “Here, make sure I’m not using anything else to lift this,” she tells me. I check all around her hand, looking for strings and whatnot. There’s nothing there that could be used to lift the tooth.

“Looks clean.” I say, confused.

“Right. Here, I’ll show you now,” She says. She waves her hand over the tooth, and it begins to rise slowly into her palm. Her fist closes around the tooth. She gets a proud look on her face. “See? I didn’t touch it.”

“No, you didn’t,” I say incredulously. “When did you figure this out?”

“On today’s mission. A small branch fell, and it was about to hit me. I threw my hand up to swat it away before it hit me, and it got pushed back up into the tree! I don’t think anyone else saw it, because nobody asked me about it. You’re the only one who knows.”

“Hold on…” I say. I have a faint recollection of something Phasma told me during Initiation. “Phasma said something about Commander Ren and the Supreme Leader being able to use these powers. They can’t be Jedi, if the race is extinct.”

“But it wasn’t a race, it was a religion. And apparently, Jedi were the most powerful beings in the universe. They carried weapons called lightsabers, which were rumored to be able to deflect even blaster bolts,” Her eyes are actually glowing now. I can’t look away from them. I start to notice that all the droids are being pulled towards us, likely accidentally by Scerra in her excitement.

“Um, Scerraー”

“I also read something in the First Order’s files about another Jedi named Ezra who is still on the run from the First Order’s forces,” she interrupts me.

“That’s all well and good, butー”

“Oh, fine,” she sighs. “What is it, Ray?” She asks, annoyed. I point to the droids, beeping and whirring in confusion as they are dragged away from their tasks. Her face goes white. “Oh, no. Those droids have a direct link to Phasma. She’ll be coming to investigate! We need to get out of here. Now!” She says, very panicked.

“But how?” I ask. There’s no way we can leave from where we came, if Phasma is on the way.

“The ventilation ducts!” Scerra says, prying open a grate.

“But how will we close the duct?” I ask.

“We can weld it shut from the inside,” She replied, sliding a blowtorch out from her pocket.

“Um… you just carry that with you?” I ask. It’s a little weird to carry something like that all the time.

“Yes, I do. You never know when a stormtrooper might need a certain tool!” She says, looking at me pointedly.

“All right, all right. Let’s just get into the vent!” I tell her, pushing her into the vent. It’s big enough that we can both crawl side-by side. Behind us we can hear Phasma and a few more troopers enter the room we just left.

“We received a signal that the droids here were unable to continue their tasks,” Phasma says to her troops. “Spread out and see what you can find pertaining to this malfunction.”

I hear the noise of multiple feet spreading out across the room. The troopers search the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

“No anomalies sighted, captain,” one of them says. “This room is clear.”

“Very good, soldier,” Captain Phasma says. “Perhaps the transmission was a malfunction.” She and the other troopers leave the room.

“That was close!” Scerra says, pressing up against me. She’s shivering, likely out of fear. As she presses up against me, her soft body causes warmth to flood through me.

“Scerra, are you all right?” I ask, concerned.

“I’m fine, I just feel… tired,” Scerra says, exhaustion visible on her face. “It might have something to do with my powers.”

“Scerra, don’t overexert yourself. You still have tasks to do tomorrow,” I say, leading her to another grate. I pry it open, and Scerra and I crawl out into the hallway. Scerra slumps over onto my shoulder, and I lead her back to the girls’ quarters. Some girls look at me questioningly, as I am carrying the unconscious body of one of their comrades. I play dumb and ask them to check Scerra for any injuries, and that I found her in the hallway before she passed out.

The next morning starts as uneventful as the others, with the exception of Carro attempting his usual antics before seeing I’m already up. I’ve had to slightly change my sleep schedule so I’m up before him. It’s always better to stay awake when he’s around. My cohort moves into the cafeteria to find a surprise none of us expect.

Chapter Five: The Surprise Visit
“Commander Ren! To what do we owe this pleasure?” Phasma says, dropping to one knee. The rest of us perform the First Order salute, raising our left fist to the sky.

“At ease,” Commander Ren says. His deep voice is amplified by his helmet, reverberating around the room in a terrifying echo.
I’ve heard a lot of rumors about what’s under that helmet, but each story agrees on one thing: he’s definitely not human. Whatever species he is, I’d rather not find out.

“I felt a disturbance in the Force come from this compound last night,” Commander Ren says, sweeping our ranks. It’s obvious he’s looking for Scerra, even though he thankfully doesn’t know it’s her yet.

Oh, this is bad, I think. He can’t know who it is.

Commander Ren stops in front of me. I freeze, breaking into a cold sweat under my armor.

“You.” He points, straight at me. “You know something, don’t you?”

“No, sir.”

“You’re lying. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
I back up, but the two troopers behind me lock shoulders, barring any chance I might have to escape. I can somehow feel Commander Ren smile under his mask.

“So, young one... you’ve seen the Force before. You know what it can do. And because of this, you know that whoever caused this is too dangerous to be kept alive.”

“Th-the Force, sir? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” At least this part is true, since it seems like he can somehow smell lies or something.

“The Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things. There was a cult of evil sorcerers called Jedi who manipulated that Force for their own selfish means. My grandfather’s master saw to it that every last one of them was eradicated.

“But two survived. One was my mother. The other, my uncle. His name was Luke Skywalker.”

A murmur passes through the room as he says the name. We’ve all heard of the great daring of Luke Skywalker, how he destroyed the first Death Star with a single torpedo, and somehow turned the great Darth Vader to his whim. And Commander Ren is his nephew? That just adds to his scariness.

“Silence!” Commander Ren screams, his voice booming off the walls. “My father wanted Skywalker to train me in the Jedi ways. Only after being trained for three years did I see the evil of the Jedi. Skywalker tried to kill me in my sleep, afraid of the power I possessed. I escaped, and the Supreme Leader found me. He educated me in the true ways of the Force.

“We formed the First Order, and set our mission to unite all the regions of the galaxy. We never thought there were more among us.”

“I don’t understand. Are there two sides of the Force?”

He clucked his tongue, like he was explaining something to a petulant child. “The Jedi may say they embody the light of the galaxy, but they are merely heretics. They have taken the Force from us ─ tampered with it ─ for use in their own means. If I can find the person who exhibited the power I felt before it’s too late, they and their friends will be rewarded handsomely, and the person will be trained in the proper ways of the Force.”

His words worm their way into my brain, almost forcing his thoughts to become mine. He’s so persuasive, I just want to tell him about Scerra. He just wants to help her. Then, I feel some part of my brain pushing back at him. I can somehow feel Scerra helping me resist him. She’s somewhere in the room.

“So, she’s in this room...” Commander Ren muses, scanning the room once again.

My eyes fall on Scerra, her hand at her side, but her fists clenched. She’s straining hard, obviously trying to conceal her power from him. I want to warn her, but I can’t without revealing her.

“Perhaps she’ll save you...” he says, his voice deathly quiet and calm. Then, his arm shoots into the air.

I’m hurled into the air, almost fifteen feet off the ground. Then, Commander Ren begins to bring his thumb and forefinger towards each other. I feel my throat constricting. My hands shoot up towards my throat, trying, scrabbling to make any kind of difference. I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness.

Chapter Six: Things Fall Apart

“No!!!”

I’m shaken from my stupor when my throat is released. I see a trooper ─ a helmeted Scerra ─ with both arms outstretched, one hand slowly lowering me to the ground, the other raising Commander Ren off the ground.

“Stop infecting him with your lies! You dare to call yourself a savior? A hero?!” Scerra screams. “The Jedi were good people, and you Sith,” she spits like the word has a bad taste, “slaughtered them all!”

Her fingers begin to move toward each other in the same motion that Commander Ren’s had, before she thinks better of it. She bares her teeth, and with a flick of her wrist, slams the Commander into the wall. The wall cracks as his body hits it, and he slides down limply. When he hits the ground, his crumpled form looks much less imposing than it did when he was standing.

“Now,” Scerra growls, her eyes glowing like blue flames on a dark night. “let’s see what the mighty Kylo Ren looks like without his scary mask on!”

She flicks her wrist violently towards herself, and the Commander’s mask flies off. The crowd of troopers gasps at the human face beneath it. Carro stammers,

“But- what about the fangs? The glowing eyes? He’s just a human!”

Kylo Ren’s face is bloody and beaten. I’m unsure of whether Scerra caused this damage or not. He looks out at the crowd, and croaks, his voice much less intimidating without his helmet:

“You now know my words to be true. The Jedi are merciless killers! Instead of the mercy I would have shown her, she reciprocates with this! The Jedi are monsters! Emperor Sidious tried to curb their spread! However, it appears you can never truly eradicate vermin.” He spits on the floor, a sad, bloody glob that doesn’t really end up having the effect he intended. “Kill her! She can’t be allowed to leave!”

Then, the great Commander Kylo Ren collapses in an unconscious, bloody heap.

“Ray, come with me!” Scerra yells, extending her hand towards me. “It’s time for us to go.”

“Scerra, Iー” I stammer, taken aback by her new ferocity. Scerra flicks her hand gently, pulling me towards her, then grabs my hand and runs.

“Get your helmet on!” She yells. “They’ll be looking for us, but the helmets might help us stay anonymous, at least for a bit longer!”

I fumble with my helmet, before I finally get it onto my head. What I see on the optic display terrifies me. I see our faces, with a line of Aurebesh below that reads, ‘Terminate at all costs’.

We near the door to the hangar, before two riot troopers block our path, their shields and shock batons at the ready. Scerra doesn’t miss a beat. She causes the trooper on the right’s baton to lull ever-so-slightly, making it hit the other trooper. The trooper falls to the ground, unconscious. The first trooper makes the mistake of looking away from us at his downed comrade, allowing Scerra time to pull out her micro-blaster. For once, I’m actually grateful for Scerra’s over-preparedness.

We rush into the hangar bay. Troop transports and TIE Fighters line the walls and floor. Scerra begins scanning the room, looking to see if any of the pilots had left their ship unlocked. Her eyes settle on one.

“Perfect! Ray, get in there!” She pushes me into the gunner’s seat. “We gotta go.”

“You do know how to fly this thing, right?” I ask, a little nervous.

“Of course I do!” She shoots back. “Now, I’m gonna need you to take care of any ‘friends’ we might have that try to follow us.”

“Okay. I think I can do that.”

“Good. We need to get out of the Unknown Regions and get a different ship as quickly as possible.”

Scerra’s a natural flyer. The same can’t be said for me as a gunner. Luckily, Scerra helps me by lining me up on the enemy fighters. While we’re flying, I try to get a little more information about what is going on.

“So, would you mind telling me what’s going on?” I ask. I don’t look at Scerra, for fear of angering her. She sighs.

“I haven’t been fully honest with you,” she starts.

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“I’m serious. I knew I couldn’t tell you everything, especially while we were still on the ship. I didn’t trust those droids…

“Anyways, I am a Jedi. A Padawan, technically,” she says. There’s a slight air of sadness in her voice.

“Oh, great. More words I don’t know.”

“Basically, a Padawan is a Jedi apprentice. We study under a Jedi Master until we can become a Master ourselves, and maybe get a Padawan of our own. I was sent here on a mission by my Master, trying to find others like me. Like us.” She turns to look at me.
“What do you mean?” I ask. I don’t have powers like her, so I’m not sure what she’s talking about.

“People who still have a spark of the Light in their hearts. Those who have the possibility of harnessing the Light Side of the Force.” There’s a twinkle in her eye, and I can tell this stuff is really important to her.

“You… think I have this ‘light’?” I ask.

“I had a suspicion, especially once you reached out to me about being able to remember your life before the First Order. The brainwashing usually works completely on most beings, unless,” she looks at me, “they have a connection to the Light.”

“How would I know if I have ‘the Light’?”

“Think. Have you always been able to understand people, even if they speak a different language?”

“Sometimes, yeah.”

“Have you ever noticed that you could understand someone no one else around you could?”

“Yeah. Why is this important?”

“Jedi can mind-link with others. We can understand almost any language, and most people can understand us, if we want them to.”

“Can you also understand droid code?” I ask, remembering a certain incident in my past.

“Yes. Can you? Code is a language, so most Jedi can speak and understand it.”

“Yes, I can speak Droid. I have for as long as I can remember.” I decide not to tell her about the incident unless she asks, or the need arises.

“I’m surprised no one found you sooner. Your parents, friends, someone, must have known about you and kept your signal hidden. Think; Were there any times where you weren’t allowed to do something other kids could?”

“My uncle always seemed overprotective, but he was still my favorite family member. He used to do all these cool parlor tricks for us before he… before everyone was gone.” My eyes drop to my chest. I can’t bear to think about the entire planet worth of people I lost.

“Sounds like your uncle was a Jedi, or at least force-sensitive. Could you tell me his name?”

“His name was Ianar. I don’t know his last name, but if he’s my uncle it’s probably the same as mine. Ianar Vadam.”

“That name doesn’t ring a bell, but one time, there were so many Jedi that an official census was near impossible. There’s also a chance that that’s not his real name.”

I quickly remembered something about Uncle Ianar that I hadn’t ever noticed until now. “Um- Scerra? Did Jedi wear brown and white robes and long brown cloaks? I’m starting to remember more about Ianar.”

“Your uncle had Jedi robes?” Her eyes light up. “Ray, do you think you can guide me to Kyria from here?”

“Probably. I don’t know if his house is still standing, though.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s standing or not. Lightsabers don’t burn easily. If he had one, it’s still there.”

“Unless the First Order took it,” I shoot back. “They seem to love taking ‘souvenirs’.”

“You’re not wrong,” she laughs, “But he probably would have hidden his things when the attack happened. I know I would have. Now, let’s go to Kyria.” She turns the ship in the direction of my former home.

“This ship doesn’t have a hyperdrive. How long will it take to get there?” I ask. This ship has enough rations to last eight people eight days, or sixteen people four days.

“With the fuel we have, a day and a half,” Scerra replies. I didn’t realize the compound was so close to my home. My heart leapt at the thought of seeing my home again, no matter what state it would be in.

Chapter Seven: On the Run

I awoke to the ship rumbling and shaking. I shot up, on the alert, before shouting to Scerra, “What’s happening?”

“Don’t worry, we’re just entering Kyria’s atmosphere. Now, where was his house?”

I relaxed slightly. Numaan Kwaa spaceport loomed on the ground in front of us. It seemed like there were still people here, but I didn’t know if they were First Order or not. My question was answered when a landing crew buzzed through the ship’s comms.

“First Order Transport IA-2273C, Please state objective,” The officer droned, “so that we can guide you to a landing area.”

“First Order Transport IA-2273C requesting landing for ordered recon,” Scerra replies, not missing a beat. I can tell she’s using a voice modulator to disguise us.

“I was not aware there was to be a recon mission here,” the officer replied, before pausing and saying, “Very well. Please proceed to Hangar C.”

Scerra lands the craft, and we walk out, and are greeted by an officer. He appears stiff and nervous. He regards us with concern. “I was not aware of a reconnaissance mission on Kyria, much less one with a two-man team.” Scerra bristles at this. “What is the objective of this mission?”

Scerra doesn’t miss a beat. “The Supreme Commander heard of possible mineral deposits in Kyria. We’re here to take some mineral readings.”

The officer relaxed. “Of course. I myself heard those rumors. I’ll leave you to it. Science never interested me anyway.” He turns and walks back into the spaceport’s main complex. I turn to Scerra.

“Nice goi─” I start to say before she raises a finger to my lips, causing me to feel heat rising to my face. She leans in close and says,

“Hush. They might still be listening. Wait to speak until we leave the area, away from any microphones they may have.”

I nod and close my mouth, hoping she can’t see how much I’m blushing. Scerra pulls out a device, a mineral scanner, probably to back up our lie. She motions for me to follow, and heads out of the hangar into the warm Kyrian suns. My breath catches as I look upon the trinary suns of Kyria again, and see the once-mighty forests now slightly burned. The whole planet seems deathly quiet. When she decides we are far enough from the spaceport, Scerra turns to me.

“So, where did your uncle live?”

“Follow me,” I say, leading her to Ianar’s house--or really, what’s left of it. An entire wall is almost completely gone. We walk in through the giant hole, and Scerra begins searching through drawers, cabinets, anything you could hide something in. I start to search with her, until I notice a single floorboard that is a different color and length than the rest. I motion to Scerra, and she comes over, pulling out a crowbar. After a quick thought of where is she keeping all this stuff?, I join her in tearing up the floorboard.

Under the floorboard is what I originally think is just a bundle of clothes. But apparently, that’s not what Scerra sees.

“You were right! These are Jedi robes!” She exclaims, pulling out the bundle. It unfurls, and a small metal cylinder rolls out. Scerra’s hand shoots to her mouth, then pumps the air triumphantly. “I was right too! He left his lightsaber!”

Scerra lifts the lightsaber off the floor and hands it to me, before pulling one of her own out of the cylindrical canister on the waist of her suit, which would normally be used to hold emergency gear.

“What do you want me to do with this?” I ask, holding the lightsaber delicately.

“I’ll teach you how to use it when we get to a more remote place. For now, just make sure you hide it somewhere on your body. I would suggest the emergency supply canister, like I keep mine in.”

I do as she says, and we head back to the spaceport. I notice that Scerra put the Jedi robes into a crate, and is carrying it with her with some rocks on top, to further credit our mineral analysis. The officer is back near our ship, and sees us return.

“Well? What did you find?” He asks, seeming genuinely interested.

“There is some iron ore, but it’s in too small of a concentration to be of any use,” Scerra says, feigning disappointment. “Looks like this planet’s another bust.”

“A shame. Ah well. Not every planet can be useful,” The officer remarks, and I feel my blood begin to boil, before calming back down before I end up doing anything stupid.

“We have orders to continue to the next planet. I’ll be sure to tell Phasma of your loyalty and cooperation,” Scerra says.

As we get back on the ship, we see that the supplies and fuel have been replenished. Scerra nods to the officer, who salutes back. Scerra turns the engine, and we begin to exit Kyria, but not before we see a Star Destroyer approaching. It’s still pretty far off, but if they’re after us already, we’re in trouble with a ship that doesn’t have a hyperdrive.

“Scerra, we have to get a new ship! They’re tracking us!” I yell, realizing why the Star Destroyer knew to follow us here.

Scerra guns the engine. “Don’t worry, I’ll get us to a planet with a better spaceport where we can get a faster ship.”

As we shoot off, I know enough about the galaxy to know that we’re heading towards the Outer Rim. Smart. We can definitely ditch the ship and get a new one there. Heck, we could probably get new lives there.

“So, which planet are we going to?” I ask Scerra.

“Shh,” she says, putting her finger to my lips again. As per usual, I blush. She holds up a small piece of paper with the words, We might be being monitored. We need to ditch the ship and these uniforms as soon as possible. There’s no better place to do that than Jakku.

Jakku? Well, I suppose it’s better than Tatooine. I nod, and Scerra smiles. She takes out her pen again and writes, I know. I feel panic rise in my throat. She knows what? My panic obviously shows on my face, because a mischievous grin spreads across her face. She writes, Don’t be stupid. What’s the one secret you’ve kept from me? Uh-oh. She knows that? I suppose that’s not the worst thing that can happen, though. She turns back around and continues writing. I wait in anticipation. When she finally turns around, I see five words: I feel the same way. I suddenly realize that Scerra has turned the autopilot on. She’s unbuckled her seatbelt, and is moving back towards my seat. She stops near the music box, and puts a song in. A soft melody begins to play. She walks over to me, and starts talking to me for the first time since Kyria.

“There, now we can speak properly. You honestly thought I couldn’t see the way you looked at me? Luckily, the time I spent with you convinced me that you’re truly someone special. Over the time we’ve known each other, I started to develop feelings for you, too. But since the First Order is so strict, I couldn’t do anything about it. But now, since we’re alone… would you care to dance with me?”

I nod, and she smiles. I can’t help but notice a slight blush on her round, dimpled cheeks. “Wait here,” she says. “I’m going to go change out of this armor into something a bit more comfortable.”

“That’s OK. I guess I don’t have anything else to wear, though…” I say. She tosses me a bundle of clothes.

“Don’t worry, I took extra precautions. Leave your armor on the ship.” She whispers the next part in my ear, “we’re going to fake our deaths.”

I’m struck by how great of an idea this is. If they think we died, they won’t need a reason to go after us. When Scerra turns the corner to change, I have to resist the urge to take a peek. I quickly change into the new clothes Scerra brought for me, and now I look like any other citizen. After Scerra is finished changing, she walks back into the cabin, and grabs me.

Scerra is wearing robes similar to the ones Uncle Ianar had, but a bit of the front is open, exposing part of her chest. She holds me close, and we begin to dance slowly around the room. I’m struck by just how warm Scerra is, and when she’s not in her armor, her body seems much more free. Somehow, she seems larger than life now in the way she exudes confidence.

As we dance, Scerra moves my hands down to her waist. I clasp her around the middle, and we sway back and forth to the music. Scerra wraps her arms around my neck, and stares into my eyes. Somehow, I can see the pain from her past in her eyes. It’s a dark cloud floating just behind that mischievous twinkle, like she’s trying to hide it. I suddenly feel the urge to know exactly what happened.

“Would you be fine with telling me what happened in your past?” I ask. She looks up at me, and I can see apprehension on her face. “It’s OK. I can handle it.”

“Maybe it is better if you know,” she says, and presses her forehead to mine.

Chapter Eight: Every Light Has its Shadow

Suddenly, I’m pulled away from the ship, moving backwards through time. I see what I can only imagine is what the inside of an eye looks like, and I burst through the pupil into Scerra’s memory. I see what I can assume is a young Scerra. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and Scerra is standing behind me.

“Welcome to my brain, I suppose,” She says. It’s apparent she doesn’t exactly want to be here. “We’re about to venture into a very dark place. If you can’t handle it, I can take you out of our mind-link.”

“I’ll be sure to let you know if I need that. However, I feel like I need to understand you before I can trust you.” I say. Her face falls a bit, and I place a hand on her cheek. “I don’t mean that I don’t trust you yet, I’m just not quite sure I can entrust my life to you just yet.” Scerra looks away, and the scene in front of me starts to unfold.

Scerra, probably around five years old, is playing with some toy starfighters. She’s blissfully carefree. A man, who I can only assume to be her father, enters. He staggers with drunkenness, and he moves toward Scerra. She senses the danger and looks up. She attempts to run, but he grabs her.

Knowing what’s going to come next, I look away, and Scerra pushes me back out of her mind. We’re still standing right where we were, in the same position, but her breathing is now shallow and rough.

“Do you see now?” she asks. “My father saw my abilities as a curse. He tried to kill me multiple times before I ran away. Luckily, my master found me and took me in. He taught me how to use the Force, and how to survive.”

“Who is your master? You’ve never said his name,” I ask. I want to know who this kind soul is. Scerra’s mischievous glint returns.

“You’ll find out soon enough. I’m trying to set up a rendezvous.”

A thought occurs to me that hadn’t before. “Scerra, when we were in the room with the droids, you seemed like you had just remembered the Jedi. Was that true?”

She looks at me. “I didn’t tell you the whole truth. That day, the brainwashing had worn off and I remembered my life before. I remembered everything. Most of the things that happened during my time with the First Order went away. But, for some reason, I still remembered you. That’s when I knew the Force was trying to show me something. You were important in some way. Hopefully my master can tell us if you truly are important.”

I feel warmth run through my body at the prospect of being the only thing she remembers from her time with the First Order. I can see Jakku approaching, and I gesture towards the window. Scerra runs toward the controls.

“Ray, we’re going in too fast!” She yells, sounding panicked. She looks back at me from the pilot’s seat, a mischievous grin on her face. She winks and holds a finger to her lips. “I need your help, or we’re not going to make it!”

Oh, great. She needs me to act along. I guess I can put my nerves into my voice. I just hope I can be convincing enough. I steel myself, then give it a shot. “What? Wasn’t the autopilot on?!”

“The autopilot must have miscalculated!” She yells. She then goes silent and puts a finger to her lips yet again. She holds up her paper again, this time with the words, I need absolute silence. Get the parachutes. I do, and hand one to her. She writes, Perfect. Now, get ready to jump! The exit starts to lower, and whipping, blistering winds start to seep into the cabin. Scerra leaves the pilot’s seat, and runs at me. She realized I’m not ready, but also knows we need to go now. Her weight throws me out of the back of the ship, and she grabs my hand.

“We need to time this perfectly,” she says. “Get your hand on the pull-cord for the parachute.” I get my hand into position, and Scerra counts me down. “Three, two, one… Pull now!”

I pull, and my fall slows dramatically. As we float down to the surface of the planet, I hear a bone-shaking explosion from behind us. Probably our ship. I make a realization. Ianar’s robes! I look to Scerra, and she’s holding the crate the robes were in. She looks to me and says,

“Don’t worry, I got the lightsabers too. They’re too valuable to leave behind.”

Since we’re out of the ship, it appears we can talk freely. I can see a settlement in the distance, and point it out to Scerra. She looks where I point and says,

“Niima Outpost! Perfect! There’s no better place on Jakku to change your identity. We can buy a ship, new clothes, even a new name.”

As we land in the sand, I finally realize just how hot Jakku is. Luckily, we know where Niima Outpost is, otherwise this endeavor would seem hopeless. We begin walking towards the outpost, knowing we need to keep moving. If we stop, who knows if we’ll ever get going again. Besides, we need to get as far away from our old ship as possible.

As we crest a large dune, I finally see Niima Outpost again. We’re close now. I can see a cluster of ships laying on the sand, as well as numerous ramshackle huts. The noise of the settlement can already reach me. I look to Scerra and ask her, “Any ideas on where we should go?”

“If we want anything of decent quality, we should go to Unkar Plutt,” Scerra says, pointing to a specific hut. “His prices may be a bit high, but he has the best quality ships on this planet.”

As we near Unkar Plutt’s stall, I realize just how high in demand his goods are. We have to wait in line behind a mob of people, most of them holding recently scavenged scrap.

When it’s finally our turn, I get to see Unkar Plutt for the first time. A Crolute, he looks quite out of place in an environment as dry and arid as this one. He is a hulking brute, and a grumpy one at that. As we approach, he sneers down at me.

“Just who’s this scrawny runt, Scerra?” He growls.

Scerra leans across the counter, getting up in Unkar Plutt’s face. “He’s a bounty I’m delivering to the Hutts on Tatooine, but we ran into some trouble with our ship,” she gestures to the plume of black smoke rising in the distance. “And since you have the best ships around, I’d be happy to provide my patronage to you.”

Unkar Plutt scratches his jaw. “Well, I know one thing you said is true. My ships are the best around! Har har har!” As he laughs, Scerra points to a ship.

“How about that one?” She asks. Unkar Plutt’s eyes wander toward the ship.

“You want the Vanguard? Good choice. It’s 72000 credits.”

72 thousand?! I think, but Scerra is unfazed. She waves her hand in an almost unnoticeable gesture, and says,

“But you can give me a discount. Say, fifty thousand credits?”

Unkar scratches his head. “It’s 72 thousand, but since I know I can trust you with the ship, and it’ll be in good hands, I can lower the price to fifty thousand credits.” Scerra slides the credits across the table, and Unkar passes her the keys. “Enjoy the ship! No refunds, ever.” He barks.

“That won’t be a problem,” Scerra says, and pulls me towards the ship. I get my first good look at it, and I’m impressed. An old Razor Crest, it looks a bit worse for wear, but overall looks pretty good for such an old ship. And the important thing is that it has weapons. Scerra pulls on the handle of the door, but it squeaks and the door stays shut. She slams the back of her hand into the doorframe, and I hear a click. The door opens, and we step inside.

Cobwebs hang from most of the ceiling, and the ship is mostly empty. In the far corner, a cot lays on the floor. It doesn’t look too comfortable, but it’ll probably do. The cargo hold is almost completely empty, save for a few crates scattered about. There could be something inside them, but we need to focus on leaving the planet first. I turn toward the open door, and realize Scerra has run off back into the town. Unfazed, I decide to check out the cockpit.

Everything seems to be in working order, but that doesn’t exactly mean it does work. One thing in particular I notice is that one of the seats has a long, thin gash along it, almost like a claw mark. I shudder as I imagine the fate this ship’s previous owner may have suffered.

I hear footsteps coming up the gangway. Scerra has returned, this time with a crate of supplies. She tosses me another bundle of clothes, and I put on the basic robes she gave me. Scerra plops herself down in the pilot’s seat, and begins flipping various switches. The ship shudders as the engine turns and roars to life. The various lights in the cockpit blink on slowly, and Scerra grips the wheel.

“You might want to hold on!” she yells over the hum of the motor. “There’s no guarantee this will be a smooth ride!”

She yanks the wheel, and I’m thrown backward into one of the seats. She looks over and laughs. “I guess I did warn you!”

As we leave Jakku’s atmosphere, she turns to me. Now that we can talk freely without fear of spying, I have several things to ask.

Chapter Nine: Love Amongst the Stars

“Scerra, where are we going? What is the plan? When are you going to tell me more about the Force?”

She switches on autopilot, and enters in some coordinates. She turns to me, and sighs.

“Yes, I suppose I should explain the plan. We’re going to Tython for a rendezvous with my master. Then, hopefully we can teach you the ways of the Jedi. And, he’ll explain more about the Force when we’re on Tython, since my master should be able to explain it better than I can.”

“That’s all well and good, Scerra, but who is your master?” I ask.

Scerra grins. “All you need to know is that he’s very powerful, and likes to remain a mystery.”

Great. I’m supposed to trust her, but she’s being very secretive. I guess I’ll just have to face these things as they come. “All right. I’ll trust you, Scerra.”

Scerra smiles at me, and my heart leaps again. “Thanks, Ray. You won’t regret it!”

That doesn’t necessarily reassure me, but if anyone knows what they’re doing, it’s Scerra. I’d put my life in her hands any day. I think back on our previous adventures, and I realize I have put my life in her hands several times already. I look over at her, and she grins, biting her lip a little. She gets up, and starts to walk toward me, a sly look on her face. Too late, I realize what she wants, and she’s in my lap before I can make room for her. Trying to adjust so she can be comfortable, she giggles.

“Ray, I swear sometimes you have the intelligence of a bantha!” Scerra laughs, before leaning forward and touching her lips to mine.

My eyes widen. I definitely wasn’t expecting her to just outright kiss me. However, I soon give in to the kiss, letting her lead me. After Scerra breaks the kiss, she wraps her legs around me so her feet are behind my back, holding her in place on me. “That was definitely your first kiss, wasn’t it?” She grins, biting her lip again.

“It was my first kiss, and possibly my best, Scerra…”

“I’m happy to hear that, Ray. The same goes for me.”

“Scerra, I don’t know if we should be doing this. I mean, we’re both just kids…” I regret saying it, but it’s the best thing for both of us at the moment. “We need to focus on surviving for now.”

Scerra looks sad, but her eyes tell me she already knew this. “I know, Ray. It’s so easy to get distracted, though…”

“I know. But if we escape the First Order, we’ll have plenty of time for… that. Romance. And whatever else you want.”

Scerra sighs. “You’re right. Besides, we’re almost to Tython anyways. We’ll arrive in the morning. Let’s get some rest.”

“Scerra, there’s only one cot. You’re not thinking…”

Scerra smiles. “We can share it, right? It’s not like we have to do anything else…”

“All right, Scerra. But remember, for now we’re just friends.” I tentatively climb into the cot. Thankfully, there is enough room for two people in it to have a little room left over.

“Of course, Ray.” Scerra climbs in beside me, and I feel myself nod off to the soft hum of the ship.

Chapter Ten: Tython

I wake up the next morning to find Scerra snuggled up close to me. I lightly run my hands through her hair, and she begins to stir.

“Mmmm… good morning, Ray!”

“Good morning, Scerra. We should probably get ready to start the day, right?” I start to sit up, but she pulls me back down.

“Five more minutes, Ray? I want to sp]end more time just laying here with you.”

I sigh, then smile and lay back next to her. We spend the next five or ten minutes just laying there, enjoying the warmth of each other’s bodies. I finally start to get back up, and Scerra looks a bit sad.

“Don’t worry, Scerra. We’ll still have more time together. Right now, we need to get to Tython.”

Scerra sighs, then gets up and puts her robes back on. She heads toward the cockpit, and checks the navigator. “Estimated time of arrival to Tython is about thirty minutes.”

“Sounds good. In thirty minutes, I’ll finally start to get some answers!” As I say this, I grin at her playfully. She grins back. “You hungry?” I ask, moving to the cabin to prepare us some breakfast.

“Starved. We need to fill up to prepare for the day...” Scerra grins.

“That is definitely true!” I laugh as I make us breakfast. Scerra waits at a table near me as I work. When I’m finished, I bring the food to the cockpit and the two of us eat together. I choose this time to ask her something that’s been in my head for a bit.

“Scerra, what’s the main thing I should expect from your master?”

She turns to me, and thinks for a moment. “Don’t expect him to say too much about his past. He really doesn’t like to talk about it. You’ll see why when we actually meet him.”

“All right. You sure know how to get me interested! I really want to find out more now!”

She grins. “Too bad the Jedi Temple was destroyed. I heard its library was huge! I’d love to have been able to go there and gather more information on the Jedi ways and history.”

“So is your master one of the last people alive to know these things?” I ask.

Scerra thinks for a moment. “Not exactly. Like I said, you’ll see why soon.”

I sit back, enjoying this quiet time with Scerra. As we come out of hyperspeed, I see the planet of Tython. It looks covered in trees, deep green in color. As we start to enter the atmosphere, I see just how beautiful it is. As I scan the landscape, I notice a circle of spire-like rocks jutting up high into the sky. In the center sits a round stone. Scerra lands the ship close to the stone circle, and leads me outside.

As we approach the circle, Scerra walks right up to the circular stone. She climbs up onto it, and sits down. She crosses her legs and closes her eyes, assuming a meditative pose. I wait for a few seconds, but nothing happens. Then, suddenly, a cylinder of energy surrounds her. The ends of Scerra’s hair start to drift upward, and her brow furrows slightly, as if she’s concentrating very hard. Her eyes open again, and she takes a sharp breath. The energy dies down, and she slides off the rock.

“All right, Ray. Your turn. Just climb up on the rock, and try to connect with it.”

I climb up onto the rock, and assume a position similar to the one she was in. Once again, nothing happens for a bit. Then, my eyes still closed, I see a small, light blue butterfly flit across my vision. It’s hard not to notice it. It flits and flutters, coming closer to me. I reach my hand out, and it lands in my palm.

My eyes shoot open, and I see Scerra’s smiling face. “How do you feel, Ray?”

“The butterfly… is that normal?”

Scerra beams. “You connected to the Force! My master should be here soon, as he should have sensed that we’re both here.”

My excitement begins to build. Finally, I get to meet whoever it is that Scerra’s been gushing about this whole time. As we wait, Scerra walks over to me and takes my hand. I feel a slight blush shoot to my cheeks again, but I don’t mind.

Scerra turns to me. “Ray, close your eyes, and don’t open them until you think you sense him.”

“How will I know it’s him?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll know.”

I close my eyes, and wait. After a few minutes, I begin to feel a very powerful presence near me. I open my eyes, and see the man that Scerra has been talking about all this time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn’t expect anything close to what I saw. For starters, he wasn’t really there. Well, he was… but he was also partially see-through. He emitted a faint blue glow, and I felt like if I put my hand up to him, it’d go right through.

He’s not really that remarkable looking. He’s dressed in robes similar to Scerra’s, but darker. His dark hair is cut a bit long, and it’s a tangled mess. A scar reaches across most of his face, but it doesn’t interfere with his good looks. I can understand his handsomeness, but his eyes house a certain sadness. He looks at Scerra, and smiles.

“Scerra, my brave Padawan! You’ve made it back safely. And, you’ve brought a Force-sensitive boy with you!” He turns to me. “Hello. My name is--”

“Anakin Skywalker.” I interrupt him. “I know who you are. You were one of the Jedi Scerra told me about you while we were on the way here. But… aren’t you dead?”

Anakin smiles. “Have you ever seen a living man who looks like this?” He moves so he is standing partially inside of the stone, then steps back out. “Yes, I am dead. I died long ago, and was replaced by the monster you know as Darth Vader.”

“Y-you were Darth Vader? The most feared Sith in the whole galaxy?”

He grimaces. “I was. But before that, I was one of the most respected Jedi in the galaxy as well. Some even called me the Chosen One, the one who would bring balance to the Force. I ended up doing that twice, actually. First when I aided in the killing of all but two Jedi--or so I thought--and the other when I killed the last two Sith--Darth Sidious, and myself. After I died, I decided that, if I ever found another Force-sensitive person, I would educate them in the ways of the Force, both the light and dark sides of it.”

“Both light and dark? But I thought the dark side was evil.”

Anakin turns to Scerra. “Is that how you explained it to him?”

Scerra looks to me. “No. I didn’t explain that there were multiple sides to the Force at all. In my opinion, it’s just ‘the Force.’”

Anakin grins. “As you should have. Having spent time on both sides, I realized that true balance is the use of a combination of light and Dark. A sort of ‘gray Force’, if you will.”

“Balance is good, right?” I ask. It certainly sounds good.

“Balance is the best possible outcome. The Jedi Order strived for balance, but still used problematic methods to do so. They believed that balance was in the use of the light side only. However, just as a day is both light and dark, balance requires a bit of both.”

“So you teach this balance to people like Scerra?”

Anakin smiles. “Yes, people like Scerra. And… like you. You do have a sensitivity to the Force. I’ve sensed it, and so did Scerra. In the truest sense, we already have everything we need to train you. However, there are certain things that would help to speed up the process, as well as help you to dive deeper into the ways of the Jedi.”

“You mean like my uncle’s things? We picked some of them up on Kyria.”

Anakin turns to Scerra. “What is he talking about? What did you find?” His eyes show a curiosity, but also a hint of concern.

Scerra runs down to the ship, and comes back with the crate of Ianar’s things. She sets them down in the middle of our little group, and pops the lid off.

The first thing Anakin sees is the lightsaber. He reaches out as if to touch it, but passes right through. “This is… perfect. My biggest concern was how to get you one of these. Turns out I needn’t have worried. The Force has provided for us what we need. Ray, would you please pick up your lightsaber?” I start to protest, saying that it was Ianar’s, but Anakin stops me. “Ianar Vadam is no longer alive. He left these to you, therefore this,” he points to the metal cylinder, “is now yours.”

I reach into the crate and gingerly take out the lightsaber. I’m not sure how it works, and I don’t want to mess anything up. Anakin nods, then looks back to the crate.

“The robes… take them out, too.” I do so, and uncover something I never noticed before. It’s a small blue box that gives off a soft glow. Anakin takes a deep breath, which I didn’t know was possible, seeing as he’s not in a physical body. As he exhales, Scerra comes over to see what was inside.

“A holocron?” Scerra’s eyebrows raise.

“Not just any holocron. This has to be from the Jedi archives. Either that, or this is Ianar’s personal research on… something.”

“Like what?” I ask. What could Ianar have been studying?

“Ianar was always a supporter of the Grey Force. He believed that every aspect of the Force should be explored and taught. Because of this, he was exiled from the Jedi Order. It looks like he continued his research in solitude, away from the prying eyes of others.”

“So that’s why he never told me about the Jedi…” I muse. “He must have wanted to keep me safe from both sides.”

Anakin looks to me. “That seems likely. Once a Jedi has made their initial connection to the Force, it becomes much easier for other Force-users to find them. It’s likely dangerous that the three of us are currently together…” As Anakin says this, I feel a malicious presence. Scerra and I double over in pain as a rasping, gravelly voice enters our heads.

“So, little Jedi… you thought you could hide from me? I am the most powerful being in the galaxy! You were foolish to activate the seeing stone on Tython. Now, you have led me directly to you!”

Scerra looks at me, genuine fear in her eyes. “He’s coming! Ray, we have to leave. Now! If he finds you, he’ll kill us both!”

“Scerra, who was that?” I’m not really sure I want to know.

“That… is Supreme Leader Snoke. He’s the most powerful Sith in the galaxy. To put things into perspective, Kylo Ren is his apprentice.”

“Great. So we have to deal with someone even more powerful than Kylo Ren? We barely escaped that encounter!”

“But we did escape, Ray. And if we use our brains and teach you what you need to know, we’ll always escape.”

I stop for a second. How long would it take for them to teach me ‘all I need to know’? “So we’d live our entire lives on the run? That hardly sounds like a life at all.”

“Trust me, Ray, it’s better than whatever Snoke has planned for us. I’m not sure if he’s human anymore, or if he ever was.”

Anakin interrupts us. “Time is running out. The First Order will be here in a matter of minutes. And Ren is with them. I suggest you take this crate and its contents and leave now.”

“What about you, Master Skywalker?” I ask. We’ve barely met, but I’m already concerned for the young man.

Anakin grins. “Ray, I’m already dead. And please, call me Anakin. Besides, Ren’s quarrel is not with me. It never was. My grandson cares not about revenge on the dead, he only cares about eradicating the last of the Jedi. Meaning, you.”

Scerra quickly packs the crate back up, and begins to pull me toward the ship. Anakin calls after us, “Don’t worry. I’ll catch up with you wherever you go next. Scerra, you begin to train Ray. The ship might actually be the best place to do this.”

“Of course, Master. I’ll teach him as much as we have time for.” Scerra leads me onto the ship, and quickly begins flipping switches. “Ray, I need a planet with minimal First Order presence. Got any ideas?”

Chapter Eleven: Sarcona

I think back to the list of future projects on the First Order’s list. We need something a bit further down on that list. “What about Sarcona? The First Order was scheduling that for a first sweep next month.”

“That sounds great! A beautiful beach planet where it’ll be just the two of us. I can train you, and we can have a romantic getaway, too!” Scerra smiles, a gleam in her eye.

“I-I, uh… a romantic getaway sounds great!” I feel my cheeks start to get hot. Scerra giggles, and plants a kiss on my cheek, causing me to redden even further. “How can I say no to you, Scerra?”

“You can’t. No matter how hard you try. I’ll always be able to control you!” Scerra winks, taking my hand in hers. With her other hand, she punches in the coordinates to Sarcona. When she finishes, she pulls me out of my seat and leads me over to the couch in the common area of the ship. She plops down, inviting me to sit next to her. I do so, and she slides next to me, rubbing up against me from the side.

“Scerra, how are you always so warm and soft?” I grin, resting my head on top of hers.

“That’s my secret, Ray. I’m just always perfect for what you need.” She looks up and kisses me again.

“You really are, aren’t you?” I return her kiss, and my arm goes around her waist. We sit there, cuddling for a bit, when I feel Scerra start to get antsy. She moves herself over so she’s sitting in my lap, and turns around to face me. “Scerra, what is it?”

“Ray, I want you…”

“Scerra, remember what I said earlier. We need to focus on surviving. If we slip up… well, I don’t want to live in a galaxy without you.”

Scerra places her forehead to mine and nuzzles me. “The same goes for me. But I think we can afford a little distraction, don’t you think…?”

I feel my body start to get hot. “Well, maybe a little…” I suddenly realized something. “Scerra, we’re underage… we can’t do what it is you want. I’m sorry.”

Scerra pouts, and that alone almost makes me want to take back what I said. But then she sighs, and says, “I know. I just… I’ve never been in love like this before. With someone like you.”

“I feel the same, Scerra. But it’s like I keep telling you. We need to focus on survival first. After you train me a bit, we’ll be safer.”

Scerra sighs. “All right, then. Let’s get to it.” She searches around the cabin for something, before she finds an old pilot’s helmet. She puts it on my head and lowers the blast visor.

“Scerra, I can’t see!”

“You’re not supposed to be able to, Ray. Use the Force to see for you.”

“It can do that?”

Scerra laughs. “It can. Just close off yourself and feel the room.”
I sigh, and close my eyes. Nothing. But then… the butterfly returns. It flits to and fro in my vision, landing on objects I currently can’t see. As it lands on objects, I can start to see their outlines in my mind. I reach out further, and am suddenly able to sense some objects even before the butterfly lands on them. And then, I see Scerra’s smiling face. As I look at her, I notice a relatively bright glow coming from her chest. I look down, and a similar glow emanates from my own chest, right where my heart would be.

I hear Scerra’s voice. “Can you see anything? Anything at all?”

“I… I see you, Scerra. And I see the light in your heart…”

Somehow, I know she blushes. “R-really? The first thing you were able to see was me? You know, they do say that the Force allows us to form connections. You must have been able to see me so quickly because we’d already connected for some time.”

“That sounds so spiritual… you mean it’s like we’re soul mates?”

“You could say that.” She grins.

“Then it seems like my soul has good taste.” I grin back. I know what I said was cheesy, but it makes Scerra grin.

“Or maybe the Force does.” She returns my playfulness.

“Either way, I’m glad we’re together.” I extend my hand and, tentatively testing my connection to the Force, pull Scerra closer to me. I wrap my arms around her when she’s close.

“Such a gentleman!” She giggles, before starting to sway side to side. We stand there, slowly dancing with each other for a while. After a bit, Scerra pulls away. “We should probably get back to training you.”

“You’re probably right.”

She continues to train me until we’re both too tired to stand, then we both curl up in the ship’s bunk and doze off in each other’s arms.