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On the planet of Tatooine, twenty eight years after the Battle of Yavin.
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Even after all its many years, Mos Eisley remains a wretched hive of scum and villainy.
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The denizens of the city go about their business, much like they always have. Aliens from countless worlds, smugglers on the run, and peaceful moisture farmers, they all live their lives untouched by the New Republic. In these times, most keep their heads lowered, and their words quiet. Some things never change on Tatooine, and lawlessness is no exception.
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In recent days, the troops of the dreaded First Order have made their presence known, and keep a dark and watchful eye over the spaceport. In their white armor, the Stormtroopers under the command of Supreme Leader Snoke stand resolute, hiding the faces of humans under their helmets. With the purpose of eliminating their humanity, leaving only their strength and power.
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On the outskirts of the spaceport rests a droid shop, a small establishment owned by a Nemodian known as Ruke Vaalo. Outside of it rests a junkyard, where Ruke keeps everything from old Pit Droids to Podracer engines.
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Through the sands and scraps of metal, Mile Danis works in the yard. He is young, and has yet to make his mark on the world. But he works diligently, even under the unforgiving gaze of Tatooine’s twin suns.
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Ruke steps out into the junkyard, as the sands begin to shift and the winds grow harsher. Dust begins to fill the air, and Ruke calls over to the young human. A sandstorm is about to hit.
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“You’re in luck, boy,” the Nemodian says gruffly as he looks to the horizon. “Looks like a sandstorm coming this way. Pack up everything, this pile of junk’s accustomed to be buried in sand; we are not.”
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Mile hustles through his work, finishing as quickly as he can, as the winds begin to grow in strength.
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Sand blows through the air, hailing down across the surface of the planet
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Later that evening, Mile takes cover from the untamable sands in Squid’s Café; a small watering hole owned by an old Quarren veteran from the Galactic Civil War.
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Even with a storm raging outside, the patrons find entertainment in watching and betting on holovids of Podraces from Malastare.
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The owner of the café’s name is Bassik Grenn, but he is known more often as Squid. Most Quarren would be offended by the title, but Squid has adopted it ever since his days in the Rebel Alliance.
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An old spacer, Hallis is a friend of Mile’s. He always has stories of distant planets to tell, but even then, Mile does not know much about the mysterious old Givin. He lives out in the Jundland Wastes, working as a Moisture Farmer.
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“I haven’t seen sands this strong since Jakku,” Squid began, “When that huge Star Destroyer crashed to the ground, it sent sands flying every which way. But it felt like most of it ended up in our eyes,” he says nostolgically.
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“There was once a pretty wild dust storm during a battle Aargonar. Of course then, it was our ship that was doing the crashing,” Hallis joined in, his tone showing the smile his face does not. He and Squid had always enjoyed swapping stories of distant worlds, and journies to them. Some Mile had heard countless times, but this was one he had not.
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Ever eager to learn, Mile listens intently. He enjoys Hallis’ stories of adventure across the galaxy. He had always thought about being a spacer, roaming the galaxy, visiting distant planets, seeing sites like the capital of Hosnian Prime, or even the city world of Coruscant. But the only home he knows is the vast deserts of Tatooine, and it has always seemed like this place was the planet farthest from the bright center of the universe.
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“Those were different days,” Hallis states, “Life was adventure. But after the Clone Wars, so much changed.”
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“Wait… You fought in the Clone Wars?” Mile asks. He had always suspected, do to the Givin’s age and his array of tales. But he had never found the opportuinty to ask the question.
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“Yes,” Hallis says as he leans back, memory haunting his tone. “I fought for the Old Republic. But that was a different time, life was adventure then. Even with the New Republic and all its glory, things will never be the same.” His voice begins to trail off for a moment, as Hallis thinks to himself. “Different stories for different times.” The Givin says, more cheerfully. He then spends the rest of the evening telling a tale of the harvest, as the memory of the past fades into the night.
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The following morning, Mile cleans up the yard with the help of two Jawas. Everthing had shifted under the harsh winds, and air filled with sand.
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The Jawas’ names are Meeto and Haak. Excitable little fellows, but fierce as a Krayt Dragon in a pinch. They scuffle through the endless piles of scrap.
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“Utinni!” Haak, the younger one, exclaims, as he gestures to an Astromech arm nearby. “Sala Ruke chii haja sung daba.” Mile tells them in Jawaese. The words meaning: Master Ruke will definity want this. The jawas nod, and then wander off to look through the junk.
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Mile reaches down for the part, but sees something glimmering in the pile of scrap, uncovered by the winds from the storm. He clears the pile…
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…revealing a small metal object. It is unusual, but unique. Mile cannot explain it, but it almost seems to… call to him.
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He picks the object up, and studies it. It is heavier than he suspected, but still light. It was worn, but at the same time, it seemed in decent condition. But what it even was was still a mystery to him.
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“What is this thing?” He asks himself softly, gripping the unusual item in his hand.
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He decides to examine it later, and get back to work. But as he takes the R-series part back to the shop, he cannot help but think about how the odd little object had drawn him.
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After a long day of work, Mile rushes home. He dodges the Stormtroopers of the First Order, much like he usually does. They had only been on Tatooine for a few years, but their commands were law. Mile knew it wise not to tangle with them.
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He passes by a few more Jawas as arrives at his home. He was lucky enough to pick up their language, from living his whole life here.
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He enters his home, and is greeted by his friend, and trustworthy droid: R5-D4.
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An old Astromech Droid, Mile had found R5 while Scavaging an abandoned Moisture Farm with Haak and Meeto a few years back. They had reckoned that what had really happened was that Sand People had burned the place to the ground.
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Mile was happy to find R5, though he had needed a few repairs. Chief among them; a very bad motivator.
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After greeting his droid friend, Mile decides to inspect the strange object some more. He sets it on his desk, and looks at it more carefully. There is quite a bit of sand on it, he begins to dust it off, and accidentally hits a button…
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Suddenly, the object ignites with a bold hum, as the blade of light illuminates the dark room. Mile gawks in astonishment.
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R5-D4 squeels loudly with surprise.
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Mile holds the blade in his hand, moving it around slowly. As he moves it back and forth, it hums with power. He gazes at the blade, now having more questions than answers. But he knows exactly the person to ask: Hallis.
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The following morning, Mile found Hallis as soon as he could. He pulled him aside on the city streets of Mos Eisley. “Hallis,” He begins, “I-I found something. It’s metal, it’s.. I can’t even explain it.” There’s so much to tell, the blade, its power, how it ‘called’ to him.
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“Here,” Mile says, ducking down a nearby alleyway.
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“I was working in the yard, after that sandstorm hit,” Mile says as he begins his tale, “I was digging through some droid scraps, when I found…”
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“…This.” He states, as he holds out the hilt in his hand.
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The old Givin stares in shock at the blade, as countless memories flood his mind. Memories of times passed, and old friends long gone. “You found a Lightsaber.. it’s the weapon of the Jedi..”
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Without warning, two Stormtroopers charge Hallis and Mile. “You there, stop!” the sergant of the First Order yells. He and the other trooper had followed them down the alleyway.
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“Surrender that weapon and yourself in the name of Supreme Leader Snoke!”
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“I’m not going to ask you again!” The trooper yells; what patience he possesses now completely gone.
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Suddenly, the Lightsaber flies from Mile’s hand…
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…Into Hallis’ grip. He ignites the saber, with a loud hum. The scent of ozone fills the alley, as the blue light shines.
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“He’s a Jedi, finish him!” One of the troopers yells, as both train their blasters on Hallis.
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BA-DOW! The blaster fires, but when it hits the blade it is deflected…
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…back at the trooper! The bolt hits the weapon, and it flies from its owner’s hand.
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Hallis extends his hand, as if reaching out to something.
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The trooper is set flying into the wall.
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“Resistance Scum!” The trooper shoots his blaster, aiming to kill. BA-DOW!
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But these bolts too are deflected by Hallis, with the Lightsaber in his hand.
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The bolt soars back at hits its’ firer in the chest…
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…Leaving the trooper motionless, on the ground.
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Both troopers groan, as the lay on the ground. Alive, but very much defeated. Mile stares at the sight before him. What he had just seen did far more than just shock him; it turned his world upside down. What was a Lightsaber? What were the Jedi? And who was Hallis even?
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“I think that should have cut them off our trail. We need to go,” Hallis states, “Now.”
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“What was that?!” Mile exclaims, “Those troopers! Why are they after us?” Mile begins to flood Hallis with questions.
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“I’ll explain as best as I can, but we need to get out of here.” Hallis says as he hands the Lightsaber back into Mile’s hands.
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Mile accepts the blade, knowing that this object has already cost both he and Hallis a lot.
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Before leaving, Hallis walks to each trooper and waves his hand in front of them, before saying something. Then two of them escape from the alleyway, and run out to blend into the streets of Mos Eisley; unaware of the figure watching them from the shadows.
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Underneath his hood, the figure activates his commlink: “Operative to First Order command. Alert Ren at once, I’ve discovered something that might be of interest to him.”
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The two find refuge in Mile home. Mile’s heart still races after the excitement from before, but he was beginning to calm down. “What are the Jedi? What’s a Lightsaber?” Mile asks.
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Hallis remains quiet for just a moment, thinking through his every word with care. “The Jedi Knights… We were keepers of the peace, in the days of the Old Republic. We carried those lightsabers, and wielded The Force.”
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“The Force?” Mile inquires.
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“Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field that transcends the universe. It surrounds us, and binds us.”
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“For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the Guardians of Peace and Justice in the Old Republic…”
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