(Work in progress, feedback welcome)
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There was a time in my early youth that the Jedi were nothing but the stuff of legends. There was, after all, little reason why the Order would bother proving its hard, physical existance to a speck of a planet such as Tatooine. There was little to do in my childhood upon that planet except dream... so dream I did.
My father was the daytime manager of a small Czerka-owned mercantile in the Anchorhead spaceport. Our apartment was sizeable by most standards, likely a result of my father's somewhat elevated position. He allowed my dreams to be fueled by a small holoprojector into which I could plug in vids which he would bring home from time to time. I always wanted to see Jedi. How I loved the Jedi. I knew more about Jedi than any other kid in Anchorhead, or so I would boast.
It was in my seventeenth year that news of the Mandalorian invasion of Onderon hit Anchorhead like a bomb. I didn't know what or where Onderon was, but, assuming I would learn before long, I kept this to myself. Being the self-proclaimed scholar, it was difficult for me to ever admit I didn't know anything.
"Millions of them! From some moon in the Japrael system! They hit Onderon! Thousands dead, men, women, children!" Jyron had come stumbling into Father's apartment that day while I was alone, counting some rusty credit chips to see if I had enough to buy a coveted -1 Pazaak card. I hadn't been happy with Jyron since his marginally wealthy parents had taken him on an extensive off-planet tour, and now that he so clearly knew something that I did not, I liked him even less.
"Well what else can you expect from Mandalorians?" I retorted while sadly sweeping my insufficient credits back into my wraid-skin credit pouch. "This was all bound to happen sooner or later." I had overheard the captain of an independent freighter say something similar to that to Father, so I figured it was safe to assume it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Jyron shrugged my well-researched comment off and continued his rhetoric. "Well the Senate's declared war of course. There's talk about a draft for planetary militias to defend against the Mandalorian threat-"
"Well they're not going to do it here," I said with just a touch of disappointment. "Tatooine's only officially in the Republic. Past that I doubt the Senate even knows we exist, let alone the Mandalorians."
Jyron's eyes twinkled slightly, and he lowered his voice to a conspirational whisper. "Now hang on a minute, let me finish. Remember how I went off-planet for a month after the harvest?"
I scowled an affirmative. It was just like Jyron to rub his good fortune in even when discussing a war.
"Well, we got all the way to Manaan. And on Manaan, we took a tour of the Republic Embassy... near the end of the tour they gave us the chance to put our contact data into the Republic military database for 'interest in recruitment'..."
My eyes widened as my innards writhed in jealousy. Jyron had his name in the Republic database!
I notely angrily how he took pleasure in my envious eyes, and he smiled as he went on. "Yeah, awesome isn't it? And it gets better. Mother recieved an automated transmission from the Republic garrison on Alzoc III just a few hours ago. They want me mate!"
My hatred of Jyron doubled instantly. He was going to go off and fight the Mandalorians, I just knew it. It wasn't fair.... I stared at the floor in a trance.
"And I want you to come with me, Rem."
The sound of my own name snapped me out of my self-imposed spell.
"What?"
"I said I want you to come with me. The transmission said to bring someone else if I could. I guess they need men, bad."
"Come...?"
The hum of the cooling unit in my Father's apartment was the only sound as we both looked at our own hands. Jyron was asking me to go with him. My detestation of him melted instantly and was replaced with a benevolent guilt at ever having doubted that my old friend had the best interests in mind for me. How could I have been so foolish as to think the guy in front of me was anything but a saint?
"I guess... I guess I'll have to talk to my father about it. He hasn't liked being alone since... well you know, since mother left for the Core Worlds."
Jyron's eyes held what I percieved to be genuine relief at my apparent willingness to join him. "Thanks Rem. I hope he lets you. We need to get off this rock," he added sagely, and smacked my on the back as he stood up.
Get off this rock... I hardly noticed when Jyron excused himself from the table we were both sitting at and left the apartment. I continued my intent gaze at my hands which rested on the table in front of me. Getting off this rock was, I reflected, the ultimate goal of everyone who had the displeasure to be on the rock in the first place. It had been a vaguely feasible dream spoken of among friends since I had been very little. Often discussed, but rarely seriously considered, much as one dreams of making millions betting on the longshot in a swoop race, yet never does one seriously consider it's actual occurence.
Now it was a real possibility though. And the dreams multiplied and were given substance.
Never once did I consider what it would be like to kill a man, to lose a friend, to be killed myself. Never once did the word "war" cross my mind as I awaited my father's arrival so that I could ask him if I could join the Republic Military. Never once...
To be continued