Saga Winds of Change (OC's) Kessel Run 2023 Challenge

Title: Winds of Change
Co-Author(s): N/A
Timeframe: 46 BBY-21 BBY
Genre: Drama, Angst, Slight Romance, Slight Humor, Action
Canonicity: AU, some of the stories could be considered canon-compliant
Type: Multiple One-shots, Shorts, Series
Character(s): Dr. Erek Nikana (OC), Dr. Dr. Naila Morshen (OC), Nurse Beka Onari (OC), Other minor OC’s, Obi-Wan Kenobi (briefly), Anakin Skywalker (briefly), Luminara Unduli (briefly), Jedi Healer Bant (briefly)
Summary: Events from the life of Erek Nikana, from his childhood to his death
Last Updated: April 2023
Status: Complete
Other Relevant Information: These stories were written for the 2023 Kessel Run Challenge, hosted by the wonderful @ViariSkywalker
Download Link(s): Coming by end of 2023
Disclaimer: Star Wars was created by George Lucas. LucasFilm Ltd. and all its content are currently owned and distributed by the Walt Disney Company. No copyright infringement is intended.



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Index of Stories

Week I: Divergent Paths | Erek Nikana (OC) | 37 BBY

Week II: The Sound of Silence | Erek Nikana (OC)-not mentioned by name | 37 BBY

Week III: Dying of the Light | Erek Nikana (OC), Naila Morshen (OC), Jedi Healer Bant, Obi-Wan Kenobi (mentioned), Anakin Skywalker (mentioned) | 22 BBY

Week IV: Witness to Attack | Erek Nikana (OC), Naila Morshen (OC), Anakin Skywalker (minor), Obi-Wan Kenobi (mentioned) | 22 BBY

Week V: Trudging On | Erek Nikana (OC), Beka Onari (OC) | 21 BBY

Week VI: I Am Erek | Erek Nikana (OC) | 21 BBY

Week VII: End of Innocence | Erek Nikana (OC), Other Minor OC's | 44 BBY

Week VIII: Sacrifice | Erek Nikana (OC), Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luminara Unduli, Anakin Skywalker | 20 BBY and 31 BBY

Week IX: The Hardest Goodbye | Beka Onari (OC) | 21 BBY

Week X: More Than Blood | Erek Nikana (OC), Beka Onari (OC) | 21 BBY

Week XI: Make-up week: Week V

Week XII: At The Moment of Our Death | Erek Nikana (OC), Other Minor OC's | 46 BBY-21 BBY

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Week I

Title: Divergent Paths
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 37 BBY
Genre: Introspection
Canonicity: AU
Type: Short, Series
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC)
Summary: Erek laments the fact that his actions had not been courageous.
Last updated: January 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week I prompt was to write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that:

a. starts with the sentence: "He had not been courageous."
b. uses the following picture as inspiration:

Spoiler

He had not been courageous. Saving a life took courage; taking a life was the cowards way out. Erek Nikana was familiar with both. His life had so far been a balance of courage and cowardice, rage and joy, sorrow and happiness, right and wrong. Diverging paths ahead had always been the end result of his running away from the things that frightened him.

Stomping through the snow, his soul as weighed down as the leaves above his head in the dense forest, Erek knew he was about to hit one of those choices again. Would he go right, or left? Should he go back or continue to move forward? Heed the warnings ringing in his ears or trudge on without thought or care?

“Come on, Nikana, you can do this,” he said to himself; a pep talk of sorts as he approached the clearing and spied the transport that would take him from his homeworld once and for all.

Wrapping his coat tightly around himself, Erek stepped into the clearing and headed for the transport. Asked for his ticket, he produced it but held back handing it over at first. His eyes downcast, he briefly turned his head and took a small look back at where he had come from.

The snow-covered leaves had finally broken under the weight of the winter. His tracks in the snow were gone. His life changed in that instant.

He handed over his ticket and stepped aboard; life as he knew it was over, yet just beginning.

 

I like your OC and want to know more about him. Great response to the challenge

 

This reminds me of a couple of poems by Robert Frost, and I want to learn more about why Erek is leaving.

 

He's got a lot of baggage, not literally but in all other ways. Intriguing start.

 

Excellent symbolism there. Great start!

 

Intriguing...

I'm very curious about Erek's backstory now...

I love how you've established that he's an impulsive person, and he's just the sort to make such a weighty decision based on a sign like this. It's great characterization.

I love this ending-- I wonder what kind of life he hopes to make for himself and where he plans to go. I hope we see more of this OC!

 

Oooh, Doctor Nikana is back! I remember him very vividly from your FF Olympics stories, and I'm glad we get to see a little of his background here (because yeah, the FF Olympics started with a bang, literally and figuratively!)

And this short fic made me want to know even more about him. What is his motivation for leaving his homeworld? When is this taking place? Is he going straight from home to the frontlines of the Clone Wars? So many questions that I'm hoping to get answers to. He's obviously at a big turning point in his life, and I'll stick around this thread to find out the why and how.

 

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the comments. I deeply apologize for not replying to each of you individually. It's been a crazy week and I am, again, barely getting the next story published in time. Thank you so much for reading.

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Author Note: Since most (all?) of these stories for this challenge will revolve around an OC of mine, Erek Nikana, I feel oliged to state that most won't be in any kind of order and will jump around quite a bit. I'm really just getting into exploring the "origin story" of this character after having only touched briefly on a very small part of his life and journey in the FanFic Olympics previously. Hope you all enjoy!

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Week II

Title: The Sound of Silence
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 37 BBY
Genre: Angst
Canonicity: AU
Type: Short
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC)-not mentioned by name
Summary: Erek remembers a traumatic event in his life before he leaves home
Last updated: January 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week II prompt was to write a story between 400 and 800 words using second-person POV in which a character is lost.



You’d never imagined you’d ever be away from home, from your family. It had never crossed your mind that leaving was less dangerous than staying. You had always had their support and their unconditional love. You’d never questioned it, until the day you did.

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You woke suddenly when the bright sunlight shone through the window of the small shack you’d found as you ran through the falling snow. Blood stained the bright white ground and followed you into your resting place.

“What have I done?” you whispered to yourself as you sat up and took in the sight of your bruised hands and torn shirt.

The mirror across the room beckoned and after a deep breath you heeded the call and stood slowly. Steps were hard, muscles and tendons tense and still battle-ready. When you finally reached the mirror, you kept your eyes downcast at first, both unable and more than a bit unwilling to look at yourself; to see what you had become.

Steeling yourself for the reaction you knew would come, you finally lifted your eyes and took in your appearance. You expected something bad after the fight you’d been in, but the reality of what you saw staring back at you was…haunting.

Dark circles revolved around both eyes. A split lip and clearly broken nose marred a once-handsome face. Deep, dark purple bruises littered your cheeks and forehead.

“You’re a mess, Nikana,” you say to yourself, the words sounding harsh in your ears.

Unable to look further, you move back to the bed. The drafty old shack was cold and you shivered as you sat back down. Pain shot through your chest and ribs and when you reached down, you finally noticed the blood; blood on your hands and the floor of the shack and leading outside.

Your hands suddenly began to ache. The cold suddenly felt like it was piercing your body, seeping wildly into your very bones. Your vision suddenly began to narrow. But it wasn’t sudden. None of it was.

It had been a slow burn, building over time and now it had come crashing down on you in leaps and bounds in a small tavern.

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You knew when you arrived home that your family were already aware of what had occurred the night before. The look on your father’s face and the tears in your mother’s eyes told the entire story.

You wanted to apologize, to say how sorry you were for what had happened. You didn’t mean to punch the other man. You certainly didn’t mean for him to fall backwards and…well, you figured it didn’t matter much what you intended. It mattered what had happened, and for that you knew sorry would never be enough.

“I’m leaving,” you finally said, the words harsh in your mouth.

You expected some response; some sense of…something. But there was nothing from them. Not a word, not even a nod of acknowledgement that you had been heard.

So with a single pack over your shoulder, you turned and rushed back out into the snow; destination unknown and you uncaring of where you’d end up. It didn’t matter. No place would ever be home. You knew that. You’d never feel the same warmth or belonging anywhere else. Everywhere else would feel different, abnormal and…unfamiliar.

Your head is pounding now, the echoes of shouting and glass breaking and bones shattering piercing your consciousness until suddenly it all stops and you look around and listen and in an instant you realize that now that you have left the comfort and safety of your life, only one sound remains.

It’s the deafening sound of silence.

 

Poor man, no one there to care for him and the final 'It's the deafening sound of silence.' Beautiful response

 

Painful mentally, it seems, and worse than the broken nose and bruises ... he's lost to himself as well as to others.

 

That whole story, but that part in particular, hit a vein, Jen. So well done.

 

Thanks a lot.

So much worse than the physical wounds. Those will heal. Thank you for reading!

Thank you.


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Author Note: This next little story introduces a brand new OC, Dr. Naila Morshen.

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Week III

Title: Dying of the Light
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 22 BBY
Genre: Drama, Slight Humor
Canonicity: AU
Type: Short, Series
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC), Naila Morshen (OC), Jedi Healer Bant, Obi-Wan Kenobi (mentioned), Anakin Skywalker (mentioned)
Summary: Erek and Naila assist a Jedi Healer with complicated surgeries on two injured Jedi
Last updated: January 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week III prompt was to write a story between 500 and 1,000 words in which you make up a new OC. Your OC must interact with at least one EC, and your story must include the following line of dialogue: "Something was bound to go right sometime today."


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The halls of healing inside the Jedi Temple weren’t quite what Dr. Naila Morshen expected. Although, to be honest she wasn’t quite sure what she’d been hoping to see. But the sterile white walls and white marble floor and…it was just not at all warm or cozy like the other places in the vast structure she’d seen over the last few days.

“Are you okay?” Erek asked her as they walked side by side through the halls towards the operating suite.

She nodded. “Yeah, just…I can’t get over how…impersonal and…”

Erek chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose it is when you look around.”

She smiled at him. “When I was a little girl, my parents used to put my brothers and I to sleep with stories of the Jedi. Apparently, I had a cousin, many years older than me who was brought here to the temple as a toddler. They never told me his name so I have no idea who he is or where he might be. I just remember the stories were always about their nobility and compassion for people. I knew I couldn’t never be a Jedi myself, but I knew I could do something just as worthwhile. That’s why I became a physician.”

They arrived at the operating suite and were met by Jedi Master Healer Bant. The Mon Cal female nodded in their direction and quickly explained the situation. They had two very badly injured Jedi and their expertise was needed.

“What are their names?” Naila questioned.

Bant smiled softly; she knew when she answered the two doctors would be stubbed. “Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Erek knew his face betrayed his shock, but Naila seemed calm and composed. It seemed odd to him that she could be after having been told they would be assisting in operating on the two most famous Jedi in the galaxy.

“Right,” Naila acknowledged. “Their injuries?”

Bant handed the young physician a datapad and let her read through it. Within moments she looked up and had an alarmed look on her face.

“Is this…how in the hells did they manage to…?”

Bant smiled sadly. “What you need to understand, Dr. Morshen is that these two men have an uncanny knack for getting into trouble and Obi-Wan in particular can always find a way to injure himself. They’ve both been in the tanks for a few hours now but we’re just not seeing the improvement that we’d like and force-healing hasn’t been effective either. That is why we called for the two of you.”

Within moments the three of them were suiting up for surgery while both Skywalker and Kenobi were prepped.

While Erek and another Jedi healer were tasked with the care of Skywalker, Naila and Bant would be working on Kenobi.

“I’ve never seen so many broken bones in one human being,” Naila commented as she skillfully used a bone knitter.

It was painstaking work and she wasn’t sure it was actually working. Kenobi’s bones were stubborn, like the man himself according to Healer Bant.

“He’s been my best friend since we were younglings,” Bant offered after having realized that Naila enjoyed conversation as she worked. “I’ve seen him, and Anakin, injured more often than anyone else I know. They’re both reckless and they rush into dangerous situations without thought for themselves. It’s going to…”

Naila looked up. “Going to get them killed someday?”

Bant simply nodded as she went about casting Obi-Wan’s right leg. “As Jedi, we’re taught that fear is a path to…well, let’s just say it’s not good. But I fear for these two.”

Naila looked back down at her work. Finally, the bone knitter seemed to be making progress on his left arm.

She smiled. “Well, something was bound to go right sometime today. Seems this bone is finally going to cooperate with us.”

Bant laughed as she patted her oldest friend on his chest. He would be okay, this time. Once again, he and Anakin had escaped death. But Bant wondered how long that would continue to last.

///////////////

Naila and Erek sat together after they had finished operating on the two Jedi.

“How’d it go with Skywalker,” she questioned.

Erek shrugged. “The surgery part was easy. It was after he woke up when the problems started. He’s grumpy and insolent and…not at all what I expected from a Jedi.”

Naila laughed. “He must get it from his master. Kenobi was the same way. He actually tried to get out of bed just after he’d awakened. Healer Bant had to threaten him to get him to sit still.”

The two physicians laughed and shook their heads. They each checked on their patients one more time before leaving the temple, both wondering if they’d ever see the two Jedi again other than on the HoloNet.

///////////////

Naila had often wondered over the years what had happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. After the Clone Wars and the formation of the Empire and the complete annihilation of the Jedi Order itself she feared they were both gone. The HoloNet said they were both gone; Skywalker killed in some dark corner of the galaxy as he attempted to hide from the Empire’s inquisitors and Kenobi finally dispatched years later by those same Jedi hunters.

But still, she wondered if maybe the reports were wrong and both reckless, foolish men were still out there somewhere; if they’d again managed to survive against all odds. She wouldn’t have put it past either man to have done just that.

She wondered about her cousin, the toddler in her parents’ stories who’d become a Jedi. Had he survived the purge?

And Erek. Her friend; dead on a distant battlefield so many years ago. Had he suffered? Tears fell from her blue eyes as she ran her hands through her long ginger hair and sighed deeply. She’d made peace years ago with all of it, yet the unanswered questions still brought tears.

She still wondered.

 

Humorous and calamitous and sad, all at the same time. Well done, Jen.

 

Great character and she survives after the purge. Way to go for her in a future story?

 

The Sound of Silence: Oooooookay, so Dr. Nikana has a rather large skeleton in his closet. I guess I have the answer to the questions I was asking and this story also clarifies the "taking a life" element of the first fic. I'm curious now if he's already a trained doctor at this point in his life, or if he choses to become a doctor because of it.

That ending. Oh, that ending. Just wow.

Dying of the Light: It was really nifty here to see the consequences of Obi-Wan's and Anakin's heroics through the perspective of Muggles, and even more so the snide comments on their behaviour after they awoke from surgery. And this later, in Naila's musings:

The irony is irresistible.

I'm curious to see if Naila and Erek will cross paths again. Since she's a skilled surgeon, chances are that she, too, has seen many a battlefield of the Cole Wars.

 

Wonderful to meet Bant again! And Naila works well enough to suit her, an uncommon privilege, I'd wager. I enjoyed the flashback format to frame the immediacy of surgery within Naila's professional assessment of the case and her own, more personal and heartfelt musings.

 

Thank you to everyone who read and replied. I apologize for the lack of individual replies.

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Week IV

Title: Witness to Attack
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 22 BBY
Genre: Action
Canonicity: AU
Type: Short, Series
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC), Naila Morshen (OC), Anakin Skywalker (minor), Obi-Wan Kenobi (mentioned)
Summary: Erek and Naila help save the life of Senator Mon Mothma
Last updated: February 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week IV prompt was to write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that is predominantly action.




His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he ran. He had no idea where he was going or what he thought he was going to do once he got there. He was a doctor, but this was…could he even hope to help?

The closer he got, the better he could see the wreckage, the utter destruction. Immediately he leapt into the situation without thought to his own safety.

“You!” he shouted at another person he recognized from the medical facility. “Come help me with this man!”

He climbed up onto the pile of rubble that had been Senator Mothma’s transport. Erek began throwing the smaller pieces of duracrete off the top so he could hopefully get the door open and…

The first blaster bolts flew past his head at immeasurable speed. He ducked, narrowly evading them. He rolled onto his back, his breath speeding up and slowing down all at once. His vision narrowed and he reach down his left leg and grasped the blaster he always kept with him.

He could hear the speeder getting closer again, knowing that it was headed back for a second pass. He counted slowly to ten and was at once on his feet firing at the attacking speeder. He dove to his right as it headed straight for him, his finger easily squeezing the trigger.

“Erek!” Naila called out as she came running towards him. “Get down!”

He dropped to the ground and this time he felt the blaster bolts rushing past his head.

He was on his feet in a crouch again as soon as Naila arrived beside him. She took in his appearance; dark clothing, blaster in hand and a wild look in his eyes.

“You look…” she began but couldn’t finish.

More blaster fire came at them from their right and as Erek turned, white hot pain exploded in his shoulder. He looked down and saw the blood. He clenched his fist and used his other hand to reach into his pack and pull out some bacta patches. He slapped them on and held out his arm for Naila to wrap it with the bandage she’d had ready.

What happened next came in slow motion for Erek. He heard several speeders coming in low and fast. He turned, crouching down and preparing to return whatever fire came his way. He saw it then. He saw them then.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the two men he and Naila had helped save just weeks ago were back on their feet.

Shaking his head, Erek let loose a few more shots in the direction of the now three attacking speeders. But they were no longer going after him and Naila. They were firing on the ship now.

“Hey, Doc!” Skywalker yelled. “We’ll draw their fire so you can get inside the ship!”

Erek and Naila acknowledged with simple nods. They watched Obi-Wand and Anakin both leap onto the shuttle and ignite their lightsabers. They easily deflected the blaster bolts while Erek and Naila managed to get inside the ship.

As Erek dropped down next to his colleague and friend, he smirked. “I’ve got a feeling there’s never a dull moment on this planet.”

Naila chuckled. “Nor with those two Jedi around.”

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I am terrible at writing action, so...

 

Terrible? This was great: Erek going to the rescue with Naila helping him and the two Jedi

 

Again, I'm amazed at the action writers out there who claim they aren't. Give yourself a pat on the back (or a bowl of ice cream) for a big congrats! This was edge of the seat action, no doubt about it. Loved the Jedi swooping in to save the day, lol. Bunch of doctors don't know what they're doing with blasters in their hands.

Excellent response!

 

That's an awful image - I wonder what happened to Mothma? Everybody seems in good hands with Erek and Naila, at least.

 

Yay, Naila is back! I really liked her in the previous story, where she came across as a truly level-headed person, and seeing how she reacts to the events of this story, I'd say that she also doesn't have a death wish (contrary to Dr Nikana, who, well...)

I loved this. An Anakin Skywalker entrance if there ever was one. No wonder Erek and Naila think their life won't be boring as long as the Jedi are around.

And yeah, about "terrible" action writing... Let's just say you underestimate yourself

 

Figured I'd get them out of the OR for a while. Thanks for reading.

Well, thank you. I appreciate that. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Something bad happened to her. Perhaps we'll see exactly what later on. Thanks for reading.

Naila balances Erek out a bit. He's much more impulsive than she is and that, I think, makes for a decent dynamic between them. As for Anakin-he does like to make an entrance, doesn't he?

I still don't know how I feel about writing action, but I will certainly take the compliment. Thank you!


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Author Note: Week V; My bye week. This week's prompt will be completed in Week 11. For Week VI, see below.

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Week VI


Title: I Am Erek
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 21 BBY
Genre: Angst
Canonicity: AU
Type: Short, Poetry, Series
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC)
Summary: Erek pondering his lot in life via a poem
Last updated: February 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week 6 prompt was to write of at least 500 words in which one of your favorite protagonists/heroic characters is the antagonist/villain. For some reason, I could not get a handle on this, so...I went with the Get out of jail free prompt, which is: write a poem in any style, of any length. There is no word limit.

An English poet named John Clare wrote a poem titled "I Am" somewhere around 1844-1845 and it was published several years later. I enjoy I Am poems, so I took a stab at it myself from the viewpoint of Dr. Erek Nikana. Hopefully, it works and fits in well with the narrative of these stories so far.

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I am a physician
I wonder how I will survice
I hear bombs falling all around me
I see people I love die
I want to live
I am a physician

I pretend I am enough
I feel afraid
I touch new life
I worry that I don’t feel anything
I cry about my past
I am a physician

I understand I will die alone
I say I am okay
I dream about the day I can go home
I try to help people
I hope my dreams never come true
I am a physician

 

The essence of a healer, doctor in those lines

 

First of all I learned something thanks to you, because I'd never heard of "I am" poems. I went and looked at the original and read about the context, and there's some really powerful stuff there. I can see why that would have given rise to an entire sub-genre.

And this is a template that works very well for Erek, because he's a character grappling with so many contradictions in his relationship with life and death – his own as well as that of others. The line "I hope my dreams never come true" says it all, really; he has dreams of his future that could be death on the battlefield or reconciliation with the home from which he exiled himself, and he can't really decide if either is something that he is able to face.

Great work!

 

That's the one thing that I wanted to come across in each of these stories; at his core, Erek is a healer despite his past and all of his struggles.

So glad you learned about "I Am" poems. They are actually some of my favorite poetry. Such revealing and introspective works, I think. Erek is struggling so mightily with everything in his life, especially his own deep flaws that it all just seems too much to deal with for him.

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Week VII

Title: End of Innocence
Co-Authors: N/A
Timeframe: 44 BBY
Genre: Action, Angst
Canonicity: AU, somewhat canon-compliant
Type: Short, Series
Characters: Erek Nikana (OC), Other Minor OC's
Summary: Twelve-year-old Erek goes for a middle of the night look at the Santhe Shipyards
Last updated: February 2023
Status: Complete
Other relevant information: Week VII prompt was to write a story between 100 and 1000 words from the perspective of a child. (For our purposes, a child is anyone 12 years old or younger-or whatever the developmental equivalent for your non-human character happens to be.)


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Coronet City was no place for a child to be roaming the streets alone, especially at night. But twelve-year-old Erek was brave, or foolish, beyond his years. Sneaking out of his home which sat in the edge of the city had become easy. His parents were busy physicians and they tended not to notice much; not even when their son was missing from his bed.

“Not like they’ll miss me anyway,” the boy muttered to himself as he sneaked his way along the perimeter fence of the Santhe Shipywards.

He’d been here before; always at night. It wasn’t safe during the daytime. Security wasn’t ever very tight, but the guards tended to pay more attention during the day. At night, beneath a cloudless sky and bright shining stars you could sneak…

“Hey, kid, what are you…?” the question hung in the air as Erek took off tunning running towards the large build-hangar.

Footsteps closed in behind him as he ran, his dark hair flying in the wind. His breaths came in deep pants, his heartbeat pounded in his ears. He was almost there.

“Just where…do…do you think…you’re going, young…young man?” the guard chasing Erek panted out as he grabbed Erek’s collar; his out-of-shape form having paid the price for the footrace.

Erek turned, eyes bright despite his predicament. “Just to see the ships, mister. I wanna be a pilot when I get bigger.”

The guard glared at the boy. “Why’d you sneak in?”

Erek shrugged. “Did’t think I could walk up to the gate and say I wanted a tour.”

The guard chuckled at that. “No, I suppose you couldn’t. Where you from, kid?”

Erek was hesitant to answer. It had been drilled into him by his father never to give away his home base. Had he seen a way around having to answer, he’d have stayed silent. However…

“The Teeno Village sector,” Erek revealed quietly.

“That’s a ways from here,” the guard told him.

’”As if I don’t know that already,” Erek thought to himself. “Yeah, I guess so. Doesn’t seem too bad to me. I guess I’ll just be going home now.”

He tried to pull away from the guards’ tight grip on his collar but failed when the large man only tightened his hold.

“Why so fast, kid?” the man questioned in a friendly manner. “I thought you came here for a tour.”

Erek’s eyes lit up. “Really? I can go?”

The guard laughed. “Well, not by yourself, no. But, sure, I’ll call a friend and he can come down and give you a little tour of the facility. But, you have to promise me you’ll never try to sneak in here again.”

Again, hesitance reared its ugly head for the boy. Erek didn’t like to make promises. Promises meant there was no room for improvisation. His mother had often told him that life was about being able to improvise in any given situation.

Erek nodded slowly, folded his arms casually behind his back and crossed his middle and pointer fingers on both hands as he spoke.

“I promise, mister.”

The guard seemed satisfied and spoke softly into his comlink. Within a few minutes, another man pulled up next to them on a swoop bike wearing coveralls. Erek could see his hands were covered in grease and he looked exhausted.

The guard pointed at Erek. “This young man here would like a tour, Krebb.”

Erek looked and the man and grinned as he moved towards the bike. “I’m Erek.”

Krebb smiled back. “I’m Krebb Naldoni. Hop on, kid. We don’t have a lot of time. My boss finds out I’m doing this I’m sacked and…well, we won’t talk about what other things might happen if we’re caught.”

Unconcerned, his excitement and bravery taking hold, Erek jumped onto the back of the bike and held on.

Krebb accelerated away and Erek whooped with joy. The wind blew his shaggy hair in all directions as the scenery of the large Corellian shups flew past. He could barely focus on anything before his curious eyes took in the next amazing sight.

Hours later, safely back in his quiet home with his oblivious parents, Erek stared out his bedroom window. He could see the steam rising from the shipyard. It had been an amazing night and he knew he’d remember it for the remainder of his life. Wherever he went and whatever he did and saw, this night would always be with him.

His future was in the stars on a ship; maybe even one built right on his homeworld of Corellia.

Of that he was certain.

///////////////

The morning dawn brought with it chaos to the Nikana home. His parents pulled him from his bed and urged him to dress quickly and pack only what he could carry in his old, beat-up knapsack. He left behind toys, keepsakes, memories.

Erek heard the explosions off in the distance. As he and his parents were ushered into a waiting speeder, he saw the fires on the shipyard and he could smell the drifting smoke. The large build-hangar he’d been inside just hours before had burned completely, reduced to rubble.

“Don’t look back,” Ellyn Nikana whispered to her son through tears. “Don’t ever look back, Erek. Looking back will never bring you anything but pain.”

Tears of his own coursing down his cheeks, Erek looked at his father. “What’s happening? Where are we going? Why do we…?”

“Stop asking questions!” Tobin Nikana snapped at his son. “We’re leaving this place. That’s all you need to know.”

Erek slumped back into his seat and wiped at his eyes. Tears wouldn’t solve anything. Everything was changing and deep inside, he understood that his carefree childhood on Corellia had just burned down in the same inferno that took the shipyard. With a certainty he would never be able to explain, he knew he’d never see this place again.

Of that he was certain.