STAR WARS:
ANOTHER GALEXY
FLASH BACK
What is life?-
Mark Lindemulder
"Look out Wes!" I yelled as we took off. Two government speeders had just flown over us.
"Are you sure you can do this? We can wait until you're ready, if you want." Wes asked. I was silent, that was the same thing my master said to me before I took my padawan test.
It was eighteen years ago. I was ten, not even old enough to take the test. I told him I was ready then, but now I don't know if I was. The council only let my take the test to see how well I would do, although considering the war and my surprisingly high score they made me a Padawan.
"Mark!" Wes yelled anxiously, "We have problems, government speeders, lots of them."
It's time to act, I told myself. I got into a laser turret and started shooting away. Then I realized I was working off anger. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. These people took away all I had. All in their lust for power. They took over five years after my youngling test
"Mark, stay in the temple with the younglings." Nick had told me when we first got news of the attack on the capital. I obeyed him, unwillingly, but I obeyed. He told me I was there to protect the younglings, although I couldn't help thinking he wanted to keep me away from the war. I was fifteen, old enough to be a Padawan by then. So why was he still treating me like a youngling. I sat there with the younglings for two weeks before we got any news. When news finally came, it wasn't great. The government took over the capital, they promised that there would be no trouble as long as we gave up peacefully, and that's exactly what the Jedi council decided to do.
"Mark, I need you to do some repairs." Wes said as I shot the last speeder, "another wave will be back in no time"
"Ok, it's better than taking all those lives.", I replied getting up to go do the repairs.
"What is life?", Wesley asked.
Hundreds of thoughts came flooding into my head at that moment, but mostly, the thought of my masters death. I watched him fighting against Joe Bortai, just after Jedi had been outlawed. Joe was the most powerful Sith, but Nick was the most powerful Jedi. Why was Nick powerful? He didn't fight on anger, he fought on love. He was fighting to protect me, not himself. I knew Nick would never want me to be angry, but when Joe Bortai cut off his arm, anger welled up in me. As soon as Joe left I went to go see if Nick was still alive.
"Master, are you alive?" I questioned anxiously.
Then with his dieing breath he gasped, "What is life?"
I can honestly say I've never been more confused in my life. I was only sixteen, how could I answer that? Why was that even important now? Nick, the man who raised me as a father, was dead.
"Come on Mark, what's taking you so long?" Wes questioned "The next wave of speeders are coming."
Wes could be hot tempered some times. I've known that since the minute I met him. We were both hiding from the new government when we met. Well, he was doing better at the hiding, I was just running. I ran right into his hiding spot. He wasn't to happy to see that I led the government right to his hiding spot, but we had to fend off the government troops. So we worked together to keep his cave safe. We had to leave though, the government knew exactly ware we where now. So we left and got a ship running, but not before a lot of fights between us.
So that brings me to where I am now. Trying to escape a planet of water with a bounty hunter named Wesley. Shooting down speeders left and right, constantly getting higher. We we're almost out of the atmosphere now. Speeders are still following us. I didn't know if we could make it.
"Sixty seconds till hyper space!" Wes yelled.
That was very good, hyper space means away from all these pesky speeders. Safety, away from the government, and the Sith. I could finally be alone with my thoughts. I could go to an uninhabited planet.
"30 seconds," Wes told me.
Right, I won't be alone, there's Wes. I can't leave him, and besides as long as I'm alive in the galaxy, the government will be after me. Wait! I don't need to be in this galaxy. I feel that the Jedi are prospering in another galaxy.
"Brace yourself." Wes warned.
We went into hyperspace. This is the start of a new life. My troubles are far from over, in fact they've just begun. But now I'm working for something. Freedom is possible. I can still be with the Jedi. And my question can be answered. What is life?