The sun was setting down behind the lush green grass plains of Naboo. The Lorell Farm had just undergone a major renovation, and was now housing all three family members. Kale Lorell, the youngest son of Jored Lorell, was running around the western wall of the farm, playing with the house droid.
"Com'on, Master Lorell. You can catch me!" D6-Derek teased as it speeded past Kale, hovering a few feet above the ground.
Kale, still trying to catch D6, turned around and fell right on his face as he tripped over a rock. He looked up as he heard a voice laughing. His sister, who was seven years older than him, came over to help him up.
"You gotta be carefull when playing with Derek. He can be somewhat of a cheater" She said as they dusted off the dirt and grass, "Head inside, Kale. Cousin Cade is making Eopie stew"
They both entered the house as the rain began to pour from a cloudfree sky. His sister looked outside with a worried stare, as they closed the door to the main house.
Jored grabbed Kale and brought him into the kitchen, "Happy birthday, Kale" he said as the kitchen came into sight. A huge cake was standing on the table in the middle of the room, with several guests Kale recognized from the nearby settlements.
"Five years, eh?" Terrel, a security guard from Theed, stated as he walked over to Kale. He reached into his pocket and grabbed an amulet, "It brings luck. It at least brought me luck"
Kale stared at the amulet. It wasn't untill he turned it over he noticed a text written on the back of it. It said, "At the gap of time, when the game seems lost, your thoughts will save you once more".
"Thanks", Kale mumbled and put the amulet on the table. He turned around, and noticed the rain had stopped. From the living room, his sister approached holding a datachip in her left hand.
"Last summer, i met this old man while on a trip to Theed. He didn't tell me his name, but told me to give you this" She handed it over to Kale, along with a holochip, "The Holochip is from me. You'll like it when you see it"
Later that evening, Kale was sitting on his bed with the datachip from the old man. He inserted it into his sisters datapad, and it displayed a video message.
"Happy birthday, Kale Lorell. You may not remember, or even know me at all, but i'm your grandfather. When you watch this, Seda, your sister, will likely be asleep. So i'll keep my voice down. I would have liked to deliver this personally, but the circumstances are most unfortunate", the old man looked over his shoulder.
"The Clone Army is on my trail, and i have to make this quick. In a few years, you'll have to make a hard decision. You'll understand it by then, but it's no coincidence that Terrel gave you that amulet. It's a vital part of a puzzel that you'll have to solve in..." the video cut out, and the datachip ejected.
---
"Kale? Kale! Wake up, or do i have to stun your hand again?" Terrel asked as he shook Kale.
Kale looked around, "Huh? Oh, sorry Officer. I was having that stupid dream again"
Being a Lorell, Kale was almost forced to take the job as a Security Officer in Theed. His father had been one, and he had thought his Grandfather was one too, untill his five years birthday.
"Let me review your results", Terrel took the datapad from Kale and looked at it, "Sorry Kale. You don't seem to qualify for the job. Infact, i actually believe i have another job for you. Meet me tonight outside the palace"
Shrugging, Kale picked up his stuff and left the room. Not being qualified as a Lorell was some of an insult, even though Kale didn't really care about it. He didn't even want to be a security officer. He looked up at the clock. If he took the shuttle, he could be home by midday.
Even though he had walked down the street hundreds of times, it felt different today. The Empire had decreased it's patrols around town for some reason, and the gangs were starting to appear more often in the public.
With the increased rebel activity came another worry. Rumours circulated that the accident with the Lars family on Tatooine was, in fact, the work of the Empire. Kale didn't mind the Empire patrolling Theed, but he wouldn't hesitate to kill one if they gave him a reason.
He boarded the shuttle headed for the closest shuttleport to the Lorell farm. He dropped into one of the seats and looked out the window as they lifted off and left the city of Theed.
---
The following night, Kale followed up on the offer from Terrel. He thought it couldn't hurt to at least hear what he had in mind. It couldn't be worse than spending the rest of his days as a farmboy at the Lorell farm.
Clad in a dark robe, to disguise his identity, Kale got on a speederbike and headed off to Theed. The Lorell family had a great reputation with the Empire, but if Kale was seen talking to Terrel outside the Theed palace at night, the Empire would likely become suspecious of them.
After thirty minutes of travel, Kale reached the outskirts of Theed. He parked his speederbike against the wall of a house and moved the hood up to cover his face as he made his way through the dark alleys towards the palace. He kept thinking of the consequences it could have if he was caught.
Finally the palace came into sight. It was a fantastic sight at day, but at night it had an eerie feeling over it. A feeling you'd expect from a haunted house. Kale could only make out two figures in the area. One of them obviously Terrel, the other one seemingly also wearing a robe.
"You're aware of the Rebel alliance, right?" Terrel asked and motioned towards the hooded figure.
Kale nodded, "Of course. Just a wild guess, but is your other job maybe as a rebel spy?"
Terrel smiled, "You're correct. There's an empty spot in the intelligence department"
Intrigued, but still worried about the reputation of the Lorell's, Kale looked around once more. "If my father finds out-"
"Don't worry, Kale. Your father is aware of this. He was the one that asked me to fail you on the test. You may think that the Lorell's have always been a noble family, but you're wrong. Your grandfather was a Jedi Knight during the clone wars. Your Great Grandfather was a Republic General. And your own father is a high ranked spy too"
Kale nodded without hesitation, "I suppose i have no choice but to accept then. What shall i do?"
The hooded man stepped forth, "We're going to need you to infiltrate the Imperial ranks. We need to location of an AT-AT facility". He handed over a datachip before turning around and disappearing into the shadows...