My parents died in the inferno that swallowed up the planet, as they tried to get others into the transports. They had loaded my ship with trinkets and artefacts and the crew treated me like I was dirt. I was fine when they stopped me from going into the cargo bay; I was fine when they stopped me from wondering around the ship; but they rummaged through my quarters whilst I was eating. I found them with my father's lightsaber, they were trying to agree on how much they were going to sell it for.

They had left their blasters on the rack. I quietly grabbed one as I entered the room. They were too busy discussing to notice me until I opened fire. The first shot burned a hole cleanly through the chest of the man holding my father's saber. The second hit the next man who moved in the chest. The third crew member cowered. He managed to call for reinforcements before I had a chance to move. His body slumped to the ground and I took the lightsaber and left for my room.

No one dared open the door. The room was sealed and ejected when we got to the next inhabited planet.

I didn't realize I wasn't on the ship until my food ran out. I spent the next year scavenging parts from the treacherous ship graveyard; and bartering my way through getting scrap and other spare parts that dim witted ship captains didn't understand.

One day an escape pod hit the ground near my encampment. I thought that there might be survivors, and I was half right. The contents of the pod were two droids and a small cargo container. The first droid was the one which surprised me. It was an imperial ID9 seeker droid, modified in small ways to enable it to make field repairs to a Starfighter or small transport. The droid immediately showed me that it wasn't a threat. It opened the pod and an Astromech droid emerged carrying the cargo container. The second droid was the same size and shape as an R6 unit, with the personality to match, however it had also undergone adjustments, it had strengthened motors and a higher capacity power cell. Their pod had some of the remaining parts I needed to complete my makeshift starship.

I left the planet on my 11th birthday.

The droids were the only survivors of a first order transport which had gone into disrepair after a particularly bad encounter with an asteroid belt, their escape pod had locked on to the Imperial broadcast signal I had taken with me from my home.

I spent the next half a year training and learning, via holocrons that were packed in my room on the old ship. I learnt how to use a lightsaber, the force and, less so, a blaster. I learnt how to do many things with the Force, but I couldn't manage to perform any mental tricks like sensing, or reading someone's thoughts.

The swirling blue vastness of hyperspace gave way to the blackness of space. The computer sparked to life. The communicator bleeped and a hologram of an older woman in desert survival clothes, "Kaise, we've heard your message. I can get you to the Resistance, but I need a favour."

"What is it, Darie?"

"I need an extra gun. We're going after that gang you found for us. We've cornered them, but it's a bit of a stalemate."

"I'll help."

"Great. I'll send you the coordinates."

"L9 set the course. Let me know when we get to the planet."

I made my way to the armoury section of the cobbled together ship. I wrapped up my arms with the same wraps as I always did, a set of black wraps made from the old clothes of a dead imperial officer, on my left arm; and a white bandage that has had so many bloodstains from ion scores, cuts and other injuries from training and tinkering. I picked up my lightsaber from its stand in the armoury. Walking past my father's lightsaber on its pedestal I set up the training regime. A battered old droid slowly woke up. It was programed with a set of military grade training regimen and a high powered force field that needed to be repaired, but worked enough for rudimentary saber training.

What a way to spend my 18th birthday.

The droid started its first battle sequence, raising its blaster. I wanted to try out something from one of the last holocrons that I recovered. As it fired I concentrated. I felt the bolt start to move I pushed against it with the force. It slowed but didn't stop. It did give me enough time to move out the way, but the ultimate goal is to have it move towards the firer.

I ignited the lightsaber, the cobalt blade flaring up and initiating the droid's extreme prejudice protocol. As I blocked blaster bolt after blaster bolt I prepared to slice the droid in half. I slipped up, missing a single bolt, which hit me in the shoulder. Rage more than pain spread through me. I moved with lightning quick fury, the white centre column of the saber blurred into a cone in my vision as it sliced through the droid's blaster.

I slashed repeatedly at the droid until it's shield cut off. I regained my focus just before my blade connected with the droid. L9 chirped, summoning me to the cockpit. I got to the controls as we started the landing approach. I recited the mantra which many sith had recited millennia before the Clone Wars, "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The force shall free me." I always thought it was about inner strength, and about how the power comes from within. Most of the accounts I had read said that the code was about the pursuit of power and how sith are destined to free everyone through knowledge of the Force. I had seen that widespread peace is unobtainable. It could be found individually, but peace across a civilisation is rather impossible.

I held the ship steady until we landed at the compound, a small collection of buildings near a large city. The landing was smooth, considering the broken and old landing gear. I exited the ship, leaving L9 to repair circuits and do general maintenance on the ship. The ID9 seeker droid, nicknamed DV after its serial number: ID9-RU-DV, came with me. I grabbed a pistol as I walked out into the hangar. Darie, in her desert gear, with a pistol in hand, met me. As she brought me to the sieged building I was told about the situation by a hologram of a heavily armoured man with a riot shield and heavy blaster.

"The gang is in the single room with no way in or out, unfortunately they have more days of rations and water than we do here, and we can't bring supplies in quick enough. So you are going to go in and break the siege."

"Okay. I'd like to set my droid to canvas the area first though. I like to see what I'm dealing with before I rush blindly into a potentially deadly room filled with murderous gang members who wronged me when I was a child."

"Fine."

The short reply was uttered with the undertone of annoyance. The hologram flickered and died then Darie started chuckling.

"He may not find it funny, but the way you manage to infuriate my boss every time we work together cracks me up every time. Though I do think that may be part of the reason I'm looking for a new crew every time you show up."

"They just hate being seen as inadequate. You guys are doing the important job by keeping them from leaving. I'm just coming in and killing everything in sight."

"Good."

We spent the rest of the short walk in silence. I was shown some holographic images of scans of the room. I was escorted to the room and I sent DV into the room. The first image I saw confirmed the scans I was shown earlier. I opened the door. Before I could step forward they started shooting. I slowed the bolts down enough to run to the other end of the room, before they even knew I was gone. I fired a volley of bolts from my own blaster taking out two of the five guys. The next few shots pinned me down behind a portable force field that they erected to stop the crew from storming the room. I pulled the lightsaber from my belt. They stopped shooting, to stop from overheating. I leapt up and swung my rifle, with one hand, before slamming my unignited lightsaber down onto a gang member. DV pounced at a second, its welding torch ignited. The gang started firing round after round at me, once they regained their focus. My saber was ignited before I realised what I was doing. The closest gang member slumped to the ground as my saber ripped through his chest. The next attempted to hit me with his rifle, but my left hand grabbed him by the neck. He fought his way free. That distracted me for just a second too much, the last member fired. The pistol's shot hit my armour, tore through it and pain shot from my back. I whipped around, bringing my saber around with me. The woman didn't look shocked or angry as her torso separated from her legs. She looked more confused. In the moment I took before realising what I'd done the only standing gang member shot towards me again. I stopped the blast in mid-air, a squirming bolt of red plasma, inches from my hand. I could feel the heat of the bolt warm my arm.

I let the bolt go. It screeched as it whipped past me. I shot the man in the knee, then elbow, then a stun shot to the chest.

The crew came in and saw the two unconscious men. They systematically executed them, before I could say otherwise.

"So, what Darie said about you was correct." The man seemed puzzled, though I couldn't really tell, unlike most Jedi, I was never able to perform any of the mental tricks. I couldn't sense danger or heal sense a hidden injury or disease.

"Yes." I my voiced seemed harsher than I'm used to, "I do what I'm paid to."

"Good…" He looked troubled, "I thought that Darie was doing you a favour?"

"Yes. My payment is information."

"Oh." The look of relief showed me that he was worried I'd take more than he could give.

Darie and her bodyguards arrived to take me to my ship.

The guards stayed outside the hangar, whilst Darie and I talked.

"The info is already in the ship; your droid took it."

"Thanks. Why don't you come with me?"

"I have a home here, also the resistance won't take me."

"Goodbye I guess." I said. We shook hands and I slowly walked onto my ship. I'd never given the ship a name, except home, nothing seemed to match the patchwork of ships that it was made from. The YT-1300 back of the ship was connected to the front of a Lambda class shuttle The stabilizer had to be replaced by two T-65 X-Wing wings. The only weapons on the ship were the YT turrets and some salvaged AT-AT cannons.