A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

STAR WARS

The rebellion has been defeated. With this, the Emperor has put forth a new law in which children and young adults from the age of 12 to 25 must fight to the death in the EMPIRE GAMES until one contestant remains.

Thirty three consecutive years have these been held which has brought order, justice and security to the Galactic Empire into a stable place. Palpatine's iron grip remains strong throughout the galaxy, however the emperor is nearing death and an uprising appears to be culminating in the shadows around him.

Welcome to this year's Empire day, the 53rd anniversary of the first galactic empire. It is also the commencement of the 34th Annual Empire Games. 24 Tributes from 12 different rebel worlds will be chosen at random, and the emperor has something very special in store this year…

Prologue

The Jedi. The Rebel Alliance. The Galactic Civil War. These were legends now. Memories of the distant past. However, the force… well, the force is everywhere. Every living being has it; in essence - it is energy. But there is much we do not know about it. Legend tells one jedi remarked that it works in very mysterious ways, ways we cannot come to terms with understanding. From my understanding it can be separated into two kinds. The dark side, and the light. But that is all I know. Can I feel the force? Well, no. But I believe I've used it. I've made certain things happen by accident of course whenever I feel strong emotions, particularly being sad or angry. I turned to the next page of this mysterious old book I was reading right under a blba tree. The sunset was rolling in on the sky of Dantooine and the wind was picking up. I was supposed to be back to the Khoonda Plains about an hour ago but my grandpa wouldn't notice my absence as he was probably busy watching the television we recently bought. I scribbled down a few notes in my notepad as I scanned through the next page. Clues and hints were being given on almost every page concerning the map to an Ancient Rakata ruin. The code was impossible to decipher and I'd been trying for a year already with no success. This book was handwritten in green ink on parchment paper. Some pages were barely legible as the person writing kept changing. This page was one of them; and it referred to words I had never heard of. Maybe they were vocabulary taken from an old Dantari tribe, who knows. I decided to call it a night and headed back home to bed. I laid restless on the mattress, moving around to find the best position to sleep in until I realized what tomorrow was. Until I remembered what tomorrow had in store for me. I would receive a letter that would let me know whether or not I had been chosen as a tribute. I froze and my body tensed in the dark as I stared up at the ceiling. I gulped but remembered that the odds were definitely in my favour. It was always so humid and hot in the house. I could hear a loud buzzing insect from outside my window, which eventually got in through a crack in the glass. I quickly pulled a glass jar from a messy cabinet in my room full of pens, stamps, nails and pins. It was easy to capture it. A firefly. It glowed bright green but something was wrong. I still felt sad. What if that small chance of me getting picked occurs, then what? If I can't even hurt an insect how am I going to survive if chosen as a player in the Empire's games. I rolled on my side once more and forced myself to sleep, to think about how I'm being unrealistic. I think about the ocean and lakes I will go see when I visit my mother in the next week. She lives eight hundred miles away on another settlement. If I had lived on a more populated planet like Ord Mantell I could easily take a starfighter and be there in less than a day. Travelling on Dantooine however was difficult and our technology was scarce. The fastest mode of travelling would be utilizing a cruiser. These thoughts take over the dark burden of the Empire games looming over me in the dark corner of my mind. When I wake up it is still dark. Feed the animals. Water the crops. I finish the early morning chores. By the time the sun comes out, I am eating a bowl of Kibla greens with my grandfather who is watching Capital TV on his small low signal television screen. This is the only channel we have, the only channel the galaxy has really. It is broadcast all hours of the day every day. And it is mandatory. The video segment currently on at the moment was portraying modern Jedi fighting alongside what we call here in Dantooine "old stormtroopers." A male narrating describes the Jedi as a power hungry cult that attempted to murder Palpatine cold blooded during the waning days of the former Republic. "Were they real Jedi grandfather," I asked a previous year. "Jedi are supposed to be good." I remember him giving me a serious look which was rare. "No." I remember that day always. But deep down, in the deep rooted philosophy of the Jedi - their morals were good. I strongly believe that the Jedi who once lived on Dantooine used their powers for good, because I know so. I read about it. The video now showed the Death Star I and a group of X-Wings destroying it. Transition. Now there was reenactment footage of The Ryloth Rebellion. This was a new commercial for the upcoming Empire Games this year. It had played year after year for as long as I can imagine, but this one had new actors and new shots. The video went through each rebelling planet during the Galactic Civil War including Dantooine. The narrator spoke very negatively of the rebels on my world and blamed us for the destruction of Alderaan four centuries ago. "That's a load of Bull-" my grandfather punched me in the shoulder. "Watch your language boy!" He said pointing a finger at me. "That's a load of Bullshit!" He corrected winking at me. I smiled. Tensions between resistance groups across the Galaxy and the Empire are growing. The Empire is becoming a joke, and more and more often my grandfather and I make snide remarks about the empire. We finish our first meal of the day and I go to take mine and my father's plates to the sink. The commercial ends and the screen now shows live video footage of the streets of Coruscant, the capital while the TV crew waits for tributes to arrive. They are celebrating and there are large gatherings of people everywhere. I go to take a hot shower. I let my head get soaked and the steam rise all around the room. Grandpa tells me to conserve water, but today is Empire Day and I take my time doing things. I hear a rattle in our house and shut off the valve immediately. Is this an earthquake? No. I get out of the shower and wipe my hair generously with a beige towel the noise only vibrating our house even more. "Grandpa, what is that?" No answer. I stand on my tiptoes to have a gaze outside the window as I begin to hear an engine of some sort. I see an imperial T-4a class shuttle outside of our home. What the…? I get dressed as fast as I can and run downstairs to tell Grandpa. But he is gone. Outside I see him walking over to the ship where three imperial officers step out from. He is worried looking. Did grandfather commit a crime, I thought, Were they taking him away. I watch as one of the imperial officers begins chatting with him. There doesn't seem to be a problem, he wasn't being arrested or anything. I decide to go outside and see for myself. I open the door and everyone stares at me. My grandfather's face is as pale as a ghost. "What's the matter? What's happening here?" The Imperial officer which stood in between the other two pulled out a handheld tablet and began to read.

Dear Mr. Simon Bernard Henderson,

Congratulations on being chosen for this year's 34th Annual Empire Games. We are pleased to have you represent the planet of Dantooine and the Raioballo sector of the Galaxy. You are permitted to bring one item with you away from your home, but only one. The games will begin in exactly one week from today during which time you will receive four days of training in the Imperial Capital of Coruscant. In the event that you win the game, the Dantooine System will be showered in riches and you will be given the reward of a lifetime. Please give your goodbyes and last words to your family before you part on your trip. I wish you the best of luck on your journey and in this year's games. Your Emperor thanks you.

Grand Moff Vulfgang Sveinn

The imperial officer then put the tablet away and told for me to come onboard when ready. It was now me and my grandfather outside of the shuttle alone. I couldn't speak. But neither could he, he didn't even blink. I gave him a long hug. I breathed in the stench of alcohol on his plaid jacket and the campfire smell as it was the unique smell that I could always link to my grandfather. I didn't even bother to grab an item from the house with me, not even the book. Because the force doesn't matter anymore. And it certainly won't matter in these games. I'm best to train myself with handling a blaster so at least I'll look like I have a chance against the other tributes. Oh what what was the point anymore? I feel a tear trickling down my eye but wipe it away quickly. Grandfather was very serious about being strong, about being a man. Even though I sit inside the dark insides of the shuttle and my grandfather can no longer see me, I stay strong to his word. Across from me is a female, who looks around 18-years-old. "Hello, my name is Emily. What's yours?"

"Simon," I mutter but the conversation ends there. This must be the female tribute chosen for Dantooine. I can feel the ship start to take off from the ground and my stomach churns a bit as it flies higher and higher above the atmosphere. Pretty soon we enter the endless vastness of space. I am now leaving the far outskirts of the Galaxy and setting out into its deep core. I begin to learn how to breathe again. I feel like screaming as loud as I can but only do so inside my head crying desperately for help. On the outside I am a rock and my whole body feels empty, void of any life.