A true story assembled and written down by Seth Vangh Ersten, eight years after the fall of the Galactic Empire.

For Amelia

-Prologue-

"I will never lay a hand on you sister, but I will stand in your way if I have to."

Terror. Fear. The few years of prosperity seemed to be a time long gone. Far in the northern regions of Tattoine, raiders seeked the most valuable resource of that time, water. Indigenous tribes were blessed by a miracle, and discovered a river on the scorching planet of sand and rocks. Led by an extraordinary, kind and beautiful girl. They first build a city around the wellspring, and then another one down south, on both river banks. They were willing to share their land with anyone, but raiders were blinded by their thirst for blood and water. And so, they entered the first city they encountered.

Locals tried to retreat as far north as they could, or eventually locked their doors and hid on the rooftops. They were not ready for combat and war. As one of the locals looked upon death and suffering of his kinsmen, he yelled in their native tongue:

'We need to find weapons to defend ourselves!'

For a moment everyone seemed to agree with him, and began looking around for anything reminiscent of a weapon. That was until one his friends ran up to the rooftop, accompanied by a beautiful teenage girl, covered in bizarre brown tattoos.

'No! Khal doesn't want us to fight!' He yelled and stopped next to his friend, but the girl carried on to the edge of the rooftop. They looked at her with confusement.

'What does she want to do then?' One of them asked.

The girl looked down on the raiders, mixed among the suffering locals. Her eyes slowly began to fill with tears. The peaceful world she was trying to build was falling apart, but she didn't just stand and doing nothing. She backed off and spread her hands. Dust of the floor below began to move away from her and she slowly began floating as if there was no gravity. Everyone looked at her with disbelief, and after the while even the raiders noticed a bizarre phenomenon. Some even stopped fighting. The girl rose higher and higher. She looked down on the city with despair. She had to do something she did not want to do.

With a move of her hand, the girl cracked the ground open, creating boundary between the raiders and her people. Their confusement grew even bigger, as the ground below the raiders began to collapse, fall lower and lower, creating a high cliff on the other side. They were completely separated. The locals were safe, but not for long. Therefore the girl gave up on one of the things she held most dear. Her body began to shine, lighter and lighter, until the light was brighter than a star, a light that pierced even matter and people, pure and inescapable.

No one was able to confirm how long that phenomenon lasted, but sooner or later everything went back to normal. The raiders down the cliff were gone, but so was the girl. The girl who saved her people.

.

.

.

Thousands of years later...

The twin stars hanged low above the horizon, but it wasn't late, for this land was located far in the north, where the suns always stayed low, where the sky throughout the day was pink with shades of orange and yellow. Warm light shined bright on the buildings of an ancient city, isolated from the rest of the world by mysterious forces. In the hum of peaceful and thin streets two loud voices stood out. Cheerful chanting and laughing. Seth and Sofie were not one of the locals, but they tried to enjoy their short visit as much as they could, it was not an everyday occasion to visit the city of Khalos, located on high, beautiful and green cliffs, an oasis in the desert. No one knew it's here, except for the worthy ones, and the inhabitants. They were... peculiar people in every aspect of their existence.

Kaghatians had a light brown skin, at the verge of golden. Their heads were covered with a fluffy bush of curly hair. Their brown eyes had untypical yellowish eyelids. Lovers of life itself, peaceful, open to each other, as well as the outlanders.

They looked at Seth and Sofie and they were happy for them. Those two were welcome to that place. She was there for the first time in her life, but he… His story was complicated.

After a long night of dancing, singing and drinking with the locals, Seth took Sofie to his old apartment where he used to live many years ago. It was mostly a one, cosy, big room separated into different sections. Stairs lead to a small bedroom right under the ceiling. Being tired as they were, both decided to go to sleep. As the apartment had just one big bed, Seth and Sofie stood above it in a silent dilemma.

'So…' Seth began while looking at Sofie nervously 'I think…'

'Yeah...' She said and nodded her head. She was just as nervous as him and avoided a longer eye contact.

'Right… I will go for the couch.' Seth said, ending the uncomfortable exchange of words. Truly, this was not the solution either of them wished for, but obviously none knew how to approach this topic at such a time. The moment Seth walked down the stairs, it seemed to be too late. Sofie tried not bother herself with that. She simply stripped down to her underwear and crawled under a blanket.

Although that may be hard to believe, this was the first time in her eighteen years old life, when she experienced this side of reality. Pleasures and beauty, earned through kindness and understanding. That was they way of the kaghatians, which was completely alien to Sofie. The only life she got to experience before, was the life of violence. Against her will, the Galactic Civil War and the Jedi ways enforced heavily by her father, took away her childhood, sense of proper morality and experience of love. Here, she could finally understand what those were. Being new to all this, naturally she was curious and passionate about every single thing around her. For the first time she could be herself, feel comfortable with people around her. The more time she spent in the land of the twin stars, the bigger her confidence grew...

'Seth!' Sofie yelled. His reaction was quick, as Seth appeared in the bedroom in a matter of seconds.

'What's going on?' He asked. Sofie looked at him in silence, but at some point finally overcame her nerves:

'For so many years I had to sleep alone, on a tight bed, in a noisy starship. It doesn't feel good… Could you make a difference, at least once? If you are alright with that of course…'

'Sure… There is no problem' Seth said with a feel of relief and lied down next to Sofie. She looked at him with an adorable smile, almost as if she flew away in her mind. Seth replied with a chuckle and asked:

'What's up?'

'It's just that… Kaghatians praise you in a certain way. Why is that?'

'It is a long, and tiring story…' He said and sighed as he was going back to his memories. Memories of happiness, revelation and great sadness.

'When I was little, my father used to tell me bedtime stories, but at some point… He decided I had to toughen up, so he stopped. It's a shame, I liked those, and it seems like you've got one as well.'

Seth looked upon Sofie's round face with pity. He promised himself to help her however he could, and seeing in her green eyes how much she loved such stories, he began… A story that goes four years back…

'This story isn't just mine… It goes about for years back, to a lonely imperial officer, onboard a star destroyer...

-1-

Spaceport Catastrophe

"Forgive the evil men, for they are lost and confused, not truly evil, but ignorant.

Officer Landa woke up. For a short period of time, the ship vibrated in an unusual manner. They have apparently left hyperspace, but Landa had no way to confirm it. Her small, rough dormitory had no windows. However, she knew well that soon she would hear an announcement to gather in the hangar.

'All officers transferred to the Khalos Jurisdiction, board lambda shuttle YT-2144 in hangar number one.' The speaker said.

Lionela stood up from her bed and put on her uniform. She had no baggage of her own, all the things she needed were said to be provided by the local authorities.

She knew nothing of the place where she was being transferred, only researched information on the planet. Its name was Tattoine, a desolate desert world, capable to sustain its inhabitants through moisture farming. At least that was what she managed to discover.

Officer Landa entered the hangar and boarded the ship with a dozen of other officers. Inside awaited four stormtroopers, for security measures, and a senior lieutenant that must have served as a guide for the new officers. Everything about that transfer seemed unusual. That was a big amount of new officers for such an unimportant place, in outer rim if that was not enough. And the name of the city, Khalos, seemed unlike any other cities of Tattoine.

Officer Landa strap herself in. The shuttle took off and flew out from the hangar. There was nothing to be seen through a small window, but a darkness. Landa peeked to the pilots' cabin. The round shape of the planet began to grow with a distant source of light l, rising from the horizon. A ring of light, revealing more of the surface. Though there was no up or down, the planet seemed to be above the shuttle. As Landa looked into the light, she noticed that it came from not one, but two, Twin Stars.

'Tilting westward.' One of the pilots said. The ship turned around its axis, bringing the planet surface below it.

'That's typical…' One officer chattered with the other. 'I request a transfer from an icy cube and land on a desolate desert.'

'A desolate desert? You have no idea where you are going…' The senior lieutenant said.

'Look!' Other officer yelled and pointed at the window. Landa, as well as many others, peeked outside the shuttle. What she saw denied all geographic info on the planet of Tattoine. She saw a river, surrounded by dense woods and green planes, full of wildlife and various colors.

'This can't be Tattoine…' Officer Landa said.

'You better believe it.' Senior lieutenant replied.

The shuttle approached a big city on the edge of a cliff, full of green gardens. It definitely wasn't built by the Empire or any other fraction she knew. The architecture was very exquisite and beautiful, with all of the Imperial elements standing out with no sense of aesthetic.

'Entering Khalos jurisdiction. Requesting a landing permission on a pad number two. Shuttle YT-2144.' One of the pilots said.

The shuttle landed on a platform on a high cliff, in a part of the city much less green than the rest, obviously modified by the Imperials.. The boarding ramp lowered. The senior lieutenant walked over to the middle and said:

'I am senior lieutenant Trevon and for the time being I will be your guide around the place. Follow me to the briefing room, where each of you will get your assignment. Oh… And one more thing... If possible, avoid any contact with the locals. They are dangerously elusive and unpredictable. Before the Empire arrived here they lived in chaotic anarchy. Be wary…' Trevon said and marched out from the shuttle. All lieutenants followed him out to the platform.

Something seemed off to officer Landa. This big, beautiful and exquisite city, crafted with cobblestone, did not look like it was built by anarchists, neither the Imperials… What sort of place was that? Where did it come from?

'On behalf of director Morin, I welcome you to the Khalos Jurisdiction. I know that, this transfer may be very confusing, but know, that each one of you has been carefully selected for this very special project.' Senior lieutenant spoke to everyone in the briefing room. 'As we all know, true law and order are not a common good around the galaxy. Even in our wonderful capital that is Coruscant, crime dwells within its gigantic city… Even under Emperor's rule, the senate is still filled with deceitful politicians. What we are doing here, is an attempt to make a change. A secluded bubble, easier to govern, control and maintain, if necessary, even self sufficient.

What we have encountered here upon arrival gave us quite a good head start… Four solid bases for big cities and dozens upon dozens of smaller villages. Locals, apparently they call themselves kaghatians, but in galactic basic we have a better word for them… anarchists. Before the Empire has arrived here, they lived in chaos… No governing system, not a single ruler or leader… Only a petty religion of an entity, Khal Kaghatia… Not too creative with their names…' Lieutenant joked. The crowd chuckled. 'But carrying on… The priests has been arrested and religion prohibited, due to a bad influence… Inspiring insubordination. However, this is where our advantages come into play… They are weak, naive… The do not possess any weapons. If approached correctly… They are fine "hosts". So, now, all of you are going to receive your stations, your important roles in our new society.'

Being done with welcoming speech, everyone walked over to a big hall and then to a higher ranking officer of their branch. Landa looked everywhere, but could not find anyone she could report to, until the senior officer from the shuttle approached her with a data pad in his hand.

'Officer Landa?' He asked.

'Yes sir, that's me… There isn't any place for me to report.' She replied.

'Because you are the only one around here.'

'The only one?'

'The only science officer of your rank. All the kids grow up wanting to commanding officers, owning and ordering entire fleets. I have reviewed your file… and it's something. There are very few people like you anymore officer. A bit of galactic history, linguistics, geology, chemistry and then a degree in astrophysics… How is that even possible?'

'A girl growing up with a lot of free time and her own convictions.'

'I see… Well, director Morin requested your transfer because of your scientific approach and a wide knowledge of history and linguistic. We couldn't care less about the primitive culture of the locals, but sometimes it creates certain obstacles. It will be your job to understand how to overcome them.'

'Cultural obstacles… I see.' Lionela said unsurely.

'Come officer, I was ordered to show you where everything is.'

'Of course sir.' Lionela said and followed the senior lieutenant outside. The sky gave a very unusual aura to that place. It seemed as if the twin stars did not rise much higher above the southern horizon than they already were. The sky was yellow and orange melted with pink further north.

'You are going to have to do some sightseeing yourself, but I would suggest you stay out of the local starport today… The stormtroopers will be carrying out an important operation.' Senior lieutenant warned Landa.

'I will sir.'

Senior lieutenant stopped at one of the local buildings and pointed at it.

'This is an imperial library. That's where we store all of the confiscated books.'

'Why confiscated, sir?'

'It is just a manner of speech… They were lying out there in the open, free for the taking for everyone. It was careless for the locals to do it, we wouldn't want any of them stolen… I guess you will be visiting that place a lot, officer.'

'I think so as well, sir.' Officer Landa kept acquiescing uncomfortably.

'Why so stiff officer? Khalos Jurisdiction is not like duty on an imperial starship. You will not be constantly supervised by higher ranking officers. You can lay back as long as you discipline yourself when meeting the director, get your job done and of course stay loyal to the Empire.'

'It may not be easy getting used to it sir.' Landa said timidly.

'I see… Maybe that's for the better. An imperial officer with too much freedom is not always the most efficient officer… But trust me, director Morin has his ways to keep us disciplined…' Senior lieutenant said menacingly. Landa looked at him with worry, but tried to hide her emotions. 'Let me show you where you are going to sleep…'

...

Seth hasn't been to Khalos in years and he wasn't that keen on coming back. The Land of the Twin Stars reminded him of the painful loss he has suffered. At that time, he only saw an opportunity for business. He knew that in such an isolated place he would find many interesting trade offers with the locals, for valuables he has scavenged on his way through the galaxy.

Seth landed his ship in the Khalos spaceport and walked out to the streets. To his shock, that place was nothing like he remembered it. The Land of the Twin Stars known for being isolated from the rest of the galaxy, was swarming with Imperials and their totalitarian imagery. Stormtroopers patrolled the streets and Imperial emblem hung from almost every building. Very few kaghatians roamed the street and in every case their natural happiness was gone from their faces. Even though Seth's emotional sensitivity has faded over the years, that was quite a sad sight for him.

He walked down the street where the market for the outlanders was located, not as impressive as it once was. Only two stalls were left standing. Seth roamed the square and looked at the city which once was so bright and vivid, now seemingly grey and sad. Above the buildings, in the distance stood a big structure, palace of kaghatian arts and on the walls… Big, red, imperial banners.

'Symbol of the Twin Star was much more fitting to those walls.' Said one of kaghatian traders, whose stall stood right next to Seth.

'It did…' He answered.

'So… You've been here before?' Trader asked while looking at Seth's pale skin with curiosity.

'A long time ago… Before this happened… But what happened here?'

'People of this "Galactic Empire" came here one day… We thought they will be our new friends, but no. They took control over us and became hostile, they hurt us and now speak of bizarre things like "law" or "anarchy"... "Money"... Something like that didn't happen in centuries.' The trader said with misery and finished with a long, sad sigh.

'How is that even possible? I thought that only the worthy can enter this land.'

'It appears that we were both fed with fairytales. They are here, so there is no ancient magic protecting us. Just like they say...'

It was hard to describe the aura of misery that surrounded this man. Seth looked around for any other kaghatians on the square. Among the few he could find, each of them looked the same as the trader, as if they were missing something.

'Everything just fades away, our entire culture. There are less and less artists, singers, architects… And you won't find any tattoo makers, brewers or priests anymore… By the way, would you like some kaghatian liquor? I've got some hidden under the counter.'

'Why not…' Seth's answered with a sad sigh and leaned on the counter as the trader took a bottle and two glasses out.

'You know, you apparently can't give those out anymore. They say you need a license, and I don't even know what that is.'

'Ridiculous…' Seth said to comfort the trader and emptied a glass of liquor with a one quick move. Trader took his glass and looked into the liquid with sentiment, sipping from time to time.

'But that's not the worst of it…' trader began. Seth turned his head towards him with curiosity, but at the same time a fear of what he might hear 'Those outlanders saw Khal Kaghatia as a heresy, without even trying to understand her. They shut down the temples, began to hunt priests and priestesses down… they are all gone by now. To make things even worse, those imperial people say that traditional chants and wisdom of our lady is not allowed… How are we supposed to carry on like that?'

This question was much more serious than Seth thought. Teachings of Khal Kaghatia were the sole reason kaghatians could live in peace and prosperity, according to their dreams. Priests and priestesses were responsible for the education of youth for thousands of years, teaching them philosophy from the youngest age, so they would understand the universe in the earliest age. The Empire disrupted that thriving tradition, when they came there a couple of years ago, together with their laws and harsh mentality…

Seth's contemplation came to an end suddenly. After a wave of strong vibrations in the ground, came a loud roar of an explosion. All eyes looked in the direction of fire and smoke pouring above the buildings. It appeared as if the epicenter of the explosion was the spaceport of Khalos. Seth hoped not. He rushed through the streets to find out. To his shock, the building where he landed his ship earlier that day collapsed in fire. Imperial stormtroopers surrounded the place casually and kept any onlookers away. Seth approached one of them and asked with resentment:

'What happened here?'

No one answered or even looked at him 'Hey, what happened?!' Seth asked again.

'None of your business kid.' one of the stormtroopers mumbled through his white helmet and pushed Seth away when he tried to approach the rumble.

'My ship was inside… What am I supposed to do now?' Seth said, but again met with no reaction 'Hey, bucket head! I am talking to you!'

This time Seth managed to get a reaction, but not in his odds:

'Bucket head?' stormtrooper asked and turned to his partner 'Hey 4023, you know how this kid called us?'

At this moment Seth knew, he made a mistake. He did not think of the consequences and so the two stormtroopers decorated his face with bruises in one of the back alleys. He tried fighting back, but he was just a seventeen years old boy against two grown up soldiers.

'You can see that bucket from up close.' Said one of them, Seth couldn't tell which one anymore. His body was in pain. He tried crawling away, but it was naive. They started kicking him as he was lying on the ground.

Seth started thinking how miserable his life was and how miserably it would end. No one would miss him. No one would remember him. He felt shame and embarrassment as he waited for the moment everything fades away.

He didn't feel being kicked anymore, but he was still there or the ground. Something happened. Seth rolled on his back and looked around with his eyes. Some figure fought off the two stormtroopers with great skill and agility. Seth crawled to a wall and leaned on it to see and understand what is going on. The figure wore pieces of armor, armor of an Imperial scout trooper, painted over and modified with an olive parka underneath. It fought the stormtroopers with thick metal gauntlets and a harpoon fired from one of them.

Before Seth managed to notice all that, the two stormtroopers were lying unconscious on the ground. It was all over. He felt relieved… Relaxed… Pain no longer bothered him. He just wanted to rest… To sleep…

...

His ribs may have been broken. A wounded kaghatian was sitting on his knees in the middle of an office, built in a local manner, but modified by Imperials. Director Morin circled around the poor victim with an irritated look on his face. He was accompanied by two stormtroopers by the doors.

'So... All the elders in your community magically disappear? What, Khal Kaghatia ascends them to heavens?' Director asked.

'I don't know…' Kaghatian whispered with all the strength he had left, while shaking his head. In response director Morin sighed with irritation and crouched down in front of the questioned. He grabbed his hair aggressively and asked:

'Alright… Where is your mother?'

'Here… In the city.'

'Yes, I see. And the mother of your mother?'

'I don't know…' Kaghatian replied again with a begging tone.

Morin dropped his hair, stood up hopelessly and sighed even louder than before.

'Put him with the rest.' He said to the stormtroopers, who approached the kaghatian, grabbed him by the arms and pulled out from the room. As they dragged him through a dark corridor, lightened only through miniature windows, Imperial agent Vanto looked on them with an angle of his eye while walking down to director's office.

Morin was sitting on his armchair with legs lying comfortably on the desk. Agent Vanto bowed kindly upon stepping through the doorway, even though director looked at the ceiling, not at him.

'You summoned me, director.' Agent said.

'Yes… As you may have seen the interrogations are not going too well for us…' Director said and looked at Vanto after a while 'And there is a great mystery to be solved.'

'Why there are no seniles in the land…'

Admiral applauded by pointing a finger at the agent.

'Precisely! We came here years ago, to a land we do not fully understand from a land they do not understand neither. While we can get by all those ridiculousness as Khal Kaghatia, the eternal light and love for all things... This is beyond reason and logic. Even a civilization of this size needs to have elders as the wastes of society... But there are none.'

'Either this place is unnatural or we are dealing with some sort of conspiracy.' Agent theorized.

'Yes... There are stories, that those kaghatians found a source of eternal youth. Tell me honestly agent Vanto, do you believe in magic?' Morin asked, and observed the unsure look on Vanto's face. Admiral's accent was smooth, but unclear. One could never be sure what kind of truth lied behind his words or their meaning.

'Those are… Just superstitions. We mustn't trust such silly beliefs.' Agent Vanto replied with forced self confidence.

'Correct. I am giving you a new assignment. You are to find an answer to that mystery. Kaghatians turn out to be quite loyal to their people, but do not forget, they are not the only citizens here... There are some outsiders who came here tohave an outlaw life. They are still different from the locals, and perhaps easier to crack. That's where you should start.' Morin replied calmly, to Vanto's relief.

'And I shall do so. Your will is my duty, director.'

'Naturally… You do remember the consequence of failure, don't you.' Morin said while looking deep into agent's eyes. Vanto turned his head with fear towards a skull of some mysterious beast hanging on the wall. Admiral Morin was well known for his terrifying punishments. Vanto knew well he could not fail.

'Of course sir, I will discover their secrets…' Vanto said and left the room quickly. He could still hear director's voice on the corridor:

'Go my knight. You are the best of the best. I know well you won't disappoint me.' Director said with a small dose of irony in his voice.

Agent Vanto was afraid. He wanted to get out from director's sight as fast as he could. His hands and legs were shaking. He had to cool down before going to the investigation and look well in front of other troops. He entered one of many storage rooms in the Imperial facility.

Those places were full of goods confiscated from kaghatians. Agent Vanto turned off the cameras around the room, closed the doors and approached one of many crates. Inside were dozens of bottles, all full of kaghatian liquor. Vanto grabbed one of them, sat down in the corner and began drinking. Success and failure just became a matter of life and death.