Before the Storm
This is Tatooine, my home. A place so vast and barren that no sane being would willingly reside here. Yet here I am, along with a couple hundred thousand others. I'm not sure what brought the original settlers here; I think it was something about hoping to mine valuable minerals, but the only thing here is sand. This wretched planet, it should have been left to the Jawa's and Tuskens; they're crazy enough to want to live here.
I didn't always reside here; I was born on Iridonia, the planet native to my species, Zabrak. My Mother and Father left when I was very young, a few weeks old or so. As it stands I have no memory of it, no idea of what it's like, no smells, no sights, no sounds, nothing. I hate that, I'm proud to be a Zabrak, but I know nothing of my culture or heritage. My parents wouldn't tell me anything my whole life, denying everything, everything but Iridonia and Zabrak.
We moved to a town called Dee'ja Peak, on Corellia. A nice enough place, it was apparently a famous place; its theater was always full, with beings from far off places. That was the talk of the town, Dee'ja Peak Theater, the plays and players were the topic of discussion for most. Especially my Mother, she was a player after all, not a player but the player; most famous in town, some say the whole system.
But everything changed one fateful day, when I was about twelve years of age. There was a man, he was obsessed with mother. Always at her shows, waiting out back to see her after. My father confronted him once, told him to leave her alone. That didn't work, he came back with a vibroblade. Mother wasn't harmed, but father, father was killed. The blade stuck from father's chest, while mother held him, dying. The man running off into the gathering crowd.
Afterwards mother moved us to Naboo, to the capital city of Theed. There she gained work as medical assistant, working with her best friend, Le'in Li, a Twi'lek whom she'd first met on Iriodonia when Le'in was visiting doing medical research. Mother was able to find some peace in our new lives.
She once told me that Le'in was one of the bravest beings she had ever met. That Le'in had been through so much in her life and still managed to keep her head up. She told me that I should learn from her, to never give up. Le'in was more than a friend, she was a second mother to me. So much so that not long after, I decided to change the spelling of my name. I gave it more of a Twi'lek sound, in honor of Le'in.
The day I graduated from medical school, mother and Le'in were the happiest women on the planet. I had achieved the title of Master Doctor, and set forth creating my own practice. I offered enhancements and cured illnesses, and since I loved it so much, I was more than willing to take price cuts. My business was booming.