It all started about lunch time. Dal'buir was inside the house fixing the meal and I was helping jag'buir with one of the droids. The old mining unit had a bad motivator and popped its periscope hatch on the way out of the mine with a load of ore. If mother could have heard what father was saying, she wouldn't even give him haashuun for lunch. She always told me that I should watch what I say and often chided him on his language while teaching me. I thought it was funny since I have used far worse language (both Basic, Huttese, and Mando'a) with my friends in town when I saw them.

I was in the repair shed looking for a new motivator that Jag'buir said was on the shelf. I found it in one of the tool boxes, but before I could unbury myself from the mess I had made, I heard the speeders coming. Besides the low whine of a landspeeder, I heard the higher pitch of a pair of speeder bikes. Then, over those, I detected the low rumble of a sen'tra. I'd only ever heard jetpacks in town, but the sound was unmistakable. I launched myself over the pile to peek out the door.

There were seven men talking to father. They were all dressed the same. Blue kute with a dark blue blast vest, their beskar'gam was dark gray along with their their kom'rk and lovik'gam. Their buy'ce was also dark gray with light blue around the black visor. All of them wore jetpacks, even the ones on the speeder bikes. They were also armed with a pair of pistols on each thigh and three carried carbines.

"Why are you here," father said. There was a hint of fear in his voice, but he didn't show it in his posture. "I gave tribute last season and the next tribute isn't for another three weeks."

"We aren't here for tribute, old man," one of them said. "We're here for recruiting." The rest laughed at that comment, but then went dead silent. One looked up at the house and his finger dropped onto the trigger of his carbine.

"I already told your boss, I fought for his father for twelve years and was rewarded with exile to this rock." Jag'buir lifted himself up to his full height, his cybernetic leg creaking a little with the strain. "I'm done with fighting. All it ever gave me was dents to my armor and this leg."

"I never said it was you that we were here to recruit, old man." The leader pulled a pistol and shot, a smoking crater was all that remained of my father's chest. He fell to his knees and looked toward me for only a moment before he slumped forward.

Three of the strangers ran up to the house where I heard mother screaming. There was more blaster fire and then silence. After a few moments, I smelled smoke and heard things being thrown inside the house. The three walked back to the group, one shaking his head.

Another started walking toward the shed. I wouldn't be able to hide if he opened the door. Father taught me the kind of sensors those helmets held. I was surprised they hadn't found as it was.

"Maybe he's in the mine," one of the others said. The leader nodded and the group of three ran for the cave entrance. The one walking toward me stopped and turned back to his commander.

I knew it was my time to strike. Only with surprise could I hope to overcome the sensor package in his buy'ce. I burst out of the door and threw myself down at the backs of his knees. They buckled the moment I hit and I reached up and dislodged his pistol from its holster. I shot once under the back of his helmet and hit his gauntlet with the grip.

It must have been dumb luck because the rocket shot off his pack and blew up the droid that was standing near the commander. At the same time, the dead warrior's jetpack thrusters activated. I rolled off of him, catching his arm and redirecting him in a spin at the mouth of the mine.

I leaped for one of the speeder bikes and pushed what I thought was the throttle. There was no explosion from the cave, just a sickening thump as he hit the wall. By the time it registered, though, I was halfway to the tree line. If I could make it there, I could get to the primary speeder lane for town.

I saw a blue glow a moment before every nerve on my body was overcome with pain. I jerked straight and vaguely felt myself falling before I blacked out. I came to a moment later and was lying on my back on the ground. Five of the armored men stood over me, one with a tourniquet on his left arm.

"You missed," one said to another.

"He's on the ground, isn't he?"

"Yeah," the commander said, pulling his pistol with his one good arm. "Let's make sure there is no more trouble for the ride back to camp."

I was looking down the barrel of the blaster when things seemed to slow down. I saw his finger tighten on the trigger, and then a blue ring came out of the barrel. The ring hit my face and everything went white. A moment later, it went black.

I woke up in the cramped hold of a land speeder with six other kids. I don't know where I'm going or if they'll take my journal, but in case they do… Whoever you are that finds this, please help.

I live on Concordia, outside Refugee Mining Center Tad'eta. My mother and father were killed. My name is Praetor, House Sonalex, of Clan Ordo, I am twelve years old, this is my journal, and I've been kidnapped by Death Watch.