Chapter 1

A small eight year old boy snuck down a dark hallway. His name was Jarren.

Jarren slowly creeped open a door in the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep so he was very careful not to wake anyone, for what he was doing was forbidden.

The room was dark. The only light came from a window which only the stars and moons gave light. As he crept through to the other side of the room, he noticed how much junk there was.

It was mostly boxes filled with old ship parts or items with tarps over them. There were two bookshelves however despite all the junk. One larger than the other.

There was also a large wooden picnic table in the center of the room. The wood was rough from wear and age. It was at least several hundred years old, a treasured family heirloom.

Jarren made his way around the table and ran his hand along it as he walked. Suddenly he winced. He had revived a splinter from the old wood. Quickly removing his hand from the table, Jarren held his hand with his other one.

He wanted to cry out how it hurt badly but only pursed his lips. For he dared not open his mouth.

After he calmed himself he pulled the splinter out of his hand with his teeth, then blew it out of his mouth. Jarren continued to make his way around the table toward the larger bookshelf.

There was lots of junk cluttering it. The top shelf Jarren could barely make out. It appear to be some metal tin boxes up there. The second one had 30 something old and very dusty books on it. The third contained far fewer books and there were gaps unlike the second. The bottom shelf had a few weapons on it. They were neatly laid out.

If the stories his family told him were true, it would be easy to find what he desired. After carefully searching he couldn't find it. He then remembered how tricky his family was.

He proceeded to pull a box over to the bookcase to use as a stool.

He climbed up on the box and began searching for a small bizarre item on every shelf. He started digging through the second shelf, even standing on the box it was the highest one he could reach. He began flipping through each book looking for something between the pages. Yet he found nothing.

So he moved onto the third shelf and caught a glimpse of something that fit the description of what he sought. Jarren had found a statue of a hooded man holding a sword pointed to the ground as a knight would. He pulled at the statue to get a better look at it, forgetting about his quest and purely fascinated at the statue. There was a clank that came from the statue. Then the bookcase shook.

"Really a hidden passageway behind the bookcase?" Jarren whispered in awe.

Only to his surprise the whole room started shaking. He wanted to scream but held it in for he knew there was more to his family's stories.

Jarren turned around and saw the picnic table transform into a round table with five large chairs. Gold and silver liquid began oozing out of the table and chairs, running throughout the grooves. The liquid hardened and suddenly it looked like a majestic royal feeling.

The boy stood there in awe, amazed at his discovery, wondering if even his grandfather knew.

In front of the largest and more decorated chair a thin metal tin appeared from out of the table. Jarren climbed into the chair. Of course he needed to stand on a box to get up there. Jarren flipped the latch and was ready to open it.

"This is it." He thought to himself. "All of my questions will be answered."

"You're not supposed to be in here Boy!" An old man hissed from the doorway.

Jarren nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard him. "Grandpa!" He gasped. "You scared me." He said as he smiled nervously still calming himself down.

His grandfather chuckled. "Sorry my boy, couldn't help myself. He said as he walked closer to Jarren.

"I must say you surprised me. You got this far all from that one story I told you and the other children."

Jarren merely nodded. Trying to plan what he would say, believing he was in deep trouble.

" I don't think you're ready to take that seat yet my boy." His grandpa smiled. He picked Jarren up and sat in the seat the 8 year old was in. He rested Jarren onto his lap.

"Grandpa, What is this place?" Jarren asked full of wonder.

Drawing in a deep breath, his grandfather replied. "It is the table of the clan leaders.

You see many years ago a man discovered this planet and he decided it would be his home.

This man fell deeply in love with a woman whose origins were same as his, and she returned his sentiment.

Now they had to keep their love for one another a secret because, you see he would have been thrown in jail for the rest of his life or killed for his love.

There was a war, you see at that time and he wanted not only his love safe but he wanted to protect the woman he fell in love with.

Though she hated this idea, so he built a house on this planet.

The planet he loved as soon as he saw it, and his new wife loved it as well.

They brought with them two shards of a crystal, you see two of them one to represent each of them."

Jarren's grandfather then opened the box. Revealing around 20 crystals all lined up.

Jarren's grandpa pointed at the first two.

"These are the crystals the brought with them" he said smiling at Jarren.

"Woah cool!" Jarren said forgetting about his possible punishment.

"Yes they are." His grandpa replied. He went on to say. "The rest are his children's and their children's on and on until my crystal."

"Woah, so is this yours grandpa?" Jarren said pointing a little too closely at the final crystal.

The gentle giant chuckled.

"No J'ar-ren," His grandfather always said his name with their native tongue. "That is your fathers. I never let mine out of my sight." He lifted up a necklace from under his shirt.

Jarren nodded. "Grandpa? Why are they different colors?"

The old man replied. "Hmm good question, one I shall answer when you are old enough to understand."

"Ok papah." Jarren wetted his lips. "Where is uncle Konly crystal? Does he keep his with him like you?"

The child's teacher answered. "I don't know where he keeps his, but it won't end up here."

"Why?"

"Because, this is only for the firstborn of our tribe. With one exception however, this one." The gentle man pointed to a black crystal.

"This one belongs to a woman who my great grandfather married.

Her origins were almost the same as ours.

Oh was she a fierce leader, the clans feared a war she was so fierce."

The gentle old man groaned. "Off the point."

He cleared his throat. "She saved the clans from off worlders who sought to destroy us."

After more stories behind almost every crystal, Jarren looked up at his grandpa and said. "When do I get my crystal papa?"

The white bearded man look to his grandson with kind and loving eyes.

"Well, why not now?" He said smiling.

The old man turned to a junk pile in the corner of the room by some larger ship parts.

He called out. "JK, wake up old friend. Your work has begun."

Something under one of the tarps began to move. Jarren squeezed his grandpa as he was scared.

Noises started coming from under the tarp, and lights as well. Jarren couldn't help but stare as the tarp was thrown off.

It was a little astromech. He was orange and silver. It's upper dome looked incomplete but that was supposed to be how he looked. His legs were different than any other astromech for he was a one of a kind model.

Jk began chirping happily and waddling.

The old man somehow understood what he said and chuckled.

"I know I know, I'm sorry to wake you old friend. This is J'ar-ren, and he need a crystal that is as special as he is." He said as he began to tickle Jarren.

The large man set the boy down and JK stared at him with one of his cameras. Then he opened one of his flaps, extended his arm and handed Jarren a deep blue crystal.

Jarren was amazed by the crystal as he took it from the droid.

"Thank you jay kay." He said as he hugged the droid.

Jk beeped and chirped happily.

If Jarren didn't know better he would have thought he saw JK smiling.