CHAPTER 2 LOST CHILDHOOD
A boy of about five years old with brown hair and blue eyes, was running through the forest as fast as he could to the secret place him and is friend always met.
The young boy always loved the forest it had just felt right to him like the place you know you belong. He took in another deep breath as he jumped over a fallen log and came to a clearing where he saw a young girl with blood red hair sitting next to a small creek with her back to him and he stopped to catch his breath.
"Hey Kristy." He called out to the young girl who turned and he saw her bright green eyes
"Hi Jason" she called as a wide grin came across her face as he came over and sat next to her
"So what do you wanta play today?" he asked with a grin
"Oh I don't know, how bout we go and explore the northern side of the woods?" she suggested
"Yeah alright perhaps look for gold or some other fun adventure." He said with a smile as he got up and offered her his hand
"Yeah let's go" she said as she took his hand and they set out.
XXX
They had finished exploring the northern part of the woods for most of the day looking for hidden treasure, dragons to slay or whatever else their young imaginations could come up with and were now on their way back home
Jason was barely a year older then Kristy but they had known each other since before either of them could remember, their parents had known each other since before they were born and they grew up like brother and sister so he knew when something was bothering her and there was definitely something on her mind, he couldn't just let it go.
"So what's the matter?" Jason finally asked
"What?" she asked shocked "What do you mean what's the matter? Everything is fine." She replied flustered trying to hide it
"We've known each other forever you are the closest thing I have to a sister I know when something is bothering you." He replied
"Well fine the thing is I heard my parents talking about some Jedi coming to our house tomorrow to test me to see if I could go to the Jedi academy, but the thing is I don't want to leave my home and go to a new and scary place all alone." She said as she dropped her head and a tear began to roll down her face from the fear of something so big and unknown in her future
"Hey don't worry about it I heard my parents talking the same thing about a Jedi coming to test me in two days so you won't be going alone." he said with a smile as he lifted up her head to look in her eyes
At this hope sprung back to her eye's "really?" she asked as he nodded his head but then it left again "But what if you don't pass and I do then you won't be able to come with me." She said as she began to cry again
"Jeez always thinking about yourself you'll never make it as a Jedi thinking like that, what if I pass and you don't, huh? Then I will be stuck all by myself." He said with a chuckle trying to keep the mood light and trying to be strong for his 'little sister' "but let's both make sure we pass and both get selected alright" he smiled at her "but even with the small chance one of us doesn't pass and the other does let's meet here tomorrow morning and play one last time before alright."
"Alright, I'm not supposed to test till the afternoon anyways so as long as I'm back by launch," she said as she wiped her tears from her face as he gave her a nod, then she held out her hand with her pinky out and said "pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise." He said as he held out his hand and wrapped his pinky around her's and they shook on it
"Hehe, you always seem older than you actually are sometimes, but thanks for that." She said to him as she wiped the rest of the tears from her face
"Just don't tell my parents that." He said with a grin
"Alright, see you tomorrow" she said as she turned around and headed toward the small village she lived at just outside the woods
Jason watched her leave then he turned around and began to run home through the woods to his small farm house on the far side of the woods. When he reached his house he looked at the small home and smiled as smelled his supper on the stove and he ran into the front door where his mom told him to wash up.
XXX
Jason got up earlier than normal made a small breakfast of toast and a glass of juice then bolted out the door to meet his friend. He flew through the forest jumping over fallen trees, jumping off the sides of other ones just enjoying the run he was having when he made it to their normal meeting place he looked around to find no one there.
'Well I am earlier than normal so she is probably just on her way.' he thought to himself looking at his watch knowing it would take her maybe forty five minutes or so to get there from her house cause it normally took about an hour from his place so he waited.
A few hours had passed and still no sign of her "jeez what is taking her so long." He said out loud to himself as he looked at his watch seeing it was almost one in the afternoon. 'well only thing to do is go over there and see what's up with her.' he said to himself as he got up off the log he was laying on and began to walk toward the village.
After walking for about half an hour he began to hear something he had never heard before coming from above the tree line as he looked up and then saw two ships fly by at high rate of speed next to each other then he heard an explosion from the direction of the village.
"What was that!?" he said out loud as he jumped to a crouching position
Then began to smell smoke, after that he began to run toward the village, as he got closer the smell of smoke began to get stronger he could now see the edge of the tree line then he noticed the smoke in the sky as the tree line thinned out, he broke out of the forest to the horrific site of the village in flames, and men in black armor were running through it with blasters, he saw one of the armored men chase down a young woman and shoot her where she stood.
'Who are these people?' Jason thought as he looked around the village as he spotted Kristie's house in flames
"NO!" he yelled as he ran toward the house when he reached it he burst through the door but had to duck under the smoke and looked around but found no sign of her then he moved to her room opened it only to get a face full of flames bursting out of the open door singeing his hair and eye brows and making him fall backwards on to the floor. He propped himself up and saw the room in full flames but nobody so he began to crawl out of the burning house.
As he came out of the house he was coughing and hacking from the smoke inhalation. He began to look around then noticed a burning pile of something he couldn't make out from his tearing up from the smoke of the house he just came out of his eyes begin to focus
He finally saw one of the black armored soldiers walking toward it dragging something and throwing it on the burning pile. His eyes finished focusing when the thing rolled over and he saw the face of a the woman who he had witnessed shot down in the street only a few moments ago then realized it was Kristie's mother
'No if they got her then, then….' He couldn't think about it he just couldn't accept it 'I gotta get home and warn them about this.' He said to himself as he lifted himself up off the ground and ran into the forest before the black armored man could see him.
He didn't know how long he was running time just blurred away along with the forest as he ran through it as fast as he could but he eventually found himself standing on the edge of the woods looking out into the field where his house stood he was relieved it was still there as he ran towards it.
"Mom dad mom dad someone has attacked the vil..." he yelled as he made his way across the field but was cut off as he heard that strange sound again and looked to the sky and saw the two ships from before fly over his head and then his house exploded into a ball of flames as he was thrown backwards and he felt the heat across his face and something ripping through his leg, then everything went black.
XXX
"Hey think I found a live one." Jason heard a voice say as his eyes began to flicker open as he came too
"What you got Milenko?" someone yelled as he opened his eyes and he saw a man in dark purple armor with a T shaped visor staring down at him
"It's an adiik" the one known as Milenko called
"Is he alive?" the one out of sight said
"Yeah I think so but looks like he took some shrapnel to the leg and has lost quite a bit of blood not sure if he'll make it, want me to put him out of his misery?" Milenko asked
"No Captain will want to see this." Replied the unknown voice
"Oh come on Riddle, Cap will never have to know I just don't want to deal with kids." Milenko said as he reached down picking Jason up off the ground by the front of his shirt allowing him to see the other man in similar armor with the T shaped visor but green and dark purple armor.
"Hey Captain is headed over with the rest of the squad right now." Riddle said
"Hey what have you got there?" another voice called over as Jason looked over and saw five more guys come out of the woods one in red and black armor in the lead, one with green, one with dark blue and gray, one with orange and gray, and the last with yellow and brown armor, they all wore the same armor with that T shaped visor on their helmet.
"Just a half dead adiik. Thought I would put him out of his misery he's lost too much blood." Milenko called back
"Well there is no honor or sport in killing an adiik but if he ain't gonna make it any way it's just cruel to keep him alive." The captain said
"Yes sir." Milenko said as he drew his pistol out and began to put it to Jason's head but before he could pull the trigger Jason bit down hard on the hand that was holding him
"Ah shit." The man yelled as he dropped the kid
The kid landed on his feet but crumpled underneath the pain of his injured leg. As the man who dropped him grabbed the hand that just got bitten the kid threw a hay maker punch to the side of the man's knee between the gap of his armor with more force than a child should have causing the man to crumple to the ground which caused an uproar of laughter from his fellow soldiers as he began to crawl on top of his would be killer and about to start hitting him from above but was thrown off by the man on the ground
"Haha can't even take care of a little adiik some Mandalorian you are haah" the man in blue armor cried in laughter along with the rest of his squad
"Oh shut up Carnage." Milenko yelled at his squad mate as he got up with his pistol in hand and stood over the kid and aimed at him and he just stared back with hard eyes "Ringir!" Milinko said as he stared back into the kids eyes
"Sha'kajir." The Captain called over to Milenko who just looked back at him
"Sir this little osi'yaim…" Milenko began but was cut off by the captain
"No he's got mandokarla in him." The Captain said as he walked over to Jason who was picking himself up to a sitting position and looked up in to the captains eyes "The names Ringmaster but you will call me Captain. What's yours verd'ika?" he asked as he took a knee next to Jason and removed his helmet to reveal a man with black hair and brown eyes in his mid to late twenties.
"Ja-jason sir." Jason said as he began to realize the situation he was in and fear began to catch up with him
"Jason huh, well Jason how would you like to come and be part of our traat'aliit?" the captain asked and only got a confused look from Jason "right you don't speak Mando'a part of our squad or aliit, family." He explained
"Will I be strong, strong enough not to protect my friends and my al-iit?" Jason asked forcing the word out
"Hehe well he's getting it, yes we look out for each other and our strength comes from each other's will to protect one another, though one of us may fall for each other we carry on his honor by fighting on in his memory. Now the first thing you should learn in our language is Aliit ori'shya tal'din." The captain said to him
"Aliit ori'shaya tal'din?" Jason repeated slowly trying to pronounce it right
"Right, family is more than blood." The captain said to him "so do you want to join our aliit?"
Jason looked around at the men around him they all stood with confidence like nothing could touch them except Milenko who just stood holding his hand and staring at him with an aura of pissed off
"Y-yes yes I want to be like you all." Jason finally said
"Alright good but we're gona have to come up with a new name for you if you're gonna be working with us hmmm well since we found you almost dead on your way to manda and should be a ghost how bout Wraith?" the captain suggested
"I like it sir." Jason said liking the ominous sound of his new name so he can find and strike fear into the ones who did this to his home, friends and family and get his revenge on whoever it was
"Good," the captain said in a cheery voice "Welcome to carnival squad." The captain said with a dark tone and wicked smile on his face as he extended his hand to shake it. That gave Jason a chill as he took a hold of his hand and shook it as Jason died that day and Wraith was born. As everything went black again
END CHAPTER 2
adiik- kid between 3-13
aliit- family
Ringir!- to hell with it
sha'kajir- cease fire
osi'yaim- Useless, despicable person
mandokarla- got what it takes
verd'ika- private (rank) Can be used affectionately, often to a child; *little soldier* - context is critical.
traat'aliit- squad, team
Mando'a- mandalorian language
aliit- family
Aliit ori'shaya tal'din- family is more than blood
Manda- heaven
a/n alright so got his back story finished so please review and let me know what you all think about how this is going