I have no idea what planet I am on. I'm beginning to notice that this kind of thing happens a lot to me. Every once in a while I get on a random cargo ship and stow away, I sometimes do this just for a change of scenery. Not exactly the smartest way to stay alive but it gets me to new places and it has taught me a lot about how the galaxy works. Now I know where most of the major rebel bases are, along with some of the empire's strongholds. Even without the geography, or I guess interplanetary geography lessons, it's been a good way to get to know people. I feel like these last few little trips were not entirely by chance, I suppose I should explain.
About a week ago I was meandering around thinking of a way to get my next meal when I had a weird feeling. For some reason I instinctively began to reach for my freshly tied padawan braid, but before I grabbed it I felt something strange. I started to, I don't want to say hear, but I kind of felt this weird buzzing. At first I thought it was sickness or hunger, both pretty common feelings to me by now. Once my hand gripped my braid it became stronger. It was completely different now, I could feel it reverberating through my bones. It was no longer an indistinct buzzing, but rather a strong, not mechanical but biological humming. It sounded like a plant growing, like life itself. My vision was clouded with abstract images that meant both nothing, yet everything. I smelt the weirdest mixture of aromas, and I tasted the most amazing and most horrible things at once. I felt empowered as I listened to it, as I felt it, it was the most brilliant feeling. Then out of nowhere a thought popped into my mind, I should get on a ship, it seemed to tell me. I got a mental image of a transport ship and then everything stopped. I let go of the braid and then I was back in the middle of a random street that I must have wandered onto before the buzzing started. Before it started. I could still hear it, it doesn't have a tune or a rhythm yet it still manages to be heard, that incessant hum. I thought after a while it would wear off, perhaps I would go talk someone into getting me a decent lunch and when I was full it would disappear. It didn't. I thought maybe it was sleep deprivation so I conked out among some crates near a loading dock. The humming didn't even stop for my dreams, I felt it through the night as it plagued an equal balance of my dreams and nightmares. I woke a little shaky because the humming had intensified, and to my horror I looked up and saw the transport ship from my strange vision. I realized then what I was hearing, what I felt was the force. That unconquerable power, the duality of the light and darkness, it was unmistakable. The idea that the force is black and white makes my name, with horrible irony, seem fitting.
Gray, a color made by the mixture of black and white, the middle ground. As far as I can tell, from every source of knowledge available to me, there have been no accounts of Jedi being able to communicate with the force. Sure there have been visions and helpful hints, but never a full blown sound or easy way of communication. From what I know of the force it is essentially the energy of all living things. So why can I hear it? No one else has ever heard it, no one at least who has reported it. Maybe it's just something all Jedi can do, I can see why they wouldn't want to tell anybody, people would think they were loony. I wouldn't be so worried about it if it would just stop for a single second! I'm going to go mad pretty soon. Why doesn't it end!
Despite the irritating, yet somehow soothing hum of the force, I am able to sleep and eat and ride the random transports that the force seems to be leading me towards. This has been going on for a while and I have slowly fallen into a sort of rhythm. So last night I got in a bit of a scuffle trying to get on my destined ship, I used a couple mind tricks and got everything under control, nothing I couldn't handle. The difference this time was that the humming seemed to get quieter, almost as if it was satisfied. The way I had done the mind tricks had felt so much easier, it almost felt natural. This quieter buzzing sound wasn't nearly as hard to bear, in fact it was kind of peaceful. I grabbed my braid and it instantly got louder and I had the sense that if I wanted to I could see the images again. For some reason, rather than being scared of that hum I all of the sudden felt reassured by it. It's like the force was trusting me, by letting me sense it I was somehow let in on a secret, something that allowed me to feel the very nature of the entire universe. I let my braided strand of hair down and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I relaxed.
The humming is becoming clearer. Earlier this morning it woke me up, the little buzzing sound, it led me to a large market. Here I can see all kinds of things going on, deals being made, items sold, food cooking, insects buzzing. Since when have I been able to detect a single insect in the middle of a crowd? I hear the telltale hum and decide that it must be the force, there is nothing else it could really be, and who am I to question the very thing I declared as my master?
"GET BACK HERE!" I hear this yell extremely clearly even though I know it has to be coming from at least across the square. There is a short old man yelling something about some stolen cookies. Even though I'm able to hear every word he's saying I tune out the rest of his words when I see who he's yelling at, I immediately understand why I was led here. Standing in front of him is a tall muscular women dressed in ill-fitting armor. Her hair is bright shade of pink, but there is no doubt in my mind that she is human. She has her mouth crammed with what must be a dozen cookies and is giving the man a supercilious look. Strapped to her belt is a wicked looking ax, a weapon that looks like it was never intended to be used on trees. Cleave heads maybe, but not trees.
I know why I'm here now, I must be here to save that man. For whatever reason he is important and I have got to get him to safety. I make my way across the square stealthily and I watch and listen as the man yells at the girl, up close she looks about the same age as me, while she lazily stares off into the distance. She obviously could care less about what the baker thinks of her. As I begin my approach the force seems to buzz at me, I slow down a bit and decide to wait a little bit and see if anything happens. Despite the girls demeanor of nonchalance about the situation I can tell that she doesn't carry that ax around for show, she knows how to use it as the deadly weapon it was always meant to be. If she needs to use it, she will not hesitate, this much I can tell from all the little buzzes the force is showing me. These buzzes however are also telling me that she is not the enemy here.
A scrawny younger man who looks just like the baker, only skinnier, makes his way towards the back of the stall. He comes around the back corner wielding two bread knives and is about to attack the girl from behind when she does something completely unexpected. Without even turning her head she whips her arm up behind her, makes a small hand gesture and the knives fly out of the boys hand straight into the post by the bakers head. The son lets out a startled gasp and the baker screams, the girl turns around finished with her stolen cookies and begins to leave. However she won't be let off that easy.
I stand there dumbfounded by what I have just seen. Another Jedi, there are still other Jedi in the galaxy! She's obviously not old enough to be a Jedi master, but that doesn't matter. The humming grows a bit louder. I turn to look back at the bakery and see several storm troopers, they begin to run off in the girl's direction and I know trouble is brewing.
The girl hears the troopers approach and turns around quickly ready to fight. In a split second her ax is in her hand and she is doing masterful jumps that could only be accomplished by use of the force. She dodges each shot and I don't think she will be hurt any time soon but when the hum intensifies I know I have to help her before more soldiers get here. I have been following at a safe distance, but no longer. I step out of the crowd of those fleeing the market place. I stand in the middle of the battle and for one glorious moment I think about how weak I look, and about how much stronger I truly am. I surprised everyone by jumping into the middle of the fight, the storm troopers stop blasting and the girl gives me a quizzical look. I turn to face the troopers and they all gawk at me, no doubt wondering why I would step into a fight. I guess I don't look like the fighting type, also my lack of a weapon probably makes me seem less threatening. They look at me and I wave my hands in an awkward gesture.
"Sleep," it is only in a whisper that I utter the word, but the effect is instantaneous. Every trooper falls to the ground and a few helmets roll off. I look towards the girl and she smiles.
"Thanks for that, but I would really appreciate if you saved me a couple."
I stare at her incredulously. I look at her up and down, everything about her screams rebel fighter. From her poorly fitted armor to her free flowing vivid pink hair.
"Are you a rebel?" I had to ask, but I fear that may have been the wrong thing to say.
"Not for the alliance, my parents were though." Were. She used the past tense.
"Who are you then? What do you mean not for the alliance? You can't be fighting for no reason." I have to know what she's fighting for, because all of the sudden the hum of the force calms down.
"I'm Pinky, the hair makes it pretty easy to remember. And I am fighting for a reason. I want to rebel against the empire, just not with the alliance. I tried working with the alliance once, but they were too strict, so I left. I wanted to fight harder than the alliance would ever let me, I guess I'm too rebel to be a rebel." Her words are honest and sincere. A true fighter to the core, she will make an excellent Jedi someday. When that day comes I hope I will be by her side.
"Well if you really are 'Too rebel to be a rebel' than I guess we will have to try something new. If you really want to stick it to the empire I suggest helping me out. My name is Gray and I think if you join me, and a couple others do as well, we should be able to bring back the Jedi Order and take out the empire once and for all."
I tell her this and I pull out the piece of paper with the emblem on it. She looks at it for a moment, entranced as I was by all it stood for. She reaches out and we shake hands, as I look into her eyes I see the ambition she has, the strength she wields. I fell the steady reassuring hum of the force and I know I have gained a powerful ally.