A/N Hello there! I have a new chapter for this story and plan on uploading one every week (or more) until I finish the entire fanfiction.
ALSO A new feature I will be adding is a link to background music that correlates to the chapter of the story, please feel free to listen to it while you read :) it is completely optional.
This chapter's music: Youtube dot com slash watch?v=h0lZx2QAmH0
The Empire's national anthem patriotic theme referenced in chapter:
Youtube dot com slash watch?v=TouCl6yp13A
Chapter 1: Coruscant i
The trip to Coruscant was lengthy, quiet and awkward. Emily, my tribute partner told me she was 18. I told her I was 13.
There wasn't even small talk but I don't blame her - she was in shock. I mean how could anyone not be after being picked for these games?
We finally arrived on Coruscant and I could hear the loud noise of a large crowd - the loudest crowd I'd ever heard.
Suddenly, a blast door opened leading to a different part of the ship. Both Emily and I jumped. A BD-3000 luxury droid stepped out greeting us.
"Makeovers are a must. We want you to look your very best in the capital of course! Ladies first please."
It didn't take long for it to be my turn; Emily came back all gussied up that she looked like an entirely new person.
"Now Simon, your eyes are absolutely gorgeous and we want to make sure we can see how beautiful they are out there today," The droid told me condescendingly.
"We need to do a slight trim across the top, put some makeup under your eyes so you don't look like a zombie and we'll be all done, pumpkin pie."
I sat staring in the mirror frozen in fear at the ignition of the buzzing tool the robot held.
"You're going to-to cut m-mm-my hair?" I stuttered. "Obviously."
In the end, my hair was cut so short that there was only a small thin layer of it left. I look bald.
Final preparations were made and then Emily and I finally came off board into the full blown view of Coruscant natives. I was dressed in traditional Coruscant dark and light purple robes along with a hat, and Emily in a red dress with huge cuffs around her shoulders. The same imperial officer who took me away from my home escorted us down the large red carpet that was meant for us tributes to walk along and be gazed at. Millions upon millions of eyes engaged us and the applause was huge. All for show, I thought.
A crowd safety barrier separated us from the desperate citizens all trying to get our attention. I didn't know where to look and began to feel very self-conscious. But I looked over to Emily and discovered that she was doing much worse then me. Her eyes were wide in fear looking straight and she walked very stiffly creating a good imitation of the protocol droid who dressed us up just minutes ago.
We shuffled to an elevator at the end of the corridor of Docking Bay #10 which we got off at.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot two tributes from what I believe are from the planet of Lothal.
They were coming from around the corner of what leads to Docking Bay #11. I know this because every year Lothal is always beside my homeworld of Dantooine when the tributes dock onto Coruscant.
Just then I remember the cameras of which I had been so nervous and scared walking along the aisle to think of.
I look around wildly trying to spot them but the elevator door opens and it is time to get on. Through the glass elevator, I watch the Lothal tributes walk towards the one beside ours. Both of them were in their early dark skinned female tribute who had a negligent hair cut done to her muttered to herself wildly looking strung out on drugs or something. The male tribute who had clay skin ignored the crowd and looked forward in a state of repose. The tributes of Lothal were almost always odd I found. Lothal has almost always been the poorest planet of the twelve.
The elevator took us up to the business and downtown district of Coruscant which would be our place of staying for the next few days, before the games, before we enter the arena.
If I thought the crowd was loud at our docking bay it was unbelievably loud now. Thousands of airspeeders, things I had never seen before were all rushing through the sky. The amount of traffic here was insane. Through speakers around the city, our national anthem Glory to the Empire began to play and I could see a giant cluster of images and video clips pertaining to previous Empire games of the past playing on the skyscrapers above. The urban environment was a very big change from what I was used to back on Dantooine and it was more than claustrophobic for me here.
The rousing patriotic theme ended and clapping from all different directions became the prominent noise. Just when it died down people began to chant.
"It's Great to be in the Empire today!"
"It's Great to be in the Empire today!"
This went on for a while until it slowly died down with only a few people chanting it every now and then in the streets (mostly drunks).
There wasn't much time to stall.
We were taken directly to a suite in a luxury hotel. Emily and I had to push through a few strangers holding electronic tablets with our faces on it begging us to sign them. How did they even get an image of me, I thought. The technology in Coruscant was beyond anything I'd ever imagine existed.
Emily and I were each taken into separate rooms once we arrived at the suite and got finishing touches done to ourselves. This time it was done by a rodian stylist. If I thought the makeover was finished, I was dead wrong. Waxing, facial, manicures and pedicures were all done, four hours it consisted of. I then moved to an expensive stainless steel couch and sat down and a Selkath alien joined me. I stare at it's earnest fish countenance but turn away quickly realizing that what I am doing is rude. I awkwardly shuffle my hands and look down at my pelvis. "So I guess you've never met a Selkath before," he remarks smirking, "Nice to meet you, I'm your mentor."
A selkath is an aquatic species that resembled the appearance of a sting ray. I've heard stories of villages in Dantooine that house Selkath immigrants but have never actually seen one face-to-face. "So, you're a victor from Dantooine?"
"Yep, yep, yep. I'm the first and only victor from Dantooine. I won the 4th Annual Empire Games."
I nod awkwardly and there is a long pause.
"I guess we'll wait until your tribute partner is ready to get started…a lot to talk about before the opening ceremony."
He smiles. He wasn't good at conversation. Neither was I.
.