Chapter 5
We arrived to my former campsite in the early evening hours. After setting up camp, I explained to them what had happened on my last visit here. I had already packed my clothes into one of my old seabags as that I planned on leaving in the next couple of days. At first, neither one believed me. I told them to sleep on it and I would show them in the morning.
The morning dawned cool and clear. We made a light breakfast and then I took them to the clearing. After pulling off the camouflage net, I let them look over the ship, touch it and look into the cockpit. As my brother and sister looked over it, I had already started getting ready. They helped me fold the net and put it away. I put the crate with the net back into the cargo space, put my seabag next to it with my sword and pulled out the crate that held the flight suit.
It was designed to be worn over underclothes, so after getting dressed behind sometrees, I made ready to bid my farewells. Both seemed hesitant to leave. I told them: "It's time for you both to go. I don't really want you to see me leave. I'd rather you remember me as I was. I will return, I can promise you that." My sister's eyes shone with tears. Even my brother seemed taken with emotion. They both gave me a parting hug after I walked with them back to the campsite.
The campsite was cleared and as the car with my siblings drove from view, I took one last walk through the forest. I had promised to return one day, and I swore to myself that I would, but for now, I wanted one last walk in the forest so that I could remember every sight, every sound and every smell. God only knew when I would be back.
My walk inevitably took me back to the clearing and the ship. There was one thing I had not mentioned to either my brother or my sister. They thought I would be leaving alone but I knew about the astromech assistant, tucked away in its socket just behind the cockpit canopy. The 'flash' files had been very detailed.
I said: "Droid, fire up the power converters and prepare for departure." Instantly, the inverted flowerpot 'head' of the astromech spun on its 'shoulders' and let loose a torrent of beeps, whistles and toots. By this time I had already affixed the communications link or comlink to my collar and had also strapped on the weapon that came with the flight suit.
As the engines started to power up, a synthesized voice came over the speaker and said: "Greetings. I am an Industrial Automaton R5-D4 model agri-droid who has been modified for deep space operations. If you wish, you may name me as that we will be working together from now on. What is your designation?"
As I was about to speak, I knew that now was the moment to further distance myself from the past I was about to leave behind. I had already chosen a new name for myself to go with this new life I was about to embark on. I said: "My designation as you put it is Ronin Jayks. Your language sounds to me like the warbling of the bird's native to this planet, my homeworld, Earth. If you don't mind, I would like to call you Warbler."
The droid's head spun around again before its three sensor 'eyes' stopped on me and said: "My name is now Warbler. I like that name sir. Thank you." I said: "You're welcome Warbler. Is the ship ready to fly?" Warbler answered: "All systems are operating within normal parameters. We may depart as soon as you get aboard."
Chapter 6
I got into the cockpit and fastened the crash harness and put my helmet and gloves on as the canopy closed over me. Opting for the quickest exit vector I could manage, I used the repulsorlifts to orient the ship so it was vertical to the ground, and slowly increased power to the main engines. Sooner than I thought possible, I was out of the atmosphere, leaving a rapidly dwindling blue and white marble of a planet behind me. If anything had detected me, I hoped they dismissed me as either equipment malfunction or a UFO.
Now that I was away from the Earth, I felt for the first time, a gentle prodding at the back of my mind. Like the whisper that told me to trust the hologram message, I gently eased the control stick until like a compass, I found myself on an exit vector out of the ecliptic plane that held my solar system.
I asked Warbler to make ready for a hyperspace jump.As he started to explain to me the dynamics of hyperspace travel, I shook my head in confusion. I didn't pretend to understand the mechanics of it and I suspect the math involved would give even a calculus major a headache, but it boiled down to this: By accelerating to, or slightly beyond the speed of light, immense distances could be traversed in very little time. The main thing to remember though was that it was essential to have the correct coordinates for the arrival point because if we didn't we might fly through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that would've ended our trip real quick. More than one ship has disappeared into the infinity that is space and never returned.
Warbler also started my education on a galaxy torn apart by civil war. First was a brief synopsis on the Republic. The Galactic Republic was older than there was recorded history for but he tried to cover the most important points. Imagine if you can, a galaxy-wide democracy made up of thousands upon thousands of sentient species. Each one has its own customs, language, religion and social beliefs.
Imagine still more. Each world in this Republic used the representative democratic process to govern itself and its relations with other worlds. This Republic had survived for thousands of years until there came a time and place, when one man, a senator from a little known world called Naboo began a manipulation of epic proportions. Through perfectly legal, political channels, this one man, named Palpatine maneuvered himself by way of reason, promise, bribe or threat into the position of Supreme Chancellor.
Even as Supreme Chancellor, he continued his great manipulation to cause a great conflict, known simply as the Clone Wars until the Republic teetered on the brink of total disintegration. As the Clone Wars came to a close, the man, Palpatine finished his manipulation and declared a Galactic Empire with himself as its Emperor.
Since that time, a Rebel Alliance had formed with the intent to depose the Emperor and reestablish the Republic. I felt within my very soul, this cause to be a good one, and made plans to join with it if I could.