THE FIRST SKYWALKER
Prologue
"Mama! Papa! No!"
She twisted wildly in her captors cruel, rough arms, desperately trying to reach her parents, but the small girl could not fight the men who carried her away. The weight of her nightmare, her hell, threatened to crush her. Made her want to curl into a ball and disappear into the blank, cold emptiness of space. Tears slid down the girl's face and she felt her muscles quivering in fear and fatigue, but she continued thrashing, still trying to break free.
Free. Freedom.
Not that long ago it had been hers, though she had never realized its sweet taste until she had tasted the bitterness of slavery.
Days ago, she had boarded a small freighter with her parents. Poor though they were they had been excited at the prospect of a new beginning. They had heard of a small world, perfect for settlers looking for work and unafraid of toil. It was said that there was much land to be farmed, and that the world was a peaceful, albeit humble, planet.
It had taken them many months to save up for passage on the small freighter where their hopeful dreams for the future transformed into despair.
They had been sharing a small meal of bread and soup when the ship had suddenly lurched. There were small cries of shock and pain as people had tumbled into one another, but with the ominous creaking of durasteel and a loud knocking sound, everyone grew eerily silent.
Then the pirates had come aboard with blasters and vibro-weapons. Everyone began to scatter, fearfully searching for someplace, anyplace to hide, but there was nowhere to go.
Her mother had quickly pulled her up into her arms, and clasped her tightly to her chest. They sunk back against the wall, her father wrapping her and her mother in his arms, his eyes more terrified than the girl could ever remember seeing them. Those who fought back were killed and after they had rounded all the passengers and crew of the small freighter into the storage the pirates forced them to watch as the captain and crew were all executed.
She could remember so clearly. Every detail. The terror in the eyes of the crew, the way one of the young men trembled and whimpered as he felt the end of the blaster press into the back of his skull. She heard the sound of the blast and saw the flash of death beyond her eyelids though she squeezed them shut. The thud as their bodies hit the floor.
The screams and cries around her were the worst. And they were what she knew would always be with her, till the day she died. It was then that the pirates announced their fate. They were all to be sold into slavery.
The days that had followed were the most uncertain times the girl had ever faced. Her mother held her each night, as they hunkered down in the cold storage room. Her father's soothing voice sang her to sleep, which was her only reprieve from their reality. Frightened as she was the girl clung to hope in the form of her parents still with her, holding her, loving her. Like a light inside of her soul.
But now, she has learned a fundamental truth. Even the darkest of shadows can swallow the brightest of lights.
Days after their freighter had been taken over by the pirates they came out of hyperspace. From one of the port windows, the girl could see a hulking ship. Before long the pirates came in and ordered everyone to stand along the walls.
The girl's mother and father followed instructions, holding her close as they quietly stood by the wall. Then the pirates began pacing down the line of people and pointing out to some they forced them to walk over and form a line by the storage bay door where they were promptly shackled with electro-binders.
The girl watched as one by one those who were selected lined up nervously, eyes darting all about. Suddenly, it dawned on her that everyone who was being shackled were children like her. The oldest one could not be more than twelve years old. Dread and fear flooded through her like icy water when one of the pirates came before her and her parents.
"You," he stated and moved on.
The girl did not move. Her father's arms tightened around her as she willed herself to turn invisible. However, the pirate turned back as he noticed she had not gone to line up with the others.
"I said, you," he snarled, wielding his blaster at her.
With a trembling whisper her father told her, "It will be alright. Do as he says."
He went to set her on her feet, but as soon as she felt his hold on her loosen she could not help herself.
"No! No! Please, Papa! Please!" she pleaded through agonizing tears. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she begged him to pick her up again to let her stay with him and mother.
"My love," her father knelt down hurriedly as the pirate made a move toward them. "I know you're scared. I don't want to leave you but I need you to line up with the others. Line up."
The girl stood there shaking and sobbing. She knew she should do what she was told, but some awful feeling in her felt as if this moment was too precious to let go without a fight. The pirate made another impatient movement, and she knew he would not tolerate them much longer.
Her mother quickly crouched before her, her vividly violet eyes boring into the dark eyes of her daughter.
"Darling," her mother caressed her cheek, her own sparkling with tears. "The world seems like such a dark place right now, but remember that with every kind word, or act, it becomes a little less so."
The girl drew in a breath as she absorbed these words. She had heard them once before, after watching her mother give some of their precious, hard-earned credits to a wizened old man, with crooked teeth. It was her way of telling her that no matter their own circumstances, it was still important to be kind to others.
She wanted to argue back, she wanted to say that listening to these bad men would not bring more light into the world, but she knew it was no use. Weeping quietly, she bowed her head and nodded.
"Good, darling, good," her mother's voice cracked. "Now turn around, line up and be brave."
With every ounce of self-discipline the girl possessed she did as she was told and went to line up with the other children. A pair of electro-binders were fitted around her wrists. She waited timidly for something to happen, her eyes locked on her parents, and theirs on hers.
Once the pirates had finished pacing the lines and pulling out all of the children they went through the lines and checked each of the binders around their wrists. Then they were ordered to proceed down the hall from the storage bay where, she knew, they would be taken to the massive ship she had seen out the window.
That feeling returned. A feeling of mass importance that could not be ignored and it was then that she realized she was never going to see her mother and father again.
"No! Mama! Papa! No!"
She tried to turn and run but one of the pirates took hold of her and half-carried, half-dragged her out of the storage bay. She twisted in and fought his grip, but he was too strong for her and all she could do was cry out for her parents. She caught sight of her mother's face, which had shattered into splinters of grief. Her father squinted through blurry eyes as if pain was squeezing them closed.
"My darling," her mother choked out. "Darling, be brave, and don't look back. Don't look back."
Shuddering with the force of her cries, the girl finally relented. Turning she followed the line of children, the faces of her broken parents burned into her memory forever.
And that was the last time Shmi Skywalker ever saw her mother and father.