Entry 28

Once we entered hyperspace I was able to breathe easier. Den turned to face me. "Who is this mysterious second prisoner you felt compelled to liberate from Despayre? Was he a member of Whiplash?"

I shook my head as I unfastened my crash webbing and stood. "No, just a kid born on that miserable planet that deserved to be free." I walked out of the flight deck and came upon I-Five in the ship corridor.

"Jax, I believe my menacing presence as a 501-Z police droid overwhelmed the young man you brought on board. I tried to assure him I was acting in jest when I informed him he was officially detained, but he was not comforted by that revelation. I assume he is under the impression that droids are not capable of humor."

I shook my head as I gave I-Five a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's not your fault. I terrified the poor boy prior to busting him off planet." I moved down the corridor to the cargo area with I-Five following close behind. "Where is he? I'll talk to him."

I-Five pointed to a dark corner of the cargo area where I could clearly hear soft sobs. "Go ahead and get the women out of the sanitation vehicle and I'll take care of him."

"Will do." I-Five moved across the bay as I neared Norro's location. I found him lying in a fetal position on the steel deck. His hands and arms were wrapped around his head and face, shutting the world out.

"Norro." I called out to him softly as I slowly approached his position. "You're alright. Nobody's going to hurt you."

The boy moved his hands so he could peek out between his fingers. His gaze fell on my boots and traveled up my body until it reached the Sith lightsaber, he then covered his eyes and moaned. "I'm not a shapeshifter," he mumbled despondently.

"Stang," I cursed realizing I was still wearing my terror inducing Sith robes. I shucked off the cloak and saber and tossed them aside. I then dropped to my knees in front of the boy. "Norro, it's me, Jax. I dressed as an Inquisitor in order to escape."

I heard him take a few quick breaths before he looked up at me. Recognition registered in his eyes but I could tell he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Jax?"

I gave him a broad reassuring smile. "Yes, it's me." I held out a hand to help him up. He stared at my proffered hand like it was a snake before he tentatively reached out and gripped my arm. I pulled him to his feet and grabbed him by his shoulders steadying him when it looked like his knees would go out. He looked around his surroundings in shock.

"I'm off Despayre?"

I nodded. "You didn't deserve to be there."

He looked at me in disbelief. "But how?"

"I told you I was looking for a friend. I intended on breaking her out of the penal colony. This was all planned out in advance. I simply changed the scheme to include you."

"I'm free." Norro began to tremble. I wasn't sure if he was shuddering from shock or the sheer joy of being free for the first time in his life. I pulled him into my embrace in an effort to keep him upright. I could feel hot tears soak into my tunic as Norro wept onto my shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay." I put an arm around his shoulder as I guided him toward the crew quarters. "We need to get you cleaned up and fed." Norro tried to say something, but the words didn't come out.

Across the bay I-Five helped the women out of the sanitation droid's secret compartment. They all looked hot and sweaty from staying in the vehicle's ray shielded void. "That was uncomfortable," Sacha complained as she jumped onto the deck. "What took so long?" Sheel and Magash followed close behind looking equally disheveled and dehydrated.

"Sorry about the delay. I decided to rescue a second prisoner." I guided Norro toward the three women. "This is Norro. He was born on Despayre. I couldn't leave him there." I gestured to the women. "Norro, this is Sacha, Magash and Sheel."

Sheel's face fell as her eyes glistened with tears. "He was born there?" She let out a harsh breath. "I couldn't stand being there for a few weeks…I couldn't imagine living there all my life." She came forward to hug the boy but then stopped short as her nose wrinkle in revulsion. "Why don't we get this young man cleaned up?"

I nodded in agreement as I guided Norro to the 'fresher. "I think we all need to get the smell of Despayre off of our clothes and bodies."

Entry 29

I knew the sonic shower wouldn't be enough to get rid of so much grime, so I heated a large pot of water from the galley and brought it to the 'fresher along with some soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste. The shower was a dual system—sonic while in space and water when at port—therefore there was a drainage system.

Norro was standing in front of the small mirror situated above the sink. He turned his head to the left and right examining his features. I realized this might be the first time he got a good look at himself in a mirror. He turned to me as I entered carrying the warm pot of water. "I don't look so good." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. I tried to look upbeat, but it was difficult as I gazed at his skeletal face.

"We'll get you fixed up." I rested the pot on the deck as I scrutinized his tangled and matted hair before deciding it was useless trying to wash it. I put down the toilet seat cover and motioned for him to sit. "I think it's best if I simply cut your hair. I don't think we can get those knots out without a lot of pain."

He gave me a nod of the head as he sat down. I reached into a drawer next to the sink and brought out some scissors. "I'll cut as much as I can with these and then use the clippers on you."

"Sure," Norro said softly. "You said you weren't an Inquisitor…what are you then?"

I gently pulled his hair away from his scalp and started cutting. "I was a Jedi, but the Emperor put an end to that career."

The boy's eyes went wide. "A Jedi! I've heard so many stories about the Jedi. They were supposed to be guardians of peace and…." His voice trailed off and I could feel a shift in his demeanor.

"What's wrong?"

He gave me a slight shrug. "I heard they were the good guys. They fixed injustices. They kept people safe." He shook his head. "But I never understood why they never came to help me. How could they be okay with all the brutality and hardships on penal colony planets such as Despayre? And not just prisons. Other inmates told me about planets where slavery was widespread. Why didn't the Jedi stop the slavers? If the Jedi were so powerful…why did so many people suffer needlessly?"

I stopped cutting his hair and thought about his question. "I don't know. This is a big galaxy. The Jedi couldn't know about every bad thing happening." That's what I told him, but I knew that wasn't entirely true. Everybody at the Jedi Temple knew Anakin Skywalker was once a slave on Tatooine. The Jedi Order was well aware of the slave trade on that rimworld planet and did nothing to stop the illicit practice. They didn't even bother to go back and free Anakin's mother. I shook my head in disbelief. It was not surprising that Anakin turned against his Jedi brethren. I went back to cutting Norro's hair. "I'm sorry that you suffered for so long. The Jedi Order did many things wrong, but they also did many things right." I took a deep breath and let it out. "But it doesn't matter anymore. As far as I know I might be the last living Jedi. The Emperor ordered our extinction." I put away the scissors and retrieved the clippers. I ran it over his head, shearing his hair down to his scalp. I then put them aside to admired my work. "That looks better. Go ahead and strip down to your skivvies and get into the shower stall. I'll pour some water over you. You can lather up and I will rinse you. I'll then step out and give you some privacy to…um…clean your private areas."

He nodded as he unzipped his prison jumpsuit and began to pull it off. As soon as he did I gasped in shock. His entire back was covered in scar tissue. "Who did this to you?" I reached out and touched the upraised keloid scars crisscrossing his back and sides.

"Not a who, but a what. A virevole attacked me as a toddler. I was saved by the women at Sister Central and nursed back to health." He gave a slight shrug of his boney shoulder. "I don't remember it. It supposedly happened shortly after my mother died of an illness…or so they say."

"You don't believe them?"

He chewed his bottom lip nervously. "I don't know why, but I always felt they were lying to me."

I gazed at the young man confused. "Do you think some person did this to you?"

"No, I was attacked by a virevole…but I believe my mother died saving me." He let the jumpsuit drop to the floor as he walked into the stall wearing only his prison-issue boxer shorts. "I'll never know for sure, but I think the women were protecting me. They didn't want the burden of her death to haunt me. So I allowed myself to believe their story." He shook his head with a sigh. "It would break my heart to know she died to save me."

I had picked up the pot of water, but I had to put it down when I felt the strength go out of my legs. I sat down on the toilet seat while I tried to regain my composure. Norro turned to me gave me a questioning frown. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The woman I loved—the only woman I have ever loved—died saving my life and the lives of my crew."

Norro slowly lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry to remind you of that." He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "I think I got the better deal. I would rather have the physical scars."

I was too choked up to respond right away. After a moment I grabbed the pot of water and stood. "You ready for your shower?"

Norro managed a small grin. "Yes. It'll be my first. Usually I wash up in a cold stream running near the compound." I slowly poured the water over the boy's head as he used the body wash to lather up. His face broke out into a full smile as the water trickled down his body. "The water's warm." I poured more water over him and then exited the 'fresher to allow him to finish cleaning up.

Once outside I leaned against the corridor wall wondering if I could ever get over Laranth's death. Would I think about her and her sacrifice everyday of my life?

Yes…I probably would.

I looked back to the 'fresher door and smiled halfheartedly. I know she would be happy that I saved the boy. I'll never forget Laranth, but maybe with every life I save the heartrending pain of her demise will diminish a little.

Maybe, but I doubt it.