Fiachra was very nervous. It was her first day at the Halcyon Academy, and she was not sure what she was supposed to do when she arrived. The man flying the shuttle had informed her that there were to be other students around her age for her to get acquainted with, but this did little to ease her tension. She was not a social person, prone to bouts of panic, and she feared that she had made a terrible mistake in agreeing to enroll here.
She clutched her bag tightly. Everything she owned was in it. Trinkets mostly, living on the streets of Nar Shaddaa over the last year, she had been forced to shed attachment with most of her possessions. While there was always work for a pretty young Rattataki, there were certain kinds of work that she had sworn never to do again, and this had limited her options severely. Over time, her saved funds had depleted, and she was forced to resort to begging for food amongst the wealthy socialites who came to Nar Shaddaa for the nightlife.
Despite the fact that her robes had been patched over so many times that they were little more than shapeless rags themselves, Fiachra still found herself on the receiving end of much unwanted attention. Many people offered her food and credits in exchange for her company, and from time to time Fiachra had to set aside her convictions in order to eat. Still, this was not how she wanted to survive, and eventually she stepped away from begging and was forced to rely on thievery.
She was not much of a thief. Her first attempt to pilfer a loaf of bread failed spectacularly. The intended victim, a bronze-skinned woman name Tal'aran, immediately caught her by the wrist before she could get away. After a brief struggle, the woman convinced Fiachra that she was not going to hurt her, and even let her keep the bread. They spoke for a while, with Fiachra breaking down and crying while telling her story. Tal'aran immediately offered sanctuary to the young woman, telling her that she could earn her keep in her boarding house however she saw fit.
She was skeptical at first, but soon found the woman's promise to be sincere. She was given a small apartment room and told she could come and go as she pleased. Her host provided her with clean new clothes, and in return asked only that Fiachra do her best to be deserving of what she had been given. The young woman had little in the way of marketable skills, but spent much of her time tidying up the boarding house, helping out in the kitchen now and then.
After a few weeks of this, Tal'aran set down with Fiachra and spoke with her about her plans. She knew of a place, she told the younger woman, where Fiachra could be trained to make a positive change on the Galaxy. An Academy, of which she had some affiliation, where people of all different backgrounds could unite under one force. Tal'aran believed that Fiachra had it within her not only to thrive at the Academy, but to be one of the chosen few who were given the honor of the name Halcyon.
After the generosity that Tal'aran had shown her, Fiachra accepted her offer to enroll. But now, as the shuttle came in for a landing on the fourth moon of the Yavin system, Fiachra would have given anything to be back on Nar Shaddaa. The shuttle touched down on a landing pad outside a large temple complex. The pilot turned back to her and smiled. "Alright kid, this is it. Good luck out there."
Fiachra nervously clutched her bag. "Thank you, sir."
The pilot scoffed and flipped a few switches on the control panel. "Call me Rodeo, kid. Tal'aran says you go the stuff to be one of us. If that's right, I'll be your brother sooner or later." Fiachra felt herself shrink a little inside, fearful of the pressure that statement put on her. "I make runs here about once a week to keep the place supplied. If there is anything you need, just let us know and I'll see if I can't get it for you on my next run, ok?"
She nodded, and the shuttle door opened. The pilot called Rodeo wished her luck again, and a moment later she was standing on the landing pad as the shuttle took off again. She stood, frozen in place, too nervous to head inside. There was no one present to meet her, and the sounds of the jungle planet returned as the sound of shuttle engines faded away.
She stood there for several minutes, unsure of what to do next. She closed her eyes and desperately wished to be back on Nar Shaddaa. She was still lost in her thoughts when a voice startled her. "Hey. You gonna stand there all day or what?"
Fiachra jumped in fright and opened her eyes. In front of her was a Cathar woman with dark fur. She looked at Fiachra with an annoyed expression on her face. "Well?" Fiachra was taken aback. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but this plainly-dressed greeter was not it.
"I'm...the new student, I guess?"
"Yeah, I know. I'm Adara. Welcome to the Halcyon Academy, blah blah blah, go pick out a bunk downstairs. Dinner will be in the main hall in about an hour. If you have any special needs, don't come to me. I don't care. Find someone who does." The Cathar woman gestured for Fiachra to follow her. "The entire campus is open to you. The parts you can find, anyways. Word of advice? Stay out of the caves if you like keeping all your limbs."
They entered the main hall of the temple, and Fiachra experienced wonder for the first time in her life. Birds and small animals flew through the upper chambers, nesting in the foliage spreading through the stones in the walls. Long tables adorned with various relics lined the room, while a great fountain made up the centerpiece, flanked on either side by large holographic trees of astounding colors. A waterfall could be heard in the distance, as could the sounds of people chattering on different floors of the wide open archways. It was unlike any place Fiachra had ever seen.
"Yo. Newbie." The Cathar woman, Adara, snapped her fingers at Fiachra and pointed to a stairwell leading down. "Bunks are down there. Go pick out a place to sleep and be back up here later for dinner. Tour is officially over." Her guide quickly made off in the other direction, taking a stairway that lead towards the higher floors, leaving Fiachra alone in the main hall. She stood at the top of the stairs that would take her to her dorm, and judging by the voices echoing from below, to meet the other students.
The newest student of the Halcyon Academy closed her eyes, slowed her breathing. She pushed away the feelings of panic that gripped her heart, and took her first steps into her new life.