A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

A new home.

Since the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Jakku, the galaxy has slowly transitioned to an era of peace.

Among the recovering worlds is KALEE, whose people are watched over by Kaleesh warriors RONDERU and MAKELLU.

While rebuilding their home, they train a young Kaleesh child who shows a unique affinity for the Force….

Star Wars

Shadows of the Force

Act 1: Lost

Chapter 1

"Disaster!"

Luna dramatically threw up their arms as their snow fort fell apart.

"Alas poor fort! Such a young soul struck down by the evils of natural heat!"

They threw up their fist at the sky.

"Damn you, sun! No more snowflakes will fall victim to your nefarious gases!"

Closing their eyes, they held out their arms and used the Force to carefully rebuild their fort. Once it was done, they exhaled confidently.

"There we go."

They then looked at the setting sun and rubbed their chin.

"Now to deal with you…"

Just then, they heard their father call over to them.

"Luna! You're late for training!"

Luna called back.

"Coming!"

They turned to the sun one more time, pointing determinedly.

"You got lucky this time…"

Running back to the training field, Luna saw Saga waiting for them by the gate.

"Don't go running off now. With your snow white hair, I'd never find you out there."

"Relax, dad. I was only defying the sun."

Saga smiled.

"Of course you were. Now get over there. You don't wanna keep Makellu waiting."

…

Luna focused themself as Makellu son Gonnell picked up his wooden staff.

"Let's see how well you predict my movements."

Luna readied their own staff.

"Don't think I'll need to, old man."

Makellu smirked.

"This old man has taken on Jedi and lived."

"True. But you've yet to take on…"

Luna leapt into the air with a Force push.

"ME!"

Makellu quickly blocked as Luna swiped down at his head. Finding openings with the Force, Luna landed a series of quick and precise blows at Makellu's joints, though Makellu was fast enough to block all of them. Luna moved like a Kowakian monkey-lizard, leaping and striking with such energy that they were more or less a blur. All the while, Makellu moved like a sturdy reek, taking his time and putting intense thought into every jolt of his thick, muscular arms.

After swiping at his joints, Luna swung at the back of Makellu's head. As Makellu went to block the attack, Luna suddenly let go of their staff, caught it with the Force, and then used the Force to fling the staff down towards Makellu's legs, sweeping his feet and causing him to land on his back. While the staff returned to Luna's hands, Makellu stood back up with an amused look on his face.

"Smart. You'll need that kind of ingenuity in battle."

Luna beamed with confidence.

"Ready for another ass kicking?"

Saga called over from the bench nearby.

"Hey! Language!"

Makellu held up his hand.

"No worries. I've said worse around them."

"You've what?!"

Luna giggled at their father's reaction before returning their attention to Makellu.

Saga sighed to himself as they resumed sparring. Ronderu lij Kummar then moved herself closer to Saga on the bench and tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry, Saga. My husband knows what he's doing."

"It's not Makellu, it's just…"

Saga rested his head in his folded arms.

"I'm scared that Luna's growing up too fast. They're only ten and they're already being trained to fight."

Ronderu almost chuckled.

"I forgot that your generation didn't grow up with kids being drafted into war like mine did."

"Thank Xalek for that…"

Saga leaned forward as he watched Luna knock down Makellu again.

"Ever since I gave birth to Luna, I've done everything I can to give them the best life possible. And since my own parents kicked me out after my transition, it's been hard enough for me to provide for myself, let alone Luna."

Ronderu put her prosthetic hand on Saga's shoulder.

"Hey. It's alright. My own parents kicked me out at when I was seven because they decided I was too much for them to handle. I know how hard it can be to live on your own. But you've gotta remember that you're never alone on Kalee. Each of our people are strong and we're even stronger as a community. Makellu and I are happy to provide you with whatever you and your kid need."

Saga turned to Ronderu.

"I appreciate that. But it's not just food or money that I'm worried about."

He then turned back to Luna, who had knocked down Makellu once again.

"I'm scared of Luna growing up with only me to raise them. It's not that I don't think I can do it, but…"

Saga looked up at the sun and dimly lit sky overhead.

"It would just be nice to have someone else to spend my life with. To watch Luna grow up with me. To be there to help in case they get hurt."

Ronderu patted Saga on the back.

"Don't worry, brother. There are plenty of people out in the galaxy. You just gotta find the right one."

Ronderu then gestured to Makellu.

"Like I did."

Makellu had taken his and Luna's staffs and were holding them up to the sides of his head to give himself horns like a wampa. He growled and threw up some of the surrounding snow as Luna nearly fell over laughing.

Saga smiled.

"You chose well."

Ronderu nodded.

"Yes I did."

…

That night, Luna was asleep in their room with their stuffed voorpak held tight in their arms. As they tossed and turned in their bed, they were suddenly woken up by a voice emanating from outside their bedside window.

Luna…

Luna's eyes shot open as they threw off their covers and sat up in bed. With anxious breathing, they turned their head toward the window and peered outside at the snow-covered field.

The voice came again.

Luna…

Luna couldn't deny it anymore. This wasn't a dream. Stopping themself, they closed their eyes and tried to steady their breathing. As their anxiety slowly dissipated, the voice continued.

Luna…

Luna knew they couldn't go back to sleep now. And with Saga, Ronderu and Makellu fast asleep, Luna didn't want to wake them up in case it ended up being nothing. Taking a deep breath and gathering up their courage, Luna stepped over toward the window and threw it open. Instantly, a cold breeze filled the warm room as snowflakes gently dotted Luna's face. Rubbing their eyes and scanning the perimeter, they at first saw nothing beneath the glow of Kalee's cyan crested moon.

Then suddenly, a shadow appeared a few feet from the other side of the gate.

The voice repeated, this time more clearly.

Luna…

The shadow slowly began taking shape as they stepped toward the gate. Luna could make out a humanoid shape with two arms and two legs. But their facial features were still hidden. Then, the shadow held out their hand, causing the locked gate door to fly open.

Luna instinctively stepped back, but didn't run as the voice kept calling to them.

Luna…

As the shadow stepped into the pale blue moonlight, Luna understood why they couldn't make out a face. The figure wore a mask marked with a strange red symbol. And once the figure was completely visible, Luna realized that they weren't alone.

Accompanying the figure were six more figures, all donning masks, black robes, and their own sets of weapons.

Feeling an intense dread through the Force, Luna took a few steps back from the window. But before they could run, the first figure held out their hand and used the Force to pull Luna out through the window and into the snow. Overcome with fear, Luna attempted to regain their footing, only to be slowly dragged through the snow toward the figure. Luna frantically struggled and cried out for their father. But as they came toward the figure, their voice fell silent with terror. Once they were at the figure's feet, the figure knelt down on one knee and stared at Luna's mortified face through their metallic mask. The figure spoke with a voice that was muffled and deepened beneath the mask.

"Well ain't you adorable."

Luna could barely move in the all-encompassing grip the figure had on them.

"Took us a long time to track you down to this rock. But our employer's paying us a lot to bring you in. And luckily, I'm the guy with the best hunters around."

Luna then noticed the lightsaber hilt in the figure's holster.

The figure didn't even try to hide his weapon.

"You see that? Yeah. It's the genuine article. And don't think I won't use it to cut off one of your pretty little fingers if you try to run away."

One of the other figures interrupted him.

"We should probably get a move on before the others wake up."

He responded with annoyance.

"In a minute, Vicrul. I'm letting the kid know who's boss."

Luna finally managed to utter a few words.

"Who…Who are you?"

The figure chuckled beneath his mask before gripping Luna's hands with his own.

"I'm Ren."

He reached into one of his pockets.

"Those are my knights."

He then took out a pair of stuncuffs as Luna struggled in his grip.

"And you're coming with us."