The Wings of a Republic
Prologue - In a Faraway Land
Tatooine Spaceport, Mos Eisley, 32 BBY
A Zygerrian Slave Ship took off, its cargo twice as unsavoury as its manifest suggested.
Children; cast-offs and runaways and the progeny of those that had been taken before them had all been gathered on the outer rim planet, and the slavers were now to gather them up, and take them to wherever it was that they would be forced into service, auctioned off like the Bantha of the desert planet.
Those lucky enough would avoid the hell that was service to the Hutts.
Those who were bound there, however…
Such a thing was a fate worse than death.
Hutt Space, Outer Rim, 31 BBY
The ship was moving through Hutt Space already, when it befell the fate that so many seemed to do in this age.
Alas, what could one do in the face of such a situation?
Like a swarm, they emerged from the asteroid field, seizing the ship and its cargo.
One boy, no older than eleven years of age, however, could not take defeat.
Scurrying away like a rat, he evaded those who sought to take him, stowing away in the hold and scavenging what he could from their cargo.
He would not know it, but the blood of his ancestors fuelled him, leading him to survival, the warrior spirit of his people driving him on.
His actions that day would define his future.
Undercity, Coruscant, 29 BBY
It was rare that the Jedi ever ventured this low in the layers of the living, breathing planet they called Coruscant.
On this day, however, Master Depa Billaba had seen fit to go beyond the light of Coruscant Prime, her young Padawan, Caleb Dume in tow.
The people fled the streets, hiding their faces and their wares within the shelter of their homes, behind walls which they knew the Jedi would not care to venture.
All, that was, but one.
The Jedi drew her sabre, gesturing for her apprentice to do the same, and as one the blades illuminated, the light revealing the all-too familiar shape of a blaster.
Master Billaba brought her blade to bear, Dume doing much the same, and yet both saw reason to pause.
Their reason was for the young child, defiant and unwavering in the face of those who held the greater power, who held in their hands his life and death.
"You have spirit, child," Billaba remarked, withdrawing her blade, "Why do you not hand me that blaster, and I shall take you somewhere rather less… Unsavoury, than this?"
He complied.
"Tell me, child, what is your story?"
He responded, and the Jedi could only nod.
The next morning, the Republic Naval Academy would have a new recruit.
A/N
Right, new project!
Firstly, this project is me making a first foray into crossover writing, having a bit of fun in the process with all the possibilities that the universe opens up. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!
Secondly: What does this mean for my other projects?
In the Light of a Waning Moon: I can't lie, I haven't written much since last update, lost the muse a little. That's not abandonment, it's just a short pause; I'm not going to leave stuff halfway, I'd never be able to deal with that.
A Lost World: This is the one that's going to suffer. I posted it as a change of pace to Waning Moon, something to pick up and discard, with shorter chapters than anything else I write. That being said, it's easy to write. I could literally close off a chapter in a day if I get inspiration.
Finally, as most of you know, I'm a student; exams are closing and writing isn't going to be on my mind quite as much as passing the year with good grades will be over the next, say, two months. You can expect at least 2 more updates of this story in that time, probably chapters 3 and 4 if it progresses as fast as it has been.
I apologise if anyone's upset about the facts stated above, but at the end of the day, my life. Come the summer, writing time will be much easier to find, I trust that you're all mature enough to understand that, and thank you for your support, really motivates me to keep writing.
Until next time then,
Sol