Starship Stories

by Silver_Inspiration

Summary:

While travelling through space, Wim, Neel, KB, and Fern tell each other a series of stories.

Chapter 1

Notes:

Fern's story was inspired by the StoryWorld card "The Haunted Wreck" from the "Legends of the Sea" pack. For Wim's, I used "The Knight" from the main pack. For Neel's, I used several from different packs, and may also draw some inspiration from the poem "Roads" by Rachel Field. I did the same with KB, in her case most prominently "The Healing Charm" from the regular pack and "The Healing Apples" and "The Green Children" from the "Fairy Magic" pack. I'm sure the "Green Children" card was inspired by the tale of the Green Children of Woolpit, and I drew some inspiration from there, too.

The OC names in Wim's story came from the Wookieepedia name lists for their species. Lina and Druin were names that appeared on his StoryPad, according to the same site, so they're not my creations, but Pol and Koskit are.

All four children tossed and turned, none of them able to fall asleep. KB could hear them, though she didn’t say anything. She could also see Fern hugging her pillow close, trying to make it look like this was just something she did in her sleep. KB was the only person, apart from Fern’s mother and nanny droid, who knew that Fern still slept with her favorite doll and her stuffed frog-dog.
            All  of them went on like this for about an hour.

            Finally, Fern sat up. “Are you guys awake?” she asked.

            Wim sat up, too. “Yeah, I can’t sleep.”

            “Me, neither,” Neel added.

            “I can’t, either,” KB replied.

            They were all quiet again for a moment. “When I couldn’t sleep, when I was younger, my mom or nanny droid would tell me stories,” Fern finally said.

            “My mom would, too, when she was still alive,” Wim answered.

            “My parents tell stories, too,” Neel put in.

            “So do mine,” KB said.

            Neel sat up a little further then. “Why don’t we tell each other stories?” he suggested.

            “My dad says I’m getting too old for bedtime stories,” Wim said.

            “Well, that’s silly,” Fern said. “My mom says you’re never too old for stories.”

            “Yeah, my family and I still get together to tell stories every time my brother and sister come home,” KB added. “And they’re both grown up now.”

            “My mom and dad still tell me and my brothers and sister stories every night before bed,” Neel said.

            Wim stared at the ceiling. “That’s cool.”

            “I know a good one,” Fern said. KB, catching the mischievous tone in her voice, rolled her eyes. “It’s all about this abandoned starship out in the woods,” she begun, in a spooky tone of voice.

            “Oh, boy,” KB muttered under her breath.
            “They say a ship crashed in the woods, long ago,” Fern went on dramatically. “No one knows who was flying it or who its captain was. Some say the crew all died in the crash, some say they were already dead before. Some even say they killed each other. Nobody knows for sure. But to this day, they say, if you get close enough, you can still hear the crew talking, arguing, even the sound of their blasters firing.”  She was silent for a minute, then said, softly, but slowly getting louder, “Whoo-oo-ooh!”

            Neel let out a yelp and jumped. “Fern,” KB stated flatly, “you were supposed to tell a story to help us sleep.”

            “Why don’t you tell one, Wim?” Neel suggested hopefully. “You know some good ones, right?”

            Wim thought for a moment. “Well,” he said, “there’s the story of the four knights who slept for a hundred years, from Tales of the Knights.”

            Everyone turned to listen to Wim.

            “Once,” he began, “there were four Jedi – a Twi’lek named Pol Komad, a Bothese named Koskit Kas, and two humans named Lina Banfien and Druin Loch. Well, there was a war between the Jedi and Sith going on back then, and the four Jedi, who were Padawans, had to travel with their masters through Sith territory. They were still Padawans then, and their masters wanted to keep them safe, so they put them in carbonite while they travelled through Sith space, planning to bring them out of it when they got out. They were disguised as a merchant ship, but while they were going through, they were attacked anyway, and all their masters were killed. The Sith came aboard and raided the ship, but they didn’t find anything they thought was valuable, so they left the ship to drift in space. Carbonite was a new technology back then, so they just thought the Padawans were some weird wall decorations. The war took a bad turn not long after that, and anyone who knew about the four Padawans being in carbonite was killed, or assumed they had been. The Jedi were nearly wiped out, and the very few who did survive were forced to go into hiding to stay safe. So, Pol, Koskit, Lina, and Druin just drifted in space for a really long time. The Sith went on ruling the galaxy for a hundred years. Then, one day, a bounty hunter named Bril Waran found the ship they were on. He thought he would scavenge it to see if it had anything valuable he could sell or any equipment he could use. While he was searching the ship, he accidentally woke the four Padawans up. Even though he was a bounty hunter, he wasn’t a bad guy, so he took them to a healer he knew who was able to treat their carbon sickness. They were shocked to learn that they had been in carbonite for a hundred years, and that the Sith had ruled the galaxy all that time. But, as soon as they were well, they joined the fighting against them, and they helped overthrow the Sith Empire, and revive the Jedi and bring peace back to the galaxy. After that, they swore that protecting the newly-made Republic, and keeping the peace, their lifelong quest, and they did. Um, the end.”

            The others were quiet for a minute. “Um, that’s it?” Fern finally asked.

            “Well, no,” Wim explained. “They had a lot more adventures while they were fighting the Empire, and after. It’s all in Tales of the Knights. But that’s on my storypad, and I don’t have it with me.”

            “That’s not gonna help me sleep, either,” Neel grumbled. “How about I tell a story?”

            “Please,” KB replied.

            “Well,” Neel began, “there’s one my dad likes to tell. He says, out in the woods, if you look hard enough, you can find a door that leads to a magical land. When you go through the door, it still looks like the same woods, but there are magical creatures looking at you through the roots of the trees. The trees and plants can talk, too, or at least it sounds like they do, and they whisper to you to come explore. They’ll also tell you the password to get in and out of the land. That’s important, because when you get to a certain point, there’ll be a giant guardian waiting there, and if you don’t know the password, he won’t let you go in or out. If you do know it, though, he’ll let you pass through, and you’ll get to see all kind of wonders. Finally, you’ll get to the top of a mountain, and that leads you to the path back home. If you take a green stone from the path through, though, you can visit there again any time you want.”

            More silence followed. “Guess it’s my turn,” KB finally said. “Well, there’s a story my moms told me while I was in the hospital. Once, there was a girl named Chara, who got very sick one day. Her parents had to take her to the hospital. When she finally recovered, she couldn’t do things like she used to. She couldn’t walk as well as she could before, or run, or anything like that. She really wanted to get better, so she did a lot of research, until she read about a fruit that could heal anything. She decided to go looking for it, thinking it would make her better. She went out into the woods near her home, because she’d always heard you could find magical things in the woods. She walked for a day and a night, until she met a girl and a boy. The children were both colored green, which she found strange – of course green is a normal color on a lot of species, but humans aren’t one of them, and these children were human, like Chara. The girl told Chara her name was Lienne, and the boy, her brother, was named Pano. They and their family were all sick with an illness that made them green, so they were looking for a healing charm. They were the only members of their family who were both old enough and well enough to travel Chara told them about her own illness, and the fruit she’d heard about, and how she was looking for it. They promised to help her find it, and she promised to help them find the charm, so they and Lienne and Pano’s family could all be healed.

            “They walked through the woods for a long time, until they came to a rainbow, and went under it. There, they found a lot of people dancing. ‘Who are you?’ one of the dancers asked. ‘Why are you here?’ They told him, and he nodded gravely. ‘You will have a long and difficult journey,’ he said. ‘Follow that dragonfly,’ he said, pointing, ‘and she will lead you to the next step.’ They did, until they came to a river, and the dragonfly flew across it, so they followed. Here, they found a little house, so they knocked on the door, and an old woman answered. “Who are you, and why are you here?’ she asked. They told her, and she nodded. “You have a very long journey ahead of you, then,’ she said. ‘Follow that bird,’ she said, pointing at a large bird of prey flying overhead, ‘and she will show you the way.’ They did, and the bird led them to a range of high mountains, and through them, until they came to an old man, standing outside of his cottage. ‘Who are you, and why have you come?’ she asked them. They told him, and he nodded. ‘The way will be long and difficult,’ he said. ‘Follow those kybucks,’ he said, pointing at a group of the creatures, ‘and they will lead you to where you want to go.’ They did, and soon found themselves in front of a large home. They knocked at the door, and a beautiful young woman answered. ‘Who are you, and why have you come?’ she asked. They told her, and she nodded. ‘Wait right here,’ she said, and went inside. When she returned, she held a basket full of apples in one hand and a charm in the other. She handed the basket to the green children, and then she handed the charm to Chara. ‘There aren’t enough apples here for Chara and our family,’ Lienne said, counting them.

            “‘The apples will not heal the results of illnesses,’ the woman replied. ‘Only the illnesses themselves. That is why I gave Chara the charm. Be warned, though,’ she told Chara. ‘The charm will only work four times, and only for a person who is in their own home.’

            “Chara said she understood, and, after Lienne and Pano had eaten one apple each, they were cured, and returned to their normal color. The three children then started toward home. On the way out, though, they found a family gathered around their youngest member, who looked terribly ill. Chara decided to use the charm once. ‘After all,’ she thought, ‘the charm can be used three more times.’ So, she used it on the baby, and she was healed.

              “The three children kept going, and soon, they came to another family with a sick baby, this time a boy. Chara chose to use the charm again, since it could be used two more times. So, she did, and this baby was healed, too. The children then went on their way.

            “However, on their way they came to another sick baby boy. Knowing there would still be one more use of the charm, Chara used it yet again to heal the child. After that, the children continued on their way, and soon arrived home.

            “When they arrived at Lienne and Pano’s home, however, they found that their youngest sister, who was too young to go with them, but who had been healthy when they left, had now gotten the same sickness the rest of the family had. They frantically counted their apples, but they didn’t have enough for everyone. Chara was silent for a moment, but then she handed over the charm for one last use. She knew that she could survive without being healed, but Lienne and Pano’s sister could not.’

            “‘So, Chara went home, and told her family her story, and introduced them to her new friends. Her parents punished her for leaving without telling them, but were also very proud of what she had done. ‘You’ve proven you can still do great things, even if you can’t do everything you used to,’ they told her. ‘You don’t need to be healed.’ And Chara did a lot more great things in her life.”

            “That’s a really cool story,” Fern said. “How come you never told it to me before?”

            KB shrugged. “I thought you’d think it was boring.”

            “It’s not boring. It’s totally awesome. Just like you,” Fern insisted. “Right, guys?”

            Neither of the boys answered. Turning to look, the girls saw that they were both sound asleep.

   

Chapter 2: The Special Storybook

Summary:

KB tells the other children another story.

Notes:

Inspired by the StoryWorld card "The Enchanted Storybook", from "The Magical Toybox" pack.

“What should we do now?” Wim asked. Jod had told them to “play quietly and not get in the way”, then sent them to one of the ship’s cabins.

            “We could tell more stories,” Neel suggested. “Does anyone know any?”

            “I know another one,” KB chimed in. Everyone turned to look at her expectantly.

            “‘Once,’ KB begun, “‘there was a girl, whose mother gave her a special gift for her birthday. A book. But this was no ordinary book. This book could take you anywhere. You just had to open it, and it would take you inside the story. All sorts of worlds lay within this book. When she opened the book for the first time, she found her favorite story inside, and she instantly entered the world of the story. She lived the entire story from beginning to end. When she was done with that, she entered a new story, one she didn’t know, but that she found she loved just as much as her old favorite story. She continued on through the book, finding more and more stories, and travelling to more and more worlds, until, finally, she fell fast asleep. But she went right on dreaming about all the places she had been in the stories. She thought she must have read the entire book, but the next day, she found new stories in it, and new places. And no matter how much of the book she read, she always found new stories when she wanted them, and it always had just the right story for the mood she was in. She could always find the exact story she wanted when she wanted to read one she knew, too. She could find a story to help her sleep, if she needed it, or one that would help her learn about what she was studying in school, and help her learn it in a fun way, if she needed that. And if she had an argument with a friend or family member, she could find a story to help her see things from their point of view, and help her communicate what she needed to them, to make it better. Her siblings had books just like it, too. And when she grew up, she got books just like it for her children. But she always kept her book, because it was still just as helpful as ever, even when she was a grown-up.’”

            “I know that story,” Neel said. “My mom and dad tell it to me and my brothers and sister.”

            “My mom used to tell it to me, too,” Wim added.

            “Mine, too,” Fern said. “She always leaves out the siblings, though.”

            KB smiled. 

Chapter 3

Summary:

Neel takes another turn at story telling.

Notes:

Part of the narration for this story comes from the Wookieepedia translation for one of the stories on Wim's datapad (link here: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Druin), which I do not own.

Inspired byt the StoryWorld cards The Knight, The Dog, The Wild Beast, and The Midnight Mushrooms (the latter from the "Fairy Magic" pack).

Fun fact, Neel accidentally saying "Loth-wolf" instead of "rancor" at one point in his narration was because I made a typo, and decided to throw it in. (I had given Wim a toy Loth-wolf instead of a rancor because it seemed too convenient for him to happen to have a toy rancor handy.)

Sorry if this has a lame ending.

“Will you tell us a story?” Neel asked Jod.

            “Yeah!” Wim said. “You’re a Jedi, you must know some good ones!”

            Jod looked at them with some annoyance. “You’re all too old for bedtime stories,” he said. “Tell each other stories, if you’re that bored.” He stalked out of the room.

            “Never mind,” Neel said, seeing Wim’s disappointed expression. “I can tell a story. I know a good one.”

            “I bet it’s not as good as a story from a real Jedi would be,” Wim said glumly.

            “But it is about a Jedi,” Neel said. “Listen, Wim! I know you love this story.”

            Wim sat up reluctantly.

            “Do you have your Jedi toys?” Wim said. “Never mind, mine’s in my backpack! I’ll act it out, to make it even cooler!” He trotted toward his backpack, and pulled out a few toys. “‘Once,’ he began, “‘there was a Jedi named Druin.’”

            “Neeeeel,” Wim whined. “I know all the stories about Druin.”

            “Yeah, but you haven’t heard any of them like this,” Neel said. “I’m going to act it out for you, like my dad does when he tells stories.” Neel sat the Jedi action figure on the floor in front of the others. “‘Once, there was a Jedi named Druin,’” he repeated. “‘Druin was young, but he had been on many quests and adventures in his life. One day, while he was visiting the planet Caer, he learned that a rancor was terrorizing the people around the H’raka Forest. He resolved to do something about it.

            “‘Druin packed his bag with everything he might need and set off on his adventure.’” Here, Neel made the figure walk across the floor.

            “‘The H’raka Forest was beautiful, with tall trees and bright colorful flowers,’” he continued. “‘Druin felt the Force flowing through everything around him. First Druin came across the ruined hut of a woodchopper. The place had been abandoned, the ax left behind, cleft into the stump of an old tree. The vines of the forest had grown back and overwhelmed everything. Whoever had lived in that hut, was long gone. Yet, Druin sensed something alive nearby. He followed the feel of that life in the Force, and soon came across a small dog.’” Neel pulled out a small toy dog from his pack, then ran it up to his Jedi figure. “Woof, woof!” he said. Then he went on with the story. “‘Druin pulled some food from his own pack, and fed it to the dog. She ate it up quickly. Then Druin touched her head, and read her mind, and learned that her name was Spice, and that her last owner had been out chopping wood when they were attacked by the rancor. Spice had tried to defend him, but had been knocked unconcious, and he had been gone when she came to. Spice now followed Druin as he continued on his journey.’” Neel made the dog and Jedi walk on.

            “‘Next, Druin came to the paddock of a herder, though the herder was long gone,’” Neel went on. “‘Run off into the forest or eaten by beast. But from their old food trough grew a strange yet very beautiful flower. Druin had never seen a flower like this before, but something in the Force told him it could be important, so he plucked it, and put it in his pocket.’” Neel mimed the Jedi figure picking a flower. Then he continued on his way, with Spice still following him.’” Here, Neel continued walking the figures. “‘Finally, Druin felt a strong presence in the Force. He knew he was getting close to the fearsome beast. He took out his lightsaber,’” Neel raised the toy Jedi’s lightsaber and imitated the sound of one turning on, “‘and held it ready as the beast lunged out of the forest and loomed over him. Neel fumbled around his backpack. “Sorry, I don’t have a toy rancor,” he said.

            “I have one.” Wim clamored off his bed, picked up his backpack, opened it, and then pulled out several toys until he found the one he was looking for, then handed it to Neel. “Okay, I didn’t have one, this is a Loth-wolf,” he admitted.

“It’ll work,” Neel said. “Raaawwwr!” he added, miming the Loth-wolf looming over the dog and Jedi, after Wim had replaced the rest of his toys and returned to his bed. “‘Druin and the beast fought furiously,’” Neel went on, making the Jedi-figure hit the “rancor”.  “‘It was a long, fierce fight. At last, it occurred to Druin that Loth-wolves – I mean, rancors -- were rarely this vicious. He Force-stunned the creature, and pulled out his datapad to do some research.’” Neel mimed the Jedi putting his lightsaber away, then pulling out a nonexistent datapad. “‘He soon learned that a certain type of mushroom could make rancors behave very violently indeed – and he could see that they grew abundantly in this area. He also learned that the flower he had picked was the antidote.

“‘Carefully, he Force-lifted the unconcious creature from the ground and moved him onto his ship. He then caged him, placing the flower in front of him. When the rancor woke, he ate the flower, and soon recovered.” Neel continued acting out the actions with his toys as he narrated them. “‘And from that day forward, Druin gained two more lifelong companions.’” With that, Neel returned his toys to his backpack, and tossed the Loth-wolf back at Wim, who managed to catch it.

“That’s it?” Fern scoffed. “That’s a lame story.”

“I like it,” Neel defended. “Everything gets solved without anybody getting hurt.”

Fern rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

“I’ll tell the story tomorrow,” Wim promised. “I know a more exciting one.”

 

Chapter 4

Summary:

Wim tells the other children one of his favorite stories.

Notes:

Darap is an OC, but, though it isn't stated, he is a Twi'lek, with his name coming, once again, from the Twi'Lek name list on Wookieepedia. As with the previous chapter, part of the story is from Wookieepedia's translation of a story Wim was reading in the first episode (link here:https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lina_(Jedi)). Lina and Druin are from those stories, and are not my creation, but Koskit and Pol are, with their names coming from Wookieepedia's name lists for Bothans and Twi'Leks, respectively, and of course they are members of those species. They have also been mentioned in previous chapters.

Inspired by the StoryWorld cards "The Cave of Wonders" (from the Quests and Adventures pack) and The High Mountains (from the Animal Tales pack).

Anyway, enjoy!

“Alright, Wim,” Fern said the next night. “You promised to tell the story tonight. So, tell it.”

            Wim sat up. “Alright, give me a minute to remember how it started,” he said. “Let’s see. ‘Once, there was a Jedi named Lina. Lina and three of her friends had been frozen in carbonite during a time when the Jedi and Sith were at war, and had been reawakened to find that the Sith now ruled the galaxy. Now, they were part of the resistance against the Sith Empire, fighting to restore freedom and peace to the galaxy.

            “‘Lina had heard rumors that a Sith was hiding on the planet of Cam, a world on the borders of the Mid-Rim and Outer Rim, one of the few worlds that still remained free of Sith control. So, she travelled there, and went to the planet to investigate. She travelled there with her friend, Koskit Kol, who remained onboard their ship, the Galaxy’s Hope, while Lina went down to the planet to investigate.

            “‘As soon as she arrived at Cam, Lina sensed a dark presence there. She knew immediately that the rumors must be true. She quickly landed in the planet’s capital, where she went to speak to the locals.

            “‘Not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, Lina posed as a trader looking to sell goods. She had brought along things she could sell just in case she needed them. She went to the city’s downtown area, where she spoke to various shopkeepers, and listened to the people talk, and learned some very valuable information.

            “‘Lately, the planet had been suffering from a plague. A few weeks before, a man had arrived offering to help. He had treated many of those suffering from the plague, and seemingly saved their lives. Afterwards, he had simply vanished, and no one knew where. Many thought he was a miracle-worker, but there were those who had their suspicions of him. Before he had left, he had warned that he would return in time to, in his words, ‘collect his payment.’

            “‘Hearing this, Lina felt that she had to find this mysterious stranger quickly. If he truly was a Sith, then he might demand anything. If he received it, he would surely use it for some dangerous purpose, and if not, then who knew what he might do?    

            “‘Lina knew her task would not be easy. Cam was a planet with many mountains and forests where someone could hide. She still felt the dark presence, however, and thought that, if she could follow it, her task might be a bit easier.

            “‘She went to the city’s library first, however, hoping to find a clue in some of the planet’s lore and legends. She spent some time reading, and found one place mentioned in many tales that stood out to her, called the Cave of Shadows. It was said to hold a dark presence, to be a place of evil where many sinister beings had resided over the centuries. Generally, it was held to be in the Mon Mountains, on the northwestern part of the planet.

            “‘On a hunch, Lina journeyed to the Mon Mountains, in search of the cave. It took three days of hiking, but at last, Lina came upon what she was certain must be what she was looking for. She could feel the emanating darkness even before she came within sight of the cave.            Once she entered, any doubt she may have had, if she had any, vanished. She could sense the heavy darkness all around her, and she felt a living presence in there, too.

            “‘The Cave of Shadows was dark and ominous, but Lina was not afraid. She ignited her lightsaber, it’s blue glow lighting up the darkness, ready for what lay ahead.

            “‘Suddenly, the Sith appeared before her, in dark robes and holding a red lightsaber. ‘You should not have come here,’ he hissed. His voice echoed through the cave.

            “‘And, to Lina’s horror, she realized she *knew* this man. This was Darap Waran, the man who had brought her to the Jedi when she was young, one of her first teachers.

            “‘Lina couldn’t move or speak for several moments. ‘Master Darap?’ she managed, finally.

            “‘Lina,’ he said, seeming as surprised as she was. He recovered quickly, however. ‘I had heard rumors of some young Jedi being frozen in carbonite and revived later,’ he said. ‘I had never believed it until now, though. So, you have joined the rebellion now? I should have known.’

            “‘Lina still couldn’t manage to speak for another few moments. ‘You,’ she managed finally. ‘You’re a Sith now?’

            “‘‘I’ve learned something very important, Lina,’ he said. ‘The only way to survive. In this galaxy, that means joining with the strongest people.’

            “‘Lina couldn’t believe it. She searched for some explanation, that he was brainwashed, mind-controlled, that this was some sort of cruel Force illusion. Darap was one of the kindest people she had ever known. He couldn’t have joined the Sith, not willingly. He just couldn’t have.

            “‘Why?’ she finally asked. ‘Why, Darap? How could you join them, and not fight them?’

            “‘‘Why?’ he repeated. ‘I’ll tell you why, Lina. I did fight them, for a long time. Me, and a few other surviving members of the Hawk-bat Clan. They hunted us all down. We fought. We ran. We hid. We scattered. Anything to get away. Until, finally, I was the last one left.

            “‘Lina still looked for a way for it not to be true. Darap, however, went on talking. ‘You can join us, Lina,’ he said. ‘Join us, and you won’t have to spend the rest of you life on the run, or hiding, or in fear, or alone.

            “‘Lina shook her head. ‘No. No, I’m not alone, Darap. I have friends now. You could join us. You wouldn’t have to be alone, or with the Sith anymore.’

            “‘I can’t do that, Lina,’ he replied firmly. ‘I can’t be on the run, or in hiding again. Not when I’ve realized that I don’t have to be. It would be better for you and your friends to join us.’

            “‘Lina stood with tears in her eyes. ‘No,’ she said. ‘No. Never. I can’t do that, Darap. Not when the Sith have hurt and killed so many people.’

            “‘Darap just shrugged. ‘It’s your choice, Lina,’ he said. ‘But if that’s how it is, then I can’t let you go.’

            “‘Then, Darap reached out his hand and flung her clear across the cave. Lina couldn’t hold back a scream. She managed to catch herself, however, and lunged at him, lightsaber drawn. Then she attacked him back, just as fiercely. She now understood that her friend was beyond her reach, and she had no choice but to fight him, even though she didn’t want to.

            “‘The battle seemed to drag on for hours. Lina felt herself growing weaker and weaker. Just when she felt certain she was about to collapse, however, she heard the hum of another lightsaber. Looking up, she saw her friend, Koskit.

            “‘Who are you?’ Darap demanded.

            “‘Koskit Kol,’ she replied. Then she ran him through. ‘Are you alright?’ she asked Lina. Lina nodded. Then, Koskit took her back to their ship for healing. Soon, they reunited with their friends, Druin Drys and Pol Komad. And Lina knew that she would always have friends, and that all of them would all always be there for each other.’”

Chapter 5

Summary:

Fern tells a spooky story.

Notes:

To be clear, Sienn is a Twi'Lek, and her name is from Wookieepedia's Twi'Lek name list. Nolan is meant to be a Myykian, like Neel. His name I picked as a name I'm familiar with, and Jak's I kind of made up, but Janara's was from a Wookieepedia image from a now-defunct website which listed, among other things, the five most popular names in the Star Wars galaxy for a certain year (I think 22 BBY).

Inspired by the StoryWorld cards "The Haunted House" and "The Haunted Hallway", from the "Tales from the Haunted House" pack.

“How about another story?” Wim suggested. They were all sitting around the same cabin as before.

            “It’s not even bedtime yet,” Neel objected.

            “Then, Fern should tell it,” KB said. “Her stories aren’t very good for bedtime anyway.”

            Fern rolled her eyes at this. “Alright,” she said. “There’s one my mom and grandpa like to tell me when we visit my grandparents. We’ll build pillow forts, and make snacks, and tell ghost stories.” She went over and picked up her pack, and pulled out a flashlight. “They always shine a light under their faces while they’re telling it,” she explained. “And they’ll dim the lights,” she added, waving her hand to do just that.

            Everyone waited expectantly as Fern turned on the flashlight and shone it underneath her face. “‘Once, there was a boy name Jak,’” she began. “‘Jak loved ghost stories, and he had heard a story that a house in his town of Atal was haunted. One evening after school, Jak decided to go explore the house, and he talked his best friend, Nolan, into coming there with him. At the same time, two girls, best friends named Janara and Sienn also decided the same thing.

            “‘The house was right at the edge of town, and no one had lived there for years. The story went, that once, a long time ago, a family had lived there, a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, both the father’s parents, and the mother’s mother. Then, one day, they all just disappeared out of nowhere, and no one knew why or where they had gone. They hadn’t talked about going on a vacation or any of them having to travel for work. The mother and her mother were both analysts. The father and grandfather were both accountants, and the father’s mother was a systems contNolanler, so they were a very respectable and well-respected family. Both children did well in school. None of the rest of their family or their friends or neighbors knew where they could possibly have gone. Searches turned up nothing at all. Time went on, and their house remained empty, and as time went on, the family was forgotten except in stories, until no one was even sure how long ago they had lived in the house. But the house remained, and the local government never reclaimed it, and it was never sold. It just stayed there, abandoned and empty and getting more and more run-down. But there were always whispers that the family’s ghosts haunted their old home, unable to find peace or rest.

            “‘It was a rainy evening when Sienn, Janara, Nolan, and Jak all decided to explore the house, and find out if any of the stories were true. Janara and Sienn went through the front door, while Jak and Nolan went in through the back. Neither duo knew the other was there.

            “‘Sienn and Janara went up the stairs to where the bedrooms were, while Nolan and Jak stayed downstairs. The girls explored the bedrooms. Two of the rooms had beds for couples, while the other three had single beds. Two of them were full of toys and school supplies, plus a StoryPad and a computer for schoolwork each. The other rooms had mostly things for grown-ups.

            “‘Downstairs, the boys found a HoloPad, sofa, and some chairs in the living room, a table with seven chairs around it and a few extra chairs against the walls in the dining room, and an oven, sink, counters and cupboards in the kitchen. Everything you’d expect. But, the spooky part was, the table was set for a meal, but there was no food anywhere in sight. It looked like the family had taken that with them, because all the dishes were clean except for a thick layer of dust, but they had left most of their other belongings behind.

            “‘Nolan and Jak were talking about this, and how weird it was, when they thought they heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Janara and Sienn, meanwhile, had heard footsteps downstairs. Nolan wanted to go home, but Jak wouldn’t. ‘You can leave, if you want,’ he told Nolan, ‘but I’m staying.’ Nolan wouldn’t leave Jak alone in that house, so they both headed up the stairs. Meanwhile, Sienn and Janara were coming back downstairs. The two groups of children ran into each other on the stairs.

            “‘They all started screaming at first. They all thought the others were ghosts. When they shone their handlights on each other, though, they realized they weren’t. ‘Hi, I’m Janara,’ Janara told the boys.

            “‘I’m Jak,’ Jak said.

            “‘I’m Nolan,’ Nolan added.

            “‘And I’m Sienn,’ Sienn said.

            “‘Then, they realized they were all there to explore the house, and they agreed to do it together. ‘Sienn and I want to figure out what really happened to the people who lived here,’ Janara said. ‘We don’t believe in ghosts.’

            “‘Well, I do,’ Jak said. ‘And I’m going to find them.’

            “‘He and Janara started arguing about rather or not the house was really haunted. While they were doing this, Sienn leaned over and whispered to Nolan. ‘Do you hear that beeping?’ she whispered. Nolan nodded. ‘Let’s go explore by ourselves,’ she said. Nolan nodded again, and they went off to another room. Once there, they began searching through drawers and cabinets. Finally, they found a Holopad a locked drawer, which Sienn was able to break into. Opening it, they found a HoloPad, with a single recording on it. Turning it on, they found a hologram of a red-haired woman.

            “‘They called Janara and Jak into the room then. After that, they turned on the recording. ‘My name is Farina Ful,’ the woman begun. ‘I am the Deputy Headwoman of the town of Atal and close friend of the Draller-Teg family. They asked me to record their story, for anyone who might explore their home in the future. The family left in a hurry, without telling anyone why, because they didn’t know what to do anymore. I helped them find work in a new town, because they didn’t want the real reason they left getting out. It could ruin their reputation.’

            “‘See!’ Janara said, nudging Jak. ‘I told you there were no ghosts.’

            “‘The Draller-Tegs moved into this house a little over a year ago,’ Deputy Headwoman Ful went on. ‘In the time since they moved here, they’ve experienced many strange events. At first, it started small. Their son felt he was being watched in the hallway. Their daughter claimed to hear whispering on the stairway. Both children complained of strange smells throughout the house. But it got worse. The adults in the family began noticing things, too. They would wake up to feel the covers being pulled off of them. Lights would go on or off for no apparent reason. The whole family heard laughter, crying, and conversations from voices they did not recognize. I visited them often, and witnessed many of these things myself. They searched for any explanation, but couldn’t find any. It grew more intense. Soon, electronics and appliances were going on and off constantly. Things were flying around the house day and night. The family dog was howling constantly. At last, they came to stay with me until they could figure out what to do. They didn’t want word getting out about why they left, so they asked for my help. I arranged for the house to be declared unfit for habitation and found them a job in another town, in case word got out. I stay in touch with the Draller-Tegs. I keep quiet about the real reason they left. But they asked me to make this special recording, on a special device equipped with sensors to detect when anyone enters the home, and activate to warn them to stay away.’

            “‘The recording ended there. The four children looked at each other, then agreed to leave the house. As they did, though, they thought that they could hear whispering on the stairs.’”      

Chapter 6

Summary:

KB tells the story of how her family came to be.

Notes:

I changed KB's older sister's name from Saree to Karee (I edited that in the first story I posted that mentions her, too.

Sorry this is so short. I hope you all enjoy it, anyway!

“Alright, I went earlier today, that means it’s KB’s turn to tell a story,” Fern said that night.

            KB sat up a little in her bunk. “Is the story of how my moms met, and had my brother and sister and me okay? They tell that one a lot.”

            The other three children made sounds of agreement. “Well,” KB began. “‘Once, there was a young woman named Maree, and another young woman named Garree. After they both took the Career Assessment Test, they were both assigned to be data analysts, and when they got old enough, they both went to start their training. That was when they met. Neither of them had ever met a woman so beautiful, or smart, or kind, or brave before. They got to know each other, and fell in love. After they finished their training, they got married. They knew by now that they wanted to be together forever, and have children together, and that they each wanted to give birth to a baby, and that they wanted a son, too. When they decided they were ready, they went to a special clinic together, and had two of their eggs spliced together, to create their first baby. Maree went first. Ten months later, their first baby was born, and they named her Karee. Karee was a beautiful baby, and they loved her. Three years after that, they decided they were ready for another child, a boy this time, so they applied to adopt one. When they got their boy, they named him Lucan Jaron, or LJ, for Lucan and Jaron, their fathers. Four years after that, they were ready to have another baby. They went and had their eggs spliced again, but this time, they put they baby in Garree, and they named her Karina Baree, for Karina, Garree’s mother, and Baree, Maree’s mother. And now they had the whole family they wanted.’”

            Everyone was quiet for a minute. “That was a good story,” Neel finally said, and the others nodded.

Chapter 7

“It’s your turn tonight, Neel,” KB said. Neel sat up a little. “Well,” he said. “I could tell how my parents met, and had my brothers and sister and me.”

            The others agreed, and Neel began his tale. “‘Once, there was a woman named Nooma and a man named Nol,’” he began. “‘They met when they both were given jobs as analysts at the same company, and got married three years later. A year after that, they found out they were pregnant with their first baby. They were super excited, and they agreed not to find out ahead of time if it was a boy or a girl, since they wanted to be surprised. A year later, they had their first baby, and it was a boy, and they named him Neel. A few years later, they got pregnant again, this time with twins, identical twins, and agreed to be surprised again, and when they were born, they were boys, and they named them Jobo and Jorko. A couple of years after Jobo and Jorko were born, Nooma and Nol got pregnant again, and this time, even though they agreed to be surprised again, they were really hoping for a girl, because they already had three boys, and it was, and they decided to name her Tuloo. And they agreed that, in a couple more years, they would have another baby, so they could have another girl.’”

            “That was a really short story, Neel,” Wim said, after a minute.

            “It wasn’t that much shorter than KB’s,” Neel defended.

            “Yeah, I liked it anyway,” KB said. “It’s a happy story.”

Chapter 8

“Okay, it’s your turn, Wim,” Neel said the following night. “Tell us how your mom and dad met.”

            Wim sat up a little. “Well, it’s not a very exciting story, but I guess I can tell it to you anyway. Let’s see. My mom’s name was Faya. She was an accountant, but she really loved helping people, and telling stories. My dad’s a systems controller. He and my mom met at work, and she asked him out, and they started getting to know each other. They got married after being together a year. My dad was away for work a lot, though. My mom used to love telling me stories, especially at night. Then, one day, a few years ago, she just died. The medical droids said it was a hard attack. My dad’s been even busier since then.”

            Everyone was silent for a minute. “Sorry,” Fern said, finally. “Sorry about your mom.” She couldn’t imagine how her life would be without her mom in it.

            “Thanks,” Wim said, softly.

Chapter 9

“Well, I guess it’s my turn,” Fern said the following night. “I don’t really have a dad, though, just a mom. I mean, I do have a dad, kind of, but – well, he’s not in my life.”

            Everyone waited to hear. “My mom was never interested in romance,” Fern explained. “But she wanted to be a mom. So, she had a donor-father.” Fern paused. “The story my mom tells is, all her life, she dreamed of being a mom,” she began. “But, she never wanted to be married, or have a romance. She also wanted to be sure her life was all set before she had a kid. And she wanted to be a leader, like her dad is. So, she worked hard in school all her life, and when she passed her Career Assessment Test, they told her she was smart enough to be a leader. So, she kept studying hard, and then, she trained hard, until she was made an undersecretary. After she’d been on the job a few years, she felt like she was ready to have a kid. So, she filled out all the data-work, and, after another couple of years, she got a donation, and had me. She got our nanny droid, NAN-101, too, to take care of me when she couldn’t be there, and now we were all a family, and she says that’s the best thing that ever happened to her.”

            Another silence followed. “That’s a great story,” KB finally said, and the boys nodded in agreement.   

Chapter 10

Notes:

Inspired by several StoryWorld cards from "The Mad Professor's Workshop" pack, most notably The Mechanical Boy and Girl, The Professor's Monster, The Bionic Bicycle, and The Flying Suit, and, possibly, The Portal to Other Worlds.

Sorry the ending is abrupt, I didn't want this to get too long.

“My turn again tonight?” KB asked, and the others nodded. “Well,” she began. “My moms used to tell us one, that’s kind of like Fern’s, and kind of like mine, but it’s made-up. ‘Once, there was a man named Kalko, who was a brilliant inventor. Kalko wanted kids, but he wasn’t interested in romance. So, he built two droids, but these were no ordinary droids. They were children, a boy, who he named Kino, and a girl, who he named Krissa. He raised them in his lab, teaching them everything he knew, but he kept them safely hidden from everyone, because he knew the universe was not always kind to beings like them, who were different from others. Outside the window of the cellar where he kept them, they could see that there was a bigger world outside, but Kalko never let them see it, no matter how much they begged. When they were older, and ready for it, he would promise, he would let them see it. Meanwhile, he gave them all kinds of things to keep them happy – toys, stories, music, holo-rooms, even a pet greenbird, who they named Gana – but they still wanted to journey outside of their home.

            “‘Then, one day, Kalko told them he’d been contacted by his old partner, Dr. Parsus, about an urgent matter. Dr. Parsus needed his help, and since Kalko couldn’t take them with him, he would have to leave Kino and Krissa with their nanny droid, NAN-1000, or NANI, as they called her. This disappointed them, as they had hoped he would finally allow them to travel outside their home. He told them that he would not be gone long, however, and left NANI in charge of caring for them until he got back, and continue with their lessons.

            “‘So, for several days, the two droid-children and NANI went about their normal lives. Then, two weeks in, a call came in. NANI answered, and a strange, cloaked figure appeared, too vague to make out, and an equally strange voice spoke. ‘I have Kalko,’ they said, ‘and if you want to save him, you’ll bring me all the secrets from his laboratory.’ The figure disappeared then. ‘What was that about?’ Kino asked.

            “‘Never you mind, children,’ NANI said.

            “‘But he has Kalko,’ Krissa objected. ‘We have to save him.’

            “‘Kalko assigned me to protect you, at all costs,’ NANI replied. ‘He would want us to stay here. Don’t worry, he can take care of himself.’

            “‘Krissa and Kino exchanged glances. ‘Well, we’re going to save him,’ Kino said determinedly. ‘You can come with us, or let us go alone.’

            “‘Or I could shut you down,’ NANI pointed out.

            “‘And leave us shut down forever?’ Krissa demanded. ‘Kalko wouldn’t want that, now, would he?’

            “‘NANI argued with them a bit longer, but finally realized that it was useless. So, she gathered anything she thought they might need, and they set off to find and save Kalko. They took Gana with them, unable to leave her alone. They should start with Dr. Parsus’ lab, NANI said, and though it took a bit of research, they at last were able to narrow down where it might be to four different locations.

            “‘The first place they went proved to be empty, however, they searched it for clues. While there, NANI found a pair of glasses, and found that, when she put them on, she could see through solid objects, even the lab’s thick walls, and she even found a hidden room, but there was no sign of either Kalko or Dr. Parsus inside of it. ‘Still,’ she said. ‘We’ll take these glasses with us. They might be useful.’ So, they departed the first laboratory, and moved on to the second. They found it empty, and although NANI, using the glasses from the first lab, found another secret room, it, too, was empty. Meanwhile, Krissa found a strange bicycle among the various gadgets, which appeared to be made from various restored parts, including seats, wheels, metal bars, a fuel tank, a fuel pipe, pedals, chains, handlebars, a nightlight, and a compass, which she found held multiple hidden seats, and could even grow bigger or smaller when the right buttons were pressed. .  It could also be folded so that it could fit into a pack. After climbing on, Krissa soon found it could also fly, and she spent several minutes flying around the room, with Gana flying and shrieking behind her, before she figured out how to turn it off. ‘We’ll take it with us,’ NANI said. ‘It might prove useful.’ So Krissa put it in her pack, and the three continued on their way.

            “‘They went now to a third laboratory, and NANI again found a secret room, but no sign of either Kalko or Dr. Parsus. However, Kino found what appeared to be a diving suit, with wings attached, which, when he put it on, he soon discovered could fly. He spent several minutes flying clumsily around the room, knocking things over, with Gana flying and shrieking behind him, before he figured out how to use the control panel, and land the suit. ‘We’ll take it with us,’ NANI said. ‘It might prove useful.’ So, Kino folded it up, and put it in his pack, and they continued on their to the fourth and final lab.’

            “‘This time, when they entered, and NANI put on the glasses, she found the wall far too thick to see through. ‘Kalko and Dr. Parsus must be in there,’ she concluded. ‘We’ll have to figure out a way to get in.’ She felt around, and scanned for a secret door, and so did Krissa and Kino, but they could not find one. Then, suddenly, they heard a strange noise, and a strange humanoid-looking creature opened the door, and approached them.

            “‘The children were frightened, and hid behind NANI, but she spoke to the creature. ‘Who are you?’ she asked.

            “‘My name is Pommo,’ he replied. ‘Dr. Parsus created me, using genetic samples from various humanoid creatures.’

            “‘Can you tell us where he is?’ NANI asked. ‘Or Kalko?’

            “‘I do not know,’ the creature replied sadly. ‘I was just going to look for you. Kalko showed me your pictures,’ he added, ‘and told me to go to you if he and Dr. Parsus didn’t return in two weeks. He told me where to find you. But then, I got a strange message this morning, from a cloaked person, saying they had him and that I must give him Dr. Parsus’ secrets.’

            “‘We received a similar message,’ NANI replied. ‘Did they say anything to you about where they might be going?’

            “‘They said something about their original laboratory,’ he replied. ‘But I don’t know where that was.’

            “‘I do,’ NANI said. ‘It was at the university where they studied together. It would be an odd place to hide.’

            “‘They weren’t trying to hide,’ Pommo explained. ‘They said they were going to retrieve some notes.’

            “‘Their notes from their university days?’ NANI asked.

            “‘Yes, theirs and their mentor, Professor Tolas,’ Pommo replied. ‘They wouldn’t say what was so important about them, though.’

            “‘I think I know,’ NANI replied. ‘Kalko was always worried about the government getting their hands on his research. He was afraid they’d use it for their own ends. He told me Professor Tolas had the same fears.’

            “‘You think Kalko is being held by the *government?*’ Krissa asked.

            “‘I’m afraid he might be, and Dr. Parsus, too,’” she replied. ‘If they are, there’s not a lot we can do for them.’

            “‘We can’t leave them,’ Pommo said stubbornly. ‘We have to help them.’

            “‘Well,’ NANI said. ‘I think I know where they’re being held.’

            “‘Then maybe we can get a message to them,’ Kino suggested. ‘Gana knows how to carry messages. We’ve trained her.’

            “‘First, she would have find them,’” NANI pointed out. ‘It’s a world of difference between getting from one of your rooms to the other and a government facility, children.’

            “‘I could break them out,’ Pommo suggested.

            “‘You would attract far too much attention,’ NANI countered.

            “‘The bicycle and suit!’ Krissa exclaimed. ‘We could use them to fly in! The containment fields can’t reach that high!’

            “‘Perhaps,’ NANI said, thoughtfully. ‘It’s a very big risk, though. It’s best you leave it to Pommo and myself, children.’

            “‘The suit will only carry one of us,’ Kino pointed out. ‘And there’s only five seats on the bicycle, so one of us will have to use the suit.’

            “‘Perhaps, if we go back to the lab where we found the suit, we might find another,’ NANI suggested, but Pommo shook his head. ‘Dr. Parsus showed me that suit,’ he said. ‘It was a prototype. He had only made one.’

            “‘Well, then,’ NANI said. “‘Pommo, you’ll take the bicycle, and the children and I will remain here.’”

            “‘Krissa and Kino were not happy about this, but Pommo agreed. NANI programmed the bicycle with the coordinates for the facility where she believed Parsus and Kalko were being held, and he took the bicycle, and went off.’

            “‘NANI and the children waited uneasily for Pommo’s return with the two scientists. That evening, however, the bicycle returned without them. They found a message recorded on it, from Kalko. ‘Pommo was captured, as well,’ he explained. ‘They’ll do horrible things to him if they get the chance. We must find a way to free him. They took the bicycle, but Parsus and I managed to hack in and free it. Unfortunately, we cannot free ourselves, or Kalko. You must try to figure out how to break in, NANI. We’ll try to find a way out, but we haven’t much time.’

            “‘With that, the call ended, and NANI set about forming a plan. So did the children. ‘We may know a way to camouflage the bicycle,’ Kino finally said, ‘so that it can’t be detected. We may be able to do the same for us, NANI.’

            “‘How?’ she demanded.

            “‘We’ve been working on programming ourselves to blend in to walls,’ Krissa explained, ‘so that we can sneak around.’

            “‘NANI shook her head at this. ‘But that won’t hide anything from the detectors,’ she pointed out.

            “‘Maybe not,’ Kino said, ‘but it’s the best we can do.’

            “‘NANI agreed. ‘Show me how,’ she said.

            “‘They did. Soon, they were able to adjust NANI and the bicycle to do the same, for all were made of similar compositions of metals. But since NANI had no flight programming, she was unable to operate the bicycle. The children, however, had hacked into their own systems and reprogrammed themselves to fly some time ago. And so, NANI had no choice but to bring them along. They brought the suit, too, so that everyone could get out. Kino flew in the suit, since he had done it before, while Krissa and NANI took the bicycle. Since Gana was trained to recognize Kalko, they sent her in ahead to find him, and she was able to lead them to him and the others, as well as carry a message to him that they were outside. Kalko then hacked the systems to create a false alarm. And, with that, they all escaped. But their danger was not over. Together, they all went into hiding with a community of scientists. But Kino and Krissa, although punished for hacking into themselves behind their father’s back, led freer lives afterwards.’”

            “What happened to Gana?” Neel demanded.

            “She joined the rest of the family in their new life,” KB replied.

            “That was a quick ending,” Wim pointed out.

            “Well, I don’t remember all the details,” KB said. “I don’t have my datapad with me.”

            “I like it,” Fern said. “The kids are the real heroes.”   

Chapter 11

Summary:

Neel tells another story, and the four children talk about home.

Notes:

Inspired by the StoryWorld cards "The Fairy Deer", "The Hill of Playing", and "The Fairy Queen", from the "Fairy Magic" pack, and "The Endless Forest", from the "Quests & Adventures" pack.

Zelada's name is taken from the Twi'lek name list on Wookieepedia.

As a side note, yes, the fairy-like beings in this story have a strange and arguably twisted sense of morality. Fairies in stories often do.

Also may take some inspiration from the Batman: Once Upon a Crime retelling of Pinocchio, which I do not own.

“Okay, Neel, your turn,” KB said the next night.

            “Well,” Neel said, “there’s the story of Phelan and Zelada, that’s one of my favorites.”

            “So, tell it,” KB replied.

            “Well,” Neel begun. “‘Once, there were two boys, who were best friends, a Myykian named Phelan, and a Twi’lek named Zelada. They both liked to have pretend adventures, but Phelan was happy with just pretending, while Zelada wanted to have real ones. He wanted more than just the quiet life they had. He wanted to be a hero, and help people. But Phelan didn’t think he could be a hero – he didn’t think he was brave enough. One day, they went out exploring together in the woods outside their town, and they spotted a kybuck mother and baby. They followed them for a long time, until they came to a clearing, then a hill, where a lot of children were playing. ‘What is this place?’ Zelada asked one human boy. ‘The Hill of Playing,’ he said. ‘Here, children can play all the time, and they don’t have to worry about school or chores.’ That sounded like fun to Phelan and Zelada, so they started playing there, too. They played for hours, and lost all track of time, until Phelan looked up and saw that the sun was going down. ‘We should go home,’ he said. Zelada wanted to play a little longer, but two girls, a Rodian and an Ithorian, heard them arguing, and came over to them, and warned them. ‘If you don’t leave before the sun goes down, you’ll be stuck here forever,’ the Rodian said. ‘That’s what happened to the rest of us. So, you’d better hurry up and leave now,’ the Ithorian added. When they heard that, they hurried toward home. But when they got back to the forest, it was getting dark, and they couldn’t find their way home. They got more and more scared, and finally it was completely dark. They sat down and tried to think about what to do. ‘Maybe we should go back to the hill,’ Zelada suggested. Phelan didn’t think that was a good idea – he was afraid they would get even more lost. Finally, though, Zelada talked him into it. So, they went back, and found the hill. But everyone there had disappeared. They called and called, but no one was there. ‘Let’s light a fire,’ Phelan finally suggested. ‘Maybe someone will see us that way. Even if they don’t, it will at least keep us warm.’ Zelada agreed, and they gathered some sticks, and lit a fire, then agreed to take turns sitting up and watching it. Zelada went first, and when he got too tired, he woke Phelan up. They went on taking turns for a while, until Phelan saw lights far off in the distance, coming closer and closer. He woke Phelan up, and he saw them, too. Then, finally, they saw what was making the lights, or rather who. It was their parents, and a whole bunch of other people, who had been looking for them. They hugged their parents, and went home with them. But the next day, they described some of the other children they had met, and word got around their town, and parents started recognizing their children who had disappeared. They asked Phelan and Zelada to take them there, and they did, along with their own parents and some safety droids. They saw the children playing there, and the children saw them, too, and hurried up to them. They explained that if they wanted them back, they had to stay there for a full day and night. Phelan’s and Zelada’s parents took them home then, but the parents of the missing kids stayed. They stayed on that hill all day, and all night, until the time they had arrived the next morning, but they didn’t complain, because they just wanted to get their children back. Then, a lovely lady appeared. ‘You may take your children home now,’ she said. ‘This was all to test you. You see, we feared that you neglected your children, allowing them to stay here after dark. We wanted to be certain you truly cared about them. To do that, we needed to be sure you would sacrifice for them. Tell other parents who have lost children they can find them here. If they will stay here a day and a night, we will return them. Now go.’ They did as they were told, and soon, every child lost in the town was returned home. And so, Phelan and Zelada became heroes.’”

               Silence followed. “I don’t think we’re going to get to be heroes when we get home,” Wim finally said. “If we ever get home. We’ll just be in a lot of trouble.”

            “I don’t care,” Fern said. “I just want to see my mom and NAN again.”

            “Me, too,” KB agreed.

            “I do, too,” Neel added. “Wim? Don’t you want to see your dad?”

            Wim looked up at the ceiling for a long time. “Yeah,” he said. “I just hope he’ll be glad to see me.”

Chapter 12

Summary:

SM-33 tells the children how Tak Rennod discovered the location of At Attin.

Notes:

The tale end of the story is what SM-33 was telling the kids at the start of "You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates."

Grozwarr and DeBrek are a Wookiee and a Duros, respectively, and their names are taken from the name lists (or prefix-suffix list, in Grozwarr's case), on Wookieepedia.

“It all started while we were flying through the Quelii sector,” SM-33 began. “While we were there, we came across a Republic ship. We attacked right away. There was only a young man and a droid onboard, so we took ‘em both hostage. We meant to ransom them. The young man insisted his family couldn’t ransom him, though. He said he was Yevin Bon, from a noble family of the planet of Easen, and that his family had fallen into poverty. Cap’n Rennod wasn’t one to fool around, though. He’d make the family pay, he said, or he’d kill not only the young man and the droid but the whole family if they didn’t pay up.”

            Neel gasped. Wim looked horrified. Fern stared in shock, and KB looked scared. “Cap’n Rennod was the fiercest pirate to ever fly through space,” SM said. “He didn’t get that way by bein’ soft. Well, the young man was desperate then, ‘e was. Said he could take Cap’n Rennod an’ his crew to a place with more treasure ‘n they could ever dream of. He explained he’d been sent as an emissary to the lost world o’ At Attin. Cap’n didn’t believe ‘im at first, everyone in the galaxy’d heard of Cap’n Rennod, and knew it was his life’s mission to find that treasure, but the kid swore he was tellin’ the truth. Said he’d show ‘em the way if they’d let him an’ his family live.

            “Well, Captain Rennod wasn’t goin’ to let the chance for that kind o’ treasure pass up. Every pirate in the galaxy’s heard of At Attin, a world with treasure beyond imagining. He figured if Bon was lying’, he could always kill ‘im later. ‘Give me the coordinates,’ he told Bon, and Bon told his droid to upload the coordinates to the Onyx Cinder’s computer. Only thing was, the droid refused. Bon tried to explain it was against the droid’s programming, but that didn’t make Captain Rennod happy. Then, Bon said he’d get the coordinates from the ship’s computer. But he found he couldn’t do that, either. Then the cap’n set Grozwarr, a Wookiee on ‘is crew who was good with droids, t’ hacking the droid, and DeBrek, one of his pilots, on hacking the ship’s computers. DeBrek couldn’t get in, though, but he could fly the ship, he said. Well, that was when Rennod figured it’d be best if they just flew it to At Attin. First, though, he made up his mind to make sure no one could get the treasure but him. First, he asked Bon if there were any other people who knew the coordinates. Bon said, just R6-D6 – that was his droid – and that there were supposed to be two surviving Jewels of the Old Republic, At Alaka and At Achrann, and that all the planets had a place with each other’s coordinates. We went looking for At Achrann first. The coordinates were in the Republic ship, this ship, so it was easy enough to find. We found a tribe o’ people who promised to take us to the Sanctum, where Bon said the coordinates would be, if we’d fix their broken tank for ‘em. We did, and they kept their promise. Rennod destroyed the coordinates to At Attin.

            “Next we went to At Alaka. Soon as we hit the atmosphere, a ship fired on us. We opened a channel, and offered a deal with the captain – if he’d take us where we wanted, we’d do him a favor. They took us down to the planet, in exchange for some work on their ship. We gave ‘em a lot of good parts for the tech they had, and they took us to their Sanctum, and the captain destroyed the At Attin coordinates there, too. Now, there was one last thing Captain Rennod wanted to do. First, he destroyed that R6 droid, and took his memory core, and put the coordinates to At Attin on his log. Then, he took the log to his hidden lair, in Skull Ridge Mountain, on Lanupa. He hid it well there, and then, we set off for At Attin. First, though, he sent Bon off on a shuttle, to find his way home by himself. He wanted word to get out he’d found the fabled treasure of At Attin.

            “There we were, on course for At Attin,” SM-33 continued, “w-when Captain Rennod began to suspect mutiny. With the treasure so close, the first mate went mad with greed, and challenged the captain.

            “Oh, no,” Neel stuttered. “What did Captain Rennod do?”

            “The captain’s concubine betrayed him, stabbing him with his own dagger,” the droid replied. “But the cap’n had the last laugh. He locked out the ship’s controls, and the whole mutinous lot of ‘em died c-crashing into At Attin.”

Jod laughed, and the others all turned to look at him. “What’s a concubine?” Neel asked. Jod paused, frowned, then shook his head. “That’s enough story-time for now,” he said firmly.

Chapter 13

Summary:

Jod and the four children receive a visitor.

Anakin Skywalker had been watching Jod and the four children for some time now, doing his best to keep them safe. They all reminded him of himself, in different ways. Now, he thought, as he watched KB struggle to keep herself going, it was time he helped them more directly.

She had gone briefly unconcious when he appeared to her.

“Hey,” he whispered.

She opened her eyes then. “Who are you?” she asked, clearly confused.

“My name’s Anakin,” he whispered, smiling warmly.

She still looked puzzled. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here help you and your friends,” he replied, gently.

She still looked confused. He knelt beside her, so that he was eye level with her. “Part trouble?” he asked. She nodded. “I know how hard that can be,” he said. “Let me tell you a story. There was a boy, once, who needed help. But when he went to ask somebody for it, he didn’t say exactly what was wrong. He only spoke generally. And, because the person he asked didn’t know all the details, he didn’t give him advice that could help him. But the boy was afraid to get too specific, because he wasn’t sure he could trust the person he was asking. He turned to someone else for help instead, but it turned out, that was someone he really couldn’t trust. So, his problem didn’t get solved at all. In fact, he only made everything worse. And he made the thing he was afraid would happen, happen. And that was because he got angry, and instead of trusting the people he should have, and talking to them about why he was angry with them, he lashed out, and acted out of anger, and drove them away.”

KB stared at him. “You’re saying I shouldn’t trust Wim?”

Anakin shook his head. “I’m saying, when you’re angry with someone, you should talk to them about it. Don’t just hold it in until you end up lashing out. That’s how you lose people.”

“And what if talking to them makes you lose them anyway?” she asked.

“Then they aren’t worth having,” he replied. “But if you don’t give them a chance, you’ll never know that.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Now, stay strong,” he told her. “Help is on the way.”

He vanished.

KB opened her eyes.

* * *

Anakin went to Neel next.

He chose to visit the other children when they were simply asleep. Tonight, they were all too tired for stories, at least while they were awake. “Hey,” he told the Myykian boy softly. “How are you doing?”

“I miss my family,” Neel replied. Anakin nodded sympathetically. “I know how hard that is,” he whispered. “I knew a boy, once, who had to leave his mother behind. It was very hard for him. He thought about her all the time. He missed her a lot. He missed his friends at home, too. He didn’t think he could get through it. Then, he lost someone else who mattered a lot to him.”

“What did he do?” Neel asked.

Anakin smiled. “He found a new family. It wasn’t easy. But he learned that, with time, families grow. There’s always room for more people in your life. And he helped a lot of people, and learned a lot, too.”

“Do you think I can help people, and learn a lot while I’m away from my family?” Neel asked.

Anakin’s smile grew wider. “I think you already have.”

* * *

Next was Wim. “Are you a Jedi?” Wim asked the second he saw Anakin. “A real one?”

Anakin smiled once more. “I guess I am,” he whispered.

“What do you mean, you guess you are?” Wim asked.

Anakin’s smile faded. “I left the Jedi, for a long time,” he whispered. “I left my family, too.”

“Did you ever go back to them?” Wim asked.

“I did,” Anakin answered.

“Were they mad at you?”

“Some of them were, yes,” he replied. He met Wim’s eyes steadily. “But they were glad to have me back, too. And they still loved me.” He smiled yet again. “I think yours will be, too. And I know your dad still loves you.”

* * *

After Wim, Anakin went to talk to Fern. “Who are you?” she asked, squinting at him warily.

Anakin could only smile back at her. “Someone who wants to tell you something important,” he replied. “About a boy I used to know.”

“What about him?” she asked, still wary.

“He always felt like he had to be in control,” he replied. “That he knew better than everybody else. That he could solve everything. Because of that, he rarely listened to anyone else. He tried to control everyone and everything around him. And in the end, that cost him everything, and everyone he loved.” He met her eyes. “Do you know what I mean, Fern?”

She was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I think so,” she said. She swallowed hard. “I think that almost happened to me.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t forget that, Fern,” he whispered. He met her eyes steadily.

“I won’t,” she whispered.

Anakin smiled, then vanished.

* * *

Jod, Anakin knew, would be much harder than any of the children.

He also knew that he had to try, anyway. Because, in a sense, he had once *been* Jod.

Unlike with the children, he didn’t wait for the pirate to be asleep or unconcious, only until he was alone. Then, he appeared in front of him.

Jod scoffed as soon as he saw him. “Why are you here?”

“You know why,” Anakin replied simply.

The pirate turned away from him. “You don’t want to do this, Jod,” Anakin said.

“Who are you to tell me what I want?” he demanded.

“You want to feel powerful, in control,” Anakin observed quietly. “I know, because that’s what I wanted.” He shook his head, slowly. “It won’t make you feel any better. It didn’t for me.”

“I’ve  told you, I’m nothing like you.”

“Aren’t you?”

“I want to feel full. I want a solid roof over my head. I want to live a settled life.”

“And when you have all that?” Anakin demanded. “What will you want then? Just remember, if you can get it as easily as you think you can, someone else can take it away from you every bit as easily.”

“Not if I build up my defenses,” he replied. “Not if I protect myself.”

“You can keep on telling yourself that,” Anakin replied. “But, sooner or later, someone will come along, and break through.”

The pirate did look at him now. “Spare me the lecture.”

“Remember, Jod,” Anakin said. “When you harm innocents, people will fear you. And when people fear you, not all are cowed. Some are determined to fight back. And you’ll never cow them all.” He held the pirate’s gaze. “All I wanted was to keep the people I loved to be safe. Instead, I destroyed them. And you’ll destroy what you want, too.”

He vanished.

Chapter 14

Summary:

Wim tells the story of a great Jedi battle.

Notes:

Inspired by multiple StoryWorld cards from multiple packs. I do not own copyright on any of them.

The names of the Mon Calamari and Wookiee characters are once again from Wookieepedia.

You can decide for yourselves how historically true this story is, in-universe.

I do not mean for Druin's situation with the living corpses of his friends to be applicable to any real-life situations.

“Now, who’s turn is it again?” Wim asked the following night.

“Yours,” the other three children chorused. “Oh, right,” Wim said. “Well, there’s the story of how the Jedi finally took back the Jedi Temple, after the Sith War ended.”

The others looked at him expectantly.

“‘The war was drawing to a close,’” Wim began. “‘Most of the Sith had been defeated. Koskit, Pol, Druin, Lina and the other Jedi were making their way back to the Jedi Temple, where the last Sith stronghold remained. If they could only take it back, then, finally, the war would be well and truly over.’

“‘The Temple was now int the control of five Sith Masters – Darth Phonus, Darth Prava, Darth Nox, Darth Bogge, and Darth Vishas, the Sith Emperor himself. Also guarding the Temple were various the Sith apprentices of each of these, and several Sith acolytes, along with Sith sorcerers, Sith knights, Sith warriors, Sith officers and Sith minions. The Jedi knew they would have to fight their way to and through the Temple.

“‘They began their attack early in the morning. They slipped in without warning, and launched their attack against the guards stationed outside the Temple.

“‘The guards were very powerful. They of course immediately alerted those inside the Temple, but they did more than that. They conjured up a powerful storm, to slow down the Jedi. They also created Force-barriers around themselves so that it did not affect them, only the Jedi. The Jedi were barraged, and found it very difficult to fight, even using the Force to try and repel the rain. However, there were three Mon Calamari Jedi, among them, named Bok, Kolit, and Yoth, who found rain no difficulty. They fought their way through, and were able to find the soldiers who had activated the artifact causing the storm. While Bok and Yoth fought them, Kolit was able to destroy the artifact.

“‘The Sith were not finished, however. They next created a dense fog, which the Jedi could not see through, but the Sith could. The Jedi fought their way through as best as they could using the Force, but it was no good. However, there were two Miraluka among the attacking Jedi, Ganna and Trias, and the Miraluka see through the Force, not with their eyes. Together, the two of them fought their way through, and found the warriors who were conjuring the fog, and defeated them.

“‘The Sith still had not finished, though. Next, they caused the vines surrounding the Temple to grow very large, and wrap themselves tightly around the Jedi. No matter how hard they tried, even using the Force, they still could not get free. Even if they managed to cut down one vine with their lightsabers, two more sprang up in its place. However, there was a Wookiee among the Jedi, named Arrichit, and she was very strong. She struggled until she broke free of the vines holding her, and then she found the Sith guarding the artifact causing the vines to grow, and defeated them, and destroyed the artifact, and this freed the other Jedi, who were now able to enter the Temple.

“‘The battle with the Sith was still far from over, though. The Jedi still had to take back the Temple. And that, of course, meant they had a lot more fighting still ahead.

“‘They now began their fight inside the Temple. And each of the four young Jedi – Lina, Druin, Pol, and Koskit – had a task of their own. Koskit was assigned the task of reactivating the Jedi Beacon, to summon any other remaining Jedi back to the Temple, and restore communication outside the Temple, for the Sith had cut it off when they took over. Pol was assigned to climb to the top of the Temple and watch for more incoming ships. Druin was to break into the detention center and free the Jedi who were being held prisoner there, while Lina hacked into the computer core to restore control of the Temple to the Jedi.

“‘Koskit began making her way to the communication room. She snuck around as best she could, but it was not long before she encountered Sith warriors. She had Jedi friends with her, however, who were assigned the task of providing cover while she focused on her own assignment. She managed to slip through, and soon found herself face-to-face with a man she knew could only be a Sith Lord. ‘So, the Jedi have returned,’ he said. ‘But it is pointless. They will never take back their Temple. He drew out his blood-red lightsaber. Koskit drew out her own blue blade, and they began dueling. ‘Pathetic girl,’ he snarled. ‘You think you can defeat Darth Phonus?’ He then pulled a whistle from his pocket, and blew it. Within moments, Koskit found herself surrounded by what appeared to be a variety of powerful androids. ‘You cannot overcome these,’ he said. Koskit tried to reach out through the Force to call her friends for help, but she was unable to reach any of them. She tried to use the Force to throw them off of her, but they appeared to be made of some sort of Force-resistant material. She tried to fight them off with her lightsaber, but there were far too many of them for her to be able to keep up. At last, she came up with a daring plan: she Force-threw herself instead of the droids. She then seized hold of one of them and slammed him against the door to the communications room, using Force-strength, and broke it opened. She then slammed it shut again and set to work on the Temple’s communications systems.  

“‘While Koskit was doing this, Pol was making his way towards the top of the Temple, where a watchtower stood. He had thought his task small, in comparison to those of his friends, however, he would soon learn just how wrong he had been in that assessment. For as many fellow Jedi provided cover for him to get to the tower, he found himself facing a Sith Lord whom he recognized as Darth Prava. He knew that she was a powerful Sith witch, with many minions. When they gathered together, they used the Force in ways no one could imagine. Pol went to face her while his companions continued to provide him with cover. As soon as she saw him, however, she raised a hand, and a burst of Force-energy left it. Almost instantly, a strange, wild creature, like nothing he had ever seen before, charged at him. No matter what he did, he found himself unable to escape the clutches of the beast. It snarled and bit and clawed at him for what seemed like hours, until he found himself almost completely unable to move. Finally, it flung him across the room, and Pol just barely managed to use the Force to catch himself. As it turned around to leave, though, apparently think it had defeated its foe, Pol was able to catch the creature by the tale and fling it to the ground. Now, however, Prava summoned her minions, an entire coven of very powerful Sith witches, and Pol found himself surrounded by them. Soon, however, his companions arrived, and engaged with the coven, and Pol was able to slip away, and make his way to his destination.    

“‘While all of this was going on, Druin was making his own way down to the Temple’s detention center. He was well aware that he had an extremely difficult task ahead of him. They knew from intelligence reports that the detention center was being guarded by Darth Bogge, and little was known of him, but he was said to be quite ruthless and frightening. As Druin slipped away under cover of his fellow Jedi battling the guards, he wondered what might be in store for him in the dungeons beneath the Temple. He could not have possibly imagined just how horrifying it would be for him.

“‘For he very soon found himself completely surrounded by what appeared to him to be walking corpses, and to make it even worse, many of them were people he had once known, back when they were alive. There was Master Pove, one of his lightsaber instructors. There was Padawan Lita Kye, whom he had grown up with. Worst of all, there was Master Padarn Dor, Druin’s own Jedi Master.

“‘No,’ he said, mostly to himself, and very, very quietly. ‘No. This isn’t you. This can’t be happening.’

“‘The walking corpses then began attacking him in full force. And Druin just could not bring himself to fight them, these people he had once called his friends, his family, even. He tried to run, but they easily caught up with him. He tried to fling them away from him using the Force, but they got right back up and made their way back to him as though nothing at all had happened to them. He tried to hide from them, but they found him quite quickly. He tried to reason with them, to plead with them, but they did not even react to anything he said. At last, he was forced to do battle with them. But even that did him very little good, for they appeared to be completely impervious to any injury he was able to inflict on them. At last, he managed to reach an empty cell within the detention center, whereupon he locked himself inside, and entered into a very deep battle meditation.  

“‘While he was within this meditation, his old master, Padarn Dor, appeared to him. ‘Master Padarn?’ Druin asked, in very great surprise. ‘But you’re out there among the living corpses.’

“‘No, my dear Padawan,’ Padarn replied. ‘I died a very long time ago, and I am one with the Force now. As are the spirits of all those you see gathered out there. They are nothing more than puppets for the Sith Empire now. You must fight them with all the strength you have, my brave apprentice.’

“‘Druin opened his eyes at that moment, and found the living corpses still outside of his cell. Now, with every bit of Force-strength he had within him, Druin flung all of them as far away from him as he possibly could. Then, he freed himself from his cell, and hurried to liberate all of the living Jedi prisoners below. Without his undead minions, Darth Bogge proved quite easy to defeat, and soon, Druin had completed his task and was leading the newly liberated prisoners back up into the Jedi Temple proper to join their comrades in the ongoing battle with the Sith.

 “‘While her three friends were doing all of this, Lina was approaching the computer room while her own companions fought against the Sith guarding the surrounding corridors, in order to allow her to slip past them undetected. She soon found herself face-to-face with Darth Nox, and the two of them began a very long and fierce battle. They fought against one another for what seemed to Lina to be many hours. Nox never seemed to grow even the slightest bit tired from their struggle, which was far more than Lina could say for herself. Just as the young Jedi was about to give up, however, the form of a kind, smiling woman appeared in front of her. It was her own mother, Liana Banfien, who had also been a Jedi Knight. ‘Lina, my Lina,’ she said. ‘You can defeat this monster, you know. You have so much goodness in you.’ With that, she vanished. But her words had given Lina just the boost in confidence she needed. She slammed her green lightsaber into Darth Nox, and the Sith Lord fell to the ground at Lina’s feet, finally defeated.

“‘The battle between the Jedi and the Sith soon drew to a close. For while the four Padawans had been at their tasks, the leading Jedi on the mission had defeated the Sith Emperor, Darth Vishas. And with that, the Jedi Temple was in Jedi hands again, the Sith Empire was defeated, and a new republic soon arose. The End.’’’

Everyone was silent for a few minutes. Finally, Fern spoke up. “We’ll have our home back soon, too,” she said.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 12 of Stories From the Stars