BALANCE | A Star Wars story

XXVIII

      Korriban looms menacingly in the distance.

      Only half of the planet can be seen from the ship as the darkness swallows one half and continues to crawl its way across the ruby planet.

       The rose coloured semicircle is painted with strokes of pearl white clouds that cluster together in an area, it's storming. The sun, Horuset, sets on its sole planet in its system and the planet seems to glow red as the darkness creeps around it. The planet welcomes the darkness, feeding off of it.

       A sharp feeling of foreboding lingers in the force, warning me to turn around but I've come too far to back out now. I will show the Jedi Council what I can do by saving their asses from this threat. The threat of the Sith. I will not allow them to return. By stopping them I will never be doubted again and I'll be a hero.

      The ships autopilot guides me closer and closer to the planet and the force is on high alert, my senses are going haywire and the force crackles anxiously around me.

       The force whispers to me, begging to turn around yet begging to go closer. Whispers of horrors and terrors yet whispers of home and longing. I don't try and push these thoughts away, I let them guide me, ground me and control me.

      The ship dips below the clouds and the desolate planet comes into focus. On my journey here I managed to access archives of this planet and found out the capital, Dreshdae, and it's location. So the futuristic buildings come into view, wildly clashing with the barren landscape that surrounds them.

Bright lights shine from windows and shops and it seems to be bursting with life, however thankfully the town isn't all that big. It shouldn't take me long to find out the information I need.

I spot the Dreshdae spaceport and steer the ship in that direction, I wait for the usual chime of the speakers to tell me which port to stop in but it doesn't come so I spot a free one and just lower the ship there.

The ship lands with a thud and I slide the flash drive into my boot and attach my lightsaber to my belt. I'm still wearing the black outfit from Iokath but I'm beginning to like it. It suits me.

I walk down the ramp with purpose, no one comes to greet me so I just leave the ship. There's nothing of any value on it anyway.

Dreshdae is a very rundown and isolated town. Several shops have been boarded up and there is barely anyone in the streets. Those who are out are donned with red skin and have tentacles protruding from their faces. As I pass they look at me funny and whisper to their partner, sending apprehensive looks my way. No one seems to be travelling alone, probably wise, this place gives me the creeps.

     I wonder down a long road, the pavement is cracked and small amounts of vegetation grow from within the crevices. Houses and shops have been boarded and locked tight, no light can be seen indicating a lack of life.

     It's a ghost town.

     Except one single bar. Of course.

     I've been in enough bars and casinos the past few weeks to last me a lifetime but I guess I'm going into yet another one. I need to find the location of these Sith and where better than a bar with a bunch of drunks?

      Night has fallen and the street is lit by the glowing bar alone. It is the sole light source and it hurts my eyes just to look at it. A neon sign stands above the entrance welcoming people into the bar and neon lights run all around the outside. Dark windows that you can't see through line the walls, it's a building all by itself. A major attraction then for the people of Dreshdae.

      I push open the door, expecting loud music but thankfully a band is playing something quiet. In fact the entire bar is quiet, there's not many people in here, one or two dotted about but apart from that it's empty. I slowly walk over to the bar, my senses are heightened for any potential danger and my fingers glance over my lightsaber making it known to any who may be looking.

Without looking up at me, the bartender speaks in a bored tone as he cleans a glass. Like everyone else he has a red face with tentacles coming from his chin, he wears a scruffy shirt and trousers with a dirty apron.

"What can I get ya?"

"Oh erm..." I pause trying to think of the safest option. "Do you have any Blurrgfire?" It's a drink I once tasted on Batuu, a non-alcoholic beverage, and it was really good although it burns going down.

  "Coming right up," he walks off, still without looking at me. I watch carefully as he pours my drink , although the force would tell me if I was about it be poisoned you can't always rely on the force to be aware for you. Master Nilim's words.

The bartender walks back over to me and hands me my drink, "that'll be one credit." He looks up at me and when he does his mouth drops open and surprise and fear radiate off of him.

"I— I'm so sorry Miss... I didn't realise... I just..." he stutters over his words and I frown in confusion. Is it because I'm a woman? What in the galaxy is he stuttering for?

"It's... fine..." I fish around in my pocket and pull out one credit, thanks to the people who owned that ship before me, I slide it over the bar to him and get up with my drink and go to find a booth.

I have a lot of choice, so pick the closest one to the door incase I need to make a speedy escape. I glance over at the bartender who is speaking rapidly into a holocommunicator, I can't see who he's talking to but every few seconds he glances up at me in fear.

What have I done to him?

I sigh, I don't have time to worry about some crazed man. I take a sip from my drink and relish in the way it burns as it slides down my throat. I have a job to do.