Stowaway: A Star Wars Rebels Story

Far From Home

"Easy now, you're in good hands," the man on the left said, trying to console me. "Need...food and...water..." I squeezed out, still reeling from the lack of nutrients. I noticed an IV stand next to me, its tube connected to my vein. Holy shit, was I really this close to death? The man on the right handed me a glass of water and a cup of some brown, chunky liquid. "What is this?" I questioned, pointing out its unappetizing texture. "It's just stew," he replied, sounding slightly offended. He handed me a spoon and left the room. I devoured the meal much faster than I normally would, satisfying my hunger for now. I chugged the water down just as quickly. I needed to be back at full strength to get home. "What happened?" I wondered, realizing I wasn't on my ship. "We got your distress signal. We called you back but we didn't get an answer, so we docked with your ship and found you passed out. Thankfully, you still had a pulse, so we gave you some nutrients and hoped you would wake up," the man in the middle explained. "Wow, I was really almost out of it," I said. Their quick efforts saved my life. If they had been any slower, I would've been a goner. "We actually received your signal a few days ago. Somehow it reached across a couple hundred jump points, and that takes forever to travel through. But yeah, we got here just in time," the man responded. "Thank you, sir," I replied. "Captain, we've been summoned back to base. The corporal is calling a meeting within the next rotation," the offended man reported. "Set a course. Let him know we'll be there on time," the captain ordered. "Might want to hang onto something, kid. If there's one thing about fast space travel, it's always a bumpy ride." I nodded and pursed my lips. Does he not know how often I travel through hyperspace? I felt the ship rock back and forth, commencing our journey. For me, it would be much deeper into this unknown place. But at least I had a place to stay for now while I recovered.

After almost a day's worth of traveling, I was informed that the ride was over. "Approaching our destination," the captain alerted me while walking into the room. "Let's get you back to your ship now." I stood up for the first time in a while. My legs felt like jelly, threatening to give out. I took a couple slow steps before picking up my pace, trailing just behind the captain of this ship. "So what brought you all the way out here?" the captain wondered, his curiosity evident. "I'm actually from another galaxy. I traveled to another galaxy, and in my attempt to go home, I somehow ended up in this galaxy, if that makes sense. Now I'm further away than I was before," I answered, summarizing my hectic story. "Mhm. Sure," the captain said, almost like he didn't believe it. That's fine. I don't need his validation. "Anyways, here's the docking port. Take care now." "Thanks again for saving me. I mean it," I replied, expressing my gratitude for his heroics. I walked through the airlock and back onto the Wraith. I had come up with the name just before I made the last jump out of the galaxy, honoring the Ghost's and the Phantom's namesakes and taking inspiration from their shadowlike auras. I powered up the engines and detached from the bigger ship. I descended into the atmosphere of this planet, meeting a well-built civilization reminiscent of those on Earth. It seemed to blend my planet's present-day look with its own futuristic elements. Flying cars crossed with the many people walking on foot. I didn't know what to expect, but there had to be something that could help me here. I found an open grass field right next to the city and landed. I chose to refuel my ship first as I needed it for the journey back. I then grabbed my blaster, recharged it, and locked my ship, embarking on this next adventure.

I probably wouldn't roam far, so I could just wander around and find my way back easily. I stumbled upon a market, drawn in by its captivating smells of fresh food. But then I realized something - I couldn't buy any of it. Was I really just this stupid to not ask for money? It didn't matter that the captain dismissed my story as fiction. I'm in a completely foreign place with no currency or items to trade. I'm not giving up my armor. That's a prized possession that will only be given up to whoever I deem worthy enough to wear it. Perhaps I could ask for free samples, anything to stave off my inevitable hunger. I walked up to this red-faced lady selling pastries. She seemed like a sweet soul, so I liked my odds. "How may I help you, citizen?" she asked. "Hi. I was wondering if I could sample one of your pastries," I requested politely. "Sorry, sir. You try, you buy," she declined. I frowned, disappointed that I wasn't able to get anything from her. "Worth a shot. Business is business, I guess," I replied before walking to the next stand. The butcher gave me more or less of the same response, and I feared this trend would turn into a pattern. I confirmed my doubts as a vegetable seller quickly dismissed my plea. Am I really gonna have to rob one of these places? I shook off the idea as the area was completely out in the open. Everyone could see my stunt if I did that in broad daylight. I decided to turn around and stumbled upon a two-story walkway surrounding a decorative fountain. Despite my inner turmoil, I took a moment to reflect on the serenity this place had. This was way different from the constant fighting I've been a part of for the last two years. Something caught my attention, though. Directly in front of me was a giant walking tree drinking the water out of the fountain. "That's disgusting," I muttered to myself. Right next to the bark-skinned behemoth was a raccoon playing around with a tablet. Not the weirdest thing I've seen in my travels. I played it off like it was nothing and continued my stroll before returning to my ship, even with the many questionable looks from this planet's population.