Stranger Times

Carrying a Memory

We gathered every blaster we could, but we knew we were going to lose people. It wa a pretty tearful march out. I snuck out and stole a blaster, because I was ten and thought I was invincible. And when I got to the new cave it had carved, well, Mal had already beaten me there.

He was standing in front of it with his hand out. The rockrender was so big it could have killed Mal with a sneeze, but that crazy fool just stood there as calm as we are right now, and waited.

The rockrender howled at him, stomped its feet, shook the earth, nearly collapsed the cave it made. But Mal waited it out, like a mountain watching a storm. He did this for the better part of an hour, waiting while the monster scuffed at the rock and raged at him. The rest of the village arrived by that time, and they all hung back and waited.

Eventually, the rockrender must have exhausted itself, because it lowered its head until its nose was right in front of Mal.

And then that man did one of the craziest things I've ever seen. And it's still true, even after I joined the rebellion. Mal rubbed the rockrender's nose, laughed, and wished it well when it turned and left.

They let me stay up for the party they threw for him that night. Our little village has never, ever celebrated like that. They baked all through the night, emptied most of the bar's local brew, and no one worked the next day.

I fell asleep pretty early. And when I woke up in the morning, the entire town is passed out at home, in the bar, on the street. All except Mal. And guess where Mal is.

No, he didn't go home. He stayed for the festivities. All of it. I woke up the next morning, went past the bar on my way to school, and he was inside the bar with a mop, smiling like he won the lottery. He was cleaning up after his own party, and he looked as happy as a virgin on his wedding day.

Still cannot believe I didn't figure out what he was by then.

After that, well, he stayed in his cave, but some of the roughnecks stormed over to his shelter with building supplies and built him a proper home. We also gave him a speeder, because damnit we liked him. He came to the village more, made it a weekly thing where he'd tell stories at the local library. Talked about the galaxy and its wonders.

He told us about the world city of Coruscant, the fires of Mustafar, the towering trees of Kashyyyk, the green hills of Alderaan, the mystery of the Maw near Kessel. He told us the galaxy was full of beauty and compassion.

Mal also helped out more. He repaired safety equipment, went with the roughnecks when they started hitting a new vein or were worried about rockrenders. He helped care for anyone who got sick in the mines, and drafted letters to send to the imperial governor about working conditions.
We stopped letting him pay for meals at that point. He was our guardian, our treasure. And all of that was still before we learned who he was.

What he was.

Mal stayed overnight at the village only once more. It was one of his last days alive. He didn't sleep, he spent the night sitting beneath a gazebo in the town square, meditating I guess. Though most people who meditate get really annoyed when a kid like I was comes and bothers them.

Mal just smiled.

"How are you so kind?" I asked him.

"I have you to thank for that," Mal said in response. He waved his hand out at the village, and added, "Coalpit has reminded me of everything I wanted to be, since I was a youngling."

And being a kid, I had to ask, "You wanted to be a hermit living on the surface of a barren planet?"

Mal, well, he had a reply to that, too. "I wanted to hold a sword up to every evil in the galaxy. I wanted to stand between danger and people who didn't deserve to be swallowed up by strength and indifference. I wanted to help people live and be happy. You and Coalpit gave me all of that, kid."