“Remind me again why I signed up for this war?” Ellia asked the open air as she stumbled through the thick jungle of Kashyyyk.
“Because your mother asked you to and it was the right thing to do,” KC-45 reminded her.
KC-45, Kaysee, for short, was a rejected model of a KX security droid. Mainly rejected because he was smaller and didn’t fit the standards. That didn’t stop Ellia from taking him in.
“Thanks, Kaysee,” Ellia added, rolling her eyes.
After a bounty hunter stole the kyber memory crystal that held the list of force sensitive younglings, the Order wanted Ellia to find a similar one hidden on Kashyyyk. But this one held prophecies and futures for the Jedi. It was believed to be too dangerous and thus hidden with Master Joomba, a Wookiee as well as a Jedi.
Hearing fighting, Ellia slowly advanced until she saw the residence of the master. He was under attack by bounty hunters! Drawing her saber, she quickly ended the two hunters before running inside the home.
“Scan complete. No hostiles,” Kaysee reported, but Ellia didn’t respond as she went to the dying Wookiee.
Joomba looked up at the young woman, handed her a small, green crystal, and softly murmured in a growl. Ellia leaned closer to hear what was said, which he repeated before he passed. His body faded as he became one with the Force, leaving his saber behind.
Ellia looked at the glowing crystal in her hand. This held all the futures and prophecies for the Jedi. Her fate may even be foretold in its veins. But the words of the master rung through her ears.
“Go find the Wookiees. Let them know what has happened, and that we may need backup,” Ellia ordered her droid.
“What about you?” Kaysee asked.
“I’ve got to take care of this. There are more hunters that just those two. Now go!”
After watching Kaysee run off, she focused with the Force on the crystal. She could hear its song through her mind. She could hear its cries as she struggled to break it. It glowed and shrieked as it cracked and chipped, but Ellia turned a deaf ear and continued to focus. When the cracks finally met, the glowing stopped, and Ellia sighed. She didn’t have enough energy to fully break it, but this would render it unusable.
Tucking the crystal away, she quickly ran out of the dwelling, knowing there would be someone on her tail.
