‹ Prequel: The Hidden Truth
Sequel: A Last Good Bye

Reaching Through Darkness

The Flight

Ch 28
Mirmo

The trip itself was a bit more than frustrating. The location of my hidden apprentice was on the far side of the planet and the only way to get to the building without being noticed was the fly myself there. If I took public transportation I would have stuck out as a stranger and would have had to keep a constant lookout for spies. I could not get off easily and would put innocent civilians at risk if a blast fight started. And if a fight happened, I would tip off the enemy and lose all hope of rescuing my apprentice. While my ship was easy to spot, I could use the masses of buildings to lose someone if I needed, as well as protect myself. Yet, it was a slow trip that ate at my patient and fed my fear. The worse part of the trip was the traffic I rammed head into at the beginning of the trip.

I grew up on a sparsely populate planet that was ignored by the galaxy and lived in a town with few vehicles. Many families did not own a speeder, but took a public air bus or did old fashion walking. I grew up know nothing about flying and saw no need until I started research the Jedi and found out it was a basic skill. Even Luke Skywalker was a natural born pilot as was his father, or so the books bragged. I realized if I wanted to because a Jedi, would have to learn to fly. I started out one a simple swoop, a single bike like transport meant for quick, short trips that were fairly easy to handle and even more dangerous. I was very luck to live after my self training as I was thrown off or slammed into the ground as my swoop rolled sideways. A broken arm and leg taught me to slow down, be more aware of my surrounds, and also to listen to a voice I suspected at the time to be the Force, warning me to look left.

Once I had mastered the swoop, I moved on to a speeder, a more flat vehicle, which was faster, but harder to maneuver. I learned how to manage to move around in the worse traffic my planet had to offer, earning me many of glare and curses. It did not take me long before I enrolled into a serious pilot class and learned about the space going ships. I had the luck to be instructed by a former rebel pilot who drilled us like we were new recruits about to enter the war and fly in our first mission. The poor man was the subject of many cruel jokes. While it was a bit silly at times, the information was highly practice and save me several times.

Once Master Skywalker took me into his Jedi academy I made a bet with him about a certain disputed fact and won, earning myself private flying lessons with him. In the end, we both agreed his lessons were worth the bet. I learned to feel the ship with the Force, sensing how to push the ship faster and how to keep track of his. Later I used his lessons to train my Dawners, not that they could feel the Force, but at least they could use some of the techniques about being aware of their surroundings. I became a reputable pilot, and by some, a great one. But for all my greatness and skill, I still hated traffic.

I sat in the worse, thickest part of the space lanes, unable to move or vent my frustration. I toyed with the idea of comning Chancellor Leia to grant me special permission to break out of the space lane, but just then the lanes moved and I was able to get free of the mess. I flew most of the night, alone in my small ship, listening to Karen’s music. I came to realize some of her angrier music was not just about anger, but about problems on her planet. I noted the problems talked about were not far off from what my galaxy faced. We all feared, hated, lost, found, and loved. Money was always a problem, abuse was regular, and there still was no answer to how to abolish death and suffering. There were songs mixed in that were calming with little to say, but had an effect on me that held me through the night. I let the file repeat itself several times, feeling the essence of my apprentice.

The black, starless sky lightened slowly into a navy blue and then at the bare horizontal, tiny streaks of red and orange crept upward. Yellow and pink stretch over the sky, broke into a beautiful sun rise. Echos of the brilliant colors reflected on the glass building, brightening the air. I had finally gotten close to my location. Normally a few ships were have been spotted, traveling to get an early start on their job, but this area was nearly empty, giving the neighbor a creepy feeling. The buildings were grey and blank, trying not to draw attention to them. The flashing advertisements were old or falling apart and badly needed repairs. I slowed the ship to keep the engine quiet. Suddenly my comn flashed. I saw it was the boss.

“Mirmo, what is your location?”

I told him I was only a few blocks away from the coordinates he gave me.

“Good man. There will be a gray, windowless building with nothing surrounding it. The only way is either through the ground up, or a docking bay on the north side. You have your lightsaber with you I trust?”

I affirmed that.

“I could not imagine a Jedi without one, but you never know with Skywalker. I suggest you go by the ground out and needless to say hurry. Your apprentice’s life accounts on your speed.”

He did not need to say it twice. He signed off. I circled the building at a distance, trying to keep in the shadows. I stopped the ship in the shade of a dark building in view of the docking bay, wondering if I should risk a bold, fast attack. I saw no guard on the platform and wondered if this was no a trick. I spotted the door and observed it opened and a figure slipped out. The person kept in the shadows, keeping low the ground. I leaned forward, wondering who it was. The figure edged along the wall and took one step too far into the rising sun. In a second, I saw the brown, long hair of my apprentice and hurriedly put the ship into gear and flew like mad to the platform.