Star Wars: Tears of Fire (Book II)

Chapter 20 - The Ways of Old

It seemed like ages had passed since the last time he'd slowed down long enough to simply gaze up towards the stars. Having been swept up into the current conflict long ago, he had since forgotten the majesty, beauty and wonder of the evening hours. As the billions of bright lights filled the night sky above, Jolis breathed in and slowly exhaled.

Laying on his back, Jolis took in the sight as he rested upon the surface of the large rock. The touch of the solid material beneath him brought him back to his childhood.

It was fitting, as this was the very same rock he would visit nearly every night when he was a child.

Resting upon the edge of the Low World, the quiet of the night was calming as he gazed about the peacefulness of the night sky. Fixing his eyes on a distant flickering light, Jolis' went back to a memory from long ago when wondered if the people of Atophis were alone in the universe.

Now, however, he was keenly aware that the universe and the host of galaxies within it were teeming with life.

Leaving behind the thoughts of his youth, Jolis wondered if life within this galaxy would ever truly be able to peacefully coexist.

Letting his mind wander a bit further, Jolis contemplated a few additional thoughts:

What role would the future followers of the Force serve?

Will this conflict ever end?

Will Atophis and all of its many tribes ever fully recover?

As his heart longed for answers, his mind told him that these lines of thought were currently nothing more than a distraction.

All around him, there was peace and stillness. The wilderness that surrounded him remained mostly undisturbed throughout the years of tribulation the people of Atophis had experienced. Inside of his mind, however, Jolis knew it was the calm before the storm.

Even now, he could sense them—the enemy which had torn apart the lives of nearly every person on this planet.

They were close.

This time, Jolis could feel their anger, their rage, their lust for vengeance.

This enemy, however, was different. Their anger wasn't subdued as ones under the control of the Xirus. There was a much more primal rage to these enemies and at the moment, Jolis had no means of taking the fight to them.

Their revenge would be swift. They would locate the survivors and bring the full fury of their might down upon them.

In that moment, Jolis thought of Shayla. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, how she was feeling after their brief connection through the Force. More than that, he wondered if she was afraid. Indeed, the Force had worked through him to spare her but there was something else at work. Something that currently eluded him.

More than anything, however, the frustration from his repeated attempts to build the weapon he was designing followed by its many failures seemed to be eating away at him. Relying upon his inventive mind and his ability to design and build several innovations when he was younger, Jolis was at a loss. He'd tried everything he knew but even so, the build had ended in catastrophic failure every time.

Perhaps, he thought, it was just a dream; the workings of an imaginative mind set in motion by the knowledge that an invading force would soon be upon this world once more.

Adjusting himself on the rock, Jolis' mind came back to the reality of the wilderness around him just as a heavyset weariness suddenly took hold.

How long has it been since I've slept?

As Jolis battled to keep his eyes open, he allowed himself to rest for what would only be a moment. The cool evening air brushed upon the surface of his skin which aided in his passage. Closing his eyes, Jolis' body relaxed as his mind slipped away into the night...

* * *

Jolis.

Heed my words, young one.

The Force is with you, yet you continue to rely upon that which you know instead of what you have become. Remember your training. Lean not upon your own understanding, Jolis. Unlearn the ways of your old life and let go.

We are your ally, Jolis. Trust in me. Trust in the Force. We who are eternal will guide you.

Awaken...

* * *

Jolis felt his body jerk as he woke with a start.

He found that he was breathing heavy with a slight sweat glistening across his exposed skin.

The words he'd just heard seemed to echo through his mind as they repeated over and over.

Unlearn the ways of your old life...

There was something else, however. As he sat up upon the rock and turned around...

"HK!"

Jolis' shout caused the droid to freeze in place.

"Master!" replied the droid who had a large blaster rifle aimed directly at Jolis. "Apologies, Master. I thought you were malfunctioning."

"Why in Atophis would you think that?!"

"I heard voices, Master," replied HK-1. "I followed these voices and located you seemingly talking to yourself. Query: Are you malfunctioning, Master? I don't suppose a power-cycle is possible with organic life. It could very well be that..."

"HK!" Jolis shouted again, his voice echoing into the surrounding wilderness. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"HK, please lower your blaster."

"As you wish, Master," replied HK-1, a hint of reluctance could be heard in its voice.

Jolis let out an audible sigh. "If you're done with trying to kill me, let's get back to the village. I've got one more idea for this weapon. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will."

"Oh..." a saddened HK-1 added. "That weapon. Not this again."

"Just bear with me," replied Jolis as they both began the walk back to the village.

As the two walked side-by-side through the woods, Jolis chuckled.

"I can't believe you were about to shoot me."

"Conjecture: I was simply ensuring that you had not been hijacked in some capacity, Master. Someone of your ability becoming compromised would be detrimental to the success of our mission. I'm glad to see you're still intact."

Holding his hands out in front of him in confusion, Jolis asked, "Where did you even find that blaster rifle?"

"Answer: While performing a series of scans throughout the village, I stumbled upon a small weapons cache located under a nearby rock. It was almost as if someone tried to hide them on purpose."

Jolis could only shake his head. His earlier efforts to hide the weapons just before he'd activated HK-1—mostly due to being unsure of the droid's behavior—had been futile.

There was only one response he knew HK-1 would accept.

"Thank you, HK."

"I aim to serve, Master. Shall we kill something to celebrate?"