May The Way Be With You

Raider Battle

For a week, the villagers learn how to fight with spears and fire Din's guns. Every day, I train with That Feeling until I pass out from exhaustion. The baby helps me sometimes, and I'm able to help lift and place barricades within a few days. Din doesn't like seeing me push myself so hard, but I remind him of my ancestor, and that I was made to push myself like this.

He still doesn't like it, but doesn't give me grief. I'm surprised by Omera. She knows how to fire a blaster, and her aim is really good. She proves herself so good that she helps the villagers better their aim. One night, we're having a late dinner together. "Omera, can I ask you something?" I ask.

"Of course." She answers.

"How do you know how to fight so well?" I ask. She's silent, so I add, "You don't have to answer, especially if it's a painful subject." She takes a deep breath, then looks around.

"This village wasn't always my home. My late husband and I... We used to work for the Empire. We meet on a Destroyer, worked together, fell in love. When I learned I was pregnant with Winta, we defected. Ran for months looking for a safe and peaceful place to raise her. Then we found Sorgan. He lived long enough to see Winta's birth, and spent a few months with her before he died." She tells me.

"Explains how you know how to shoot, but not how good your aim is. And I'm sorry for the loss of your husband." I tell her. She laughs at my aim comment.

"I wasn't a Stormtrooper. I was one of the elite bodyguards. My husband was actually a Moff I was assigned to protect." She says. I smile at her.

"Your husband must have truly loved you to willingly give up being a Moff for being a krill farmer. He seems like he was a good man." I say.

"He was. I miss him to this day. But that's how I know how to fight. Thought I'd given it all up when we came here." She sighs.

"Sometimes, to have peace, there must be violence." I sigh. She nods, and we fall silent for a bit. "Thank you, for sharing with me." I tell her.

"It seemed only fair since you answered my question when you first came to us." She chuckles, "Also, I trust you. I knew you would judge me for my prior job."

"With a name like Thief, who am I to judge anyone?" I chuckle. She nods, and we enjoy the silence again. The next day, I want to practice with my laser sword. I make sure I'm in the field near the forest, and have warned people to not come near me. I've seen what this sword can do to people, and I don't want to hurt anyone.

I let That Feeling flow through me again, and while I don't see her, I can hear Riley. She guides me through sword swinging techniques, and I start to get the hang of it. That Feeling warns me a villager is going to miss their target, and the bolts will come for me. I let That Feeling guide me, and I hear the bolts deflect off my sword, bouncing into the trees.

"Caben! Careful!!! You almost shot Thief!" Cara's voice calls out. I open my eyes and the villagers look impressed by me. Din runs over to me, checking for blaster shots. I let him, knowing it'll ease his mind more. Once he sees I'm ok, he sighs in relief. Omera runs over as well, and Din tells her I'm ok. She pulls me into a hug, surprising me.

"I feared you'd been hurt!" She says, pulling back to give me a once over. Caben runs over as well and apologizes profusely.

"It's ok, I'm not hurt. But now you see the reason for blaster safety, right?" I ask. He nods, and Cara calls everyone back for more practice. I also move away from the shooting range, not needing another scare. Din helps me train, since his armor can withstand the power of my sword.

The kid watches us fight, almost enraptured by it. Winta sits with him, also mesmerized. Din gives me a good fight, but I know he's not really trying. Just guiding me to fight better. After I'm sweaty and out of breath, we call it a day. "Good job, Thief. You're getting stronger." Din says softly. I smile at him and Winta clears her throat.