Star Wars: After the Rise

Chapter 3: Problems

While waiting for Tryst to finish dinner, Oliver sat in his room. He held a small medallion in his hands, staring at the inscription.

"Oliver." The metal plate at the base of the necklace was only ever inscribed with his name. Well, more accurately, it's the only part he could read. It was etched in Aurebesh underneath a strange runic symbol Oliver could never figure out. How it was etched into the metal Oliver could only guess, since the medallion was stronger than anyone in the village had seen. One time Taro and some of his cronies stole the necklace and attempted to destroy it. Not even their heaviest hammer could even make a dent in it.

Ever since that incident, Oliver kept it safely tucked away in his room. It was the only clue he had to where he came from. An unusually hard metal token on a chain, inlaid with his name, possibly in two languages. Not much to go on. Even after all this time, he still felt a bit dejected that he couldn't discern any more meaning from the inscription.

"Oliver!" Tryst shouted from their kitchen. "Dinner!"

Oliver put the medallion back underneath his cot and went to eat. He found Tryst and Tai already seated, eating vegetables lightly sprinkled with seasoning they got from that pilot who traded with them.

When Tryst was young, his family and several others uprooted themselves from a world called Tatooine and went into Wild Space, hoping to find some peace away from the Empire that ruled the galaxy at the time. The concepts of self-sufficiency and hard work were instilled in everyone from an early age. Tryst was no exception. He was against trading with the pilot who stumbled on their little patch of nowhere, believing that they didn't need outside help to survive on Zularsa. He was outvoted by nearly everyone else, which is how they got access to unique foods, equipment, and even some old datapads that talked about galactic history.

Eventually he came around, however. Tryst may not have agreed with trading with the mysterious traveler, but he did appreciate his foodstuffs he gave to them. They were rich in protein, which was necessary in the springtime when nuts weren't growing on the trees. They had to space it out.

Oliver dug in, wincing slightly as he grabbed a fork. Fortunately he hadn't broken any bones in his hands from the incident with Taro, although he's sure it'd be sore for a day or so.

Tryst barely looked up from his meal when he addressed Oliver. "One of the nearby communities in the east is looking to trade. Gonna need help hauling some crop onto a cart for the travelers."

Oliver nodded. "I'll get to it first thing in the morning."

"Good boy."

Another few minutes passed. Tryst finished a few bites before continuing.

"Tryst?" Oliver asked.

Tryst grunted, signifying he heard him.

Oliver hesitated before continuing. "I was thinking, it's been a while since that merchant found us, right? Surely he's bound to come back again soon, now that the harvest is almost in."

Tryst shrugged. "It's possible."

"Well, you always talk about spending a cycle working with your uncle's friend out east, learning how to fix vaporators and working with metal."

Tai was nodding at Oliver, encouraging him to continue. He knew what answer would be coming next, and tensed his muscles.

"What if, after the harvest is set, I went with the merchant?"

"No," Tryst said bluntly.

Even if he was expecting this answer by now, the response still hurt Oliver the same.