DREAMCATCHER || QIMIR

XV: Holocron

As soon as we got home to the cave, Qimir started to tidy up the meat and vegetables he bought before we left Alderaan. Meanwhile, I stared at the basketful of clothes in my hand that he had bought for me, wondering where I should put them.

It was actually the main reason why he tagged me along to Alderaan; he insisted that I needed to have my own clothes if I was going to stay here longer. Figures. I couldn't simply borrow his clothes forever. Plus, I was able to choose the ones that could cover my neck, and even sleeveless ones that I could use during training.

The only thing that bothered me about it was that it cost him almost fifty credits, and I honestly felt like a freeloader.

I would have preferred to steal these if only he let me, but he was adamant on not committing any crime at Alderaan.

"Here, let me help." He grabbed the basket in my hands and headed towards the closet. He proceeded to shove some of his folded clothes onto wherever there was free space, and was able to free up a section where my clothes would fit. He shoved the basket in there, looking like it rightfully fit.

"Congratulations, you now have clothes." He comments, and I just shook my head at his antics. I took a seat on the couch as I watched Qimir start prepping for our food. He had already taken off his ragged clothes he called 'disguise' and is now dressed down to his usual grey sweatshirt.

I found it amusing how he literally had two personas; the friendly, quirky shopkeeper, and the distant and stoic Qimir.

I should probably think of my own disguise too. Maybe I should dye my hair a different color. Or maybe I should cut it short? Rather than always hiding, maybe it's better to hide myself in plain sight. It was exhausting always trying to sneak around in the shadows, hiding my face under my large hood.

I should learn how to adapt now if I'm going to live the rest of my life as a fugitive.

With that thought, my mind eventually drifted back to what Qimir told me back in Alderaan.

Sith holocron.

Those words alone gave shivers to my spine. I've heard stories about the Sith, and they were always portrayed as the mortal enemy of the Jedi. But I never really thought that they could be real. They sounded ruthless. Evil. Almost like stories made up to scare children.

But after hearing that word come from Qimir's mouth, it was enough for me to believe that it was in fact, real. And since he also told me that Jedi had been looking for that holocron as well, I could only assume that both the Jedi and the Sith were involved in that transaction in Collossus.

"I'm in deep shit, aren't I?"

Qimir suddenly paused. He cautiously glanced at me over his shoulder, as if he already knew what I was talking about. I knew he already figured that out since I mentioned the holocron to him, but I guess he avoided telling that to my face to prevent me from freaking out.

"Once they found out it was me that hid the holocron, it will not be just the hutts hunting me down, but the Sith and the Jedi too." I rested my head on my elbow, wondering how my life got even more fucked up. Qimir abandoned the vegetables he was chopping and pulled a chair to take a seat close to me. He weaved his fingers together as he slightly bent down to look at me at eye level.

He looked rather concerned.

"If the Jedi were indeed the one looking for that holocron, the fact that they needed it handled covertly by pilots-for-hire in Collossus rather than their official transport ships, means they acquired this holocron illegally as well." He explained to me carefully. "So no, the entire Jedi forces are not onto you. My best guess is that this is just one or two persons moving without the consent of the Jedi council."

"Illegally?" I asked in confusion. "Why would they need to acquire it illegally? Don't they have the most authority in the entire galaxy?"

"The Jedi has their own holocrons. But those are used for a different purpose; for learning, teaching, or just storing information. Its non-invasive and only meant to be used for peaceful purposes. The Sith holocron, on the other hand...." Qimir paused, as if he was looking for words to describe it to me clearly.

"...it's meant for chaos. It's meant to intrude minds and feed into its darkness. It could amplify someone's connection to the dark side of the force and maximize their power. With it, the wielder could either give or take hundreds or thousands of lives. They could literally play god.

Sith holocrons are considered anomalies, and are meant to be destroyed once found. But the fact that someone from the Jedi wants to acquire it illegally, means they want to use it rather than destroy it. Use it for something that is against their principles."

Qimir's jaw tightly clenched as he finished his explanation. He carefully watched me, waiting for my reaction, but I could only stare at him with mouth agape as I finally grasped just how much worse this entire situation was. How I got involved in something that could affect the entire expanse of the galaxy. How my actions could have decided whether the Jedi or the Sith ended up having that holocron.

Yet I was just a mere pawn in the middle of this big game, and it was only a matter of time before I suffer the consequences.

If either the hutts, the Jedi, or the Sith gets their hand on that holocron, I was good as dead. I would be nowhere safe no matter where in the galaxy I hid.

"I need to find it." I stood up from the couch and started to pace around. "I need to get back to Collossus before they find it. I--"

"Eli, you can't." Qimir held my shoulders to make me face him. "It's too dangerous."

"But I have to find it. If one of them finds it first, they'll know where I am and..." I stared up at him wide-eyed in panic. "Qimir, we have to destroy it."

"I know." He said calmly in an attempt to soothe my nerves. "But I can't let you do that in this state. It's not easy to destroy a Holocron. It will take two of us to be able to do that."

He took a step closer as he looked deep into my eyes, his grip on my shoulders firmer.

"I'll need to teach you how to harness your power first. But it will be painful, and it will not be easy. So you have to promise that you'll trust me."

I felt the weight of his words, understanding that what he was asking of me was not to be taken lightly. I had asked him before to teach me about the force, but back then, I thought too lightly of it. I thought it was as simple as a magic trick that I could use whenever I wanted. But now, I realized that it wasn't that simple. In fact, I was terrified.

You're attuned to the dark side of the force.

Qimir had told me, and despite barely knowing anything about the force, I knew that the dark side was dangerous. It was a slippery slope with which I could easily fall and drown.

But with Qimir's help, maybe I could have a chance.

So I slowly nodded my head, knowing full well that my life depended on Qimir from this point onwards.

"Yes, I trust you."

****