The Dark Thin Line

Chapter 1: Remembrance

"Hey you alright? After yesterday... it must be hard." My friend Crystal asked softly as she entered the observation room, although I didn't care to respond. I was still replaying the event over and over in my head, trying to see what I did wrong, where I failed. The only thing that could calm me was staring out this one viewport; just staring; losing myself in the emptiness of space; the emptiness of the void. The thin face of my reflection was still wet from the tears that streamed down from my green lifeless eyes. The same green eyes were the only things to stare back at me from the void repeating their mantra 'You failed. You let your own brother die. He died because of your stupidity. Your ignorance. Your arrogance.' With no response Crystal turns back and the blast door hisses close.

"How is he doing?" I heard my other friend Wraith ask Crystal from behind the blast door the only thing hiding me from the rest of the ship.

"How would you feel if your brother just died." Crystal replied punching Wraith's shoulder.

"Ow that hurt; I don't even have a brother. Plus, the three of you are my only family. I hurt tremendously at the loss of Dax, but I never had a family to lose, so I don't know how he feels, not to mention how to help" Wraith response quietly. The snowy white planet that we were traveling to grows larger in the domed window with every second. Ilum, one of the only locations where naturally forming kyber crystals could be found; and hopefully the location of one of the last Infinity Crystals, and my only chance for redeeming myself, for reviving my brother.

Once we had obtained a geosynchronous orbit, I descended to the ground from my meditation, stand, and wave my hand in the air opening the door letting go of my imposed isolation. "I'm ok," I said, my voice still scratchy, wiping the final tear from my face. "We should get to our bunks and grab our snow gear. It's cold and windy on the planet's surface." I informed my friends, my monotonous leadership trait burying my grief.

"How windy?" Crystal asked trying to pry me out of my shell, get me to open and talk.

"Wraith, check the screen." My voice commanded void of emotion, even though I already knew the answer, I had felt the planet, its conditions, its trials, its hidden secrets.

"He's right. The wind speeds are one hundred and fifty miles an hour at negative thirty degrees on the surface. And according to this we will have a five-mile hike to get the nav. point!" Wraith stated, running his hand through his brown hair in awe.

"Get the parkas with the heating coils." Crystal remarked trying to sound chipper, "would personal shield generators be too much to ask for as well?"

"Ha, ha, ha. You think we have heating coils or personal shield gens?" I genuinely laughed for the first time in days, "We would be throwing a party if the Order compensated us for a paperclip."

"Why don't you use the force," Wraith added, mocking every Jedi master that ever lived.

"Well aren't you both a bundle of-, "Crystal tried to remark but was cut off by the loudspeakers.

"To beaming site one all younglings must report, need tundra gear you will. To the bridge I need all initiates of the Guard, need the same equipment you all do." Master Yoda blared over the old speakers. We close the terminals and continued out of the small dome of an observation deck to our small quarters. I gathered my dark leather-bound notebook, and a wooden destiny porta, the one remaining possession of my little brother. Running to the large bridge of the Prometheus light cruiser, I pull on the soft tan parka, zipping it up to provide some level of protection from the harsh conditions. Arriving late I stand toward the back of the group, the day before still replaying in my head, the white swirling maelstrom encircling half of the planet.