Blood means nothing

A Kid in a Mask

Hiding in the forest, the feeling of imminent danger made my heart beat out of its chest. While stepping forward into a clearing to get a better view of my surroundings, I readied my saber in preparation for an attack but I was much too late. I had been scooped up and tossed onto the shoulder of a fearsome creature, my saber slipped from my hands to the cold ground. I reached out my arm to will the saber to me but nothing happened; I knew the lack of consistency with my powers would soon be my undoing. The hilt of my saber grew smaller in the distance until I heard the sound of phasers and the voice of a man and woman coming from the trees.

"Stop! In the name of the Resistance, furball!"

The man said hopping out into the clearing to face the beast. The creature let out an ungodly howl as the man shot in its direction; he dropped to his knees letting out a small yelp before dropping me to the ground from his shoulder. The couple approached with my saber in hand, which finally by using the Force, I levitated back into my own.

"Any last words beast?"

I turned and pointed my saber at the creature and with one last growl, I plunged my saber into the heart of the beast.

"Master Solo! You have saved us once again!" the woman exclaimed. Her chocolate eyes beaming with pride.

Mom.

I could feel a phantom of a smile pulling at the corner of my cheeks.

"Nice work, kid," the man said while grabbing me and hoisting me high onto his shoulders. My favorite pedestal.

Dad.

"I don't know about you boys but I am certainly starving! Let's go home," mother said with a grin.

I was back home. The forest radiated with a happiness that was almost palpable. I could smell the remnants of spice in dad's hair.

"C'mon, Uncle Chewie!" I yelled.

Chewbacca pulled out the stick that was tucked carefully under his armpit. He rolled off the ground and quickly joined us on the walk back home while playfully placing his fuzzy paw on my head for a brief moment. As we approached the house I saw a cloaked figure standing outside.

It was Uncle Luke. My surroundings suddenly became very dark; I could no longer recognize my family. They were now just blurred shadows and incoherent mumbles. Sitting on top of father's shoulders, I called out for my Uncle in the distance but he could not hear me, nobody could.

"Ben!" I could hear him shout until father began to walk backwards toward the forest.

Dad, where are we going?

Dad?

My father stopped. His head slowly tilted back until I could see his face. Except now it was not his face I saw but Snokes.

"You know what you must do!" he yelled, immediately followed by an ear bursting maniacal laugh.

Wailing, I lost the balance I had attained atop of father's shoulders and started falling backwards with my arms flailing to the side ready to brace my fall as I approached the hard ground.

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I woke up from this nightmare in a sweat. My long hair clung to my neck and forehead. I put my hand to my chest and I could feel my heart racing.

I'm not going back to sleep.

Having decided this, I swung my legs over to the side of the bed. Bringing my bare arm up to wipe the sweat from my face and eyes, I rose to my feet. Nearly tripping over my boots while I walked over to the bathroom. When I arrived at the sink, I splashed some cold water onto my face. My clothes were drenched in sweat; I stripped down and quickly showered before changing into some old loungewear. All I had was an unassuming beige set. Beige was not the color of a Sith Commander but I also did not feel like a Commander or a Sith right now, I felt uncomfortably human. The only remnant of black that remained was my hair. I walked out of the bathroom feeling some relief; the cold air meeting my damp skin and the feel of the cold tile on my feet were doing their part to cool me down. Checking the clock, It was very early in the morning; I knew everyone would be asleep by now.

Maybe I could skip putting the cloak and helmet on.

I thought it would be fine since I always wore it. Only the high ranking officials like Hux and Phasma had ever seen me without it. They would be the only ones up right now and maybe janitorial.

I approached the hatch door and with more noise than I would have preferred, the door slid open. However, as I peeked out of the hallway, the ship was completely silent just like I had hoped. The only sound I could hear was the rumble in my stomach and the sound of my bare feet on the dark floor as I made my way to the cafeteria.

Driven by hunger, I quickly made my way toward the kitchen area behind the serving counter. I tried to be very quiet. I wanted to sneak back to my quarters unnoticed. But then, I heard a small voice. I attributed this auditory hallucination to my own paranoia. Until it grew closer and I turned to see that I was, in fact, not alone.