(Graduating college on Sunday. Possibly no chapter. Also, I will be away for a week starting Monday. I'll do my best to keep the chapters coming.
Despite knowing about the rewards, I was still amazed. Unfortunately, I'd have to look at them later. There was a Jedi Master in front of me. How could I pass this up?
I looked the Jedi straight in the eyes. "Master Jedi, might there be a way that a traveler such as myself can join the order?"
The man tilted his head slightly before nodding. "Ah, that explains why the force within you felt somewhat… foregin."
Now it was my turn to be confused. "You know about us?"
He nodded, sighing. "Yes, we do. It has been seen in visions that strange beings would appear, strongly influencing the fate of the entire galaxy. This is one of the few things we could see since most things are shrouded by the dark side."
I raised my brow, not understanding. "Is it because of the war?"
He shook his head. "If it was just that, there would be no problem. However, the dark side reaches every corner of this galaxy. It taints the force, making it difficult to interpret our visions."
I nodded, understanding now. "Okay, I get that. But, what about me joining the order?"
The Jedi only sighed, looking off into the distance. "I can feel that our fates are connected in some way. The force dances around you in ways I've never seen before. I can't be certain?"
I grinned excitedly. "Can't you take me to council or something?"
He shook his head. "The time is not right."
My expression immediately became downcast. I thought I had a chance. "What do you mean?"
He wore a thoughtful expression on his face, as if his wisdom far exceeded the young appearance he possessed. "Have patience, young traveler. We shall meet again soon."
Before I could respond, he stood up, turned, and simply walked away. I was kind of shocked that he'd just wantonly do that. We were in the middle of a conversation!
I sat there for a few minutes, thinking about the short back and forth I had just experienced. The words, "the time is not right," kept repeating in my head. Did this mean I was somehow destined to join the order at some point?
Continuing along this track, I became excited. I would become a Jedi! How damn cool would it be to swing a lightsaber and throw things with my mind! This excitement brought some clarity to me. I felt slightly better.
Feeling my strength coming back to me, I struggled to my feet. I was expecting to feel dizzy when I stood up, but the sensation never arrived. I didn't even feel light headed. Did I not lose any blood after being shot?
Thinking about it, this made sense, somewhat. The wound was probably cauterized as it was created, thus preventing blood loss. I was honestly thankful for this and the fact that I didn't die.
(Hehe, I'm drunk and making mozzarella sticks.)
I started walking, a slight lack of energy making my pace sluggish and my balance questionable at best. Nonetheless, I had to make sure that Galen was alright. He was half the reason I was alive right now after all.
Making my way around the shipping containers, I saw Galen awake, slowly breathing as his wound healed. "Galen! Are you okay?"
Galen weakly nodded. "I'll be alright. I should be able to walk soon. I presume you handled the Pykes?"
I nodded, smirking while trying to hide the pain. I wanted to look cool. "Yep, absolutely beat their asses. What should we do now? The CSF should be here soon."
Galen's eyes shot wide open and he spoke urgently, but still weakly. "Go loot the bodies before the CSF gets here. They'll probably take everything as evidence."
I nodded, quickly turning before walking as fast as I could back towards the dead Pykes and thugs. "I'll do my best."
Several minutes later, I was kneeling next to Galen. I now had a backpack on and an extra 50k credits in my currency inventory. I would discuss with Galen if we wanted to split it and go our separate ways, or buy something big together like a starship. From what we've heard, they cost about the same as a car would in USD, but in credits instead.
A cheap one can cost as little as 10k credits or even less. However, a top of the line starship could set me back millions of credits. This doesn't even include the largest of cruisers, known as dreadnaughts, which approach and exceed the realm of a billion credits. This is about the same as an aircraft carrier in the real world, for reference.
As I was sitting there, evaluating our gains, I heard sirens piercing through the walls. It appeared that the CSF had arrived.
Not even a minute later, a cacophony of footsteps rapidly approached. A stream of officers ran by and a few stopped, surrounding us with their weapons pointed at us.
One of the officers yelled. "HANDS IN THE AIR!"
Another officer waved them off. "These are the two we were told about. They're alright."
He nodded, lowering his weapon and gesturing to the others. "Lower your weapons." He then approached us. "So, you're the two that took care of the Pykes?"
I nodded, still nervous after considering that I had taken a large chunk of the evidence from the crime scene. "Yes, sir. We…"
He nodded and cut me off. "I know the story, Master Jedi Yolar already filled me in."
I sighed, not having ever heard of this Jedi Master. "Alright, that makes this easier."
He only shrugged, shifting his gaze towards Galen. "Is he alright?"
I nodded, shoving away my excitement. I could talk about this with Galen later. "Yes, he'll be fine. He received a bacta injection so a good night's rest should fix him right up."
The officer smiled and nodded. "Well, since we already have the story, I'll have an officer escort you guys home."
I smiled, but then realized something. "Any shot they could help us carry what we came here for? We are in no condition to carry the crates."
He sighed, nodding. "Well, I guess I can do that for you. You did our jobs so I'll help you do yours."