The Last Jedi: The Spark of Rebellion

The Dark Visitor (Part 1)

Temiri woke to the commotion outside. Men were talking loudly and one voice rose above the rest, shouting commands.

"Temiri!" Arashell's voice startled Temiri and he looked up. She poked her head over the stable gate, climbing up to look into the stall.

"What's going on?" Temiri said. He got up and brushed himself off. His stomach growled and his first thought was to get Star Jumper's breakfast, then the reality of his Fathier friend's absence hit him and his shoulders dropped.

"They're going to try and catch some more Fathiers," Arashell said. "The gamblers are mad that the races were cancelled today."

Temiri unlocked the gate and it swung open, along with Arashell. She jumped down before it hit against the next stable.

"I don't want them to find Star Jumper," Temiri said, his heart beating faster. He loved his Fathier but Star Jumper wasn't happy in the races. He was getting older and they ran him too much.

"They're all going." Arashell did a little dance in the dust and gave Temiri a smile which he was all too familiar with.

"We can't steal food while they're away," he said. "They'll find out."

"I never said I would steal food!"

Arashell stuck out her tongue at him then ran off. The stables became quiet again. The men were now gone, on their hunt for more Fathiers. Temiri grabbed his boots and quickly put them on. He had to warn Star Jumper somehow, that the hunters were coming.

***

Canto Bight was a beautiful city. Everything was kept clean and lit up for the visitors. Temiri passed by a group of workers cleaning up a destroyed window that one of the Fathiers had broken when galloping through the city in their escape. Temiri smiled and kept going.

Outside of the city there were fields and hills, but Temiri was never allowed to go too far. He headed for his favourite hiding place, a rooftop covering that hung over one of the large balconies of the main casino. He could see the beach and the race track and even the distant forest from there.

He climbed up the emergency exit ladder at the back of the building then pulled himself up to the roof. He had to make sure Star Jumper was far away, somewhere safe.

Temiri stepped carefully over the roots and vines that had grown on the roof, making his way to his favourite spot. He sat down at the center of a batch of roots, which made a sort of nest for him to sit in. When he did his mind travels, the little seat kept him from slipping and falling, while he was away from his body.

Temiri settled in and closed his eyes, eager to search for Star Jumper. The lights and sounds of Canto Bight sat silent in the early morning, the only time of day the shops were closed for a short while, before it all started up again. The sun was not yet risen, but the sky shone with the promise of its coming.

It was always easier to escape with his mind when things were quiet and not distracting Temiri's focus. He breathed slowly, his thoughts easily drifting into the dreamlike state he was trying to reach. This was always easier in the mornings, when he'd only recently woken from sleep.

The sounds around him intensified. He could hear the waters splashing up onto the shore at the beach, the quiet conversation of servants waking to begin their chores, the loud snores of overfed men with greedy fingers.

Temiri pushed past the casino and the villas along the beach. He traveled past the abandoned racetrack and glanced back at the stables below. He let his mind be carried on the warm morning breeze, out to the fields of tall grass and the cliffs overlooking the sea.

Star Jumper had been here, he could sense it. The animal's fear still lingered on the spot where he almost fell over the cliff's side. Temiri recognized the essence of Star Jumper's spirit. He was no longer here but he was safe now and still alive.

Temiri silenced himself further, stilling his mind so he could capture the sound and heat of Star Jumper's strong heart amidst all the other life around him.

There was a herd of Fathiers to the far left. Temiri traveled in that direction, his sense of connection with his body getting more and more distant. The Farther he went, the lighter he felt, lifting higher and higher into the sky, even though he didn't want to be this high.

The landscape opened up before him. He saw the herd of Fathiers far down below, as small as pinch bugs from this height. Star Jumper wasn't with them. He'd been separated from the herd when they escaped.

From this distance Temiri had a better connection with the things that were alive, because the sights and sounds of the city were not interfering with his focus. He sensed Star Jumper in the North forest, below the canopy of trees, which he couldn't see through. But he knew his friend was there, farther north than the rest of the herd, but now there were others approaching. The Task Masters and hunters were heading in Star Jumper's direction. The Fathier grazed in the shadows of the trees, peacefully unaware of the danger coming his way.

"Star Jumper!" Temiri cried out, but the Fathier didn't notice. Temiri willed himself to lower down towards the tree tops. He could feel the connection with his body becoming looser, too distant, but he had to save his friend. He'd never traveled out this far before. When he'd first discovered he could do this mind travelling, he'd only gone about a block and then had to fight his way back into his body, like being trapped in a dream which he couldn't wake from. But he'd gotten better at returning and now he had to push farther with his abilities.

The hunters were getting closer. They had found the Star Jumper's trail.

"Star Jumper!" Temiri yelled again. The large animal's ears twitched. Had he heard him? No one ever saw or heard Temiri when he traveled outside of himself like this. But maybe if he tried hard enough...

The hunters moved through the forest in silence, their large weapons poised and ready. A sudden wind pushed down on the tree tops, rustling the leaves, accompanied by a loud thundering sound, which startled Star Jumper. He took off running at full speed, his long legs taking him far into the forest, faster than the hunters could go.

"Run, Star Jumper!" Temiri looked up to see where the noise and wind were coming from. Three black ships, with long wings, flew overhead in the direction of the city. Even their shape and colour filled Temiri with fear. He also felt a dark presence, unlike anything he'd felt before on Canto Bight before. Greedy traders, angry drunkards, mean task masters; he'd come across many dark souls on a regular basis, but this one was different, more dangerous.

This dark soul had real power. The power of the Dark Side.