Star Wars: Episode 9: Light Paths

Chapter XXXIII

"Tag!" Moshe smacked Padma on the back of her head and ran.

The children were playing hide, seek, & chase. The warm season had begun only weeks ago and they'd been at it every day since then, unless working at the aquifer. But even on the job at the water mine, younglings managed to find some way to play.

Eleven of them whizzed to and fro through the mist, each intermittently stopping to hide in a thick cloak of vapor. They didn't sneak behind trees or walls here; the humidity was so thick on the plain that they could mask themselves in it from anyone more than maybe four feet away.

The fog never rose on New Alderaan. It was slightly thinner during cold time, but never totally subsided. It was said that the children of the first settlement feared it. Kids nowadays though, born here, used it for play. It was the only environment they'd known.

Padma, stepping as lightly as she could, approached what she thought was the figure of Leili. She squatted, then pounced, screaming "Tag! You're it!"

But she tagged no one. She was suspended midair. And it wasn't Lelli that she'd pounced toward; it was Otto.

"Let me go, you freak!" Padma screamed, "That's not fair! Zula!"

Zula scurried toward them. "Come on, Otto. Put her down. Everyone can't do that so we shouldn't either when we play with them ."

Otto frowned, "Sorry." He lowered Padme back onto the grass, without touching her physically. "I didn't mean to make you mad." He bowed his head in shame, "I was just having fun."

Padma didn't like someone else controlling her body like that, games or not. "We'll don't get carried away and carry me away. IIIIII'm not your girlfriend."

"Stop that!" Zula snapped, "Both of you be good. And no one's anyone's girlfriend." She was at least a couple years older than the rest of them. They did respect her, her admonishment and her praises. Two years seniority was nothing to adults. But for younglings and teenagers it was proportionally quite a bit more of life experience and wisdom.

Along with many flaws, of course, Zula was patient, pretty, sure, and kind.

Otto was impulsive, strong, energetic, often lonely. Sometimes, like now, he used his special abilities frivolously and it made people distance themselves from him. He always tried to join in the group funs of his classmates, though usually uninvited, but Zula was his only real friend, the only one who made an effort to spend time with him. She had similar abilities.

"What is that?" Padma asked, "You hear it?"

"Yeah," Otto looked to the sky. It was just a gray, vague obfuscation, as always, yet the sound coming from it was getting clearer.

A deep-voiced scream grew in volume. It was plummeting toward them.

"It's a Rach Dragon!" Padma yelled, and sprinted away.

Otto ran too, but before he could get far, Zula grabbed his arm. "I think its a person, help me," she said urgently. Maybe a bush pilot had been knocked out of his skyhopper.

They poised their hands upward, pressing through the Force. Whatever - whoever - was coming toward them was very heavy, ostensibly heavier than usual, falling at such a high velocity.

A rotund object came into view, hurtling toward them, wailing. Zula and Otto pushed, pushed, pushed, their bones feeling close to breaking. But they weren't able to slow it adequately.

"We can't stop it!"

SMACK. It hit the ground and splattered blood across the two youngsters.

Zula was horrified. She stuttered, trying to say something. No words formed.

Otto too was disturbed, but more fascinated. "That's no bush pilot. It couldn't fit in a T-16."

It was an old Gungan senator.