THE ARC OF SKYWALKER | a star wars story✔️

2 | the chain code

—I THOUGHT SAND WAS HORRIBLE.

Mud and algae are so much worse. The green slime and the brown muck which sickeningly squished between my toes as I trudged through the waters...it was enough to make me want to go back to Tatooine. The slime of the algae stuck underneath my fingernails--I needed to cut them--as I dug through the bog floor for roots and worms to use for fishing. I eyed the nasty scars on my arm given to me by the water serpent which greeted me when I crash-landed here on Dagobah. Damn did that thing have a grip, even after I killed it...

I stood up straight and stretched my arms above my head, my back popping as I did so. Mud covered my skin and clothes. I needed to clean them when I get the chance. I trudged out of the water, grabbing my satchel full of roots, leaves, berries, and dried meat, then walked back to my small home. It was really just a cave, but there was a Force presence there.

It's been five years and I couldn't shake the dark away. It didn't matter if I meditated to bring peace of mind or make a halfhearted attempt to be in the light. The dark would creep up and bring back the memories; bring back Darth Axcia. Sometimes I gave up and let it.

No, I wasn't Darth Axcia, the Sith who was Darth Vader's executioner and a ruthless Rebel killer anymore. I wasn't the Sith who tried to kill Luke and Leia any chance I got. I gave up that title the moment I faked my death.

But I wasn't a part of the Light either. The darkness consumed every emotion I had. Happiness was frustrating to find. Anger was my solace. Fear was an ally. Frustration was my way of life. I realized I was too far gone in the dark when the Jedi code and the Light was unappealing to me.

The walk back to my cave was not a long one. On the way, I eyed the large stakes with the helmets of past bounty hunters who tried to kill me or take me away. I put them everywhere on Dagobah to make sure any hunter who came here would see it and know I wouldn't come quietly. Some had scorch marks while others had old blood or burned flesh stuck on the surface. I almost smiled in a twisted way as I sensed the Force echoes around me. It was almost satisfying to know I could still rain fear on people. Of course, that's not who was anymore.

But the feeling felt good.

Getting back to my cave, I stripped off my muddy clothes and changed into an oversized dark green tank top and left my pants off. Even in the safety of my cave, it was hot and humid. Living alone had perks. One of them was I could walk around without pants or just be completely unclothed. I could also rant out loud and not get judged.

Yeah, I sound insane...

The night came quickly on Dagobah and I had to make a fire. Nights were cold, but it was still humid. I sparked a small flame with two stones and blew on the dry reeds I managed to find here (I still don't know how I found it. Pure luck, it was). I sat on my old cloak, my fingers brushing against the Imperial patch on the shoulder. The dark flooded my mind as the echoes in the Force came to me.

Sighing, I cleared my mind and started to channel the light. Warmth flooded my body and a genuine content smile spread across my lips as faded memories became clear. Memories of my mother hugging me and kissing my chubby cheeks; my father me chasing down the corridors of the Jedi Temple; Obi-Wan helping me train as a youngling; everything before I was enveloped into the dark side came back to me.

Memories of seeing Luke and Leia as babies made my mood turn bittersweet. I remember being so excited to be an older sister and wanting to hold them. I remember seeing them up close and running my small fingers over their soft heads or over their chubby cheeks. When I tried getting to my mother, it was too late for her to say goodbye to me. I got to her in time to see her smile one last time before her eyes shut for good. The dark seemed to invite itself into my mind as I grieved. The thing is, I happily let it take over.

The darkness was my friend during the years I grieved. It became my life when I became Darth Axcia.

Opening my eyes, I looked around the cave but stopped when I eyed my droid. R2-Y2 had been the one thing I could trust. He was a loyal droid till the very end. I kept him with me all these years. His paint was faded; moss began growing from his joints; dirt and grime covered his lights and panels; I wished I could power him back up, but my cruiser was at the bottom of the lake. I highly doubted the ship would power up if I got it out somehow.

I glanced to the lightsaber sitting beside the makeshift table against the cave wall. I used the Force to bring to me and I ignited it, the beam glowing a dark red and illuminating the cave. It held so much darkness and the Force echoes were overwhelming, but I didn't want to get rid of it either. It was my only weapon that could kill a predator or bounty hunter coming to get me.

Beside it was an Imperial communicator. I made sure to take out the tracker, but I programmed it to alert me if there was a bounty set down for me. I connected my chain code to it and it was almost suspenseful as I waited for it to come on one day. Of course, I assumed everyone thought I died in the explosion of the second Death Star. I really did hope that Luke kept his word to keep the New Republic off my trail...

I had other trinkets to keep me sane. I had the message Luke privately transmitted me which led me here; an empty blaster; an old Imperial badge; my mother's old ring; and my damaged armor. Seeing the armor made the lightsaber scars on my face tingle. Guilt wanted to invade my mind, but I didn't want to think about my brother almost killing me and vice versa. I deserved what I got.

From the silence of the cave and interrupting the droning buzzing of insects outside, I heard the inevitable. I couldn't believe what my ears heard as I slowly--almost in a comedic way--turned to look at my table again.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

My eyes landed on the communicator, the red light flashing slowly and a hologram flickering to life. It was an image of me with my face paint on, my hair was pulled back in the braided bun I still flaunted, and I had my Imperial armor on. The word "WANTED" was displayed in Aurebesh above me but there was no display of how much my bounty was worth.

I could sense there was a disturbance in the Force. Something was about to happen in the galaxy where I was going to be involved. I don't know how, but judging by the hologram, the New Republic possibly found me.

Or this was the impending doom of a bounty hunter.