Chapter Text
It’s funny, that somehow such a large galaxy filled to the brim with countless races, cultures, and systems seems to be perpetually at war. Well, perhaps funny isn’t quite the right descriptor, and I suppose it shouldn’t be all too surprising that with so many alternate points of views, belief systems, and cultural differences that the Galaxy found itself in a state of systemic combat, but man, when this galaxy does war, it fully commits.
I wasn’t even in my teens yet during the Stark Hyperspace War, but remembered seeing and hearing about the pure convoluted mess, intrigue, and violence it amassed. With so much finger-pointing and people blaming one side or another, and after hearing about all the fighting and pointless, tragic loss of life, I decided that once I completed my primary education I would enlist as a marshal on my home world. I really didn’t have much desire to see the Galaxy beyond my own world, so joining the Judicial Forces wasn’t quite in the picture, but I had such an urge to serve the people of my planet, and do my part to prevent atrocities from occurring there, that it soon became an obsession for me. And so, after graduating with mostly good grades from my little corner of the Mid Rim world of Chylla, I bid my parents farewell and left home to seek out my local recruiting office.
“Vero, I don’t understand why you can’t just join the local police…” my mother pleaded as I packed my bags, my little sister standing alongside and watching intently as the situation unfolded before her.
I sighed, tired of having this conversation for what felt like the millionth time.
“Mom…” I pleaded, “Please, just stop with that. You know that I want to do more than just patrol around town and write people up for speeding infractions. I want to see more of Chylla, and more importantly I want to protect it as a whole.”
My mother just hung her head, tears forming in her eyes as she silently tried to keep herself from sobbing in front of my sister and I. Unfortunately, my father was equally tired of hearing my mother’s desperate attempts at keeping me from joining the marshal service, and he was taking shelter downstairs watching either a holo-drama or pod racing. At least if he were upstairs, he would try to either talk her down or distract her, but now that the day of my departure had arrived, there was no point in making the effort. All I could do at this point was balance ignoring and soothing her, while I finished gathering the last of my clothes and belongings that I wanted to bring with me before finally saying goodbye.
“You know that training only lasts a year, right?” I reassured, “And that I’ll be home for breaks and holidays?”
She picked her head up, and I could see that her eyes had become puffy and bright red as she cried.
“But what about after that, Vero? The closest marshal outpost is hours away, and you’re not even guaranteed to be stationed there!” she continued to protest.
After packing up the last of my clothes and some toiletries, I walked over to my mother and embraced her in a hug.
“We will cross that bridge when we get to it, mom…” I said, trying to comfort her both physically and emotionally.
“And besides…” I added, “Sella will be here to protect you.”
I partially released my mother from our hug and inclined my head down towards my ten-year-old sister, who was now walking past us and into my room.
“Can I have your room?” Sella asked, looking around, clearly unaware of the weight of the current situation.
My mother and I both responded in unison…
“Yes” I affirmed.
“No!” my mother declined, sternly.
Mom flashed a dirty look in my direction.
“And just where exactly are you going to sleep when you come visit?” she demanded, pulling away from me completely now.
I simply shrugged.
“I can either crash in Sella’s old room or on the couch” I replied.
Mom shook her head again, fresh tears starting to form in her eyes once more.
“Mom…” I said, “You and dad have always told me that I’m a good person…”
She simply blinked as she stared back at me.
“Let me go share that with the rest of Chylla…” I concluded, “The galaxy could use more good people right now.”
Finally, she relented.
“You’re right…” she said, sounding more resigned now, “You’re right…”
She gave me something of a small smile through her tearful expression
“You’re a good boy, Vero. Chylla deserves you…” she complimented.
Leaning forward, I gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Thanks, mom” I replied.
Walking back over to where my bags were by the foot of the bed, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Sella hopping up and down on the mattress as if it were a trampoline. With one hand, I slung a bag over my shoulder, reaching up with the other to ruffle Sella’s dark hair before grabbing the other bag from the floor.
“Careful, kiddo…” I warned, “You don’t want to wreck your new bed before it’s even yours…”
Sella glared at me for a moment, but then hopped down off the bed. Without warning, she latched onto my leg with a hug, before turning her face up to me.
“Do you really promise to come visit, Vero?” she asked, sounding worried.
Smiling, I nodded back in her direction.
“I do” I confirmed.
Burying her face against my leg, she said “I’ll miss you…”
Giving her back a loving pat, I responded in kind.
“I’ll miss you too, Sella” I answered, before taking my hand away to readjust the strap of the bag that was slung over my shoulder.
As Sella took a step back, relinquishing her grip on my leg, I looked at them both.
“I love you guys” I admitted, with both mom and Sella repeating their affections back to me.
Turning my back to them, I walked out of my bedroom and went downstairs to say farewell to my father. Just as I had expected, he was watching pod racing, and was angrily encouraging his favorite racer to perform better. By the way he was speaking, you would think he was a retired pilot or something, an expert in the field, when in reality he was just a construction worker that was approaching retirement age. In many ways, I felt bad for both my poor mother and Sella, who were going to have to live with this man screaming expletives at people he didn’t even know through a holo-screen. I could only imagine what my mother was going to do once Sella finally grew up and left home…
“Dank farrik! Overtake the sleemo already!” dad swore and shouted, “You’re flying that thing like it’s a pregnant bantha!”
“Dad?” I called out to him as I reached the bottom step and walked over to where he was sitting in his chair, “I’m heading out now…”
It took him a moment to realize I was there, but he soon broke from his fixation on the screen to acknowledge me. Despite his gruff exterior and foul language, my father and I got along really well, and he had taught me a lot of life lessons through the years. It was actually he who had encouraged me to enlist with the marshals, and even used some of his connections through his various construction jobs to find me a recruiting office over in the next province that was actively looking for new cadets. Even more helpful, was the fact the he would regularly play interference between my mother and I when she would try to talk me out of joining up, or shut the idea down entirely.
With a groan, dad got up out of his chair, and stood to face me.
Holding my hand out for him to shake it, I bid him farewell.
“Thanks for everything, dad…” I said, sharing my gratitude.
Dad rolled his eyes, before engulfing me in a tight hug that could choke out a rancor, his massive callused hands gripping me tightly.
“You’re never too old or too tough to hug your old man…” he chided, giving me a few hearty pats on the back.
Once he did release me, I smiled back at him.
“Thanks dad…” I responded, before he held his hand out for me to shake it.
Taking it in my own, I gripped firmly and gave a few hearty shakes.
“I’m proud of you, kiddo” he said, “I know this has meant a lot to you for a long time, going out and joining the marshals and all, and Chylla’s going to be a better place with you looking over it.”
I felt myself blush, and briefly looked away for a moment. My father and his crew had built buildings and offices for a living, he knew more profanities than I could count, and the only time I saw him get emotional was when he was expressing rage. To see him express such sincere pride? It was truly touching…
“I’m going to do my best, I promise” I told him.
Dad gave me one more playful pat on the shoulder.
“I know you will, kiddo, and that’s more than most can say” he concluded.
With nothing more to say, I smirked as mom and Sella came downstairs to see me off. I shuffled my belongings one more time, and walked over to the front door, pushing the button on the panel and watching as it slid open. It was late summer on Chylla, and while normally a temperate world, it was a particularly hot day. The warm outside air contrasted with the climate-controlled cool of the house as I turned around to say my final goodbye to my family before leaving for training.
“Well…” I said, “With a little luck, I’ll see you all in a few months for winter break.”
Mom looked like she was ready to cry again, but dad held her in place with a firm but loving grip around her waist. Sella was partially hiding behind my mother’s leg, looking like she was also ready to cry.
“Hopefully in uniform…” I added, joking.
Giving a small, but friendly wave, I turned to step through the door, not wanting to drag this out any further than I already had.
“I love you guys!” I concluded, before stepping through the threshold, my first steps towards the rest of my life and a burgeoning career, watching as the door slid closed behind me.
It would not be the last time I saw my family, of course, and even prior to winter break I would be able to make holo-calls back home to check in with everyone. I would also have the occasional weekend leave, but I was hoping to keep that in my back pocket just in case I needed some time to myself or to study, or even possibly go out on a date if that should happen to become a thing. Regardless of my future potential time off, though, what I was feeling now was so alien, that even after years of dreaming about it I couldn’t have anticipated this moment. Writers and scholars across the galaxy have frequently discussed the “loss of innocence”, the transition from the ignorance of childhood to the realities of adulthood. While I was quite sure that I had technically made that transition years ago, it was hard to ignore that I was now feeling a newfound loss of innocence, striding down the path through my suburban neighborhood to the local repulsor-bus stop.
Most people would have been terrified to leave home, their minds full of self-doubt and fear over potential futures, and to some extent I was. Yet, as I walked down the path, bags in hand, I couldn’t help but smile…
“Vero Barik…” I spoke aloud to myself, “Chylla Marshall…”
The more I repeated it, the more spring I gained in my step, and the long walk to the bus stop took no time at all…