No Way Home

[Mason Andrews]

The wind was strong, I felt as if it was going to knock me to my knees. I felt the strength leaving my body as I tried to push on despite it, I knew it was unadvisable to continue on in these conditions but I had a mission to fulfill. I was tired and thirsty, I began to doubt my own resolve as I moved through the desert each step I took seemed to sink further and further into the sand and the storm kept my visibility to an absolute minimum. I took the canteen from my hip, next to my lightsaber and took the final sip, the lukewarm liquid hit my tongue and taunted me with it's absolutely finite nature. Each molecule that trickled down my throat left me begging for more, but there was none to be found. I fastened it back to my belt and continued to trek on.

I had heard rumors of the Natives in this area digging for water and I realized that I would likely have to resort to that at some point because I would surely die if not. I looked down at the commlink on my wrist and noted the beacon off in the distance it wasn't far, my objective was just beyond that dune, about a kilometer in front of me. At least so the recon work said. I doubted the recon as the same person who had done the recon had also done the weather report for me and he didn't say a damned thing about a kriffing sandstorm the likes of which I had never seen before. "Clear skies and sun, dress light so you can move quickly." Imbecile. Where did he even study meteorology? I reasoned that if this mission was on Hoth or Issus he'd probably tell me to take beach clothes and a swimsuit. I shook my head as I began climbing up the the dune, my steps sunk deeper and deeper into the sand until I fell on all fours and had to use my hands to help me claw my way up. The hot sand stung and I could feel it burning into my palms. I stopped for a moment, and looked up to the top of the dune and shook my head. This was going to take so much of my energy, would I even be able to complete my mission when I got there? Did I have the strength left, I had been out here for days, why wasn't a speeder bike an option again?

I breathed in and kept climbing, each step hurt more and more and I began to feel like my head was floating in a pull of water, I could feel my heartbeat in the side of my head which began to hurt tremendously. I was dehydrated. I knew this from my training, my Master had pushed me to this point before so that I knew what it felt like. As I neared the summit, my left hand sunk into the the sand and happened upon a rough texture that wiggled and moved in my hand. My adrenaline spike and my senses honed as I closed my fist around the creature and pulled it from the sand. It was a small reptile, a lizard of sorts, again something I had never seen. I looked into it's eyes and realized that this was the way of the universe, I needed to survive. I closed my fist tightly around the small reptile and felt it's bones crush in my hand, I couldn't help but feel something for the little guy, out here struggling to survive just like me only to be taken by a giant monster and have it's life snuffed out in an instant. I wondered if that would happen to me as well sooner or later. I brought the carcass to my mouth and bit it's neck, sucking the blood out of the creature, an unpleasant and terrible taste, but it was liquid and liquid that was filled with nourishment to keep me going. Properly drained, then took a few bites out of the flesh of the lizard, it tasted awful but I really didn't care at this point. I needed to survive. I rolled over on my side and pulled a syringe from the first aid kit on my belt and jabbed it into my arm. This would work to counteract any foodborne illness or parasites that the lizard might be carrying. I took a few deep breathes and stood up, feeling better but a bit strange as I took a few more steps to the top of the dune. I looked down and saw the settlement in the distance, my objective.

"Finally."

I said to myself as my head began to feel light and dizzy. I looked down at my feet and felt off centered, I called on the force to steady me but it was...it felt weird okay? I don't know how else to describe it. The mostly brown village ahead of my began to morph into multiple different colors, some of which I have never seen before nor did I know of their existence. Everything was starting to spin and morph into this strange ball of colors and then I took a step and felt as if I was flying above the settlement, but I wasn't. I was in it, I was in this ball of color and moving downward at a tremendous pace, I felt my eyes clothes and in an instant I was outside of myself flying through the vacuum of space. I felt the air sucked out of my lungs and my blood beginning to boil and then all at once it stopped, surrounded an a sphere of nothing that seemed to provide me what I needed to live. I looked down and realized that I was naked, out in space, wearing nothing at all. How could this be? If I was going to space I wouldn't dare go naked, space was cold.

Then all at once, I felt this warmth surround me, soft hands lifted my entire body up and held me in them and the stars all rushed past my eyes as if I was going into hyperspace. I looked up and saw the figure of a beautiful woman, at once I moved to cover my genitals as to not be embarrassed in here presence, but she must have been a hundred meters taw, her hands alone were the size of a small shuttle. Suddenly I felt no shame, nothing at all and then we were no longer in space. We were on a planet, one that was unfamiliar to me at first glance. The hands of the beautiful woman lowered to the ground and I felt compelled to step out of them. The earth felt good against my feet, there was a small hut and I felt as if I was supposed to walk in.

I walked in and immediately felt a wave of something rush over me, I can't explain it, but I knew no one in the hut could see me. There was a woman screaming, in the midst of child birth, I could see the head of the baby emerging from her. His hair was dark, maybe that was the fluid mixed with the blood. I didn't know, I am a guy, and I don't claim to know much about child birth. As the baby emerged, I saw his face and realized all at once where I was. The mother took several deep breathes, she appeared to be hemorrhaging. My heart ached and I felt anger, before the same wave that I felt when I walked in swept over me again and took away emotional feelings. I watched my Mother take her last breathes as she looked at me and held me in her arms for the first time and the last time. In that moment, I saw myself, in her arms and I felt myself being held by her. I saw myself standing in the room naked, from the point of view of myself being held in my mother's cold dead arms. I then felt myself being scooped up once more and merging with my adult self spinning around the colors merged into the blob and the enveloped me. I was moving at a tremendous speed now I began to feel dizzy as if I was falling totally out of control. Everything around me was merging into one and I felt this terrible dark figure approaching me with every second it grew closer and closer, with every breath I took, I felt pain stab at my lungs with every ounce of breath that filled my lungs.

I felt the dark figure surround me and envelope me to the point that it melded with the color and all there was was this big ball of blackness. I felt myself come to a screeching halt and then I opened my mouth to sand on my tongue. I spat it out in disgust and pushed myself up, I realized where I was. I was at the base of the dune just outside the village. My body stung as I pulled myself to my feet, I was in one piece more or less and seemed to be okay, but I reasoned that I would likely never eat another one of those lizards again whatever it was.

I breathed a sigh of relief, happy that I was alive but realized I still had a mission to complete. My legs felt like gelatin as I began walking towards the village. I was nearly there and thus nearly done with this journey. Then as I approached the entrance an old man holding a blaster rifle stepped into my path.

"Halt! What business do you have in our village boy?"

He said with authority, I could see his finger resting just above the trigger to his rifle.

"I have a message."

I said calmly so as not to inflame the situation further.

"What sort of message boy? I haven't time for games."

I nodded quietly as he spoke.

"Is Anton Starlancer among you? My message is for him."

The old man pointed his blaster directly at me, his finger resting against the trigger now ready to fire.

"What sort of message?! I warn you, I haven't had the pleasure of killing a little whelp like you in quite awhile and my trigger finger is itching for a chance to cut a piece of osik like you down, so choose your words carefully boy or they will be your last."

My ligthsaber began to move on my belt as I could already feel the hilt even before it had left it's home on my belt.

"Right. My message is simple, his time is up."

The man squeezed the trigger and the blaster bolt exploded from the muzzle of the rifle and flew towards me, but my lightsaber flew into my hands faster and deflected the bolt back into his face. He fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. Soon many more men and women from the village flooded the streets and came out to see me, all of them armed.

"I'm here for Anton Starlancer! Deliver him to me."

I said with definitive authority in my words, my lightsaber humming ominously.

"You're outnumbered boy! Surrender now!"

My eyes lowered to the ground, my red blade glowing at my side, I chuckled quietly.

"Deliver him to me and none will be harmed. If not, there will be no mercy and every man woman and child in this village will die just like your sentry did."

There was a collective laugh from the gathered crowd.

"I don't think can count kid."

Said one man. I felt the burning passion deep in my soul as my eyes began to glow, I obviously could not see them myself, but I know their yellow hue inspired fear in many foes before.

"Fine, it's more fun this way anyway..."

Shots rang out and my lightsaber moved in blinding ferocity deflecting bolts and cutting down attackers as they charged me. The darkness filled me and gave me strength beyond my physical abilities that had been drained by the desert. Soon, I was the last one standing and my mission was complete. Standing there amongst a hundred or more dead bodies.

It was finally time to go home....