Here is the first chapter of my epic.
Introduction:
The Star Wars Saga – I’m sure that you all know what I’m talking about. The epic battles, heroes and villains duking it out for galactic supremacy. However, what about the nameless characters who hardly get any screen time, if at all? What is their purpose? What is their story? I am and was one of them, a thirteen year-old boy named Kye VanHerd at the beginning; my adventures are legend, although people have refused to believe it. They see it as “false”, and that I am making up an epic tall tale. However, at least I know it was all real; I was there, in the background, trying to survive in all kinds of dangerous and exhilarating situations. Hopefully you will believe my story, as it is one that I think should have some light shed on it. If you choose not to believe in my tale, by all means don’t continue to read. But it was an adventure, one without parallel. It is my life’s work.
Chapter 1: Invasion
It was a nice day in Theed, one that featured a picturesque blue sky with clouds dotted on the horizon. I had just gotten the chance to take a walk around the block, occasionally stopping to talk with people who, like me, were taking advantage of the nice weather. However, something seemed to be troubling the city, something that had started with a rumor that had quickly escalated into downright paranoia. The Trade Federation, or whatever they were called, had made a blockade of the planet, and now there were rumors that an open conflict would begin. When I heard about this, I wasn’t sure what to think; I hadn’t been on the planet for long (about a week), but somehow I felt as if this conflict of interests would cut my vacation rather short.
The rumor fell into place as I was walking past the fountain on my way to the local trade shop. There were rumbles that became more audible as the seconds passed, and I knew that it definitely wouldn’t be a good thing. A loud scream filled the air, and I whirled around. People were running in every direction, panicked looks on their faces. As the rumbling got closer, I decided to build up the courage to take a peek at what was approaching that the townspeople were afraid of. However, before I could even take two steps forward, a long beige-colored rod appeared in my sight. Studying it, I instantly realized that it was no ordinary rod; it was a cannon, riding on the front of a tank. The vehicle was several meters long and several meters tall, and it had many battle marks on it from blasters. Two more tanks rumbled along behind the lead tank, and I scurried out of the way.
As I watched the tanks rumble by, I was able to stop a running citizen to ask a question that had popped into my head. What’s going on? I said.
“It’s the Federation! They’re coming for us!” said the man excitedly before running off. That answered my question quickly; so the Federation had followed up on its threats to invade the city. My vacation plans were ruined; if there was a blockade around the planet, I couldn’t get off the planet. I was stuck, and there was nothing I could do about it. A feeling of dread overcame me; there was nowhere to go, and being a peaceful planet, I knew that an invasion meant an easy victory for the Federation. More tanks and rust-colored transports, towering over the tanks, passed by on the main drag, headed towards a destination that I was not aware of at the time. I need to find out where they’re going I thought to myself. Maybe that will answer my questions. Taking a deep breath of air, I exhaled slowly and pursued the tank at the back of the formation.
As I slunk along the walls, the sound of the rumbling was replaced by a sound of marching feet. Turning around, I could see rows upon rows of troops coming towards my position, blasters glinting in the sun. Those troops sure seem conditioned I thought. The Federation must not be a slouch at training their footsoldiers. Then, as I looked closer, I recognized that the troops were not lifeforms at all, but droids. That explains it. The Federation must use droids to fight their battles, not sentient beings. Although the soldiers were droids, I still knew that I would have to err on the side of caution and stay hidden from view. My breathing became shallow as the metal soldiers marched by, their heads all pointed in the exact same angle. It was an amazing sight; the lines of droids just went on and on, continuing when it should surely have ceased. I’m definitely not going to get out of here now. As the last line of troops passed my location, I detached myself from the wall that I was trying to blend in with and looked at the slowly-receding troops. From my angle, the tanks and transports had reached the palace, and the troops were slowing down as they neared the artillery. From what I could see, there wasn’t any resistance from the residents; they were just going to let the Federation come in and take over. I should have known that this was going to happen. Why had I been foolish enough to take my vacation here?
Hazarding an approach to the scene, I ran in the cover of the walls of the buildings lining the main street. As I neared, not a single droid guard had noticed me. However, I could still not see what was going on up at the palace; everything was silent until two one-droid transports with what looked like laser cannons placed on the front whizzed overhead and made a pass of the palace. I had no weapons in case I was discovered, and there was no telling what the Federation army would do if they managed to capture me. There was no way that I was just going to let them come and capture me; I had to find out what was going on and also find a place where I could hide until the crisis blew over. My latter question was answered when I could see a ladder dangling in front of me. Quickly, I started to ascend up the ladder, making sure that I would not be seen in the process. The ladder led me up to a small balcony; I took a peek into the window that was attached to the balcony, but the curtains were shut. I grabbed the handle and attempted to open it, but the mechanism was locked, so I couldn’t enter. Dang it! Withdrawing my hands from the handle, I turned around to see what was going on at the palace. The droid troops had a bunch of people gathered in a large circle, reminding me of a ranch. These people looked frightened, as they were surrounded by menacing troops with blasters and lots of heavy artillery and transports that could easily destroy them if they got out of line. I wanted to do something, to play the hero and save them all from the Federation, but I knew that I could never pull that off. All that would get me would be either killed or stuck in the same position as them, helpless and scared. Ducking as two more droid-platforms roared overhead, I started to list my options in my mind. Given my situation and that of the city itself, my best bet was to get outside the city limits and flee into the woods. That’s no good. I’ll probably be found no matter where I go.
I waited and watched the scene unfold. It took a while for anything new to happen, but I had noticed that the artillery wasn’t shooting or anything that you would expect to see a conquering army do. All that was happening was that the group of prisoners that I had seen earlier were now being led away in small groups by some of the battle droids, headed towards a fate of which I had no idea. Again, I felt that I could take the droids by myself; however, I would easily get carved up by the elite Federation troops. So, all I could do was hunker down and watch as the processions go by. When will this ever end? Why were the people of the city just giving in? I would think that there would be more pride in such a nice city as this, and that there would at least be some sort of militia in case this ever happened. Than again, what chance would a militia have against this technological monster? There were just too many troops and too much heavy armor to deal with, and that’s why I didn’t see any Theed police or guards fighting the Federation forces. Who would blame them for not putting up resistance; the sight of the tanks and their large cannons and the hulking transports with imposing cannons on the ball turrets and their sheer size would make anyone cringe in fear. Toss in the seasoned droid troops, and I could see how the Federation could easily succeed. As I thought things over, one of the droid platforms must have spotted me, because I caught the sight of it out of the corner of my eye. My eyebrows raised, and my heart began to beat rapidly as I grabbed the handle on the window and tried to wrench it open. Sweat was dripping from my forehead as I tried to jimmy the lock, but the droid was coming closer every second; in a few more seconds, I would be done for. Suddenly, I got an idea. Raising my leg, I sent a vicious kick at the plexiglass, which shattered easily. My leg began to hurt, but I knew that if I stayed in my position worrying about the pain, I would get cut down. So, I jumped into the room on the other side, covering the back of my head with my hands when I landed. The sound of the vehicle roared overhead, but no shots were fired.
Wed Apr 22, 2009 1:38 am
