When my wife and I went to Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for the first time, we decided to really get into it. We dressed up (you can read about the construction of our costumes here), and we also created characters that would be at home in the universe of Star Wars. So rather than just write a post about our trip to the theme park land as everyday Earthlings, I decided that it would be more fun to do a short story fan fiction thing about these characters and their experience in Black Spire Outpost. Enjoy.

Chapter One: The Jedi

My name is Brin Novai, and I am a Jedi.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

My name is Brin Novai, and I was supposed to be a Jedi.

I was an infant at the Jedi Temple when it, and the Order itself, was destroyed at the end of the Clone Wars. I likely would have been killed, too, had a young nurse not taken me and escaped. The woman who rescued me raised me as her own son, and she also taught me all that she knew of the Force. She wasn’t a Jedi, but she was Force sensitive and had been around the Temple long enough to know a few things. Enough to teach me a few abilities, anyway. We moved frequently, stayed hidden as much as possible, and I had very little contact with anyone else.

We were on an Outer Rim planet called Lothal nearly twenty years later when Imperial forces bombarded the capital city and my mother was killed. She asked me, at the end, to take up the fight against evil and follow my path as a Jedi… but I couldn’t. I was angry, I was scared, and now I had nobody. So I did what I had been doing for my entire life: I ran and hid.

Chapter Two: The Rebel

Gilana Miya came from Alderaan, and was born as the Republic fell and the Empire rose to take its place. As the Rebellion grew, her parents undertook a variety of tasks for the Organas (the royal family of the planet) and often took young Gilana with them on these trips. Luckily for them, this meant that they were also away on a mission when the Death Star destroyed their world. That tragic event really spurred Gilana into action, however, and she herself joined the Rebellion. During the Galactic Civil War she was working behind the scenes to keep supply chains moving, traveling from planet to planet, and helping to make sure that those on the front lines had what they needed to win the war.

After the Empire fell, Gilana attempted to settle down for a bit and take it easy. She moved to Naboo, focused on art, and enjoyed a peaceful life. When the First Order rose and the Resistance was formed to counter it, though, General Leia reached out to her old friend. Gilana didn’t hesitate, and again stepped up to help defend the galaxy. She returned to her old role, traveling from place to place to find new recruits and new ways to supply the rebels.

Chapter Three: Unlikely Companions

Gilana and I first met on Rodia, shortly after the destruction of the First Order’s Starkiller Base. She was there working to convince the Rodians to allow a Resistance outpost to be built on the planet, and I was just trying to just be ignored by the galaxy. The Force does what it wills, though, and it obviously had other plans for me.

A small squad of stormtroopers also happened to be on Rodia at the same time, working to snuff out any signs of rebellion among the populace. They caught wind of what Gilana was up to, tracked her down, and surrounded her in the street with the intention of either arresting her or executing her (or maybe both). None of the locals wanted to step in, which made sense since they were all unarmed and the stormtroopers had blasters, and it looked like Gilana’s mission was about to come to a rather violent end.

Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for my plan to stay hidden, I decided to step in. I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t my problem, but something drove me into action anyway. Maybe it was the words of my mother echoing in my head about the role of the Jedi, or maybe it was the Force itself. Perhaps it was just poor judgement on my part. Whatever the reason, though, I leapt into action. As soon as I ignited my roughly-crafted (and frequently repaired) lightsaber, a gift from my mother that I never had the heart to get rid of, all eyes turned to me. Of course, this meant that all blasters now turned to me as well.

The battle, for lack of a better term, was short and decisive; First Order stormtroopers weren’t taught how to combat Force users, even semi-trained ones.

After I saved a life, and botched the whole “keep my head down” thing, I figured that it was time to move on to some new hiding place in the galaxy. However… now Gilana was intent on recruiting me.

Chapter Four: Journey To Batuu

We honestly didn’t think that the partnership would work out for very long, but Gilana and I ended up traveling together. She was still on her mission to recruit members for the Resistance and build supply lines, and I tagged along. I wondered if the Force had put us on the same path for a reason, so I decided to see how it would play out. Plus, it’s not like I had anything better to do.

Despite her insistence that I should join the Resistance and use my powers to combat the First Order, and despite my reluctance to do either of those things, I ended up helping her out where I could. Really, it was nice to have a companion after so much time alone, and (as much as I was loathe to admit it) it was kind of nice to have a purpose. Over time, too, I found a new objective: I would catalog everything that I could in my travels. I knew that I’d never be a Jedi Knight, but my mother had told me stories of the vast knowledge held within the Jedi Archives at the Temple. Uncountable datacards stacked floor to ceiling, filled with information from every corner of the galaxy and beyond. So, while Gilana worked tirelessly to aid the Resistance, I took it upon myself to take datascans and keep records of whatever I could in the hopes of one day rebuilding even a fraction of the grand Jedi Archives.

We had just left a tropical island on a small moon, on which Gilana had secured access to a local hyperspace lane, when we heard that the First Order was developing a presence on the nearby planet of Batuu. Gilana wanted to touch base with the Resistance forces there to make sure that they had what they needed, and I had never been there and wanted to document it. So, we headed to Black Spire Outpost.

Chapter Five: Discovering Black Spire

As soon as I set foot in Black Spire Outpost, I was in love with it. As much as I try to stick to myself in my travels, there’s always something about the bustle of backwater spaceports that I enjoy.

One of the first things we did was access our datapads in an attempt to board a Resistance transport. Gilana wanted to touch base with her people, and this seemed like a good way to do it. However, it seemed like the transport was tougher to get on than we anticipated, and we got a response saying that they’d try to get us on board later in the day.

After that was out of the way, we started our trek through the outpost. Gilana was keeping an eye out for Resistance agents or sympathizers, whereas I was mostly taking in the sights. My datapad was getting a lot of use as I was scanning virtually everything I could see, to the point that later in the day I even had to use a remote battery unit to charge it up.

Our initial plan was to find breakfast, though admittedly there was so much to see that our route towards this goal was in less of a straight line and more of a meander with many stops along the way. I had to swing into Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, a shop that I had heard of as it was known to have some Jedi relics among its many oddities. It was also run by an Ithorian, and I’ve always enjoyed their company, so I wanted to stop in and give my regards to the proprietor.

I perused his shop, impressed to see the sheer number of Jedi artifacts on display. I was sorely tempted by one of the Jedi holocrons he had for sale, as having access to those would certainly expand my limited knowledge of the Order, but I was also a little tight on credits so I passed on purchasing one. It was still a thrill to actually hold one, though.

After looking at Dok-Ondar’s rather overwhelming amount of wares and displays, we left the cluttered shop and continued our trek towards food. We turned a corner… and I saw something that took my breath away. There, docked outside of a small shipping company, was the Millennium Falcon itself. It was a ship that I had heard about for decades, and had admired even though I had never actually seen it in person. There was just something about it, something about such a nondescript vehicle being so fast, that had captured my imagination whenever I saw it on the holonews. And there it was, right in front of me. I’ll admit that I teared up a bit, and had to stop and just stare for several moments. I took more than a few image scans from a variety of angles, and even allowed a local to take one of Gilana and myself in front of the ship.

Finally, though, the need for food overtook all else and we made our way to a nearby dining establishment known as Docking Bay 7, which was in fact a docking bay that had been converted into a restaurant. We ordered a Mustafarian lava roll to split, I got something called Moof Juice, and Gilana got a Black Spire Hot Chocolate. The lava roll was OK, if a little dry (I’ve never been to Mustafar, as it’s not a place to which Jedi generally go, so maybe that’s the way they like it there), but the topping was quite tasty with its blend of fruit and chocolate flavors. The Moof Juice was fruity and had a bit of a spicy kick to it, and the hot chocolate was quite nice on the somewhat chilly morning. The shimmering purple cream topping must be a local thing, as I’ve never encountered it before.

Chapter Six: Fastest Hunk Of Junk

After eating breakfast, we headed back to the Millennium Falcon. As it turned out, the ship was on loan to a local shipping business under the purview of a Weequay named Hondo Ohnaka. He was looking for recruits for a mission that he claimed would help the Resistance (as well, it turned out, would also make him a tidy profit), so we joined up. We were assigned to work with some other volunteers, and we all walked through what appeared to be a ship repair shop. While doing so, Hondo was giving us some instructions via our datapads. He wanted us to double check some ship diagnostics as we waited to board, and he also seemed quite adamant about us taking on cover personas. This seemed a little shady, given that he also insisted that he was a legitimate businessman, but we went along with it anyway.

Finally we came to a room in which we met Hondo himself, and he laid out his plan: we were to take the Falcon out on a mission to recover as much coaxium as we could.

When we reached a crew member who was handing out our assignments for the mission, Gilana asked him if I could perhaps pilot the ship as she knew it was a dream of mine. He said yes, and handed us each a card that said “pilot” on it. We were then ushered into the common area of the ship while we waited for the mission to start. I would have been down for a quick dejarik match, as there was a board right there, but it wasn’t long before we were told that it was time to take off. So, we (as well as some strangers) went into the cockpit and took our positions. I sat down in the right-hand pilot seat; it’s one thing to see the ship up close from the outside, but it’s quite the thrill to be the one in control. Gilana was the left pilot, and the rest of the ragtag crew filled out the gunner and engineer positions behind us.

We took off and I immediately gained even more respect for Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and whoever else had ever flown the ship, as it turned out to be surprisingly difficult. I’ve flown plenty of different craft before, but the Falcon had some… unique quirks that took getting used to. I’ll admit that I scraped the sides of it against other objects more than once while trying to get the hang of things.

The mission coordinates were uploaded into the navcomputer, I gingerly pulled back on the lever to send the ship into hyperspace, and before long we were at our destination. Gilana and I did our best to pilot the ship while the rest of the crew did their jobs as well: the gunners shot down TIE fighters while the engineers attempted to scoop up any coaxium containers we came across. We ultimately got two before Hondo called an end to the mission and we returned to his base. He was happy to get the coaxium, though he also tallied up the damage to the ship and took that from the credits he was paying us. The well-known wookiee Chewbacca chimed in via video communication, too, and seemed pleased with the fact that we were supplying the Resistance with coaxium. I don’t know if he entirely trusts that Hondo, though…

Chapter Seven: Stormtroopers, and A Plucky Little Droid

After we docked the Millennium Falcon back at Black Spire, we went out to further explore the outpost… and ran into a pair of First Order stormtroopers who took notice of me. The troopers came up to me, blasters raised, and insisted that I go with them. While one led, the other put his gloved hand firmly onto my shoulder and ensured that I couldn’t escape. They took me a little away from the crowd (though an audience formed to see what was going to happen), and stopped me near a wall. Gilana was nearby and watching, but there wasn’t anything she could do, and neither of us had any idea what was going to happen next. I remained calm, but alert.

Fortunately the Force (or simply dumb luck) came to our aid, as one of the stormtroopers stopped and responded to a private communication in his ear. He questioned whomever was on the other side of the conversation slightly, but then gave in and informed me that they had business elsewhere. I was free to go. He warned me that they’d be watching (a slug-like creature I knew often said the same thing), and left to go about their other task. I breathed a sigh of relief, met back up with Gilana, and we continued our trek through the outpost. We were just a bit more wary of running into the First Order now.

We next found our way to the market, a busy area full of stalls and little open shops. Products ranged from large carved wood statues to little plush toys of various well-known heroes and villains. As Gilana chatted with someone working at a booth, I took the opportunity to get some data scans for my ongoing archiving mission. I was drawn to movement in a nearby water canister, and was surprised to see a dianoga living in there! Its odd little one-eyed stalk would pop up occasionally, look around, and then submerge again. The shopkeeper explained that it actually helped filter the water, but I’ll admit that I was a bit dubious. Then again, I know virtually nothing about the species, so it could very well be true. Or it could just be a legend. I decided not to take a drink from the attached water dispenser, though, just in case.

We continued to wander Black Spire Outpost, coming across an X-Wing and an A-Wing that had been parked on nearby platforms, and I of course stopped to take scans of them both. We also discovered that our datapads were getting incoming messages from beings who wanted us to go on missions for them. Locals, Resistance, and First Order were all asking for our assistance with a variety of tasks such as scanning areas of the outpost or hacking transmissions. We did a few if they were convenient to our walk route (though none for the First Order, of course). Taking on missions was exciting, but we found that the charges in our datapads were quickly being sucked dry. So, we decided to keep our extraneous usage to a minimum to insure that they’d last the day.

As we went back towards the center of the outpost, we stopped to investigate a small crowd that had formed. A pair of Resistance agents were there, along with a small astromech droid known throughout the galaxy: R2-D2. Aside from all of the heroic adventures the plucky little droid has been on throughout several decades, it’s also said that he’s been chronicling all of these stories to pass on to future generations. I would have loved to discuss this further with him, as I also consider myself a chronicler of sorts, but he was obviously on a mission. As he roamed around he appeared to be scanning passersby for any First Order materials, and in fact did get agitated and start beeping at one young human who happened to be standing near us. The man assured R2 that he was not a spy, and the droid seemed to accept this answer and moved on. We followed him for a bit, mostly because it was neat to see a hero (of both the Clone Wars and Rebellion) up close like that, but before long our paths diverged and we went in a different direction as the astromech kept going on his own route.

Everything had been more or less peaceful thus far. Really, other than that run-in with the troopers and R2-D2 being on a mission, we hadn’t really encountered any indication that the larger galactic war had reached Batuu. As we continued our exploration of the outpost, however, that definitely changed.

Chapter Eight: Of Heroes And Villains

Turning a corner, we found ourselves in what was clearly a First Order controlled section of Black Spire. Their red flag, with its black circle-and-spoke emblem, was displayed on buildings. First Order troops roamed the area. There was a small shop that appeared to cater specifically to the First Order and/or those who wished to join up. It wasn’t a place that either of us wanted to be, but Gilana thought that it was important that we scope things out for the Resistance. I’ll admit, too, that I wanted to get some scans for archiving purposes. So, we went further in and hoped that nobody would notice either of us.

Near the shop was a docking platform where a TIE echelon shuttle was parked. As soon as I saw it, I started feeling waves of Dark Side energy coming from its direction, and sensed a presence that just oozed malevolence. I wasn’t sure who or what was causing it, but I wasn’t eager to find out.

A First Order officer descended the ship’s ramp, followed by a pair of stormtroopers. The officer started speaking to the assembled crowd, mostly propaganda about how they should all join the First Order, and he stated that they were searching for a Resistance agent. Gilana tensed at this, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t her that they were talking about but rather someone called “Moradi”. Nobody seemed to want to give her up, though, which only frustrated the officer.

Both Gilana and I spotted movement nearby, and we both saw a woman with blue-tipped hair creeping along the base of the docking platform. This was obviously Vi Moradi, a Resistance spy that Gilana knew by reputation and I had heard of while researching Black Spire shortly before our trip. Seemed she had caused quite a stir when she had first arrived at the outpost, and news travels. We moved closer to her in the hopes of helping her avoid the officer and his troopers… and then things got much, much worse. From out of the TIE echelon came a figure clad entirely in black, wearing a menacing mask that covered his entire face.

I had heard stories of Kylo Ren, the self-appointed Supreme Leader of the First Order, but I had never seen him up close. I wish it had stayed that way. The Dark Side of the Force was swirling around him, a sea of dark chaos. When he spoke, his voice had a deep and menacing growl. Whether that was the result of the mask, or it was what he always sounded like, I couldn’t be sure. Not that I was in any hurry to find out.

He demanded to know the location of the Resistance spy, though again nobody in the crowd seemed willing to speak up and reveal her (quite nearby) location. Perhaps they were just frozen in terror as Kylo Ren paced the docking platform. I’m sure the brief moment in which he used the Force to choke his officer didn’t help assuage anyone’s fear.

Gilana and I inched closer to Vi Moradi, ready to assist her if need be. I was pretty sure that neither of us would be any match for Kylo Ren, but I also knew that we’d both fight to our last breath if it came to that. I think that’s one of the reasons we got along so well, actually–the unspoken agreement that we’d jump in and assist someone in need. Even if I would be doing it grudgingly.

I wanted to use the Force to try and shield Vi from being found, but I also didn’t want Kylo Ren to sense that and turn his attention to me. So we waited as things played out, and eventually they did so (and fortunately in our favor). Kylo Ren, the officer, and the stormtroopers left the docking platform in search of Moradi, getting further away from her as they did.

We now approached Vi Moradi, who was starting to work her way across the outpost while doing her best to avoid the First Order. Another traveler also joined up, and the four of us made a slow progression forward as we did our best to stay well away from Kylo Ren. Since Vi was the one they were seeking, she would often hide behind a building’s corner while Gilana, myself, or the other person in our group would scout ahead. Once we determined that it was clear to continue on, we’d report back to Moradi and she’d hurry forward to her next hiding spot.

Once Vi Moradi made it to her destination, she thanked us for our assistance and we all went our separate ways. Gilana and I, at this point, decided that lunch was our next mission.

Chapter Nine: Roasts, Rey, and Repairs

We had heard about a place called Ronto Roasters, and headed there. Inside, a droid was operating a crank which in turn moved a massive engine. The engine was on, blasting heat which was cooking meat. I realized that the engine was actually from a podracer, and stopped for a moment to marvel at how big it was in person. I had seen podraces on holos, but had never gotten to see one of the machines up close, and if this was only one part then the entire vehicle had to be quite large.

The scent of that cooked meat wafted through the air, and I joined the crowd at the counter. As Gilana was very particular about what sort of meat she ate, and there was nothing here that would work for her, she went to seek out a table in the crowded establishment while I ordered my lunch. I also ordered a meiloorun juice for her, and a beverage called a sour sarlacc for myself.

The ronto wrap’s reputation was well deserved, as it was quite tasty. The ronto meat was flavorful and spicy, and it worked well with the combination of condiments on the warm bread wrap. My sour sarlacc was pretty good too, and definitely sour with a kick of spice, though I think I preferred the meiloorun juice after taking a sip of Gilana’s drink.

While we sat, some commotion nearby caught our attention, and we turned to see the Resistance hero Rey working her way through the crowd. We both knew her by reputation, and it was kind of exciting to see her right there. She smiled at us as she passed our table, stopped to chat with some nearby younglings, and went on her way. We then went on ours, as Gilana still needed food.

We had been wondering if we’d have to go off-planet to a nearby world to find something she could eat, but we decided to swing by Docking Bay 7 first to see what lunch options they had available. As it turned out, there were a few options on the menu and she decided that she’d be fine trying one of those. Ultimately she went with the Felucian Garden Spread, a mix of plant-based foods served with bread. I picked at it as well, and it seemed to be a fine meal option.

Our datapads notified us that the Resistance transport we had booked in the morning was now ready to board, so after Gilana finished lunch we headed to the hangar. On our way, we passed a pair of stormtroopers in the market who seemed to be searching for someone, so we gave them a wide berth just in case it happened to be us. Then, as we got closer to the hangar, we ran into Rey once again. She was edging her way along a nearby wall, obviously on the lookout, so I stopped and asked her if I could assist. She said that she was trying to avoid some stormtroopers, at which I informed her about their presence in the market. She thanked me and went on her way, and we continued on ours.

We approached a crew member at the Resistance hangar, showed him the codes displayed on our datapad screens, and he let us in and directed us to the ship. Though we quickly discovered that it wasn’t just a transport, but actually a mission: a ball droid called BB-8 was there in the loading area prepping things, and Rey appeared via holo to instruct us about our task.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get much further than that. We did meet the Lieutenant in charge of the mission, a Mon Calamari called Bek, but shortly after takeoff we began to experience technical difficulties. So the ship returned to the hangar, and we waited for about an hour or so while they conducted repairs. Eventually a crew member informed us that fixing things would take longer than anticipated, and asked that we return at a later time. He scanned our datapad to give us a return pass which would allow us to get in quicker once things were operational again, and advised us to just keep checking in throughout the rest of the day.

Chapter Ten: Downtime

Without much else to do for the time being, we decided to swing by a popular hotspot called Oga’s Cantina. Gilana had actually booked us a reservation for later in the day, but we figured that we could try to get in earlier. She wanted to listen for any Resistance sympathizers (or First Order spies), and I honestly just wanted to check the place out.

We did get into Oga’s, which was a cacophony of lights and sounds and it was very much like many other cantinas around the galaxy. A wide variety of drink options were available, all sorts of weird knick knacks decorated the place, and loud music was being played by a DJ droid. I quickly realized that I had actually seen that droid before, from some time ago when I was traveling and took a Star Tours transport.

I ordered something called a Hyperdrive (Punch It!), a carbonated concoction with a mix of sweet and tart flavors and some sort of fruit puree mixed in. Gilana got the Carbon Freeze, which tasted like a few different fruits mixed together and it also had soft pearls that exploded with a burst of tart flavor in the mouth. Both drinks were quite tasty, though I’ll admit that I liked hers a bit better because of those popping pearls. After she finished the liquid in her glass, I helped myself to those. We also got a small plate of provisions, dubbed Batuu Bits, made up of a variety of crunchy snacks. It was a good combination of salty and sweet, and maybe a little pricey for what you actually get but we didn’t mind spending the credits while we took in the atmosphere of the place. I walked around and took some datascans for my ever-growing archives, and then we headed back out to continue our trek around the outpost.

The next couple of hours were fairly uneventful. Sure, I could tell you that we left Black Spire and traveled to magical lands of tomorrow, yesterday, and fantasy. I could regale you with a story about how we rode a boat and saw pirates, or that we watched a parade full of strange creatures dancing to music. I could say that we rode a high-speed rocket through a mountain filled with stars, or that we took a tour of a deep jungle with a guide who kept cracking bad jokes, or that we investigated a long-forgotten temple. But I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t believe me…

At some point during our random wanderings, we also ordered some blue milk from a local stand. It’s a delicacy that we had heard about, but neither of us had actually tried it before. We split a glass of it, and it was… interesting. More fruity than I would have expected, given that a far as I’m aware it comes out of banthas. It also had a weird, almost slimy, consistency.

Chapter Eleven: Resisting

Our datapads informed us that the Resistance ship was up and running again, so we made our way back to the hangar to restart our mission. Once we got another briefing from Rey and BB-8, we boarded the ship.

At first things seemed fine, as Bek took us off the planet and into space, but then the First Order attacked and everything went a bit insane from there. The ship rocked as lasers hit the hull, and before long we found ourselves in the grip of a tractor beam. We were pulled towards a massive Star Destroyer, and our X-Wing fighter escort had no choice but to break off and escape.

Once inside the menacing star destroyer — a place I had spent my life hoping I’d never be — some First Order officers lined everyone up in a stark hallway and told us that we were going to be heading into interrogation. For a (sort of) Jedi and a member of the Resistance, this could end up being very bad for us. We were ushered through a hangar where a an intimidating squad of stormtroopers stood, and then were separated into smaller groups and sent into rooms to await our fate.

It really didn’t look good, until a series of strange noises and voices started behind a wall. Moments later, lasers cut a hole in the wall and a pair of Resistance agents came through to rescue us.

We were led into vehicles that had been repurposed for our escape, each with a reprogrammed First Order astromech droid to guide us to safety. A large door blocked our path, though, and one of the Resistance agents asked if anyone knew of a way to open it. One younger person suggested explosives, but I knew of a better (and quieter) way: I reached out with the Force, extended my hand, and concentrated. The Resistance agent noticed my efforts, and gave me words of encouragement. I felt the Force flow through me in a way that I hadn’t in some time, and the door began to open. Within a matter of moments, the door was open and we were on our way.

As it turned out, this rescue effort was much bigger than I had at first realized. Resistance heroes that I knew only by reputation, Finn and Poe, were involved, and we rocketed through the star destroyer trying to find a safe route out. Even Kylo Ren himself got involved in trying to recapture us. We raced through another hangar (my, but AT-AT walkers are huge up close) and almost got caught more times than I can count, but eventually we made it to safety and got off the star destroyer intact. Once back on the surface of Batuu, I’ll admit that I was left speechless by the whole ordeal.

Chapter Twelve: Return And Goodbye

We made our way back into Black Spire Outpost, and saw that Hondo was still looking for volunteers to assist on missions. We decided to give it another go, this time both being assigned gunner roles. After almost getting interrogated and likely then executed by the First Order, blasting TIE fighters was honestly rather cathartic. Interestingly, nobody else signed up for the same mission, so Hondo used autopilot and auto-engineer programs to complete our task. Shortly after that mission we actually decided to do one more, and this time we both ended up in the engineer seats. Of the three positions (pilot, gunner, and engineer) this one seemed the least stressful. Sure, we had to catch and hold onto the canisters of coaxium while the ship flew and got attacked, but we also weren’t trying to actively prevent crashes or try to keep us safe from enemy ships. It was actually Gilana’s favorite of the positions, though I’ll admit that I’m still partial to the pilot role. The entire crew worked well together, and we acquired some more coaxium and made it back to the outpost safely.

We landed, and now it appeared that Black Spire Outpost was closing up for the night. I’d like to say that this marked the end of our adventures, but it seemed that this little spaceport on Batuu had one more surprise in store. As we walked, a pair of stormtroopers (maybe the same pair from earlier, it’s tough to tell with those helmets) stopped me. Again, they took me aside with the intent to arrest me. This time, though, I was ready for them. I calmly reached out with the Force, and I was able to convince one of them that he was hearing a command to let me go. It took a couple of tries, as I’m rather rusty on this particular trick, but the trooper did “hear” something through his comm and allow me to go about my business.

Gilana and I took our time as we made our way back to the transport that would take us to our next destination, enjoying the fact that the streets were almost empty and we could just enjoy the atmosphere of the place. I took a lot of data scans, of course.

After that, we left. We were exhausted, but satisfied. Gilana had seen that the Resistance was alive and well and fighting on Batuu, I got lots of new scans for my ever-growing archive, and we both saw and experienced lots of new things. Even then, we knew that there was a lot that we missed out on (we’d heard that they sell some sort of sweet bubbly beverage inside of hollowed out thermal detonators, but never purchased one).

I do hope that we make our way back to Black Spire Outpost again someday.