JEDI HoloNet

As many are, Lahki was born on the Lepi Homeworld of Coachelle Prime, an overcrowded planet where much of the planet’s population lives and commutes in underground warrens. Her father, Entom, was a maintenance worker on these warrens, and her mother, Lorez, cared for her and her seventy-six siblings. She was born unusually small compared to her siblings, and extremely weak; the doctors weren’t sure she would survive the first week. Mercifully, she survived the first, then the second, and by the third week was confirmed she would make it to childhood.

One part of Lahki was not small; her ears were long enough that on her small body, they dragged on the ground as she walked. She developed a reputation among her siblings for being clumsy as she frequently walked over them and tripped. They also seemed to hear much much better than her siblings’ ears could; it was almost like she could hear everyone and everything around her at a much higher volume than anyone else, even things others insisted they hadn’t said (though their expressions were usually a mask of surprise, so she assumed they’d just been whispering it). Short of her unusual size and the troubles it brought, Lahki didn’t stand out from her siblings, and occasionally had to be retrieved when forgotten.

It was on a day like that when Lahki slipped away from her family; they were on a family trip up to the surface, which was wonderfully pretty, but there was so much happening. Feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to raise a fuss, she slipped away from the group through the crowd, and headed off towards a rare area of quiet and peace; a memorial to those lost. Lepi did not bury their dead; not enough space, never enough, and so the bodies were cremated and the ashes returned to the earth to nurture it to health once more. It was in spaces like these she could finally stretch out her ears and really listen without the loudness of all the people around her.

This day was different. She heard the things she usually did; the children playing, shopkeepers having conversations about prices with their customers, off-worlders having a stand-off with someone called a jeh-die… and the horrifying roar and a rending of metal as something escaped containment. She could hear it dive down, a frustrated cry, and the earth churning as it moved.

She immediately ran to tell the closest adult what she had heard. The responses were expected, but frustrating; an 8-year-old girl telling silly stories. A monster tunnelling under the ground? Nothing like that existed on Coachella Prime. It wasn’t until she ran into that strange man that someone listened. He not only believed her, but he was that jeh-die; – “Jedi”, he explained, and a strangely comforting hum came from his side. He not only believed her, but had her guide the chase to track the monster. They were right on time as well, as the creature nearly emerged from the earth beneath a traveling merchant. The Jedi thrust out a palm and it was as if he pushed the merchant backwards, out of the way as a massive worm-like creature erupted from the surface.

The Jedi thanked her, told her to keep some distance, but that he would come find her when the creature was subdued.

It was nearly half an hour later when the Jedi returned, covered in dirt and possibly worse things, but looking quite satisfied at a job well done. The creature was still alive, somehow restrained once more, and the authorities had been informed. He explained that it didn’t belong here, and the bad guys he’d been chasing had stopped here to try and feed it. He’d caught up to them, but it had gotten lose in the struggle, and would have caused a lot more damage if she hadn’t been able to sense it. That power was quite interesting, and something he could teach her to harness, but she would need permission from her parents.

Entom and Lorez were quite surprised; they hadn’t even noticed Lahki was missing, and after some initial confusion (no, the Jedi were not just taking anyone, it wasn’t about having as many bodies as possible), they agreed to let their smallest daughter go learn to control her senses- on the condition that she be allowed to return one day. For all they struggled to keep track of that many children, they did genuinely love them all.