Age 9

Derek Klivian sat on the end of the dock. His feet dangled in the water as he watched the boats pass by on the lake. Someday he was going to pilot one of those boats. He smiled and kicked his feet back and forth.

A rumbling sound behind him made him stop. The water began to ripple as the dock moved up and down. He turned to see about a dozen kids running towards him.

"Outta the way, Derek," yelled the largest boy.

"Yeah, shorty, move it," shouted another.

The kids began to pass him, jumping into the water. Derek tried to stand, but slipped. He hit his head on the edge of the dock as he fell. It knocked him unconscious.

One of the girls tried to reach out for Derek, but missed. She saw him connect with dock and screamed.

The boys were already halfway to the buoy when they heard the scream. Marcus stopped and looked at the dock.  Derek was no longer on the end and a body floated beside the dock. He cursed under his breath as he turned back towards land.

On land, Kerren stood helpless. She didn’t know what to do to help Derek. A figure suddenly appeared beside the boy and pulled him from the water. A female Bothan emerged from the water and placed the small boy on the dock. "Give me your towel," the Bothan spoke to her. She stood dumfounded until the woman spoke a bit louder. "Towel, now!"

She handed the Bothan her towel and watched as she folded it and put it under Derek’s head. "Is he going to be ok," Kerren finally asked.

The Bothan pushed back the boy’s hair from his forehead and examined the cut. "He is alive. Does anyone have a medpac?"

Kerren floundered for a second before answering. "Um, yes ma’am. I will go get it." She took off at a dead run towards the shore.

Water dripped from Marcus as he moved towards the Bothan. The other boys would not approach. He looked down at the soaked woman. "Is Derek ok?"

She looked up at him. Her bright blue eyes glistened in the sunlight. "He has a contusion on his head and a mild concussion. Do you know his family?"

"Yes," he replied and nodded. "He probably was here with his nanny."

"Go find her and bring her immediately. He will need medical care."

He nodded again and waved the other boys to follow. "Spread out and look for Nanny. Derek needs her quickly."

"Derek! Derek!" Aila searched high and low for the young boy. She knew she should not have left him alone, even for a minute. He was a curious boy who loved the beach. Who knew where he could be?

"Nanny!"

She looked up as she heard the name Derek called her. Several boys from the neighborhood were running towards her.

"Nanny!" Marcus ran faster when he saw her. "There has been an accident."

Aila’s eyes widened. "Is Derek ok?"

"I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to. He just slipped and fell." The words spilled out quickly.

"Lead me there." She turned and moved with the boys. "That Derek," she whispered. "He just can’t keep himself out of trouble."

Derek’s eyes fluttered open and he coughed up water. He sat up quickly, only to be pushed back down by a furred, yet slender hand. "Lay back, I’m not finished with the bandage."

He looked up to see a beautiful vision. She had a halo around her head. "Are you an angel," he asked.

Her chuckle was low and deep. It rumbled through her entire body. "No, child. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, lucky for you."

He reached up to touch the bacta patch she had just placed on his head. He winced slightly. "Ow, what happened?"

"You fell off the dock and hit your head." She finished attaching the bandage. "There. You will need to see a doctor."

"Aw man, I don’t want to go to the doctor. Nana is going to be mad enough as it is."

"I am not mad, Derek," Aila said as she approached. Marcus and the other boys followed behind her. "I should not have left you alone in the first place." She noticed the Bothan and smiled. "Thank you," she told the woman.

"I am Myla," the Bothan said as she stood. "Derek has a concussion. I suggest he be taken to his doctor."

"We will head there immediately. Do you think he is able to walk?"

Myla thought for a moment. "I would suggest that perhaps one of these young men help him. He may not yet be quite ready to do so on his own."

"I’ll help," Marcus quickly volunteered. "I kinda feel responsible."

"I’ll go too," said Kerren. She stooped down to help Derek stand. "Let’s get you to the doctor, kiddo."

Derek sighed and took her hand. He pulled himself up and suddenly leaned against the older girl. "Whoa, that was too fast."

Kerren giggled as Marcus grabbed his arm to steady the boy. With Derek between them, they began walking from the dock.

Aila turned to face the Bothan. "Thank you again."

Myla smiled. "He is a good child. One day, his life will come together and he will do great things."

Age 13

Derek walked into his room, slamming the door behind him. He flopped down on his bed, tears in his young eyes. Once again, he couldn’t get something right. He had been working for days on the model of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, but could not seem to get it finished.

Today was the worst. He had begun to place the spires on the top when his pet kaynein ran through chasing a bird. The kaynein hit Derek in the back of the knees, causing him to topple forward into the model, crushing it beneath him.

He didn’t get angry. He didn’t cry out in the open. He simply stood and brushed himself off and walked to his room.

Now that he was alone in his room, he cried. Nothing ever went the way it was supposed to. He had tried swoop riding, model starships, collecting blastball cards, collecting snow globes from around the galaxy. Something disastrous always happened. He was going to give up. There was nothing he could do right.

The tears flowed unabated. Nobody could make him feel better. Nothing could be done about his clumsiness and bad luck. Sometimes he wished he had been born on Corellia. At least then he wouldn’t be so worried about his luck.

Aila knocked softly on his door before opening it. "Derek," she called into the quiet room. "Are you alright?"

"Go ‘way," came his muffled reply.

She sighed lightly as she moved into the room. "It’s ok, Derek. You’ll get it next time."

"There’s not going to be a next time," he huffed.

She sat on the bed beside him and lay a hand on his back. "Oh, come now. You are not a quitter. I know you’ll get it eventually. It isn’t an easy model."

He flopped over on his back. Tears streaked his face and his nose was red from crying. "Well, I’m a quitter now. I can’t do anything right."

"Yes you can. There are lots of things you do right."

The young boy sniffed and pushed himself onto his elbows. "Like what?"

"You make friends easily. You pick up alien languages easily. You have quite a way with animals."

"None of that is going to get me out of Ralltiir," he interrupted.

She looked at him in shock. "You want to leave?"

"Doesn’t every boy?" He turned away from her. He hadn’t meant to say that in front of Nanny. That was his personal secret. One day, he would get away from Ralltiir, go off and do something no other Klivian had done before.

Aila folded her hands in her lap. This was not something she had foreseen happening so soon. She knew some day he would want to spread his wings, but he was too young to think of it so soon. "Derek," she said softly. "Yes, every boy wishes to leave home, but don’t you think you are a little too young to be thinking that just yet?"

He sniffled and began to rock back and forth ever so minutely. "I’m thirteen. I can take care of myself."

"That may be..." She wanted to say more, but the words failed her. They sat in silence.

Derek finally spoke. "Nana?"

"Yes Derek?"

"Why do you stay with us?"

She stared at the young boy’s back. He was full of surprises today. "What do you mean," she queried, though she knew the reason.

"If I am old enough to take care of myself, why do you stay here? Why does my father keep paying you to take care of me?"

"Because..." She faltered. She wanted to tell him it was because she knew nothing else and did not want to be without him, he was so much like a child of her own. She couldn’t tell him that she stayed because she couldn’t have children.

"Because why?"

You will understand when you are older. Question me then. "Why don’t you and I go get your mother and take her to the beach?"

His eyes blinked several times before he answered. "Beach... ok." Jumping up, he pulled his swimming trunks from the chair beside the bed and ran towards the refresher.

Aila sighed in relief.

"You are so good to him," Salee said as she opened her beach chair and placed it beside Aila’s. "Was he very upset about the model?"

Aila opened the umbrella and placed it between them. "Actually, I think he was more upset that something happened. The poor boy feels so clumsy."

Derek’s mother sighed. "I know. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Perhaps Rolan can help?"

"Rolan is much too busy with his investments to help his son," Salee snapped.

Aila knew Rolan spent too much time at work and not enough time with his family. That is why he asked her to stay with them. It was his own guilt that kept Aila with the Klivians. She wished that she knew how to bring the family together.

Derek ran towards the cool water. A swim would help clear his mind. Off to his left, a group of boys and girls approached him.

"Hey hobby boy," one of the boys shouted.

Derek waved to them. He remembered just a few years ago when he was finally accepted into their group. Marcus and Kerren had convinced the others that he wasn’t bad, just a bit clumsy.

It wasn’t long before he was surrounded by friends. "So, what are you doing here, hobby boy?  Did you break another model?"

"Or another globe?"

"Or lose another card?"

Kerren grabbed his arm. "Would you guys quit picking on Derek. He’s a good kid."

Derek flinched slightly then smiled. "It’s ok, Kerren. My mom just wanted to come out to the beach."

Marcus came up and slapped him on the back. "Yeah, at least Hobbie here has plenty to do when we’re not around."

The group laughed. Derek even chucked. All the kids had started calling him hobby boy, or Hobbie for short, since he had started taking on so many pastimes.

"Hey, we came here to swim. Let’s go!" Marcus waved his arm towards the water and the group followed.

Derek hung back a bit. When Cordan had mentioned the model, it had made him upset again. A tug at his arm brought his mind back to the present. "Come on, Derek." Kerren smiled at him.

He looked at her bright green eyes. She was quite beautiful, though several years older than him. The best part was that she always called him Derek. He nodded and walked with her out into the water.

On the shore, Aila smiled.

Age 15

"Derek, don’t," Kerren whispered in his ear. "It isn’t worth it."

"They can’t treat you like that." All he wanted to do was show his friend a nice evening. Now it was going to be ruined.

He stood facing five other young men. They were older and bigger than he was, but that didn’t deter him at all. They had called Kerren some not so nice things. He was going to teach them they couldn’t speak to a lady that way.

"What do you think you’re going to do, wuss boy," the leader of the pack asked him.

"Teach you a lesson."

"You and what army," another one snorted.

"Kerren is a lady. The way you spoke to her was quite inappropriate." Derek launched himself at the leader.

"NO," Kerren screamed as the others piled on top of him. They began punching and kicking him relentlessly.

Kerren backed away crying helplessly. She stopped when she bumped into someone. Spinning around, she saw Marcus standing behind her. She looked at him with pleading eyes, but he hadn’t even looked at her. His eyes were glued on the fight.

With a growl,  Marcus began picking up the gang members like they were rag dolls and tossing them aside. When he got to the leader, he lifted him into the air. "I want you and your lackeys to get out of here and never come back. I don’t ever want to see you anywhere near this kid. He’s under my protection, got it?"

"Ye... yes." The leader was shaking in fear. When Marcus set him down, he ran faster than he ever had before. The rest of his gang followed quickly behind.

Marcus watched them leave before turning back to Derek and Kerren. She was stooped beside the boy, checking his wounds. His young friend lay on the ground bloodied and bruised. His girlfriend looked up with tears in her eyes. "They hurt him bad."

He nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. "Go get my speeder. We’ll take him to the hospital."

She nodded. He helped her up and she ran quickly towards the parking lot.

He bent down to pick Derek up when the younger man stirred. "Careful, Hobbs. You’re going to feel a lot of pain in a second."

Derek groaned and looked up at his friend through a swollen eye. "Marcus," he said weakly. "Thanks."

"Don’t mention it, kiddo. Kerren and I are going to take you to a doctor."

"Is she..."

"She’s fine, Hobbie. You did a good job. Just don’t do it again, ok?"

His head bobbed up and down as he nodded before passing out again. Marcus lifted him into his arms and carried him to the speeder.

Derek sat up in his bed, the swelling in his eye finally receding, a grim look on his face. He was mad at himself for fighting. What was worse was that his father had heard about it. Rolan thought is was Derek’s fault. There was no way Derek would be protecting a girl. He didn’t go out with girls.

His door quietly opened and Aila stepped in. "How is our patient doing," she asked cheerfully.

He didn’t acknowledge her presence. Instead, he sat staring out the window with unseeing eyes.

Aila walked over to the bed and sat at the foot. "What’s bothering you, Derek?" He remained silent. She finally decided to breach the subject. "Is it your father?"

Derek stiffened.

"You really should talk about it. It’s not good to hold things in." She sat patiently awaiting him to reply.

He sat for a few minutes before he spoke. "He thinks I started it," he said quietly.

Though she knew the answer, she asked the question anyway. "Did you?"

He turned to face her, a look of shock on his face. "Do you really think I would start a fight?"

She sat there looking at him. He just stared back.

"They called Kerren a whore," he confessed. "That was the most rude thing I’ve ever heard anyone say. Am I supposed to just stand there when someone insults my friends?"

Aila chuckled to herself. "No, Derek. You were defending the young lady’s honor. That is quite heroic. However, when you are out numbered and out muscled, you must know when to turn away."

He sighed. "I don’t know which is worse; dad thinking I’m a wimp for loosing a fight, or dad thinking that I’m a wimp for not fighting at all."

"Your father doesn’t think you’re a wimp."

"He doesn’t? Well then why did he ground me for two weeks?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"I agree he was a bit harsh, but at least he didn’t ignore you."

His arms crossed his chest as he huffed and turned away. "I bet that will be the only thing he says to me for months."

Aila closed her eyes. Please let this child dispose of his anger. "Perhaps you should speak with him."

Silence fell upon the room once again. He had tried to talk to his father before, but the results were always the same. "I’m too busy" or "Can we save this for later?" were his typical responses. What kind of father never spent time with his son? He grabbed his pillow and pulled it to his chest. Resting his chin on the top, he sighed. "He never listens, Aila. All he ever thinks about is money. Half the time it isn’t even his own. How do you talk to someone like that?"

A smile tugged the corners of her mouth. The child had finally begun to understand. He was becoming an adult. "With patience, my dear."

Age 16

It had been two weeks since Marcus and Kerren’s wedding. He missed them so much. They had gone to Alderaan for their honeymoon and weren’t due back for another week. Derek was lonely.

Currently, he was walking home from a blastball game at his school. They had won rather handily, but his mood was more like they had lost. He was lost in thought as he wandered through the streets. Now that they were married, Marcus and Kerren would have little time to spend with him anymore. He sighed at the prospect of being alone. He didn’t want to be alone. What could he do to change that?

Stopping at the corner, he looked up to see where he was. He was taken aback when he realized he was in front of his father’s office building. What had brought him here? Your feet, stupid, his mind abashed. Shaking his head, he stepped into the lobby.

The lift quickly sped to the 47^th floor. He contemplated what he was going to say as he rode upwards. The doors opened and he stepped off. A large desk sat just outside the lift. The young woman behind it looked up when he exited. "May I help... oh Derek! Are you here to see your father?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod.

"Go on back, I’ll let him know you’re here."

Derek shoved his hands into his pockets and turned towards his left. He followed the hall around to his father’s office. The door opened and he quietly stepped in. "I’ll be with you in just a moment, son," his father said as he entered. "Have a seat."

He flopped down in the seat before his father’s large desk. There were several computer terminals, as well as hundreds of data disks.

The man behind the desk looks remotely like Derek. They shared the same facial features, but the older man had silver hair that once had been as blonde as his son’s. Rolan finally set down the datapad he had in his hand and turned his attention to his son. "What brings you here, Derek? I thought you were at the blastball game."

"I was. There is something I want to talk to you about."

The older man blinked. His son never wanted to talk to him about anything. Their relationship wasn’t the best. Actually, it was quite strained at times. For his son to talk to him, something must be wrong. "I’m all ears."

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Dad, I’ve been thinking."

"About what?" Rolan sat forward, resting his arms on his desk.

"I want to join the Academy."

Rolan was shocked. His son never had any initiative to do anything on his own. Where did this sudden backbone come from? "The Imperial Naval Academy?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I want to be a pilot."

"A pilot." His mind reeled. Finally, his son made a decision. "Why a pilot?"

Derek shrugged. "I’ve always wanted to pilot, dad. Of course, you would know this if you had spent more time with me when I was younger."

"That is no way to speak to me, young man. I have worked hard so that you would have a good life."

"Good life?" Derek sat forward and looked into his father’s eyes.  "I thought a good life was having both your parents around to talk to. Someone in your own family to look up to and emulate. Dad, I don’t care about your money. Material things mean nothing to me. Hoth, Aila knows more about me than you do. She probably cares for me more, too."

Rolan slammed his hands on the desk and stood. "I love you very much, son. I just show it in a different way."

"Money doesn’t equal love," Derek mumbled.

"Well, money is the only thing that will get you into the Academy."

"Exactly why I came to you first."

Rolan closed his eyes and calmed himself. "Alright, if you wish to go to the Academy, fine. I’ll get several letters of recommendations for you. YOU will have to fill out the application."

"I know. There is no problem with that. I’ll have it for you by the end of the week."

"Good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a lot of work to get done before I come home."

Without another word, Derek stood and left.

"The Academy!" Kerren sat in shock. Derek had come over the day she and Marcus had returned from their honeymoon for dinner. They had just finished eating when he dropped the bomb.

"Hey, that’s great, Hobbie," Marcus exclaimed, slapping the younger man on the back. "You’ll do great!"

Derek grinned and took another sip of the Alderaanian brandy Marcus had bought on their trip. "I’m hoping to be a pilot."

Kerren looked like she was going to faint. "Derek. Are you sure about this? You don’t have the best track record."

Marcus chuckled at his new wife. "Aw, Kerren, be happy for the boy. He’s doing what he wants. When do you ship out?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon," Kerren questioned.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, the shuttle leaves at six in the morning."

"That doesn’t give us much time, does it," Marcus grinned.

"For what?"

"Your farewell party!" Marcus jumped up and headed for the vidcomm.

"Marcus, don’t..." Kerren pleaded with her husband.

"Nonsense, dear. Hobbie is our friend. He deserves a great sendoff."

She sighed, resigned to her husband’s will.

Derek was amazed at how many of his friends had shown up to see him off. He was pretty sure a few of them had not been to bed yet, as they had partied late into the night. Aila and his mother and father stood beside Kerren and Marcus. They had left the house ahead of him so that he could say goodbye to his collection of pets. Aila had promised to watch them while he was gone.

He wandered over to the knot of people. His friends eagerly surrounded him, telling him good-bye and wishing the young boy well. Kerren stood beside Aila, watching and fidgeting. "Is there a problem," Derek’s nanny asked the young woman.

Kerren jumped slightly and looked at the woman who had been like a mother to Derek. "No. Nothing." However, the look Aila gave her made her sigh. "I don’t want him to go. I’m afraid for him."

Aila smiled and placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. "He will be fine. Derek has friends like you and Marcus to support him, no matter what happens."

She nodded sadly. "It’s going to be quiet around here without our weekly trip to the hospital." A small grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.

The older woman chuckled. "That it will. Now, go say your farewells. The shuttle will be leaving soon."

Kerren nodded and moved towards her friend. Marcus had just finished giving Derek a hug when she arrived. "There you are," Marcus said to her. He took her hand and placed it in one of Derek’s. "I’ll let you two say your goodbyes. I’ll be over here." He jerked his head to the side, noting where Derek’s family was.

Derek looked down at his hands. Kerren had been a true friend. This was hard, but he had to go. "Thanks," he said quietly.

"For what?" She tilted her head and looked at him.

"For always being there. You’re the best friend a guy could have."

She blushed. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Klivian." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small charm. It was shaped like a shell and had a script K on it. Derek had given it to her for her sixteenth birthday. "I want you to have this." She pressed the charm into his hand.

He opened his hand and saw the shell laying in his palm. "I can’t. This is yours. I gave it to you."

Kerren bit her lip and nodded. "I know, but I wanted to give you something to remember me by."

"I could never forget you."

She sighed and smiled softly. "Please Derek. The K stands for Klivian now. Just think of it as your lucky charm."

He clinched his hand into a fist, letting the charm dig into his palm. Pulling her to him, he hugged her tightly. "I’m gonna miss you, Ker."

"I’ll miss you too, Derek."

After a few moments, they parted, both with tears in their eyes. They walked over to the others. Derek’s mother hugged him. "Take care, son. And write often."

"I will mom." He turned and looked at his father. "Goodbye, dad." He stuck out his hand.

Rolan took the hand and shook it. "Good luck, son."

"Thanks." He wanted more from him. He expected more from his father. But, as usual, there was nothing. He let the hand go and turned to Aila. "I guess this means you get to have a life now, huh?"

His long time nanny chuckled. "Your mother has asked me to stay. I think she would miss me if I left."

Derek laughed, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I’m going to miss you too." He grabbed her into a hug.

"I will miss you too, my little one." She choked back her own tears as she called him the name she called him for many years. "Your life will be hard, but you must go on, no matter what happens."

"I will. I love you, Aila."

"And I you. Farewell, Derek." She gently pushed him away and towards the shuttle. "Go and don’t look back."

He looked at her and smiled sadly. Lifting his hand, he waved to his friends and turned and boarded the ship.

Age 17

Derek flopped down on his bunk. "Gah, I hurt."

His roommate, Biggs Darklighter, chuckled. "It can’t be that bad. You’re just a kid."

"Yeah, but I’m a kid who just got his butt kicked by his instructor." He groaned as he rolled over onto his side. His body was bruised a bit from the hand-to-hand combat training class they had just returned from. "Another day like this, and Fel’ll kill me for sure."

"No he won’t. Not if you practice. I’m willing to be a punching bag for you."

"I appreciate it, Biggs." He rolled back onto his back, groaning once more. "Biggs? Do you think I’ll graduate?"

"Of course you will. You’re our most reliable pilot."

Derek snorted "Yeah, good ol’ reliable Klivian. He’ll stay on your tail until he gets shot down."

Biggs laughed. "Don’t let them hear you say that. You’ll never live it down."

Derek joined the laughter. "Yeah, you’re right."

And so it began.

Derek and Biggs practiced every day. The younger man quickly grew stronger. Another classmate, Tycho Celchu, began to help train Derek. He learned many things from both men. Eventually, he was able to pin both with a matter of moments.

Several months later, they decided to test his abilities against a recent graduate, Han Solo. Solo had the reputation of being a tough guy. They thought if Derek could hold his own against Solo, he would be able to take Fel.

It looked grim at first. Derek was taken aback by the larger man’s quickness. It didn’t take long before he began to use his lankiness to his advantage. He was able to slip from Solo’s holds and force him to try again. The advantage went back and forth. Neither could gain any ground on the other.

Eventually, they both became tired and called a draw. "Good job, Kid," Han said between breaths. "You’ve learned a lot."

Derek shook the older man’s hand. "Thanks. I’ve been practicing."

A Corellian grin crossed Han’s features. "I can tell. I’ll probably be sore later."

The younger man chuckled. "Well, at least now I know I can handle Fel."

"Soontir Fel is your instructor? He’s good. Just be careful."

"I will," he replied with a nod.

A few days later, Fel asked for a volunteer to fight him in class. Biggs and Tycho looked at Derek and nodded. The young man raised his hand. "I volunteer, sir."

Fel raised an eyebrow. "Klivian? Are you sure? Haven’t you had enough bacta lately?"

Derek stood and moved towards his teacher. "I think you will find that I am a bit better than last time." He stepped onto the mat and dropped into a fighting stance.

Fel chuckled and mumbled under his breath, "Your funeral, kid." He settled into his own position opposite Derek. Figuring his opponent wouldn’t take the initiative, he struck.

Derek danced and slipped out of the way over and over. He surprised Fel with his quickness and agility. The student was teaching the instructor. Every time Fel thought he had him, Derek would twist himself out of his grasp.

The students stood with their mouths agape at the sight before them. The wimpy boy from Ralltiir had become a man almost overnight. They all began chanting "Hobbie", and before they knew it, he had Fel solidly pinned to the floor.

Fel shook the young man’s hand. "I am quite impressed with your improvement."

"I had a little help," Derek replied with a smile as he looked towards Biggs and Tycho.

Age 18

Derek lay on his bunk aboard the Rand Ecliptic. He had been stationed aboard the ship almost six months ago with his good friend Biggs Darklighter. Things were rather slow going, but he didn’t mind. He liked being alone in the room he shared with Biggs. It gave him time to think.

The door opened suddenly and Derek saw Biggs enter with several other pilots. They were talking quietly. Nobody suspected he was there, so he lay quietly and listened.

"Are you sure he’s not going to wake up," asked Porkins.

Biggs shook his head. "He sleeps like a log. Now, what are our numbers up to?"

"There are about fifteen pilots plus about thirty miscellaneous crew members who want to help," answered another pilot.

"Good. Any more we might can count on?"

"Perhaps. Some are still wavering."

"What about him," Porkins asked, pointing towards Derek’s bunk.

"I don’t know yet," Biggs replied. "Just leave the list with me. I’ll start devising a plan."

The others all nodded and left. Biggs took the paper and stuck it in one of his drawers. He then slipped into his bunk and fell asleep.

Derek waited until he heard Biggs deep breathing. He slipped from his bunk and went to the drawer Biggs had put the paper in. Quietly, he pulled out the slip and went to the ‘fresher. Closing the door and turning on the light, he looked at it.

There was a list of names on the flimsy. At the top it said, "Those with us. Jump as soon as possible." What did that mean, he thought. Are they defecting?

Shaking his head, he returned the list and went back to bed.

Shore leave. That rare and wondrous time a soldier gets to be himself. Derek sat in a café reading his mail. He had a very special letter from Kerren. It was the announcement saying she and Marcus now were the proud parents of a baby boy. They named him Corthan Derek. He was so honored that they named the baby after him. This was six months ago, but that didn’t matter. He was happy nonetheless.

There was a letter from Aila and his mother. Both were well and hoping to see him soon. He hoped to see them soon too. Little did he know that might come true.

The holonet news was on the vid just inside the café. The Imperial Navy had gone to a planet and shut down a Rebel group. Unfortunately it had gotten ugly.

Derek turned and looked. He suddenly stood and ran inside. That building! That was where his father worked. They were on Ralltiir! Tears filled his eyes as he ran to the nearest vidcomm kiosk and dialed his mother’s number.

It rang and rang and rang until she finally answered. Salee nearly fainted when she saw her son. "By the Force! Derek!" She began to cry.

It took him twenty minutes to calm her enough to find out what happened. "Mother, slowly. Just calm down."

"It was horrible Derek. Your father. He tried to protect her! He tried."

"Protect who, mom?"

"Aila. They came for her. She’s a Jedi, you know. The Emperor is killing all the Jedi. He couldn’t stop them. They killed him. They just shot him."

Derek’s mind reeled. Aila? A Jedi? That explained a lot. But what about the others? "Mother, what about Marcus and Kerren?"

Her face fell. "Darling, I’m very sorry. They protected little Cort as best as they could. I have taken him in. We are so scared."

His jaw dropped. His father. His nanny. His best friends. Gone in an instant. Their lives snuffed out by the people he worked for. "I’ll see you soon, mom. Just get somewhere safe."

"I am going to try and leave planet as soon as I can. I will go to my sister’s. I love you, Derek."

"I love you too, mom. Be safe."

The image faded and he began to cry.

Biggs sat at the desk in the small room he shared with Derek. He looked over the list of names, assigning each to a specific job. The door opened and Derek quickly walked in.  His face was red, as if he had been crying. "What’s wrong," he asked.

Derek simply pointed to the list. "Count me in."