Rey walks into the house. Though shabby, it is well lit, and somewhat cozy. The silver liquid that shines through the paths of the city are now sitting still within the home, nearly dry. The glints of sapphire are unpolished and old. She heads into a room and sees Litha on the floor, still playing with the mechanical device, and next to her sits, on a chair, an old woman with purple skin, wings like the Tau, and a scorpion-like tail. She reminds Rey of the old Jurial she had met months ago.

The old woman speaks up with a rough accent, “The name’s Drunev. Litha said that she just met you, and that you’re a nice one. Didn’t you, Litha?” Litha nods. Drunev continues, “She ran off without her mask again. The air here ain’t good for her cuz she’s got weak lungs. And I was in the middle of a nap. She’s lucky she wasn’t out there too long.”

Now it’s Rey’s turn to introduce herself. “I’m Rey, I came here with my master, Luke Skywalker, to try to save the Force from being torn apart on this planet.”

“Ahh... Luke. He’s returned. Yes, continue.”

“What’s happening around here? Why do the Tau never come out of their homes? Why is everyone so scared? Where did Litha come from?”

“Too many questions!’ Drunev blares out, and Rey winces. Now she realizes she’s nothing like the old Jurial, at least when she gets annoyed. Drunev continues, “One question at a time! Litha. She is from Tatoonie.”

“Luke’s home? But that’s so far from here.”

“She said she was chased by soldiers. Was captured and bound to a ship with other children. Managed to escape and take a pod, and found herself on Inimoni. That much, I know.”

“So, you’ve been caring for her this whole time?”

“For a few days. No one else would risk their lives over some child they’ve never seen before.”

“But why? Why are you the only one?”

Drunev stands up. Her wings flutter. “See these?” Then, her tail swishes. “Now see this? I’m half Tau, half Skor. I’ve already been shunned by the community. I have nothing to lose if I take in this young girl.”

“Why do the Tau and Skor hate each other so much?”

Drunev sighs. “It’s a long history. It’s not a history any Inimoni outsider would tell you. The Tau and Skor keep it to themselves, so that they can feel superior to outsiders.”

Rey walks closer to her. Litha looks up and eyes Rey, and though surprised, Rey softly smiles. Litha smiles back. Drunev continues, “Do you really want to hear it?”

Rey nods.

[Flashbacks are seen]

Drunev begins telling a tale, her voice more hushed and majestic, leaving her rough manner of speaking behind: “Long ago, before the Tau and the Skor, the predecessors of both the Jedi and the Sith tended to the Moktow, who were tasked with guarding incredible powers.”

Rey gasps. “The Sith worked with the Jedi?”

“No interruptions! Yes, yes. But they were not close. Both were sects of larger orders, and had been entrusted to oversee the Moktow. A terrible regime, the Faceless, had oppressed their galaxy. Though we don’t know much about what the Faceless had done, it’s known that only by working together could the two orders defeat them. However, the powers of the regime were found to be indestructible. To keep them away from those who would use them for harm, the two orders sealed them away in immortal guardians who were loyal to their cause. The Moktow guardians were a flock of the purest souls, but were corruptible. Faceless elites were executed, but found a way to live on past death. They whispered into the ears of the Moktow, luring them towards the forbidden energies of the powers they were assigned to guard. The Moktow could not resist. They were manipulated into giving up their bodies to be used as hosts for their deceased corruptors, betraying their purpose for existing. But they did not realize that the powers were enchanted in such a way that they would become repulsed to their new, corrupted forms. The powers were ripped away from the Moktow by the two orders, and manifested as a physical, jade crystal. Without the powers, the Moktow became the Resepi.”

Drunev looks back at Rey, who has her mouth wide open in awe. Drunev crackles, “Ha, a lot to take in, isn’t it? I’ll give you a minute.”

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Rey hangs her head down, and whispers to herself, “The soul object already is in an artifact... it IS the kyber crystal.” Raising her voice, she asks Drunev, “But the crystal was torn apart.”

“Yes,” Drunev says, “Each order took the powers from the Moktow in their own way. So the crystal was inherently born with two unstable energies trapped within. The proto-Sith believed they had to use these powers to defeat the Resepi. The proto-Jedi did not, believing that if the proto-Sith toyed with them, they would become that which they sought to defeat. They clashed, and the crystal split in two. With the splitting of the crystal, the factions engaged in conquering resource territories that eventually led to segregating their technologies into two distinct types, both which were weaker than their whole. It is said that only a few of these unbroken technologies remain, but if they were to be found, they may have the potential to control both types simultaneously. I will tell you that if they were to reunite their technologies in a ‘synthesis’, the tech’s capabilities would be restored. But this was never realized. Instead, after many wars, leaders from both divisions proposed that by using two crystals, they could ward the Resepi away by entrapping them within Nissidha, the Prime Meridian of Inimoni, each side vowing to guard their own hemisphere. Due to genetic isolation, these sides evolved into the Tau and the Skor.”

“Then...” Rey whispers.

Drunev rambles on, “But the crystals were stolen, allowing the Resepi to rain terror upon the planet. The crystals exchanged many hands, until someone used them to birth a terrible beast on a stone and sand planet, whose name has been lost to our history. A hero from Inimoni emerged, defeating the beast. However, he was only able to retrieve one crystal. A war waged between the Tau and Skor to determine who should have the crystal to keep the Resepi away. In the ensuring chaos, after the Skor double crossed the Tau, the crystal was lost within Nissidha, allowing the Resepi to invade both lands. All hope was lost. But then, the hero discovered a ritual, usable only by those with Faceless blood, to create forces like the jade kyber crystal. He also discovered that he, too, was a descendant of the Faceless. By convincing the last remaining descendants of the Faceless, an elitist and stubborn group, they enacted the ritual, whose power was too much for them to handle. They sacrificed themselves to create many new crystals, which were far weaker than the original jade crystal but were plentiful enough to entrap the Resepi once again. But though the war was over, the tensions on both sides did not dissipate. Centuries of propaganda had corrupted their minds. Since then, the two sides have been at odds with one another, blaming each side for forcing the hero to lose his life.”

Drunev finishes, and asks Rey, “Need another minute?”

Rey nods. She walks towards Litha, and sits down next to her. Litha is lost in her own world, but is not sad. She is focused on the device before her, and on nothing else. Rey sees that she is having trouble with a small piece. Rey reaches towards it, but Litha looks up at her with worried eyes, and shakes her head. Rey smiles and nods. Litha nods too, and goes back to her task. “I think you’ll figure it out,” Rey whispers to her. “You’re almost finished, anyways.” Litha nods again.

Drunev tells Rey, “It’s been good to have company around, but I can’t keep her here forever.”

“Why not?”

“It may not seem like it, but this is a war torn city. We repair its buildings fast, but not its people. Any time now, I fear another fight is going to break out here. You have to take her away.”

“Me? But I’ll put her in danger. Luke and I have to-”

“I get that. But I can’t just leave her like this. She’s got no place safe to live. Can’t you take some time out of your journey to help her?”

Rey looks at Litha. Though Litha keeps eyeing her device, Rey can tell that Litha is listening, and that she feels uneasy. Rey whispers to her, “You’re afraid? You want to leave?” Litha nods. Rey tells her, “I won’t let those soldiers lay a hand on you. I promise.”

Suddenly, a boom outside is heard. Litha jumps up. Drunev furrows her brow, and says, “The Skor have started attacking again.” Another boom is heard, and screams of civilians ring out. Footsteps pound the ground and splash along the silvery liquid. A shot fires above the roof of the house and shatters it, dropping a waterfall of grey down to the floor, all over Litha’s device and startling the young girl. Litha jumps up again and runs towards Drunev, hugging her.

Rey starts up her transmitter and says, “BB-8, cloak and bring the Osprey to my coordinates.” She turns to Drunev, “My ship is coming. I’ll find somewhere safe for her.”

Drunev says, “Take this mask. She can’t breathe the air here too long. Once she leaves Iniomni, she can take it off.” Drunev hands her an accessory resembling a gas mask, and tells Litha to go towards Rey. Rey reaches her hand out. Slowly, Litha leaves Drunev, and touches Rey’s fingers. Drunev continues, “There’s one more thing you should know: the ancient ones knew a way to end the Resepi.”

“How?”

“We don’t know anymore. But they couldn’t do it. All we know is they needed a tremendous amount of energy-” She’s cut off as another explosion rocks the house.

A loud engine roar is heard, along with confused exclaims. “What the hell is that?” a soldier yells. Light shimmers above exposed roof of the house, and the Osprey is gradually uncloaked, hovering above. A ladder is let down.

“Come with us,” Rey tells Drunev.

Drunev shakes her head. She walks over to a chest, and snaps it open. Inside is a blaster. “I may be both Tau and Skor, but I’ve lived my whole life as a Tau. And I’ll die protecting my neighbors, even if they don’t want me to.” She shambles towards the door.

Litha reaches out for her, but Rey shields her away. She helps Litha get the mask on, and tries to get her up the ladder. “May the Force be with you,” Rey tells Drunev. Drunev grunts and flicks the back of her hand towards them, not turning around. She opens the front entrance door.

The ladder to the Osprey rolls back up, and Rey and Litha are transported into the ship. The Myriori Osprey flies off.