[NOTE: This story is written more like description of a serial’s script than like a novel.]

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

It has been over a year since Luke Skywalker became a martyr for the Resistance cause. Kylo Ren has taken control of the First Order and has marched through the galaxy, enforcing a scorched planet policy to weaken the Resistance as much as possible. In brave retaliation, the Resistance has been gathering allies by diplomatically meeting with alien societies hammered by the First Order’s iron fist. However, several societies have been double crossing the Resistance. In order to ensure true loyalty, and knowing that even a few acts of betrayal will topple the already fragile movement, the Resistance has emboldened on its pledges of loyalty to accept only the most trusted of members in its ranks.

Several months ago, General Leia Organa tragically passed away, succumbing to an illness she fought long and hard against. With heavy hearts, the most senior leaders of the Resistance have taken the reigns and press on. They have been contacted by a small planet, Juri, who fears the First Order’s power. The planet’s inhabitants, the Jurials, have offered to host a grand welcoming ceremony for the Resistance, as a gesture of friendship. The Resistance has agreed to attend, but where the loyalties of the Jurials truly lie will be soon be seen...

ON a distant planet, three suns loom high in the morning sky. Below is a bright, sandy desert. There are large marble structures forming what looks to be a city. It is not majestic, but it is just enough to host a kingdom. In a vast but shoddy market, human-like inhabitants with robes run around and chatter rapidly in hushed whispers. They are waiting for a ceremony to start- and they are nervous. It is the first time this kingdom has hosted such important guests.

Outside the city gates, stone vehicles crawl through the sand. Inside their dark interiors, where only a few rays of light shine in through the window holes, Resistance fighters wait; their faces are solemn, and some look apprehesive. In the front, Finn peers on through a window in the distance. Instead of being cheerful, his face is somber. He turns back to speak to the other rebels, including Rose.

“After all we’ve been through... with all the double crossing traitors... we’re just gonna step right in their home with our guns down. What do you guys think about this?” Finn asks the group.

Rose replies in a reassuring tone, “The Jurials are an isolated kingdom. They don’t have much to offer, but they don’t have much they want either. They’re not involved in the major trade routes and they don’t participate in any intergalatic politics. After Artura blew up, there’s not much else the First Order can offer them, unlike the other communities we’ve seen, who desperately need to get back into the trading networks to survive.”

Another rebel speaks up, “Rose is right. Our intel checks out; we can trust these guys. So we need to build up a rapport with them through one of their traditional parades.”

Finn sighs, “I know it all checks out. But something about this just doesn’t feel good.”

The conversation dies down. As Finn moves back, another resistance fighter, a rose-skinned alien woman with scarlet irides, speaks to him, “Well, if it’s any reassurance, I get what you’re saying. I guess we just gotta be careful... never let your guard down.” Finn nods to her.

BACK inside the city, a robed figure is sauntering through the market as dust clouds blow past, and another hooded figure, whose ferret-like nose pops out of the hood, greets him and hands him a parchment. Disgruntled, the sauntering figure snatches it away and heads back into a stone building.

A close up of the parchment is seen- it shows a picture of the famous Resistance fighter Poe Dameron, standing proud next to a fighter ship. Beneath the picture are the words “MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.” Suddenly, the picture is torn in half, and we see the hooded figure angrily ripping it. He takes off his hood to reveal a grumpy, human-like, middle aged man with a ferret nose and ears. He lives on the planet of Jurials, scavengers who look just like him. “More Resistance propaganda!” he shouts.

A woman Jurial comes into the room. She agrees, saying, “It’s sickening how the king and queen are hosting that damn parade for them. They’ve been leading our kingdom into ruin! Back in the days of the Empire, we didn’t have such weak leaders. Ever since the New Republic took over, there’s been corruption everywhere! The only hope we have left is the First Order.”

On the kitchen table sits a teenage Jurial boy engrossed in some hologram device. He has a bruised eye. He tries to pretend he’s not listening, but his face is clearly annoyed, and finally he speaks up against his parents: “An Empire that oppressed its own citizens! How could you two be so stupid?”

“What does a kid like you know about the world?” the father fumes. He snatches half of the ripped poster, stomps over to the teenager, and shoves the parchment near his face. “This your hero? This limp looking idiot? How is this guy gonna make our planet better? Got an answer to that, smartass?”

The boy smirks. His face, though bruised with a black eye, remains diligent. “By getting rid of people like you.”

The mother screams, “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!” She picks up a metal cooking rod and sternly walks towards the teenager. The teenager jumps up and runs out of the house. His parents follow after him.

He runs as fast as he can, and looks back to check for his parents. Suddenly, he bumps into someone. He takes a step back, and to his disbelief, he sees Resistance fighter Poe Dameon. Next to him is a tall, well-dressed man with a black beard and mustache. Insignias cover his uniform. The teenager stammers.

His parents catch up behind him, and their face changes to surprise they when see the two Resistance fighters before them. Poe looks at the kid, notices his black eye, and stares back to the parents. “These people bothering you, kid?” Poe quips.

The father gains his composure and walks over. “That’s my son. It’s none of your business. If you people really wanted to help us, why don’t you stop taking our jobs away?”

Just as the father is about to grab the teenager, the well dressed man steps in between them. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” he says. “My name is Gnovian, Leader of the Resistance, as appointed by the grand senate of the Neo Republic. I presume you’re one of the few Jurials who worked in Artura, building weapons for the First Order?”

The father snarls, “We Jurials need to stop being scavengers and learn to become workers. It was a good job. Until the Resistance destroyed the factory.”

“You mean when the First Order was planning to use the factory as a trap to lure the Resistance in, and then blow it up themselves?”

“What? Get outta here.”

“Let me get you up to date.” Gnovian pulls out a hologram, showing reports of how the First Order planned to kill its own workers, who secretely had bombs implanted inside of them during their medical checkup, to trick Resistance fighters who went to the factory to negotiate with the workers about giving them better jobs.

“Th- that’s imposs...” the older Jurial stammers. Gnovian takes out a gadget, pushes a button that transforms it into a bomb detector, and shines it on the Jurial’s chest, revealing a bomb. Gnovian coyly speaks, “Don’t worry. It’s inactive now since the Resistance deactivated the central control tower. The First Order had to find other means to attack us. You would’ve known that had you listened to what we had to say after the battle.”

The father stares at Gnovian. “Maybe the First Order wouldn’t have resorted to such desperate means if the Resistance didn’t pressure them to.” He turns to his son and says, “You can stay and listen to their jabbering if you want. They’re liars though. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, boy.” He and his wife stomp away. As they walk away, the trio hears the wife say: “That boy was a lost cause, anyways. I knew this day would come.”

The boy turns to Poe and Gnovian and says, “Wow! I have never- NEVER- seen someone stand up to my crazy parents like that. To think I’ll see the Resistance- right in front of me! My name’s Yatu, by the way.”

Poe replies, “Well, Yatu, you must have pissed them off pretty well. Standing up for what you believe in is what a brave soldier of the Resistance would do. You know... we are looking for new recruits.”

Yatu exclaims, “R-really? I’m totally in!”

Gnovian smiles at Yatu, “Poe and I have been scouting the area before the parade, looking for any possible dangers. It looks like you’ve been in a rough spot.” Turning towards Poe, he continues, “We are almost done here, and the ceremony’s about to start. Take Yatu to the Y-wing.”

Yatu looks like he’s about to pass out. His excitement can’t be contained, but he quickly sobers up, trying his best to act like a soldier. This is it, he thinks. The start of his journey as a Resistance fighter.

OUTSIDE of the city, the stone vehicles are getting close to the gates now. Finn takes a deep breath. No one is speaking; only the hums of rotating stone are heard. Back inside, the chattering in the market begins to die down. Before its stalls are giant stone doors. They creak open, and music plays. From the doors enter roughly carved stone creatures, blinking and moving in ritualistic greetings. There is a pause, and the Jurials fall silent. Then, the music plays again. Out comes a group of Resistance fighters sitting on top of stone vehicles, pulled by more stone animals, and the fighters are waving and smiling. The aliens start chattering again, and this soon converges into a harmonistic, unified hymn, resembling a patriotic stadium rally.

As more and more of the Resistance enters, the noise converges more and more into cheerful unity, until no chatter is heard. Finally, when everyone sings as one, the king and queen appear. The queen announces, “Fellow citizens of Juridom, we gather here today in honor of the brave fighters of the Resistance. I am greatly saddened by how the First Order has threatened not just our people, but our way of life. They are aware that as noble scavengers, we have collected centuries and centuries of precious artifacts whose values are not cherished by their original owners. And they want to take that from us. But on this very day, we shall worry no longer. We have guardians now- and they have swore to protect us with their very hearts and souls. Let us welcome them with what little we have, with the best of what we have, in true and genuine gratitude!”

The stone vehicle doors below the royalty open, and Finn, Rose, and other Resistance fighters step out. Finn stumbles a bit, but regains his posture. Rose smirks. Finn whispers to Rose, “Precious artifacts? That’s a fancy name for garbage collectors.” Rose elbows him in jest. They smile and greet the population, who sings back to them with a strong and happy tune.

Ships start flying in. On a BTL-S3B Y-wing, Poe and Yatu are seen. They land and greet the people, too. The Resistance introduces them all. Poe, the daring pilot. Rose, the brave mechanic. Finn, the former First Order soldier who became a Resistance hero. And Merilia, the scarlet-eyed hero who, near the beginning of the war, had risked her life to save Gnovian, Leia and many other leaders from a First Order attack.

“And let us now welcome their leaders!”

Next, a tall statue is dragged in, and on the top are the leaders of the Resistance. Gnovian stands proud in the middle. Insignias cover his vest, and a cape droops behind him. In a powerful voice, he speaks: “I am Gnovian, Leader of the Resistance, succeeding the late Leia Organa. We are honored to be here today. As your Queen stated, we will protect you until our very last breaths. You may ask: How? The answer is clear: Because the Resistance follows the Way of the Force. As you all know, the Force has guided your people for centuries, guarding your crops and ensuring your safeties against larger, terrible foes. So, I say this with utter assurance: If you trust in the Force, you trust in the Resistance.”

The Jurial respond with a new song, one even more joyous than the last. Gnovian continues, “We, the Resistance, would not be here today were it not for a very important person. Because of our trust in the Force, we have been led to her. I would like to introduce you to the savior of the Resistance. Her name is Rey.”

The crowd falls silent, and small chatters are heard, but others hush them. Below the tall statue, something opens. In slow steps, Rey steps out. She sees the Jurials- some are surprised, others are curious, and others are fearful, imagining what great power could require such an introduction. Rey bites her lip, not knowing what to say. But she manages to softly speak, “Hello.”

The crowd’s chatter oscillates. But when Rey speaks again, they focus back onto her. Rey tells the crowd, “I know there’s a lot of emotion going through everyone right now. But there’s no need to be afraid. I... as was said before, I’m the savior of the Resistance.” Rey bites her lip again. She feels awkward praising herself like this, and though the admiration moving through the crowd pushes her forward, it also makes her nerves race. As the crowd mutters amongst itself, she quietly whispers to herself, “Was that the right thing to say?” Facing the Jurials again, she stutters, “B-but I am not too different from any one of you. You can trust me. Um-”

An old female Jurial strolls up to her, “Now, now,” she speaks to the crowd, “Let us not make it difficult for our humble savior.” She stares right at a young Jurial, “It’s not polite to stare like that.” Turning back to Rey, the Jurial speaks to her: “We are so thankful for all you have done. We have all heard tales of you; it must not be easy for such a young child to suddenly find herself at the heart of all... this. For our thanks, we have something to present to you.”

The old Jurial takes out of a box. When she opens it, a dark jade light shines into Rey’s face, calming her nerves and amazing her at the same time.

“This, young child, is part of a twin kyber crystal, different than all the rest. We have cherished it in our monastaries for centuries. Long ago, our kings used this crystal and its twin to power a grand stone guardian, one who was foretold to never let us fall into unreturnable devastation. But one day, to save us all, the guardian sacrificed itself. And in the process, it lost its twin. The guardian is no more; but this crystal remains. We Jurials thought we would never find a guardian ever again. But looking into your eyes, young savior, we can say for sure that we have found another.”

Rey gazes into the crystal. After a long while, the old Jurial coughs and speaks, “Ah- this is yours. A gift. You can take it.”

Rey slowly reaches for the crystal. She pauses, remembering what it was like when she first touched Anakin’s blue lightsaber. But eventually, she decides to touch it. When she does, nothing happens.

Suddenly, a loud roar is heard. The Jurials scream and scatter.

Finn turns to look at Rose, and exclaims, “It’s the First Order!”