The ship slowly drifts in space. Ones who have chanced to see it often remark that "it has a certain eerie feeling about it, not eerie because of what's there, but because of what's not there."
No one has ventured into it since its pilots vanished in mystery. It is a beautiful, sleek ship, fairly big, and free for the taking, if one dared capture it. But no one dares.
It continues its ghostly standoff.
Arlyn la Shiladel was five, and already a jewel of her home planet, Celador. Not necessarily because she was pretty, or because she came from a wealthy family, or even because she was friends with the royal princess, Elanni la Caravel, but simply because of her strange abilities. She could do things with her mind that most adults could not do, and she sometimes had strange dreams. Her parents were puzzled, but loved her just the same.
Some Celadorens were slightly in awe of her, and some others questioned her powers, but all were taken in by her personality. She was the kind that had compassion on everyone, and she was always loyal to her friends. She possessed a great determination, and stubbornness was her only weakness. Everyone she knew loved her, and she returned it graciously and with acts of kindness worthy of someone much older than her.
Then something happened that would change her life forever.
There is much speculating on what awful calamity happened on the ghost ship.
"A leak in the hull," say some, though the ship looks undamaged.
"Disease," say others. Possible, but unlikely.
"The Sith!" say a few with horrified looks on their faces. "There are rumors...." But most shun that thought. The Sith have been dead for a millennium, killed by the Jedi Knights.
Arlyn was in her room, playing contentedly with her toys. A knock on the door and her mother came in.
"Hello, Arly," her mother said, using the name her friends have given her. Arlyn barely looked up. She was carefully speculating on whether or not another block would stand on the already tall tower she was building. "I have a surprise for you," her mother continued, and that got her attention. She looked up and smiled in expectation.
"What, Mother?" she said. She loved surprises.
"We are going on a trip." A trip? She had never been outside of Celador before. Where would they be going? What would they be doing? She quickly became excited.
"Where, Mother?" she said.
Her mother grinned. "To Coruscant," she said with a smile. Arlyn remembered the stories her mother had told her about the Jedi, brave and strong, and their fight for justice. How she would love to hear another one.
"Please tell me another story about the Jedi, Mother," she said hopefully.
"I would love to, Arly, but we have to get ready to go. Your father has an important message for our senator in the Galactic Republic. Besides, I'll make sure you get to see where the Jedi live when we get there."
"Really?" said Arlyn exuberantly, accidentally bumping into her block tower in her excitement. For a moment they both stood there in stunned silence as it crashed to the ground, making a loud noise. Then her mother laughed.
"Come on, we'd better get you packed." Arlyn went happily with her.
Who were the occupants of the ship, no one knows. Some have tried to identify its make, but it is rare and different; probably over a hundred years old. It could be from anywhere. Some superstitious people think it might even be from another galaxy, but that is highly unlikely.
"Wow, is that our ship?" said Arlyn with awe as she stared up at the beautiful, sleek spacecraft.
"Umm-hmm," her mother replied absent-mindedly, more than a little occupied with last minute checks of clothing and supplies.
Arlyn looked over at her mother expectantly.
"Why don't you go find your father?" said her mother. Arlyn liked that idea, especially savoring the thought of getting on the ship. She headed towards the ship's ramp with a smile.
She had to search a few of the lushly decorated rooms before she found her father in the cockpit.He was working, too, probably getting the ship ready. She hesitated. She didn't want to disturb him.
"Father?" she asked tentatively. Then she stopped and looked around the room. All those buttons and levers carefully arranged, each for a certain purpose... she couldn't wait to explore them!
"Yes?" her father answered.
Arlyn, still lost in contemplating the controls, suddenly felt a million questions bubbling up inside her. "Father!" she said in wonder. "What are all these buttons and levers and switches for?"
Her father laughed. "If you really want to learn, you should start with a newer ship." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Did you know this ship is over sixty years old?"
Arlyn gasped, and her warm brown eyes widened. "Wow, that's old!" she breathed. "It must be even older than you!" she added in her childlike innocence.
"Yes, even older than me," her father chuckled. "Don't worry, Arly, I'll show you what all those 'buttons and levers and switches' are for."
Arlyn let out a happy squeal and ran off to tell her mother.
Arlyn was exploring. They had gone into hyperspace a few hours ago, and her father had given her her first lesson on ships like she had asked. So now she was roaming around, making a game out of counting the different rooms.
She reached the umpteenth room and peered inside. To her delight, she found that everything was just her size. But best of all, there was a box full of toys on the far side of the room. She forgot about her counting game. Oh, she desperately wanted to play! She started to go in, then stopped herself. She had first better ask her mother if it was alright.
She started to turn around when she heard a huge bang. She was thrown to the floor as the ship jerked out of hyperspace. Confused and afraid, she ran and hid behind the toy box. "Arlyn, get your father!" she faintly heard her mother scream.
Terrified, she flung herself down a hall to the cockpit and rushed in. Her father was on his feet in a second. "Stay here, Arly, and don't come out. I'll be right back. Don't be afraid," he said as he rushed out the door.
Allandra sat down in the co-pilot's chair, trying to calm herself. She looked out the window at the stars. The familiar patterns weren't there. She felt herself becoming homesick.
She started as she heard her mother scream again. There was a strange sounding thump, then all was silent. She was becoming afraid again. Hugging herself, she sank down lower into her seat.
After a few minutes she heard the swish of the cockpit door opening. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her father must be back; everything was going to be alright.
The last thing she heard was the sound of an unknown weapon hitting her head.
The strange space pirates take Arlyn la Shiladel to Tatooine where they sell her into slavery.
Unable to remember who she is, where she is from, or even how she had got there, she struggles to cope as a slave without a past. She slowly learns to speak the local languages, Huttese and Galactic Basic, which are very different from her own Celdoric.
But through it all, she still posesses great kindness and strength, which touch many. She is even more stubborn and determined than before, and everyone she knows says that she could easily walk the skies if she wanted to.
So she is called Shmi Skywalker.
The Celadoren ship continues to drift in mystery.
DISCLAIMER: Okay, you wonderful people at Lucasfilm, I absolutely LOVE Star Wars and would never even try to make money off of this!