Soft music played quietly in the background, and billions of stars gleamed out against the blackness of space, overpowering the feeble orange glow of the flickering fire.
Ezra's eyes roamed across the magnificent display laid out across the heavens, looking at the familiar constellations that decorated the sky.
A warm breeze wafted over him, fluffing his hair as it passed, bringing with it the stench of freshly-turned soil and the many golden-yellow plants that decorated the landscape.
Ezra shifted, readjusting his head in the armoured lap, allowing himself to be lulled into relaxing by the warm air that he'd breathed in every day of his early life, filled with the familiar scents of crops and fruits that had dominated his life whenever he left the city.
If he looked down, strained his eyes really hard, maybe he could make out the old comms tower that was his hideout when he needed to escape the clutches of the Empire.
But the stars kept his attention riveted, gleaming bright, promising countless worlds to explore.
He had learned that such light was often a cold one, harsh and distanced from the realities of life.
But it wasn't always a cruel tone. Sometimes they did deliver what they promised. Days of entertainment, looking upon new worlds for the first time, seeing their beauty first-hand, often unspoiled by a civilization which, for all its advances, could never mar the surface of every celestial body.
He closed his eyes, relaxing in the rhythm of Sabine's breathing, feeling the tension gone from her legs.
Ezra listened to her breathing, the slow inhales and quiet, lengthy exhales.
His chest swelled with something he hadn't felt for so long.
Contentment.
He'd been happy innumerous times as he flew around the galaxy with the Spectres, had some successes and plenty of laughs.
Equally often he'd been sad, anxious, worried, or concerned, the fight with both the Empire and personal demons taking its toll on the crew time after time.
But he'd rarely been like this. The happy moments were weighed down by the negatives in the back of his mind, and the sad diminished by the support from his friends.
But contentment?
How often did he get to lie down and not have worries gnawing at the back of his mind?
How often?
Not often. And not for a long time, either.
Ezra opened his eyes again, looking up at Sabine's face from where he lay in her lap.
Her face was relaxed. Open. So different to how it normally was, furrowed in anger or concern, or tight with bottled emotion. Even her laughter often had an edge to it, and she barely relaxed this much in her sleep.
The weak glow of the fire, barely more than embers at that point, snuffed out, snatching away the only light that was countering the stars, and stealing away his view of Sabine's face.
More bright dots swam into view as his eyes adjusted back to the sky, stars shining brighter without the orange flame to contend with.
He could make out countless more stars now, in a band stretching across the sky.
The galaxy. The Empire. The Rebels. Trillions of beings. Beings with hopes and fears and dreams.
All in the view of one boy on Lothal.
The blue-haired boy gazed up into the stars, savouring the moment until the stars faded from existence, and he fell to sleep.
Ezra woke up, vision slowly focusing on the ceiling above as he blinked, clearing the sleep dust from his eyes.
Cracked instacrete stared back at him, holding none of the vast wonder that Lothal's sky did and all of the painful reality that the majestic night hid.
Below, he could hear the gentle, watery snores of the selkath, and the muted breaths of his other temporary roommates.
A gentle beeping rang out from his datapad, and he huffed in disappointment as the final fleeting tingles of contentment fled his body.
Just a dream
Notes:
This is literally something I rustled up when I was in a particular mood (might've been drunk too, not sure though) because I felt guilty and because I have bad news.
I lost pretty much everything from the computer. Nothing was salvaged from the hard drive (and I can't afford to get it picked apart in a sterile environment by proper experts). So, I have almost nothing from this series, or my own personal series, or anything else. I remember almost exactly what I had planned, but it's hugely inconvinient because I don't have it all mapped out on my computer, with many details that I can't quite recall now.
I'm also going through some weird, very stressful times too, which is why I haven't been working much on this either. I haven't forgotten, just haven't worked on it much. Sorry.
This wasn't the chapter I'd planned on posting (but that's not quite complete. Trying to write it all out from scratch is time-consuming. Especially as I keep adding new bits to it, and removing others). The next will come out some time, but not sure when. Hopefully before Christmas, probably before the New Year.
Anyways, enough of that. Some brief Q&A and I'll be off.
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Nathan: Glad to your story is still going, take your time, we'll still be here. I'd much rather have a well-done story than a rush job.
Me: Thanks! I hope the story is well-done enough for you haha.
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Sleepless-Actual: Yes, you certainly are. But lucky for you, I am still craving a continuation to that boiling conflict between Ezra and Sabine. Good luck, we'll be here.
Me: Oh good. Thanks for still following!
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Professor Etcetera: Good to know you're still alive. And don't worry, I myself have fallen victim to slow updates for my own story, so I understand. You do you.
Me: I'm sorry to hear that you have. I suppose it hits every writer at some point. Thanks for sticking around!
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FR0ST16: It's pretty common to have to wait a while for story updates. I completely understand your position since I've been slow on all my stories as well. I still look forward to any and all updates in the future, no matter how long it takes.
Me: I know. Still, I thought I wouldn't be this slow haha. Thanks for remaining, and sorry to hear that too.
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Guest: Good to see your still there, it gives me hope to see someday a next chapter.
Me: Here's a new one! Thanks for not giving up on the story!
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