*Writers Note: Story originally written as the history behind a fighter squadron's name. Based in the Star Wars universe.*
There two constants in the universe, suffering and hate. At this particular point and time in space the suffering and misery was nearly tangible. The three Denab Xr2 ships moved silently thru the expanse, traveling at the best speed their antiquated engines would permit. In its day, the Xr2 was a grand model top of the line armor and navigation, it made an inexpensive and efficient freighter for many spacers. They were replaced a few years later by Denab’s competitor ParrCo, and their far cheaper and faster DD9s, affectionately referred to as the ‘bloated durni’. The Xr2s fell out of favor quickly; several were bought up and converted for colony seeding and refugee transport. In this particular case, these Xr2s were serving a double duty.
On the lead ship the massive cargo bays that had served to haul terraforming equipment on the outward journey were packed with people. People oozing misery and suffering with every breath. Those that could sleep tried, while those that couldn’t tended to the wounded or sat in solace trying to come to grasp with the harsh reality their lives had become. Dreams of prosperity and a new life full of challenges and hope had turned overnight into a morbid collage of death and atrocity.
Morgan was strong, stronger than his old frame portrayed. He had lived a full life, taking on all those things that stood in his way. To look back on his life, one would not call him a warrior, or a great wise man, but rather a man who took not what fate offered but rather what destiny would permit. Recent events had taken a toll even on him, and he knew it. He had lost his wife a few years prior to illness and they didn’t have any children, but he lost a lot of friends in the attack. Friends who he had truly cared for, and accomplishments that couldn’t be replaced in his remaining years. He was angry, but pushed it away, it served no purpose at this time and place. Pulling aside his blanket, the only possession he retained anymore, he got up, put the blanket over his shoulder and went for a walk. His mind wandered as did his body and when he snapped out of his wandering he was in a small side compartment with a large transsteel window giving a view of the emptiness of space. The room itself was empty, which seemed odd to him at first, realizing a moment later that this was a room that would be one of the first to opened to space in an attack. The transsteel was not armor and it would be safer behind the heavy sealed door at the entrance. Morgan was about to turn around when he heard a muffled cry from one of the dark corners.
‘hello? Is someone in here?’
There was another muffled cry and Morgan located the corner it came from, he stepped closer and dropped to a knee. ‘Its alright, I won’t hurt you.’
A young girl came out of the corner, dressed in tattered clothes, clutching a half burned bantha doll. Her face red with tears. Morgan reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the young girls face.
‘My name is Morgan, what’s yours?’
Holding the bantha doll to her chest and shaking lightly she mumbled her response ‘Daro’
‘Daro, that’s a pretty name for a pretty girl. Are your parents around?’
‘no….. I haven’t seen them since…..’
‘It’s alright dear, who brought you on board?’
‘I *sniff* was visiting my aunt when we came on board…’
‘Tell you what Daro, we’ll check and see if we can find your parents in the morning, alright?’
‘*sniff* ok’
‘You should get some sleep too’ Morgan took the blanket off his shoulder and wrapped it around the young girl.
‘I can’t sleep without a story, mommy always tells me a story’
Morgan thought for a moment ‘alright, I’ll tell you a story if you promise to go to sleep afterwards’
Daro meekly nodded her head in agreement.
Morgan led her to the window where they sat on the floor and looked out into space, a giant red nebula passing into view in the distance.
‘Many many centuries ago, before the great republic was founded, there was a group of ships much like these, full of people just like us. Refugees, forced from their homes by war and hatred, they fled in the ships they had to the safety of a peaceful area in which they could pick up their lives and try again.
Their ships were slow and old, not capable of hyperdrive on their own and relied on hyperspace jump points. Problem with jump points is the space between them, you come out of a jump point and you have to cross a large distance of space to the next one. This group of refugees and their ships came out of a jump point and began the journey to the next jump point. The journey to the next point was a good day or so away.
Well, about halfway there they passed close to an asteroid field. In this asteroid field, pirates lay waiting for them. The refugees had little in the way of credits or treasure, but these were slavers and the refugees were the treasure. The pirate ships were newer and faster and the refugee’s ships had no chance against them. It only took two passes for the pirates to disable the engines on all five refugee ships. These refugee ships had no weapons, no way to defend themselves and the nearest help was at least a day away.
The pirate ships circled around the refugee ships and threatened to blast any ship that resisted into pieces. Panic began to spread across the ships as people tried to hide loved ones or take their own lives rather than endure a life as a slave. It was then, a small girl on the third ship, standing by a window much like this one, pointed into the void and yelled. Those nearby looked out the window in awe and wonder at the sight they saw. From the darkness of space itself these creatures appeared. Long and thin with a large green eye they swarmed around the refugee ships, and attacked the pirate vessels. Their skin seemed to be transparent, you could see stars thru them. The pirate ships tried to shoot them but these creatures moved to fast for them, one of the ships tried to fire upon one of the refugee ships but a creature moved into the path of the blast and wasn’t hurt. When the creatures first appeared they seemed to be protecting the refugee ships, but when the one was actually hit by a laser bolt they seemed to get very angry. Their green eyes became a bright piercing red. They swarmed the pirate ships, you could no longer see the ships themselves under the pile of creatures upon them.
Within a few minutes it was over. The red eyes were green again and the circled around the refugee ships and disappeared back into the darkness. The refugee ships sent out a distress call and waited for help. For three days they sat and waited, occasionally catching a glimpse of a creature nearby standing guard over them. When help finally arrived the creatures seemed to be gone.
The refugees recounted their tale to all those that would listen. Word spread as others told similar tales from all over the galaxy. Gauschauks they were called, creatures of the darkness that protect the innocent from harm. They are the guardian spirits of refugees and woe be to they who anger them. And they are out there, watching over us.’
Morgan looked down to the little girl, but she was fast asleep. He picked her in his arms and looked out the window at the giant nebula in the distance, hoping for a glance of something. Seeing nothing he turned and set off to find the parents to go with the child in his arms.
Had Morgan waited a moment longer he would have seen a heavily camouflaged b-wing in the distance mostly hidden from all but the keenest of eyes against the nebula. It dipped for a moment then moved back to the backdrop of blackness.