Tanus stood outside on his balcony, watching in the far off distance as Tadath’s cities burst to life; it was the early morning, and Tanus liked to wake up and get in an early workout. He put on his running suit and shoes and walked outside. The lights were still on, and they nearly blinded him. He walked outside to the trails and picked a random one; he had run them all already. He put in his music player and started to run. It was barely morning; the sun was just starting to rise through the trees. In retrospect, Tanus thought about just taking a seat down on the hill. He’d do it at the end of his run. He made a left towards a tree and leapt over some underbrush as he made his way towards a cliff outcropping facing a valley below.
Tanus marveled at its beauty before sitting down and watched as the sun rose. It was a spectacle of red, gold and orange is it outstretched over the valley below him, bathing it in an otherworldly glow. Tanus smiled; he had very little time to appreciate this kind of beauty. After sitting there for a few minutes, he got up and started to do his morning workout; it was nothing more than pushups and basic calisthenics. When he was done, he ran back to his apartment in the mechanized Stormtrooper division.
--- --- ---
When Tanus walked back to his door, he saw a small letter on his door. He took it off and walked inside. He turned on the caf machine and settled down on his hover-recliner and opened the letter. His eyes widened when he saw that his father was dying. Tanus’ hands started shaking not in sadness, but in anger. Tanus’ father had disowned him and written him out of the will hen he decided to leave the Onderonian Guard Academy for the Vast Empire. The only reason Tanus was so angry was that the possession he was promised as a birthright, his family’s vibrosword, was going to his cousin, who was nothing more than a two-bit thief and con artist who would sooner sell the sword for some drug money than save it for his own family, if he had any.
What made Tanus even angrier was that he had received a letter in the first place: Tanus knew that his father would not have accepted him back; it was too big of a blow when Tanus left. What the letter was doing was egging Tanus on. He crumpled up the letter and flung it across the room. He then went into his refresher to shower, but then he walked back and picked up the letter, unscrambling it and reading it over again, very carefully. Then a smile came across his face. He grabbed the letter tightly in his fist as he ran out of the room and into the hallway, sprinting towards the mess hall.
--- --- ---
Tanus stopped in the mess hall entrance, nearly sending two technicians’ meals flying through the air. Tanus apologized, allowing the techies to pass as he searched for him.
“C’mon, where the hell are you…?” Tanus said under his breath.
And then he found him: Leon was sitting at a table, enjoying what appeared to be toast and cereal. He ran over to the table and grabbed a seat, nearly launching Leon into the air.
“God, Tanus, what are you trying to do, give me a heart-attack?”
Tanus shook his head. “No, I’m not, but I want to you read this.”
Tanus handed Leon the letter, and he read it carefully. After a few minutes, which Tanus guessed Leon was using to analyze the note, he handed it back.
“So, you’re father is dying. I thought he disowned you any way. Why so interested in the inheritance?”
Tanus smiled. “Because I plan on getting it one way or another.”
Leon looked up at Tanus. “OK, what are you planning in that devious little mind of yours?”
Tanus looked up at Leon. “We’re going to rob my family deposit box and get the sword.”
Leon put down his spoon and went to get up. “OK, Tanus, it was nice knowing you…”
As he went to get up, Tanus grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his seat, nearly launching him across the table.
“Just sit down and hear my out, will you? Look, I know what we’re doing is
highly illegal, but I know in my gut that this is right. I know that I have to do this. Leon, can you honestly say you’ve lived if you haven’t taken all of the risks you can?”
Leon just stared at Tanus. “Tanus, we’re in the army of the Vast Empire. If what we’re taking aren’t risks, then please explain what are so I can get into that profession instead.”
Tanus nodded his head. “I know what you mean, Leon, I do, and I have thought about this. I know that I have to do this, at least for my family, if not for myself. I know that this is the right thing to do.”
Leon put up a hand to silence him. “All right, I get it. Now, I understand that you like acting noble, but please indulge my idol curiosity: what is so important about this damn sword that you are willing to risk your life and career over it?”
Tanus closed his eyes and looked back up at Leon. “Four millennia ago, that sword was used in the defense of Onderon from the Mandalorians during the first and final days of the Mandalorian Wars. My ancestors, who were some of the best fighters Onderon had during the war, used the sword and my family had a reputation as being some of the best swordfighters in the known galaxy. If that isn’t an excuse to have the sword, then explain to me what is.”
Leon just sat back and sighed, playing with his cereal, rolling over his spoon in the milk.
“Now I know what I’m about to agree to might be crazy and damn near suicidal, but I’ll help you. Now just tell me what I’ll be needing.”
Tanus nodded. “Not a whole lot: just some travel clothes and some light armor if anything. As for weapons, nothing large; maybe a pistol or a small rifle. We’ll leave tomorrow; I just have to make some preparations first.”
Leon just looked away. “Take your time. I’ll just be getting my final wishes in order then.”
Tanus nodded and left back towards his room, making that his reservations were taken care of and that he would be sure that he wouldn’t fail; too much was at stake, especially his honor, and he wasn’t about to take that lightly.
