Four years can lead to a lot of stress (Datalogs of Shawn Withers)

[Shawn Withers]

Entry One
Two Days after Fathers death

Living in the hutt I have called home since birth without my father doesn't help. Hes no longer here. After leaving his body at the station with only the gear I could carry put a heavy burden on me. I just... I couldn't take him with me. I'm not strong enough to carry his body only for me to hide it beneath the ground. Covering up all that he was. I wanted him to live on. Now he cant. I had to live without him. Since some knew that he was the one who lived on the forest floor, it has begun to get loud. People looking for his place. Trying to get his mythed goldmine. He had told me that he told stories of locals of a treasure down on Endor. Even I had no clue what it was. That was until I started looking myself.

I found it. Not very difficult to find. He left clues for me. Never letting me touch his sword, I then looked at the wire wrapped hilt. Discovering that the wire could be taken off. And after an hour of poking myself and taking the damned thing off, I found words that would forever remind me of him.

"A treasure of the heart, are those you love the most."

I started to well up. Turning the blade over to see the other side of the hilt. Finding a continuation of the words. Engraved long ago.

"You are the Treasure I speak of."

I was the treasure of Endor. His treasure. His love. I began to cry. This was only the beginning.

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It's been two days. I recorded that right when I got home. It was hard. And I was right. It was just starting to become more difficult as the days went by. Every second seemed to last an eternity. Even more so when the hunters of this treasure, found where this hut is. As you can see, I am somewhere else in this forest. That's because I lost the Hut.

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I moved through the Hut. The hunters of this treasure found the hut. While I was still there. They discovered me there, and tried to bait me out. Saying they weren't going to hurt me. Over the span of a few hours, they finally resorted to violence in the form of fire. They used flaming bottles of alchol and flamethrowers to start burning the house and the forest around it. I escaped the back door which they didn't know of. I ran with what I had.

The forest was burning. Everything was smoking and producing more flames. Burning everything to the ground. I ran. I wasn't going to be able to fight all of these people. I strung my bow with an arrow, and ran. Keeping to the shadows and running through smoke to hide myself. I had to hold my breath or breath out when I was running through them for a second, which is more difficult than it seems. I heard gunfire with someone shouting that I was running.

I sprinted. Not caring about the gunfire. I got shot in the arm, and once in the sole of my boot. I took cover behind a tree to see a savage burn mark on my arm. Ripping a portion of my jacket off, I wrapped it around the burn quickly and through the pain. Trying to not make it any worse. Looks like running was a bad Idea.

Pulling my bow back, I then turned just enough to see the first guy. In a second I pulled my bow up and fired. Sending the arrow into the center of the man's chest. He was sent back flying by the force of a bow. He then groaned in pain as the arrow was deep enough in his chest to be lethal, but I missed his heart. Damn.

They started firing, and when a lull in the firing came, I rolled to the left and up to my feet where I jumped over a fallen tree as blaster shots zoomed over my head. I crouched down, and from under the tree, fired with a very small window to hit a second man. Impaling through his neck and into a tree he was using as a backstop.

I then stood and ran as fast as I could. Not looking back as the men scrambled about the "spirit woman with a bow."

 

[Shawn Withers]

Entry Two
Five days after Fathers Death
Three days after Hut burned down

I had been running for three days now. Surviving against the odds. Killing creatures, and anything that stood in my way. A few bounty hunters were trying to hunt me. After going to the surface, The treetops where I could listen to the rumors spreading like wild fire. That this "Ghost with a bow" had powers to grant to whomever caught her. I smiled at that fact. I don't see how a 20 year old woman like myself could be sought out as a ghost. But my entire outlook changed when I asked the bartender about it.

"I think its funny. Though, one particular bounty hunter doesn't think so."
"Who and why?"
"Alaxan. Some Mando who is making a team out of these mercs and hunters. Gonna make a hell of a ruckus."
"Where would they be? If someone were to... possibly think of joining?"
"Right behind you."

Looking at the men there, One of the heavily armored mean was easily this Mandalorian. Carrying a sword, a rifle, an assortment of hand blasters. I didn't feel like fighting him at all. Everyone around him either feared, or looked up to him. And that was scary. I got up and left the bar. Returning to my little makeshift home in a cave. Sitting down my gear, I had to find a way to either escape, or fight back. And I was doing that, I could hear a loud roar sound all of a sudden.

I looked out of the little peep hole in the cave to see speeders rushing by. All geared men who were on the hunt for me. They were just outside my cave. And the armored man, Axle? I don't remember now came off and walked a few steps before yelling out into the forest.

"Ghost of the Endor forest! I call you out! Show yourself and we will fight. One on one. If I win, I claim your powers. If I lose, I will leave."

This was going to be a long night.

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I woke with a start. Yelling and the sound of a child screaming. I got up to look through the peep hole once more. Seeing the armored man lifting up a child by their hair. Long hair. In front of a fire and was laughing as the child tried to fight back. They found the child likely going through their stuff as it followed them down here. trying to find a way to survive. Like I was.

I... I couldn't do this. I can't.

In an instant I made a decision. I stood up and rushed out of my cave. Using the shadows to hide. Getting close to the camp. I just started to feel the pain of the child. A little girl that was shoved into one of the tents as I got close. And from the sounds alone, I knew what the mercs were doing. Overpowering the child and taking advantage of her innocence. This wasn't going to fly. I had almost been in that situation before. I knew how scary it was. And I wouldn't let it happen to this one. I crouched and almost ran forward without making any noises. So close that I even got to one of the three fires they had set up.

I looked around, and took action. Taking a sachel that had been lying on the ground, I ripped off the strap. Wrapping it around the arrow, and dipped it in the fire. Letting it begin to burn. I took careful aim. And drew back the bow. Feeling the fire so close to my hand. The blistering heat hurting for the few seconds I held it there. Compensating for the distance between myself and the tent, as well as the weight of the arrow, I released it. Watching the yellow flame float high into the air, and then back down onto the tent. Almost instantly the tent was aflame. The man rushing out with the child running. Scrambling for the darkness in which to hide in. I rushed after the child. Letting their encampment vanish behind me as I could hear screams behind me.

"Its the Ghost!"
"Where is that whore!"
"She was over there."
​"Find the child, find the ghost!"

I had to keep running. There was no stopping now. It was either find the child and rescue her, or run and let her die in the forest. She was too young to survive on her own like I could. Albeit I have only done so for about five days, I knew HOW to survive. She did not. I kept running behind the child when I caught her. Flinging my bow to the ground, I tackled her to the ground. She tried fighting back when I turned her around, pressed my body weight down on her, and covered her mouth with my hand, and my other one clutching her shoulder to the ground.

"Shhhhh. Silent. I'm helping you."

The child tried to fight back for a bit when I shook her for a second. Saying the words over again. She slowed and when her young beady eyes looked up at me, I nodded my head. Letting her know it was okay. I then began to speak once more.

"When I let go, you are going to follow my every direction if you want to get out of this."

She nodded her head, and then with a slow release of her, she got up and looked around. Picking up my bow that I had thrown down to catch her, I then motioned for her to follow me. She did, and we moved around the camp. Trying our best to be silent. But as a kid, she was bumbling around like an animal with a broken leg. I stopped and wrapped my bow around my chest. Motioning for her to get on my back, She followed with some caution. I then ran with the utmost silence. Breaking only a twig or two that would have been very hard to hear over the ruckus that had been the men fighting.

Stupid men. I rolled my eyes as we made it to my cave. I let her down on her feet, and then opened it and ushered her in. The child was tired, and almost fell from exhaustion. I laid her on my bed. treated her wounds as she slept, and then curled on on the ground a few feet from her. Trying to sleep. unsuccessfully.

And it was going to be an even longer morning.