I was born on Dathomir, though I never knew it as home. My mother gave me away before I could even understand her face. I was traded like a possession delivered into the hands of a pirate. He brought me to Rattatak, a world of endless war. There, I was nothing, only an orphan, a slave bound by chains.
On Rattatak, survival was the only law. I learned quickly that mercy had no place among the warlords and scavengers. Every scar on my skin was a lesson carved by fire and blood. I hated the weakness inside me, but I had no one to teach me strength until he came. Ky Narec. A Jedi who had fallen to this savage world. He saw something in me that no one else did. He saw a potential in me, different from the ones that abandon me. He gave me a weapon, a purpose, and for the first time in my life hope.
Under his guidance, I discovered the Force. It whispered to me, called to my anger, but also steadied my hand. For years I fought at his side, striking down warlords and bandits. Together, we tried to bring order to Rattatak. He was my teacher, my protector. But this galaxy doesn't allow light to last. They killed him. They tore him from me, as everything else had been torn before and the only thing that I felt was rage, unprecedent rage, at their killers, at myself and at him for leaving me behind like all others.
By the time I was seventeen, I was no longer a child. The fires of Rattatak had burned away whatever innocence I had left. I was forged into a weapon, shaped by loss, sharpened by rage, and driven by the hunger to never be powerless again.
But then they appeared—men in strange garments, on strange ships, wielding a power like nothing I had ever seen before. To them it did not matter if you were a warlord or a smuggler; there was only one law: serve or die. Yet, I also saw compassion—towards slaves and the innocent—and trust among themselves, unlike other soldiers who served under warlords and betrayed each other at the first chance. But as time went on, it became clear that these soldiers were searching for something—or someone—and they would not leave the planet until they found it.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, yet these outsiders did not depart. Many people began to benefit—or take advantage—of their presence. They distributed free food once a day, every day. At first, it was seen with suspicion, but soon it turned into a demand from the people. Some asked for more, while others settled for what was given. One day those demands turned into protests, and eventually into a march toward their base. From a distance, I saw how the outsiders first tried to disperse them peacefully with warnings such as This is a military zone, disperse or This area is restricted, step away. But instead of obeying, the crowd grew violent—the only language this cursed planet knows. The soldiers responded in kind, opening fire on the mob, uncaring of who fell. Three days later, several of the instigators were hanged on the walls of their fortress—a silent but brutal message: We are not here for you.
It was soon after that I learned these soldiers were taking people off-world—mainly freed slaves or former slaves. How they knew who had once been enslaved, I do not know, though in some cases it was obvious from brands or trackers. That was when I realized: here lay my passport out of this wretched planet. What came after could wait.
Transport always occurred on the fourth day of the week, at any of the refugee camps that had formed around their base. But the number of refugees was too great to evacuate all, so they chose at random from those present. For this reason, I moved from camp to camp until finally, after three weeks, I encountered the collection team in one of them.
They were selecting people to load into their strange vehicles. I approached the selection area, and one of them noticed me. He spoke with another man in a more formal uniform, who then pointed at me. Two soldiers approached.
"You have been chosen. Please come with us." That was all they said before escorting me to one of the nearby vehicles.
Once all the vehicles were loaded, they moved toward the base. After a series of checkpoints, we arrived. We disembarked and were divided into two lines, one for men and one for women. We were required to deposit our belongings into containers. To avoid suspicion, I left the lightsaber of my late master, Ky Narec, but the blade hidden in my boot remained with me. After surrendering our possessions, we were ordered to change clothes, wash, and then entered one of the buildings where the identification process began.
"Name.""Seris Dane." After registering it, they passed a laser over my arm—likely recording my identification."Next."
And so began several months of my time there. They fed us, told us their history, spoke of the marvels of their planet and capital. Those who wished could work at the base in non-essential jobs. Until one afternoon, an officer approached me, saying his superior wanted to see me immediately. Escorted by soldiers, I was brought aboard a shuttle that took off, heading for an enormous ship. Upon landing, I was escorted into a spacious chamber, furnished only with two holo-tables and several chairs.
The chamber was empty except for a woman with blue skin and red eyes, wearing an even more ornate uniform than the officer who had escorted me. The guards at the door were unlike any I had seen before.
"Come in, Seris Dane, if I am not mistaken.""No, you are not.""Good. Because at this moment, Seris, someone very important wishes to meet you in person. So, make yourself comfortable while we arrive at Arx Lumina."
She left with her guards, save for two who remained at the door. With no alternative, I went along with it, waiting at least for a clear chance to escape. But that escape never came. When we reached Arx Lumina, I was taken to a building—no, a palace. After disembarking the shuttle, I was escorted by the same kind of guards who had protected the blue-skinned woman. There, in the gardens of this vast palace, I met him: the leader behind everything I had seen thus far. Yet still, I did not lower my guard. When the guards departed and he claimed to know my true identity, I attacked. Perhaps this was my chance to escape—to be free. But contrary to what I expected, the man disarmed me swiftly, released me, and spoke briefly. Then he introduced me to four women who entered the garden through a side door, assigning my supervision to the Mirialan, Candara. For some strange reason, she and the other three radiated a great sense of danger.
What I thought would be another period of captivity instead became a guided life across the planet. Nothing was forbidden to me, and everything I asked for was granted—except the return of my master's lightsaber. I was told only: You will have it when you are ready. Ready for what, and by whose judgment?
Eventually, I gave up questioning. After six months, I was brought once again before Maximus. And it was then he asked the question that would change my life.
"Assajj, will you give me your strength, so that all you have seen may endure into the future?"
At that moment, I did not know it. But my answer would make me experience emotions far more extreme than anything I had ever known.
"Yes… for now."