Tales of Enlightenment: New Prospects

"Tales of Enlightenment: New Prospects" is a short story set during the High Republic Era, written by George Mann, and the first part was published in Star Wars Insider 213 on September 13, 2022. The second part was published in Star Wars Insider 214 on October 25, 2022. It is part of the short story series The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment.
==Publisher's summary==
Jedi Temple adjunct Keth Cerepath meets a down-on-her-luck prospector who recounts her harrowing encounter with pirates that led her to Jedha.
==Plot summary==
===Part One - Star Wars Insider #213===
Keth Cerepath, an adjunct at the Temple of the Kyber in Jedha City, has finished another day of work. He is unsatisfied with his lot in life and longs for adventure, but for the moment contents himself with time spent at the tapbar Enlightenment. Arriving at the bar, he greets the Twinkle Sisters who guard the door and takes note of the establishment's regular staff; the owner, Kradon Minst, is talking to an unfamiliar human woman. Keth joins two other regulars, Moona and Piralli, explaining his lateness as having to tune his sarcastic droid, P3-7A, who is banned from the bar. Moona and Piralli rib Keth about his droid, before Chantho the bartender asks Keth what he'd like: retsa.
Keth asks who the newcomer is, and Piralli explains she's a prospector who washed up there after a job gone wrong, now being wrung for information by Kradon. In response, Keth notes that Enlightenment is busy tonight, something that will only increase if a planned festival goes ahead. Kradon interrupts, saying it will be good for business, and greets Keth before introducing the trio of regulars to Saretha von Beel, saying she's in need of work. Saretha adds that she also needs a drink, but Kradon explains she lost all of her money after an incident. Moona asks what happens, and Saretha explains that pirates, Jedi, and monsters were involved. Curious, Keth offers to pay for her drink if she tells the story.
After downing a glass of retsa, Saretha explains she was operating out of Batuu when she got jumped by pirates after a hyperspace jump. Upon waking up in a cell on the pirates' ship, she discovered a Jedi in the next cell. He reacted by stating their meeting was unfortunate, and that ownership of things was an ultimately temporary thing. Piralli comments that the Jedi sounds like Keth's peculiar droid, and Saretha explains a bit about the peculiar personality of Master Lee Harro, who was grumpy not because he was in the cell, but because he would have to escape it. Harro used the Force to retrieve his lightsaber and escape the cell, before leaving Saretha behind. Moona comments that she can believe a Jedi would do such a thing.
Saretha continues her story. Harro came back after defeating all of the pirates and locking them in the hold of their ship, and let her out, before escorting her back to her ship. Keth is confused about how the pirates could have captured Harro if he escaped so easily, and Saretha reveals that the Jedi had allowed the pirates to capture him, because they happened to be travelling in the same direction as he was and he needed a ride. Piralli is confused, and Saretha says that's just who Lee Harro is as a person. He had planned to venture to an Outer Rim planet called Vexos for research purposes, but lost his ship on Chardis, and "got in the way" of the pirates on Batuu to continue his journey. However, he had felt obligated to help Saretha.
Moona asks what happened next. Saretha explains that she felt responsible, and offered to take Harro to Vexos herself. What she did not expect, however, was that Vexos is full of enormous monsters, and Master Harro got both of them and her starship eaten by one of them. Keth is shocked, and Moona accuses Saretha of tugging her lekku. Saretha insists on the veracity of the story, and Keth asks how. The prospector responds that she's going to need another drink to tell the rest. Keth pretends to sigh and gestures to Chantho to top up Saretha's drink, thinking that his night is looking up.
===Part Two - Star Wars Insider #214===
Piralli being inebriated from blue mappa questions Saretha about her story believing that "You can't be eaten by a monster and then live to tell the tale." Saretha drinks her own retsa and asks Piralli if he's been up close to a monster. Piralli responds saying he hasn't and Saretha says that that's her point and looks over to Keth for support who is also taken back by the tale. Saretha adds that she will enlighten them and warns them that the rest of the story is not for the faint hearted. Kradon replies that the best stories aren't for them. Keth analyzes the room and finds that almost the entirety of the bar including the owner have found their way closer to Saretha interested in her tale.
Keth recaps her story saying that "after escaping the pirates, even though they'd stolen most of your credits, you took Jedi Knight Lee Harro to the planet he'd been trying to reach?" Saretha states that the planet Lee wanted to go to was Vexos and that he asked nicely and that what it was the right thing to do after he saved her and her ship. Moona believes that Lee played a mind trick on her but Saretha dismisses her saying "Harro isn't like that" and that she knows what she was doing. She didn't know what she was getting into though believing that there would be settlements on Vexos however the planet is entirely inhabited. Chantho refills Saretha's drink as she countines her story. Saretha describes the planet as full of stone cliffs, black rocks, and no civilization whatsoever. Saretha explains that Harro was there because his research has led him to believe a sect of Force-users used to live on the planet.
Moona questions her decision to follow Lee, but Saretha defends herself stating that she thought there could be relics or something that could cover what she lost. She would also feel bad if she left him there on a deserted planet. Saretha continues saying she followed Lee into one of the gullies, through the wilderness, and through the rain. Saretha described it as "a perfect hunting ground" and says that this is the point where they nearly got eaten by Strostodons. Saretha describes strostodons as giant birds with two legs and a beak. She continues her story saying that Lee was looking for the entrance of an old cave system when the pack of strostodons attacked them. Saretha tried to climb up the nearby vines but one of the birds caught her by the leg and she shows everyone at the bar the bandaged scar on her leg. Before she could lose her leg, Lee used his Jedi powers to control the strostodons and make them peaceful. Saretha wishes he had done that sooner as she pulls her pant legs down covering the scar. Lee made the strostodons leave but before they could move they heard a huge rumbling sound and the ground erupted.
A worm popped out and swallowed one of the strostodons before sinking back into the ground. Saretha, standing scared, looks at Lee who suggests they get swallowed by the worm to get in the caves. Lee explains to Saretha that the dozens of worms on the planet are parasites that block the caves. Piralli thinks that they should've killed the worm but Saretha explains that Jedi don't like hurting innocent creatures. Piralli thinks that Lee is insane and Saretha agrees. She explains that the worm is an appendage of a larger creature so she and Lee could use it as a tunnel and avoid the pools of acid before exiting through the worm. Saretha describes it as an unpleasant experience and she believes she still has a stink smell in her hair. Lee slowed their descent through the worm with the force and they passed by the strostodon being digested. As she's going down, she notices many other throat holes connecting to the same place and she believes the worm had grown from inside the rock. The two exit the worm into the cave system.
Saretha describes the cave as having signs of inhabitants, a few primitive paintings, the remains of old pots, and a small chunk of rock. Saretha seemed pretty underwhelmed but Lee was ecstatic, especially for the strange rock. Lee reveals more to Saretha that he was on a quest to venture out to the frontier to find new ways to learn about the force. Lee collects his research for a few more hours before the two make their way out through carved steps in the rocks. When they emerge, the pirates are waiting for them to get their revenge on Harro. Saretha closes her eyes and puts her hands up, but Lee starts to whistle.
The flock of strostodons suddenly burst through and went after the pirates. Keth asked what happened to the pirates. Saretha responds that "if they didn't end up as worm food, they're probably still there now." Harro took their ship and headed towards his new exploration while Saretha took her own ship and had barely enough fuel to get to Jedha. Saretha pulls a rock out of her pocket and reveals that Lee gave it to her as a souvenir. She wishes she could see him again but doubts she ever will. Keth asks for the rock from Saretha and after analyzing it, tells her that it's pure Kyber and it would easily pay for the repairs of her ship. Saretha comments that Lee probably knew what he was doing giving the rock to her. 
Saretha thanks Keth for the drinks and the small audience all move back towards their seats. Keth, Piralli, and Moona thank Saretha for the story. Saretha tosses the kyber into the air and comments that the next drinks are on her.
==Cover gallery==
File:NewProspects.jpg|Part one
File:NewProspects2.jpg|Part two
==Appearances==
==Collections==
*Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment
==Sources==
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*Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
==Notes and references==
Category:Star Wars Insider 213 articles
Category:Star Wars Insider 214 articles
Category:The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment