Tales of Enlightenment: New Prospects

## 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

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.