A Life Day Story - Advent Calendar

Day 1:

Lira Noel and her trusty astromech J4-NG ("Jangle") 

This Life Day story begins aboard the the Starbright, a ship owned by life day enthusiast and self-described "galactic philanthropist" Lira Noel...

The cockpit of the Starbright hummed softly with the sound of the engines and the ancient heating system. Lira sat at the pilot's chair, leaning back with an air of quiet vigilance. She wore a festive red scarf over her long dress, protecting against the perpetual chill of the ship’s cabin. Travelling at this time of year was lonely, but the mission always came first. Besides she needed to keep the ship running through the winter - it might have been in a poor state but she feared that if she left it at some spaceport for too long it might never take off again. 

A soft series of beeps and whistles broke the silence as her astromech droid, J4-NG—or "Jangle" as she called him—rolled into the cockpit, his bright light glinting in the dim cockpit.

“Jangle, you’d better not tell me something’s broken again,” Lira said, glancing at him with a faint smirk. “We’re barely holding together as it is.”

Jangle chirped indignantly, spinning his dome and projecting a small holo-display of their current trajectory.

“Oh, relax,” Lira replied, waving a hand. “I know we’re on course. You just like to make yourself useful, don’t you? Now settle in, Jangle. It’s going to be a long ride.”

The Starbright pressed on through the void, a lone spark of light in the vastness of space.

 

Day 2: 

The "Cargo hold" of the Starbright and the Life Day Orb

The Starbright continued on its journey, its engines a steady hum against the quiet vastness of space. Lira double-checked the readouts to ensure the ship was on course, then stretched, rolling her shoulders. Everything seemed fine—for now. She decided it was time to check on the cargo.

The ship’s makeshift cargo hold was cramped and cluttered, a maze of stacked crates, half-repaired tools and festive presents. Lira pulled up the ship's manifest, a flickering holo-projection that illuminated her face as she scanned the long list of items. Her lips pressed into a thin line. The mess could wait for another day, right now her focus was on the mission.

Her gaze shifted to the far side of the hold, where her purpose for this trip sat perched precariously on the edge of a worktop. Even to someone less enchanted by Life Day than Lira, the symbolism of the object was unmistakable.

It was a Life Day orb.

But not just any Life Day orb. This was an artefact of great significance—one of the legendary orbs gifted to the Jedi by the Wookiees of Kashyyyk. At least, that’s what the smuggler from whom she had perched it suggested, he seemed reputable though it was difficult to know how many treasure hunters, smugglers and merchants had passed on the object before it made its way to Lira. It was said that Master Yoda himself had received the orb long ago, a token of goodwill in recognition of his good relations with the Wookiees.

The fall of the Empire had led to the rediscovery of many such treasures—stolen relics and personal effects liberated from imperial vaults. Most had been sold to the highest bidder, creating elaborate collections for a shady elite. Somehow, in what might only be described as a Life Day miracle this particular orb had found its way to Lira. And now, she had a responsibility to see it returned to its rightful place.

Her fingers brushed the edge of the table as she studied the orb. Even in the dim hold, it radiated a soft, warm glow that seemed to push back the ship’s gloom.

Lira’s thoughts were interrupted by a burst of cheerful chirping as Jangle burst into the cargo hold. The little droid’s dome rotated as he whistled a lively tune. Maybe he was pleased with the journey's progress, maybe it was festive spirit, honestly Lira didn't know why her droid companion seemed quite so cheerful.

“All right, Jangle,” Lira said with a faint smile. “I’m coming. Let’s get back to the cockpit.”

As she followed the droid out of the hold, she cast one last glance at the Life Day orb. The sooner she got it to her Wookiee contact, the better. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease, it would be good to return it to its rightful owners and then be able to relax and enjoy the Life Day festivities. Back in the cockpit, Lira settled into her chair and gazed out at the stars. The Starbright pressed on, a lone spark of light in the vastness of space.

In the cargo hold, the Life Day orb pulsed faintly, its glow illuminating the shadows with quiet defiance.

But the shadows were closing in...

 

Day 3:

Agent Krampus of the Imperial Remnants

The Starbright continued on its course. Travelling sub-light was slow but necessary with this precious cargo unfortunately. Lira sat in the cockpit, sipping a steaming cup of caf she had warmed on the rickety galley’s old heating coil. She stared into the seemingly endless expanse of space ahead, letting her mind wander, when a loud blaring alarm jolted her from her thoughts.

Lira shot up, nearly spilling her caf as she placed the mug on the dashboard and reached for the controls. A blinking light showed something was closing in fast—too fast for her comfort.

“Jangle, report!” she shouted, a sense of urgency and panic in her voice.

The astromech droid whirred into action, spinning his dome as his projector emitted a hologram of the ship’s immediate surroundings. An imperial ship was bearing down on them.

“Oh, stars…” Lira muttered, her hand darting to the comm panel. She tried to activate the ship’s jammer, but before she could finish, a deep, mechanical voice crackled through the comms.

“This is Agent Krampus of the Imperial Remnant.” The voice was cold and deliberate. “Power down your vessel and prepare to be boarded. Resistance will not be tolerated.”

Lira’s stomach turned. She had heard stories of Krampus—whispers of a cruel imperial who saw even the slightest festivity as a threat to the Imperial order.

“Great,” she muttered under her breath. Turning to Jangle, she said, “Get to the cargo hold. Secure the package. Now.”

The droid beeped nervously but obeyed, rolling off at full speed.

Lira gripped the controls and began to punch in evasive maneuvers. The Starbright wasn’t made for combat or speed and the result was as expected.

Within moments, the entire vessel shuddered violently as a magnetic lock latched onto the ship’s hull. The cockpit lights flickered, and Lira swore under her breath.

A second alarm blared. The boarding clamps had attached, and the airlock systems were being overridden.

“Stang,” Lira hissed, grabbing a small blaster from under the pilot’s seat. She stood, her breath steadying as she prepared for the inevitable.

The hiss of the airlock doors opening echoed through the ship. Heavy boots clanged against the metal floor as several figures stepped aboard. Lira crept toward the corridor, keeping herself pressed against the wall, her blaster held tight.

A dark imposing figure appeared through the door. He was as tall a Gotal as Lira had ever seen and had a menacing smile on his face. Behind him came a number of troopers dressed in snow-white armour

“Spread out,” Krampus commanded, his voice a low growl. “Find the cargo.”

“Lira Noel” he growled. “You have something that belongs to me. I’ll ask you nicely once more to give it to me. Refuse and you’ll be on the Remnant’s naughty list for many rotations to come”

Lira winced. What was it with Imperials and their theatrics? She tightened her grip on the blaster. Her eyes toward the corridor leading to the cargo hold. Jangle needed time to secure the orb, and she needed to buy it for him…

 

Day 4:

Agent Krampus’ weapon rack 

Despite Lira’s best efforts, Krampus soon proved too much for her and jangle and they found themselves captured, with the precious life day orb now in Krampus’ possession. 

The imperial agent’s wrath against the festive season did not stop there however. He seemed determined to hunt down all of those involved in taking this artefact from the empire, treating any attempt to spread festive joy as an insult. Between imperial remnant databases and now Lira’s ship log he had the information for his next target…

 

 

So it's been a while but thought I'd try and get back into things. Aware this isn't formatted properly yet (still in the process of finding a faction) but obviously the timing of this little project is pretty specific. Inspired by things I'd seen people in other lego RPG's do, I thought I'd make an advent calendar of original characters/scenes/builds and hopefully should add a little something each day to make a bit of a wider story. The builds on this won't be anything particularly special as they are in keeping roughly with lego advent calendars (and currently have access to only a fraction of my parts whilst at uni) but probably some larger builds alongside this if I get the time over the festive season. Anyways hope you enjoy!