Elis came in to work that morning with a mix of pride, joy and apprehension. After years of research and development, advocating and lobbying, the time had finally come to plead their case in front of the Senate for a galactic energy transition. Arriving at floor 317, he gave a quick greeting to his colleagues and headed towards his lab. Elis was lean, rather tall and had deep green eyes that he directed towards the ground as he walked, shoulders bent. He could feel himself becoming increasingly nervous as his palms started to sweat. Reaching his lab, he was suddenly very grateful to be far away from the Senate floor, leaving the negotiations to the President of the Sustainable Future Coalition and the leaders of its main member organisations.
   As a botanist, Elis stayed far away from situations that required diplomatic skills, preferring to stick to his plants. He worked as a researcher for Energy Efficiency for Galactic Technologies or EEGT, a founding member of the Coalition. Primarily focused on examining biological processes relating to the collection, storage and use of energy, he closely collaborated with the engineering team to emulate some of these behaviours and characteristics in various types of batteries and machinery.
   EEGT products had already been on the market for several years, but generally more expensive than their fossil fuel counterparts, the uptake had been slow. Having a regulation to support the need to transition to more sustainable and efficient power sources would mean an increase in sales, maybe even funding, and limitless development opportunities. Not only was that exciting in terms of research possibilities, but what it mostly meant for Elis was that sentient beings of all shapes and sizes would be forced to pay a little more attention to the priceless gifts the galaxy was providing its billions of inhabitants.
   His deep appreciation and respect for nature and his desire to see it protected was the main reason why Elis had accepted the job with EEGT, despite it being on a planet entirely covered by a gigantic megalopolis. Needless to say, there weren’t many green spaces to retreat to on Coruscant, though he had been developing a personal indoor garden in his apartment.
   The session at the Senate had been scheduled for early afternoon, leaving Elis to pace around the room. He took a moment to try and enjoy the orange granola chia pudding he had grabbed on his way to the office. The sweet tangy combination seemed to be restoring some of his composure. Elis then started tending to his collection of plants, a ritual that he often reverted to when he needed a moment of quiet reflection. From the aquatic pom petal and the fragile crystal fern, to the leafy gillypod, plants from every corner of the galaxy had been transported to this lab. Unveiling only a glimpse of their secrets, they had already led to the most exciting discoveries.
   Reaching the tall asuka tree, Elis was suddenly thrown to the ground as a cascade of deafening explosions sent his ears ringing uncontrollably, threatening to blind him with the pain. In complete shock, his heart pounding frantically in his chest and his hands covering his ears, he barely had time to realise that he was on the floor when the entire building started to collapse. The ceiling above him crumbled, sending down large blocks of concrete that only barely avoided crushing him. Continuing to press his hands desperately over his aching ears, he crawled backwards through the dust and wreckage to take refuge under the tree. Curled up into a ball and frozen in place, Elis witnessed the destruction as more and more pieces of the building fell apart in front of him. The floor under him cracked, threatening to give in at any moment. Eyes wide with panic, he was forced to realise that he couldn't stay there. Mustering the little courage he had, Elis stood up, trying to gain balance despite the shaky ground and the trembling of his legs. He screamed and ran staggeringly for the door.
   He continued on as fast as he could towards the emergency staircase, jumping over large chunks of fallen debris and sprinting through the screams and pleas of once close colleagues and friends trapped or half crushed under shattered walls or equipment. Many of them were lying unmoving on the ground. Elis kept running, only thinking about the exit, not fully realising what was happening around him until someone grabbed his arm. It was Temo, the receptionist and kindest man he had ever met. He had been pinned down under his desk and was having trouble breathing, blood streaming down his forehead. Looking around at the chaos around him, Elis hesitated before staring back into Temo’s pleading eyes. He couldn’t just leave him. Ellis bent down to try and lift the desk off of his trapped colleague. It wasn’t budging. A few people still standing were making their way to the staircase.
   “Help us!” Elis yelled, close to tears. “We need help!” He tried again, his cries lost in the sounds of the panic and the breaking construction.
   He stared back at Temo and pushed with all his might at the unyielding desk, screaming in anguish. He was about to give up and collapse by his side when he felt someone next to him. The stranger pulled out a grappling hook and tied it to the desk, pulling it up just enough for Temo to slip out.
   “Follow me!” the stranger screamed, standing Temo up and placing one of his arms across his shoulders before leading them away from the emergency staircase that had by then become completely blocked.
   Despite the additional weight of the wounded receptionist, Elis had trouble keeping up with their saviour. As they made their way across the main corridor trying to find a way down, the eastern side of the building completely fell apart, sending the three companions sliding down walls almost six stories before they came to a hard stop.
   Elis’ entire body ached. He slowly rolled himself over, his head pounding. It took him a moment to see that his left arm was covered in blood, and a moment more to realise that it wasn’t his. Next to him, Temo was lying motionless, impaled through the chest with a large metal pole. Elis grabbed Temo’s face in his hands, screaming at him to get up, while the stranger staggered to his feet further away. More of the structure around them continued to fall. Reaching Ellis and grabbing him by the shoulders, the stranger pulled him away from Temo.
   “We can’t leave him! He’s not dead!” Elis screamed as the other continued to drag him away towards the edge of the building that was now fully open to the outside. Breaking free and turning around in a quick motion, Elis attempted a punch, which the stranger dodged with ease.
   “Look buddy, you want to stay here, fine! Makes no difference to me,” he shot back at Elis as he pulled out an ascension cable.
   Aiming the ascension gun at the opposite building, he took one last look at Elis who was staring at his fallen friend. “Well?” he said. Admitting that it was now or never, Elis grabbed hold of the stranger and they jumped off.

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