Today’s tale is not so much about a person, but a thing, and the hundreds of people chasing that thing. No, this is not a tale about the grand prizes for ticket collection at the Festival. This is about quite possibly the largest game of hide and go seek the galaxy has ever seen.
The tale of the Purple Balloon
At approximately 19:00 local time on Day 260, the public alert system sounded an urgent alarm across the entirety of the city hosting the Galaxy Fest. Every attendee heard the blaring speakers announce the latest event. A one of a kind purple balloon had been released into the city. Officials requested that this balloon be captured and popped. The person bringing back the popped purple balloon would earn a reward. No details on the exact nature of the reward were given, but the rumors spread like wildfire.
As soon as the announcement was made, a massive queue formed at the ticket redemption vendor in the city. Because balloons can fly, every sentient needed to ensure they had a jetpack to soar into the sky and try to claim their prize. In response to the overwhelming demand, additional pallets of jetpack crates had to be wheeled out of the warehouse no less than three times in order to try to meet the demand. The queue itself stretched so far that foot and vehicle traffic was clogged across the city for some time. Even the alarmingly effective Festival shuttles had trouble navigating the crowds to maintain their timely arrivals.
However, Chairman Fy of Shili Free Press was not so distracted by the crowds. As soon as the announcement was made, his keen Togrutan eyesight spotted the balloon floating near to the ground between the warehouse district and the hospital. He immediately mashed the controls on his hoversled. Setting a course for the balloon, he also flipped a hidden switch activating the jet pack thrusters mounted beneath the base. Travelling at a speed that threatened to shake the sled apart, his wild contraption was the first to reach the balloon as recorded by the on-board cameras attached to his ride. He flung himself off the sled onto the balloon and attempted to use his considerable mass to pop the balloon against the ground. The amethyst airbag managed to slip out from under him, no doubt aided by his clothing being covered in a fried food greasy residue. The indigo inflatable careened off into the sky at an alarming speed.
After his abject failure, he pulled up his camera system's recording of the balloon and reviewed the footage to determine the exact nature of the balloon. Lahasa wondered why its destruction would be rewarded. Close analysis of the device appears to show that this balloon is in fact a piece of somewhat advanced technology produced at the nearby factory. At the balloon's stem, instead of a simple plug and string, is a computerized module with a set of fans that can regulate the internal inflation of the device. In addition, there appear to be proximity sensors that, when triggered, appear to cause the fans to provide some unpredictable defensive dodging capability.
We presented our findings to the local constable who ordered the dirigible’s destruction and asked him to provide additional details on the task that had been set upon the attendees. He refused to answer our queries and even attempted to threaten Shili Free Press into handing over the recording. Storming off in a huff after failing to squash the evidence, the constable was heard muttering under his breath something about the press being the enemy of the state.
Needless to say, the balloon appears to be a quizzical quarry. So far, every one of the attendees who have so far managed to corner the craft have failed to pop the zippy zeppelin. The list of those thwarted has included Sith and Jedi, Mandalorians and Wraiths, and just about every kind of skilled combatant in between. Perhaps, once the device's power supply runs out, someone might succeed where at least 142 individuals have failed on approximately 250 attempts to pop the balloon, so far.
