**“The Last of the Pre-Order Gang”**
In a galaxy not so far away, a small band of hopeful customers found themselves battling forces darker and more elusive than the Sith: Sky’s customer service. Anakin, once a great Jedi Knight, had now become a shadow of his former self—lost in a mire of unanswered questions, delayed shipments, and hollow promises. His strength was failing him, not because of some mighty foe, but from a struggle against silence and frustration.
Anakin had placed his order for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 256GB in pristine white, on the 18th. He had braced himself for a short wait, but this... this endless stretch of nothingness, was more than he’d ever endured in the heat of battle. It was as if the dark side itself had conspired to keep him trapped in a limbo between hope and despair.
Every day he’d join the others—the Pre-Order Gang—checking for updates, scrolling through endless comments of those lucky enough to receive their phones. It was hard to keep the bitterness at bay when others were receiving their DPD texts, but Anakin got nothing but emptiness. Each ping of his inbox only brought useless emails—reminders of deals he didn’t care about and promotions he didn’t want. His anger grew, a boiling rage simmering just below the surface.
"Stay true, you must," he’d hear Yoda whisper in his mind, but even that seemed distant and unreal. His grip on the light side was weakening as jealousy and frustration took hold. He knew if he wasn’t careful, his bitterness would pull him to the dark side. But how long could a Jedi wait? Even his meditation wasn’t enough to silence the fury building inside him. He had the phone case, the charger, and the accessories all laid out—like a shrine of hope mocking his patience. But still, no phone.
“I sense much fear in you,” whispered the dark voice of Darth Sidious, his laughter echoing in the recesses of Anakin’s mind. He’d brush it off, trying to focus on anything other than the fact that his order had gone nowhere. Yet, the dark side beckoned. It promised immediate results, a way to channel his pain and suffering. “Unleash your anger,” it whispered. “Turn it into power. Destroy them all for keeping you waiting.”
But Anakin tried to stay true. He shared his frustrations on the Pre-Order Gang page, finding some solace among others who suffered in this same purgatory. Jagb would offer words of encouragement, and Titchx3 would make a joke about everyone meeting up at Sky HQ like a resistance force. There was even talk of making t-shirts—“Pre-Order Gang”—to signify their unity in waiting. Only they would know the pain it symbolized.
The days blurred into nights, each one devoid of any news. He would stare at his empty phone case and wonder if this was the final straw, the moment he’d give in to his darker urges. He tried to remind himself that there were worse things in the universe than waiting for an iPhone… but the dark side whispered differently.
“Do it,” the voice inside said, growing louder. He imagined marching into Sky headquarters with a lightsaber, demanding answers, and then leaving a trail of smoldering chaos in his wake. He imagined tapping into that power, making the phones appear out of thin air with the force of his will. But he fought against it, knowing that once he crossed that line, he’d be lost forever.
“Perhaps,” he thought bitterly, “if I’d just given in to the dark side earlier, I’d have my phone by now.”
As more customers received their phones and left the Pre-Order Gang behind, Anakin remained. Still no updates. Still no texts. He felt the darkness inside him gnawing away, a ravenous beast eager to devour what remained of his patience. He was tempted to let it take over—to throw his case across the room, to cancel his order and go to the competitors. But he resisted. If there was anything left of the Jedi in him, it was the stubbornness to see things through.
The dark side might have been close, but Anakin wasn’t quite ready to give in. Not yet. He’d keep waiting, not for Sky, not for the iPhone, but for himself. To prove he could outlast this test. To show that, even against a faceless company that seemed more powerful than any Sith Lord, he wouldn’t break.
And so he waited, lightsaber in one hand, the empty phone case in the other—hoping that soon, very soon, he’d hear the sound of victory: the chime of a DPD text… and maybe, just maybe, a phone to finally fill the void.
