A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a baby girl was born. They said that on the night of her birth, all the stars in the cosmos came down and blessed her with beauty and strength.

She was born to a wealthy family on the planet of Cato Neimoidia. They named her Shade, for the cool fingers of evening that she saw as she opened her eyes for the first time. From the beginning of her life, she was a remarkable child. She possessed strange, almost unnatural abilities. She could anticipate things before they happened; react and recover from incidents before anyone else had processed the situation. Her grey eyes, dark as a storm cloud, could perceive things that no one else would notice. She was sensitive, but strong. The strikingly chiseled lines of her face, boasting pale skin framed by a curtain of inky hair, drew attention early in life.

She was eight when it was decided that she was to travel to Corrusant, to be trained as a Jedi. She knew she would never forget that day in early autumn, as she stepped onto the spacecraft that would carry her across the galaxy, away from the only world she had ever known. An attendant had seen to her luggage, and she stood at the window, watching the faces of her mother and father slip away from her forever.

I must be brave. I shall be brave. I am brave.

And so, not a single tear did she cry. Turning away from the fading vista of Cato Neimoidia, she set her small, fierce face toward the future.

*Two Years Later*

"Avrin!"

Shade's eyes flew up. Two years into her Jedi training, and she was only now learning to respond promptly to her surname.

"Please, concentrate."

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Sorry, what?" Her instructor, Aayla Secura, a leading member of the Jedi council, glared at her out of her blue face.

"Sorry, master," Shade replied in a clipped tone. The small city she'd been building mid-air out of pencils, marbles and blocks came tumbling down as she broke her concentration.

Feeling the heat of Aayla's gaze still on her, Shade looked up expectantly.

"Would you care to answer the question, Avrin?"

"What…question?"

Aayla began to pace, biting back curses as she repeated her previous question.

"I asked you if you could please explain to the class the function of midi-chlorians, and how a Jedi can maximize their effects."

Shade took a deep breath. "Midi-chlorians are necessary for life to exist. They allow for a connection with the Force. In sufficient numbers, midi-chlorians can allow their symbiotic organism to detect the Force, and this connection can be strengthened by quieting one's mind."

The textbook answer was drilled into their minds every single morning at breakfast.

Aayla, at least, seemed pleased with her response. She nodded once, tersely, before dismissing the class for the day. On her way out the door, however, Shade was stopped by her Master's hand on her arm.

"Avrin, you are to come with me to the Council Chambers."

Shade groaned before she could stop herself. "What did I do this time?"

Aayla bit her lip, and Shade absently wondered if she was trying not to smile. No, surely not. Shade couldn't remember ever having seen the Jedi smile.

"You didn't do anything, Avrin, but the Council has reached a decision and must speak with you about it."

Obediently, Shade turned and followed Aayla out the door and through the echoing marble halls of the Jedi Temple, her home for the past two years. It was silent, cold and empty, but it was that way for a purpose. It was said that the loneliness of the building promoted self-reflection and meditation, creating a stronger connection with the Force. Shade didn't particularly care about that; she was already way ahead of everyone else in her classes. All she knew was that since she had arrived, an emptiness had been building inside of her, an emptiness to rival the silent expanses of the Temple.

Attachment is forbidden.

Possession is forbidden.

Clear your mind.

Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

The only problem was, she didn't have anything left to let go of. She was empty-handed. But in that emptiness, she was fearless. Reckless, even. Her training scores were miles ahead of any of the other Padawans because she was near to careless with her own life. She took risks in simulation tests that the others wouldn't even consider. She was strong, she was young, and she was learning quickly. Therefore, she had the distinct impression that she was a threat.

The doors to the Council Chambers slid open with a slight hiss ahead of them. Aayla walked ahead of her and took her seat in the circle of Jedi Masters gathered there. Shade automatically walked to the small circle that marked the middle of the room as the door shut behind her.

Mace Windu faced her, his eyes hard and unreadable. His gaze had unnerved her when she had first arrived, but now she stood still, unmoving as he examined her, her stormy eyes meeting his cold ones defiantly.

At last, he leaned back in his chair.

"Shade Avrin," he said, "it has come to our attention that you possess an unusual amount of skill for someone so young. You learn quickly; you show a prodigious level of ability. And yet, we are also aware that you are a distinct risk to the other Padawans who study with you. You are reckless. You take chances that perhaps you would not consider so lightly were you actually in a field of combat, and not in a simulation chamber. You are too bold."

"I was told when I came here that I must be fearless," she replied in an even tone.

"Yes. Fearless." Mace leaned forward in his chair. "Not wild, impulsive, and uncontrolled."

"What then would you have me do, Master?" she hoped that he didn't hear the bite in her voice as she referred to him by the title of respect.

"You are no longer to train with the classes," he replied. "You are to be apprenticed to a Jedi Master. We have just received word that Qui-Gon Jinn has been killed in combat on Naboo. His former Apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been given the rank of Master recently. Obi-Wan is young, but he is a skilled Jedi. He knows everything that you will need to be taught. He is to be your Master. He returns to Corrusant tomorrow. We will call you back here and you will meet him then."

Shade's mind was swirling, but she managed to mutter, "Yes, Master."

She was then dismissed, and wandered back to her small room on the other side of the Temple while thoughts flew through her mind at the speed of light. It was highly unusual for a Padawan to become an Apprentice before the age of thirteen or fourteen. She should feel euphoric, she should feel triumphant, but all she felt was…nothing. That gaping hole in her heart refused to allow emotions to overcome her. She had been well trained.

Perhaps anticipation and pleasure could not take hold of her, but that night she lay awake until the moon cast silvery shadows on the floor, pondering the coming of her new Master.