Haigia was just like most desert planets. Sure there was a bit of green to the north and south of the planet. Mostly grasslands, but for seventy percent of the planet it was all desert. Nearly all of its water was locked into the ice caps. For Jara that was so far away she couldn't imagine anything green, but for the few cacti that dotted the dessert. The planet and system was, over the millenia, a constant battle ground. It wasn't too odd to find a ship from the Mandelorian Wars discovered right next to the most resent crashed ship from the clone wars that ended not to long ago. Like many Jara was a scavenger. At the age of thirteen standard she was finally able to go out alone, but that was only because Tor thought she was a boy. It was survival to claim and act like a boy, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Tor or some other scavy figured out she was a girl. Then her options and freedom would vanish. She did have a few things going for her as she was as tall as most of the women she knew and about average to the boys her age. Another benefit was that she didn't look like the other girls, though it would be a negative as she wouldn't grow any facial hair in the next couple of years. Her legs were longer than all of the females as well.

However she was not exactly skinny, but thinner than the other boys. Her chest had just now began to develop, so she wasn't worried yet, but the local dress hid this fact well. Her yellow tan skin was like everyone else, though her eyes were more open, lacking the epicanthic fold the others had. Her hair was black like the boys and most of the females had brown. Her green eyes were unusual for her people as most had blue or gray. These differences made her different and would slowly turn into a problem soon enough however she acted like a boy and she had plenty of girls that liked her. Her athletic body hid enough strength that she could fight as well or better than most of the boys. She was faster than most of them and could jump farther in the heavier than standard gravity. She relied on speed and agility more than brute strength like the males did. Between the clothing, the desert environment, and the taboo in not showing skin other than your face and hands helped hid her further and allowed her to hid from Tor and his family. Her parents left one day three years ago and never came back alive. The one item she still had was their speeder, a Vectron Scavenger, that was recovered a month later. They tried to hide the blood, but without using precious water they didn't get rid of it all. Tor took her in never knowing she was not a boy. Her father's name was Doren and Tor's cousin. Her mother was from some other planet. Kialoa came from a planet covered in green and promised one day that they would all move back to that world. Jara had hoped that they would mysteriously come back and take her away from this planet and save her from being sold to another clan. She knew that it was only a matter of time. Though with now being able to go out solo she was planning to make enough to move to one of the cities in the farming area or maybe even the spaceport, Haggai.

Jara sighed as she scanned the horizon. The sun would soon set and already the twin moons were rising. It would be a good night to travel and she was still miles from the old walker that she and Tor's family used as a camp. He had just come in from a trip and it would be days before he went out again. She managed to avoid his drunken rage this time. She spotted another speeder in the distance and it was far enough that she couldn't see who it was though the red flag flying behind it signaled it was from the next clan over. Pilar Clan was a frequent stop when she went out with Tor. Being from the Dillar Clan there was at times shared finds and at other time conflict. She smiled as she thought of Gila. He was the only boy who knew she was a girl and she secretly wanted him to be her husband. Maybe she would offer to have him come with her after the next cook out. They could team up and cover a lot more ground and it wouldn't be noticed that they shouldn't be alone together. She fired the speeder up and took off towards the camp. The old walker was a welcome sight as she came over the next rise. As she was taught she did a full circle around it and slowly spiraled in. It would be rare, but sometimes there would be another scavy there. It would be fine if it was a Pilar clansman or Dillar clansman, but not a Nilar or Oillar clansman. She didn't know what she would do if they were there. She would be required to fight or flee and being so late at night she couldn't make it to the next camp. No one came out as she pulled in close, but she wasn't careless as she pulled out her Kalima sticks. She circled around the walker and found no sign that anyone had been here since the sands moved last. With no other speeder on the outside she didn't think anyone was here though she and Tor normally brought their speeders inside. She hit the release for the ramp to drop down which would surprise anyone inside. No one was there and she was able to relax and bring her speeder inside. Though it would be an hour before she would venture inside do to the heat that needed to dissipate. A cool breeze rose, not really cool but anything is cooler than stalled air. She went through her full kata before it was cool enough to go inside.

This was one of the rare times she could strip down and clean herself without anyone discovering what she was and once the ramp was up it wasn't long before she was naked inside. The ramp was locked so if she did have any visitors they wouldn't be able to get inside before she could get dressed again. True a few scavy had explosives, but for a small walker they wouldn't use it. She used her extra water that she horded to wash and it felt good. She never could understand the need to be so covered up when she was at home. She remembered her mother wearing a small skirt and just a halter around her chest when she was home and late at night. Her father would wear a little bit less, but she knew he wasn't as comfortable as she was. When she moved in with Tor she had pushed he sleeve one time to get to an itch and couldn't sit for an hour after the beating she received. From then on she had learned her lesson to never do so in their house. Remembering this got her to dress quickly and double check that no skin showed before she went to sleep.

The next morning she dropped the ramp just as the sun rose over the horizon. Once the ramp was up she drove off on her speeder to the next camp sight. She would meet other scavy there as it was the most common area to scavenge. There was a downed ship that still stubbornly gave up pieces and parts. She wasn't going to search inside as only small children could get to the valuable pieces. She had a plan to go where few would risk going. There were two ships one that came down in the last war and it had dug into the desert sand and pushed out an ancient ship. If she knew what they were called she would recognize the Providence Class Dreadnought used by the CIS and the Centurion Class Battle Cruiser used during the Mandelorian Wars and later the Jedi Civil War. However she knew only that the ship was full of droids and parts to be scavenged. It was also the location that her parents were rumored to have died. The droids were still active, but only at night as the day time temperatures ruined their circuits. She arrived about the time most of the scavengers returned for the evening.

"Jaric over here." Gila yelled her boy name, as she passed their tent. She stopped the speeder and jumped off walking up to him. Her heart suddenly pounded in her chest. "Join us and we can share our rations."

"I would, but I must see if others of my clan are here first." Jara replied.

"No need in that." Farn countered. "Clan Pilar is staying deep inside the hull."

"Then I will join my ration with yours." Jara replied. "Why have they camped inside? Did they reach a unknown part of the ship?"

"Don't know, but they did come out with some circuits that haven't been seen in awhile. Didn't Tor show them to you?" Farn asked.

"No such a find he would hide so he can get his drink. Or that he had turned it over to the collector." Jara replied.

"So are you going to join them tomorrow or have you a different location in mind?" Gila asked.

"I don't know. If they found something good then I would be stupid not to get my share. However I need something more." Jara replied. "I am going after the droid ship."

"I heard what happened to your parents. Don't repeat their mistake." Farn warned.

"I will enter the ancient ship just as the sun reaches its peak. Then I will only search for an hour before coming back out. An old droid or a storage box with parts will gain me not just rations, but credits." Jara explained. "I have learned this much from the survivors."

"I would be willing to join you." Gila replied.

"No you will do no foolishness." Farn declared. "Jaric is a rogue, and he can risk it as his chance to afford a wife is slim. I have your wife nearly paid for." This shocked Jara, but she kept the reaction to herself. She could see that Gila stared a few seconds longer at her as she heard this. She could almost feel his shame at her hearing this. Though he may just rebel and follow her tomorrow regardless. She could only hope. "This is your first solo hunt. I would think you wouldn't take such a large risk, Jaric?"

"I want to leave this planet some day or go to the city at least. My mother wasn't from the clans and her stories have never left me." Jara replied. "Only a large find will do and I am still small enough to enter unseen. A Nilar Clansman managed to get inside and out with a crate of weapons from what I have heard and is now clan leader."

"True, but he lost his hand in the process." Farn countered. "No haul is worth that, and he may not remain clan leader for long. He is not the brightest one of their clan."

"They maybe hunting in that area. You won't get close to those ships if they are. That or they will find your speeder. Then you will have nothing, and Tor will kill you if the desert doesn't." Gila stated. She looked at him knowing Tor could kill her for feigning to be a male. The food was ready and it stopped the debate. Later she joined a group of boys with Gila who were sparing.

"Jaric come fight me. Winner gets to kiss Kylee." Yinar challenged. He was older and Kylee was his wife. He was the best fighter of the group. Jara knew this and the last one to get lucky to beat him never got his kiss. Then again his lip was busted, so she didn't think he wanted to. Plus the look Yinar gave him was more than enough of a deterrent.

"I don't think you would want that. Ne kiss from me and she may leave you bed cold." Jara replied. The others laughed as he frowned. "Half a ration."

Jara added and he smiled. Most bet a quarter ration, but a half ration wasn't unheard of. Plus it countered the bite she gave him. They faced off against each other and started out slowly. This wasn't a full fight, so no immediate attacks. The first phase would be a routine kata that would get faster and faster. The goal was to get in three strikes to the body. The second phase was more like a fight as the rhythm was replaced with random combinations. Most fights ended in this phase as the loser was wounded. A simple cut was all that was needed to surrender. Though most times the phase would end if one was thrown from the circle or knocked down. The third phase was a fight that lasted until a knockout, and Yinar was known to do just that. As they got faster and faster Jara began to smile as he was starting to not keep up. This invigorated her and she picked up the pace and he finally faltered and she nailed him the first time. He jumped out of the way of the second hit and they started over. She felt everything speed right back up and again she found an opening and he got hit again. He growled as they started a third time and as they got faster Jara suddenly felt everything slow down. She could feel where his sticks were going and how his next moves would go. She increased her speed and both his sticks went flying as she hit so fast and harder than she normally could. As required she jumped back and others gave Yinar his sticks back.

"I am going to enjoy this. Your speed is not going to save you this time." He growled. Yet Jara was still feeling his every move and he couldn't touch her. However she didn't really want to hurt him and she moved around defensively hoping to get him close to the edge. He never let her move him from the center and slowly he would wear her down. She didn't know how long this strange slowness would last. Then she saw a vision of the fight and followed the same movements. She hit him several times quickly and then kicked out sending him across the line. He looked completely shocked along with his pain and the normal clapping was absent as the boys mumbled in their confusion. Gila was the first to start clapping. Though only half of them joined in. "How did you do that? I wasn't even close to the line."

"I just did." Jara replied unsure how he slid the ten feet to cross over the other side. Jara squatted down and picked up the two half rations in the small hole in the center of the ring. She jumped up as he sprinted at her. She saw him run underneath her as she flipped over the top of him. This shocked her as much as it did the other boys, but as she whirled around she saw that Yinar ran straight into the only object near the ring. "Ooo." Most of the boys let out as they winced, and all of them held their groin in reaction.

"I'm going to kill you, Jaric." Yinar threatened as he slowly fell to the ground.

"I think you better go." Gila suggested. Yinar's wife smiled at Jara as she went by. It was a smile of relief as he wouldn't be bedding her anytime soon. Jara hoped that he wouldn't beat her because of it. Then again he wasn't that bad she thought. She moved quickly out of the ring and away from the group. She didn't want to face Yinar once he recovered and jumping over the top of him confused her more than the slowed time did, but it also confused her. How was she able to do that?

"That was amazing. I never saw anyone able to jump like that and you were so fast. Yinar was fighting blind. I never saw him panic like that." Gila stated as he chased after her. "How did you do it?"

"I don't know and..." Jara moved out of sight of most in the camp. "I just could. I could see everything before it happened. I didn't think I was going to jump that high.""

"Well you did and I loved it. About time someone could not only beat him, but take him down." Gila replied as he grabbed her in a hug. She froze as he picked her up and spun her around once. He set her down and her heart raced as much as she felt his race. She felt that he wanted to suddenly kiss her and she managed to push him away.

"Are you trying to get me caught?" Jara hissed at him.

"What I didn't do anything." He whispered back. "I really want to..." He left off the ending as he saw a scavy moving close by. Jara looked in that direction and then sighed.

"When I bring in my loot we can leave here. Only then can we come out in the open." Jara whispered. "And only in the city." Gila frowned and she walked away. This was not the time for her to be discover having nothing to buy her freedom from the clan. Gila followed her back to their spot in the camp and he watched her sleep until he was too tired to hold his eyes open. In the morning when Farn woke him she was gone.

"When did Jaric leave?" Gila asked.

"Don't know. He was gone before I woke myself. I hope he is careful, or we may never see him again." Farn replied. Gila looked saddened as he got his gear together.

Jara had left before most of the camp had even come close to waking. She was nearly at the two ships by the time the sun came over the horizon. She heeded the warnings not to get too close as she stopped her speeder and covered it with camouflage. It would totally stupid to leave her speeder sitting out in the open. She crawled up to the ridge and looked at the two ship with her macro binoculars. She could see the strange tan droids moving around and the larger gray ones. She saw also the three legged ones, but they never moved like the others. She saw the tanks and big walkers as well, but from what she heard they never moved. As the sun reached mid day she saw the droids move inside the wreckage and blinked as the three legged droids rolled into a ball and vanished inside. She back down and moved around to the low side and it would take here to the ancient ship and then she would be out of sight of the large machines, and she was able to sprint to the hull. The large hole in the side greeted her and she slowly moved inside carefully listening as her eyes adjusted to the darker interior.

It took more than a hour to get to an area that wasn't all twisted and destroyed. The area was a barrack area. She found clothing and armor that was nearly useless as it crumbled to dust in her hands just leaving behind the dull golden plates. Opening the personal lockers revealed more as she found cred chits. She doubted that they were worth anything, but she wouldn't know until she put them in the reader back at home. She did find a transfer device and was slowly filling one card that worked with the values from the others on to one card. The shear amount of loot had her mesmerized, and her sense of time vanished as she was drawn further into the ship. Each room she left a pile outside the door of things she wanted to take back. The rooms started to slowly change and she felt colder in some. The way they were set up she thought they were for officers, but she found no fancy uniforms ready to turn to dust. She found instead dark robes and strange statues that nearly whispered to her. These rooms contained more interesting items for her little piles. She spent very little time in these rooms and after another hour she found a common area and a door that lead to an armory. Her smile grew as she was able to squeeze through the door and the jumble of crates and full racks made her smile stretch across her face.

"Blaster rifles." She whispered. "Grenades, power packs, mines." She started laughing knowing just one of these crates would set her up for years. You didn't get ration when you turned them in you got money and not just a little bit. Getting the crates out would be a problem, but it was fairly easy to find the manual over ride panel and she used the pump to work the door out of the way. She was sweating lightly and it was a rare experience to feel the sweat roll down her cheek before it would evaporate. She focused on one crate with blasters that still had it vacuum seal intact. The grenades would be too dangerous to move, and that would go for the mines as well. From what she could tell she found a sealed power pack crate to go with the rifles and dragged the crate back to the way she came in. She really should have taken Gila with her to help. As she got to the large hole she finally saw how late it had gotten as the sun was casting long shadows. She froze as she saw one of those droids roll by. One stopped and unwrapped itself as she ducked down. She looked at her chrono and cursed to herself. Now she would have to spend the night in the wreck. Most of her supplies were with her speeder. Though she would have enough for the night. She watched the droid until a group of the tan droids showed up.

"Spread out and find the intruder." One clearly was heard raising her heart rate.

"Roger, roger." The others replied. The four droid started walking in her direction.

"Oh shit." Jara mumbled as she crawled back. A few of those droids shouldn't be too difficult, but a group of the gray droids appeared and they barreled past the tan ones heading nearly straight at her. Jara scrambled to her feet and ran. The blaster she had picked for herself was charged, but she had never used one before and there were way too many for her to find out if it would even work after who knew how long. However it wouldn't be hard to throw a grenade at them, but she had left them behind and the thought spurred her on.

"Over there." One of the gray droid growled and she heard them start to chase after her. She felt heat in the back of her head and she dropped down into a roll as she felt blaster bolts fly over her head. Her heart pounded as she rushed around a corner out of the line of fire. Farther and farther inside they chased her and no matter how many twists and turns she made or how far she got ahead they seemed to find her within minutes. She was running down a passageway and suddenly froze as the lights came on. The light blinded her as she ducked into the doorway to get out of the hall. The door long inactive slammed shut causing her to jump. Frantically she went to the door only to find that there were no controls for the door on the inside.

"Calm yourself." She heard and she spun around seeing nothing and no one. The room was looking more and more like a cell. There was a bundle of cloth in the corner of one of the platforms and seeing nothing else she went over to it. The fabric was old and as she moved it a strange skull rolled out.

"So I am going crazy hearing the dead speak." She stated. She sighed and then calmed herself as she need to get out of here, but at the same time figure out how. She used her time to inspect the weapon she had better. "Hmph? Well I'm glad I didn't fire this." She pulled out a rod that was inserted into the barrel of the blaster. The weak light was plenty to clearly see that the weapon was not ready. As she started to take it apart the chase was pushed to the back of her mind. It didn't take long before she had it back together and she smile as it quietly whine to life. Now it was ready to be used. All she had to do was disengage the safety and pull the trigger. She looked over her cell as she heard clanking on the other side of the door. She hoped and prayed that the door would stay closed. The little window was above her and anyone looking in wouldn't see her, but if the door opened for one of those droids she didn't think she could survive.

"Calm yourself. Feel." She heard the strange voice. She closed her eyes and crazily followed its advice. She gasped as she felt the dozen droids outside her cell as the slowly patrolled the passage. She felt them moving slowly away and then something else drew her attention. The strange cylinder in her pouch felt different. She pulled it out and wondered why she had picked it up. It felt cold in her grasp. Colder than it should have. She turned it over in her grasp and shook her head. From what she could see this thing wasn't worth much. Why would she pick up a handle? She had seen plenty of blades in the armory to take with her, but she picked this thing up. "Lightsaber." the voice whispered.

"Hello who's there." Jara whispered.

"A ghost... A guide... Trust me." The voice said stronger. It sent shivers over her body as it spoke. She grew wary of anyone or thing stating that you could trust them.

"Show yourself." Jara replied.

"I can not... I lack... strength." it replied.

"Am I talking to a ghost?" Jara asked as she twisted her grip on the lightsaber.

"Yes... no... I think I am more." It replied.

"Who... who were you?" She asked wondering why she was talking to herself, but then again she knew she wasn't.

"A Jedi... a Sith... I no longer know... Wait I was... Called Calif, or was it Caelistis." It replied. Jara shivered on the second name.

"Okay Calif what should I do?" Jara asked.

"Feel the blade... activate it... Cut your way out." Calif whispered. She chuckled at the irony of talking to a ghost, but as she focused on the hilt she felt something click inside as a red blade shot out of it surprising her. She fumbled with it for a second as it tapped on the floor causing sparks to fly up before she had a firm grip. The light in the cell flickered and then went out and the red glow of the blade made the room look eerie.

"Cut here." Calif ordered and she saw a hand against the wall. She didn't think it would do anything as she touched the blade to the wall and gasped as the blade suddenly went through. She tentatively moved the blade in a circle and then in a bigger circle as the blade cut a large hole. As the hole was formed the wall drooped and then fell away into the next room. Carefully she gathered up her blaster while holding the blade before stepping through. It was a cell much like the other. Though there was no bones or clothing. The door was wide open and Jara slowly stepped into the passage way. "This way..." Calif urged and she followed slowly using the lightsaber as a torch. She followed the voice of the ghost not knowing where it was leading her. Hopefully it wasn't leading her to her death. Jara paused as she heard the clanking of metal and searched for a place to hide she found one, but she had no idea how to turn the blade off. It seemed so simple to turn it on, but the feeling she had escaped her.

"Over there." One droid stated.

"Look a Jedi!" Another warned.

"Open fire!" The first ordered. Jara froze just for a second as she knew her little spot to hide wouldn't protect her. They were too far away to rush them and fight close in. She felt a rush of fear and then the ghost touched her as the blaster bolts flew at her. She flourished the blade in a random seeming pattern that deflected the bolts coming at her. Her fear was replaced with joy and she felt the bolts coming at her and she was able to send the bolts back at the droids as she advanced on them. One went down and then a second followed it. The third was cut in half by the blade and she disarmed the fourth.

"Wait please you're no jedi." The droid pleaded. She could tell it was looking at the red blade.

"No I am not." Jara replied just before she cut it down.

"This way..." Calif whispered. She ran now knowing and hearing the other droids. She would meet them in groups of two to four. Every time she used the blade forgetting the baster hanging on her back. The gray ones were harder to fight and many times they brushed her clothing some times ripping strips from her. The scraps and cuts added up over the hours that felt like days until she found an opening in the ship. She dropped down and ran for all she was worth away from the wreckage. She stopped thinking she was far enough away just in time to see a bright flash as she jumped to the side. The explosion caused her ears to ring and she tried to stand as the sand shifted under her feet sucking her down and into the hole. She fought and struggled until she rolled onto metal as another blast silenced the world above.

A few kilometers away both Farn and Gila lowered there binoculars. The droids had chased someone with a glowing stick out of the wreckage then the spot they were in exploded in a large cloud of sand and dust. The large wheeled rocket launcher rolled up to the spot and they could see a few droids poked around before heading back to the ships.

"Do you think that was Jaric?" Gila asked not wanting to know as his heart hurt.

"He is the only one to go there. No one else from the camp was crazy enough to venture so near death." Farn replied. "Jaric is dead. That much you can see."

"Jara. Her name was Jara not Jaric. Her parents raised her as a boy and Tor never found out." Gila stated. Farn looked shocked, but he understood now his son's attraction to the Pilar boy, girl. It took guts and strength to impersonate a man. More so as young one. He know felt an equal amount of respect for her and shame. She was fast and strong to have beaten Yinar. She was brave or crazy to try to scavenge the droid ship. However shameful her deception was.

"Then we will keep her secret and make Tor proud of her battle. Come I have an idea where her speeder is." Farn stated. "Maybe you can ride it back for me?" Gila smiled faintly. Getting to ride alone was something he didn't get often, and he always envied Jara of her speeder.

Jara woke up half buried in sand. She moaned and then grunted as she struggled to get out of the sand. She looked around and remembered the blade, but couldn't feel it in the dark. The air smelled stale and fresh at the same time like it was only open for a short time, yet it gave her energy. She pulled the rifle from her back and hit one of the buttons and light emitted from the end. She was in some type of ship. There was a closed hatch to two sides and the sand to the third. She walked the few feet around the corner to come to a third hatch that was partially open. When she squeezed through she found it contained three bunks and possibly six if the panels above came down. Storage lockers were on the other side of the beds and several had items inside nothing of value, but in good condition. She sat down and drank a bit from her pouch before checking out one of the other doors. The larger door wouldn't open from this side, but she found a panel that hid the pump.

She crawled through and shined the light around what was a lounge area of a small ship. Jara continued to her right and looked in the small room that had been converted into a cabin. The next hatch opened up to lead her to a cockpit. She tried many of the switches, but the ship was long dead. The side compartment looked as dead as the rest of the ship, but from what she could see it was communications and the node for the hyperdrive. She came out of there and got to the port dormitory. It was also equipped with personal items.

"Did they just up and leave the ship here? Why would they abandon it?" She talked to herself. "Ghost are you here?" She giggled to herself and slapped her hand over her mouth before relaxing as no one else was there. Females and little boys giggled not Kari scavengers, and definitely not her. The next hatch lead to a hall which got her in the engine room. She went to work and giggled again no longer caring as the power to the ship came on. The life support kicked up dust as it also sucked it into the walls. It was possible that the filters would soon get clogged, but she wasn't too concerned. The other hatches groaned as they opened after the decades she though the ship had been here. As she walked into the port cargo hold she noticed that the ship was centuries old maybe even longer by the type of parts she found. Finding a whole ship made her head spin with all the places she wanted to go. The Starboard cargo hold was more of a garage as it contained a speeder she had never seen before. It had several work benches and the shelves were packed full of parts. The medical bay was nearly perfectly clean and all the drawers an bins were full of supplies. Just this room alone would set her up for years. Well that is if the medical drugs were still good. She picked up one of the packets and had no idea what the date meant. She left there and went back to the cockpit. The whole board was lit up in green yellow and red. It didn't take her long to figure out the ship wasn't going anywhere without some serious work.

"I can fix this." Jara declared. "I mean how hard can it be?" Eight hours later she was exhausted. She had only managed to turn six red lights out and a dozen yellows, but just as many came on. She need a break and she smiled as it popped into her head that she could take a shower with no time limit. Her clothing was mostly rags so she raided one of the lockers that had some robe like outfits in them that would fit her. The underwear drew her in as it felt so soft against her rough fingers. She picked up the case that from what she saw were soaps and cleaners from what she could read. The shower worked even if nothing else did on the ship. Never had she taken more than a bath from a bucket or used clean water like this. Years of dusk and grime fell away and she used things to take away excess skin and smooth out her hair. The drying phase shocked her and tickled every inch of her body as it gave her shivers. For the first time in ages she had her hair combed out and loose. She though of cutting it, but her mother had long hair. The underwear felt even better as it slid up her legs it fit perfectly and the top held her small breast snugly. She could barely tell they were there. The leggings and tight top was different and as she got the robe one she knew it was armored in some way, but it didn't restrict any of her movements. However it was too warm to wear at the moment. She took off the robe and left the under garments on. Still it felt odd to her to reveal so much skin. What bothered her more was how smooth her skin became and soft. She spent the next few hours trying to dig her way out, but more sand would just come in. However she did find the lightsaber before she went to sleep.

Finding out that the ship had rations was a nice surprise finding out they tasted like sand wasn't a surprise. Then again if she knew how old they were then she never would have touched them. Three days later she managed to get the computer up and running and it sped up her repairs as she could look up what needed to be fixed. As she ate her sand soap she felt a chill.

"Young one, listen..." The ghost Calif urged. Oh no I am hearing things again she thought, but then again the voice did get her out of the bigger ship, but it trapped her here.

"I am listening." Jara replied.

"Follow..." She got up and followed the ghost into the port hold. "Enter code, red 47..." This con fused her but one of the panels glowed for a moment. A few minutes later she found the catch and a keypad revealed itself. She entered the code and the whole panel popped open. Inside was a space suit from all the tubes. The shelves held different types of blasters and there was a rack of vibroswords. However the lightsabers drew her eyes and the crystals of all types. Just one of those would buy a years worth of rations or more and there were a whole drawer full of them. However she felt a power emanating from all the crystals. There was suddenly no way that she was going to get rid of them. Each crystal was of a different color or size though most were shaped the exact same shape. The two lightsaber hilt drew her attention again as one was a golden red much like bronze and the other was a silvery blue metallic color. Both must have taken weeks to craft compared to the simple black cylinder that held the red blade. Above those hilts were three objects one red pyramid, one blue cube and one a light purple almost white twelve sided object. She picked up the middle one and it felt warm.

"Good... concentrate... open it...with the... Force." the ghost urged. She looked it over and couldn't find anyway to open it. What she wondered about was what was this Force that he mentioned. She set the item down and picked up one of the others. The blue one felt warm as well and the red was cold enough to give her chills. This one felt angry compared to the calm of the other two. The blue one didn't feel right either as it felt like a nothing calm. The middle one felt warm, but not void of anything. It reminded her of her mother. She picked up the lightsaber and it was easy to turn on and the blades matched the colors of the hilt. She hooked them both to her belt and left the old red blade on the shelf. She shut the compartment before going to the room with only one bed. "Open it and you will awaken..."

"How do I do that? I see no latch, or button. No seems either." Jara wondered.

"Meditate..." Calif hissed. She rolled her eyes and put the block down. She had a ship to fix. She could 'meditate' later. The ghost didn't give up and he haunted her constantly moaning a whispering to her she could block him out and over the few hours she slowly couldn't concentrate.

"Fine I'll do it." She stated in exasperation. It wasn't so easy but the ghost finally shut up. She followed what the elders had taught her, but it wasn't until she remembered her mother doing the same thing and she remembered how she had felt back then. She smiled as she changed her breathing just slightly. She felt the object raise off her hand.

"Greeting young one. I am glad your master decide to let you view this holocron. I have much to teach you." Jara's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped. "Now, now no reason to be shocked. This can't be your first time viewing a holocron?" Jara slowly nodded her head. The tiny figure looked confused for a second. "Well then I am impressed that you have come so far to talk to me."

"What are you?" Jara was finally able to ask.

"This is a holocron and I am Mical the gate keeper for this holocron. In the absence of a master I will teach you what I can but only if you remain in balance. We all have emotions, but it is up to you to keep them in check or use them wisely. Emotions can strengthen you or weaken your ability to use the Force." Mical explained. "You have learned the first lesson of calm balance."

"I found you on a ship. I don't even know what the Force is." Jara replied.

"Ah the Force. Think of it as energy that holds us together and binds us to life like gravity keeps you on the ground. You can use it to do things that normal people can not. Jump higher run faster. Move out of the way of danger before it happens. As you grow you will be able to lift objects in the air or send them flying at a target or pull someone from a hole just like a rope. As you gain mastery you may start to see visions of the future or heal others from wound quickly or diseases that are beyond a doctor's knowledge. You could even change a person's mind, stopping them from doing something violent, but such skills can carry a stiff price. There are three schools of learning. One is the Ashla or the light side, the second is the Bogan or the dark side, and the third is Bendu or balance. A Bendu Adept uses the Force as a whole. This holocron is dedicated to both sides and all the colors in between. The path is longer, harder, and weaker, but in the end you will become stronger than either side." Mical explained. "You can use your power to serve the people or yourself. It doesn't restrict you to any rigid code."

"Does this Bendu follow a code?" Jara asked.

"Yes shall I teach you the three codes?" Mical answered with another question.

"Yes I am curious." Jara replied. Mical smiled as he looked like he was setting up a desk. Jara giggled thinking this was funny.

"There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force."

"That is the code of the light side. That is the code of the Jedi. Now the next one."

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me."

"This is the code of the Sith, and finally the last code that was at one point part of the jedi code. However it was used primarily by the Jed'aii."

"Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force."

"This is the code of the Bendu follower." Mical explained. "Do you have any questions?"

"The first two seem to conflict with the other. They feel flawed." Jara replied.

"Ah yes they are flawed everyone of them. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. The first denies the self and emotion. They can become slaves of the Force as they serve others. It is not such a bad thing, but certain decisions will always weaken a follower of the light side. A true follower is cold to the world. The second claims to use the Force to free them, but it drives them into the chains of power and greed. Destructive the dark side is. The third tries to balance the two realizing the one can not function without the other. It is up to that persons personal morals and code in how they use the Force. They may follow the Force, but in no way does it control them. However maintaining that balance is harder than it looks as many lean more to the Jedi way then the Sith way. Think of one as peace and the other as war. In the middle is compassionate justice." Mical explained. "Would you like to learn more?"

"Yes I would." Jara replied. Mical talked for hours until she could no longer hold her eyes open. As the days went on she worked on the ship and listened to the holocron. When it came to learning about lightsabers she was already a step ahead do to her Kali training. When she remembered that there were two other holocrons she found she couldn't open either one of them. She showed Mical.

"Why can't I open them?" Jara asked.

"You should be able to. However you must be careful and understand you could loose your balance. It is not so bad to fall into the light. However if you fall into the darkness it becomes difficult to leave its deceptive embrace." Mical explained. "Now that I know that you have them you will eventually be able to open them and learn what they have to teach you." Jara took him at his word and put the holocrons back. The ship was slowly working properly again, and any other repairs would only come if she had more parts. She knew where they could be found however the ship was buried. She decided it was time to try to fly the ship out. Her only worry was that the ship was too far under the sand. She fired up the repulsorlift and slowly added power. The ship felt like is rose a bit before an alarm sounded and she quickly shut it down.

"Master Mical?" Jara asked as she activated the holocron.

"Yes young one." He replied.

"I am in a ship that is buried by sand. I have tried to raise the ship out, but the sand is too heavy. I fear to push the drives too much as I have ran out of parts to fix it." Jara explained. "I am trapped in the ship and wish to be free."

"I see. Then it is time to teach you how to move things with the Force..." Mical started a lesson that lasted for hours. In the end Jara was able to move things around the ship, but lifting the whole ship was a problem. She had every confidence that she could do it from the descriptions of massive boulders being lifted by even young Force users as herself. Every day she attempted to lift the ship and every day it would only move slightly. After the second month inside the ship she was starting to get worried. She sighed as she finished the count on the remaining rations.

"Eleven days then I will have no food. I could stretch it out to twenty days, but I need the energy." She mumbled to herself. She doubled her efforts pushing the drives a little bit more and drawing on the Force to lift the ship. As her supply dwindled down to one last meal she was feeling pretty defeated. Still she would free herself. She fired up the engines and then drew on the Force feeling every part of the ship. She started to sweat as the ship shook violently around her and she screamed out as she got angry.

"Yes... Use your anger... It will set you free..." The ghost whispered. Jara focused on her anger and began to hate being trapped inside this ship. She focused the sudden strength and pulled on the ship. It shook even more and she felt it rise a few feet before she lost her concentration as joy filled her. She wasn't discouraged and suddenly wondered if she could use this joy she felt as much as the anger. She concentrated on the feeling and felt the ship rise even more. The the sand fell from the view ports and she was blinded by the sun. The ship crashed back down, but it was free of the sand. She rushed to the ramp and struggled out the halfway free opening. The wave of the late afternoon sun washed over her like a warm blanket. She looked at the old wrecks and then at the half buried ship.

If she could fly getting into the wreckage would be easy. Once her clan had guns they could wipe out the droids and claim both ships. There would be plenty. Enough to get Dillar Clan to help them as well. She called up the Force and pushed at the sand in the direction of the week wind. Like a large blower the top of the ship was soon free of the sand and she rushed back inside. Moving the lever to the repulsorlift drive and the ship raised without her help. She tilted it forward and flew the ship in the direction of her speeder. She landed and was sure she had the right spot, but her speeder was gone. It made her sad, but not too much. She fully understood that it had been too long. Yet it was late and it would be difficult to find the outpost in the dark she assumed. She could last a day without food. It wouldn't be the first time, and probably not the last. She looked at the ship and smiled as she finally knew the name of the ship, Ebon Hawk.