This story was inspired, at least partly, by The Planet Pirates, a trillogy written by Anne McCaffrey, Jody Lynn Nye, and Elizabeth Scarborough. It contains nothing of those novels and is nowhere near as good, but I was reading that book when I thought up this story so...

This is a multi-generational story that contains absolutely no Carbonite, no Anakin Skywalker, and no Padme. Sorry folks. This will mostly be set post ROTJ and Pre NJO. It's mostly cannon but my timeline may be off by a few years. Does anyone know exactly how many years after TPM Luke and Leia were born? If you do, please write it in a review or E-mail me. If you don't, I'm going to stick with my made up numbers.

So, without further adieu...

History's Keeper

Part one: Future's Past

Stars swirled through the view port as Qui Gon Jinn docked his tiny shuttle to the space station. He was unable to fathom why Kaylia had asked him here. She never even told me goodbye. The thought came unbidden to his mind. He quickly shoved the unworthy thought aside. She had to have had a very good reason for leaving the way she did.

He heard the quiet clunk as the shuttle landed in the docking bay of the huge space station. He sighed and started to tell Obi Wan to open the hatch, but stopped himself just in time. He hadn't realized until that moment how accustomed he had become to the young mans presence. Why didn't she want me to bring him? The message Kaylia had sent requested his presence alone. She had specifically mentioned his padawan. How did she know I had even taken a padawan? Granted the two had been a pair for two years now, but Kaylia had no contact with the Temple in almost three.

Qui Gon was pulled out of his reverie when he spotted a waving hand that belonged to the subject of his thoughts. Kaylia was much the same as he remembered her. Her brown hair was still long and she had pulled it into a plait that ran down her back. She wore a tan ship suit, belted at the waist and tucked into calf-high boots. As she drew closer he could see the worry and sadness buried underneath her smile. He pulled her into a strong hug as soon as she reached him. "I am so glad you came!" She whispered into his shoulder.

"How could I not?"

"Always on the look out for some helpless creature to save." She teased with a grin as they started across the mostly empty docking bay.

"My padawan calls them 'pathetic life forms'" he grinned right back.

"Same thing. You never could resist a damsel in distress, for which I am very grateful."

"You would have made it out of that ventilation shaft on your own eventually!"

"I'm still glad you pulled me out. I might have waited days to make sure that bully was truly gone." She got a dazed look for a moment, remembering the fateful day she had met the man standing beside her. She had been eight years old, he was fourteen. She had crawled into a ventilation shaft to get away from a bully, and had hidden for hours until Qui Gon had sensed her and called the all clear. She sighed, her jovial mood fading "I'm afraid I need rescuing again."

"What can I do to help?"

"Follow me, I'll explain when we get to my cabin."

Qui Gon followed her through the twisting halls of the station to door that responded when she pressed her palm to the pad on the side. He entered the tiny cabin just behind her. A bed, two chairs, a small table and a closet with a few drawers underneath, were all the room contained. He could see a door in the corner that must lead to the 'fresher. "Is this where you have been living?"

"Only for about sixteen hours. I'm sort of on the run." She explained, not really explaining anything.

"Sort of on the run from what?"

"A bad man. It's a long story. I need you to keep something safe for me." Her eyes darted to the door that he assumed led to the 'fresher. "I ran across some bad people about three years ago, just before I left. I was attacked," She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I was raped"

"Is that why you left?" He asked horrified that she had left out of guilt over something that hadn't even been her fault. He had known about the attack, but it had been months before her mysterious departure. He had thought she had moved past it.

"Don't interrupt me please" She begged. "I don't have much time. To answer your question, yes and no. The attack was a contributing factor, but not the reason." She saw a pained look in his eyes, she knew he was wondering what he could have done. "I do not regret my decision in the slightest, I have loved every moment of the last three years, even if life was hard at times. I wouldn't change a single thing, even if I could."

"What does that attack have to do with today?" Qui Gon chose his words carefully.

"I killed one of my attackers. His brother has been pursuing me ever since. He is on his way now, I have something I need you to protect for me, in case I can't do it myself later." She looked again at the door. "You should know, the man who is after me, he uses the Force. He was rejected from the temple, but that hasn't stopped him. He has sworn vengeance on me and on the Jedi." Kaylia's face suddenly went slack. "It's too late..." She gasped. "He's here already."

She jumped to her feet and ran to the door she had been eying for the last few minutes and jerked it open. Qui Gon could see that it did, indeed lead to the 'fresher, but there was a large dressing alcove between the two rooms. On the floor lay a bundle wrapped in blankets. Kaylia picked up the bundle and turned, "Go, back to the ship!" She yelled. "We have to leave now!"

Qui Gon turned and ran out the door to the suit but hesitated in the corridor. The dark Jedi would be coming from the docking bay, they would have to go the long way around and hope he didn't double back on them. "This way!" He grabbed Kaylia's arm and pulled her along behind him.

In an attempt to confuse their pursuer, the knights traveled through the center of the station where the power generator was housed. They cut across a series of catwalks high above the floor. Suddenly, Kaylia froze.

"Oh no! He anticipated us..." Her eyes took on a faraway look as she absently shifted the bundle she still held. She thrust the bundle in her arms at Qui Gon and reached for a pocket on her thigh. "I had to makeshift the power supply after the last time I faced him, but I should be able to hold him off long enough for you two to escape." She pulled out her lightsabre.

Kaylia turned away from him and ran down the passage. They came to an interest and she paused again. "You brought that box?" He nodded "Good, it has the rest of the story inside, I am so sorry I didn't say goodbye." Her eyes said more that her words could convey. Qui Gon was struck speechless by the quiet confession that came next, "I knew that if you asked me to stay I would, and Nerinika needed me. Now go, RUN" she pushed him away and turned toward a different catwalk where a man in black was approaching.

Kaylia didn't hesitate. She didn't look back, even for a moment. She walked toward him with the confidence that she was doing the will of the force. She ignited her 'saber just in time to meet the dark Jedi's swing. Kaylia's lightsabre flashed. The purple blade swirled through the darkness, sparking when it collided with her opponents dark green blade. The sparking was a sure sign of malfunction, and Qui Gon stepped forward.

"RUN"

Kaylia's scream could be heard through the Force louder than it could be heard physically and, for once in his life, Master Qui Gon Jinn blindly obeyed a command. Gathering the largish bundle closer to his chest, he ran down the catwalk only to pause at another intersection. He glanced back as he debated which was the better course. As he turned one of the blankets fell and a tiny hand clutched at his robes. He noticed, for the first time, that the object he was supposed to care for was a child. He looked into the girl's deep brown eyes and understood, in a single moment of clarity, the desperation he had heard in his friends mind as she had passed it to him.

The girl couldn't have been more that three years old but she definitely knew what was happening. She twisted to watch Kaylia perform her deadly dance and Qui Gon realized that this was not just a child, this was her child. That was why she had left the Order!

Qui Gon ran with renewed vigor, suddenly sure of his course. The small girl peering over his shoulder still watched the battle. The child, Nerinika, was the only witness when her mothers lightsabre sputtered and failed, the crystal inside finally cracking under the strain of its makeshift repairs and fluctuating power supply. She was the only one who saw when her mother was struck down, and she was the only one who heard the woman's last words, "I will be with you always, my beautiful Nerinika."

Qui Gon reached the end of the catwalk system just as the thermal detonator he had seen Kaylia drop exploded, and he knew that the danger to his young charge was gone. He felt the fallen Jedi die just as surely as he had felt his friend's death. He turned to watch the reactor burn. He continued to watch as the automated fire control systems quelled the blaze and did not give up the vigil until an object near his foot caught his eye.

Nerinika clutched at him tightly as he bent to retrieve the object. What had once been a beautifully constructed weapon was now a chunk of twisted, charred metal wrapped around a nearly indestructible purple crystal with a jagged crack running through it's center. Nerinika reached for the object and stopped short just millimeters from touching it. She jerked her had back as if burned and buried her face in his robes. He pocketed the lightsabre remains and cradled the child, comforting her as she sobbed.

He carried the child back to his ship, pausing only to tell a running station manager what had happened. He told the speechless man, after the few short sentences explaining the explosion, that he would be on his ship if he was needed for further questioning.

Back on his shuttle, the Jedi found a chair and settled to begin his own mourning. The child in his arms had now quieted and he thought she was asleep. They sat together for a few hours before the child roused. Sitting up, she looked into Qui Gon's eyes. Her gaze clearly said, "What now?"

"I think it is time we figured out how to open that box." Qui Gon stated in response to the unspoken question. He stood, still not letting go of the precious bundle with which he had been entrusted. He took the two steps to the desk in the corner and retrieved the box in question from one of it's drawers.

The box was made of wood and fitted easily into the masters large hand. It had been carved from a single piece of Najerian poro wood and had a smooth purple disk inlayed in it's lid. The hinges and clasp were made of some metal that resisted the force. Shortly before she had left the temple, Kaylia had given this to him, with no explanation. So far, The master hadn't tried to open it. Upon seeing the box the child reached inside her shirt and pulled out a necklace. At the end of the thin chain, was a key made from the same strange metal as the clasp on the box. He returned to the chair and, working together, the two of them opened the lid.

Inside, the box was smooth and held several small items. Three Data cards were tucked inside along with a ring whose design and stone matched that on the outside of the box, and a few holo chips. One of the data chips had Qui Gon's name on it. The others were addressed to the Council and to Nerinika. It took Qui Gon a few moments to realize the problem. He had had the box in his possession for over three years, Nerinika had not yet been born when these data chips had been sealed inside it. He found a datacard reader and inserted the chip with his name on it. It was a letter.

"My Dearest Qui Gon,

Although I have entrusted these Items into your care, they are meant for my lovely Nerinika. I know I will not be there to raise her, to be the family that she will need. I would entrust her to the temple, the way we were, except I know that my path is not hers. For this reason, I have left the order. I know you do not understand, I am not sure I do, but my beautiful baby girl will help many people. I know she will do this, not as a Jedi, but as a human being. Her humanity would be lost in the Temple creche. I cannot allow that to happen. For this reason, I am going to attempt to raise my daughter myself. I only hope it will be for long enough.

I have seen my death, I know it is coming. I know my hope for time is pointless, but I can not give up trying. You are my back up plan. If I don't survive to open this box with you, please make sure that my baby has a home. The kind of home where she will be special. Where she will be loved as a daughter.

The contents of this box, and the box itself, are my final gifts to my child. They will be of meager comfort to her, but I can only hope they will help her understand. The holos are all I can offer her of where she comes from. Her father is dead. I killed him to protect myself. The holos are of my life at the Temple. The ring is from my homeworld. Both it and the box are meant to give her comfort, a quiet place, when she needs it.

I have left her a letter as well as one for the council. I am afraid yours is the shortest of the three. There is so much I want to say, and so few words to say it with. I will be forever grateful for all you have done and all you have been for me. Good bye Qui Gon. I will always be with you.

Take care,

Kaylia

Qui Gon did not open the other letters. Instead he removed the one addressed to the council from the box and pocketed it. His own letter joined it, then he found the lightsabre remains and placed them in the box in place of the two data chips. He closed the box, hearing it lock as he removed the key and hung it around the child's neck. Qui Gon then handed the box to the little girl, who held it in her lap, running her fingers over the engravings.

Qui Gon left the girl in the chair, parting from her for the first time since their meeting, in order to contact the temple. He first called his apprentice. Obi Wan was fine, he hadn't even noticed his master's distress. Qui Gon then called Master Yoda. After being filled in on the events of the past few hours, Yoda agreed that they must honor Kaylia's wishes. The two of them contacted a couple that the older Master knew of. The husband and wife had been rescued from pirates by the Jedi and were known to be good people. The pair were eager to take on the girl, as they could have no children of their own.

Qui Gon made a final call, to the station manager, informing him of his departure and leaving the number for the Temple, in case he was needed. Qui Gon set the auto pilot on the ship and returned to the lounge where he had left young Nerinika.