AN: This first chapter is the prologue to a Star Wars fanfiction I've been working on in my free time, I will be using lore appropriate to Legends continuity and most of the characters featured will be OCs. Thank you for reading and please leave feedback, positive or negative if you feel like it.
"Well, what is a pretty young thing like yourself doing in a seedy nest of scum and villainy like this?"
"I.. uh…" Ninel Rimidalv stammered as she gazed up at the person who had, uninvited, sat himself opposite her in the secluded booth she had strategically chosen specifically to avoid such interactions. Her unwanted guest was a middle aged human man, well-groomed and presumably of Coruscant's wealthy elite if his expensive attire and lingering scent of expensive perfume was anything to go by.
Seeing the young girl was struggling to come up with a response, the stranger quickly pressed his advance. He offered to buy her a drink, an offer that Ninel reluctantly accepted. After all, the purpose of her escapade tonight was to try doing something different, perhaps even rebellious. The man made a gesture toward the front of the bar, a Twilek waitress responded. Weaving her way through the crowd of occupied stools, booths and dancing drunks of various species she arrived at Ninel's table, datapad in hand.
The stranger ordered his drink, a strong Corellian beer of some sort. Ninel opted for a Nabooian fruit cider. She had never touched an alcoholic beverage before, something the young Jedi Padawan had been excited to rectify tonight. Unfortunately her secret planned evening of rebellion and adventure was not living up to the excitement she had felt in the nights leading to it. Ninel disliked the environment she found herself in, the crowds and shady characters made her anxious, the repetitive din of synthetic ambient music, flashing lights and shouting drunks made her disoriented. She almost wanted to retreat back to the drab and spartan quarters assigned to her in the temple to lose herself once again in the holonet, the galaxy spanning network that was her only insight into the vast and wondrous galaxy outside of the Jedi Order.
'Adventure, excitement, a Jedi seeks not these things.' She was reminded of one of Master Yoda's favourite quotes. Moreover, she was finally starting to see the wisdom in this conservative idiom.
Taking a tentative sip of her beverage, the Padawan gave a scrunched expression. Her drink was stronger than she imagined. Less fruity too. For all the love people seemed to have for it, alcohol tasted terrible, something which both confused and frustrated the Jedi apprentice.
"So, you never answered my question, what has you here on your own? Boyfriend take off on you?" The man once again attempted conversation with her.
"I just wanted to escape from home for a while." Ninel responded truthfully, deciding to omit the part about her being a member of an order of unadventurous and puritanical warrior monks.
"Ahh, overbearing parents then?"
"Something like that."
"Hey, I know how you feel, I was born into a noble family you know?" The man asked rhetorically as he put an arm around her shoulder. Ninel tensed at his touch, instantly even more uncomfortable with the man's presence. His breath reeked of alcohol and the smell of his gaudy and expensive aftershave was becoming overwhelming. The Padawan deduced that this was not the first time he had attempted this with someone tonight.
"So, whaddya say we go back to my place and I give you a tour?"
Ninel sighed inwardly. She wasn't very skilled with mind trickery, but the man's inebriated state should enhance the ability to which she could use the force to influence him.
"You don't want to give me a tour of your home." The Padawan stated plainly with a small wave of her hand.
"I don't want to give you a tour of my home." The man repeated back to her, his expression plain.
"You want to go home and get some sleep."
"I wanna go home and get some sleep." The man confirmed with a yawn as he removed his arm from her shoulder and stumbled drunkenly away into the crowd and out of sight.
Ninel gave a small sigh of relief as she watched the man go, hoping he had the wits to order an air taxi rather than use his own means of transportation. The Padawan turned her attention back to her drink. By now the Ice keeping it cool and fresh had started to melt, diluting the alcoholic taste somewhat. Feeling quite bored and lost, she retrieved her data tablet and began to search the Holonet for nearby attractions. Considering the late hour, the vast majority of places still open for business were either establishments like the one she currently found herself in, or places catering to more carnal and specialised interests. Sighing, Ninel laid the tablet down on the table and rested her face in her hands.
'Maybe now it's time to head back.' She thought to herself. She hadn't exactly been out long, but her little adventure already wasn't exactly going as well as she had expected. If the stories the masters told about such escapades were true, it wouldn't be getting any better either. Ninel shuddered at her memories of their tales and mentally scolded herself for her foolishness.
The learned apprentice was just beginning to lift herself from the booth when the atmosphere of the bar abruptly changed. The music fell silent, a man at the counter was calling for the patrons to do so as well. He gestured to a large holoscreen mounted on one of the walls, it displayed one of the city-planet's many native news channels. Ninel's blood ran cold.
"-That's right, from what we can tell so far there has been an attempt on Chancellor Palpatine's life." The news anchor spoke hurriedly and worriedly. "And it looks as though the Jedi Order have been deemed responsible for the attack. Republic military forces have already retaliated, we can see now great plumes of smoke rising from the Temple-"
Ninel made for the exit as fast as her legs would take her, pushing stunned onlookers aside as she went. Facing her upon leaving the building was the Coruscant skyline. The Padawan fell to her knees, mouth agape. The Temple, her home, was clearly visible, eclipsing a large portion of the horizon. The plumes of smoke and raging fires even more apparent than they had been on the holoscreen. The tell-tale signs of battle, explosions and blue blaster bolts dotted the scene, visible even from where she was observing.
A wave of pain and despair swept over the Padawan as she reached out with the force, her inexperienced mind was assaulted with the deaths of thousands of Jedi across the Galaxy. Forcing herself to push through the onslaught of suffering, she attempted to reach out to one Jedi in particular. Ninel choked out a sob as she felt nothing in response. Her master, teacher, mentor and arguably the closest friend she had ever known was unreachable, gone.
Ninel knew there was no time to stay and grieve for her fellow Jedi, her master, or her home now lost. With tears clouding her vision, Ninel ran. She ran almost without direction or purpose, her only goal was to get as far away from the massacre as possible. She ran as fast as she could toward a clouded and almost certainly bleak future. Both for herself and the galaxy as a whole.