Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars. All the characters, with the exception of Sari, Diego, and Amara, are the property of George Lucas, and I'm just borrowing them for the time being.


Prologue

Darth Maul pierced Qui-Gon's body with his double edged light saber. Qui-Gon's eyes widened with surprise and a moment later, he fell to the floor as Obi Wan looked on helplessly, as he was unable to get through the force field.

"No!" he screamed.


At the same time, Sari, a youngling of six preparing to become a Padawan learner, dropped her light saber and gasped in pain, clutching her chest.

"Young Sari," Yoda said. "What is it you sense?"

"I don't know, Master," she stammered. "It felt like a sharp pain, in my heart…"

"Sense it also, I do. A Jedi knight has passed into the Force, I think. One it is you are close to."

She blinked back her tears, not wanting Yoda to see her moment of weakness. She instinctively knew by the reaction of her body that it was Qui-Gon who had passed into the Force, Qui-Gon, who'd been like a father to her since she'd first come to the Jedi temple.

But it wasn't only her grief she was feeling, but also the grief of his young Padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi.


Obi-Wan hurried over to his fallen master in the desperate hopes to save him. He crouched down and tried to urge Qui-Gon into a sitting position. This roused the dying Jedi and he moaned softly in pain.

"No," Qui-Gon moaned. "It's too late."

"No," Obi-Wan protested.

"Promise me you'll train the boy." Qui-Gon reached up to wipe a tear rolling down his Padawan's cheek.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I will, Master."

"He's the chosen one. Train him…" Qui-Gon's eyes closed and Obi-Wan knew his master had passed into the Force. Obi-Wan finally let his grief take over and he cried over the fallen Jedi knight.


Fresh tears welled up in Sari's eyes and she sank to the floor, crying softly on Obi-Wan's behalf.

Yoda watched with detached fascination. It was rare that two Padawan learners would have such a strong connection, especially two Padawan learners who rarely saw each other; such was the situation with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Sari Linn. The only time he saw such a connection was several hundred years before, before the mandate of the Jedi order forbade marriage. Could it be, he wondered. Could these two Padawan learners be the Jedi that the other prophecy referred to?

He looked down at her. "Go rest, youngling," he said gently. "Your training, we will continue in a few days, after the mourning of Qui-Gon."

She nodded, heading off to her room, drying her tears. She crawled into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately, trying to ignore the dull pain in her heart.

Two days later, the Jedi masters held the funeral pyre ceremony for Qui-Gon Jinn. Sari and another youngling, Anakin Skywalker stayed close to Obi-Wan Kenobi. She looked away from the burning pyre and her gaze locked with Obi-Wan's.

It was only for a moment, but it was a moment that would stay burned in Sari's memory. Their souls seemed to reach out and touch each other for comfort in their grief. She turned back to the pyre and the moment was gone.

Sari walked back to the Jedi dormitory with Yoda, pushing the moment with Obi-Wan to the back of her mind.