Echoes of the Past
Estellio
Rating: Pg-13 (T)
Summary: Luke watches as an all too familiar pattern unfolds. Fear, love, anger, hate, death. Can he learn from his mistakes and stop what is happening or is the past doomed to be repeated?
IOIOIO
Arlena stared at the screen intently, the green light from the screen casting an eerie shadow across her youthful face. At fourteen she stood at the respectable height of 5 4" and had developed a lean if somewhat awkward form. Her adolescent body was still growing and she was all limbs with the promise of a blossoming womanhood about to flower upon her. Her hair, though still in the Padwan buzz cut and braid, had turned a rich wheat colour from its silvery yellow hue of childhood and her eyes had not lost their vivid blue curiosity and life. While now she was only somewhat pretty, Master Kyv could tell she would soon turn into a beautiful young woman and a great Jedi. From day one she had shown promise, picking up on the slighter nuances of the force it took most Padwan's years to learn and handling her lightsaber with a ferocity and grace he had never seen in any of his Padwans. She was often slow in making moves and using the force, preferring to think everything over rather than acting on a rash decision but she puzzled things out faster than Kyv thought possible for such a young child. She had a sharp mind and while on business she had a concentration and dedication that Kyv envied and he instinctively knew that she would grow to be a great master who would train many great Padwans.
"Arlena, we are coming up on the planet. I am powering down all non-essential systems so we are undetected by the sensor grid, please, stop whatever you a reading." She nodded to the screen, switching it off and moving back to the cockpit silently. She looked troubled and in the red emergency lights that illuminated the cockpit after power down, he could see the worry lines on her face. "What is it, Alry?" He asked, casting his pensive Padwan a concerned look.
"…I can feel something, in the force. Something strange and…and it worries me Master." Kyv closed his eyes and concentrated…he could feel nothing strange.
"Describe it, Arly, I can feel nothing."
"It…it feels like. I am not sure how to describe it. Like a knot in my stomach that is twisting harder and harder which each parsec we cross to the planet. As if I am being pulled over a waterfall by a rope…it is….disconcerting" Kyv snorted and felt again with the force…there as something wrong but he couldn't place it. The tremors he usually felt in the force felt like cool water rippling across his skin to Kyv but the Force acted in strange ways.
"Keep your wits about you, Arlena. This is a dangerous mission the council have sent us on. I want you to put this disturbance from you mind and concentrate on the task ahead." She nodded, returning her gaze to the stars.
"Yes Master." Their ship glided down through the stratosphere and Arlena watched with mild interest as the sails extended from the craft allowing for an engine free landing. It was bumpier that she would have liked but then again, any landing was bumpier than she liked. She really disliked flying.
"We shall split up, less chance of us being detected. I shall take the East entrance, you take the South entrance and head to the control room. Be like the night wind, not seen, not heard but deadly if needs be." Kyv said in a hushed voice as they exited their craft and began a brisk jog to the compound on the moon. The building was orange with rust and was all angles and corners, very unpleasing to the eye and sticking out desperately in contrast to the dark red sand of the moon. Her Master disappeared over a ridge and the night was still apart from the shuffling of a nearby rodent and the distant call of a predator. She felt the knotting sensation return as she ran towards the compound and found herself unable to put it out of her mind. She leapt over a few trip wires and sensors and tried to concentrate on the task ahead while trying to find the location for this strange feeling.
Lack of concentration could kill me. We are on an Iridonian moon, if we are caught we will be killed. I must not allow my mind to run from me.
She mentally scolded herself as she used the force to turn away a camera that was pointing in her direction. As she approached the door she felt, rather than saw, two Iridonian guards coming in her direction. Immediately she leapt into the air and clung to a pipe that ran along the side of the building. Hand over hand she climbed as quickly as she could until she reached as high as the pipe went. The two Zabrak turned the corner with their rifles in hand and yellow and red eyes scanning the horizon. They weren't scanning the building or the piping above them but Arlena still held her breath as they passed beneath her.
"Ko'tak ner hea?" One of the guards paused and sniffed the air deeply.
"Ni forwen ti la." The other grunted and kept walking.
"Ko'tak! Iol hea servan." She looked down on the horned crown of the Zabrak below her and contemplated whether or not to jump down there and take them out. The decision was made for her as the two guards moved on, the other one muttering under hisbreath. "FOLAN! Iol hea servan, kel!"
"Bra, bra, yelep schibb." The other muttered as they turned the corner. Arlen dropped back to the floor, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding before making her way to the door. It was sealed tight, a blue hand pad humming softly beside it. She passed her hand over it, making sure not to touch it as she manipulated the controls, technology was never her strong point but after a few tries the pad turned green and the steel door slid back to reveal a rather large, muscular Zabrak, glaring at her.
"FOLAN!" He raised his rifle but in a flash of blue its barrel fell to the floor and he was blown back by her outstretched hand. She ducked inside and a swipe of her lightsaber sealed the door. She wasn't going to take any chances.
She followed the corridor for several meters until she reached what she presumed to be the mess hall which was filled with hungry Iridonian Miners. If she wanted to get to the control centre she was going to have to find some way to cross it. Disguise was out of the question considering her lush golden hair and healthy tanned skin. The Zabrak of Iridonia were a pale people with thin dark lines zig zagging their face and a crown of horns on the head. They were also renowned for their martial prowess and aggressive tendencies and she didn't want to have to hurt anyone.
What I need, she thought, is a distraction.
She closed her eyes, searching with the force for an answer and opening her eyes again, she found them resting on an air vent on the roof. She stretched out her hand and drew on the force. The vent began to shake slightly at first but then it increased until it was noticeably swaying from side to side and then broke free. It landed across two of the tables causing the Iridonian's to leap to their feet and shout. The open pipes on either side began to whoosh with a loud noise that defended her and the place became chaotic. Many of the Zabrak left and the others gathered around screaming at each other. Arlena took her chances and ran, crouched down between the tables. When one Zabrak saw her she waved her hand.
"I'm meant to be here, you saw nothing." She said before continuing on, out of the hall and into the main corridor. A few Zabrak were coming towards the Mess Hall to see what was going on but before they could react she reached out with the force and they were lashed against the wall. The blast door in front and behind them slid shut and she laughed as she skipped past and into the control room. She expected to see six or seven Zabrak manning the station but to her surprise there were only two. Using the force she quickly dispatched them and moved to sit in front of one of the consoles. She switched on her radio and waited for her master to call her. It took only a few moments for Kyv's hushed voice to come over the radio.
"Arlena?"
"I am in the control room Master."
"Alright, I want information about their mining operation. They say they're mining Carbon Ore but I think they're mining Yeralite to make into weapons. Poke around and see if you can find anything suspicious. I'm searching for Admiral Ykar, think you can help." Her fingers flew diligently over the controls and with a smile she watched coordinates pop up.
"If he's anywhere he's on the top floor, room 11a."
"Roger, I'll contact you again when I get there. Is your situation green?"
"Like your lightsaber. Good luck Master, and may the force be with you." Her radio went dead and she began her search.
They had been tracking Admiral Ykar for nearly a month. He had been causing troubles and marshalling troops for his war against Iridonia to overthrow the King and Queen who exiled him. It was thought that this mining facility was being used as a weapon depot and that Ykar himself was overseeing the shipping and so Kyv and Arlena had been sent to find and capture him. She was pleased that Master Luke and Mistress Mara would have so much faith in her but also disconcerted. She was only young and although strong in the force, still a long way away from being a Master and capable of missions like this. She was given the easy part, it was up to her Master to do the rest.
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" Her head snapped to face one of the Zabrak she thought she had incapacitated, her hand was on the Alert Button and already people were tying to bang down the door. In a panic she leapt to her feet, drawing her lightsaber as the door gave in and three Zabrak ran in, blasters in hand. She deflected their shots easily, felling two but the third took cover, firing sporadically at her and cowering behind a crate of ore. She threw out her hand and the crate flew back, taking the Zabrak with it and pinning him to the wall. She heard the sound of more feet coming and turned back to the computer. She didn't have much time and pulled out a data chip, inserting it into the terminal and downloading the database. It would take eleven seconds for it to fully download and already two more Zabrak were running in. She sliced the first clean in half as he ran at her and the other was slashed diagonally from shoulder to hip before he fell to the ground in two pieces.
Turning, she grabbed the data chip and stuffed it into her robe pocket, fleeing from the control room and towards the exit. Fire doors began to slam shut and using her lightsaber she began the laborious task of cutting through. It must have taken her twenty minutes to reach the doors and she found five Zabrak in waiting. Her lightsaber made a comforting humming noise as it swung and twisted, lulling her into the rhythm of the dance she had learned as a Youngling. Before she knew it the Zabrak were all felled and the door was nothing a lightsaber couldn't slice through.
Her radio was still dead as she bolted outside and looking back at the building she saw why. Inside one of the windows on the top floor she could see the neon green flash of her Masters lightsaber and the red bursts of light that was a blaster being reflected back off it. She paused, urging her master to come on but to her horror the green light was extinguished and she felt a tremor in the force.
"No." Her eyes widened in shock and horror and she made to run back inside when the window shattered and her Master was thrown to the sands beside her, his honey blood trickling down his face.
"Too many of them. Run Arlena, get back to the ship. I'll hold them off." He struggled to his feet but she could see the tear in his side. It had obviously been made by a vibroblade.
Before she had time to ask, phaser fire rained all around them and she had to swing her lightsaber in a continuous circle to deflect most. Droids lined the windows firing down and she aw Ykar standing behind them holding a double sided vibroblade and smirking.
"I wont leave you behind." She said defiantly as they back up the dune towards their ship. Still deflecting the shots as best they could. One grazed her arm and she bit her lip hard, fighting to ignore it and keep blocking but a second hit her leg and a third her shoulder. She went down heavily and coughed as she inhaled the sand.
"Arlena!" Her Master's long, slim tail gripped her lightsaber and began to deflect some of the shots away from her. He was not as skilled with it as he was his hands but it allowed her enough time to get up and make her way faster to the ship. The droids weren't following and when they had topped the crest and began to run down to their ship, the firing ceased.
By the time they had made it to their ship, Kyv was on the verge of collapse and throwing himself into the pilots chair, he barely had enough energy to get them space born. When they had finally jumped to warp, away from the planet, he collapsed onto the deck and Arlena saw for the first time the extent of her Masters injuries. She knelt at his side, turning him onto his back and peeling away the dark brown robes he wore.
"Master, we must get you to the medical pod. You've lost a lot of blood and you've been deeply wounded in the chest." Kyv shook his head.
"My injuries are to severe. Arlena…I'm dying."
"NO!" The cry was out before she could contain it and she blinked away the rapidly forming tears. "Don't say that. We'll get you in the bacta tank and everyhing'll be alright. I promise!" Kyv shook his head.
"I can feel my life force ebbing even now. Listen to me, Arlena, what I have to say is important. I want you to make sure they scatter my ashes into the wild of Cathar. My home planet, I'd be honoured if that person was you. I have a sister, Zelya, she'll have something to give you when you go to Cathar. Call into her. I've made all the provisions for my death. All you have to do is go to her and she'll know what to do. I also want you to go under the tutelage of Master…" He grunted suddenly, clutching his side. "Master Shensharu, my old Padwan, he will hone your skills with your sabre. You are already so proficient in using the force. Arlena…" He smiled at her, reaching up and cupping her tear stained cheek. Her hand covered his warmer furred one. "I love you. For the last five years you have been like a daughter to me."
"And you a father to me." She hiccupped, unable to fight the tears.
"I want you to know how proud you have made me, I am the envy of all the other Masters. You're so well behaved and dedicated. Strong of mind and body. You will make a great Jedi and Master to a bright young Padwan someday. Do not grieve me, rejoice I am becoming one with the force." Convulsions wracked her body, accompanied by sobs as the light began to fade from her Masters brilliant eyes. "Do not fear, my Padwan. Fear leads to the darkside. Do not go there, never go there…my daughter, my friend, my Padwan…" His head lolled to one side as he breathed his last words. She screamed her pain and fell over his body. Crying into his still warm shoulder. She lay like that for a long time before there was the sound of the ship being hailed. She dragged herself from her Masters now cold corpse and into the chair to answer the Comm. A Jedi Consul appeared on screen.
"Padwan? Where is your Master? You have been crying…"
"My Master is dead!" She screamed, burying her face in her hands. The Consul's voice was sympathetic and reassuring even though her face conveyed sorrow and horror at the news.
"Kyv was a good man and Jedi, he has gone to be one with the force. Was your mission a success?" She shook her head.
"We got the data but we didn't get Ykar." She sobbed, "I want to go home. Let me come home." The consul nodded fervently.
"Oh of course, plot a course for Courasaunt. Come home little Padwan. There, there, don't cry. You'll be among your own in a while."
She piloted the shuttle onto one of the landing pads with a little less grace than she should have and was surprised when it was Master Luke who greeted her.
"Arlena." He extended his arms and she ran into them, screaming her pain and sorrow into his chest and crying shamelessly. He held her as the medics carried his massive body out of the ship. Luke stroked her hair soothingly, whispering reassuring words to the hysterical child but she didn't hear them.
"It's my fault. It's all my fault." She sobbed. "He wouldn't have gotten caught if it wasn't for me. I should have just killed the Zabrak. I should have killed them all! I WILL KILL THEM!" She tried to pull away from Luke but he just grabbed her wrists and held her in place.
"Control yourself, Padwan. You will be killing no one. Come, we will meditate."
"MEDITATE!" She shrieked. "MEDITATE! NO! I WANT REVENGE! THEY KILLED MY MASTER!"
"He is not dead, he has merely become one with the force." She shook her head, her bloodshot eyes staring at Luke with more pain and suffering than he had seen since the Empire had been overthrown.
"Arlena, Arlena come here. We shall meditate. Masters will be sent to get Ykar."
"I want to go."
"No, Arlena. You are angry. You will not be allowed near Ykar until you have mastered your anger. Anger is the path to the darkside. The darkside is twisted and sordid. It may seem alluring and powerful but the light side will always prevail no matter what. Justice will be served and your Master revenged but not like this. Not with anger and hate. That is not the Jedi way." Arlena nodded, looking up into the Grand Masters eyes.
"He was like my father." She whispered, biting her lip.
"I lost my father to the force as well. My anger, my hate, my fear. It nearly consumed me. For the longest time I refused to believe and that's when I realised that no one ever truly dies. They become one with the force and the force is always with you, meaning they are always with you. Open yourself to the force and you open yourself to them. All the Jedi who ever lived, they are all around us, watching over us and guarding us and guiding us."
"Where were they when my Maser was killed?"
"It was his time, Kyv was a good man. Go to the hall of remembrance. His name and ashes will be added and…"
"No!" Luke looked down at the little girl who was shaking her head. "He wants his ashes spread over the jungles of Cathar where he grew up. He asked me to do that. Please…let me do it for my ma…my old Master." Luke nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"As you wish. But promise me you'll meditate until called for." She turned and walked away.
"Yes Master Luke." She made her way to the meditation chamber and sat cross legged on one of the high circular chairs.
"Fear leads to anger." She said, mocking Luke's tone. "Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." She punched the red foam and began to cry again. "The only one I see suffering here is me!"
"Worry not, little one. Death is natural, it comes to us all. There was nothing you could have done." She turned to see a man sitting on one of the chairs across from her. Had he been there a moment ago? She didn't recognise him from around the temple. He wore the old style robes and had long brown hair and a beard, his kind blue eyes held great compassion and wisdom and Arlena knew she was in the presence of a Master.
"Master, I did not see you. I apologise if I disturbed your rest." The Master smiled, shaking his head.
"I was not meditating. What troubles you?" She caught her lip in her teeth like she always did when nervous or afraid.
"My…my Master. He died and I could do nothing to stop it." She said, her voice quavering again. She would not cry, she would not cry.
"If you could do nothing to stop it then why worry, he is one with the force now." She shook her head.
"He shouldn't have died."
"They never should."
"It was my fault, I should have died." She protested, looking up the Master, her pain clearly etched in the lines of her face.
"For one so young, so much pain. Tell me your story." She didn't know why she trusted this man so but she told him every word and he nodded, listening patiently. "Oh, young Padwan. Take my hand. We shall meditate together. You must learn to listen to your feelings and to follow them but not let them lead you."
"…Will you teach me?" The man chuckled, shaking his head.
"I can not be your Master but I will watch over you, guard you…and guide you." Her eyes widened. She recognised the man now but how was that possible?
"How?"
"I became one with the force. My own Padwan was much like you when I died but he pulled through."
"Obi-wan." She whispered reverently and the man nodded.
"Yes, he went far and learned to control his emotions…Arlena, there is much power in the force. It can even be used to prevent death and to create life but that is not our decision to make. Never ever abuse the force, Arlena. It is important you listen to me. You can grow to be a powerful Jedi but you could also grow to be a terrible Sith."
"The Sith are gone!" She exclaimed. "I am not like them! I would never turn to the darkside."
"That is what Anakin said. He didn't turn to the darkside out of greed or malice…he turned to it out of love and a desperation to save those close to him but he became blinded by the darkside. It twists your soul, changes you and makes you dark. Never turn to the darkside."
"What makes you think I will?"
"There is much fear in you, much anger and hate. Don't give into it. No matter what…they are coming for you."
"But I've only been in here a few minutes!" She said surprised and he smiled.
"Really?" Her eyes snapped open and she realised she had been alone the whole time. The bright light outside of noon had turned into the dark of dusk…or the coming of morning.
"Padwan. The preparations for you Master have been made." A young Gungan youngling was standing at the door to the meditation chamber, staring at her expectantly.
"How long have I been here?" She asked, her throat dry and limbs weak but funnily, she felt more revitalised than ever before.
"Two days and nearly a third. The sun is just rising." Arlena looked to the seat where the old Jedi Master of a time long gone had sat moments ago and back to the Youngling who was sent to get her.
"I'll be right out." She looked around the room again, feeling with the force but there was nothing.
My imagination has become very active. All that talk of old Jedi Master surrounding us has made me grasp at straws. Who sees dead Jedi?
As she left she felt a tremor in the force, she ignored it but then she remember the hallucinations words.
You must learn to listen to your feelings and to follow themShe turned away from the hall of remembrance and walked along the path to the hanger bay where a shuttle was just after landing. She felt it again, a twang just behind her navel. What was it?
"Arlena? What are you doing here, you were summoned to the hall of Remembrance." Master Olan, a lime green Rodian addressed the young Padwan.
"I…never mind. I'm going there now." She cast a glance back a the shuttle and felt another twist behind her navel. It was sharper this time and she grimaced.
"Are you alright?" Olan asked.
"My stomach…never mind. I'll go see a medical droid later." They walked side by side to the hall where she saw her Master lying on the pyre. All the Council and Masters had surrounded the pyre but parted to let her through. It would be up to her to light it. She saw several Masters and Padwan's she knew. Master Luke was standing at the head of the pyre holding the torch and he handed it to her as she approached. She walked around the pyre once, looking at her Master for the last time. He looked as if he was just sleeping.
She said the words she had been taught to say at these occasions. They were in a language long lost and no one knew what they meant any longer but they had to be said, her quivering voice raised to the roof and echoed around to the assembled as she placed the torch in the pyre.
"May the force be with him." She finished and everyone took up the call, murmuring to themselves.
She watched the fire burn down to nothing and his ashes collected and taken away.
"Arlena." Master Shesharu walked up beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I grieve with thee. Kyv was my Master too." Arlena nodded.
"I know, I saw your fight when I was a youngling you were very good with the lightsaber." He nodded, smiling.
"He told me that if anything ever happened to you, he wanted me to train you. We will have to petition Master Luke but I' sure he'll agree…are you alright?" Arlena was staring at her hand where a large blister was forming on the back.
"I must have burnt my hand."
"Oh, here, let me." He took her small, slender hand in his two larger ones and closed his eyes. Arlena felt goose bumps run up her arms as he used the force and when he took his hands away the blister was gone.
"…How did you do that?" She asked in wonder, staring at her now perfect hand.
"Force heal. I can only heal minor wounds but properly trained they say you can bring people back from the brink. Master Olan is a healer, she taught me how to do that." Arlena stared at her hand in horror.
"You can heal with the force?"
"…Yes…Arlena, if you're thinking about Kyv then there was no way a young girl like you could have healed all those injuries."
"It took an hour to get back from the Iridonian system…An hour. If I had known this, know this force heal I could have kept him alive until then. I could have helped him with the major chest wound and kept him alive…"
"Arlena." She backed away, staring at Shensharu horrified.
"I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TEACH ME THIS! WHY!"
"You're too young…"
"NO! STAY AWAY! STAY BACK!" A few of the Masters and Padwans who were just leaving stopped and turned. "HE DIED FOR NOTHING! NO! I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM!" She began to hyperventilate and spots danced in front of her eyes.
"Arlena, there was no way you could have done this. It takes years of training." Arlena wasn't listening, she ran out of the hall blindly, running until her legs burnt and her breath came in uneven gasps. She felt the pulling behind her navel again and she knew it was pulling her in a direction. She turned down a small service corridor and followed the feeling she was getting from the force. She found herself outside the brig, two Jedi Sentinels guarding the doors. It was only guarded if there was someone inside.
"Excuse me, I have to go inside." She said, slipping past them.
"No one is allowed in there." A Twi'lek said, catching her by the arm.
"I was sent here to deliver a message by my Master." The Twi'lek sighed and nodded, no reason not to believe her and she slipped inside. Although she should have known what she'd find it still shocked her.
"Little Padwan?" The Zabrak's pale lips drew back to reveal a row of fangs.
"Ykar." She hissed. "You murderer."
"Your Master died then? Oh well, maybe if he hadn't looked out the window when you ran out I wouldn't have stabbed him in the chest. Silly man." She shook her head.
"No." She whispered. "It wasn't my fault."
"Oh it was, when you ran out the sun glinted off your sabre handle. He looked out to see what it was and when he saw it was you he paused a moment. Only a moment but I have been training to fight against you Jedi scum all my life." She gritted her teeth.
"You are the scum, murdering scum." She hissed.
"Oh, you're angry. Well that's strange, I thought Jedi didn't get angry. I thought that that led to the Darkside."
"If one more person talks to me about the darkside…." She growled, stalking forward.
"You'll what, kill them? Speaking of which, what are you here for?" Her eyes narrowed. "Let me guess, revenge? Why get revenge on me, it's the Jedi's fault for sending him. I was only protecting myself. Why didn't you save him. I know Jedi can heal people." She growled low in her throat.
"Shut up."
"What's wrong, hit a nerve?"
"I said, shut up."
"You want to blame it all on me when you know it's all your fault."
"IT IS NOT!" She roared, stretching out a hand. He clutched his throat, gasping for air.
"What…are…you…doing…STOP!"
"Take it back, it's not my fault!"
"Let…me…go."
"TAKE IT BACK!" It was then the two Sentinels at the door chose to come in.
"What are you doing child? Stop?" The Twi'lek shouted, the Wookie roaring and seizing her around the waist.
"LET ME GO!" She screamed and the entire room began to shake and the shield generator buckled, allowing Ykar to go free. He made a break for the door as the room around him was wrecked. "NO YOU DON'T!" She screeched, reaching for him and he was flung back against the wall, his face turning bright red as he too was crushed. The force she was using was beyond what either of the Jedi had and they could feel that it did not emanate form the same place as their own power. This was the power of the darkside.
"YOU MONSTER! MURDERER! YOU'LL NEVER SPREAD YOUR POISON AND LIES AGAIN!" Lightning crackled up her arms and body. The two Jedi drew their lightsabers but were flung back as the girl screamed in rage. It was then Mara Jade burst into the room and with a swipe of her lightsaber the girl fell to the floor, her left arm a smoking a stump.
"Check him." She said motioning to Ykar.
"He's alive." The Twi'lek reported and Mara Jade went to the child who was clutching her arm and moaning.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Arlena got to her feet shakily, clutching her stump.
"He killed my Master, he blamed me. I was getting revenge. JUSTICE!"
"That is not the Jedi way!" Mara said, grabbing the child's good hand to pull her to her.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE A JEDI ANYMORE! I HATE YOU! I HATE HIM! I HATE THE ORDER AND I HATE THE FORCE!"
"Hate…"
"DON'T PREACH TO ME ABOUT THE DARKSIDE! THE ONLY ONE I SEE SUFFERING HERE IS ME! THE FORCE HAS NEVER BROUGHT ME ANYTHING BUT PAIN AND SUFFERING! FEAR! ANGER! PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS HARPING ON ABOUT THE DARKSIDE AND THE LIGHTSIDE! WELL I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH. I'M NEVER! EVER! USING THE FORCE AGAIN." She grabbed her lightsaber and in a flash of blue cut away her braid and pony tail then threw it at Mara Jade. "I HOPE YOU ALL ROT IN HELL!" She ran past Mara Jade and several stunned Masters who came to see what it was all about. "I'LL NEVER USE THE FORCE AGAIN!" She screamed, tears in her eyes as she fled the temple. Luke watched her go from a high up balcony, shaking his head.
"Let her go Mara." He said to himself and his wife, seven floors below, watched the child go. "I hope I know what I'm doing." The girl disappeared midst the crowd, her Padwan robe fluttering in the breeze and coming off her slight frame.
"If you kept her here, she'd only resent you." Leia said, coming up behind him.
"There is so much anger in her. What if she…"
"She has vowed never to use the force and I believe it's a promise she'll hold to. It has only brought her pain and suffering…"
"Do you think this is the last we'll see of her?" Leia shook her head and Luke sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."
IOIOIO
A/N: Long, I know but would you believe that the original was 15 pages and had her watching the fight between Kyv and Shensharu and becoming a Padwan from Youngling. It was necessary for a plotline I decided not to follow so I got rid of it because let's face it,this was very long. That was why her description at the start was a bit strange, as if she had been described before because well…she had. The next few chapters will be shorter (I'm not spending all night writing a ten pager again) and no, the whole fic doesn't revolve around Arlena. I refuse to spawn a horrifying Marysue. shivers at the thought but there will be a few Oc's as well as some more familiar characters. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed it so far and constructive criticism is welcomed and adored. You're the ones who have to read this stuff so you might as well help me to make it better. All credit to Dana-Carter, Gevaden and Billy the Hick who originally started this and abandoned it, graciously allowing me to unleash my plot bunnies upon it. So…thanks for reading and don't forget to review…go on! Click the blue button. I'll give you digital candy!