Better explanation of summary: This story is about the ruthless, vicious, and never-ending cycle of revenge. Set during Episodes II, III, and in between III and IV. Kitell Faulkner is a padawan learner, about to go into her trials by the end of AOTC. She studies under Mace Windu. *SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILMS* Flash forward to ROTS, where Palpatine and Anakin kill off Windu. Kitell becomes a member of the Jedi Council, but is not quite a Master yet. She avoids being executed during Order 66 and takes up being a Bounty Hunter of Jedi (after the war has settled down, set after ROTS), under the false pretense that she is bringing them in to collect credits—she is not, her goal is to build an army of what Jedi she can find to defeat the Sith, with the ulterior motive of satisfying the vengeance she feels for her dead Master. What she doesn't know is that Boba Fett has put his own price on her head, never forgiving the death of his father brought on by Windu on Geonosis. Will Kitell and the sole Jedi she manages to scrounge up defeat the Sith in this AU fiction, or will Fett extract his revenge first and prevent Kitell and her recovered Jedi friend from meeting their goal?
[A/N: This is told in the first person point of view because that is the style I use in the prose I write outside the realm of fan fiction literature. This a very short chapter. I expect to produce more lengthy ones. And if no one reads the piece on here immediately, I have a feeling I will continue updating the story at my leisure because I really like the idea, so if a reader happens to come along down the road and would like to read more, just leave a message or a review asking for an update and I will put it up.]
My Master's voice came floating above me, as though he was circling overhead, or his presence was just some hokey, spiritual form instead of the physical. He sounded far off, I thought, as I kept my eyes shut, my eyes running slightly wet from the light that hit and irritated the closed lids. I tried to avert my attention from my current discomfort. Being hung up on or annoyed by certain petulant aspects of the world were not the Jedi way. I had been keeping up with a mental list as to what was and what was not the Jedi way. There turned out to be a lot of things on such a list; I couldn't remember half of the things I added to it on a daily basis.
"You must focus." His tone was harsh in the latter word of his demand—he must have read my mind. It wouldn't surprise me if he had, just as I wouldn't be surprised if he gave me certain mind checks on a daily basis. So far he hadn't caught me on a bad day, because I have yet to be reprimanded for illogical and less than Jedi thoughts.
He continued, "You must let go of all emotions and qualms, yet remain vigilant of your surroundings. You must open your senses through the Force, first and foremost. The Force is what will give you absolute certainty in the face of the uncertain. That is, if you know how to read it, utilize it, as I have been training you to."
"Yes, Master."I could only affirm what he just said.
It was the same thing every padawan learner heard day in and day out, not only from the Master they were studying under and going on missions with, but of other Jedi whenever they were present in the Academy. Lately, every Jedi elder had a lot to say to us learners, almost as though they were preparing us for something and we needed to get all the advice we could before that something happened.
"You also need to place utmost trust in your fellow Jedi, just as you should trust me now."
I could hear him walking a perimeter around me, taking careful, measured steps. Mace Windu was one of the most meticulous people I have ever known from the Academy, whereas other Jedi, especially of the higher ranked personnel, were reckless, flippant and facetious in their arrogance bred from their more than competent skill. Windu was tough, even mean-spirited at times. He meant well. The crisp leaves crackled under his muddy boots. His hands were most likely clasped behind his back. I felt his eyes upon me and I knew when they left me.
"Begin."
I shut my eyes tighter and focused all of my attention upon myself, as I lay on the concrete slab. It was like a cold, external tomb. Yavin IV had provided another cool day, as the previous had been. At least it wasn't in its humid, jungle land season yet. My Master Windu was instructing me on the physical power of the Force. How Jedi use it to better suspend themselves when in combat, when jumping and flipping through the air. The Force is what helps us to have that extra, super acrobatic advantage. My current lesson was for short-lived levitation. Very few Jedi had the power, my Master being one of them. Master Windu was one of the forerunners in combat, beating out even Master Kenobi at times; however, Master Kenobi was arguably the best at diplomacy and negotiation skills which I believed was far more valuable, regarding our way of life.
"I trust you to trust me in that I will not allow you to fall."
"Yes, Master." I muttered it, sure that I didn't even make coherent speech in the slightest. I was more focused on my impossible task at hand than practiced in the arts of speech at the moment.
He continued pacing around the tomb I was trying to pull off of. I pulled my senses to me, to see if it would aid my concentration in any way. To see if the nature of the planet and its tranquility would be any sort of beneficial factor to me at the moment. Somewhere a bird chirped in a treetop in the distance, a gust of wind caressed the skin that was not covered by my neutral colored robes, the scent of wild and alien flowers wafted over to me. And then, yes. Master Windu was correct about trust and certainty, just as I learned he was correct about everything that he talked about.
If he was going to speak to me about falsehoods, then he would hold his tongue.
I felt him shuffle closer just as I opened my eyes and broke my stream of consciousness and focus. His hands were swift, flying under my back in the split second before I hit the tomb, his forearms stabling me as he caught me, and helped me back to my feet.
"Thank you, Master." I felt my ears burn in embarrassment at the fact that I failed my task in less than two minutes.
"I told you I would not allow you to fall."
I locked eyes with him and nodded curtly. There was no one in the galaxy that I trusted more than my fellow Jedi. I held Master Windu in higher regard, just as every Padawan held their respective Master in higher regard than anyone else they were familiar with. Padawans held utmost respect and gratitude toward their most important mentor, just as the mentors felt a fond obligation and tie to their learner.
Master Windu was like a father to me, and that was something invaluable and irreplaceable.
"Let us return to Corescant."
"Yes, Master."
We boarded the a ship from the Republic and programmed the R-4 unit to start the engines and destination.
"What do you think of the young Skywalker, Kitell?"
Master Windu was always voicing his opinion about the hotheaded padawan and his competency, or lack thereof. The vast majority's belief and trust in the boy irked and worried Master Windu at times. Although that was something he never voiced as blatantly as other things about him, I knew that it was something that troubled him profoundly.
"He is the Chosen One. We should have nothing but the purest faith in him."
Mace chuckled at this. "A warmhearted sentiment, my padawan learner. What do you really think?"
I could only smile at his laughter at my obvious forced answer. "I think that he needs to calm down and become more patient. I think that in due time he could either become very helpful or very dangerous to us in the near future."
He was nodding at this. I knew that he could sense the irate tone I was harboring. "And this is not coming from jealousy?"
"Jealousy?" I was taken aback, giving him a hard look.
"Yes, Kitell, jealousy. From how you were supposed to become Master Kenobi's padawan learner, but were instead replaced by Anakin by the request of Master Jinn."
"That is not true."
Master Windu gave me an even harder look than I previously gave him before allowing his eyes to wander out of a window and look at the surface of the planet that we were now departing from in totality.
"I know that at some point you saw that being assigned to me would become anything but counterproductive. I know that you are far better at avoiding conflict at all cost. That you are a smooth talker with all the patience in the galaxy like Master Kenobi and that he was the better match in you honing these skills. The truth is, you were very weak willed when it came to wielding a light saber and that was something that needed to be rectified. It only makes sense that you should learn from someone who could teach you far more than the others."
I was nodding profusely at this point, watching space as though I had never seen it before, just as he was doing.
"This holds fair substance, Master."
"Indeed?" He wanted me to continue, to explain myself, to prove to him that I fully understood what he was trying to tell me.
"Yes. Had Master Jinn not asked Master Kenobi to take Skywalker under his tutelage, Skywalker would have been assigned to him regardless, simply to learn more of patience and humility, just as I had to learn to become stronger."
"Indeed." Master Windu affirmed my answer and stretched backward, looking at me. "It is up to you after your trials to decide which medium of your teachings you will hone far finer than what you are working on now."
"Yes, Master."
[A/N: This story is going to follow a chronological timeline in accordance to the order of the films. This set up scene is just to show the depth of the friendship and respect that Windu and Kitell hold for each other. The ties that Kitell holds with Obi-Wan will hold far more substance in the chapters to come. The reservations that Kitell and Windu share about Anakin hold more substance, as well. Thanks so much for reading! If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave them in a review! ]