She'd woken up to the sounds of the planet that never slept made by the people that never seemed to sleep either. Over the four years she had lived in Coruscant, Nata-lin had never been able to accustom herself to the noise. Everything was so constant in Coruscant.

It never ceased to amaze her that, even though she lived somewhat out of the way of the busiest parts of the sprawling city that had consumed the planet, and instead lived beside the Jedi Temple, the noise and the liveliness of the place never stopped.

Nata-lin pushed the base of her palms into her eyes, trying to purge the sleep from them. Though necessary to ensuring her health, sleeping never seemed to agree with her and Nata-lin would often find herself waking to feel far less refreshed than if she had not slept at all.

With a long huff, she literally threw the blanket covering her away from herself and shuffled out of bed. Her bare feet padded her into the bathroom attached to her room that was fully equipped with everything she could hope to need- except, ironically, a bath.

She wandered over to the sink, resting her hands on the rim of the basin and stared in front of her. Looking into the well-placed mirror, Nata-lin heaved another heavy breath. Her face remained as it always did; pale- almost stark- in complexion, her dark brows were a thin and carefully shaped contrast. Her green eyes were large and above them, the tattooed form of thick black lines on her eyelids almost appeared like a permanent source of make-up.

It was her hair that Nata-lin always hated facing after sleep; she didn't know how it was physically possible, but her usually, relatively straight hair somehow never failed to weave itself into an unkempt bird's nest of mess by the time she woke. Instead of attempting to rip apart the tangles of her hair right away, Nata-lin leaned her head against the reflective glass, resting her forehead on the cool surface.

She was not a morning person. Never had been, never would be. If only she had been born of a species that didn't require sleep, then she would have had to face neither sleep nor that awful morning feeling. What she wouldn't have given for that! But no, she was human- and, unfortunately for her, that meant that she had to sleep. Whatever the case with her sleeping though, Nata-lin had won the genetic lottery in a completely different way.

She wasn't happy with that either though; in fact, Nata-lin was just not a very happy person. However, she could be forgiven her occasional ill-humour and sarcasm with the understanding of what she was.

Being a seer meant knowing too much. Being a seer meant knowing everything and having to choose what to tell. Being a seer meant watching the world change before it even knew that it had a choice. Being a seer was more trouble than it was worth, Nata-lin had always thought.

Slowly pulling back from her position, she picked up a toothbrush and proceeded to use it, removing another annoyance that sleep brought, morning breath. Nata-lin half-glared at her reflection as she brushed her teeth, still pondering on where to start with flattening her dark, unruly hair.

It took half an hour to complete the task of untangling her hair to what Nata-lin thought was a satisfactory level- and still, only just. Finally, she stepped away from the bathroom mirror, glad to not have to stare at her reflected twin any longer. She returned to the room she slept in, on her way, slipping out of the shift she slept in and letting it fall to the floor. She'd pick it up later.

Nata-lin was in no rush to dress, she knew that no one could see into her rooms, so she had no fear of being observed by anyone, even though the curtains of her large windows were not even fully closed. It was one of the perks of helping the Jedi High council. She helped them, and they hid her.

Too many people sought seers- and most of them were of a less than reputable nature. So when a representative of the High Council discovered her for what she was, and when they had offered her the protection that she so craved, Nata-lin could barely stop herself from jumping at the chance. She did, of course, accept, and had been living on Coruscant ever since.

Locating her underwear, Nata-lin dressed, following those items with a pair of loose, material trousers that she was just buttoning up when-

He came from nowhere- was just there, in front of her- and she didn't dare move. The Dathomirian Zabrak known as Darth Maul, his vivid red skin covered in patterns of black tattoos, stood before her. And she knew from experience that this was really her, and not just a projection of herself on someone else.

The Sith Lord paced back and forth, his startling eyes never once leaving Nata-lin. She couldn't help but be reminded of a tiger she'd once seen in a zoo on her home world. Beautiful, dangerous and predatory-

Nata-lin blinked, the vision fading from her mind as quickly as it had come. Her hands fumbled at the buttons she was part way though doing up. As soon as she had finished, Nata-lin turned for the door at top speed and left her room behind. She was in so much trouble and she knew it from even so brief a glimpse into the future as she'd had.


She was almost out of the door before she realised that she was neither wearing a shirt or shoes. And, as the saying in local bars went, 'No shirt, no shoes, no service', Nata-lin was pretty sure that the Jedi High Council wouldn't be too happy with her turning up half-naked.

With no time to go back to her room, Nata-lin found whatever was closest, which, in this case, turned out to be a material cardigan that had no buttons and she was forced to hold closed, and the first pair of shoes that she came across. She didn't even care that they did not match as she ran outside and straight for the Jedi Temple.

It was a good job for her that she had been granted permanent clearance into the areas she needed to get to quickly, or else she would've found it nigh impossible to get to the Council- particularly in the mad-rush, slightly-crazy state she appeared to be in.

And it was just her luck- and theirs- that the High Council were already gathered. The thought that they might be in the midst of something didn't even cross her mind as she pushed straight through the doors and into the room atop the Southwestern of the five spires of the temple.

"I'm sorry, I had a vision an-" Nata-lin started by way of hurried explanation as she entered the room.

But she cut herself off abruptly as her eyes settled on the assembled party- but, more particularly, the holographic figure that they were assembled around. Seeing the High Council mid-conversation with a Senator that she could not recall the name of was enough to force her to hold her tongue. No one was supposed to know about her visions; that was one of the conditions that she herself had set when she came to Coruscant.

All eyes fixed on her as she stood, a dishevelled mess, just inside the room. For the first time, Nata-lin began to feel a little self-conscious as she noted her appearance, but she quickly dismissed that. And though the Jedi were unable to read her thoughts, another perk of her slight genetic mutation; they could read her emotions.

The fear and shock in her triumphed over her minute embarrassment and she was sure that the Council noticed. Mace Windu, who she was sure had been in the middle of a sentence when she had burst in, turned back to the holographic senator.

"Senator Palpatine, we must finish this conversation another time," he said.

The holographic man smiled, as he replied, "Later, perhaps."

The Senator nodded to the council, and then once to Nata-lin before the image of him flickered out of existence. And, with the Senator gone, the High Council turned to Nata-lin, who cleared her throat, and stepped to the centre of the room.

"I didn't plan to barge in here looking like a half-naked hobo and I hope you'll forgive my intrusion," she said, her eyes focussed on none of them, but instead on flickering outside the glass walls of the room.

"But this is urgent."

"Continue," Shaak Ti said.

"The Sith are back."

She was met with blank stares from the circle of Jedi Masters around her as if it was taking them some time to register the information.

"What?" Mace Windu questioned with a frown.

"That's impossible!" Kit Fisto exclaimed.

"Well, I saw one, so it's not that impossible."

"This cannot be true; you must have made some mistake."

"Agreed. The Sith have been extinct for a millennia," Yarael Poof concurred.

"True or not is not the point; who they are is what matters," Yoda said, stunning the others to silence for a moment.

"You think that her vision is correct?"

Nata-lin couldn't help but chip in with, "I am a seer."

"With visions that can be changed," Depa Billaba observed.

"Yes, because I can change the fact that there is a Sith Lord out there... I've had no direct influence on him," Nata-lin replied, rolling her eyes.

"Without the attitude, please," Mace Windu commented.

"I'd rather not be accused of making mistakes then," she bit back quickly.

"Perhaps we could get back to the matter at hand?" Plo Koon suggested.

"Who was the Sith?"

Nata-lin opened her mouth to respond, but, as she tried to explain it to them, she found that no words would come out. It was as if someone or something was blocking her. She frowned, knowing that none of the incredibly powerful Jedi around her would be able to help her either.

A part of her power was that they could not reach into her mind as they could with others. The visions blurred their path and blocked the Force completely. For some reason, she just wasn't going to be able to describe the Sith Lord to the High Council, and because of her visions, they wouldn't be able to see him in her mind either. The situation frustrated her more than anything.

"I... I don't know. I mean, I know, but for some reason I can't explain. I can't say his name, not even his race."

"If the Dark side of the Force has remained hidden from us, then they may have found a way to hide themselves even from you revealing them," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested.

"Your vision, what did it entail?"

"Well, that's the thing; not much really, but..." she paused, running her tongue over her bottom lip as her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

"He was standing in front of me-"

"A projection of you onto someone else?" Oppo Rancisis interrupted.

"No, me. Really Me," she answered with a frown.

"There was something about that vision... It wasn't like my normal visions; it's like... I don't know everything as I should; and I couldn't decipher when or where it is that I am supposed to meet this Sith Lord. I just know that I was on my own- hence the rush in getting here," she finished, shifting the cardigan she wore to cover herself a little better.

"So you think he may have set you as his purpose?"

"It's a possibility; it's not really hard to tell why either. I mean, he obviously wouldn't be after me for my winning personality and charm. The Sith must have found out about my abilities somehow... They wouldn't be the first," Nata-lin concluded with a scowl.

"Which would mean that he would have to be close," Kit Fisto put in.

"Indeed, it would," Yoda concurred, nodding.

"Careful, we must be; and protective also. Within the temple you must stay until reveal themselves the Sith do."

"Themselves? I only saw one," Nata-lin said, confusedly.

"Always two there are. A master and an apprentice."

Nata-lin's brows drew together further at the new information and she replied, "Well that's just brilliant."

"The question is which one she saw?"

"Couldn't tell you, 'cus I don't know," Nata-lin answered, frustrated both by the fact that she didn't know what she should and that she was being spoken about like she wasn't present.

There was a moments silence that was broken only by a slight change of subject.

"Protection you must have," Yoda said, nodding seemingly to himself.

Mace Windu nodded too and proceeded to arrange a guard to accompany Nata-lin to her rooms so that she might be able to dress herself properly and collect a few other things. Nata-lin bowed to the High Council and left the room as her own personal Jedi bodyguard appeared to collect her.

She knew that the Council were far from through with discussing the information she had just given them, but it seemed that she was not supposed to hear what they said next. It didn't really matter to Nata-lin; they did that so often when she told them of a vision she'd had, what should be the difference now, especially when she could be of no help.


Author's Note: If you've actually bothered to read this far, Hi! :) I've had an idea for this story in my head since the re-release of The Phantom Menace, and I finally got around to writing some of it. Hope you liked it and will let me know what you think! :)

Kit xx