I started this way back in 1998, when there was a major revival of all things "Star Wars". I'm itching to get at it, as I can see so many flaws, but I hope you like it. I'll upload the next chapter when I get a bit more time.

Standard disclaimer: All "Star Wars" characters, worlds, implements, etc. are © George Lucas. I've just borrowed them for a while. No copyright infringment is intended. Everything else is copyright me.

The planet was covered by swamps and undergrowth. What lurked in that undergrowth was heard, but not seen, and it was anyone's guess whether it was dangerous or not. Moisture hung in the air, and created a light mist, which the stars in the night sky were struggling to penetrate.

A ship, X-wing class, stood on ground that looked decidedly unsteady, contrasting sharply with the environment. For what appeared such a primitive planet, with no technological wonders, the X-wing, battle-scarred, but still in good condition, created questions in the eyes of any intelligent observers.

A young man in a pilot's uniform was getting into the cockpit. From his actions, it seemed he was eager to get away. His sandy-brown hair flopped over his forehead, but luckily didn't get in the way of turquoise eyes that now burned with a purpose. An R2 unit was already stationed at the back of the vehicle, and the engines were thrumming, the low hum sounding incredibly loud in the otherwise fairly quiet swampland.

Watching the young man and the X-wing from a safe distance were two forms. One, who could have been a native of this world, was short, with large ears, clawed hands, and green skin. Although he used a stick, he wore the robes of a Jedi master, and therefore was not to be underestimated. The other was human, and appeared to be around fifty. His white hair was short, and yet slightly dishevelled, and a neatly cropped beard created an air about him which one look into his sparkling azure eyes might have removed. Like his companion, he wore the robes of a Jedi master, but, unlike the green one, he was surrounded by a pale blue light, which at once illuminated him and made him transparent.

Tyen watched the proceedings from a short distance away, realising that no one could see her, and that, by rights, she should not be able to see the old man as he was a spirit, having died an unknown time ago. Never the less, she saw everything with clarity whether she wanted to or not. Ideally, she would like to run from the scene, from this planet, but she was held in place by an unknown force that controlled her as much as she controlled it.

Abruptly, her attention was drawn back to the group. The small green one was saying something to the young man, who was now seated comfortably behind the cockpit controls.

"I will," he replied seriously, "and I'll return. I promise," he added quietly.

The X-wing began to take off, the young man's mind now far away from this world and the two people he left behind.

The green one sighed sadly as his companion began to dissolve into the night.

"Told you I did," he said, but there was no triumph in his tone. "Reckless is he. Now, matters are worse."

"That boy is our last hope." The voice seemed to echo from all around them, but the green one did not appear to be surprised by it.

"No," he said calmly, watching the X-wing disappear into the atmosphere, "there is another."

The words echoed loudly in Tyen's mind, and she clamped her hands over her ears, willing the sound to go away.

"There is another."

Still it continued, relentlessly tormenting her. She writhed on the spot, but could not get away. Gradually, the planet began breaking up around her, and she found herself falling into darkness.

"There is another."

She wanted to scream - from terror or pain she wasn't sure - but she was denied.

Out of the darkness towards her, came the face of the old human, a mischievous smile making his eyes sparkle. But he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was placed somewhere beyond her, in the distance. The vision before her, some inner sense knew, was for herself alone. She studied it curiously, before realising that it wasn't going to stop. The face was still coming towards her, getting larger and larger.

Tyen turned and began to run, but she didn't seem to get anywhere, and the face was looming up in gigantic proportions.

Realising she could go nowhere, she turned to face her enemy, her arms going up to cross in front of her face in a protective gesture, as the vision advanced.

"There is another."

The voice echoed one final time, and she awoke, the voice still ringing in her head.

Finding herself apparently tied up, she wriggled frantically, and finally freed herself from the blanket she had used to ward off the cool night wind when she had succumbed to tiredness a few hours since.

Breathing heavily, she leaned back against the wall, her eyes closed. From the sounds she could hear, the alley she was in was undisturbed, despite her fitful sleep.

The dream wasn't new. She had had it before, in various intensity, for about a year now. Sometimes she saw different scenes, but it always returned to that one. Why, she didn't know. The people in it meant nothing to her. She hadn't a clue who they were. However, some strange inner sense, that influenced her in a lot of things, told her that the dream wasn't conjured up out of her imagination. At some point in time it had actually happened. But why she should be 'privileged' to see it she didn't know.

Her racing emotions had calmed down a bit, and rationality took over. Opening her eyes, she kicked the wall in disgust. Wasn't she old enough now not to be influenced by dreams?

Why couldn't she just be left alone? She was an ordinary citizen, and hadn't done anything drastically wrong in her life... at least, not that she knew of. All right, so she had stolen food and blankets on pretty regular occasions, but they were only to keep her alive. If Silva had lived, things would have been different. Her mother would have sorted everything out; she had always known what to do. Certainly, they would not have been living in the back alleys of Coruscant, wondering how to stay alive.

But her mother was dead, wasn't she? Tyen asked herself, bitterly. Taken by the Imperials the moment they had arrived from Tatooine. Someone had betrayed them; she understood that now, but then she had only been five years old...

They alighted from the transport, Silva looking around cautiously as she held tightly onto Tyen's hand. Tyen didn't fully understand what her mother was worried about, but here, in this strange place, she wasn't about to go running off anyway.

The many races that had been on the transport with them were moving all around them as they left the transport, and Tyen moved closer to Silva in an effort not to get pushed away from her. She knew that if she lost her mother, she wasn't about to find her again in any great hurry.

Silva scanned the landing platform and surrounding area. Puzzlement came into her expression. She looked around again, and suddenly froze.

Tyen followed her mother's line of vision, and instinctively shrank from the sight she saw coming towards them. On Tatooine, there hadn't been much evidence of the Empire, but everyone knew about it, and feared the Emperor's henchmen and their deadly machines. Now, coming towards them were men wearing white armour and helmets, men carrying laser blasters pointing at her and her mother: Imperial stormtroopers!

Silva pushed Tyen behind her as she searched for an escape route, somewhere they could go to hide, but the landing platform was open, and contained only the transport. Running was futile; they would be gunned down before they could take a step. She did the only thing she could: stood her ground with the same dignity and calm her teaching had given her, while striving to protect her daughter from the Imperial murderers.

As the stormtroopers advanced, Silva detached her lightsaber from the belt around her waist and ignited it. Assuming a defensive pose, she reached out with the Force to use the troopers minds against them. A little time, that was all she needed. A little time...

Around her, confusion began. The troopers began thinking that they were hearing things, that people were behind them, that their colleague had tapped them on the shoulder.

Silva heard the confusion, and, although she was sweating profusely now with the effort of mind-influencing so many, her aim did not drop from sight.

"Run!" she told Tyen.

Tyen looked at her mother, surprised.

"But -"

"Don't ask questions, Tyen. Go!!"

Tyen went, running like the wind off the landing platform.

Silva's strength was running out, and she was losing control of the troopers. Some snapped out of the mind-influence, and noticed Tyen running away.

"Hey!"

The voice brought some of the others out of it, and Silva had to let the rest go, too weak to hold them any longer. Gratefully, she looked off into the distance, and saw that her daughter was already out of Imperial reach. At least she was safe.

That was Silva's last thought as one of the troopers' laser blasts hit her, and she fell to the ground, stunned, but alive.

In the distance, Tyen continued running, not once looking back. She was aware that some of the stormtroopers had been sent after her. She could hear their feet on the ground behind her. But luck was on her side. Once off the landing platform, the streets were narrow and close together, enabling Tyen to run easily through them, outwitting the troopers. She could squeeze through gaps one of them couldn't even hope to get through. Soon, all she could hear were the general sounds of Coruscant and her own laboured breathing. There was something else, some indefinable sense, telling her she could stop running now as well.

Gradually, she slowed her pace, and finally came to rest against a wall, trying to get her breath back. She had won! Tyen laughed weakly at the minor triumph. They wouldn't find her now.

Then she remembered her mother. For a moment, Tyen felt afraid, as if something was wrong, but she brushed it aside. Silva had held off other people before. Tyen had seen her mind-influence hundreds of people before, and, as far as she was concerned, her mother was the best in the galaxy with a lightsaber. Not that she had seen anyone else wield one however. She would be all right, and, when the time was right, she would come looking for her. Tyen had no doubt that Silva would find her. On countless occasions before when Tyen had thought her mother would never find her, Silva had located her with no trouble at all. Her mother had said a 'force' linked them, and that she could sense Tyen, no matter where she was. Tyen didn't have a clue what she meant; she just believed it without question.

Her breathing back to normal, Tyen at last looked around her. She was in a narrow street with high walls on either side. It wasn't the most salubrious of places, but it was away from the centre and the Imperials. It seemed to go on endlessly in each direction, but Tyen had no mind to discover just how endless it was. Spotting a niche in the opposite wall, she squeezed into it, and curled herself up, as she rested back against the stone. Her long auburn hair effectively created a curtain that hid her from view. In the end, someone could have walked right past her, and never known that she was there.

The rest of that day and the next she remained hidden, coming out only to look for food. Each time, she had had the air of a nervous rabbit knowing the hunter was around and just waiting for her to make a fatal mistake.

Day turned into night, and still Silva didn't come. Tyen became uneasy and restless. As long as the hope lived that Silva would come for her she was all right, but that hope was dying... and she was afraid. She wasn't strong like her mother; all she wanted to do was burst into tears, but that wouldn't accomplish anything. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. Unconsciously her eyes closed, and suddenly she was overwhelmed by feelings: fear, helplessness. The words: "Protect Tyen" entered her head. Worry, relief, nothing.

Tyen opened her eyes, gasping. What had happened? She was frightened. She wished Silva was here to calm her, tell her everything was all right. In spite of herself, she felt hot tears falling down her cheeks. Annoyed, she wiped them away. This was no time for crying.

Instinctively, she felt that Silva was alive. Some unknown sense told her she would know if her mother was dead. But where was she? A vision entered her head of a tall pyramidal structure in the centre of the city. Tyen fought it. She had no wish for visions. She didn't understand them, and they scared her. But what if her mother was there? an inner voice whispered. It didn't matter, she told it, She didn't know where it was, let alone if it existed. The voice responded: Wouldn't it be better to know for sure?

Tyen felt lost. Should she believe the vision? Was her mother there? It would be better to do something than sit around not knowing, just waiting. Maybe she should try to find the building. Yes, that was what she would do. It would take her mind off the strange things that had just happened, and stop her panicking.

So decided, Tyen crawled out of the little hole that had been sheltering her, and brushed off the long dress she was wearing. It now looked dirty and grubby, she thought regretfully. It wasn't meant for running, and hiding in holes. Her mother had made it for her for her fifth birthday. It was similar to one Silva wore that Tyen loved to dress up in. It made her feel like a princess.

At home on Tatooine, she had sometimes pretended that she was a princess, and her mother was the Queen. Although in her dreams there was also a King, she could never see his face. She'd never known her father, and she doubted she ever would. Silva always looked frightened when she asked about him, so, lately, she had stopped asking.

Her mother! Thinking about her, sparked off her simple plan, and she began to walk up the alley, trying to find the way she'd come when she left the landing platform.

It seemed she had been walking for hours, through endless streets, past crowds of people, speeders, and various other sorts of things alive and mechanical. She was beginning to think she was on a hopeless quest. Then she saw the building. It was exactly how she had seen it in her vision. Did that mean she believed the visions? The question went unanswered as something else occurred to Tyen. If the building really did exist, then maybe her mother was there. Joyfully, Tyen began to run, intent on finding her mother as soon as possible.

As she neared the dark building, she noticed things moving in front of it. White things, with objects that looked uncomfortably like laser blasters. Tyen drew up short, and vanished round the side of another building while trying to take in what she had just seen.

There were stormtroopers out there! What was she doing? What had she been thinking? That her mother had just been taken to a nice little place with no guards, no Imperial entanglements at all? The only reason Silva wouldn't have come for her would have been because she had been captured. The only people to do that would have been the stormtroopers. Therefore, it was logical she would have been taken back to the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace! She was planning on entering the Imperial Palace! Panic engulfed her. She was mad. She was planning on walking into the mind-centre of the Empire. But her mother was there! Tyen calmed down slightly. Yes, and she had to go to her.

Cautiously, she peered around the side of the building. The troopers were pacing back and forth past the structure. There didn't seem to be any obvious way in. Besides, she wasn't going anywhere near stormtroopers if she could help it. Carefully, she examined what she could see of the Palace. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on something. There seemed to be small vents on each side of the building, presumably to let heat out, or maybe impurities in the air; if the Emperor was inside, she supposed that was a logical conclusion. Maybe, if she could get closer...

Keeping an eye on the stormtroopers, she tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as she made her way towards the Palace. It wasn't difficult. Being so small, she easily merged with groups of people, and was effectively hidden on her small journey.

Abruptly, she broke from the latest group, and dove around the side of another building not far from the Palace. From here, she could see the vents clearly. They were covered with a metal grill, but - if she could get the grill off - they might just be large enough for her to fit through.

The stormtroopers seemed more concerned about protecting the front of the Palace than the back, so, before she could think of what she was doing, she raced forward, and went down on her hands and knees to try and get the grill off.

She had expected a struggle, certainly more of a struggle than she got. But after tugging it a few times, the grill came off quite happily. Obviously, people removed the grills regularly, and, because the vents were small, no one expected anyone to fit inside them. They hadn't bargained on a small five-year-old intent on finding her mother.

Normally, in case she got stuck, she would test a small opening before trying to climb inside it, but time wasn't on her side, so she just crawled through, and hoped for the best.

She had been right. The opening was large enough... just. She had to lie flat out, and even then, she felt that she might get stuck at any moment. The tube was small, and constricted her chest, causing her to breath in short, tight gasps. However, it was also made of smooth metal, and made sliding along it easier, especially seeing as she had the dress on. Her hands were stretched in front of her, pulling her along, but she could barely lift her head to see where she was going. She had a sudden vision of ending up in a torture chamber, or - much worse - the Emperor's own throne room. Tyen gulped, and tried to quiet her suddenly loud heartbeat. Silva, remember Silva, she told herself, and continued on her slow progression down the tube.

Pretty soon, the light from outside that had been guiding her dimmed, and then there was only darkness. Still, Tyen struggled on. There would be an opening somewhere, she thought. There would have to be. She didn't like to think about the consequences if there wasn't.

Suddenly, a blast of air came down the tube. Tyen, still trying to get as much air as possible, unwittingly took a breath then, and she found herself choking. The air wasn't breathable, and threatened to suffocate her from lack of air. It was stifling, and disgusting, like the smell surrounding the Jawas at home. She prayed that it wasn't deadly.

Weak, but alive, she drew in a short breath after the air had passed, and tried to pull herself along again, but collapsed before she got very far.

Mother, where are you? The question was in her mind. The lack of air making her too weak to even murmur the words aloud. She lay down resting her head on her arm, as her eyes closed. Where are you?

The cell bay was quiet, but Silva heard voices. Lying on the slab of metal the Imperial jailers deigned to call a bed, she was sure someone was calling for her...

Abruptly, she woke and sat up, her eyes a mixture of worry and hope.

"Tyen."

"Tyen."

Tyen heard the strange echo, not in her ears, but in her mind. Weak, and exhausted, initially it didn't penetrate her brain that she shouldn't be able to hear anything at all.

"Mother." Her lips barely moved, and the sound that came out was less than a whisper.

"Tyen."

Suddenly, Tyen woke properly, her eyes wide and frightened. Now, she was hearing voices.

"No voices, my young one." Startled, Tyen tried to look around her, but there was no hope as long as she was crammed into this tube. "Come this way." the voice continued.

It sounded like her mother, Tyen realised. But it couldn't be; she was imagining it. They didn't come from a long line of telepaths, and they had never been able to communicate mind-to-mind before. She didn't understand.

"I'm afraid," she whispered.

"I know," Silva replied.

Her mother's voice comforted Tyen slightly, and she began to feel hope return. Drawing on what strength she still possessed, Tyen continued up the tube.

As she travelled, her mother's voice grew stronger in her mind, and, eager to be with her, she travelled faster. When the tube branched off, she didn't hesitate, just headed down the tube to the right, as her mother whispered encouragement.

Finally, she came to a grill in the floor. Looking down, she could see some grisly being chewing something to pieces. Hastily, she moved on. There were a lot of air vents along this stretch of tubing, and Tyen realised she must have reached accommodation of some kind. Looking into the next grill, and discovering only a small room, with no way out, and no window, she decided it must be a cell bay.

She went past a few more vents, before she looked down and saw her mother looking up at her. As she saw Tyen, a relieved smile came onto her face, and Tyen felt an answering smile appear on her own face.

Manoeuvring with difficulty, Tyen tried to lift the grill. This one was stuck faster than the one outside, and she was weakened into the bargain. Then she felt a push on it, and suddenly it came free, but when she looked, Silva was standing exactly where she had been, quite a long way down. She couldn't have reached the grill, so what had pushed it? Suddenly, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was near her mother.

Tyen moved the grill out of the way, and, relying on her mother to catch her, dropped headfirst through the opening.

Something caught her as she fell, and lowered her gently into Silva's arms. Before she had time to analyse it, she was being hugged tightly, and Tyen forgot the question as she hugged her mother back.

"What were you doing?" Silva asked, not releasing her grip one bit. "You could have been killed! What would I have done then? You're all I have. Oh, Tyen, Tyen."

Tyen couldn't stop the tears that cascaded down her cheeks, and onto Silva's shoulder.

"You didn't come," she said. "I thought you would, but you didn't. I missed you."

"I missed you too." And Silva hugged her tighter than ever, as if afraid to let go.

Time passed. Tyen didn't know how much. She was content just to be with her mother again. Now, she felt safe, as though everything would be all right.

Finally, Silva sat down, and placed Tyen on the bed beside her. Tyen looked at her curiously.

"Why don't we leave now?"

Silva turned to her. "Leave?" she asked incredulously. "Sweet, this is an Imperial cell bay. I'm not here for my health, and there is no way out."

Tyen considered. She refused to be worried now that she had found Silva again.

"I got in," she said. "Why isn't there a way out?"

"I can't climb through the air vent, Tyen," Silva explained patiently, "and even if we got this door open, there are plenty of guards outside. We would be killed before we could take a step. But you must go," she added determinedly. "I won't let them hurt you. You can go back the way you came."

Tyen wrapped her arms tightly around her mother.

"I'm not leaving you," she said. "You might not come back."

Silva put an arm around her daughter's shoulders, and drew her closer, kissing her hair softly.

"I never meant for this to happen, Tyen," she said quietly. "Kyla was going to hide us. We would have been safe."

"Why didn't he?" Tyen asked innocently.

Silva closed her eyes in pain. "I think he's dead, sweet. We were betrayed."

The word didn't mean anything to Tyen, but the fact that her mother was upset did. She hugged Silva tighter, trying to comfort her. Her mother stroked her hair gently.

"There must be a way out," Tyen said.

Silva smiled sadly. "No, as I've said -"

She suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and looked up, as if she saw something she could work with.

"Unless..." was all she said.

Tyen felt a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

"Come on, Tyen. We're leaving."

Tyen watched as Silva used her mind to hot-wire the computer system. The door slid open, and they stepped out.

"Don't touch any of the guards," Silva warned her, "or the illusion won't work."

"What illusion?" Tyen whispered, confused.

"I'm using their minds," Silva explained, as they began to walk forward, "to convince them they see nothing as we go past, but bump into them, and the influence won't hold. So, be careful!"

They both proceeded to step very carefully around the guards at the control panel. Tyen had to duck as one of them twisted around to talk to his colleague. She ended up crawling out of the way. Silva gestured to her to stand in front of her at the door.

They waited there for about fifteen minutes, and then the door slid open admitting a senior officer. As soon as he was in, Silva and Tyen slipped out before the door could close.

Tyen was smiling with the triumph of escape, but Silva looked nervously around them, grabbed Tyen's hand, and began to walk fast up the corridor. Tyen ran slightly to keep pace.

"What -?" Tyen began to ask, but Silva cut her off.

"We're not safe until we get out of here," Silva explained quietly. "I can't keep up the mind-influence for hours on end. We're now relatively unprotected. If an Imperial squad spots us..."

She let the sentence trail off, and Tyen, smiling no longer, tried desperately to keep up with her mother.

Her mind on other things, Tyen failed to hear the tapping of feet a little way up the corridor. All she knew was that Silva suddenly grabbed her, and shoved her in an alcove off the corridor, as she pressed them both against the wall.

The tapping got closer, and Tyen held her breath, trying to make herself disappear into the wall.

White armour came into view, passed, and went out of view. They stayed there a while longer to ensure the corridor was empty again, before moving on.

Shortly, they came to an elevator, and used it to get down to ground level. Silva used the illusion again to get them out of there safely, for they had now entered one of the busiest sections of the Palace. Stormtroopers seemed to swarm around them, accompanied by senior officers, prisoners, and even some droids.

Eventually, they came to a quieter area, and waited there for a while. Silva was weakening under the stress of influencing so many, and she wanted a break before completing the final stage of the escape.

As she closed her eyes, and tried to relax, something passed over her awareness, and she flinched. She tried using the Force to sense it, and it came to her again. A familiar and yet strange presence... She didn't know, but whatever it was, it was evil. Opening her eyes, she took Tyen's hand again.

"Come on," she said.

They had progressed only a matter of metres before a couple of troopers came round the corner, deep in conversation. Drawing on her fast disappearing strength, Silva mind-influenced the troopers, and drew Tyen out of the way.

As they got closer, the troopers voices got louder, and she could make out some of the conversation.

"What can the Emperor want with this device?" asked the first trooper. "It's only a small tube of metal. It hasn't the effectiveness of a weapon. Tests have revealed nothing."

"I don't know," replied the second. "But if we don't get it to him soon..."

The voice of the second trooper became insignificant as Silva noticed what the first was carrying on his utility belt: her lightsaber.

Indecision gripped her. If she got the lightsaber back, she and Tyen wouldn't be so unprotected. But that meant dropping the mind-influence. There were only two troopers though; she could handle them, once she got the saber.

Her mind made up, Silva released the troopers from her hold. They saw her instantly, and drew their blasters.

Tyen clutched her in fear, but she had already flung out her hand, and the lightsaber pulled away from the belt to whizz towards her, landing squarely in her palm. Before another moment passed, she switched off the protective shield, the device that had prevented the troopers getting anything from it, and pressed the activation button. The pale pink light shot up from the handle, and began a low hum, as she used it to deflect the laser blasts. Keeping Tyen behind her, she drew closer to the troopers, until the blade became the last thing they saw as it swooped towards them.

Silva deactivated the saber, and hung it on her belt, before bending to pick up the blasters.

"Here," she said, handing one to Tyen, "take this. You might need it."

Tyen gripped the blaster awkwardly. It was much too big for her small palm, and worried her a lot. What if she accidentally shot someone? Her aim wasn't that good.

"Come on."

Silva took her hand again, the other holding the second blaster, and they proceeded cautiously up the corridor.

A few minutes of calm passed, and then the exit was in sight. Not the main front entrance, but a small door off to the side used for the Empire's more covert operations.

Suddenly, Silva flinched. There was that presence again, stronger this time. Evil, it was evil, and it was getting closer.

Silva began to pull Tyen urgently towards the door, but, before they'd taken a step, an alarm sounded throughout the corridor, and, Silva knew, throughout the Palace. The presence had given her away. As much as she could sense it, it could sense her. It hadn't been the dead stormtroopers that set off the alarm. The other troops probably hadn't even found them yet. The presence knew she was trying to escape, and, as much as it knew that, she knew that now she wouldn't escape... ever again.

A strange kind of calm peace invaded her at the same time as she accepted the truth. There was nothing she could do, except wait. She had to protect Tyen. If they found out about Tyen, there was no hope. A child so young with the Force about her the Emperor could shape, with no trouble, to his evil ways. But her staying meant Tyen would be all alone. Silva gazed sadly down at the auburn head that was pressed into her thigh. Tyen had experienced much more than she had bargained for already on this trip, but the poor child had much more to go through before it was all over.

Bending down, she took Tyen's hands in both of hers.

"You know they're coming for us?" Silva asked.

Tyen nodded, biting her lip nervously as she glanced up the still empty corridor where the tapping of running feet could be heard.

"You know I must stay?"

Tyen turned rapidly back to her, shaking her head violently. "No!"

"Yes, sweet." Silva gathered Tyen tight in her arms. "There's no time for explanation, Tyen. Just know it to be true. Also know that you must go." She pulled away, and gazed seriously into her daughter's eyes. "You have a lot to learn. It is not your time yet."

Tears started pouring down Tyen's cheeks. "I don't want to be without you."

"You never will," Silva reassured her, smiling at Tyen's puzzled expression. "Through your memories I'll live again."

Tyen wasn't reassured, and the tears kept falling.

"Please, Tyen," Silva begged desperately, hearing the tapping getting closer every moment. "Take this." She unhooked the lightsaber from her belt, and handed it to Tyen, who looked at it in awe. "One day, you'll learn to use it as it should be used."

She hugged Tyen tightly again, pushing away the tears. If the Imperial's suspected there had been someone with her, they would go after Tyen. As long as they had someone, in this case herself, they wouldn't think there was another. That was why she had to stay... and that was why Tyen had to go right now.

She released her daughter, and looked at her, trying to remember every feature, every line, every shadow.

"You had better go now," Silva told Tyen quietly. "They'll be here soon."

"I can't leave you," Tyen said, as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"You can." Silva shook her gently. "Listen to your feelings. You know you can... and must. Don't ever be frightened of what they tell you."

Tyen stopped crying, and looked deeply into her mother's eyes. Finally, she looked away, and nodded. "All right."

"Go, then." Silva let her arms drop to her lap, away from Tyen.

Tyen stepped back, and, clutching the lightsaber to her chest, she began walking slowly backwards.

"I love you," she said, as the tears began again. Then she turned, and ran away from Silva.

"I love you too," Silva said quietly, watching her daughter vanish out the door.

Composing herself, she turned, blaster in hand, and ready to meet the enemy.

The stormtroopers came round the corner into Silva's line of fire. She stood calmly, firing laser blasts, watching troopers fall, one by one.

Realising they were being shot at, the other troopers entered the corridor with more caution, and Silva backed herself against a wall, in an effort to avoid the deadly beams.

Smoke filled the corridor, as the very uneven battle took place. Blasts hit equipment that exploded in red-orange flames, but they didn't hit Silva. She returned the fire when she got a chance, but she was aware that she was now outnumbered. She didn't know how many squads the Emperor had sent down here, but more and more troopers kept running into the corridor, and as fast as she shot them down three times as many appeared. Soon, they were advancing on her, and, finally, one shot the blaster out of her hands, as four others raced up to her, securing her arms behind her back with electronic handcuffs. They stood, two to each side of her, as if waiting for something... or someone.

Foreboding filled Silva as she felt the presence again, very close, and getting closer. The familiar feeling was very strong as she waited with the troopers in the now silent corridor. In fact, it might have been... Silva sadly lowered her head. Yes. She should have realised. Well, no time for regrets. She had to protect Tyen. Lifting her head again, she gazed calmly ahead, her eyes revealing nothing of her thoughts which were once again with her daughter.

Should she have told Tyen? she wondered now. Should she have taught her about the Force? It had long been a topic of dissension in her mind. Tyen was only five. The burden that came with the gift of the Force was heavy, and, at present, dangerous. Therefore, she had taught Tyen nothing. With the Empire hunting down the Jedi, no one who could use the smallest section of the Force was safe. Tyen was strong. She would be all right. She had to be all right.

Shifting her gaze outward again, Silva tried to erase all thoughts of Tyen. At present time, she had her own demon to face, a strong demon, and one that knew too much about her. It wasn't going to be easy.

"Nothing in life is easy."

The well-remembered and beloved voice was only a memory, but Silva smiled. No, she thought. No.

Up ahead, through the clearing smoke, she knew the presence was approaching. He was coming for her. All she had to do was wait. Already, she could hear the laboured breathing through the black mask, and hear the swish of the cloak as it was buffeted by the breeze caused by its owner's lengthy stride. Now, she could see him, and she struggled not to tense up as she knew the troopers beside her were doing. She had some pride. She would keep it to the end.

"Darth Vader," she said, her voice sounding clearly in the silent corridor. "You surprise me. Why aren't you on one of the Emperor's Star Destroyers doing your master's 'work' for him?"

The sarcastic tone of her voice wasn't lost on him as he stopped in front of her, causing her to look up if she wanted to see something besides a black wall.

"Charming, Silva," the deep, but distorted voice commented. "As always. When I was notified as to your presence here, I had no intention of missing such a charming reunion."

"I'm surprised you actually remember me," she said venomously. Then she added quietly, "You can't even remember yourself."

He reached out a gloved hand, and gripped her shoulder so tightly she thought the bones would crack.

"Those comments no longer affect me," he said angrily. "You would be wise to be silent."

"Die quietly?" she questioned, brows raised. "Maybe you don't remember me after all. I will fight the Empire with my last breath. I am a Jedi," she said the word proudly.

"Not for much longer," Darth Vader announced ominously, backing away slightly.

"You can't win." She shook her head, smiling with the knowledge. "In death, I will be even more powerful. You should know that."

Vader gripped his lightsaber tightly in his hand, his finger poised on the activation button.

"Clever words can't save you now." The triumph in his voice was clear to everyone, as the button depressed, and the red beam extended. "The Jedi are no more."

Hidden by the small door she had exited not long ago, Tyen peered through the gap she had created by leaving the door slightly ajar.

When Darth Vader swung his lightsaber at her mother, Tyen flinched in pain. Puzzlement followed soon after when Silva completely disappeared, leaving only the dress she had been wearing, and the electronic handcuffs.

The stormtroopers moved back, startled, and one of them bent down searching through the material as if expecting to find Silva there somewhere.

"She's gone, my lord," the trooper reported, obviously baffled.

The Dark Lord stood still for a moment, as if thinking, and then abruptly turned on his heel and strode back up the corridor, his cloak flowing out behind him.

Tyen clutched Silva's lightsaber to her chest as tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"She's gone," she whispered, unable to take it in. "She's really gone."

Mother!! she screamed in her mind, but it did no good. She couldn't sense Silva anymore. Her mother was dead.

Tears blurring her vision, Tyen left her position by the door and ran away from the Imperial Palace. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going, just needing to get away.

Finally, exhausted and alone, Tyen found a niche in a wall similar to the one she had been hiding in before, and curled up inside, the lightsaber still clutched tightly in her arms.