A young girl sits alone in the dark and cold corners of the room. A girl with great potential and someone who's dreams of becoming a great Jedi were being denied to her by those who believe she is an arrogant, mediocre pretender who will never succeed in anything. But she would prove them wrong, and in the end she would be the last one standing.
The crashing waves twenty feet below the grand academy were her only reminder of the life she wanted to have. Even the grey atmosphere ahead was cherished in her eyes. When she was first taken as a child to train as a Padawan in Dantooine's, Farbros academy, she expected a life full of adventure and exploration. Not being cooped up in a damp room and neglected upon.
This girl was Meetra Surik, and this wasn't the life she expected. She stared through the windows in front of her at the sea creatures swimming in the one and only ocean on this barren planet- Dantooine. What she wouldn't give to be free like them; these windows were like iron prison bars. Maybe that's why Master Vrook Lamar sat her here, so that the outside could mock her, so she could be reminded of the life he stole from her and the one she could never live. In a few weeks, she along with the rest of the students would be transferred to a new academy, the Dantooine Enclave and this one would be closed down on a count of it being where the Dark Lord Freedon Nadd studied. It contained to much dark memories.
Meetra was a bright girl, but no one knew that. She could never share her knowledge or express herself in ways she wanted to, instead she kept to herself and just wrote about her feelings. She would often be yelled at for minor offences, whereas others would be excused. Worst of all, Vrook had stuck her in a room with the brightest and most talented pupil in the academy- Bastila Shan.
Bastila was kept in the lighter, more warmer side of the large room, there was a reasonable amount of distance between the two but enough so that Meetra could hear the constant praise she would receive, while nothing but shadows floated over her. At least when it was just her in the room, Meetra would at least be acknowledged because of the yellings she would get from her masters, but the second Bastila strode in and lit up the room from the dark creature that was Meetra Surik, she became a ghost. Just another dark shadow in this corner of the room. The only logical explanation for this so-called "joint session" was that Vrook hoped that Bastila's strong positive attitude would rub of on Meetra, hence why he occasionally popped in to "check" on them. He pretended not to notice Meetra in case she caught on to his trick and tried to avoid Bastila, when in fact Bastila had little interest in Meetra. She knew her jealousy was neither rational nor fair, yet Bastila had a hint of it towards Meetra; she was taller, fairer, better looking and even managed to swap her dull brown robes for a more stylish light indigo one with a emerald green dress underneath, clipped together with a red belt.
But it was Bastila's caring nature that led her to feel guilt at the same time. She was receiving more tutoring and training than Meetra, in fact she received none at all, so if any one should be jealous it should be her. Why was she locked in the dark, while Bastila was in the light? Bastila would often spend hours occasionally staring at the lonesome "quiet girl" in the corner of the room, wondering what she had done to deserve this, and why none of her tutors would ever even go over to her. After all this was a joint session. Well it was supposed to be. But this would just cause more yells to be directed at Surik for being "too distracting", adding to Bastila's guilt. She tried forcing herself to her master's office, to request a transfer to another session in another room so Meetra would be rid of her, but she figured that would cause her more harm: they would just accuse Meetra of driving Bastila away or making her feel uncomfortable.
Here she sat, her head slumped onto the wooden table, surrounding by all her notes- the only friends she had in this place- trying to block out the noise of Bastila and Vrook talking behind her. What an insult it was for Vrook to place her in the same corner Freedon Nadd once worked, to sit her on the same chair he did and use the same desk he used. He probably viewed her like him, however, the only similarity Meetra could find between the two of them was that they were both dead. Hearing Bastila talk, Meetra was pretty sure she was smarter than her and most students in her class, her teachers would often get infuriated with her. She would ask questions like "Say if the Force only exists in this galaxy, what about the others?" or "Say if the Force wasn't existent what would we use instead?"
"Take a note on your Holopad," Vrook advised Bastila. Her regular tutor was sick so he would be covering, making Meetra's day all the more unbearable. It would give him a chance to see how much Meetra learnt from Bastila, when in fact, Meetra would drift off into space whenever she could so she would never pay attention. "I never understood why some people use paper and kill their fingers writing when we have such devices."
His sharp remark was directed at Meetra, whom he glared at even more sharply. She wasn't paying attention, her head was buried in Nadd's desk, expecting tears when nothing came.
"I actually prefer to use paper, Master, it's more easier to write on," Bastila quickly came to Meetra's defence before another argument could break out between the two.
Vrook smiled at her before walking over to Meetra, starting her first conversation in what seemed like days.
"And what have you been learning this past week?" he demanded in a venomous tone. "How to make mess?" He glared at the piles of notes on her desk.
"My work is my own, seeing as how no one else will teach me anything," Meetra shot back, biting her lip to keep from saying anything more rude.
"You wonder why? Because your so arrogant; your stubbornness to listen to what others say is why no one bothers. That is why I sit you here with Bastila yet you learn nothing but whatever this is!" he raised his voice, grabbing some of her notes.
"Hey, give them back!" shouted Meetra, standing up.
"Multiverse theories?!" laughed Vrook, unimpressed. "You waste your time trying to figure out rubbish. There is no such thing as other galaxies and universes, only the one the Force has created! The day you get your head out of the clouds is the day you will learn at least how to at least use a lightsaber!"
"Just because you don't understand them," hissed Meetra. She saw no point in getting into another heated debate over her theories vs his. She always believed that other galaxies existed and multiverses, ones where the Force had no effect and where creatures existed without using the Force. "Why don't you find me a teacher who will pay attention to me? Why do you put me in a room with Miss. Know it all, so you can torture me with how perfect she is and how much of a bitch I am?!"
Vrook felt like delivering a fierce slap across her face for swearing, let alone answering her back, but not in front of Bastila.
"One more word out of you Miss. Surik and I promise you-
"You'll do what, expel me? Go on then, I want you too! Because for the last five years I've been locked up in this room alone, like a Sith, which is what you think I am anyway, why don't you kick me out, you clearly hate me?"
"I hate no one because hatred is not a word to the Jedi, drink some water and cool off, you are clearly not in the mood for work today, just...take a break from your silly writings and pay attention to reality for once in your life," Vrook cooled down and finished the conversation.
Vrook left the room to get a glass of water himself. It was true, he held a strong resentment against Meetra. Her views on the Force and the Galaxy were too realist for the Order. She would often do things easily, and others would follow. This influence had only ever been seen one other time. With the "Fallen" Exar Kun. Surik could form strong Force Bonds with multiple people instead of two, something which should be impossible, and it was that which made Vrook lock her in a room all by herself. He meditated for hours, thinking about what Meetra had said. He sensed that he hurt her today, filled her with even more pain and in the end, all Vrook wanted was for her to be better, not like Kun.
Bastila left the room for an hour and then came back with something in hand. She sat down beside Meetra for the first time and tried to comfort her. She handed her a slightly thicker robe to wear, something to warm her up in this cold isolation. It was fitted for her size, but Meetra was tall enough to fit into it. Meetra politely declined, not that she could see much beyond her tears. Bastila never saw her cry, slump her head into the desk to make it look like she was yes, but never like this, and it was apparent this wasn't the first time she had done so.
"How was you birthday? 16's a big number," Bastila quietly asked her, smiling. She was two years older than Meetra, although she was still taller.
"Locked in a room, alone with my tears, it was very nice," she sarcastically shot back, wiping her eyes. Bastila stayed silent, feeling as if she made a stupid move.
"I'm sorry. Master Vrook may seem mean but he's very compassionate about all of us," she explained.
"To you maybe but he hated me since the day he saw me, and I hate him back!" she yelled, gritting her teeth. Bastila lay a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down, which she brushed away. "I would hate for Miss. Perfect to have to sit next to a wretch like me on the desk of Freedon Nadd, who I clearly am so much like".
"Hate leads to the Dark Side," warned Bastila.
"Maybe I would get more respect on the Dark Side," grunted Meetra.
Bastila wanted to protest; such words were blasphemy, but she knew that Meetra had been through a lot to want to say that. She decided to leave her alone for a while. Alone. As always.
Perhaps the future Jedi Exile was to blame for her actions, or maybe it was Vrook's arrogance and opinion that everyone who disagreed with him was "falling to the Dark Side" that led to this. What Meetra thought turned out to be true, but not till thousands of years later, when the Yuuzhan Vong emerged. Perhaps if they had listened to her, that crisis would've been averted, but neither of them lived to see it happen.