About 9 years before the events of Attack of the Clones…
Young Anakin Skywalker has some what settled into his new life of a Jedi with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Dark Night. Dark Night is now at the age of fifteen and is a well accomplished Jedi padawan. She is so well accomplished that Master Yoda is trying to convince the Jedi Council to Knight her. From when she first built her lightsabers to her recent mission of protecting Queen Amidala of Naboo, she has proven herself a worthy applicant. She may have much to still learn, but part of learning is being released from guidance, and Master Yoda believes Dark Night is ready to learn on her own.
It is around one in the morning and Dark Night is meditating in her quarters when she senses someone at the door. Dark Night faintly remembers herself telling Padme that she will try to help Anakin. Already knowing who is outside her door she says "enter" very softly. When the door opens a young boy with blue eyes and blonde short hair and a padawan braid wearing his tan colored Jedi garments entered. "Yes?" Dark Night said with a questioning tone not opening her eyes.
"I couldn't sleep and Obi-Wan said you know a thing or two about not being able to sleep." Anakin said.
Dark Night realizing that little Annie needs help, stands up gracefully and motions for him to come to her. Anakin walks over to her and just stares at her. Dark Night did not seem annoyed at the fact he did not understand what she wanted him to do, so she says, "Anakin, sit down with me."
Anakin does as he is told and when Dark Night and Anakin both sit down they cross their legs into the meditation position. "Do you know why you can't sleep?" Dark Night asked.
"Not really, I just keep seeing images of my mother and the sith from Naboo." Anakin said.
Dark Night though, "That is why you're not sleeping. You're afraid."
Anakin just sat there waiting for Dark Night to answer but there was only silence. Dark Night was hesitant in responding but she did respond. "Are you concerned about your mother?" Dark Night asked.
"I miss her but I don't think anything bad will happen to her. If that is what you mean." Anakin stated.
"Just because you don't think it, doesn't mean that you don't subconsciously think about it." Dark Night said.
"What does that even mean?" Anakin asked.
"It means, even though you may not think about it, you still are thinking about it." Dark Night said.
"You're confusing me." Anakin said.
Dark Night just laughed and said, "I'm sorry I not quite sure how to help you completely with your dreams. But you are welcome to stay and meditate with me if you would like."
"Thanks." Anakin replies and the two meditate for the rest of the night.
When the dawn comes, Anakin quickly heads out of Dark Night's quarters and off to his training.
Dark Night leaves her quarters to the library, as she walks in she senses something off within the room. As she looked around she could see many of the older Jedi frantically around looking through all the books they could find. Dark Night, now worried, walked over to Madame Jocasta and asked, "What is going on?"
"My dear child, there is a young Jedi who just returned from an exploration with his master that is somehow ill and no one seems to know why." Madame Jocasta said.
"Is that why everyone seems to frantically be searching?" Dark Night asked.
"Yes indeed. None of the healers have encountered this before." Jocasta said.
Dark Night looked around for one of the healers in the library, but then realized none of them were in there.
"Where are all the healers?" Dark Night asked.
"They are trying everything they know to help him." Jocasta said. With that statement, Dark Night knew she had to help. She practically knew the library like to back of her hand and if she could see to padawan then she could help figure it out.
"If anyone needs me, I am heading to the Medical Center." Dark Night told Madame Jocasta as she left the library. Once outside, Dark Night started down the hall to the Medical Center rather quickly, so quickly that she was almost running. When she reach the Medical Center, Dark Night first took a deep breath then entered the Center very calmly. When she first walked in she was struck with the chaos of the Healers frantically running back and forth and showing their concern for their inability to understand what was going on. Dark Night stepped into the Center fully and looked for a healer that wasn't busy to request if she could see their patient. Before she could find anyone to ask, Nathan and Elza walked up to her.
"What are you doing here, Dark Night?" Nathan asked.
"I was just about to ask you the same question." Dark Night responded.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but Nathan and I are here because our masters are Healers and are very busy at the moment." Elza stated.
"Well I came to see if I could get a glimpse of the patient." Dark Night responded.
"I mean you could ask one of our masters to see if you can." Nathan suggested.
Dark Night thanked them and went to ask the first Healer she came in contact with. Fortunately she ran into a blue twi'lek, wearing light brown and dark brown Jedi garments, named Natalie Palon; Nathan's master.
"Why hello there, Dark Night." Natalie said.
"Sorry to bother you Master Palon, but I would like to know if I could see your...um...patient." Dark Night said.
"I sorry but we aren't quite sure what he has but you can look at him from a distance." Natalie said.
"Maybe if I could know what his symptoms are I could possibly help." Dark Night stated.
"Well, we need all the help we can get." A tall woman, with long emerald green hair wearing white and light turquoise Jedi garments, said while walking up.
"I suppose you are right Sophia." Natalie said to the woman who was none other than Sophia Kinly.
"Dark Night come with me, I can show you where he is." Sophia said as she started down to the end of the Medical Center. Dark Night and Natalie follow soon after. Once they reach the end of the Medical Center, where all the Bacta tanks were located, Dark Night began to feel a disturbance in the force that gave her the feeling a nausea.
"Here he is." Sophia stated. Dark Night looked towards the teenaged padawan in horror. He looked much older than he was suppose to. In fact, he had the look of old age on him, as he floated there. Dark Night could barely hear his breathing but as she listened she could tell he was struggling. Dark Night could also feel the padawan fading as the seconds past leaving very little time to help him.
"We're losing him!" One of the other healers who was standing the area stated. Dark Night took seconds to think before she spoke, "I have seen enough. Get him out of there! You are only killing him faster!"
Everyone in the Medical Center immediately froze and looked at the fifteen year old.
"What!?" Question Natalie.
Dark Night was not prepared to answer, but noticing no one was going to do as she said walked over to the Bacta tank and pulled the padawan out herself with in seconds before anyone even moved to stop her. With the, extremely aged, teenaged boy now lying in her lap she calmly stated, "He has Death Seed. There's no saving him, he will die within minutes."
Within seconds Masters Yoda and Windu enter the part of the Medical Center Dark Night and the others were. Following them was the exhausted Obi-Wan, who seemed to have news. Without hesitation Obi-Wan said, "I found what he has. Based on all the symptoms, I have found only one disease that matches…. Death Seed." Obi-Wan then realized the entire place was silent as he looked around. "I'm going to guess Dark Night already told all of you."
"Is there any treatment?" Mace Windu asked.
"Only one but you won't be able to get it in time." Dark Night stated solemnly.
"The only treatment is the Tsils, but what Dark Night said is true, we can't get it in time." Obi-Wan said.
Just then the padawan's Master walk over to him and sat down right next to Dark Night. Dark Night looked at the Jedi's face and saw sorrow, an unsettling amount of sorrow. The Master began to run her hand through her padawan's hair and tears began to fall on his head from her eyes. As the padawan died, Dark Night and his Master were there to comfort him until he silently left. Once this was announced all of the Jedi standing around, except Master Yoda, left the Medical Center. Master Yoda walked over to his padawan, Dark Night, and place his right hand on her left shoulder. As he did so the creature, in which caused Death Seed, came out of the padawan's right arm and fell to the floor. Before it could go off and burrow it's head into Dark Night's right leg, she grabbed it and crushed it between her index finger and thumb without hesitation. After the death of the padawan, the Jedi held his funeral in the middle of the day. Everyone, who attended, had solemn looks and continuously gave their regards to the padawan's Master. Dark Night and the padawan's Master, where the last two people to leave the funeral. Everyone already knew that his Master had cried her heart out, but only Master Yoda and the padawan's Master could tell Dark Night, had also, cried her heart out at the loss of such a young boy, not much older than her. Dark Night knew she acted on her emotions, but that is all she could do in order to make the teen not feel all alone as he passed on to the next life. Dark Night had gone back to her quarters to clear her mind. In there she pulled out her four silver orbs, the size of her fist balled up, and began to meditate. As she meditated, she lifted the four orbs with the force and they began to circle around her. This type of exercise is what she usually did to clear her mind. She was doing this for about twenty minutes until someone rushed into her quarters and startled her causing the orbs to fall on the ground. The girl, who had rushed in, realized she had disturbed Dark Night and said, "I am so sorry!"
Dark Night responded to her friend, "It's fine Krista. What do you need?"
"Um... well it's not me who needs you… its Master Yoda." Krista responded.
Dark Night feeling the importance of the request stood up immediately and rushed out with Krista following her.
"Where is he?" Dark Night asked Krista as they walked down the hall.
"He is in his meditation room." Krista responded.
"Thank you." Dark Night said before Krista turned to head off in her own direction.
Dark Night found her way to Master Yoda's meditation room in no time. When she got there she stood at the door waiting for the "enter" command from her master. In a few seconds she hear him say it and she entered and noticed that not only Master Yoda was in the room. When she looked around she saw Master Yoda and Master Windu both in there. As she stepped further into the room Master Windu spoke, "Master Yoda and I have discussed the topic of earlier today and talked about the way you handled it."
"Impressed we are, proved yourself you have." Master Yoda spoke.
"If I may, proved myself for what?" Dark Night asked.
"The rest of the council didn't completely approve, but you are to be knighted." Master Windu said.
"Further in, you must come." Master Yoda said.
Dark Night stepped into the middle of the small room onto the red circle as the lights in the room dimmed. Master Windu ignited his purple saber and stood to Master Yoda's left. Dark Night dropped herself to her knees and lowered her upper body until it was parallel with the floor of the room. Dark Night knew that this was an unusual knighting ceremony and had realized her hair had fallen out of its braided bun to the point that the braid fell out of her hood. Master Yoda then ignited his green saber and held it parallel to the ground above her left shoulder, then moved it over her head and held it over her right shoulder in the same way. Since Dark Night didn't have a padawan braid, there was nothing for the grand master to cut to show her advance to the next level. Master Yoda then lifted his saber away from her and then closed it. Master Windu also closed his and Master Yoda spoke, "Rise, Jedi Knight."
Dark Night stood up with such gracefulness that it seemed she had just meditated. Once she had stood up she bowed to Master Yoda and Master Windu and said, "Thank you Masters."
"Deserve this you do." Master Yoda said.
"I had my doubts about you at one time, Dark Night. Now I see that you will do things for the Jedi order that no one else can." Mace Windu said. Dark Night bowed before them once more than left the room. As she exited she saw a group of Jedi council members standing outside of the room. Dark Night quickly made her escape before anyone could question her. She went back to her quarters for the rest of the day. When she entered her quarters she was startled because someone was in there sitting on her bed.
"Do you know how long I have been sitting here?" The person said. Dark Night immediately knew who it was from the person's voice.
"How did you even get in here Darien?" She asked with her arms folded over her chest.
"You see the Jedi don't seem to have much in the way of guards…" Darien stated as he stood up.
"You are crossing the line." Dark Night said.
"I was kinda invited in by your friend, Elza is it?"
"What do you mean?" Dark Night asked skeptically.
"She needed me to take her home for a short period of time."
"Let me guess, you're doing this just to see me?"
"You catch on fast… for a Jedi."
"Shouldn't you be with your client?"
"I'll go, I just wanted to make sure you were fine. After all you have had a rough day." Darien said while stepping closer to Dark Night. Suddenly, the door to Dark Night's room opened with Elza, Krista, Nathan, and Anakin standing there.
"Hey Dark Night have you seen…." Elza started before she looked at the situation her friend was in and started to laugh. Dark Night just rolled her eyes and turned around to face her friends.
"Is there something we don't know?" Nathan asked with a teasing tone.
"There is nothing going on here." Dark Night said then pointed to Darien, "He is only here for Elza."
"That is not entirely true." Darien said.
"It's fine. We know you too well Dark Night to think that." Krista said.
"We're only teasing you." Nathan said.
"But I do think you two look so cute together." Elza said in a cute voice.
Dark Night made the sound "Ugh" to show her disapproval. Little Anakin stepped forward and said, "We came here mainly to congratulate you."
"That is the reason Krista and I came." Nathan stated.
"I appreciate the notion, but doesn't Darien and Elza have somewhere to be?" Dark Night said.
"Ah! Yes, we will be leaving at once….My lady." Darien said with a smile and started towards the door. As Darien walked by, he quickly kissed Dark Night on the cheek and headed out the door and stood next to Elza leaving Dark Night with a stunned face alone in the room. Elza, Nathan, Krista, and Darien all leave, leaving Anakin alone with Dark Night. Anakin looked at Dark Night then said, "I hope you sleep well tonight." then he left.
As Dark Night was meditating that night she started to see an image of her past. With her eyes closed she could clearly see the image. It was her in front of her old home on Naboo, in a sea green dress and tears falling from her eyes. She looked back at the house then looked to the flowing water fountain in front. She turned away with her back to the entire place and boarded her ship, leaving her home unattended to fall apart. Dark Night opened her eyes and had the voice of her older brother echoing in her head saying, "Our home is not where we are born, it's where the ones we love are." The voice showed her that her home isn't only on Naboo, it's throughout the galaxy. Her friends in the Jedi Temple, Padme on Naboo, her mother on Dathomir, her father somewhere else in the galaxy, her siblings spread out in the galaxy, and Scarlet off on her own. Scarlet, the one youngling that felt like a daughter to Dark Night, was all on her own and there was nothing Dark Night could do. Dark Night realized she is the only Jedi who concerns herself with emotions and feelings. "I really do have something more to offer to the Jedi then I realized." Dark Night thought to herself. "I have to be one to show them the truth about the force I have to show them."
End of story