Disclaimer: As before I own nothing, but my own characters and the scenario. The Star Wars universe and characters all belong to George Lucas – I've just borrowed them for a while.
CHAPTER TWO
Tyen gradually felt the real world coalesce around her as the memory faded. The sky was still night-black, twinkling with stars that seemed to reflect the city's lights, and the alley was still quiet.
She saw everything through a haze of tears.
It didn't matter that Silva had died several years ago; she still missed her... a lot. Her mother had always been there for her, and, suddenly, she wasn't. And it hurt. The pain had dulled with time, but it was awakened every now and again when something reminded her of Silva.
After Silva's death, she'd had no way of leaving Coruscant. She'd had nowhere to live either. She hadn't known anyone, and she had only been five.
A few days after her mother's death, one of the alley's residents had found her crying in an alcove dug into a wall. To Tyen, the woman had seemed so kind, someone who would love her and take care of her. She had gone willingly back to the woman's make-shift house.
A few hours later, she had awoken from a fitful sleep to hear voices coming from outside the building. Her curiosity had got the better of her, and she had moved to the window to see what was happening.
She had received an incredible sense of deja-vu when she'd seen her new friend surrounded by stormtroopers, and it had taken a few minutes to realise that, far from being afraid of them, the woman was actually helping them.
Wondering what was going on, Tyen had strained her ears and listened.
"And you're sure it's the same child who escaped us at docking bay 15?" one stormtrooper had been asking.
"Yes," her friend had confirmed. "Now, when do I get the reward you promised?"
Tyen had heard enough. She had raced from the window, and had slid out a gap in the back wall.
Her time since then had been spent hiding in the alleys, stealing food to stay alive, and running from Imperial guards. She had learned the hard way no one was to be trusted, so she relied on no one but herself. While her life had taught her some valuable lessons, she could imagine a life so different that it made her want to cry out with the unfairness of it all.
Even when the Rebel Alliance had won the war against the Empire, Tyen's life hadn't changed. Why should it? The only thing that had altered was her fear of running into Imperial troops. Now, she kept eyes open for the Republic's guards, but at least she didn't fear them. She didn't have a reason to. They upheld justice, not cruelty.
The New Republic was still fairly fragile, Tyen knew. They had taken residence in what had been the Emperor's Imperial Palace. Tyen shuddered. She hated the place, and had wondered what the leaders of the Republic had been thinking when they chose it. They had waged deadly battles with the Empire, if rumours were true (and Tyen could well believe that they were). Why, then, had they chosen as their headquarters the root of that evil? It didn't make sense to her, but maybe it did to them. Anyway, it was no concern of hers. She just tried to keep out of the Republic's way. It was a lot safer if she did so.
Sadly, she brushed the tears away as she acknowledged she didn't so much live as exist. She wished her mother... but wishing was stupid. Life was as it was. There was no place for wishes in it. Still... Tyen unhooked the lightsaber from her belt, and ran her fingers lightly over the cool metal surface, seeing Silva in her mind as her mother wielded the lethal sword. Comforted slightly, Tyen lay down again, drawing the blanket over her body. For a moment, she was five years old again, the lightsaber hugged to her chest, and then reality set in, and, disgusted with herself, she reattached the lightsaber to her belt, and closed her eyes.
ooooooooo00ooooooooo
Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the New Republic, carefully closed one of the doors to the palace behind him, before breaking into a run to get away from the city centre. The reason for the quiet and the sneaking around was simple. He wanted to be out of there before Leia realised he was gone and sent Threepio after him. While, usually, the presence of the golden droid cheered him (if Threepio wasn't in too pessimistic a mood), today he discovered he was lacking in tolerance.
He needed to get away, just for a little while, and now was a good time. Leia's emotions were all trained on Han, so he shouldn't be missed, for a few minutes at least.
Han was due to leave soon on a diplomatic mission. He and Chewbacca were due at the Garan system to try and persuade the people there into joining the New Republic. It was all in Leia's name, and she would be going too if she wasn't needed here. Besides, Luke had noticed Han's restlessness over the past few weeks. In fact, he had been surprised the pirate-turned-general had stayed in one place so long. Therefore, the mission was entirely suited to him, except for the matter of diplomacy which Han didn't exactly possess in large quantities.
Luke had stopped running now, but his mind wasn't on where he was walking. He was worried about Leia. Leia, he knew would miss Han once he'd gone. She'd put on a brave face - the one of the Princess and Senator - but she'd miss him. They had only been married six months. Luke wondered why Han couldn't have hidden his restlessness a bit longer for Leia's sake, but he got the feeling that's what Han had been doing, and he was grateful to him for that.
Han was a good friend. His kidnapping of Leia hadn't actually been the best idea Han had ever had, but since it eventually resulted in the desired outcome - their marriage - Luke supposed it couldn't have been so bad. Besides, Han's sarcastic, wry humour was often needed around the palace. His persistence of calling Luke "Kid" Luke welcomed for it brought him out of himself for a while. Now, he rarely felt young enough to be given that name; the farm boy was long gone.
He was caught up, to some extent, with Leia and the others as they struggled to build a Republic like the one that had been destroyed by the Empire. Mon Mothma was a good guide. She had been on the original senate before Palpatine came to power. She knew their aims, and how to achieve objectives. That was why Han was about to fly off to Garan. The Republic needed the support of other systems to create a unified galaxy, one that wouldn't be destroyed as easily as before.
Garan wouldn't be easily persuaded though. It was true their Governor had agreed to meet with Han to discuss the proposition, but many of the Senate had their doubts. The people there had been burned once before when they put their trust in a Republic that had turned on them, and there was doubt they would trust in a similar system ever again. But if they did join with the New Republic other systems might be more amenable to the idea, and the struggle of the Senate would lessen.
That was why Han had to succeed in this mission. His friend, the gambler, who was far from tactful at the best of times, would have to exert his somewhat dubious charm in order to benefit both the planets involved.
Luke sometimes wondered what his purpose was in all this. Lately, he had felt in a state of limbo. Ben, who he had always relied upon for advice, seemed to be gradually fading away, losing contact with him, and Leia was more concerned with Han and the New Republic than the Jedi training he had tentatively begun a while ago. Although he knew that was as it should be, it sometimes made him unhappy.
Annoyed at himself for sinking into a near depressive state, he roughly shook himself out of it. Lately, he was too serious for his own good. It was going to cause problems...
His thought abruptly trailed off as he sensed danger around him. Looking about, he discovered he had walked further than he thought. He was now in an area of the city he didn't recognise. It seemed to be rather like a poor area, far removed from the glitter of the centre. The street was grimy and narrow. Several other streets seemed to lead off it, and there were plenty of places to hide.
As something moved in the shadows, his hand moved automatically to the lightsaber that was dangling at his side. He detached it from the belt, but didn't activate it. He wanted to see if he could get away without fighting, and he didn't want to promote an attack in the meantime.
A rather bulky man stepped forward, his hair and beard dark and matted. His clothes were torn in places and looked filthy, but the club he carried was not to be meddled with. The eyes that peered out at Luke mirrored the greedy smile curving his lips.
Luke turned, distracted, as another man stepped forward, this time thin, but carrying what appeared to be a very sharp knife.
Then a woman came forward, and another man. Soon, Luke was surrounded, each of his attackers brandishing a potentially dangerous weapon.
The click of a button being depressed was rapidly followed by the 'crack' of a laser-whip.
Luke turned to look at the woman controlling it, and felt a deep sense of foreboding as she smiled.
"Play-time!" she said.
ooooooooo00ooooooooo
Tyen was up on the roof of one of the centre's buildings when she felt suddenly distressed. Her leg, poised to leap to another building, faltered, and she nearly fell the long distance to the ground. Catching herself on the edge as she went over, she proceeded to pull herself up, her heart racing from the near death experience. Breathing heavily, she sat down for a moment, her emotions too caught up elsewhere to analyse how she had reacted so quickly to stop herself falling.
Someone was worried, and it was a worried verging on frightened, although the presence was very calm. She didn't know how she could sense it; she just knew she could. The emotions coming to her were faint, but definite. Her mother had said to trust her feelings. Her feelings said she must help.
Getting up, she paused for a moment, trying to discern where the emotions were coming from. If she was right (and she didn't count on it), they were coming from her part of town: the winding back alleys. It wasn't surprising if they were. A lot of attacks happened there, especially when the richer people from the centre wandered into what was essentially beggar territory. The inhabitants of the alleys weren't very friendly to people so rich. After all, think of all the clothes, food, weapons, and money that could be gleaned from a starving, desperate, and sometimes deranged group of people attacking a lone rich kid silly enough to come into their midst? Tyen wasn't like that; she didn't believe in hurting innocent people for any reason, and definitely not to survive. You could steal without hurting someone. That was why she was on the roof to begin with. Up here you could see everything that was going on in the streets below. You could find some food or something, climb carefully down, take it, and vanish up to the roof again. No one would be any wiser, and Tyen could survive for another day.
However, today's search would have to be postponed, she decided as the distressed feeling grew stronger. Assessing the gap between the building she was on, and the one closer to the alleys with a practised eye, she backed up a few steps, took a deep breath, and ran for the edge. As she reached it, she threw herself up into the air, and leaped over to the other building. Pausing only to gauge the gaps, she proceeded to traverse the city by way of leaps and bounds.
Finally, she reached a building where the emotions seemed strongest. Drawing up to the edge, she peered cautiously over.
She had guessed right. Some poor guy from the centre had been caught by one of the alley's groups. They had surrounded him, and were gradually closing in. Strange that he didn't seem more frightened, Tyen thought, as she moved back a few paces. The roofs were closer together here, so she had to be careful.
Her concentration on the gap between the buildings, she ran forward and flung herself into a somersault, landing squarely on both feet a short distance from the young man and his attackers.
They turned, startled, as they heard her land. Obviously, they hadn't expected interference, much less interference of the sort that snuck up on them. Tyen smiled inwardly. She had had a lot of practise.
"Well, what have we here?" she asked the astonished group. "Isn't night a better time for playing? Why don't you leave him alone?"
A woman with a laser-whip recovered first. Her initial shock vanished to be replaced by a calculating smile. Trailing the whip behind her, she moved towards Tyen.
"It's more fun to play," she said, answering Tyen's question. "Do you want to play too?"
With lightning speed, the woman brought the whip forward, the movement of her arm causing it to swing out towards Tyen.
Tyen jumped, avoiding the deadly device, and shook her head at the woman.
"That's no way to treat a guest," she said, her hand moving to her lightsaber. "And, seeing as there's no alternative, I'll play."
In one fluid motion, Tyen unhooked the lightsaber, bringing it up while she pressed the activation button.
The deadly beam of light shot up from the handle, and, much to the woman's surprise, cut off the hand that was wielding the whip.
The woman cried out in pain, and ran off into the shadows clutching the dismembered limb to her chest, as she tried to staunch the bleeding.
The whip, which she left behind, Tyen deactivated and kicked over to the wall, all the time aware another of the group was coming for her.
She whipped round, bringing the saber up as she did so. The man moved out of reach of the light, obviously wary after he had seen what it had done to his companion.
While keeping one eye on the figure before her, she noticed the young man was also doing a good job of defending himself. One of the group was going for him with a club, but the young man brought his lightsaber down on it, cutting it to a harmless stump.
Suddenly, all of Tyen's attention was focused on the young man, and the fact that he possessed a lightsaber. The only person she had even known possessed a lightsaber was her mother. For nearly twenty years, she had never seen another soul wield the weapon, and now there was this young man, who she had felt compelled to help, using the saber with a skill far above her own, and very like her mother's, possibly slightly better. The light was dark green, not pink, but it was the same weapon! The same weapon!
Not knowing what to feel, every sense concentrated on the young man as he combated his opponents, Tyen failed to keep her guard up, and the man pacing in front of her noticed it with triumph.
As a stinging pain slashed across her arm, Tyen screamed, lowering the lightsaber, and reaching across with her other hand to grip the wound tightly, as if somehow that might numb the limb and stop it hurting.
When she took her hand away, it was covered with blood.
The man, still wielding his knife, was grinning in pleasure, seeing an easy conquest.
Tyen could feel the anger boiling within her, and knew it was starting to glare out of her eyes. For a moment the man looked worried, and then he lunged at her again.
Tyen swung at him, slicing through his belly. It wasn't a deadly wound; it would just cause him agony while it healed.
The man gasped, his face white, and the knife fell from his hand.
Watching him stumble away, Tyen's anger cooled. There had been no drastic reason to be so cruel. Anger was a negative emotion, and didn't help in a situation where you needed to be calm. But he had sliced into her arm! Tyen gripped the burning injury again. The wound was deep, and she couldn't manipulate her lightsaber as easily as before. She would have to do something soon to stop the bleeding.
A sound behind her caused her decision to bend down just as a laser blast hurtled over her, barely missing her head. Still gripping her arm, the lightsaber lowered, Tyen swung her leg out and around, causing the woman to lose her balance and fall as Tyen hit into her legs.
Tyen reached for the blaster and pointed it at the woman, only intending to fire if absolutely necessary, but the woman had had enough. She picked herself up off the ground, and ran down one of the adjoining alleys.
She was weakening from loss of blood. Tyen knew this as she stood up, but it didn't seem like it to the man who jumped down to land behind her, intending to use his brute strength to strangle her. As she felt his hands encircle her neck, she reached up with her free hand, grabbed his wrist, and twisted him around as she did herself. The result was she was now behind him, and his arm was bent up his back, nearly to breaking point. The final straw for him was when she waved the lightsaber in front of him, the low 'hum', and the heat he felt where it got too close to his skin, causing him to screw his eyes shut, and try to back away.
Tyen felt the movement, and released him, pushing him towards one of the alleys. She watched him race off until the shadows swallowed him.
Unconsciously, she began stepping away from the alley he had vanished down, the lightsaber activated, but lowered. Her defences were down as well. Surely, the group had all left by now. They must have had enough of a show to put them off attacking anyone for quite a while.
When she backed into something that wasn't a wall, she decided she must have been wrong, and swung the lightsaber up as she turned around.
Green light meshed with pink as her own lightsaber collided with the young man's. The sabers crackled from the contact, while their owners eyed each other warily. Finally, they both stepped away from other, and Tyen, tiredly, lowered the saber and deactivated it, as the young man did the same. However, he didn't look tired. This was the first chance she had been given to study him properly. Earlier, she had been more concerned with the alley gang than the person she had set out to help. Now, she looked him over curiously, even as he did the same to her.
He was still fairly young; around her own age she would guess, except that his eyes looked much older. They were turquoise, but seemed to have hidden depths, and were shadowed slightly by a fringe of sandy-brown hair that flopped over his forehead.
Tyen stopped examining him, overwhelmed by the feeling that she had seen him before. He was very familiar to her, but Tyen knew that she didn't know him, and had not seen him before. Besides that conflict, she felt strange. She knew him, but didn't know him. The young man was a stranger, but she wasn't afraid. Actually, she felt strangely at peace, even drawn to him? No; she was being silly. It was just the feeling of familiarity that was influencing her... but she didn't know him!
Frustrated, Tyen closed her eyes, as she always did when troubled, ever since the visions of her mother, when she was five, had proved themselves to be true.
There was the now familiar rush of feelings, scents, and emotions. A picture took form in her mind... It was dark, and the ground was made up of swamps and undergrowth. Two figures watched a young man get into an X-Wing. As the young man turned, she could see he had sandy hair, and turquoise eyes...
Abruptly, Tyen opened her eyes, breathing hard. She stared directly into the eyes of the man in her dreams. But that's impossible! she screamed, silently. Dreams are dreams. It was a scene from the past; he can't exist now!
No matter how much she argued, it did nothing to remove the reality of the young man... and it did nothing to remove the fear in her eyes.
ooooooooo00ooooooooo
Luke regarded the girl in front of him with something akin to amazement, and a strange feeling of familiarity. Her sky-blue eyes were clear, but sad. He thought she would have quite an impish appearance if she smiled, but it didn't look as though she did so often. Her auburn hair was drawn back from her face into a high bun and then left to trail down her back in a plait. She was slightly shorter than him, but seemed agile, which was just as well seeing as he had seen her somersault off a building and land perfectly, without faltering. That, along with her lightsaber, was what had initially amazed him.
The lightsaber was a Jedi's weapon, and he had seen few use one. This girl wasn't a Jedi, but she had the potential to be one. It seemed as though she already used the Force without realising it. Her somersault could not have been so perfect if she had left it to chance, and she had used the Force to sense her opponents. Not to mention her use of the Force a moment ago - to do what he had no idea, but whatever it was it had frightened her.
All the time she had been fighting she hadn't been frightened. He would have felt it if she had been, rather like he could feel her fear now; not that he needed to: it shone out of her eyes, even though she tried to hide it. He could also feel her pain. The wound she was gripping tightly was still bleeding; he could see the deep red liquid staining the hand held over it, as well as making her black jump-suit darker than it should be.
He wondered why she had decided to intervene with his attackers on his behalf. Had she just seen a person in trouble and decided to help? It seemed as though she knew this area and the people who lived here. She certainly hadn't been surprised when she came among them. No, it was the gang who had been surprised, and him as well. It had seemed as though she had appeared from nowhere, wielding a lightsaber that had stunned him more than her abrupt appearance. His first lightsaber had belonged to his father; was that where this girl had got hers from? If so, who were her parents, and where were they?
His thoughts became distracted as the girl took a step back, her eyes still trained on his face, except that he wasn't sure if she was looking at him or not. What was frightening her? He hadn't done anything, at least not that he was aware of. She looked so vulnerable; he felt that if he could just reach out...
Unconsciously, his hand echoed his thought, and reached out towards the girl.
Immediately, she backed away, the fear increasing as she looked from him to his hand and back again.
Luke wondered what he had been doing, all senses telling him the girl was on the verge of running away. He suddenly realised he didn't want to lose her. Why, he couldn't quite analyse. He assumed it was because he wanted to learn more about her abilities with the Force.
He lowered his hand, and reached out with the Force to try to calm her.
"I'd like to thank you," he said quietly, aloud.
The girl looked startled.
Luke was more so.
She can feel me using the Force, he thought, stunned. As soon as I tried to calm her, she reacted. He stopped trying to influence her with his mind, but he had lost her. She now appeared to be verging on terror, and was backing up at quite a speed.
Luke, involuntarily, started to move towards her, but stopped when she started to shake her head wildly.
"No!" she finally shouted, and turned and ran down one of the adjoining alleys.
"Wait!" Luke couldn't help crying after her, but she had vanished into the shadows. Going after her wouldn't help, he decided, but it took an effort to stay exactly where he was. He had no idea if he would ever see her again, and he was beginning to feel as though he had let a unique opportunity slip through his fingers.
He didn't understand what had happened. Why had she been so frightened? Was it something about him? He hoped not, he thought with a wry humour. He couldn't have everyone running off at the sight of him; it would cause no end of trouble!
Still... it was strange. The girl had been frightened for a reason; he wished he knew what it was. Well, there was no point in dwelling on it.
Luke looked once more down the alley the girl had disappeared into, and then turned to go. Why she had been frightened was a puzzle, and it was a puzzle he hoped to solve.
ooooooooo00ooooooooo
The planet was receding into a bright pinpoint among other stars as Jaalia watched it out of the window of the Star Destroyer.
Her task there was complete. The weapon was functional, and had passed all preliminary tests.
She smiled to herself. Even the one and only Jedi of the New Republic wouldn't stand a chance against it. Hang on, my love, she thought, silently, I will avenge you.
The door to her private suite slid open, but she didn't turn around. The officer had invaded private thoughts; let him wonder about his fate for a few moments.
"Yes?" she said abruptly, smiling at the officer's sudden lack of composure. He hadn't been expecting her voice.
"The course is set for Coruscant," he announced nervously. "We await your command."
"Good," Jaalia said, turning to the officer. "Engage the hyperdrive. I am in no mood to wait."
The officer saluted, and left the room.
Jaalia turned back to the window, hearing the whirr of the hyperdrive engines. Before her, the stars became streaks of light as they shot into lightspeed.
ooooooooo00ooooooooo
Tyen ran for ages. How long she wasn't sure. She just kept on running, as though she was trying to outrun what she had stumbled into by helping that young man.
Finally, she stopped her frantic escape, and rested against a wall, her lungs gratefully taking in air. She looked up at the darkening sky, trying to keep her mind clear, but the questions and emotions pounded through her.
What did it all mean? The whole thing was impossible, and far too much of a coincidence for her peace of mind. For about a year or so, she'd seen this man in her dreams, and now, suddenly, she meets him? No! How could it be? Who was controlling things? And was it another coincidence that he had the same abilities as her mother? She had seen him wield the lightsaber, and then he had tried to mind-influence her as well!
How did the dream feature in all this? Had it been a warning that she would meet this young man? If so, was she about to meet the other two inhabitants of her dream as well?
What was going on? Who was the young man? How could he do the same things as her mother? She had thought Silva was unique; her mother had never said anything to dissuade her from that opinion. She had obviously been wrong.
She didn't understand anything, and her emotions were in turmoil. She really wished her mother was around to explain to her exactly what was happening. Futile wish! She would have to muddle through on her own.
'Trust your feelings.', Silva had said. Tyen wanted to scream aloud, but it wouldn't give her any answers.
"You were wrong, mother." she whispered to the sky. "I trusted my feelings, and look what's happened! You were wrong!"
Exhausted from the fight, and from running, Tyen slid down the wall, ending with her legs bent up in front of her.
Now she had given vent to her emotions, and the turmoil within her had died down slightly, her arm thought it was about time it made a fuss. It started as an ache, and ended with a burning pain. Biting her lip to keep quiet, she hunted around for a piece of material. Finding a discarded item of clothing that looked fairly clean, she ripped off a strip. Using her spare hand and her teeth, she proceeded to tie a tourniquet above it to stop the bleeding, and then used another torn-off piece to create a crude bandage.
Finally, she leant back against the wall, her face blanched, and her breaths coming shallowly.
She shouldn't have gone to help the young man. He could have taken care of the gang on his own. He certainly hadn't needed her assistance, and she hadn't needed this wound, let alone this barrage of unanswered questions.
Feelings were emotional nuisances, not something to be trusted. They hurt you, let you down. She ignored the sense in her that said otherwise. She should have learned by now not to trust anything.
Tiredly, she rested her arms on her knees, and made a pillow for her head. She had to close her eyes for a moment; they didn't want to stay open. She would get up soon... soon...
As night came upon Coruscant, Tyen was already fast asleep.
