Chapter 2: Coruscant
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Memories, they're delicate, fragile, malleable, but ever so precious. Even amongst my worst memories there exist a few moments of joy. Her kiss. Her warmth. Her smell. They can be simple and delicate like those. Yet they can be infinitely complex and detailed. They can be painful and repulsive. But I'm sure you've heard enough. You want to hear the details of what happened next in that time of my life... Moving on, Sentient... If you're curious, I do not carry the title "Darth". First off, that is reserved for the most powerful among us. At this point in time, they would be Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Second, I am but a shadow. Amongst the Sith Knighthood, I am a Knight-Captain, nothing more. To Revan's inner circle, I am the most effective means of eliminating a living problem. I do not feel ashamed that I am a tool. I am proud of it. I am proud of my abilities. But as I said, moving on. I'm sure you may be wondering about what happened in my life after I was freed from the Kessel spice mines. My life after joining the Jedi Order.
I was seven years old, two years older than nearly all the other apprentices. And at the time, I had no idea that being just two years older made me a "special" case. I'm sure if they knew what I would become, I would have been slain on the spot. Regardless, I do not remember the exact number of us there were, there were quite a few of us, and only a handful were selected. Obviously, I was among them. My master would be the same Iridonian that brought me to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I would later learn his name was Vek'lor. He would end up with two students, which was I can only assume was unheard of. After I was selected and the other Knights had selected their pupils, the rest of them were in essence, rejected from the Order, and began to leave. Another Jedi, this one I later learned was a Master, quickly strode to Vek'lor and whispered something in his ear, and gestured to a confused looking blonde haired and blue eyed little girl. I never learned what the Jedi Master, whose name was Kavar, said to Vek'lor. And with that, Vek'lor walked, and then broke into a run as the little girl neared the gates of the Temple. He caught up with her, fell to one knee, and spun her around. Whatever he said, her face just lit up the way the city does at night. I think, upon seeing her smile, I fell in love. Of course, it was only the kind of love a seven year old boy feels. So, from that moment on, Vek'lor had two apprentices. The first thing I said to Artecia Isabel, I did not learn her name until that evening, was as naive as "You're really pretty". That scene in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant is among the happiest memories I have. Her eyes, her smile, her hair messily covering her face, and that heart-warming giggle... it still warms my entire body.
As we walked out, Vek'lor knelt before us and said, "Today, I want you both to get to know each other, you will be like brother and sister, and you will depend upon each other, and be able to stand alone, just as strong." He smiled at us and continued.
"Your apprenticeship will be different than that of others, you will learn at the same pace, but grow at a different one. Together, you will make for the finest Jedi Knights this order has seen in some time. Remember, you can tell me or ask me anything."
He paused, and his expression became firm. "Enjoy today, tomorrow you will be Jedi Apprentices, the path is not easy, but it will be rewarding, of that I can promise."
With that, he gestured for us to follow him. He took us to an enormous hall, filled with other fresh apprentices. The hall itself was lined with tables and benches which were carved of marble and stone, and all the tables were adorned with dishes filled with any food imaginable. I saw more people my age than I'd ever seen before. There were Humans, Grann, Twi'lek, Trandoshann, Rodians, a Weequay and even a Cathar. I was, for whatever reason, frightened. And I think Artecia was too, because she clutched my arm very tightly. Immediately she asked my name, and I answered without asking hers. She then said, after looking around, "Let's go sit over there Ari, that table's kind of empty." My heart still melts at such a remark... so full of youth. That would be the first of many times I'd eat well. And that would be the first of many nights we'd sleep together, yet for the time we slept in our own separate beds, as expected. Vek'lor was kind enough to tuck us each in and forgive the fact that it was normally forbidden for anyone to sleep in the same bed. He even told us a story of a Jedi Knight who accidentally turned away a possible Apprentice, a story that made us giggle with delight at a blind old mans stubbornness. That night I slept more than soundly, even with the lingering thought of wondering what happened to my sister, Serannis.
It took twelve years for us to finally finish our training as apprentices on Coruscant. We, along with all the other apprentices, became Jedi Padawans. And we were all separated. I do not know where the others were sent, but we, along with a few others, were sent to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. The moment we arrived, Vek'lor told us to simply explore the golden oceans of sunburned grass, to look for a good place to meditate. And he reminded us to be wary of temptation. He had always told us, and especially emphasized this after we'd outgrown the innocence of childhood and began our journey through adolescence and into adulthood, that emotion was something that we must suppress, especially the feelings of passion and lust. And each day it was easy for us. And each night it was miserably difficult, when we lay there in the same bed, defying all the disciplines we'd been taught, so close to one another, merely in undergarments... But we kept Vek'lor's trust in mind and refrained from anything. It was, after all forbidden for us to merely sleep in the same bed. But, on that first day on Dantooine, when we were exposed to its painting of a sunset, that changed. It began subtly, after we'd been walking for some time, when we were past the Matale estate, past the Kinrath infested Crystal Caves. It began with a gesture as simple as her taking of my hand. And when we reached a cliff facing a lake, I was amazed at how quickly things escalated. It began with a soft, shy and uncertain kiss, and became an almost fevered flurry of deeper and more passionate kisses, and eventually she toppled me and lay beside me, panting.
Her voice shook with a small fear and uncertainty, and she asked me, "Ari... Araqueil...will... Will this start our journey down the Dark Path..?" And I never answered.
I thought for moment that felt like a year, and could only kiss her. And I do not remember what happened between that kiss and the moment I entered her. I only remember the feeling of our hearts beating so rapidly, the sounds of our breathing, so heavy and almost ragged... and the soft and subtle moan that escaped her. The ambiance could not have been more comforting, only the wind rustling the tall grass and the waves softly breaking at the bottom of the cliff.