Space is cold and dark, just as his father said to him a few nights before. 'I tell you this Darris because you need to know the truth,' he recalled. Darris hated his father for that truth just as he hated the coldness of space. It was a constant reminder of what he was leaving behind: his home.

Zarren and Zanah didn't seem to notice, and neither did the other two children Jaraiya had picked up. Kynra Rose and Ari Kenon, both girls his age, had already befriended the three of them. They had come from one of the inner colonies on Haiyle's Hope, and were from a family of miners.

The five of them were all now playing a guessing game, which Darris wasn't mentally taking part of, to pass the time of their trip. His mind was focusing on the stars racing by their view port. Skain was far behind them now, the giant sand ball that it was; Darris had lost sight of it as soon as they jumped to lightspeed. All they had were each other now.

"Darris, its your turn" Kynra's voice ripped him from his thoughts. She smiled at him, just as she had smiled at him on his previous turns.

"Oh," Darris said after a moment. "Right, I pass." Ari snorted and Zanah rolled her eyes, though Kynra's smile never faded. Darris turned back to the viewing port feeling his cheeks redden; he could hear Zarren chuckling at him; then the game continued for another round. He was about to pass up his turn again when the doors opened with a swoosh followed quickly by Jaraiya. She was no longer covered by her robe, but wore a tan colored tunic; it struck him then how much younger she looked without it.

She smiled slightly as she crossed her arms behind her back waiting for them to quiet down, it only took them a moment, her presence seemed to command silence itself. "We will be arriving at the Jedi Temple in a days time," she said. "You will have the day to get settled, but tomorrow," her eyes took in everyone's, "tomorrow you will begin your training." Her gaze seemed to be searching their very souls. He wondered for a moment just exactly what she was searching for.

"The training will be difficult and strenuous, I won't lie. It will make you want to quit, it will make you cry when you are in bed at night." She was speaking from experience, Darris realized. "You will miss your parents, but that will fade in time. Just as your old life styles will fade.

"But it will make you who you are to be. Keepers of the Peace, Protectors of Democracy and of those in need of protection. You will be Jedi." Jaraiya paused, allowing her words to settle on them.

Ari jumped when Jaraiya broke the silence. "Upon arriving at the Temple you will be put into your age groups." Both Zarren and Zanah looked at him with a frown; they were to be separated. "Zanah and Zarren, you will be in the Nexu clan." She glanced to Darris, then Kynra and Ari. "You three will be in the Krayt clan. Remember it, for it will dictate where you will be placed and your classes. I will see you when we land." And with a wave of her hand the door swooshed open and she was gone.

Darris glared at the empty space that once had been Jaraiya, not hearing his sister's empty apology or Kynra and Ari's excitement about the three of them being in the same clan. Instead he turned his gaze to Zarren.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zarren said. "Its not my fault!" Darris turned his gaze to his sister and reached out to her through the bond they had shared since before he could remember.

'It is his fault,' Darris relayed the thought to his sister. 'Everything is his fault!'

'I am sorry,' the thought boomed across his mind as Zanah reached out to him. They had had this argument every night since they had left. 'Please don't start again,' she relayed. Darris rolled his eyes in frustration and caught Zarren watching the two of them. Darris stood and wondered for a brief moment if Zarren knew about their bond; he dismissed the thought. Not even their parents knew of the bond his sister and him shared. He made a vexing noise and left the room, not giving anyone that chance to ask him where he was going. In truth, he wasn't even sure himself -he was just following his feet.

The ships corridors were long and alien to him; he was tall for his age, almost as tall as Zarren, but the halls made him feel like an infant. He passed crew members and passengers, all of whom took no notice of him. His mind began to drift away as he walked. The Jedi had taken him from his parents and now they were taking him away from his sister and Zarren. 'Zarren,' he thought to himself. They were here because of him; because of what he had done.

He evaded one of the crew members as he turned a corner; he didn't want to be a Jedi either. Why would he want to protect the very people that made his parents keep their children secluded from others? But most of all he was afraid, afraid of what the future might hold as a Jedi. He turned another corner and realized that he was no longer just following his feet, but rather he felt as he was being pulled to a part of this ship. Following that pull until it led him to a door labeled: Observatory Room. The door opened silently as he approached; the room was dark. Only the dim light of passing stars kept it from being complete darkness.

Cautiously he entered the room just enough so that the door wouldn't close on him. The room grew darker as the door closed behind him. It was dark to the point where he could only distinguish the shapes of furniture as if only seeing their shadows. He tried to slow his breathing; he could hear it over the hum of the ship's engine. His eyes searched the room; he could feel the source of the pull, but couldn't pin point it.

"What are you afraid of?" A woman's voice whispered, that seemed to come from all over, breaking the silence of the room. He remained silent and gripped the sides of his pants, his eyes darted back and forth, searching the room, but it was too dark. "No, search with your feelings," the voice whispered again. "Your eyes are useless here."

Darris hesitated, trying to grasp what the voice meant. What did his feelings have to do with seeing? His eyes strained in the darkness began to hurt, he closed his eyes and did as the voice told. He felt his fear of being away from his parents, his anger at Zarren, and his confusion about his future. He shook his head and forced those feelings aside and focused on the room. Something came to life then, he could feel the room around him, he felt that if he walked the room with his eyes closed he would have no trouble running into the furniture. And that's when he felt the pull again, his eyes opened and focused on the far corner of the room.

"Good," the voice, sounded as if it was smiling, now came from the corner of the room. "Lights," the room slowly lit up and Jaraiya almost seemed to materialize out of the darkness into being. She watched him for a long moment, causing him to shift nervously on his feet. "You are closed to me, Darris Rath," she broke the silence, nearly causing him to jump. "You remind me of myself." she glanced slowly out into space, watching the stars pass.

Was she waiting for him to say something in return? He thought; he decided to say nothing, silence sometimes held more power than words did. She turned her gaze back to him. "Your sister misses your family as you do, but yet she is eager to be here at the same time. It is the same for Ari and Kynra." Her eyes seemed to scrutinize him, making him want to squirm. He resisted it with some effort. "Zarren was a little more difficult, but I see now his motive is to learn. No doubt he has discovered some part of his powers and is curious."

Darris' mind flashed, rekindling his anger for Zarren, he forced the unwanted memory before it could surface further. Jaraiya quirked an eyebrow at him; did she recognize his anger? "You are reluctant maybe?" She continued as she crossed the room until she was in the center, her eyes remaining focus on him, but he felt that she was looking beyond him. It took all of his effort not to waver under that focus. "Tell me something Darris," she went on, crossing her arms behind her back. "Did you get along with the other children of your town?"

"I-" Darris started, but was cut off by Jaraiya's soft voice.

"What about Zanah? Or Zarren for that matter?"

"Well Zarren..." he started to protest but was cut off again.

"What about your studies?" She asked. "Did you not excel well above the other children?" The truth behind her words caused him to shift on his feet. "Even your teachers," she continued, "were less than adequate when it came to your understanding of their studies."

Once again her words held truth, shattering his walls of defenses. His mind searched frantically for any shred of evidence to deny her, but could find none. She was right, he had finished at the top of his class every year, as well as his sister and Zarren. Childhood games were trivial to them; even his sister, who loved everything, only endured them rather than enjoyed them. Of course that was before the incident that Zarren had caused.

Jaraiya seemed to realized that her words had affected him and knelt down in front of him. She smiled at him and took his right hand. "You are more at home now than you ever were back in Pristine." With her free hand she reached into her tunic and placed its contents on his hand. It was cool to the touch, which made him look down in confusion. His hand now held a silver chain with a stone attached to it; the stone seemed to give off a dim blue glow. The glow of the stone seemed to put his mind at ease, soothe his soul. "For when doubt fills your mind." Darris turned his gaze back to Jaraiya as she smiled and returned to her feet. "Keep it hidden," she added with one last smile. "You should get some rest." And with that she returned to the view port and maintained her gaze on the stars.

Darris closed his fingers around the stone. His lips formed into questions that he could not voice; after a moment he turned and left Jaraiya to herself.

He found his room easily enough and placed the stone in his pocket before he entered.

"Where did you go?" both Zanah and Zarren echoed from their beds; he glanced to Kynra and Ari, who were already asleep.

"No where," he answered as laid in the bed provided for him. That answer seemed to suffice for Zarren, who returned to his back, his sister however tried to probe at his mind through their bond. He shut her out harshly. She made a vexing noise, but was soon asleep several moments later.

Lying awake, he twirled the stone between his fingers. His anger for Zarren was still there, though not as potent as before. But his reluctance was gone. Or so he thought.

He listened to the steady breathing of the others, the slow and steady hum of the ship's engines, the sounds of his new life. You are more at home now than you ever were...His eyes slowly drifted to sleep and his mind filled of dreams of an old temple and endless dunes.