*AN*
Return of the flashback! Trust me, guys, these are very important. This one is going to be a few chapters long.
New main character cast members here today. And a little bit of the past of some you've already met.
*Ten Years Ago*Alderaan*
Evelyn slid out of the ship, nerves buzzing excitedly. The hanger was now abandoned, no other Jedi either on the ship or on the docking bay. The coast couldn't be clearer. A bright, triumphant grin broke across the eight year olds face- there weren't even any droids in the room.
She jumped off the ramp, letting out a triumphant whoop. Her Jedi Youngling robes slid over the metal ramp soundlessly, keeping her warm against the cold of the Alderaanean hanger. She ran towards the door, eager to see the meeting.
This was the first Imperial and Republic truce meeting in decades, and she was going to be there for every second of it. It was beyond unfair that Master Rhayne had taken Aidan, Evelyn's older brother and current Jedi Padawon, and leave her with the other kids on Tython. So she wasn't a Padawon yet, she still wanted to be there! Besides, she had not left Tython or the Tythonian space station in her life. Being born to Jedi parents sucked, she didn't get to go anywhere.
Besides, the Republic was sending Jedi to the truce meeting, and everyone knew that the Empire was going to send Sith. Heck, Evelyn was sure that the delegate was actually going to be a Sith. The Jedi and the Sith were sworn enemies, even Evelyn, who was just a Youngling, knew that. She was going to be a Jedi, and she was most likely going to have to face Sith in the future. She wanted to be there to see what they were, see if they really were as evil as she had always heard from the stories. Evelyn had never been one to take information at face value, and wanted nothing more than to confirm the rumors with her own eyes.
She left the hanger, looking for traces of the other Jedi. She pulled out a datapad and looked at a map of the planet, narrowing in on the House Organa territory. The blue display narrowed in on the southwestern peninsula of the region, the blinking red dot showing Evelyn's location. And the Organa capitol city was less than an eight minute taxi drive away. Good thing she came prepared. With her parents' shared credits card.
She heard the bustling of the spaceport before she reached the main sector of the building. Her eyes widened, her skin itching to start jumping around excitedly. There were so many people! She had never seen so many people in her life! Some people were in lines to the check in, others were selling wares on the side, and yet again others sitting in chairs around the open space, eating or drinking.
She moved over towards the exit, eyes moving from the people to the rising mountains, snow blanketing the region in chunks. She left the building, the cool air hitting her face. Wow, even the air felt different here. It had a different texture to it, similar to the air on Tython but with a frozen nip that made the water in the air feel very different.
"You! Kid!" a voice hollered, and Evelyn turned her head, spying a… uh oh… Republic Officer, noting the durasteel armor and stars on the breastplate.
"Yes, sir?" she asked, saluting, pretending like she was supposed to be there. Nope, she had nothing to hide. Nothing at all. Aidan's number one rule: never let anyone know more than you do. He was smart for a newly appointed thirteen year old Padawon.
"What are you doing here, Youngling?" the Officer looked down at her. He was a twi'lek, blue skin marked by various tribal tattoos, especially down the twin head-tails. His eyes glared at Evelyn, suspicious.
"I am here with the Jedi for the truce meeting," Evelyn announced, holding her salute. "Sir," she added at the end, knowing that military people liked being called "sir". "I got lost in the spaceport and am trying to get to the Organa Palance for the meeting."
The Officer did not look convinced, but being in the jurisdiction of the Jedi there was not a whole lot that he could do. She silently thanked Aidan again for teaching her these things. He had warned her within his first week of being a Padawon that political games were tricky. Though Mom had also given her a lot of training on this kind of stuff, and Aiden taught her the things Mom thought that Evelyn was too young to learn.
"The other Jedi from the Order left here on a taxi almost half an hour ago," the officer said, bending down to look at Evelyn at eye level. "They did not say a thing about a missing Jedi Youngling."
She winced internally, trying to figure out a way she could worm out of this problem. "It is probably a practice," she argued quietly, without being conflictive. "They leave me behind a lot so that I can find my way back. It's training."
Still the Officer did not look convinced. "Stay here," he ordered. "I'll call the unit at the castle and ask them, then I'll have one of my men give you a ride."
Evelyn winced, outwardly this time. "That would be interfering with my practice, sir," she pointed out. If he called them she would be in so much trouble.
"That won't be necessary, Officer," a different, lower, gruffer voice sounded. Evelyn turned to see a really, really tall man dressed almost entirely in black. Evelyn had actually never seen garbs like that. It was actually kind of… scary.
The Republic Officer straightened abruptly, removing his gun from the holder over his back. He did not point the rifle at the Sith, but stood ready to fire.
"Darth Gabriel," the officer greeted tersely. "I am Major Ti'va. I've been asked to escort you to the castle of House Organa for the summit. If you don't mind waiting a moment for me to solve this matter with the young Jedi."
Darth Gabriel shook his head, drawing Evelyn's attention to the Sith. She did not like him. He felt gross to her. Looked gross too. The only skin of his that she could see was on his head and was pale, the veins could be seen by the purple outlining.
Then she noticed two other Sith behind him, shorter. Kids. One boy and one girl. The girl was around Aidan's age, thirteen. The Chiss girl had bright pink hair, which was very unusual for that race and contrasted against the blue skin and pure red eyes. She wore black robes, cloth, almost entirely a dress with a hood on the back, grey rectangle marking on various portions of the dress. She wore a lightsaber on a leather belt around her waist, double bladed if the length was anything to go on.
The second child was older than Evelyn, but younger than the girl. He was a human boy, with slightly pale skin and dark hair. He looked a lot like the Darth, in both clothing and appearance.
The Darth looked down at Evelyn and laughed in false kindness. "We can take the little Jedi along with us, can't we Officer Ti'va?" he asked, holding out a large hand to Evelyn. "What is your name, little Jedi?"
Evelyn did not want to shake his hand, but this was why she was here- to meet Sith. She inhaled long and deep and held out her own hand, placing the tiny limb in his. The Sith's fingers closed over hers, shaking their paired hands gently.
"Evelyn Azamiel," she muttered, looking down at very large feet encased in very large boots. She did not want to be stepped on like a bug in those boots.
"My name is Darth Gabriel," he introduced himself. "This is my apprentice Isleen Faust and my son, Dylan." Evelyn nodded to the three of them, but said nothing, actually feeling herself about to tremble in the three Siths' presence. Even the officer was beginning to squirm, sweat actually dripping from the major's forehead.
Evelyn straightened her back, but still refused to look the Sith in the face.
"Hm," he said approvingly, straightening. "Very good job resisting my aura, Ms. Azamiel. You, Officer Ti'va, not so much. Where this girl is barely trembling and in direct contact with me, you are about ready to pass out standing a foot away."
Evelyn was surprised, but very pleased to hear the praise. When the Sith released her hand, she felt the oppressive force lift, and was almost jumping in success. She felt his presence, she resisted him! She was a good Jedi!
The officer cleared his throat loudly, nodding. "I'll prep the speeder, take you to the meeting immediately. Please wait here a moment." He scuffled away, leaving Evelyn, alone, with three very frightening Sith. All of whom were looking at her expectantly. What was she supposed to do?
"I will follow the young Major," Darth Gabriel said, giving both children a stern look. "You two stay here. I will see what can be done about our new Jedi friend. We do not want her to end up hurt, otherwise compromised, would we kids?"
Evelyn scowled at him as he walked away, following the Twi'lek. She wasn't their friend. She was a Jedi! Jedi did not make friends with Sith. She didn't need his help.
"How old are you?" the pink haired Chiss giggled, stepping forward to take a lock of Evelyn's coppery hair into her hand. "Dylan, I think she is younger than even you are."
Dylan rolled his eyes, snapping "Shut it, Isleen. And leave her alone before you get every blaster in this spaceport pointed at us." Evelyn's eyes darted back and forth between the two, suddenly suspicious. What was going on here? He pulled Evelyn's arm, tugging the girl out of Isleen's reach. He looked down at Evelyn, purple eyes gazing into gold ones, his face tense. "I would keep your distance from Isleen if I were you, Jedi."
Now that ticked Evelyn off. She jerked her arm back, hissing at him. "Don't touch me, Sith," she growled, feeling the power of the Force bend around her. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, and she wished she was anywhere else.
"Wow," Dylan commented, smirking slightly. "A stowaway, liar and has anger management issues," he commented, tilting his head up in superiority. "You'd make a good Sith, little Jedi. Ever thought about a career change?"
"Don't you dare suggest such a thing!" she exclaimed violently, eyes flashing in rage. She would never turn Sith, even if she wasn't the perfect Jedi Youngling.
Isleen stepped closer to Dylan, wrapping her arms around his slightly shorter shoulders, resting her head on his shoulder. "She would make a good Sith, Dylan. Good call. Do you think Master Gabriel will let us keep her? She's cute."
Dylan scoffed, rolling his eyes, but did not push Isleen away. "We are here at a peace treaty, remember? Do you really think one of these Jedi would let us walk away with their youngling? Besides, you heard her."
"For someone who isn't even an Acolyte you do talk a lot," the Chiss muttered, ignoring Evelyn once again. "And besides," Isleen quoted Dylan's bored tone perfectly before switching back to her demented, giggly one, "she isn't supposed to be here, they'd never miss her. And the guard and witnesses are easy enough to silence."
"With lightning, saber or credits?" Dylan asked sarcastically.
Evelyn perked at that, not understanding most of their conversation. "You have a lightsaber?" she asked them, knowing about Isleen but wondering if the boy had one as well. He was just a kid.
Dylan looked at her oddly, like she had suddenly turned into a kowakian monkey lizard, while Isleen only giggled, delighted, and untangled herself from her master's son.
"Why of course we do little Jedi," she taunted, bending down, hands braced on her knees as she lowered herself to Evelyn's height. "Don't you have a lightsaber? Or are you too impulsive for the big boys to give you one?"
Evelyn glared at her, finding the Sith's behavior very creepy. That never-ending toothy smile… it made Evelyn think of a Nexu… and that was not a pretty comparison.
"Stop antagonizing her," Dylan ordered her, stepping around the Chiss to look at Evelyn again, too close for the Jedi girl's comfort. He pulled back the Sith robes, revealing his own black lightsaber. He pulled the weapon off his belt and handed it to Evelyn, whose heart topped in excitement and eyes widened to the size of Coruscant.
"Really?" she asked, smiling up at the Sith before remember it was a Sith she was dealing with. She cleared her throat as she took the lightsaber, the weapon child-sized, but still too big for Evelyn's hands. Her fingers did not quite wrap around the whole of the hilt, not quite reaching the button.
With a grin, she rotated the lightsaber in her hands, her finger finding the activation button. Then she paused, looking at Dylan for permission. "May I?" she asked, knowing that a Jedi's (or a Sith's) weapon was an extension of his/herself, and was not to be handed away lightly.
Dylan stepped to the side, nodding, eyes narrowed and lips pursed, as if having second thoughts. But he nodded again, giving Isleen an expectant look, one that the Chiss ignored. Quite the contrary, she continued to smile maniacally at Evelyn, waiting for the Jedi to do something.
Smiling brightly again, eyes only on the lightsaber. She pressed her thumb into the small red button in the center of the hilt, making a small sound of joy as the red beam emerged from the weapon, the sound loud in the area. She giggled slightly, swinging the weapon back and forth, unsure of how to properly wield it but having too much fun to care.
"Dylan!" the Darth yelled, approaching with Major Ti'Va. "What is she doing with your lightsaber?" he hollered, scowling at the two children. "I said to take care of her, not to give her your weapon!"
Evelyn quickly switched off the lightsaber and handed it back, bowing her head. She said nothing, unsure of what to say in the presence of such an angry looking Sith.
Dylan took back the lightsaber soundlessly, shrugging slightly, unimpressed with the sight of his father. "I gave it to her to calm her down. She's rather feisty for a Jedi."
Isleen giggled again, nodding at her mentor. "I think she'd make a good Sith, boss. She isn't even supposed to be here, can we keep her? A few years on Korriban and she would make an awesome apprentice. And I think Dylan likes her too."
"Silence," he snapped, glaring at all three of the kids, eyes resting on Dylan.
Isleen quieted, but her cocky and amused expression did not fade at all.
Major Ti'Va cleared his throat, giving the Darth a weary look. The he turned to the three kids. "The speeder is prepared for transport. If you would just follow me."
*AN*
What did you guys think?
OH! And update on Evelyn and Aidan's parents. Evelyn and Aidan are the children of Kira Carson and Jedi Knight Antoni. I wonder if this "child of the emperor" business can be hereditary… those two kids seem very devious. More to come!