This chapter is dedicated to the holiday Valentine's Day. As such the restaurant and owner are named with warm titles. Enjoy and happy V-Day everyone!


Elaina became more alert as night ticked by. She had retreated to her ship to get some stuff, deciding to stay at the inn for the night. She purchased a room, smiling at the angel folk who ran the inn. They had once been friends but now looked on her with disinterest. Her smile saddened as she thanked them and dropped her stuff at her room. She was hungry. She took a quick shower and freshened up before hitting the town, as they say. A few shops were open and she took her time getting to the restaurant that had become her favorite. It was a tall, two story stone building affectionately named the Lunar Heart.

The Angelonica who ran the place was a lively woman who called herself only Rosy. She was greeted by said owner with a cheerful smile and a tight hug. She returned the gesture before being ushered inside.

"It has been quite the while since my old eyes have seen your face." Her friend said warmly, leading her to a table close to the counter. A few angels were seated nearby, but far enough to not overhear. "Can I get you anything, m'dear?"

"The usual, please." She said with a smile. Rosy left to tend to the order. She returned, minutes later, with a bowl of something akin to vegetable soup and a plate with something like fish. She set them down, said she'd return and dealt with her other customers.

Elaina ate in peace before Rosy swept up, taking the seat across from her.

"I have missed you. But all pleasantries aside, I must ask. What happened yesterday?"

It felt much longer than a day to her. She explained what had happened, what she had told Rixin, leaving out any mentions of her connections with the mercenary. She also left out the parts about her force powers.

"My dear.." Rosy took her hands, giving them a squeeze. "You were born with a gift. A gift which will gain you much unwanted attention-"

xxx

A memory hit her, one not actually her own. It wasn't so much a memory.. as it was a voice that echoed from somewhere into her mind, stirring her emotions and heart with its touch.

"Guard her.. for when she is older she will be sought after by many."

The voice felt.. warm, kind. Close to her.

xxx

"-A gift that sets you apart." Rosy leaned forward, dropping her voice like she was sharing a secret. Her words brought Elaina's eyes to widen. "You are connected with the force, interwoven in it's ebb and flow. Much like the Jedi of the old age."

"How did you know?" She asked in a whisper of surprise.

Rosy smiled. Because I can feel your thoughts, see them ever clear, my dear. We are the last of our kind, a special breed of creature with powers that can destroy or save the galaxy. Most force users were killed but those that survived scattered to the stars, hiding our capabilities just as you are able to.

"You.. are force sensitive?" Elaina asked aloud, her hands gripping onto the owner. Her food was all but forgotten.

The lady grinned, nodding. "We are not so different, you and I. But, alas, you didn't come here to talk to me about such things. I can see you have much on your mind. Speak it, what troubles you?"

She pursed her lips, considering all the questions she had stoically. Finally one hit the forefront, demanding her attention.

"I want to know more about what separates me from someone just as gifted as I. Someone like Kylo Ren."

"My girl.. how much do you know about the force?"

Elaina shrugged and answered, "Very little, I'm afraid. Master Luke only told me so much before we were separated."

Rosy released her hands, gesturing that she would be a moment. She tended to her other customers, whispering something to them as they stood. They left, leaving them alone. Rosy locked the door and returned to take her seat.

"So.. your knowledge is limited. Let me tell you about the force. It is a living thing.. not so much an entity but the will of the galaxy. It is the check and balance of the two opposing sides, between the good and the bad. If one should become too powerful harmony will begin to become unbalanced. One cannot exist without the other as such one cannot overpower the other. They are to be equals."

She paused, considering her words careful while Elaina sat transfixed.

"Two orders rose to utilize this energy as they were sensitive to it and could manipulate it to their desire. The Jedi aligned with the light, building their defensive order with the use of calmness and knowledge. They were like a shield, protectors. The second were called the Sith, who used the dark side of the force. With anger, fear, aggression, hatred, greed and jealousy fueling them they became the offensive group of vile beasts bent on ruling the galaxy. They were like a sword, destroyers."

She took a breath, cupping her chin with her palms. "And.. what of the history of these orders?" Elaina wanted to know.

"Each were powerful and equally a challenge to the other, balanced. Until the age of Senator Palpatine, who corrupted the mind of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker. He twisted him.. before using the emotional boy to kill the Jedi, with the stormtroopers at his side. The Jedi fell.. as Anakin became Darth Vader. Those that remained scattered to the stars, like I said earlier. Thus began the rule of the Empire. Unknowingly Vader had twin children, one of which would turn his father from the dark side and destroy the Sith that Palpatine was. Luke Skywalker saved the galaxy with the death of the Sith. He collected force sensitive beings over the years and began to train them in the ways of the Jedi."

She paused to go get a glass of water, taking a sip when she returned.

"The First Order took the place of the tyranny that was the Empire. The Resistance was weakening. Even more so when Supreme Leader Snoke drew the young Ben Solo to his side." She smiled sadly. "Yes, I'm aware of the true events. I'm sort of a.. psychic." She cleared her throat, studying the speechless expression Elaina was showing.

"Ben became Kylo Ren, the master of the knights of Ren. Such brings you up to date." She narrowed her eyes at Elaina. "Yet I know that you were much alike young Ben, a trainee under the powerful Skywalker, as you called him master Luke minutes ago. My dear girl.. now that Kylo is aware of your existence.. he will try to bring you to the dark side and you must not let him for that is a life tainted by negativity."

Elaina nodded, clasping her hands together atop the table. "I made it clear to him I wanted nothing to do with him or the Order." She said sternly.

"I can sense a darkness in you.. born from the time when you first experienced death.. by your own hands."

Her eye widened as she studied Rosy's blank face, her cloudy blue eyes shimmering with many emotions. Confusion, frustrated, sorrow, anger, yet.. she felt a cool calm rush over her as she smoothed her face with a neutral look. "I wasn't yet a mercenary.. but on my way to becoming truly independent. I had left home.. and got mixed into the wrong crowd. I got pulled into pit fighting." She grumbled. "Down in the gladiator coliseum on Rencor." She sighed heavily. "I was kept there from 14 until I was almost 15. There I saw men and women die in the name of something nonexistent in that world- honor. Drug through mud by their captors they clung to the hope that if they won.. they would be honored. And that, in opposition, if they died it was with honor."

Her lips twisted into a snarl.

"I had never seen men lowered to nothing more than the animals they fought against. I was subjected to this as well. I was lucky enough to have formal training from both my wise parents and with master Luke. I won every match set before me, as I was a rarity in the pits. A force user.. But the first match was the bitter introduction, getting used to the challenge of finding out a weakness to exploit. I did it for survival."

She lowered her head, covering her face.

"I hid the pain it brought, but learned to accept it. Until the revolution. The pit became a feeding ground of riots, revenge and destruction. An uproar that threatened to shatter the world I had lived in for nearly a year. And it did. I was whisked away by a man armored in cold metal, his helmet hiding his features, but I knew he was kind. He saved me, after all."

She pushed away from the table, leaning back to fold her arms, leveling her empty gaze onto the silent restaurant owner.

"He asked me questions, like my name.. how I got there, where my home was. I saw no reason not to tell him. I didn't know at the time, but my parents on Lo'Suten had moved to another planet shortly after I left. He took me to Lo'Suten, to the city of Cridul, another ruin much alike that of Sin'Ki. There he taught me much. His way of life.. his people, his codes, his mission. He was what he called a bounty hunter by the name Jarick Fett. I trained under him for several months, dawning my own armor he had made for me." She trailed off, deep in thought.

"Go on. What happened?" Rosy eagerly wanted to know. This was the first time she had told this story.. and for some reason she trusted the angel enough to speak it.

"Jarick left on a mission, but never came back."