The repetitive tapping sound coming from her left was steadily annoying Lara.

Click-Click-Click in rapid succession and then a repeat every second or so.

She hadn't even noticed it at first because she'd been gazing out of the cockpit of the Falcon for about a half hour now trying to make some sense out of the confrontation she just had with her old Master.

Why is he STILL refusing to help anyone?, was the thought she came back to again and again. She had mentally run through dozens of possible reasons but she eliminated each of them fairly quickly, coming no closer to arriving at an answer. The frustration grew and grew the longer Lara pondered her uncle and his mysterious Jedi ways, but now that was no longer the only thing that was acting like a mech-hammer on her brain.

"Will you stop making that noise.", she barked at Finn who was currently sitting in the co-pilot seat next to her and had been since shortly after they fled the domed control room.

To her surprise, he didn't stop. He didn't even acknowledge that she had spoken. He simply continued to tap his fingers over and over again on the control panel to his immediate left.

Now furious over what she perceived as lack of respect, she turned towards the young man to her left and shouted, "I SAID KNOCK IT OFF-!"

Finn ceased making the annoying noise but when he turned to face Lara his expression showed no trace of frustration or intimidation. He merely met her enraged gaze and stared at her for a brief moment before calmly sighing and pressed his lips together as if preparing to speak.

"Don't-!", she said before he could open his mouth. "I'm not interested in what you have to say right n….."

"Are you a Jedi Knight?", he interrupted, completely ignoring her request.

The question hit her like a blow to the midsection, making her feel like all the wind had been forcefully knocked out of her body. The anger that she felt boiling up was suddenly gone and in its place was confusion. Confusion firstly because she was not expecting an inquiry like this from Finn but more so because she couldn't answer the question. There was a time she WANTED to be a Jedi Knight, wanted it more than anything in life, so much so that she left her parents when she was still a child to become a Padawan learner under her uncle Luke. She studied and trained vigorously for years to become a Jedi but could she now tell herself that she was…that she had ever been one?

Lara's steely gaze towards Finn softened and her eyes dropped as if in shame. Sighing audibly she began to tell her companion a tale detailing something that she hadn't thought about for a very long time, something that seemed like a lifetime ago. A time when everything seemed wondrous and attainable, a time when her dreams were alive but also, tragically, about to be shattered.


Dense forest shielded the three children from a fierce, howling wind but the cold was still bone chilling. Fading amber rays of the dusk sun that were weakly penetrating the thick canopy would be completely gone soon and if they didn't get this fire started not only would they be without light but the temperature would also plunge to a point that would make survival through the night almost impossible.

This exercise was the harshest one that the three friends had faced so far in their training and there already had been many difficult ones. Physical challenges ranging from basic strength and stamina training to advanced combat and lightsaber techniques were a part of their everyday life. The mental training, however, was sometimes more taxing than any wear on the body itself. Learning to remain calm under duress along with projecting that calmness to others at the same time, becoming in-tune with the intricacies of both The Cosmic and The Living Force, sharing thoughts and empathy with fellow students and also non-Force users were just some of the things that the three bonded students were learning and struggling with.

To complete this mission that their Master had bestowed upon them would take all of these skills and more. It would take them completely surrendering themselves to each other and surrendering to the burgeoning power of the Force that was growing in all of them.

"Stand behind me so you block the wind.", the boy said with a raised voice so he could be heard over the howling. "I'll get the fire started."

The two girls immediately shuffled to a position at the boy's back. As he crouched down over a makeshift pile of leaves, roots and dry wood they heard the familiar snap-hiss of his weapon activating. A bright green blade emerged from the metal cylinder he held tightly with both of his small hands, illuminating the small clearing where they had earlier decided to camp.

The boy gently lowered the laser sword's hot plasma to touch the pile of debris. As he did the kindling caught fire and within a minute small flickering flames were jumping around the conical pile like bright orange avian creatures. After a few more moments ,when the fire had finally moved down into the wood that could sustain it, the two girls walked back to where the boy was tending the blaze.

"Told you I could get I could get it going, Lara.", he said with a grin as the girls both sat down with him.

"Well, all you did was use your lightsaber. It really wasn't too hard. A broken down food service droid could have done it, and probably faster.", quipped Lara, making the boy's excited smile quickly fade into an irritated scowl.

"Yeah and you needed us to block the wind too.", the other girl added. "Without us here, you'd freeze and die, Lenn."

"C'mon Sallah", Lara interjected with a chuckle. "He wouldn't die right away. He could probably use the Force to stay alive for a day or two till some wild animal stumbled on him."

"You guys are hilarious.", the boy replied, rolling his eyes in a gesture of mock disgust. "Are you ready to cook? I'm starving."

Both girls nodded in agreement as they dug into their supply bags for cooking supplies and their small, carefully rationed containers of food. They did not know how long this adventure would last, but it would be better to be safe than sorry in this harsh wilderness. Running out of food would be a complication that none of them could afford to deal with, especially with the task at hand being so difficult.

Before long a small cylindrical pot of vegetable root stew was bubbling on the crackling fire, its odor wafting in the crisp air for all three of the youngsters to smell and savor. After a few more minutes of cooking time, they were sharing the nourishing meal next to the warmth of the fire and the food along with the comforting laughter of their shared conversation served to not only to relax the nervous energy that the all were feeling from the difficult travels so far, but also to strengthen the awareness of each other's feelings through The Force.

Darkness completely surrounded the youngsters by the time they came to the end of the meal and the temperature had also dropped further. That the wind had also increased from about an hour ago was but another misfortune befalling them. Finishing her bowl, Sallah set it on the ground beside her and rose to her feet. She leaned closer to the fire, extended her hands to it and began vigorously rubbing them together. Lara smiled as she stared at Sallah's long auburn hair that was blowing around her head making crazy whip like patterns in the fire's illumination.

"We should finish up here and get hunkered down for the night.", Sallah stated without removing her hands or her gaze from near the orange glow. "It's going to be a rough trek tomorrow to the first checkpoint that Master gave us."

In Lara's short time training to become a Jedi Knight, Sallah had become her best friend. The two girls arrived to study under Master Skywalker at roughly the same time and were the same age. They bonded instantly over many common interests-athletics, stories of galactic history, literature, mathematics and mechanics being just a few of them. They also shared an almost obsessive excitement for their study of The Force and as they studied and learned how to harness its awesome power their bond grew deeper and stronger. Lara desperately hoped that she would be paired with Sallah when it was announced that groups of three would be sent away for this current expedition and was beyond ecstatic when their Master announced the teams.

All three of them had some unique Jedi skills that had arisen and were currently being honed during their time training with Skywalker and his older Padawans. Lenn was definitely the most athletic of the three. He never seemed to tire and his speed and strength for a boy that was noticeably small for his age was astonishing. He also had incredible agility that had so far on this trip served them very well because he could lead the way, scout and clear the best path forward for them.

Lara herself was extremely gifted in the mental aspects of Force training. She could read the feelings and thoughts of others and was actually able to influence thought. She was also able to heal through her connection to the Force by easing both physical pain and mental anguish in others. Sallah was not nearly as overall physically gifted as Lenn, but she was one of the best lightsaber duelists of all the youngsters training under Skywalker. Her tall thin frame belied her quickness and also gave her tremendous leverage when it came to deflecting and redirecting blows from an overconfident opponent. Much to their chagrin, she had already bested many of the older students who had been training for much longer than her.

Lara's gaze drifted from Lenn to the crackling fire and back to Sallah. She was relieved that these two were her companions on their journey to find the Jedi artifact that their master had hidden. Their skills complimented each other perfectly for the quest and even though the trek so far had been rough, their close bond had made every step exciting and enjoyable. Lara could hardly wait for sunup so they could press forward.

"This wind is getting worse.", Lenn said "What do you guys think about putting a lean-to up for the night. I'm worried about this fire lasting till morning."

Both girls nodded their agreement so Lenn got to work constructing a makeshift tent wall to shield them while they slept and in a short time all three were nearly dozing under the stars. It wasn't very long, however, until some unnatural rustling from off in the trees startled Lara. She immediately jumped out of her sleeping bag, springing to her feet in a fully alert pose with every one of her senses tingling.

Lara slowly moved out of the protection that the fabric lean-to that was providing but she now noticed that the wind which had been violent all night was now gone. In its place was an eerily silence adding to the feeling of unease that she was experiencing. The trees surrounding their clearing were barely visible by faint light from the cloud covered moon overhead and as the clouds moved across the light source, grotesque looking shadows danced around the front line of trees. She squinted her eyes to better see in the direction from which the sound that startled her awake came. Lara could see nothing at all but more concerning was not what she could or could not see, but what she sensed through The Force. Someone was here…watching them as they tried to sleep.

"Lara, what's wrong?", came Sallah's drowsy voice from back at the campsite.

Lara didn't respond. Her focus was still directed into the black night, trying to determine who or WHAT was out there and where it was.

"LARA….are you ok-?!", Sallah asked with more urgency in her voice.

"No", she quickly replied without averting her attention from the surrounding danger. "Someone is here."

She was becoming more anxious by the second because she still could not locate where this unseen visitor was. They were out there somewhere, of that she was sure…but where? Panic was starting to creep into her mind as she started to become aware through The Force of a pure malevolence in this intruder, a cold black hole in The Force that didn't belong here. The feeling of horrible dark energy that was all around them now felt like it was pulsing in her temples causing her what could only be described as a psychic pain. Lara had never felt anything like this before and she wasn't confident that she could hold her fear in check much longer.

Suddenly she was able to detect clearly what they were dealing with. She saw, sharply focused in her mind's eye, a human…a rage-filled human not only watching them but waiting to strike out at them, to DESTROY them. She now came to the horrible realization that it was actually too late to stop the dark storm that had descended upon them.

Sallah letting out a blood curdling scream from behind Lara that shook her back to reality. She quickly spun around to face their camp and what she saw was the most horrific sight she had ever or would ever see. Sallah had sat up from sleep but her lower body still remained inside her sleeping cover and her face was frozen in agony. The scream had stopped but her mouth was still wide open, locked in what looked like a silent call for help that no one would ever be able to answer. Sallah's eyes, however, were what Lara would never forget. They were dead white, glossed over globes staring down at her own chest, illuminated in the black night by a humming blue blade of light that was piercing through her body from behind.

Time stood still for Lara as she tried to comprehend that she was witnessing the death of her closest friend. This isn't happening, she thought. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING. It wasn't more than a second or two, however, before the ghostly blue blade disappeared in a snap-hiss, leaving them all in darkness again.

Lara reached for her own lightsaber, bringing the green blade to bear in front of her face with a press of its power switch. She assumed a defensive stance without moving any closer to the camp and tried to focus again on the person that was still hunting them in the night. Once again she was unable to find them. She knew she possessed the skills in the force to be able to zero in on the assailant's location but for some reason, this time she was unable. Whoever it was out there could somehow mask their presence by using The Force.

Lenn ignited his saber at the same time as Lara but he didn't join her in a defensive position. He had also witnessed the brutal execution of his companion and within seconds of her lifeless body slumping forward, the boy sprung into a long leap across their camp to the location where the now unseen perpetrator would have been. As Lenn landed the blue glow of his saber illuminated an area around him. He whipped his head around to each side then shuffled around, still searching for their predator. The night was black and silent again with no sign of anyone else. The cloud of the Dark Side was still felt in Lara's mind, however, and it was growing.

Out of the darkness the snap-hiss of another blue lightsaber blade appeared in the distance and was immediately on top of Lenn, chopping downward towards his head. The boy raised his weapon to parry the lightning fast slash but the strength of the strike was like anything Lara had seen before. Lenn cried out in pain as soon as his saber stopped the blow and Lara knew immediately that his wrists had been broken from power of it. She also knew that her friend had dropped his weapon's hilt when she saw the blade disappear followed by the sound of metal clanking on the ground. The stranger's glowing blade of plasma remained visible, though. Lara still couldn't see any features of the attacker even though the lightsaber was illuminating Lenn's face perfectly.

The boy had a look of fear and horror on his face but was there was also something else. Was there a hint in his terrified eyes that he recognized the figure that stood in front of him? Lara actually wasn't sure of anything she was currently seeing. Before she could break the grip of her own fear, however, she was dealt another devastatingly cruel blow. The shadowy figure in the distance lowered its weapon so that it was pointing down towards the ground and microseconds later brought it in a violent swing upwards. The swooshing sound carved a burning yellow slash in Lenn's torso that glowed from afar like a terrible crack in a volcanic wasteland. His lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap seconds later finally causing Lara's mind to short circuit.

She dropped to her knees, no longer able to see, hear or feel anything in what one might call reality. In its place was simply a gray haze surrounding her mind in every direction. Her ears buzzed with a low level static making it impossible to focus. Fragmented, nonsensical thoughts and images rushed by as if they were tangible physical things almost striking her head from out of the fog. Lara could sense that she was perilously close to losing her mind completely, when she was suddenly snapped back to reality by a what felt like a hammer to her gut. She felt The Force actually reach out to her and could swear that it had somehow physically rammed into her lower torso as if to double her over. The pain caused her mind to come back into focus and bring her back from a dark mental precipice.

The real world was back but Lara was in just as much danger. The figure that had already savagely killed her two best friends now loomed directly in front of her with his Jedi weapon drawn. It glowed even brighter than before considering the current proximity of the deadly monster and in this glow Lara finally got a look at the face of the killer.

No, she thought. It couldn't be him. Why would he do this? What could possibly have made him do THIS?

She wanted to scream at the young man that she now saw in front of her, but no words formed on her lips. She wanted to stand up to confront the traitorous demon by any means necessary, but not a single muscle would obey her mind's commands. She found herself completely frozen in place, mouth agape, unable to comprehend what could possibly come next.

"You caused this.", the cloaked figure said in a low growl that sounded almost inhuman. "It's your fault and HIS"

"You're insane.", Lara croaked, barely recognizing the voice that came out of her mouth. "You've gone completely insane."

Upon hearing her reply, the young man's pursed lips slowly morphed into a sinister grin. He lowered his weapon to his side and spoke to her one last time.

"You won't die tonight.", he said "But you will carry the guilt of what happened here for the rest of your life."

And just like that, as if using magic, he disappeared into the black of the night. Lara trembled for a few seconds longer then finally exhaled. She stood up, felt the cold wind start to blow again and finally allowed herself to weep.


"Who was he?", Finn asked, puzzled. "And how in the world did you know him?"

"Another student that was training under my uncle.", Lara explained. "He was five years older than me and had been there training for longer than I had."

"But why?", he asked, his face still twisted into a perplexed look. "Why would a Jedi do something like that?"

"None of us were Jedi.", she replied. "We were all still students. Our master called us Padawan Learners. Some of the younger ones that had just arrived were barely 4 years old. Even the oldest student there was not considered a Jedi yet."

"Still, what would cause someone you knew and trained with to slaughter your friends?", said Finn.

"I have been asking myself that same question nearly every day since then.", Lara answered. "At first I thought it was simple jealousy. He thought of himself as an excellent swordsman, the best one at the school. Master Skywalker, however, would always warn him about his pride. There's always a bigger fish, he would say."

"When Sallah proved that she was more than capable of holding her own against him is a sparring session just a week before…he snapped.", she continued. "All of us watching felt the presence of the Dark Side radiate out of him in the moment. If my uncle wouldn't have stepped in to control him, someone might have died right there."

"I've come to believe, more and more that he had been dabbling with the dark side for some time.", Lara concluded.

"What did your uncle do to him after that?", Finn asked.

"Master planned to send him home.", she replied. "I imagine he had also sensed that the boy was walking a dangerous path to the dark side. Maybe he had even tried to discourage him before that unbeknownst to us."

"PLANNED to send him? Why didn't he?", remarked a confused Finn.

"My uncle never had the chance. He disappeared that night, on his own accord.", Lara explained."

"But he wasn't really gone.", Finn spoke sadly.

He now felt a terrible guilt for asking Lara about her past and making her dredge up such a horrific tragedy, the kind that will scar one's psyche for the entirety of their life.

"No, he wasn't.", she whispered to herself, although audible enough for Finn to hear.

"Did you ever see him again?", he said.

"I never did and I never want to.", Lara replied, her voice still very low. "My uncle found me in the morning at the campsite and brought me back. I pleaded with him to go find the boy and bring him to some kind of justice, but he adamantly refused. I eventually accepted his reasoning of not giving into anger in search of some kind of revenge, but in the back of my mind I always felt that was cowardly."

"That is why I was so irritated earlier.", she added. "Master Skywalker AGAIN refused to help. He's still isolating himself anytime there is a problem he needs to face. He's a Jedi Master. He has to power to make things right and he doesn't even try. Your saw it, right?!"

Finn, didn't react. He just stared at Lara, waiting for her to continue as if he knew she had something more to say.

"I want nothing to do with him or his Jedi.", she finally barked, her voice full of exasperation.

The cockpit fell silent for a long moment, Lara's last words seeming to hang in the air like oppressive humidity in the swamps of Naboo.

"I'm so sorry.", Finn said. "I understand how something like that can almost ruin you, make you feel like…"

"You UNDERSTAND-!?", she snapped at him angrily. "What exactly do you understand? How could you POSSIBLY understand? Don't even try to convince me of that, Finn."

"I understand because I saw someone that I cared for murdered in cold blood also, remember.", he calmly countered.

"You think that compares?", she stated angrily.

Finn had heard enough. Yes, Lara had been through a traumatic experience that no one should ever have to endure. He also didn't know enough about her to be able to say if there were other life altering events that were driving this anger boiling out of her. He had decided, however, that he would no longer listen to abuse from her, even if it was coming from a deep emotional well that may never have been opened before.

"YES IT COMPARES-!", he shouted at her, his voice a sharp penetrating shot that caught the young woman off guard. "Do you think that you are the only one in the galaxy who has ever dealt with pain like that?"

Lara was so stunned she couldn't speak and even if she wanted to, Finn didn't give her an opportunity.

"You have been so miserable since the moment we arrived here…and why?", he continued without lowering his voice. "Because you had to interact with your family again? It's incredible how much you take for granted. I'd give ANYTHING to see my family again. With you ,though, it's a terrible burden."

"Not only is it obvious that your immediate family loves you unconditionally and wants you here, but your Uncle, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker of all people, must be devastated that you treat him like you do. Is it hard to comprehend that he maybe, just maybe has reasons for the decisions he makes? Reasons that an immature girl may not even begin to understand?"

"I'm honestly done. You can just stay here in this ship and be angry. Oh, and before you say it…you can leave without me if you want. Yeah, that's right…go. I can take care of myself.", said Finn, before standing up and swiftly exiting the cockpit.

"Wait, Finn…..FINN…come back here.", she called out. It was too late, though. He was gone.

She sighed and dropped her tired head into her hands, searching inside for some kind of sign that she was still capable of genuine normal feelings. It didn't take long to find them. This time there was no bone chilling wind cutting into her as there was around the grisly campsite massacre so many years ago, but just like she did then, Lara gave into her emotions and wept.