Everyone!!! Heyyyyy!!! I just want to say thank you to all of those who have stuck with me and my story so far. It means the world to me, really. Life happened and knocked me down, but I got back up and am ready to fight back. That being said, I'm in a super big Star Wars mood and want to grind out some chapters for this story. Just let me know if y'all want a bunch of chapters real quick or a little more spread out. That being said, any kind of comments or constructive criticisms are welcome, flames are not. You can even comment anonymously without an account. Just be respectful and loving. That's what the world needs right now! With all that said, welcome back and READ ON!!
~JAZZ HANDS~
We went all around the ship and I didn't recognize anything. I let out a sigh as we climbed into the turbolift to go to the hangar.
"I wouldn't worry, Commander. You'll probably recognize something back at the Temple. You've only spent a few months on these cruisers." Cody tried to comfort.
"Right..." I couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice. The lift slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. We stepped out into the large hangar that housed gunships, starfighters, walkers, and a bucket of bolts that passed as a freighter. My eyes lingered on it. "What is that?" I asked.
"It's Skywalker's, but it's also the last ship you were on before you two were attacked." Rex answered, gesturing to it. I tentatively stepped towards it before taking a deep breath and moving to the ramp. I walked up the ramp and into the cockpit, stepping through the threshold. Looking around, I took a step in. I let a hand rest on the copilot's chair as I studied the control panel. I felt the urge to reach out and touch it. They haven't steered me wrong yet, so I did.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin's frantic, but also strained, voice called out. "Obi-Wan, come in!" I picked my head up to find myself laying on the control panel in front of the copilot's chair. The ship was almost face down in a giant mud swamp. I groaned as I pushed myself up and turned my body to lean against my side, the controls pressing into my ribs. The ship was slightly tilted so I slid my body down so that I was practically laying on the bottom of the controls and keeping my feet on the floor of the ship. "Kemara." I looked up to see Anakin pushing himself to do the same as me.
"I'm okay." I reassured him. My voice was pained as well.
"Comms are down. Town isn't far." He offered. I saw myself nod.
"Alright, lets go." I tried to get my feet under me and stand up on the control panel, but I stumbled forward and held a hand to my abdomen as pain flared.
"Easy, easy." Anakin got his feet under him and rushed forward to help me up. I felt the stabbing pain in my chest and abdomen again as he helped me get to my feet. "Just hang in there." I grunted out a laugh.
"You act like I'm dying." I couldn't lie, my upper body really hurt as he helped me climb up through the ship. We couldn't use the ramp due to how the ship was stuck so we'd have to go out the back.
"Not dying, just hurt because of me." He set me down on the wall beside the medical supplies and started digging through them, probably for a healing stim.
"Anakin..." I started softly. "When are you going to realize that it's not you're fault every time I get hurt?" He found what he was looking for and turned back to me, kneeling in front of me. He held out the stim canister to me and I took it from his hand. Taking a deep breath, I plunged it right into my chest. I gasped as I felt it start working immediately. The pain dulled and I could feel my body's natural healing process begin working overdrive.
"When it actually isn't my fault." He offered. I rolled my eyes as he helped me to my feet.
"There were 13 vulture droids on us. Not even you could have avoided this." I deadpanned, agitation a little evident in my voice. "Oh wait, you didn't." I glared at him. He furrowed his eyebrows right back at me. He turned around, obviously annoyed with me so I reached out and thumped the back of his head.
"Ow. What was that for?" He reached up and rubbed the back of his head as he turned back to me.
"You're not always going to be there to protect me, Anakin." He huffed out a breath because he knew I was right.
I took in a deep breath as I came back to the cockpit of the ship, taking my hand off the controls.
"What did you see?" Obi-Wan's voice made me turn around to see him standing in the doorway.
"Anakin and I crash landed somewhere and he felt responsible." I answered as I sat down in the copilot's chair, facing the pilot's chair, but my head turned towards Obi-Wan. "How do I do that?" I gestured to the controls.
"You have a rare gift among the Jedi, Kemara." He answered as he moved to sit in the pilot's chair, facing me. I let out a soft sigh.
"Just another reason for me to stick out..."
"You and Anakin always did have an aversion to how you both stuck out." I bit my lip and lowered my head. "But, you two made it work. You always stuck by one another." I glanced back up at him. "As for your ability to see the past, it's called psychometry, or Sense Echo. You feel it's history, events associated with it. Emotions as well." He explained.
"How do I control it?" I hugged my arms to my chest. His eyebrows furrowed at me and his gaze lowered to my hands.
"I'm not sure. Another Jedi helped you hone your skills. I've already requested he be at the Temple when we arrive to help you." I took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Come, we're almost to Coruscant." Obi-Wan stood and motioned to the door. I hung my head and followed him off the small ship.
"Sir, the gunships are prepped." Cody told Obi-Wan as we stepped off the ramp. Obi-Wan nodded and he turned towards them, Cody taking up step behind us.
"When we get to the Temple, the Council wants to speak with you, Kemara."
"Did I do something wrong before the Sith took me?" Obi-Wan felt startled as he took a bigger step in front of me and turned to stop, putting a hand on my shoulder, leaning down slightly to be eye level with me.
"What? No, not at all. They just want to see if they can help you remember who you are." I nodded slowly and he stood back up when something behind us caught his eye. "Anakin." He said it in the tone. Cody and I turned around to see Anakin walking up with a hand pressed to his abdomen. I bit my bottom lip gently and furrowed my eyebrows.
"What? We're basically at Coruscant." I felt the ship slow and Anakin gave Obi-Wan a wise guy smirk. "And now we are at Coruscant." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and turned back to the gunships. Anakin gestured me to follow as he walked past. I quickly took up step behind them and next to Cody. We made our way over to the gunship that Rex was standing next to.
"Generals, we are ready to get underway." He reported.
"Thank you, Rex." Anakin responded. He nodded and the gunship doors slid open then closed again once we were inside. We all took hold of the handles that hung from the top as the gunship began to take off. The blast doors opened once again after we broke the atmosphere. The towering buildings and skyscrapers were mesmerizing, but what really grabbed my attention was something much bigger. The Jedi Temple. I felt drawn to it. "Look familiar?" Anakin asked. I looked up at him to see a small smirk on his face.
"No." Answering honestly, I could feel the sadness in Anakin. I took a deep breath. "Feels familiar." Anakin and Obi-Wan swelled with hope. I couldn't take my eyes off it as we circled it, waiting for permission to enter the hangar. We got our clearance and as we descended, the connection I felt to the Temple only grew. And my realization of how big it actually was. Inhaling through my nose deeply, I let it out slowly as we entered the hangar. I looked around, trying to find something, anything, that caught my eye. Supposedly, I'd been in this room countless times, yet it felt like the first. There was nothing I recognized. I let out a dejected sigh as the gunship touched the ground and Obi-Wan and Anakin stepped off. I hesitated, but followed suit when Anakin turned around to look back at me. Cody and Rex nodded to Obi-Wan and Anakin and went the opposite way to talk to the pilots. I didn't say anything as Anakin and Obi-Wan led me into the Temple.
Everything felt so familiar yet nothing at all looked familiar. While this place filled me with warmth, I couldn't shake this feeling of dread that sat inside me. Like it was gnawing at me, telling me to just turn and run. It felt the same as when the Sith was in the alleyway. Cold and dark.
"Kemara?" I snapped my head up to look at the source of the noise. I blinked at Anakin, unsure of what to say or do. "Uhhh, are you okay?" We had stopped walking so they could turn to look at me. Do I tell them what I was feeling? What if it was nothing? Just unease from not remembering? I don't want to worry them anymore. Luckily, I was saved from having to answer by a gruff voice calling out from behind me.
"Hey, Kenobi!" I turned around to see a Kiffar with long dark hair and tanned skin waving at us. I heard a sigh come from Obi-Wan, who was now behind me. I felt unease roll off him. "Arundel, so good to see my little shadow again!" I blinked at him, knowing nothing of this man.
"Uhhh..." I started, looking back to Obi-Wan slightly. I felt a hand on my other shoulder and looked to the other side to see Anakin with an eyebrow raised before looking back to the man in front of me again.
"Vos, best not to throw too much at her right now." Obi-Wan warned.
"The best way for her to remember who she is will be to get her to touch something significant in her life." The Kiffar said as he took his lightsaber off his belt. Tossing it at me, he grinned widely. I brought my hands up and caught it right at my chest.
It was hot. And bright. I looked on as I saw a Dug grab the throat of a Gungan and raise a fist to strike before a young boy with sandy blond hair walks up and interrupts him.
"Careful, Sebulba. He's a big time outlander." The boy said in Huttese. "I'd hate to see you get diced before we race again." He looked so familiar.
"Next time we race, boy, it will be the end of you." The Dug, apparently named Sebulba responded while waving the cooked creature it held in the boy's face. "If you weren't a slave, I'd squash you now." With that, Sebulba rocked his fist back and forth as he turned his body and hopped away.
"Yeah, it'd be a pity if you had to pay for me." The boy said. He looked back up to a slightly bearded man with long hair and and the top half tied back. "Hi." He greeted, returning to Basic.
"Hi there." The man responded back. He had a beautiful young girl following next to him. The Gungan began rubbing his throat as the young boy began talking again.
"Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba."
"Mesa haten crunchen. Das da las ting mesa want." The Gungan explained.
"Nevertheless, the boy is right. You were heading into trouble." The older man offered before turning back to the boy. "Thanks, my young friend."
I gasped softly as I was brought back to reality.
"So? What'd ya see?" The Kiffar asked, bending down slightly to be eye level with me.
"Was it you?" He smiled at my vague question.
"Yes, the memory was mine."
"It was on a desert world. There was a Dug and a Gungan, as well as a girl and an older man with a beard and long hair tied back. A young boy stopped the Dug from hurting the Gungan." I could feel the shock radiating from Anakin behind me. Obi-Wan was a little stunned himself.
"What did you feel? Physically and emotionally." I thought on his words for a second.
"Well... it was hot. Very hot. You were.. sweating?" I asked, eyebrows raised slightly.
"Mhm." He encouraged, raising his own eyebrows.
"You felt a connection to someone nearby. The long-haired man, I think. Familiarity?" He grabbed my shoulder and a wide smile broke out across his face.
"Yes! Good job, Shadow!" I blinked hard and furrowed my eyebrows. Seeing my confusion, he clarified. "That's what I call you. You shadowed me for a month while I was training you to control your powers." He stood back up and nodded at me with his charismatic smirk. I couldn't help but feel the warmth that bubbled up inside of me. It was much better than the creeping cold fear I'd been feeling back on Nar Shaddaa. "When does the Council want to speak to her?" He turned to Obi-Wan.
"As soon as she's ready." My smile fell slightly at his words. I took a deep breath and held it as I turned around to face Obi-Wan, Anakin's hand falling off my shoulder.
"I am ready." Obi-Wan glanced to Anakin then back to me with a soft smile. He nodded before turning and leading the way.
As we walked through the halls, I was amazed by the simplistic beauty of everything. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was in awe. The towering and arching ceilings and the high rise windows gave a very open feel. Not at all the closed off and crowded feeling that Nar Shaddaa gave me. The mix of reds, browns, and tans gave it a natural hue as well.
"Kemara!" An excited voice called out from behind us. I let my mouth drop slightly as we all stopped and turned to see a young Togruta running towards us. My breath caught in my throat and I froze. The dead man on the floor of the apartment I was in on Nar Shaddaa was a Togruta. A death I caused. But how? The vision I saw back in the apartment showed the Sith stabbing him in the back. He told me to look at what I'd done. A hand on my shoulder brought me back. I looked up to see Obi-Wan smiling down at me reassuringly. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. I felt bad for not being able to remember. Not that it was my fault. But still. These guys shouldn't have to babysit me if I was everything they said I am.
"Hi..." I smiled and waved awkwardly, not knowing how to address the young girl that had joined the group. Just like the boys had in the alley, she seemed familiar. Not quite as much, but a good familiar all the same.
"Ahsoka." Anakin butted in quickly, introducing her to me in a way. I bit my lip as I half smiled. "I told you not to overwhelm her."
"Sorry, master, I just wanted to see her." The Togruta apologized, wincing slightly.
"We're on our way to a Council meeting. I'll meet up with you afterwards." Anakin told her. She nodded and turned to walk away to the direction she just came from. I watched her walk away for a moment before the rest of us turned back to walk to our own destination. We arrived at a turbo lift and stepped in. The walls being made of glass grabbed my attention. As we began our ascent, I saw galleries displayed on repulsors.
"Woah..." I breathed out, taking in the beauty of each display. Mosaics, tapestries, and sculptures showed a story.
"The history of the Order. You never did get tired of looking at them." Obi-Wan explained. I only peeled my eyes away when I felt the turbo lift come to a stop and I had to follow the others out. I looked at the doors that seemed to tower over us as we waited to enter. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. Was I nervous? I asked myself the question and bit my lip as I thought. Were these people going to have a prejudice against me since I left the Order before? Then, a scary thought floated across my mind.
Would they kick me out of the Order because I couldn't remember who I was? Would they be willing to retrain me? Most of the training I'd had up this point.. it was gone. I could tell instincts took over at some points, but even then, I didn't know what I was doing. That could be dangerous. We weren't waiting long, but Obi-Wan's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. The door stood open and I looked in to the room of people. Some were actually there while others were participating via hologram. I hopped quickly to Obi-Wan's side and we entered, right to the middle of the room. Anakin and the one Obi-Wan called Vos stood back towards the door. The door closed and I looked to a small green individual that spoke up.
"Padawan Arundel, to see you safe, happy we are." I pulled my lips into a thin smile, regretful I don't know who he was in the slightest.
"Padawan, Obi-Wan has informed us you don't remember much from your time here at the Temple. Is that correct?" I nodded slowly at him. "Can you tell us what you do remember?" A human next to him said. I blinked at him before lowering my eyes and furrowing my eyebrows. I bit my lip as I thought back to the memories I'd uncovered since the time I'd woken up in the alley.
"Um, I don't remember anything from the Temple, but I have gotten small fragments of things from here and there since I woke up on Nar Shaddaa." I offered, looking back up to the two that had spoken to me so far.
"Mmm, tell us, please." The small green one asked. So, I started by explaining how I saw Anakin and Obi-Wan in the alley and I bolted.
"Sense them, you didn't?" I shook my head at his words.
"Well... I didn't in the alley. Right before I ran into the alley, a familiar sensation ran through me. I didn't know at the time that it was them. I was so caught up in the moment."
"Continue, please." The little green one said after I elaborated. I nodded and went on to describe what I'd experienced up until the point I met Anakin and Obi-Wan outside the apartment. The human next to him spoke up again.
"The Togruta you encountered in the apartment. Had you seen him before the vision you had in the apartment?" I shook my head.
"No, sir." I answered, folding my hands in front of me.
"Anakin.." They started, prompting Anakin to step forward and stand on my other side. "Is this when you encountered the Sith that ambushed you and Kemara on Nal Hutta?"
"Yes, Masters. Again, he was trying to sway Kemara to his side." As Anakin said my name, he put a hand on my shoulder.
"What was your response, Padawan?" A Cerean that sat on the other side of the small green alien asked. I turned my head slightly to look at him as I answered.
"I was.. confused. A bit scared? I didn't know who to trust so, I just ran." I tilted my head down slightly, lowering my gaze to the floor.
"Ashamed, you are?" I brought my gaze back up to the small creature. Biting my lip, I pressed my arms against myself, holding my left with my right. I furrowed my eyebrows softly and nodded. "Why?" I took a deep breath and looked back down.
"I feel like I should remember..." I paused before continuing. "Something feels like its right out of my reach. Like, it's just in front of me, but there's something blocking it. It's been bothering me ever since I woke up, but I couldn't explain it until now." I looked up as I finished talking.
"Your fault, this is not." I made eye contact with him and nodded. Obi-Wan kept saying that, but I couldn't help feeling like it was. "Work with you, Obi-Wan and Quinlan will. Help you remember, they will." Obi-Wan put his hand on my other shoulder. "To Obi-Wan, we must speak." I saw Anakin and Obi-Wan bowing and felt a gentle push from both of them for me to do the same. I stood back up straight and followed Anakin out. While crossing the threshold, I turned to see Obi-Wan sitting down in a chair that had remained empty during the meeting and he smiled softly at me. I turned back to Anakin while we walked to the turbo lift.
"He's on the Council?" I asked exasperatedly. Anakin laughed as the turbo lift doors opened.
"Yes, don't worry. He'll make sure you're taken care of." Anakin's words only slightly eased my apprehension.
YOU ARE LOVED!!! (and if you think no one else does, I love you!!!!)