Chapter Four

Almost as if she'd been thrown against a brick wall, Adra felt all the wind being knocked out of her. Her eyes lost focus for all of a second, but it was enough time for her to realize that this feeling- pain?- was coming through the Force. And it was coming through Anna. In what seemed an eternity of slow motion, she heard Thracia's voice give a yell and then the pounding footfalls of the Jedi as she hurried up the stairs. Then, as the door crashed open, the world seemed to speed back up.

Anna was staring coldly at Adra with a look the latter had never before seen upon it. It took her all of a second to figure out what was going on. "Why you sithspitting piece of bantha fodder..." Adra's voice trailed off as she locked gazes with Anna.

The other girl could've cared less, by the look on her face. "From what I've heard about your time with Jori, I would've expected you to have more deterring curses than that."

Thracia was looking unsure at this point, having not known what had gone on while she was downstairs. But she seemed to register one point very plainly: something wasn't right with Adra. Somehow she'd gotten a memory of her past a little too clearly...

"Thracia Cho Leem, Jedi Master?" Anna's voice cut through the thickening silence. Thracia's gaze and it's attached glare were all that were needed for a smile to break out on Anna's face.

In it was a smile Adra had never seen the likes of on her friend. Anna was good-natured, quiet and all-together agreeable. She hardly had a negative comment to make, whether it be on how well you'd sung your part or how horribly you'd managed to dress for the day. Something had changed in the girl.

Adra reached out with the Force, easily navigating her way through Anna's unconsciously solicited thoughts. Flying by what seemed to be nonsense, she felt the Force pulling her back to them. Whether by her inability to properly use the Force, or by the fist that slugged Adra's jaw, she didn't know. But what she did know what that the information she received was mixed and blurred, but intact enough for her to know: Anna was an Imperial.

* * * * *

Thracia stood, frozen on the spot. Adra's split-second realization had found it's way through the Force to her before the girl's head had cracked on the edge of the bed frame. Thracia had her long-since-used lightsaber activated at once, knowing it wouldn't matter to Anna; she certainly wouldn't be shocked by it.

The girl merely glared at the Jedi, not seeming to care about the lightsaber humming dangerously close to her. Instead, she kicked out the screen in the open window, at the same time rolling her form through it. Thracia didn't bother looking after her as she tumbled to the ground. Instead, the Jedi had a comm. unit thumbing actively for a New Republic frequency in one hand, her other carefully rolling the stunned and unconscious girl over. A curse escaped the half-Corellian's lips, just as she found the right frequency, as she saw a good-sized gash running above Adra's left eye.

A voice crackled over her comm. a second after Thracia's curse. Mentally reminding herself that it wouldn't do to be insulting the New Republic on her first day back as a Jedi Master- she smiled slightly at the thought- she listened to the voice speaking.

"This is New Republic Red Squadron Leader, Gavin Darklighter. Requesting an answer as to how you got into our frequency."

For all her control as a Jedi Master, the sight of the girl she had raised being injured locked that out of her mind. So instead of replying calmly, her answer came off as snappy. "This is Jedi Master Thracia Cho Leem. As such, I would think I know the frequency into the New Republic."

Gavin's voice was cut off as sharply as it had begun by another voice. "Thracia?!" She knew that voice. Who was it? "Thracia, it's Airell. What's going on? There's an entire fleet of us just come out of hyperspace for a minute; we're on our way to Earth...to collect Adra."

Relief poured over Thracia's features, though she knew those at the other end of the comm. wouldn't be able to tell.

"Thank the Force," was all she could manage for a moment. Then she continued in a hurried fashion, "Airell, the Imperials know who Adra is. They know exactly where she is. I know that the TIEs are supposed to be here tomorrow at noon, but that's not the immediate problem right now. Daragon is on the planet. I don't know where she is, but I know she's here. One of her 'agents' found Adra tonight. If you don't get that crew to Earth faster than you're already moving, there will be no padawan for the Jedi Order to pick up tomorrow."

She heard Airell curse over the comm. unit. It was something she'd never before heard her friend do. Having turned away from Adra to find a seat, she nearly jumped as she felt the girl give off a wince of pain in the Force.

Thracia and Airell were off the comm. within the next minute, Airell leaving Thracia with the promise of trying to reach Earth any sooner, if it were possible. But that still didn't lessen the Jedi's twinge of guilt and fear. She should've known. Adra's friends could've been anyone, anything. She should've known.

All she could do was thank the stars that Master Yoda had contacted her earlier with news that she was a reactivated Jedi Master for the New Order; else wise she would've had to worry about exercising a title that wasn't hers.

Carefully, she used the Force lift the still motionless form of Adra Amidala onto her bed. Then all she could really do was wait.

* * * * *

The memories seemed to have been unlocked now, because as much as Adra tried in her subconscious mind to make them go away and return to hiding from her view, they kept rising above her protests. At last she seemed to fall back into the Force, but the memories came with her even there.

-+-+-

Once again the visions of Jori and her daughter came forward, this time showing three people in an argument with a forth in the background offering whimpering cries. The one in the background was immediately recognized. Adra found herself looking at her younger self. The self that was still too young to comprehend things.

Her gaze was redirected to the three arguing Sith. The two-and-a-half year old Mara Jade was standing behind the second Sith, her expression one of mixed hatred and sadness. Nikan, Adra's memory allowed, was jabbing a finger over at the crying girl, then yelling at Jori. It took a minute for the facts to register, but when they did, Adra realized that the family of Daragon seemed to be having a little reunion.

Jori Daragon stood rigidly yelling at her younger sister, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. Nikan Daragon merely threw up her hands, an expression of hatred blazing on her face. Within a minute, Mara Jade Daragon was gone with her aunt; to where, Adra didn't know. Jori, however, turning on the girl whimpering in the corner.

"You will shut up, Adra Amidala, or with the stars as my witness, I will make you silent permanently." The small figure that was sitting in a tight ball stopped making noise and the room fell silent. Silent, until Jori's fist smashed through one of the computer screens. The tiny girl gave a small cry of terror before remembering what the Sith had said.

Jori's formed rounded on the girl, sending a shiver of fear down Adra's spine as she remembered vividly that look. A cry rang forth from her own lips, though it fell on the deaf ears of the memory as Jori picked the girl up. Adra knew what was coming next.

"No!"

-+-+-

Consciousness came abruptly, as did pain to follow. Adra sat bolt upright in her bed, her eyes roaming the room, fear motivating the search. It proved fruitless, unless you counted the notice of Thracia Cho Leem bedecked in full Jedi robes.

Thracia's calm hand reached silently for Adra's elbow to help the girl into a sitting position. Adra looked over at the face she had seen above her in times of panic as far back as she could remember. The face she could always trust. Without making the conscious decision to do so, she reached up and gave the Jedi Master a hug.