Local Park, Coruscant
I not only succeeded in side-stepping the blow, but parried it also. I watched with a smile as he fell to the floor, blades of grass brushing against his robes.
"Impressive, young padawan."
I had always been eager to impress. I deactivated and withdrew the blade to its holster, meeting the ground with a single knee.
"My gratitude is yours, Master."
He smiled, strands of ebony delicately flicking onto his forehead as he rose to his feet. My Master had an elderly face; wrinkles ran along his forehead and up his cheeks. He always wore the same beige robes; "uniform" as he used to call them and attired the same old grin every time I saw him.
"You are improving, I see. The Force finds comfort in your presence, Severn. Meet me at the same place and time tomorrow for your next lesson."
I nodded and exchanged bows, watching my Master hide his blade hilt beneath his robes and head in the opposite direction, the evening breeze gently sweeping their tail up and off of the dusty path. I turned to face the Coruscant sunset. The evening seemed torn between dusk and twilight, the Sun flickering beyond the horizon like a giant candle. Dark clouds hung before the orange sky and the Sun's light splashed off the glass office buildings as I walked past. Speeders and small cruisers zipped above, casting large, grim shadows onto the ground below. The streets were surprisingly quiet. It was un-natural at this time of day. Something must have happened. But what?
I felt the apprehension slowly build as I turned the street corner. Empty. And it was silent, save for the dull hum of the engines above me. My hand quivered over the metal hilt that stuck out from my black tunic and felt it, cold and unforgiving against my palm. I progressed, the tall brown skyscrapers a blur before my eyes as my strides brought me close to home. It was there where I saw them, an azure – coloured huddle amongst the open doorway. They did not look best pleased. I neared, feeling the urge to draw my Saber and find out exactly what was going on. I couldn't, of course. These were police of what seemed belonging to a high order. I couldn't simply intervene, armed. So I walked onward, and felt my heart contort in my chest, realizing the doorway as my own, wide ajar, fresh blood lingering above it like a teardrop.
"Mother? Mother! Speak to me!"
I forced myself through the bundle of policemen and shut out the grunts and mumbles of surprise that they made. I felt the horror swell to my throat and clog it like a vacuum as I first laid sight upon the mangled body before me. It was my mother, bathed in her own blood and limbs scattered across the calico concrete of the home. She had been totally dismembered. What felt like a tear rolled down my cheek. Then another.
And then I met…him.
He appeared before me at dusk and found me hopelessly twiddling my Light Saber between my fingers on the empty street, tears streaming down each cheek as he neared. The dull crescendo of footsteps reached its peak and I saw him for the very first time.
He looked so sober, honing a pair of dull, wrinkled lips under his ebony cloak. It swayed lazily from side to side as he walked.
"What are you doing with a weapon like that, little girl?"
The figure spoke without life, in a grizzled, robotic voice. I don't exactly know how he found me or why, but he had. And already I was afraid.
"My Master…gave it to me…"
The man seemed to smile, but I couldn't quite tell under the faint haze of my blade.
"Did he, now? Hmm…he seems to have trained you well…the Force is with you, girl."
The Force? He knew of the arts?
"I sense fear, little girl, within your soul…a lost one, perhaps? Family? Tell me everything."
I don't quite know what it was that made me tell him. He sounded so warm, so…reassuring. I felt the tears fade and fall over time.
The man spoke again.
"Your tale is a troubling one, little girl. But I think I can help."
I looked at him and felt my throat quiver as I tried to let the words escape.
"Yo…Yy.y.y.ou can? H-h-h-h ow?
The man grinned at me and lowered until he was at my level. I felt his hand rest below my chin, cold and chilly to the touch, fingers lightly brushing my neck.
"Come with me. Follow me. And I will rid you of your fear. I promise."
What else could I do? I was alone, without family, without love. He arose from the dusty floor and walked on, his back to me.
"W-w-aait!"
I ran without thought towards the man. Would it be a decision I would regret? Or one that I would cherish? I had little clue.
I still held them in the highest regard, as if they were family that never left my embrace. But of course, they were only memories. Distant memories…
Imperial Star Destroyer, Space; 7 years onward
I rose from my seat, hands clasped on the hilt that hid beneath my robes. It was nearly time. Several others followed suit and I felt their movements against the tiled metal flooring. There was a crack from a loud speaker.
"Death Star in bound. 60ft from descent."
I had never been to the Death Star before, or a Space Station at all for that matter. I felt strangely excited. And then it hit me. Something didn't feel right…a disturbance in the Force. It twinged at the brink of my mind. But I was ready.
Darth Severr was ready.
