Saryu lay awake that night, tossing and turning. She was unnacustomed to sleeping in a room with such large windows and such a large bed. Finally, she settled into a comfortable position and began to drift off. Suddenly, a deafening roar filled her room. It was brief, but frightning nonetheless. Her eyes flew open and she lay perfectly still. Had a ship crashed into the building? After a few seconds, she began to doubt that it had actually happened. Her heart rate slowed and she closed her eyes again and dozed. All of a sudden, a blinding flash filled her room. She bolted upright and looked around. She shuddered, got out of bed, and crept to the door. She peered out into the darkened main room. She swallowed and tiptoed out of her room. Outside, the thunder and lightning ensued.
Saryu crept to the room where Adi Gallia, her new master, was sleeping soundly. She peered into the room and could see the woman's form outlined against the darkness by the faint light shining through the window. She spotted Adi's lightsaber resting on the nighttable next to her. She swallowed and, very carefully, Force-lifted the weapon to her waiting hands. Adi stirred, and Saryu swiftly fled to the main room. She tiptoed to the glass doors that led to the balcony and slipped outside. Clutching the cold metal of the weapon tightly, she stepped out onto the balcony. Something hit her in the head, and she instinctively reached up and felt the wet spot. She looked up and something else hit her on the nose. She smelt and then tasted the substance carefully. It was... water? Water was falling from the sky? She looked up as the water continued to rain down upon her and closed her eyes. She'd spent the majority of her life on a dry, desert planet where water was a rare and precious commodity, and she was quite unused to it just falling from the sky. She remained motionless for a moment, then suddenly remembered she was holding the lightsaber. She pulled up her shirt and tucked it inside the waistband of her pajamas and covered it with her shirt, sheltering it from the rain.
Finally, the shower stopped, and she turned to head back inside. She saw someone standing in the doorway and realized it was Adi, her tall form silhouetted by the light inside. She felt her cheeks gain color and she sheepishly walked up to her and handed her the weapon. Adi said nothing, only offered her a warm smile as she led the young girl inside.
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Several years had passed since she was given a Master to train her. Saryu was now fifteen, but despite her age, she could still be seen chasing after Adi, following her like a child.
"But why can't I go?" Saryu's pleading voice echoed through the eerily still halls of the Temple hangars.
"The Council believes that you need more experience first before leaving the Temple." Adi explained calmly. She was met with an indignant snort from behind her.
"But you're on the Council! And besides, what better way for me to gain experience than to go with you!" Saryu protested.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we'll have to discuss this upon my return. I will see you in a week." Adi said, turning to face her young Padawan. Saryu wasn't angry, but she was resentful at having to be left behind. Adi smiled in amusement at her apprentice's attitude. She gave her a pat on the shoulder before climbing aboard her ship. Saryu watched her master depart before returning to her quarters. She flopped down on the bed with an exaggerated sigh before rolling over on her back to stare thoughtfully up at the ceiling. A whole week to herself. She was sure there were a number of ways to spend it, and yet here she was moping. In a normal state of mind, Saryu would've already been wreaking havoc all over the Temple by now, but she was still in a huff over being left behind.
With a small sigh, she rolled over onto her stomach again, and stared out the window. She blinked, her eyes finally coming into focus at what she was actually seeing. She stood up and walked to the window and peered out. A devillish grin alighted her face. She was looking at nearly all of Coruscant! Already, her mind was formulating a list of things she could do. She was sure she could sneak out for a day of exploring. Surely they wouldn't miss her if she took just one day off. With a small giggle, she quickly changed into something more street-worthy. She kept her robe and her lightsaber, but donned the garb that she had worn as a slave. She took a bit more time to put her hair up, taking care to leave her braid free to swing past her shoulder.
She took a cautious glance out of the door to make sure no one would catch her in her reconnaissance mission to thoroughly explore Coruscant. There was no need for it, however, as it seemed that everyone had left the Temple. Saryu grumbled something under her breath before slipping down the halls to the hangars. She didn't know why she tried to be quiet. She could've just as easily driven a clone turbo tank down the hallway and would've gone unnoticed. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be safe.
She entered the hangar and approached the A-wing starfighter she'd rescued from Tatooine. It was a lucky thing that the Jawas hadn't gotten to it first. She'd spent hours cleaning and polishing it and removing every trace of sand from the interior and mechanics and it now ran smoothly and without difficulties. She hopped inside and revved the engine a minute before heading out to explore.
She coasted out away from the Temple and joined the nearest stream of skyway traffic. She kept up the rapid pace easily, while at the same time getting a better look at the buildings and markets below. Something silver and shiny caught her eye, and she flew down for a better look. She parked her starfighter and hopped out to see what it is. Her eyes lit up when she saw it was a speeder dealership. She immediately ran to the first one she saw.
"Oh wow! Look at that paint job! And the interior! All those buttons and gadgets! I would love to take this baby apart and see what makes her tick!" She crooned, inspecting every inch of the polished silver vehicle.
"Well, once you buy 'er, you can do whatever you want with 'er." There came a voice behind her. She turned around to see a steely-eyed man with a crooked nose staring down at her. "13,000 credits."
Saryu blinked, then turned her pockets inside out. "No money." She said sullenly. Immediately, the man sent her on her way without another word. Saryu sighed, but her attention was soon grabbed by other things as she wandered down the streets and deeper into the depths of Coruscant.
She recieved many strange looks and stares. Needless to say, she stood apart from the crowd with her robes trailing behind her and the silver glint of her lightsaber as it rested in her belt. Saryu was astounded at all the different shops and stores that lined the streets. She didn't mind the fact that she had no money, as the Jedi didn't believe in material posessions, she was just satisfied with being able to see the city. She had no clue what sorts of things lurked within its depths however.
She was quite startled when something whizzed past her head. It was large, but she couldn't tell what exactly it was. It was moving fast, and circled back towards her. Four more shapes joined and together they circled Saryu jauntingly. The Padawan stood bravely, and reached for her lightsaber. It wasn't needed though, as the shapes slowed and she was able to see what they were. It was a group of boys, all varying races. They looked older than she was, and they were standing tall on some strange vehicle. They looked like boards with rounded ends and engines on the back. She'd never seen anything like it. The leader of the group came to a halt and hopped off the board to stand before her. He flashed her a grin.
"Hey there. What's a pretty thing such as yourself doing here?" He asked. She gave him a sarcastic smile.
"Shopping." She said. Her eyes fell upon the board he held in his hand. It was painted with intricate designs and looked very interesting. She longed to take a closer look. The kid noticed her staring and threw her the board. She caught it and looked up at him. He grinned and took a board from one of his companions.
"How about a race?" He teased. Saryu grinned challengingly.
"You're on!" She bellowed. The others laughed. He started up the engine of his board. It levitated off the ground, and he hopped on. Saryu mimicked him, pulling the cord on one of the twin engines that were attached on either side of the board. The thing roared to life and hovered expectantly. She clambered aboard. It seemed to hold her weight easily, and it didn't take her long to find her balance.
"Ready... Set... Go!" A kid on the sidelines hollered. Her dark-haired opponent raced ahead while Saryu idled in place. She couldn't understand why she wasn't going anywhere. She looked down to see if something was wrong with the board. Her eyes fell on a pedal situated at the back of the machine, between the two engines. She gave herself a mental smack and stomped on the accelerator. The vehicle lurched powerfully forward, and she nearly went flying off. She kept her balance, however, and blasted through the streets. It didn't take her long before she caught up to him, and the two raced along at breakneck speeds. They left a great deal of damage in their wake, overturning market carts, forcing people and other vehicles out of the road. Saryu pulled ahead, but so did the other kid. She stared him down, the wind whipping through her hair. She was so focused on winning that she didn't spot the low concrete wall up ahead. The kid sailed up and over, but Saryu didn't quite make it. The tip of the board caught the wall and Saryu was sent flying.
She hit the ground with a thud and rolled down another street. Coughing, she sat up and dusted herself off. Nothing seemed to be broken. She got to her feet and looked around. This street was very different from the main street. It was overshadowed by massive buildings on either side and was poorly lit. Few shops lined the streets and there were people dressed in black milling about. They all gave her cold stares as she sauntered past them. One of them approached her. His hood cast a shadow over his face, hiding his features. He gave her a grin, the light glinting off of his gnalred teeth. "You lost, girl?" He asked. His voice was deep and raspy. She took a step back from him. She suddenly felt very crowded as more figures approached her.
"Saryu!" There came a call from behind her. It was a voice so familiar. It peirced the darkness like a beam of light. She turned to see Qui-Gon's familiar figure silhouetted against the end of the alleyway. She beamed up at him. She turned and blew a raspberry at the retreating figures before racing towards her friend. "What in blazes were you doing down there?" He asked reprimandingly.
"Exploring." Saryu said simply with a smile. Qui-Gon shook his head.
"You shouldn't go down the dark alleyways. You never know what kinds of things live down there. C'mon, I'll show you around the safer parts of Coruscant." He said helpfully. He stared at her. "What happened to you?" He asked, pointing out her disheveled appearance and the cuts and scrapes on her face and arms. Saryu explained everything to him and he sighed. "C'mon, we'd better head back to the Temple." Saryu laughed sheepishly. He grabbed her hand, and the two headed back to their awaiting ships.
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Yeah, the ending's not too great. Ah well. I still liked the race. Thanks to Lar for the tips and help!
