Chapter Three
Cruelty – why?
The sound of blasters being fired, the yelling and screaming of people, the strange guttural sounds of an unknown race filled the ears of Jahita Krass. He did not know where he was. He stood amidst a battle in almost total darkness and saw humans and some reptilian humanoids fighting each other. The humans were clearly losing the fight since he noticed that many of them turned and fled. Jahita was not attacked – it seemed as if they could not see him, but where was he?
The reptilian humanoids were about half his size. They carried weird staffs with which they slew many, regardless though that many of their victims were civilians.
What's going on? Where am I?
As a very large group of the reptilians passed him, he noticed that the staff had the features of a snake of some sort. Occasionally he noticed that the staffs were alive and then became stiff as sticks. The 'snakes' were apparently able to make themselves hard – sort of petrifying themselves. Occasionally the reptilians used the staffs as whips, and Jahita perceived that these were no ordinary staffs.
He tried to evade the flood of the reptilians and ducked behind some debris, which once was a building. He looked at the unfortunate humans as they were horribly butchered. Many of the reptilians fell as well under the blaster fire the defenders shot back at their foes, but the reptilians seemed to ignore their casualties and pressed the attack.
Perhaps there's such a big bunch of them that it doesn't matter how many die.
A reptilian took position in front of him and killed a civilian armed with a blaster. The reptilian broke the man's neck and continued onwards to a position held by some humans and other species, which Jahita recognised as Twi'leks, Rodians and so forth. He stood up and followed the reptilians' advance. They did not see him anyway.
The small fortification was about to be overrun and people ran in all directions in order to escape slaughter.
It was too late.
A sudden outcry from a reptilian caught Jahita's attention. A young girl had stabbed the reptilian in his right side with a vibroblade. She was too late to duck before the reptilian struck with his staff and smashed it in the right side of her skull. She fell down, as if lifeless. The reptilian too fell to the ground, made some spasm before lying still on the ground – dead. Jahita rushed over to the girl – he knelt and took her into his arms.
They can't see me, but yet I can touch them. Or is it only the reptilians that can't see me?
The girl was not dead – yet at least. Jahita felt tears running down his cheeks.
How can anyone do this? How! HOW!
The girl opened her eyes. Tears were mixed with the blood flowing from her fractured head. A bit of brain tissue could be seen as well.
"Who…?" she managed to say.
"Shh, easy there. Don't worry. Everything will be all right…" The lump in his throat halted his voice. "Don't worry."
"Where's mother? I can't find her…" The girl's voice began to fade.
"I don't know – I – I don't know." The girl began to blink with her eyes. Jahita could feel that her life was slipping away. "Hey – hang in there! Don't give up! Every…"
The girl's eyes slowly closed and she gave a final sigh.
"No…" Jahita whispered. He looked around himself and saw people fighting for their lives – but all was in vain. Bodies lay in heaps all around him. Reptilians shrieked and stabbed the wounded repeatedly, who were unlucky to still be alive. Shrieks of victory.
How can anyone be so evil?
Despair filled him, and forth from his mouth came a cry that filled the entire battlefield.
"NOOOO!" Jahita almost fell out of the bed.
It was a dream! Only a dream! But it seemed so real! He was bathed in sweat and his eyes were a bit sore. He really had been crying.
"Jahita! What is it!" Eyoul entered the room. He had heard him shouting – others as well had been awakened. "What were you dreaming?"
"I don't know. A battle. A terrible – terrible battle. Many were killed. So many dead. All lay in heaps all around me. So many, Eyoul, so many." Tears began to fall again. "They even killed children. I saw them kill a girl. She – she was fighting for her life. She died. They all died!" He covered his face with his hands and started crying. "What's happening to me?" he managed to stutter through his sobbing.
Eyoul put his hand on Jahita's shoulder. "Get someone, please," he told the nearest person. "Easy now," he said comforting. "I'm sure it was just a nightmare, Jahita."
"No," he whispered. "It was no dream. Something terrible is happening. I don't know what, but something terrible. I can feel it. It's coming, Eyoul, it's coming to us."
Kam Solusar walked quickly down the corridor towards Jahita's room.
What has happened now?
A few Jedi stood outside the room talking. As he entered, he saw the tearful face of Jahita and he immediately felt that this was something out of the ordinary. He turned towards the others and asked them to leave. The students acknowledged and went to their own rooms and into bed.
"May I stay, Master Solusar?" Eyoul asked.
"That depends on what Krass wants." Kam turned towards Jahita. "Jahita?"
Jahita tried to wipe away his tears. He did not answer but simply nodded.
"All right then," Kam said and sat down beside the sobbing young man. "Now, Krass, what's the matter?"
"I saw a battle in a dream," came the reply. The voice was uneasy and made a brief pause between each word.
"And you think that it wasn't just any dream, right?"
"I could feel their deaths, Master."
Jahita again tried to push aside the salty tears that kept on coming. Eyoul took forth a piece of cloth and helped him.
"I could feel them in the Force and – and even feel their fear and pain."
Kam was puzzled. He had not felt any major extinction of life through the Force, but he could clearly see that Jahita Krass had witnessed something, which perhaps would or had taken place.
"Did you see any Jedi, Krass?" Kam asked.
Jahita did not answer, but instead shook his head. After a little pause he stuttered, "Only reptilians. Thousands. All killing and murdering. They butchered all the people. No matter race or gender. All of them."
"This is – uh – quite alarming." He paused for a moment and pondered upon what he should do say. A sudden feeling of helplessness was quickly pushed aside by years of Jedi training. "Listen, you ought to get some rest. Go to sleep. I'll see what we can do about this tomorrow, all right?"
Jahita nodded carefully.
"Good." Kam rose and turned towards Eyoul. "Will you make sure he falls asleep?"
"I will, Master Solusar," Eyoul answered dutifully.
"Thank you, Shiala. Good night both of you." He turned about and left the room.
"All right now, Jahita, you heard Master Solusar. Lay down now and go to sleep." He gently pushed him down on the bed and covered him with his blanket.
"Eyoul," Jahita said with fear in his tear-filled eyes, "Don't leave me."
"Don't worry. I'll be right here by your side, okay?" He laid his hand upon his forehead and let thoughts of peace enter Jahita's mind. Slowly Jahita's breathing became more relaxed and ultimately he fell asleep. Eyoul sighed and sat down in a chair. He had promised not to leave him, so he might as well sit by his bed and make sure that he was there when he woke up. In a way, he almost reminded him of a scared child. Seeing that Jahita was really sleeping, he began to ponder on Jahita's nightmare.
Could it be a vision of the future? he thought. He has shown some skill with the Force. Perhaps his training has triggered some sort of forth sight.
Whatever the cause, Eyoul decided to meditate on it and fell into a trance, allowing the Force to fill him, while he searched it for an answer. He did not recognise any details in Jahita's dream, but something told him that it had something to do with current events.
But what? he thought.
Kam on the other hand was on his way to the communications room – or the comm room as it also was called. Tionne had noticed that someone was trying to contact them and had told him via comlink, asking him to come. As Kam entered the room, he noticed that she was talking to someone familiar. On his approach, he recognised the face of Luke Skywalker and he sat down by the screen. He briefly looked at Tionne and knew by the look of her face that something was not right.
"Kam," Luke said, "I have bad news."
"I thought you might say something like that," he said sighing.
Luke paused for a moment. "We've lost Dubrillion. We had to evacuate as many people as possible, but many were left behind." His voice lost some of its power as he finished the last sentence. He coughed a little to clear his throat and continued, "We made a stop on Dantooine, but the Yuuzhan Vong followed us, and in a big battle they slaughtered almost half the refugees."
"Emperor's black bones," Kam whispered. He felt an urge to knock his fists into something, but quickly dispersed of that urge. "Luke, one of our students just had a vision about a battle – or dream, to be correct."
"Really? Who?"
"The Coruscant-kid – Krass, if I remember correctly. I was awakened a little while ago by some worried students. Krass had had a horrible nightmare, or that's what I at first thought it to be, but the way he looked – well, the nightmare sure as heck scared the guts out of him. What I could make out of his stuttering was something about a battle and many dead people. And something about some reptilians that were butchering them."
Luke's face signalled surprise. "What did you say?"
"About what? The battle?"
"Yes, did you say reptilians?"
"Yeah, he apparently saw some creatures – reptilians, or that's what he called them. I would guess humanoids, which resemble reptiles, possibly like the Trandoshans. Why, Luke?"
"The first wave we battled was formed by small humanoid reptoids. They could be sensed vaguely in the Force for reasons unknown at this point. There were over a thousand of them and they almost totally overran our defences."
"What!"
Tionne entered the discussion. "It appears that the young man from Coruscant is more open to the Force than we've experienced so far." She half smiled and added, "That's a comfort." She turned her pearl-eyes towards the image of the Jedi Master. "Luke, what of the New Republic fleet? Will they aid you now after this disaster?"
"They already have. Just between you and me, Admiral Traest Kre'fey had deliberately chosen the Outer Rim territories near Dubrillion as place for military training. Rogue Squadron led by Gavin Darklighter aided in fighting the Yuuzhan Vong fighters, while Admiral Kre'fey helped evacuating the refugees to Dantooine. Admiral Kre'fey left us to do something important, but returned just in time to help us. Thanks to him and Rogue Squadron we're still alive." Luke sighed. It was clear to both Tionne and Kam that he was very tired.
"Luke, what about Mara and the others? Is everyone all right?" Tionne asked. Her voice echoed of worry.
Luke nodded. "Yes, they're all all right. Leia was a little wounded, though, but nothing serious. Jaina has joined Rogue Squadron and battled the coralskippers – that's what they call the Yuuzhan Vong fighters. She and the Rouges also helped a great deal fighting the army, which we fought against on Dantooine." He rubbed his forehead a little. "Jacen and Anakin helped on ground and they're both all right. They're quite shaken though by the terrible battle. Perhaps Anakin is most shaken; he managed to save Mara whilst trying to hold off the Yuuzhan Vong warriors that chased them. I and Jacen came at the last minute." Luke paused and attempted to suppress the sleepiness that tried to overwhelm him. "I'm sorry, but I was forced to tap on the Force in an attempt to turn the tide. I let a tremendous amount of power enter me and – well, this is the result. My only comfort is that my efforts helped a great deal."
"Luke, what about Corran and Ganner Rhysode? What is the situation on Bimmiel?" Kam asked.
The continuance of Luke's tired face already told them everything. "Bimmiel has also been taken by the Yuuzhan Vong. Corran was nearly killed in a fight with two Yuuzhan Vong warriors."
"What!" Kam was puzzled. "Corran! But how! What happened!"
"I'm sorry, Kam, but I can't explain it all now; I have to go." He paused. "By the way, I want the both of you to come to Coruscant as soon as possible. I want to assemble as many Jedi Knights and Masters for a meeting."
Kam nodded slightly. "Uhm, of course, Luke. We'll be on our way to Coruscant soon, okay?"
Luke put on a tired smile. "Thanks, Kam, we'll talk when you get to Coruscant."
"If it is all right with you, I would like to stay a little longer at the Academy, Master Skywalker," Tionne quickly added.
Kam's face shone with surprise. "What? Why?"
Luke said nothing, but waited for Tionne to explain herself.
"I am very concerned about Krass. I would like to help him a little more before leaving him in care of the other teachers." Tionne made sure that her words sang with the melodious compassion she was so known for. "After all, some of us have sensed that there's something amiss in that young man. If left untended, he might slip the wrong way."
Luke gave her a warm smile. "Tionne, you are right in what you're saying; of that I have no doubt. It is all right with me." He then looked at Kam. "And what say you, Kam?"
Kam cleared his throat. "Sure. Though I might add that it will be a little lonely for me having you staying here," he said and looked his wife into the eyes.
Luke nodded. "All right then, it is agreed, but, Tionne, please, don't tarry too long, okay?"
Tionne gave another warm smile. "You have my word, Master Skywalker."
"Excellent," Luke said and raised his hand up his mouth. Another yawn appeared on his face and he looked even more tired than before. "See you on Coruscant, then. Please, hurry, Kam."
Kam sighed heavily. "As you wish, Luke." He paused. "You surely look bombed." He forced himself to smile, if but a little.
Another tired smile appeared. "I'll see you soon, then. May the Force be with you, Kam and Tionne."
"And may the Force be with you all, Luke," Tionne said, allowing herself to say his name in a friendly gesture. She took hold of Kam's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Send our love and compassion to the others, okay?"
"Be careful, Luke," Kam added.
"I will, Kam and Tionne. Farewell."
The screen went black. The transmission had ended. Kam shook his head and look into the bright eyes of his wife. His worried face was reflected in her eyes. "This sure is bad, my love," he said.
Tionne nodded and embraced her husband. "Should we tell the others here at the Academy?"
"I'm not sure." He paused. "Heck, it seems that nothing will be so sure anymore." He pulled her tighter to him. Somewhere in his mind, he hoped that the touch of someone he loved so dearly would make all the worries fade away into oblivion, but they did not.
Slowly, very slowly Jahita opened his eyes. He was afraid to once again see the terrible battlefield. He carefully looked around. He was in his room. A stretching of his muscles was followed by a sigh of relief. Crikey, that's was horrible, he thought and scratched his back and head. He suddenly noticed a person sitting in one of the two chairs in his room. "Eyoul? What…?" He halted his speech as he remembered asking Eyoul to stay by him. Ffib, I've been totally freaked out! Carefully he got up from his bed.
"Ah, you're awake, Jahita," a voice said, coming from behind.
"Huh? Oh, aye. I am," Jahita said with surprised look. "Did I wake you?"
"No, not really," Eyoul said.
"Ah, okay," Jahita said with a hint of uneasiness in voice.
"I see that everything is back to normal in here," a voice said, coming from the door, which Jahita had not noticed was opened.
Both Eyoul and Jahita quickly stood up as if a military commander had entered the room. It was Kam Solusar. Though the voice had alarmed them a bit, they immediately relaxed when they saw that it was the Jedi Master.
"I thought you were awake now, Krass," he said. "Just wanted to check how you were doing."
"Thank you, Master Solusar," Jahita said. "I'm feeling much better now."
Master Solusar flashed a smile, but then his face became serious again and apparently worried. "Krass, could I talk to you for a moment…alone."
"Ehm, sure, Master Solusar."
Eyoul walked to the door. "See you later, Jahita," he said and exited the room.
"Aye, see you, Eyoul, and thanks," Jahita said and waved a little with his hand.
Kam closed the door and sat down in one of the two chairs. Krass followed suit.
"Master, what is it?" the young student asked.
Kam took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Jahita, your nightmare last night was no coincidence." He paused and wondered if he should tell the whole truth or just a part of it. I feel that I would betray him if I didn't tell him everything. Kam thought for a little while and was not disturbed by Krass, who appeared to already sense the Jedi Master's concern and waited in silence. Kam smiled a little. Only been here for about a month almost, and already he can sense things in the Force. He wondered for a moment whether this was good or bad, but then decided to let go of the thought and say what he had to say.
"Krass, not too long ago – no, last night actually – Master Skywalker contacted us. He told us that a virtually unknown enemy has taken Dubrillion and Bimmiel by military force, as well as Belkaden. A huge battle was fought on Dantooine and many refugees from Dubrillion were killed." He paused as he saw the stunned face on his student. "The first attack-wave by the enemy was led by humanoid reptoids. Many of them were killed, as well."
Kam noticed how cold sweat began to cover Krass's face. He seemed to swallow hard.
"The reptilians in my dream," the young student almost whispered.
"Yes, Krass. The situation on the Outer Rim is getting more dangerous. Master Skywalker'ssuspicion about a full-scale invasion appears to be true. It has also appeared that the Yuuzhan Vong, which the enemy calls itself, stands utterly outside the Force for an unknown reason." He paused a moment to let the words sink in.
"But worst of all, they butcher about all that they come across. There have also been rumours about them sacrificing people to strange gods. They don't even make a difference between civilians and the military. It's almost as if they don't even know that there is a difference. Just like in your dream."
He eyed Krass, carefully watching his reactions and what the Force could reveal to him about Krass's thoughts. So far, he could only sense minor shock and a presence of fear. The last emotion almost prompted a sigh, but it was restrained.
Kam continued, "Whatever might be happening out there, this new enemy – the Yuuzhan Vong – appear to be the cruellest enemy since the Empire. Heck, they even surpass them in some areas. And their fighting technique is beyond anything that we have ever encountered."
He gave a half smile. "But your dream about the battle – whether it was on Dantooine or somewhere else… Well, it appears that you somehow through the Force could sense it. I can't explain exactly why, but it appears that you possibly have a gift for seeing things in the Force that happen or will happen."
The young man almost jumped out of the chair. It was clear that he seemed almost appalled at this. "A gift! How can you consider this a gift! I saw people dying all around me!" he shouted.
Krass was silent for a moment, and through the Force, Kam caught a glimpse of his thoughts. The image of a young girl dying in Krass's arms flashed before his eyes.
"I saw her die," Krass whispered.
"Listen, I know this is hard for you," Kam said comforting. "Please, don't misinterpret what I'm saying. There was a cause for this, I'm sure." He rose and gently put his hand on Krass's shoulder.
Bewildered eyes met him.
"Help me, Master, please. I don't think that I could possibly handle another dream like that one again." He dropped into the chair. "Heck, I didn't know I was going to see stuff like that. They died – right in front of me, and I could do nothing. Nothing, Master, nothing at all."
The presence of fear within the young man was growing.
"Krass, listen to me." Kam let his voice become stern. "Don't let this knock you out. Being a Jedi isn't easy. Never has been and never will be. But when you have been trained, you can make a difference and hopefully help restore order in this war-torn galaxy. It is a major task for sure, but wouldn't you like to have a safe place for children to grow up in? Wouldn't you like the fact that someone would be alive to write down the history of all the races in this galaxy?" He said this because he had learned that Krass enjoyed history very much. "If the Jedi fail in keeping order here or repulse the Yuuzhan Vong, you and others, who are interested in history, might never get the chance of studying them, 'cause no one would be alive to tell them."
Sensing that Krass was really listening to what he was saying, he chose to move onto the fear, which seemed to get a tighter grip around the young student.
"A Jedi knows no fear, Krass. Despair isn't the Jedi way. Let the Force guide you and listen to it. Listen to your heart." He paused. He sensed – much to his joy – that Krass's fear had diminished. "Don't run from your destiny, accept it and live it. You have the gift of being Force-sensitive, or that's how you explained it." As he noticed the hint of a smile emerge on Jahita's face, he was glad that his wife had told him about the lesson she had had with Jahita in the Grand Audience Chamber. After all, when dealing with so many students, it could be very hard to be able to talk to them and direct them without something with which he could reach them – both heart and mind.
"I'm sorry, Master, I just felt so lost – I mean – uh, heck I don't even know how to put it…" Krass closed his eyes, sighing.
"Scared?" Kam asked.
Krass eyed Kam for a moment and then bowed his head. "Aye – sorry."
Krass was feeling ashamed – he almost emanated with it in the Force. He had let his fears overcome him, but that fear was almost vanquished. A Jedi knows no fear, Kam thought.
"We all make mistakes and learn from them. Don't worry, Jahita, one day you will overcome your fear. I'm sure of it," he said encouragingly.
"Thanks, Master," Krass replied and lifted his head.
Kam smiled and rose. He walked over to the door, but did not open the door right away. "Krass."
"Yes, Master Solusar?"
"I would appreciate if you didn't tell anyone of what I have told you about the situation in the Outer Rim territories."
Jahita nodded. "I understand."
Kam opened the door and walked down the corridor. Shiala Meno, who was standing there, noticed him walking by and walked over to Krass's room.
"Hey, what was all about?" she asked.
"Ehm, just something about a dream. Nothing important," came the reply.
Shiala felt sure that there was more about the issue, but she chose to accept Krass's answer. Well, he is kind of weird. She waved with her hand, gesturing him to follow her. "Well, come on now. It's soon time for your lessons. You wouldn't like to go hungry all day, would you?"
"Heck, no!" he said and speeded past her. "Last one to the meals is a stinking bantha-herder!"
Shiala stood for a moment and looked at him disappearing around the corner. "Well, that sure came unexpected," she muttered and wondered if it was a mistake to even bother talking to the newcomer, since he was behaving like some kid.
"Next time, tell me in advance before you want to start a race," she shouted.
The only response she got was Krass's vague laughter echoing through the large ziggurat, mixed with the multiple sounds of the animals living in the vast jungles of Yavin 4.
Jahita Krass and his class followed Kam Solusar through the dense jungle. Everywhere they went, Jahita could sense beings either hiding beneath the bushes or in the trees. He could sense the animals' feelings, such as fear, uncertainty and other emotions, which erupted as the group of Jedi hopefuls approached. However, nearby he could sense predators that were looking for prey. He suddenly noticed that the Jedi Master's course headed straight towards the predators. For a second Jahita thought of telling Kam of what he could sense, but suddenly realised that this was a test for sure - a test to determine what action each pupil would take in order to prevent the possibility of being 'eaten'. He felt so happy about paying attention to what he had heard during the studies. All right. No prob. I'll just thwart their desire to eat me. Piece of cake. He paused in his thoughts. Mmm, cake.
Suddenly a great flock of piranha-bees. They were known for stripping their unfortunate victims clean of virtually everything organic. Their buzzing was loud and threatening, which surely signalled that they would attack. Jahita, who just had thought of cakes, was caught a bit of guard. A sense of surprise and shock rolled off the other classmates.
After a short gasp, he quickly assumed the concentration known for a Force-wielder. They won't get this Jedi so easily. He opened himself to the guidance of the Force and felt it fill him up. His eyes half-closed and he sent a specific thought into the buzzing group of piranha-bees. After a second or two, the flock dispersed and descended into grass on the ground.
Jahita opened his eyes.
"Excellent, Krass," Master Solusar said, "You used the correct method in getting rid of the bees peacefully." He sat down on a log of a fallen tree. "What did you actually do?"
"Well, Master Solusar, I figured that since they're insects, they don't abide well in rain, so I just made them think that it would very soon."
"Excellent," Kam Solusar said and smiled.
Jahita returned the Jedi Master's smile. "Thank you."
"Very well, then. I think that concludes our walking for today, class." Kam stood up and looked around himself. "Now, let's climb the trees, all right?"
"You're the Jedi Master," a Twi'lek male replied.
Jahita wondered for a moment what the Twi'lek's name was, but gave up since he actually had not even tried to get to know the others in the class. Part of him did not want to know them. Having spent most of his childhood alone on Coruscant, he was an outsider per se. The only friends he had ever made had introduced themselves to him – thereafter he spoke to them as well, and eventually became a friend of theirs. However, no one in his class had even spoken to him; therefore he did not deem it necessary to know their names.
Suddenly Master Solusar tapped on the Force and jumped very high into one of the trees. The class followed suit. Jahita did likewise and landed securely on a thick branch. The tree he had landed on, poked through the carpet of leaves, which covered the sky. He could see that the jungle almost stretched as far as he could see. In the horizon, he could see the temples, which were used as the Jedi Academy, but he suddenly noticed that another ziggurat was nearby. It looked almost black and quite darker than the other temples that he had seen so far.
"Master Solusar," he called. "Is that also one of the ancient temples Exar Kun forced the Massassi people to build?" He remembered the name of the long dead Sith Lord from what Tionne had told them all in the Grand Audience Chamber.
The Jedi Master turned his eyes towards where Jahita was pointing. As he saw the ziggurat, Jahita almost felt certain that Solusar's hair stood on edge just as Jahita mentioned the name of the ancient Dark Lord of the Sith.
"Yeah, I guess it is," Master Solusar finally replied and coughed as if to clear his throat. "Come on, class. We still need to get back to the temple, and if we stay any longer, it could get dark before we get there."
Jahita wondered for a moment on why Solusar seemed slightly elusive, but decided for himself that it was probably an effect of what he and his fellow Masters and Jedi Knights had experienced in their days of training.
Jahita concentrated on following the Jedi Master as he jumped from one treetop to another, seeming to always find the correct spot to land on. The class followed suit. Jahita felt how the Force guided him – it appeared to happen so fast. In his mind, he could see images flash – they showed him the branches he could safely land on. Occasionally he stopped and looked back at the lone ziggurat that towered over the dense jungle, but he would move on and trying to catch up with the Jedi Master and his classmates. Yet it seemed like the lonely ziggurat called out to him – or was it just his curiosity?
The stars filled the night sky. Jahita felt as if he were part of the universe – as if he had joined with it. He was standing at the foot of the Great Temple, looking up at the stars, allowing the Force to fill him. Occasionally a meteorite would enter the atmosphere and send a trail of white light as it was burned up. Sometimes it would also rain with the precious Corusca-gems, which would in some way be released from the grip of the gas-giant, but that was not the case this night – or at least to his knowledge. Jahita knew that some students had used these gems as an important ingredient to their lightsabres.
Lightsabres. Wonder what mine will look like.
Even though he knew that students did not build a lightsabre straight after receiving a little training, he had been thinking about it. In the many days he had spent in the Academy, Eyoul had taught him a bit of the mechanic stuff, but it had been so little that he really could not say that he knew more about it than before.
He sighed. Hopefully, he would learn enough before he would be given the test of building himself a lightsabre. A smile appeared on his face. He trusted that Eyoul would do his 'job' well.
Suddenly he felt something in the Force. It warned him of something. No sooner had he sensed this before he saw a white light descending fast from the sky. His eyes followed this light as it fell from the sky.
What the…
The light could almost resemble a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere, but this was too close. His guess was that it had already penetrated the atmosphere and was now about to land somewhere nearby. In a matter of seconds this particular light seemed to land on top of the Great Temple. A minor pillar of smoke slowly rose before vanishing a moment later.
Jahita decided to investigate and immediately made his way to the Great Temple's roof. It took him a few minutes before he stood in front of a small hole in the roof of the ancient structure. Upon closer inspection, Jahita could see that in the middle of the hole, which had turned black by the heat, was a small rock of some sort, which had dug itself a little into the hard exterior of the temple's roof.
He frowned as he tried to study the small rock closer. It was still warm, so he decided it best not to touch just yet. Such a descent causes a lot of friction and thus a lot of heat, he summarised to himself. He did not want to burn his hand.
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt another presence that was approaching the roof. He immediately recognised the person, even before she got there.
"Hi, Shiala Meno," he said and tried to suppress the smile.
"How did you know it was me?" the young Corellian girl asked a bit confused.
"I just felt it," he said and turned to face her.
"Just felt it? But for many it takes months learning that. Who taught you?"
Jahita was about to answer, but only opened his mouth. No words escaped him. It had suddenly struck him. "Heck, no one!" he said puzzled.
"I guess that you're a fast learner. Perhaps you learned it in some self-exploration, then?"
Jahita shook his head. "No, I haven't." Confusion pulsed through him. The Force is a strange thing, he thought.
"Perhaps you're more open to the Force in some way," Shiala Meno concluded.
He nodded slightly, temporarily accepting that. "Aye, probably."
Shiala noticed the black spot on the roof. She eyed him as a hint of smile went across her face. "Say, what did you eat for supper?"
"What?" Jahita said and fixed his gaze on her. A second later, he looked down at the black spot and realised what Shiala meant. "So you're suggesting I fart a lot, eh?"
Shiala grinned. "Gotcha!"
Even Jahita could not help laughing. "I'm glad to see that you also know how joke," he said. His laughter slowly died and he once again turned his attention to the small rock. It seemed cooler now. Carefully he lowered his hand toward it and picked it up. It was still a little warm, but was cool enough for him to hold it in his hand.
"What is it?" Shiala asked.
"I don't know. It looks like some sort of rock, but it's too smooth for a meteorite."
"Odd," she said and knelt beside him.
Man, she smells really nice, Jahita thought for a moment, but quickly shielded his thoughts. He thought it best that she did not notice what he was thinking.
Shiala seemed not to notice anything from him as she kept her gaze locked on the small rock in his hand. After a few seconds of silence she finally said, "Krass, you know what I think?"
For a second, cold sweat appeared on his forehead. "Nope," he simply replied. "I'm not that powerful in the Force."
She arched an eyebrow at him, but then turned down her gaze again. "I think it looks like a gemstone of some sort, or perhaps a crystal."
"Really?" he said with excitement in his voice.
"I'm not positively sure, but it looks like it." Shiala rose.
"All right!" He rose, walked over to the edge and sat down. He gestured with his hand that Shiala should sit down beside him. "Say, would you mind sitting here with me for a while?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied and walked over to him and sat down. "I don't have much to do tonight anyway."
The two of them watched the stars above.
"Sure is pretty tonight," she said.
"Aye," he replied.
"Uhm, Krass. May I ask you something?"
"Aye."
Shiala scratched her neck As though she did not know exactly what to say. After a moment, she finally said, "Krass, how can it be that you were joking and laughing after that horrific dream you had? I mean, didn't you say that it was for real?"
Jahita sighed. "So, everyone's talking about it now, huh?"
"Yeah," she replied and waited for him to answer.
He did not look at her. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the little stone in his hand. Slowly it started to hover above his hand as he used his telekinetic abilities.
"Krass?"
He coughed and the stone slowly landed in his palm. "I'm sorry…I – I just tried to forget it. I mean – I, uh – heck, what can I do about such a nightmare? I mean, it was horrible." He paused. Images from the nightmare flashed before his eyes. He could see the girl that died in his arms. The hand holding the stone became a fist. "They all died," he said dismayed. "I couldn't do anything to help them. I just don't want to remember it, that's all. I make jokes so that I won't remember." A little insecure laugh escaped him. "When you laugh about something you forget all the cruelty of the world – uh, I mean in galaxy."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked him.
He did not reply, but shook his head lightly.
"There, you said it yourself."
Jahita put the empty hand to his eyes.
Shiala noticed that he was shaking a bit. "Hey, are you crying again?"
"I'm sorry – I – I…" His voice flickered and ended. He rose and wanted to leave, but Shiala grabbed his sleeve.
"Hey, Krass. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rough on you." She paused. "Are you sure it wasn't a just dream and nothing else?"
He nodded. "Aye."
"But how do you know that?" she asked.
"Master Solusar told me tha…" He halted.
"What?" she said alarmed. "What did he tell you?" she almost demanded.
"Nothing." He turned about and tried to walk away.
"Jahita!" she said with a hint of anger, but quickly eased her voice, making it softer. "Come on. Why won't you tell me?"
"Because you wouldn't like what I would tell you - that's why." His voice had gained some volume.
"Hey, you can trust me." Her expression was gentle in a way that probably could even melt a wampa's icy heart.
Jahita sighed. "I know, Meno, I know." He looked up at the stars. "Listen, I know you're all right." He paused a second and continued, "It isn't safe out there anymore, Meno." He lowered his eyes and met the eyes of Shiala's confused face. "I'll tell you why, but you mustn't tell anyone, all right?"
She nodded.