Disclaimer: I'm getting really bored of writing this . . . I do not own the Star Wars Universe, and never will.

Author's Note: Thank you very much for the reviews! You have succeeded in brightening my gloomy morning! Anyway, I believe I have some explaining to do:

Anakin and company will be making their appearance soon enough. The first three chapters are meant as a prologue of sorts. Don't worry, I'll post them very fast! As for the unusual beginning of this story, it is based on a writing style called frame storytelling, which basically means a story within the story ( the idea came to me after I finished reading Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" ) You'll see what I mean a little bit later. After seeing Episode III I have a ton of ideas! ( "Revenge of the Sith" by the way, was brilliant! I loved its Shakespearian feel and the intensity of the human drama! Good job indeed, George! )

Anyway, enough talking! On with the story!

Chapter II – Dreams and Discoveries

On the surface of planet Cyliis, the heat was lowering to endurable levels. The reason was quite obvious: nightfall was approaching fast. The system's large, orange sun was starting to lower towards the zenith, casting a bloody light over the flat, arid plains. An eerie silence seemed to engulf everything, as if the entire planet was expecting some monumental event to occur. And yet, nothing seemed to shatter the surreal peace that engulfed the world. The Gods were watching. And waiting.

In a dark, moist-filled cave, a girl was using a brush to wipe the centuries of dirt off the floor. Her face has scrunched up in concentration, sweat was pouring down on her forehead and flaming red hair was getting in her eyes. But none of this seemed to matter to her. All that existed for her in these moments was the cave floor and what she could discover under the soil.

"Nizzy? Nizzy? Where are you?"

The girl dropped the brush when she heard the voice and turned towards the entrance to the cave. There stood the tall form of Quar Wrenn, looking at her, with a gentle smile on his lips.

"What have you been up to in here, you little munchkin?" he asked, surveying the cave floor.

"Looking for treasure!" Nizzy answered, on an excited tone. "Just like you and Madam Wrenn!"

Quar kneeled down next to the girl, ruffling her hair with one hand.

"But we are not looking for treasure, little one."

"I know. I didn't mean treasure as in gold and jewels."

"Then about what kind of treasure are you talking about?"

"About something from the past!" Nizzy answered, clapping her palms enthusiastically. "I have a feeling we'll find something soon!"

Quar smiled at the child's enthusiasm. If only Andrra were like that again.

Noting the pensive look on his face, Nizzy asked:

"Mr. Wrenn? Is something wrong?"

"No, child, nothing is wrong" he said, being snapped out of his thoughts. "I was just wondering how can you keep on hoping, when me and my wife are ready to call it quits?"

Nizzy tilted her head to one side, considering Quar's question.

"I just know there is something out here" she said, slowly. "Call it a hunch or something like that. I have a nagging feeling we're missing something big."

"Then you're definitely more cut out for this kind of job" Quar said, earning a smile from the little girl.

"Let me show you something!"

With that, she started looking through her small pouch, until she took out a pair of dark glasses.

"What are those?" Quar asked, intrigued.

"Special glasses. These can detect any type of metal, even when it's buried under tons of dirt!"

"Impressive", Quar noted, looking them over." Where did you get them?"

"My Uncle Dax made them for me. He's an inventor".

Quar turned the glasses over in his hands, marveling at the unique blend of technology. However, Nizzy's voice interrupted his train of thought:

"Madam Wrenn thinks Uncle Dax is crazy" she said, on a sad tone.

"Pah! Don't listen to her! She has the bad habit of speaking before thinking!"

Quar placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Your Uncle sounds to be a very nice man."

"He is! He's been taking care of me ever since Mama and Papa died, when I was little. He's the only family I've ever had."

"All the more reason to not listen to my wife's ramblings!"

Quar lifted himself from the ground, brushing the dust off his pants.

"It's getting pretty late" he said, gazing at the setting sun. "We'd best be off for the camp if we want to reach it before nightfall."

Nizzy, however, shook her head, placing the glasses over her eyes. "Let me see what I can find."

She started pacing the cave back and forth, looking in all directions, much to Quar's amusement. A few minutes passed when, suddenly, Nizzy gave an unexpected scream. "I found something!"

Not wasting another second, Quar immediately rushed at her side. "What? What is it?"

In response, Nizzy took off the glasses and placed them on the man's eyes. He stumbled for a moment, not used to the strange way the lenses seemed to show everything around him, but when he finally got his bearings back, he spoke: "Sow me what you have seen."

Taking his large, calloused hand in her own, little one, the girl led him towards the back of the cave, where a mountain of jagged rocks lay. Concentrating on them, Quar started to distinguish a faint, rectangular outlining, somewhere at the bottom of the pile.

"It could be a metal crate, judging by the shape, he whispered to himself."

"Then let's get it out, Mr. Wrenn! I'll bring the sonic drill!"

"Whoa, slow down little one! We can't take it out now!"

"Why?" asked Nizzy, disappointment slipping in her tone.

"Because it's already late. We need to get back to the camp. The nights on this planet are very cold."

"We could get some warm jackets" suggested Nizzy, not willing to give up.

"No. And, besides, we're not even sure if it is man-made. It could very well be a rectangular-shaped piece of iron ore. This place is full of abandoned ore mines."

"But . . ."

"No, Nizzy. Whatever it is, it will just have to wait until the morning. I' sorry."

With these words, Quar turned to leave, but stopped, seeing that the girl wouldn't follow fim.

"Nizzy?"

"I'll say here a little bit. There's a spot I didn't look at." When Quar raised an eyebrow, skeptically, she amended: I promise I'll be back in half an hour! Word of honor!"

"No more than half an hour" Quar relented, setting out for the camp.

When she was sure that he had left for good, Nizzy crouched down, near the pile of rocks, watching them intently and wondering how she could dislodge them.

I have to see what is under here!

With a vigorous shake of the head, she started looking for holes. None of the determination that now burned inside of her heart would exist, if it weren't for the dreams that haunted her sleep for over a week. She had told no one of them, because she herself could scarcely believe them.

Every one of them unfolded in the same manner: she saw the tall, majestic spires of Coruscant, gleaming in iridescent colors, under the rays of the mid-day sun. However, something always felt wrong: there was a tension in the air, which grew by the second. Everything started to shimmer, as hundreds of emotions assailed her senses all at once: fear, hate, fury, rage, pain, agony, terror, death. Then, out of nowhere, the streets were invaded by thousands of angry people, each carrying a makeshift weapon of some kind. They left a trail of devastation in their wake, destroying everything that could be destroyed. And of course, things got much worse. Entire battalions of white-clad armored soldiers arrived, in giant gun ships, carrying a whole arsenal of warfare with them. Officers dressed in olive uniforms led the battalions upon the mob of civilians, and what followed could easily be imagined: the civilians didn't stand a chance against the soldier's superior firepower and were killed in their thousands. The entire surface of Coruscant was being transformed into one gigantic, bloody war zone.

Each night, she woke up, screaming, terrified that her dream was the vision of some apocalyptic future. But when she analyzed it more closely, she discovered that a great many things didn't seem to add up. The New Republic Security Forces didn't wear white armor. So, then who were those menacing troopers? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was probably seeing an event from the past. A battle, a war . . . Soldiers holding back raging civilians . . .

A revolution! That had to be the answer! But when did it happen? She had no idea.

Finding a small hole, Nizzy struggled to get her fingers through. When she managed to lodge them good, she tried to pull on the rock, put it wouldn't budge. Biting her lip, the girl put all her strength in her hands and tried again, with the same result.

How foolish I am, she thought, believing I have the strength to move this pile!

She remembered one evening, when she couldn't sleep, and her Uncle had just told her a story.

"And that is how the Jedi-Emperor managed to make peace between the Empire and the Rebellion. For years, most people thought such a thing was pure fantasy, but he managed to prove them wrong."

"Was he a good man, Uncle?"

"It depends who you ask. Some legends portray him as a kind, benevolent ruler, who deeply loved all the Galaxy's people, while others speak of him as a ruthless tyrant, bent on warfare and conquest."

"And which point of view is true?"

"I honestly don't know. So many millennia have passed since then, that no one can be sure where the truth lies. After he died, many people believed that he went on to become a God. The Sun-God, they would call him. Many used to call upon his name when they needed desperate help. But, of course, that's just plain superstition."

Nizzy leaned her forehead on the surface of the nearest rock. Somehow, she knew that her frightful dreams and this search to prove the Jedi-Emperor's existence were interconnected. She had to get that crate out from under the rocks, otherwise her nightmares would probably continue to haunt her forever.

She tried pulling yet again, only to rake her palm over a sharp edge, cutting herself. Biting back her scream, Nizzy tried not to think of the blood pouring from her hand. Instead, she pushed the rock backwards, trying desperately to dislodge it. No results.

This is useless!

Grinding her teeth together, she decided to give up and pull her hands out, when, suddenly, an idea popped in her head, from nowhere.

"Jedi-Emperor" she silently prayed, "give me strength!"

And then she felt it! Like a warm current, sweeping outwards from her very core! A strange, tingling sensation covered her skin.

"Use the Force, young one" a voice resonated. "Use the strength from within yourself."

Nizzy focused on the warm current that seemed now to flow all around it and concentrated it all upon the rocks. She could feel, just at the edge of her senses, another, much stronger being, helping her.

At last, after several minutes, one of the rocks at the base of the pile shifted and with it, the entire structure came crashing down. With a scream, Nizzy covered her ears and lay flat against the cave floor, waiting for the torrent of boulders to end. When it did, she slowly raised herself and walked over to the now flat mound. There, in the middle, wedged between two pieces of stone, sat a silver, metal crate. She had found it!

With a sigh of exhaustion, Nizzy sat down on the crate, closing her eyes, unaware of the fact that a translucent, spectral being was watching her, with a smile on his features.

The sun had finally sunk below the horizon. Night was enveloping Cyliis in its dark wings. A large, flying creature was soaring in the sky, singing its mating song on high-pitched notes. The silence was over, The Gods were rejoicing, for the secret had finally been discovered.