I'm very happy you find my story interesting! I promise I'll try and be as punctual in updating as possible.

This chapter will be a lot darker than the others. It borders close to the M rating (I don't know exactly if it crosses the border or not). Nizzy finds more questions than answers and things take a turn for the worse. She receives help from a very mysterious character.

I know I promised a prologue of only three chapters, but I'll have to make it four. All the ideas that are currently slipping out of my mind just won't give me peace! This being said, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter III – As the World Falls Apart

Dedicated to my reviewers: Dawn369; Kazuya-Chan; froggifrog; Lord Windwalker; Kobe-Mac; thefragile7393. The one thing that makes me leap with joy through the whole house in the morning ( causing the neighbors to think I've been on a coffee drinking binge again ) is finding out that I have a new review! Thanks so much, guys!

A soft breeze blew across the arid plains. The sun had set and night could finally enjoy its dominion over the world. All around, little creatures were clawing their way out of the holes in which they had sought shelter from the heat. In the shroud of darkness, multiple yellow eyes could be seen, scurrying back and forth. In a sense, now the planet was truly alive. A lean, four-legged creature chased a smaller one through a patch of thorn bushes. It was the eternal dance of Life and Death, the game between the predator and its prey, a tribute to the Universe. The Gods watched on, knowing the hour of Revelation drew very near. . .

x x x

In the camp at the base of the Sayr hills, things were very far from tranquility.

"You let her stay in the cave? What were you thinking, you daft man!

Andrra Wrenn was pacing in front of the camp fire, her fists clenched at her sides, testimony to the fury that was coursing through her veins.

"She wanted to see something . . . "Quar, said, weakly.

"You idiot! Don't you realize it's almost midnight?"

Quar looked at his wrist chrono, then instantly shot to his feet.

"I'm going to look for her!"

"Much good that will do" Andrra mumbled. "The speeder's engine is dead, remember? Without it, we can't cover even a quarter of this Force-forsaken dustball!"

"I'll try to fix it" Quar said, opening one of the speeder's hatches.

"Hah! With your technical skills, you'll be lucky if you don't make the thing blow!"

Andrra clasped her hands on her hips, sighing heavily.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Nizzy?"

The woman watched as the stars in the sky faded very fast. The reason quickly became apparent, as the planet's three moons rose slowly. The first and largest one was of a blood-red color, dotted with dark craters, remnants of ancient collisions. The second one shone pearly-white, with the intensity of a small sun. The third and smallest, was an icy blue, with a smooth surface. Rays from these three moons shone down upon the ground, in a myriad of colors. They united in a single, flowing pattern, only to shatter in a million little filaments, and unite once again, when they touched the ground, covering the plains in a shimmering curtain of silky light.

Andrra watched the breathtaking lights, but her eyes were not seeing the beauty in front of her. Her mind was wondering far and wide, across the scorched basins and hollow valleys, in search of a lost girl.

"One of these days, you are going to be the death of me, Nizzy" she murmured, gazing in the distance.

Suddenly, a faint rumbling sound could be heard. Andrra turned sharply towards her husband.

"Would you stop it with the noise? I'm trying to think here!"

"I haven't been making any noise at all" Quar protested. "This rusty thing won't even start!"

Andrra turned her eyes towards the horizon, where a small, black spot could be seen.

"It's Nizzy" she shouted. "Quar, get me the electro binoculars!"

He quickly obliged, handing Andrra a pair. The woman placed them over her eyes, increasing the magnification, to see just what was heading their way. At first, both the shrouding darkness and the veil of colors wouldn't allow her to see clearly. However, when the object drew nearer, she realized it was a speeder.

"Let me see"

Quar grabbed the binoculars and set his eyes to the east.

"A speeder." he said. "And judging from the trail of dust it's leaving behind, I would say it is going very fast!"

"What would Nizzy do in a speeder?" Andrra asked, perplexed. "She can't drive!"

:"I don't think it is Nizzy." Quar said. "Oh! Look, there are more of them!"

Far, in the distance, the metal chassis of several speeders were clearly visible.

"I have a bad feeling about this" Quar whispered.

'Would you stop being so paranoid? Probably some patrol of the security forces on this backwater hole stumbled across that wayward girl. Wait until she gets here! What a spanking she's in for!"

"I'm not so sure about that, dear."

In a matter of minutes, the speeders were in range of the camp. There were five in total, painted a dull brown. The engines whirred to a stop, as they positioned themselves around the camp, surrounding it.

"Who are you?" Andrra asked. "What do you want?"

A tall, lanky man went down from one of the speeders. He was dressed entirely in black, his attire resembling that of a commando. Various tools and weapons hung by his utility belt.

"It does not matter who we are" he answered, on an icy tone. "What matters is if you tell us were the girl is!"

Andrra's eyes hardened. "What does Nizzy have to do with all of this?"

"A great many things. Now, if you wish to be spared from a painful and miserable death, you will tell us were she is!"

"And if we won't?" Quar asked, defiantly.

The black clad man waved his hand slowly and the occupants of the other speeders exited, surrounding the Wrenns.

"You will wish you were never born" the man stated, calmly. "Prepare them for interrogation."

x x x

The vast expanse of plains extended in all directions, as far as the eye could see. There were very few landmarks that could help one pinpoint his exact location. They were an ideal place to get lost. And that was just the word that described Nizzy's condition: lost.

The girl had been wondering around aimlessly for a few hours, unable to find her way back towards the campsite. Everywhere she cast her eyes, the landscape was the same.

"Madam Wrenn will probably kill me when I get back" she mumbled to herself. "Where is that camp?"

Although Nizzy had been roaming around on the plains for the past two months, going to and from the camp and excavation site, she had never made the journey by night. All of the landmarks were distorted by the ghostly lights that shone from the moons, making any sort of orientation nearly impossible.

Nizzy stopped a moment to catch her breath. Having dragged the metal crate with her for the past hours, she was very tired. Although it hadn't seemed very heavy at the beginning, her increasing fatigue was making her task more and more difficult. Add the fact that she could only use one of her hands (the other, which had been cut, was bandaged with a shred of her tunic) and it was very clear why she wanted to find herself in a warm bed, inside her tent, as soon as possible.

"Once you set out in a task, you must complete it" her Uncle always used to say. "There is no try. Do. Or do not."

"I wish you were here with me, Uncle" she whispered, gazing upwards, at the three moons. "I miss you."

The fingers of her good hand felt a hard, small, round object, through the soft material of her tunic. The pendant, her only heirloom from her deceased parents.

"This belonged to your Father, Nizzy" Dax said, as he tied the gold chain, with a little crystal pearl attached to it, around the girl's neck.

"Papa?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Where Papa? Where?"

Dax sighed, wondering how he should explain the truth to a child who was only three years old.

"Papa and Mama are up there, among the stars, with the angels."

"Why?"

"Because that's where good people go when they die."

"I want Papa! I want Mama!" the girl sobbed hysterically, clinging to her Uncle with all of her might

"They're dead, sweetie. They can't come back."

But the girl continued to cry, with her head buried in Dax's chest.

Nizzy clenched her fingers tightly around the pendant, ignoring the pain. Not even after ten years had she forgotten that stormy night on Coruscant, when her Uncle became her only family. And this little pendant was the only thing she had left, from two people which she could barely remember.

She felt cold tears dripping down her cheeks. As much as she tried to stop them, they continued to pour, in little streams. On cold, lonely nights such as this, she couldn't stop her mind from roaming to that spot in her past, and always her grief got the better of her.

"Calm yourself, Nisadora" a voice called out of nowhere.

Nizzy flinched, her fingers quickly releasing the pendant. She cast her sight all around her, but all that she could see was barren wasteland.

"Be strong" the voice continued. "The past cannot be undone. Only the present counts."

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"Your Guardian."

Nizzy frowned. Her Guardian? A disembodied voice? It didn't make absolutely any sense at all! But the voice was familiar somehow . . .

The cave! The spirit that told her to use her own strength!

"Why are you guarding me?" she asked. This time, however, the voice remained silent.

Nizzy shook her head twice. Something must be wrong with my head. Now I'm starting to think I have spectral Guardians! Maybe Madam Wrenn was right. Maybe my imagination does carry me away . . .

Nizzy's thoughts were interrupted by a loud shuffling sound. The girl raised her eyes, only to find herself surrounded by a whole pack of black, skinny, four-legged creatures. Their yellow eyes were glowing brightly and their snouts were open exposing jagged teeth.

"I take it you're the local hunters?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

The only responses she received were a few low growls. The creatures had formed a circle and were assessing their prey, judging if she was dangerous or not.

Nizzy struggled to make her panicked brain to come up with an idea, but the only thing she could feel was the maddening desire to break into a run and her heart, beating in a loud rhythm in her chest.

"Don't run" the voice said. "That would be your death sentence. Predators are focused upon chasing movement. Hold your ground and confuse them. It will give you a few more minutes."

"And then they'll tear me to shreds" Nizzy couldn't hold back the sarcastic reply. "Thanks!"

"Use your logic, girl. Find out what frightens them most and use it against them."

Nizzy nodded slightly, crouching low, using the metal crate as cover and searching through her pouch.

What would scare them? Noise? Fire? Light?

Her hands touched a couple of wires and an idea came to her.

Rising from behind the crate, Nizzy saw that the creatures were slowly approaching, tightening the circle. Apparently, they had decided that she didn't pose a threat and that they were in for an easy kill.

How wrong you are! The girl thought as she connected two wires together. Immediately, white sparks started to fly in all directions, from the point of contact.

The predators jumped back slightly, with small whimpers. It was clear that they have never seen electricity before.

Seeing this, Nizzy approached them cautiously, with small steps, all the wile holding the wires in front of her. The predators retreated slowly, their glowing eyes set on the girl.

"Find a breach in the circle" the voice ordered.

Nizzy nodded, continuing to advance. The circle loosened more and more, until the girl could see a few empty spots.

"Good. Try to pass through them. Look to the north."

Nizzy turned her head in the indicated direction and saw a patch of rough shrubs, surrounding a lone tree.

"If you can reach the tree and climb it, you'll be all right."

The girl took note of the spirit's advice and continued to advance. Just a few more steps and she would be free . . .

Suddenly, one of the predators moved very fast, striking at the child.

"Move!"

Nizzy jumped quickly to one side, the creature missing her entirely.

The others, seeing their leader, became bolder and started to tighten the circle again.

"What now?" Nizzy asked, struggling to keep herself under control.

"Concentrate, Nisadora. Use the Force within."

Nizzy closed her eyes tightly, trying to do what she had done in the cave.

Another creature struck and she barely dodged.

"Focus, child! The Force is your ally! Don't work against it!"

The girl continued to walk slowly, backwards.

"Your focus determines your reality!"

A third one jumped, but this time, Nizzy was ready. Extending her senses all around her, she could feel the moves of the predators, a few seconds before they actually happened. The creature lunged forward. The girl, sensing its intent, moved towards the right and the predator's jaws clamped shut in mid air. The girl whacked it hard over the snout with the wires, making it howl and fall backwards.

"Well done!"

Nizzy's heart leaped with joy. The feeling was exhilarating! Never in her life had she felt so free, so limitless, with the adrenaline rushing through her veins!

"Be careful!"

But it was too late. In her euphoric state of mind, Nizzy hadn't considered where she was heading. She felt her feet hit the crate with a thud, her balance slipping and she fell to the ground. Her head hit the soil hard and she cried out in pain. In front of her eyes the landscape started to shimmer and as much as she struggled to keep her consciousness, the black void overcame her.

The pack, seeing the girl sprawled over the ground, unmoving, started to move in for the kill.

However, their plans were foiled. The leader lifted its head in the air, listening intently. Surely enough, the unmistakable hum of speeder engines could be heard. With a howl, it signaled to the entire pack and they took off in a dark blur of fur and dust, as the speeders approached the unconscious child.

x x x

Andrra struggled to open her eyes. The dried blood that covered her face did not make the task any easier. Her vision was blurry and she could not distinguish anything clearly. She didn't feel her body at all. When she experimentally tried to move her left wrist, a sharp stab of pain tore through her.

"Ah, you have awakened" a cold voice stated.

The woman struggled to focus her sight on a shadow to her left. Where was she? Why? Try as she might, her muddled brain was incapable of coming up with any answers.

"Let's continue, then" the man said. "Where is the girl? Where is Nisadora?"

Andrra closed her eyes again. Several flashes of light seared through her closed eyelids and she almost could see people . . . faces . . . a little girl with short, red hair and clear blue eyes . . . Nizzy!

The recent events hit her like a cruiser coming out of hyperspace! She gasped, pulling against her restraints, only to be rewarded again by a huge dose of pain running through her broken bones.

"Where is she?" the man whispered, standing very close to Andrra. "Tell me and I'll make sure your pain ends."

Andrra glared at him with all the hate she could muster.

"Well?"

As an answer, Andrra spat a mouthful of blood in his face.

The man jumped to his, feet, enraged. With one hand he wiped the blood off his face, while the other was tightening around the woman's neck.

Andrra desperately tried to suck air into her lungs, but all that she could feel was the intense burning in her chest and the crushing grip around her trachea.

"I should kill you now" the man growled, fiercely.

Andrra wanted to answer, but it seemed she had lost all control over her body. Her vision was starting to fade, as her body felt the effects of oxygen deprivation. Her lips stood open, in a mute scream and the only noise she could make was a small gurgling.

Satisfied, the man let go of her neck. Andrra wheezed, as she drew huge mouthfuls of air in her lungs. When she felt her senses slowly return, she turned her head to the right, where her husband lay, strapped to another table.

"Quar?" she whispered, hoarsely. "Quar?"

But she got no answer. Her husband stood perfectly still, his chest flat, and a black cloth covering his face.

No! It cannot be!

"He's dead" the man answered her unspoken question, in a flat tone. "Died a few minutes before you woke up."

No! No! No! This isn't happening! This isn't happening! This isn't . . .

"If you wish your fate to be different than his, you will tell us where the girl is!"

Andrra turned her face towards him, tears mixing with blood.

"Why? Why are you doing this? What did that child ever do to you?"

The man snorted.

"It is not about what she did, but about who she is."

"What?" Andrra managed to grind out. She could feel the life slowly leaving her body.

"You truly don't know anything! That girl is far more important than you could possibly imagine! She is the last living descendent of the Jedi-Emperor!

It took a little bit for this information to enter Andrra's mind, but when it did, her whole world fell apart before her eyes.

"It . . . it is impossible!"

"On the contrary. A very powerful and influential man in the Galaxy has offered a very generous fee to me and my associates. The objective is to make sure that no member of the Jedi-Emperor's wretched bloodline survives!"

Andrra stood still staring at the ceiling. All this time! For all this time, a descendant of the Jedi-Emperor had been right next to her! And now . . .

. . . now she was going to die at the hands of these madmen!

I will not let it happen! They won't be able to catch you, Nizzy! I will make sure of it!

But these were promises that she could never fulfill. The massive blood loss was rapidly taking its toll on her already weakened body.

"You . . . will never get her!" she hissed, with her last strength. "Never!"

"We will see about that" the man retorted, smugly.

Andrra closed her eyes again feeling the last vestiges of her strength die.

"Run, child" she said, in a faint whisper. "Run and never look back."

With that, her head slumped to the side and her chest stopped moving.

The man rose from his seat, frustrated, when another entered the tent.

"Did she say something?"

"Nothing! Damn! Now that they're both dead, this job is going to get a lot tougher! We'll have to comb this entire wasteland for that brat!

Taking a comlink from his pocket, he ordered:

"Take these two and at least give them a decent burial!"

Putting the device back in his pocket, he made for the door, only to find it blocked by a third man.

"Sir, the western patrol has just sent in their report."

"Any news?"

"Yes, sir. They've found her and are bringing her to the camp!"

The leader smiled.

"Finally!" Tell them I await their arrival!"

"Yes, sir!"

x x x

Three brown speeders pulled in the camp, turning off their engines. Black clad men came out of them, one carrying an unconscious girl in his arms.

"It's her!" the leader said, upon seeing her face. "But what is that?"

He pointed towards a silver colored metal crate, which one of the men was carrying.

"We don't know, sir. We found it lying besides the child."

"It could be something from the excavation side" another suggested.

"Perhaps" the leader answered, pensively. "Put it somewhere safe. I wish to examine it later."

"And the girl?"

"Take her in the tent. It is time we finished what we came here to do!"

But no sooner had these words left his mouth, when, suddenly, the wind started blowing wildly.

"A storm! The weather forecast predicted a whole week of nothing but sun!" the leader said, perplexed.

The wind stopped as abruptly as it had begun. But everyone now saw that there was a new presence in the camp. A shimmering, translucent man stood in front of them. No one could make out his features exactly, because of a small halo of light that surrounded him.

"Who are you, specter?" the leader asked, recovering first from the shock. "And what do you want?"

"To make you pay for your transgressions" the specter answered. "Have you no honor? Torturing innocents and kidnapping defenseless children?"

"You cannot intervene in the affairs of the Living, Dead One. Return to your grave!"

"But I can! And I will!"

Just then, the specter disappeared. The men had no time to feel relief, however, as a powerful wave of sand carried by the wind hit them full force.

"It's a sand storm!" the leader screamed, desperately trying to cover his face. "Quickly! Take shelter in the tents!"

"What about the girl?" another yelled through the deafening roar of the wind.

"Leave her out here! The storm will take care of her for us! Move!"

The men huddled together in a tight group, as they clawed their way trough the waves of sand. When they all finally managed to cluster inside one of the tents, the leader sighed, contended.

"We should be safe in here!"

However, their happiness was short-lived. A low, rumbling sound could be clearly heard from above, through the din of the storm.

"What was that?" a young man asked, fearfully.

"Don't worry; probably the air hitting the tent."

But the sound was heard again, louder this time. Everyone felt a pang of cold dread in their chests.

"I'll see what it is" the leader said, rising from his sitting position, opening the hatch and sticking his head out. For a few seconds all was quiet.

Then the leader let out a blood-chilling scream.

All the men were on their feet instantly and scrambling for the exit, trying to see what was the matter.

As soon as they stuck their heads out, the reason for the leader's scream quickly became apparent: an enormous avalanche of sand was hurtling towards them on the slopes of the hills. In those last few seconds, they saw their world fall apart.

x x x

With a groan, Nizzy opened her eyes. She was lying on the ground, next to the metal crate. Slowly, she rose to her feet, ignoring the throbbing between her temples and the queasy feeling in her stomach. What happened? Where was she?

Looking around her Nizzy realized, with joy that she was in the camp. But her heart sank when she saw the devastation before her: not a single tent was standing. Almost everything was scattered on a five hundred meter radius, and a huge mountain of sand now stood where a tent had once been.

"What happened?" she whispered, horrified. "Mrs. Wrenn? Mr. Wrenn?"

"They can't answer you" came her Guardian's voice.

"Why?"

"Because they are no longer among the living."

Nizzy felt her knees shade and she dropped on the ground.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

No! I don't believe it!

"It is the truth, Nisadora. Whether you believe it or not accounts for very little."

Nizzy placed both her hand on her face, to try and stop the deluge of cold tears that was threatening to be released.

"They . . . they didn't do anything wrong! I didn't do anything wrong! Why is this happening!" she choked out, through racking cries.

"Things are much more complex than they seem at first glance, child. The truth, in some cases, can cause more harm than a thousand lies."

"I want to know" she said, her voice shaking. "I need to know! Tell me!"

"Now is not the time, child. Pull yourself together. The men who killed the Wrenns are dead, but there are many more who wish to see you buried!"

Nizzy stood still for a moment, letting the convulsions of crying to ass through her, then she rose again, with pale skin and blood shot eyes.

"What must I do?" she asked, her stance still weak, but her tone of voice firm.

"You need to get off this planet as quickly as possible. Book passage to Coruscant and go to your Uncle. You will be safe with him."

"How can I do that? The only spaceport on this place is in the capital, and it takes almost three days to get there on foot!"

"Then we will use a speeder."

Nizzy's eyes roamed over the brown speeders. All of them were piled in a mound of contorted metal. Nothing could be salvaged from them. Her eyes landed on Quar Wrenns speeder."

"That one looks good" the Guardian said.

"The engine doesn't work" Nizzy mumbled, gloomily.

"But it can be fixed."

"I don't know how to fix engines!"

"But I do .Just follow my instructions."

"And I don't know how to drive a speeder either!"

"I know how to do that as well. I'll teach you."

"And . . . "

"Stop stalling! The more time we waste, the lees and less are your hopes of survival!"

Nizzy nodded, reluctantly, opening a hatch in the speeder's chassis. She started to work, listening intently to her Guardian's instructions. With one hand she fiddled with the wires, while with the other she clutched her pendant, tightly. She was focusing intensely on the little glass sphere in the palm of her hand, trying desperately not to feel the overwhelming loss that echoed in her soul. Trying to forget the fact that, in the span of a few short hours, her world had fallen apart before her.

Author's Note: The next (and final chapter of the prologue) is coming. I'll try to post it as soon as possible. From there on, the action switches to the middle of Episode III, 5.000 years in the past (though how this switch is realized is my little secret. You'll just have to read the chapter to find out)

And I apologize to whoever was shocked by the torture scene. I thought of removing it, but I feel that it is a key point, and that its removal would cause more harm than good to the story. Please, feel free to review your comments, both good and bad.