Intense artificially reflected light assaulted my vision as I pushed my way through the wall of pedestrians that flooded the walkway miles above the surface of Coruscant. As I made my way farther from the small barren room that I now called home, the fear that had been flickering in my heart since I arrived grew into a blaze, and almost made me turn back. My destination had been visible since I stepped out the door, a massive girth of duracrete and height of towering spires rising high above the surrounding buildings to reach for the stars. As I got closer, the crowds thinned, no doubt intimidated by the enormity of the shadow cast by one of the tallest building on the planet. The lack of harsh sunlight was a relief to my eyes, but somehow it seemed to feed the fearful fire in my heart as the walkway dimmed to the darkness of shadow.

I paused at the base of the monumental staircase leading to the entrance. The walkway had become completely deserted, and the emptiness continued right to the main doors at the top of the stairs. A slight breeze tousled my chestnut hair, though it could not inflict much damage to the knot of my ponytail. I pulled my gray cloak closer to my form, shielding the skin exposed by my black tank top from the cold. Black pants whipped around my legs as the wind picked up, and, combined with my nearly unbearable fear, produced a shiver. I hugged my cloak closer to my body, squinting hazel eyes up the golden statue-guarded door. I clenched my jaw and put on the strongest expression I could muster, and then finally began to climb.

I counted one hundred and thirty-seven steps before I heard voices above me, carried and amplified by the wind. There were two figures in brown cloaks conversing at the summit of the staircase, seemingly oblivious to my presence. As I neared the pair, however, they quieted and bowed their heads against the wind to see who approached. It took me sixty-three more steps to reach them, but I still could not think of what to say by the time we met.

"And who might you be?" The taller of the figures spoke first, face completely shadowed by the hood of the cloak. "It's rare that anyone approaches the Temple unannounced."

"I..." Pause. The speech I had prepared explaining myself vanished from my mind, and I was left silent. I looked to the shorter figure, hoping for a face, but again found only shadow under a concealing hood.

"We don't mean to frighten you," he said. By their voices I could tell that both figures were male. "But we do need to know what you're doing here."

"Sorry, I…have quite a bit of…information that I wish to share with the Jedi," I stammered, speaking so softly that both men leaned towards me to catch my words before they were taken by the wind. "It's quite a story of how I came to know all this, but I know the Jedi…and the galaxy as a whole…will benefit from my knowledge."

I could practically sense both men's eyebrows raise at such a claim, though I couldn't see any of their features. They turned towards one another for just a moment before the taller man spoke.

"Do you seek a meeting with the Council?" he asked calmly.

My eyes widened. "That…that would be wonderful, but I'm guessing highly unlikely," I said, feeling a bit more comfortable. Both men seemed to radiate kindness, slowly dampening the fear in my chest, putting me at ease. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be in the presence of all Jedi.

The taller man chuckled slightly. "You guess correctly, young one. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Andraya Saino," I said, wishing for eye contact. "May I ask who you are?"

Finally, he reached for his hood, pulling it back to its resting place behind his shoulders to reveal a strong, chiseled face emphasized by a graying beard. Previously trapped hair blew from behind his head. I recognized him instantly.

"Qui-Gon Jinn," I breathed, stunned at the recognition.

Now an eyebrow did raise, though the Jedi Master remained silent. I eagerly glanced to his side as the other man lowered his hood to reveal another familiar face.

"Shall I introduce myself, or will you do it for me?" he asked with a slight smirk, folding his arms inside his sleeves for warmth.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," I said, earning another slightly raised eyebrow. "It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you both," I added, hoping to lessen the tension I accidentally created. Both men chuckled.

"Well, then please do us the honor of accompanying us to a slightly warmer location where we can listen to this story of yours properly, Andraya," Qui-Gon said, starting down the stairs.

The first time I had a chance to catch my breath amidst my monologue was hours later, and I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings. The restaurant was dimly lit and seemed the perfectly cliché place for this type of meeting to occur. The Jedi had chosen to sit in the corner, putting me with my back to the room, but I could hear dozens of creatures speaking in as many tongues as they sat at the bar to chat and have a drink. I turned my attention back to my audience, expecting skepticism and a prompt dismissal.

"So, let me get this straight," Obi-Wan said, leaning his elbows on the table and looking me straight in the eye. "You aren't from this planet, or this galaxy even, but where you came from there was a story describing the events of this universe."

"Right."

"And, therefore, you think you can tell us the future."

"Right."

The younger Jedi didn't attempt to mask his skepticism as he sighed and leaned back in his chair. He didn't say anything, just gave a tired look to his master.

Qui-Gon seemed more willing to accept what I had said as truth. "The story is quite difficult to believe, as you have said," he began, crossing his arms. "But I don't sense any malice in your efforts. So I'll propose a sort of…test, if you will."

"Master—"

"Tell us something that will happen, Andraya, something soon and specific. If it comes to pass exactly as you say, I think you will have earned our trust, and we'll have a case to make to the Council. If not, well…then you can be on your way."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, but just closed it again in a tight line and silently looked to me for an answer instead.

I nodded slowly. "Of course. I didn't expect you to trust me immediately."

"Good, then we have a deal." Now Qui-Gon leaned his elbows on the table and bore a gaze into my own. "So, Andraya, what can you tell us?"

I stayed silent for a few long moments. There were hundreds of things I could have said, but I wanted it to be something small, almost insignificant, so that I wouldn't frighten the Jedi away. Both men appeared to calmly be awaiting for my answer, but I could feel the tension rising with each passing second that I didn't respond. I lowered my head to break eye contact and tried to ignore the pressure. There had to be something…

"The mission," I said suddenly, snapping my head back to look Qui-Gon square in the eye. "Has the Council given you a mission regarding a Trade Federation blockade yet?"

The Jedi Master raised an eyebrow and leaned back. "A blockade?"

I sighed in relief. "Good, that's it then. The Council will assign you both a mission to negotiate with the Trade Federation concerning their blockade of the planet Naboo."

"The Trade Federation isn't aggressive enough to play a move like that," Obi-Wan said, frowning. "It seems unlikely there would be need for such a mission."

"Well, if there is, please…let me at least tell you a bit more before you leave for Naboo. A lot of what I know rests in events that transpire during that mission."

"That is the deal," Qui-Gon said, getting up. "For now, though, I'm afraid Obi-Wan and I need to return to the Temple."

I nodded and rose from my chair, quickly grabbing a paper from the pocket inside my cloak. I handed it to Qui-Gon.

"Here, this is my address and workplace. If you need to contact me, just stop by."

Qui-Gon smirked as he read the information. "You work at Dex's?"

"I…well, it's a long story, but yes, I'm a waitress there." I said, following the two Jedi out of the restaurant.

"Well, then we'll definitely have to pay you a visit," Qui-Gon said. "It was good meeting you, Andraya. We'll be in touch."

"And it was a pleasure to meet you both," I said, feeling like I should bow. But the two were gone before I could execute such a ridiculous gesture, and I turned to walk back to my apartment, battling the harsh glare once more.