A/N: And for anyone who still has this thing on an alert system…you get two chapters at once! A small apology from me to you, my faithful readers ;)
Oh, and P.S.! If anyone can suggest a better title…by all means tell me! The one I chose had more to do with the beginning of the story that I wound up not even posting (about how Andraya got to Coruscant…which I decided was irrelevant), so it's not really fitting. And it's confusing. And makes new readers shy away from it, cuz it's just so weird! So please, suggestions are welcome. Just promise you'll find the story under the new name and continue reading:)
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It turns out Yoda had planned on summoning me after I had settled into my new room to have me speak about the rest of the events concerning the Naboo mission. I told them everything I could possibly think of, from warning the Jedi about Darth Maul to encouraging Anakin to let his instincts guide him in the Trade Federation droid control ship. Yoda never interrupted me once, listening intently to everything I had to say. It was refreshing after Mace's constant bombardments earlier.
Qui-Gon and Anakin were equally receptive, asking questions and clarifying what I told them. Obi-Wan listened respectfully, but I kept thinking he looked…distracted. Whenever I would make eye contact with him and tell him something, he would nod in response, but then immediately go back to adopting that faraway, pensive expression.
Our meeting lasted almost four hours, and when we finally adjourned from Yoda's office, we headed our separate ways to get some sleep, the Jedi to their regular quarters, Anakin to his temporary residence, and I to my new room the eager padawan finally got to show me.
It was a standard room in the Jedi barracks, which filled a very large portion of the northern corner of the Temple. The middle of the block was hollow, which would have allowed me to see the top floor from the turbolift station at the bottom had it not gone so high. Wrap-around hallways ringed every level, peppered with doors, one for every Jedi in the galaxy, which accounted for the sheer height of the complex.
The padawan took me to the three hundredth and forty-third level of the complex and around the corner of the hall to room 343-27. She gestured to the door, gave a slight bow, and left back the way we had come. I prayed I would be able to pick out my door from the masses in the future when I had no guide.
There was no lock on the door, which made sense the more I thought about it later. I pressed the green button beside the plain doorway, and the slab slid into the wall, revealing a tiny but accommodating room. I stepped inside, and the door closed automatically behind me.
There was a few shelves to my right, and a small washing station to my left. Farther into the room, a bed sat neatly between the niche the wall and the wash station created, and a desk sat between the wall and the shelves on my right. On the desk was a holoprojector and a small lamp. The bed was made immaculately, and sleepwear had been folded carefully on top of the pillow. A change of clothes was also laid out at the foot of the bed.
I thought for a moment about changing and going to sleep, but the longer I stood there, the more I realized that would never happen. There were too many things filling my head to even think realistically about sleep. So instead, I changed into the day clothes, grateful for something clean to wear, and went back to the turbolift to continue my earlier pursuit of exploring the enormous Jedi Temple.
I wandered for a bit after reaching the main floor, trying to remember things I passed so I could find my way back. It actually was much less difficult than I first imagined – the Temple's layout was well-organized. And the immense collection of art that varied greatly between sections didn't hurt, either.
I passed a great number of hallways, but one caught my eye as I reached a dead end. I almost turned back, but then I realized why this hallway seemed different…it was the only one not still lit this late into the night.
Curious, I wandered down it, still marveling at the beauty of the immense columns that filled the cavernous halls. There were tall windows evenly spaced along the left wall, signaling that I had walked to the edge of the massive building. I paused at one window that had a huge sill, hopping up to sit on it, pulling my legs close to my chest.
The view outside was magnificent. Coruscant, it seemed, never slept. Lights still glittered as far as I could see, reflecting off the still heavy traffic in the skylanes above and below me. Looking up, the sky also shone with stars, despite the light radiating from the planet. It was foreign and strange, but still breathtakingly beautiful.
I started at the sound of footsteps approaching from behind me, whirling around to see who was coming through the darkness.
The figure stopped cold when I turned, and I realized my face was illuminated from the light outside. After a moment, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could make out the person's face.
"Obi-Wan?" I asked in disbelief.
"Andraya. Good to see you've found one of my favorite places to be alone in the Temple," he said quietly, coming into the light of the window and leaning against the wall on the opposite side. I shifted to lean against the frame, still sitting on the sill.
"I'm…I'm sorry, I was just wandering. I found it odd this hallway was dark, and then the view…" I trailed off, watching his face. He had turned to look out the window.
Minutes passed by, and I began to wonder if he had even heard me. Finally, he sighed and began to speak.
"You have no reason to apologize to me, Andraya. If anything, I should apologize to you," he said, turning to face me. "I remained suspicious of your intentions even after you had proved yourself so obviously trustworthy. You only wish to help us, and I'm sorry for thinking otherwise."
"Don't…don't worry about it," I said, almost shrinking back from his gaze. There was something else behind it, something…intense.
He dropped his gaze, raising and lowering his eyebrows in a quick gesture. "I suppose you're wondering why I was the only one that seemed against you."
"I…it's really none of my business—"
"You have the right to know." He looked out the window again. "You are no doubt aware of Jedi premonitions?"
"You mean seeing the future in dreams?"
"Exactly. More often than not, however, dreams are just that for a Jedi – simple subconscious…garbage, really. A montage of memories, feelings…" he trailed off for a moment before looking at me again and continuing. "The night before you arrived at the Temple, I dreamt of a girl who would help the Jedi…and who would help me."
"Me?" I breathed, transfixed by the idea.
"I didn't think so at first," he said, moving to lean on the sill. "I thought it was a passing dream, or, at the very most, a premonition of your arrival. Nothing more." He paused. "But I have had the dream repeatedly since I met you, each time with more clarity in both detail and meaning," he said quietly. He pivoted his head to look directly at me. "I'm positive now that it is you in the dream. The circumstances of your arrival are…bizarre at best, as the dream was. Somehow…somehow I think it is all connected." He paused again, but the next time he spoke, it was stronger and with more surety than I had ever heard anyone speak with.
"It was the will of the Force that you arrive, Andraya. I'm sure of it. And it's telling me to trust you completely, to help you prevent the darkness from spreading.
"It's revealed to me that you are strong and wise, and that I should listen to whatever you have to say. I can't ignore it…it wasn't just a passing dream, or a subconscious expression of my opinions or feelings.
"The Force has brought you here, Andraya. Please know that from now on, I will acknowledge that and believe in you and your advice completely.
"You have my trust."
