I'm sorry everyone. I'd hoped to be able to get this story going, but I had my own procrastination problem, and some legitimate homework problems get in the way. Thank you for supporting this story, I'm very excited about it, and I hope you all are too.

-SilverConsular

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of the Star Wars franchise. I do not profit anything from this story except for my own enjoyment and learning experience. This was a story written by a fan, for fans.


Waiting, Summer reflected, was a dangerous game. Like when she'd nearly compromised their position at the police station simply by projecting large amounts of a feeling of anxiety. Or like now, when the first rays peeked over the housetops, signalling the end to the longest night of her life.

Ashara, after managing to mislead that tie fighter to another location, had provided undeniable evidence about her outlandish tale. At one point Summer believed that the officer, a stereotypically stern man with a well-kept toothbrush moustache, would pop when the fighter had flown right past the window. After that, the police had cooperated in providing transport for her father and Alice (despite their protests), and keeping as many citizens of Earth away from the situation as they possibly could. It hadn't stopped a video of the destruction of their car from leaking onto the internet, but Summer supposed there was only so much they could do. It didn't stop her from becoming annoyed. Didn't these people know that they were only making this worse? They were dealing with something they'd never seen before! And yet, only a select few were acting like the intelligent beings they claimed to be.

"Be patient." Ashara had told her. "The truth will come out when the world has managed to calm itself. Radical encouragement will only inflame the situation."

"Be patient." she grumbled to herself. She'd been patient about a lot of things, but that didn't stop the fact that seven billion people were in danger, or that a lot more would be compromised if the so-called situation wasn't dealt with soon.

Ashara looked up from concentrating on the steering wheel. "You're putting too much on your shoulders, Summer. Stop expecting so much from yourself."

Summer just stared out the window.

"That's not going to work, Summer." Ashara sighed. "I know you blame yourself, but you had no way of knowing that behaving like an ordinary teenager would bring a Sith Inquisitor here."

"Really?" she bit back. "Even after all the lengths I go to not be like an ordinary teenager? I'm a Geek! No offense to everyone else, but I could never be what the world expects everyone to be, and-"

Something was on the edge of her consciousness, a tendril of curiosity, partially recoiling. Against her stubborn judgement, she decided to admit that tendril, like the opening of a door.

Ashara was willing to listen, she realized, but she was unwilling to allow her to keep such a train of thought. It could lead to the dark side.

As enticing as those film-makers make the dark side appear, Summer, I doubt you want to become someone so unethical."

Summer hung her head "No." she whispered. "I don't." She curled into herself. She stared out the window and relished the momentary glimpse she was given of some distant building before the imaged was whisked away, out of her range of sight. She reminded herself over and over again that she would stay strong, so many times that she believed it herself. "Are you going to tell me where we're going, yet?" Ashara had been unusually quiet on that subject ever since she started driving.

"Home." Ashara answered, her voice holding a bit of emotion.

They had driven well past her house. Summer opened her mouth to ask what she meant, before realizing exactly what she was talking about.

"What, now?!" she panicked. "I can't leave now! I haven't even said goodbye!" Ashara gave her a look, prompting her to calm down.

"If anyone is associated with you from now on, they will be put in danger. Do you want that?"

Summer felt a weight crush into her chest. "Oh," she mumbled, slouching further into her seat. "Well...how are we going to get there?" she asked.

"I've been attempting to equip a way back on the freighter I arrived in since I was eight." Ashara responded, her eyes still on the road. "It's nearly finished, but I'm going to have to keep myself from repairing some of the other things to get you away from here as soon as possible."

"What sorts of things?" Summer asked.

"Well…" Ashara winced. "The ship might end up crashing once you arrive…"

"Might?"

Ashara looked guilty. "Will, actually."

"Gee…" Summer muttered. "Some escape."

"But…" Ashara looked excited about this part. "I can control where you crash!"

An eyebrow rose onto Summer's forehead (a trick that she took extreme pleasure in), and she shook her head. "Yeah…as long as you're not making me crash on Manaan."

The Jedi laughed. "You live on a planet covered in water! Why would you be afraid of it?"

"Um, have you seen pictures of planes that have crashed into the ocean?"

They bantered back and forth like this for a while, finally deciding that yes, Summer would

crash, and it would probably be a good idea to control her crash to a system that was friendly towards the Jedi.

After driving for half the morning, and picking up a quick breakfast (they'd received several odd looks, as Summer was still wearing her dress from the previous night), Ashara finally announced "We're here!"

Eagerly, Summer looked out the window, expecting to see some brilliant and awesome Sci-Fi tech cleverly disguising itself...and found herself looking at some fallen-apart warehouse. Or maybe the brilliant and awesome Sci-Fi tech was cleverly disguising itself as the warehouse. Who knew?

"Isn't that a bit cliche?" she asked. "Abandoned warehouses are practically the stereotype of stereotypes to hide a spaceship."

"No one has found it suspicious before." Ashara pointed out, looking at the warehouse, no doubt recalling some mischievous memory.

Summer shrugged. "Whatever works, I suppose." she commented. She suddenly spotted her mother's car, and her face lit up. "C'mon!"

But when she started forward, Ashara grabbed her arm. "Wait…" she put her finger to her lips. "I probably shouldn't have said anything about anyone finding it suspicious before. Something's not right…"

"Huh?"

"Reach out, Summer, with the Force." Ashara ordered, her voice a whisper.

"But...but I don't know how!" she whispered back. "And why do I need to reach out? What is it supposed to do?"

The Jedi closed her eyes. "You can do it, Summer. You may not have had training, but you have some knowledge on how the Force works. Use that."

Summer wanted to ask more, but Ashara had already kneeled on the ground, her arms stretched out towards the warehouse.

"Right," she said to herself. "Let's do...whatever it is we're doing."

She felt silly, but she closed her eyes, and focused. And she saw it. It trickled into her like a river into the ocean, filling her with hope. It blazed into her heart until it was all she could focus on. The universe was beautiful, and terrible, and just so downright amazing, and she was terrified. And now the only chance to save this feeling, this wonderful, brilliant, thing that she didn't understand, was cloaked in darkness.

A cry escaped past her lips, but did not make it past the gloved hand that covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Summer." Ashara whispered somewhere to her left. "I misjudged how much you'd feel it after so long."

"I-I"

"Calm yourself." she ordered. "Focus."

She snapped her eyes open, eyes immediately landing on the disfigured, rust-colored roof. "No!" she whispered, dashing forward.

Ashara whisper-yelled after her "Summer! Stop!" but she didn't listen. All she could think of the pain and suffering that had touched her heart. She dodged her former teacher's attempt to grab her arm, blindly running to where her heart told her to go. She didn't know when she entered the warehouse, when she had suddenly made it past a flight of rusty iron stairs. All she saw was a blur, as if she were running straight down a tunnel, and at the end was the room she just knew had something horrible in it. Her instincts were found to be right when she spotted the glow of a lightsaber. That glow had illuminated the room in the color of fire.

'Summer!' she could feel Ashara panicking, but it was too late for her.

"I knew you would be drawn here."

The voice was cold, monotone. She had heard the voices of Sith Lords in the movies, but the real thing could never do them justice after she heard these words.

She attempted to maintain her calm, but she couldn't ignore the icy chill of a mind brushing against her own.

The Sith Lord, as she should have suspected, ignored her question. However, he did step forward. She examined the billowing blackness his robes, not sure where they ended. They must have ended somewhere, because she could hear them brush across the rotted and creaking floor as he walked.

Despite the vulgarity of these facts, the most disturbing part of the Sith was his face. Scars marred every bit of it, clustered together on his cheek, under and on top of his nose. It was as if someone had taken a knife and made a point to carve something on every square inch of it. From under these scars, a gaze of malice and contempt stared at the world in all it's yellow-eyed glory. Her instincts were haywire, telling her of the hunger and lust for power that he had been projecting ever since that gaze had landed on her.

Subconsciously, she registered the fact that he had two tendrils-Lekku-protruding from his head, and identified him as a twi'lek.

It took her a while to find her voice, and she kept expecting the Sith to speak before her in that same, chilling voice.

"H-how did you-" she started, but the Sith Lord didn't want to hear it, grabbing someone out of the shadows.

"Oi! Put me down! This is-" Summer was too shocked to move.

"Hartthorn" she asked. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me!" The adolescent teen looked annoyed, as if the glaring red tool of destruction being held at his neck didn't bother him. "Is this some kind of trick? Did you hire some digital animator to-"

A warning from the Force told Summer it would be best not to allow Ian to finish that sentence. If Ian spoke about Star Wars in front of the Sith at this moment, there would be no New Republic.

"Put him down," she ordered the Sith, though her words came out shakily. "I cannot allow you to hurt a civilian."

Those blazing eyes stared at her coolly. "Indeed," his words were silver-tongued, silky smooth and clever. "Your planet is unknowingly harboring a criminal. If you help me capture this...radical, I will allow him to live."

'He doesn't know about the movies.' Summer was relieved. However, Ashara was still in danger.

'It's alright, Summer.' Ashara's voice was a comfort to hear. 'I am inside. From the Dark presence I'm sensing, I'm guessing that the Sith is in there.'

'He has Ian Hartthorn captive.' She informed her before adding out loud. "Drop the act. You're some kind of...of...space pirate, aren't you?" she decided to feign ignorance.

"Space Pirate?!" Ian seemed appalled. "I thought you were the expert on-"

"Silence, fool!" the Sith snarled. The boy shut up immediately, appearing to notice for the first time the reality of his situation. "A disturbance was caused not long ago. I assume you were the source?"

"What kind of disturbance?" she asked.

The sith began to get frustrated. "Do not feign ignorance with me, girl." he snarled. "You know, don't you? The way you can feel it when the poor sods down the street feel oh so alone, and there is power, yes great power, that can make them tremble at your feet-"

"Yeah, yeah, come to the dark side, we have cookies." Ian mumbled.

"and you feel the whispers of hatred toward yourself as you walk past your enemies. One day you could silence those words with a flick of your hand. You have the Force, weak one, and I can show you how to wield it."

Summer had already known this would happen. She knew the Sith and had studied their ways in Star Wars lore just as often as she'd studied the ways of the Jedi. Making a split second decision, she began to talk.

"Congratulations." she applauded. "I think you'd make a wonderful villain for a beautiful novel!"

"Quit trifling with me and-"

"No, really!" she grinned. "Very theatrical! But I don't think it's very effective here. You aren't exactly that scary. What are you supposed to be, Voldemort? Maybe this is the time where the great Harry Potter comes in and whips your sorry behind!" she said this part a bit louder, hoping Ashara would hear.

"Summer, are you insane?" Ian bellowed. "Get me out of here!"

The Sith dropped Ian (promising to "deal with you later") before advancing on her.

'Oh dear.' she thought to herself. 'I may have gotten him a bit too angry.'

"Are you sure you wish to make an enemy of me, earthling? Because I can assure you that you will not come out of that course of action...alive."

"Yeah, but at least dear Mr. Hartthorn will have a wonderful story to scare his grandkids with." she replied, peeking at the startled boy behind the sith. "Really. It's a great honor to be killed by a giant red flashlight."

"You will regret those words." the Sith growled, readying his lightsaber for the killing blow. "I am Sith, and you are-" his lightsaber gave a twitch, but he couldn't move his arms. "What?"

"She will regret those words, did you say?" Ashara was calm, alert.

"Miss Gallwood?" Ian seemed even more bewildered.

"Of course." the Sith turned. "Hello. Ashara Dorne, I presume. I knew you were on this planet. Thank you for walking straight to me, it makes things so much easier."

"Yeah." Ashara snorted. "However, I'm kind of busy here, and I have other things to do."

Summer swept the Sith's feet out from under him, and was relieved to find that he was a solid person, and not some phantom like her first impression of him had made her believe.

"Run, Summer!" Ashara ordered immediately. "There's a ship. Find it. I've programmed it to get you to the galaxy!"

She had run to the corner of the room, eyeing the Sith as he recovered moments afterward from her surprise attack.
"What about Ian?" she asked.

"Tell him to get out of here!" Ashara was already moving to intercept the Sith Lord.

"Fools!" he snarled, "I have been trained in the Dark Side by Lord Vader himself, and you have only the training of an initiate! You are no match for me!"

"Come on, Hartthorn." Ashara sighed, pulling him up. "We need to run."

She felt like she had to yank him through the doorway by the ear, but he seemed to collect himself.

"Tell me what's going on!" he demanded. "Why is Miss Gallwood involved...and why in the world are you still wearing your dress?"

"Does this exactly seem like the time for explanations?" she sighed, gesturing to the flashing blue and red lights that were already moving steadily closer. Her pace sped up, her breathing becoming steadily smoother. She spotted the staircase. "Come on!"

Once they had made it down the stairs, she immediately set to work, closing her eyes and focusing. Ashara had taught her one thing, and she was going to use it. "Use the door, Ian." she told him. "If you want answers, find Alice and my father."

"Alice? But she's"

"Look, you can either stop being a jerk and be nice to my friend, or you can live the rest of my life in ignorance." she stopped suddenly. "Do me a favor, though."

"You want me to do you a favor? What, should I get you some ice cream?"

Summer groaned, glancing at the stairs and finding that the sound of the lightsabers were growing steadily closer. "If you see my family, tell them that I'm sorry."

"What? Why? Wait, I still have questions!"

She was already gone.

"Right." she told herself. "Ship. It should be right...here!"

She grinned when the door swung open, then was immediately put into a stupor when she saw the ship in the clearing.

It was obviously beat up,and the paint was chipped, but it was still pretty awesome considering the fact that this was the first spaceship she'd ever seen. The ship must have once been a lovely orange color before it had gotten shot down in whatever space battle it had been through. Some parts of it were new additions, sticking out of the ship like a sore thumb. The boarding ramp had been lowered for her.

This was it. She was doing it. She was actually leaving earth.

"Here goes." she mumbled, glancing wistfully to where the door would be. She could escape. She'd take her family to some abandoned island, live there until it was safe again. But that wasn't realistic. She'd never see her mother, father, or Alice again. No more half stated Italian phrases. No more spouting nerdy facts and listening to her friend laugh at her and retort with some clever remark. She touched a hand to her face and realized she was crying. Quickly, she dried the tears. She ran onto the ship, searching frantically for the cockpit.

Ashara had left a sticky note explaining which button to push to close the cockpit, and which one would trigger the course she had input into the system. She looked up from reading these instructions just in time to find that Ashara and the Sith were already in the doorway. Quickly she jammed her hand onto the button, and was awarded with a roar of anger as she was catapulted into the sky.

Then a light went out, and she leaned against the captain's chair as she felt Ashara's life end.