Sapharin peered up, blinking away grogginess and the sabre glare.
"I said I want you, who ever you are, out of here!" the woman stated again, "I don't want no trouble with the Empire, and I don't need you complicating things."
"I heard you the first time, " Sapharin replied, moving slowly so as not to set this woman off further, "But, you're the one blocking my way, so until you move, or take my head off with that thing, I can't go anywhere. Your call."
To Sapharin's surprise, the woman started laughing, and then collapsed into tears...
"...m-mm-most likely to behead m-mmm-myself..." the woman stammered to herself...
"I'm sorry?" Sapharin questioned, not understanding.
The woman recovered herself... "Nothing...it was nothing..." she said, firmly. "I'm ok now."
Sapharin looked dubious, but said no more. The woman moved aside, and waved the sabre towards the cave entrance. "Out," was all she said.
"Do you mind if I get my stuff?" Sapharin asked.
"Get it, and get gone," the other woman replied.
Sapharin set about gathering up her pack, and hoisted it on her back. She was thankful she traveled light. Adona had packed everything she needed in survival gear, but did it in a fashion of lightweight economy.
"You sure aren't very friendly," Sapharin commented, as she packed, "But then I suppose these days you can't be too careful."
"No, you can't," the woman agreed, warily.
"By the way, I'm Sapharin, and to correct you, I have no love for the Empire," she stated, "Look...I'm not even sure what I am doing here...I just want to find out who I am, what I'm doing in this place."
The look on the other woman's face changed from wariness to one of shock. "Who did you say you were?", she asked, not sure she heard correctly.
"Sapharin" she repeated, and headed for the cave entrance; her lightsabre hilt clattered to the stone floor. She bent to pick it up, hooked it to her belt and headed back out to the outside.
The other woman stared after her. "I just talked to a dead woman? That's impossible!"
Sapharin exited the cave, not quite understanding what had just had happened. Had she gotten lucky? The stranger could have killed her as she slept, and didn't. And, was she a stranger? The woman felt familiar. Things were getting more complicated and confusing. Any mention of the Empire, sent shudders down her spine, and apparently down the spines of others. She needed information, badly. What was going on? What planet was she on? Why was she having visions and headaches, nausea every so often? And why were some people friendly and helpful, and others not?
As she traveled, Sapharin took stock of what she did know: She had 'visions' of things she thought was bits and pieces of her past. She didn't like the mention of the word 'Empire'...it 'unsettled' her in the depths of her very being; blinding headaches, nausea and total body shut-down were the outward signs...and the voices in her head...the screams and the silence afterwards. It was clear to her that something horrendous had occurred regarding the world as she understood it, and it was clearly connected to the Empire.
If only her memories weren't so fragmented...
Meditate...be at peace. came a whisper in her head. Yes...maybe meditation would be of help
Sapharin stopped where she was, and started working on setting up a crude shelter on the outskirts of the woods she'd weathered a storm only a day or so before. That 'connection' guided her; she blended in well, with the forest around her. Then, she set up an equally primitive Fresher, and then a deep pit campfire both for heat, and safety. Cheating, she used her lightsabre to ignite tinder. She dug through her pack and found quite a few prepackaged meals. She noted flint and steel to use should she not have her lightsabre handy.
...that lightsabre is your life came the voice again, do not surrender it willingly
Other snippets of information came filtering through during her meditative connection; enough information for Sapharin to get a basic gist of what was going on. There was two factions...one good, the Jedi, who no longer existed as a viable Order, because of the other faction, the Sith. The Sith came to power because of the actions of a 'Chosen One' who turned the tide against the Jedi. Many of the Jedi died during an all out extermination by the one known as 'the Chosen One' became 'Vader', and others were being hunted down, as she breathed. She had to stop it! She had to find the Jedi that remained in the Universe and help them! But how?
A tingling sensation interrupted her thoughts. For a moment, there was dead silence other than her breathing, then came the snap of a small branch. Sapharin had already alerted, but nothing came across as 'dangerous' as she used the Force to check her surroundings. Whatever it was, was Human. Still she held her unlit sabre ready.
A shadow stepped carefully into the firelight, unarmed.
"YOU!" Sapharin called out. "I should know you..."
"You look pretty good, for a dead Jedi, Sapharin, " It was the blond woman, with the purple lightsabre, who had chased her out only hours earlier.
"Spark Vallen is the name," she answered, "I'm at a loss as to understand how you could be living."
A tingle of semi-recognition went through Sapharin. That name was vaguely familiar, but the memory with it wasn't there.
"I don't understand, " Sapharin answered, "What do you mean you don't understand how I could be living?"
"You died. I saw you, " Vallen answered, emphatically, "I saw you run through with a lightsaber."
Sapharin blinked...the pain, the flashes of light, the lack of oxyen, and other things, made more sense to her now. She raised an eyebrow.
" Well?...Do I stand here all night or what?" Vallen asked. Sapharin motioned for her to sit by the firepit, but her lightsabre never left her lap.
"So tell me. You saw me die, eh?" Sapharin probed, "Exactly what happened?"
"Got any stimcafe? Gimme a cup, and I'll tell you, " Spark offered.
Sapharin dug through her pack once again, found the stimcafe, produce a cup, and handed it to the one called Spark Vallen.
Spark took a few sips, relishing the taste. "I've been trying to cut down on this stuff, but sometimes, it's just too good. Know what I mean?" Spark said, smiling. When Sapharin just kept watching her, she went on, "Yeah...ummm...well, you were helping evacuate the Temple. You and several other Jedi Knights were loading transports with the Padawans - the children in training to be Jedi. You'd just gotten the last child in the last transport. You had turned around to help another Jedi fend off the approaching Stormtroopers, when the Jedi in front of you was cut down. Apparently the Stormtrooper thought it fitting to use the lightsabre of your fallen comrade to run you through...right about here..." Spark indicated the diaphram area.
That explained the pain, the flash of white (Stormtrooper armor, apparently) she remembered, and the scar she carried on her body below her chest.
"How do I know you're not feeding me a line?" Sapharin asked.
"You know I'm not, " Spark answered, smugly, "Use the Force if you don't believe me."
Sapharin didn't have to. Spark wasn't lying.
"All I know is, I'm here. My memories are coming back, though still fragmented. I don't know how I got here or why I'm here, though, I have decided to find other Jedi survivors and fight the Empire."
Spark laughed outright. "Look, you were a pretty good Jedi Knight in your day, but if you think you're going to fight the Empire all by your little lonesome, you've got delusions."
"No, not alone, " Sapharin said, and paused for effect, "You're helping me."
The look on Vallen's face was priceless...
End Part 2
