Ha! I told you I'd update within the month! Trick or Treat!
Four-year-old Qui-Gon Jinn could barely sit still. Tomorrow was his fifth birthday! He was going to be moved from the Fabool Clan and go to an older clan! He couldn't wait, but he would miss his friends; still, he would probably see them soon after. If only he could find Kita!
Qui-Gon had been searching high and low all over the Jedi Temple to find Kita, but he didn't have a clue where she was. He was hoping she could tell him some stories about other younglings who had turned five and how they reacted. He also wanted to know if she could tell him which clan he was going to get transferred to. By dinner, Qui-Gon had given up. He couldn't find her at all, and he was a little upset about it, but he still enjoyed a lively (and very loud) conversation with other clan members.
After dinner, Qui-Gon and four other clan members all went to their shared quarters and fell asleep… at least the other four; Qui-Gon couldn't sleep. He kept thinking that after tomorrow, he wouldn't be sharing a room with anyone anymore; he'd be all by himself in a dark, cold room. Qui-Gon shivered at the thought; maybe he could play sick… that way, nobody would transfer him to another clan…
Scared out of his wits, Qui-Gon hopped out of bed, slipped on a pair of shoes and a robe and started wandering the halls of the Temple. Though he wasn't very well-trained with using the Force yet, he could still sense the presence of his fellow Jedi all fast asleep in their beds… how did they do it? How could they sleep in an empty room without getting scared or lonely?
As he thought about these different things, he heard the familiar clicking of claws on the floor.
"Kita?" he whispered uncertainly.
The shadow of a dog appeared in the hallway and then he saw her walking towards him. The lights coming from the large windows on the right wall reflected in her brown eyes.
What are you doing awake, Qui-Gon?
"I couldn't sleep," Qui-Gon responded. "I'm scared; tomorrow's my fifth birthday. At first I was happy, but now I'm scared…"
Why are you scared?
"I don't know…" Qui-Gon answered. "I just… I mean, tomorrow I'll be alone and… well, what if I fail my training or something? What if I'm kicked out of the Order? What if they can't even pick which clan I should be moved to? I'll be the first Jedi in the history of the Order to be kicked out at the age of five!"
No you won't. I've talked to plenty of younglings who had the same worries as you.
That comment piqued Qui-Gon's curiosity. "You have?"
Why, yes. There was this one youngling named Iane who was so terrified that she actually hid the day before her birthday. The Masters went searching for her, but I was the one who found her. I told her the same thing I'll tell you: you have absolutely nothing to worry about, Qui-Gon Jinn. You are an amazing youngling and you will make a great Jedi. Everyone has always been transferred to the perfect clan for them. Do you doubt Master Yoda's abilities to place you in the right clan?
"No! Of course I don't!" Qui-Gon replied quickly. "Who could ever think Master Yoda is wrong about anything?"
Then what have you got to worry about? Kita prompted gently.
"Well…" Qui-Gon trailed off. "I guess so…"
Kita smiled and escorted the youngling back to his quarters. The other four in there were fast asleep, one of them snoring loudly. Qui-Gon walked in, yawned, and curled into his bed. Kita stood there for a while to make sure he was asleep before leaving the room.
Later that night, Kita finished her rounds around the Temple corridors and settled down in a meditation chamber. Closing her eyes, Kita relaxed and sensed all the Jedi peacefully sleeping.
Suddenly, the peaceful image shattered in Kita's mind. Screams were heard in her head, and the image of the meditation chamber blurred into a new image, a terrifying one: the Temple was under attack.
Kita found herself standing in a black-and-white world where Jedi were running with their lightsabers out and activated. Blaster bolts flew in all directions. A Padawan rushed forward, barely fourteen years old, when a lightsaber pierced right through her. Her face registered shock, and then she fell to the ground. Kita screamed out, but she couldn't hear herself. A pillar fell to the ground and hit a console, sending electrical sparks in all directions.
Through all the chaos, Kita realized that she couldn't move. She stood paralyzed to the ground as she watched the Jedi Temple fall apart and Jedi dying all around her. Just when she was about to lose her mind, she heard a lightsaber getting closer to her and saw a dark cloaked figure standing in front of her, blue lightsaber humming in the person's hand. Red eyes glared through the hood, and for once in her life, Kita was terrified.
Get away from me! She tried to scream out, but it was useless. Then, the blade was driven forward, and Kita felt her heart get pierced through.
"Good-bye, Kita," a deep voice growled.
The horrifying black-and-white world began to fade, and suddenly Kita opened her eyes with a jolt to see the sun rising through the large windows in the meditation chamber. Panting heavily, Kita rose shakily to her feet. It was a nightmare? Just as she thought this, she realized that there were torn up and over-turned chairs in the room, and the windows were cracked.
Kita rushed out of the chamber in a panic to see the halls in ruins. Windows were broken, and the Temple looked decrepit. The dog tore down the hall towards the bedrooms. When she got there, doors were broken or half open.
No! Her heart screamed out.
She searched the entire building and it all looked the same. Old, abandoned, and demolished. Oddly enough, not a single body was found.
Kita ran to the main entrance and saw the streets of Coruscant. People wandered around going about their daily business as if nothing was wrong… but something was wrong. Something was off; something was different about the Gem of the Republic… what was that huge building off in the distance? It certainly looked like the tallest skyscraper that Kita had ever seen.
As she was looking around from the stairs, a mother and her youngling walked close enough for Kita to hear their conversation.
"You see this old place, sweetie?" the mother said to her child.
"Yes," the child replied.
"This used to be the Jedi Temple. All the Jedi lived here."
"Really? Were they good Jedi?"
"They used to be. Then they were declared enemies of the Republic and now they're gone."
"Oh. Well, can we go eat now?"
The mother laughed, picked her youngling up, and walked off. Kita stood there and stared in numb shock. Enemies of the Republic?!
Suddenly, Kita felt everything slipping. Her surroundings faded off and suddenly, the meditation chamber reappeared. The first thing Kita checked was the windows, but they were in perfect condition. She looked around the room and everything looked clean and normal. Through the Force, she could sense Jedi waking up all around the Temple. She lied there for a moment, just breathing and taking in the calming presence of the Jedi. It was a nightmare… she kept repeating in her head. That's all… just a nightmare…
Kita stayed there for the whole day, breathing peace from the Force signatures of the Jedi. By dusk, the door finally opened for the first time in the whole day.
"Kita!"
Kita jumped and turned around to see Qui-Gon.
"Kita, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! Guess what? You'll never guess what clan I'm in!!"
Kita did her very best not to tackle him and lick him to death at the very sight of seeing him alive. She merely kept silent for a moment and took in his appearance: the short brown hair, the bright blue eyes twinkling with excitement, the Jedi robes, loose and comfortable, the training 'saber…
"Kita?"
Kita looked at his face once again, seeing that it showed concern. There was his connection to the Living Force again.
Sorry, Qui-Gon; I didn't mean to scare you. So, uh, what clan did you get into?
Although her silence at first still seemed to bother him slightly, his excitement soon overcame it. "Well, just guess!"
Uh… the Begruutfa Clan?
"Nope! I got into the Katarn Clan!"
Kita smiled. Wow, the Katarn Clan? That's one of the top-notch clans.
"I know!"
Didn't I tell you it would be fine?
"Yeah, you did! I can't believe I was scared… are you sure you're okay?"
Kita nodded. Satisfied, Qui-Gon bounced out of the room to find his friends. As the door closed behind him, Kita sighed and began chanting the calming words in her head again. It was just a nightmare…
Happy Halloween everyone! Please review! Don't worry; we'll see Qui-Gon again in the next chapter and be introduced to the next generation in that chapter.