Well Hello there! This is the VERY FIRST CHAPTER of my newest book in my Star Wars series co-wrote by ObiWanFTW.
I don't own the poem at the beginning of this chapter nor do I own Star Wars (sadly)
Enjoy! And may the Force be with you!
"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—
And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—
I've heard it in the chilliest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me. ~Emily Dickinson
You know that feeling, when you feel like there's little to no hope left in the galaxy? Yeah I was feeling just like that. I was chained to a cold, stone, wall. To my right, Amarna Katina, shared identical bonds as my own. She looked so unlike herself, weak, battered, almost helpless. Her burgundy hair was stained with blood, the substance leaving the usually perfectly kept waves in knotted mats. "Master?" I said softly, not wanting anyone to hear.
Her head rolled to the side to face me, she gave me a weak smile. "Hello Massa." She began to say more but quickly fell silent, as she came face to face with a woman. She bore the face of a hag. No. Wait. That's an insult to Hags everywhere. "What did I say about talking?" She sneered, her voice a wicked hiss. "Tell me what you know"
"Ceneptece," Amarna glared at her defiantly, "What part of 'We know absolutely nothing' don't you understand?"
A look of utter hatred spread of Ceneptece's face, hitting My Master hard on the jaw. She winced; her lavender skin sweltered with a violet shade. Narrowing her eyes, Amarna gave Ceneptece a death stare, not just a death stare. THE death stare. Ceneptece rolled her golden eyes in disgust, "You, girl," She said, her voice making my skin crawl. "If you tell me about the Rebellion, I'll think about letting you live."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how absolutely hideous you are." I said with a devious smirk.
"You insolent, cocky, little brat. You're going to be sorry you said that."
"Awww! I'm so petrified!"
Amarna flashed me a nervous glance, "Omaris, now would be a really good time to shut up."
"But this way is so much more entertaining!"
Ceneptece almost growled at me. Picture that. A grown woman. An unbelievably UGLY grown woman. Growling at you.
"Uh oh! Someone call animal control, it seems someone's lost their dog"
The Dog-Lady was getting very annoyed, her face turning red with rage.
"Um, excuse me, Sir?"
That drove her past her original idea of rage and up to an all new height of boiling anger.
"Last time I checked, you senseless twit, I'm a woman"
"Oh. . . Really? I couldn't tell!"
Ceneptece glared at me, her eyes flaming pits of hatred. Green forks of lightning danced along her fingertips, she raised her hand, aiming towards me. Her face broke into a wicked grin, the bolts growing brighter and brighter as she let them rest in the palm of her hand.
"Omaris!" Amarna suddenly reached out for me, trying to pull me away. Before I knew what was happening Ceneptece turned on her heel and released her vicious bolts, the pale green light arcing over Amarna. She let out a hellish scream as she fell to her knees, then to the floor writhing in agony.
"Master!"
"Master Kenobi! Master Kenobi, wake up!" I heard a small voice scream. I jumped up from the small cot to see the tiny silhouette of Kylar Donstin, Sagen's six year old Padawan. He stood over me tears dripping from his blue eyes concern washed over him. Pain radiated through my whole body as another tear dripped onto my nightgown from the child. "Are you ok Master Kenobi?" He asked. A gave him a small smile and nodded pulling away one of his tears with my finger. "Why do you say that Ky? I'm fine." I replied. He shook his head and hugged me, his arms nearly strangling me. "You were screaming Master, I was so scared." He cried. I hugged him back as the shoulder of the nightgown became soaked in tears. "You- you were screaming out someone's name. I- I think it was A-Amarna."
The name made me shiver, Amarna Katina, Jedi Master, my Jedi Master. I had to leave her during the battle of Haran just a month ago. I had no idea where she was; but I knew that she alive. Being tortured for information of where I was. I needed to find her; I wanted to feel her hug me again. "It's ok Kylar, I'm ok." I replied damming up the tears already coming into my vision. "Who is Amarna, Master Kenobi?" I wanted to tell him no one, he was already concerned for the Jedi here on Endor and being found by Ceneptece but even at such a young age he knew a lot about the Force and he would tell if I was lying. "She's my Master…"
"Is she ok?"
His questions were killing me; I couldn't tell him that no she wasn't, she was probably under Force Lightning screaming out my name in fear that I'd be found. Another silhouette came from the darkness; Addy's tired face came into the glow of the fire as she reached down as picked up Kylar. "Hey Ky, why don't you go back to sleep and I'll tell you about Master Kenobi later mkay?" she said. He nodded and let her tuck him back into his cot.
She sat beside me; her dark skin was mostly covered by her pale purple nightgown and her long black hair that fell over her shoulders and now her back hiding her Endor mud colored eyes. Addy is a friend of mine that even though I hated the idea of "friendship" is one of the greatest people in history. Her full name is Aduke Hope Skywalker and although she may only be ten she was smart and connected with the Force that only few people could understand. She was the one who brought us here; to Endor. She said after the rebellion against "Emporia" she was going to come back to Endor to set up a Jedi temple like her ancestor Luke Skywalker. I always thought that idea was a good one but frankly I never thought it would happen. "I heard you screaming Massa, are you ok?" She asked. I hated when she called me Massa; that's what Amarna called me, short for Polis Massa she used to say to me "Just as fast as a ship and twice as strong". "I'm… I'm ok…" I mumbled but frankly I wasn't. She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. "No you aren't, I'll get Willow, she'll make you talk!" She said. Willow Ordra was Addy's Jedi Master even though Aduke was already a Jedi like I was. Willow always had a way to make you talk even when you didn't want to; we used to call her Yoda because of it. "No! No need for that!" I exclaimed.
"Then tell me what's wrong."
"I- I had another dream…"
"A dream or a memory?"
"A memory; of when Amarna and I were being held captive…" I dammed up the tears once more trying to push out the thought of seeing Master Amarna like that, her hellish screams echoing in my mind forever. She hugged me then as if she knew what I meant; we both had studied Force lightning but only I had felt its true power: being held under it. "I'm sorry Omaris; I'm so sorry." She whispered. I hugged her back before lying back down in my sleeping bag; "I'm ok, it happened; us Kenobi's learn to live." I replied.
Once again closing my eyes trying to ignore the memories; I knew Seren had been in The Tortures with me. Though I had only seen her a few times I still remember her screams. Seren was Sparrow Lankan's fourteen year old sister. She had also escaped with me from Ceneptece's ship during the Battle of Haran.
Some of the other Jedi here had started calling what happened to us "The Tortures" which just brought to my mind of how hellish it truly was. I had realized that I wasn't going back to sleep; that I was only going to lay there and stare off into space until Addy had woken up. I pulled myself out of my out of my sleeping bag and walked out of the tent. A strong smell of wood filled my lungs as I let my vision adjust to the dark.
I walked off just beyond the tree line and centered myself in the Force as a small breath full of wind brushed past me.
Sparrow's point of view
I lay back in my tent, the sounds of the wildlife made it impossible to sleep. The simple electric light illuminated the small space with an iridescent glow. A small movement caught my eye; a shadowed figure passed by the tent, and disappeared into the darkness. I was instantly alert; I snatched up one of my double bladed lightsabers from my side and stepped out into the night air. I glanced around the small clearing, littered with several tents. I pressed the activation switch, two blades of plasma hummed to life in the warm, midnight air. One side, frost blue, the other, electric green. I scouted the area, looking for any sign off the trespasser. Maybe you were hallucinating…? I thought to myself, turning my back to the camp to scout the dense tree line. I backed up a few paces and hit something solid, which caused me to stumble backwards. I looked up into a pair of crystalline blue eyes which sparked with irritation. "Been walking long?"
I let out a sigh of relief. "Omaris"
"No… Really? And here I thought I was a Wookie! Thanks for solving my identity crisis!" She rolled her eyes and offered her hand to help me up.
"You're ever so welcome, Ms. Bacca." I replied, picking myself up off the ground.
She let out a small laugh, "That was a horrendous joke. You should be ashamed."
"Oh, I am. Please, spare my soul. I promise I'll do better!" I said with mock terror in my voice.
"Well. . . I guess I can have sympathy on someone as pitiful as yourself" She allowed herself a smile, the first I'd seen from her.
"Now, what exactly are you doing out here at this time of night?"
"I should ask you the same thing."
"I saw you walking out here, thought you were a raider, came to investigate, here I am. Your turn"
"Couldn't sleep"
"That's it?"
"Yeah." She said easily, although her eyes betrayed that she was deeply troubled.
"What's on your mind?"
Her oceanic eyes clouded with deep emotion, although the actual feeling was indecipherable. Her long wheaten hair veiled part of her face, as if she was attempting to hide from the question. "It's nothing. . ."
"Come on, Omaris. You can trust me."
"I had a dream about my master."
"Tell me about her."
She brushed her blonde hair from her face, and gave a slight smile.
"Her name is Amarna"
"Pretty name."
"Yeah, she's very kind." She glanced downward, lost in memories. "She practically raised me."
I sat forward, and motioned for her to continue.
"She's kind, defiant, strong. Probably the strongest person in the galaxy."
"It sounds like you're very lucky to have her."
"I am…" Her voice trailed away, her cobalt eyes clouding over again.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know."
"When was the last you saw her?"
I'd obviously hit a touchy place there, she looked down, not wanting to say any more.
I waited, watching her sit, lost in painful memories.
"When we were both captured by Ceneptece." She said, her voice almost a whisper.
"Wait. . . What?"
"Me, and my master, were both captured by Ceneptece, and tortured for information that neither of us had."
My breath caught in my throat. "You were there . . . with my sister. . ."
"You mean Seren right?"
I nodded, "Yeah she's only a year older then you. What exactly happened?"
She spoke reluctantly, "We would be tortured with Force lightning, for hours at a time, like I said, for information we didn't have."
" Oh Force. . . I'm-"
She flashed me a defiant stare, her sapphire irises searing into my soul.
"Don't even think about saying 'I'm sorry' I don't want your sympathy."
"Okay, point taken no sympathy. Got it. Don't slay me."
"Says the guy with not one, but two double bladed lightsabers. Who's close to twice my size? Somebody's got some self-esteem issues!"
"That somebody's just trying to be nice."
"That somebody shouldn't bother"
"That somebody already has"
She sighed, irritated. "That somebody should have left me alone."
"That somebody thinks you need someone to talk to."
"That somebody is wrong" she glared at me, her eyes set alight with aqua flame.
"Or is he?"
She sighed in defeat "No. He isn't. I did need to talk."
"Thank you Sparrow?"
She gave me a look of mock anger "Don't test me"
"Ok got it."
Omaris's point of view
"Master I don't understand why I have to complete the training in Juro, it's boring and the techniques are to say the least sloppy." I said blocking another blow. Amarna my Master and I were practicing in one of the empty rooms. I supposedly had to practice Juro or Form Seven because I frankly sucked at it according to Amarna; but I hated the form, I preferred Soresu out of all of the forms but my Master didn't share my idea. "You have a lot to learn Polis, A LOT to learn." She shot back with a small smile the yellow blade danced in her hand. We both had to be as quiet as possible since in the next room a friend of my master's Padawan was getting knighted. I think her name was Nala Robain or something like that but Amarna knew her Master, Ataru Duran which I in fact had met before a few times. So to show some stupid amount of respect I couldn't make noise which is unbelievably difficult when you're practicing Juro with your Jedi master who is a little TO enthused with the color of in between two lightsaber, one yellow bladed and once blue bladed. Which means you have to leave with the hellish noise of the snaps and hisses that can relate to so many Jedi's death within a thousand year time span. Yeah I didn't spend all my life in the temple's library running around playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark. Suddenly a loud noise echoed through the room, no not the room, the temple; a noise no shorter than an explosion in one of the lower floor. Before I could say a word, before I could say anything the dark side swallowed us whole making choke on the air, suddenly another earthquake like feeling rumbled beneath my feet and then the space around me went black "MASTER!" I screamed then I fell into the darkness.
"Omaris! Omaris where are you!" A voice called out it cracking under the smoke. I opened my eyes but I couldn't see anything. Gravel covered every inch of me pressure squished my lungs to a pulp. "Ma-master." I tried to scream but only the sounds of my breath surfaced. Pain radiated through my body, what had happened? I heard Amarna's voice again this time closer than the last and soon I felt some of the ruble around me fall away as I fell back into unconsciousness. I think I did this not because the room was filled smoke but because the rocks crushing me.
I woke up moments later to the sounds of a voice whispering, no not whispering talking, NO WAIT I take that back this voice was bloody SCREAMING in my ear SHAKING me half to death. But wait I was being shaken which meant I wasn't under the ruble anymore. "Omaris please wake up!" I let out a long breath before letting out a grown my eyes felt like boulders as I forced them open. In my field a vision was Amarna; her lavender colored skin was covered in ash leaving her curled burgundy hair in mats. "Oh Force why are you SCREAMING!" I mumbled my throat felt like sand. Now there is a difference between sand that under people's feet and the sand that choked me in my throat the sand that crawled in my throat was more like Tatooine sand which is labeled as sand sure but I mean I was born there and sure I wasn't there long but I know that Tatooine's sand was dryer, more dense more wretched, yeah that's what my throat felt like. Behind Amarna was another woman, around the same again as my Master. She was human, straight dark brown hair that was pulled back away from her light hazel eyes. Ms. Nameless stood behind Amarna she looked concerned but the she seemed troubled, something deep inside her mind was dark. Now maybe I was imagining things I mean I was knocked out so maybe my mind was in a fog. Oh Force I wish I could have smacked myself. "Are you ok?" Amarna asked with a small smile happy that I was ok, that I wasn't really hurt. "Oh yeah fine I'm just dandy, I feel like I'm on top of Bespin!" I said with mock excitement. She hugged me, "Oh Force I've never been happier to hear your ignorant humor." She replied. The woman behind her frowned taking a step towards us, "Ms. Katina, we should leave before a second attack has been made on the temple." She stated looking at me. Her hazel eyes almost flames as if she was mad at me, angry that I was there. Amarna hugged me again and pulled me up from the floor. "What in the name of the Force happened?" I said my voice like sand paper, "And who the hell are you?" The woman looked at me taking a step closer, "I'm Sora, me and the others come to find the remaining Jedi and bring them to a safer place. There has been an attack made on the temple. We should leave as soon as possible."
Sora led us outside through the crumbled windows. I knew not to trust this woman. Darkness surrounded her is a way I couldn't explain but Amarna seemed to trust her which meant I should but I didn't in the least bit. We were meant with a star cruiser painted deep silver. The bridge lowered itself down to the concrete street revealing a girl my age. Her jet black hair fell in even locks over her shoulders, her eyes deep brown. She wore a raven tunic with a short robe over her arms. "Are these the survivors?" she asked her voice much like my own. Deeper than it should be, a slight roughness but not too much; an almost calm Corusant accent. Sora nodded, "This is Amarna Abigail Katina, Jedi Master and her Padawan, Omaris Kenobi." I shot her a dark gaze, "Hey I am Omaris Grace Kenobi, Jedi Knight, learner of the Force, address me as such you imp!" Amarna squeezed my shoulder, "Massa, please." That made me smile a little. The teenaged girl looked at me; the dark mud colored eyes glared into my soul, "Kenobi- as in Obi Wan Kenobi?" She asked. I nodded, "There is a reason I look like him; I'm his niece, and a friend." She smiled, "Please to meet you then. I'm Raven Alore."
"They weren't rescuers, they were sith in disguise. Ceneptece was Amarna's and I's main torturer. But there were others; many others. It's like they forgot the Rule of Two and just trained as many sith as they possibly could. They are more powerful than they have ever; they are to be feared…" I said. Sparrow grimaced, "They rescued you?"
"If you want to say that."
He looked as if he was going to apologies again but before he did I stood up from the ground, "I… got to look for something on the ship." I mumbled walking away. He didn't answer, thank the Force. I didn't want to talk anymore; I wanted to be left alone. I looked into the direction of the ship; the sun just started to rise over the deep silver star cruiser. The yellow rays sprouted from the orange orb in a beautiful dance. "Amarna, wherever you are, I will find you, I will." I whispered to myself gazing into the sky. "I have faith in you Massa; you're the Jedi's last hope."
