Chapter 136

AN: Due to some unexpected issues, it is past time for an update. However, things have calmed down, which should mean faster updates. Please read and review

The halls were dim and as Ari and Luke got closer to the main area of the Temple, the feelings they had been experiencing were even stronger than before. They seemed to combat each other. The Dark Side, the tragedy that had befallen the Jedi there was strong, but so was the sensation from Light Side of the Force from many years of Jedi who walked these same walls.

Yet, there is something else here too.

"Luke…"

"I feel it too," he answered.

The two Jedi stopped at the same time, though no words were spoken between them.

"The Empire," Luke murmured and Ari nodded in response. She realized what was bothering her. It wasn't just the deaths that occurred. It was the feel of others that had walked these halls. Even if they were not Force sensitive, there was the feeling of something dark and empty.

Ari looked around then to the floor. They were standing on dark red carpet. Even through her boots she could feel how thick and soft it was. In any other place, it might have been nice, but it didn't seem to fit the ideal of simplicity and light she associated with a Jedi's life.

The reasoning struck both of them at the same time and they looked at each other. Luke sighed. "The Empire must have decided to use part of the Temple."

Ari grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze before starting to walk down the hall again. Without speaking a word, they both decided to follow the carpeting. There were a few doors that branched off elsewhere to the Temple, but they walked by those without looking in.

The rich, lush carpeting ended at the end of a corridor and Ari and Luke shared a look before rounding it.

The corridor had opened into a larger hall, stairs leading down. There was blue carpeting, but it made the room seem peaceful, at least on first glance. Ari was nearly certain that if they couldn't feel darkness, it would have been a very peaceful place.

As they walked down the stairs, Ari noticed a few other things that seemed to stand out, marring the Temple of its former glory. There was carbon scoring that had peppered the walls and floor, it had probably been there for years.

The two Jedi were silent as they walked down the hall, taking in everything they could. The signs of a battle were everywhere. They passed a statue that had been smashed, scattering small pieces of rock everywhere, the statue no longer recognizable of whatever the subject had been.

Then Ari saw something and she motioned to Luke to follow. It as a turbolift.. "Do you think it still works?"

"Let's find out." He reached one hand out and touched the controls. A moment later, the doors opened and they both stepped on.

"Do you know what all of these levels are?" Ari asked and Luke shook his head. "I know some of the things to look for, like the Council Rooms, and I know there is a room of Thousand Fountains. I'd also like to see their training spaces. We'll need to get some idea of what we need before we attempt to rebuild the Jedi Order."

Ari nodded as she pressed a button and they started to go upward, the turbolift humming as it ascended.

Neither of them spoke until the turbolift stopped and the doors opened. There was a short hallway that led to a doorway.

Luke waved his hand over the control panel and the door opened with a soft hiss.

"Jedi training or did the door still work?" Ari asked, trying to lighten the still tense mood. The Dark Side was still felt here, though not as strongly. Yet, the effects of what they felt were still lingering over them, like a shadow.

He just offered a small smile and the two of them stepped through the door together. It closed behind them with another hiss, engulfing them in pitch black for a moment. Then, the entire room was illuminated as a flash of light came from the center of the room, then expanded into the entire room, small dots of light filling the room, slowly rotating around the

Ari gasped as she realized what it was. "The galaxy."

She started to slowly move around the stars. Walking through them seemed surreal even all they had gone though. She paused, getting her bearings then started to move with purpose. She paused, looking at one star in a thoughtful manner.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"Naboo," she motioned to where the planet would have been, if it was showing on the map. "It would be right here."

"You still miss it greatly, don't you?" Luke asked.

Ari nodded. "I do. Though I don't know what to expect. For all we know, it could have been nearly destroyed by the Empire." If so, it certainly wouldn't be the first world, but Art could hope it was the last.

"Then we will do what we can to rebuild," Luke answered.

This caused Ari to smile slightly, glancing from the star to Luke, then back to the star again. They both knew things could never go back to how they used to be, but they had to move on.

Silence fell over the two of them, and when Ari looked up again, she saw that Luke was looking at binary suns just a short distance away. She moved away from where she had been standing and walked to him, footsteps nearly silent.

She looked at the two suns as well, remembering life on Tatooine. She missed Naboo, but Tatooine was home too. There was more than that too. That was where she had lost her family, but she had met Luke and first learned of Jedi still in the galaxy from Ben Kenobi.

"We should continue," Luke spoke up and Ari nodded, leading the way to the turbolift again, the map disappearing as they left, the room becoming empty and dark once more.

This time, Luke chose the destination, but instead of going down, like Ari had expected, she realized they were traveling further up.

When the lift opened, they were on a walkway that curved to the other side, so she couldn't see what was at the end. She saw that part of the wall was one large mirror showing Coruscant. It was still amazing to see the amazing city-planet.

While Luke continued up the walkway, walking with a purpose, Ari followed a bit slower, looking at everything she could.

Once they reached the end, there was a room. It was simple, with large double doors. There were a few other things in the room, including a beautifully made pathway that led to the doors. Ari reached her hand out and touched the cool, smooth stone.

Luke didn't seem to notice. In fact, he had a frown on his features and was standing in front of doors, much like the ones they had seen in the Temple thus far. "Ari," he spoke.

Ari turned and saw how intently he was looking at the doors. She opened her mouth to ask as she approached him, and then felt a shiver run down her spine as if someone had taken a cup of ice water and poured it down her neck and spine.

With a wave of his hand, Luke opened the doors and they stepped inside.

Ari felt her breath leave her, feeling as if the Force was humming around her. It wasn't all good, though it was strong. There were underlying currents of the Dark Side, causing her to shiver again.

Neither of them spoke as they walked around the room, where chairs stood in a circle. A mosaic, circular in style and similar to the path outside caught Ari's attention and she stared at it for a moment before she continued to walk, seeing that all the chairs were different sizes and had varying degrees of height, though they were all similar in fabric.

For a moment, Ari was almost certain she could see beings sitting in the chairs out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked, there was no one there.

"Ari," Luke's voice caused her to turn around and she saw Luke holding what looked like half a hilt of a lightsaber. Much smaller than any of theirs.

"What's that?" she asked.

"A lightsaber for a child, or a small being," he answered. He paused, holding it then looked down again. He bend down, picking up something small, looking at it intently.

"Ari…" his voice was tight. "You were told that Jedi in training wore braids, correct?"

Ari nodded. "That's what Siri and Taylor told me." The look on his face was an odd one, an expression that caused an uneasy feeling.

"And they had training lightsabers?"

"I suppose. They had to train somehow," she answered.

Then she saw there were tears in Luke's eyes. Unshed, but she caught a flash of them as he turned his head, looking at what he held in his hand.

"Luke," she hastened across the floor. "Luke," she spoke again.

He said nothing, but gave her what he had been holding. It was a braid. A small thin braid.

It was then that Ari realized what had happened. "Even the children…" she whispered.

Though she had known it was true, it was worse being here, seeing it. Holding it. Siri and Taylor had told her about this, had given her information. However, this took it to another level.

"It meant they were just in training…" Ari whispered.

"They must have been sent up here to hide," Luke added, glancing once more around the room. "I don't see any other weapons and they're so high up…"

There was silence and he let the broken hilt fall from his hand on the floor again. "He killed children!" he exclaimed.

"No," Ari answered. "Darth Vader killed them. Not Anakin Skywalker."

He sighed in response then laid the braid down on one of the chairs, staring at it for a moment. "We could still have braids like this. We'd be getting ready to be Knights."

"You are a Knight," Ari reminded him. "I'd still have one." She paused, and then freed a piece of hair she had tucked behind her ear. She separated the strand into three pieces and started to braid it. Soon, she had a small, thin braid that brushed against her cheek. "What do you think?"

Luke reached out and touched it. "You are a Jedi, Ari."

"Almost," she corrected him. "Remember, I have to complete Trials of some type. Once I do, then I will take this out…or cut it." It wasn't an idea she had entertained before now.

"You don't have to," Luke reminded her.

"I know. But it feels right," she smiled slightly and touched it, before tucking it behind her ear. "Let's go. There's still a lot to see."