We Are the Chosen Ones
Chapter 1: Risky Beginnings
A/N- This chapter is basically everything that happened before the prologue that I find most important to Kaliyah's backstory. Her own memories are written in italicized text while everything she was not present for, or at least not from her perspective, are written plainly. It's really long, but I didn't want to separate each event into individual chapters, so please hang in there. Future chapters will not be this lengthy.
As for thechosenbibliophile's question (thanks so much for the review, btw), everything that happened to Anakin in The Phantom Menace has not changed. In fact, most of canon will remain the same with the exception of smaller details. The biggest change that will carry on is Obi-Wan's age. (Instead of being 25 in the Phantom Menace, I've decided to make him 17.) My story's purpose is mostly to add a new element to the Star Wars universe while filling in some gaps and exploring some less touched on subjects in the legends canon. Stay tuned :)
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"Please, she's our only child. Please!" sobbed an older woman with grey hair that once glimmered golden. "Don't take her—don't take her away from me."
Qui-Gon didn't wish to see the woman so broken like this, but he had no choice. Yoda had sent him (why, he doesn't know) to retrieve the child on Naboo. He heard a small beeping and looked down at the device in his hand, then turned to the aging architect beside him.
"The child's midi-chlorian count is well over twenty thousand. How is it that no one recorded this anomaly at the time of her birth?"
The man sighed and watched as Naboo officials gathered the baby girl in their arms before answering the Jedi. "Because she wasn't born in a Galactic Republic. She is not ours. Not biologically."
"I see," Qui-Gon replies. "So from which planet did you purchase the infant?"
"Some system in the outer rim. Tatooine, I think." He bristles slightly, his almost silver hair beginning to stand on edge. "It's not what you think. Liliana and I tried for years but were never blessed with children of our own. Eventually, it became evident that we never would ... The girl was to be born into slavery. The mother wanted a better life for her daughter and we offered her far more than she was requesting. We would give her a home and an education, two loving parents. Far better than any life she would have lived on that desert wasteland."
Qui-Gon laid a hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. He may not have been as visually upset as his wife, but he had clearly grown quite attached to the child he thought of as his daughter over the past two months.
"I am not here to judge you. But the child must come with me to be taught in the ways of the Force. She shows great potential."
"Will-Will you train her?" asked Lilliana, now seeking comfort from within the embrace of her husband.
"I'm afraid not, Lady Eckener. While I do not have an apprentice of my own right now..." Qui-Gon's thoughts turn to those of his former padawan, Xanatos. "Anything is possible, but for now she will be taken to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where she will learn alongside fellow force sensitive children until she passes her initiate trials and is chosen by a master."
The Jedi Master bows his head respectfully before preparing to leave, the small bundle now in his own arms, the brown hood of his cloak partially shrouding his face.
"I'm sorry," he says before disappearing into the night.
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After two hours of waiting, I had my chance.
Pretending to be reading a piece of text while sitting just outside did nothing to help my concentration, but I only had a second once the Jedi exited the holocron vaults to catch the door. With my palm planted firmly in the book, fingers extended off the page and towards the entrance, I managed to freeze the doors in place only a fraction of an inch from being completely shut.
I prayed no one came this way as I stood and approached the vault's entry point with my arm outstretched. I threw one last look over my shoulder before slipping inside, allowing the doors to slide close behind me.
There were no locks on anything. A keypad outside the vault that scanned your hand prevented anyone who wasn't a Jedi from entering. All you had to do was step up to one of the storage cells that lined the walls and select the data point that matched the holocron you wanted. You didn't know what information was stored on each individual cube, but surely any one could tell you how to find what you're looking for. In your lessons they taught you how to read a holocron by speaking to the A.I. imbedded in it's system. It was called a gatekeeper. Supposedly, it sensed the abilities of the being who held it and were therefore able to withhold the information it gave out only to those they deemed worthy. This was to keep padawans like myself from viewing restricted material. I hadn't really considered this until now. Surely, the moment I picked it up, the gatekeeper would know I was only an initiate, still yet to have taken the trials. I wasn't going to learn anything.
But I had come this far.
I wandered the isles aimlessly, feeling the whispers filling the room, the secrets within the holocrons just begging to be freed along with something a bit... darker. I felt a pull to something—something powerful. But instead, I stopped where I was and turned to the cell in front of me. All around me were voices tugging at my sleeves, but here there was nothing. This holocron was silent, not so eager to be noticed. Unsettled by the hollow silence filling my mind, I activated the cell and in one swift motion ejected the tray. It was empty.
"Looking for something, hm?"
Frightened, I slammed the tray closed. I opened my mouth then closed it, unsure of what to say. "Grand Master Yoda."
"Come with me, child."
I glanced down, then up at Yoda who held a straight face. It was impossible to tell how much trouble I was in. So, I did as told and followed him out of the vaults and into the Temple Library. From there, we walked across the temple and into an empty room. Yoda closed the blinds so that only thin rays of sunlight filtered through and gestured for me to sit.
A soft blue glow took over the room and I sat up in wonder as Master Yoda sat across from me, holding something in his hands. Once situated with my legs crossed on the round cushion, I allowed myself to take a closer look at the cube. It was mostly a bright blue, but had an intricate gold frame around all twelve of its edges.
"Seek information, do you? Information about where you come from, yes?"
I didn't say anything. But I didn't need to.
"A Jedi Holocron. Tell you what you wish to know, it will."
"Master?" I ask, confused.
"Inside, data is gathered about you, young Kaliyah Skywalker." With that, Master Yoda got up, leaving you with the cube.
"I don't understand. The holocron?"
At the door, Yoda stops and turns towards me. "Deem what you are worthy of, the gatekeeper will."
Then you were alone.
You were hesitant at first, but after a moment you knew it was okay to lean forward and pick up the cube, handling it in both hands. You turned it over, looking at each side. When finished examining it, you placed it in front of you and the A.I. personality projected itself outwards in a flicker of light.
"May I help you?" spoke a man with long hair dressed plainly in typical jedi garb.
You panicked, unsure of what to say or how to address the figure waiting patiently before you.
"Skywalker. Kaliyah Skywalker," you blurted.
The A.I. responded in a polite manner like someone being asked the best way to reach Alderaan. "The human girl was found on Naboo where custody was transferred from her adoptive parents, Hugo and Lilliana Eckener, to the Jedi Order at two months."
'Adoptive parents'? "Found? Found by who?"
"Found by myself, sent by Grand Master Yoda to retrieve her after sensing a great power emerge on the pastoral world. There, I tested her blood to discover she had a midi-chlorian count of 26,031, further enforcing the idea of a Chosen One."
"Chosen One?" I repeated. Midi-chlorians were microscopic beings that made it's home amongst all living things, but I never knew how many existed within myself nor ever heard of a 'Chosen One.'
"The prophecy of the Chosen One was an ancient Jedi legend that foretold the coming of a powerful force sensitive being who would restore balance to the Force."
"Tell me the prophecy," I said.
The A.I. didn't answer immediately. He looked like he was thinking, debating about whether or not to tell me what I wanted. "There are many different versions, all of slightly different wording, but the most widely accepted is this: A Jedi will come, To Destroy the Sith, And bring balance to the Force."
"What else can you tell me about this prophecy, this supposed Chosen One?"
"I can tell you much about these words and the savior embodied between them, including it's possible connection to another famed prophecy from the Journey of the Whills. It states that the..."
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A large explosion jolted the entire ship, knocking me to the ground. Within seconds the storage transport area was filled with smoke. I looked toward the front of the cruiser, but it was gone along with the crew. Using the sleeve of my tunic, I tried my best to cover my mouth so as not to inhale any of the ship's fumes and hit the button for the door. I stumbled out unaware of my surroundings and found that the only thing separating me from the vacuum of space was a shield door. Behind me, I heard the mechanical clicking of something man made.
"Hey, you there! You're not supposed t-" The voice was cut off by the unmistakable sound of the swing of a lightsaber. I turned around at once to see a battle droid split in half as it fell to the ground, a glowing blue saber retreating into it's hilt. The owner, a young Jedi padawan learner with the traditional braid going down his back, ushered me behind some large boxes where an older Jedi, his master I presume, hid. The older one took me by the shoulders firmly and shook me slightly. I recognized him as the A.I. From the holocron Master Yoda had shown me.
"You, what were you doing on our ship? What is your name?"
The intensity of his stare made me fumble over my words as I tried to explain how in my search for him, I ended up sneaking onto his transport. He exchanged a glance with his apprentice.
This time when he spoke, it was softer. "Your name? Tell us your name."
My heart was racing as I looked him in the eye and replied, "Skywalker."
Something in his demeanor changed, but not enough for me to feel at ease. "I know that name. Come," he said as he stood. "You're going to have to stay close."
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The sandstorm had confined everyone to the inside of the starship and communication between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had confirmed that they had found shelter as well. Still, after the message from Naboo, no one felt comfortable just sitting around doing nothing.
When Kaliyah saw Obi-Wan sitting at a holochess table looking for how to turn it on, she decided to help him by flipping the switch on the underside of the board that brought the game to life.
"You shouldn't be here."
"Do you play?" He didn't look very pleased to see her, but she took a seat opposite him anyway. In response, Obi-Wan made the first move. The girl reached forward to challenge his move, pulling her sandy hair over her shoulder and out of the way. It wasn't long before the boy found himself in a difficult position he was unable to find a solution to.
"It's like you know what I'm going to do it before I do it," he sighed, the frustration more than evident in his voice.
"Isn't that the point of the game?" Kaliyah responded. "To try and read your opponent so that you plan accordingly?"
Obi-Wan glanced across the board at his opponent before making his next move. Just as soon as he made his, she made hers, confidently calling out checkmate. The holographic aliens rampaged over the board, claiming the few pieces still left. Obi-Wan leaned back, accepting his defeat.
"Yes, but it shouldn't have been that easy."
Kaliyah simply shrugged and got up from the table. "You're a loud thinker."
Obi-Wan shook his head as he watched her go, a small smile forming on his lips. "That's cheating!" he called after her.
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Qui-Gon turned to see the boy's mother join him outside and gives her a small smile. "You should be very proud of your son. He gives without any thought of reward."
"Well, he knows nothing of greed. He has..." she trails off, unsure of how to describe her son to this stranger.
"He has special powers."
Shmi looks up at him and nods. "Yes."
"He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It's a Jedi trait," he says.
"He deserves better than a slave's life."
"Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him earlier. The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear. Who is his father?"
This time Shmi looks away, but comes to meet his eye when she answers. "There was no father. I carried them, I gave birth, I raised him. I can't explain what happened."
Qui-Gon looks as if he understands. "Was there another?"
Shmi isn't quite sure what he means, so he rephrases. "You said 'them.' Was there another? Another child like Anakin, born to you without a father?"
Suddenly, the woman looked much older and worn than she had moments before. She crossed her arms and pretended to stare at something off the horizon.
"About nine years ago, I encountered a baby girl in the care of an older couple on Naboo, much like your boy. Today, she is a student at the Temple on Coruscant on her way to becoming a Jedi." He pauses. "The parents made me promise that I keep her name."
Upon hearing this, Shmi lets out a small cry and brings her fingers to her lips. "Kaliyah."
Qui-Gon places a hand on her upper arm. "When I discovered that I was pregnant, I didn't know how or why. Still, I promised my unborn child that I would do everything in my power to give them what they needed. But I hadn't prepared for twins... Two children would only mean that neither would survive. So I did what had to be done. I figured Liyah would be safer in another system, that Ani would have the better chance here on Tattoine."
"I think you made the right decision. It's the only one a mother could have made."
Shmi turns to the Jedi, hopeful. "You found my daughter and now you've found my son. Can you help him, too?"
"I don't know," he replies solemnly. "I didn't actually come here to free slaves."
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A boy around my age came running aboard, his pack struggling to stay on his back. One of the queen's handmaidens recognized him.
"Ani! What's wrong?" she shouted.
"Qui-Gon's in trouble!" he yells and together we all run to the cockpit where the others are.
"Take off. Over there. Fly low," Obi-Wan orders, pointing to where two figures dueled in the sand. One was Qui-Gon, the other was something unrecognizable, but it wielded a laser sword similar to a Jedi's weapon. Once the starship was close enough, Qui-Gon disengaged just in time to jump on board. Obi-Wan and I, along with the boy (the same one who won the pod race and helped us acquire the parts for the ship, I'm sure), ran to where the Jedi Master collapsed on the floor.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
"I think so," Qui-Gon said, trying to catch his breath.
"What was it?" wondered Obi-Wan.
"I'm not sure, but I t was well trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is it was after the queen.
"What're we gonna do about it?" asked the boy.
Qui-Gon let out a deep breath. "We should be patient. Anakin Skywalker," he said, gesturing from the boy to Obi-Wan, "meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."
The two shook hands; the boy, Anakin, excited to meet another Jedi made Obi-Wan smile. Qui-Gon then reaches out to me and says, "And this, Anakin, is your sister, Kaliyah Skywalker."
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A/N- If you liked this chapter and want to know more about what Kaliyah was up to at different points throughout Ep. I, I'm thinking about making a part two to this chapter. More about her first meeting with Anakin or what she was did during the Invasion of Naboo. If you do, leave a review and let me know! Otherwise, I'll be moving onto her training as a padawan learner.