Hanna City, Chandrila | 34 BBY |
3rd person POV...
For a long time Boris has found his life to be quite boring. His simple job is positioned along the river that leads into Hanna City, and he's a worker that helps in the process of filtering water from the river for the city to use. Nothing interesting, and it's unlikely that he will find anything else more interest either.
But what happened today is probably the most interesting thing he'd ever come across.
He swishes his long poled net through the river, cleaning it of any large pieces of dirt or natural debris that would get in every so often. While doing so, he suddenly hears a strange cry, and looks up from the water. He looks upriver in the direction of the cry he was hearing, and widens his eyes in surprise.
Floating down the river on a small raft was a young toddler, probably about two years old or younger, sniffling and quietly wailing, obviously upset.
"Hey, Jakleyn?" he calls out.
"Yeah?" his twi'lek coworker answers.
"There's a toddler floating in the water!" he says.
"What?" he exclaims in bewilderment.
The sound of pounding footsteps quickly brings Jakleyn down to where Boris was, and they both watch as the raft comes closer in complete bewilderment.
"Wha- Well pull him out! I'll get the boss!" Jakleyn exclaims, dashing away.
Boris quickly uses his net to reach out and take hold of the raft, pulling it and the upset toddler closer.
This certainly was an interesting day.
Jedi Temple, Coruscant | 33 BBY |
3rd person POV...
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn sat in his quarters in meditation, releasing himself into the Force. He often finds himself doing so, as delving into the Force brought him a great deal of peace and calmness, especially during these troubled times.
He's starting to see the issues the Jedi Order faces, much like Master Dooku, which are brought about because of the Senate. The political field continues to change in various ways, and not usually for the better, and also secure more influence over the Jedi Order. Many Jedi may not see it but, he is beginning too.
A frown crosses Qui-Gon's face as he feels something deep within the Force. Following the prompting, he listens more closely, feeling a pull.
He can sense something... someone...
He can hear the sounds of conflict... screaming, or crying?
He can feel a pull in the Force, directing him to a certain place...
Chandrila...
He prompting in the Force then swiftly disappears and Qui-Gon opens his eyes, leaving his meditation. He isn't sure what exactly he sensed just now, but it was important.
"A prompting, you say?"
"Yes, Master Yoda," Qui-Gon replies.
He's standing before the Jedi Council, having requested an audience with them after the prompting he felt in the Force. His apprentice, Obi-Wan, is standing by the doors to the chamber and out of the way.
"Of what kind?" Mace questions.
"I'm not sure," he admits in response. "But it was strong. While I was meditation, I heard a name whispered to me. Chandrila. I fear someone there is in danger."
"That could mean many things, Qui-Gon," Even Piell states dryly.
"But not many things echo through the Force such as this," Qui-Gon points out.
A few of the Council members look at each other with thoughtful and cautious frowns on their faces.
"With your permission, Masters, I would like to travel there and see what it is that the Force is telling me," he requests.
"Do you know anything else about the nature of what you believe you saw?" Ki-Adi asks.
Qui-Gon frowns slightly in response.
"No, Master," he says cautiously.
"Then I'm afraid we can't give you permission," Mace says, much to Qui-Gon's chagrin. "Without enough detail as to what may have transpired, there is simply nothing we can do. And there is always work to do around the galaxy; you and your apprentice may be needed elsewhere in due time."
"But what if this turns out to be important?" Qui-Gon argues, an idea coming to mind. "What if this is because of a Force-sensitive child? They may be in danger."
"I'm afraid we haven't found any trace of Force-sensitive children on Chandrila throughout this past year," Ki-Adi informs him.
"If discover a Force-sensitive child on Chandrila we do, then send for you we will," Yoda states.
"Until then you must remain here," Mace adds. "May the Force be with you."
Qui-Gon glances down in disappointment but accepts their wishes with a reluctant nod, letting out a small sigh.
"May the Force be with you," he replies, bowing to the Council.
With the discussion concluded, Qui-Gon heads out of the Council Chambers along with his Padawan. Once they're gone, a few of the Jedi Masters share skeptical glances with each other. Yoda furrows his brow deeply in thought, pondering what it is that Qui-Gon may have sensed.
Qui-Gon stands on one of the balcony's of the temple, watching the busy traffic of Coruscant and the setting sun. Obi-Wan approaches him at the balcony, and he offers him a brief glance with a gentle smile.
"What exactly did you see, Master?" he asks.
"The image was not very clear, but the location itself was," he replies. "The more I think about it, the more I believe that there is a child hidden on Chandrila."
"But the Council says they have no knowledge of any," he replies with a frown. "How is it you can sense it when they cannot?"
"I'm not sure, Obi-Wan," he admits thoughtfully. "But this prompting did come to me, that much is clear, and so I must investigate."
"So you're still planning on going?" Obi-Wan asks warily. "Without the Council's approval?"
"I will do what I must, Obi-Wan," he replies calmly, undeterred. "It is the will of the Force."
"They won't approve of you doing something like this," he points out. "I understand you were given special permission from Master Yoda for your other assignment, whatever that may have been, but they will not go along for this."
"This I know, Padawan," Qui-Gon replies with a nod. "But much like Plo's prompting to Shili earlier today, Chandrila calls to me all the same."
Obi-Wan lets out a sigh, knowing there was nothing he could do to dissuade his master from going.
"Very well Master," he replies, sounding a little dejected.
Qui-Gon smiles at him.
"Trust me when I say that I believe you are growing to become a great Jedi, and I will continue to do everything I can for you and the Jedi Order," he assures him. "Nevertheless, my obligation falls also to the will of the Force."
Obi-Wan nods in response, feeling a little better at the compliment from Qui-Gon.
Chandrila - Core Worlds
Qui-Gon POV...
My ship comes out of hyperspace before the planet of Chandrila, and I take a moment to gaze at it thoughtfully. I still haven't felt another prompting from the Force since my vision, but I'm certain that whatever awaits me is here.
Closing my eyes, I open myself to the Force and feel for anything else. A small flicker of something draws my gaze there, and while I can't see or make anything out, I have a feeling of where to go. Reopening my eyes, I angle the ship towards a certain sector of the planet and fly through the atmosphere in that direction.
Seeing a forested area next to some grassland, I feel the Force flare a little bit stronger, and lower myself closer to the ground. I then spot a structure up ahead, and decide to come into a landing. Directing the ship through the landing cycle, I land gently and turn off the engines, getting up from my seat. I pull my cloak on and open the door, heading outside into the cool morning air.
Walking around the ship I spot the structure I saw earlier, noticing it to be a house that a family would live in. Only there was no sign of life, and the House didn't look to be in great care. Nature was starting to overtake it, and one of the windows appeared to be shattered.
"Strange," I murmur to myself.
Approaching the front of the house cautiously I gently open the door, which instead collapses to the ground upon touching it. I move inside, taking a moment to adjust to the dim light and flip on the light switch. The sight that greeted me wasn't very reassuring, as there seemed to be some sort of struggle here.
One thing was evident however, in that the place hasn't been touched in a long time.
Looking around, I analyze how some of the furniture was overturned. Kneeling beside an overturned couch, I frown in concern and worry upon noticing a small slash mark on it. The mark is black and charred, so it could have been anything, but still it seems a little hit like a... lightsaber.
Uneasy, I continue onwards and head for the stairs, which is where there's a lot more damage. I head up cautiously and continue to analyze any sign of destruction, noting an overturned bookcase on the floor. This bookshelf is also sliced through, worrying me even more. If someone out in the galaxy is causing mayhem with a lightsaber, perhaps a rogue Jedi... or worse... we may have a serious problem on our hands.
There's not enough evidence to suggest that it is definitely a lightsaber, but I can only hope that the Council will take this into consideration. Something feels dark here.
Turning into a room at the end of the hall, I look inside to see a bed that is obviously supposed to be for a baby, if the decorated room wasn't enough evidence.
"A child..." a murmur in realization.
There was a Force-sensitive child here. But what happened? Is the child safe?
Re-entering the hallway, I take note of how the window at the far end is shattered, as if someone had to jump out. I approach the window and run a finger along it for a moment, frowning, and then jump out the window myself.
Landing on the ground, I immediately look for any signs of tracks within the dirt. It's unlikely for me to find any, considering whatever occurred here seems to have not been too recent, but there are always signs left in place. I kneel down on the ground and analyze the dirt for anything, pulling out my tracking device.
"Scan for any footprints or unnatural marks," I say into the comlink.
I wave the device along the ground in a small area of several square feet, where remnants of shattered glass are scattered. Once I'm done I allow the device to process, and then display a holographic image along the ground. Blue light shines to reveal extremely vague marks, from the best of the device's ability to pick up. There were no more than tiny scuff marks, which make them very hard to read. Sill, I narrow my eyes and analyze the marks, noting that some in general head towards the forest, while others head towards the fields.
"Two were pursued..." I mutter thoughtfully.
If there are two general directions, then that means that they split up, one hoping to lead another astray, while the other ran away with the child. And if there are more scuff marks in the direction of the forest. Then I must not travel there.
I look up in the direction of the grassy plains, and start making my way through. Using the Force I try to imagine what could have occurred here, thinking on the emotions I felt through the prompting. The tracker would be useless here, as the grass would obscure any possible marks that could've been made.
A sense of echoing fear in the field leads me in a general direction, and I eventually come to a stop at a river, my gaze falling.
"Oh no..." I murmur.
Any possible trail that I was attempting to follow ends here, leaving my search all for naught. However...
If I'm correct, then this river is the same that leads to the capital city of Chandrila, Hanna City. Looking in that direction, I allow myself to think about the situation. From what I can feel, the mother and the child had traveled through these grassy plains, and their pursuers would no doubt realize the trick. This river is too wide too cross without transport, so the mother would've only had one option.
To send her child away down the river on a raft, away from the pursuer's clutches. And hopefully, this child would've been found by city officials and placed in an orphanage.
Perhaps the search isn't as lost as I imagined.
Hanna City orphanage - Chandrila
I try to keep my presence relatively unknown as I enter the city, in order to draw no unnecessary attention. So I make my way towards the city orphanage and enter the building, taking a look around. Seeing a clerk at the front desk I make my approach, and she looks up.
"Good morning, sir. How may I help you?" she asks politely.
"Good morning," I greet as well. "I'm wondering what your schedule is for possible adoption times?"
"Are you looking to adopt someone here?" she questions.
"Depends on what I may find," I admit with a small smile. "Could I have a look at the children here real quick?"
"I'm sorry sir, but at the moment we aren't having any visitor's scheduled," she declines.
"I understand, but this is a bit of a different situation," I explain calmly, pulling a card out of my cloak.
She takes the card with a confused look and glances at it, widening her eyes before looking at me in surprise.
"You're a Jedi Master?" she asks. "I'm so sorry, I did not realize that!"
"It's perfectly alright miss," I reassure her with a gentle smile. "I'm not too much of a fan of making my presence widely known."
"Of course, that's understandable," she replies with a few quick nods. "Are you here because one of our children is Force-sensitive?"
"Maybe. It isn't completely confirmed, but I'm hoping I can do so," I explain. "If there is a Force-sensitive child here I'm hoping that I could bring them back to the Jedi Temple and be trained as a Jedi."
"Would you like me to call my superiors for you?" she offers.
"Yes, please."
"Alright sir. Just wait here in the waiting room for a minute," she says.
I incline my head in acceptance before moving over to sit in one of the chairs as the clerk quickly makes a call. While waiting, I take the moment to get a sense of the area with the Force, searching for any signs of a Force-sensitive. I still can't feel anything however, yet at the same time I'm still drawn here. It's very confusing.
3rd person POV...
The playroom was packed full of young kids of many different ages, ranging from as young as three years old, up to sixteen. Many were of different species or ethnicities, and the crowd consisted of both boys and girls. There were humans, twi'lek's, sullustans, rodians, mirialans, duros, and other different species. The older kids were on one side of the playroom and playing various games and sports, while the younger kids were on the other side or in corners, playing with toys. Among those younger kids was Jarik Shan.
Since Jarik was found around a year ago and brought into the orphanage, he's had some difficulty fitting in. Memories of what happened quickly began to elude him, and he even finds it hard to recall the details of what brought him here, only that it was terrifying for him, and cost him his birth parents. As such, he usually keeps to himself, but sometimes plays with the other kids as well, especially when it was recess time.
As it was however, he felt something prickling in the back of his head, and reaches up to scratch what he honks to be an itch. Doing so however, he catches sight of a strange man entering the playroom with one of his teachers, a zabrak man named Mr. Silva. For whatever reason, Mr. Silva brings a sense of nervousness to Jarik at the sight of him and his horns, although he's not sure why. Some of the kids think that he's afraid of a zabrak's horns.
However he was ignoring that, and watching the strange man with wide eyes and a sense of awe, feeling like something was different about him.
Qui-Gon POV...
Mr. Silva and I stand at the side of the playroom, watching as the children continue to play around with each other. Looking around thoughtfully, I frown as I think about which child could be the one I'm looking for, if the child really is here.
"So which of our children do you believe may be Force-sensitive, Master Jedi?" Silva questions.
"I'm not sure yet. I can sense something, but they remain... elusive," I admit. "How many have been brought into the orphanage during this past year?"
"Well, there have been six new additions," he starts off, pointing them out. "Aleane Ukarme, Nick Rool, Chiiko Madish, Lara Moryne, Thaiman sa Clydno, and Jarik Shan."
I look at each of the children that Silva points out, focusing on them with the Force briefly to determine their sensitivity. No... no... no... no... no... wait. Glancing at the last child, he narrows his eyes briefly at the strange feeling he was getting from him. If I'm remembering it properly, this boy is named Jarik. He's still a toddler, probably around the age of three, but he definitely seems special. I take note of how he stares back at me, a mixture of curiosity and awe in his gaze.
Then I can feel the Force sing, and Jarik's Force-sensitivity is broadcast to me like the daylight. There's no doubt in my mind now that he is a Force-sensitive, and a powerful one at that. I can sense something even greater than just his power...
"The last boy, Jarik," I point out. "What were the circumstances of him arriving here?"
"About a year ago, a river maintenance worker discovered him floating down a raft in the river, crying," Silva explains with a frown. "We performed a genetic match, but his biological parents seem to have completely vanished."
I widen my eyes at the story, realization dawning across me as I look from Silva to Jarik in thought. The child is still watching me curiously, unknowingly sensing my sensitivity to the Force as well.
"That's him..." I murmur.
"Pardon me?" Silva asks, not hearing it.
"The boy possesses a connection to the Force. His story matches up with the one I've been searching for earlier today," I explain, facing him fully.
Silva nods, eyes a little wide in surprise.
"I see. Do you wish to take him with you?" he questions.
"I would be delighted to do so, if it is possible, and at the very least meet him if that isn't the case," I tell him.
"Very well, Master Jedi," he says with a nod, turning around. "Jarik! Could you come over here please?"
Jarik widens his eyes in surprise and glances around before shuffling over nervously, feeling like he did something wrong. Stopping in front of us, the boy looks uneasily and fiddles with his hands, glancing between the two of us with wide, innocent eyes.
"Yes...?" he asks meekly.
"Jarik, this is Mr. Qui-Gon Jinn. He's expressed an interest in talking to you and, if possible, adopting you," Silva explains, gesturing to me.
"You... adopt... me?" Jarik asks me in awe.
I kneel down to be at a better eye level with him and smile pleasantly.
"I hope so, young one," I tell him sincerely. "What's your name?"
"I'm Jarik," he answers sheepishly.
"It's good to meet you Jarik," I reply warmly.
"Are you Jedi?" he asks timidly, looking up shyly.
"What gives you that idea?" I ask in amusement, albeit a little surprised at his deduction.
"Big robes and laser sword. Jedi have those," he says proudly.
"Perhaps I just enjoy the style? Or maybe I'm wearing a costume," I suggest.
"Nope!" he replies, shaking his head. "You a Jedi!"
I smile at him warmly, finding him to be quite the interesting and curious young boy.
"You're quite perceptive, Jarik. I am indeed a Jedi," I admit.
"Cool!" he says in awe, smiling widely up at me in excitement.
"You know, Jarik, I have to ask you something," I begin, looking at him seriously. "Have you ever felt or done something that the other kids can't?
"... Huh?" he asks in confusion.
"You seem to know about the Jedi," I remark. "Do you think you've ever felt something, maybe about the way someone feels, or moved something without touching it?"
He frowns in thought.
"... No... wait, uh, yes!" he quickly nods his head.
"That's good, that's good," I tell him with a smile.
"What is it?" he asks.
"That, my young friend, is the Force," I tell him. "Those who have it, can train to become Jedi."
He gasps in surprise and lets out a squeal of excitement, jumping on his feet.
"Can I be Jedi?!" he squeals.
"Only if you want to," I tell him with a warning. "I must warn you it isn't an easy life. The training is hard."
"I can! Cool!" he declares proudly, looking up at Silva with hopeful eyes. "Can I? Can I?"
"If you feel that's where you want to go, then you may go," Silva says.
"YES!" Jarik squeals happily. "Thank you!"
He dashes forwards and gives me a hug. I'm surprise, but I merely return the hug with a smile, finding his joy and eagerness heartwarming.
Jedi Temple - Coruscant
3rd person POV...
Qui-Gon's ship lands in the hanger of the Jedi Temple, at the same time as Jedi Master Plo Koon's shuttle, and in the same place. The door ramp opens, which gives the young toddler, and newly discovered Force wielder Jarik Shan a good view of the place. He takes everything in with wide eyes filled with awe, excitement, and nervousness.
He reaches up to grasp Qui-Gon's hand, which the Jedi Master provides with a reassuring smile. He walks the young boy down the ramp and into the Temple hanger, and while they head over towards Plo Koon's ship he keeps gazing around at the massive hanger with childlike glee and shyness. The ramp of Plo Koon's ship then lowers to reveal Jedi Master Plo Koon, standing with a young Togrutan girl of the same tender age of three. The girl was also holding onto her Jedi Master's hand as he led her down the ramp, and the two approach each other.
Qui-Gon and Plo Koon begin to exchange pleasant greetings, while the younglings take notice of each other. Glancing at Qui-Gon, Jarik then timidly moves forwards to nervously the girl, who does the same as well. They stand near each other uneasily, yet also curious at the same time, feeling irresistibly drawn to the other. With his arms behind his back meekly, Jarik introduces himself.
"Hi! I'm Jarik! Who are you?" he asks the girl shyly with wide, innocent eyes.
"I'm Ahsoka," she replies timidly.
