"We'll be arriving at the Academy in just a few minutes," First Officer Bradley Nuss, a crewman aboard the shuttle The Yavin Runner II, called back to its eight passengers. They'd just picked up their last student on Coruscant and were finally headed back to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. They were ahead of schedule and everyone aboard, especially the passengers, were giddy with excitement.

Luke Skywalker had started the Academy a little over three years ago, about seven years after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the Second Death Star. He'd set about finding those who were sensitive with the power of the Force. And now, young and old were being discovered across the galaxy and brought to the Academy to foster their unique gifts in a safe and secure environment.

Rows of seats lined the passenger area, barely a third of them filled, giving the Academy's newest students room to spread out. Most of them, save one, were around the same age, from their early teens to early twenties. Some rested with their backs to the wall, chins dropped on their chests, exhausted from their journey. Others chatted excitedly with each other about what they hoped to do at the Academy, especially what kind of lightsaber they would build.

"That would be so great!" Rosh Penin called up to Nuss. Out of everyone he felt he was the most excited about getting the chance to attend Skywalker's Jedi Academy. He sat leisurely in his seat, having the whole row to himself. After chatting up nearly everyone around him, his seat neighbors had expressed their need to get some rest. One by one they moved away from the boy, using excuses that the seats were just not comfortable enough to sleep on. But Rosh didn't think so. He had tried all of the seats after the other students left and they felt perfectly fine. No matter, he'd needed some time to think by himself anyway, there would be time for making friends later. However…

Rosh spotted a girl about his age, probably eighteen or nineteen, seated on the row across the aisle from him. In all the busyness of chatting with other students when they were docked at Coruscant, he'd hardly noticed the quiet new passenger. Now that he was alone he got a better look at her. She had fair skin with grayish blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. There was a simple loveliness about her that was hard to describe. Rosh grinned to himself as he slid over onto the seat next to her.

"Aren't you excited? We're going to be Jedi! Learning the ways of the Force, building a lightsaber…" He suddenly noticed something sitting against her gray pant leg on the edge of her seat. He knew by the shape what it was. It looked to be a custom design, from the dark blue and copper carved handgrip to the salvaged pommel and activator switch. He peeled his eyes off the object, realizing that he'd been staring, and looked her in the face again.

"…Ah, of course, you already have one. I'm gonna get one of those stupid training sabers and then…"

"I wouldn't worry about that," the girl said, looking at him for the first time, a shy smile gracing her lips. Rosh noticed she had hazel eyes. He dropped his gaze, blushing.

"I can't help it. I want to make a good impression when I arrive. And showing up with your own lightsaber is definitely a way to do that."

"You sure seem really nervous about it," she observed. She glanced sidelong at his simple black pants and reddish orange garb that hung from his slight frame, sand colored wrappings covering his arms as well as cinching in his waist where a black utility belt secured it in place. There was something kind of boyishly charming about his short spiked raven black hair that faded on the sides of his head. And his brown eyes… As slightly annoyed as she was for having her peaceful quiet interrupted, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him. She'd noticed when the other students politely moved away from him.

"Aren't you?" Rosh asked. "I mean, well, why would you be? You already have a lightsaber so you're probably way ahead of me and all I have is a blaster…" He paused, suddenly realizing something. "I'm Rosh by the way." The girl didn't answer, she seemed like she'd tuned out or was staring into space. Figuratively. "Um… what's your name?"

"Huh?" She shook her head. "Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind today. I'm Jaden."

They shook hands awkwardly.

"So, where'd you get that lightsaber?" Rosh asked.

Jaden suppressed a sigh. She'd have to find a good thinking spot later. She started to fidget with the embroidered hem of her blue-green shirt. "Well, it's kind of a long story. I found myself on- Oh!"

There was a sudden jolt and the whole ship shook. Rosh cried out and grabbed the edge of his seat. Jaden gripped a handhold on the wall next to her. Somewhere First Officer Nuss shouted for everyone to 'Hold on!' and they all felt their stomachs drop. The ship was going down.


Through the atmosphere of the moon of Yavin IV, the shuttle glided, smoke emitting from a damaged engine. Below a figure stood, perched atop a nearby structure that was hidden in the thick of the forest. A smile on their lips and a cruel looking scepter in their grasp. A perfect shot. Everything was going according to plan.


The Yavin Runner II hit the ground hard, crushing trees and throwing dirt and other debris in every direction. Rosh and Jaden were thrown forward. An image of metal and flames, followed by a swirl of bright daylight edged their vision. Then it all went black.


"Academy to Yavin Runner II. Do you copy?" Luke Skywalker held the comlink up to his mouth, praying there would be an answer.

"Loud and clear," answered the voice of First Officer Nuss. "We made an emergency landing several clicks west of the Academy."

Luke released a sigh of relief. "Is everyone all right?"

"I think so."

"Good, we'll send a shuttle to pick you up." He stepped out of his personal quarters and hurriedly started down the hall for the hangar. "Can you lead the students to the nearby Massassi Temple?"

"Affirmative, Academy. We'll meet you there." Nuss answered. Luke pocketed his com and quickened his pace.

Some distance down the opposite end of the hall, across from Luke's private quarters, a figure lurked. She was a red Twi'lek dressed in blues and greens. At the sight of Skywalker's retreating form, she made her move. Gliding silently along the floor, she slipped into his room and made her way to a computer console. She swiftly produced a datapad from her pocket and plugged it in. It took less time than she'd expected to find what she was looking for.

"There you are…" She smiled, revealing neat rows of sharp teeth as white as Krayt Dragon Pearls. She unplugged her datapad and was out of the room in the blink of an eye.


Rosh stood up slowly, brushing himself off. He felt shaky, but miraculously he was unhurt and alive, considering that he landed several yards away from the ship on a little hill that was flanked by a small river that forked around it. He saw Jaden laying face down, closer to the ship. She wasn't moving.

"Jaden!" He had to get over to her, but the river was wide on both sides and he, ashamedly, didn't know how to swim. He checked his person for the comlink Officer Nuss had given him when he first boarded but couldn't find it. "Dank farrik!" He swore. Thankfully his blaster was still secured to his holster he wore on his hip.


Jaden slowly stirred, her body aching all over, but otherwise unharmed. A sound was coming from the front pocket of her pants. She pulled out her comlink that they'd given her when she was picked up all those hours ago on Coruscant.

Coruscant. Home. The planet without many green trees or grass unless they were planted in a public garden or decorative plaza. How unappealing it seemed then. Now she was surrounded by green, but felt that she'd rather be back there walking its streets with its bright lights. Listening to her uncle -the man who raised her when she had no one else- tinkering in his workshop. Or sitting in her favorite cafe, drinking her favorite caf…

"Jaden, we can't get to you," Nuss was saying. "Make your way to the temple. The shuttle will meet us there."

Jaden pressed the talk button. "I hear you sir, but what was that last part? What temple?"

"It's…. Massas-... Just…..click….. away." Static filled the empty air and didn't stop.

"Dank farrik," Jaden muttered.

"Jaden, hey! I'm stuck! Can you help?" Rosh yelled across the way. Jaden turned to see him trapped on a hill across the river. How he'd gotten there and not been seriously injured, she would never know. But she was glad he wasn't dead.

"Hold on Rosh, I'm on my way!" She made sure her lightsaber was secured to her belt and hurried over to the water's edge. "Can you wade through it?"

"I uh…. I can't swim well." Rosh admitted, turning red.

"It's alright…" Jaden said, thinking.

"Wait, Jaden, see if you can make your way around there." Rosh pointed to where the water forked around the hill, to a narrow section of it that passed directly under the burning remains of their shuttle. Jaden's eyes followed to where he was indicating and headed towards the narrow part of the river, fording it easily. Ahead, close to the shore on her side, was a small, thick tree.

"Maybe you can use your lightsaber to cut that tree down and make a bridge," he suggested. Jaden nodded, removing her lightsaber from its belt clip and hitting the on switch. A purple glow emitted from its blade, coloring one side of her face and bathing the ground around her in its violet light. She approached the tree and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Rosh asked, his eyes wide, he'd never been this close to a lightsaber in action before.

"I've… never actually used it," Jaden said, grinning bashfully.

Rosh grinned back, "Well, there's a first time for everything. Just make sure to cut it at the base."

"Got it." With a huge, clumsy swing, Jaden hit the tree near its roots and it fell right over the river, just reaching the opposite shore.

"Thanks Jaden," Rosh quickly made his way across the makeshift bridge. "Let's get to the temple."

"You heard First Officer Nuss then? Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Kind of. See, I did a little research about this place before coming. Apparently this moon has more than its fair share of ancient abandoned temples. The Academy's just one of 'em that the Rebellion used. I think the one Nuss was talking about is the Massassi temple. It should be…" He turned in circles a few times to get his bearings. "That way!" He pointed more or less in the direction that the helm of their downed shuttle pointed.

"Are you sure that's the right way?" Jaden asked skeptically. But another thorough look around told her they were trapped from all other directions: From the crashed shuttle to the steep inclines, thick trees and boulders all around them.

"Sure I'm sure," Rosh said confidently. "Let's get going, but have your saber ready, I'll have my blaster out and- Watch out!"

Jaden turned to see two large, dark green monstrous lizard-like creatures leaping towards them with a screeching type cry that grated on the nerves.

"Howlers! Don't get too close when they sit up to howl!" Rosh cried.

"Why?-" But Jaden had her answer a moment later, the howler closest to them immediately stopped and sat, lifting up its head to the sky it opened its mouth wide and gaping, a loud, echoing cry releasing through the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Jaden lost her balance, falling flat and clamped her hands over her ears. She'd never been one for loud noises anyway but this was intrusive, as though the sound itself were crawling around inside her skull. Squeezing her eyes shut, she didn't realize when she had started to scream in an attempt to drown it out with a noise of her own.

"Jaden! Jaden! Get up Jaden! Get up! I got it!" Opening her eyes she saw Rosh, blaster in hand, then the howler, dead on the ground with a hole in its head. "C'mon!" Rosh's hand was extended towards her. "There's another one!" Jaden took his hand and leapt to her feet. In one swift motion, so fast she didn't even realize she was doing it, her lightsaber ignited and she flew forward. The incoming howler stopped short and raised its head. Swinging her saber with a deftness she didn't carry with cutting the tree, she severed the howler's head before it could release a paralyzing cry. Panting, Jaden returned her lightsaber to her belt.

"Woah! Jaden, that was amazing! Are you sure you haven't used that lightsaber before?" Rosh holstered his blaster and nudged the second howler with his foot.

"Yep," Jaden swallowed, wiping sweat from her brow. "I don't know, I just, it felt like an adrenaline rush but… different. Like something was guiding my blade. I've tried to practice my Force skills but never experienced this before." She straightened a bit and looked ahead. "Let's go."

"Alright, but you'll have to show me how you did that later."

"I told you, I've never experienced it before, it's not what I did exactly, it's… The Force. I don't know. I'll sort it out later." Jaden started forward without waiting for Rosh. They walked towards a curve in the landscape that formed a grassy trench, it didn't seem natural, but formed by hands. More evidence of intelligent life revealed itself when they turned the corner and saw a stone gateway built between the trench walls, barring their path.

"What is this?" Jaden wondered.

"This means we're going the right way," Rosh exclaimed. "I was right! It's a gate leading us to the Temple, but they would've hidden the way to open it." They looked all around the gate, it was too high to jump or climb over by standing on each other's shoulders. They spotted a lever behind a small grate with bars so close to each other that Jaden knew she'd never be able to fit her arm, let alone hand, through the bars.

"There must be a way to open this," she mused.

Rosh strutted up to the grate. "No problem." His hand came up and pulled in a downward motion. At the same moment, the lever moved down and the door slid open.

"Nice," Jaden smiled, inwardly kicking herself for not thinking of that, but glad for once to not be doing this alone.

"After you," Rosh politely indicated the open doorway and Jaden shot him a wry look as she stepped through the gate. A slight movement caught her gaze.

"Watch out!" She cried, pressing her hands to her ears as another howler, sitting not ten feet away, started to howl, its sound echoing in the trees. Jaden braced herself for the paralyzing impact she'd experienced earlier, but it never came. When the giant lizard stopped, Jaden removed her hands from her head and took the opportunity of the lizard's silence.

"Rosh, fire!" She moved out the way as Rosh opened fire on the howler and she came at it from the side with her saber. When it lay dead and silent on the forest floor, Jaden turned to Rosh. "How come it didn't knock me down this time?"

Rosh blew on the barrel of his blaster and re-holstered it. "It depends on how close you are. The closer the more potent its howl is. It's better that you waited to attack it. Great job by the way with your lightsaber."

"Thanks, you too. If you hadn't covered me, it probably would've been harder to kill."

"I guess we make a good team," Rosh smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. Jaden noticed for the first time that he had dimples. He started forward. "Hopefully we won't run into any more trouble."

They continued in silence for a while. They didn't come upon any more howlers, but found another outflow of the river, thankfully smaller so they could easily jump across and had to utilize Jaden's saber again to cut a tree to serve as a makeshift bridge over a chasm. The more they walked through that green jungle of a forest, the more Jaden smelled the earth and the grass, the less homesick she felt and the more she wished to have seen more green in her lifetime before now.

It was another quarter of an hour before they finally spotted the top of the Massassi Temple, towering above the treetops. They'd been walking in a casual way, not thinking of the noise their feet made on the ground, at ease with each other as though they'd been friends since childhood and were just taking a stroll. They neared a clearing, large boulders on either side of its entrance, when Rosh suddenly ducked to the side, hiding behind the boulder on their left.

"Jaden, get down!" He whispered loudly, gesturing wildly for her to get behind the boulder across from him. "There's stormtroopers in the clearing!" He jerked his head toward the opening between the rocks.

Jaden fell back against the boulder he indicated and they both peaked out to see two Imperial stormtroopers, standing at the far end of the clearing. Their black and white armor stark against the landscape. Their only way to the temple was blocked.

"I think it's just the two of 'em," Rosh said. "Maybe you should uh, check it out."

Jaden balked at his suggestion, "Why me?" Is he crazy? She thought. Probably.

Rosh shrugged. "You're the one with the lightsaber after all."

Jaden resisted the urge to roll her eyes and hefted her saber in both hands. Giving Rosh a single nod, she stepped carefully out into the open.

"Who goes there?" One of the stormtroopers said. Both of them turned their heads, spotting the young Jedi at the entrance to the clearing. Jaden decided to just go for it, rushing at them head on while they stood, shocked and surprised by her sudden appearance. Her saber's blade came out with a fury and sliced through the nearest stormtrooper's chest. The second had finally collected himself enough to open fire on her, Jaden deflected the first few bolts almost by luck, then dodged, running zigzag at him and clipping his blaster before inadvertently decapitating him. Jaden didn't have time to reflect on her actions when the sound of another lightsaber turning on caught her attention.

Jumping down from a tall, nearby tree, was a figure covered head to toe, their face obscured by a cloth mask. A strange, circular symbol formed by crescent moon shapes, cruel and menacing, was on the shoulder of both arms. He held a red glowing lightsaber in one hand. He must be a Dark Jedi or Sith of some kind. Jaden thought. He was just up there the whole time watching his comrades die!

"Who are you?!" She asked, gripping her saber, trying to hold it in an authoritative stance. The figure didn't answer, but ran at her. She dodged the first swing and blocked the second. Jaden hoped to the Force it would help her. Their two lightsabers crossed and locked together for several intense seconds; Jaden stared into the figure's face, trying to see past the cloth mesh that covered it from view. The figure pushed her back, causing her to stumble a few feet away.

"Come get me, Jedi!" The figure said in a dark and husky voice, clearly male. He seemed impatient and started toward her again, but Jaden was ready, and hoped that she would succeed. Watching where the Sith held his lightsaber, she tried to anticipate his swing, ducking under it while making a slash of her own at his exposed side. His sudden cry of pain sealed her victory.

The next thing she knew, she was standing by herself in the clearing with the bodies of the two stormtroopers and now the dead Dark Jedi scattered on the grass. She put a hand to her chest, willing her heartbeats to slow down. She felt like she was going to be sick. She knew that as a Jedi, killing was sometimes the only option. It was self defense to be sure, but it was still killing. She'd done some research on the ancient Code of the Jedi, which claimed self-defense was permissible. And while it did give her some relief to know that she'd had no other choice in the matter, that still didn't make the sick feeling go away.

Turning away from the fallen enemies, Jaden called out: "Rosh! You can come out now, it's safe! Rosh! Rosh?" She looked around, but her friend was nowhere to be seen, he was no longer behind the boulder either. Unsure of what to do and out of options, Jaden turned her head back in the direction of the Massassi Temple, hoping that perhaps Rosh had found a way around it and the rest of the new students and shuttle crew were there too.

She climbed down an embankment to where the river flowed deep and wide between her and the imposing structure of the abandoned temple. Holding her lightsaber up, Jaden waded through the waist deep water to the other side. No one was there. Clipping her saber back to her belt, Jaden walked around the side and climbed up a wall that sloped at a steep angle to ground level. Perched on a narrow ledge, she worked her way around, hoping to see better from her vantage point.

She heard a noise, a blend of fire crackling and the thrumming of a lightsaber blade. Quietly, she peaked around the sharp corner she'd come to, her eyes widening.

Three people stood several yards away, facing the temple, two were large, burly men, identical in every way, from their faces down to their clothing. Jaden saw that their clothing was similar to the Dark Jedi's, except for the mask, with the same curved symbol on their shoulders. Between them stood a tall woman, clad in dark leathers. The only color on her came from the deep purple tattoos covering her arms in a checkered pattern. The same color covered half of her face from her forehead to the middle of her nose like a mask, looking like tribal war paint. Feathers ranging from green to yellow to orange hung from her done up hair. In her hand she held a cruel looking scepter, with a cross guard on the bottom and two crooked prongs at the top. The woman pointed it towards the temple, a yellow-orange glow emitting from between the prongs, its light fading near the temple wall. Jaden did not like the look of this though she had no idea what was going on. She carefully shifted her weight to get a better view. A small shower of loose pebbles crumbled under her feet and fell over the edge. Jaden bit back a curse.

"What?" The woman said, turning toward the noise, the scepter moving with her as she did. Before Jaden could act, the beam of energy hit her with a flash of bright white light and she was plunged into darkness.

She was floating, disembodied in black nothingness, her mouth open, trying to scream but no sound escaped. The crushing vacuum surrounded her, closing in until she couldn't breathe. She was going to die and there was nothing she could do to stop it. A sharp, piercing scream, louder than the howler invaded her eardrums and then the deep mechanical breath of a monster, either close or far away, she couldn't tell. She was in a tunnel, that was what it felt like, because she could just see a tiny pinprick of light ahead, and a voice echoing her name. She ran towards it, hoping she wasn't too late.

Jaden slowly opened her eyes, the sudden daylight dazzling her, making her head ache. Above, the silhouette of a man knelt over her.

"Huh? What?" Jaden mumbled. "Who are you?" The man came into focus, he was about twice her age, with a kind, handsome, but somewhat life-worn face, brown eyes, brown hair and a short beard laced with gray. He extended his hand to her.

"Kyle Katarn, at your service. Welcome to a day in the life of a Jedi." He pulled her to a seated position. Jaden rubbed the back of her neck. How long was I out?

"What happened?" She asked.

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us," Kyle said and glanced to the left. Three of the students from the shuttle approached, two dragged the dead Sith she'd killed and dropped the body on the stone ground a few feet away. They were both human men, one about her age, the other probably closer to Kyle's; the third who tagged along was a male Togruta with blue skin and orange and white striped montrals. The younger human man nudged the body with his foot, his face twisted in disgust. She turned her face back to Kyle and suddenly saw Rosh in her peripheral rushing over to kneel next to her.

"When you had finished off the stormtroopers and then that Sith, Dark Jedi… person, dropped from the tree, I decided to try and find a way to the temple and get some backup, but by the time I found the rest of our group, that's when I saw a huge flash of light and ran over to find you just lying unconscious," he said it all so quickly he was left catching his breath.

A man with dirty blonde hair dressed in all black approached. "Do you recall anything?" He asked her.

Jaden recognized him immediately, her cheeks burning at the sudden attention from him and everyone around them. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to collect her thoughts. "I… I saw three people." She looked up at the man. "One was holding some sort of scepter and it was glowing. That's all I can remember."

"A scepter? That sounds bad," Rosh said.

"Are you able to stand?" The man in black asked. Kyle offered his hand to Jaden, pulling her to her feet, waiting a moment before letting go to ensure she was steady.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm okay," she said, looking at Kyle she added, "Thank you," smiling weakly.

"No problem kid," he winked, then stepped aside at the other man's behest.

"I sense a disturbance in the Force," the man in black said.

"You always sense a disturbance in the Force," Kyle stressed. "But yeah, I sense it too. It could just be residual dark side aura from this temple."

"Perhaps… Kyle, why don't you…"

"Stay here and investigate? I'd love to. Why don't you take the kids back home now?" The men exchanged nods.

"Be careful Kyle." They parted ways, with Kyle heading back to where Jaden had seen the figures and the man in black going in the opposite direction towards a nearby transport. He called back to the students, "Everyone, follow me to the shuttle."

"I think that… that was Luke Skywalker!" Rosh stuttered. "I can't believe it!"

Jaden smiled at his enthusiasm, she wanted to say something like, "A little slow on the uptake huh?" but was too tired for humor. She just wanted to rest. But the idea of closing her eyes and sleeping also scared her. Would she be plunged back into that horrific screaming darkness again? She was glad that she hadn't been hurt, not physically anyway, but there was something, something not quite right that she sensed rather than felt in her body. Something deep down inside that just… wasn't… Right.


Outside of the moon, flying past its orbit, an Imperial class shuttle raced away as though it'd never been there. Aboard the bridge, the red Twi'lek stood before the wielder of the scepter.

"Did you recover Skywalker's records?" The woman seated before her asked, the scepter in her hand.

The Twi'lek chuckled. "Yes. With all the Jedi in the jungle, it was almost too easy."

"Excellent," the woman said. "By the time Skywalker realizes what's missing, it will be too late."


Rosh sat next to Jaden on the new shuttle that gave them a ride to the Academy. He was repentant and felt extremely guilty about what happened and what she had to face alone.

"It's okay, Rosh, I'm fine now. Really."

Was she? She wondered. Somehow the impact of it all was fading into a vague memory, like a dream that you wake up from and can't remember clearly. But something had definitely changed, that much she could agree on. But what? She didn't want to remember, even if it was important, the impression of a nightmare was still there and she feared to face it again. What she was right now was tired. What time of day was it anyway? Sure it had been noon when she left Coruscant, but here it seemed to be, what, mid-morning? She turned to Rosh.

"Any idea what time of day it is?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Is your body feeling the jump-lag too?" Jaden merely nodded and yawned, which would make matters worse if she was caring at this point how people viewed her, but being tired trumped all that, including her fear of closing her eyes and sleeping. Without realizing it, she leaned her head on Rosh's shoulder. Quickly she pulled back, shaking her head to try and clear the exhaustion.

"It's alright," Rosh said, smiling. "I don't mind, besides, maybe I could atone by letting you rest comfortably." Jaden relented and gently rested her head on his shoulder again, feeling a little more, what was it? Cautious? Maybe. Awkward? More likely. Either way, Rosh's shoulder was pretty comfortable and solid. She relaxed quickly and found herself drifting off, not falling completely asleep, but at least resting peacefully.

They soon landed however, forcing Jaden to leave her pillow - Rosh's oh-so-comfortable shoulder. They filed out with First Officer Nuss giving her and Rosh a smile and a salute.

"Excellent job, Korr, Penin." They both exchanged pleasantries with him before hurriedly rejoining the group. They'd landed right outside of the Academy on an old landing pad used in the days of the Rebellion. Towering over them, larger than the ancient Massassi Temple, stood the ziggurat that housed Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum. Comprised of three steps leading up to a crate shaped top, the Academy seemed absolutely impenetrable. Many of the new students had heard of the facility's size and accommodations but never imagined this great sight before them.

Nuss whistled. "She's a beauty isn't she? See that topmost floor that looks like a big box from here? That's the Audience Chamber, Skywalker will give his lessons and announcements up there." He moved his pointer finger down. "And that second floor from the top is all the dormitories for both masters and students, though they're separated so each has their own wing."

"Do students get their own rooms?" Jaden suddenly asked without thinking, she hoped she didn't come off sounding selfish or anything.

"Hmm, can't recall." Nuss rubbed his chin. "Back in the Rebellion days, we all had to share the space, but now… And especially since there's not enough Jedi yet to fill up the space… I don't know, guess you're about to find out." He gestured to a tall, lithe, greenish-yellow Twi'lek woman who was approaching them.

"Hello students, welcome!" She said cheerfully. "My name is Tionne Solusar, I'm one of the masters here at the Academy and resident scholar of Ancient Jedi History. I heard you had a rough time getting here so I'll make this quick. Master Skywalker's Orientation has been moved to later this afternoon. That should give you all enough time to settle in and rest first. Follow me." She beckoned them and turned, heading for the open blast doors that lead into the main hangar. The new students oh'd and aw'd at the various ships and models that were housed there. The vast space was filled with X-wings, Y-wings, and even an Imperial shuttle that must have been stolen during the Rebellion.

"I wonder if we'll get our own X-wings?" Rosh whispered excitedly to Jaden.

She shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm not sure if they have enough ships to accommodate everyone, they're probably lent out to students when it's required of them."

They were led out of the hangar and into a large lift that fit all twelve of them. Many of them were tired from the day's exertion, but Rosh ventured to ask Master Tionne about their room accommodations.

"That's where I'm taking you now," she said, then added, "Once you are all settled into your rooms, you'll have a couple hours to rest, sleep, or just lay back and relax as you unpack."

"But we don't have our luggage," said the young Togruta sadly. He had smooth blue skin and various white tribal markings across his face. His three small montrals that hung just below his shoulder blades were white with bright orange stripes spaced evenly down were quite thick stripes now, but when he got older, they would thin as his montrals grew.

"Oh dear that's right! You had to leave everything when the shuttle crashed!" Tionne quickly pulled a comlink from her belt. "Academy 3 to Nuss, come in Nuss."

"Nuss here," answered the officer.

"I hadn't realized that the students had to leave their luggage behind in the shuttle. Can you get a team ready to return to it and see what you can salvage?"

"Roger that, I have a team already headed that way, we'll update you as soon as possible."

"Thank you so much Nuss, Academy 3, out." Tionne put the com away and turned to the Togruta. What was his name? Jaden didn't remember hearing it. "They're going to do everything to get all of your luggage back," she assured, then leaned down gently to put a calm hand on the Togruta boy's shoulder. "What was your name?"

"Goran," he answered. "I'm fourteen."

"Goran, well that is a young age to be off on your own, you're very brave to be doing it."

"Didn't have a choice really, the Empire killed my parents and my guardians didn't really want me. This might as well be my home."

For a moment no one, not even Tionne really knew what to do or say. Then it passed. Tionne squeezed Goran's shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry. There's not really an easy thing to say but, I do hope you feel at home here. Many times it does feel like a second family to me, and I believe if you focus on that, this place and all the people in it, will be family to you too." Tionne smiled warmly and then something happened that wasn't planned, without prompting, Jaden and Rosh reached forward to lay a reassuring hand on young Goran's shoulder and back. Then, an unspoken agreement passed to the rest of them and the students nearest to Goran, the two male humans who'd dragged the Dark Jedi's body to the Temple, reached out their hands too, and the other students on the outskirts, not wanting to miss out, put their hands on the shoulders of the ones in front of them. A feeling of warmth and reassurance passed from the students in the back all the way to Goran. None of them really knew how long the moment lasted, nor wanted it to end. As if on cue, the elevator stopped at its designated floor with an unceremonious ding! They all slowly fell into line behind Tionne, who kept Goran by her side as she led them down a hall to their right as they exited the lift.

"This is the dormitory floor," Tionne said. "The hall behind us leads to the master's quarters. You are not to enter them without permission or unless there's an Academy wide emergency." The passage they were following stopped at a wall with another passage running parallel to it. "Alright, this is where we divide the group for now. Girls rooms to the right, boys to the left. You'll find your name next to your door. Now, I'm going to make sure Goran gets settled in, if you have any questions, I'll be coming around to make sure each of you is settled in your room. As for your luggage, until Officer Nuss and his team return, we'll make sure to provide toiletries and an extra change of clothes in case you need it. Also, your bedding is already provided for."

"Is there a dress code?" One girl, probably her age, Jaden thought, or maybe a bit younger with pure white hair and a slim, short frame asked, raising her hand.

Tionne seemed to think for a moment. "Not necessarily, we certainly don't condone you walking around naked." Everyone tried to stifle their laughs. "But, I'm sure that's not what you mean. You can wear your own clothes as long as you're comfortable and can easily train in them. When you're out on missions though, that will be up to the Academy because some assignments require a disguise or a certain dress code. But since none of you are going on missions yet, I'd say stick to your own clothes for now."

She turned to head down the left hand corridor with Goran and the other students dispersed.

"Hey, Jaden," Rosh called, and she turned. "I'll see you down in the dining hall before orientation?"

Jaden felt her stomach grumble. "Definitely, I kinda want to rest first though."

"Sure thing," Rosh nodded, turned and headed back down his hallway.

Jaden passed the first few doors because she saw or heard some of the other girls already in them. About the sixth or seventh door down, she saw her name on the plaque next to it. "Finally," she said to herself, "Relief." She entered and locked the door behind her.

Her room wasn't very big, but it didn't need to be. It was spacious enough. A bed in the center with a footlocker next to it and another locker standing in the corner. Beside her bed was a small table with a shelf on the bottom. Yes, this would work, she thought, removing her belt and laying it and her lightsaber on the end table. She flopped onto her bed and fell asleep.

Author's notes

I do not own any of the characters, situations or parts of this story that belong to Star Wars, all rights go to Disney and Lucasfilm.

I'd like to thank my proofreaders/editors/typo hunters: Ashlynn and Bekeh. THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR HELPING MAKE THIS STORY BETTER THAN IT WAS BEFORE! I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR YOUR INSIGHTS, REACTIONS AND OPINIONS!

Also, if you'd like to learn more about upcoming projects, including sneak peeks and more Jedi Academy content, please follow me on Instagram (tirzah1022).