Chapter 4

(3,651 BBY - 12 years old)

The sound of shouts and clashes of training sabers echoed off the cavernous ceiling of the large starship hangar, the only place in the academy with enough space for all the trainees to spar. Z'myra and I held our training sabers at the ready. She grinned and spun her weapon at me. I parried, then turned to block the stone flying at me from behind.

"Cheater," I teased with a large smile on my face. I had to admire her clever skill. Her response was laughter and I leapt towards her; my training saber angled towards her neck. She blocked easily and we began to dance around our corner of the hanger, sabers blurring through the air.

Weapons practice was my favorite class. Master Shadra Nise was our instructor and only Z'myra had the skill to keep up with me, which meant, when I wasn't helping teach the younger initiates, we were permanent sparring partners. It was one of the happiest times of my life. I was twelve years old with the best friend anyone could ask for. My lessons were progressing, and though I'm sure my teachers wondered whether I would ever obtain the full rank of Jedi, I didn't have a doubt in my mind. All I had to do was pass the upcoming trials.

I lifted my saber to block Z'myra's oncoming blow when pain and blinding white light exploded in my head. I staggered and vaguely heard Z'myra cry out my name. My training saber crashed to the floor and then everything went dark.

Smoke burned my eyes and lungs and I shied away from the heat. The sounds of screaming and blasters echoed in the distance. I spun around wildly, trying to get my bearings. I stood next to the bar in a familiar looking room. My family's cantina. The back of the room, by the stairs where the jukebox used to be, was all in flames. A large man wearing mismatched armor with long, greasy black hair and a face covered with scars and cybernetics pointed a blaster at a couple huddled in the far corner. I moved closer, drawn to them. Somehow, I knew they wouldn't see me. I knew I wasn't actually there. The man cowering in the corner was wire thin with short brown hair, his face sharp and angular. His features were familiar to me. My eyes darted around the room. The floor was strewn with bodies. I couldn't tell if the bodies were those of my family. I couldn't remember what they looked like.

The harsh laughter from the man with the blaster drew my attention back to the cringing figures in the corner. The man was pushing the woman behind him. Her skin was bright red and I knew she must be purebred sith. She was sobbing, clutching something to her chest. I moved closer and saw she held a child, only a couple of years old. To my surprise the little girl wasn't crying. She seemed to sense me somehow. She looked up directly at me and I staggered back. Her bright yellow eyes were filled with hate.
"You cheated the wrong person, Nial." The name barely registered in my mind. I was held captive by those golden eyes.

"No, please. I just need more time." The sound of my brother begging for his life snapped me out of that mesmerizing gaze.

"It's too late for that," and he pulled the trigger. My brother screamed in agony and the woman fell back, her arms going slack around the child. The man bellowed with laughter then pulled the trigger again. I watched, somehow detached from my emotions, as my brother slump to the floor at an odd angle. The man kicked the body out of his way and leaned down to get a better look at the child. "Now you, my lovely little thing, will bring a fair price on the market."

The little girl glared up at the giant of a man. He staggered back, clutching at his throat. I watched in stunned horror as his face went red, and then his lips slowly turned blue.

The door crashed open and three men came to an abrupt halt in the doorway. "Captain," the man in front called out, "the streets are . . . Captain!" The other two froze in shock while the one who spoke quickly took in the situation. The child didn't seem to notice the intrusion, all her focus was on the suffocating man writhing on the floor in front of her. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had a slight smile on her lips. Without delay the newcomer strode across the floor, pulling his blaster. When he reached the girl, he, almost delicately, tapped the back of her small head with the side of the gun. She crumpled to the ground and her victim gasped for air.

The man knelt, checking her vitals, before moving on to check his captain. He looked up and snapped orders at the two men who still stood stunned in the doorway. "Quickly, bring the Sith here. He will want to take that thing for himself," he pointed back at the child. The two men fled the room and he muttered, "At least the blasted Sith should be able to keep her from killing anyone."

"Master Shadra," I heard the familiar sound of Z'myra's voice. "I think she's coming around." I was lying on the cold, hard floor, my head pounding, and a sharp pain stabbing behind my eyes. "Mari', can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Give her some room, Z'myra." Master Shadra's calm voice and cool touch on my forehead seemed to soothe the pain.

"What happened?" My mouth wouldn't work right, and my words came out slow and slurred. "How long was I gone?"

"You didn't go anywhere." Master Shadra's voice sounded confused. "You passed out during your weapon's practice with Z'myra. Do you remember that?" I nodded my head slowly, trying to keep the world from spinning. "You've been unconscious for only a few minutes."

"No, no," I struggled to sit up. "I was in the cantina, back in Thani."

"Shh, calm yourself. All will become clear in time."

Z'myra knelt beside me, holding my hand and the rest of my clan, Kendara, Tes'lee, X'ri, and Grif, hovered a few feet away with worried expressions on their faces.

"She will be fine," Master Shadra told them. "Now would be a good time to retire to the meditation room. Clear your mind of emotions."

A few of them looked relieved and they all started towards the door. Z'myra hesitated. Master Shadra smiled and said, "Help me get her to my quarters." Z'myra quickly obeyed and before I could protest I had one arm over each of their shoulders and they half carried me out of the hangar.

I sat with Z'myra on the soft couch in Master Shadra's room while she searched the holonet for anything that could confirm my vision. I leaned back feeling drained after going back through every detail of what I saw.

"There seems to have been an attack in your home quarter of Thani by a splinter group of the Exchange. The casualties are high." She looked away from her datapad and I saw the sympathy in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mariatu. Your parents and brother, Nial, and his wife are among the casualties, but there is no mention of Caalin or Jarik."

I took a shuddering breath, unsure of how to feel. Z'myra put her arm around my shoulders and I leaned into her, glad of her presence. Then I remembered the disturbing image of the child. "The girl. Was there anything about the girl?" She shook her head. I was disappointed. A sense of foreboding overwhelmed me whenever I thought about the child. I pushed the feeling away and recited the Jedi mantra to myself.

Three weeks later I stood with the rest of my clan in the council chambers. Jedi Masters Shadra Nise, Joran Khen-jo, and Bri'lafa, as well as three unfamiliar Jedi, sat around the council table. The three were from other Jedi temples around the galaxy, there searching out a padawan.

Our trials were over and the time for choosing had come. I was nervous. The palms of my hands were damp with sweat and I wanted to wipe them on my shirt, but that would give away how nervous I was. I tried to breathe slowly and calm my mind. My nerves warred with excitement. What happened in the next few moments would decide my fate.

Master Khen-jo stood. I held my breath. "You all have shown an excellent understanding of the Jedi Code and have proven, through many trials, your connection with the Force. Your skill with the saber varies among you, but you all have shown yourselves proficient. We have decided that you all will move on to become padawan."

I let out my breath as a wave of relief washed over me. I felt the same relief emanating from my clanmates and I realized they had been just as worried as me, that is all except Z'myra. She exuded confidence. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw her grinning. Her joy was contagious and I felt my own spirits lifting.

"The choosing of a padawan is an ancient and honored Jedi tradition with its roots in the . . . " Master Khen-jo's voice took on that lecturing tone and, as I usually did in his classes, I let my mind wander and only vaguely listened to his words. It was then that I noticed Master Shadra watching me. I felt my face warm and I knew she knew I wasn't paying attention. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she winked at me. At that moment I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had chosen me.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. I only remember that Master Khen-jo chose Z'myra as his padawan, and Master Bri'lafa chose X'ri. The others were chosen by the Jedi from off world. They left the next day and I was moved into a small room that was part of my new master's quarters.

A few days later I was meditating in my room when I heard a knock at the door. I felt my master's presence and reached out with the Force to activate the switch. The door slid open and Master Shadra stood in the doorway, one eyebrow lifted.

"The Force should not be used frivolously."

"Yes, master." I bowed my head in acknowledgement.

"Enough of that, I have news about the child."

"Who?" I was confused by her sudden change of topic.

"The girl from your vision; the force sensitive child who was taken by the Sith."

I shuddered at the memory. I couldn't understand how such a young child could have such a cruel look on their face. She had been consumed by hate. What could possibly turn a child that young to the dark side?

"Mariatu," the sound of my master's sympathetic voice brought me back out of the memory. "The child is the daughter of your brother, Nial, and the sith woman, Keshani. Her name is Nia'shani. The reports show that she was taken by the Sith, Darth Jen'Itsu." I heard her words, but my mind refused to comprehend. "I am so sorry, my padawan, the child is lost to us."

For a moment I felt nothing, then something inside me broke and I wept for the child I would never know and could not save.