Title: A New Beginning (3/?) Author: Jessica Barber Author Email: mara_jade101@hotmail.com Category: Series (New Republic) Keywords: None Rating: PG-13 Summary: See prologue Disclaimer: See prologue Chapter Three I must Fight away the cold fingers, which grab me Fight the voices calling to me From the distant abyss of blackness Which I cannot let myself enter I know they call. They are grabbing for my hands. But I will not let them take me; I will make my stand And not fall off this cliff that I am standing on (because it is crumbling beneath my feet.) I cannot let myself fall Jessica Barber--I Must--A Day Without Light The _Corellian Sunrise_ came out of hyperspace over the fourth moon of Yavin. Looking from within the forward viewport, out of the corner of her eyes Serena saw Han Solo's ship appear to her portside. Looking ahead of her, the young Corellian saw a green covered moon. Serena immediately started her thrusters up. She followed Han through the thin atmosphere of the moon. The flying was smooth and easy, with very few wind currents. Before she knew it, they had both landed, and Han was walking out of his ship. Serena quickly walked to the opening of the _Corellian Sunrise_, which was a door that slid down when opened, and extended the ramp out. She walked down it, and saw Han waiting for her. He spread his arms out. "Welcome to the Jedi Academy," he said, as Serena closed her ship up. When she turned around Han stared at Serena, wide-eyed for a moment and then burst out laughing. " What happened to your hands and face?" Serena looked down at her grease and oiled covered hands. "I had to fix something in my ship, there was something wrong with the engines and, well, I can't get this stuff off." "It's a very becoming look. An especially good look for your introduction to the Chief of State and Jedi Master." Serena's voice remained imperturbable. "Yeah, I thought about that, but I'd rather have this stuff on me than a broken down ship." Serena looked around at the surrounding area. The sun was right over them, and on every side of her were tall trees. The air was hot and sticky with no breeze whatsoever. Han grabbed her arm lightly, and took her with him. They stopped at the front of both of their ships. A thin mist made its way through the thick jungles, and Serena could see the forms of three people, two men and a woman, enter into the clearing. Han smiled, and pulled her forward some more. The woman ran up to Han, she hugged and kissed him. Serena realized instantly that this must be the one, and only, heroic Princess Leia. The woman was not as tall as Serena had expected her to be, but she had a regal bearing and stately appearance. She was beautiful. Behind Princess Leia came a man, around the same age as the Chief of State. He had dark blonde hair, and was handsome; it was obvious that he and Leia were related. Serena figured that it had to be the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Beside Luke Skywalker was a figure of a man, but his face was covered by a dark brown hood that was a part of the robe he was wearing. After a moment the hood was shrugged back, and Serena found herself staring at a young boy. Serena realized that he was probably close to her age. He was slightly taller than Skywalker; he had very dark brown hair that looked almost like an ebony color and midnight blue eyes. He had a straight nose, and impeccable skin. The dark haired, dark eyed, young man smiled at her, and Serena felt her cheeks becoming hotter; that meant she was blushing, something she rarely did. She gave him a lame smile back, and then looked at Han again. Han walked over to the boy, and hugged him, and then he hugged Luke Skywalker. Han walked back over to her, and slapped her on the back hard enough to make Serena take a step forward. It had almost been a stumble, but Serena had caught herself from making the error just in time. "This, my friends, is Serena." He gave her a lopsided smile, and put his arm around her shoulder. Serena almost shrugged it off, but decided against it. Luke Skywalker stepped up to her. "Nice to meet you Serena, but I can see that you had to have fixed something on your ship, am I right?" He asked, only glancing momentarily at the dark streaks on her cheeks; her eyes seemed to be too captivating for him to notice the smudges for long. Serena looked down at her hands, she spoke monotonously. "Yes, I did, the engines." Leia walked up to her and smiled. Serena was obviously taller than Leia, but only by one or two inches. "Hi, Serena," she looked at Han curiously, but Serena ignored the look and turned her attention to the boy. Their eyes met, and Serena held his gaze for as long as she could take it. After a moment, she looked away from the deep eyes, and stared at the floor of the clearing. The boy stood where he was until Han looked at him, said, "Kyp, this is Serena Maldrin; Serena, this is Kyp Durron. Kyp, why don't you take Miss Beautiful here, and show her where she can wash this stuff off her." The boy, Kyp, walked up to her. "Sure thing, Han." "Great, kid, thanks." He said jokingly. Kyp motioned for Serena to follow him. She walked beside him and entered into the fog-coated jungle. Leia turned to Han. "Who is she, where is she from, and why is she here?" She asked, curious and aghast at the fact that her husband would pick some girl up off the streets of Tatooine and bring her to the Jedi Academy. Through the years of her life, Leia had started off as the youngest senator in galactic history. She had been adopted and reared by Bail Organa of Alderaan. Bail Organa soon became a main part of the Rebel Alliance as Senator Palpatine began to rise higher and higher in his power and cruelty. Soon enough, Leia herself had become one of the most outspoken people in the Senate, talking against the Empire. Then, aboard her consular ship, the _Tantive IV_, Leia had been captured by Darth Vader. She had then been rescued by Luke Skywalker, who had been accompanied by Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Obi Wan Kenobi. That had been the start of her rise to power. She had started off, after the Battle of Yavin, as a diplomat trying to get other worlds to join in the Rebellion. Later, she and Han had led a strike team on Endor to try and destroy a power generator; the mission --thanks to her diplomatic skills on convincing the Ewoks to join and help them --had been successful. Over the past years she had become the New Republic's ambassador, then she had become a member of the Provisional Council that had been formed by Mon Mothma, to establish another Galactic Republic. Soon Leia had become the member of the Inner Council whose job it was to run the government on a day-to-day basis. Now Leia was the newly appointed Chief of State, she had power over the New Republic, power that she sometimes did not want. Yet, her desire for reigning freedom and happiness throughout the galaxy was strong enough for her to accept the responsibilities thrust upon her. Han turned to Leia, and smiled lightly. "Serena, Tatooine, she needs a job from Karrde, but I personally say that she has the Force." Luke's blue eyes lighted up. "Really? How do you know?" Suddenly he found himself interested in the young stranger who had just appeared at his Academy. Han quickly explained everything, from how they had met, to when they had reached Yavin Four. Luke listened carefully. A frown slightly decorated his face when Han explained the attack by the stormtroopers, but it quickly faded as Han told the rest of the events. From what he had sensed, the girl was of no danger to them; she had no bad intentions. "That does sound like the Force, but I would have to test her first. When Kyp brings her back, I will." Luke said casually, as if finding a student was not as exciting as it had once been. Though, his face belied his excitement. "Great kid. Now you owe me one." Han smiled down at his brother-in-law. Han Solo, born on Corellia along with a huge streak of luck, had started off as a swoop racer. He had later enrolled in the Imperial Academy, but his beliefs -- those including how wrong it was to enslave other beings-- had lead to his downfall in the Empire. Han had interfered with a group of holders who had been abusing an enslaved Wookie. He had then been summarily discharged from the Imperial Navy. The Wookie that Han had helped out had turned out to be Chewbacca. Chewbacca had followed and protected him ever since, first as a way to pay back the dept he owed Han, and then later stayed on for the two had become fast friends. After being given clearance from the Empire, Han and Chewbacca-- along with the _Millennium Falcon_-- had taken on various jobs, mostly smuggling glitterstim-spice for Jabba the Hutt. By saving Luke on the Death Star run from Darth Vader, Han had become a hero. He affiliated with the Alliance for the next three years. Then, Han had been betrayed by his old friend Lando Calrissian, and had been handed over to Vader and Boba Fett. He had been frozen in carbonite and taken to Tatooine for Jabba the Hutt. Saved by Leia, Luke, Lando, and Chewbacca, he had then decided to lead a strike team down to the forest moon of Endor. With the help of the Ewoks, they had succeeded in destroying the second Death Star. Over the next few years he had married Leia and had been blessed with three children. "I hope that I owe you one, Han." "I got a feeling that she has the Force. And, I'm sure that she and Kyp will get along." Han looked into the jungle where Serena and Kyp had entered, but if they were anywhere near the trio, the fog covered them. Leia smiled at Han. "Watcha going to do Han, hook them up?" She nudged him in the side with her elbow. Han pulled his attention away from the jungle and kissed Leia's cheek. "I could always try." Serena entered the jungle right behind Kyp. The jungle was very wet, and branches were weighted down with thick foliage and exotic flowers. "So," she asked the boy, "where are your living quarters?" "Back the other way." "Then why are we going this way?" "This is the way to the river where you are going to wash off." Serena spoke with a hint of amusement. "Oh." She arched her right eyebrow. "A river? Sounds fun." Kyp chuckled. "Well, it may seem uncouth, but it's closer than the temple, and that's where I was when you and Han arrived, with a friend, he might still be there." After a while, Serena could here running water in the distance. Finally, the jungle thinned out, and in front of them was a broad river of flowing water with a greenish hue to it. But, what caught Serena's eyes first was the tall temple behind the swiftly flowing current of the river. Kyp saw Serena studying the crumbling walls of the old temple, Dorsk was gone, he had most likely left to go back to the Great Temple. "It was built by an ancient race called the Massassi. They are extinct now at the hand of a Dark Lord of the Sith. This temple is a part of the Blue Leaf Cluster. It's one of the smaller ones." Serena nodded her head, not wanting to talk to the boy who --against her will--had sparked up her interest. The interest was turning into a flame that Serena was trying to extinguish with her coldness. Nevertheless, she spoke up. "I'd heard about the Massassi once before. I don't know where, though." Serena walked to the bank of the river and kneeled down by the water. She cupped her hands, and splashed water onto her face. She scrubbed at her face using her hands. Then she splashed water onto her arms, until the grease and oil was gone. By then her face was dry, and she turned to Kyp who was kneeling beside her. "Is it off my face?" She asked, smiling at the seemingly stupid question. But, immediately Serena let the smile drop from her face, and it was as if it had never been. Kyp nodded his head and smiled back as he studied her flawless features. "Sure is. So, Serena, where did Han find you?" Kyp asked, trying to think of something to talk about as he helped her stand up. "Tatooine. Where are you from?" "Deyer, a Colony on Anoat." "Oh, so how old are you?" "I'm sixteen, almost seventeen. You?" "Eighteen." "You have a really nice ship," Kyp said, studying her face, again. She was a gorgeous girl, with light brown hair, and ravishing eyes. They were interesting because of the thin blue ring that surrounded her pupil. Her hair was only slightly curled, and it enfolded her face as if it had been styled that way, though Kyp knew well enough that no such stylist had done this to her hair, it was doing this naturally. It was obviously thick, and it surrounded her face, flowing outward where it hit the sharp angles of her jaw line. She said dryly,"Thanks, my father bought it for me." "What's it called?" Kyp asked, noting that her cold and uncaring attitude did not match her warm and beautiful features. "The _Corellian Sunrise._" "Nice name." Kyp frowned. "You must be from Corellia then." Serena nodded her head, wanting to roll her eyes, but she deserved it, she had named the ship that so people would believe that she was from Corellia. "Yes, I am." Stunned for an instant, as if someone had kicked him in the head with the thought, Kyp remembered that the new students would be arriving any minute. One of those students he would end up teaching, so he wanted to be at the temple when they came. He did not care whom he had to teach, just as long as it was someone like Shal'lyindraa, or Serena even. Shal'lyindraa was a blonde haired, blue eyed, Handerin girl. She had come to the Academy a few months ago, and had been training in the Force ever since. She was a sweet girl, who was seventeen, and liked to talk to anybody who would listen. Kyp did not know that much about her, but he knew that she considered them both good friends. That was fine with him. The only other friend he actually had was Dorsk 81, so having a girl like Shal'lyindraa as a friend was sometimes rather nice. "Come on, we need to start heading for the Great Temple." Kyp looked at the sky. It was not cloudless, but the sun was visible. The sun would not be setting for another two or three hours. "Why?" Serena asked him, as they made their way back the way they had come. "Some new students are coming in. Two others and I have to teach one of the students. Once we do this, teach them as much as we ourselves have learned, we will be true Jedi Knights. At least, I hope we will be. I'm sure by the time I'm done teaching someone the ways of the Force, I'll be ready. I at least teach them as much as I know then Master Skywalker will continue teaching that person." Kyp said with a neutral tone to his voice. "Wow, sounds great. Being a Jedi Knight, righting wrongs, and triumphing over evil. Exciting." Serena said, with almost a hint of sarcasm. Kyp smiled, either not noticing, or ignoring, the inkling of sarcasm that had leaked into Serena's voice. "Yes, it might seem that way. But Jedi don't really seek excitement." "What do you seek?" Serena questioned, she was just a little bit interested in this Jedi business, even though she did not want to be. "Peace, between us and the entire galaxy. 'There is no emotion, there is peace.' That is from the Jedi Code." Kyp pushed a large branch out of the way and made sure that it did not hit Serena in the face. "What is the rest of the Jedi Code?" Serena asked, as they trudged along, down the mossy floor of the jungle. Serena did not know why she was so interested in keeping up a conversation with this stranger, but, she did not want to answer that question now. "Well," Kyp wiped his forehead where beads of sweat had begun to form. "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. And, there is no death; there is the Force." "Oh, good code, everyone should live by it." Serena sighed. She wasn't used to this weather. She was used to the dry and hot climate of Tatooine, not this wet and hot climate. It was almost becoming boring and irksome. "I wish everyone would." "Yeah, but then the galaxy would be a boring place." Serena pointed out. Kyp smiled. "Yes, it would." Kyp and Serena came out into the clearing where the ships were. Han, Luke, and Leia were gone. Serena pointed up as she spoke, "Hey, a transport ship." Kyp followed her gaze. In the hazy sky, a small transport ship was coming into view. "That's the ship that the new students are coming on. We had better hurry," Kyp said as he picked up his pace ever so slightly. The damp, heavy air was resting on him, and it seemed as if it were sucking up his energy with every step he took. He had been at the Academy for a long time, and he was just now getting used to the humid climate. Kyp and Serena walked out of the jungle and across the clearing. Serena gasped lightly. In front of them, just a few yards away was a huge temple. It was made of gray and brown stone, and it towered over her, and over the trees that surrounded it. When she and Han had flown in, Serena had not noticed the temples. She must have been concentrating too hard on flying the ship. It had been a long time since she had flown it, and she was still getting used to the navigational controls. 'I wonder,' thought Serena, 'how many temples like this one are located on this place'. The temples were huge, and each one would have had to have taken years to build. They had to be old, too, judging by the first one she had seen that was crumbling away with age and decay. If they were as old as she thought, maybe hundreds of years old, then the race that built them, the Massassi, might have had to have built them with their own hands. Kyp took Serena's hand, and pulled her towards the temple. They stopped at the entrance, and Kyp looked inside. Serena pulled her hand out of Kyp's grasp. "Not that many people are here, but I guess there shouldn't be, anyway." They stepped inside the huge doorway. Before them was a capacious white-stoned promenade that led to a raised platform. Sunlight from the overhead skylights drifted lazily onto it and over the rest of the room. In the corner, nearest the platform, a pair of turbolift doors opened, and out stepped Han, Leia, and Luke. Standing around in the room were fourteen students. Nineteen if she, Kyp, Han, Leia, and Luke were counted. (a/n* you know, that is a really big room if you think about it.) Kyp took her with him to a corner and he leaned against the wall. Serena stood beside him. "Where are the new students?" Right as she asked a group of two male humans, one Mon Calamarian female, two female humans, one Sullustian male, and one female Bothan stepped into the temple. Some of them looked as if they were nervous, and others seemed indifferent. Kyp smiled. "There." He pointed to the new arrivals. "I'd already guessed that." Kyp looked at the girls. One was very young, maybe ten or eleven, and her hand was being held by one of the dark haired men. The other girl was around fifteen. One really young one, or one older one, hard choice, thought Kyp. It was not that Kyp would not have said no to teaching the Calamarian, but he knew that Cilghal would probably end up teaching her. "So, which girl are you going to teach? I would pick the older one." Serena said impassively. "I guess your right." Kyp shrugged, not caring which one he was given. Of course, the older one might understand things better, and therefore be easier to teach. The fifteen-year-old looked at Kyp. She smiled, and winked at him. Kyp did not respond, because he was so surprised at what the girl had done. No girl had ever done that to him, she probably did not realize that he was the infamous Kyp Durron, killer of billions. "On the other hand Kyp, the younger girl might be easier to teach." Serena said, even though Kyp knew that she knew it was obvious the younger one would be harder to train. Kyp smiled, wondering if Serena knew who he exactly was. "You sound jealous." "I'm not." Serena said, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Sure." Serena crossed her arms over her chest. She watched as Luke and Leia walked over to the new students. Some of them seemed to be thrilled to be meeting the Chief of State, but Serena could not see why. She had not cared at all, let alone even thought about how lucky she was to have met the Chief of State. 'But,' Serena thought coldly,' that's because I'm not lucky to have met her. I don't care who she is; she's still just a woman.' Not that Serena disliked the attractive woman, she just did not care much for politics, and therefore did not care much for Leia Organa. Luke Skywalker talked quietly to the new students for a few more minutes. When he was done, Luke walked over to Serena. "Serena, Han told me about the time you two were attacked on Tatooine. He said that you warned him ahead of time, because of a feeling." Serena spoke apathetically, "Yeah. I did." She nodded her head, and uncrossed her arms and rested her hands on her hips. "Well," he stepped closer, "I think that that just might be the Force, and I was wondering if I could test you to see if you have potential." "Um, all right." Serena thought to herself, 'potential for what, to become the greatest Jedi of all time? Ha! Like I would ever want to stay here, I'd rather rot.' Luke looked at her strangely, maybe he had read her mind. Serena had heard that the Jedi could read minds. If Luke Skywalker had read her mind, then he might not think of her as such a great person after all, if he even thought that much of her to begin with. "Uh, are you reading my mind?" Serena asked. Luke shook his head. "No, why?" "No reason." Serena said quickly. "All right, just relax, and stand there." Luke smiled reassuringly to her. Kyp watched Luke; he knew what he was doing. Kyp remembered Luke doing it to him; Kyp had sent him flying across the room. Luke had later explained to Kyp that there was a certain place or nub in a persons mind. If, using the Force, you pushed on it, you would be sent flying back depending if the person had the Force or not. Kyp had seen Luke do it to plenty of his students, including Shal'lyindraa. He had not been pushed as hard as when he had tested Kyp, but he had been knocked down. As far as Kyp knew, no one else at the Academy was as strong as he was. Of course, he had not told anyone, he did not want to gloat over it. Yet, by now most of the students knew that he was the strongest anyway. All of a sudden an invisible hand pushed Luke back, hard. Serena's eyes fluttered open, and she stared in disbelief at what she had just done. She looked down at her hands and back to Luke. He was now getting up, and rubbing his head, smiling. Luke came up to her, shaking his head. "Wow, Serena. You're really strong." He looked at Kyp. "Not as strong as Kyp, but you should be one of my stronger students if you chose to stay here and train." "I'm sorry, I don't know how I did it. I'm sorry." Serena stared up at Kyp, then back at Luke in the slightest state of confusion. "Don't be. I'm glad. Serena, you are very strong in the Force. I would be elated if you would stay here and train to become a Jedi Knight." Serena's mouth dropped open. She saw Han come towards them out of the corner of her eye. "I I don't, I don't know. I mean, um, I mean . . ." Serena's voice trailed off as she saw Han walking to her. ' Okay, so now I have the Force. I just told myself that I'd rather rot than stay here, so how do I say no?' Serena was brought out of her thoughts as Han grabbed her arm. Han pulled her over to him a bit roughly. He whispered in her ear, "Look, Serena, if you say yes, then think of how great a smuggler you'd be. Talon Karrde would have to hire you! And you would be trained by no other than Kyp!" Serena looked over at Kyp. The fifteen-year-old girl with blonde and silver streaked hair was walking over towards him, smiling. Serena frowned. She quickly walked over to Luke. "All right. I would love to become a Jedi Knight." Luke smiled warmly at her. "Great," he turned towards Kyp; the teenager was just about to reach him when Luke called Kyp over. Kyp reached Luke and Serena before the girl could talk to him. The girl frowned for a moment, then walked away. Luke noticed out of the corner of his eye Serena's satisfied look as the girl left. She was not smiling --Luke wondered if she even knew how to smile-- but Serena was obviously happy. "Kyp, would you mind teaching Serena?" Luke asked, as he wondered if he would ever be able to understand women. Kyp's eyes widened as he stared at Serena, "You mean that she is going to train here?" "Yes, she is very strong, and it might be hard, but I am sure that you could teach her perfectly." "I'd love " Kyp's ecstatic voice faded "I'd like to." He finished calmly. Luke nodded his head, as he wondered if he had acted like that as a teenager. "Great," he spoke calmly, " now you have a student. Teach." Luke left Kyp, and made his way towards Cilghal. "Well," Kyp turned to face Serena, "I guess now I'm your teacher." "Great, where do we start?" Serena asked, trying not to let the doubt that was seeping in her mind control her thoughts. Why had she agreed to stay? Now she'd end up protecting the New Republic or some other crap like that. "Well, first I show you a room, get you a robe, then I go in order in what Master Skywalker taught us." 'I guess,' Kyp thought, 'I just have to remember what he said: 'don't teach your student everything that I taught you word for word or even in the same order. Teach them what you know . . .Use the Force for your guidance.' Kyp led Serena to a turbolift. They went down one level, down a long hallway, and through a large door. In front of them was another hallway; this one had twelve doors on either side. Kyp and Serena walked to the very end of the hallway. Kyp stopped at the two last doors on the right side. He opened the door to the very last room. Inside lay a small cot, a narrow, waist high table; a refresher unit, was to the left of the entrance. "Not the Imperial Palace, I know." "All I have to do is get my clothes out of my ship. It'll be great. Trust me, I have been in places worse than this. A lot worse." Lying on the bed was a brown robe like the one Kyp was wearing. Kyp picked it up, and handed it to Serena. She put it on. "This is your Jedi robe. I'm sure you noticed the others wearing one, including me." "Thanks." She brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. No smile came with the thank you, but it did not seem to bother Kyp, not too much at least. They walked out of the room together, and Kyp closed the door behind him. Kyp paused at the door beside her room. "This is my room, so if you ever need anything, I'll probably be in here." "All right. Sounds simple enough." Kyp smiled lightly at her. For a moment he studied her hair. It was a curling from the moist heat; a lock of her hair fell in her face. Serena absentmindedly pushed it back. It fell in her face again; this time she ignored it. "Come on. First, we head outside." Kyp motioned for Serena to follow him. Kyp and Serena walked back through the hallway, but at the doorway turned the opposite way from which they had come. They went into another turbolift and up one floor. Serena followed Kyp into a dark, damp hallway. She could hear dripping water in the distance. There was a slight musty smell. "I take it very few people use this way to get outside." Serena mumbled. "I'm not sure, but I think I'm the only one who really knows about it." Kyp answered her. Serena's eyes widened in surprise, she did not know she had talked loud enough for him to hear her. As if answering her question, Kyp said: "With the Force, a Jedi can hear and see things normal people cannot." Serena nodded her head, and then realized Kyp could not see her. "Yeah, I understand. How old are these temples anyway?" "Well, they are very, very old. Maybe even thousands of years old. I'm not sure, there's a girl here named Tionne, if you really want to know, you should ask her. All I know is that they were built by the Massassi for their master." Kyp's voice began to have an angry edge to it, though Serena sensed it more than heard it. "Their master was a Dark Jedi, named Exar Kun." Serena felt a shiver run up her spine. "He must have been very evil; his name even sounds evil. I don't think that I would like to ever meet a Dark Jedi." "You're right, you don't." Kyp said dryly. After a brief pause he began to talk again, "I have, and I wish every day that I hadn't." Serena frowned. 'I would like to know how he met one,' she mused, 'later; I will ask him later.' Up ahead was a small wooden door. Kyp opened it, and they stepped out into the jungle. The trees covered up most of the light trying to reach the floor of the jungle, so Serena's eyes grew accustomed to the dim light quickly. The humidity was high, and there was a thin mist floating through the branches of the tall trees, and around the long vines which hung from them. Kyp began to walk forward, Serena ran up beside him. The new robe she was wearing did not really help to make her any cooler. Kyp and the other students did not seem to mind the heat of Yavin Four. This confused her, but soon she was sure she would find out why. "Where are we going?" Serena asked, trying to keep her mind off the comfortless temperature of the jungle. "I don't know." Kyp shrugged, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "But " "Patience, is the main essence of a Jedi." Serena furrowed her brow. "Remember that Serena, it's important." "Okay." Serena followed Kyp for a while. He did not bother to speak to her, and that bothered her. Serena could not stand the silence, so she decided to ask another question. It might not be the brightest one, but it would be good enough. "So, should I call you Master, or what?" "No," Kyp smiled, "call me Kyp." "No problem." Serena gave up trying to make a conversation. It was no use, if Kyp wanted to talk, he would talk. She should not let it bother her; she did not want it to bother her. She needed to stay passive. After all, that was what she had been trained to be like. Kyp walked on until they both reached a small clearing. "Here, sit." Kyp motioned for Serena to sit as he walked around picking up small sticks. He put them in a pile and took two small rocks. He began to knock them together, until a spark flew out, and started all the wood on fire. Serena's eyes widened. "How did you do that? Fire from stones?" Kyp sat himself across from Serena on the other side of the small fire. "I learned it when I was very young. It doesn't matter." Kyp waved the thought off with his hand. "Now, Serena, close your eyes." Serena closed her eyes. Kyp watched her carefully, looking over each part of her face. "Remember that feeling you get when you are about to know something is going to go wrong? Try and get that feeling again. Just concentrate on it, I'm sure you'll find it." Kyp sat there, watching Serena. She frowned lightly, but she kept her eyes closed. Kyp sat waiting patiently. After a while her face cleared up. "Good, you found it. Take it, and concentrate. Use it to feel everything around you. Unlike your eyes and ears, you can trust this. Trust the Force. It is your eyes and ears. With the Force you can see the entire galaxy, the universe. Spread your powers, move past the trees, the sky, and enter space. Use the Force." Serena gasped. All around her were stars, she looked around herself. There was Yavin Four below her, and she saw herself and Kyp. She soared past the stars, up and up. She was free, happy, and then unexpectedly . . . cold. Darkness enveloped her; it grabbed hold of her, and began to pull, pull her towards its mouth. A black hole, sucking up everything good, destroying it, making everything it took turn into evil. Serena pulled back, she used all her strength, but she kept getting closer. It was taunting her with its power, showing her things that she could have, power, glory, money, all she had to do was let it take her in. Serena opened her eyes. Everything that she had seen flew at her, knocking her breath out of her. Serena put her hands on the damp soil, beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. She looked at Kyp, eyes wide. "What was that?" She asked, letting surprise fill her voice. "The dark side." Kyp said softly. "Anger, fear, and aggression. Those are what can lead you astray, and bring you over from the light to the dark. You must be aware that you, Serena, you especially you could easily turn to it." Serena frowned. "How do I fight it?" "Whatever you do, use the good side, fight for freedom, justice, and rapport. Never let it take you. It will consume you, everything about you. It can destroy your life, your body, your mind, and your soul. Once you start down the dark path, it is nearly impossible to break free." "How do I know that what I am doing is right?" Serena suddenly did not know if she wanted to become a Jedi. It seemed to be too risky. She did not know Kyp that well, but he talked as if he knew what he was doing. "You will know. You knew just a minute ago that it was evil. But it can come in so many forms. Always be on your guard. Remember, anger, fear, and aggression lead to the dark side." "I will." "Now, clear your mind." Serena took a deep breath, and her face cleared up. "Good. Now, find the power within you again." This time, it only took her a few minutes to find it. "Now, I want you to concentrate. Jedi cannot feel heat, or cold, or pain. The Force can protect you from some things, it can create a shield around you. Use the Force, put your hand in the fire." Kyp said calmly. "What?!" "Concentrate! Concentrate; don't lose your hold. Let the Force flow through you, around you. It can protect you. Now, put your hand in the fire." Serena sat, staring at the fire, she slowly lifted her hand up. "It will not hurt you, as long as you are letting the Force flow through you and around you. Become a part of the fire, Serena. The Force binds everything in the galaxy together. It is binding you to the fire. If you use the Force, the fire cannot hurt you." Kyp watched her patiently. That was one thing he was glad of. He was patient. Now he could understand why Master Skywalker was so patient. With all the students he had taught, he _had_ to be patient. He could vaguely sense the doubt in Serena's mind. He wanted to reassure her, but he had said enough. It was up to her now. Serena raised her hand farther up. She took a deep breath. How could she be a Jedi if she was not even brave enough to put her hand in the fire? But, why did she want to become a Jedi in the first place? Anyway, if she burned her hand, there was always bacta. She did not want to look like an idiot in front of Kyp. Not that she cared what he thought. Serena felt the Force surround her, penetrate her. She took a deep breath, held it, and closed her eyes. She thrust her hand into the burning flames, and kept it there. She felt nothing, and she heard nothing. Serena slowly opened her eyes, and pulled her hand out of the flames. Not even a scorch mark was left on her hand. "Nothing! It didn't do anything to my hand! I can't believe it." Serena stared at her hand, turning it over, examining it. How?" Kyp smiled happily. "The Force is how. I knew that you could do it. I knew it." Serena dropped her hand to the ground. "I, I'm stunned. I didn' t know that I could do _that_" Kyp smiled gently at her already knowing that he would not receive a smile back. Kyp, using the Force, concentrated on the fire, and it went out. He helped Serena up. "That's all we are going to do for today." Serena frowned. "But . . . I want to learn more." She said slowly and carefully, not knowing what to expect from Kyp. "You will tomorrow." "Why not today?" She asked stubbornly. It, of course, was her nature to be stubborn. She did not mind, anyway, she was curious of why she could not. "Tonight, come over to my room before you go to bed. I want to tell you a little story of why only learning just one or two things a day is good." "All right. I'll come over." Why could not he just tell her now? "I don't understand you, Kyp Durron." "Good, no more questions until tonight. Okay?" "Uh! Not fair." "Great." Kyp said as he watched Serena roll her eyes. Kyp and Serena started walking back the way that they had come. Kyp looked up at the sky. From what he could see through all the leaves, the sun was almost gone. "We had better hurry back to the temple." Kyp said. Serena looked at the sky. "Yeah. The sun is almost gone." They both quickened their pace. Kyp and Serena made it back to the temple just as the sun let out its last rays of light. The wooden door was cracked open, and Kyp opened it the rest of the way stepping in. Serena closed the door behind her, and followed Kyp through the dark tunnel again. Kyp and Serena walked through the hallway with the doors to other rooms, and turned a corner. They entered a large room, with four long tables. At one table sat Luke Skywalker, sitting between Leia and Cilghal. Beside Leia sat Han Solo. In front of them each was a small bowl of thin, watery soup. Kyp sat in front of Luke, with Serena beside him. Luke smiled at both of them. "So how did it go?" Luke asked them. "Great Master Skywalker. Serena is really talented." Kyp said. "Good. I'm glad to hear it." Luke turned back to Leia, and talked with her quietly. Serena looked down at the soup. "Well Serena, I hope you like this soup, because this is what we eat, like I said ." "You Jedi are primitive," Serena guessed. Kyp smiled at her. "Yes, we are. And, some of the younger students here fix our meals, they aren't the greatest cooks." Kyp looked at the doorway into the room, and as he did, Dorsk, and Shal'lyindraa walked in the room. Behind Dorsk was the same young girl Kyp had seen earlier that day. She walked over to a table, and sat by the silver haired Tionne. Dorsk, and Shal'lyindraa came over to Kyp and Serena. "Hey guys," Kyp said. "Hey Kyp," Shal'lyindraa said smiling at him as she pulled her long blonde hair back behind her shoulders. "Hi." Dorsk looked at Serena as he sat beside Kyp. "I did not see her come in with the new students." "She came with Han." "Oh." The olive skinned alien blinked his yellow eyes slowly. Shal'lyindraa went over and sat on the other side of Serena. "Hi, I'm Shal'lyindraa, but just call me Shal if you want." Serena managed a weak smile for Shal'lyindraa, and studied her face. Her brow was broad, and she had a pointed chin and full lips. "Hey, I'm Serena." "So, enjoy your first day at Yavin Four?" The young girl asked, trying to make a friendly conversation. "Well, its different from what I've been doing all my life, but yes. I have." "Good. It's nice here, not like Hander, but very nice. Some day you need to go on top of this temple, and watch the sunrise, or set. I guess it doesn't matter which one. They are really pretty." Serena asked, "You're from Hander?" "Sure am." After a moment of closely studying Serena's face, Shal'lyindraa's eyes slowly began to widen. She gasped and covered her hand with her mouth. "What?" Serena asked, as a wash of recognition swept over her. Shal'lyindraa's hand dropped from her mouth. "You're that girl!" Serena narrowed her gray-green eyes, then they widened as Serena finally recognized the girl. A long, almost forgotten memory crashed like a tidal wave in Serena's head, soaking her mind with images. It was of a young, blonde haired, Handerin girl, with her hand outstretched and eyes closed, muttering something under her breath. The corners of Serena's lips lifted up in a wry smile as she recalled the alien's blaster flying away from it's clawed hand before it could shoot her. "I remember you," Serena said, "you saved my life. Thanks." Shal'lyindraa nodded her head. "No problem." Kyp turned to the wide-eyed faces of Serena and Shal'lyindraa. "I see you know each other?" he asked. "Well, yes." Shal'lyindraa said staring at Serena, as Serena stared back. "That's nice." Kyp said. "How do you know each other anyway?" "After I moved from Hander to Corellia and then to Tatooine I met her. Serena and I always seemed to run into each other at odd times." "I can't believe it!" Serena said looking at Shal'lyindraa's big crystal blue eyes. "Neither can I. It's weird, but nice. Maybe now we can get to know each other better." "That would be great. I always had wanted to meet you, I just couldn't, though, whenever we met." "Yes, me too." Kyp spoke with an edge of sarcasm to his voice. "Now that we all know each other, everyone is happy, right?" "Yes," Shal'lyindraa stood up, " sorry but I have to go. I've grievously fallen behind in my meditation. I'll see both of you tomorrow. Maybe we can get together around noon, and talk or something." "All right, bye Shal." Serena said watching her leave. "Wow Kyp, she is really pretty. She has such beautiful hair and eyes." Serena said as Shal'lyindraa left the room. "Yes. She does. That's what makes her so pretty." Serena's cheeks turned pink. "Yes, I bet every boy likes her." "Well, she is very friendly. I guess most guys, and girls, here know her as a friend." "I can't blame them. She looks kind." Serena looked at her untouched stew. Kyp began to laugh. Serena looked at him, her cheeks burning red. "What? What's so funny?" "You! You are jealous of her!" "I am not." Serena sniffed, and held her nose up in the air. "It is impossible for me to feel jealousy over a worthless human." Kyp laughed harder. "You are very jealous of her, with those _big_blue eyes, and that _silky_blonde hair." He said, joking on Serena. Serena's cheeks burned fire. "I might be, but just a little." She folded her arms over her chest. "Just to make you happy, I think that your hair is very pretty, and your eyes are very, very, dreamy." "You're a guy, you shouldn't care. But, hey, I have pretty hair and dreamy eyes." Serena said sarcastically. "And a nice figure?" Kyp furrowed his brow and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "It doesn't matter " Serena interrupted Kyp. "It would help if you had stated I had a nice figure instead of asking me whether I had one or not." Kyp smiled. "How about this: to me, you are as pretty as she, and she is as pretty as you. On a scale of one to ten, you are both nines." "Then, who's ten?" "My mother," Kyp laughed. Serena playfully hit his arm. "Great, I was beaten by your mother. Well, I think that my mother was prettier than me." "Great Serena, so are you happy now?" "As happy as I can be." Serena said uncaringly. "Good . . .Aren't you hungry?" "No. Not really." "Neither am I, bored enough to sleep?" Kyp asked simply. Serena looked around herself and at the few students who were sitting around the large room of the Great Temple. She recognized some of the newer students from earlier that day. The others, she had never seen before. It did not matter much to her, but what did matter was that she had no idea why she had agreed to stay here. Serena had never cared for the Jedi Knights, she did not even believe in the Force, but now she did. She had to believe in it. 'The only reason,' Serena thought to herself, 'I stayed here was because . . .of Kyp. I hate to admit it, but that's why.' Not wanting to think about Kyp in that way, Serena pulled herself out of her thoughts and nodded. "Sure." Serena entered into her new room. At the end was a small barred window, letting in a cool night breeze. Serena took her robe off, and laid it on the cot. She looked out the window. Where the clouds were parted, in the dark sky, small stars were visible. She had nothing to do but go to bed. Yet, she was not tired, and she did not want to sit and do nothing. Then she remembered that Kyp had wanted her in his room that night. Now was the best time to go because he might forget and go on to bed. 'I guess,' Serena brooded, 'I could get my stuff out of my ship, too.' Serena looked to see if there was a mirror in the room, there was. It was in the far corner next to the wooden door. She did not look in it; she did not want to see how horrible she looked. Serena walked out of her room and knocked softly on Kyp's door. It opened before her, and in the doorway stood Kyp. "Oh, good. You came." Kyp had also taken his robe off, and it was lying on his bed. "Yeah, and I was wondering, it is okay if I go outside to my ship and get a few things, isn't it?" "It is, I'll come with you if you like." Kyp said, studying her beautiful face once again. "Sure." Serena shrugged, figuring he would talk to her on the way to and from her ship. Kyp and Serena left the room, and started walking down the hallway towards the turbolift. Kyp did not bother to say anything until he and Serena were outside the temple, and well into the jungle. Serena was beginning to wonder if he would say anything. Not that it mattered; it was a beautiful night, even if it was a bit creepy. She heard chirping sounds all around her feet, and she was sure that every now and then, yellow eyes would look down at them from the branches above. She could not let Kyp see that this freaked her out in any way. She did not want to give him, or anyone, the impression that she was some helpless girl. "You see Serena, " Serena was startled when Kyp began, "as your teacher, I will tell you all about myself, as long as I know that it will somehow help you to understand more, and learn more, about the Force. You and I will be teacher and student, mentor and friend. But, that's all. Understand?" Serena almost rolled her eyes, but stopped herself. "Yes. Of course. Would not want any love flowing between us. You know?" Sarcasm filled Serena's voice to overflowing. Kyp did not answer her, instead he continued talking. "When I was sixteen, Han found me in the spice mines of Kessel. He rescued me, and found out that I had the Force. He took me to the Academy, and it turned out that I was very strong in the Force. That was good and bad. "I learned as much as I could, as fast as I could. I did not care if I understood it or not. Finally Master Skywalker was beginning to reach the limits of what he knew and could teach me. I was angry because I knew that he was hiding something. I knew that there had to be more that I could learn. "I will admit that I was very careless in learning, and I did not fully grasp what I had been taught. I wanted to learn more, so one night a dark spirit came to me. It was the Dark Jedi, Exar Kun. He told me that he could teach me more than Master Skywalker would ever know, let alone teach. I accepted his offer to become his student. "Since I was naive, and I thought I could fight it, I quickly began to sink to the dark side, little by little. I really thought that I could fight it, that Exar Kun had no control over me, but he did. He had control over my mind, body, and soul. I did not even stop to think about what I was doing, what was happening to me. "In turning to the dark side, I killed my only brother, almost killed Master Skywalker, and came close to killing my best friend. I was a fool, and I don't want the same thing to happen to you, Serena. I almost turned to the dark side, because I wanted to learn more, and more. Even though I did not even know anything at all. And considering what happened earlier today, I'm afraid you could just as easily turn to the dark side if you let yourself fall into it." There was a brief silence, and then Kyp said softly, "I destroyed the system of Carida." Serena's mouth dropped open. "You did what?!" "I killed billions of people." "But . . . it was a mistake, right?" Serena asked. "A mistake I pay for every day." Serena and Kyp made it to the _Corellian Sunrise_, and Serena quickly typed in the code, opening the hatch. She and Kyp climbed in; Serena walked to the back and stuffed a black duffel bag full with her belongings. What Kyp had been telling her made her uncomfortable. Maybe being a Jedi should not be as easily put as being fun and exciting. Serena felt a cold chill creep down her spine. Kyp had turned to the dark side. She had not heard about that on Tatooine, but since she had not hung out with anyone but Micht, she would not have reason to know. She had only vaguely heard of the Jedi Academy, so of course she would not have known about Kyp's dark side experience, or the destruction of Carida. Kyp came up behind her after having walked through her ship. "Nice ship. The inside, and outside are beautiful. It must have been very expensive." "Well, my father got it for me, so I guess all I can say is that he really loved me." Serena said slowly and uneasily. Kyp nodded trying to ignore the restlessness in her voice. He and Serena left the ship, closing it up. Serena slung the bag over her shoulder, and they walked through the jungle silently. As soon as they entered a small clearing, Kyp looked up at the sky. There were plenty of stars out, but no moon. A light wind blew through the jungle making him shiver. It was peaceful here, peaceful like Deyer was. The beautiful homes they had lived in on terraformed lakes had been the perfect place to grow up. It had been so beautiful so wonderful there. It had been perfect, until the Empire had practically destroyed it. Day by day it was slowly putting itself back together. For the past eight years it had been building its cities and homes back. It was a surprise that the government had not collapsed. When they reached their rooms, Kyp stopped outside of Serena's door. "Serena, before you go to bed, can I ask you something?" the young man asked her. "Sure." Serena looked up at Kyp, widening her gray-green eyes innocently. "Since you are my student, I was just wondering if you could tell me about yourself. Your past and everything." Serena's lower lip trembled slightly; she looked down at the floor. "My parents died when I was fourteen, I did odd jobs until Han came." She said softly. He was brave enough to tell her of his horrible past, and yet, she was too afraid to say a word of truth about her own. Kyp put his hand on her chin, and lifted her face up; he looked down at her. Kyp looked into her resplendent gray- green eyes that were now filling up with tears. He knew she was lying, even without using the Force he could easily tell. "Serena, why lie?" He asked her as gently as he could manage. "I, I'm not." She could not believe what was happening, and she could not believe she was breaking down like this in front of Kyp. If he could just walk away right now, everything would be okay. He did not. "You are Serena. I know it. Tell me." "I I will not. I cannot." "Serena, secrets lead to sadness, sadness leads to depression, depression leads to anger, anger leads to darkness. Tell me." "No. I can't. I don't care what secrets lead to." Kyp put his hand on her cheek, and wiped away a single tear. "You can too, tell me," he said blandly. Serena jerked away from his unwanted, pleasant touch. She looked up at him angrily for a short moment, angered that he would make her act like this. Angered that she was letting herself act like this. Serena quickly went into her room before she could say or do anything that would hurt Kyp or herself even worse. She slammed the door shut behind her. Kyp stood there looking at the closed door. 'Whoa,' he thought, startled at what had just happened, 'I _have_ to find out about her.' Serena lay on her bed, in the dark, staring out the window. She closed her stinging eyes, the last tear rolled down her cheek, and onto the pillow. Serena began to think of all her father had done, how it had ruined her life, how she hated him, but he was her father after all, she loved him . . . but she hated him so much. The coldness came again. Serena shivered over and over anew, and broke out into a cold sweat. It was in the back of her mind, It was getting larger. It was telling her to let out her anger, to get revenge, to kill. She could be so powerful . . . 'I was a fool, and I don't want the same thing to happen to you . . . anger, fear, and aggression . . .' Kyp's words echoed through the darkness in her mind. Serena quickly sat up; she felt beads of icy sweat running down her forehead. The coldness was still there; she could not get rid of it. 'Anger, fear, and aggression . . .' Serena slipped off the cot, and stumbled into the refresher unit, towards the sink. She threw water on her face, stepped back into the bedroom, and sat in a dark corner. 'I can fight it; I have to.' She thought to herself as her now heavy eyes began to close against her will, and an unpeaceful sleep took over. Back in the temple, in the grand audience chamber, Exana Chitin sat beside Tionne listening to her beautiful music and soft voice. Exana closed her large brown eyes and smiled. She leaned against the wall, and rested her head on Tionne's shoulder. Tionne stopped playing. "Are you tired?" "No, I was just enjoying your music. It's very pretty." "Thank you, Exana." Tionne smiled down at the young girl and began to play her instrument again, this time not singing. Tionne continued to gently pluck the cords of her instrument, all the while watching as a young man began to walk towards her and Exana. Tionne quickly figured he was close to her age, maybe a year or two younger. She had never seen him before, so she quickly figured that he had come off of the transport that had arrived with new students earlier that day. Tionne stopped playing and looked down to ask Exana if she knew the young man. Exana was smiling broadly at the man. Tionne then brought her face up and looked straight into the gray eyes of the man who was now towering over her. "Tionne, this is my brother, Brett. Brett this is Tionne." Exana said cheerfully. Brett smiled at Tionne and studied her hair that had to have been made out of spunned silver. "Nice to meet you, Tionne." "The same to you, Brett." "That instrument you have is interesting. Did you make it?" Brett asked, trying to make a conversation. "Yes I did." Her pearly white eyes lightened up. "It makes beautiful music, please, keep playing." Brett spoke as he sat down beside his younger sister. Tionne smiled lightly at him and began to play again. Brett pushed Exana's long black hair away from her face. "Did you have a nice day, Exana?" Brett asked smiling down at the girl. "Sure did, my teacher is very nice. I like him." "Good." Brett answered, glad that his sister was enjoying her time here. He had given up his future on Chandrila to do this with his sister, and he did not want it ruined. "How was your day, Brett?" "Fine, I learned many things from Master Skywalker." "I'm glad we came here, Brett. And I am sure once mom and dad see why we ran away, they will be very proud of us." "I'm sure they will, Exana." "Brett?" Exana asked tiredly. "Yes?" "Will we become Jedi Knights together?" "Yes, of course." Brett gave her a quizzical look. "Well, unless I die." Exana's eyes widened fearfully. "But of course, I'm just joking like always." Exana looked at him meanly. "Not funny, Brett. You are not going to die, but do you promise you will?" "Will what? Die?" Brett asked, his voice betraying the joke. "No! Do you promise we will become Jedi together?" Exana asked, remaining serious. "I promise." Exana smiled. "Great! We will be the best Jedi in history." "Okay, Exana, sure." Brett rolled his eyes at his sister's childish words. Tionne paused in her playing and turned to study Brett. Brett brought his gray eyes up, and met Tionne's eyes. Tionne smiled, and turned away so she could continue playing her instrument. "Exana, I think it's time for you to go to bed." Brett said, watching Tionne play her instrument. "But that's not fair." "Go on now." Exana gave up the argument easily. "Ohhh, all right." She hugged Brett. "Goodnight Brett, Tionne." Exana walked out of the room, heading for her bedroom. Brett turned to Tionne. "I would guess that she has taken a liking to you?" "Yes. She is very sweet." "Yes. She is." Brett nodded his head in agreement as he ran his fingers through his onyx black hair. Tionne's curiosity finally got the best of her. "Did you two really run away from home?" "Yes, I don't believe that our parents would have let us go. So Exana and I decided that it would be best if we came here." "Where are you from?" "Chandrila." "Isn't that where Mon Mothma is from?" Tionne asked, already knowing the answer. Brett nodded his head. "Yes it is. You would not believe how many museums there are of her and the resurrection of the Republic there. It's amazing." "She's a very great woman. She changed the course of history, with some help of course." Brett leaned against the stone wall of the temple, watching Tionne. "So, you know a lot about the history of the Jedi Knights?" "Yes. I enjoy it, it grasps my attention somewhat better than other things." "I'm really interested. Could you tell me what you know?" Brett asked, immediately feeling a pull towards this girl. "I know a lot." "That's even better. Tell me all of it." Brett stated, smiling at the beautiful girl. Chapter Four . . . (a/n* *polite cough* well? E-mail me . . .comments and the like are worshiped by me mara_jade101@hotmail.com Oh! I know that in all the books Kyp has 'dark' eyes, so most people would say they were black or something, but I put them as midnight blue because that is so much -- how should I put this? -- cooler, sexier, mysterious. Ah, mysterious, yes that's it. ^_~)