Starlet: Nebula (SW fanfiction P. 2)

Chapters 9-13 of my ongoing Star Wars fanfiction. Starlet deals with a familiar foe.

Chapter 9:  The Little Investigator
30 BBY, Coruscant


         It had been a long time spent recovering from the fall on Ilum.  Normally, a child Starlet’s size would take a total of about four months to heal from a broken femur.  Starlet’s had taken twenty.
         Starlet wished she knew why it had taken so long for her to heal, but for now, she was just happy to be getting back into her training.  Master Tachi had slowly ramped things up over the last three months, and now she was teaching her Padawan one method of turning her small size into an advantage.
         “Alright, Starlet,” Siri began, slowly circling around her apprentice.  “When you jump, I will be guiding you with the Force.”  Starlet nodded, bringing her lightsaber hilt to a combat-ready position with her arm outstretched.  A press of the ignition button, and the bright purple plasma blade sprang into existence with a hum.  “Ready?” Master Tachi asked, taking the determined look in Starlet’s eyes as an affirmative answer.  “Go.”
         Starlet jumped high in the air, letting the Force lift her higher than any normal person could ever jump.  As she curled into a loose ball, keeping her lightsaber safely away from her body, she felt the Force of another begin acting on her.  Her Master was guiding her even higher, even causing her body to begin spinning in midair.  With a jolt, she flew toward the wall, already understanding what she needed to do.  Sensing her immediate surroundings, she quickly found herself planting her feet on the vertical surface, pushing off in another Force-powered leap.  Keeping her form instead of curling again, she landed gingerly on the ground with a downward saber swing.  She accidentally allowed her lightsaber to slightly singe the floor, but overall, the exercise has been a success.  Starlet stood up again, withdrawing her lightsaber’s blade.
         The whole thing had taken only two seconds to play out, but clearly Starlet’s reaction time hadn’t dulled in the slightest during her recovery.  “Good, Starlet,” Siri congratulated with a smile.  But she knew she needed to reinforce the lesson.  “Again.”  The Master watched as her apprentice reset her position, her lightsaber reigniting.  “Feel how the Force is guiding your motion.  Ready?”  A simple nod from the Padawan who had yet to utter a single word in this exercise.  “Go.”
         The entire sequence played out largely the same as before, though Starlet was putting in a bit more of the work.  Her lightsaber also stayed safely above the floor, saving the marble surface from another scorch mark.
“Excellent!” Siri encouraged her Padawan, seeing the little smile Starlet had allowed herself.  “Now, I want to see you do it on your own.  I will be ready in case something goes wrong.”  The little Padawan nodded again, adopting her ready stance with her lightsaber ignited and at the ready.  “Ready?  Go.”
         Siri watched with pride as Starlet perfectly replicated the exercise without her help.  This was the third special technique she had taught her apprentice so far in the interest of helping her offset any disadvantage the girl may have had due to her small size.  Starlet had perfected all of them.  Siri made a mental note to thank Master Yoda for his advice in the matter.
         “Well done, Padawan!” she congratulated her apprentice once she returned to a neutral stance, her lightsaber turned off once again.  “You catch on quick!” she added, although the sentiment was certainly nothing new.  Starlet had proven to be an incredibly fast learner.  Perhaps that was a side effect of her time on Batuu?
         Someone flying a ship hundreds of meters above could’ve seen the beaming smile on Starlet’s face.  “Thank you, Master!” she said with a bow, completely incapable of masking the pure joy radiating from her.
         Siri couldn’t help but smile in return.  Starlet definitely enjoyed the praise, but she never seemed to allow it to get to her head.  Very unlike her friend Kenobi’s own apprentice.  “You’re just happy to be training again, aren’t you?” she quipped, knowing the answer already.  Starlet had been practically begging to be allowed to practice with her lightsaber, but the doctors watching over her kept refusing until they felt she was ready.
         Starlet’s smile reduced to a shadow.  “I was out of commission for almost two whole years,” she reminded her Master.  “Why did it take me so long to heal from a broken leg?”
         Siri had plenty of time to think about that question over the last year.  “I would guess that it has something to do with your slow aging,” she suggested, which seemed to put Starlet at ease again.  “Now, put on your training helmet.  Let’s cool down with some basic deflecting exercises.”  Starlet followed her Master’s instructions happily, donning the helmet that obscured her eyesight as Siri activated the training droid.  The purple blade of Starlet’s lightsaber ignited once again, sizzling through the air as she spun it in a tight circle with her hand.
         The task of deflecting the droid’s weak blaster bolts was simple to the point of mindlessness for Starlet, vision or no vision.  This wasn’t for training; this was just letting Starlet cool down before Siri had her do something more challenging.  The Padawan decided to make conversation with her Master in the meantime.  “So, how has Skywalker’s training been going?” she inquired, still feeling some level of irritation with Anakin.  It was a grudge she was trying to let go of.  Plus, she had a bit of a bad feeling about him.  Like he had the potential to be more dangerous than anyone realized.
         Siri easily detected the toxicity in Starlet’s voice, her Padawan not exactly known for subtlety.  “He’s headstrong, reckless and overconfident,” she replied honestly, surprised that Obi-Wan was able to handle the boy.  “Although, a lot of that confidence is admittedly deserved.”
         Already tired of talking about Anakin, not to mention not really wanting to hear more about how he was actually quite talented as a Jedi-in-training, Starlet changed the subject.  “What about Sireya?” she asked, referencing the Twi’lek girl who had come in only slightly behind Ahsoka in their initial classes with Master Sinube.
         “She’s still doing really well in her classes,” Siri responded, although she was surprised that she had inquired about Padawan Vanarto instead of a certain someone else.  “Interesting that you haven’t asked about Ahsoka yet.”
         “I already talk to her a lot,” Starlet began, “and she was a big help when I was recovering.  I know fairly well how she’s doing.  Supposedly, she’d already be a Padawan if she was older.  Speaking of which,” she continued, a thought from nearly two years ago entering her head, “why did they let me be your Padawan?  I thought they were treating me closer to my physical age.”
         “So much about you requires exceptions,” Siri explained honestly, not entirely sure how Starlet was going to take the admission.  “The Council recognized that you would be better off being taught one-on-one rather than in a group setting, so they took your true age into account.  Seeing as you were twenty at the time, you were plenty old enough to be taken as a Padawan.”
         “Then why was I let into the Jedi Order at all?” Starlet asked, a bit surprised by what Siri had told her, but not really bothered by it.  “I was definitely too old at nineteen.”
         “Because you looked four and acted six,” Master Tachi stated simply.  “Like I said, exceptions everywhere.  For an exceptional girl, I might add,” she said with a sly wink.
         “Enough with the flattery, Master,” Starlet responded with a blush she was thankful couldn’t be seen on her face.  “You know it doesn’t work on me.  Thanks, though,” she added, her voice lowering to a whisper.
         “Alright, let’s try something new,” Siri said suddenly, pulling her lightsaber hilt into her hand.  “I want to figure out what your limits are.”  With a simple button press, the Master’s own violet blade ignited.
         Starlet raised her eyebrows in surprise, having already figured out that Siri was challenging her to a duel.  “Well, this is unusual.”
         “You’re unusual,” Siri replied playfully.
         Starlet pulled her own lightsaber hilt into her hand, the blade springing into existence.  “Fair play.”
         For a few seconds, master and apprentice simply faced each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.  The only sound in the room was the humming of their twin purple blades, even their breathing entirely imperceptible.
         With barely a twitch, Starlet suddenly sailed through the air, carried aloft by the Force.  Spinning slightly, her lightsaber blade spanned the distance between her and her Master as the girl traveled to the other side of the room.  A flash heralded the sudden clash of the purple blades as Siri parried her airborne Padawan.  Finally, Starlet landed silently and quickly spun around to block Siri’s response.
         “Nice one, Padawan!” Siri called out as her blade met her apprentice’s.  The Master parried all of Starlet’s subsequent attempts to land a hit, assured that their lightsabers were in a low-power training mode so no one could get hurt.  She threw in a swipe of her own every now and then, careful to give the inexperienced trainee a chance.  She already knew how this clash would end, and she prepared herself for her Padawan’s attempt at a finishing move.
         Starlet did a small backflip to improve her footing for the leap she was about to make.  Holding her lightsaber to the side, she catapulted herself over her Master, aiming her blade squarely for the adult’s shoulder.  She knew the blow would only sting for a few minutes, but she would be satisfied with the victory.
         When Starlet suddenly began flying toward the wall, she knew she’d been too cocky.  Of course Master Tachi would know to Force Push her out of the air.  She had telegraphed her intentions, and as she slammed against the wall and fell to the floor, her lightsaber blade retracting, she paid the price for her overconfidence.  She was in some pain, but Siri had obviously held back so as not to actually injure her.
         Siri walked toward her defeated apprentice.  “You’re a natural fighter, Starlet,” she began.  “You may have lost this duel, but you’ve certainly impressed me.”  The Master held out her hand for her Padawan.
         “You went easy on me,” Starlet responded, taking Siri’s hand gratefully.
         “Because I didn’t want to accidentally injure you,” Master Tachi explained as she helped Starlet to her feet.  “I think you’ve had enough of that for a good long while.”  The quip was met with a sheepish grin from the Padawan.  “What would you like to do as a little reward?”
         Starlet thought deeply for a few seconds before it came to her.  There was a lingering question in her mind that she wanted answered.  “Do you think the medical wing still has access to my blood sample?” she finally replied.  “It could tell us why I age so slowly.  Plus,” she added, having another thought, “I’m… curious about my heritage.  Who my parents were.”
         Master Tachi considered her Padawan’s request.  While it had been three years since those tests were taken, the Jedi liked keeping any records they could.  Plus, she admitted to herself, she was curious about the same things as Starlet.  “We can certainly see,” she answered, holding her hand out for her apprentice.

         Doctor Yirel’s frankly monotonous day was interrupted by two sets of footsteps.  Looking up, she was most pleased to see two friendly faces.  “Greetings, Master Tachi,” she began with a bow.  “And hello, Starlet!”
         “Nice to see you, Doctor Yirel!” Starlet greeted with a friendly wave, glad to see the friendly doctor again.  “Although, it’s Padawan Starlet now.”  Perhaps her pride was getting the better of her, but she still made the revelation with a wide grin.
         “So I’ve heard!” Yirel said, kneeling down to the Padawan’s level.  “Congratulations!  So,” the doctor continued, “what brings the Master and Apprentice down to the medical wing of all places?  You’re not injured again, are you, Starlet?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.
         Starlet let out a slight giggle.  “Not this time, Doctor.”
         “Actually, we’re doing a little… investigating,” Master Tachi explained.  “Starlet’s curious about her family heritage.  It could help unlock the mystery of why she ages so slowly.  Do you have access to her blood test results?” she inquired, hopeful that they could put this mystery to rest.
         “As a matter of fact, I do,” Yirel said with a smile, and she beckoned the duo to her side of the now-activated hologram screen.  “Here, I can pull that up,” the doctor began as she pushed hologram buttons to navigate through menus.  “You want a DNA analysis.  And there’s your family tree.”  There was a sprawling set of lines, with some pictures here and there, as well as a visual representation of Starlet’s DNA structure.  “I see why you age slowly.  There’s some unusual patterns here, possibly artificial tampering,” she explained, pointing out a few areas that showed clearly that something highly unusual had happened.  “Don’t know why that would’ve happened, but what’s past is past.  And - oh!  Interesting…” the doctor continued, turning her attention to the bottom of the family tree.  “Your parents seem to have been Mandalorian apostates.”
         Siri took in the reveal with a sense of awe.  “That would explain why the Force directed her to beskar for her lightsaber construction.”
         Starlet’s head tilted in curiosity.  She had never heard those words before.  “Mandalorian?  Apostate?  What are those?”
         “Mandalorians hail from the planet Mandalore,” Doctor Yirel began, “famous for their beskar armor.  They’re a warrior race, though lately they’ve taken a hard turn into pacifism.  Your parents must have broken some rules, because they seem to have been kicked out of their clan.  That’s why they’re apostates, and also probably why they were on Batuu.  No notes on where they are now.  And…”  Yirel noticed something else at the bottom of the family tree.  “Huh, interesting.  It would seem that you’re one of a set of triplets, Starlet.”
         The shock on Starlet and Siri’s faces was plainly evident to the doctor.  “Triplets?” Starlet exclaimed.  “I have siblings?”
         “Yes, two sisters,” Yirel revealed.  “Nebula and Luna.  All three of you were reported deceased.  Well, we can update your profile, anyway,” she quipped with a few button presses.
         “I wonder if they could’ve survived like I did?” Starlet wondered.  She had sisters?  Was it possible that they were still alive somewhere?  Did they age slowly like she did?  What happened to their parents?  There were so many new questions swimming around in the Padawan’s mind.  Too many questions.
         Siri could sense her Padawan’s swirling questions and emotions.  Starlet had likely assumed her parents were dead, and she certainly never considered the idea of having siblings, let alone being a triplet.  Sensing a potential anxiety episode, Master Tachi decided to offer the girl a suggestion.  “We could head to Batuu and ask around if you want,” she said, hoping it would turn Starlet’s thoughts in a different direction.
         Starlet considered her Master’s suggestion.  While she was definitely curious, and hated having unanswered questions, if she did find her family somewhere, she was concerned that she would become too attached to them.  “I feel like finding my family would just complicate things here,” she said slowly.  “I’d rather stick to my training for now.  At least I have an idea why I age so slowly.”
         A small gurgling noise coming from Starlet’s stomach signaled the end of the conversation.  “And that would be our cue to go find something to eat,” Siri announced, amused by her embarrassed apprentice.  “Thanks for the help, Doctor Yirel.”
         “You’re most welcome, Master Tachi,” Doctor Yirel responded with a polite bow.  “Farewell, Master and Apprentice!  And may the Force be with you.”
         “You too, Doctor!” Starlet called behind her as she and her Master walked away.  She turned around for a few seconds, waving goodbye while walking backwards.  Siri nudged the girl’s side, and Starlet returned to her normal walking.
         Yirel smiled at the frankly adorable display.  Even so, she knew that Starlet had advanced unusually quickly in the Jedi Order.  In fact, most things about the Padawan were unusual, including the odd absence of a family name in her records.  “That girl is going places,” the doctor muttered to herself.  Her mind turned to the apparent child’s heritage, and how unexpectedly special it made the Jedi-in-training.  “Mandalorian, huh?”




Chapter 10:  Linked Destinies
30 BBY, Coruscant


         “Know-it-all!”
         “Horn-head!”
         Jedi Master Adi Gallia was rather surprised to hear the arguing children in the Jedi Temple.  By the sound of their voices, they had been at it for a while.  Turning a corner, she came across two Initiates:  A brash Zabrak boy and a human girl with blue hair.  The two had been butting heads for almost as long as they had known each other, but this argument seemed to be escalating more than usual.
         “Teacher’s pet!” Kualorn threw at his arguing opponent, inching slightly closer to Enith.
         “Tattoo face!” Enith retorted with the best comeback she could think of at the moment.  Honestly, she was pretty sure she had already used it, but they had been doing this for about ten minutes by then.  She waited for Kualorn’s inevitable response.
         “Floor-front!”
         The crass insult sent Enith’s mind reeling, and she took a few steps backward.  “Excuse me?!” she cried, immensely offended by the reminder of her smaller stature.  She was younger than most of her peers, so she hadn’t quite hit the same stage as the others.  Enith did pull some level of satisfaction from the look on Kualorn’s face, as he clearly knew he had made a huge mistake.  Especially with a certain Tholothian Jedi Master marching around a corner, controlled rage plainly evident on her face.
         “Initiate Kualorn!” Master Gallia called, trying to keep her shock under control.  She may have been a Jedi Master, but her emotions were sometimes a bit too much to fully control.
         The two Jedi-in-training turned in surprise, the smallest of smirks creeping onto Enith’s face.  “Master Gallia?!” they exclaimed in unison.
         “Explain yourself, Kualorn!” Adi Gallia demanded, coming to a stop directly in front of the newly teenaged Zabrak.
         “She started it!” Kualorn accused, pointing rudely at Enith.
         “No, I didn’t!” Enith countered, incensed at the blatantly untrue accusation.
         Master Gallia rolled her eyes.  “I heard the entire exchange,” she began, crossing her arms, “and I can tell you right now that Enith did not, in fact, ‘start it’.  How many times have you been caught bullying other initiates?  Perhaps this time, the severity of your actions might lead to your expulsion from the Jedi Order.”
         Now it was time for both Initiates to be shocked.  “What?!?” they shouted, again in unison.  Enith might not have liked Kualorn, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to be kicked out of the Jedi.
         Adi turned to the other Initiate next.  “And Enith!  You know you shouldn’t have engaged with him.  I thought you were smarter than that.”  Enith seemed surprised to be called out in this manner, but she at least looked relieved that she wasn’t actually in trouble.
         Enith lowered her gaze.  “Sorry, Master Gallia,” she said bashfully.
         “Come, Kualorn,” Master Gallia ordered forcefully.  “We must speak with the Council about your misbehavior.  Initiate Enith,” she continued, her tone softening significantly, “you may return to your quarters.  Take the day off.”
         “Thank you, Master Gallia,” Enith gratefully replied with a polite bow before departing.  Master Gallia grabbed Kualorn’s arm and headed toward the Council chambers.

         “Very good, Little ‘Soka,” Master Plo Koon congratulated his temporary pupil.  “Keep sharpening your focus, and I believe you’ll be chosen as a Padawan sooner rather than later.”
         “Thank you, Master Plo,” Ahsoka replied.  She always enjoyed spending time with the Kel Dor Jedi Master.  He was the one who found her, after all.
         Master Plo would have continued the lesson with the little Togruta, but he could sense a third presence nearby.  “It would seem we have an audience,” he said, pointing out the single horn sticking out from behind a corner.  “Come on out, young one,” he called out gently.  “Nothing to be afraid of.”  Finally, a human/Theelin hybrid girl slowly emerged from the shadows.  “Ah, Initiate Xeronya,” Plo greeted pleasantly.  “Did you have something you wanted to ask?”
         “I…  Umm… I, uh…”  Xeronya tried to stammer out an answer, too flustered about being discovered to push out a cohesive sentence.
         “Just spit it out already!” blurted out the impatient Ahsoka, immediately ashamed of herself for her rudeness as Master Plo’s clawed hand rested on her shoulder.
         “Be gentle with her, Ahsoka,” chided Plo Koon, already sensing Ahsoka’s regret.  “She seems to have issues with anxiety.  As well as confidence.  Is that why you were watching us?” the Master inquired of Xeronya.
         “Yes, Master Plo Koon,” Xeronya replied, lowering her gaze in embarrassment.  “Sorry,” she added quietly.
         “Don’t be, Xeronya,” Plo Koon responded kindly.  “Remember, very few across the galaxy are brought into the Jedi Order.  And you share a bloodline with one of the most talented Padawans in Jedi history.”
         This was news to Xeronya.  As a Jedi Initiate, she didn’t really know very much about her family.  She was found and taken in as an infant.  All she had was her last name, Lon.  “Really?” she asked, her curiosity peaked.  “Who?”
         The Master thought back to what he had read about Xeronya’s distant relative.  “She was a devoted student, and an expert duelist.  One of the youngest Padawans ever taken by a Master, and well on her way to becoming a Jedi Knight.”
         Xeronya couldn’t help but notice that Plo Koon was only talking about this girl in the past-tense.  “What happened to her?” she asked hesitantly.
         Master Plo expected this question, though he didn’t exactly like the answer.  “Padawan Lon was sent with her Master to investigate a possible Dark Side user.  Unfortunately, her body was found with three lightsaber wounds in the chest.  She clearly put up quite a fight,” he added, sensing Xeronya’s growing unease.
         “If you’re trying to boost my confidence,” Xeronya began nervously, “this is NOT the way to do it.”
         “My point is,” Plo Koon continued, “talent like Jecki’s tends to run in families.  And you and her would be considered family.  I foresee you becoming one of the most talented Jedi in the Order someday,” he said honestly.
         “I wish I shared your optimism, Master,” Xeronya said, although she did find herself welling with newfound confidence.  “But thanks anyway.”
         The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a young Pantoran Initiate.  “Excuse me, Master Plo Koon?” the blue-skinned boy began politely.
         “What is it, Initiate Vene?” asked the Master.  He sure seemed to be popular today.-
         Vene Suli straightened his posture.  “I was sent to summon you to the Council chambers, regarding a misbehaving Initiate.”  The words spilled out quickly, giving away the boy’s nervousness in conversing with the experienced Jedi Master.
         Plo Koon took the news in stride.  “Sounds important.  I’ll be right there.”  He motioned for the small boy to move along, then turned to the Togruta girl.  “Ahsoka, I would suggest you find Starlet.  I sense she is in some level of distress.”
         Ahsoka made a clumsy attempt at a salute.  “On it, Master Plo!”  With that, the young Initiate ran off, excited to have an excuse to see her friend.
         “Master Plo Koon?”  Plo turned around to find Xeronya still standing nearby.  The girl bowed in respect.  “Thank you.  And may the Force be with you.”
         “And with you, Xeronya Lon,” Plo Koon replied with a nod, before heading to the Council chambers.  He had a feeling he knew which Initiate Vene was talking about.

         Starlet entered the meditation room with trepidation.  She had been called in here by a certain Jedi Master who she didn’t exactly have the best relationship with.  “Hello, Master Windu.”
         Mace Windu motioned to the platform across from him.  “Take a seat, young one,” he ordered sternly.
         “I sense that this isn’t going to be a particularly pleasant conversation,” Starlet said with a sigh as she sat cross-legged across from Master Windu.
         “You know,” Mace began with a sigh of his own, “most people who have disastrous premonitions would like to do something to prevent them.  Events in premonitions can be prevented.  So why won’t you tell us more about yours?”
         Starlet rolled her eyes.  This was the sixth time she’d had this conversation with Master Windu, and she was sick of it.  “I am NOT reliving that.  There’s a reason I don’t talk about it.”
         Master Windu tried another tactic.  He knew that Starlet hated disappointing people; maybe he could use that to his advantage.  “The Council is losing patience with you, Starlet,” he claimed.
         Now Starlet was angry.  “No they’re not!” she exclaimed, shocked that a Jedi Master would be willing to tell a lie like that.  “You are!  No one else has been bothering me about this!  That premonition gave me nightmares for months, and I’m not willing to put myself through that again, and the others understand that!  Why can’t you?!”  By the end of her justified tirade, the Padawan’s voice had risen to a shout.  She also found herself standing on top of the platform, as if her body had moved on its own.
         Mace rose as well, his head rising above Starlet’s even as she stood on her platform.  “Do not raise your voice with me, Padawan!” the Master spat with venom in his voice.
         “Master Windu?”  The Master and Padawan turned abruptly toward the interruptor, the Twi’lek Initiate Sireya.  “You’re being summoned to the Council chambers,” Sireya continued, sounding rather nervous.  “Something about a misbehaving Initiate.”
         The tension broken, Master Windu bowed slightly toward the Twi’lek girl.          “Thank you, Initiate Vanarto.”  He then gave Starlet a death glare.  “This isn’t over, Padawan.”  With that, he turned on his heel and departed.
         Sireya observed the far-off look in Starlet’s eyes.  “Starlet?” she asked quietly.  “Are you okay?”
         Starlet shook her head.  She wasn’t saying no; she was bringing her mind back to the here and now.  “I will be.  I wish he’d get off my back, though.”  The Padawan noticed a worried look on her taller friend’s face.  “What about you?  You look like something’s bothering you.”
         “Starlet…” Sireya began nervously.  “What if the Jedi aren’t what we think they are?”
         Starlet was surprised to hear a question like that, but at the same time she knew where her friend was coming from.  Master Windu had proven to be a bit of a thorn in the Padawan’s side, and he didn’t really seem to be acting very ‘Jedi-like’.  But she knew that the Jedi Temple was where she belonged, and she didn’t like hearing people doubting the Jedi.  “Sireya, don’t say things like that.  The Jedi rescued me from the forest of Batuu.  They’re good people.  We’re good people,” Starlet insisted.
         Sireya wasn’t entirely convinced.  “What about Master Windu?  I thought Jedi were supposed to be in control of their emotions, especially Masters.  And he’s on the Jedi Council!  Shouldn’t he be held to an even higher standard?”
         “Yes,” Starlet began, “but no one’s perfect.”  She could sense a fair amount of conflict in her friend.  The same conflict she had felt in Dooku.  Was she considering leaving the Jedi?  Starlet sure hoped not.  “Sireya, just… promise me you won’t do something you’ll regret later?”
         “I…”  Sireya had to think for a few seconds about what Starlet meant, then remembered that the Padawan had trouble controlling her mind-reading abilities.  Starlet must have known that the Twi’lek girl was losing faith in the Jedi.  That said, she realized that Starlet was right.  She shouldn’t make a decision like this so suddenly.  “Sure thing, Starlet,” Sireya relented with a small smile.  “I promise.  I’m gonna go to my quarters,” she continued, suddenly wanting to be as far away from her friend as possible.  “I need some time to myself.  To think.”
         “Sounds good, Sireya,” Starlet replied, nodding in understanding.  Her friend wasn’t going to make a hasty decision, but she was still thinking about it.  It was Sireya’s decision to make.  “May the Force be with you,” she offered as she turned away.
         “Yeah,” Sireya responded uneasily, distracted by her own thoughts.  “You too.”
         Starlet watched the Twi’lek girl walk away, worried for her friend.           “Sireya, please don’t make the same mistake as Dooku…” she muttered to herself.

         Deep in the depths of Coruscant’s underworld, the Weequay merchant Omrobi Mostre observed an odd sort of customer approaching.  And as a seller in the underworld black market, that was certainly saying something.  No one would expect an unattended child to wander around down here, let alone walk up to a vendor like she had a mission.  The silver-haired child came to a stop in front of Omrobi’s stall, looking up at him expectantly.  “Well, hello there little miss!” he began, trying to sound as polite as possible.  “What can I do for you?”
         The girl, Nebula, had no interest in pleasantries.  “How much for two kyber crystals?” she asked curtly, wanting this exchange to end as quickly as possible.  She had other things to do.
         Rather taken aback by the child’s direct approach, Omrobi wondered how she knew he had exactly two kyber crystals.  He didn’t actually remember how he had acquired such treasures, but he knew how much they were worth.  “That'll cost you a pretty penny,” the Weequay began, absolutely not expecting this girl to be able to afford his price.  “Probably about twenty thousand credits from me.  And I highly doubt you have that kind of dosh.”
         Nebula responded by laying out a few credits.  Specifically of the largest denomination possible.  “Thirty thousand,” she began, “I want them now, and no questions.”
         Omrobi eyed the unbelievable credits suspiciously.  They looked real enough, but how had this girl gotten them?  Either way, even if these credits were counterfeit, those were acceptable tender down here anyway.  “Looks like you got yourself a deal.  Have a nice day,” he said politely to the enigmatic child, handing her the crystals she had somehow paid for.
         As Nebula pocketed the crystals and turned around, she was suddenly met with the imposing figure of a Trandoshan man.  She had heard of this guy; he was rather infamous down here.  “Hand me those crystals, shrimp,” Nack Movers ordered roughly.
         Nebula simply stared up at the large reptilian, not intimidated in the slightest.  “Get out of my way,” she ordered calmly.
         Nack scowled in annoyance at this demanding brat.  Although, there was something unsettling about her eyes.  Yellow irises surrounded by blood red, intense to the point that they could pierce a hole through the Trandoshan’s very spirit.  Even so, it wasn’t like the tyke could do anything to him.  “I don’t give orders twice,” he threatened with a snarl.
         Nebula smirked, amused at the brute’s overconfidence.  “Neither do I.”  She flicked her hand to the left, and Nack Movers suddenly went flying against a nearby wall, screaming the whole way.  No longer obstructed, Nebula began walking away calmly.  She took the crystals out of her pocket, clutching them tightly in her clenched fist.
         Nack shook his head, trying to wrap his head around what had just transpired.  Somehow, the little runt had pushed him aside, without touching him, like he weighed nothing!  “Why, you little…” he growled, starting to stomp toward the frustratingly calm child.  He was cut off by an odd feeling.  As if something was wrapped around his throat, although there was still nothing actually there.  The Trandoshan was having trouble breathing.  Was that kid doing this?
         Nebula turned her head toward Nack, her right hand curled into a practiced claw-like form, as if she was strangling the Trandoshan from a distance.  Which, to be fair, was exactly what she was doing.  “Do we have a problem, sir?” she asked with a sneer.  Seeing the outlaw shake his head while grasping at his neck, she smirked in satisfaction.  “Didn’t think so.”  She opened her hand, and Nack Movers gasped for breath.  Nebula turned once again, headed down the street.
         Sensing more trouble to her left, Nebula used two fingers to use the Force to pull a random citizen’s blaster out of their hands, nonchalantly shooting it in the direction the trouble was coming from.  Hearing the would-be mugger howl in pain at the direct hit, she dropped the blaster onto the ground and continued on her way.
         Nack Movers rubbed his hand on his head, utterly confused by everything that had happened in the last minute.  “What just happened?” he asked the Weequay merchant, obviously still in a lightheaded daze.
         “I don’t know,” Omrobi began nervously, “but I think I just made a mistake.”
         “She… she was using the Force!” Nack Movers managed to utter, still dumbfounded by the odd encounter.
         “That may be,” Omrobi said gravely, realizing a rather terrifying truth, “but she’s no Jedi.”

         Master Yoda observed the fellow Master enter the Council chambers, followed closely by a Zabrak Initiate.  “Greetings, Master Gallia,” he greeted pleasantly.  “Nice day you are having, hmm?”
         Adi Gallia wasn’t amused by Yoda’s attempt to lighten her mood.  “I was,” she began explaining, “until I stumbled upon two Younglings arguing.  Kualorn here,” she continued, grabbing the boy’s ear roughly, “has been caught making disparaging remarks about Initiate Enith’s physical development.”
         Kualorn pouted, still upset he was caught.  “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true…” he muttered quietly.
         Master Gallia rolled her eyes in annoyance.  “He also tried to shift the blame onto Enith.  I would call that saying something that is untrue,” she added, raising her eyebrow at the Initiate.
         “These are serious accusations, Kualorn,” Master Windu began gravely.  “What do you have to say in your defense?”
         “I…  Well…”  Try as he might, Kualorn simply couldn’t come up with anything.  He knew he had done something wrong; he was just too stubborn to admit it directly.
         “If I may, fellow Masters?”  Jedi Master Eeth Koth spoke up, cutting the tension in the room.  As a Zabrak himself, he felt he might have some valuable insight.
         “Go ahead, Master Koth,” Ki-Adi Mundi conceded.
         “At Initiate Kualorn’s age, we Zabrak males have a tendency to lose control of our tongues,” Eeth Koth explained delicately.  “I went through this phase as well.  It’s not something that is easy to control.  All things considered, the fact that he only made remarks is impressive,” he admitted, remembering a particular incident he was involved in as a teenager.  “I’m not making excuses for his behavior; simply stating facts and saying that I understand what he’s going through.”
         “Are we as Jedi not meant to be in control of our emotions?” Master Shaak Ti inquired.
         “He is a teenager,” Even Piell offered sympathetically.  “A tumultuous time for most.”
         Some looks were shared across the room before Master Windu finally nodded, though he looked reluctant.  “The point is conceded,” he said with a sigh.  “While we are in no way condoning your actions, we will let you off with a warning.  Shape up, Kualorn,” the Master ordered sternly.  “I don’t want to see you in front of the Council for anything like this again.  Do I make myself clear?”
         Kualorn hung his head, grateful for the second chance while being upset at being called out.  “Yes, Master,” he said with a slight bow.
         Master Gallia beckoned Kualorn to follow her.  “Come, Initiate.  You will apologize to Enith post-haste.”
         “Of course, Master,” Kualorn replied dejectedly.

         Xeronya Lon approached fellow Initiate Enith in the Temple hallway.  The blue-haired girl was walking more slowly than normal; she was usually speed-walking everywhere.  “Enith!  Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, highly concerned for her friend.  “You look annoyed about something.”
         Enith shrugged her shoulders with a sigh.  “It’s Kualorn.”
         Xeronya’s nagging suspicion confirmed, she put her hand on Enith’s shoulder.  “What did he say this time?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
         Enith turned away from her older friend, crossing her arms.  “He called me ‘floor-front’,” she admitted dejectedly.
         “Don’t listen to him,” Xeronya chided gently, eager to comfort her offended friend.  “Yes, you’re younger than the rest of us.  And yes, that’s a good thing.  It means you passed your classes earlier than us because you’re naturally intelligent.  You should be proud of that!”
         Enith stared into Xeronya’s eyes, looking for some hint of sarcasm.  Finding none, she instead fell into the hybrid girl, wrapping her arms around Xeronya in a tight, grateful hug.  “Thanks, Xeronya.”  Pulling away, she saw the look of pride on her fellow Initiate’s face.  Usually, Xeronya wouldn’t have even said anything out of fear of stammering too much.  Now, she seemed a lot more sure of herself, and she hadn’t stuttered once.  “You know, I like this new confident version of you.  How did that happen?”
         Xeronya smiled warmly.  “Let’s just say that some Masters are kinder than others.  Hey,” she said suddenly, “how about a practice duel to get your mind off of this?”
         Enith’s face broke out into a wide grin, eagerly taking her friend’s bait.  “You’re on!” she said before grabbing Xeronya’s hand and pulling her along to the training room.

         “Hey, Sireya!” Ahsoka greeted as she burst through her friend’s door.  “What’s going on?” she asked after seeing the look on Sireya’s face.  Getting no immediate answer, she tried another tactic.  “What did Kualorn do this time?”
         Sireya jumped, having not noticed Ahsoka’s entrance.  She had been lost in her own thoughts.  “Who -” she began before Ahsoka’s question finally processed in her mind.  “Oh, nothing like that.  I just ran into Starlet talking with Master Windu.  He was really angry at her.”
         “Yeah, Starlet told me about that,” Ahsoka admitted.  “Does he really want her to have nightmares again?”
         “I don’t know,” Sireya replied, “but it’s put some… questions in my mind,” she finished sheepishly.
         “Starlet mentioned that, too,” Ahsoka said.  She knew she needed to choose her next words carefully.  “She’s afraid that you might be thinking of leaving the Jedi.”
         Sireya sighed.  “I don’t know yet,” she said after a few seconds.  “But I’m not gonna make that decision now.  For now, I’ll focus on training.  Say,” she said suddenly, looking out the window, “it’s just about sunset.  I want to show you something.  Come here!”  She grabbed Ahsoka’s hand, pulling her outside onto the roof.  The Togruta seemed confused as she was pulled along.  Sireya sat down at the topmost section of the roof, offering a spot next to her.  “Right on this peak.”  Ahsoka followed the Twi’lek’s instructions, still not sure what was going on.  Sireya pointed out toward the sky.  “Now watch as Coruscant Prime meets the horizon.”
         Ahsoka looked out toward the horizon, careful not to look directly at Coruscant’s parent star as it sank lower.  As the star fell slightly below, the sky began changing colors, becoming a vibrant spectrum of red, yellow, orange and purple.  A few twinkling stars made themselves known, adding even more to the majestic sight.  “Wow, it’s beautiful!” Ahsoka admitted in awe, leaning into Sireya’s side and resting her head on her friend’s shoulder.
         Sireya looked down at Ahsoka, seeing the sunset reflected in her eyes.  She wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders, then turned her gaze to the sight in front of them.  Sireya found herself at ease.  Maybe one day, she would end up leaving the Jedi Order.  But today would not be that day.

         Nebula entered her hideout, little more than an abandoned shed among the lowest levels of Coruscant.  It was dark, dingy, dusty and cold, but that suited her just fine.  However, she knew her time down here was coming to a close.  This was a day she had been preparing for for the last eighteen-and-a-half years.  She had received an offer from a mysterious benefactor, and today would be her last day of seclusion.
         The silver-haired girl kneeled down before a small pedestal, from which a hologram began projecting.  A hooded figure materialized, their identity hidden from view.          “I’ve returned,” Nebula announced to the projection.
         “Have you procured the necessary components?” asked the mysterious hooded man.  His voice was deep, gravelly, and sinister, as if made out of pure evil.  A true personification of the Dark side of the Force.
         “I have, Master.”  Nebula held the two kyber crystals in her palm.  Since she bought them, their color had mutated into a deep red.  Her anger, rage and hatred had poured into them, bending them to her will.
         The little bit of the projected man’s face that was visible twisted into a smirk.  “Then follow my lead.”
         Nebula focused her Force abilities on the metal components laid out in front of her.  A combination of black onk and red metal, along with two beskar blade guards, began floating in the air, arranging themselves along with the kyber crystals into the distinctive shapes of lightsabers.  Each one was identical in appearance as they came together, giving out a satisfying snapping noise as they were completed.  They floated into Nebula’s hands, fitting perfectly while also giving ample room for her own slow future growth.
         “They’re finished,” Nebula declared.  She had completed her weapons of choice, but she still had unfinished business.  “My sister’s up there.”
         “And what is she to you?” the dark Master inquired, almost sounding caring were it not for the underlying sarcasm.
         Nebula scowled, hatred filling her heart.  She had gone through so much of her life believing she was the only survivor of the three triplets.  That made her special.  Suddenly, Starlet appears out of nowhere in Jedi trainee attire, jumping around the surface of Coruscant without a worry in the world?  “Starlet is nothing but Jedi trash,” Nebula spat.  “But I’m going to find her.”
         “And then?” the projected man asked.
         Many people would have called Nebula cute.  Adorable, even.  But with the way her face twisted in anger at that moment, even the most hardened criminal in the galaxy would be intimidated.  And as she ignited her newly-built twin lightsabers for the first time, lighting up the room in a bright crimson red, she made a promise to the Sith Master.
         “I’m going to kill her.”




Chapter 11:  The Tiny Teacher
30 BBY, Coruscant


         Starlet’s lightsaber blade hummed as it was held in a ready position.  She couldn’t see it, covered as her eyes were, but she could sense it.  Also sensed yet unseen was a floating training droid, preparing to randomly shoot a weak bolt toward the Padawan for her to deflect.  She had set its difficulty to maximum, as she found the lower settings utterly uninteresting and entirely too predictable.
         The droid shifted in midair, and Starlet adjusted her stance accordingly.  It flew to the right and shot, and the Padawan deftly deflected the bolt with a light swing of her blade.  Detecting a particularly skilled Youngling, the droid amped up its movements and shots.  Every blast was blocked by Starlet, her purple lightsaber blade beginning to whirl brilliantly as the speed picked up.  She began spinning and jumping to meet the shots, appearing to the unnoticed onlooker like a graceful acrobatic dancer.  Sensing a pause, Starlet allowed herself to catch her breath.
         “We’re gonna need to find you a more advanced training droid, aren’t we?”
         Starlet was taken by surprise when her Master spoke up, allowing the droid to land a cheeky shot at the girl’s shoulder.  “Hey!” she exclaimed while deactivating her lightsaber, annoyed and amused in equal measures by the droid’s potshot.  She removed her vision-blocking helmet and turned to Siri Tachi with a slight bow.  “Hello, Master.  Did you need me for something?”
         “Actually, yes,” Master Tachi admitted from her position, leaning in the doorway as she was.  It was a habit she’d picked up from Obi-Wan.  “I’ve been assigned to teach a collection of Initiates, and I was thinking you could help.  You’ll need the teaching experience for the future,” she added, though she knew that the future she was referring to was likely a very long time from now, given Starlet’s oddly slow aging.
         “Sounds interesting!” Starlet said, placing her helmet on a shelf.  “Which Initiates?”
         “Vene Suli, Sireya Vanarto, and one Ahsoka Tano,” Siri listed, her tone becoming playful on the last name.  “Hmm, never heard of her,” she added sarcastically, tapping her finger on her chin.  “Think she’s friendly?”
         “Master, you’re not funny,” Starlet replied, smiling in spite of herself.  “But count me in!”  Any excuse to spend time around Ahsoka was worth it to her.
         “Alright!”  Master Tachi knew what her apprentice’s answer would be.  She was always eager to help, and the bond between her and Ahsoka was always a joy to witness.  “I just have a few extra instructions for you on the way.”

         “Younglings!” Siri called out, attracting the attention of the three Initiates gathered before her.  “I am Jedi Master Siri Tachi, and I will be your instructor today.  You will be taking part in training duels with your fellow students.  As my Padawan, Starlet will also be observing one of the two matches.”
         Ahsoka quickly counted the number of Initiates present.  If they were having two training duels, weren’t they one contestant short?  “But Master,” the Togruta girl said with her hand raised, “there are only three of us!”
         “And I’d feel bad about fighting Vene,” Sireya admitted, glancing down at the younger Pantoran boy.  “He’s so much smaller than we are.”
         “But not smaller than Starlet,” Siri reminded her pupils, having asked for her Padawan’s help for precisely this reason.  “Besides, Vene has proven to be one of the most talented lightsaber wielders his age.
         “First up, Starlet and Vene.”  The Padawan and Initiate dutifully took their places at either end of the field, the excitement in the area seeming to almost heat up the surrounding air.  “Remember, this is a training duel,” Siri instructed, although she trusted these particular students to already know the rules.  “Light Force usage only, and only to increase your own mobility, nothing combative.  No dirty tricks, and certainly no intent to injure your opponent.  Disarm only.  Make sure your lightsabers are in training mode.  We don’t want any accidental injuries.
         “Ready your weapons.”  The two combatants ignited their lightsabers, Starlet’s vibrant purple against Vene’s blue training lightsaber.  “Now, greet your opponent.  Starlet will go first,” instructed Master Tachi.  Starlet raised her lightsaber vertically in front of her, then brought it diagonally to her side with an elegant spin.  Initiate Suli mirrored most of her movements, skipping the blade twirl.  “Now remember,” the Master reminded, “Starlet has some experience already, so she will be holding back a bit.  Regardless, both of you do your best!  Ready… begin!”
         While Vene was content to let his opponent move first, Starlet was more proactive.  With a Force-assisted jump, she began sailing through the air in the Initiate’s direction.  Vene judged her distance carefully, then executed a quick backflip just in time to dodge the Padawan’s leaping strike.  A slice in Starlet’s direction, blocked skillfully.  A twirl followed by another attempted strike, dodged quickly by the experienced trainee.  Vene tried another slice, but Starlet leapt backward out of the way.
         Starlet went back on the offensive, careful to keep her speed at a level her opponent could manage.  She was still trying to win, but she couldn’t go all out.  Not yet.  Several blade clashes went by, and the two came together in the middle of the field.  Their lightsabers came into contact in a prolonged clash as each combatant tried to get the upper hand on the other.
         “Go, Starlet!” came Ahsoka’s voice from the sidelines.
         Sireya chimed in as well, wanting to cheer for the underdog.  “Get her, Vene!”
         “They’re cheering for us, Starlet!” Vene said, rather surprised that the other two cared enough to do so.
         “They sure are,” Starlet replied, staring past the connected blue and purple blades into Vene’s striking golden-yellow eyes.  She could almost see the blades reflected in the gold tattoos on his face, a symbol of his Pantoran culture.  Then she saw movement in the corner of her eyes, a subtle nod from her Master.  Permission to end the fight.  “I’m still gonna win this, though,” she taunted with a smirk.
         Increasing the amount of strength she was using, Starlet managed to force the connected lightsabers down, finally spinning out of the clash.  What came next was a nearly imperceptible whirl of purple and blue as Starlet wailed on her opponent, Vene trying with all his might to simply keep up.  At last, the Padawan managed to make the blades clash and wrench them around until the Initiate lost his grip.  The deactivated training lightsaber sailed through the air, suddenly changing direction as Starlet pulled it into her left hand.  She ignited it once again, crossing the two blades on either side of Vene’s neck.  Starlet allowed the moment to sit, Vene’s look of amazement causing her heart to swell with pride.
         “And match!  Congratulations, Starlet!” Siri announced, quickly being met with applause from Ahsoka and Sireya.  Starlet deactivated the blades, handing the training lightsaber back to Vene as the other two Initiates ran up to their friends.
         “Awesome job, Starlet!” Ahsoka shouted gleefully, lifting her smaller friend into a spinning hug.
         “Great job, Vene,” Sireya congratulated the Pantoran boy, taking a much more subdued approach than Ahsoka.  “You did really well!  Just a bit more practice and you could actually beat her!”
         “But she was holding back!” Vene countered, still catching his breath.
         “She also has experience against actual opponents who wanted her dead,” Sireya reminded the boy, thinking back to what Starlet told her about her encounter with Dooku.  “You held out a really long time for a newcomer.”
         “Thanks, Sireya,” Vene replied with a bashful smile.
         Siri was certainly proud of her Padawan, but there was still more to be done.  “Okay, Vanarto!  Tano!  You’re up!  Take your positions!”  Ahsoka and Sireya followed instructions dutifully.  “Ready your weapons!  Greet your opponent!  And…  Begin!”  As the Twi’lek and Togruta battled, the green and blue training lightsabers clashing brilliantly, Master Tachi noticed the suddenly concerned look on her apprentice’s face.  “Starlet?  You look like something’s bothering you.”
         Starlet knew she should be paying attention to the battle between friends, but she couldn’t shake a nagging feeling at the back of her mind.  It was a cue she had become familiar with.  “I feel like someone’s in danger.  Somewhere far below us.  Aren’t Jedi supposed to try to help anyone we can?” the Padawan inquired, very much wanting to do something about it.
         As much as Siri wanted to encourage her pupil, she knew that there was only so much a Jedi could do to help someone so far away.  “If they’re in trouble right now, there’s nothing we can do for them.  And besides, the lower levels of Coruscant are no place for a Padawan.  Especially one of your size, no offense.  Keep your mind on the here and now.  Can you do that for me?”
         Starlet wasn’t exactly pleased with Master Tachi’s answer, but she knew she was right.  “Of course, Master,” she relented with a sigh.  With that, she turned her attention back to the duel between Sireya and Ahsoka, cheering on both of her friends, but secretly hoping Ahsoka would win.

         Omrobi Mostre waved to his customer, happy that he had his girlfriend’s help with the sale.  “Thank you for your patronage!” he called after the admittedly sleazy man as he walked away.  “And your money!  Have a nice night!  Hehe…”  Once the merchant was confident the customer was out of earshot, he leaned back in his seat, putting his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.  “What a sucker.  Charged him three times what that thing was worth!”
         Vurma Krer seductively ran a finger along her boyfriend’s jawline.  “That’s why you’re such a genius, hotshot,” she said, her voice oozing sensuality.  Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she snapped back into business mode.  “Oh!  Looks like you have one last customer for the night.”
         “Well, let’s see,” Omrobi said with a sigh, upset by the sudden interruption.  He approached the window again, looking around.  “Hello?”  The Weequay merchant couldn’t see anyone until a light tap of a foot below him turned his gaze downward.  There was that odd Force-using girl from the night before.  “Oh, hello again, little lady!” he greeted, trying his best not to sound nervous.  He’d seen what this girl could do.  “What can I do for you?  More kyber crystals, perhaps?”
         “I need you for something,” the girl said simply.  “Follow me.”
         “Uhh… okay.”  As the girl ran around a corner, Omrobi and Vurma shared a shrug before the merchant followed.  Walking into a dark alleyway, he called out to the unseen girl.  “Hello?  Little girl?  Where are you?  What did you want to show me?”
         Omrobi’s calls were met with a sudden burning, blinding pain in his chest.  He could barely bring himself to look down at the two beams of crimson red stabbing through his heart and lungs.
         “No hard feelings,” Nebula said in a sinister whisper.  “Just taking care of a few loose ends.”  With that, she pulled her lightsabers out of her victim, throwing one in the air while keeping it ignited.  Deactivating the other, she skillfully maneuvered the red blade spinning through the air with the Force, connecting with and slicing through the annoying Weequay’s neck.
         Nebula didn’t necessarily have anything against the merchant.  Sure, he had charged more than the kyber crystals were worth, but she had come prepared for that.  And sure, the girlfriend had already escaped, but she needed to be seen.  It wasn’t like she would be caught; she was supposed to be dead.  Lucky for her, she had an identical sister in the Jedi Temple.  Starlet would be implicated in the murder.  And once she was in jail, Nebula would make her move.  Nebula was supposed to be unique, the only survivor.  Then Starlet showed up.  Nebula wanted to be special again.  And there was only one way to do that.




Chapter 12:  Framing Failure
30 BBY, Coruscant


         “Anakin!  Hold back!  You’re overwhelming her!”
         Obi-Wan tried to shout some sense into his Padawan, but Anakin wasn’t exactly well-known for his listening abilities.  He had asked Master Tachi to allow his apprentice to have a training duel with hers, hoping it would teach him something about restraint.  Unfortunately, as he watched Anakin going all-out against the girl barely taller than his waist, he realized that this exercise may have been a mistake.
         Anakin blocked another strike from his opponent.  “I thought the aim of these things was to win!” he shouted at his Master.
         The Jedi Knight rolled his eyes.  “This entire exercise is to teach you to hold back against disadvantaged opponents!” he retorted to his Padawan.  “If you don’t, you will fail this lesson!”  Another series of parried volleys was followed by Starlet trying to jump over to Anakin’s other side.  The boy responded by Force Pushing her away, intentionally breaking the rules set by his teacher.  “Anakin, I said no combative Force usage!” Kenobi shouted as Starlet recovered, gritting her teeth as she prepared to rush at Anakin, her lightsaber reigniting in a flash of purple.
         “Umm, excuse me?”
         All four Jedi present turned to see the source of the unexpected interruption.  A Coruscant law officer had walked in, his name badge identifying him as Dann Culd.  Starlet deactivated her lightsaber before standing at attention with the others.  “What is it, officer?” Obi-Wan inquired of the unexpected guest.
         Officer Culd squared his position before explaining why he was in the Jedi Temple.  “There was a murder in the lower levels of Coruscant last night,” he began, eyeing the small dark-skinned girl who had drawn his attention in the first place.  “A black market merchant by the name of Omrobi Mostre.”
         Obi-Wan was confused.  Why was this officer approaching a group of Jedi about this?  The Order wasn’t here for law enforcement, after all.  “Did you need help with your investigation?” the Knight asked, although there was only so much the Jedi could do to help.
         “Well,” Dann began, uneasy about the revelation he was about to make, “the victim was found beheaded, with two lightsaber wounds in his chest.”
         “You think the culprit was a Jedi?” Obi-Wan inquired, shocked that a Jedi could even be suspected of such an act.
         “Yes,” the officer replied.  “The victim’s girlfriend described the suspect as a small girl with dark skin and silver hair.  Like her.”  With that, Dann pointed directly at the small Padawan.
         Everyone turned to look at Starlet.  “Wait, you think I did it?!” the girl exclaimed.  Was she seriously being accused of murder?
         “You match the description,” Officer Culd said with a shrug.  To be honest, he didn’t really think she did it.  She just didn’t have the vibe of a killer.  And while most of the description the witness provided matched this girl, there were a couple things that didn’t quite match up.
         “Impossible,” Siri stated, knowing full well exactly where her Padawan had been since early the previous day.  “Starlet’s been with me the entire time.”
         “Ah, Starlet’s her name,” Dann stated simply, typing something in on his pad.  “And… you are?” he asked the female Jedi.
         “Her Master, Siri Tachi,” Siri responded, crossing her arms.  “And I take direct offense to you accusing my Padawan of something she couldn’t possibly have done.”
         Officer Culd was unperturbed by the Jedi Master’s response, though he really did agree with her.  “Do you know of a better suspect?” he asked, eager to find someone other than this tiny Padawan to blame.
         Siri thought for a few seconds before the obvious solution entered her mind.  “Starlet has two sisters,” she revealed to the officer.  “They’re identical triplets.  The other two are presumed deceased, but so was Starlet until we found her three years ago.  It’s possible that at least one of the others survived as well,” she surmised.
         Officer Culd was taken aback.  It seemed too good to be true.  Identical triplets, two of whom were presumed - but not confirmed - deceased?  “It’s as good a lead as any,” he began.  “How do we prove it?”
         An interesting scenario was constructing itself in Starlet’s mind, drawing from her own experiences.  “If she’s managed to go this long without being detected,” she began, “I find it hard to believe she was seen by accident now.  She wanted to be seen.  And if she happens to know that I’m up here, she might be trying to pin the blame on me.  If I let myself get arrested, it could draw her out.”
         “It’s risky,” Obi-Wan said, already seeing several ways the plan could go south.  “We’d have to ask the Council for permission.”
         “I’d say it’s worth the risk,” Siri admitted, very much wanting her apprentice’s name to be cleared as soon as possible.  “If rumors were to come out that a Jedi-in-training was responsible for murder…”
         For Obi-Wan, that idea was chilling.  It could destroy public confidence in the Jedi.  “I’ll call the meeting,” he said.  “Officer Culd, if you could come with us?”

         “So, let me get this straight,” Master Windu began, regarding the officer, Jedi Master, Jedi Knight and two Padawans gathered before the Council.  “Starlet’s been accused of murdering a black market shopkeeper in the lower levels of Coruscant, there’s no way she could’ve been down there at that time, she has two identical sisters that may or may not be alive, and she wants to be arrested in order to try to catch the actual perpetrator?”
         “Yeah, more or less,” Obi-Wan responded simply, trying and failing to cut the tension in the room.
         “Hmm,” Yoda uttered, holding his chin in his clawed hand.  “Very delicate, this situation is.”
         “Officer Culd,” Master Plo Koon asked the enforcer, “do you still believe Padawan Starlet is the murderer?”
         “Absolutely not,” Dann admitted.  “She certainly doesn’t act guilty.  The witness didn’t mention a cybernetic arm, either.  And besides,” he added, “one detail shared by them doesn’t match Starlet.  The perpetrator’s eyes were described as piercing yellow, surrounded by a ring of blood red.  Entirely unlike this Padawan’s ocean-blue.”
         There was a hush in the room as the new information was brought to light.  “Yellow and red?” Master Ki-Adi Mundi repeated, realizing that it sounded eerily familiar.  “That’s the same description as…”  He paused.  Starlet looked like she had been mentally transported to another world entirely, possibly from the trauma of two years ago.  “As Qui-Gon’s attacker,” the Master finished.
         “Tell me, Starlet,” Master Even Piell began gruffly.  “Let’s say this is one of your sisters, and she does come out of hiding.  What does that mean for you?  The Jedi Code prohibits -”
         Starlet knew exactly where this line of thinking was going.  They were worried that she wouldn’t be able to do her job because the target was her sister.  So she interrupted Master Piell before he could finish his sentence.  “Why would I form an attachment to a murderer?” she began.  “Even if she is my sister?  Whoever it is, I want them brought to justice.  And I might be uniquely equipped to do that.  Besides,” she added, “if she doesn’t show up, I do have an alibi.”
         “Starlet.”  Master Windu drew the Padawan’s attention.  Having listened to her reasoning for doing this, he realized he had severely misjudged the girl.  While he was still frustrated that Starlet wouldn’t share more about her premonition from three years earlier, she seemed to truly embody everything a Jedi should be.  “Go, with our permission, and our blessing.  And may the Force be with you.”
         Starlet smiled and bowed, respectfully and gratefully.  With that, she turned to Officer Culd and nodded, preparing to be officially arrested and cuffed.

         It was a rather odd sight, to say the least.  A Coruscant law enforcement officer trailing behind what appeared to be a four-year-old girl in handcuffs far too large for her frame.  Officer Culd was holding Starlet’s lightsaber for the time being.  He was very much part of the plan.  It needed to look like Starlet was actually in trouble.
         “All right, Padawan,” Dann said roughly to keep up appearances, deactivating the barrier for the soon-to-be-occupied cell.  “This is your cell.  Get in.”  The two entered the cell, Starlet taking a seat on the rough bed mattress.  The officer approached the wall, pulling out a hollowed-out brick that had been prepared specifically for this operation.  He placed the girl’s lightsaber inside, then replaced the brick.  Starlet would know exactly where the weapon was.  “Good luck,” he said as he left, quietly enough that it almost looked like he simply mouthed the words.
         “Thank you,” Starlet replied in kind.  Officer Culd reactivated the cell’s barrier, then remotely unlocked the girl’s handcuffs.  Taking them off and rubbing her non-robotic wrist, she sat patiently, waiting for something to happen.
         And with the sound of an ignited lightsaber stabbing through the officer’s heart, Starlet knew the time had already come.  She felt sorry for Officer Culd, but she knew he had done his job.  The unseen lightsaber was deactivated, and incredibly light footsteps broke the uneasy silence.  Finally, a small girl stepped in front of the barrier.
         She looked pretty much identical to Starlet herself, aside from having both natural arms.  Not to mention her eyes.  They were just as piercing, just as haunting, as Starlet had imagined.  The other girl eyed Starlet’s cybernetic arm, seeming surprised to see it.  “Who are you?” Starlet asked nervously, suddenly rather worried about the inevitable battle.
         “Oh, how tragic,” the other girl said, igniting her bright red lightsaber to disable the barrier controls.  “You don’t recognize your own sister?” she continued as the barrier flickered out of existence.
         Starlet had already figured that part out, but there were two possibilities.  She needed a name.  “So, which one are you?” she inquired, standing up to meet her approaching sister.
         The other girl responded by pinning Starlet against the wall, the newly-ignited twin red lightsabers crossed in front of the Padawan’s neck.  The ends of the blades dug into the wall as if made of seafoam.  “What does it matter?” the sister replied sinisterly.  “You’re not leaving this cell alive.”
         Starlet smirked.  She knew exactly how to get out of this, and she had reached into the girl’s unguarded mind for her name.  “We’ll see about that… Nebula.”
         She needed to get Nebula as far away from her as possible.  And with a mighty Force push, Nebula flew backward several feet, almost losing her footing.  She clearly wasn’t used to fighting other Force users.  Starlet directed the Force to pull out the hollow brick containing her lightsaber, and the weapon flew into her robotic hand, igniting with a twirl.  She barely had enough time to block the sudden attempted strike from her sister.  Calling once again upon the Force, Starlet jumped into the air, landing gracefully on the other side of the deactivated doorway.
         And yet, Nebula had the same idea, landing on behind Starlet and forcing her to block another attempted strike.  The Padawan found herself needing to increase the power in her cybernetic arm to keep up with her opponent’s strength.  She could feel her sister’s emotions.  The girl fought while channeling her anger.  Hatred.  Jealousy.  Nebula wanted her dead, and she was willing to do whatever was necessary to finish her mission.  Meanwhile, Starlet was calm and collected.  She was in control of her emotions, rather than allowing them to control her.
         Blow for blow, Starlet and Nebula were evenly matched.  Starlet was more skilled, better trained, while Nebula fought with more power and passion, not to mention the two lightsabers.  The Padawan remained largely defensive, only aiming to disarm her opponent.  Several times, she had to block one of the two whirling red blades with nothing but the Force, feeling the heat of the plasma blade far too close to her left hand for comfort.
         Nebula was trying to back toward the entrance of the facility, already planning her escape just in case things went south.  The two approached the wall, their lightsabers clashing brilliantly and cutting easily through the metal.  Starlet saw deep into her sister’s eyes.  Her piercing yellow-and-red eyes.  They were filled with confidence, but most of all, hatred.  Nebula truly hated Starlet, and the Padawan wasn’t sure why.  Their lightsabers parted, and the estranged sister spun one blade as a distraction, managing to barely slash Starlet’s left arm with the other.
         With a screech, Starlet reeled backward, clutching her already cauterized wound.  Compared to her right arm, it was just a scratch, but any injury from a lightsaber was going to hurt for a while.  Nebula observed her sister’s pain with glee, then realized she had made a mistake.  Before, Starlet had been fighting carefully, calculated, calmly.  She refused to allow her emotions to power her, but her skill easily made up for that.
         Now?  Nebula could see the anger in her sister’s eyes.  Frustration.  Rage.  She realized that she had made a mistake.  With a yell, Starlet rushed toward Nebula, her lightsaber swinging with a practiced elegance mixed with pure anger.  For the first time in a long time, Nebula suddenly remembered what fear felt like.
         Strike after strike, Starlet wailed on her opponent, no longer fully in control.  It was everything Nebula could do just to keep her hands from being cut off and her head firmly attached to her shoulders.  She was simply no match for someone of Starlet’s skill level when they were also fueled by fury.  Nebula decided it was time to give up on her mission and try to escape with her life.
         Behind Starlet, Nebula saw her chance for escape.  They were fairly close to the entrance.  All she had to do was get to her sister’s other side, and she could make a break for it.  She steeled herself for a long fight, as it was obvious Starlet wasn’t going to make that easy.
         When Starlet suddenly dropped, spinning in an attempt to sweep Nebula’s legs out from under her, she saw her chance.  Reading her sister’s intentions, she instead launched herself into the air, somersaulting to a landing on the outside of the facility.  Confused, Starlet looked around, finally seeing Nebula on the other side of the entrance.  Growling and gritting her teeth, she sprinted toward her opponent.
         No longer fearing for her life, Nebula simply reached out with the Force, activating the barrier.  It buzzed into existence, Starlet slowing to a stop before she could collide with it.  The Padawan tapped the end of her lightsaber on the transparent red barrier, testing if she could break through.  Finding her blade repelled by a magnetic field, she deactivated her weapon.
         Smirking, Nebula deactivated her own lightsabers, attaching them to her belt on opposite sides.  “See you around, sis,” she said, almost spitting the last word in disgust.  With that, she called upon the Force to sprint into the cover of the night time shadows.
         Having watched her long-lost sister disappear into the darkness, Starlet leaned against the wall.  Her rush of adrenaline spent, the exhaustion of the battle caught up to her all at once.    “At least the cameras caught all of that…” the Padawan uttered to herself, sliding down the wall into a sitting position.  Her job, while unfinished, was successful.  She had proven that one of her sisters was alive, and in doing so, had cleared her own name.  No Jedi, nor anyone associated with them, was guilty of the murder of the merchant.  And with that final thought, she waited for her Master to arrive to retrieve her, and allowed her own exhaustion to take her.




Chapter 13:  Admissions and Secrets
29 BBY, Coruscant


         It had been six long months since Starlet’s fateful meeting with her sister.  She had woken up in her own bed at the Temple, her Master seated right beside her.  Since then, the girl had tried to come to peace with the events of that night, to no avail.  That’s why she had asked Siri to help her meditate again.
         “Alright, Starlet,” Master Tachi began upon Starlet’s arrival, already seated in the meditation room.  “Take your seat across from me.  Legs crossed.”  The Padawan followed her Master’s instructions wordlessly.  She had been quieter than usual since the incident.  “Now, close your eyes.  Relax.  Clear your mind of any present concerns or worries.  Reach out with…”  Siri paused mid-sentence.  She had sensed something in her apprentice’s mind.  Something that was making relaxation impossible.  “Something on your mind?”  She waited for an answer, though the girl’s only response was a slight grimace.  “Is there something you wanted to tell me?” Siri asked slowly, wanting to help Starlet in any way she could.
         “Yeah,” Starlet admitted with a heavy sigh.  It would be good to finally get this off her shoulders.  “It’s about the fight I had with Nebula.”
         Siri raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that anything regarding the fight she had watched on the security footage could possibly be bothering her apprentice.  “What about it?” she inquired.  “You did amazing.  What you did was very brave.”
         “It’s not that,” Starlet began.  “During the fight, when she cut my arm, I got… angry,” she admitted sheepishly.  “And I sort of lost control.  I’m supposed to be in control of my emotions, not a slave to them.  I’m a Jedi!”
         Despite her Padawan’s emotional distress, Siri was impressed that something like this was bothering her.  “You’re a Jedi-in-training,” she gently reminded her apprentice.  “There are fewer expectations on you.  And besides,” she continued with the extreme uniqueness of the girl in mind, “you’re a twenty-three-year-old whose thoughts and emotions are being filtered through a brain that is physically only four years old.  You got injured, and your mind reacted in a way natural to you.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  But I’m proud that you had the instinct to be upset about it, and that you worked up the courage to come clean.”
         The anxiety Starlet had been feeling for the last six months melted away in an instant.  “Thank you, Master,” she said with a smile.
         Siri was glad that her apprentice had calmed down, but she had some questions that she had been holding onto since the incident.  “Out of curiosity, what were you able to learn about Nebula?”
         Starlet thought back to the encounter with her sister.  “She uses her emotions to fuel her actions,” she explained.  “It makes her physically stronger, but it also tires her out quickly.  All things considered, we’re evenly matched.  If it were to come down to it, I don’t think I’d be able to kill her,” she admitted, a bit darkly.  “And even if I could overpower her, I couldn’t land the final blow.  I don’t feel any sort of attachment to her, but it would still be like…”  Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a way to express her thoughts.
         “Like striking yourself down?” Siri offered, being fully aware of the two girls being identical aside from Starlet’s cybernetic arm.
         “Yeah, I guess so,” Starlet concurred with a slight shrug.
         “Well, hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Master Tachi said, not wanting her charge to get injured any further than she already was.  Meanwhile, an idea had formed in her mind.  “Tell you what.  How about, for a while, we keep you inside the Temple as much as possible?  Focus even more intently on your training?  That way, even if she wanted to confront you, she’d have to get through the entire Jedi Order first.  And who knows?  Given enough time, she could give up.  Decide it’s not worth the effort.”
         Starlet pondered her Master’s proposal.  While she very much enjoyed her excursions to other areas of Coruscant, it was also true that trouble kept finding her while she was out.  And if Nebula really was hunting her, she would be far safer inside the Temple.  “I suppose it’s possible,” she finally admitted, albeit a bit reluctantly.  “Sounds like a plan.”
         “Is there something you’d like to focus on specifically?” Siri asked her student, knowing that Starlet likely wanted to prepare for any future encounters with her enigmatic twin.
         Starlet considered her teacher’s inquiry for a few seconds before a detail of the fight resurfaced in her mind.  “Nebula was using two lightsabers,” the Padawan recalled.  “I only use one.  It was kind of hard to keep up,” she admitted.
         Siri had a feeling this line of thought would come up.  Dual-wielding lightsabers was hard enough to get the hang of, but defending against a user of the technique was even more challenging.  “Did you want to train in Jar’Kai as well?” the Master offered, using the formal name of the specialized saber form.
         “Not so much to use it,” Starlet answered, “as how to fight against it.”
         Master Tachi’s thoughts were perfectly on the mark.  Starlet was very much comfortable wielding a single blade; she simply wanted to know more about defending herself against it.  “I think I know of someone who can help with that,” she began thoughtfully, the highly skilled Master Beq immediately coming to mind.  “I’ll have to set up a meeting with Kelleran.  Now,” the Jedi continued, still detecting some amount of anxiety within her pupil, “I sense you’re still nervous about something.”
         In truth, Starlet’s memory of her last meditation session was still vivid in her mind.  She hadn’t been in this room since her lesson with Qui-Gon, the trauma from her premonition preventing her from coming anywhere near the meditation room.  “Last time I meditated, it didn’t exactly end well,” she admitted.
         Siri had wondered how Starlet had handled the memory of her premonition nearly four years prior.  “Premonitions are typically quite rare,” she explained, trying her best to help her apprentice set aside her fears, “so you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.  Now, back to your position.  Close your eyes, and clear your mind.”  Starlet obeyed the Master’s instructions, assuming a perfect meditative pose.  Siri could tell that the girl was already significantly calmer than before.  “Reach out into the Living Force around you.  Listen to what it has to say.  Even the smallest molecule in the slightest imperfection of the Temple wall could hold a universe’s worth of information.  Untold stories, never experienced by anyone or anything else.”
         With her explanation finished, Siri noticed that Starlet had been in a deep trance for a few seconds already, long before the Jedi had stopped talking.  Master Tachi experimentally waved a hand in front of Starlet’s face, and she was met with absolutely no response.  She could feel the Force gathering around her Padawan, and she watched in awe as the still inexperienced Jedi-in-training began levitating just above her seat.  “Well, I’d say that worked quite well,” the Master whispered to herself.

         Siri accompanied her meditating apprentice in silence for a few minutes before she sensed someone approaching.  Turning to the door, Siri was hardly surprised to see the young Togruta Initiate preparing to knock on the doorframe.  “Well, hello, Ahsoka!” Master Tachi greeted the girl.  “I’m sorry to say, but Starlet’s a bit preoccupied.”
         Ahsoka was unbothered by her friend’s inability to spar with her.  Instead, she gazed upon the girl’s levitating form, utterly awestruck.  “Is that what actual, proper meditation looks like?” she wondered aloud.
         “Sometimes,” Siri responded with a smile, charmed by Ahsoka’s innate curiosity.  “The levitation aspect happens for some, and doesn’t for others.  It mostly depends on how deep your trance is.  I highly doubt Starlet is aware of anything inside this room at the moment,” she admitted, though she couldn’t be absolutely sure of it.
         A few seconds went by before Ahsoka inevitably broke the silence in the room.  “Can I try?” she asked.  The Togruta girl had attempted meditation before, but without anyone actively instructing her, she had repeatedly failed to enter the required trance.
         “I don’t see why not,” the Master replied with a shrug.  “Come, young one.  Take a seat.”  Ahsoka ran over to another seat.  Siri noted the girl’s boundless energy; this exercise would likely be more complicated than the Initiate realized.  “Cross your legs, just like Starlet.  Close your eyes, and clear your mind.”  Ahsoka followed the instructions as well as she could, but her mind refused to quiet down.  “Reach out…”  The Jedi watched in amusement as the Togruta’s arm shot out in front of her.  “Not literally.  With the Force.”
         Ahsoka quickly lowered her arm again.  “Right.  Sorry,” she muttered under her breath, embarrassed by her own misunderstanding of the instructions.
         “Anyway…” Siri began playfully, before realizing what exactly was happening.  “Your mind is buzzing,” she stated, having sensed the child’s unceasing energy.
         With a sigh, Ahsoka’s shoulders slumped downward, and her eyes opened.  “I’ve never been good at settling down,” she admitted, disappointed in herself for failing the exercise for the tenth time.
         “That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” the Master chided gently, picking up on Ahsoka’s suddenly depressed mood.  “I wish I had half of your energy.  There may be things that Starlet can do that you can’t.  But the reverse is true as well,” she offered, although she didn’t have any specific examples to provide.  “You’ll find your place, Ahsoka.  For now, I sense that your time may be better spent elsewhere.  Go on.  And may the Force be with you.”
         “Yeah,” Ahsoka replied halfheartedly.  “You too.”  She slowly moseyed her way out of the meditation room, headed back to her quarters to think.

         Siri continued watching over Starlet, mostly oblivious to the distress she had accidentally caused for Ahsoka.  She was dimly aware that someone else was around, but her focus was entirely on her Padawan.  Until the other presence finally spoke up.
         “Very few young Jedi are able to meditate like that,” Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi said, leaning against the doorframe.
         Master Tachi turned in surprise to the newcomer, trying to ignore the odd jump her heart made.  “She was worried about premonitions,” she explained, quickly gathering her composure.  “And she admitted that she lost control during her duel with her sister.  Due to her anger.  At least she knew to be upset about it.  Starlet really does try to keep her emotions in check,” Siri added empathetically.
         “I wish Anakin would do the same,” Obi-Wan quipped.  He’d been trying to work on that with his own Padawan for a while, but Anakin seemed to prefer to take advantage of his emotions.  Usually to his own detriment.
         Siri allowed herself a playful smile.  “Everyone does,” she said with an eye roll.
         The two Jedi shared a chuckle, then flinched as a mighty crashing sound rang through the outer hallway.  “Well, I just stopped by to see what was going on,” Obi-Wan explained, having a strong idea where the noise had come from.  “I sense my Padawan has accidentally destroyed something.  Again.  Farewell, Master Tachi,” he said with a slight bow.  “May the Force be with you.”  With that, the Jedi Knight turned away and rushed to see what kind of trouble Anakin was getting into this time.
         “Of course,” Siri replied long after Obi-Wan was out of earshot, feeling an odd sort of disappointment in his departure.  Filing away the weird reaction deep inside her mind, she turned her attention back to Starlet, still deep in meditation.  The Master supposed that her apprentice was likely entirely unaware of the goings-on in the room, far too focused on things beyond most beings’ comprehension.
         Siri was wrong.  Starlet had been paying attention the entire time.  She had seen Ahsoka try - and fail - to meditate.  She had felt her friend’s disappointment and slight jealousy.  Her Master’s pride in the little Padawan.  And she definitely detected the fluttering of Siri’s heart in Obi-Wan’s presence.  The girl didn’t understand what that meant, but she was sure she’d find out someday.  For the time being, Starlet reached out further with the Force, continuing to hear the story of a small animal living on a lower level of Coruscant.  She had been quite invested in the creature’s tale that, more than likely, no one else would ever hear.