The haunted past

Author's Title : “The haunted past" Part I

Author: Stonezinha AKA Turista Espacial

Origin: Portugal

Language: English

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Kashyyyk. The last time I was here was to visit my friend Chewbacca.

Now, with my Master, I was looking for a smuggler. We didn’t know who he was, but we had been tracking him for a few standard days. The last hint we got indicated that he was coming here. We found a trail that lead us to some ruins, maybe were he hid the cargo he stole.

Jedi usually don’t chase smugglers, but this one gave a lot of work to the Galactic Alliance.

I followed my Master a few steps behind at his side, always watching for his next move. We got to this big wall close to the ruins, but there was no sign of the smuggler.

- Jane, a test!

- Yes Master!! – The excitement built. I was always waiting for tests.

- Look inside, use the Force. Open your mind and find him.

I looked to the wall in front of us, I let the Force flow inside me. I searched through the other side of the wall. A path, a way in, a hallway and doors. I searched for the presence of the smuggler and there he was, just behind a door.

- I know where he is, Master!

- So, take me to him.

My Master gave me the sign to go in front, to lead the way. We jumped through the wall and I showed the way in, and when Master Hobir Thelm agreed, we followed the path I saw in my vision. Close to the door were the smuggler was hidden, we halted.

- He’s right on the other side. – I was whispering to Master Thelm.

He gave me the sign of silence and leaned his back to the wall. I knew exactly what he was going to do. A Force Shock, a tricky technique for a Padawan like me, but that my Master was an expert. I looked for cover and as soon as I felt the impulse I turn my saber, the smuggler was stunned but he was holding his blaster and shooting everywhere. We diverted the blasts with our sabers and trapped him against the wall. He was still shooting and master Thelm began forcing him to withdraw.

- If you surrender now the Galactic Alliance may be merciful with your punishment.

- I don’t need your mercifulness. I will never surrender.

- Your ammunition will run out and we will still be here. You have no choice.

The smuggler collapsed the external wall using is blaster.

- Master, I think we may have to run again!

- Maybe is time for you to show me all you have learned. Use the Force, Padawan.

I smiled, I knew it was my chance to make him proud of me. I used a Force Push and I threw the smuggler against a pile of rocks, my Master ran controlling the rest of the situation.

That was the moment I felt a pain in my back and all turned to darkness.

I don’t remember for how long I was in the dark. I was trying to find my Master in the Force, but all I could feel was the presence of my captor.

It was not the smuggler, it was someone else, colder. In all the time he kept me prisoner he never said a word. Not knowing what he wanted from me, there was never a right answer that I could produce. Electric shocks seemed to be his favorite way of torture.

I was trying to move my legs when I heard him coming back. All that time, his eyes were the only thing I saw. They were dark as a black pearl. But something was different. He took me into a different chamber, somewhere below where I used to be. That was when I heard is voice for the first time.

- Jane Bry, you are free to go, whenever you want. One of these tunnels will take you to the exit. The others… well, there is death. You know the way, you just need to remember. You were here before.

- I was never here, how can I remember?

- There are things from your past that you don’t remember, but I do. Use the Force, they are in your head, hidden, you just need to find them. I must leave now, but we will meet again.

A few moments after he left I heard an explosion, and all became dark again, except for a dim light from a glow rod. I still could move my legs, so I concentrated in a deep meditation sleep.

I don’t know for how long I remained in that darkness, the glow rod had extinguished long ago when I started to feel the Force coming back to me. There was something different, someone was out there. Not my captor, though…

I recognized the voice of Master Skywalker in the other side of the wall, I could hear the lightsaber cutting through the stones and once more my heart was filled with hope. I tried to stand up but there was so much pain in my legs that I kept falling like a defeated rancor. Finally I could see some light, but it was hurting my eyes. I closed them and waited.

I could hear the stones falling. I could hear the voices of my friends, my Jedi friends. I waited.

-Jane? Do you hear me? – Master Skywalker took me in his arms

-Master Skywalker, my eyes hurt!

-Just keep them close, we’ll be home soon.

- Where is Master Thelm? I tried to reach him, but I couldn’t.

- I’m sorry Jane, your Master is one with the Force.

That moment, I felt a pain in my body, like razors against me, inside me. Master Skywalker dropped me. He stared as if I scared him. It was the last thing I saw before blacking out again.

“I think I’m inside a spaceship, its dark, only the emergency lights are on. I hear noise coming from above. I’m scared, I don’t understand what is happening. I walk into the upper level, following the sounds, sounds of fight. When I get there I see the glow of red Lightsaber blades moving fast, so fast that just look like a big red ball. I hide behind a cabinet, I´m crying, I’m scared, and I don’t know what to do. I want to run away but I don’t know the way out. One of the blades hits the cabinet and I scream revealing my presence. A woman holds me by my arm throwing me into a far corner. I feel pain, but I feel something else to. Anger, mixed with fear of death, fear of losing my parents. Suddenly I see a light, everything disappears, the fear, the hate, comfort and peace filling my heart.”

I opened my eyes and I saw Allina Secura, she looked concern.

- It’s ok Jane, it was just a dream.

I looked around and I realised that I was in the medical centre, in the Jedi Temple. I heard the medical droid saying something to Allina. They were going to put me back to sleep.

- Allina, what happened? To me, back on Kashyyyk?

- Don’t you remember?

- I remember some things, but not all. I remember the pain, and a man.

- He left you to die, we got there just in time.

- I couldn’t find Master Thelm, he wasn’t there.

- You need to rest, don’t worry, you are safe now.

“I feel heavy, angry and scared. The man and the woman look scared as well, they are trying to comfort me with words, telling me to calm down, that everything is just a joke, a game. But I’m already out of control, I need to unleash whatever is inside me. I can see everything, I can feel everything, the machines, the life. The control panel in the spaceship explodes behind me and a strange wind passes through me. The man and the woman are pushed back to the end of the room, against the wall, imprisoned by the strength of the wind. Everything shakes around me and I don’t feel the weight in me anymore, I feel free, but then I feel a pain in my arm and when I look up I see a light so bright that it almost blinds me.”

Allina was on my side when I woke up, she was holding my arm. I was already in my room, and, even with my body cured I was still dreaming with terror.

The scientists from the Temple believed that the virus that was implanted in me, didn’t had the purpose off killing, but to release long lost memories.

Allina believed that my captor must have had a reason to do it and we were trying to release those memories, but we had a problem. Every time we tried to do it, the room ended up destroyed, even with Allina’s Force Shield, and we still had to go against the orders of Master Luke Skywalker.

I was looking though the window while Allina was resting, I was tired of trying to unravel my past with my dreams. I could only think about a way of resolving these from another perspective.

- I need to go to Kashyyyk!

- No! You can’t go back, you are not strong enough!

- Allina, it’s the only way. There must be something there that will tell me what all of this means.

- I will go with you!

- I can’t ask you that!

- So, don’t ask. I will go anyway.

- You just became a Knight, you can lose all that!

- Padawan… Knight… It’s just titles. I can’t let my best friend, my sister, go alone.

It had been fifteen years since Chewbacca found me all alone in this same forest. He gave me food and shelter, and took me to Luke Skywalker that taught me the Jedi way, the only life I ever remember. I counted that day as my first memory.

As I return from my thoughts, I saw Allina climbing a small cliff. She was a female Twi'lek, some say that she had a family member that was once a Jedi Knight, from the times of the Clone Wars, but if it was true, she never said anything.

I followed her in to the entrance of a cave.

- I think we can use it to spend the night. – Said Allina looking out.

- Yes! I don’t think the rain is going to stop before the morning.

As we made room inside the cave, I started sensing something cold, not from the outside, but from the inside, and not wind, just... something wrong. As I looked around, my eyes began adjusting to darkness, I saw a discreet red glow deep in the cave. Allina was distracted preparing the fire and I went closer to find what that red glow was, but I felt dizzy, cold and confused. The feelings I had during the dreams, of rage and fear, were coming to the surface, as if I couldn’t control them anymore. Allina felt it too. She was beside me looking to the red glow.

- It’s just crystals, I think they use them to make lightsabers for the dark side, leave them alone. They’re not bred by the Force so they can’t arm us. Let’s get something to eat.

- But, why are they here? – I had no response and I didn’t force one from her.

I couldn’t sleep, that red glow was in my mind every time I closed my eyes. I kept my thoughts clear, like a meditation sleep, but not as deep.

The morning was warmer, it had stopped raining, but the ground was still muddy. All the clues that we could have follow were gone. We found a path, though, and followed it. It led us in to a clearing.

- Something was here, a ship, I can’t say what type, but there was definitely one here.

- We didn’t land here! So, there was probably the one we are looking for.

- We should go into the ruins were we found you. I’m hoping that you will feel something there that will reveal to us his identity.

- Master Thelm and I went in that direction. There must be something there that will tell us more.

I walked beside Allina but I kept myself a few steps back, just like I did with my Master, wondering about what we found in that cave and why Allina brought the crystals and kept it from me. Yes, I knew. I wonder if she thought she could conceal the appeal those red crystals had on me. Maybe she didn’t trust me. Maybe she felt that I was weak.

The signs of struggle between Master Thelm and the Dark Lord were starting to show up. I looked through Force to try to understand what happened, but I could only sense feelings.

I sensed Master Thelm and his decision to protect me from that man. The man was enraged, still he feared for my life, but was determined to destroy Master Thelm, just to have me. But something took me out of my vision.

Allina was looking at me with a “do-you-feel-that?” face.

-Yes, I feel that too.

We turned on our lightsabers and kept our backs in to each other. We were walking in circles for a few minutes.

- It’s moving too fast, it’s everywhere.

She sent me her thoughts through the Force and I followed her lead. We jumped in to the tree tops out front, covering more ground. I stood in my place for a second when I heard sounds of a saber fight in Allina’s tree. I could only see the glows of the saber, one red and the other green. The leafs caught fire, cutting my passage. I was moving along the tree branches preparing for a Force Jump when I heard a deaf sound of something hitting the ground. I looked and saw Allina’s unconscious body. He was just beside her.

- Your friend is still alive, I just want to talk to you. Please, turn your saber off.

- Why should I?

- You already know who I am. I will not hurt you.

- You already did, don’t you remember?

- It was necessary, let me show you…

- No, let me show you who I am!

I raised my saber in to an attack position and moved forward.

- You can’t bring me down!

- I will die trying.

- I’m not going to kill you, Jane, you are my daughter and I love you.

- If you love me, why did you leave me all alone in the middle of the forest? Why did you keep me your prisoner and tortured me for days?

- That is the way of the Dark Side, I want to show you how powerful it his. I needed to make you remember, but your Jedi friends came too soon.

I jumped closer to him, but he didn’t move. He kept his lightsaber turned off, even with mine almost touching is face.

- I’m not your daughter anymore, I’m a Jedi.

- You are just a Padawan, you can’t fight me. Join me, be at my side, as your mother once was.

I lowered my eyes and took a step back.

- My mother?

- You don’t remember her, do you? She was as beautiful as you. She stole my heart as you did the first time I saw you.

- No, you are a liar! You killed her!

- No, I did not! You have to remember, Jane!

He took a step back and looked behind his shoulders. I too stepped back and turned off my saber and let myself fall in an old tree branch, thinking of everything he said, “What couldn’t I remember?” He approached me.

- He’s here. Please Jane, come with me.

He was reaching his hand to me but the doubt was too big.

He could answer all my questions about myself. Who I was, where I came from, my family, who was I to become?

- Jane, I have to go, I don’t have more time, please!

- I can’t go with you, not now, you have to understand.

- Alright! We will meet again, in time you will remember and you will come to me.

My father vanished in the shadows of the forest. I could now hear the voices of the Jedi Masters coming closer. I stood up and remove the crystals from Allina’s bag and bury them. I sat beside her and waited.