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Jedi Headquarters, Imperial City, Coruscant
While the constellations on Traken had seemed strange to her, especially the fact her own home stars could be seen in the night sky, the starless twilight night of Coruscant bothered Cianna Darklighter even more. At least on Traken she could see stars.
After the Vong had been eradicated, Master Skywalker had decided to move the Jedi out of the Deep Core, deciding that they needed to be with the people of the New Republic. Coruscant seemed to be the best place. Construction began on the new Headquarters barely two months ago. The living quarters were half completed, so they had to put two to four students per room. Most of the training rooms, cafeteria and Infirmary were at least all finished.
Her small dorm room seemed dark and empty, her only roommate Nadia being out on a date with Jacen Solo. Her Master Rhysode was halfway across the planet, helping organize a refugee camp. He was only going to be gone for a day, so he didn’t pull her out of class. She had not had any special training after her regular classes that day. She should have been happy for the small break, ecstatic even for the chance to rest, and to contemplate the strange feelings growing in her breast towards her Master.
The first time Cianna met Ganner, she’d been in awe of him, having seen him in a vision just before he landed on Tatooine. Even then she couldn’t help but notice his tall, muscular body, strong jaw and firm cheekbones. The quiet intensity burning in his dark eyes, and the firm gentleness in his voice had not escaped her notice. At that time, she saw him as nothing more than an older, untouchable hero of the New Republic. Not even when he took her away from Tatooine with him, to train to be a Jedi, had she felt anything more than gratitude. When Master Skywalker suggested that he take her on as an apprentice, she had seen him as a teacher, a mentor.
She couldn’t help but smile when thinking back to some of his teachings, particularly the one where he wanted to check on her awareness of other beings in the Force. He’d snuck up on her after she had been talking with Nadia, snaking his arms around her waist and throwing her over his shoulder. She’d laughed hard, asking him in between bouts of giggling what he was doing.
Setting her safely down on the floor, he had replied that he was checking her situational awareness of him, of other people. Showing her how easy it would be for an attacker to sneak up on her like that, carrying her away with him. The deep concern in his voice had touched her heart, and when she met his gaze that day, the first spark between them had flown.
That started the changes in their relationship. As she grew in the Force, her connection with Ganner grew; they had formed a bond of sorts, allowing her to sense him at all times. She had grown to know him better than her own brothers, and on a more intimate level. Congratulatory pats on the back, protective arms around her shoulder, and accidental touches had turned from friendly, warm gestures, to something that raced her heart and tingled her skin. Staring into his twinkling eyes electrified her, evoking never before experienced feelings. It was certainly something an apprentice should not feel towards her Master. She couldn’t even be sure he felt the same way for her. Her heart desperately longed for it, but her mind automatically cautioned her against such thoughts.
She’d spent many sleepless nights trying to sort out her feelings, and had had long conversations with her trusted friend, Nadia. But she had no answers, and didn’t think she’d have any until she had a chance to talk it over with Ganner, assuming she’d ever have the courage to do so.
Thinking of her relationship with Ganner reminded her of her relationship with the Force, and the talent she was trying to to develop. Being the first Seer in centuries, she had been having infrequent startling visions. And the Force was preparing to shift, in such a way that she knew a vision wouldn’t be long in coming. She had learned just recently how to predict when her visions would come, and was beginning to sort the good from the bad.
The heavy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, and the inability to warm herself, suggested it was something horrible. Force, she wished she weren’t alone. She leaned against the windowpane, watching speeders and aircars rush beneath her, their lights beginning to blur together and bleed into the surrounding darkness.
It was then that her vision came.
An eerie light enshrouded a dim basement, where two preternaturally dark figures stood beside dull metallic chairs where two more slightly lighter shadows were sitting. Thick binders bound their hands and feet to the chairs, while the standing shades produced metal sabers. Cianna watched in bewilderment as almost voices reached her ears, and the standing figures began to cut through the sitting ones with their sabers.
The echoes stirred within her, speaking in a way that didn’t allow for words, but reverberated throughout her body. ‘They are blind to the Force.’
Light flashed and the shadows became human. The standing figures where still hidden in dark cloaks, but the people in the chairs were hauntingly familiar. She now recognized them as Jedi Master Atticus Arien and his apprentice, Manuel Rigazzo. The two sat facing each other, their eyes held open with a black adhesive, blood streaming from saber inflicted wounds. The cuts were precise, catching the areas where humans bleed most profusely. The killers moved in unison, blades now reaching for the throats. They pressed the tip of the blade slowly, moving and twisting in such a way to inflict as much pain as possible.
Unable to take any more in utter silence, the apprentice, Manuel broke. Regressing back to childhood in his fear, he shouted out a cry for his mother, echoed by a female voice screaming ‘Master.’
The two tortured Jedi slumped at almost the same time, and Cianna was released from her vision.
She found herself on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as dry heaves racked her body. While her mind reeled, trying to fight back the numbness taking over her body as the horrors of her vision sank in.
Strong arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her into a tight, protective embrace.
Ganner Rhysode had come back early from his expedition, reaching the Headquarters just in time to feel his apprentice’s inner scream. Recognizing it as the aftereffect of one of her visions, he had rushed to her room, pulling a rather distraught Cianna into his arms. He rocked her now, running his fingers through her hair and whispering soothing noises into her ears.
She clung to him fiercely, her tears soaking through his tunic. She felt so small and childlike in his arms, increasing his desire to protect her from whatever dark vision had hurt her. Not sharing her same talent in the Force, her visions were one thing with which he couldn’t help her much. In a way, it made him feel helpless, ignorant. He hated that feeling. Her darker visions were one of the many battles he could not fight for her. He could only help and guide her in the best way he could; that was what it meant to be a Master. He wanted to always be with her, but did not want to endanger her Knighthood.
"I had a vision, Master," she whispered into his chest, taking a shuddering breath. Then she looked up at him, blue eyes shining with unshed tears.
"I know," he said gently, raising one hand from around her waist to brush the tears off her cheeks. He kept his hand pressed to her cheek, staring deeply into her eyes. Her pretty face was only centimeters away from him, her full lips parted slightly, trembling, as she met his gaze. His heart was pounding in his chest, as he fought an internal war with his heart and body to lift her chin up and lean forward to kiss her. Such feelings were inappropriate between a Master and Apprentice. He found himself unable to fight his growing attraction to her, but he could control his own actions. Jedi Masters really shouldn’t take on apprentices of the opposite sex, he thought wryly to himself. Especially ones to whom they are attracted.
He leaned forward, kissing her forehead instead. "Tell me about it," he whispered, once again pulling her into a warm embrace.
Copyright 2002 by Luney.
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