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Jedi Headquarters, Coruscant
Mid morning light streaming in through the infirmary's window caused the girl to stir and toss around to the other side of the bed. Slowly she blinked her eyes, taking in the fuzzy white interior. At first fear rose in her belly, as she wondered once again where she was. Then she remembered last night... when she had been told she was in the infirmary. She hadn't been able to see last night, because of... hibernation sickness. Whatever that was supposed to mean.
The strange fuzziness of the room, and the harsh light combined together was starting to give her a headache. She almost missed her blindness. Almost. The darkness had been pretty hard to bear, especially since she couldn't escape it. At least she had been blessed with a peaceful, dreamless sleep last night.
She rubbed her eyes, clearing away some of the fuzziness of her vision. She looked around the room again, never being more thankful for her eyesight. But something was missing, more than her memory. It was the something she'd felt from Corran last night; it was familiar, and important, but she couldn't remember what it was. She sighed, running a finger through her tangled long hair. This was some mess she'd gotten herself into.
The door to her room slid open, and a female Mon Calamarian entered. The girl watched as she approached her bed.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better," the girl responded, her mind working on the woman’s name. "You're... Cilghal?"
"Yes," she replied, running a critical eye over the girl. "You look much better. Are you hungry?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, thank you."
Cilghal smiled. "Good. I will go get you something." She paused. "Master Skywalker is here to see you, if you feel up to it."
That name sent a shiver down her spine once more. Not the same person, she reminded herself repeatedly. The girl took a deep breath. "Send him in."
"Alright, I'll be back in a short while," Cilghal said, before leaving the room.
A middle-aged man with bright blue eyes stepped in after Cilghal left, offering the girl a friendly smile. "Good morning."
The girl forced a return smile onto her lips. "Morning, Master Skywalker."
Master Skywalker crossed the room to her bedside. "How are you doing?"
"Alright," the girl answered shyly. He was definitely not the dark one. But... who was?
"That's good," Master Skywalker said, taking the chair next to her bed. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before going on. "The reason I came here... young lady, is to discuss a possible cure for your amnesia."
"Really?" the girl asked, excitement swelling in her breast.
"Yes. But," Master Skywalker rested his hand on her arm. "It could be very hard on you."
The girl frowned. "How so?"
"Well," Master Skywalker sighed. "Cilghal believes that your amnesia is the result of something severely traumatic that happened to you. You subconsciously fought the pain by simply forgetting. By using the Force, I can help you retrieve that memory, but you would have to relive it."
The Force. That was it! The something Corran had used, and what she was missing now. Glad as she was to remember something else, she froze when considering the magnitude of Master Skywalker's words. Could she very easily accept his offer now, having no idea what she was getting herself into? Did she really want to relive whatever had happened to her?
Did she want to live her life without an identity?
No.
She looked into Master Skywalker's eyes, feeling slighty apprehensive. "I understand."
Master Skywalker studied her for a moment. "You're sure?"
"I am." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't live my life being a stranger to myself. And if the road to finding out who I am is painful, I'm willing to take it."
Master Skywalker nodded. "It isn't guaranteed to work. You could quite possibly fight me."
"I wouldn't..."
"Not consciously, no." Master Skywalker cut in. "But subconciously you most likely will."
"And if I do?"
"Then we try something else." Master Skywalker patted her arm. "Sooner or later, we will get your memory back."
"I hope so." The girl tried a smile. "What do I have to do to help you?"
"Just close your eyes," he responded, touching her temples. "And clear your mind of all thought."
The girl did as instructed, clenching her fist slightly when she first felt Master Skywalker's soft touch on her mind. It probed deeper, and while his touch was unfamiliar, what he was doing was not. She felt him find something hard. He very gently pushed on it, and suddenly a wave of deep pain washed over her, as an image of a tall dark man shoving a lightsaber through a middle-aged woman's abdomen assaulted her senses. Distantly hearing herself scream, Master, she felt another sudden sharp pain, and Master Skywalker was thrown from her mind.
Luke rose up from his position on the floor, rubbing his temples. That wasn't something he'd expected at all. It worried him that the girl had watched her Master's death, possibly just before she was frozen; it seemed to be what the murderer wanted. He shuddered at the thought of such a man running free in the Galaxy. Perhaps the men he and Corran had chased at the spaceport worked for him. While he'd learned something more of what had happened to the girl, he knew her memory had not been restored. Also who was the Master? He couldn't think of many female Masters in the galaxy. Even more interesting was at the Master's death, he had felt their bond break. If the girl had indeed been with Kyp, how much was he able to hide?
Luke could already feel the girl slipping back. He rose shakingly to his feet, and made his way back to the bed where the girl sat sobbing with her head in her lap. Luke sat beside her and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
The girl shook her head, and rubbed her eyes. "No," she took a shuddering breath. "It's OK." She forced herself to look at him. "I don't remember anything about her," she said, her dark blue eyes watering once more.
Luke pulled her into a tight hug. "I know." He sighed. "But you will."
"How?"
"We'll continue your Jedi training here," he replied, then hesitated. "Under a new Master."
The girl nodded, pulling slightly away from him. "I'd like that."
The door slid open, admitting Corran Horn into the room. He glanced at the two, his green eyes widening slightly. "I take it I missed something important?" he asked, walking further into the room.
"Just slightly," Luke replied. "I attempted to restore her memory, but all that came out of it was a brief vision of her former Master's death."
Corran frowned, and looked into the girl's eyes, once again feeling the Force flow between them. Corran wondered if she felt the same thing he and Master Skywalker did. "Are you alright?"
She nodded, trying not to stare at him. After a few seconds, she spoke. "I am." She cast a glance at Luke. "Master Skywalker says I can finish my training here, and perhaps gain back my memory that way."
Corran smiled. "That's good." He took a deep breath. The Force was leading him to take her on as an apprentice, he had to wonder why and if it really was normal. "Since it seems you have already had training, you could possibly be at Senior Apprentice status." He looked at Luke, who gave a slight nod of his head. "Senior Apprentices need a Master." He focused once more on her eyes. "So if you don't mind having a somewhat stern, stubborn old man for a Master, I would like to take you on."
The girl gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't mind."
Corran smiled back, and raised an eyebrow at Luke. "What do you think, Master Skywalker?"
Luke smiled, and stood up. "I think it would be beneficial for both of you."
"Glad you approve, Master." Corran took the seat next to the bed. "Now, I can't just call you girl, or young lady," he said, addressing the girl. "What would you like to be called?"
The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't even thought about it."
"Hm." Corran rubbed his chin. "Well, what do think of the name... Melva?"
The girl made a face. "It's um..."
"Out of the question?" Corran winked at her. "How about Neecole?" She shook her head. "Aarylia? Constantine? Lois, Katrina..." She shook her head to all of them. "Lainey?"
The girl nodded, it seemed almost right, familiar somehow, "I like the last one."
Corran smiled. "Then Lainey it is."
Copyright 2002 by Luney.
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