Seraphina ducked as the three lightsabers passed over her head, first an amethyst colored one, then azure, and lastly, an aqua one. She glanced at her three opponents; older and more skilled than she. These Jedi Knights were part of her final test toward becoming a Knight herself. She was all too eager to finish her training. The azure blade swung towards her. Seraphina raised her sapphire blue saber, deflecting the incoming attack that would have taken off her head if she had not had fast reflexes.
She used the Force to push her black haired opponent back. He stumbled and fell to the ground. The owners of the amethyst and aqua sabers advanced. Seraphina turned and ran. She weaved in and out of the surrounding ships as her pursuers followed her.
Despite being light on her feet, the man holding the amethyst colored saber pulled ahead of her. She slid to a stop. She was trapped. The brown haired man holding the aqua colored saber stood behind her and the blonde haired man gripping the silver hilt of his amethyst blade stood in front of her. They were much too quick and would catch her if she darted to the side. And yet, maybe she could use that to her advantage.
Seraphina feinted a leap to the left, causing her captors to move that way as well. Seraphina quickly moved to the right, confusing the Knights. She launched off of a nearby low platform, slashing down with her saber onto the blonde haired man. He raised his saber a little too late. The blade grazed his skin and he screamed in pain before dropping to his knees and grasping his shoulder.
Seraphina turned her attention to her final opponent. He charged at her and swept the blade towards her torso. Seraphina raised her sword and stumbled back at the impact. Before she could regain her footing, he attacked again, keeping her in a defensive retreat.
Seraphina was so busy defending herself that she couldn’t strike. Finally, her opponent managed to graze her skin with his aqua saber. Seraphina gritted her teeth to keep from screaming but the intense heat of the blade burned her arm and a small cry escaped her lips. Seraphina switched her blade to her left hand and continued fighting, though the pain from her arm was becoming unbearable. At least the blade had not cut her arm off.
Her brown haired adversary continued to press her on, and Seraphina had no choice but to play the defending side. When he raised his sword, Seraphina saw her chance. She kicked the man in his stomach, sending him falling backwards, pain flooding his vision. As he tried to get up, Seraphina stalked forward, trying to ignore the sting in her arm that flared up her entire body.
Seraphina pointed her blade at her opponent’s neck and he froze; feeling the heat from the saber. Her master, Dabir Aven, watched intently from nearby. “Well done, Seraphina.”
Seraphina extinguished her blade and helped her older rival up. He glared at her with contempt, not used to being beaten by a younger challenger, much less a girl.
Seraphina tried not to notice the loathing look as she turned to her master. Dabir Aven stood and approached his apprentice. “You passed the trials, young one. You are now a Jedi Knight.”
Seraphina grinned and bowed respectfully, but grimaced at the pain on her arm. “Thank you, Master.”
Dabir glanced at the wound. “Come with me.”
Seraphina followed her mentor to the nearby Jedi temple. Once inside, Dabir motioned for Seraphina to sit near a counter of herbs and other medicines. Once seated, Dabir began to tend to her wound.
He had once been trained in the knowledge of medicine. He was one of the only Jedi healers they had. He opened a clay jar and a horrible smell assaulted Seraphina’s nose as she caught a glimpse of a thick paste inside the jar.
Master Dabir stuck three fingers into the jar. He spread the adhesive onto her wound, making her cringe at the pain. Dabir stopped momentarily before continuing the massage over the tender skin. Seraphina exhaled slowly as the pain subsided from a searing, burning abrasion to a less painful throb that flooded into the rest of her body.
Dabir put the jar down and picked up a bandage. He wrapped it securely around her arm. Seraphina tried to ignore the slight pain flaring through her arm.
Her master stood and exited the temple, leaving her alone. Seraphina replayed the fight in her head. Sighing in exasperation, she mentally scolded herself for being too overconfident. Her master had told her too many times that she was overconfident in her abilities and that someday, they would get her killed.
And, as usual, she didn’t listen to her master. It was a rebellious streak in her. Many assumed that it was part of her ancestry as a descendant of the Skywalkers, but she didn’t believe so. From what she knew, Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker did not listen to their masters, either. She knew that it was possible to gain control over this habit to disobey, but like most habits, it was hard to get rid of.
Seraphina shook her head to cast away the thoughts and walked outside, the sun blinding her for a moment. She looked across the plain of Coruscant. She had been born here on the planet and yet was raised on Tatooine. She spotted Dabir standing several feet away, watching the setting sun. Seraphina walked over to stand by his side.
He inhaled and then said, “There is a disturbance in the Force.”
Seraphina strained to get a reading from the Force, but nothing reached her Jedi senses. “Can you tell what’s wrong?”
Dabir Aven shook his head. “I do sense that there is danger in the First Order.”
“For us or for them?”
“Us,” her master answered. He turned his green eyes on the youthful Jedi. “The First Order is approaching. You know that means, don’t you?”
Seraphina looked down. “Yes, I do.” She sighed. The First Order had been hunting the Jedi. That meant they were to evacuate. While a Jedi was supposed to fight danger and not run from it, the galaxy couldn’t afford to lose the Jedi again.
“How long will it be before they get here?” Seraphina asked quietly.
“Only a few short hours.” Her master whispered. “The evacuation process will begin soon.” As if on cue, an older Jedi, not a Master yet but much more skilled than Seraphina, ran up to the duo.
“Master Dabir, we are evacuating the temple.” With that, he raced off.
Dabir waved for Seraphina to follow him as he swiftly walked towards a cluster of shuttles. Seraphina had to sprint after him before catching up. Above her head, two TIE fighters zipped by, shooting at several of the shuttles, causing them to explode.
“I thought you said they wouldn’t arrive for hours!” Seraphina yelled.
“I supposed it would take hours.” Dabir responded.
Across the topography, Seraphina could make out impending shuttles full of Stormtroopers. More TIE fighters screeched across the sky. As the fighters approached the Jedi Master and apprentice, they fired. As red blasts raced towards her, Seraphina pulled out her saber, deflecting three blasts off her sapphire blade. Dabir stood back-to-back with his protégé and ignited his green saber, deflecting the shots that were aimed at him.
The Stormtrooper army drew closer. Jedis and Masters flew away in whatever shuttle they could find. Seraphina and Dabir continued to fight, unable to flee from the coming army and fighters. As a fighter flew overhead, Dabir stuck out his hand and the aircraft stopped. Something exploded inside the fighter, and Dabir let it fall to the ground. It crashed and Seraphina ran towards it before Dabir could stop her. He followed her, glancing over his shoulder now and then at the TIE fighters that had stopped shooting at the two Jedis.
When Aven arrived at the useless fighter, Seraphina had managed to open the door and was inside. Dabir stuck his head inside the smoke-filled space. Sparks flew from broken wires. An unconscious or possibly dead First Order officer sat slumped against the wall of the ship.
Seraphina poked at the wires, burning herself several times. Finally, Seraphina found something that she seemed satisfied with. With a few more wire poking, the fighter hummed as it turned on.
Dabir glanced behind him. The army was so close. They would be upon the duo in seconds. “What are you doing?” Dabir practically yelled at his student.
Seraphina seated herself in the pilot’s chair and pushed several buttons that Dabir didn’t recognize. “We’re flying this thing out of here.”
“Now I know you are crazy.” Dabir said as he climbed into the fighter and took his seat in the copilot’s chair.
“Well you should have come to that conclusion when you were training me, Master.” Seraphina quipped. She pushed a button on the control panel and the door closed, sealing them in.
“How do you know that this ship will even fly?” Dabir asked, gripping the edge of the control panel so tight that his knuckles turned white.
“Because I fixed it and I’m gonna fly it.” Was Seraphina’s response. She gripped the controls and urged the ship to rise from the ground. The fighter rocked back and forth as it rose. The ship tilted to one side and shuddered as Stormtroopers getting out of their transports fired at the aircraft.
Seraphina glanced at her master, his face ashen and his hands gripping the panel with more force than necessary. Seraphina laughed a little as she guided the ship out of shooting range. “You’re not afraid of flying, are you Master?”
“Only when you are piloting, young one.” Dabir Aven responded. Seraphina only laughed some more. “And please, no fancy tricks.” Aven requested, feeling rather queasy at the thought of Seraphina wittingly doing some sort of fancy flying.
Seraphina grinned. “Then perhaps you should have taken the pilot’s seat, Master.” As the fighter soared through the air, Seraphina steered it away from the troopers. The sense of danger never left her though. It was as though she were being watched by someone…or something…and they didn’t have the best intentions for the Jedi escapees.
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