Seraphina stared at the girl. “Your name is Amber Solo?” she asked in disbelief. “As in Han Solo?”
Amber shifted uncomfortably. “Sort of. He’s my grandfather. Ben Solo is my father.”
“Ben Solo? The man who was trained by Luke Skywalker?”
Amber nodded. “And the same man who became Kylo Ren.”
“But he went back over to the Light Side. Rey saved him.”
“Yes, but nobody can forget what he did.”
“Amber…he’s a different man now. He’s not the same killer he was before. He’s not…” Seraphina’s voice trailed off, searching for the right word.
“A monster?” Amber finished. “The point is, when I found out who he was and what he had done, I left. I was related to a killer…a monster.”
“He’s not a monster.” Seraphina insisted. “I was surprised when you said that your last name was Solo ’cause that means that we’re cousins.”
Amber raised an eyebrow. “Does my father have a sibling that I didn’t know about?”
“No, but he has a cousin.”
“Yeah, Rey Skywalker.” Realization dawned in Amber’s eyes. “You’re the daughter of Rey Skywalker?” Seraphina averted her gaze. Amber couldn’t help but smile. “That is so cool!”
“It’s also pretty cool that you have Ben Solo as your father.”
Amber got a dark look in her eyes. “Yeah, I guess. I can’t believe I’ve never met you before. I grew up with the Skywalkers and Solos. Rey never mentioned having a daughter.”
“I was training at the Jedi Temple at the time. Your father would visit the Temple a lot. I would see him around the Temple from time to time. If he knew who I was, he didn’t bother to tell me. Or say hi.”
Dabir stood up and began walking towards the cockpit. Amber and Seraphina continued their conversation. It was easy to talk to each other. They had similar interests and goals. For one, Seraphina and Amber loved flying, though Amber guessed that Seraphina loved it more than she did. Amber was good at talking her way out of problems while Seraphina excelled at getting herself into trouble.
“What’s it like being a Jedi?” Amber asked.
“Hard.” Seraphina admitted. “We’re constantly training. We have to make sure our reflexes are faster than most people’s. A Jedi has to be able to think on their toes.”
“Kind of hard to do that.” Amber said. “What with our brains being in our heads and all.”
Seraphina playfully swatted Amber’s arm. “You know what I mean.”
They both made their way to the cockpit. Nathan and Dabir were engaged in a conversation but stopped when Seraphina and Amber entered. Nathan sat in the pilot’s seat while Dabir sat behind the copilot’s chair. Seraphina quickly sat in the copilot’s chair while Amber settled into the chair behind Nathan.
“We’re approaching Corellia.” Nathan announced.
“Good,” Dabir said. “When we get there, I will go and get what I need while you three will remain on the ship.”
Seraphina reluctantly agreed. When the shuttle exited hyperspace and they had landed on the planet, Dabir left, leaving Amber, Nathan, and Seraphina on the ship. Amber cleaned her blaster while Seraphina paced anxiously. She hated waiting.
While Nathan and Amber made small talk, Seraphina tested her senses through the Force. She could sense people bustling around outside the ship. After several minutes, a familiar presence approached the ship…Master Aven.
“Master Aven is coming.” She announced.
Amber looked up from her blaster. “You Jedi creep me out sometimes. The way you can sense people coming and going and stuff like that is weird.”
“Weird, huh?” Seraphina asked with a grin.
Amber nodded, returning her focus to the gun in her hand. “Yep. You guys can levitate objects, read minds, persuade people, sense when someone’s coming, push people away with a wave of your hand, wield a light sword, etcetera. You can do all that with one wave of your hand.”
Seraphina laughed. “It’s not that easy, Amber. We spend years trying to meditate and feel the Force. It takes concentration and strength of mind and will to be able to do all those things. Even fight with a lightsaber.”
Amber made a snoring noise and then laughed. “If I had training like that I would probably fall asleep before the first word was said. Your job seems kind of…boring.”
“What seems boring?” Dabir asked as he climbed into the ship followed closely by another old man.
“Just what a Jedi’s job is.” Amber said.
“A Jedi’s job is anything but boring. You constantly have to train, meditate, fight, and avoid-“
“Getting caught by enemies.” Seraphina finished. “Especially Sith.”
Dabir turned to the man. “Seraphina, Amber, Nathan, this is Jonah. He is a member of the Resistance and would like us to help him.”
Seraphina shook Jonah’s hand. “I didn’t know that there was a Resistance.”
“Of course there’s a Resistance.” Amber said. “When the Separatists began to gain power, there were the rebels as well as the Republic. The rebels still existed when the Empire rose to power. Then came the First Order and with it the Resistance. The Resistance still exists. I happen to know about them from past run-ins with a few of them.”
Jonah smiled at Amber. “Yes, my dear, you are correct and the Resistance needs your help. We learned that a new Sith lord has risen and that the First Order is currently hunting down all the Jedi and seeking to destroy us.”
“What’s new?” Amber asked, crossing her arms.
“The point is, we need you on our side.” Jonah finished.
Dabir placed a hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “Jonah is an old friend of mine and I thought that we might be able to help him.”
Seraphina looked at both men. She realized that her master was going to help him whether she agreed or not. “Fine, I’m in.”
Nathan complied and it took a bit of convincing to get Amber to help as well but she eventually agreed. “Now,” Jonah said, a wide grin on his face. “We just need to get to the base.
Amaro tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his head as he focused on meditating. After several unsuccessful minutes, he exhaled angrily. The pounding in his skull was too much for him to focus. He blamed it on her.
The girl had succeeded in giving him a severe headache when she threw him against the wall. That was unexpected and unfortunately, it had knocked him out long enough for them to escape. He mentally cursed himself for allowing them to get away. On the bright side, he had made the right decision in placing a tracker on their ship should they escape so he had been prepared for an attempted runaway. The jailbreak, however, threw him off.
How in the world did a sixteen-year-old girl armed with a blaster free three prisoners and manage to take down armed Stormtroopers? She had surprised him, though not as much as the other girl did. The girl who had freed them though, was somewhat Force-sensitive. She wasn’t as strong as the other three, but strong enough to concern him. A knock on his door interrupted Amaro’s thoughts as he stood and walked towards the door.
When the door opened, a First Order officer stood there, obviously nervous about having to deliver news to Amaro. “What is it?” Amaro asked, his metallic voice revealing annoyance.
“The shuttle is making its way towards Yavin 4.” The officer informed him.
“Prepare my shuttle.” Amaro ordered. “Get us to Yavin 4. I know why they’re going there.”
The officer turned abruptly and went to make sure that his orders were carried out. Amaro made sure that he had his lightsaber attached to his belt and then made his way to the hangar. He was going to get his prize; three Jedi and possibly the end of the Resistance.
Seraphina once again stood on that island, almost one hundred percent sure that where she stood was Ahch-To. She could hear the waves crash against the rocks beneath her. She could feel the wind as it pulled at her robes. The scent of the ocean made her smile. The chirping of birds and the whistling of the wind were music. She felt free, at peace, and warm. And then the feeling ended; replaced by fear and a sense of coldness.
She turned around to find the Sith standing there with his red lightsaber. She felt waves of anger roll off of him, though they weren’t directed at her. Seraphina again instinctively reached for her hilt but her saber was not clipped to her belt as usual in her dreams. The other emotions she felt from him were confusion and fear. Neither was aimed at her. His emotions didn’t seem targeted at her except for one: compassion.
This confused her. Why would a Sith have sympathy for her? Behind that emotion, he seemed to feel the need to protect her. His need to guard her and care for her seemed somewhat familiar, though she didn’t know why. She found herself watching him as he moved closer to her, swinging his saber. She watched the cherry beam swirl. And then he stopped when he reached her.
Seraphina stared at him through the eye sockets. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder. She gasped at the contact. It felt familiar and comforting. Why was she allowing him to touch her, no matter how gentle it was? Seraphina was too confused to do anything.
I’m coming. His voice said in her head. She retreated a step and gasped. You won’t be able to run.
Seraphina stumbled backwards, desperately trying to wake herself from this horrible nightmare. The fact that he might find her friends and herself was making her heart pound almost painfully against her chest.
The colors around her melted away to be replaced by a hazy blue sky and soft green grass beneath her. She was a couple years younger, twelve or thirteen, maybe. The younger Seraphina reclined on her back, the grass tickling her neck and arms. Her long brown hair was loose from its usual braid and it was draped across the grass and on one of her shoulders.
A boy slightly older than her sat next to her talking with a smile on his face. His short black hair fell into his jade green eyes. His eyes never left hers and he continued to talk while Seraphina couldn’t help but smile. They were both dressed in Jedi robes with a lightsaber attached to both of their belts. There was something so familiar about him.
The rest of the scene was blurry. If this was a memory, then it was from many years ago. Whoever he was, he always made Seraphina smile no matter what.
And then Seraphina saw her master being cut by the Sith’s red lightsaber. She screamed when he was killed and again when Nathan and the black-haired girl, which Seraphina now realized was Amber, were struck down. Then he would turn to her where she was held by the Stormtroopers. He would say that it was time that they leave because they had what they wanted. And with that, Seraphina would wake up.
Seraphina’s eyes snapped open and she gasped in fear. Master Aven quickly placed a hand on his student’s shoulder to calm her. She inhaled and exhaled deeply to settle her thumping heart. She closed her eyes until her heartbeat had returned to normal.
“Are you alright, Seraphina?” Master Aven asked, not removing his hand from his pupil’s shoulder.
Seraphina nodded. “I’m fine, Master. Just a nightmare.” She rubbed her head, hoping to diminish the pain that had taken up residence in the back of her skull. She really hated Force visions. They always seemed to leave her scared, confused, and in pain one way or another.
Master Aven removed his hand from her shoulder and stood. “We’ve landed on Yavin 4. And it seems that the Resistance is curious.”
Seraphina stood and followed her master outside where hundreds of people had gathered around their ship. Whispers started rising up from the crowd when Seraphina and Dabir stepped outside the shuttle. Several pairs of eyes glanced at the lightsaber hilts attached to their belts.
The multitude of people buzzed with excitement. Someone approached Dabir. He was somewhere in his sixties and he had an air of leadership. He shook Master Aven’s hand firmly.
“I am General Alarick. Welcome to the Resistance base.” The old man said. Master Aven bowed in respect as did Seraphina. General Alarick’s attention turned to Amber and Seraphina could sense slight annoyance coming from him through the Force. “Miss Solo, I did not expect to see you here.”
Amber shrugged nonchalantly. “I got bored. Besides, I hate the First Order just as much as you do, if not more.”
The General nodded and gestured for the group of newcomers to follow him into the Resistance headquarters. Seraphina couldn’t settle her nervousness, and she was sure that her master could sense it. The Sith’s words had left her in shock and fear. I’m coming. You won’t be able to run.
How long would it take for him to get here? But had he been bluffing and didn’t actually know where she was? Had his words meant to scare her?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the General’s voice that was directed at her through a question. “How long have you been training to be a Jedi?”
Seraphina swallowed before answering. “Eleven years, sir.”
“Hmm…” the General mused. “And you became a Jedi Knight very recently?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How old are you, Seraphina?”
Seraphina was beginning to wonder why he continued to question her. “Sixteen.”
The General turned to Master Aven. “She’s a bit young to be a Knight, isn’t she?”
“Perhaps, but I felt as though she was ready.” Dabir answered
“Even the Skywalkers didn’t become Knights at her age. If the Skywalkers didn’t, then why did she? Aren’t the Skywalkers extremely powerful Jedi?”
Dabir exchanged a look with his former Padawan. Seraphina realized that he had not told the General who she was exactly. This made Seraphina almost want to grin. “Seraphina is descended from a line of powerful Jedi?” Dabir assured the General.
“Who? Is she a Kenobi or from another powerful line of Jedis?”
Dabir shook his head. “I assure you, Seraphina is not a Kenobi.”
Amber stifled a laugh behind Seraphina. Nathan grinned and Seraphina had to work hard to contain her own smile from the humor of watching the General trying to figure out who she was. Finally, he gave up. As he led the tour around the base, Seraphina couldn’t help but sense that something horrible was about to happen. Master Aven must have sensed it as well because he stopped in his tracks.
The General noticed Dabir halt abruptly. “Is something wrong?”
Dabir closed his eyes for a moment and Seraphina knew that he was using the Force and checking to see what had made him stop. “I feel as though something is about to happen.” He opened his eyes and turned to the General. “We’re about to be attacked.”
General Alarick’s eyes widened. “How can you be sure?”
Before Dabir could answer, a young man in his twenties ran up to the General carrying a datapad. “Sir, several First Order shuttles have entered the atmosphere and are making their way towards us.”
The General glared at the datapad the young officer displayed. “Begin the evacuation sequence immediately!”
The officer nodded and ran off to relay the General’s orders. An explosion shook the building, making the group stumble. The General took off down the hall, leaving everyone else behind.
“I knew this was a bad idea!” Amber yelled.
Dabir took out his lightsaber and the green blade appeared. Nathan took out his own weapon, an acid yellow lightsaber. Dabir began giving orders to the younger warriors. “Nathan and Amber, First Order ground troopers will most likely be landing soon. Your job is to distract them while Seraphina and I lead them away from the base while everyone else evacuates. Lead them in the opposite direction that we go.”
Amber rolled her eyes and drew her blaster. “Great. I always wanted to be the bait.”
“You’re not the bait, Miss Solo.” Dabir said with a grin. “Seraphina and I are. Now let’s go.”
Author’s Note
Here is another chapter. I hope that you are enjoying the story so far. Please leave comments if you wish. If I know that more people like the story then it makes the writing go faster. The characters are each unique.
Amber Solo was a character my sister created for the story. She insisted on Amber being headstrong and annoying at times.
When I create characters, I try to find names that fit their personalities. For example, Seraphina means “burning fire”. To me, this makes sense because of her Force signature being so strong and bright like that of a fire or sun.
Dabir means “teacher” and Aven means “iniquity, force, riches, sorrow”. Since Master Dabir Aven is supposed to be a teacher, I thought a name meaning “teacher” would work.
Amaro means “dark, like a moor”. This works for me since he’s a Sith and uses the Dark Side of the Force.
You guys are more than welcome to try guessing why Amaro is compassionate towards Seraphina and you can Private Message me your suspicions. And, if you guys have any ideas for characters, leave a comment or Private Message me your character ideas. Hopefully, I will be able to put them into the story. : )