Life is Waiting

Episode I - The Phantom Menace : 6

Adalin appears at her training spot. Training will help her release steam and relaxed. The spot is hidden behind a gigantic canon, which has a huge and beautiful waterfall flowing down the back. Her training spot is the only place on Tatooine that has life. Trees, bushes, flowers, all of it. Most of it is because of her strong Force connection allows her to tap into a very rare power. The Force power of healing and life. Not many know of this power, fewer can use it. It's so rare that the Jedi's who can use it are never allowed to show or tell anyone the Force allows them to.

In the middle of the small forest like place, there's a clearing. Trees and flowers surround it. The lake of the waterfall settles beside it. The water shines with the bright sun light of Tatooine and energy of the Force.

Adalin stands in the middle of the clearing. Her eyes are closed and her robe lays on a tree stump nearby. She sit down on her knees in the grass, sand, and pebble scattered ground. She meditates, letting herself be drifted into the Force. The air; from the wind, the water; from the lake, the nature; from the trees, and the fire; from the twin suns. She lets herself take and feel all the power and elements around her. Calling her. She lets it all happen. Relaxed and calm.

She continues to push all of her worries into the Force, feeling it cradle her in a warm embrace. As if someone is wrapping their arms around her. Someone might as well be as all the Jedi's who have died before are one with the Force. Adalin feels herself being picked up into the air. She slowly shifts into a criss cross position and open her eyes. Water, sand, pebbles, and leaves float around her forming a circle, like gravity is pulling them to rotate around her. Adalin smiles. She's missed this, having the feeling of the Force revolve around her like it's air and she'd die without it. Powerful air. Very, very powerful.

Adalin slowly wills the Force to place her back down to the ground. The debris following slowly, back to their original places. Everything looks like it was never touched. She never knows how long exactly she meditates, but she sure hopes it wasn't too long.

Adalin raises her arm and catches her lightsaber as it flies towards her. The dark handle shines bright in the light of the setting suns. She watches the reflection of the light before extending the glowing blade. The dark orange saber gleams in the dimming gold lights of Tatooine's sky. Adalin watches the orange glow before abruptly having the Force guild her movements as she practices.

She trains until she drains herself out so badly she fall onto her back, exhausted. Adalin hasn't trained this hard since Jedi training.

She opens her green blue eyes that shine bright with gold as she looks around at the raw power of the Force. The lake and waterfall still. The trees stop dancing in the slight breeze. There's silence. Every inch of this clearing blossoms with beauty. The colors, the sent, the feeling, the sounds all enhance. Adalin can see, smell, feel, and hear everything here. She can't help but stop breathing at the sheer Force in the air. If this is ever taken away from her, she might as well be dead. The Force might as well be her air that keeps her alive.

Adalin pulls the orange glow of her saber blade in. The silence breaks and water begins to flow once more but the presence doesn't. The warm and caring feel of the Force. Some might believe the Force is a tool for them and others might believe they are a tool for the Force but Adalin believes she and the Force are one. She quickly throws her saber to her robe and walks towards the elegantly flowing water.

Adalin takes off her training clothes and places them next to her robe and saber. She walks back to the water and into the lake to wash off. She dips her head under the water. She stays like this until she needs air and breaks the surface.

Adalin loves it out here. It's far enough away from civilization that no one bothers the natural peace, but close enough that she can travel back and forth easily. She walks out of the lake, using the Force to dry herself. She dresses into her training clothes, puts her lightsaber on her belt clip, and grabs her robe. She throws it over her shoulders.

It's way passed dark when Adalin reaches the slave quarters. She just knows she'll be told off by Shmi. Luckily she had just been meditating. She'll be able to control her emotions. She walks into the Skywalker residence to be welcome of the site of an angry Shmi Skywalker.

"Again, Adalin?" Shmi whisper yells. "How many times have I told you to keep track of the time you're out. I've been worried sick!"

"How long was I out for?" Adalin asks, calmly. Yelling at Shmi won't help in this situation.

"Three hours!" She hisses. Adalin sighs.

"I didn't mean to stay out that long. I'm sorry" She confesses, walking pass the rigid form of Shmi Skywalker. If she stayed any longer, she might have blown up at Shmi.

"Are you alright?" Qui-Gon asks as he walks onto the balcony. Adalin nods. She breathes in deeply when she notices sand starting to float up from the ground below. Qui-Gon notices too and puts a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Everyone forgets that even Jedi have tempers" Qui-Gon comments. Adalin nods.

"We're mortals, of course we do" She says. "It's worse with the younger age and high level of power"

Adalin looks at him with a genuine smile.

"Thank you" She says. He nods while removing his hand from her shoulder and looks to want to say something but doesn't. He does however say something after a pause filled with a comfortable silence.

"I never realized you were adopted" Qui-Gon reveals. Adalin looks away.

"No one ever brought it up, and no one ever met my family. Shmi and Anakin have always been my family" Adalin shrugs.

"You don't use their last name" Qui-Gon says. She shakes her head.

"My last name is the only connection I have to my birth parents"

"Of course it is" Qui-Gon mutters under his breath in a sad tone. Adalin looks at him.

"What does that mean?" Adalin asks him.

"What's your full name, Ada?" Qui-Gon asks, reflecting the question by asking one himself and using Adalin's old nickname.

The use of her old nickname used by most of her friends and even a few of her teachers at the Temple throws her way off track.

"Adalin Jinn-Uvain" She answers, confusion laced her voice.

"What's mine?" He asks.

"Qui-Gon Jinn" Adalin says. Confusion etches itself further onto her face as she begins to feel like a Padawan once more.

"What was Her's?" Qui-Gon asks, softly. Adalin stiffens.

"You mean-?" He cuts her off with sharp nod.

"Tahl-" She pauses at the realization. "Tahl Uvain"

Qui-Gon nods.

"The whole Counsel knew, didn't they" Adalin doesn't bother disguising the accusation as a question.

"Yes" He confirms her thoughts.

"You knew" Her tone is hard.

"Not for a while. I didn't want to, but you are you. An exact replica of her, just part human and a lot more stubborn" Qui-Gon admits, trying to get Adalin to crack a smile. She doesn't, she only looks at him.

"Why did none of you say anything?" She asks. Confusion, hurt, sadness, anger. Emotions on emotions flash across Adalin's face before they're wiped away into a blank stare.

"I couldn't. I wasn't allowed. The Council forbade me from mentioning anything to you while you were at the Temple" He explains, ignoring the pain that shoots through his heart at her emotionless stare.

"And now that I'm not at the Temple," She trails off. He nods. Finally, a smile appears on her face at the irony and the loophole. Qui-Gon smiles as well.