Out of Time [Star Wars Story]

1. Awakening

Face pressed against the glass of the closed-top speeder, Lorash Entaira still let out a gasp as her eyes caught the figure of a Jedi statue rising through the canopy of the temperate rainforest. Even badly eroded, the image of the lightsaber held over the figure's head sent a shiver down the human's spine. "This really was a jedi temple once."

The two twi'lek children sitting behind her cheered. Tari and her twin brother, Maladar, were far newer to their training but had grown up on Master Vori's stories of the jedi.

The kel-dor driver chuckled behind his mask as he brought the speeder around to land in a clearing just in front of the ruins. His metallic amusement always reassured Lorash. "One of the few places of the old order where some knowledge is said to remain. My friend Merga says it is quite safe. Even the beasts in the area seem to reflect the serenity of the place. I made sure it was scouted thoroughly before we arrived."

"Are there any jedi left?" Lorash asked. Even at twenty-four, her excitement seemed almost girlish. It pushed away all the shadows of fear of discovery that lingered even once they left populated space.

"Oh no. The order abandoned this place long before even the Emperor's orders. Most of the records that were here, at least the important ones, were taken to the temple on Coruscant." A faint mournful note infused her master's observation. The loss of Coruscant, even years ago, hurt his heart.

Master Vori was one of the few of his tradition to survive the purging of the order by the Empire, though he had been younger and full of fire when it happened. Now these three were his students, hoping to keep the old flame alive. Places like this meant reconnecting with the most ancient ways of the Force and Lorash looked forward to it immensely. She had only seen Master Vori's holo-recordings of another old temple. This would be the first she would set foot in such a place.

The four-person speeder settled down onto damp earth with a small thump and rattle. Already almost bailing out before the engines had switched off, Lorash grinned when the wet air slapped her face. It was breathable, not so different from her experience on her homeworld. Naboo had plenty of water, so this was not unbearable or strange. She flicked up her hood to protect her dark hair from the drizzle already starting.

It was going to be a good day to stay inside combing over the ruin. She turned to help Tari and Mal down, but the twi'leks were already splashing through the mud towards the hollow opening that led into the ruin.

"Children!" Vori called warningly.

Mal stopped obediently, his sister trying to pull him forward almost comically. "You said it was safe!"

Their master quickly caught up to them. "That does not mean we should not be cautious. It is important to remember at all times that the world can be quite dangerous, even when unexpected. Jedi must be careful in this day and age."

The twins hushed. They knew better than Lorash did how unsafe the world could be, at least when reminded, as children of force sensitives who had left one day and never returned home.

Vori had found them before the Empire. That was all that mattered.

Lorash put a hand on each of the twi'leks' shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. "Come on. We'll set up camp somewhere dry and then have a look around carefully. Bigs will grab the bulk of the supplies."

Their droid deployed from under the speeder. An old combat model, B1-78 had been refitted to serve as a helper more than a protector, though his armored chassis could take a serious beating. Tari and Mal had adjusted his name to something a little less clunky, which didn't seem to bother the droid in the slightest. He hoisted a few boxes and tramped after them into the ruin, servos humming with every step.