Prophecy of Darkness

Chapter 4: Coruscant

For once, I slept peacefully. I often had terrible nightmares that made no sense, leaving me feeling exhausted in the morning, wasting the little sleep we were allowed to have. This time, there were no nightmares, just restful sleep.

I woke up when I felt a hand gently shaking my shoulders. "Shiyo, wake up. It's time to get up," said a voice. "You've slept long enough."

Eyes still half-closed, I sat up slowly, groggy and half-asleep, my bed-hair testifying to the time I'd spent sleeping. "What...?" I mumbled, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. The ship felt cold compared to the relentless heat of Kinooine.

Shen-Jon stood in front of me. "Wake up properly. You've been sleeping for nearly fifteen hours. It won't do you any good to sleep longer. You need to eat something, too."

I sighed and grumbled a bit, reluctant to leave the comfort of the sofa. But, having been used to following orders from a young age, I headed to the bathroom to wash my face and wake myself up. When I returned to the canteen, I saw Shen-Jon waiting for me.

"Everyone else has already eaten," the Jedi said, pointing to a tray of food on the table. "Eat that. You're too skinny." His ability to hold me with one arm was proof enough of my undernourished state.

I sat down and began to eat, while Shen-Jon read what seemed to be a report from a device. I didn't realize how famished I was until I started eating, and I devoured the food. "Can I have some more?" I dared to ask. Seconds didn't exist as a slave.

"No," he replied sharply. I felt a pang of disappointment. "Your body most likely isn't used to large quantities of diverse foods. You'll be sick if you eat too much at once," he explained. Oh. That made sense.

Shen-Jon's tone softened as he added, "You'll get another meal soon enough. For now, let's focus on getting you back to full health. There's more to recovery than just filling your stomach."

He put his device away. "Now, tell me about yourself. I need to know more about you before I can say for sure you can become a Jedi. Where were you born ? Do you know your parents ? How old are you ?" He asked several questions, meant to lead me but I understood he expected me to tell him everything from the moment I was born.

I leaned back in my chair. "I was born on Naboo. I was abandoned at birth and picked up by an old granny who cared for me for a few years. I don't know my parents nor whether they're alive. When I was around 5 years old, the granny died and her son inherited her house and sold me as a slave. From there, I spent a couple of years in Tatooine and then was taken to Kinooine. I should be approximately 11 years old today," I told him.

Shen-Jon appeared to be thinking for a few moments. "Do you know who that granny or her son was ? If you were brought to Naboo, would you remember where you were raised ?" He asked, thinking that maybe investigating the identity of the granny could help Shiyo find his family. Even if he didn't seem wanted.

I shook my head. "I only ever called her granny. I was just a toddler. I might be able to find her house again. I'm not sure."

"I see. On a more practical subject, can you read and write ?" He asked.

"More or less, yes. The granny taught me but I haven't got much practice."

"That's good enough," Shen-Jon replied. "What kind of work did you do on Tatooine and Kinooine ?"

I sighed, recalling the harsh memories. "On Tatooine, I worked in the moisture farms, fixing vaporators and doing whatever tasks they needed. It was tough, but not as bad as Kinooine. On Kinooine, they put me in the mines. The conditions were horrible, and I was constantly tired and hungry. We were watched all the time, and any mistake could get you beaten or worse."