YOUNG BLOOD ( A. SKYWALKER ) [1]

XI.

The group raced through the hallway, with the Queen leading them as the two female Jedi watch the back for any sneaky battle droids. Both Jedi had their lightsabers drawn, laser swords of purple and magenta flashing as they kept their guard up.

Layna had reluctantly left with her Master to join Queen Amidala and her troops, as their objective was to locate the Viceroy, who was hiding inside the palace's throne room. She did not wish to leave the man she considered her father and the man she saw as a brother, but she needed to as her Master had pleaded for her to listen.

The group continued to proceed down the hallway, which was cleared of any battle droids or destroyers. The two Jedi found this extremely suspicious, knowing that the throne room was just down the hall and they should have maximum security around this area.

"I have a bad feeling about this," the platinum haired woman muttered under her breath, her piercing green eyes scanning the surroundings as she tried to use the Force to locate any enemies nearby. Her Padawan closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to do the same thing, when an overwhelming feeling washes through her.

Layna's blood went cold as her eyes widened, visions of the man who had found her years ago in the planet of Corellia raced through her mind. Each and every one of her memories with him played inside her head, and ultimately, a vision she did not want to see at all.

It was a vision of her father, her Master Qui-Gon, the man she considered to be the father she has always wanted to have and know, getting stabbed through the midsection by a glowing red lightsaber, which was the exact same one the Sith had used back in Tatooine.

She had felt her world crumble down as the reality began to sink in, her nightmares realized as the moment she had dreaded finally came true. She knew that being a Jedi was a dangerous job, and she wished that all of the people she knew in the Temple would not suffer a tragic death but she was very well aware that this unavoidable as a Jedi. She just never expected to lose Qui-Gon so easily, and so quickly, just as she had finally been reunited with him after almost two years of not being able to see one another.

"No," the young Hale girl fell to her knees, tears pooling in her eyes as the feeling of overwhelming sadness and dread filled her heart until it brimmed over and spilled all the way out. "No!"

Master Sola had stopped, her green eyes turning to look at her Padawan, who was now a crying mess on the hallway floor. She had also felt the disturbance in the Force, but she knew exactly why her Padawan was even more affected by this disturbance than she was. "Layna..."

"He-he's dead, Master," the young girl voice came out as quiet as a whisper, her chocolate eyes widened as she stared at her Master in disbelief. "I-I felt it, I saw it, he's gone Master, he's gone!"

The young girl was hysterical by now, her emotions wildly swirling around and overpowering the girl's power to fight back. Her emotions clouded her train of thought, and there was nothing she could see except that moment when the Sith's lightsaber was thrust into Qui-Gon's stomach.

Sola had turned her head to the side, cursing under her breath when she realized that the troops were now surrounded by the Destroyers. She deactivated her lightsaber and placed it back into her utility belt in one swift motion. She knelt down to snap her Padawan out of her state, shaking her by the shoulders and screaming her name. "Layna! Layna, snap out of it!"

"But he's dead--"

"You are a Jedi apprentice, Layna. I know that it is hard for you, seeing as Qui-Gon had just died, but please, control your emotions!" Sola's booming voice echoed through the hallway, catching the attention of two Destroyers.