Chapter 3: The birth of a Jedi

 

Chapter 3
The birth of a Jedi

Coruscant - 25 YEARS TO THE BATTLE

Eriaar lifted his lightsaber at the right time, blocking Robin’s attack. He used the Force to push the girl back, then attacked her. They had started the training a few months ago, but Robin was already doing very well. Eriaar was almost sure the kid had already some kind of military training from where she was from, but anytime he had asked Kai about her past, he had told him it wasn’t important. The same way the Jedi Council had closed an eye on his origins, he had to do the same for Robin, in order to secure his Padawan’s trust and loyalty.

Robin swirled the lightsaber in her hand, lighting up her focused face with a deep turquoise color. Her eyes swiftly studied his Master’s form, trying to find a breach in his defenses. Besides being a good fighter, her connection to the Force was extraordinary! She was a skilled Force wielder and winning a fight against her was no easy task. Eriaar was particularly proud of his Padawan. Robin started a series of fast and precise attacks, to which the Jedi promptly responded. The kid’s defenses was no way as good as her attack. After those energy explosions, Robin often tended to lower her guard and it was easy for her Master to use the Force to disarm her. The Force pushed the kid to the ground and Eriaar pointed the two lightsabers at her throat.

Robin’s head dropped, defeated. «You’re too strong, Master.»

Eriaar laughed, turned off the lightsabers and sat beside her, giving back hers. «You’re only ten years old, Robin, you cannot pretend to be at the same level with a Jedi Master.» After those words, he patted her head lovingly. «Do not beat yourself up, Robin, you’re way better than any other Padawan.»

«Seriously?!»

He had no time to answer her, for the Force alerted him to the arrival of two people. Eriaar turned right at the moment when the doors opened. Master Kai-Dar Vantos and his young Padawan, Naitsirk Jenson, entered the room. Eriaar stood up, immediately followed by Robin, who hid herself behind her Master, shooting daggers at Naitsirk, who, as an answer, smiled and waved at her. His Padawan seemed ready to light up her lightsaber and beating him up, so Eriaar stood physically between the two of them, blocking her view of her arch-enemy. According to the prophecy the two of them would create life together in the end… Seeing them right now, Eriaar wondered if the Force was mistaken.

Eriaar shook his head, pushing away that thought, and turned to Kai. «Master Kai, what can we do for you and your Padawan?»

Kai tried to peek behind his back, but Eriaar merely shielded Robin even more. «The Jedi Council gave us a mission. There have been some… Political misunderstandings on Nydrion. The locals have asked for the Jedi to act.»

«Is it a diplomatic mission?»

Kai shook his head. «It would have been if the two factions hadn’t destroyed each other. The few who survived are in need of help to prevent other confrontations.» He pointed to Robin behind his back. «The Padawan will come with us, they could learn something and become friends.»

Eriaar closed his eyes and slowly nodded. «Okay, if this is the Council’s decision, so be it.»

The group walked toward the hangars. Eriaar had to continuously move in order to keep Robin and Naitsirk separated. Kai’s Padawan, ignoring Eriaar’s attempts at protecting him from Robin, kept trying to move closer to her. He was starting to get on his nerves, but he couldn’t tell him off: Naitsirk was Kai’s responsibility… Who clearly had no intention of reacting to his Padawan’s actions. Eriaar liked his calmness, but sometimes he seemed way too detached and heedless to what was happening around him. Eriaar also tried to make him do something - anything - but the answer to that was what he had expected: a shrug, a gentle smile and a let them be, they’re young.

At the time they arrived to the hangar, Eriaar was ready to choke both Naitsirk and Kai with the Force, but his attention was drawn to another Jedi, who was standing before Kai’s ship, waiting for the group. Master Thal Marun approached them and greeted the Jedi with a bow. It was unusual for Thal to leave the Jedi Temple. He was the best connoisseur of the dark side of the Force and he had been part of the Jedi Council for some 20 years now. Though his dark expression and his enormous size could give off a bad impression, he was a white Jedi, with a particularly kind soul. He was a clever and sharp Jedi. He spoke very little, but when he did, everyone listened to his every word very carefully. The few missions to which he had taken part to had become legendary and the few Padawan, who he had trained in the course of his life, were now known as some of the most powerful Force wielders of the Galaxy.

Thal shot a glance to Naitsirk, who immediately calmed down and moved beside Kai, his head low. «I’m sorry to have interrupted your training, Master Eriaar.»

Eriaar shook his head. «No problem at all, Master Thal, Robin and I are happy to help you.»

«I would have been happier if he hadn’t joined us.»

Robin grumbled under her breath. Naitsirk, having heard her, leaned out and smiled at her. His Padawan snorted loudly and went back to look right ahead. The shadow of a smile appeared on Thal’s lips, who then moved to the side to let Kai and Eriaar pass. They boarded the ship and the two Jedi got the wheel. Kai and Eriaar were used to go on missions together. Despite not being Master and Padawan anymore, they still formed a great team and their abilities linked well with each other in battle or in a time of need.

Eriaar had worked hard on his abilities, even in secret when necessary. The Council Jedi knew he was born on Dathomir, but Eriaar also knew that they had been reluctant to let him train to become a Jedi. His powers were often linked to the dark side, but some abilities - like the Psychic Link, the Spiritual Projection and the Spiritual Teleportation - were also used by some Jedi, both gray and white. There was no reason at all not to learn how to control those abilities of his, sealed with fire in his genetic make-up as a Nightbrother… Of course, it couldn’t be said for abilities like  Necromancy, Ichòr Wielding, Dark Illusion and Dark Conjuring. Kai was fine with him learning how to wield also this powers. While they were on a mission together, he often allowed him to use his unique abilities. He would have always had his back, as long as he would have used those powers for good deeds.

Eriaar shot a glance at Master Thal: it there was one person who could never know about his abilities that was Master Thal. His knowledge on the dark side brought him to fear the dark abilities and anyone who wielded them. He looked down also on gray Jedi who used them. Eriaar had done the right thing, hiding his progress, even to Kai. As much as he hated to say this, sometimes he didn’t fully trust his old Master. There were times when his stillness didn’t irritate him, but creeped him out. And what about the trails left by the Psychic Resonance ability on the mind of almost every member of the Jedi Council? And guess who was the best at using this ability? Kai! Being now older and more powerful, Eriaar noticed how he tended to strengthen his mental barriers when he was around Kai. He had always done it, since their first meeting on Dathomir, and he had never stopped. He had the feeling that Kai used Psychic Resonance on anyone that doubted his nature. Though, of course, Kai had never harmed anyone, so it was probable that he did it for good, because he simply didn’t know better.

Eriaar gasped, feeling a hand pulling on his sleeve. «Master, is everything alright?»

He smiled at Robin and patted her head gently. «Yes, everything’s fine. Now, go and sit tight, we’ll be leaving soon.»

Naitsirk popped out behind his back, scaring both of them. «Come with me, Robin! Do sit next to me…»

His Padawan - annoyed by his behavior - took him by the collar and lifted him from the ground, pulling him toward her face. «If you do not stay away from me, I’ll throw you out of the ship the second we’ll enter the hyperspace, did I make myself pretty clear, Jenson?»

«You certainly did!»

Robin freed him, snorted and left the cockpit. Naitsirk stood up, brushed his robes, greeted the Masters, then followed after Robin laughing. Eriaar could only hope the both of them would reach Nydrion still alive and well. 

Nydrion - 25 YEARS TO THE BATTLE

The ship landed softly on a icy ground. There was a snowstorm raging outside, but thanks to Kai’s Force Echo ability, they were able to locate the few survivors. The Masters reached the two Padawan, who - luckily - were still alive. Robin had been able not to skin Naitsirk alive. He flashed a proud grin at her, then they sat around a HoloCube, which projected the image of a child. She looked not much older than Robin.

Eriaar raised an eyebrow. «Master Thal, who are we looking at?»

Thal snapped his tongue, clearly annoyed. «Master Kai, I had told you to update Master Eriaar.»

«That’s what I did.»

«And - as always - you decided to modify the story at your own will.» The smile Kai sent toward Thal was colder than the snowstorm raging outside, but the older Jedi - without shifting his threatening gaze from Kai - spoke to Eriaar. «Nydrion is home to a small and peaceful community. They have a difficult relationship with the Force. A lot of skilled Jedi were born on this planet, but also very dangerous Sith have their roots here. Now, what had happened to convince this people to ask for Jedi to intervene?» He then pointed to the girl’s image. «She is Nephyl Darkwood, the Force is particularly strong with her and a few months ago there was an accident. Some young men - older than her - had targeted her and she lost control over her powers. One of them died, the others are still gravely injured. Despite knowing it was just self defense, a lot of villagers had been scared by her powers and had exiled her. The girl is only eleven years old and now she’s out there, in this snowstorm. Her parents had called us to find her and take her with us on Coruscant. She’ll be my Padawan.»

Eriaar looked over to Kai. «Did you feel any other life form beyond the village boundaries?»

Kai slowly shook his head. «No, but the snowstorm could have impacted on the range of action of my ability.»

Elements like snow and water could actually make the energy bounce here and there and hide the presence of human life, even to a skilled Jedi like Kai. A more powerful ability - maybe - could have surpassed this barrier. Robin was particularly skilled with Force Echo and was slowly developing the ability of Galaxy’s Eye - which was a more powerful extension of Force Echo. In order to use that - anyway - she needed to know the energetic imprint of the young girl in the Force.

If there was even the smallest chance to find her alive, it was worth a try. Thal agreed with Eriaar’s plan and the group left the ship. The wind was so strong to compel Robin to use the Force to keep herself attached to the ground. The temperature was freezing. Eriaar felt his bones turn to ice at every step a little more. You couldn’t see a hand waving in front of your face, but Kai had come prepared. They were all bound together, he was on the front and was leading them to the huge building made entirely of ice and snow. They didn’t even need to knock, as the iced-doors opened by themselves before them. Hands coming out of nowhere caught them and pulled them inside, safely tucked away from the snowstorm raging outside.

Eriaar couldn’t believe his own sensations - it was actually warm inside of that building made of ice! The sudden change in the temperature fogged his vision, so he had to wait to see the faces of their saviors. Eriaar turned immediately to Robin - checking if she was alright - and found her trembling with her lips blue. She was looking at him, asking him with her eyes why they had embarked themselves in that suicidal mission. Eriaar motioned her to come closer. His usually distant and untouchable Padawan glued herself to his side, trying to warm herself up. Eriaar chuckled and started brushing the cold away from her arms.

A few minutes later, reinforcements arrived with some blankets and warm beverages. The parents of the young girl were among them. They told the story again, the discussion which followed after and the forced exile of their only daughter. They understood their fellow citizens’ fear, but exiling a kid was no different from a death sentence, especially on that cruel planet. As if the very low temperatures weren’t enough, there also were monstrous creatures, that fed on human meat. Eriaar shot a glance at Kai, who shook his head in response. The snowstorm had significantly reduced the range of his Force Echo ability. It would have been too dangerous to walk out in that hostile territory in that conditions. The snowstorm could have last days - even months if they were unlucky - though. The kid had been exiled a few days prior, she was born on Nydrion, so she had good chances to be still alive… Unless she had been eaten alive by an animal.

They had to find her! And fast also! Eriaar explained to the two parents what Robin would have needed, than took his Padawan and withdrawn from everyone. Robin had never tried using the Galaxy’s Eye and doing so in that situation - feeling the pressure on her shoulder - could have led to her failure. Eriaar wanted to talk with her, to know if she actually wanted to try or preferred to let her Master handle the situation.

Robin, though, shook her head. «I can do this, Master! Please, do trust me!»

Eriaar smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. «I will always trust you, Robin. No matter what happens, I’m really proud of you.»

His Padawan nodded - her eyes were blazing with the desire of showing her skills to her Master. They went back to the group right at the moment the parents were handing a necklace to Master Thal. Robin took it in her hands and sat down, her legs crossed. She closed her eyes and focused. The Force started to twirl around her. Her body lifted off the ground. The kid’s necklace in her hand. Robin did exactly as her Master had taught her. She focused on the feeble energy print of the object’s owner. The more used the object, the clearer the track was. In that case, the parents had chosen well - the necklace was a favorite of their daughter.

Robin - her body trembling for such an effort - suddenly opened her eyes. «I have found her!» 

Nephyl slipped in the tight opening of the cold rock just in time. She was so tired. She could barely move a finger and her bones felt as frail as crystal - ready to shatter at the smallest pressure. She crawled forward, ripping her clothes and injuring her skin, but she didn’t give up. Staying outside, in such a snowstorm, would have killed her. Luckily, the tight burrow opened up in a way bigger cave. She pushed herself out with too much force and rolled down the cliff, before hitting the ground with a dull thud. The hit took the breath out of her lungs for a few seconds, but she welcomed the pain with a smile. If she was feeling pain, it meant she was still alive. 

She carefully sat up. It was still cold and her ripped clothes were not helping in warming her up. She had to light up a fire. The risk of drawing an animal’s attention existed, but the alternative was freezing to death. She carefully touched all her bones - making sure they were not broken - then stood up. It was pitch black and the pressure was pushing painfully on her ears. She looked for the cliff - from which she had fallen off - and followed it. There could have been more precipices and she didn’t want to take the risk of falling in the depth of the planet. She would not die like that!

It was all their fault! If they hadn’t bullied me, I wouldn’t have lost control over my powers!

She angrily wiped away her tears, trying to focus on what she was doing… Namely, not falling to her death. She slipped and fell to the ground. She couldn’t go on like this. She raised a hand and moved it before her eyes, but she could see nothing more than a frightening darkness. She closed her eyes, focusing on her power. A small blue fire lit up in her palm. Nephyl burst into tears of relief and sat up again. She amplified her powers and the flame grew bigger and stronger, lighting up a huge and safe cave. She took a sigh of relief and stood up, walking all the way around the perimeter, looking for other entrances, which could be used by wild animals to enter the cave, but beside the one she had fallen off from, there were no other.

She dragged her feet to the other side of the cave and crumbled to the ground. She was exhausted. She was cold. She was also hungry. She curled up, her eyes pointed to that small cavity. She lit up a small fire before her and let blue flame take root. They weren’t normal flames, they wouldn’t have melt the ice, but they would have given her a little bit of warmth and light. Her breath still condensed the moment it left her lips, but she could handle such a temperature.

Why? Why was I born with this stupid powers?!

Warm tears ran down her frozen cheeks. Her parents were normal people, so why was she like this? If she had been like everybody else, at that hour she would have been called to dine with her community. The people like her did not belong in that place. They had all left the planet. The people in her village were scared by creatures like her. She had seen the terror in her parents’ eyes, when at just three years old she had saved them from an avalanche, stopping the snow at mere meters above them. She remembered well the words that her father had spoken that day - it would have been better to be killed by the snow, than caring for an abomination like yourself. From that moment on they had barely tolerated her. But she would have never believed they would have stood up against her. She was still their only daughter! They really didn’t care for her at all?!

The freezing cold and the fatigue caught up with her and she nod off - her head resting on her knees, tucked against her chest. Suddenly, in the darkness of her mind, a faraway voice started calling out to her and she saw a light. Raising her eyelids, she noticed it was just her magical fire. It was still blazing, even if she had nodded off. She sighed and went to close her eyes again, when a weird feeling told her to raise her gaze. Nephyl let out a cry, gluing herself to the cliff behind her. About ten meters away from her, stood a young man, looking at her. He was dressed in weird clothes, he clearly wasn’t one of them, she knew every men living on Nydrion and she had never seen him.

She used her powers to break a huge chunk of ice from the wall behind her, which - in her palm - transformed itself in a sharp knife. «Who are you?»

The man smiled, raised his hands and sat with his legs crossed. «My name’s Eriaar Shehol. I’m a Jedi Master. I’m from Coruscant.»

A… Jedi?

She had heard stories about Jedi, but honestly she had always thought they were but a legend. She had never seen one before… And anyway, what the hell was a Jedi doing on a desolate planet as Nydrion? She shot a glance at her only escape route, but the Jedi was blocking it completely. She could try and get around him, but she wasn’t sure it would have been that easy. She went back at observing Eriaar. He was quite short for an adult. He didn’t even seem that much of a threat. The first thing he had done had been sitting down, not attacking her.

She tightened her grip on her weapon. «What do you want from me?»

«Making you an offer.»

«An offer?»

At that point, the Jedi stood up, but Nephyl didn’t feel any threat, so she stayed still, while Eriaar drew close. «Have you ever heard about the Force?» She shook her head and the Jedi flashed her a gentle smile. «It’s the energy that moves the Universe. It’s inside everyone and everything. Some people, like me and you, are born Force sensitive. Do you ever hear a voice, telling you what to do and when to do it?»

Nephyl instantly nodded. «Yes! I also hear it when I’m using my powers!»

«That’s the Force.» The Jedi sat before her, the only thing dividing them was her feeble fire. «My companions and I are here to take you to safety. Coruscant is home to many people like you. You’ll be trained by one of the most powerful Jedi of the Galaxy. You’ll learn how to control your powers, so that what had happened will never happen again.» That said, he held out his hand for her. «What do you say? Will you follow me?»

Nephyl didn’t need to think twice about it and took hold of his hand. «Yes!» She right away noticed the weird texture of Eriaar’s body and the total lack of warmth. «What…»

«Forgive me, I’m not here in person.» The Jedi awkwardly chuckled. «This is just a projection of my soul. It’s an ability, called Spiritual Projection.»

«Will you teach it to me?»

Eriaar laughed and stood up. «I’m not the one who will be teaching you the way of a Jedi. Your Master is waiting for you at the spaceship. It’s time to go back, Nephyl.»

And that was how she set out with the Jedi’s spirit guiding her. She had to crawl in the tight gorge again and face the snowstorm. Eriaar taught her how to shield herself with the Force, in order not to feel the wind and the biting cold. She heaved a sigh of relief, as the temperature around her started to warm up. She would have saved herself a lot of frostbites, if she just had known this trick earlier. It also turned out that she hadn’t strayed very far from her village too. With the snowstorm hitting her, she had been sure to have walked at least twenty kilometers, while in truth she didn’t even reach the eight kilometer. She pouted and the Jedi patted her playfully on the head. She tried to tease him about his height, but Eriaar just agreed with her and joked about the fact that - when he was a child - he didn’t have much to eat. Nephyl felt immediately sorry, but Eriaar’s playful and funny manner put her at ease. He kept her distracted all the way back to the village, stumbling over his steps and proving to be a true calamity for misfortunes. If there was a sheet of ice, he was sure to stumble upon it. His presence made her forget about the cold, the snowstorm and her family’s betrayal.

… Well, at least until her village didn’t show up at the horizon. The House of Ice where she was born and raised, now seemed more hostile than the environment around her. Her shoulder hunched, seeing her parents standing beside other two men. She lowered her gaze, unable to deal with them. She had hunted her peers, but she had done it to defend herself, while they had betrayed her.

Nephyl decided to focus on the other strangers. They were all dressed similarly to Eriaar, with those long robes, which surely could not do anything to stop the biting cold temperatures of Nydrion. One of the two was a young man and Nephyl felt something unusual, but she understood what was happening only when she looked at his feet. Around him, the snowstorm seemed to not exist, as if he was surrounded by a barrier, way larger than the one protecting Nephyl. The smile the man gave her creeped her out and Nephyl instinctively hid behind Eriaar. A tingling sensation at the base of her skull warned her that someone was trying to break through her mental defenses and she instantly reinforced them. The Jedi’s smile, at that point, became as cold as the snowstorm raging around them and she clung to Eriaar’s sleeve.

«Calm down.» The Jedi whispered to her. «Keep your barriers high. He won’t hurt you. Master Kai-Dar Vantos has the bad habit of wanting to be liked by everyone and modifying their feelings when this are against him, but he’s not evil.»

He modifies other people’s feeling? It doesn’t sound like something a Jedi should do…

She wouldn’t have dared to ask the question out loud, anyway. She didn’t really know nothing about Jedi and their rules. She just did as Eriaar suggested and kept her mental barriers high and ready to protect her from any attack. She turned her gaze to the other Jedi. He was a middle age man. His hair were white and he had a well-groomed beard, which gave him the looks of a scholar. His face was grumpy, but she preferred this, than Master Kai-Dar Vantos’ fake kindness.

It was at that moment that the Jedi before her, who was still shielding her from Kai-Dar, became ethereal, before disappearing in thin air. Nephyl stood speechless, moving her hand into the air before her, as proving to herself that he didn’t simply become invisible. Then, the sound of footsteps on the metal draw her attention to the ship. Eriaar, who just mere moments ago was standing before her, was now walking down the landing bridge. Two young kids, about the same age, were following him. One was a girl and the other a boy. Eriaar rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder, who straightened her back, proudly.

Nephyl noticed the oldest Jedi motioning for her to draw near and she did. She closed the distance that separated her from her parents, but still didn’t look at them and focused on the man before her. He introduced himself as Thal Marun. He was a Jedi Master… Her Jedi Master, if she would decide to follow them.

She shot a furtive glance at her parents. «I won’t see them anymore, right?»

Thal confirmed it with a nod of his head. «This are the Jedi’s rules… I’m sorry…»

«I’m not.» Quite the contrary! It was nothing less than a huge relief for her. «It’s because of them that I was exiled. They fear my powers… They fear me.»

«But they saved your life.» The girl cut in the conversation. «They were the ones who called us. Isn’t that right, Master?»

Eriaar sighed, then approached her and rested a hand on her shoulder. «The Force has chosen you, Nephyl, and sometimes its decisions are not liked by everyone. Our powers are what makes us special and often are bound to cause feelings of hatred and fear, but you must be careful not to let yourself be swayed by this sentiments. It’s time to let go of the past. Say goodbye properly to your parents and come with us without regrets.»

Nephyl looked at her parents. Did they really called the Jedi to save her? Her mother had tears streaming down her face, while her father was trying to look at everything but her. She felt a hand landing on her shoulder and she raised her gaze, meeting Master Thal’s kind eyes. Nephyl heaved a sigh. If that was what she was expected to do in order to leave Nydrion and be safe, then she would do exactly that.

She took a step toward her parents and lowered her head. «I thank you for everything you had done for me, but now it’s time for me to go my own way. This is a farewell.»

Her mother tried to speak, but her father wrapped an arm around her shoulder and took her away. Neither of the two turned back and Nephyl did the same. She raised her gaze on Thal and smiled shyly at him. Her Master put a hand between her shoulder blades, pushing her gently toward the spaceship. The group boarded the ship, Eriaar and Kai-Dar were closing the line. She was focused on Eriaar, so when a red head popped up before her, she jumped back, alarmed.

The girl cocked her head, confused, then held out a hand to her. «I’m Robin Serijala!»

Nephyl heard the Force whispering something to her and her body moved by its own volition, shaking her outstretched hand. «I’m Nephyl.»

There was something connecting them, but she could not quite define what it was. She could feel the same thing with Master Eriaar, something that both Thal and Kai-Dar were lacking. The boy broke her stream of thoughts, resting his hands on her shoulders. His smile had something annoying and his face seemed to be screaming beat me.

She heard Robin snorting. «He is Naitsirk Jenson… But do not pay too much attention to him! Do you want to sit beside me?»

«Of course!»

Robin brought her to a couch. The two of them took a seat and the girl pushed a button. A compartment opened up under their feet and a small round table appeared before them. Robin shoved a deck of cards in her face and Nephyl laughed. Staying with the Jedi wouldn’t be so difficult after all. Nephyl felt the engines start up and firing up. Eriaar had disappeared in the cockpit, while Naitsirk was gravitating around them, giving them unrequested advices, annoying them to death. Suddenly, Nephyl felt a void in her stomach. The ship had detached from the ground. She panicked - it was the first time she flew and she didn’t know what to expect.

The doors to the cockpit opened up and Eriaar came back into the main chamber. He ordered Naitsirk to sit down and Robin to put the game away. He kneeled before them, pushing the button to make the table go back to its original place. He asked Robin if she needed his help with the belts, but she showed him she was already done with it. The Jedi Master turned to Naitsirk, already secured to the seat behind him as well. Nephyl looked at the loose belts in her hands.

«Nephyl…?» She looked up, into Eriaar’s kind eyes. «May I help you?»

She nodded and handed the belts to him. Eriaar, with skilled movements, secured her to the seat, then rested a hand on her head, smiling gently at her, and stood up. He told them to stay seated until their entrance into the hyperspace, then went back to the cockpit.

Robin raised a hand. «The first time may be scary, want to hold my hand?»

Nephyl didn’t utter a sound, she merely laced her fingers with those of the young girl and tightened her grip on it. She would have never admitted out loud, but she was terrified. She closed her eyes and felt the spacetime curving around the ship, which, suddenly, had an instant and sudden acceleration. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Robin unfastening her belts. She got out of the couch and held out a hand for her. Nephyl took again a hold of it and the girl took her to the huge window and Nephyl’s breath caught in her throat. The ship was surrounded by lines of light, which lit up the interiors of the ship with thousands of colors. She had never seen anything more beautiful than that. She had grown up on an iced planet, she had lived surrounded only by snow, coldness and ice. More often than not, the sky was clouded over by dense storm clouds, so she had never seen more than a little patch of the night sky.

Yes… This is my path! I can feel it!