It is a constant uphill climb for Siorah Katha, a young Jedi, intent on making it to the top. She just wants to find her place. To belong. The only thing standing in her way? Anakin Skywalker. A hotheaded, stubborn, frustratingly arrogant partner th...
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When our cruiser lands on Jedha, Anakin and I have already walked through our plan for finding the Separatist group. On-planet sources have given us their predicted location, a small building in the middle of the city that they've frequented for the past week or so. There is no room for error in such a crowded place, we have to act swiftly and incredibly precisely if we're going to get the information that we need.
As soon as our ship's door is open, the squadron of clones accompanying us as military aid leaves to sweep the outer city.
"Circle back when you've secured the area and meet us at the shop," I order. This city is dusty but full of life. My cloak whips around my ankles in the wind, sand flying up to scratch against my skin and distort my vision. I pull my hood up as cover and a way of hiding my face from the crowd that rushes around us.
Behind me, Anakin picks up the pace, hurrying to reach the densest part of Jedha City and away from the eyes that watched our cruiser land.
We move quickly through the heavy mob of people, my fellow Jedi taking the lead. His hood hides his face but I can feel how tense he is, his emotions sharp and jagged like uncut stone.
Normally I would tune out the feelings of those around me, but I force myself to stay hypersensitive to what's going on in Anakin's head. It's not hard.
The planet beneath us is soaked with energy. I feel it sink into my bones, heightening my senses to everything around us. It's been a long time since I've been around such potent Force energy and it's soothing, calming every nerve in my body until there's nothing left but awareness, sensitivity, and balance.
"Siorah," Anakin stops me, his hand outstretched in front of me. My gaze jumps around, trying to locate what he's seen. Across the busy street ahead, a cloaked figure steps into a building, watching the crowd closely behind them as they close the door.
"You think that's our guy?" I ask. He nods, analyzing the area around us. This is not a place to start a fight, considering how many people are, but the Temple is too close to risk letting him go. "Let's move," I say, stepping around his hand that blocks my way.
The inside of the building is nothing but a long, dark corridor. We have nowhere to go but forward until we reach wherever the hall leads us. The deeper we travel, the less light follows from the glass doors until we're completely surrounded in darkness. Anakin's footsteps and his steady breathing behind me are the only things that remind me he's there as we plunge deeper into the shadows, silence pressing down on us like a mist.
The Force flows deeply through this place, I feel it inside. Being in such a place heavily strengthens my senses, my abilities, and my energy. The thought of a Jedi Separatist such as Count Dooku utilizing this planet scares me, as well as the task of keeping Anakin out of trouble. If someone were to push him in the wrong direction here, it would be almost impossible to bring him back. I keep this in mind as we make our way down the hall.
