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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A terrible shake in the ground stops me from staying where I am and contemplating the mistake I'm making. The sound of footsteps running down the stone hallways brings me out of the training room, all of my senses on high alert.
I see Obi-Wan running down the hall and I join him. "What happened?"
"We don't know. I've heard rumors of an explosion," He answers, dodging Jedi and Padawans running in the opposite direction.
I point ahead to one of the balconies that look over the Temple grounds. "There!"
Picking up my pace, I run in front of him and throw the textured glass doors open. A hot burst of warm air crashes against my face and we skid to a stop. I just manage to turn away before breathing in a lung-full of hot, rancid smoke.
"My God," Obi-Wan says, covering his face with his sleeve. I blink away the stinging sensation in my eyes to lean over the edge of the balcony. It's the Prison Center below.
"We have to get down there," I say, "Let's go."
As soon as we're both back inside, I shove the door closed to keep the smoke out. A Padawan leading a group of Younglings rushes past us, struggling to keep the frightened children in a tight group.
"Siorah, you go. I need to help the children get to safety," Obi-Wan says, pausing for a moment, before continuing, "I think this is something you should handle."
Before I can process, worry about, or even question what he's just said, he yells to the Padawan and leads them down the hall. I turn around and rush down the ground floors of the Temple. The sky outside is dusty and clouded from the explosion that has broken the stone wall of the Prison Center. Anakin is nowhere to be found, nor his newly befriended murder companion.
Behind me, a group of clones run forward.
"Captain! Let me come through!" I shout, pushing through the squad. "Do we know who did this?"
"Sir, multiple suspects report... well... they've all reported having seen Anakin leave with a woman just after the explosion went off."
My face pales as he reports casualties and injuries.
"Sir?" The captain says as I turn away.
"Get the wounded to safety," I say breathily, waving them away.
I should never have trusted Anakin's plan. I have to find him before Koehkana does something again.
Dropping low to the ground, I close my eyes and place my hand on the ground, warm from the explosion. The footsteps of soldiers, the commotion from the civilians nearby, everything that's not Anakin fades away from my consciousness. There, just barely, I can feel him. He's not far but he's moving. I have to get to him.
The lower parts of Coruscant are dim, garbage-filled neighborhoods that keep most wealthier citizens away, leaving a community of thick-skinned criminals and poor families.
