~ HIDDEN HOPE ~

"When gone am I," Master Yoda told young Luke softly, "the last of the Jedi will you be."

Chapter One - The Last of the Jedi

Explosions rent the air. Ash fell liberally, sprinkling those below with blackness and lighting fires throughout the hard-won growth. The soft shh of the ash combined with shouts of pain and desperation, interspaced with blaster-fire and piercing screams that faded ominously into silence.

Below the rock over-face, Jedi Master Asmün Geriy looked at the two children he protected.

The older of the two, sixteen year old Agri-Corps initiate Kin Llwei, looked stoically at the falling ash, seemingly turning a deaf ear to the chaos about them. Only his eyes showed the agony he felt at watching his entire world go up in literal flames. Beside him crouched Asmün's own apprentice, twelve year old Jin-sé Corran. This was to have been their first mission as master and apprentice. Her eyes were glazed, obviously in a minor stage of shock.

Asmün sent a questing probe of energy toward the rampaging troops and felt a quiet hiss of warning whisper uneasily back to him. Danger, which he had already known, but it would soon get closer. And the other feeling he had…

Asmün had always been stronger in the Unifying Force than the Living, which meant several raised eyebrows when he requested Jin-sé, an obvious Living Force user, as his first padawan. He had actually requested that they be sent to the Agri-Corps base on Cycellia in an attempt to raise her abilities and give him a few tips on how to understand them himself.

For the last two weeks, he had wondered what this sense of impending action meant. When the troops had attacked, it felt all the more imminent.

His eyes fell again on his new apprentice and he knew what he had to do.

"Jin-sé."

Her head, and Kin's, snapped around.

Already he could hear the footfalls of the approaching troops, but he ignored them, focused on the task at hand. "Come here."

Jin-sé obediently obliged and scrambled over the rocks between them, ducking to keep herself from hitting her head on the roof of the small cave they sheltered in. A moment later her master's hand rested gently on her hair, seeming almost regretful, seeming to ask forgiveness…

There was a sharp swish.

Jin-sé barely caught the startled gasp from the horrified boy behind her, her eyes focused on the braid that now hung limply from Master Geriy's hand. Her hand slowly came up to touch the place the hard-won symbol belonged.

Asmün met her eyes, his own nearly drowned in pain, sorrow – and a sudden understanding that filled him with purpose as he told her softly, "Now you are no longer a Jedi." He gently took her hand from where it touched her hair to clasp the braid he held in his own hand, his words coming out with all the solemnity of a prophecy. "Claim the life that could be your own, and remember this day."

He drew her into his embrace, holding her for a moment before looking up quickly, the approaching footsteps echoing wildly in his ears. "Take care of her, Kin!"

Kin grabbed the former apprentice's hand, nearly dragging her away from her master and down the slope toward the transport that stood there, their one salvation. They were nearly up the ramp when Jin-sé turned back.

She would always remember the sight of her former master, igniting his blade and stepping forward to meet the attackers, features set in determination, protection radiating from every movement.

The door closed, leaving him behind.

*The characters of Asmün Geriy, Kin Llwei, and Jin-sé Corran are mine.