Hunter and Wanderer: Star Wars FanFics

[Taruia]

Hey there. First off a warning, this is a LONG story. It is the first two of three parts of my Jedi character's back story. It's based in the Star Wars universe, but a lot of it is original, so I thought I'd share.

Hunter is 4 parts, and Wanderer is 6 parts.

[Taruia]

Hunter: Part 1

Taru woke to the sound of Nik leaving the hut. She kept her eyes closed until she was sure that he was gone, and then gathered her clothing and tied up her hair. She looked around for her staff, and found it had rolled under her bed. She slipped around behind the hut, as she knew Nik was heading to the main camp to talk to Demerita, the chief. She didn't want to be anywhere near the main camp while this happened. She didn't agree with anything that had happened, so she did her best to ignore it. It wasn't worth getting angry over. She slipped through the dense jungle to her secret spot. It was a place that was shown to her by her Yrashu father when she had been accepted into the tribe. She moved through the dangerous foliage with practiced ease and pushed though a thin veil of green to get into a small clearing.

There was a massive rock pushing up from the earth in the center, and there was also a small natural spring in the corner. She could spend all day here and not have to worry about drinking or eating. She perched herself on the rock and slid into a light meditation. Meditation was something that was taught to all children of the Malanoch. Taru had initially been resistant to it, but after her time with the Yrashu she had realized how well she could connect with the immense amount of life that existed in the jungle. During her time with the Yrashu she had come to understand how much went on just to keep the jungle alive. There were thousands of lives all interacting with each other in thousands of ways. She let herself drift a little deeper, imagining the paths that these energies would take. She loved to spend hours just drifting and dreaming, but today it was more of an escape then an enjoyment.

Today Nikkaron was making a plea to Demerita to be allowed to again live in the main camp. Taru had not been around when he had been banished, but she knew that it was because Demerita did not want his daughter Regyna to end up with Nik. Their ruler was not the best, but he did do what he thought was best for the tribe, and Taru knew that Nik would not be the best leader, and that is what he would have become if he married Regyna. She loved her brother, but she knew he didn't have the ability to lead their tribe. It was too bad he was in love with the leader's daughter. Taru thought it was stupid, there were plenty of other women Nik's age who would make great wives, but Nik refused to budge on the issue. After their father's death Nik had taken over raising her, but Taru most of the time felt like the older sibling.

Nik had kept her dressed, clothed, and relatively well fed, but she had been the one that ran the household. She hadn't been allowed to hunt until she was 12, almost two years older then most of the boys, but well before most of the other girls. Taru had decided early she wasn't going to just be someone's wife. She was going to be a hunter and warrior and help her tribe in that way. She was not going to let some man tell her what to do. That was a main reason she had been sent to the Yrashu, they didn't have gender specific roles, and really her people didn't know what to do with her. They blamed her actions on the fact that she had never known her mother, but Taru knew that she would not have turned out any differently if given the choice.

These thoughts drifted at the back of her mind while she concentrated on the lines of life and movement in her mind. She knew that what she was using was called the Force. The Yrashu had not been afraid to tell her the full histories of this world. She knew that there was much more out there then what her people had. At one point they had had the ability to travel in the stars, and that was how they had come to live here. Now though most of them refused to use any technology, and children were forbidden from going to the old rebel base. Her Yrashu father had shown her the place where the battle had been won against the Empire. Taru liked their versions of the histories. Demerita and the elders didn't tell it the same way, and Taru knew they were leaving out anything that made the rebels sound good.

She was very surprised that the Yrashu still wanted to have anything to do with her people. The Malanoch were no longer strong allies with them, but they did respect their boundaries, and they did send a few of their "odd" children to become members of the Yrashu tribe to keep their treaty alive. She realized then that a lot of time had passed, and she started pulling herself out of the meditation. The sounds of the jungle slowly came back to her, and she realized that she was not alone. She didn't move, but she pulled herself to full awareness. Reaching out with her senses she realized that it was Hrunn her Yrashu father.

"Chosen father, what are you doing here?" she asked before she opened her eyes.

"I knew you would be here today, and I needed to talk to you." He replied. "I have discovered something that I need you to see."

Taru opened her eyes then, and smiled at Hrunn. She hopped off the rock and stretched slowly. She knew her body would not be happy with her for sitting still so long. She rolled her shoulders one time more and then turned back to Hrunn. She knew he would be fine with waiting for her to be ready. The Yrashu were not as worried about time and waiting as humans were. They didn't keep track of hours and days, they instead focused on seasons and years.

"So what did you want to show me, and do we have to walk far? I didn't tell Nik I wasn't going to be around."

"Not far, just to the old base, there is something there that you need to read. I would have brought it, but it was on one of their machines."

She nodded, and they headed off towards the old base.

[Taruia]

Hunter: Part 2

The walk through the jungle was relaxing to Taru. She loved taking walks with any of the Yrashu, they had a sense of the jungle that no human could ever have. They managed to move through the dense foliage with hardly any difficulty. Hruun pulled himself behind his massive walking stick, and it would have looked funny if Taru didn't know how dangerous he could be with that tool. She had seen Hruun take down a fully-grown Charsk, a feline creature similar to the Nexus of Cholganna, using just his staff. Taru had a staff herself, but she hardly ever used it. She much preferred hand-to-hand combat or using her javelin-like spear from a distance.

She had earned her third name just a year ago, and she was quite proud of it. Nikkaron had warned her that Hunter was a title usually reserved for the males of her line. She refused to listen to him, and instead worked on her throwing ability. She was the most accurate hunter of the tribe, if not the strongest. Nik had taken her as his apprentice when she was 8, the normal age for children to start a trade. Demerita had wanted her to take the Teller path, but while Taru had a great ability to remember the histories, she knew that the Teller path was not the one for her. She had been born to a Hunter, and would become one herself.

Hruun had also helped her with her hunting abilities. The Yrashu prided themselves on being master hunters, and their greatest ability was their silence in the jungle that allowed them to get right up next to their prey. With the combination of skills she had, it was an easy vote from the tribal council for her to be granted the title Hunter. Demerita hadn't been happy about it, but he couldn't do anything without looking petty. She had been the first female Hunter in four generations.

It was a short walk to the old base, but Hruun took them a round about way, and Taru knew it was because some of her people were gathering clay from the nearby riverbed. She appreciated his understanding of her issues with the tribe. She would have loved to be able to go to the Yrashu camp permanently, but she wouldn't leave her brother alone. She hated how she didn't belong with her people, and while she got along with the Yrashu and they had adopted her into the tribe, she would never be one of them. Her brother didn't understand her position either, but she refused to fight with him about it.

When they got to the old base, Hruun led her to one of the almost overgrown computer consoles that lined what used to be a wall, but was now a mass of leaves and vines. Hruun hunched over the mostly covered screen, and fiddles with a few of the buttons that could still be seen under the jungle's hostile takeover. Taru waited patiently for him to let her in on what he was doing. He smiled after a moment, and she moved closer.

"I found this when I was here doing research on the people who once lived in this base. A few of them had joined our tribe, and I wanted to know about them. I know you didn't join your people's Teller class, but you must have heard about the battle that happened here." He told her.

"Yes, we are told the history to keep us away from this place. The Empire of old drove us to this planet, but although those who had this base fought them, they were not Malanoch so they couldn't be trusted."

"Well while I was going through the database here, I found information that there were a few escape ships that were abandoned here when they left. I know we have spoken about this before, but I think I may have found a way you can leave this place." He didn't look away from her, and Taru was forced to be the one to break the gaze.

"I know we had joked about it chosen father, but I never thought it possible." She wasn't sure about this, she didn't want to leave her brother, and although she didn't always like her tribe they were the only family she had.

"You have a gift Taru, you have a strong sense of energy around you. The Yrashu can feel it, and you are by far the strongest of your people in a few generations. Most of your people have a touch of the ability, but only one in a hundred could be considered gifted. There are tales of a clan of human who use this ability for good. Helping those in the galaxy who cannot help themselves. If you could find them, they could train you their ways, you could finally find a people you belonged to."

Taru waited for a moment, she had to think about this. She had always been an outcast, and the idea that she could find a group of people she could belong with, that idea was tempting. She sat and folded her arms around her knees. She didn't know what to tell him. She knew that Nik would never come with her, to do this would be to leave everything she knew behind, and she would be taking on a search for a people she didn't know. She wasn't sure that they even still existed.

"This clan, how do you know they still exist?" She asked finally.

"We can feel their works when we search. There is great turbulence in the worlds far away from here; we can feel both the positive and the negative fighting for dominance. So far the evil we can feel has been kept in check, but that could always change. This planet is small enough, and insignificant enough, but if it were to ever take completely over, even this place would feel it."

Taru nodded. She had been told about the Low Ones, those of the Yrashu who followed the dark path, and were shunned from the clans. There were also those in her tribe who when they were admitted into the Shaman ranks let power go to their head. They were universally banished to the jungle, and most only survived a year before they went mad or were killed.

"If I were to do this, how would I survive? I have no currency that is accepted in the other worlds, I don't even speak their language. I would get somewhere and end up a slave."

"That is where my research will help you Taru, I want to see you free of this place. You don't belong here. I have watched you grow into a strong woman of your people, but they want you to be a wife and mother, and that is not your place. You are a Hunter, a warrior if you chose, and you need to find a place where you belong. I wish that we could give you that with us, but we are not the right people for you either."

Taru sighed, and stood. She paced around the small area. This was not something she could decide on quickly. This was a life altering decision, and she needed to talk to Nik. She would hate to leave her brother, but depending on how his meeting went this afternoon, he might be able to rejoin the tribe. If that happened she would really have nothing tying her to this place. If Hruun could figure out a way for her to survive off this world, she might just have to take him up on his offer. Freedom from this place was something she had dreamed about for almost her whole life, but she had never believed that it could become a reality.

[Taruia]

Hunter: Part 3

Taru took the long way home, in order to allow herself time to think. She was almost certain that she wanted to leave this place, but there were a few things keeping her from jumping at the opportunity. The first, and main reason was her brother. She loved him, and he had a hard time fitting into the tribe as well. With Demerita as the leader, Nik would always have a hard time if he remained here, and she didn't want him to have to live as an outcast alone. Her second reason was family related as well, while they may not be family by blood, the Yrashu were her chosen family, and Hruun and his family were almost as close to her as Nik was. The thing that gave her a moment's pause here was that Hruun was the one helping her to leave. The third reason was much more simple, she was afraid. This world and its rules was all she knew. She had listened to Hruun read the logs of the old base, but they gave her very little insight into the people who populated the galaxy.

She knew there were wars, and good people and bad ones, but other then that it was a complete mystery to her. Her main concern was that she didn't speak the language. Malanoch was not a complicated language, but it differed from most in that it was partially a language of gestures and facial expressions. Only about 50% of a conversation was given orally. The rest came from posture, facial expressions, and hand gestures. It made for a great language for hunting as it could be totally silent, but that also worried her because she knew from her Yrashu family that this was not the case in most of the galaxy. Fear was something that Taru was not familiar with. She had never before been afraid of something. She knew to be wary of the Charsk, but that was more respect for their killing ability then fear. She knew that death could come swiftly from the razor trees, but she knew their secrets and so again fear never touched her there.

It was far too quickly that she arrived back at the small hut that she and Nik called home. She lingered around the back of the hut until she realized that Nik hadn't arrived home yet so she headed inside to start a meal. She hated the necessity of cooking that came with living apart from the tribe. She had never been good at any of the domestic aspects, and that was a main reason she didn't want to remain here. She would soon be of an age where if she didn't get married it would be seen as odd. She was almost 17 years old, and to her people she should have married close to three years ago. Having a man be a higher status then her did not appeal at all, and so she had ignored all advances from the boys her age, and even a few from the older men. She knew that as soon as she allowed one to see her as a wife, she would no longer be allowed the freedom that she had now.

She made a quick stew of vegetables and some Kshaha meat. Nik could go beg Jakki if he wanted bread. After the stew was bubbling over the small fire she again turned her thoughts to leaving Baskarn. She thought about Nik, and his meeting with Demerita today. If it went well, which she doubted it would, then Nik would not have to live as an outcast any more. That eliminated her first reason for staying. Hruun was the one telling her to go, and she was sure that the other Yrashu would support her decision as well. Another reason gone. The only thing left was her fear, and she had never before allowed that to control her actions. She was a hunter, a warrior; she would not be controlled by an emption as useless as fear. With her mind made up she realized just how hard it would be to survive in the galaxy.

She had no currency. They had found information that there was a thing called a Credit, and that was the main form of money, but both she and Hruun in their hours of reading and searching the old base, had found nothing detailing what a Credit looked like. She was also unsure of her ability to learn a new language. The Yrashu knew her language, and so it had been easy for them to teach her theirs, but off this world she doubted that anyone spoke Malanoch or Yrashu. Hruun said that both of these problems could be solved and she trusted him, but they both worried her greatly. She had heard the stories of the planets where slaves were common. On Baskarn slaves did not exist. Neither her people nor the Yrashu believed in owning another sentient being. One thing that hadn't occurred to her before, but she realized was quite important, was that Hruun hadn't told her how she was going to be able to leave this place. She realized that she would have to talk to him again after she spoke to Nik. There was just too much to think about right now. Her mind was full of clouds that threatened to make it impossible for her to continue to think. She stepped outside then, and looked for the tallest tree in the area. It happened to be a razor tree, but that didn't bother her. She picked her way slowly up and around the hazardous limbs and leaves.

The view that reaching the top of the tree provided was stunning, and Taru again thanked her Yrashu teachers and their instruction on how to climb the deadly trees. The expanse of green and blue that stretched before her helped her center her thoughts, and she again slipped into the calming flow of the life around her. It allowed her to brush the clouds from her mind and to go over everything that had been thrust on her today. She appreciated Hruun's offer, but she also wondered why he was in such a rush to get her off the planet. Did her chosen father know something that he wasn't telling her? Now that she was more focused and less emotional she began to see more then she had before, and it raised a lot of questions. She fell back into herself and made her way slowly down the tree.

Nik was in the hut when she slipped through the door covering, and she smiled at him. She tried to think of the best way to bring this up with him, but he seemed to be in a good mood, so she figured she could talk to him about what had happened first.

"How did it go?" She, spooned some of the now warm stew into her bowl.

"Dem says that as long as we both keep our heads down we can come back." Nik told her, shoveling stew in between each word.

"Heads down? What does that even mean?" Taru did not like Demerita's cryptic answer.

"Well I have to keep to myself for the most part, and he wants you to start acting more like a proper girl. He and most of the men find it troubling that you don't have a husband yet."

Taru glared at him, and a low growl escaped from her. "Proper girl? PROPER GIRL?! So, my help in hunting and fighting are worthless because I'm a girl, and I should just let a man take care of me." She flopped onto her sleeping furs and buried her head in her hands.

"Taru you know I don't agree with it, but do you really want to live apart from the tribe just to keep from marrying a man?" Nik was worried, Taru could tell. She knew how much he hated living here away from the clan.

"Yes, I would rather live apart then let a man have me. How can you even ask that Nik? You know how hard I had to fight just to be allowed to have the title of Hunter, to give that up to join with a man would be like saying the rest of my life was worthless." She signed and played with the dirt at her feet. "Hruun came to me today Nik. He offered me a way to leave this place."

"What? To go and live with the Yrashu for good?" Nik asked.

"No, to leave Baskarn altogether." Taru looked up then, meeting her bother's eyes for the first time in this conversation.

"Leave Baskarn? How is that possible? There is nothing more out there then the heavens and the underworld." Nik now looked confused and worried and Taru sighed and shook her head.

"Nik, I've told you before that what Demerita and the elders tell us is not all that there is. Hruun and the Yrashu met those who came to this place from a place far away in the stars. The tribe may not want us to know these things, but there are worlds other then this one, and people with powers we can only dream of."

"And you would leave here, leave me, the tribe, the Yrashu to go and see these places you can't be sure exist." He looked at her, almost pleadingly.

"I would leave here because I could never be happy here. I cannot be myself here. The tribe will always see me as the freak girl who wants to be a boy. I don't but I do desire the respect that the men here seem to get. I want to understand more the power that I feel when I fall out of myself and touch the life around me. I know there are a people out there that understand this power and can help me know it better. I would leave here, because I think there is more going on then just Hruun wanting me to be able to feel free, and I need to find out what that is." She looked up at him again, seeing warring emotions written clearly on his face. He knew, in his heart, that she could never be happy in the tribe, but he also knew that without her he would be all alone in this world, and if Taru was right in all the worlds that hid in the stars.

"I have not made up my mind yet, I need to speak to Hruun again, but I wanted to let you know." She told him, and then hopped up and scrambled back up the razor tree that she had climbed earlier, knowing that Nik couldn't follow her.

[Taruia]

Hunter: Part 4

It wasn't until the moons were high in the sky that Taru came down from the tree. She didn't know how many more opportunities she would have to experience the sky and stars of her home planet. Slipping through the nighttime quiet jungle she let herself connect to the earth beneath her feet, and the lives of the creatures that were stirring in the dark. It was through this connection that she found a thread of deeper dark then the night around her. She paused for a moment before heading off towards the Yrashu camp and Hruun.

The camp had the same sleepy feeling that the jungle did, but that thread was twisting through the camp much like the jungle and it worried Taru greatly. She nodded to the sentries that were posted around the edge of the camp and two of them nodded back. They were close to her age, and she knew the one was named Sharr, but was not familiar with the other. She continued towards the small hut close to the center of the camp that belonged to Hruun. He was waiting for her right inside the flapped door, and waved her into the hut.

"You know why I've come chosen father." She sat on the smooth dirt floor and waited, Hruun was not one to speak until he was ready.

"You are very wise chosen daughter, one of the reasons the Malanoch were not the right place for you to grow. You are not like the rest of your people. You too feel the connection to all that exists. You need to find those who can teach you how to control your ability, as we can touch but not control this power." Taru sighed and drug her toes through the dirt, making little patterns.

"I never asked for this Hruun, I never wanted anything other then the respect of the tribe." She sighed and looked towards her patterns again.

"This ability is not something that one asks for, it is a gift and a curse, but not something you can choose. The darkness is growing and so more are being called to the light." He joined her on the ground and took her hand. "You are strong Taru of the Hunter clan. You were destined to do more then fight against the close-minded men of your tribe."

"The close-minded men of my tribe are easy to fight. How am I supposed to challenge something I can't even see? I am a hunter, not one of the shaman clan."

"One of your shaman clan would not be able to understand that what you do. You know the silence needed to touch the force that connects us all. You know the depth of quiet your mind must have in order to fall into all the life around you. A shaman's thoughts are too loud and demanding for this. Only a hunter can know these things."

"Hruun, if I do leave this place what will become of my people, my brother, the Yrashu? I felt that thread of darkness that is winding though the jungle."

"Ah, yes I wondered when you would feel that, and I was hoping that you would leave before you did. That is not your path; your path is to find those who can teach you to become much more then you are now. If you remain here to fight the darkness now, you will loose."

"If I leave what will happen Hruun?"

"That future is not clear, the Yrashu are not seers." He smiled at her and she returned it. "Please Taru, trust me in this you can do so much good if you find those to train you."

She nodded and stood up, stretching muscles that were complaining about being still after all the tree climbing she had done that day. "I will go Hruun, you know I'm always up for a challenge."

"Very good, I will meet you at the old base tomorrow when the sun sits high. I will have everything you will need then. Go and say your farewells." She turned, but before she left the hut she stopped and turned. She returned to Hruun's side and gave him a quick hug. It was not a common Yrashu gesture, but it made her feel better and Hruun put up with her strange human ways quite well. She rushed out of the hut then and ran silently back to her own home. She had a lot to do.

Nik was not in the hut when she got back, and she worried about where he was. It would hurt her deeply to leave without saying goodbye to him. She gathered her few personal possessions into a small bag she had made from leathers tanned by one of the village women. She paused for a moment before grabbing her hunting bow and a large quiver of arrows that hung near her bed. She strapped her knives to her belt, and made sure that she had a sharpening stone in her pouch. Touching her neck once confirmed that her necklace was in place, and other then a few clothes and herbs she had nothing else that mattered to her. She found it odd to see her life this way, just a few things that mattered, and only her bother and Hruun to miss her. Sighing she headed towards the village to find Nik.

The winding path was almost covered on both sides by the growth of the jungle, but to those who knew it the path was quite obvious, even at night. She smelled the fires before she saw them, and headed towards them. She did not want to go into the village, but she needed to speak to Nik tonight, this was not something that could wait. The sentries glared her way and she held back a laugh as she compared the welcome by her own people to that of her adopted people. They couldn't be more different. She ignored the eyes that burned into her back and headed towards the only place that Nik would be at this time of night. The center of the camp held a large fire that was burning low. She avoided looking right at the orangy-red flames and instead scanned the faces surrounding it. Nik was there, as expected and she moved up beside him. Without saying anything, he stood and they both moved towards the edge of the camp.

"You're going then." He said.

"Yes. I'm sorry Nik. I wish I could...I don't know...bring you with me or have some way to come back, but I'm not sure if I ever will be back." She looked up into the deep brown eyes of her brother. His were glittering with unshed tears and she felt a burning come to her own eyes.

"No, you're right. You could never be happy here Taru. You were not born to be a wife." He smiled sadly then, and reached out to her shoulder. Usually they were not very physically demonstrative with each other, so this simple touch meant that much more. Taru nodded and covered his hand with her much smaller one.

"I leave tomorrow. Tonight I say goodbye to the sky and trees I know. I will try to find you before I go tomorrow." She moved her hand back to her side. "I will miss you my true brother." Before the tears that were threatening could fall she moved away and ran off into the forest, heading for her quiet place.

The clearing calmed and centered her almost as soon as she entered the small space. She clambered up onto her rock and fell deep into herself. The night passed this way, and Taru bid her final farewells to the only place she had ever known. The sun brought with it a strange feeling of trepidation mixed with excitement. It made Taru's stomach turn and she decided not to eat before meeting Hruun. She walked slowly towards the old base. She was still early for meeting her chosen father, and she made sure to take a path that took her through the village. She saw Nik sitting with a few of the other men, but a quick shake of his head indicated that there would be no final farewell to her brother. A cold lump settled in her gut at this, but with all the other feelings she had currently it wasn't very noticeable. She sighed and quickly made her way back into the growth of the jungle.

Arriving at the old base a good while before Hruun had asked her to show up, she decided to look around. She moved over to one of the horribly overgrown consoles, and woke it with a wave of her hand. She had seen this a hundred times before, but every time the lighting up of the screen was amazing to her. She wondered if the place she was going had things like this, or if it were much more like her home. She walked around the border of what was once a building and worried about how she was going to leave this place. 'Stop it Taru. Clear your buzzing thoughts, like the biting bugs of the jungle they can only cause annoyance.' She flopped down onto the ground and tried to calm and center herself, but her thoughts kept running straight towards the dark thread that twisted its way even through this old base. She almost leapt out of her skin when Hruun cleared this throat to announce his presence.

"Are you ready my chosen daughter?" He asked. Taru didn't trust herself to speak so she merely nodded her head. Hruun motioned her towards the very back part of the old base. It was an area Taru had not been in many times simply because it was very unstable. Taru had to duck under hanging vines and crumbling ceilings. When Hruun waved at a wall Taru was initially confused, but as what looked very much like a rock face started to slide away understanding dawned. There was a secret room located in the earth. Hruun moved inside it without hesitation and after only a moment's pause Taru followed. What lay inside made all the other wonders of the old base seem simple and pedestrian. Inside giant metal creatures resided. Shaped like birds but thousands of times larger. Hruun moved carefully across the litter-strewn floor towards a specific one.

"This Taru is a space craft. The humans who came here rode in these to be protected from the emptiness of space. The Yrashu have guarded this place for many generations, knowing that some day one of your clan would have to leave this place. That time is now. I have spoken with the elders and they helped with the ships. This one will take you to a place where you can find a teacher, and perhaps one day your journey will lead you back here." He reached out, placing a hand on her head. He whispered a quick blessing, and then motioned for her to get in the ship. Taru balked, not trusting this ancient machine, but knowing that she had almost nothing to lose. She saw the ladder on the side, and quickly scrambled up into the cockpit before her courage could fail her. Hruun pushed a few buttons and suddenly Taru found herself trapped in a small space, and no way to stop what was going to happen.

"Taru, center yourself, fall into the deep emptiness and the journey will be but a moment." Hruun called as the whine of engines started to drown out all other noise. Taru closed her eyes and taking a deep gasping breath she attempted to calm herself. She started a mantra "don't look, don't look" to keep from panicking even more, and as the ancient x-wing took off towards the stars, Taru missed her last chance to see her home.

THE END

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 1
((This picks up right after Hunter ends))

Taru didn't know how long she had been traveling in space, the cold and dark was monotonous, and she had allowed herself to slip into the deep trance that she had been taught by her Yrashu father. The days blended together, and while she felt neither hunger nor thirst, the cold of space seeped into her bones and created an ache that wouldn't let her find true peace. She wondered often, when her mind was aware enough for thought, if she had simply chosen death over living the way she had. This caused her to wonder if perhaps death was a better option. The dark thoughts tended to pull her from the calm peace of her trance, so she tried to shove them down whenever they drifted to the surface.

It wasn't until a loud beeping pervaded her consciousness that she truly slipped out of the trance however. She opened her eyes, and was amazed to find a planet right in front of her. She had no idea what to do, but it seemed that the ship she was in was handling all of that for her. She watched in awe as the greens and blues of the planet slowly cleared and became real things, a lake off to the side, and a large forest right in front of her. It was not the jungle of her home planet, but a large forest nonetheless. She tried to stretch a little as the ship landed itself, but found that her limbs were stiff and uncooperative. She was afraid for a moment, but soon feeling started to return. As the soft thud of landing reverberated through her body, she was surprised to find how weak she was. She had landed in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by massive trees, but she could see a small glimmer off to the left where the lake had been that told her water was not far.

Now that she was out of her trance hunger and thirst assaulted her with a vengeance. She sucked in a breath that caused her already dry mouth to burn. She needed to get to that water, and quickly. That was going to be a serious task however, as she had still not regained control over her limbs. She stretched and moved as much as she could, trying desperately to get feeling and movement back. She was amazed by how weak she was. She had no clue how long she had been in space, but her body had lost some of its muscle tone, and all of the little reserves of fat she had never been able to completely get rid of.

It took close to an hour for her to be able to drag herself out of the ship, and when she did she collapsed painfully onto the grass-covered ground. The sky spun crazily as she tried to right herself. She flopped back down and watched the clouds overhead for a long time. When she finally pulled herself back, it was slowly starting to get dark. Taru knew that if she didn't get to the water before it was dark there was a good chance she would die. Sighing and rallying all of her reserves she slowly drug her aching and uncooperative body up. She wobbled against the side of the ship for a moment, and then set her jaw. She was not going to die here, she had something bigger to do, Hruun had told her, and she believed him. She pulled in a deep breath and set off towards the water.

It was almost completely dark when Taru collapsed at the side of the lake, she carefully gathered a handful of water and brought it to her lips. She knew that no matter how thirsty she happened to be, drinking too fast would not be a good plan. Taking careful sips, she slowly started to feel better. Her mouth was no longer painfully dry, and she could breathe easily again. Sighing in relief she fell asleep with her hand still immersed in the cool water of the lake.

A small fish nibbling at her finger tips brought her to awareness the next morning, she pulled her now very wrinkled fingers from the water, and smiled at the small silver and black fish that had been trying to find a meal. She pulled herself to her knees, and the small fish darted away, realizing that this was perhaps not the best place to find his breakfast. Thinking about food made Taru's painfully empty stomach gurgle. She didn't know all the herbs and plants on this planet, and that would make finding food much more difficult. She drank her fill at the lake, and that helped relive her hunger just a little. She knew that food would be her next task, and walked slowly back to the ship to gather her supplies.

The more she walked, the better she felt, the warm sunlight beating down on her loosed muscles, and invigorated her spirit. She was on another planet! She hadn't actually thought about that much the night before, being desperate to find water, but now the realization hit her like a charging beast. She hadn't seen any creatures other then the fish, but she wondered if there would be strange animals that were like none she had ever seen before. She arrived back at the space craft, and pulled her few possessions out of the small space behind the seat. She checked her bow and arrows, and found that they had survived the trip in perfect condition.

When her fingers touched something cold and hard she pulled them back before realizing that Hruun had given her a hunting spear as well. She pulled the cool metal from the ship, and admired the craftsmanship of the piece. It was a Yrashu spear, not one of the less perfect ones that her people made my mimicking. She saw the intricate runes etched down the side, and read them.

'I belong to a hunter who will travel the stars.' She had to smile; Hruun had had this made just for her. She lifted it up and felt the balance of the weapon. She needed food, and this would be perfect for hunting.

She pulled a small packet of herbs from her pouch, and slipped a small quantity of a bluish green leaf under her tongue. It was not a preferred method for her, but she knew she needed the plant's stimulant qualities if she was going to focus enough to hunt. She felt the effects almost immediately and sighed, time to get to work.

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 2

Hunting was as natural to Taru as breathing. The area she was now in may have been unfamiliar, but she knew how to find the signs of creatures, and she followed a small path to a watering hole. It was warm outside, Taru suspected it was the hot time for the planet, and so she settled down into the stand of bushes on the north side of the small pond. Her muscles relaxed into the smooth calm she had mastered for hunting. Her senses became heightened, hearing was the most affected but her sense of smell also became sharper. She could hear every rustle of the leaves around her, the small lapping of tiny waves against rocks and grassy banks, then off to the left a rustling that was not caused by wind. She shifted only her eyes, and saw a small brown creature stepping out towards the watering hole. It had long legs, and a graceful aquiline body. Its head was topped with a single horn that branched off into wild curls. It was obviously a prey animal, and Taru silently placed a single arrow onto her bowstring. It was small enough that there would be no waste, so Taru carefully aimed. She relaxed even more, and exhaled a single breath as the arrow was loosed. It sailed in a silent and deadly line and landed with a "thwump" in the side of the creature. At first Taru feared that these creatures had their vital organs in a different place, but after a second of tense watching, the creature fell silently to the ground.

Taru carefully stepped out of the bushes, and walked over to the dead beast.

"I pray now for your soul to go to the lands of your ancestors, to run free with the spirits of those gone before, to find peace in death. I thank you for the life you provide me, and the strength you grant me." Taru spoke the prayer as she knelt beside the still warm brown head. Taking a small pinch of dirt, and rubbing it into the forehead of the creature. She could feel her energy draining, hunger once again consuming her attention. She gathered the small creature up, and hefted it over her shoulders. She knew it was going to be a long and slow walk back to the ship. She gathered a few branches and some dry grass on her way, and when she arrived back in the meadow, she immediately made a fire. Skinning the whole animal would have to wait until she had more strength. She removed the liver, heart, and kidneys of the creature, skewering them on her hunting spear. She then cooked them quickly over the small fire. Hunger taken care of, Taru felt herself drifting off before her head touched the soft grass of the meadow.

She slept until the sun had already reached its peak the next day. As her eyes slid open, she was surprised to find that her fire still burned, and when she looked over at the creature she had killed the day before it was skinned and cut into manageable pieces. It took her tired brain a moment to process this bit of information, but when it finally clicked, she jumped to her feet, spear in hand. She whipped her head around, looking for the person who was responsible for this. She had scanned the clearing once, very quickly, but it wasn't until her second pass that she saw the figure in brown and green sitting with legs crossed watching her with a small smile on his face.

Taru didn't let her fingers loosen from the spear, but she did relax her stance a little. An enemy she could see was an enemy she could kill. She growled low in her throat. She didn't know if the stranger would understand her speech, but a growl was a universal sound for "stay away!" She stalked towards the stranger, her hand still firmly gripped on her spear. His smile was confusing her, but she didn't like the fact he had snuck up on her. She was proud after all.

The man was tall, she could tell that as she moved a little closer. Most of her people were around the same height, and the Yrashu were even shorter then them. Taru had never before met anyone who was taller then her. She circled around until she was standing in front of him. She decided to try and see if he knew any of the languages she did.

"Hokana! Twala chay!" his blank look at her own language disheartened her. She had held a small hope that someone would understand it.

"Shuun? Yrashu hwuul?" The more growling language of the Yrashu failed to get any response and she sighed. She only knew a few words of the rebel base language, but she decided to try that anyways.

"What you does around?" She stumbled over the strange words, but the man finally smiled. darn.

"Ah so you do speak Basic. I was hoping the language barrier wouldn't be too much of an issue." The man spoke, but Taru only understood like every other word, and the blank look on her face clearly conveyed this.

"I am Lurok Tensin." He pointed at his chest, and Taru got the message. It was a strange name though. What the heck did a tensin do?

"Taruia Hunter" She replied. She stabbed the tip of her spear into the ground, well within quick reach, but she realized that if this man had wanted to kill her he could have done it while she was sleeping. When he stood, Taru was even more surprised. He was at least a head taller then her, she couldn't help but stepping back a little.

"Come." Was all he said, and although the word was not one that Taru knew, his gesture, and the fact that he turned and started walking into the woods helped decipher his message. Taru thought for a moment, then ran over to her pack and her bow, slinging each over a shoulder, and then followed him towards the woods.

They walked for a long time, but Taru was fine with that, as she had now been fed, and had had a wonderful night of sleep. She was actually still slightly full from her meal, and she knew it would be a long time before her stomach would be ready for good-sized meals again. Walking through the forest Taru was amazed at how tame it was. In the jungles of her home planet there was always the risk of death from fauna and flora alike. Here it seemed there were no dangers, and that put her even more on edge. What you couldn't see, you couldn't defend yourself against. She hadn't noticed the calm peacefulness of the forest the other day; hunger had blinded her to all else. When they arrived at their destination, it was a small hut settled in a much smaller glade. Taru was surprised with how similar it was to the hut she had shared with Nik.

"Home." Lurok said, and smiled. Taru figured he had built the hut himself and was pleased with it. She had to agree, it was a nice hut. She looked up at him and smiled a little.

"Shuur...meat." She pointed back towards the meadow where her ship was. She didn't want the good meat to go to waste. He simply waved her inside, and a large ball of fur that almost pushed her over with its weight greeted her.

"Uala! Down!" the fur retreated at his words, and Taru got a good look at the creature. It was silvery gray, and was shaped much like the wild dogs of her home. However taking a wild dog into your hut was a stupid idea, and this creature seemed to obey the commands of Lurok. Lurok must have noticed her confusion, because he patted the head of the creature, and smiled.

"Uala. Friend." Lurok was slightly annoyed at having to talk so simply, but he hoped that the girl would learn Basic quickly. He could sense her power, she was awash with the Force, and while he was on this planet alone for a reason Lurok knew that fate had pushed this fiery girl to him. Who was he to deny fate and the will of the Force?

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 3

Lurok seemed to spend all of his time reading and studying, which Taru found exceedingly boring. She tried to be attentive to what he said to her, and she found herself picking up his language quite quickly. What she didn't know was that Lurok was helping that along with the Force, he knew that learning something naturally was better in the long run, but he was tired of having Taru regard him with blank stares, and questioning looks whenever he asked her to do something.

They had delegated many of the chores. Taru took over all the hunting, as Lurok was not nearly as skilled in that as she was. In fact Lurok hated the task and was glad to give it to his new apprentice. Taru also had come to understand that while Uala was much like the wild dogs of her planet, the creature had been trained by Lurok to help in many ways. She had become closer to the creature after a few hunts they had gone on together. Lurok didn't seem to mind that she was taking his pet more often then not, and so Taru didn't mention it.

Weeks passed and Taru was becoming more then a little frustrated. Hruun had told her that if she met one of the people like her, they would train her, but so far Taru hadn't learned anything she didn't already know. She tried to convey this to Lurok, but he seemed preoccupied by his reading. She had also asked him about this, but he seemed reluctant to share the details, so she didn't press. As it was, she spent most of her days meditating in the forest with Uala, or hunting near the watering hole she had found on her first trip into the woods. She had been back to the ship a couple times, but she didn't have any real connection to the metal contraption.

She missed home at times, but she found it harder and harder to remember details as the days turned into weeks and then months. Lurok had given her many holodiscs to read at this point, and Taru made an effort to carefully go through each one. It was through these that she really started understanding the ways of the Jedi. She came to know that what they believed was actually quite different from what she had been taught by the Yrashu. Taru was surprised by this, and she worked to combine the two into something that worked for her. Lurok wasn't involved much in her training, but when she had questions, he always seemed happy to answer them.

"Lurok, why you read all day?" She asked him one afternoon. She had been wanting to ask this for a while, but had not found the time, or worked up the courage to do so.

"I don't read all the time Taru, but as a Jedi I am called to better myself though knowledge and training." He replied, turning slowly away from his current project.

"You no train much. Just read much."

"For me training the mind is as important as training the body. You too do much reading, I've seen you with your holodiscs." He seemed defensive, so Taru didn't want to push too much.

"You say you Jedi yes? I say I am Jedi?" Taru didn't know how else to ask this question, but she had been wondering for a while now.

"Do you mean, are you a Jedi? I would say you are on your way to becoming one, but you certainly aren't one yet."

"How can be that Force is in all, yet not all Jedi? I know Force, can use Force, and yet not Jedi. You have same, know same and you are Jedi."

"Being a Jedi is more then simply knowing and using the Force Taru. There are many skills and tasks that you must master before you could call yourself a Jedi Knight. And speaking of such, I think it is time for your first task as my padawan." Lurok took the tool from his belt that Taru had never seen him use. It was always present, but the slim silver and black tube covered in ornate gold carvings had remained at his belt, untouched.

Lurok motioned for them to head out of the small hut and to the clearing that they had made around it. He held the tool in the palm of his hand, almost reverently. Flicking his wrist and moving to hold it with both hands, Taru jumped back in surprise as the tool sprang to life with a snapping hiss. A glowing blade emerged from the end and glowed a rich blue. Lurok smiled as he saw her surprise and spun the tool that Taru now understood to be a weapon in lazy circles.

"This Taru is a lightsaber. It is the weapon of the Jedi. It embodies all that we are. It is powerful and yet only as powerful as the person wielding it. It can be used for both good and evil, and because of this a Jedi must always be aware of the dark side, must never fall into the traps that lead to that path. I will teach you, but for now you are not ready. First you must construct your own lightsaber, and we will go from there." Lurok switched his weapon off, and clipped it back to his belt. Taru wasn't sure about all of this. She knew she much preferred her current weapons, but if Lurok said she needed to do this in order to become a Jedi, she decided to go along with it.

They returned to the hut, and Lurok took a holodisc out of his small desk. He handed it to her, and told her to study it until she thought she was ready to construct her lightsaber.

"Thank you Lurok." She said as she and Uala headed to their favorite rock to go read.

The information contained in the holodisc was difficult for Taru. She had always understood how living things worked, but this mechanical contraption was more then a little beyond her. She knew that she would have a lot of questions for Lurok, but she wanted to show him that she was trying, so she read the disc over and over trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. Sighing in frustration, she crossed her legs and let her mind slip into the meditative state that came so naturally now. As her mind drifted into the next level of consciousness she directed her thoughts towards her newest task. She carefully took the saber schematics into her mind, and when she looked at each component as part of the whole she could see that in reality this tool was much like a living thing. Slowly understanding of why each thing was in place started to occur. She drifted in her meditation, and saw before her not the saber from the schematics, but her own saber. A soft earthen brown hilt, with a vibrant green blade shimmered before her. It was part of her, and separate from her all at the same time.

She opened her eyes with a start and was sad to discover the vision was not reality. With a renewed energy, she headed back to the hut. She was going to make this lightsaber, and she was going to master it as well. This she knew for a fact now, and it cheered her. She was one step closer to becoming a Jedi.

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 4

It was many weeks before she was ready to approach Lurok about the final piece needed for her lightsaber to be complete. She did not know how she was supposed to get the crystal that would power the blade. She knew what she had to do once she had it, but actually obtaining it was an issue.

"Lurok, I ready for crystal of lightsaber." She had waited until she was absolutely sure everything else was finished on her hilt.

Lurok smiled and nodded. "I knew you would be soon." He went over to his shelves and pulled down a holodisc. When he activated it, instead of text a map appeared. Taru thought she recognized a few of the landmarks, but she could be wrong.

"This is a map of this section of this planet. About three days walk to the south is a cave where you will be able to obtain a crystal that will work in your lightsaber. That is one of the reasons I am on this planet. I am studying the growth and occurrence of lightsaber crystals on various planets." He shook his head then, realizing he was giving her far more information then she needed.

"I go, find this place. Uala come?" She asked.

"Yes you can certainly take Uala with you." Lurok then turned back to his current holodisc of choice, and left Taru to the preparations for her journey.

Three days walk was nothing to Taru, and she packed light, knowing that she could get food along the way, especially if Uala was coming with her. She would never admit it to Lurok, but six days away from him would do her some good. She was getting frustrated with their differing opinions on what it was to be a Jedi and to use the Force. Their last argument had been short, but his words stuck with her. The way he spoke, he would not accept that the Yrashu had a connection with the Force because they couldn't manipulate it. She sighed and continued shoving items into her pack.

The path she had seen on the holodisc was simple to follow. As long as she headed south until the river and then followed it she should not have to worry about getting lost. She set off at a lope, wanting to eat up as much ground as possible before dark. It had been a while since she had truly pushed herself in a run and the exercise felt freeing. She called to the energy around her to distract her from any pains her body might bring up, and focused on the place where she would meet the river. Uala panted happily at her side, running like her species were meant to. She too felt cramped up in the small hut with Lurok and her joy flowed into Taru as well.

Night came swiftly, as the seasons were changing, and Taru was glad when she heard the rush of water that meant they were close. She scouted the area to find a place to camp for the night, and gathered items needed to make a small fire, before curling up with Uala to sleep for the night. When dawn came they set out at the same pace as the day before. Taru felt her muscles begin to tighten and slowed to a walk.

"Uala, perhaps you can listen in a way Lurok cannot." Taru spoke in her native language, feeling the comfort of familiarity, and missing home with a sharp pang in her stomach. "I talk to him about the Force and being a Jedi, but he is so set in his ways, he just won't listen to what I say. I can feel the Force in all things, and Lurok admits this is true, but he says only those who can control it need to have knowledge of it. Only the Jedi can know the true nature of the Force, but I know this to be false. The Yrashu have no ability to touch the Force and yet they know its ways better then Lurok." Taru sighed and switched to Yrashu, knowing that if she didn't practice the languages would become lost to her. Also Uala always wagged her tail happily when she spoke the language of her chosen people.

"I sometimes wonder if Lurok and his Jedi know the right things about the Force Uala. I wonder if perhaps he is not the one who was supposed to teach me. Hruun told me that these people would make it so that I understood the Force better and be able to fight the dark lines that run through Baskarn." She picked up her pace again, and the followed the soft curves of the river as it wound its way through the ground.

Night again came before Taru would have liked, but she decided to do some hunting with Uala before sleep. The river provided a good lure to the animals of the forest, and it wasn't long before a small brown shape moved towards the water. Taru silently pulled an arrow from her quiver and placed it on the string of her bow. The semi-dark made it slightly harder for her to aim, but she called upon the energy of the animal, and focused on it that way. Loosing the arrow, she felt its life vanish as the shaft burrowed into the chest of the creature. She said a quick prayer thanking the tiny body for its sacrifice, and realized with a shock that this was one of the problems with Lurok's thinking.

His view of the Force didn't allow for the natural order of things. Sometimes creatures had to die in order for the people to eat. They were innocent of everything, and yet they were killed. Without this balance however no life would exist. Lurok spoke of the Light side and the Dark side as if they were two separate entities, but Taru believed they were in fact two halves of a whole. Everyone had both inside of them, and without acknowledging both one could never truly understand either. Taru meditated on this as she carefully prepared the meal for her and Uala. Lighting the fire and carefully cooking the meat on a sharpened stick she found herself mesmerized by the flames.

They danced and swayed in the light breeze blowing off the river, and Taru let herself fall into their hypnotic movements. She startled out of the trance when Uala licked a sloppy kiss up her face, and she realized that the meat was fully cooked.

"Thank you Uala, burning dinner would not be pleasant for either of us." She ran her fingers through the soft gray fur and ripped a piece of meat to share.

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 5

The next morning dawned far before Taru would have liked. She was warm curled up next to Uala, and honestly didn't want to move. Uala took the choice from her however when she rose and started licking Taru's face.

"Ewww, Uala stop it!" Taru rose and looked around. The sun was just starting to rise and the ground was bathed in an orange gold, much like the color of the flames the night before. If she squinted it looked as if the whole world was on fire. While this idea should have been startling, she found herself smiling, knowing that fire had power. Power to cleanse and protect, as well as power to destroy. It was much like what she saw the Force as. All the elements in the world had dual natures, why would the Force be any different.

She stretched slowly, warming up muscles that were starting to protest the abuse of two days of hard running. The exercise felt good however, she had let her body become weak. Shaking her head she decided that she would go through the eight forms of battle before continuing on her journey. The eight forms were a set of movements that allowed a warrior to train their body for real battle. She had learned them first when she was only 4 years old, the first being quite simple. She had then mastered one a year after that. It was one of the requirements of a hunter to know all the forms flawlessly, and Taru found they provided a perfect way to have an active meditation.

She took the opening stance of the first form, and let herself slip back to Baskarn. Back to the first time she was shown these steps. Her movements were fluid, her body remembered even if her mind was slightly uncertain. She kicked, and stepped, and sank deeper into her trance. She could feel all the energy around her, all the power that was there untouched by the hands of the Jedi. As she continued her movements, she saw a flame dancing in front of her, mirroring her actions. She danced with the fire through the eight forms, and then opened her eyes to discover it was already mid-morning. Sighing at the loss of connection to the power around her she gathered her things, and called Uala to her side.

As she jogged along that day she came to the conclusion that she would leave Lurok as soon as her light saber was complete. She no longer needed his style of teaching. She would ask him for his help in finding a master for the fighting arts of the Jedi. She needed to be able to defend her home and her two families from the darkness that was taking over Baskarn. With that resolved she found a huge pressure was lifted off of her chest. She smiled and found that running that day was much easier.

Just as the sun started to set, Taru saw the cave that the map had detailed. She slowed to a walk and kept her hand on Uala's head. She had no idea what she would find here. As she entered the cave she was amazed by the amount of light that was here. The crystals that littered the walls gave off a radiance of color that allowed her to see almost as well as she had outside. As she stepped deeper into the cave the different colors and shapes of crystal here amazed her. She had no idea which ones were the right ones for her light saber. She squatted down and let the pebbles and rocks of the cave floor flow through her fingers. Sighing and cleared a small area and then let herself slip into her now familiar meditations. It only took a moment, as soon as she was connected to the Force a cluster of crystals on the far wall lit up as bright as the sun, if the sun were green. She opened her eyes, and the crystals remained brighter then the rest.

'Well I guess that's that question answered.' She thought. She went over to the rock wall where the crystals sprung from, and pondered how to remove them without damaging them. She almost smacked herself when she realized that using the Force would be the only way. She focused carefully on the area around the small section of crystals, willing the earth to shift from its ancient position. It resisted, and she had to push a little more before it finally gave way to her will. The stone holding the crystals seemingly melted away, and the crystals fell into her outstretched hands.

There was a cluster of seven crystals, she knew that she wouldn't need all of them, so she gently took two of the larger and more perfectly formed ones, and carefully placed the rest back into the wall. She then knelt at the wall, and prayed her thanks.

"I pray now to thank you for your gift, for giving your life and home to join me on my journey. I thank this cave for providing my needs, and pray that it will remain so that others can share in its wealth." She stood then and headed out of the cave. Although it provided shelter she would not sleep in it. She knew without truly knowing that a simple act like that would be disrespectful.
After a quick meal, and building a fire, Taru settled down for the night. Sleep was not restful however. Taru dreamed that night. A woman came to her, she was pale and her hair was a strange golden color.

"Thank you Taru, for your respect." Her voice was soft, but Taru had no trouble hearing it. She bowed her head. Something about this woman demanded reverence.

"It has been far too long since a Jedi came here who respected the gift that we give. You are not like them, we can see it, but for now you must learn what they have to offer. Skills are valuable, and you are free to ignore the philosophy. Take what you can from them, but stay true to yourself. You are a powerful child, perhaps you will be the one that the crystals one day sing songs about." As the strange woman spoke Taru couldn't help but feel both excited and afraid. She was pleased that this power had chosen her to speak to, but any time something of this great ability spoke to you, it forever changed you.

"You are right to worry about change little one, for much change is coming. Change is not to be feared however it is to be embraced. You have suffered a greater change in your life then most, but you are strong and this will only make you stronger. When you leave this place, take Uala with you. She is a child of this planet, and as such a child of mine. Through her you will always be able to touch the power here, and know that we will protect you if we can."

Taru didn't know what to say, words had left her, and she felt foolish. She nodded to the words the woman spoke, but kept her head bowed in reverence. She now knew that she would be leaving this place, sometimes she was glad when choices were taken out of her hands. It created a sense of calm in her. As the woman's hand gently touched her head, Taru awoke with a start. The sun was already high in the sky and she knew that if she wanted to keep on schedule she would have to run hard this day. She gathered her things and called to Uala who was sleeping in a patch of sun nearby.

Things were uneventful for the rest of her journey, and in three days she arrived back at the hut and Lurok. She had no idea how she was going to break the news to him, but she knew that it needed to be soon. She would finish her light saber first however. That was her main priority. She called a quick hello to Lurok who was in the hut with his holodiscs again, and headed to her work space to complete the weapon that would label her a Jedi.

[Taruia]

Wanderer: Part 6

The first time the vibrant green blade sprung from the hilt of her light saber Taru almost cried with joy. The balance and weight of the weapon felt so right it was almost hard for her to believe. It was so different from the tapered spears of her people that she couldn't truly understand why it felt so right in her hands. She resisted the urge to run and show Lurok. It had been over a week and she still hadn't been able to bring herself to tell him she was leaving. Uala sat by her side and wagged her tail happily, picking up on Taru's good mood.

"That's right Uala, we've finished one step. Soon we will leave this place and find our destiny in the stars." She had taken to only speaking about leaving in her true language, just in case Lurok was around to hear. It felt wrong keeping a secret from him after all he had done to help her, but for some reason her gut was telling her to do so. The lady had visited her twice more in dreams, and had told her more about where she was going, and what needed to be done there.

"Taru, there you are, come to the hut. I have something to discuss with you." Lurok said from behind her, slightly startling her, but she managed to not show this and smiled and nodded. She clipped her light saber to her belt and called to Uala.

The hut was filled with the scent of cooking meat, and Taru only then realized she hadn't eaten yet. She wandered over to the cooking area and snatched up a piece of meat before joining Lurok.

"Taru, I knew this day would come, but I didn't realize it would happen so quickly. I know you are still working on your light saber, but soon we must leave this place." Taru didn't correct him, instead letting him continue. "The Jedi Council has called me back, and I must obey. You will be coming with me, and we can continue your training at the Jedi temple."

Taru nodded, but she knew that this was why she had not been compelled to tell Lurok that she was leaving. He would have expected her to come with him, he still did, but she had a different destiny to fulfill then with Lurok Tensin and his Jedi Council.

"How far is it to your Jedi Temple?" She asked instead.

"Many days by ship. There is not enough room on my ship for the both of us, so we will have to check out your x-wing and see if it is capable of the journey. You should have no problem following me with it if it is."

Taru nodded and was pleased that even if he didn't intend it Lurok would be helping her leave this place.

It was that night that she had her last dream of the lady. Taru was always slightly uncomfortable that such a powerful spirit chose to speak to her, but Hruun had always said that she was touched by the stars and the spirits would sense this.
"I see the day for you to leave here draws near Taru. Your spirit here will be missed." The lady spoke. "When Lurok gives you the coordinates for his Jedi Temple, you will have to replace them with this." She handed Taru a data pad with a set of coordinates on them. Taru took time studying them and committing them to memory.

"On that planet you will meet a teacher who will be able to give you all the skills you will need before you fulfill your destiny. Don't worry about finding them, they will find you." The lady smiled, and gently touched Taru's shoulder. A sense of calm filled her then, and Taru smiled back at the lady. She knew that no words were needed at this time, and simply enjoyed the peace that was given to her. Somehow she knew this would be the last peace she got to experience for a long time.

It actually took many days for Lurok to be ready to leave the planet. Taru was surprised with his slowness, her people were able to pick up and move an entire clan in less time then it took the man to pack his holodiscs and equipment. If Taru didn't know any better, she would have thought that Lurok didn't want to go back to his Jedi Temple, but that was just silly. They were his people, he would be glad to see them. Then she thought of her own people, and realized that this might be a hasty thought. Perhaps he was much like her, and didn't fit in with his people. She shrugged, and continued to practice with her light saber. Lurok had been pleased that she had managed to finish it, but had seemed very aloof when it came time to train her how to use it. She had snuck into his holodisc library one night, and read one on the basic forms of light saber combat. Since then she had worked with the weapon every day.

She knew that if she were to become proficient with it, she would need a lot of practice. Her bow and spear were weapons she had been handling since she was old enough to draw the string or hold the spear. Weapons took a lot of practice and coordination, and the light saber was new, even if it didn't feel all that strange to her.

The day for their departure finally came, and Taru lifted Uala into the cockpit of her ship. It would be a tight squeeze for both of them, but she refused to leave Uala behind. Lurok didn't agree with her decision, but Taru had not given him a choice in the matter. Either Uala was coming, or Taru wasn't. Lurok had programmed the coordinates for his Jedi Temple into her ship, but it was actually quite easy for them to be switched out. She would wait until they took off to change them, just to be safe. All of her items fit into the ship easily, as truly her only additions were her light saber strapped to her belt, and a few holodiscs she had pilfered from Lurok.

The roar of the engines surprised her, much as they had the first time, but unlike the previous journey in the ship, this time she was prepared for the strange feelings that came with flight. She didn't think she would ever get completely used to it, but she wasn't terrified, and as the ship pulled up and away from the earth, she was able to keep her eyes open, seeing the beautiful world become smaller and smaller. When she felt the last touch of the spirit of the lady leave her, she programmed in the changed coordinates, and headed off in a new direction for the second time in her life. No more was she a drifting wanderer; she had a goal in mind, a destiny to fulfill. It was time to become a warrior.

((That's it for Parts 1 and 2. Warrior is still in the works, but hopefully I'll get it done this year >.>))