The sun rose slowly on Dantooine, and twenty-two-year-old Iryshi Dylar was up long before it. She was staring out the single small window of the stucco dorm she shared with seven other Jedi trainees. Something was about to happen, she could feel it. Master Yvai had always taught her to go with her feelings.
   Under the huge circular blanket the eight trainees shared, Erun Nevelli awakened. Noticing that the trainee he slept next to was absent, he glanced around the room. Upon locating her, he sat up next to Iryshi and looked out the window to see what she saw. There was nothing there yet, just grass, trees, and sky, like any other morning. He didn't bother asking her what she was waiting for. He knew her well enough to know that when Iryshi had a hunch, it was best to follow it. She had a gift, Master Yvai had said; she could see into the future with unequaled accuracy. She'd proven him correct, predicting a number of events in the past and had always been right.
   As the sun began to rise, a smooth-lined silver shape cut a path through the atmosphere, heading for the landing field in front of the training building. Iryshi leaned forward with interest and satisfaction, watching the sleek ship cut in the boosters as it landed. She barely noticed when Master Yvai exited his personal quarters, seperate from the students' dorm, heading out to greet the newcomer. The two figures who stepped out of the ship were tall, one blonde and one light brunette, and both males and humans, as far as she could tell since they were several hundred yards away.
   Disturbed by the noise of the ship's landing, the other trainees were crowding around the window to observe Yvai and the visitors. As the three in the landing field started towards the students' dorm, the eight young Jedi slid quickly and silently back under the blanket, situating themselves in a sleeping position on their thin cushions. By the time the door opened, every eye was closed and a few of the trainees were even pretending to snore.
   Master Yvai, a tall and somewhat imposing human, chuckled softly. "You can't fake sleep in front of a Jedi Master," he declared. The trainees sat up sheepishly and turned to see the two visitors standing behind Yvai.
   One of them, the brunette who seemed a good decade older than the blonde, stepped past Yvai and into the dorm, making a slow circle about the room. He inspected each trainee, human and alien alike, from a distance, and finally stopped at the same place he had started. The blonde one looked at him expectantly.
   Ignoring his younger counterpart's imploring gaze, the brunette spoke directly to Yvai. "I'll need to speak to each of them privately," he said, speaking in a voice that sounded sage and somewhat paternal. Iryshi found herself liking the man almost immediately. She noted somewhat distantly that he was rather handsome in a fatherly sort of way, and he only seemed a couple years older than herself. He had a thin braid going down his shoulder from the back of his head, the longest part of his hair. It made him look brash, a little younger.
   Master Yvai was nodding his assent. "You can use the empty room down the hall," he said, gesturing toward the small room that served alternately as a recreation  area and a meditation chamber.
   The blonde headed for the chamber while the brunette stayed behind. Master Yvai also exited, heading out to prepare breakfast perhaps, or check on the pets kept in the trainees' greenhouse.
   The brunette was looking at Iryshi in particular, but he spoke to all of the trainees in general. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Some of you may have heard of me. I'm here on a quest. I've been sent by the Council on Coruscant to find the two most promising pupils in this academy, and to bring them to Coruscant. My partner is Anakin Skywalker; you may have heard of him too. You will all be interviewed seperately. Please answer all the questions we ask truthfully, and we'll do our best to choose wisely." He glanced at all the trainees. "We'll start with you," he said, pointing at a small blue-skinned humanoid Plerrik. The alien trainee stood obediently and followed Kenobi out the door, leaving the others to hypothesize and discuss amongst themselves.
 
 

When it was finally Iryshi's turn, her stomach was growling insistantly. She found that they were served breakfast in the interview chamber, a plate of something fishy and spicy that tasted as if it might have come from her native Corellia. She sat at a small table across from Obi-Wan and Skywalker, and they waited until she was done eating. It was difficult not to notice that Kenobi was watching her intently, but she pushed it out of her mind and concentrated on eating. When she had cleared her plate, Master Yvai came to take it and Kenobi started questioning her.
   "Master Yvai stated you were twenty-two. Why did you start training so late?"
   Iryshi shrugged. "I suppose I didn't really think about it until three years ago. Up until then I though I just had really accurate insight. I can remember seeing visions of future events when I was younger, but I never told anyone."
   Kenobi nodded and went on. "Corellia's a long way from here. Why did you choose to train so far from home?"
   Iryshi smiled wanly. "I don't have much of a home on Corellia. I'm an orphan, for starters, and I lived on the street for a long time. I guess I wanted to get away." She brushed some of her dark brown hair away from her eyes.
   Obi-Wan smiled sympathetically. Anakin was busy recording her answers in an outdated datapad.
   "How did you meet Master Yvai?" the older man asked.
   "He discovered me on Coruscant. I was only nineteen, and I guess I just put out an aura of the Force that he could sense because he stopped as soon as he reached me and stared for a while before asking me if I wanted to be a Jedi." She toyed with the pearl-beaded bracelet on her wrist.
   "And you answered yes?"
   "Not at first, no. I thought for a while on it, and I figured 'why not?'. It couldn't hurt."
   Kenobi smiled again. "So you can see into the future. Let's hear an example."
   Iryshi glanced around the room, thinking. She finally gestured towards Anakin's datapad. "That's going to sound an alarm three seconds after I finish this sentence."
   Obi-Wan counted down, and three seconds later the datapad shrilled loudly. Anakin fumbled with the controls and shut it off.
   Kenobi grinned broadly. "You're in," he said.
 
 

When Iryshi had been dismissed and they were alone in the chamber, Anakin spoke up. "She could've made the datapad do that," he said skeptically.
   Obi-Wan shook his head. "I would've sensed it. She didn't, she just predicted the alarm would go off. You know that datapad's old and it gets a little recalcitrant sometimes."
   Anakin nodded. "But still..."
   Kenobi shook his head again. "No buts. She's in."
   Anakin looked a little steamed, but stayed quiet.
   "The other, the one who'll go with her. I've made my decision. It'll be Erun, the Alderaanian."
   Anakin nodded.
   Obi-Wan continued, "And as for the girl, I'm taking her on as another Padawan."
   Anakin balked. "What?" he exclaimed. "I thought I was your Padawan!"
   "Of course you are," Kenobi assured him. "You're ready for the trials, though. C'mon, Anakin, you can handle the challenge, can't you?"
   Anakin grimaced, but nodded.
   Kenobi glanced at the younger man, looking him over appraisingly. "When Qui found you, he claimed you would be another prophet. That's only supposed to happen once every century. We're awfully lucky to have found another, only ten years after you."
   Anakin frowned. "I thought the Jedi don't trust luck."
   Obi-Wan grinned. "We don't."
 
 

The next morning, Obi-Wan ventured out of the Academy's walls, met with a flurry of activity. In the east end of the broad clearing, Erun and another trainee were busily tinkering with a dilapidated speeder, with Anakin looking on with child-like interest. Several students were practicing their Force-related skills in the farther reaches of the clearing, and to Kenobi's right, a group of small children were playing happily, supervised by Iryshi and a Twi'lek student. Obi-Wan strolled over to them, stopping behind Iryshi, who was still oblivious to his appearance.
   "Looks like not everyone here started training late," Kenobi said, just loud enough for Iryshi to jump in surprise.
   Turning to face him, she mustered enough dignity to reply, "So it appears."
   Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "Can you join me for a moment?" he said, gesturing toward the walking path leading around the field.
   Iryshi nodded, making sure the Twi'lek could handle the band of children, then accompanying Kenobi along the path.
   As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, Kenobi spoke up again. "I've made my decision for the two trainees who will accompany me to Coruscant."
   Iryshi's face was carefully emotionless. "Oh?" she said, barely masking the curiousity in her voice.
   Obi-Wan nodded. "You're one of them. In fact, I've decided to take you on as my new Padawan."
   The Jedi apprentice's face lit up in a wide grin as she stopped in her tracks, staring up at him in disbelief. "Really? she practically shouted, then regained her composure and repeated, "Really."
   Kenobi laughed softly. "Yes, really."
   Iryshi nodded with almost comic solemnity. "And... the other?" she asked softly.
   "Erun," Obi-Wan answered.
   Iryshi stopped walking again. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "That's really wonderful," she repeated, "I can't wait."
 
 

From close up, Obi-Wan Kenobi's ship was impressive, smooth and sleek. Iryshi wondered what accomodations it held within. She and Erun were waiting out on the landing field, their heavy Jedi robes blowing in the chill breeze. Master Yvai was speaking to them, but Iryshi's mind was on other things. She was watching the activity in the field; tiny feathered reptiles snatching insects and beatles, avians landing to grab a tasty grub or worm and then take off again, the tall semi-sentient mammals in the grazing on the long grasses in the distance.
   "And don't forget what you are," Yvai was saying. "You are my students, my young Jedi. You will go on to greater things now. Do not forget where you came from."
   Erun nodded. "We won't," he said quietly. "Will we, Iryshi?" he added, elbowing her gently.
   Iryshi snapped out of her reverie. "Ahh, no, of course not," she answered a bit too hastily.
   Yvai smiled. "Go now," he said, "and face your destiny."
   Immediately after the words were out of his mouth, a noise erupted over their heads. Iryshi covered her ears reflexively as a dark, angular ship circled the landing field and settled to the ground.
   Obi-Wan appeared out of the hatch of his ship, staring at the newcomer in a mix of fear and disbelief. "Get your lightsabers!" he called to Erun and Iryshi. Obediantly the two trainees shrugged out of their heavy overcoats, Erun unclipping his lightsaber from his belt. Iryshi hadn't made hers yet, but as Obi-Wan jumped down from his ship, he tossed her an antique-like saber that, when ignited, glowed bright green. Master Yvai also ignited his purplish blade.
   As if on cue, the hatch of the new ship irised open and out stepped a rather imposing figure, with a tattooed face and a double-bladed lightsaber. As he ignited both ends of it, the blades shot out, radiating scarlet energy.
   As the figure stepped across the field toward them, Iryshi and Erun snapped into defensive postures, lightsabers guarding them from shoulder to waist. Kenobi, blue lightsaber ignited and ready, stepped in front of them, mirroring their posture.
   The tattooed man grinned. "We have to stop meeting like this, Kenobi," he rasped.
   Obi-Wan nodded. "I agree, in fact, I insist on it, Sidious."
   Sidious dipped his head. "Then I suppose I'll have to get rid of you myself, now, and take the two children," he sneered.
   "Only if I don't kill you first," Kenobi said grimly.
   "And where is your apprentice?" Sidious inquired softly. "I had wanted to see how he fought."
   "Good question," Kenobi said, and indeed, Anakin was nowhere in sight.
   Iryshi and Erun, not knowing what else to do, only watched the exchange in mute confusion.
   And then, two more Darksiders appeared from Sidious's ship. They were young, probably Iryshi's age, and wielded the same double-bladed sabers. The human's lightsaber was orange, and the lightsaber of a reptilian alien that Iryshi couldn't identify shone gray. As they approached, the sabers hummed dangerously.
   When the two new arrivals had almost reached Iryshi and Erun, Sidious attacked, springing forward to slash down across Kenobi's front. Obi-Wan parried the attack neatly and counterattacked with a feint and a stab which was blocked expertly by Sidious.
   The two young Darksiders stepped forward, the human swinging in a wide arc for Iryshi's neck, and the alien slashing downward at Erun. Both attacks were blocked well, although the two young Jedi were relatively inexperienced with lightsaber fighting.
   The two dark Jedi attacked again, were blocked, attacked once more, blocked again, and again, tirelessly. Iryshi was starting to perspire on her upper lip, and she had lost track of Kenobi and Erun.
   Parry, block, strike, strike, parry, block, strike, strike, parry block strike strike parryblockstrikestrike... Faster and faster, endlessly. Iryshi was starting to weaken, losing valuable milliseconds of reflex time. Master Yvai helped where he could, but he was also occupied with assisting Erun. It wouldn't be long now...
   With a battle cry that made Iryshi cringe, Anakin Skywalker snapped his bright blue lightsaber down from behind the human Darksider. With a strangled gasp, Iryshi's attacker fell to the grass, a gash spreading from his left shoulderblade to his right hip. Erun's opponent met a similar fate. Both darksiders were dead before they hit the ground.
   Iryshi stepped back with a sharp inhalation. She looked in disbelief at Anakin, who stood staring at the bodies of the two young dark Jedi. His breathing was ragged at his arm hung limp, but still clutching his ignited saber.
   At the sounds of lightsaber clashes, the four Jedi realized Obi-Wan was still fighting. Master Yvai rushed to help him, and Anakin ushered Iryshi and Erun on board the ship, barely giving them time to retrieve their Jedi robes and extinguish their lightsabers.
   Rushing to the cockpit, Iryshi and Erun crowded around the viewport to watch the fight. Sidious was getting slower and weaker, and within a few minutes, Master Yvai was able to battle him alone. He gestured for Obi-Wan to get in the ship, shouted something to him, and turned back to the fight. Kenobi waited for a moment before running up the  ramp into his ship and shouting for Anakin to cue the takeoff cycle.
   As the ship began to lift off, Iryshi watched Yvai smoothly force Sidious to return to his own ship, just before Kenobi's craft banked over a hill and out of sight.
 
 

"Two young Darksiders with Sidious," Kenobi murmered, more to himself than to anyone else. "There's only supposed to be two Sith lords at a time." He was staring out the viewport at the stunning array of light and color produced by hyperspace. "Why two trainees? What's going on with Sidious?"
   Anakin shook his head. "Who knows what Sith lords think about?"
 
 

The trip to Coruscant was thankfully uneventful. Over the five-day trip, the four Jedi spent their time sleeping, eating, or meditating. Obi-Wan spent an usual amount of time around Iryshi, and Anakin couldn't help but notice.
   "She's barely any older than me," he'd mutter to Erun when he showed him the control console of Kenobi's ship. "Almost ten years younger than him. What's he thinking?" Erun only shrugged.
 
 

Iryshi was jerked from peaceful meditation when the hyperdrive alarms went off. Obi-Wan, who had been meditating next to her, jumped up and ran to the cockpit, checking the proximity gauges and working the hyperdrive engines.
   Iryshi watched him work, impressed with how calmly he manipulated the controls of his ship. When she glanced away, Anakin was watching her.
   "He's been spending a lot of time around you," he said quietly.
   "I suppose," she answered guardedly.
   "Are you falling in love with him?"
   Iryshi balked, looking incredulously at Skywalker. Still looking a bit surprised, she set her jaw. "I don't know," she whispered, and walked off to prepare for landing.
 
 

A crowd was waiting to meet them when they landed. Iryshi and Erun were introduced to Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Yoda. Anakin and Obi-Wan led the two trainees through several winding passageways of the inner workings of a kilometer-high building until they reached a cluster of living spaces. Gesturing to two doors adjacent to one another, Kenobi said, "These will be your quarters. The kitchen's down the hall, and the assembly room is next to that."
   Iryshi had almost forgotten why Kenobi had come for her and Erun. He was forming a new academy, to lead it with Anakin as his second-in-command. He wanted only the most promising students, and Iryshi felt proud that she had been chosen.
   Iryshi's quarters proved small but complete, with a standard 'fresher and food processor, soft sleeping pallet, and a table with two chairs. There were no windows, which was fine with Iryshi. She wasn't all that fond of heights.
   After unpacking her belongings, she began to plait her hair into a long braid that reached nearly down to her waist.
   The comm unit by her door buzzed. She answered, and a large, amphibious creature stepped inside, with an enthusiastic, "Heysa!"
   Iryshi raised a brow. "Can I help you?"
   The alien shook his billed head, floppy ears flapping wildly. "Mesa JarJar Binks. Masteren Kenobi senden mesa to invite yousa to dinner wid him. You wanten to?"
   Iryshi nodded slightly. "Guess I can't turn him down."
   Jar Jar took her by the hand and led her out the door. "Okeday, yousa follow me!"
   When they reached Kenobi's quarters, Jar Jar didn't have to ring the door notifier before Obi-Wan opened the door. "Please, come in," he said to Iryshi. She did, then turned to see Jar Jar, still in the doorway, also waiting to be invited.
   "Thank you, Jar Jar," Obi-Wan said, starting to shut the door, but Binks interrupted him.
   "Umm, mesa no mebbe stayin' for dinner?"
   Kenobi looked at the Gungan uncertainly. "I'm sorry," he said finally, "I've only had enough prepared for two."
   "Ohh," Jar Jar said softly, obviously disappointed.
   "I'll make it up to you sooner or later," Kenobi promised.
   "Yousa better be maken it sooners," Jar Jar said before the door shut in his face.
 
 

The dinner was exquisite, tasting for all the world like Corellian sausage in bread rolls. When they had finished eating, Iryshi and Obi-Wan discussed their histories in greater depth. He learned of her childhood, and she learned how he and Qui-Gon had discovered Anakin on Tatooine, the battle for Naboo, and Qui's death. Over glasses of Alderaanian wine, they shared stories of their recent adventures, Obi-Wan's of finding the other trainees for the academy, and Iryshi's of the lightsaber-training oddysey on Dantooine. When she finally realized what time it was, she paled. "I'd best be getting back," she started, and began to stand, but Kenobi took her hand and held on.
   "It's... It's such a long walk," he said softly. "Why don't you stay a little longer."
   Before she knew it she was in his arms.

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