DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc and 20th Century Fox. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Lynn sat at the window, looking outward. The predawn sky was dark, showing no hint of the light yet to come. It had rained, but now it was quiet. In the distance flashes of lightning were seen, followed by soft rumbling--evidence of a passing storm.
The storm in Lynn's heart had yet to come. As it had been hours ago, when the rain approached, she knew the worst was yet to come. It would begin at dawn, and most likely last the rest of her life. How would she survive?
"What doesn't kill you," Jack had often said, "only makes you stronger." She smiled sadly at the irony of those words. Jack was killed less then ten months ago. What allowed her to endure was the life they created. A daughter Jack never knew. A daughter he would never know.
Lynn looked at the sleeping infant in her arms, Enna. The woman held the baby tight, as if her strength would keep them together, forever.
But no, that was not to happen. At dawn the Jedi would come. He would exchange polite courtesies with her. Then he will thank her on behalf of the Jedi Order. He will then take Enna away. Forever.
Three months ago she consented to the tests. They were a standard battery that every infant received to ensure their health. Vaguely, Lynn remembered seeing 'Midi-Chlorian' on the list. She wondered what it was and assumed it was a disease. She thought nothing of it at the time. If only she knew.
Bitterly, Lynn remembered the feeling of pride upon hearing the results. Enna a Jedi? Her child with the gift of hearing the Force? Then the Jedi came and turned pride into grief.
"NO!" Lynn screamed at the Jedi who explained how Jedi were trained. He told her that he wanted to take Enna away to begin her training. She wouldn't allow it. It was barbaric. Taking children from their parents—it was cruel. Heartless.
She studied him closely. He sat at her table, draped in an anonymous khaki tunic, pants and robes. A calm, emotionless expression was plastered upon his face.
"Are you an example of what is to become of Enna? A heartless and anonymous warier, who travels from place to place, destined to be without a home or family?"
"It's not like that," he said.
Lynn didn't believe him.
"It has its rewards, but I'm not going to lie to you. It is a hard life, full of trials and challenges. Every gift comes at a price." The Jedi looked down at the floor, for a moment then met her gaze. "To hear the Force is a rare gift—a rare honor. Please try to understand what you are denying Enna."
"Denying?" She bit out. She hadn't realized until then that tears were streaming down her face. Suddenly her hands hurt. Lynn looked down to see them balled into fists, fingernails digging into her flesh. She forced her hands open as she spoke. "Denying? You are asking me to deny her a normal life!"
The Jedi seemed to come to a decision then. The woman hoped it meant he was going to leave. She was wrong.
"The Force sometimes chooses at random. This is uncommon. Usually it runs in families, passed down through the generations," he said. His voice was quiet and calm, contrasting with Lynn's. "From parent to child."
This stunned Lynn. Jack? He had the potential to be a Jedi? He had never told her.
As if hearing her thoughts, the Jedi said, "I ran you name though our records before I came here. It was from you that Enna inherited her talent. Your mother denied you your training."
That couldn't be true. The Force couldn't be with her. It was easier to believe this stranger was lying to her than the alternative. Her mother couldn't have lied to her.
"Liar." The venom in her voice surprised both her and the Jedi.
"Beware of you anger."
As if sensing something was wrong, the baby started to cry. Enna's wails grated at Lynn's soul.
"Get out of my house." This time her voice was quiet, calm and deadly. "Now."
The Jedi glanced towards Enna and seemed to hesitate. He pulled something out of his pocket—a data card. Without a word, he laid to upon the table then left.
Lynn picked up Enna. With soft words and gentle rocking, the baby quieted. Soon she was asleep, leaving Lynn alone with her thoughts.
Reluctantly, Lynn walked up to the table. She eyed the data card accusingly. Intending to throw it away, she picked it up. Holding it over the trash receptacle she found that her fingers wouldn't obey the command to let it drop. She couldn't do it. She didn't have the strength. Something held her back. Curiosity? That damned Force? Hesitantly, Lynn activated the card.
She expected anything but what she found. A sales pitch, candy-coating the virtues of the Force; Wondrous tales of the heroics of the Jedi Order; A pamphlet of the Jedi Temple was expected. Not an old journal.
Did the Jedi give me the wrong card? Confusion melted into surprise. The name at the top of the first page was her father's.
Lynn never knew her father, never knowing he was a Jedi. Like Enna, her father died before her birth. An inherited name and now this journal was all she had of the man. Suddenly she realized that it wasn't the Jedi who was lying, it was her mother. She had known it then, but refused to accept the truth.
Lynn read late into the night, glimpsing into a side of her past she didn't know had existed. She learned of the sacrifices her father made and of the burdens he carried. Time and time again he wrote of how he put his life on the line for others. And not even once did he complain or ask for reward, making each sacrifice willfully. He wrote of how each burden made him closer to the Force. To become One with the Force was his ultimate goal.
Her mother denied her a part of her birthright—the Force—and hadn't known it. Hindsight made her realize something else. The Force called to her, tantalizingly within reach but out of sight. She didn't know what the Force was, but knew it beckoned her.
Lynn sorted through her past, searching for answers. Forgotten memories surfaced in a rush. All her life she knew she was different, never fitting in. Glimpses of the future and past, the sounds of other's thoughts echoed in her mind. The feelings and insights she received as a child terrified her. They still did.
In her mind's eye, she saw a little girl. She was crying herself to sleep. Frustration at the lack of answers to questions she didn't know she had, and fears of the unknown combined to form tears. The child was lonely and didn't know it. She was lonely not only for someone who understood her, but for the Force.
Was this a glimpse of the future--her daughter's future? Or was it a vision of her past? Both perhaps? It was then when she made her decision. Enna was to learn of the Force.
Through her tears, Lynn looked to the window. Dawn's first light streamed in. The sky was clear now. One storm had passed and another approached.