Coruscant, Lower Levels




15 Years Earlier





Her father’s clenched hands hit the pitted synthwood table with the force of a thermal detonator. Jasella flinched. “That’s not fair!”




The rough-faced weequay across from him grinned as wide as a wookiee as

The planet was on fire.






Darth

Acina

held no dark glee at the atrocity she had unleashed. From the bridge of the

Oppressor

she stood stoic, allowing herself only some grim satisfaction at the fact that the weapon had been successfully tested. All had gone accordi

Colonel Talia Bray didn’t like what she saw.






Out of the thirty men and women standing at attention before her, blasters at the ready, Colonel Bray knew that not a single one of them was ready for what was about to happen. They were barely ready for this drill. “Empire’s finest…” she muttered to herse

lf. “What did I do to dese

The twinkling spires of

Coruscant’s

skyline at dawn felt distinctly alien from this angle as

Jasella

approached the Senate tower with Kira and their masters. Masters Din and

Kiwiiks

paid them no mind. As esteemed Jedi they had been to

Coruscant

“… and her bravery certainly can’t be questioned, either.” Jasella stared at the ground as Orgus Din spoke for her. The veteran Jedi’s description of her battle with Bengel Morr sounded much more fanciful than she remembered it. He didn’t mention the trepidation she felt, or how her hands shook so much she almost dropped her training sword. She hardly felt like the courageous warrior he was describing her as. Only a few of the masters were gathered here in th

The halls of the academy were silent as the Handmaiden strode through them. Even here, deep within the structure, the biting cold of the outside’s frigid air couldn’t be entirely banished. The polar region of Telos was merciless. Sometimes she believed it sought to punish the few who dared to walk the once ashen world after fire rained from its skies, bent on pulling those who had failed to protect it to a mutual grave. Even this facility, a winterized Telosian installation converted