She'd only accepted their offer of a meal out of politeness. Ever since she had arrived on Ruusan she'd been living on roots and berries, her body constantly on the edges of starvation. She'd been doing it for so long that she'd gotten used to the pangs of a perpetually empty stomach, adapting to the point that she was barely aware of her hunger. But the moment that first bite of real food hit her tongue, she remembered her appetite, and now her body was determined to make up for weeks of poor nutrition.
'Where are your parents?' the woman called Irtanna asked.
'They're dead,' Zannah answered after a moment's hesitation, setting down what remained of the ration kit. The food was delicious; the simple physical pleasure of eating was a glorious sensation. But she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by it right now. She had to be very careful with what she told these people.
The man crouched beside her, bringing himself down to her eye level. When he spoke, his voice was soft and sympathetic. 'Any other family? Brothers or sisters? Anyone?'
She answered with another shake of her head.
'A war orphan,' Irtanna muttered sadly.
'My name's Bordon,' the man told her, 'This is Irtanna, and these are my sons Tallo and Wend. What's your name?'
Unwilling to reveal her true name, she hesitated for a second, 'I'm… Rain,' she finally offered, giving them her childhood nickname.
'Rain? That's a funny name. Never heard one like that before,' the older boy, Tallo, said. He looked to be about sixteen.
'There are lots of names you've never heard,' Bordon chided his son sharply. Then, in a softer voice, he asked Zannah, 'Are you hurt, Rain? Or sick? We have medicine if you need it.'
'I'm okay. I was just hungry is all.'
'Should we take her with us?' Irtanna asked.
Bordon kept his eyes on Zannah as he replied, 'Why don't we ask her. Rain, do you want to come with us?'
'I have to go to Onderon,' Zannah replied without thinking. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.
'Onderon? Nothing on that rock but monsters and beast-riders, Tallo chimed in. 'You must be pretty stupid if you want to go there.'
'Hush, boy' Bordon snapped. 'You've never been off Ruusan, so how would you know?'
'I heard people talking,' Tallo replied. 'Around the camps and stuff.'
'You can't believe every tale you hear around a campfire,' his father reminded him. 'Now take your brother and go wait up in the front of the ship.'
'Come on,' Tallo grumbled, grabbing his younger sibling by the arm.
'That's not fair!' Wend protested as he was led away. 'I didn't do nothing!'
'Why do you want to go to Onderon?' Irtanna asked once the boys were gone. 'It's a very dangerous world. Not the kind of place for a little girl on her own.'
'I won't be on my own. I… I have family there,' Zannah lied. 'I just need to find them.'
Bordon rubbed his hand over his chin, tugging slightly at his beard. 'It might be pretty hard finding them on a place like Onderon,' he said. 'Is there someone else we could contact for you? A family friend on Ruusan, maybe?'
'I have to go to Onderon,' Zannah insisted.
'I see' the man said, then he stood up and turned to Irtanna. 'Our young guest seems mighty determined to get off this world.'
'We can't take you to Onderon,' Irtanna said, 'but we can take you with us when we leave Ruusan.'
'Take me where?' Zannah asked, suspicious.
'We've got a whole fleet of ships orbiting the planet, Rain. You'll be safe up there. Well find someone to get you cleaned up and look after you.'
'I can look after myself,' she answered defiantly.
'Yes, I can see that,' Bordon interjected. 'But I bet it's lonely being all by yourself.' When Zannah didn't answer he continued, 'Tell you what-it's getting dark outside. Why don't we take you with us up to the fleet for now? Then tomorrow we can figure out what to do next.
'If you still want to go to Onderon, we'll see if we can help. But if you change your mind, maybe you could stay here on Ruusan with me and my boys for a while. At least until we find your family.'
Zannah's mouth dropped open at his offer.
Bordon reached down and patted her gently on the shoulder. 'It's okay,' he said. 'You don't have to answer right now. Just something to think about.'
Managing a slight nod, Zannah resumed eating her meal, her mind still reeling.
'I'll go get us ready for takeoff' Irtanna said as she left, heading up toward the front of the vessel.
Bordon grunted his agreement, then spoke to Zannah once more. 'I have to go up front to help Irtanna. You just stay back here and finish eating, okay?'
Zannah nodded again. There was something comforting about the way Bordon spoke to her. He made her feel safe and important at the same time. She watched him disappear through the door separating the supply hold from the cockpit.
'You just holler if you need anything,' Bordon's voice called back to her.
A minute later the engines roared to life and the shuttle lifted up into the air, but Zannah barely noticed. Her brain was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Part of her was silently screaming that she had couldn't just sit there-she had to do something nowl She couldn't let them take her back to the fleet. There were too many people there. Too many Jedi. Someone was bound to notice her special gifts and start asking questions. They'd find out about Darth Bane, and everything he had promised her-all the knowledge and power of the dark side-would be lost.
Yet another part of her wanted to go back to the fleet. Bane had warned that her apprenticeship would be a long and difficult struggle. She was tired of struggling. And Bane had abandoned her. Bordon, on the other hand, had offered her his home; he'd offered to let her be part of his family. What would be so wrong about simply accepting his offer? Bane had said she was the chosen heir to the legacy of the ancient Sith, but was that really what she wanted?
Before she could come up with an answer she heard a noise, and looked up to see Wend, the younger of Bordon's two sons, coming in from the cockpit to talk to her. She guessed he was somewhere around thirteen-only a few years older than she was.
'Papa says you don't have any family,' he said by way of greeting.
Zannah didn't know what to say, so she only nodded.
'Did they die in the war?' Wend asked. 'Did the Sith kill them?'
She shrugged, unwilling to elaborate in case she inadvertently gave away some detail that would expose her facade.
'My mother was a soldier,' Wend told her. 'She was very brave. She went to fight the Sith when they first came to Ruusan.'
'What happened to her?' She only asked the question because it was expected and it would have seemed odd if she hadn't. She didn't want to do anything to draw unwanted attention to herself.
'She died at the Fourth Battle of Ruusan. Killed by the Sith. Papa says-'
'Wend!' came Bordon's voice from the cockpit. 'Get back up here. Let Rain have some peace and quiet.'
The boy gave her a shy smile, then turned and left her alone again with her thoughts. Thanks to his words, however, she'd made her decision.
Bordon had offered to take her in. He'd offered to make her part of his family. He was tempting her with a simple but happy life. But his words offered nothing except empty promises. Peace is a He.
What good were family or friends if you didn't have the strength to protect them? Bordon had lost his wife, and Tallo and Wend had lost their mother. When the Sith came they'd been powerless to save the one they most loved.
Zannah knew what it was like to feel powerless. She knew what it was like to have the things she valued above all else taken from her. And she had vowed to never let it happen again.
