Destinies: Seeking the Future in the Past (Figrin D'an)

[James Prent]

James Prent was lurking in the upper hallways of the Temple, on the pretense of studying the Jedi history recorded in the artwork that decorated the halls. She'd just finished pretending to look at a battle frieze that depicted the horrifc arena battle on Geonosis, when the real object of her quest rounded a corner, heading away from the council chambers.

Her newly constructed lightsaber on her hip, but underneath her dark outer robe, James waited patiently for Master D'an to pass her. Her master, Knight Salemn Lysce, had sent her up here, but it was a perfect opportunity to talk to the Jedi Master, who was often hard to locate.

While constructing the lightsaber a few days ago, James had fallen into a deep Jedi Trance, and had seen many things in the Force. One such vision had been about D'an, and she wanted to talk to him about it....and other things. As he drew nearer, she turned away from the frieze, and bowed in respect. "Master D'an, a moment of your time?"

[Figrin D'an]

"Of course, James," Figrin responded, a bit surprised her abrupt turn to address him. Though she was calm on the surface, he could tell that something was troubling her. He pointed to a bench along the wall opposite the wall artwork, and they moved to sit down.

"What's on your mind."

[James Prent]

As she sat, James let her eyes dwell for a moment on the heroic figure of Obi Wan Kenobi on the wall opposite them. Returning her gaze to the matter at hand, she bit her lip, and then gathered her courage around her. "Well, y'know that I have...visions, right?"

As he nodded, she looked at her feet and then to her hands, and then back to him again. "Well, I had one about you, and I was... disturbed about it and wanted to talk to you."

[Figrin D'an]

"About... me?," he asked rhetorically. "I sensed something was bothering you, but I had no idea what it might be."

"It must have been a powerful vision," he thought aloud. "Please, tell me about it."

[James Prent]

There was no way around it. "I saw that you were dying of a horrible illness, and in my vision, you did die." She clasped her hands together. "Tell me, Master D'an, that there is no truth in this future, that it's only one of many possible ones. I just have such a bad feeling about it."

[Figrin D'an]

The Jedi Master's eyes went wide. It was indeed a strong vision, and was one that Figrin would rather that she not have had. He now found himself faced with a difficult decision... tell her the truth and swear her to secrecy, or deflect her concerns and risk her telling others about the vision. Either option presented great risk, and to not answer would be to confirm her worst fears and allow rumor to run rampant.

"I... see," he managed to say.

He looked around, seeing far too many people wander the halls for his taste. He wasn't going to say anything more in such open spaces.

"Perhaps we should go someplace a bit more private to discuss this," he suggested.

[James Prent]

Her heart sank, and she nodded, "Allright." She got to her feet, and followed him as he led her to a conference room.

[Figrin D'an]

They entered the room, James first, and Figrin followed, closing the door behind him. He motioned for James to have a seat, but he remained standing across the table from her.

"Maybe you should tell me all of what you saw in your vision," he indicated.

[James Prent]

She sat down, hands held tightly in her lap under the table, and closed her eyes. "I saw you, and you were not much older than you are now, and you were all alone in a room with no windows. You were sitting at a desk, holding your head, and I could sense that you were ill...you felt drained. It doesn't make much sense, because I didn't hear any words, or read anythin' in the vision, but I could just...tell. I could tell you were deathly ill. And then y' laid down on the cot in the room and -" her voice broke a bit, "And then you just...died."

Her eyes opened again, and she spread her hands and brought them above the table, resting her elbows lightly as she tucked her hands under her chin. "I thought about it a long time, well, y'know, a few days, and I think that your isolation was figurative. I think you're carrying a secret, and that because you aren't telling anyone, that you're alone in that sense.

"I was hopin' that you'd contradict me, but..."

[Figrin D'an]

"What you saw isn't necessarily what will happen," Figrin broke in. "Visions can be influenced by your state of mind as you enter meditation. They do carry certain truths, but they can be distorted. It's important to remember this."

"That said," Figrin continued, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from James, "your precognitive abilities have proven to be quite strong. And... I don't want you to speculate purely on what you have seen during your meditation."

He considered his words carefully, and folded his hands, pausing before continuing.

"I must ask you keep what I am about to say to yourself," Figrin requested solemnly. "Under no circumstances must you reveal this to anyone, not even to the Council. Do you understand?"

[James Prent]

"Yes, I understand." She chewed on her lower lip as he emphasized the secrecy of what he was about to say.

[Figrin D'an]

He looked at her only barely, most of his glance was downward, looking at the table rather than at James' face. He didn't want to reveal everything, and though it was somewhat un-Jedi-like to provide half-truths, he had to, for his sake and for everyone elses.

"For most of my adult life," he began, "I've suffered from a rare neurological disease. I've lived with it for many years, and while it causes occasional headaches, it has never been much of a problem."

Until recently, that is..., he thought.

"I've consulted several doctors about it, and while there is no cure, occasional medication and my abilities with the Force have helped to keep it in check."

Occasional medication... more like radical forms of therapy, all failures..., his conscience chimed in again silently.

"I don't forsee it being a problem of significance in the future..."

Not for anyone else anyway, as long as the rest of it stays secret...

"... and I have never felt it prudent to inform others of my condition. It would cause too much worry and concern on their part, and so long as it does not prevent me from carrying out my duties as a Jedi or a representative of the Republic, I would prefer that personal issues remain private. I don't wany people digging around in things that don't really concern them."

"So...," he finished, "that should answer whatever questions you might have had."

[James Prent]

She listened with growing concern as he spoke about his lifelong battle, but nodded in agreement that personal issues should remain private. "That does answer my questions, Master D'an. I didn't share my vision with anyone else, not even Salemn. I thought it would be better to come to you first."

James paused for a moment, and then added, "You mentioned there is no cure...is it a degenerative disease?"

[Figrin D'an]

How to answer this one...

"There's a lot that isn't known about that disease that I have..."

Well, that's true...

"... and the effects it can have throught a person's life cycle are among those unknowns."

Yeah, because everyone else died early on...

"I just make sure to have certain tests periodicially to monitor my brain chemistry."

And hope that nothing is too screwed up...

"And, as I said, it hasn't posed a major problem for me or appeared to have caused any type of degeneration since I first learn of it."

Not yet, at any rate...

[James Prent]

He didn't seem to be telling her the whole truth, but James wasn't about to push the matter. It was obviously a touchy subject, and so she tried to change the subject. "Well, that's a relief Master D'an. Thank you for talkin' to me about this, because I was concerned, y'know."

Why do I think he's hiding something? She'd been working on her intuitive skills, as she was studying to become a Jedi diplomat, so perhaps they were paying off finally. Or maybe she was just overly suspicious. At any rate, "When we talked the night of the banquet, you mentioned looking into my birth parents for me..." Way to change the subject - with a sledgehammer! "Have you had any success?"

James couldn't keep the hope out of her tone, and she tucked her hands under her chin once more.

[Figrin D'an]

The subject change was abrupt, but not completely unexpected and certainly welcome from Figrin's point of view. The less he had to discuss himself and his condition, the better.

"It has been difficult to come up with information on your birth parents," he said with complete frankness. "My inquiries here on Coruscant have been met with little success. I have some contacts in other systems that are doing there best to dig up what they can, but it has been a while since I have heard from any of them."

James was clearly disappointed, and a sadness seemed to creep over her.

"That doesn't mean that we won't find your real parents," he said in a comforting voice. "These things can take time. And there are other options that we can try."

He paused for a moment, considering his words carefully. He did not want to pressure James in any way, but he still felt he must ask.

"If there is anything else you can remember about your past, it might be of help," he said softly. "Anything you might have seen in your visions, or otherwise."

[James Prent]

Her face fell as Master D'an related he had had no luck in finding out where she'd come from. "I was adopted as a baby...I was only seven months old when my parents got me. I know they adopted me out of an Imperial run orphanage, but I don't rememb-"

James paused, and amended her statement. "That is, I used to dream about... Well when I was a little girl, I just to have the same dream over and over. I never thought it was...y'know...true, but now... Maybe it does have some truth in it." She ran her fingers through her hair, and cleared her throat. "I used to dream about a woman who was holding me. She had dark hair and sad eyes. A white monster always came in while she was singing to me, and took me away."

James shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "It was a long time ago...but the 'white monster' might have been a stormtrooper."

[Figrin D'an]

"Do you think it's possible that the Empire or one of it's factions is responsible for separating you from your family?" Figrin questioned. "Are there any other strange bits of memories you have that could involve Imperials?"

[James Prent]

She shrugged, "I suppose it's possible, but I don't know for sure that the woman in the dream is my birth mother. And I don't know that... There's just so much I don't know." James tried not to sound frustrated.

"I haven't thought about that dream in a long time, though. Maybe I can...think about it more. Maybe I'll have a vision about it if I meditate on the dream?"

[Figrin D'an]

"Perhaps," Figrin responded. "But you also shouldn't feel pushed or compelled to do so. It should be completely a choice of your own free will, and you should be at peace with the idea before you do so. It will be better for you, and better for the clarity of the vision."

"I will continue to look into the matter," he added. "I think examining even the possibility of Imperial involvement will be worthwhile."

[James Prent]

James thought about that for a moment. "I will think about it. I'm a little afraid about seeking a vision, to be honest. I've never done that before, and I'm not sure what would happen.

"But I have the feeling that if I can find anything out about my past, that it will unlock some of the mystery of my other...visions." James pursed her lips together, and then reached under the table and unclipped the lightsaber on her belt. "And some of the vision is coming true - I built this lightsaber last week, and it's blue, just like my lightsaber in the vision where I ...die."

She chuckled nervously, laying the hilt on the table in front of her. It had been built out of odds and ends, and spare parts that had been lying around in some of the workshops in the lower levels of the Temple. The small padawan quirked up an eyebrow as she added, "Hey, at least you're not the only one who dies in my visions."

Morbid humor perhaps, but it was an attempt to lighten the mood.

[Figrin D'an]

"Well," the Jedi Master smirked momentarily, "let's hope for both our sakes that at least that part of your visions is incorrect."


"I know how disturbing all of this must be for you," he added softly. "We must trust in the Force, and in ourselves, the answers will come."

[James Prent]

"'Always in motion the future is. Hard to see.'" James smiled wanly. "I've listened to Master Yoda's words many times, and it doesn't make it any easier."

She stood to her feet, "But I've taken up too much of your time already, Master D'an. Thank you for being forthcoming with me, and don't worry, I won't breathe a word of anything to anyone."