Before - Legends Knights of the Old Republic: The Scars of War

Title: Knights of the Old Republic: The Scars of War
Author: SabyneAmberle
Era: The Old Republic, pre-TPM, KotOR
Characters: The cast from the first KotOR game, Sabyne Amberle (with cameos of her family)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance...you name it, I may touch on it.
Summary: As the old cliche goes, every story has a beginning. Facing annihilation by Darth Malak and his Sith fleet, the Jedi Order must find allies where it can. But some wounds take longer to heal than others.
Notes: Well gang, here it is! Some of you have asked me if I'm writing more featuring Sabyne, and I'm happy to say I am! I wanted to start a fic that essentially tells the important parts of KotOR with Sabyne as part of the crew. It starts about two months before the beginning of KotOR, and I hope to take it all the way through the end. Enjoy!

*****

“Miss Sabyne. You have a visitor.”

The crisp voice stunned Sabyne out of her thoughts, and she reluctantly lifted her attention from the mound of soil at her feet. In the middle of the small plot stood a tiny tree, its branches no more than twigs. Tierslae was a brilliant aide for the Correllian senator, but she was utterly useless when it came to growing and maintaining anything beyond a political career. So, she had entrusted the tiny gift from Kashyyyk to her younger sister, so that it might thrive away from its forest home.

Brushing the dirt off her hands, Sabyne straightened up, her gaze locking with that of the voice’s owner. Aqie Fallejn, her family’s longtime friend and maid, stood with hands on her hips. It was hard to believe Aqie was nearly as old as her parents; in spite of all her time spent outdoors, her face bore few wrinkles and her hair showed no signs of graying. When she was little, Sabyne thought the woman must have been some sort of witch, as she never showed signs of aging or slowing down over the years.

“A visitor?” Sabyne asked, confusion crossing her face. Asides from Layren or Tierslae, visitors almost never asked for her directly. “Did they say who they were?”

“A Master Dorak,” Aqie replied. “He would not tell me the reason for his visit, only that it was important he speak to you right away.”

“I see,” Sabyne kept her expression neutral as she gathered her tools. “Have him wait for me in the library, Aqie. Make sure he’s comfortable, and tell him I’ll be there as soon as I put away my tools and clean up a bit.” Aqie gave an understanding nod and retreated to the house, while Sabyne walked through the garden toward the tiny shed that held her gardening tools.

“So, the Jedi finally decided to come looking for me,” she muttered to herself, returning each tool to its appropriate place on the shelves inside the shed. “Not that I made it particularly difficult to locate me.” With a long sigh, she closed the shed doors and made her way back to the house. She stopped just outside the back door, where a table had been set up with a basin of water and a towel. Quickly, she plunged her hands into the cool water, cupping them to gather water to splash across her face. Somehow, she always managed to get dirt streaked across her cheeks, even when her hands ventured nowhere near her face. It never bothered her, but it often proved an amusing sight for her parents when she came in from a day in the garden. After running her damp fingers through her hair, she used the towel to dry her hands and face before entering the house.

**
As soon as she entered the library, the older Jedi Master rose from his seat next to the fireplace. “Knight Sabyne, it’s so good to see you again,” he said, his warm tone putting Sabyne at ease.

She gave a small bow in reply. “Master Dorak,” she replied simply. “It’s a pleasure to have you visiting my family’s home. I trust Aqie made sure you were taken care of?”

“Infinitely so. The woman is very efficient,” Dorak smiled as he spoke. “And your family has a beautiful house.

“It hasn’t always been so grand, but it’s been comfortable.” As Dorak returned to his chair, Sabyne pulled one over so she sat across from him. In the seat lay a copy of the latest philosophical teachings from Irie Naruka, the great Alderaanian philosopher. Master Rohn had been a particular fan of his writings, and had introduced her young pupil to them to allow for further study.

At the memory of her late master, Sabyne winced a bit. That was a wound that might never heal. Unconsciously, she traced the raised design on one chair arm, a habit she often indulged in when anxious.

“Sabyne?” Dorak’s voice distracted her, and the anxiety faded. “Is everything all right?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’m fine, Master Dorak,” she said. “I was just pondering why the Jedi are seeking me. I thought my story of being a Jedi Knight ended five years ago when I requested to return home.”

“Ah, yes. After your Master’s death.” Dorak’s face was sober. Did she imagine the flicker of grief she saw in the depths of those brown eyes? “I never conveyed to you how sorry I was. Master Rohn may have been an unorthodox Jedi, but she was incredibly strong in the Force and a wonderful teacher to her students. Believe me when I say her death was felt by us all, some more keenly than others.”

Sabyne was about to respond when her ears picked up the sound of the door opening. She snapped her head around to see Aqie enter the room, carrying a small tray. “What is it, Aqie? I had requested privacy during this visit.” She hated to sound so cold, but she disliked when her wishes were disregarded by others in the household.

“Forgive me, Miss Sabyne,” Aqie dipped her head apologetically. “When I told Master Zemil about our visitor, he explicitly requested I bring this to you. A small gift for our esteemed guest, he said.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed for her prior statement, Sabyne stood immediately, moving to take the tray. “Forgive my prior words, Aqie,” she began. “I was thinking about a topic that is still very sensitive for me. I should not have sounded cross with you, not when you do so much for us.”

“It’s nothing, Miss. Your father’s permission or not, I am intruding on a space you requested be private. Now that I have made my delivery, I will allow you your privacy back.” Giving another small nod, Aqie quickly took her leave.

Looking down at the tray, Sabyne noted it held two small glasses and a bottle of Corellian Ale. She smiled, seeing that her father remembered her favorite drink. She opened the bottle and filled the two glasses, offering one to Master Dorak.

“Well,” she began, taking a long drink from her glass. “Enough talk about ghosts and painful memories. Since I highly doubt this is merely a social call for you, why not tell me what brought you here, Master Dorak.”

“That much is simple, Sabyne. We need your help.”

Sabyne raised an eyebrow, surprised at the blunt admission. “My help? Why?”

Dorak took a sip from his own glass, staring contemplatively into its dark contents. “That is a long and involved story,” he replied. “One that will take some time to fully relay.”

 

I have almost all your threads bookmarked, but I was afraid to leave a proper reply in any of them until that discussion yesterday where you said that we can ask you questions.

So, I am hereby asking you if you can post to the OC Index thread and tell us more about the character you named yourself after, as I assume that she's an OC. I would like to know whatever I need to know about her before I leave any kind of a comment that remotely makes sense. Wouldn't want to appear stupid.

Other than that, I love the title and the genre-fusion in general, the later just smells of a good story.

 

I would never think you appear stupid, Ewok! We all start somewhere, after all.

But now that I'm writing more with her, I'll include her in the Index. I wasn't sure how much I'd be doing with her, so I hesitated to add her previously.

 

Awesome start. I like the gentle way Dorak has of putting Sabyne at her ease. Looking forward to the request.

 

The feel that we get for Sabyne's apparent self-exile (it does kind of look as though she's gone home to lick her wounds) is really intriguing. She's not completely down in the dumps and seems to have taken to gardening quite well, but there is a feeling that she's been living in an in-between state, hiding or waiting for something to happen. I also like that we get to see some of what her family and home environment are like. And the awkward moment with Aqie seems to hint at some really powerful emotions lurking behind Sabyne's attempt at being "fine" about everything. It will be very interesting to see what Master Dorak needs help with (and I imagine that's not an easy thing for a Jedi to bring to another who is apparently "retired" at the moment.)

 

I didn't read the previous stories starring Sabyne. You managed to convey a lot of her personality here. We know she appreciates the smaller things in life such as habitually tending the garden, and how she generally views the people in her life.

What happened to Rohn? What do Dorak and the other Jedi need help with precisely? Those are questions I care to have answered. Update soon, because this was a short but intriguing intro.