A sigh escaped her lips as she settled into her meditative posture. As the heat from the sand began to radiate through her body, the morning’s tensions slid away. She inhaled deeply and used her slow exhale to blow the hair from her face.

The slowly revolving wind soon slipped her hair back into her mouth. She resisted the urge to spit it out, forcing herself to focus. Inhale, slow exhale. Inhale, slow exhale. The process repeated itself until she was no longer aware of the hair.

She submerged herself in the Force feeling it ebb and flow about her. The familiar warmth buoyed her spirits. Teaching was hard and, often, thankless. Her meditation times were a moment of clarity amidst the chaos of students and academia.

As she shifted deeper, her sense of self hung suspended. In that quiet contemplation, voices whispered to her. She had trouble at first distinguishing *the* voices, but they emerged gaining strength until she could identify that there were two speakers.

To keep the balance
You must awaken.

You have heard the rumors
And you must find the source

Go, seek, and gather help.
Go, conquer, and gain power.

The voices began to recede. Her confusion was interfering with her connection to the Force. She gradually inhaled and exhaled. The disciplined movement cleared her mind and she heard:

Awaken.
Awaken.

The voices disappeared.

Sash opened her eyes. She chewed on her lip as she disentangled her hair from her horns. She had a sabbatical coming up. Perhaps now was the time to begin that.

“My children awaken.”

The petite brunette raised her head from the table looking around to see who’d dared to call her a child. Her bloodshot eyes couldn’t focus or seem to settle on anyone, so she chalked it up to a bad dream. Her head dropped back down to the table.

“Awaken. You are needed.
One has awakened who will upset the balance
To keep the balance, you must awaken.”

She snapped her head up, looking for the voice… or was it two voices.. who were clearly talking to her. “Listen. I. Don’t. Care! Leave me alone!” she said aloud. The few other patrons in the tavern turned curious eyes towards her, but she glared at them, starting to lift a hand in their direction and they quickly turned back to their drinks.

More words spoke to her and she realized they were in her head. She began to comprehend what was happening. Sitting up straighter, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the words. Her lips drew into a tight, thin line as the voices impressed upon her the need to leave and seek out others. This went against her survival instincts for the last couple of years. She’d been in hiding, avoiding others and avoiding using her abilities. She felt an anger welling up inside her at the compulsion.

Yes, there was that one time where she’d encountered… Her eyes flew open, jaw dropping. “Oh… oh no…” she breathed out the words, barely able to draw in her next breath. “It’s them again.”

She jumped up from her seat, nearly overturning the table and dashed out of the tavern. She ran to her ship, giving orders to the droids to prepare to leave. When queried about the location, she simply said, “Yavin IV.”