"You don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be explored and shared."

—Robbie Robertson (as quoted on brainyquote·com)

Preface

I initially wrote this story in 2012. In 2014, I cleaned up the story some. In 2015, I added an epigram, this preface and reformatted the story to be more consistent with my current writing style.

Some of my favorite stories to write are ones where I take an event with little to no detail or context and speculate as to what might have happened before, during, or after that point in time. Here, we know that Shaak Ti earned an akul-tooth headdress, yet we have no canon information about the event, aside from the fact she supposedly earned it shortly after she passed her Jedi Trials and became a Jedi Knight. I decided to speculate on what it might be like for Shaak Ti to receive permission to travel to Shili and complete her species' rite of passage. Even if my version differs greatly from any canon version that might be revealed in the future, it was still fun to come up with my own plausible possibility.

In my writing, I use words enclosed in «angled quotes» to represent words originally spoken in a foreign language. Here, this represents conversation in Togruti.

Acknowledgments

Very special thanks to Lucasfilms Limited for all Star Wars characters and concepts.

Special thanks to author Noir Detective (#2702078) for the suggested time period for this story.

Shaak Ti took a deep breath as she walked down the hall. Although she had no reason to be nervous, the mere idea of requesting permission from Master Yoda to travel intimidated her. Were newly-knighted Jedi allowed to take trips such as the one she wished to take? As she reached his door, she closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

There's only one way to find out, isn't there? she thought.

On the other side of the door, Yoda silently meditated in his seating pod. The sound of his door chime made him open his eyes. The diminutive Grand Master smiled as he sensed the presence of Shaak Ti on the other side of the door. He took pride knowing she had finally passed her trials and she was now the order's newest Jedi Knight. However, he didn't know about what she wanted to speak with him. Still, he looked forward to talking to her.

"Enter, you may," Master Yoda called out calmly as he remained seated in his pod.

As the door opened, Shaak entered Yoda's quarters. She looked around, but she didn't see anything in which she could comfortably site. Instead, she chose to sit on the floor with her long Jedi robes creating a large circle that concealed her crossed legs.

Yoda made eye contact with the Togruta Jedi and said, "Something to ask, have you?" Although he was over 800 years old, he often displayed the curiosity of a youngling during his conversations with others.

Shaak blinked her black eyes before she replied, "Yes, Master. Now that I'm a Jedi, I'd like permission to return to Shili. My people have a traditional rite of passage. I'd like to attempt it, if possible. I feel it's important to connect with my heritage."

Master Yoda looked at her curiously for a moment. "Ah yes. The great akul hunt, you wish to perform."

"Right. I'm a Jedi now, but I'd like to prove myself worthy in my peoples' eyes as well."

Yoda rubbed his chin as he considered the request. "Important milestone, this is, yes? Travel to Shili, you may. Complete the rite of passage, you shall do," he told her.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Shaak replied. Pleased to receive his permission, she stood up and she was ready to leave, but Yoda stopped her.

"One condition, there is. Avoid your family, you must, if possible. Attachments, you must avoid," he reminded her.

"I understand, Master Yoda," Shaak answered as she bowed in acknowledgment.

"May the Force be with you, Knight Ti."

"And may the force be with you, Master Yoda."

Shaak silently reflected on her conversation with Yoda as she returned to her quarters. Despite being known for her serene nature, an exception for a Togruta, she felt proud to know she had permission to travel to her home planet. It would be her fist time there since she was taken to the Jedi Temple as an infant. Inside her quarters, she thought her trip would take no longer than a standard week. So, she packed as simply as possible for it.

Shortly, she made her way to the Jedi Temple's hangar and boarded a small ship. As she departed, she programmed the navicomputer to plot the best course for the Ehosiq sector of the Expansion Region.

Later, as she neared the planet Shili, she started to feel more excitement. She remembered nothing of her early days on the planet, so this was a homecoming of sorts for her. While she remembered her promise to Master Yoda, she wondered how she could avoid her family when she had no idea where they lived. But for the moment, she was more concerned about finding a place to land and begin her quest.

After finding a junction where a canopy forest met the scrub land, she landed her ship. Before walking down the gangway, she removed her sandals and packed them away. Upon her first step into the red and white turu-grass that flickered in the sun, she felt far more than she could with the Force. She knew her people believed that going without shoes increased their connection to the land. For her, this felt accurate to her senses. As she walked through the open scrub land, she could also sense the presence of other creatures with both the Force and her montrals. She was convinced that being Force-sensitive enhanced the echolocation she processed through her montrals.

As she continued to walk, she noticed what appeared to be signs of civilization in the canopy forest. She debated whether she should look further; before she could act, though, she noticed a solo figure approaching her—a Togruta male.

«You are not of us?» The male asked curiously.

«I don't understand the question,» Shaak Ti replied honestly.

«Your markings are not from a tribe in this area.»

This is good, I won't have to worry about running into family, it seems, she thought.

«Indeed. I am Shaak Ti. I'm here to complete my rite of passage.»

«Your tribe is not familiar, but you are welcome to join us, and to learn what's necessary to complete your quest.»

«What tribe are you from?»

«I am of the Thelane,*» the male informed her with a slight hint of pride in his voice. He then noticed her lightsaber hanging by her left hip. «You're a Jedi!» he added with both surprise and great respect.

«Yes, I am. Is this a problem?» Shaak Ti asked curiously.

«Not at all. You are the first of your kind to travel to this area. I am sure our tribe will be more than happy to welcome and assist you,»

« Thank you,» Shaak Ti replied with a respectful bow. Her new colleague pointed towards the canopy forest, and the two of them walked together to the nearby settlement. The tribe's potential preferential treatment concerned her. Just because she was a Jedi, she didn't wish to be treated differently than any other visitor. She wanted to be treated as any other Togruta. However, she was appreciative for her new colleague's hospitality so far.

Chapter Endnotes:

* This is pronounced Thee-lay-nee (IPA /ɵi: . 'leɪ . ni:/). The Thelane tribe is an original tribe created for this story.