"You have to defend your honor and your family."

—Suzanne Vega (as quoted on brainyquote·com)

Preface

This is the third story in my The Trips to Shili sub-series for Ahsoka's Legacy. This story takes place approximately two and one-half years after Unexpected Arrivals and one to two months after the events of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Emilina is now a toddler and the Rebellion has recently destroyed the first Death Star. I envision the Empire being so shaken by that event that they focus on defending their strongholds and targeting the rebellion. As a result, I find it plausible that they would suspend patrols to planets that haven't posed a threat to them—planets such as Shili. While it's not imperative to read the prequels, they contain key events and characters that will appear again or be mentioned here. For simplicity, I will not repeat the IPA pronunciations for previously-introduced characters.

As mentioned in the summary, there will be topics, including a romantic scene, that give this story a stronger Teen rating than usual. Be assured that I will handle these in what I hope is my usual tactful and appropriate way.

Once again, I want to remind readers that I first began this story line in 2011 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars remained an ongoing series. As such, I've chosen to disregard its season five finale arc and all subsequent non-movie material—including Star Wars Rebels.

Finally, I will use my usual convention of «angled quotes» representing conversation spoken in foreign languages. Here, this represents words spoken in Togruti.

Acknowledgments

Very special thanks to the Walt Disney Company for Star Wars characters and concepts.

Special thanks to author Queen (author #39336) for graciously giving me permission to use and expand her Togruta festival of Ullumbana that she presented in a couple of chapters in her story, Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex Are Dead. I can only hope she finds my interpretation acceptable.

Also, special thanks to author Fergus Flamacron (author #2064553) for allowing me to use his idea that Tribal Togruta mate for life.

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

IPA Pronunciation Guide

The following is a list of IPA pronunciations for important names introduced in this story:

Akuno (male) – /əˈku:ˌnoʊ/

Azielle (female) – /eɪˈzi:ˌel/ and her nickname, Azi – /eɪˈzi:/

Iria (female) – /ˌaɪˈri: ɑ:/

Kaama (female) – /ˈkeɪ mɑ:/

Paalos (male) – /ˈpeɪ loʊs/

Sharl (male) – /ʃɑ:rl/ in English/Basic and pronounced /ʤɑ:rl/ in Togruti.

Shiri (female) – /ˈʃi: ri:/ in English/Basic and /ˈʤi: ri:/ in Togruti.

Thiros (male) – /ˈθɪ roʊs/

Zaala (female) – /ˈzeɪ la:/

Zalanos (tribe name) – /zʌˈləˌnoʊs/

Zinubra (male) – /zi:ˈnu:ˌ[ʙ]a:/

Earth Date: 2030-07-26

On a Friday afternoon, Sarah did her best to compete a reading assignment for her World Literature class. She found it difficult to concentrate after losing her grandmother, her last surviving grandparent, at the beginning of the month. A week ago, Sarah felt pleased after her master said she was ready to try constructing her own lightsaber. Her lack of focus in failing to complete the task, however, further disappointed and upset her—even to the present day.

Feeling distinct ripples in her montrals, Sarah looked up to see her mother and her sister coming downstairs. Apparently, Emilina had woken up from her nap.

The time sure flies. Didn't she just go upstairs for her nap? Sarah thought.

Ahsoka walked into the kitchen as Emilina ran up to Sarah, stopping on the other side of the coffee table from her.

"Hey, Emi," Sarah said.

Emilina looked at her big sister and pointed, answering, "Shiny."

"Huh?" Sarah asked, not knowing what Emilina meant.

"Shiny," Emilina repeated, pointing at Sarah's left hip.

Sarah looked down and noticed her lightsaber hanging from her belt clip. "Oh, I guess you're right. It is shiny."

"Want shiny," Emilina replied.

Sarah chuckled, saying, "Sorry, little sis, but you're not old enough yet. It's too dangerous for you."

"Want shiny!" Emilina repeated.

She then reached towards her sister. Before Sarah could react, she felt her lightsaber detach from her belt. The trajectory was far from smooth; the lightsaber wobbled in the air, bounced off the coffee table, slid off it, and struck Emilina in the chest. Emilina fell backwards, landing on her butt, but she looked intently at the lightsaber as it fell into her lap.

"Shiny," Emilina repeated happily.

Sarah looked on as Emilina tried to wrap her small hands around the hilt. As she watched her sister's fingers, Sarah's eyes widened as they crept ever so closer to the ignition button.

Fearing the worst, Sarah yelled, "Emi, no!" as she leaped off the couch and into the air. As she cleared the coffee table, she smacked Emilina's hands with a karate chop-like motion, knocking the lightsaber away from her sister and onto the floor. As Sarah broke her fall to the floor, Emilina started crying.

Ahsoka, hearing the commotion, ran into the front room.

"Sarah, what did you do to your sister?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Mom, it wasn't my fault! Emi... Force-pulled my lightsaber off my belt. I didn't want her to hurt herself, so I smacked it out of her hands," Sarah explained.

Ahsoka sensed the truth in Sarah's words.

We may have our hands full, Sarah didn't do anything like this until she was three, she thought.

She then knelt down on the floor and gently hugged Emilina.

"Want shiny!" Emilina repeated to her mother between sobs.

"What's she talking about?" Ahsoka asked Sarah.

"That's what she calls my lightsaber."

"You can't have that, Emilina. It's Sarah's shiny."

Emilina slowly stopped crying and looked at her mother.

"Sawa's shiny?" Emilina asked.

Ahsoka nodded and picked up her youngest daughter.

Sarah sat back down on the couch and picked up her datapad again.

I really hope she doesn't do this all the time. I don't want to have to hide it, she thought.

⁂

"Really? Let's hope this doesn't become a habit... Yeah. Well, I'll see what I can do, OK? I've gotta go. I'm in the middle of something here. OK, love you too... Bye," Tim said as he hung up the phone.

"Problems?" Cara asked.

"Apparently, Emilina used the Force for the first time."

"Really, that's great!"

"Eh, maybe. She Force-pulled Sarah's lightsaber off her belt, scaring her big sister in the process. I know my little one is a fast learner, but she seems a bit precocious for her age."

"How old is she now?"

"Two—two and a half depending on who you ask."

"That sounds normal, though."

"It's just a bit surprising since Sarah didn't do anything like that until she was three. And, her first time using the Force wasn't quite so scary. I just need to find a way to keep Emilina from being so interested in lightsabers until she's older."

"Why not get her an empty training saber," Cara suggested.

"Hmm, it's a good idea in theory, but I don't like the idea of my youngest daughter thinking lightsabers are toys. Plus, I'm pretty sure Ahsoka won't go for it, either."

Cara thought for a moment before speaking again.

"How about one of those small flashlights?"

"Like the one I keep on my desk for an emergency? That may work. I just won't put any batteries in it for now. I suppose I can pick one up at the commissary on the way home."

"Sounds good."

"Agreed. Let's go back to our conversation about the fall semester."

⁂

Later that afternoon, Tim came home. After he greeted Sarah, Emilina ran up to him.

"Daddy" she called out as she hugged his leg.

"Hey, little one," he replied. "I have something for you."

Emilina watched her father pull out a small flashlight from his pocket.

"Shiny!" she exclaimed.

"And it's all yours," he said as Ahsoka and Sarah watched.

Emilina reached up to take the miniature flashlight out of her father's hand. She looked at and appeared to size it in her hands. Finally, she said, "Shiny broken."

"How would she know that?" Ahsoka whispered discreetly.

Tim scooped Emilina up and placed her on his shoulders. He then reached into his Jedi robes and pulled out a small package for Ahsoka.

"Ashley said this came for you. I assume it's from Shili," he told her.

Ahsoka nodded. It definitely appeared to be a holocartridge. She hadn't heard anything from Shili since she gave birth to Emilina. The possibility of an update from her tribe interested her.

"Sarah, can you go up and get my holoplayer from my dresser? I want to play it here for all of us to see."

"Oh, OK," Sarah replied. A moment later, she returned and handed the holoplayer to her mother.

"Thanks," Ahsoka said.

She inserted the cartridge and activated the player. As a holographic image of Da'Meon appeared, Emilina appeared captivated by it.

"Greetings Ahsoka, Sarah, and young Emilina. I know it has been some time since we last spoke, but we have kept our word to keep your secrets. However, we wanted to let you know that there have been big changes since last we spoke. The Empire has suffered a great defeat recently when a band of rebels destroyed their Death Star," Da'Meon said.

How does blowing up a star help anything? That makes no sense, Sarah thought.

"As a result, the Empire has shifted its patrols and focused more on its core strongholds. They've since ignored the Shili system, so this may be a good time for you to visit if you wish. If you're unable, I understand, but I still hope to see you again someday soon."

Da'Meon's image faded as the message ended.

"I'm surprised he knows her name," Sarah said.

"Remember he was with us when you called her by name," Ahsoka replied.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Can we go again?"

"We'll have to talk about that later. Dinner is almost ready."

⁂

The next day, discussion about the trip continued.

"Can we really go back?" Sarah asked again.

"Are you sure it's safe? What's to say the patrols wouldn't start up again when we arrive?" Tim asked.

"We haven't been back in two and a half years. We should take advantage of this while we can. Besides, I want us to go together—especially Emilina and you. I've wanted the whole family to visit Shili together ever since our first trip," Ahsoka told her husband.

"When would we go? The summer schedule is nearly over."

"Well, Sarah was going to have some downtime soon, right?"

"Yeah," Sarah answered. "Master Del is going back home August 4th for two weeks for her birthday and to take care of her last-minute wedding plans."

"I suppose that would be a good time to go, then. Granted, we probably shouldn't do anything Jedi-related there, but I imagine Sarah would welcome a break from her training."

Sarah nodded.

"After what's all happened this summer, I could use a break. Besides, I can't wait to see everyone on Shili again since I didn't get to last time," she stated.

"Honey, aren't you forgetting one small detail?" Ahsoka asked.

"What's that?" Tim asked in reply.

"What about Molly. She's not on vacation then, is she?"

"No. But why can't we bring her along?"

Ahsoka arched an eye marking.

"What would she do there?" she asked.

"She's always gotten along well with Sarah. Why not give her a chance to meet the extended family and learn more about your people? Besides, we could easily consider this a cultural exchange of sorts."

"I'm still nervous, though, about bringing her along—and you for that matter. You don't have montrals and lekku like Sarah and I do. You won't be able to sense danger or akuls as quickly as we can, especially since we can't use the Force there."

"Akoo?" Emilina asked.

"We can ask her parents tomorrow and see what they say. The worst that could happen is that they say 'no' and I find an interim master for Molly for two weeks," Tim said.

"That sounds reasonable. Are you going to call them?" Ahsoka asked.

"Right now. I'll see if we can go after lunch tomorrow."

"Alright. If they agree, I'll come with you, since I can speak about my experiences."

"Me, too!" Sarah added. "Molly will want to know my thoughts. So I want to tell her—and her parents."

⁂

The following day, Ahsoka and her family met the Douglas family at the latter's house.

"Hey, Molly. Where's your brother?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, he's over at a friend's house. Since you guys came to talk to me, mom figured it was OK for him to go over there," Molly replied.

"That makes sense."

Emilina ran up to Molly, who sat the toddler into her lap.

"You're sure getting big. Are you having fun with your big sister?" Molly asked.

Emilina nodded happily.

"Remind me to text you about what happened on Friday," Sarah said.

Meanwhile, Tim and Ahsoka sat down at a table with Molly's parents.

"Tim, Ahsoka, can I get you anything?" Lynn asked.

"No thanks, we already ate," Ahsoka replied.

"Oh, OK. Anyways, ever since your call yesterday, I'll admit I've been a little nervous about this whole trip thing."

Molly turned to look at her mother and thought, She's not talking me out of this if I can help it.

"That's why we're here," Ahsoka stated, "Sarah and I have been there twice now. I can assure you it won't be a big deal. It's just like any other trip."

"Didn't one of you mention something about tribes?"

"It's almost the same as Native American tribes," Sarah interjected. "Everyone works together and helps out doing whatever needs to be done."

"Even you when you were there?"

"Even me."

"I was even able to help out, too," Ahsoka added.

"I don't know. Any distant trip is risky. But, you're asking me to let my daughter go to another planet. After all she's been through, that seems a bit much."

"Mom! I was only thirteen when that happened. I'm smarter than that now. Let it go," Molly protested.

"I think it's a good idea," Mr. Douglas finally said.

Molly smiled at her father's words.

"Let me put it to you this way," Ahsoka began, "Molly has already traveled to different places for missions. If I remember, she's been down south. And, she's even helped out in Manila once or twice. That was a long trip to a place with different culture. Shili would be no different. Besides, there would be no mission this time. She'd get to learn about another culture and experience it hands-on."

"She's got a point, Lynn. Even you didn't get that nervous when she went to Manila."

"Are you sure she'll be fine? I don't want her eaten by a snake or a wild animal," Lynn said.

"There are wild animals, yes," Ahsoka conceded. "However, they're mostly nocturnal when everyone is sleeping. And they can't get into the tribal settlements. She'll be fine. We'll make sure she stays out of trouble."

Lynn turned to her daughter. "Molly, what do you think about all of this?"

"There's more to learning than books and pictures. Besides, Sarah has cousins there. It'd be fun to meet them and see how they live."

"If I can convince her faculty adviser to agree to it, I'd like to have Molly make her own written presentation about her experiences and have her receive extra credit if it's presented appropriately," Tim said.

"Is there anything else I should know for now?" Lynn asked.

"It's warm there year-round, like it is near Earth's equator, Everyone helps out, no matter how menial the task, and Molly might even learn some things she might not already know—such as sewing," Ahsoka replied.

"That could be useful," Lynn replied, mindful of Molly's interest in looking fashionable.

"And she can hear stories about our peoples' past, too," Sarah added.

"Well, it's not like that evil woman can follow you and chop her hand off again..."

Oh brother, Molly thought, I'm 16 and she still freaks out like I'm half that age.

"No, this will be a Sith-free vacation, thank goodness," Tim said.

"She'll be fine, Lynn," her husband assured her. "She's been a good friend to Sarah so far. Why not let her meet more of Sarah's other family."

"OK. She can go. But you be careful, Molly Lynn Douglas,"

"Thanks, mom!" Molly replied, hugging her mom.

"Just don't take too much. You want to look stylish, but don't overdo it. You don't need every cute outfit and pair of shoes you own for a two week trip."

"Actually, most Togruta tend to go barefoot; I'm just not one of them. My only suggestion is to leave your heels at home."

Molly looked at Ahsoka curiously as she answered, "I've never worn them and I won't be starting now, so that's not a problem."

Sarah did her best to stifle a grin.

"Alright. We'll be in touch and get everything in order. We'll be leaving on Sunday the 4th," Tim said."

"All right. I can't wait. Plus I get to spend more time with Sarah and her sister," Molly said.

Emilina, still sitting in Molly's lap, looked at the teen and smiled at her.

As Ahsoka and her family left for home, Sarah thought, All right, we're going back to Shili, and Molly is coming, too. Maybe this summer won't be so bad after all.