Earth Date: Tuesday, 2030-08-20

"Alright, let's go..." Ahsoka said before Emilina chose to run out of her room and across the hall.

The joys of having a toddler again, Ahsoka thought as she went across the hall. There, she saw Emilina gently nudging her cousin's nearest shoulder.

Shalene slowly opened eyes and turned her body. She couldn't help smiling upon seeing Emilina waiting for her.

"Hello, little one," Shalene stated.

"Sh'lene!" Emilina exclaimed in reply.

"I'm sorry," Ahsoka interjected. "I shouldn't have let her wake you."

"It's OK. I probably should be up now, anyways," Shalene conceded.

"Alright, we'll have breakfast shortly, and then we can start our day."

"What do you want me to do today?"

"It's not really up to me to decide. Is there anything special you want to do?"

"I'm not sure," Shalene admitted.

"Well, why don't you help Emilina and I learn more of our language. That way we can remember it when we're not on Shili."

"I can do that, but I don't think that will take all day."

"Tell you what, you teach us for part of the day, and I'll help you with reading our language."

"Alright."

⁂

Later that morning, at the Jedi Order, Tim and Molly finished a meditation session.

"Give me your lightsaber," Tim stated.

A confused Molly replied, "Master?"

"I want to show you something."

"Can't you use your own?"

"I could, but since this involves you, why not demonstrate with yours?"

"OK, Master," Molly answered, giving him her lightsaber.

Tim took the lightsaber and held it upright. He then let go of it and grasped it with the Force. As he closed his eyes, the saber started to rotate.

"To do what you hope to do will require extreme focus and concentration," he said with his eyes still closed. "However, one who can keep a clear mind will have no problem."

Molly looked on in awe as her lightsaber appeared to disassemble itself with the components appearing suspended in midair.

This almost reminds me of my science lessons about atoms and all the electrons floating around, she thought.

"Just as easy as it is to do this, it's also as easy to put everything back together again," Tim stated.

Once again, Molly silent observed everything returning to its proper place.

Tim opened his eyes and stretched out his hand. Molly's saber fell into his waiting palm. He then returned it to her.

"Go ahead, try it."

"Are you sure it'll work?" Molly asked in reply.

"I wouldn't knowingly give my padawan a faulty lightsaber, would I? Imagine the mess."

Molly shook her head and sighed. Despite nearly three years as a padawan, she remained unused to her master's sense of humor—or her perceived lack thereof. Nevertheless, she held her lightsaber up and away from the both of them and successfully ignited it.

"See, I told you it would work."

"You did. But, I have a question. When I finally make my own, do I get to choose the color?"

"Of course. You can choose any color you like—except red or pink. You have one in mind?"

"I've wanted a blue one ever since I was a padawan—not that there's anything wrong with the green one you gave me."

"Indeed. Sarah chose to replace her original green lightsaber with an orange crystal. I'm not sure what she did with her green one, or what color she'll choose when the time comes."

"I thought she made hers."

"Unfortunately, her first attempt didn't succeed," Tim conceded.

"Oh yeah, she told me now that you mention it. She was really bummed out."

"Sometimes, I wonder if having two Jedi parents puts too much pressure on her."

"She'll be fine, master. Sarah's master seems to be patient and encouraging. She'll do it soon enough."

"Let's hope. Anyways, it's lunch time and I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

⁂

"That was impressive. You still remember what you learned with us," Shalene told Ahsoka.

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied. "Or should I say, 'kotisi*?'"

"Either is fine. I can't believe Emilina is picking up the words so quickly at her age."

"I think she's young enough where it's easier to learn another language."

"Oh OK. I... I have a question, but I'm not sure how to ask it."

"Go ahead."

"Do you stay here all the time? Surely, you'd feel too isolated."

"Actually, I don't. Right before I had Emilina, I was a full time instructor—a teacher. Once I had her, I returned to teach mornings only. But with Tim's mom gone, I wasn't sure what I was going to do this fall, until Tim suggested checking to see if Emilina is ready to be admitted to preschool this year instead of next."

"Preschool?"

"If I remember, you group younglings based on their age. I'm not sure how old they are when you first teach them, but that's what you do, right?"

"Yes."

"We do the same thing here. We have up to two years of preschool where we prepare them so they'll be ready to learn daily lessons. I hope that makes sense."

"I think so."

"Why the sudden interest?"

Shalene's lekku stripes darkened some. However, she chose to answer the question honestly.

"I've thought about teaching younglings now that I'm of age. That's why I wanted to go to one of our universities in Corvala or Cover City—though my parents insist I can't. I know why, but it's not fair because I would love to learn to be a good teacher and help our younglings that way," she stated.

"There's nothing wrong with that, even if I might be biased," Ahsoka replied with a small grin. "But given you're the oldest, wouldn't you be first in line to replace your father in leading the tribe?"

Shalene sighed before replying, "Yes. But if Amarti was of age at the time, and he wished to be chief, I wouldn't oppose him—even if I have the rights of the first born."

"Now it's my turn for a question. Would it be considered disrespectful or dishonorable for you to decline to replace your father when the time comes?"

"If I was serving the tribe in another capacity, I could state my preference to continue it. It would only be dishonorable if I did little to nothing to help the tribe and refused to do so."

"What if you decline and Amarti were to decide not to become chief."

"At that point, the elders would gather. I can't remember the details but they would either discuss candidates or allow anyone that desired leadership of the tribe to come forward for consideration."

"Oh, OK. Thanks for explaining that for me."

"Not a problem. Now, it's my turn to teach you more about our written language."

"That's good. I'm not sure if I'll ever use it again, but I still want to learn what I can."

⁂

Later that afternoon, Sarah reviewed notes on her datapad.

"I wish I knew what I'm supposed to write about tomorrow," she said.

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of writing an extemporaneous essay?" Del replied.

"True, but I just like being prepared, master."

"Keep in mind we can never be truly prepared for anything, Sarah, no matter how much we'd like to be. All we can do is take what we know and do our best to apply it to the situation."

"You sure seem calm even though your wedding is at the end of the month. Shouldn't something be freaking you out?"

Del chuckled before answering, "Almost everything has been taken care of already. That's what I did while you were away. I just have some minor details to finalize, but I have nothing to freak out over unless something goes horribly wrong between now and then."

"Oh."

As Sarah resumed studying for her final exam, Del looked at her own datapad and saw a message related to her planning. She opened the message and read:

Thank you for confirming your order. Including taxes, the total balance due is €159.49. We expect a minimum 50% deposit within five days with any balance due prior to delivery. Please accept our advance congratulations for your wedding day. – Enkelimäinen Leipomo [Angelic Bakery]

That doesn't seem too bad for a cake, Del thought. I think that pretty much takes care of everything at this point.

⁂

"Cara, I have a question for you before you get ready for practice," Tim said, talking to his former padawan outside his shared quarters with Molly.

"What is it, Master?"

"As you know, Master Del is getting married at month's end and taking two weeks away for a honeymoon and such. Sarah's going to need a temporary master. Seeing how you partially filled that role in the past, I thought I'd ask you first this time."

"A tempting offer, but I'll have to decline."

"Oh, may I ask why?"

"I'm still assigned to be an afternoon academic instructor since Ahsoka still teaches mornings, though I've heard rumors she may return full time."

"That's not a rumor. We've discussed enrolling Emilina into preschool if she's mature enough, so she's a half-year ahead instead of a half-year behind. If she is admitted, Ahsoka wants to teach her initiates full time again."

"That's great! Her class would be glad to have her back permanently. Nevertheless, Master Cal told me if that happens, he may switch me to the high school study sessions. I don't think I can commit to training Sarah when half my day will be spent helping students, proctoring exams, and stuff."

"It's OK, Cara. That's why we avoid pairing padawans with instructors except in the most exceptional situations."

"I just feel like I've let you down—more-so given she's your daughter."

"I don't play favorites, remember?" Tim replied with a teasing grin.

"I didn't mean to suggest you did."

"Relax, Cara. You can't do it, and that's fine. There's someone else I have in mind, so I guess I'll ask that person next."

"Alright. I better get ready for practice. We'll see if anyone else joins us today."

"It'd be nice to have a full team this year. Down the road, I'd like to have enough interest that we can start a middle-school level team for upper initiates."

Cara nodded before walking away.

⁂

"Are you sure you're OK?" Shalene asked Ahsoka.

"I'm fine," Ahsoka insisted. "I have to admit I'm not used to it being this quiet when Emilina takes her nap, but this is my chance to do what needs to be done without having to chase her all over the place."

After a chuckle, Shalene said, "She is a curious one."

"You can say that again."

"But doesn't it bother you to be alone?"

"I'm not alone. I have you with me today."

"Yes, but if I wasn't here, you'd be alone while Emilina sleeps. Doesn't it bother you to be alone like that?"

"It's only for a couple of hours three days a week. I can manage that."

"It would bother me to have nobody around, not even family. Will they be gone all the time?"

"Oh no. Training is four days—rotations—a week. Sarah and Tim come home Thursday night and then stay home Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So it gives us time to be together before the new week starts again."

"I guess that's not too bad. I'm glad you don't feel too isolated."

"Not now. When I first ended up here, I did."

Shalene nodded, unsure of how to respond.

"After the initial shock of being the only Togruta here, I struggled to adjust and be accepted. Sarah did too when she was growing up. Fortunately, we don't have to feel alone or isolated now—even if some people still look at us suspiciously or curiously."

"I guess that makes sense. At least you can handle it better than I would."

"Well, Shalene, I'm not your typical Togruta. Being taken away so young, I never really had a chance to learn our traditions. Having quiet time is a rare treat for me, and I never really did get into the whole 'Togruta go barefoot' thing."

"So I see," Shalene quipped, noticing Ahsoka's usual boots.

Now don't you start teasing me, Ahsoka thought.

Dismissing her thoughts, Ahsoka asked, "It's almost time to start dinner, would you like to help?"

"May I?"

"Sure, let's go to the kitchen."

⁂

Upon returning from cross country practice, Sarah took a quick shower and joined her master in the dining hall for dinner.

"Feel better?" Del asked.

"Much," Sarah replied, sitting down with her tray. "I know it was warmer than this on Shili, but it seems warmer than usual here this week."

"I guess so. But back home, it doesn't always get this warm. The only real time it's very warm is during sauna?"

"You have a steam room back home?"

"Finnish sauna is something a bit different, Sarah. When you come for my wedding, perhaps you'll have the opportunity for one."

"Oh, OK."

"I better warn you in advance, though. Although men and women often sauna separately, most do so with nothing on."

"You're kidding?!" Sarah asked, her lekku stripes starting to darken.

"No. It's not that big a deal. It's a place to relax and everyone is more interested in that than anything else."

"Uhh, OK."

"You'll be fine, Sarah. I'd have to ask, but I think your father saunaed when he visited. I was only two years old, so it's not like I remember."

Sarah nodded before saying, "Anyways, I'm just glad practice is done for the day. Now I can finish studying for tomorrow."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Sarah. Just think, a year from now and you'll be a graduate."

"I can't believe it myself, master. I never thought I'd be a high school graduate just before my 17th birthday. Then again, I have senior pictures coming up soon."

"The time flies."

"I wonder how Shalene's day went. I didn't see her around today."

"Neither did I. I'm sure she was alright."

"Master, can I call home when we're done here? I want to check in on her."

"Evenings are your free time, Sarah. You don't have to ask permission."

"Thanks."

⁂

Back in her shared quarters, Sarah took her datapad and called home.

At the house, the sound of ringing surprised Shalene.

"It's OK. Somebody is calling me," Ahsoka said. Pulling out her datapad, Sarah appeared on the display.

"Sarah? Is everything OK? What's going on?" Ahsoka asked.

"I'm fine, mom," Sarah replied on the other end of the call. "I wanted to know how Shalene was today."

"She was alright. We all were. I helped her with our alphabet more, and she helped Emilina and I with our Togruti."

"I wish I was there for that."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to help you when you're back home on Friday."

"I hope so. What else happened today?"

"Nothing out of the usual. Shalene helped me with dinner."

"Is she doing OK otherwise?"

"So far as I know. She seems happy to learn our writing and how things go here. And she's helped explain things from back home."

"Is she there?"

"She's in the other room with Emilina. Do you want me to get her?"

"No. I won't bother her if she busy, mom. I'll see her soon enough. You can tell her I asked about her and tell Emi to be a good girl until I come home again."

"Will do. How was your day today?"

"Fine. We had our second practice today. We still have eight people. Running in the heat today wasn't fun. I hate feeling all hot and sweaty."

Ahsoka chuckled, answering, "It's still summer. It's going to be warm for a while. Just be glad you're back home and have the luxury of a shower, unlike Shili."

"Don't remind me!"

"Is there anything else going on?"

"Not really, we just finished dinner and I'm about to study for tomorrow."

"I won't keep you then. Study hard and good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, mom. See you soon."

"Bye."

Ahsoka ended the call and rejoined Emilina and Shalene.

«I like learning with you,» Shalene said.

Emilina smiled and giggled.

"That was Sarah. She wanted to see how you were doing."

"Sawa?" Emilina asked.

"That was kind of her," Shalene stated.

"Just as you were worried about me before, she called to see if you were OK staying home with me today."

"Family does look out for each other."

"That's true. I think she just misses you some and wanted to make sure you were fine without her helping you."

Shalene nodded.

Making eye contact with Emilina, Ahsoka said, "And Sarah said she hopes you're a good girl until she comes home on Thursday."

"Where Sawa?" Emilina asked.

"She's still studying. She'll be home in two days."

"And you'll be studying, too, soon enough," Shalene said.

Emilina smiled and nuzzled against her cousin.

⁂

Later that evening, Sarah looked at her master curiously.

"You're going to bed already, master?"

"Yeah," Del replied. "I got a message asking me to put a deposit down for the wedding cake. With the seven hour time difference, I want to be up early enough to pay for it and have it processed before the bank closes for the day."

"That makes sense. I'm almost done here, but I have something else I want to do before I even think about going to bed myself."

"I trust you. But I'll go ahead and say good night now. See you in the morning."

"Good night, master," Sarah said.

Once her master left the common area, Sarah turned off the light and entered her own sleeping area. As she sat on top of her bed, she sighed.

Today was a busy day, she thought. I'm glad it's almost over, and I'm glad my final is tomorrow. I'm ready to get it done and over with.

After logging out of her online student account, Sarah then activated her diary application and logged in. Although she normally wrote every other week or so, she wanted to record what she could of Shalene's experiences on Earth—even if it was only second-hand information. After briefly summarizing what her mother had told her, she continued to write about her own day's events.

Cross country practice went OK, I suppose. It was warmer today—but not quite as warm as it was on Shili—so I was glad when our run was over. I don't think I've ever been anxious to return to my quarters and take a shower. Even if we don't get any new runners, I'd like to see my times improve from last year. We'll see what happens.

Master Del seems incredibly calm even though her wedding is coming up on the 31st. With two weeks off after that, she'll be coming back just in time to celebrate my sweet 16. :-) It's bad enough I missed her birthday while I was on Shili, so I'd love to have her be part of one of my bigger milestone birthdays. While I wish grandma was still here for it, I guess I can say she'll be with me in spirit. I just hope she was truly proud of me once she got to know me.

That reminds me, I'm not sure what's going to happen while Master Del is away. Father says he's working on the arrangements and should have a temporary master lined up for me by then. I wouldn't mind if it was Knight Ashley again, but I know she can't spar with me, so I have a feeling it won't be her. At this point, though, I don't think I'd mind anyone so long as they accepted me and kept me focused on my training and academics.

Speaking of which, I finished studying for tomorrow's final exam. Master Del went to be early to take care of business at home tomorrow, so I should go to bed soon so I don't keep her up.

~ Sarah ~

Sarah saved her entry and powered down her datapad for the night. After removing her headdress, she got into her bed and pulled the sheets over her.

⁂

Elsewhere, Tim checked his own datapad.

"Master, isn't it late for people to send you messages?" Molly asked.

"Well, this is my last check for the night. And, I could get a message from someone overseas where it's morning or mid-day," Tim answered.

"Good point."

Tim looked and saw a new message from the admission's office. He opened it and read:

Go ahead and begin the registration process at your earliest convenience. Similarly, let us know when you'd like to conduct the initial interview and testing.

Tim tapped the forward button to send the message as a reply.

To: Ahsoka—Home (ahsoka at hybridhouse·invalid)
Subject: [FWD] RE: Admissions inquiry

Ahsoka, I'll try to take care of this tomorrow (Wednesday). Let me know if there's any day you can't bring Emilina in for the interview... apart from the end of the month when we'll be overseas.

Me.

PS: I hope Shalene enjoyed her day with you. Let me know if you need me to do anything to help her.

After sending the message, Tim powered shot down his datapad for the night.

Turning to Molly, he said, "I have a couple of things to do tomorrow morning after breakfast."

"That's fine," Molly told him. "What's going on—if I may ask?"

"I need to talk to someone about being Sarah's master while Master Del is on her honeymoon. And, I need to start Emilina's application for preschool."

"Already? She was just born!"

"She's two and a half years old now. She'll be three after the usual cut-off date, but given how smart she is already, I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if she's ready now for three year-old preschool."

"Wow. If I blink, she'll be a padawan."

Tim chuckled.

"At least my padawan has a sense of humor about it."

Molly, realizing she made a joke similar to many of her master's, shook her head.

"I think I'll get ready for bed now," she muttered.

After gathering her sleepwear and closing the bathroom door behind her, she thought, Just my luck, I'm starting to get his sense of humor.

Chapter Endnotes:

* For those that haven't read the original When Cultures Collide, this is my non-canon Togruti word for "thank you."