Chapter Three: The Travel

For a Jedi to explain how to meditate on the Force would be like someone explaining how to walk. It's something every youngling has to learn; but once learned, it's a natural action that you do without thinking. Ahsoka was not fully entered into her meditation when she felt the ship take off. Focus, girl, focus. She was just over a meter and a half, and fourteen years of age. She was of average height and size for a Togruta her age; but her abilities, namely those of the Force, were far beyond most on her home planet of Shili. She had the telltale head-tails and the montrals, which made her race distinguishable from any distance. They were white with blue-grey stripes, and not likely to turn a darker color until she was much older.

There was no rush to get to Onderon. The "mission," as it was continually referred to, wasn't to stop a coup, outbreak, or any kind of military effort. It was building a base. Ashoka had come to the realization that her operational and delegation skills were in need of training, just as her Jedi skills were. Perhaps that was the reasoning behind the assignment. 2323 was cruising along at a leisurely pace and had not jumped into hyperspace just yet. With the Republic being stretched thin throughout the galaxy, certain things were becoming valuable commodities. Fuel was at the top of the list.

When Ahsoka made her way to the dining hall, after four hours in her quarters, she found the squadron worried over her prolonged absence. "Well, look who's here." The voice, a familiar one, came from the other side of the hall. "To tell you the truth, we were a bit worried about you," clone trooper Hergo continued as he came closer, in a much quieter voice. Hergo had been on many missions with Ahsoka and Anakin both. Aside from the battle scar that spanned the length of his forehead and the clean shaven head he kept to show his treasure, he looked like the rest of the clone troopers. "I didn't need Jedi powers to see something was bothering you when we were boarding for this glorious vacation getaway." Hergo had a way of trying to liven things up in a humorous manner. He didn't always have the best timing, but he never gave up.

"Hergo, you always bring a smile to my face." Ashoka meant what she said, and by the look on Hergo's face he could tell she was sincere. "Have any news feeds come through yet?" The Counsel may be sending her away for a while - whether to learn how to play well with others or to get her out of their hair - but she planned on staying current on all fronts.

"Not much really. Still looking for General Grievous, Jedi Master Vos is moving towards Boz Pity, and oh, the best of all, the daily gossip!" Hergo went over the top with a dance move to exaggerate the daily gossip, which garnered enough cackling from the rest of the dining room, that he knew he'd accomplished his goal.

The tabloids - they seemed such a trivial and petty thing that Jedi hardly ever paid them any mind. Padawans were an exception though. There was always someone who wanted to take the feeds at their word, or at least partly at their word, in an effort to find out the truth about a situation. It would only take once for a padawan to learn their lesson.

"Hey, isn't that your friend Senator Amidala?" The announcement from Hergo didn't garner much interest from Ahsoka. Being a Senator in the Galactic Senate had its cost, and the biggest was the reporters following your every move to get the next big scoop. "Says she could be pregnant! I tell you if everyone who these scoopers said was pregnant really was, they'd outnumber us clones!" The roar of laughter in the hall had enshrined Hergo's moment, if nowhere else than in his own mind. More importantly to Ahsoka, it took the gazing eyes off her. The look of shock, which she took more time to recover from than she should have, would have been hard to explain. "Everything okay?" Hergo whispered quietly enough that only he and Ahsoka heard.

"Yes, it's just that … Padme… umm…uh…Senator Amidala is a friend. And I don't like my friends being targeted." The tone of Ahsoka's voice was low and fierce, and as her lips began to curl up, her fangs began to show.

Hergo had seen the look before on the battlefields, and in a move that drew all attention to himself announced, "How about taking a break from this stuff? It'll turn your brains to mush!" The jeers from the men were met with Commander Tynole standing; and without his saying a word, the men knew their playtime was over.

As she made her way back to her quarters, Ahsoka found herself scanning the layout of the ship. Maybe it was a habit; maybe everything had her on edge. If Padme really is… she can't be… well she could I guess, but if, and that's a big if… Anakin must be the father. I haven't tracked her or anything, but who else has she been around? Senate meetings took most of her time on Corusant. Wait! What if he married? The thoughts were still spinning through her mindwhen she arrived at the door. Reaching for the control pad to open it, she had one last thought. Clear your mind.

"Captain, we're getting a call from Onderon." The cockpit of 2323 was more spacious than most Stealth ships, due to the length of the journeys it was intended to take. The captain's chair had ample room in it, as well as space around it. To the right was the co-captain's chair. It was made in a similar fashion, but was easily detectable as not being the captain's chair. A communication station was situated a few meters behind the captain's chair, complete with sound proof walls, a screen for more primitive cultures, and a hologram table. Across from the communications station was the logistics center. The center had four large screens that seated two, and a large map table. It was capable of pulling up the most current maps, weaponry statistics, and even locations of all personnel on the ship. "They would like to know our position and who is leading the mission." The clone trooper, one of four in the cockpit, was waiting for an answer as he readied the hologram projector.

"Let me know when you have a holo, and I'll address them personally." The logistics leader didn't bother to look up as he gave instructions.

The hologram came up suddenly, filling the cockpit with a deep blue glow. A Bothan stood before the troopers. Onderon was mostly inhabited by humans; but in the wake of the overthrow of Sanjay Rash, there was an influx of non-humans to Onderon. Some came to assist the government as loyal members of the Galactic Republic. Still others came as carpetbaggers looking for a fortune.

"I am Teloant," the Bothan began, "assistant to Senator Bonteri. I beg your apologies, but King Dendup has fallen ill and is unable to greet you personally." Teloant, dressed in an exquisite dark blue robe, stood nearly two meters tall. Covered in fur, his mane draped down over his long head, past his shoulders, and was braided on each side with a silver clasp at each end. His ears were long and stood erect - a tribute to the skilled hunters he was descended from. Teloant stood with dignity and respect as he waited for a response from the troopers.

"Yes, sir." The trooper gave a short bow. "Commander Tynole is in charge of this mission. Jedi Ahsoka Tano has also joined the mission, to monitor the progress and provide a little backup security if needed."

"So the honored Ahsoka Tano has become a Jedi Master?" Teloant stood up straight with pride as the name left his lips.

"Well, not exactly a Master. But she's stood with the best of them and fought the worst of them. That's enough for me, sir." Troopers were required to wear their body armor as long as they were on duty. It was comfortable enough but extremely unrevealing. Yet everyone could see the pride swell up as the trooper gave his own praise of the young padawan.

Teloant turned his attention to someone outside the hologram's sphere and gave a nod. Turning back to the trooper he explained, "It seems that I have someone who would like to speak with you."

A young man stepped forward. He had a clear complexion and was young in appearance, but his manner stretched beyond his years. A bit shorter than Bothan, he was wearing a similar robe with a larger collar, which his neatly trimmed brown hair did not touch. He spoke in a language that was plain and not pompous, much in the way a friend would speak to another. "Good morning, Captain. We are pleased to have you as our guests and hope you will feel at home."

Home to a clone trooper was wherever they laid their head, but it was a gesture that was always appreciated. "Thank you for your hospitality, sir."

"When will you be arriving, Captain?" the young man asked.

"Approximately six standard days, sir."

"Very good. Would you please inform Miss Tano that I wish to speak to her at her convenience?"

"Yes sir, we will. She has retired to her quarters for the time being. Who may I ask is calling?"

"Lux Bonteri."