I could not halt the flash of pride that flared in me when I saw the whirl of green and yellow that was my former apprentice take down separatist tanks in succession. I was here with Shanti, Luminara Unduli, and Anakin Skywalker. They had brought their two apprentices, Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Ofee. Shanti was a formidable fighter, and when alongside the two padawans, the battle droids had better watch out.

We were on the way back to Coruscant when we received a transmission stating we were to go to a nearby planet and assist Master Skywalker and Luminara, who had been promoted to Jedi Master, and their Padawans. Shanti had her two new lightsabers in tow, and was pleased to meet Luminara's Padawan Bariss Offee and Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka Tano.

I knew that Shanti had grown very close to Master Unduli, not surprising. Luminara is the second youngest master to ever be appointed, second to Master Skywalker. She was only a few years older than Shanti, now at age twenty and only a few days from her Jedi Trials. She was friendly, but never to attached, even though I had a suspicion that her affection for Luminara may go beyond friendship. Today, the battle was rather rough. We were on Ryloth. Our target was supposed to be a small camp of battle droids that had escaped when the republic was forcing Separatist forces off the planet. Supposedly they were terrorizing a village of Twi'leks in a small village, but so far the camp was nowhere to be found.

And then we were ambushed.

Shanti jumped into the battle, a flash of whirling lights. Luminara was right behind her, followed by me, and then the two apprentices.

Seven ships had come out of nowhere, full of bounty hunters. We had to get of there quickly, because we were fighting a losing battle.

"We need to retreat!" Anakin yelled, as a blaster bolt almost hit him in the side. I felt the sting of a grazing blast to my shoulder, and a bruise where one of the bounty hunters had punched me. Barriss had a sprained ankle, but she kept going, despite the fact that it must hurt like the dickens. I don't know what the word 'dickens' means, but Shanti says it often, and I believe it must mean something along the lines of 'a lot' on her planet.

Everyone else was unharmed, luckily. We started working our way out of the throng of battle, towards our ship. I felt hope fill my heart as my feet touched the opening entrance, but then the unthinkable happened. One of the bounty hunters grabbed Shanti's hair and yanked her off the closing doorway. The last thing I saw before the door closed was her shocked and terrified eyes. I opened the door again at once, only to see her flung into one of the bounty hunter ships, which took off a second after.

We took off after them instantly, and followed them through space for quite a ways. Then the ship turned, and shot at us. One of the blasters hit the wing, despite Anakin's expert flying skills. Before we could exchange fire, or even get close enough to, the ship jumped into hyperspace, and Shanti was lost.

The Jedi launched a massive search across the galaxy for her, which lasted for three months. Huge rewards were offered for her safe return to Coruscant. But no thin, skilled teenager with long brown hair, huge green eyes and an unusual blue circle on her forehead had been seen. Luminara and I searched far and wide ourselves. Master Obi-wan, another close friend to Shanti, spoke with his many contacts. But we still could not find her. I could sense her with the force. Faint, and far away, but alive. Getting fainter, as if getting farther away…

Eventually the council came to the decision that the bounty hunter must have killed her while onboard his ship. We did not see her for two years. Even I could no longer deny that the little girl I had saved from a near death, trained and took under my wing, and loved as my own family (though very secretly) was gone. She was the fourth Padawan I lost in the months came just before or after attaining knighthood.


A/N: Yes, this story will have a bit of Shanti+Luminara on the side. What's a story without a little bit of romance?