"And, as the concluding topic of today's Council meeting, Master Ti, we have some news for you."

Shaak Ti glanced at Mace, who had made the announcement, and then at Yoda, who seemed slightly anxious. It was unusual for the shriveled little alien to be so antsy, so Shaak Ti was interested to know what was going on. Kit also looked slightly intrigued; but, then again, Kit rarely payed attention during the Council meetings. He was notorious for either sleeping through the meetings, or just skipping them. Shaak Ti wasn't surprised that he seemed like the last to know, like her.

"Wish for you to take on a new Padawan, we do," Yoda said, after no one else spoke up. "Re-assign Ahsoka, we feel we must."

Shaak Ti's brow furrowed in confusion. "But, why?" she asked. "Have I not done a good job in training her?"

"Too good," Mace said slowly. "Now that she can handle herself, we feel that she can be reassigned to a new master-or Knight, in this case."

"We feel that Anakin Skywalker could use a Padawan, to help him let go of his persistent problem with attachment," Ki-Adi said. "And, he needs something to ground him, and teach him responsibility. Since you have trained Ahsoka so well, she can tolerate and handle well a few mistakes from her mentor."

"Will they get along?" Shaak Ti questioned, leaning forward and bracing her elbows on her knees. Her hands folded, and she continued: "Anakin's and Ahsoka's personalities seem like they would clash pretty violently. And didn't Anakin say he would never take a Padawan?"

Kit offered a small smile. "I get it," he said. "This is to show him who's boss! Nice one, Master Yoda."

Yoda gave Kit a sharp glare. "Careful, you must be as well, master Fisto," the ancient master warned. "Otherwise, give you a Padawan, I will."

Kit sighed. "Ah, and I have lost the battle," he said dramatically. "Well, I concede defeat. And so, you were saying?"

Yoda "hmphed," in annoyance, but said nothing further on the matter. He knew Kit wouldn't take him seriously, anyway. "Master Ti, found a new Padawan for you, we already have," he said. "She is a Twi'lek twelve years of age, and she is looking forward to becoming your Padawan. Admired you for years, she has. Her name is Electa Semperium."

Shaak Ti's interest had been caught. A new Padawan? And this one sounded much less…well, it sounded like she wouldn't keep Shaak Ti on her toes as much. "When will I meet her?" Shaak Ti asked. Yoda offered a small smile.

"Waiting outside for you, she is."

Shaak Ti exhaled slowly. "Alright, then," she said. "If that's all…?"

Yoda nodded. "Over, today's meeting is. Dismissed, you all are."

Shaak Ti was the first to stand up, and Yoda was the last. Everyone murmured their own goodbyes, and they all filed out at their own pace. Shaak Ti was the last one out; she stood in the room for a moment, taking a deep breath and straightening herself out. Finally, she walked out of the Council room, the doors swishing shut behind her. As she walked out, she caught sight of a young Twi'lek sitting next to the door, looking downcast and almost depressed. Shaak Ti made a mental note to find out what was wrong, once she and the young girl had a proper introduction. "Are you alright?" she asked, walking over to the girl. She couldn't help but look concerned as she did so: the girl was sitting on the floor, head down, staring at her outstretched feet with her hands folded in her lap.

"Yeah," she said. "Kind of…" She looked up, and suddenly seemed to be startled. "Master Ti-! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…!" The girl jumped to her feet, and Shaak Ti stepped back. "I'm your new Padawan, Master Ti. My name is Electa; Electa Semperium." Electa dropped into a deep, formal bow, rising again slowly to meet Shaak Ti's eyes. "Master Yoda told me I was to go with you, and train with you…"

Shaak Ti nodded, slightly in shock. "Of course," she said, taking in the girl's full appearance. She was wearing a long brown skirt, parted down both sides at the knee. She was wearing knee-high boots, and a sleeveless black top. A utility belt rested across her hips, holding several pouches and her lightsaber. She wasn't extremely tall: the top of her head barely reached Shaak Ti's collarbone. She was gray in color, and her lekku were abnormally long: they almost reached her rump. Shaak Ti finally shook herself, and took a step sideways.

"Come," she said. "I need to let my current Padawan know what's going on…"

Electa nodded, and eagerly rushed to Shaak Ti's side. She walked beside the Togruta as she led her to the apartment Shaak Ti was currently living in. Ahsoka answered the door at Shaak Ti's gentle knock, and a look of confusion soon glazed her face as she caught sight of Electa. Shaak Ti took a deep breath, trying to think of something to say.

"Master Yoda came by and let me know, but I still expected someone..."

"Older?" Electa offered. She smiled, trying to get on Ahsoka's good side. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Ahsoka nodded and stepped aside, saying, "Come on, you two. We need to figure out what's going on! And besides, Master Ti, you need to make me dinner. It's already six, and I can't make pizza, or anything!!"

Shaak Ti felt a sad smile come across her face. She was going to miss Ahsoka, but she had to let her go. It was time to move on. "Ahsoka, I'm definitely going to miss you," she said, stepping into her apartment and gesturing Electa in after her. Ahsoka closed the door, and the two Togruta continued in ahead, Electa tagging along behind. "But I think that you'll do well with your new master."

"Anakin?" Ahsoka said. "Well, he's cool, and all, but…"

"But what?" Shaak Ti asked, looking down at her young charge. Ahsoka's head lowered slightly. Shaak Ti sighed. She was almost one hundred percent certain that she knew what was going on at the moment. "He's not me. You're worried you won't get along. You're worried he might not understand you, as a growing young girl. You don't know what he'll be like; how he'll look at you, how he'll train you, if he'll be sympathetic, and so on and so forth…?"

Ahsoka merely nodded. There was still something else, nagging at the back of her mind…

"You'll miss me."

There it was: Shaak Ti caught the slight, affirmative bob of Ahsoka's head as she nodded, ever so slightly. Shaak Ti smiled gently, knowing that it was best to simply tell Ahsoka the truth. "I'll miss you, too," she said, "But you need to let go. A Jedi does not suffer attachment. Don't think that it's easy, and you're weak: quite the opposite. Ahsoka, you are a strong, independent girl; you'll do fabulously as Anakin's new Padawan. You might even teach him a thing or two." Shaak Ti smiled at Ahsoka, patting the top of her head-right between her horns. "I believe in you. Don't prove me wrong!"

Ahsoka smiled, seeming much more encouraged. "Thanks," she said softly. "I guess…"

"Tomorrow is when you leave," Shaak Ti said. "Worry about goodbyes then. Master Yoda is sending you on a mission to give Anakin some information, so you'll break it to him then. For now…how about your favorite dinner?"

"Microwave pizza and applesauce?"

"Go for it."

"Yes!"

Electa cringed, and gingerly poked at her lekku. "I think something broke in there," she muttered. Shaak Ti smiled.

"You'll get used to it."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Ahsoka stood at the door, a large bag with her clothes in it slung over one shoulder and a much smaller bag of her belongings in the other. Such consisted of several sticks of incense, a stuffed teddy bear, her lightsaber, a few tools for around-the-apartment jobs, and a few other such items. Shaak Ti and Electa were standing awkwardly next to each other, each trying to find the right thing to say. It seemed nothing would make the moment any easier to bear, but it was worth a shot.

"Well…" Shaak Ti started, "Ahsoka…I'm gonna miss you. I'll try to stop by and say hi every now and then…okay?"

Ahsoka nodded. She began chewing on her lower lip, looking down and shuffling her feet a bit. "Well…see ya…"

Shaak Ti nodded, and Ahsoka slowly opened the door. She stepped outside, and the door softly closed again. Shaak Ti sighed, walking back into the apartment. She could hear the voice of Yoda outside the door, and then Ahsoka's. Then, the voices slowly faded, and Shaak Ti knew they were gone. She walked into the kitchen, sinking down into a chair at the table with a long, slow exhale. She let her right arm flop down to the table's smooth, shiny surface, and the other she used to prop up her head. The older Togruta let out a small sigh, and she began tapping her long-ish nails on the table. Electa watched her for a moment, concerned, before walking over to Shaak Ti and sitting down with her.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Sooner or later," Shaak Ti grumbled. "Just give me a tub of ice cream, a really big spoon, and a little time, and I'll be fine."

Electa offered a small smile, and leaned forward, onto the table. "You want chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry?"

"I like chocolate."

Electa laughed, and Shaak Ti couldn't help a small smile. "Come on," she said, standing up again. "I want to spar with you."

One of Shaak Ti's brows arched. "Why?" she asked. But, despite her apparent lack of interest, she sat up a bit, and her other arm fell from her head to the table to rest just behind the other one.

"I want to show you what I can do," Electa said. "I want to make sure you know what you're getting into with me, and also, I want to know what you think of me."

Shaak Ti sighed, but stood up and offered Electa a small smile. "Fine," she said. "But I warn you, Makashi ad Ataru form a deadly combination."

Electa smiled. "Soresu," she said lightly. "Nothing too fancy. Bu I wanted to learn Makashi, so getting placed with you was probably a good thing."

Shaak Ti motioned Electa after her, and headed or the door. "Come on," she said. "Training room is probably better for a lightsaber spar."

OOOOOOOOOO

Shaak Ti walked through the door to the training room, armed with only her lightsaber, her brain, and the Force. Electa walked through after her, pausing to wait for Shaak Ti as the Togruta flicked on the lights. Then, the two proceeded into the room, the heavy doors closing behind them both with a slam. Shaak Ti walked into the room, stopping in the center and waiting for Electa. The young Twi'lek moved a bi more slowly, looking around and getting her bearings in the room. The room was huge-the ceiling must have been forty feet up, and vaulted, to boot! The entire room was the size of a standard gymnasium, and shaped like one, too. Shaak Ti stepped back a bit as Electa moved into position, taking her lightsaber from her belt and dropping her outer robe. "Do you know the proper salute for the Makashi style?" Shaak Ti asked, igniting her lightsaber.

"I think so," Electa said, taking her own lightsaber into hand. A blue blade sprang out, and Shaak Ti proceeded with the formal Makashi salute. Electa returned it, although somewhat haltingly, and Shaak Ti credited her with a smile.

"A little rocky, but we'll fix that by the end of this week. And now-" Shaak Ti dove right into the battle, blue blade swinging left, right, up and down with deadly accuracy. Electa's Soresu was serving her well to block Shaak Ti's attacks, but she knew her master was holding back. She was certain that if Shaak Ti fought at her full potential, she would have already lost the fight. "Come on!" Shaak Ti said, motioning her new Padawan forward. "I'm holding back so you can show me your skills! Attack me!" Electa's eyes narrowed in determination, and she leapt forward, suddenly invigorated with strength anew. Shaak Ti would occasionally make a mental note to herself-help over-swing, correct hesitation in the underhand chop, re-arrange double strike…Electa was doing well, but Shaak Ti knew there was room for improvement-and a new style. After several minutes of non-stop sparring, Electa was breathing hard, and her steps were growing weary. Shaak Ti, on the other hand, had hardly broken a sweat. She Finally dove in, pointing her lightsaber straight at Electa's chest and pronouncing: "Dead." Electa held up her hand sin defeat, smiling as she did so and deactivating her lightsaber.

"Obviously, I won," she said, and Shaak Ti stepped back, blue blade racing back into the lightsaber's handle. "But you did extremely well. I think I have an idea of your skills now. Don't worry; we'll spar maybe four times a week? Just to keep things interesting. Don't worry-you'll get your share of action."

Electa smiled to herself, secretly teeming with elation. She had seen Shaak Ti smiling! Maybe…maybe there was hope for her and her new master after all…

The door opened, and mace Windu walked through.

Shaak Ti froze in her tracks.

A/N: Cliffy! Big one coming up…review, or you never see it!! The next chapter is going to be KILLER!! : )