Master Cara was so busy trying to figure out the communication system that she didn't notice her former master walk up to her desk.

"Cara? What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey, master. I take it you didn't hear that Ashley's in the medical bay. I'm trying to figure out how she runs this system again. What a Wednesday," she replied.

"She does seem to have a knack for it. I better go see how she's doing."

"Master, do you know how to transfer calls? I think I disconnected the same person three times by accident. I'm surprised they didn't call back to swear at me."

"Let me see if I remember. You touch the blue button to transfer the call and then dial the extension or press one of these gray buttons on the side."

"That's what I forgot to do! Thanks."


Inside the medical bay, Knight Ashley rested in a bed as Knight Rachel checked her vital signs. Both turned to look at the door as the Grand Master walked in.

"How is she?" he asked.

"You can tell him," Ashley told the healer.

"It's not as bad as the last time. She'll be fine. But the IV medication I had to give her makes her drowsy. So, she'll have to stay here and rest until tomorrow morning," Rachel replied.

"Alright. Ashley, were you able to prepare those transfer documents?" he asked her.

"Thankfully, yes. I know if I hadn't you'd probably be going crazy right now."

"We'd manage. We always find a way to hold the fort down. Just rest up. I'll see you soon."

"Don't worry, cuz. I'll make sure you're ready for tomorrow," Knight Rachel said. Satisfied with her latest medical scan, she put her datapad down and double-checked Ashley's IV. Ashley slowly closed her eyes. Of all the days to be in the medical bay, today was probably one of the worst days due to final exams.


In the sparring chamber, Madame Andrews evaluated her class' sparring techniques. Since their retreat, she introduced a few advanced moves to better prepare them for learning the other forms of lightsaber combat.

"Molly, that was a good job, but you want to hold your blade so that it makes a 45-degree angle. Let me show you," she said. She then took Molly's hands and adjusted them to the proper position.

"See, with this angle, it's easier to attack, parry, or slash. It gives you more options."

Molly nodded as the period-ending chime sounded.

"Okay. Good job, everyone. After lunch, it's time for your final two academic exams of the semester."


"Enter," the Grand Master said. He already knew who was waiting to see him.

"You asked to see me, master?" Marina stated with noticeable uncertainty.

"Yes. I understand you're taking your trials interspersed with your academic exams."

Marina nodded.

"I've been asked to administer your Trial of Skill. Let's go the sparring chamber. Your proctor should be there waiting for us."

"Do I have to defeat you?" Marina asked. In her mind, if that was the purpose of the trial, she didn't stand much of a chance against her opponent or opponents if she would have to duel both masters.

The Grand Master chuckled. "That's not how it works. You understand, I can't tell you too much about the trial, but this is your chance to show your dueling abilities and showcase any advanced techniques you've learned during your training. I will give you one small hint: we'll be evaluating both your offensive and defensive skills."

"Oh. That doesn't sound too bad."

"Trust me, you will be tested. I know the past year has been rough on you, but I'm confident you'll do fine if you're focused and mindful of the task at hand."

Marina nodded. She remained anxious, but she was determined not to disappoint her superiors.


Madame Andrews walked up and down past her students. It wouldn't be long before another semester ended, apart from those who chose to take summer classes.

Sarah looked at her paper. Her English exam was a written one this semester. She looked again at the sentence "Get off my back." She tried to think back to the lesson that introduced how to diagram sentences. Satisfied she remembered the lesson, she began to write down her answer.

As Madame Andrews checked the time, she saw that it wouldn't be long before time was up. She was disappointed one of her students was leaving the class after today. However, there was nothing she could do about it. From what she was told, one of his parents accepted a new job out-of-state, requiring the family to relocate.

One by one, students slowly completed their exams. Sarah finally put down her pencil after looking over her exam papers one last time. She could only hope she did as well as she did with her more favorite academic subjects.

As the final dismissal chime sounded, Madame Andrews spoke to her students one last time.

"Class, I hope you did well, and I'll see you again in the fall. Have a good summer, everyone. Brian, may I see you please," she said.

Normally, the teacher asking to see a student would result in teasing comments. However, the class knew Brian was leaving and had a special going-away gathering at lunch time.

Once Brian was alone with Madame Andrews, she handed him a small data cartridge.

"Here are your transfer records. From what I hear, there's a Jedi Order in your new hometown. I hope this will be what they need to admit you and continue your lessons where you've left off."

"Thanks. I'm gonna miss everyone," Brian replied.

"If you ever end up back here for any reason, don't be a stranger – especially once you're knighted."

Brian smiled. "We'll see." He then turned and left the classroom for the final time.


Marina extinguished her training saber. As she looked down, she felt perspiration running down her neck. Undoubtedly, this was one of her most rigorous spars to date.

The Grand Master began to record the items he made note of during the trial.

"Masters, if I may ask, what did you think?" Marina asked nervously.

"Your defense is strong. That's for sure. A couple of times, you seemed tentative on offense. However, that seemed more out of nervousness than anything. You may wish to spar on your own to be sure it's not a matter of poor mechanics," the Grand Master replied.

"If I may, I believe she felt a bit awkward being asked to duel if you were an enemy. She's far from being the only padawan that felt that way," Master Cal interjected.

"That may very well be. Still, despite my observations, she's shown enough skill to hold her own. Would you agree she's demonstrated sufficient ability to pass her trial?"

"I do."

"In that case, I shall report to the council that Padawan Marina has received credit for passing her Trial of Skill. You may wish to return to your quarters and freshen up before you do anything else, padawan."

Marina gave a wide smile. "Thanks, masters!" she exclaimed happily before she left the chamber.

"She has every right to be happy. One more trial stands between her and knighthood," Master Cal stated.

"True. But I only hope she's prepared for the possibility her Trial of Spirit may be much more unpleasant than anything she's ever faced," the Grand Master replied.

"I'm sure that I've done my best to prepare her for that."

"Perhaps. But whoever proctors her trial needs to be ready to support her in case it breaks her spirit instead of strengthening it."


Two days later, Ahsoka sighed. As much as she wanted to surprise her husband for her birthday, she knew that it was difficult to surprise any Jedi, especially when he already knew to where she was driving both him and Sarah.

"Showing me the ship is a birthday present to me?" he asked with a slight hint of confusion.

"Just wait and see. I know it's hard, but please to be somewhat surprised with what I've planned for you," she replied.

A short time later, they reached their destination and reached the hangar. Ahsoka slowly pulled open the door.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked.

Both Sarah and her father looked at Ahsoka's ship. The sides now sported wings instead of the gaping holes that were there ever since Ahsoka first arrived on Earth in a damaged ship. Her husband couldn't help thinking that between all of Ahsoka's hard work and the efforts of the manufacturing group, the ship might look better now than when it was first built.

"I tell you what, you'd never know it was smashed up just from looking at the outside," he finally told his wife.

Ahsoka removed a small fob from her belt pouch and used it to open the gangway. "Come on in," she told her husband and daughter.

Sarah quickly ran up the gangway. She was eager to see what it looked like without loose wires and components strewn about.

Her husband slowly looked around. The navigation area up front had an impressive array of knobs, switches, and display panels. Despite being a smaller ship, he noticed what looked like a built-in bench in the back as he turned around.

"In case we need to transport something – or someone," Ahsoka explained.

He then noticed another door with strange characters. He realized it was the written language from Ahsoka's former galaxy. He pulled out his datapad to load the translation module, but Ahsoka stopped him.

"It says 'Refresher' – what we call a bathroom."

"Perhaps you can include that below for anyone who thinks those letters are gibberish."

"I'll think about it."

Ahsoka showed off various compartments and showed where the medical supplies and fire extinguisher were stored.

"Very good. Very good. But you're not offering this as my birthday present are you?"

"Of course not. I mean, if the order needs it, I'm sure I'd be happy to lend it to whoever needs to fly it, but I have something else planned. Come and sit down, you two," Ahsoka replied.

As Sarah and her husband sat down in the copilot chairs, Ahsoka sat down in the pilot's chair and sighed happily. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time. She powered up the ship and the various controls systems and electronics powered up perfectly. Ahsoka fiddled with various knobs and switches and activated her communications system.

"This is Shili-1 requesting permission to take off," Ahsoka requested.

"Shili-1 you are clear to taxi to runway Alpha-2 for takeoff. Have a safe flight," a voice on the other end responded.

"Interesting name," her husband stated seriously.

"I didn't know what else to call it," Ahsoka replied with a grin.

"And this is roomier," her husband deadpanned.

Ahsoka cracked a wry grin before she completed her takeoff. Although she had made a brief solo flight a few days earlier, she was proud to fly her ship with her family along for the ride. As she ascended above the cityscape, her husband and Sarah enjoyed looking down at various places and landmarks from their overhead perspective.

Ahsoka turned to her husband and said, "The ride is what was meant to be your birthday present. Happy birthday, honey."

Sarah turned to hug her father, but her safety harness prevented it. Still, it didn't stop her from saying, "Happy birthday, father."

"Thanks, you two," he told them.

After returning the ship back to the hangar, Ahsoka asked Sarah to wait for her outside the ship.

"What's up?" her husband asked.

"Did you like the flight?"

"Yes, but I sense that's not what you want to tell me... and say without Sarah in earshot."

Ahsoka took a deep breath. She didn't know how her husband would react to what she had to say next.

"I want to go back – not permanently or anything – just to see what it's like," she finally said.

Her husband's jaw slowly dropped.

"Are you sure that's safe to do? I don't want you to be detected on arrival and killed on the spot or something."

"All I want to do is take a quick look around and come right back. I'll be fine."

"I … I don't want to lose you. Sarah needs you. I need you."

"And I need to do this for me. But we can talk about it later. It's almost time for our dinner reservations."

Her husband offered his arm and Ahsoka entwined her own in his as they walked down the gangway.

"C'mon, Sarah, lets go have dinner," Ahsoka said. ▄