Chapter 19 - Meeting (Teagan)
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. We only own the characters we have invented from Earth. =)
Author's Note: WARNING! This chapter has a terrible cliffhanger, so you may wish to wait until Friday when Chapter 20 is released. ^-^ Don't say I didn't warn ya! :D xD
~ Amina Gila.
I can hardly believe it. The day of the meeting is finally here. I've never been more excited in my life. The winter break in December of 2019 is finally here. It's the last day of the month, and since all our friends are temporarily out of school, we decided to arrange a meeting during our spare time. To my immense joy, almost everyone was able to make travel plans to be in the area at the same day. We'll be meeting at our house.
These past six months have been the best time in my life by far. Anakin and Obi-Wan come regularly to train us. Even Ahsoka and Qui-Gon's Force ghost comes through sometimes. We've talked to him enough that I've found myself wishing that he weren't dead. We've also gone to visit the Star Wars dimension around once a week after meeting Ahsoka, and sometimes more frequently to go on missions. I've noticed that each time we cross dimensions, it's becoming easier. Either we're pulling the two dimensions closer, or we're becoming more skilled at dimension travel.
I also can't believe we're Jedi Knights now. The Council agreed that even though we have much room for improvement, we had attained the necessary skills. We're incredibly proficient with our lightsabers, much to Asiya's delight, even though she still isn't certain she believes us. All of us have matching blue blades. Our skills and strength in the Force are high. While we're not nearly as powerful as Anakin, we're some of the strongest Force sensitives in the galaxy.
I sigh happily. I never could have dreamed we'd have such peaceful, happy times. It's more than made up for the conflicted life we've had. It's almost too good to be true, but it is true. I can reassure myself of it simply by touching the hilt of the lightsaber at my waist.
My mind soon turns back to the rapidly approaching meeting. The three of us are waiting outside on the deck, along with Anakin and Obi-Wan, watching for the first arrivals who should be here any minute. Ahsoka wasn't able to make it, but I hope she'll be able to meet everyone a different time. Besides, we don't need any of our friends fainting from seeing a Togruta out on the deck. Even though we told them about everything, the only one who believes us is Evelyn. Predictably, Mark, Matt, and Edgar – though the latter was less vocal – decided we'd become too obsessed with Star Wars, so we were trying – and failing – to pull a prank on everyone.
I shift around excitedly, desperately waiting for someone to show up. Asiya is coming with her mother, as is Leanora. The latter is an old friend who we lost contact with for a period of time. We finally found her during the past six months, discovering, to our surprise, that she's Lance's younger sister. It took some persuading, but her parents agreed to let her meet us with her mother and brother.
As I remember our old friends, a flicker of sadness permeates my otherwise happy mood, and I remember Serenity. We'd lost contact with her a long time ago, a while before we crossed dimensions. It's been almost a year since we last heard from her. She should be here with us, with everyone, but she's not. I don't know if we'll ever find her again. I certainly hope so. I can't explain what drew us to her. She was special, unique in a way I can't really describe. All four of us were so close. Perhaps it was the loss of our older sister, who was, in many ways, like Serenity, which brought us together.
Cashmere, who will be coming her mother also, should be here soon too. I suspect Mark will be coming alone, since Matt was busy with some other activities and was therefore unable to attend. Hopefully, part of it wasn't due to our so-called "prank". Evelyn will be coming with her older brother, Jake. We don't know him well, though she's talked about him a lot. Edgar is bringing his older brother, Gabriel, who we also don't know.
Despite the cold and snow, we're holding the meeting on the deck since there's not enough room inside. I pace back and forth urging the time to pass faster. That's when I hear the sound of a car approaching. I reach out, feeling the presence immediately. Asiya's here. I restrain the squeal of excitement that tries to escape, unable to believe we'll really be seeing our little sister for the first time in years.
We bound down the stairs and across the gravel path to the parking area out back. Asiya leaps out of the car the second it stops, while her mother gets out a little more respectably. Asiya looks just how I remember, though she's now much older. The same long black hair and dark brown eyes sparkling with life.
"Hi Asiya!" we call excitedly, almost in unison.
"Hey sisters!" she grins at us.
"I can hardly believe this is happening," exclaims Ramona as we start hugging each other. I missed knowing Asiya in real life. She always knows how to cheer us up. Having seen or heard the arrivals, our grandmother walks out of the house to greet Asiya's mother.
"Hopefully you can tell us apart still," I smirk, knowing that almost everyone we meet has a hard time in the beginning, especially with Ramona and I.
"Maybe," she replies with a grin, "But just tell me so I don't start calling you the wrong names."
"Are you ready to meet Anakin and Obi-Wan?" Ariana pipes us cheerfully, after we ensure she remembers who we are. She raises an eyebrow is disbelief, but still nods. Ariana squeals and races towards the deck, almost falling when she skids in the snow.
"Asiya's here!" yells Ramona as she dashes up the stairs leading to the higher deck level and interrupting Anakin and Obi-Wan in the middle of whatever discussion they were having.
"The little sister I've always been hearing about," smirks Anakin, turning around to face her. Asiya comes to stop, eyes widening when she sees them.
"You're Anakin," she states pointing at him, "And you're Obi-Wan."
"For someone who hardly knows anything about Star Wars, you're surprisingly perceptive of the identities of important people," replies Anakin, his smirk growing.
"Everyone knows what you both look like," Asiya retorts, crossing her arms.
"Great. Anakin, it looks like we're the heroes in two galaxies," Obi-Wan inserts, an amused look sparkling in his eyes as he glances at his brother.
Anakin snorts, rolling his eyes, "Just what I was hoping for."
"That's why you can't go to any public places dressed like that," Ariana adds, giving Anakin a look, "You know that."
"No one wears clothes like that," Asiya agrees, "If someone saw you, they'd think you were Martians!" I laugh quietly at her words.
"You mean Jedi," Anakin and Obi-Wan chorus in the same tone. They glance at each other, and everyone erupts into laughter.
"Good point," I chuckle. Asiya's taking this surprisingly calmly. Either it's because she's still not one hundred percent convinced that they're real, or because she already was beginning to think we were telling the truth. Many a combination of both. More likely the latter, because she did see Anakin in that video call some time ago.
"You're a very strong Force sensitive," remarks Ariana as everyone calms down.
"Really?" asks Asiya, surprised.
"It's kind of the same as being an empath," I tell her.
"Strong enough to be trained, for sure," adds Ramona.
"You mean I could be a Jedi?" queries Asiya, skeptically.
"Yes, if the Council agreed to train you," interjects Obi-Wan, smiling.
The sound of another approaching vehicle distracts me from the conversation. A quick touch with the Force confirms their identities. Jake and Evelyn. We dart down the stairs to the lower patio as he gets out of the driver's side, and she leaps out of the passenger's side. I look between them. They look really similar, with almost identical dark brown hair and eyes. I race over to greet them along with my sisters and Asiya.
"Hi everyone!" hollers Evelyn, happily. They both pause for a moment and glance between us.
"So, you three are the sisters, and you are Asiya, right?" Jake asks, looking between the four of us. He's never seen pictures of any of us before, unlike we have for them, but it's quite clear who's who. We all nod.
"Where are they?" demands Evelyn, eyes gleaming with excitement. Of course, I know who she's asking about.
"On the deck," Ramona tells her as we lead the group up there. I almost laugh at the expression of shock on Jake's face. It's completely comical. Of course, he never believed that Star Wars was real. Evelyn lets out a squeal before rushing forward and throwing her arms around Anakin, who looks decidedly uncomfortable.
Obi-Wan laughs. "You sure get all the attention, Anakin," he teases.
"Shut up," mutters Anakin, extricating himself from Evelyn's grasp as quickly as possible.
As we all exchange greetings and introductions, Jake begins to get over his shock. That's when I sense Mark approaching. It's been a couple years since we've seen him, and I can hardly wait. I can almost feel Ariana's nervousness radiating into the Force in addition to her excitement. She's trying to look calm, but I don't think she's fooling anyone. Maybe I just know her too well.
"Just breathe," Anakin advises Ariana, a knowing smirk on his face. He clearly notices and probably understands how she's feeling. Her only response is a sigh, eyes flicking towards him for a brief instant.
"At least you breathe because your sister can't," Anakin continues, turning towards Ramona who's standing next to him. When the unmistakable sound of a vehicle reaches my ears, I hurry towards the parking area to go greet Mark with my sisters and Asiya.
Asiya pushes in front of us. She's by far the most eager to see him. She hasn't seen him since the year she last saw us. It takes a few minutes to exchange all the hellos, hugs, and "how are you"s. I notice that Ariana seems to be desperately trying not to show her feelings for Mark, and I think she's succeeding, especially since she's the first to ask the question.
"Are you ready to go meet Anakin and Obi-Wan now?"
"You're all way too obsessed with this," sighs Mark, rolling his eyes in exaggerated exasperation.
"Come and see for yourself," advises Asiya, an amused grin on her face. Right on cue, Anakin walks up, possibly trying to see what was taking us so long to return to the excellent perch on the deck.
I'm forced to hold back laughter at the way Mark's expression immediately transforms to complete shock and denial. "This is impossible. You aren't real!" he cries, staring at Anakin.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing," smirks Anakin, quoting from one of the clips we showed him. Everyone erupts into laughter except Mark who seems to be trying to decide if Anakin is real or not. I suspect he's trying to accept the truth, because it's hard to deny that Anakin is real.
"You're a strong Force sensitive," Ariana comments as she finally calms down. I'm not sure if she's simply determined to raise the topic with everyone, or if she said it to start an argument with Mark, since she knows what his reaction will be.
"I am not Force sensitive," he retorts, looking somewhat agitated.
"Yes, you are," Anakin replies.
"No, I'm not. That's not even real," he grumbles. I want to groan. We've already had this argument several times online. We don't need to have it again. I wish he weren't so determined to believe the Force isn't real, although I suppose it won't be easy for him to accept, since he doesn't believe in anything paranormal.
Ariana's expression says, "Oh really?" Smirking, she raises her hand towards a nearby leaf. It floats off the ground in a way proving it's not the wind.
We head back towards the deck but are interrupted by the sound of more approaching vehicles before we can continue the argument with Mark. I turn to the parking area once more with my sisters. The others opt to remain on the deck talking to each other. Cashmere arrives. Her mother drops her off before leaving to do something else in the area.
As Ramona directs Cashmere to the deck, I feel another approaching presence. It's familiar, yet one I've never felt so clearly before. "Lance is coming!" Ariana exclaims, recognizing him at the same moment as I do.
Asiya darts down the stairs to join us. She's been extremely eager to meet him for real. When the car parks, Lance and Lea get out. Their mother goes to greet our grandmother and strikes up a conversation with her and Asiya's mother.
"I can't believe we're really meeting!" squeals Leanora, throwing her arms around Ariana before turning towards Ramona and I. "I didn't think it would ever happen!"
By the time we've finished introducing ourselves, because they have a hard time telling us apart, Edgar and Gabriel have arrived.
"Come on, let's go to join the others," suggests Ramona.
"Jake, Evelyn, Cashmere, and Leanora are all Force-sensitive also," comments Ariana, once all the introductions and initial greetings are complete.
"Can I be trained?" asks Evelyn dreamily.
"If the Council allows it," Ramona offers, "And if your parents don't mind."
"I want to be," she declares emphatically.
"Me too," agrees Asiya hastily. Well that's a shock. I always knew she'd come around someday.
"I'd have to think about it," frowns Jake. He still seems slightly shocked over the reality of Star Wars.
"I'll have to think about it also," adds Cashmere. "My parents will probably agree, but I'm not sure if I really want to be trained."
"You have plenty of time to decide," Ariana assures her. "We can't even be certain that the Council will agree to let you be trained."
"I really want to be trained, but I'm not sure that my parents would agree," frowns Leanora.
"Ask Lance to give you backup support," I suggest with a grin. I know he's good with negotiating.
"That would definitely help," agrees Ramona.
"I'll be happy to talk to Dad and Mom with you," Lance promises his sister with a smile, "Once we go over all the risks and benefits, I think they'll agree."
"So, we're the only family here with no one who's Force sensitive?" asks Edgar, not sounding particularly concerned.
"I guess so," I reply.
"Well that's fine, I suppose," he replies cheerfully, "The only drawback is that now I know I'll never have the superpower I've always wanted: the ability to mind-control bugs." Everyone bursts into laughter. Edgar had often joked with the three of us that if he ever had a superpower, he'd want that ability.
"I think that's enough about Jedi business," Ariana decides finally, possibly noticing how irritated Mark seems to be. "Let's just have a meeting and talk about something else." She glances around, finally turning to Lance. "How's your book coming?"
With the topic successfully changed, everyone starts talking. I'm engrossed in a discussion with Asiya and Cashmere about a potential snowball fight when I sense a disturbance in the Force. It's growing greater in intensity and reminds me of a feeling I got a few months ago of a growing darkness. I hadn't taken the time to think about my intuitive feeling because everything was – is – so positive, but now, I'm being harshly reminded of it once again.
I shift uncertainly, realizing that the disturbance is only growing greater. I remember Ariana telling me a couple weeks ago that she sensed some darkness on the planned meeting day. Originally, we'd thought that someone might not be able to make it, but clearly, that prediction was incorrect. The Force is practically warning us that whatever will be happening, will occur in only seconds.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan comments, a guarded expression on his face as he looks at the three of us and Anakin. He looks almost the way he does before a battle.
"I sense it too," replies Anakin, worry coloring his tone.
"Me too!" my sisters and I exclaim in unison. My hand inches towards my lightsaber when I see Anakin's doing likewise. He might think with his lightsaber a lot of times, but if we're going to have trouble, I don't want to be unprepared.
Ariana spins around to face the others. "If anything happens, stay back! And that includes you, Mark," she adds, giving him a no-nonsense look.
Everyone stands in a motionless silence, looking warily at one another, unsure what to expect. The three of us, Anakin, and Obi-Wan have the best idea what's happening, since our skills are so well honed. The disturbance in the Force is increasing by the second. A thrill of genuine fear floods me when I feel an all too familiar shift. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of rainbow light blinds me.
It fades, leaving behind two newcomers. I stare at them with mounting horror as it registers who and what they are. Even with his hood up, the glaring yellow eyes and red and black striped markings crossing his face are all too familiar. Darth Maul. I thought he was killed on Naboo! We made sure of it as best we could, so how can he be standing before us?
I finally manage to turn my eyes to the other male. The glowing yellow eyes and red tattoo like markings that cross his otherwise greyish white face identify him beyond a shadow of a doubt as a certain Pau'an male. The Grand Inquisitor.