After Anakin is done...
"Hey, Snips, I'm done." he says to Ahsoka. What will she think?
"Thanks, Skyguy. Did my comlink beep? When we have our bond, it helps stop it from taking over or trying to do who knows what Sith tricks to my brain. My mind feels a lot clearer." They are both happy.
"Comlink didn't beep." Oh, good.
Ahsoka takes the turbo-lift, then walks with Anakin to the library of Jedi stuff she'd collected over the course of the Purge. "You and Leia are welcome to check this out, just put stuff back, as I otherwise will have a harder time keeping this whole plot hidden."
"Okay. Can you let Leia explore?"
"After Mara's done dealing with Shaak Ti. I'm using Shaak as Mara's force healing lesson."
"Okay."
"I'm going to let you explore, within limits, and I'll go do some training." Anakin thinks about asking to train with her, but then decides not to push his already very good luck. He doesn't want to risk getting hurt if Ahsoka gets mad. Anakin sticks around in the library, as Ahsoka goes to the training area and brings out her favorite dueling droid, CC-3, or CeeCee. Ahsoka ignites her new purple and yellow-green lightsabers and does a few warmup katas on training mode. While she had officially gotten rid of training mode on these, as Sith didn't use a low power mode, Ahsoka unofficially re-added it, as she liked it for training with CeeCee and warmups.
Ahsoka's POV
One. Two Three. Four. Four. Three. Two. One. Done with Kata 7 at last. I use the Force to power on CeeCee in Jedi Master mode, and start sparring. Jedi Master mode was one level below the max level, and was good training for dealing with my Sith Master. I beat the droid after a bit, then pause to catch my breath. I reach out through my bond to Mara and sense that she's still working on Force Healing.
Meanwhile, Anakin's POV
I sit in the dimly lit library, holding a meditation crystal and trying to meditate. It's never been fun, but I've gotten better at it since the Empire rose. In. Out. In. Out. Empty your mind of its thoughts and emotions. In. Out. There is (In.) no emotion, (Out.) there is peace. In. Out.
A bit later, Mara Jade's POV
I finish using the Force to accelerate the healing of Shaak Ti's wounds, and use the Force to drape a blanket over her and give her a pillow from my bag.
"I'm Mara Jade." I say, trying to introduce myself. I'm not as good at the whole 'talking to people' stuff as I am at Force stuff. Social stuff is awkward...
Shaak Ti looks a bit happier, and says "I'm Shaak Ti. Thank you for helping me. Who taught you the Force?"
"I'm Darth Saph's Apprentice. I've been training ever since I was little." I reply.
"Who taught you the light, I mean, young one? Sith teach only the way of darkness and betrayal. Sith don't heal, they instead destroy. Healing is one of many arts of the light, and you seem to be pretty good at it, given everything." Okay, better do a cover story on the fly. At least she can't use the Force to figure out that I'm lying, as she's in these binders that keep her from using the Force.
"I'm older then I look!" I say, protesting being known as a "little one".
"How old are you really?" she asks, looking suspicious at me. I look 13, maybe 14, as I've always been small for my age.
"14, going on 15. But I've been training since I was little, and my Master is impressed with my skills for my age."
"Sorry, Miss Mara. Who taught you the light?" she asks.
"That, I can't tell you. It's hard enough hiding from my Master that I'm helping you. If she discovered you, I don't need her to be able to figure out where I learned the light side from as well. Just trying to stay alive, you know."
I pull a med droid out of my bag, and say "This is KT-2. Don't worry, she can't be used by my Master to figure out that I'm helping you." Shaak nods, and I turn to the droid, which has automatically powered on, and say, "Katie, make sure Shaak Ti recovers." The light gray med droid beeps once, then spins her photo-receptor quickly to locate Shaak Ti, and to confirm that it got the order.
A comlink beeps on my left wrist. Probably a call from my Master. "Bye. I have to go now, my Master's calling me." I use a hidden camera, hidden in my comlink, to get a holostill for my Master.
Shaak Ti replies, "Bye, Mara." I give her one last pulse of warm healing energy before I lower the inner ray shield, step through, reactivate the inner one, then lower the outer one, step through, and reactivate it. When I'm out of Shaak's sight and hearing, I answer the call, showing my Master the holostill of Shaak.
"She doesn't suspect anything, don't worry, Master. I left KT-2 with her to take care of her."
"Good job, my apprentice. Now, you need to go show Leia around. She's in the extra quarters on Level 5. Keep her out of the hanger, our private levels, entry/exit gates, outside, and the underground levels, as well as the dark side artifacts collection on Level 10."
"Okay, Master."
"You can call me Ahsoka, assuming no one loyal to Palpatine is around. I've been training you like a Jedi apprentice since you were a baby, but with some darker teachings, you are allowed to call me by my first name, you know, Marie." When Ahsoka calls me that, it reminds me of when I was little and she'd do my hair fancy. She gave me that nickname…
"Sure, Ahsoka."
Ahsoka smiles and replies, "Leia is a year older than you. She's the kid of my Jedi Master, back before I left the Order. Be nice to each other."
"Okay, Ahsoka. Bye."
"Bye." The call ends. I go to Level 5's quarters and deactivate the ray shields, then introduce myself.
"Hello, Leia. I'm Mara Jade, Ahsoka's apprentice." Leia is sitting up in her bed, and is using her data pad to draw a sketch of something.
"Hello, Mara." Leia replies. She looks nervous, but if I was in her place, I'd be nervous, given everything…
"I thought I'd show you around a bit. If you want to explore, you have to stay out of certain areas, Leia." I say.
"What areas?"
"The hangers, my Master's and my private levels, entry/exit gates, outside, and the underground levels, as well as the dark side artifacts collection on Level 10. Other then that, feel free to explore, but keep your data pad with you, so we can stay in touch and you don't get lost."
Leia gets off her bed and puts on her leather boots and walks slowly with me to my level.
"My Master told me that you're still recovering from Force lightning. Do you want to hold my hand, or lean on me?"I ask in a concerned tone. Ahsoka's shown me how bad Force lightning is. She showed me how to make it and what low-powered versions of it feel like, before telling me about Palpatine doing large amounts of high powered lightning on her every time she failed… That stuff is nasty.
"I should be fine, assuming I don't overwork myself or run into more Force lightning." Leia replies, sounding fine.
"Okay. If you get tired or need a break, let me know, alright?" I don't want her to get hurt, given that she's my Master's former master's kid.
"Okay."
"This is my private level. Mind staying out if I'm not with you, alright?" I say, trying to show Leia around.
"Sounds good."
"Do you want me to do your nails? I have some Nubian Diamond Line polish that Ahsoka got me." Leia might like doing this, and while we wait for them to dry, I can show her some things Ahsoka taught me.
"I really like the Diamond Line. I've only used it a few times, due to it being hard to get that stuff while you're on the run. That sounds great." We walk into my bedroom, which has a bunch of stuff on the floor.
"Sorry about the stuff. It's been a mess for a while."
"Back at our base, mine's just as messy. Mother complains about it, father doesn't mind." I dig through my makeup collection, and find the nail polish section, and then the Nubian Diamond Line. I grab the set Ahsoka gave me, as well as the sealer and glitter, and go to the easy to clean table in the art area, as Ahsoka doesn't like nail polish mess everywhere. Leia follows me around, and we sit down.
"Rest your hands on this box, like this." Leia rests her hand on the box and I use the nail polish brush, and the Force to perfectly paint her nails.
"Let's speed up the drying time by using a hairdryer." I use the Force to grab the hairdryer from the shelving unit Ahsoka had installed to store my art stuff, then turn it on and hold it in place with the Force, as I do Leia's other hand.
After I finish doing the second coat, glitter, and sealer, and they are dry, I put my stuff back, then say, "Do you want to watch a holomovie? My Master, Ahsoka, has blocked the explicit ones, but we can watch most anything else that's appropriate."
"What do you think of the musical Amelia? The one about the founding of the Republic." Leia asks.
"I really like the songs from it. Good plot, as well." I reply.
"Me too!" Leia says, smiling and happier. We go to my bedroom and lay out on my couch as we eat some snacks. The movie makes both of us smile, as we watch the last Hittite holdout be conquered under Alderaan's flag, then Amelia's Coronation. We then see her negotiating the Republic founding treaty, and telling the Kuat Representative to stop fighting with the Camasi Representative. We also hear her famous lines, "We need to work together. Democracy depends on people working together."
After the movie's over, we walk to the training gym.
"Ahsoka says to tell you that you need to work on dissipating Force lightning, and lightsaber skills. She'll be working with you on the first, and I'll spar with you if you want."
"Okay, but let's use training mode, and no force lightning or other dark side tricks. I'm in bad enough shape already, after getting electrocuted."
"Of course. Ahsoka taught me to only ever have my lightsaber at full power when I'm in real danger, never sparring." We walk to the lightsaber cabinet and Leia grabs a lightsaber that seems to call to her in the Force. We walk out to the center of the gym and begin to spar.
Leia's POV
Mara is coming at me with Form Six. I block her blow with a Form Three block that Master Kenobi taught me and remember the map of untrapped holes in a Niman user's defense. I take one, but Mara blocks my blow, and I parry her offensive thrust. I remember that Niman's weaknesses are that it has no true strengths, because it relies on skill and cunning. I then fall into a Makashi stance. Dad and Uncle Obi-Wan were hesitant to teach me this form, but after seeing my strengths of my footwork, they showed me a few moves. I use my precise blade work to get past her guard and beat her.
"You win. Good job.", says Mara.
I reach out in the Force to Dad to make sure he's still okay. He is. Oh, good. Then, Mara's comlink beeps
"This is Mara Jade here." says Mara professionally and calmly.
"Mara, are you and Leia in the training area, ad'ika?" says Ahsoka smiling.
"Yes, she beat me sparring. We used the training sabers and skipped Force tricks." says Mara
"I'll be there soon. Tell Leia that I'll be teaching her Force lightning dissipation, and won't hurt her."
"Bye." says Mara smiling.
"Bye" says Ahsoka. Ahsoka hangs up and Mara puts her comlink back on her black belt.
A few minutes later…
Mara and Leia sense Ahsoka's arrival. Mara is smiling. Leia is nervous but trying to hide it. Ahsoka walks in.
"Hello. Mara, I'm going to be working with Leia by herself, so you can go do something else. Just nothing I'll regret seeing, ad'ika."
"Can I go grab a snack?" asks Mara. She's always hungry after lightsaber practice.
"Sure." replies Ahsoka.
After Mara leaves, Ahsoka walks over to Leia.
"Leia, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to be teaching you mostly the same stuff as Mara for dealing with Force lightning, as your father trusted me enough to do it. I'm going to do really weak Force lightning, so you can work on dissipating it with your hands and your lightsaber. It won't hurt, just feel warm. If you need a break to calm down or it's too much for you, let me know." says Ahsoka seriously. Leia reaches out to her father in the Force and senses that he's still okay and meditating.
Dad, you still okay? Ahsoka claims that you are letting her teach me Force lightning dissipation.
Yes, I'm fine. I want you to learn it and Ahsoka's the best teacher for you around now.
"Understand. I was just confirming my dad really thought it would be safe for me, not just a trap."
"Leia, go stand over by the wall over there." Ahsoka points at the wall across the gym the short way. Leia walks there.
"We're first going to be working on deflecting it with a lightsaber. Use the training lightsaber to catch the Force lightning and use the Force to dissipate it, just like you can learn to do with blaster bolts. I'll go on super low power level and only a little bit, so you can work on it better without being overwhelmed." Leia ignites the blue blade, which is almost the same blue as her own lightsaber. Ahsoka uses her right hand to generate Force lightning. Leia uses the Force to guide the lightning into her blade, seeing with the Force, instead of her eyes to give her better precognition of where the lightning will be. Her brown eyes are half closed and she's doing well.
Several minutes later…
"You did very well, Leia. Dealing with Force lightning isn't easy." says Ahsoka with a proud look on her face.
"Thanks. I'm still not great at it." says Leia.
"You did well. We'll keep working on it. When your father and I leave to kill Palpatine, you and Mara will also leave to go to the Alliance. She will work with you and your twin brother to help you two improve."
"Okay." says Leia hesitantly.
Author's Note: I tried my best to write Leia & Mara. The nail polish and movie scenes were because of my writer's block. If they seemed too young, well, I tried my best. Sorry about the update schedule, but I have to deal with Darth Real Life and other SW fanfics.
Mando'a Glossary
Ad'ika: little one (used affectionately by Ahsoka, as she learned Mando'a from the clones she served with in the Clone Wars. Mara, Ahsoka, and the Skywalkers all know it.) I wish I had time for Whumptober. This fic is my contribution to it. It appears to cover quite a few prompts.