Disclaimer: I don't own anything Star Wars. I just own Adali and her plot/story line.
Chapter 4
Welcome
"It is very nice to see you again, Threepio," Adali stated as she slowly followed his lead towards her new quarters. "I've missed our long conversations about culture and history."
"As have I, Mistress Am-"
"Adali," the woman corrected.
"Mistress Adali, my apologies. This will take quite a bit of practice on my part," Threepio said. "But I have also missed our discussions. Nobody around in the Resistance seems to truly appreciate my protocol knowledge. Nobody seemed to appreciate it before, even."
"Well, I find your knowledge fascinating," Adali chuckled.
"Perhaps we can continue your education of Alderaan next we meet," he said, stopping in front of a non-descript door labeled 712. "This shall be your lodging, Mistress Adali. Ah, I succeeded in calling you by your name. Have a lovely evening."
"You as well, Three," Adali said, watching as the droid walked off stiffly before she turned and entered the dark room.
She found a manual light switch on the wall next to the door and turned them on. The small gray windowless room was much more like a small storage closet. There were piles overhead that came out of the ceiling and turned to enter into the wall, as well as a small cluster of several small pipes in the right corner by the door that ran from ceiling to floor. Built into the left wall were monitors and other devices, possibly old communications. Next to it, protruding out into the small space was a desk with tools atop. It consisted of most of the general tools she'd need for working on small things like her arm. Leia had to have gotten it ready for her beforehand so she wouldn't be ill prepared for her stay there.
Lastly, at the far end of the room built into the wall was a small alcove with a blanket and pillow. Above and below were storage containers. She'd only need one for her items, so the rest could be utilized for whatever else needed to be stored for work. A place like that had to have needed all the storage they could get their hands on.
It was odd to think that she has a place to herself. It had never been something she'd had growing up. If she wasn't staying with Ben at the temples, then she was bunking with the other female students. She'd lived on the ship during her rehabilitation and her work with Rabek to pay him back for her arm. On Naboo she'd had Anakin with her, and the open sky and stars, or the treetops above to shelter her. The whole open air was her home. She couldn't very well claim that as her own.
There had been rented rooms and other temporary accommodations over the years, but nothing she owned, nothing permanent. Though, she did suppose, this wasn't permanent either. It wasn't her's. It was the Resistance. It was a closet. Once the war was over, this base would be used for something else, sold, or even abandoned altogether. She'd be free to move on with her life and do whatever it was that was supposed to come after.
Whatever that was.
Adali moved to set her things on the floor next to the bed. She turned and sat atop the firm, flat topper that padded what would've been just a solid metal top. Many would complain about the quality of the product. Adali was not one of them. After sleeping on a mat her whole childhood, and then camping, or even sleeping on the floor of ships, this was far nicer than what she'd expected to get once she'd arrived.
"Welcome home, Adaliā¦"
Since the night her whole world changed, Adali found herself dreading going to sleep. Her father had taught her that Jedi do not sleep, but if they did have something like that, then it was a force vision; a prediction of something that may or may not happen in the coming future. It was possible to meditate on the subject of the content of their vision but there was no guarantee that it would happen or not.
Adali, however, had suffered from nightmares since that dreadful night. It wasn't every night, but it was frequent enough for Adali to try and avoid sleeping unless it was absolutely necessary for her health. After having an eventful night on Coruscant, and a long journey back to D'Qar, rest was needed. That night, thankfully, Adai was met with nothing to disturb her peace and force her back to the land of the conscious. Adali wasn't sure how, or why, she was getting those nightmares. Perhaps it was the dark side calling to her anger and depression from the loss of her family and failing her friends, and the children. It could've been those calling out from the Force trying to tell her something she couldn't figure out. There were so many options that Adali just refused to ponder it anymore.
There was no way she was going to embrace that dark side, nor was she going to address any of this with Anakin. After all, his change to the dark was still a touchy subject.
But at least she felt rested for her first full day there on the Resistance Base. Adali had been told that someone from her department would be coming around to give her a tour of the base, as well as showing her to her work space, and introducing her to the people she'd be working closely with.
There was still plenty of time before that was to happen, however, so Adali put her things where she thought they belonged. Not that there was much. Adali put the few backup outfits she owned away in one of the drawers under the bed, while her Jedi Path was tucked into the pocket of the jump suit she was currently wearing.
The top half was unzipped, hanging down at her waist with the sleeves tied around her so the article remained up, much like a belt. Covering herself on top was a simple black tank top. She needed to have full access to her mechanical arm to be able to do some repairs and adjustments, and if she had the blue article all the way on, then it would've obstructed her accessibility to work.
Anakin popped in to join her shortly after she found herself settled in. He was pacing the short length of the room, eyes scanning over everything he could without actually processing what he was seeing. There was something on his mind, that was clear.
"You're going to wear a hole into my floor," Adali stated. "I haven't seen you this anxious since our first trip to Rabek Mecho."
Ami, now Adali, had somehow been confided to let a dead man fly her across the galaxy to Naboo. The injury to her shoulder was severe. Though lightsabers cauterize wounds so that she wouldn't bleed to death, it was still an open wound and susceptible to infection. Adali had always been much better at using the Force to heal others. To do so for herself was an entirely different story. There were little things that her body had learned to do automatically through her years of training, but healing herself from anything greater than a scratch or a simple flesh wound was a bit beyond her.
So though her white blood cells were naturally trying to fight off the infection and help heal herself, she also had a small amount of the Force flowing through her veins to try and keep her alive through the fever and pain.
The trip was going to take several cycles, but she was going to have to fight that battle on her own. There was only so much one could do within the Force. If Adali was going to survive this, she was going to have to fight for that right on her own. That did not, however, mean that Anakin liked this. He was going to do what he could as the young girl was laid out on a stretcher in the back of the craft. He'd help to clean the wound as best he could with the limited supplies on the ship, and keep watch, and keep her company. If she could keep herself alive, he would see to it she arrived safely to Naboo for her new arm.
When Adali wasn't asleep, she was either meditating or talking to Anakin about what they still needed to do. He was vague on what their future instruction would entail, but that didn't stop her from asking. Then, much to his dismay, the conversation from turning back onto him. Anakin had always been proud, and a bit boastful, but really talking, having a deep conversation about himself and what he once was had not been the easiest of things to come to terms with upon his death.
"I don't like to see you suffer," Anakin said, his arms crossed and hidden inside the sleeves of his dark robes. "It reminds me too much of my beloved Padme."
Adali was in a cold sweat, wrapped in a thick blanket to keep her warm, but it wasn't doing anything for her temperature. She looked a mess. Her hair hadn't been washed since before the fall of the temple, and the cold sweats did nothing for the ripe smell emitting from her skin. Her eyes struggled to stay open, but she'd been asleep so long that she was not tired. Instead, she laid there with them closed, wide awake and in need of a distraction from the throbbing pain of her shoulder, and the dull ache that overcame her whole body.
"T-Tell me about her?" Adali asked. "About Grandmother?"
Anakin's jaw clenched for a moment, his face dark. His eyes moved to the front window watching the stars as they flew on autopilot for the moment. It was a relatively safe secret, so there wasn't much need for his presence up front. Adali saw none of this though as she laid there and waited.
"It was love at first sight for me," Anakin stated. "I asked her if she was an angel. She was so beautiful, and I loved her with every fiber of my being."
The sheer amount of emotion said in those words got Adali to open her eyes. Her blue eyes matched his, but her face was so similar to her grandmother when she was younger that until he looked into her eyes, he sometimes thought Padme was still up and walking the galaxy. There were differences, of course, besides her eyes. Her eyes were a bit more almond shaped, her lips a tad thinner, but still relatively full. Her hair was lighter, but her presence was so much the same.
"You remind me so much of her," Anakin said. "You could be her twin in almost every way. Except you inherited my eyes, and my hair color. Though if I do recall correctly, you mother was blonde. You surely had no shortage of strong female role models. Your mother, your aunts, and now your grandmother. I find this very intimidating." It was clear he was honest, but a chuckle came out with a quirk of his lip to show that it was all for the better. "Perhaps we listened to our women, we would not have had so much suffering brought upon the galaxy because of us Skywalker men."
"You did the right thing," Adali said, "in the end."
"But I was unable to do what I set out to from the very beginning of it all," Anakin said. "I just wanted to save her. To save them. Like I couldn't do with my mother. But that desperation brought me into the hands of someone I thought I could trust blindly. I thought I'd been enlightened to the truth, but everything was a lie. I'd been a powerful Jedi, only to be left reliant on machines. So I could breathe, but I wasn't alive. I was rebuilt, but I was no longer whole. I had all the power I'd ever dreamed of, but no longer had what I loved, what I longed to save and protect."
"It's why the Jedi Path says not to form attachments. We are to be compassionate, but we shall not know love nor hate. But it's so difficult to stop one without giving up the other, and the lines can blur so quickly that you don't even realize it's happened. I did not do the right thing, I admit, but I would never change having loved Padme with every fiber I possessed. I should have appreciated that love, appreciated her while I still had her. Death is as much a part of life as life is apart of death. You cannot have one without the other.
"I was a better man for loving her, and for her loving me," Anakin said. "I just wish I could've done right by her sooner. Raised our children on Naboo. Let them play in that forsaken sandy beach that Padme loved so much. They would have known peace, and love, and happiness there. Because that was where her mother's soul was."
"And because they would've had you," Adali interjected.
"Would you care to share what is on your mind, Anakin?" Adali pressed as the man continued to pace. "Is it about Artoo's inactivity, or Threepio not remembering you built him, or remembering you period?"
Anakin shook his head and stopped pacing. He leaned up against the workbench next to her, his arms crossing inside the sleeves of his robes. "No, but it bothers me more that they don't remember Padme than myself. She was very important to them, and they were important to her. It's insulting to her memory."
"It's not their fault," Adali said, putting her tools down. "Ani, you know Threepio would've never intentionally forgotten something like that. He prides himself on his knowledge and memory bank, but Ani, you're downplaying your importance. At the risk of this making no sense with how contradictie it sounds, you are dead, Anakin. You're allowed to feel your emotions now. This isn't the Jedi Order. It's okay if it's what's bothering you. They were important to you. Artoo was one of your best friends, and Threepio was your creation. You were important to them."
Anakin took in a deep breath and slowly released it from his nonexistent lungs. "Not after everything I did."
"Your worth isn't measured by how useful you were to the Jedi Order, nor for what you did for Darth Sidious. The people we love do stupid things all the time. And the fact that you stopped and saved Luke is a testament to who you really are. They'd be proud of that if they remembered. I'm proud, and I know Leia and Luke, and Padme and Obi-Wan would all be proud of you too."
Slowly, Anakin lifted his head to look at his granddaughter. "You've said something similar before," he stated. "But it warms my heart to hear it. I can only try to continue to prove myself and make amends for the grave deeds I've committed to the galaxy."
Adali gave the man a gentle smile. She understood his feelings to some extent. For the last few years she'd been hiding away simply training and hiding. There was so much she could've possibly stopped had she been actively pursuing Ben and the First Order. Instead, Adali felt like a coward. It was the Jedi's job to maintain the balance and to protect life. But all this time she'd just been protecting the life of one; herself.
The thought of how many people - children - were suffering at the hands of Ben and the First Order was a sickening realization of just how little Adali had done to stop everything from happening these last few years. At how she'd failed as a Jedi. How she felt she was still a failure as a Jedi.
"Is that why you're unsettled?" Adali reiterated.
"No," Anakin finally began to clarify. "It's that boy."
Now that was a perplexing statement; one that left Adali even more confused than she'd been previously. Adali had not been in contact with any children, let alone any of the male variety. There was bound to be some around somewhere as messengers and other smaller tasks that they'd volunteer for, but Leia wouldn't let children put themselves in the line of fire or assign anything too dangerous. There were lines that were never to be crossed, and that was one of the highest in Adali's book.
"You'll need to be a little more specific with whom you're referring," Adali insisted with a small smirk. "There are a lot of men around here."
"The one that criticizes your piloting abilities," Anakin finally clarified. "Very impressive maneuver, might I say. It's clear you've inherited more than just my hair and astounding Force abilities."
"You're upset with Commander Poe Dameron?" Adali asked with a laugh. "It was the comment about revoking your licence, wasn't it? I mean, he may have been right when in regards to myself. It was rather risky, and the likelihood that it would've failed was far greater than what we managed to succeed with. In his defence, he isn't aware I'm Force Sensitive. It's very insightful when flying."
"No, no! Do not justify his actions! You saved both your lives. He should be grateful!"
"I don't think his gratitude was ever in question," Adali said. "I believe he was appreciative to the appropriate extent after nearly dying in several instances."
Anakin raised his hands to emphasize his unnecessary statement. "I simply do not trust him, is all."
Adali shook her head and crossed her arms. "Why? We managed to make it here in one piece. Or, with as many pieces as I already had, that is. And I see no reason to distrust him if Leia trusts him so. Plus, how can you not trust a man that treats droids with such kindness? I thought you would've found a kindred spirit with him."
"We are nothing alike!" Anakin said. "And I do not approve of how you're defending him. He's suspicious of you. You need to watch your back with that one. Promise me."
"I watch my back with everyone, Ani," Adali said, "you know this."
Anakin nodded his head. He seemed to be quite satisfied with the response he got from his granddaughter. "Good. As you should."
"I'm curious," Adali stated. "Is this genuine concern for Dameron's intentions, or is this you expressing yourself as the father you never got to be with Leia?"
Anakin snapped around to face her, his eyes wide, mouth agape. The expression was dumbfounding, and quite frankly hilarious. Adali couldn't hold back the laugh that erupted from her chest. Anakin may have been quick on his feet when it came to strategy in a pinch and with combat solutions, but there were some things Adali was learning that he truly knew nothing about. His inner feelings were one of the many things.
It was one thing to tell Black Squadron to keep their eyes on the woman, and to keep their ears to the ground in regard to any information or gossip, but for Poe, he needed to take it to a whole other level. Instead of just minding his own while discreetly keeping track of the new blonde technician, he made it his own personal mission to try and satisfy his incessant need to know that they weren't letting in someone dangerous. Or, dangerous to the mission, that was. There were plenty of dangerous beings, himself included, among the ragtag group called the Resistance.
And despite the repeated words of his team, it was not because the new woman was blonde and, as far as anybody knew, available. Poe may have had a reputation, but that reputation wasn't something he'd let jeopardize his mission. His mission: Adali Vara Zarkot.
The beautiful young blonde woman hadn't even been on base a full day, but there was far too much for Poe to uncover that he couldn't afford to waste any time he had while on base. He didn't know when he, and his team, would be sent out again nor for how long. He needed to take advantage of the small amount of down time he found himself blessed with. Most would take this time to rest, maybe go out into the village for a better meal than the bantha shit they called sustenance in the cantina, but not Poe Dameron.
Poe Dameron found himself in front of door 712 for that very reason. When he'd looked up what room she was residing in, he hadn't expected that she'd been graced with one of the few single quarters not designated to higher officials. Poe had gotten one when he'd been promoted and tasked with running Black Squadron, but he'd worked for the privilege. Adali, it seemed, simply got it because of her personal connection to Leia- however that connection was.
The man lifted his hand to knock, but stopped when he heard faint mumblings from the other side of the door. That was peculiar. As far as he knew, Adali only knew two people on the base; Poe and Leia. So if he was the only male she knew, who the heck was she talking to on the other side of that door? It was possible that she was in a transmission with someone, but it sounded far too clear without any static whatsoever for that. Either Adali moved quickly when making "friends," or she was conspiring with som- something he heard on the other side of the door made him pause mid thought.
Was that a giggle? He asked himself. He'd heard her laugh, but never giggle. Clenching his jaw with a deep dark feeling in the pit of his stomach, Poe knocked on the door and heard her stop. There was a moment before there was any response, but it came quickly enough. It didn't sound like there was any scuffling to hide someone in the storage compartment, or the sound of a transmission ending. Just a simple call saying that the door was open.
Poe entered the room, and found Adali standing over by the workbench with some tool scattered atop. The room was laid out a lot like his with only one big difference: there was no clutter. She'd only been there a day, but with the same amount of time Poe had found his room far worse off than her room currently was. The only personal possession he could see out in the open was the staff she carried, and her jacket draped over the back of the chair she was currently sitting in at the workbench.
"Poe Dameron," Adali said, her blue eyes glancing up momentarily to see the new occupant of her space before they shifted back to her arm. Poe's eyes followed her work, up her semi-disassembled limb, and up to her bare, slender shoulder. A slender shoulder that was currently more black and blue than her naturally pale complection. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
Poe cleared his throat and moved closer, his eyes shifting to her face from her shoulder and back again a few times. He was far too distracted by the exposed skin, and not in the way he normally was when in the presence of a woman. "I, uh, was going to offer to give you a tour of the base. Maybe we should start with the medbay. Is that because of the fall?"
"From grabbing you? Partially. It happens naturally sometimes when I strain too much, but the tug was a little too rough between the connection of metal and skin. It'll be fine though. Nothing a couple days of ice and natural healing won't fix," Adali answered casually, closing the panel she was working on and setting her tools down. She spun on the swivel of her chair to face Poe as she untied the arms of the jumpsuit and brought them back up to properly wear the article. "No need to feel guilty," she teased, a playful wink accompanying her words.
Changing the subject so as not to admit to such a thing, Poe leaned up against the wall, crossed his arms, and continued, "So, you interested?"
"As kind as it is for you to offer, I have to decline your invitation," Adali said. "General Organa sent me a message this morning telling me that she was assigning one of my colleagues to give me a tour of the base and to show me to my work station."
"Do you know who?" Poe asked.
"Rose Tico?" Adali recalled. "I'll be working closely with her, I believe. Do you know her?"
"Only in passing," Poe answered. "It's a big place."
"So I will see on my tour," she said. "Any recommendations of favorite spots?"
Poe smirked as he leaned in closer as if he were about to share some well kept secret. "Climb on top of the tarmac twelve release bay. It's got a nice tree on top for shade, and you can see the sunrise and sunset perfectly no matter what time of year it is. But it's my place, so don't go telling that to just anybody."
"Why share it with me if it's your spot?"
It was a fair point. Why was he sharing his personal favorite spot with this woman he barely knew anything about? Maybe that was why. She was a stranger to them, but they were strangers to her too. The majority of the people on base had been there for a reasonable about of time. They found cliches, niches of people they related to and found companionship with. Adali didn't have that. She knew Leia, but Leia was busy running the entire operation. It wasn't like she'd have time to hang out with her. Perhaps he was trying to show her that she could belong here just like the rest.
Or maybe it was because Poe knew she was a good person at heart. She'd had his back on Coruscant. It didn't matter that she needed him to extract her. He knew she would have risked her neck for him if he'd needed it. She'd helped BB-8 when she hadn't known he was the one coming to get her, so that was a testament to her character. Maybe he wanted to show her that he saw that side of her character. Though there were so many questions and suspicions he held, he still thought she could belong here with them.
That, however, was not something he was willing to discuss with someone he barely knew. So instead, Poe did one of the things he was best at: talking. "So, who were you talking to before I came in?" Poe asked.
"What do you mean?" Adali asked, her brow furrowing before one side raised higher than the other.
There was no way she didn't know what he was talking about. The voices hadn't been clear enough to make out the words, but there had definitely been two distinctly different voices. "You were talking to someone. I could hear you and some guy," Poe said.
Adali shrugge without even a trace of a wince with how tender her shoulder had to have been. Any normal individual would've been nursing that side, but she seemed relatively unaffected by the pain. Really though, Adali always tried to embrace the pain. Pain was a feeling that came from something else, something she could learn from, something she needed to remember. And sometimes, the pain was a welcomed distraction from the terrifyingly dark thoughts and crippling hollowness inside her chest.
"I tend to talk to myself, Poe," Adali said.
It was impossible for him to have not heard what he had. Poe was many things, but deaf was not one of them. Selectively deaf was another story altogether though. This, however, was not one of those instances. "I could swear it was a man's voice."
"Are you saying I sound like a man, Poe Dameron?"
"No, that's no-"
"It sure sounds like that's what you're implying."
"You could've been talking to someone over a comm," Poe said. He didn't exactly know why he was trying to justify himself in his inquiry. She seemed defensive despite her lax tone of voice and playful quips back in his direction. If she was talking to someone off the base then he was perfectly justified in questioning her to make sure she wasn't giving away vital information, or turning the First Order on their tail. "Got a secret boyfriend we don't know about?"
Adali laughed. She wasn't sure if it was the proposition of her having a significant other after remaining in hiding for so long with little contact with people, or that Poe was actually asking her that question. "No, Poe. I do not have a secret boyfriend. You will not find a communication device in this room. I was not talking to another living soul when you came upon my door. Look all you like, if it'll put you at ease."
Her words had started off as a bit playful, but they quickly turned serious enough for Poe to straighten his stance and feel he needed to guard himself. Whether it was physically or emotionally he wasn't quite aware, but whatever had shifted definitely put him on edge. But the honesty in her eyes made him want to believe her. He shook his head and looked away. "I don't think that's necessary."
"What is necessary?" Adali asked. "Because it seems to me you do not trust me. I understand we don't know each other very well, but I thought after what we went through that we'd gained some trust here. I am not your enemy, Poe. It still feels as though you see me as such."
There was another knock on the door. Adali had only been there a day, but she found she was becoming quite popular. And here she thought she'd be tucked away to do her work with nobody to bother her. She supposed she sounded a bit bitter here, but it was a little surprising she was getting so much attention as she was. In that instance, Adali was very thankful for the newcomer. The tension between Adali and Poe was really starting to make her uncomfortable.
The door opened, and a small young woman stood in the doorway hesitant to enter. The petite girl had her hair pulled back into a short ponytail, one hand hanging at her side while the other was fiddling with the necklace hanging around her neck. She was wearing the same dark blue style of a jump suit that Adali was currently wearing.
Before Adali could say anything, the overwhelming feeling of anxiety danced around the room, flowing like the rising tide of water over a shallow pool with protruding rocks. The uncomfortable emotion was not her own, nor did it belong to the man standing next to her. Rose Tico, the new arrival Adali assumed, was very uncomfortable with the situation she found herself in. Either it be because of Adali, or Poe, or both, Adali wasn't sure. In the end, it really didn't matter. Rose didn't need to feel so anxious with her, so anything Adali could do to help change her feelings, she was going to do her best to rectify the situation.
Adali turned away from Poe to give her full attention to Rose and smiled warmly. "Hello, you must be Rose Tico?" Adali asked. Adali approached her casually and offered her a hand to shake.
"Oh, uh, yes," Rose answered, taking her hand with a strong hold. The woman may have been anxious to meet her, but she was still a proud, strong woman. It was nice to see she wasn't letting her feelings get in the way. It was something Adali could really admire. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Technician Zarkot."
"Oh, please, just call me Adali," she insisted.
"Alright, it's nice to meet you, Adali. Poe, nice to see you again," Rose said.
"Oh, I thought you said you only knew Rose in passing," Adali teased, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I fixed the hanger door once when he was trapped outside of the Raddus," Rose said. "It's really just in passing."
"See! I didn't lie!" Poe declared. "I'm an honest man."
"I see," Adali chuckled. Poe may have been an honest man, but that didn't mean Adali was being totally truthful. Though she hadn't exactly lied fully - Adali hadn't been speaking to anybody living, but she hadn't exactly just been talking to herself either. After so many years of telling lie after lie, this was becoming second nature to Adali. It hurt for someone that prided themself on being a good person. "Well, thank you again for the offer, Poe. It was nice chatting with you."
"Likewise," Poe said. "I'll, uh, catch you later."
The fact that Poe was being ushered out was evident to him, but it wasn't exactly something he was used to. Poe had gone there not simply to be kind and offer to show the new girl around, but to also get information. Neither seemed to happen, and on top of that, Poe thought he may have forced them to take a step back in terms of trust. It was more upsetting, he found, than leaving with no answers.
"You make friends quickly," Rose said with a small, teasing smile. It was clear she was starting to get more comfortable with Adali now. It could've also been that Poe had just left, but she wouldn't know the answer to this without spending more time with the young woman. Making a friend with a fellow female here with a common interest in machines would be something she'd not expected, but would've very much enjoyed.
There were plenty of other people at the Jedi Temple, but even though Adali was always around them and friendly towards them, there was always a wall dividing them and herself. Ben and Adali were often whispered about because of their parentage. Was there favoritism? Were they really stronger? There was jealousy, envy, even disdain towards the two legacies even if the others didn't intend to feel as such. It was hard to become friends with people that kept their distance no matter how much she made herself available to talk, or for company. She may have come off more motherly, but that didn't mean she couldn't have been their friend too.
She'd had Ben, and though she longed for communication with others, he'd always been enough.
But now she didn't even have Ben.
"Friend may be a title too early given in this case," Adali thought aloud. "He was just being kind. Besides General Organa, Poe and BeeBee-Ate are the only Resistance members I know."
"Well, I'd be careful with that one," Rose warned. "I don't want to overstep, but that man carries a reputation. I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"Thank you for the word of warning," Adali said. "It's nice to know someone is looking out for me, but I'm sure there is nothing to worry about. Poe was just being kind. And I am here to work."
"Yes, work," Rose muttered. She was smiling softly, but the happy expression did not meet her concerned eyes. "Why don't we head to the Technician's Bay then. I'll show you were you can get set up. You're right next to me."
"That sounds great," Adali answered with a smile. "I'm hoping we can become good friends, Rose."
"You want to be my friend?" Rose asked. "You barely know me!"
"No, but usually I'm a good judge of character. It's like I can just sense it," Adali said. "And I sense a kindred spirit. Tell me, do you like to read?"
"Do I ever!"
"See, we'll get along just fine."
There's a little bit of backstory for ya on Adali and Anakin interacting. There'll be much more of them to come. If there's anything anything thinks would be interesting to happen in the story for the time leading up to the movies let me know. I'm always open for ideas to add in, and I'd like to know what you may want to see from this story. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Thanks to all that have followed and favorited this story! Thanks to the following for their reviews on the previous chapter:
seasidewriter1 - You know how much I struggled through this chapter simply because of classes and moods and whatnot. It wasn't hard content, but everything else made it hard to write. Thanks for helping motivate me through it!
Poe is so interesting to write, and sometimes I find it so hard to do, but other's its so easy. Like how he's so hyper-focused on one thing, then gets distracted by the simplest of things, like Adali giggling. Right now he really has no idea what he's thinking. He's got no theories, or little ideas that could even form into anything substantial. He's just so confused and curious - and he's not even completely sure why either. I think Poe finds women rather easy to get for the most part, but not Adali.
Jedi Jesla777 - Force Anakin is one of my favorite things to write right now. He's just so much fun. He's cocky, but now also a bit more wise and insightful upon his death and in joining the Force. Playing with their relationship as Grandfather-granddaughter, plus the kinda fatherly feeling he has with her since he never got to do it with Leia, and brotherly aspects since he is still around her age as his appearance just offers so many options.
May the Force be with you.
