Earth Date: 2030-08-03
With her next trip to Shili coming in less than 24 hours, Sarah yawned. It had been a busy week for her. For part of her week's training, Molly and her father joined Master Del and her. This also served as a lesson to Molly in how to mask her Force presence while helping Sarah remember what she learned years ago. At home, Ahsoka did her best to teach Emilina how to mask her presence in an age-appropriate way.
Sarah also recalled her parting conversation with her Master once Thursday's training ended.
"It's going to be hard being away from you for two weeks, Master," Sarah said.
"We've been apart before, Sarah. You'll be fine. We'll be fine," Del replied.
"But I'll miss your birthday. I can't contact you from Shili. Even if I could, I don't think mom would risk it."
"I understand. If it makes you feel better, I'll be thinking of you that day. I'll also be hoping you have a safe and fun trip."
Sarah hugged her master one last time.
"May the Force be with you, Master Del," she said softly.
"May the Force be with you, Sarah. See you soon," Del said back.
A knock on the door interrupted Sarah's thoughts. Her father answered the door.
"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be here in the morning," Tim told Molly.
"Actually," her father said, "we talked it over, and we thought it'd be best if she spent the night so you can leave whenever you need to go. That way we're not rushed. Besides, I'm sure she'd be a lot happier talking to Sarah tonight. She's been excited for this all week."
"I can understand. We have spare space for her, so that's not a problem. And don't worry, she'll be fine while we're gone."
"I'm not worried, but you know how Lynn gets sometimes. She means well, though." Turning towards Molly, her father added, "Well, this is it. Have fun, be safe, J.I.T.*"
"Thanks, dad. See you soon."
Molly entered the house and put her travel gear in a corner for the time being.
"Molly! You're here early." Sarah exclaimed.
"I thought you might like it if I came now. Plus we can talk some tonight," Molly replied.
"I'll go set up the spare room," Tim said.
"Father, can't we spend the night downstairs in the meditation room?" Sarah asked.
"I suppose so, but you can't be up talking all night. We're going to be leaving right after breakfast."
Sarah looked slightly disappointed, but she finally answered, "Alright."
⁂
The next morning, after breakfast, the group traveled to the Jedi hangar. Molly's jaw dropped in awe upon seeing Shili-1.
"This is what we're flying in? It's awesome!" she exclaimed.
"Thanks," Ahsoka answered with a smile. "It was hard work rebuilding it over an extended period, but it served its purpose now."
"Will we all fit?"
"Sure we will," Sarah said. "Mom, Emi, I used it last time. There's room for two more. Anything else might be a tight fit."
"Actually, I think we can seat up to six. If there were more, someone might have to sit in the refresher," Ahsoka stated.
"Alright, let's stow our gear and find a seat," Tim said.
"I got shotgun!" Sarah called out.
"Actually, let your father be co-pilot. I know you flew home last time, but that could get us in trouble again since you don't have a license," Ahsoka told Sarah.
"Can I get one?"
"We'll see how you do with your drivers license. Then we can talk. OK?"
Sarah nodded.
"You can come sit with us, Sarah," Molly said.
Emilina crawled into Molly's lap again and smiled at her.
Ahsoka powered u the engines and taxied Shili-1 towards a runway.
"Is everyone ready and secure?" she asked.
After affirmative answers, she radioed in, "This is Shili-1 requesting take-off."
"Shili-1 clear for take-off. Have a safe flight and we'll see you soon," Knight Ashley repeated over the radio.
⁂
As Shili-1 cruised in lightspeed, the fact nobody seemed bored impressed Ahsoka. Most surprising, Sarah wasn't using her datapad.
"That's a first—you not glued to your datapad," Ahsoka quipped.
"If we're gone two weeks with no way to recharge it, I have to conserve my power. Besides, we've been watching Emi," Sarah replied.
Emilina looked down and reached for the blue wristband Molly wore on her right wrist.
"Something wrong?" Molly asked.
She let Emilina gently grasp it before she let go again and looked over to Molly's left wrist.
"Where other?" Emilina asked.
"I only wear one," Molly replied, not wanting to give her a full explanation.
"Oh."
Emilina looked at Molly's arms and face curiously.
"Emi, why are you looking at Molly so much?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know," Emilina answered.
"Maybe it's because I'm human," Molly said.
"I don't think so. She sees father all the time but she doesn't do that," Sarah replied.
"Maybe it's my freckles. You don't have those. And your dad doesn't have that many."
"Maybe."
"Sawa, where Shili?" Emilina asked.
"We're not there yet, little sis. Soon, though. You excited to go there?" Sarah asked in reply.
Emilina nodded her head yes.
Sarah smiled as she recalled holding a day-old Emilina on Shili as Da'Meon strongly suggested that she, her mother, and sister get home as quickly as possible in case recent events might lead to more trouble.
It's kind of cool she wants to go back. I wonder if she knows she was born there? Sarah thought.
⁂
As Shili-1 entered the Shili system and approached the planet, everyone prepared for the landing.
"Well, this is it. I can only hope you like it here, and they don't mind the new faces," Ahsoka said.
"They accepted me. They should accept Emi. I don't see why they won't accept father or Molly," Sarah stated.
"I don't know if our people have interacted with humans much. Some tribes aren't very trusting of outsiders."
"They better accept us, or we'll go home again. Right, mom?"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"Alright, Emilina, let's get ready. What do we do now?" Molly asked as she sat Emilina back in her lap."
"Buckle up," Emilina replied.
"That's right." Turning to Sarah, Molly added, "I didn't realize how smart she is already."
"She's my sister. Of course, she's smart," Sarah answered.
"By the time she's our age, she may be a Jedi if she keeps this up."
"Don't be silly."
Emilina giggled at the conversation.
Reaching the proper coordinates, Ahsoka completed the landing sequence, powered down Shili-1, and opened the gangway.
"Well, we're here. Let's get our gear and go meet everyone," Ahsoka said.
Molly picked up Emilina and set her back down on the floor. Everyone else grabbed the luggage and disembarked.
Ahsoka cloaked the ship and said, "Let Sarah and me go first. We know where we're going, and we have experience with the others."
"Fair enough," Tim replied. He went to take Emilina's hand, but she quickly pulled it away."
"Big girl!" she told him.
"You should still walk with someone."
"Emilina, can I walk with you?" Molly asked.
Emilina nodded her head yes.
Molly took Emilina's hand. This time, the latter didn't pull it away.
Both Molly and Tim looked around at the vast expanse of turu-grass. Being the middle of summer, it was warmer than it was back home—especially since there was no breeze.
As Ahsoka and Sarah reached the perimeter of the Tano settlement, the sentinels looked at them but let them pass without question. However, they kept a close eye on Tim and Molly. Other natives did the same. However, seeing the group do nothing to cause trouble or arouse suspicion led them to return to their daily tasks.
Ahsoka reached the central meeting area and turned to her right. Even though his back was turned to her, Ahsoka recognized the man from the patterns on his rear lek.
«Be sure we have enough to last the next couple of days,» Da'Meon told another male in reference to the afternoon hunt for thimiars.
The other male nodded and left, taking the rest of his hunting group back towards the scrub lands.
"Da'Meon?" Ahsoka said.
Da'Meon turned around, noticing Ahsoka and the others.
"Ahsoka, I wasn't sure if you'd come. But, I'm glad you did—and with everyone else," he replied.
"It was perfect timing, actually. We plan to stay for two weeks."
"That's very good. And it's good to see you again, Sarah. I hope you've been well."
Sarah nodded before saying, "It's been a rough a summer—my grandma died—but I've been alright for the most part."
Upon hearing the news, Da'Meon bowed his head and said, "May she enjoy the rewards of the great afterlife," in a soft voice. Looking back to Sarah, he added, "I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope you will enjoy your stay here. And this must be young Emilina."
Emilina nodded happily and asked, "Are you cousin?"
"Indeed I am. It's nice to see you again." Turning towards Tim, he added, "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise," Tim replied. "My wife and daughter spoke highly of their first trip. I'm thankful to have a chance to experience this for myself—and perhaps share experiences with a fellow leader."
"I'm sure that can be arranged. I didn't know you had another daughter, though."
"Oh, no. She's not my daughter. This is Molly, Sarah's closest friend. She's taking a break from her studies, and she wanted to learn more about life on Shili."
Da'Meon looked at Molly curiously; she was the first human girl he had met. Finally, he said, "Well, Molly, I can promise you'll learn quite a bit during your stay here. Welcome to Shili and the Tano."
Cayanna walked up to join her mate and stopped. "Ahsoka, you're back! And you brought the whole family?" she asked.
"Yes, plus a friend of Sarah's that was interested in coming with us," Ahsoka replied.
"That's wonderful. Will you be staying for another week?"
"Two, this time."
"In that case, you'll be in for a surprise. We'll be celebrating Ullumbana next week."
"What's that?"
"Remember, dear, they're guests, so they may be unfamiliar with the festival. Ullumbana is a summer festival celebrated over three days. Each night, we take time to remember the dead," Da'Meon explained.
"It sounds like All Saints Day, a holiday we have back home," Sarah replied.
"I'm sure you will enjoy our festival, in that case."
⁂
A short time later, it was time for the evening meal. Ahsoka gathered everyone and they walked to the central area.
"This is almost like an outdoor dining hall," Molly said.
"I never thought about it that way," Ahsoka replied as she begrudgingly took a slice of thimiar meat.
"I wish my cousins were here," Sarah stated.
"Apparently, they're both busy right now. They'll be coming later, maybe we'll see them."
"We may be done by then, mom."
"We'll be here two weeks, Sarah. I'm sure you'll get to see them quite a bit while we're here."
"I guess. I just hated not seeing them last time."
As every sat down, and Ahsoka sat Emilina next to her, Da'Meon stood up to address everyone.
"Everyone, we have guests that will be staying with us for two weeks. This time, the whole family is here, and Sarah's friend as well. They will undoubtedly be learning a lot from us, so do your part to help them learn what they can," he said before sitting back down.
Sarah looked around to notice that her Togruta peers looked at Molly quite a bit. She couldn't hear what was being said, nor could she use the Force to sense t heir thoughts. However, they didn't behave rudely, so Sarah figured they were mostly curious about the two humans joining them.
⁂
That night, Da'Meon excused himself for a meeting with the tribe's elders. However, Cayanna joined the family as the returned to the guest hut to settle in for the night.
"Where are we all going to sleep?" Molly asked.
"Well, Ahsoka and I will have a room. Sarah and you can share a room, and—space permitting—let Emilina sleep with you, too," Tim replied.
"There's not enough beds," Sarah stated.
"I can get you an extra one. It's small enough for Emilina and it will fit into the room with no problem," Cayanna answered.
"I sleep with Sawa?" Emilina asked.
"That's right, little sis. You get to stay with Molly and me," Sarah replied.
"With her talking now, I'd like to help her learn what she can of our language with younglings close to her age," Cayanna said.
"That would be perfect. I'd love to have her learn what she can. I might like to learn some more when I can as well," Ahsoka stated.
"And even if I can't speak the language fluently, I'd like to be able to learn some important words or phrases so I can understand some of what's being said," Tim told Cayanna.
"I will see what I can do for you. I'm sure Sarah will want to join us as well," Cayanna told them.
"Yeah but I hope I can see my cousins tomorrow. I've really missed them," Sarah admitted.
"You'll see them in the morning. For now, I must go get that extra bed and then retire for the night."
After Cayanna left, Molly asked, "Can I have another quick look around before we go to bed?"
"Make it quick," Ahsoka replied. "It's night, so you have to watch out for akuls."
"We won't go into the scrub lands. I'll keep her inside the settlement," Sarah promised.
A short time later, Sarah and Molly walked through the settlement. Sarah purposely stayed in the interior and avoided the periphery so to minimize the chances an akul might track their scent. A number of native Togruta noticed them but said nothing.
"Sarah, will they be OK with me?" Molly asked.
"I think so. Nobody's said anything rude about you and father, so I'm sure they'll accept you. It's not like you plan to do anything disrespectful," Sarah replied.
"Not on purpose."
"I'm glad you came. I think you'll like it here. Plus, Emi sure seems to be interested in you more for some reason."
"Maybe she knows I'm a big sister, too."
"Yeah. I just hope she doesn't try anything mischievous here. I don't want her to get us in trouble."
"I think she'll be too busy learning new things to have time for that."
"Let's hope, Molly. Let's hope."
"Maybe we should go back before anyone worries. We can check things out more tomorrow when it's light out again."
"Wait, Molly. I want to show you one last thing first."
Sarah stopped in front of a small clearing where one could see out to the scrub lands through the canopy forest.
"Do you see those two large dots in the sky?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, what are they?" Molly asked in reply.
"Two moons. Shili has six of them."
"Wow, that sounds weird, but it's kind of cool to see."
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome, huh."
Molly nodded and then said, "Yeah. I hope the rest of the trip is like that."
"Don't forget they live differently here. And they have different values. I still remember how shocked I was at the fact girls show off a lot of skin here."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Sarah. It sounds like we may fit in better when we change into our running outfits and do our own cross country practice."
"I just hope father doesn't freak out too much," Sarah told Molly.
"He seems to be OK with how we dressed today."
"We'll see how he reacts to seeing us with exposed midriffs. It's definitely too hot here to run in tank tops—unless we do it at night. But that's too dangerous, even if I am a mighty princess."
Molly stifled a small grin as the pair returned to the guest hut.
"Welcome back, ladies. Are you ready to call it a night?"
"Yes, Father. I want to update my journal now that I'm here before I go to bed."
"OK, but don't stay up to late, and don't wake your sister."
"Umm, can I still call you 'master?'" Molly asked Tim?
"Well, you are here as a student, so I suppose I'm still responsible for what you learn. So go ahead," he told her.
"Fair enough. Good night, master,"
"I'll see you in the morning."
As the pair entered their room and closed a woven turu-grass curtain, Ahsoka looked at her husband.
"What do you think so far?"
"We haven't even been here half a day yet. But aside from the humidity, it seems a bit relaxed here."
"Maybe, but everyone has something to keep them busy, too."
"True, and I'm willing to do what I can or whatever I may be invited to do."
"That's good. I can't picture Da'Meon and you talking shop for two whole weeks."
"I hadn't planned on it. I really would like to learn some more basic words and phrases apart from how to say 'little one' in your language."
"So you know if you're being insulted?" Ahsoka asked with a playful grin.
"If they point and me and laugh as they say it, that should be enough of a giveaway."
Ahsoka shook her head and stood up.
"We should call it a night, too," she said.
"Agreed," Tim answered. As soon as they entered their own room and shut the curtain, he surprised her with a quick kiss.
"Thanks for this," he whispered.
Ahsoka cracked a small smile. Perhaps this trip would be a good experience for everyone.
Chapter Endnotes:
* Short for "Jedi in Training"—a term of affection Molly's father uses for her.