Earth Date: 2030-08-06

Tim and Molly searched the immediate area, but everyone they encountered said they hadn't seen Sarah.

"Let's go back, change, and have breakfast. There's no point searching more on an empty stomach," Tim said.

Molly nodded in agreement. Suddenly she noticed something.

"Master, is that a hickey?" she asked somewhat discreetly.

"Umm, yeah. But, let's focus on trying to find Sarah."

Molly nodded, thinking, I thought I heard him yelp last night. Now I know why.

As they returned to the guest hut, a dressed Ahsoka and Emilina greeted them.

"Well?" Ahsoka asked.

"Nobody seems to have seen her. I'm going to check her room to see if there's anything there that might help us," Tim replied.

"Where Sawa?" Emilina asked.

"She's around somewhere. You'll see her soon," Molly assured the toddler.

Tim entered the room and felt under Sarah's pillow. He pulled out her lightsaber.

At least she always keeps it close to her, he thought as he tucked it into his robe's inner pocket.

"Honey, look. Sarah left her datapad and headdress behind. Something's not right. She wouldn't leave here without those."

"Yeah, you're right," Tim replied as he looked down at the stand where she left the headdress and datapad.

"Are you going to check it?" Ahsoka asked.

"For?"

"She keeps a journal. Maybe she has something there that would tell us where she went."

"Uhh, no. I refuse to violate Sarah's privacy like that."

"Even if she left a hint there for us?"

"We've never discussed the matter. I'm not reading her diary without her knowledge or permission."

"Give it to me, I'll check," Ahsoka stated.

"No, you won't," Tim insisted. To emphasize his point, he placed Sarah's datapad in his hip pouch.

Ahsoka sighed before she said, "You better hope she's OK."

⁂

Elsewhere, Sarah's mind wandered as she was taken aimlessly through the scrub lands. What was supposed to be a quick trip outside for fresh air turned into her being grabbed from behind and abducted. She reluctantly cooperated when he warned her not to make any noise and to start walking. As much as she wanted to use her Jedi skills to try to stop him, she remembered her previous trip to Shili and the trouble it nearly caused.

Once her captor led her away from the Tano settlement, he put his hand across her mouth and grabbed her rear lek hard enough to hurt. He reminded her to stay quiet.

At present, Sarah tried to stifle a yawn. Although her captor recently gave her a drink of water to quench her thirst, it did nothing to stop her from feeling more tired.

⁂

Back at the Tano settlement, Tim, Molly, and Da'Meon spoke after breakfast. Two sentinels also joined the conversation.

"You say Sarah is missing?" Da'Meon asked.

"It seems that way."

Turning to the sentinels, Da'Meon asked them, "Did you see anything suspicious?"

The lead sentinel shook his head no, but he said, "Wait, there was a male that came by at dawn. He said he needed to pass through on his way to the other side of the settlement. We let him."

"Perhaps he has something to do with her disappearance."

"We need to find them," Tim said.

"There is another tribe in that direction, although we haven't interacted. I guess that may change if she's been taken there."

"I want to come, too," Molly insisted. "Sarah's my friend, and maybe I can help find her in case she does try to leave any clues."

"As you wish," Da'Meon stated. Turning to his sentinels, he told them, "On your way back to your posts, send my trusted to join us. We will search for Sarah at once."

⁂

Da'Meon, his trusted sentinels, Tim, and Molly walked towards the other settlement.

"I hope you don't mind the long walk," Tim told Molly.

"It's almost like cross country practice, except slower and hotter," she replied.

Upon reaching the tribe's settlement, its own sentinels stopped the group.

«State your purpose,» one of them said.

Mindful of the language barrier, Da'Meon chose to answer in Basic.

"I am Da'Meon, chief of the Tano. I wish to speak to your chief regarding an urgent matter."

The sentinels noticed the jeweled necklace Da'Meon wore as a symbol of his position. Satisfied he was who he claimed to be, they nodded to each other.

"I will take you to our chief," the lead sentinel stated. "However, please identify the others."

"These are my own guards and the others are persons related to the issue at hand. He is the mate of one of my people."

The sentinel appeared shocked to hear of humans in a Togruta tribe, but he accepted Da'Meon's answer without question.

"Come this way, I will escort you to our chief," he stated.

As the group walked through the settlement, a number of Togruta looked curiously at their guests. Although the sight of two humans shocked them, they didn't say anything.

Arriving at the chief's hut, the sentinel stopped Da'Meon and the others. The group waited outside as the sentinel entered the hut. A moment later, the sentinel left the hut and returned to his post. Next, another male stepped out of the hut, dressed similarly to Da'Meon.

"Greetings. I am Thiros, chief of the Zalanos. How can I assist you?"

Da'Meon bowed and replied. "I am Da'Meon of the Tano—the tribe west of you."

"Indeed. I know we haven't formally met, but it's a good day for us to be together."

"I wish I could say the same, but I need your assistance. One of my people is missing, and we think someone may have brought her here."

Thiros' lekku stripes darkened and he looked down at the ground.

"I believe I know the man of whom you speak. Two standard weeks ago, he arrived here and asked to be part of the tribe. Of course, I welcomed him. However, people accused him of lying and stealing almost every day he was here. The elders and I had no choice but to expel him. I fear we sent him your way and that he is the one who may have taken your tribeswoman. I can only hope you don't look at me with dishonor."

"I doubt you told him to kidnap Sarah, so I find no fault with you."

Da'Meon prepared to say more, but Thiros interrupted him.

"I appreciate that, but I wish to prove my honor—our honor—to you. Let's negotiate a treaty, and then I will help with your rescue efforts. My own sentinels know the area well."

"A treaty is not necessary," Da'Meon insisted. "We've had peaceful relations with the Ti for generations without one. I will gladly do the same for you."

"I must insist on it. Had it not been for welcoming and expelling this rogue, you wouldn't need to be here. Let's negotiate, so I can prove the Zalanos don't support such improper conduct."

"Very well, let's do this at once. I have with me the missing one's father and friend. Will you see to it they are served while they wait for us?"

Thiros nodded and beckoned for a colleague.

"This man and girl are to be welcomed as guests. Show them proper hospitality," he told them.

The other gentleman nodded and led them back to the central area.

⁂

Molly gulped down another serving of water as she and her master waited.

"Do you think they'll be done soon?" she asked Tim.

"Patience, Molly. We're in a different place, and they have different traditions. Impatience might be seen negatively when it comes to working out agreements," he reminded her.

"I know, I just wish we could look for Sarah again."

As morning lessons ended, a number of Togruta younglings noticed Molly. A few sat down at an adjoining table. A couple of them looked at Molly and then each other as they spoke among themselves in Togruti. Finally, one of them spoke in accented Basic.

"Can... can I ask you something?" she said.

"Of course," Molly said.

"What's it like to have hair?"

Molly chuckled. I don't think I've ever been asked that before, not even by Sarah, she thought.

"I've had most of my life, so I'm not sure how to answer that."

"Do you like it, or is it annoying?"

"Eh, it's not really annoying. I don't mind it, really. I really don't notice it much when I have it pulled back. I imagine you really don't notice your tails even though you have them."

The girl nodded and then asked, "Is he your father?"

"No, he's my teacher. His daughter is missing and your tribe may help us look for her. We're just waiting for them."

"Oh, OK."

Turning to her colleague, the Togruta girl said, «See, I told you she'd be friendly, even if she looks funny.»

«You should have asked her about her spots,» the other girl replied.

«I should have told her what you said about her looking like your sister.»

The second girl's lekku stripes darkened in embarrassment.

As Molly pondered what the girls said about her, she noticed Da'Meon and Thiros returning.

"That wasn't that long," she said, noticing it had only been approximately an hour.

"We don't know if that's short or long," Tim said.

Da'Meon joined the others and said, "Well, the Tano and Zalanos are now formally allies. Thiros has promised to join us with his sentinels as a show of good faith."

"Very good," Tim replied.

⁂

A short time later, a group consisting of Tim, Molly, Da'Meon and his sentinels, and Thiros and his sentinels searched the scrub lands on the other side of the Zalanos settlement.

«I think they're that way,» one of the Zalanos sentinels said.

Thiros pointed and said, "It looks like we've found them,"

Tim, lacking the enhanced sight of his Togruta counterparts, nodded and said, "I might be able to confirm it."

Willing to take a risk, he chose to use his Force telepathy and thought, Sarah?

Sarah, feeling more tired than when she was first abducted, did her best to keep walking with her captor. She dismissed the voice as a hallucination until she heard it again.

Father? she thought, trying to remain expressionless and not give away her private conversation.

We're close behind you. Don't give us away, and we'll be there shortly. The rest of us have slowly encircled you both.

Sarah stopped herself from nodding. However, her captor grabbed her arm and froze. He noticed the Zalanos sentinels closing in on him. As he turned around, the Tano sentinels closed in on his location.

Sarah, despite feeling tired, quickly kicked her captor in the leg. As he hopped on one foot, Sarah took out his other leg, sending him into the turu-grass. When he attempted to stand up, he saw four sentinels pointing spears towards his throat.

"We meet again," Thiros told him. "This time, you'll be in far more trouble than if had you left and left everyone alone like you should have. You will be charged with abduction."

"And charge him with inappropriate contact of a female. She has a large bruise on her rear lek from his grabbing it," Da'Meon interjected.

Thiros scowled at Sarah's captor.

"Truly, you have no honor to mistreat a female," he said.

Meanwhile, Tim hugged Sarah tightly and protectively.

"Sarah! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, really. I'm just really tired and he grabbed my tail so bad it still hurts," she replied.

"Let's get back to the Zalanos. I'm sure they will help you."

⁂

With Sarah's captor secured until Sarah was able to formally testify against him, news that he hadn't seemed to harm Sarah pleased the Zalanos chief. His apology surprised Sarah; he wasn't to blame for the actions of someone he disavowed. At the moment, Sarah resisted the urge to grimace as the healer bandaged her rear lek.

"You may want to wear that for the next day or two," the healer said as she did her best to check Sarah for any other physical injuries.

"Thanks," Sarah replied as she yawned.

"And here, drink this water, and then sleep. The rest will do you good."

Sarah did as she asked and slowly laid down.

Once Sarah fell asleep, the healer beckoned for Tim to join her outside. He had waited with her while Molly and the others stayed in the central area.

"I wanted to make sure can't hear our conversation. You're not of us, and you need to know what I suspect," the healer stated.

"What do you mean?" Tim asked.

"I believe she is tired not just from being up for a long period, but from something else. She told me he gave her a drink and she still felt tired. There is a chance he may have mixed in a bitter herb that induces sleep on our people."

Tim felt his hands slowly ball into fists. He took a deep breath before relaxing his hands again.

"You mean he drugged her?"

"I can't know for certain, but there is the possibility."

"Is she... will she be... harmed in any way?"

"No, I have given her more water—without anything in it—to dilute the herb's effect on her. She is also sleeping, which will help. I've also examined her as closely as I could, and she has no other signs of injuries."

Tim took another deep breath before saying, "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it."

The healer nodded and replied. "I must go back, but I will send for you when she is awake and ready to go back."

Meanwhile, Da'Meon and Thiros discussed the day's events.

"You know, our people will be welcoming the Ti to join us for Ullumbana. You're more than welcome to join us, and meet another tribe you can consider as friends," Da'Meon said.

"I appreciate the offer, but we have already made plans for the event. While I must decline, I'd like to consider the offer next year," Thiros replied.

"The Ti will be hosting, but I'm sure you are welcome to join them and us so long as you introduce yourselves before then. Might I suggest that if they offer to accept you without a treaty on account of being our allies, you accept it."

"Agreed. Spirits willing, perhaps we can all alternate as hosts of all our tribes in future years. It will be good for all our people."

⁂

Later that afternoon, close to dinner time, Sarah and the others returned to the Tano settlement.

"Sawa!" Emilina called out as she ran up to her sister.

"Hey, little sis. Did you miss me?" Sarah asked.

Emilina vigorously nodded her head yes.

"I did, too."

«I'm a little one!» Emilina said.

"I see you've been learning more of our language, too."

"Sarah, welcome back. Why don't you come in for a minute while Emilina shows your father and Molly what else she learned today," Ahsoka said.

With Sarah inside with her mother, Ahsoka said, "Lay down, I'm going to check you out."

"Mom, the other healer checked me out. Aside from my bruised tail, I'm fine."

"Maybe so, but I need to check something else."

Ahsoka pulled out her datapad and activated the basic medical scanning module. She did a complete scan of Sarah from her feet to the tips of her montrals. Satisfied there was nothing about which to be concerned, she deactivated her datapad and returned it to her pouch.

"All clear," Ahsoka said.

"Mom, why don't you believe me?" Sarah asked.

Ahsoka looked around. Finally, she told Sarah, "I had to be sure nothing bad happened to you."

"All he did was grab my tail."

"He could have done something you don't know about."

"I was awake the whole time, even if I yawned a lot," Sarah insisted.

Ahsoka looked around again before she told Sarah, "When I was your age, I was abducted and knocked out by the pirates that kidnapped me. When I came to again, it looked like someone did something to me."

"Mom?!" Sarah gasped.

"I had a smudge on my top, like someone may have groped me while I was out cold. It scared me so much, I even worried that they may have done more to me."

"Did they?"

"No, thank the maker. But I had to make sure nothing like that happened to you now. I always worry about that whenever you go away for missions, especially when you were kidnapped in Manila."

"I'm fine, mom."

"Sarah, has anyone ever tried to anything like that to you?"

"I've had guys stare at my chest at the master-padawan social. But, if anyone tried grabbing me there, I'd bite their hands off!"

Ahsoka stifled a small smile. "That might not be a good idea, but I'm glad nobody's tried stuff with you. Just don't tell your father about what I just told you about me, OK?"

Sarah nodded and thought, Why doesn't she want him to know? She then stood up and hugged her mother close.

⁂

Later that evening, Sarah and her father walked together. Sarah didn't need to use the Force to see something bothered him.

"Father, what's wrong?"

Tim, knowing he couldn't lie or hide his thoughts for long, finally replied—albeit reluctantly, "When you were napping at the Zalanos, the healer told me... that the guy who kidnapped you may have drugged your water."

Sarah's eyes widened and she noticed her father shuddering as she shuddered and the tips of her lekku twitched in horror.

Was he going to hurt me? raced through Sarah's mind.

"That's not all, though. While you were missing, your mom wanted us to check your journal in case you left any clues for us."

Please tell me they didn't read it! Sarah thought.

Seeing Sarah's nervous look, Tim replied, "Don't worry, she didn't check. I wouldn't let her. Now that you're back, here you go. And here's something else for you."

Sarah smiled as she received her datapad and lightsaber back. Although news of her father's refusal to check her journal surprised her some, she felt relieved to know he didn't.

"Sarah, if anything happens, is it OK if we checked it in case you left us any clues that way?"

Sarah thought for a moment before she said, "I guess, but promise me you'd only check my most recent entry and that's it—and not try reading my older ones or my private ones."

"Fair enough, princess."

⁂

The next afternoon, Sarah and Molly returned to the settlement after running together to prepare for their upcoming cross country season.

"That wasn't too bad," Molly said.

"Yeah. I needed that after what happened yesterday. We made pretty good time, too," Sarah replied.

As the teens passed by a group of teen Togruta, the latter talked among themselves.

«Look at her, acting like everyone believes the old kidnapping excuse.»

«She probably wasn't kidnapped at all.»

«Yeah, she probably decided to fool around with him and lie about it to everyone.»

«She may think it's no big deal where she comes from, but people here will think she's just a ...»

Sarah, who had discreetly activated her datapad to help her translate, did her best to keep from gasping as she read the last word she heard. However, she walked quickly back to the guest hut, ran into her room and started to cry into her pillow.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Molly asked.

"They were talking about me, probably hoping I wouldn't know what they were saying. They think I made up being kidnapped and that I did stuff with the guy." Sarah started to cry again as she added, "And they called me a slut!"

"That's so not true! Don't believe them, Sarah. I'll go back there and tell them to go kiss a thimiar or something!" Molly exclaimed.

"Molly, no! All you'll do is make things worse for me. I'm just glad nobody else knows"

"It's still not right, Sarah."

⁂

A short time later, Tim came into Sarah's room. Although she had stopped crying, she remained curled up on her bed, still embarrassed by her earlier experience.

"Sarah, what happened? Molly told me someone said stuff to you, but she didn't say what it was. It's not like you to mope all day. Please tell me what's wrong," he said.

Thank goodness, but I'm not going to like telling him, she thought.

"They... they..." Sarah began, but she couldn't bear to say it out loud again—not to her father. She took a deep breath and telepathically thought to him, They called me a slut!

"What?! How could they? Why would they say that about you?"

"They think I lied about being kidnapped and that we did stuff," Sarah replied softly.

"But that's not true at all! I'll get to the bottom of this."

Before Sarah could say anything else, Tim had already left her room.

⁂

Some time later, Tim returned to Sarah's room.

"Well, I learned more than I ever wanted to," he told her.

"What's that?"

"I'm sure you already know how sensitive the lower part of your tails are when they're touched or grabbed."

Sarah nodded.

"Apparently on Shili, when a guy touches the lower part of a female's tails, it's treated the same as if he... umm... feels her up."

Sarah's lekku stripes turned dark navy blue in embarrassment.

"That and the fact you have a bandaged bruise has led to people thinking something rather intimate happened."

"Even though that's all he did, and he did it more to hurt me than anything?"

"Yeah. But it does explain that 'inappropriate contact' charge from yesterday."

Sarah nodded.

"I'm just glad I didn't know this last year. It would have been too awkward to bandage your rear tail when you injured it in Manila."

"Why?"

"The idea of people thinking I was doing something icky with my own daughter would bother me too much."

"Father, please don't think that!" Sarah pleaded. "I know you'd never do stuff like that to me. You were only taking care of my injury, nothing more. If it happened again, I'd want you to take care of it just like last time."

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I can't ignore what it means here. I'm going to have that stuck in my head."

"But Earth is different from Shili. Nobody there's going to know. They won't make a big deal out of it."

As Tim shook his head no, Sarah stood up and hugged her father. However, she frowned slightly when he hugged her around the waist, purposely avoiding any contact with her rear lek.

How dare they ruin our relationship! Sarah thought.

⁂

Despite the earlier awkward moment, Sarah felt pleased when her father offered to walk with her in the early evening—similar to their regular custom back home. Both deliberately avoided bringing up the events from past couple of days, but Sarah had a question pop up in her mind.

Father, I need to know something important, she thought to him.

What's that? He thought back.

If that guy did make me do stuff with him, would I have to stop wearing my ring?

Tim looked at the promise ring on Sarah's right hand—his Christmas gift to her almost three years ago.

No. In my mind, if someone forces you to do stuff, that's different from choosing to do it, princess.

Sarah cracked a small smile. Being called by her affectionate nickname almost made up for what happened earlier that afternoon.

"Sarah, maybe it seems innocent, but we should really be using the Force all, even innocently with our telepathy. We don't need any unnecessary trouble. I only did it yesterday to make sure you were OK and you knew we were coming to get you," Tim said.

"That's fine," she replied.

⁂

Back in her room for the night, Sarah activated her datapad, choosing to encrypt her account of what happened the past few days—days she'd just as soon forget ever happened.

I really hope tomorrow is a better day, she wrote to end her entry.

After deactivating her datapad, Molly said, "Good night, Sarah. See you in the morning."

"Yeah, sleep well, Molly."

Sarah looked across the room where Emilina continued to sleep soundly.

If only life was that simple for me, Sarah thought as she pulled the covers up over her and closed her eyes.