Here's chapter 14 for all you faithful readers! I hope it's long enough!
Disclaimer: It's not even mine, oh why do I bother... Oh, that's right, so I don't get sued by Lucas & Co. ;-)
It was now several weeks after the dream. By now, Master Luminara and her padawan had both settled comfortably into their individual roles. The latter went in for soul healing, although not as often as she had earlier. Ani was making amazing progress, not only by gaining more confidence in herself and her abilities, but also in training. She had almost mastered Soresu (Form III), as she trained with her master daily, which gave her an edge. She was also working on Niman (Form VI), with Master Cin Drallig, the lightsaber master.
Besides becoming more proficient in lightsaber techniques, she also learned to let go and to accept the past, which was becoming easier for her. However, she continued to attend soul healing sessions weekly, which made her calmer and more peaceful than she had been weeks ago.
Not only did Ani gain finesse and patience, she also gained compassion for others, and the ability to empathize with them and share feelings. What had been done to her in the past was not ; by experiencing what few had experienced, she found She would make a great healer, Caudle, the Jedi Master of sickbay, had told her master.
Yes, Luminara Unduli had replied humorously. If only she would learn how to master that infamous temper of hers just a little bit more. Yet another problem that they needed to work on – together. Okay, so she wasn't the same little spitfire that had taken revenge on the droids after they had killed her mother eleven-some years ago, but she still retained a little of that ignitable anger inside of her. If she was angry, she took her frustrations either out on her master, who just took it all calmly, or kept it all inside, masking it perfectly. The outbursts were gradually becoming less (with the occasional case of her beating up an initiate because he teased her master) as her master patiently led her through the finer points of meditation.
Her anger still posed a problem, however, not just to herself, but also to everyone with whom she came in contact with. Coupled with her stubbornness and tendency towards aggressive negotiations, she definitely didn't fit the normal picture of a Jedi. However, she did make an excellent fighter, and a good strategy student.
All this and more were being discussed in a meeting being held in the Jedi Council, in the center Spire. The Council members were trying to decide which Jedi team they should send to deal with a problem over on Alderaan, and no one had come to an agreement as of yet.
"Alright, alright," Mace Windu said wearily. "Can we at least narrow down to which team we might even think about sending?" Oppo Rancisis raised a hand.
"What about…" he began before Kit cut him off with a sigh.
"No, Kenobi and Skywalker are not available to do this. They're currently on Cristophsis, holding their own against the Separatist droids." He steepled his fingers, touching the tips to his mouth. "Personally, I feel that Aayla Secura and I should go, but you –"
"No, we're not going to let you go alone with your girlfriend," his fellow Council member, Agen Kolar, stage-whispered in his ear. He blushed slightly.
"He – Hey! She's not my girlfriend," he protested weakly. Agen Kolar gave him a sly wink.
"Riiiiiiiiigghhhttt," he said, totally unconvinced. "Suuuurrrrrre." Mace pretended not to hear those two.
"Oookaayyy," he said, ignoring the murderous looks the two gave him. "Anyways, does anyone object to my picking a team?" He looked around smugly; no one dared to speak up, as if knowing he'd join and best them on a mission (most likely a battle) sometime soon. "I think that Knight Offee and Zander should go." Adi groaned.
"They need more time to work together," she stated, ignoring his glare. "So sorry, but no." She leaned forward, and looked around. "How about we, instead, make it a sort of trial for the one whom it most closely hits home to?" She saw several heads nodding.
"If we give the person in question this trial, she…or he," she added, narrowing her eyes at Mace, "would be able to go up to Senior Padawan status. Coupled with the other trials of the war, assuming it continues like it has so far, this padawan could become a Knight by the time the war ends." Shaak Ti and a few others murmured their acceptance of this, while Mace looked totally unconvinced.
"So which padawan is this, Adi?" he asked, glowering at her. "Not that I don't have a clue, but I'd like to know who you're thinking about, just to be sure." She gave an un-lady-like snort.
"Fellow Council members," she announced, drawing everyone's attention. "I suggest that we send Master Luminara Unduli and her padawan, Ani Laminara." Gasps sounded from almost every chair in the room, minus the obviously empty ones.
"This is preposterous," Oppo Rancisis protested, raising one scaly hand. Adi sighed; he said that at almost every meeting they'd had for the past month or so, ever since the question of knighting Skywalker had come up. "The padawan is not yet ready. She is impulsive, quick to anger, and still has to –"
"I know what she still has yet to accomplish, Master Rancisis," Adi replied coolly. "However, I believe she is ready to again be part of this war effort. Her previous master did take her on several missions, after all, so she has some experience." Shaak Ti folded her hands, looking thoughtful.
"I agree with Adi." Several one-eyebrow-raised-typical-Jedi-Master stares were now being brought her way. "The way her former master trained her, she was ready to become Senior Padawan. Still can, in fact." She held up a finger. "However, I question not the padawan but the mission." She looked around.
"From what I know of her past, if we would choose to send her on this mission, it could be a catalyst for something else. Facing the past could be fatal for her, as she could collapse, die, or turn. Would it be a good idea, Master Gallia, for us to give those two this mission?" Master Yoda harrumphed.
"Go on it, in order to become stronger, she must," he spoke, garnering everyone's attention. "A special little one she is, to us all." His ears drooped a little. "If go on this mission, she does not, then ready for what is to come, she will not be." Mace still looked skeptical, while Adi nodded.
" Good," she stated, " then when do we call both of them up here?"
"Tomorrow," replied Shaak Ti, just as Kit Fisto said, "Today". They both glared at each other.
"Tomorrow because we won't be interrupting whatever they're doing," Shaak Ti ground out.
"Today because then they'll know what they need to prepare for," Kit shot back.
"I think today would be better," Adi agreed, ignoring her friend's sharp glare. "That way they can prepare."
"When do they have to leave for this anyway?" Agen Kolar asked.
"Tomorrow at 06h00," replied Mace Windu.
"Alright. Then I make a motion that we tell them today at 18h00."
"I second it," Adi called out.
"All in favor?" Mace asked. Ten raised their hands for. "All opposed?" Two were against it.
"Alright, we will reconvene in 04h00, two hours before the appointed meeting time with the Unduli/Laminara team. However, right now we will send a Master to notify them of the appointed time." Mace turned to the human female Councilor. "Master Gallia, will you please go do so?" She stood and bowed.
"Yes, Master Windu." She left, the doors whispering shut behind her, as the other Council members stood and stretched.
DRRRRRMMMMMMM. A green lightsaber swung down, only to be blocked by a deep blue one.
"I think you're beat, Padawan," Luminara pointed out, smiling. "It's all you can do to keep blocking my attacks." Her padawan, Ani Laminara, wiped the sweat off her face with a sleeve.
"Really?" She smiled. "I'd like to think that you're going to be beat, for the first time ever." Their blades met, and in a whirl of blue-green sparks they were battling each other again. Luminara was impressed with how far her padawan had come, not only with her battling skills but also with her confidence. She doesn't give up, no matter how tough it might be for her. Just have to make sure that it doesn't go overboard into cockiness…
Luminara swooped down with her blade after doing a triple flip, making sure to guard herself well. Her padawan merely smiled – and slid underneath her master, barely making it before the latter landed on the floor.
"SEE?" She ducked to avoid the swipe of her now-slightly annoyed master. "I do know some tricks you don't know!" Luminara allowed herself a tight smile.
"Yes, my padawan," she wove her lightsaber around her, concentrating on her padawan's movements, and on the Force. "However, I am the experienced one, and the master, so I will beat you."
After saying so, Luminara dove forward and grabbed Ani's leg. Startled, the latter was pulled to the floor. The master positioned herself, kneeling on her padawan's legs so that she could not get away, and held the lightsaber to her throat. "Yield."
A tense silence held them both as Ani stared up at her master, frozen. Finally, she smiled slightly.
"I do yield, my master," she said. Luminara deactivated her blade with a sigh, smiled, and got up. Her padawan held up her hand. "Could you please help me off the ground though?" Ani made a face. "These floors don't come with carpeting, you know."
"Why, are you sure, my padawan?" Luminara asked, a smile softening her face. "You're a lot cuter down there, and not as much trouble." Padawan Laminara acted indignant.
"Master," she began, not withdrawing her hand. "If you don't help me up, you're not going to get to eat tonight. Remember," she grinned evilly. "It's my turn!" Luminara sighed and pretended to be disgruntled.
"Alright," she said, helping her padawan up. "However, if the cooking is even slightly burnt, back on the floor you're going." She gave Ani a mock-glare. "And don't try to hide anything from me. After all, I'm your master," she tousled the girl's long hair, "and I know where you live." Ani snorted.
"Well, I should hope you'd know where I live, as I do share your quarters," she replied cheekily, avoiding the thrown cloak (compliments of her master) and ducking into the changing room. After she had entered, she poked her head back outside and grinned at her master. "And don't worry, Master Luminara. I will beat you one day, hopefully soon." Master Luminara gave her padawan the raised eyebrow look.
"And if someone doesn't hurry up, she'll be doing the dishes for next week-and-a-half." Ani squeaked and ducked back in. Luminara smiled as she could hear the thoughts of her cheeky padawan streaming in from their bond.
/Oh, how my master just loves to torture me/ Ani was acting like a drama queen…again. /Poor, innocent little me, who never did anything wrong –/
/– who just happened to have incriminating evidence in her room the same day I got blasted with green goo after I got into the sonic shower and turned it on high/ The master reminded her padawan, trying not to grin. She leaned against the opposite wall, across from the dressing room, to wait for her padawan.
/Master!!!/ Ani was acting like a hurt puppy. Good thing I can't see her face right now, or I'd be tempted to laugh even harder, Luminara thought, not quite smothering the grin. /Me??!!! Your little angelic padawan? Never!/
/Padawan, how many times do I have to tell you?/ The grin was now thoroughly plastered across the elder's face, but she didn't notice. She's definitely taking her time in there, the Jedi Master thought. /You say you're angelic, you get to go through thirty minutes of meditation with me. Think about it, thirty minutes of pure torture with your dear master. Won't that be fun to do?/ A mental sigh came in from the other end of the bond.
/Master/ Ani probably has her hands on her hips, is glaring at a wall and wishing it was me, Luminara thought. /Remember your promise? You said you wouldn't torture me anymore, and what did you end up doing? Making me go through meditation at least twice a day, morning practice until lunch, four hours of classes, almost NO time to do homework –/
/You spend most of your time in the archives/ Luminara pointed out. /What do you do in there anyways, my padawan?/ Silence.
/I will not say/ She could sense now the attempted seriousness in her padawan's voice. /What my friends and I do in there is not going against the rules at all/
/Oh sure. As if printing a picture of Mace Windu and Adi Gallia making out was innocent/
/MASTER!!!! It WAS innocent/ Ani almost yelled. It grew quiet once more. /'Sides, it's not like it was real or anything. We were just playing around/
/Tell Master Windu that/ Luminara chuckled at the memory/It was nearly a month before the Temple younglings stopped calling him, 'Master Stud man.' He was so irritable, he nearly clubbed Kit to death when the Nautolan suggested that Adi and he should go on a date/
/I would've loved to have seen that/
/Yeah, I bet/ Luminara turned and noticed Jedi Master Adi Gallia had just motioned the doors open and come into the training room. She must want to talk to my padawan and I about something, Luminara guessed, straightening. /Padawan, Master Gallia is here/
/Yay/ Ani said sarcastically. /Has she come to give us that long lecture on "you-are-a-Jedi-and-you-must-learn-to-act-like-one." Oh wait, that was meant for me, wasn't it? Shoot!/
/Yes, my padawan. And I'm pretty sure that she noticed you weren't paying attention/ Luminara chuckled softly and gave her young one a Force-nudge. /However, I don't think she's here to lecture us again/
/Whew! Such a relief/ Luminara chuckled. Her padawan's sense of humor was definitely…unique. /Just don't let her hear that/
/Who, me? Master, you should know me better by now/ Adi looked puzzled. Shoot. /Padawan, you really should get out here before Master Gallia decides to investigate the smile on my face/
/Okay, okay. Cripes, what IS it with masters nowadays?/
/Padawan…/
/I'm coming, I'm coming…/ Ani strode out of the changing room. Rest, nourishment, and loving care had allowed the young one room to grow and blossom, even though it had only been several weeks. Blond hair pulled back to form a sleek ponytail, taller by a few inches, and cheeks not so hollow, Ani looked and was healthier than she had been in the past months. Seeing the Jedi Master, she bowed.
"Master Gallia." The Council member nodded, acknowledging the girl's presence.
"Padawan Ani." She looked to the master as the padawan strode to stand beside her master. "I have some important news for you both from the Council."
Luminara was not one to waste either words or time. "Let's hear it." Ani shifted, feeling a little anxious and…for some reason, frightened.
Adi nodded. "Very well." She looked at each of them, the padawan longer than the master, taking a deep breath. "There is a problem brewing on the planet Alderaan. A member of one of Alderaan's highest councils is believed to be a Separatist spy. You both are to fly there immediately and trace her movements."
"Excuse me, Master," Ani interrupted, face tight, "but did you say a her?" She nodded.
"Yes, padawan." Adi Gallia thought carefully before saying, "She is a high-ranking wife of a recently deceased noble who was active in politics. She is continuing that by taking over his position. She has a daughter, adopted from Corellia, whose name is Amanali." She looked at the padawan, and blinked in surprise as the girl suddenly broke out into a sweat. Her master seemed puzzled as well.
"Is something wrong, my padawan?" Luminara asked, placing a hand to the girl's shoulder. "You're sweating, and you feel warm."
"I'm fine." Ani swiped the hand away and wiped her forehead. The master placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, as if to give her some support. The padawan breathed in and out, trying to calm herself.
"What…what is the…widow's name?" Ani braced herself for the inevitable. Adi looked surprised, as did Luminara.
"Her name?" She looked vaguely uncomfortable. "Ah yes, her name." Luminara motioned for her to continue, curious as to why a name would have so much meaning for her padawan.
"The name of the widowed countess," Adi stated, "is Marana Kiln."
I know who she is, and you don't... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Well, you'll find out, maybe...
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...just please review!!!!