Hello once again, everyone! This is once again SuperHeroTimeFan, and I am back with another new chapter of Path of the Padawan! I'm so glad that everyone likes this story so much! Christian Jedi, Logan GC, JacklyinKarst, KrautYank, Ocnarf, RozenMaiden7, and Guests, thank for your never-ending support. It means so much to me, thank you! Now, I will answer everyone's questions before I start the story. RozenMaiden7, when I said 'Bane' in the last chapter, I meant Cad Bane, so yes, I mean the Bounty Hunter. Ocnarf, I don't think that I can use elements from Paranormal Activity because it seems too violent and a bit horrifying for my taste. Now, if I had answered everything anyone had to ask, here is the new chapter. Enjoy, review and rate!
Chapter 5: Youth
Earth-16 January 12th 1913 hours
Lux Bonteri entered Earth's orbit as he came out of the vortex. Inside of the Tano, Lux checked everything off as he took his view of Earth. "All systems are still operational, shields and cloaking systems are still operational, and entry into the anomaly was a success." Lux told himself as he started to flip switches. From within the ship, Lux activated the comlink and made contact with Anakin Skywalker. To his surprise, the signal was quite clear without any fuzzy imagery. "General Skywalker, do you copy?" Lux asked. Anakin cleared his throat and nodded. "I'm here, Lux. What is your progress so far?" Anakin asked the Senator. Lux took a deep breath as he replied back. "I've made it through the anomaly, and I have come across a planet mostly surrounded by water." Lux reported. Anakin sighed and turned back to him. "Is Ahsoka's beacon coming from anywhere on the planet?" Anakin asked. Lux looked to his monitor before turning back. "I don't read anything. I'm sorry." Lux reported back. Anakin sighed once again and took a deep breath. "Land somewhere on the planet where no one will see you. Report to me the minute you've found Ahsoka." Anakin ordered. "I will do that immediately. This is Lux Bonteri signing off." Lux concluded, hanging up on Anakin.
Lux made his way down onto the planet undetected. There was a strange orbital tower above the planet, which was intriguing to him. It must be some sort of defense system. Lux thought to himself before landing somewhere behind some tall trees in a forest. Before Lux emerged from the vessel, he made sure to equip himself. He holstered his usual twin DC-16 Blaster Pistols in their places at his side and clipped the Darksaber at his side. He donned his hooded cloak and armed it with one RPS-6 Rocket Launcher, an EMP grenade and two standard grenades, and finally a holo-transmitter in order to contact either Ahsoka, if she was even on the planet, or Anakin, in case he had anything to report. Satisfied with what the Senator had, Lux walked off.
Mount Justice 1916 hours
"What's a hangout?" Ahsoka asked to M'gann while training with one another. Earlier that day, after the Team came back from Mexico to save civilians from a fight between Doctor Fate and Klarion the Witch-Boy, Raquel Ervin, also known as Rocket on the Team, asked if Ahsoka wanted to come to her home in Dakota City for a hangout. M'gann chuckled as she attacked with a left hook. "Hanging out is just when a bunch of people get together to have some fun." The Martian explained. Ahsoka dodged the attack M'gann made and countered with a lower sweep. M'gann fell to the ground with a grunt as the word 'failure' hovered over her.
Ahsoka helped M'gann up to her feet as she had a confused look on her face. "I've actually never had time to hang out with any of my friends; I don't know what to do." Ahsoka replied back. M'gann gasped silently as the rest of the Team continued to train. "You've never had any free time to yourself?!" she asked incredulously. Ahsoka nodded as she saw M'gann chuckle. "Mostly, I've just been using all my time to help out in the Clone Wars, or meditate on thoughts." Ahsoka added on. M'gann grinned as she facepalmed herself in the head. "Hello, Megan! This could be your first Girl's Night Out!" she exclaimed. Ahsoka chuckled as she and M'gann walked down to their rooms. "I'll be sure to enjoy it. I just need to know what to do in these kinds of things." She stated. M'gann smiled and started to talk. For the rest of the afternoon, M'gann told Ahsoka everything there ever is to Girl's Night Out. Ahsoka listened with great interest as the two girls began talking on and on nonstop.
Tokyo, Japan January 13th 638 hours UTC
Lux walked through the busy streets of Tokyo. From the very tall buildings to the neon-lit signs, everything seemed like Coruscant in its busiest state. Lux grinned under his cloak as he listened to many conversations occur. Since he was fluent in many different languages, Lux was able to understand what everyone was saying from gossip talks to business offers. Maybe finding Ahsoka won't be so easy to do. Lux thought to himself. He sighed as he took a short break to stop walking and catch his breath as he walked into a dojo.
Lux leaned against the wall and sighed, taking out a capsule of water to refresh himself. He had no idea that he walked into a dojo, so he just rested there. As he was resting, he could see a girl in workout clothes train with what appeared to be a wooden sword. Lux's eyes widened when he noticed one thing about her training technique: she was using the reverse-grip technique that Ahsoka only knew how to use! Lux quietly looked around before walking over to the girl.
Tatsu Yamashiro trained with the reverse-grip position she had seen Ahsoka use in the past. If I can perfect it, then I can become stronger. Katana thought to herself. She continued to train until she needed to catch a break. As she was walking to get her shoes on and get a drink of water, she could hear someone clear their throat. Widening her eyes in confusion, she looked to see a boy with brown hair and a grey suit. He had some sort of guns holstered at his side, and there was some sort of emblem on his shirt, one looking like a diplomatic seal. Wiping herself with her towel, Katana walked over and placed her sandals on her feet before walking over to talk to the boy. "May I help you?" she asked in fluent English. Lux sighed and looked to her. "Using that kind of technique takes time to master." Lux replied simply. Katana raised an eyebrow and reached for her Soultaker sword until Lux stopped her. "I know that technique. A girl named Ahsoka Tano uses it." He stated. Katana's eyes widened with surprise, as well as Lux's as the two gaped at each other with surprise. "You know Ahsoka?" she and Lux asked simultaneously.
Lux nodded at this. "I've known Ahsoka for my whole life." He stated. Katana gave a small 'hmm' sound as she placed her hand to her chin. "Are you looking for her?" Katana asked curiously. Lux smiled and nodded. "Where can I find Ahsoka?" he asked curiously and excitedly. Tatsu pointed her sword towards the window facing the ocean. "She's across the ocean, somewhere in America. You will be able to find her there." Tatsu instructed. Lux smiled and then reached into his pouch for some credits. "Thank you for your information." He thanked the samurai. As Katana looked at the golden credits that were given to her, Lux went to find Ahsoka.
Mount Justice 2015 hours
Ahsoka came out of her room in her new human shapeshifted form with some proper attire. She sighed as she looked to her watch. "Let's go, Ahsoka." Ahsoka said to herself. She looked to her right to see M'gann come out with her usual clothing and smiled. M'gann turned to Ahsoka and smiled back as the two left to the Zeta Tube. "I hope that this is as exciting as you told me, M'gann." Ahsoka told the Martian Female. M'gann smiled and winked at the Togrutan with a 'thumbs up' gesture. "Everything will be fine, Ahsoka. I promise." M'gann reassured her new friend. Ahsoka smiled as the two finally went off into the Zeta Tubes to get to Dakota City. Recognized Miss Martian B-0-5, Ahsoka Tano B-1-1 the female computer announced as the two alien girls left to head to Dakota to meet up with their friends.
Dakota City 2019 hours
As Miss Martian stepped out of the photo booth Zeta Tube of Dakota City, Ahsoka followed. She blinked thrice before shaking her head with widened eyes of surprise. "That was crazy!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she rubbed her eyes. Miss Martian chuckled as she placed an arm on Ahsoka's shoulder. "It will take some… getting used to." M'gann assured her alien friend. The two walked down the streets until they reached Raquel's home, Apartment 16-B. The two took the elevator up to her floor as Ahsoka and M'gann just smiled the whole way there.
As they reached Level 16, Ahsoka guided M'gann through the halls, sensing where Raquel might be. They finally reached the seventh door to the right, where Ahsoka assumed Raquel was. M'gann knocked lightly on the door, waiting for a response. After ten seconds of waiting, Sandra Ervin came up to the door and smiled. "Come on in, girls, and take off your shoes." Raquel's mother said happily. Ahsoka and M'gann looked to each other before turning back to the mother with smiles on their faces. They walked into the large apartment and removed their footwear before looking to Sandra. "Raquel, your friends are here!" Sandra called out. Soon, Raquel walked over from the living room of the house with a white blouse and grey jeans. She grinned happily when she saw that Ahsoka and M'gann were able to make it. "Come on in, girlfriends, the other girls are waiting for you." Raquel said politely. Ahsoka and M'gann smiled as they followed Rocket to the living room.
When the two entered, they smiled as they saw Artemis and Zatanna already there. Zatanna smiled happily as she ran over to hug M'gann. "It's great to see you here!" the young mage rejoiced. Ahsoka sent a warm smile to Artemis, who returned the favor. Finally, Raquel came from behind the Togrutan and hugged her tightly, causing Ahsoka to gasp and chuckle. "Girlfriend, I'm glad that you could make it!" Raquel squealed excitedly. Ahsoka chuckled and released herself from her grasp. "I'm glad I could make it too!" Ahsoka replied. The five girls chuckled and started gossiping.
A couple hours later, the girls started to watch movies. Zatanna and Artemis had chosen out the movie, in which M'gann was starting to enjoy. Raquel sort of liked the movie, but she couldn't get her mind off of Ahsoka. She turned from her seat position to see the Togrutan looking out the window. Raquel looked around to see if anyone if anyone would notice her, and when she saw that no one seemed to mind, Rocket went to see what Ahsoka was looking at.
Ahsoka looked out the apartment window to see a group of six children playing on the playground across the street. Ahsoka smiled sadly as this brought her back to the younglings she had trained back when she was a Jedi. I do miss them. Ahsoka thought to herself. Sadly, Ahsoka looked down to her feet meekly as she didn't notice Raquel walking towards her. The young African-American placed a hand on her shoulder and started to look out the window with her. "It sure is nice to be young, don't you think?" Raquel asked. Ahsoka nodded in both agreement and disagreement. "Back then, I used to train younglings, somewhere about the same age as those children." Ahsoka explained. Raquel nodded and sighed. "What did you do for them?" she asked. Ahsoka chuckled and turned. "It wasn't what I did for them, but what they did for me." Ahsoka explained. Raquel raised an eyebrow in confusion. Seeing the confused look on her face, Ahsoka started to explain. "Back when I was still a Jedi, I was assigned to train some younglings, young Jedi in training. When a criminal gang captured me, they plotted a plan to rescue me. It was reckless, but I was forever grateful to them. They were the best of kids to me, and I miss them now." Ahsoka stated sadly to Raquel. Raquel sighed and patted Ahsoka on the shoulder. "Those young ones sound like an impressive bunch." She stated. Ahsoka looked over to her and chuckled. "They're arrogant, but at the same time, worthy to be called warriors." Ahsoka replied.
Raquel sighed and looked out into the sky. "Before I became Rocket, I was just a kid growing up on the poorest sides of Dakota City." Raquel explained, intriguing Ahsoka with her story. "Go on." Ahsoka urged the heroine. Rocket chuckled and sighed once again. "The life back then was… never easy for me, you know what I'm saying?" Raquel stated to the Ex-Jedi. Ahsoka nodded as Raquel went on. "Just as you had some great masters, there were always some mentors to help me during my difficult times, and I don't mean the big guys like my parents or Icon." Raquel added on. Ahsoka awed at this, causing Raquel to take notice. "Ever since then, growing up with the help of my mentors made my life much easier." Ahsoka sighed and the two girls chuckled for a while. "Seriously, though, your younglings must be feeling just the same way." Rocket concluded. The two sighed and laughed as they continued to look out the window towards the joyous children.
Just then, there was a loud horn blaring from around the corner. The other girls took notice of this and went to where Ahsoka and Raquel were. "What's going on?" Artemis asked. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes closer towards the streets and gasped. A large fuel truck was driving out of control, and towards the playground. The kids playing screamed as they saw the oncoming vessel heading towards them. "We need to stop that driver!" M'gann exclaimed. Ahsoka nodded and used her newly-founded shapeshifting power to revert back into her Togrutan form. "I'm already ahead of you." Ahsoka quipped. Zatanna chuckled and incanted a spell to transform the girls into the heroines they were. Artemis readied her bow as she looked back to Ahsoka. "What's our plan of attack, Ahsoka?" the archer asked respectfully. Ahsoka grinned and turned back to face the girls. "Follow me." She simply said. With that, Ahsoka jumped out of the window and used the Force to push herself off of the wall and towards the truck. M'gann laughed as she levitated Artemis with her, while Zatanna and Rocket followed in flight.
Inside of the truck, the driver was laughing like he was a madman. He ignored the police sirens wailing out behind him and continued to drive. He was drunk, very drunk. He even had no idea what he was doing! He madly took a large sip of his wine and continued to drive down the street. Just then, Ahsoka leapt onto his window. "Pull over!" she demanded. The man just growled and pulled out a gun. Ahsoka groaned and used her lightsabers to carve a hole into the window. The man shrieked in shock as Ahsoka pulled him out. As the two landed roughly on the ground, Artemis shot a grappling arrow from a lamppost to the truck to keep it from crashing. M'gann then pulled back the tanker with all her might. Zatanna cast a spell in order to make the man come to his senses, in which he succeeded and looked around in confusion. "What's going on?" he asked. Ahsoka rolled her eyes as she looked back to the truck. She gasped when she saw the tanker tip over. The fuel tanker exploded into a fiery explosion!
The children gathered together nervously as they watched everything happen. They all closed their eyes to hope that it would all pass. At that moment, Rocket flew down and spread her arms out in front of her. Ahsoka watched in awe as a large Force Field went around the explosion, preventing it from spreading throughout the city. Ahsoka smiled as she saw the police arrive on the scene. "Take this man away." Ahsoka ordered. Commissioner Gordon nodded and cuffed the drunken man as Ahsoka walked towards Rocket. The children cheered for Rocket's success as she bowed down before them. Ahsoka walked up to her and smiled. "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is." Ahsoka quoted from Master Yoda. Rocket nodded and laughed. "I couldn't have said it better myself." She quipped back. The two girls laughed with happiness as the others watched with interest. Ahsoka and Raquel then smiled at each other with joy before knocking their arms together. "Only the youth can be so magnificent." Ahsoka stated, causing the girls to laugh. They all shared a good moment together before heading back to the apartment, and later to the Cave.
Happy Harbor January 13th 0016 hours
Lux Bonteri landed the Tano down onto the ground as he looked out to the wide and open city. It was a magnificent sight to the Senator, but unfortunately for him, he had another task to complete. "Ahsoka, I will find you, and I pray for your safety." Lux said to himself before donning his cloak and weaponry and taking a speeder to find Ahsoka. Unbeknownst to him, a tracker was placed onto his back. From above the sky, in the Xanadu Blood, Cad Bane chuckled to himself. "This will make my job a whole lot easier." He sinisterly stated to himself. With that, both took off into the night.
Author's Note: I hope that you all liked this chapter. Special credit goes to The Christian Jedi for helping me out with this chapter. I would have never been able to get it done without him. My next chapter will be out soon later this week. That is a promise that I intend to keep. Please feel free to comment, review and rate at your pleasure. I am always keen to hear from you guys. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. I wish you all a magnificent week!