The Skywalkers' Guardian Part 3

by KayleyKats

Elizabeth "Liz" Watcher aka. Leia Starwatcher has gotten older and is getting stronger; unfortunately, this also means that danger has also increased in strength. Now, her skills are about to be tested as the dark side grows ever closer. Can she fight off the growing darkness or will she succumb to the dark side?

The Skywalkers' Guardian

Book 1

Part 3

Prologue

Ah, hello again, I hope you're ready for another crash course into my adventures, and boy, do I have a story to tell you. So, the last thing you read was that Maya was being flown to Coruscant along with us. Oh, also it was my birthday that day, right? Yep, I turned fifteen that day. Ahhh, those were the simple day…I miss that.

Anyway, my journey continues as a year officially passes by me during this time. You heard right, although I didn't *technically* live here a whole year, since I only spent a few months here, while the rest of this past year was on Earth. My training as been going by pretty well so far, and I've been getting better at handling my lightsaber and using the Force as well. I've been able to spot Eliza every once in a while, yet most of the time she's with Jett or she's busy talking to another Jedi. The Jedi I've often seen her with is Aayla Secura, Plo-Kloon or Windu (of course most often, I feel like he seeks her out, not the other way around). I used to think that Windu was cool, but something about how he approaches Eliza, makes me feel a little frustrated with him. Then again, he's not the only one who's been giving her a hard time (by the looks of things, this type of suspicion of Eliza has gone on a lot longer than I've known, since I haven't been here as long as they have).

But what's so cool about her is that she doesn't let them or their words get to her. She just shrugs off their glares and goes about her day like it never happened. She just walks with this air around her that just makes me admire her, which if also probably why I feel too nervous to approach her. Someday I'll muster up to talk to her or at least thank her for saving me, which I still haven't done.

Oh right! Maya's been staying at the Temple and has settled in quite well. She comes by and visits every once in a while, and the two of us take the day chatting and just enjoying each other's company. Maya's incredibly nice, so much so, that I often forget that she's a super soldier, but I'm happy that she's found a way to smile and be a normal girl for once.

Jett's first meeting with Maya went really well and the two have been getting along well together.

I still remember wen they met:

("Hey, Jett!" I called to him as I saw him walking down the hallway; Maya was standing next to me and saw him approach. Jett stopped in front of me, after running towards us, and he looked at Maya and blushed a bright pink before stuttering, "H-hey, uhm…w-who are y-you?" He rubbed the back of his neck, as his long ears flattened awkwardly. Maya blinked at him, which caused me to giggle a bit, before I put my hand on her shoulder and looked back at Jett,

"She is my new friend, Maya Eden; Maya, this is my best friend, Jettison Blake, or Jett for short." I introduced and smiled at the two of them. Maya and Jett looked each other up and down, before Maya gave him her hand and he, gently, took her hand in his and shook it, a little too firmly. But it didn't seem to bother her, and the two put their hands back to their sides. "It's nice to meet you, Jett; I hope you and I could be friends, as well." Maya said and smiled at him (which caused me to widen my own smile and feel relief at how well their introductions were going). Jett's blush deepened and he gave her a quirky, yet still friendly smile, "Y-yeah, I-I h-hope s-so t-too.")

I was so happy to have two of my best friends liking each other. I love them both. Maya has even watched me and Jett as we did fight practice; that particular day was fun, despite the fact that I lost my footing and accidentally kicked Jett in the face. Ooof, I felt really bad for doing that, but he reassured me that it was an accident…but the blood dripping from his nose certainly didn't help. I got scolded by Ahsoka later on, telling me that I should've been more aware of my surroundings. Despite the scolding, I could tell she wasn't mad, she just knew that I needed to keep up with my training is all.

…To be honest, I've felt really frustrated with my constant back and forth in my training. I mean one moment I'm able to take on people like Dooku and Ventress (although they would've probably ended me really quickly if I hadn't gotten help), then suddenly the next thing I know I'm falling over myself or nearly getting myself and others killed. I want to be the Jedi that Ahsoka sees in me, but sometimes I wonder if she's ever disappointed in my lack of progress.

I-I mean sure she's told me she's proud of me, but it's hard to believe her words when I don't feel proud of myself. I know that people will eventually grow into themselves, but at the same time, I wanted to do my part and help others, but how could I do that if I'm stuck in place and walking at a different pace then the rest.

I just feel like something dreadful is going to happen; I can only hope that when it happens, I can survive it.

Sweat was dripping down my back, arms and neck as I tried to hold myself in a handstand. I was using the Force on some of the items scattered around.

-For your information, I was already taught this before, in fact I was taught this as one of the first things I did; this was just a warm-up to the rest of my training.

But this particular day was not a normal one. I felt my arms shaking under my weight as I tried to relax and let go of the fear of falling, but I still felt unsteady. I tried to push the feeling of uncertainty in my chest down and focus on the feeling of my aura. It was normally a soft breeze, but now it was getting louder and colder. It was screaming and I felt like this once little breeze was going to knock me over. I then felt myself submerge under the wind pressure, but through it I saw something, a glimpse, a small sliver into the future. I saw Padme, only she

looked terrified, and had a cloth wrapped around her mouth with tears in her eyes.

I then heard screams everywhere as people were consumed by fire and buildings were being destroyed all around me. Where was I? I was standing in a way that looked as if I was watching something on TV. I couldn't move even if I wanted to, but I tried to fight it as my arms tried to reach forward while my legs were stuck in place. I looked down to see what was holding me down and just saw a tar-like substance around my knees. I tried to move, but then the tar started to move like it were an ocean, but the thickness and horrid stench was still present. I started to panic and began to grow even more panicked by the situation as black tendrils grabbed at my arms and face as it was pulling me down. The fear I was feeling was starting to grow into frustration, then it turned into anger as I saw through the sludge as if covered me, that Padme was screaming for help and was being held back by a dark sinister figure. Seeing her in danger, brought out a fury within me and I felt fire suddenly erupt from around me as it burned all the black sludge to ash. But the fire wasn't going to stop, it grew and grew until it became a huge wave of fire and then fear came back to me as it stopped before diving straight down on me. I felt the flames burn my skin which resulting in me yelping, closing my eyes and falling backwards…

That was when I awoke from the vision and felt myself tumble down, landing on my back while hitting my head on the rug. I hissed out in pain and looked up at the ceiling as I felt my heart race. I really thought that I was getting better at shutting out these types of visions. But I guess it was just another one of my mini blunders in my efforts to become a Jedi. I then turned over on my side and held myself in an embrace. I felt the bitter taste of disappointment seep in like all the many times before. I heard the door open with a hiss and I quickly got up on my feet. I saw that it was Ahsoka, she noticed my jumpy action to get up and she smiled at me, although it was clear she could tell something was bothering me.

"Hey, you're here early." She said as she came over to me and when she saw that I still had an element of being "spooked", her face turned serious, yet still holding a tenderness that caused me to ache, "Did you have another one of those visions?" She asked, I frowned as I looked away, "You already know the answer to that." I bit out bitterly, before she put her hand on my shoulder and turned my face towards her with her other hand under my chin, "Yes, I do, but I want you to be honest with me, and I can't help you if you aren't honest with me." She reminded me as I she looked into my eyes as I still looked away. I rubbed my arm before I looked her in the eyes, "Yeah, well, I did have one," I said as I pulled away a bit, "I just don't understand it; I mean I haven't had something like this since last year, but it always seems to sneak up on me when I least expect it…or when I don't want to see it." I explained as I crossed my arms, "Ugh, I just don't understand this vision thing!" I said I gestured my hands to my head, before I stopped realizing I had snapped and immediately shut up, especially upon seeing Ahsoka's face, who seemed to be both concerned and a little taken aback by my raised voice. I rubbed the back of my neck before finally speaking up again, "I-I'm sorry, Ahsoka, I shouldn't have snapped like that; I-I've just been on edge lately and I don't know why." I explained, a little gently this time, "I mean I haven't been having a ton of visions like this until now, but I just can't

help but feel like something bad it going to happen and it just makes me worry that when it does happen, it will not be something any of us will recover from." There I told her, I told myself as I stood there as I rubbed my arm again as the aftertaste of the vision seemed to linger a bit.

"Well, first thing you can do about it is to tell me what you saw," She said to me as she put her hand on her hip and the other pointing at me then back to herself, "If you can tell me about it then we can figure out how best to approach it."

I nodded before letting out a sigh, "I saw Padme, she was being held captive by something or someone, and there was all this sludge around me keeping me from helping her and then the sludge suddenly burst into flames and burned away then the flames then attacked me in the form of a giant wave." I told her everything, as I was doing so, I was gesturing with my hands in a very animated way as I told, before I then let my arms drop as I concluded the vision to her. She then tapped her finger to her chin, thinking about what I just told her before she then spoke, "Well, from what you told me about having felt uneasy beforehand, so that could've effected your vision into being something that was made out of your uneasiness; After all, remember this my young Padawan, not all visions are what they appear to be and sometimes our emotions can cause us to see it from what we want to see it." She theorized as she paced a little before settling with standing in front of me again, "But if you are worried about Padme, then you could call her and ask her how she's doing just to put your mind at ease." She suggested to me.

While what she said should've made me feel better, I still felt uneasy about it, "Yeah, but what if this vision is real and will happen, do I just ignore it?" I asked her, "She and others could be in danger."

She put both her hands on my shoulder stopping me in my tracks, "Yes, she could, but that's the trick isn't it, she could be in danger, doesn't mean she is or will be." I rolled my eyes a bit at that, "Yeah, of course I know that—" "Do you though? Because it doesn't sound like it, because I can tell your feelings about Padme are strong, yet also dangerous."

That caused the record-player in my brain to come to a screeching halt, I stopped before it hit me, "Do you mean…the Dark Side?" I asked her.

-Now as any Star Wars fan would know that the Dark Side is the quick and easy path. The road that can lead you down the path to becoming a Sith or a Darksider, like Ventress.

"Precisely, the Dark Side can come out even when you are a good person, who just wants to do good; unfortunately the one's who fall victim the most were good once." She points out to me, "Because the more pure-hearted someone is, the more the agents of Evil want to taint that person; negative emotions are to Sith what blood is to leeches and other blood-sucking animals, because they can sense it and feel it."

"So, it isn't just the anger or broken people that the Darksiders hunt, then." I thought to myself.

I looked up at Ahsoka as she went to stand at the other end of the dojo and grabbed one of the training sticks on the wall, before turning to me and throwing it to me. I caught just from instinct and blinked in confusion, "What's this for?" I asked as she took her own from the wall, "Well, I was thinking that it was about time we get to training, don't you think?" She expressed to me as she twirled the stick in her hand. I looked at her feeling a bit skeptical, "Umm, suuure…" I said before I got in position as well.

She swung first and I dodged before going in to trip her, but she quickly got away from my feet. She then came back at me but with more speed, I dodged to the side then went to hit her with my elbow, but she blocked me with one hand and grabbed my arm pulling me away from her. I was quickly growing irritated by all this, which made sense, (-at least to me now) considering I was still reeling about my vision just a while ago. But I wasn't focusing on that, I only wanted to finish this match only that task was proving to be more difficult than I thought. I didn't think that she was putting her all into this, she was just playing around with me, but why?

Before I could figure that out, she almost hit while I was distracted by my own thought, but I was quick enough to avoid the attack, but only barely. I still felt a sting on my cheek knowing that there'll be a bruise there for sure.

"Hey, don't lose focus, Leia, or I might win this." She grinned at me, which caused my cheeks to warm up as well as my skin. I then threw myself at her with a swing to connect with her chin, but she dodged by tilting her body backwards just as the stick came up. She then did a quick maneuver by kicking upwards, knocking the stick out of my hand before she put her foot back down and then connected her other foot against my stomach sending me flying back. I landed on the rug hard, I groaned, "Yep, that's gonna bruise for sure." I thought just as I heard her approach, I looked up as she pointed her stick down at my face, "Well, would you look at that; victory is mine." She smirked down at me, then she pulled her stick back before holding out her hand for me to take. I took it, grumbling a bit before she pulled me up.

"So, do you know how I beat you so easily?" Ahsoka asked me once I got steady on my feet, I looked at her in confusion, "Huh?" I said before I thought about what she said, then it hit me, "You were trying to get me riled up on purpose, weren't you?" I said,

"That's right, I did," She crossed her arms as she looked at me seriously, "Obviously, it may seem a little harsh of me to do so knowing you were already on edge, but I promise I wasn't going to hurt you." She then gave me her hand, which I took and she helped me up and smiled at me, "You're doing fine, Leia; trust me, you're stronger than you realize," She then put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "Also, you're not alone." I then remembered what she said to me on the ship during the Geonosis Battle and nodded, "Yeah, I know." I responded back. She then walked towards the door, but not before she said something that will stick with me for a long time and still has to this day:

"The Dark Side, Leia, isn't just an energy that comes out when you use your negative emotions; it is something that damages your very soul. It takes it and corrupts it to the point of

no return, where no light can save it no matter how bright or how kind a person may be. Just remember to be wary of your surroundings and be careful who you put your trust in, because believe me when I say this, my young Padawan, their are people in this world that will do anything to snuff out that light and take advantage of you, so please, just watch yourself."

Chapter 1

A couple hours later, I was standing by the wall as the Jedi Council were having a meeting. Anakin was standing next to me, because Ahsoka was busy with an errand to the northern side of Courscant's Capitol (the Capitol is where we live, by the way) so she couldn't come with me. I understood since the importance is something that has to do with the new senator that was elected last year.

Everybody is here: Windu, Plo-Kloon, Yoda, Shak Ti, Kit Fitso, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Deba, Aayla, Luminara and Anakin. Except for Eliza, who still hadn't shown up yet. I was growing worried about her, "I hope she's okay." I thought.

I looked around and watched as the conversation continued to go on to be honest I wasn't to sure what was going on, but I was only here as an extra pair of ears (which I'm doing a poor job of by the way).

The door then opened up and everyone turned from where they're sitting down as the person walked through the door, it was Eliza Siegfried. She looked like she just got back from getting cleaned up because her clothes and hair were still ruffled. Upon seeing her, I smiled and waved at her only for Anakin to look down at me with a look that read, "Don't engage.". I put my hand down as disappointment settled in, I looked up at her again and just as she walked by, she caught my gaze and gave me a wink while smirking. I jumped at that and felt like my stomach was fluttering, "She remembers me!" I thought, or rather squeaked inwardly.

Of course, Windu was the first to stand up as she approached, his scowl was apparent, "Well, look who decided to show up," He sneered, "You know that we've wasted a lot of time waiting for you, that we decided to move on without you," As he said this, Eliza had made it up to the edge of the rug in the center of the room and she had this bored expression on her face which didn't calm Windu's clear disdain, "So, where have you been? And what do you have to say for yourself?" He demanded as his purple eyes flared. I felt a prick of annoyance at his attitude, but I waited to hear what she had to say, because I wanted to know as well.

She didn't say anything at first only looked away for a while, before looking back at the other Jedi with a calm, yet tired look in them, "If you must know, Master Windu, I was busy doing some patrolling, but I had to wrap it up quickly in order to get here to this oh so important meeting." She said, sarcasm thick in her words, to him before she turned to go and sit down at her seat, which had been empty this whole time, but before she sat, she turned back around and gave one last remark, "Also, I've said this once, I'll say it again, I don't care about these meetings, since nothing that is talked about is anything new, interesting or means anything to me, masters." She then sat down and crossed her arms as she gazed back at him.

Windu looked like he was about to say something when Yoda piped up, "Enough! Precisely why these meeting never finish quickly, this arguing is." He said firmly as he raised his arm to Windu and gestured for him to sit, "Now don't forget, my friends, divided now, we can't be," He then addressed the whole room as his icy bi-colored eyes seemed to scan our very souls, "Our duty to uphold, now when we still have, if we are to end this war; for that we need to all cooperate." He finished as everyone fell silent for a while, "Sit, my friend." He said to Windu, who reluctantly calmed down.

He, eventually sat down, before nodding, "Forgive my behavior, I know you have the best of intentions, I too want to cooperate, but please make sure to at least tell us if you need more time; after all we can always move the meeting to a more suitable time if we must." He said and it seemed genuine to me, I felt relief that this didn't escalate further. I looked back at Eliza, who hadn't taken her eyes off him, "Sure, whatever floats your boat." She said shrugging before leaning forward to steeple her fingers together, "Just continue on as if I am not here, that should be easy for you, right?" She lowered her voice which drifted off near the end of her comment.

After the meeting was over, I was being escorted back with Anakin and I looked up to see a relieved look on his face. I must confess that I hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the meeting once Eliza showed up, not that I remembered much of anything before that either.

"Hey, Anakin, can I ask you something?" I asked as we turned the corner of the hallway, he looked down at me and smiled, "Of course you can, Little Star." He said reassuringly.

"How long have you known…um, Eliza Siegfried?" I asked nervously, hoping not to be scolded or have the question ignored, "I-I mean I know that she is Jett's master and that she has...issues with the way the council...um, runs things, but that's all I know about her." I pulled at the bottom of my shirt as my eyes flickered up and down at him.

He looked away for a bit, probably deciding whether or not he should answer, but thankfully he decided to talk, "Well, I don't know much myself, I've asked Obi-Wan that question once before when I was still a Padawan," He admitted rather awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head as he glanced down at me, "The only thing he told me was that his master was pretty close to her and that he had seen them spare together a few times and they went on missions when they were younger as well, but that's all he told me." He then gave a shrug, "To be honest, I don't really know what to make of her; I mean she seems like she's doing great things but on the other hand she seems also a little…much at times."

It that surprised me, knowing that he had asked the same thing when he was my age.

I stopped where I stood, before looking back at him in shock, "Wait, Obi-Wan's master—you mean Qui-Gon Jinn, as in the Jedi who freed and save you? That Qui-Gon?" I asked as I recalled that one conversation when he told me about being freed by him, but his mother stayed as a slave. Of course, I already knew about that, minus the fact that his mother had already passed before I had arrived at Tatooine. But this was completely new information. I had no idea

that Eliza and Qui-Gon Jinn, THE Qui-Gon Jinn, had history between each other. So, that makes Eliza older than Obi-Wan, this surprised me, because of the fact that she still looks like she's in good shape for her age and no offense to Obi-Wan, but he still had that look of an old man, despite not being one just yet.

At the surprise in my voice, Anakin chuckled a little before he spoke, "Yep, that Qui-Gon," He then grew serious again, "From what I've heard, she and Qui-Gon both had difficulties with the council in their youth and seemed to prefer each other's company; Obi-Wan only knew Eliza through his master, and they both witnessed his death by the hands of the…well, former Sith, Darth Maul, who was helping the Separatists invade Naboo, Padme's home planet." He finished his tale as he started to walk again and the two of us went on our merry way. But just before I left, Anakin turned to me, "Little Star, I know why you want to know more about her, but I must warn you that chasing after someone like Siegfried will only lead you to disaster…just be careful around her okay?" He finished as he gave me a firm, yet gentle squeeze of his right hand. I looked up at him and nodded with a smile, "I'll be careful, I promise."

The two of us eventually split off as I made my way back to my room to rest up a bit before Ahsoka got back. Of course, she would need to meet up with the other Jedi to inform her on what went down at the meeting (minus Eliza's late arrival). I was just about there to my room when I bumped into someone, the sudden weight against me knocked me to the ground. I looked up and saw Eliza standing there, she was looking down at me making me feel even smaller. She then moved to give me her hand to take and I gingerly took it and let her pull me up, "You're gonna have to watch where you're going, little one," She told me as I straightened myself up, "You wouldn't want to run into the wrong person, would you?" She then gave me a pat on the shoulder before she began to walk away.

I snapped out of my trance before turning to her but what words I wanted to say to her suddenly wouldn't come out and I just stood there watching as she disappeared around the corner.

I eventually made it to my room and I spoke with Ahsoka when she had come by and asked me how things went for me at the meeting. She apologized about letting me go to something like that, being my first time since…well, that time I had learned that Ahsoka was going to be training me to become a Jedi. I told her that it was fine and that I didn't mind since I got to be with Anakin for a while.

After that, I went straight to Jett's room, I knocked on it and he poked his head out and smiled, "Hey, Leia, good timing; I was planning on going out for some supper…I-If that's okay with you, t-that is." He said as his usual blush and stutter graced me with their respected presence. "Yeah, absolutely; I'm famished right now, hey is it okay if Maya comes as well?" I asked and he nodded, "Yeah, sure, the more the merrier." I grinned at him, "Great, I'll call her and let her know." I did right there and it wasn't long before we met up with her outside of the Jedi Academy.

Then we had just had a grand ol' time together; just me and my two best friends, who interestingly enough are both older than me, yet it felt like we were one of a single spirit. You could say we were "kindred spirits" as it were and I wouldn't have it any other way. As we sat there, everything seemed fine, until a loud bang caused us all to jump, but Maya most of all and it wasn't just the bang that startled her. What followed was a loud angry voice that came from an angry costumer, who was yelling at a poor helpless waiter, who was skinny and had beady eyes, his hair was long and black and covered in grease. I was quickly reminded of Lulu for a second and the urge to stand up for the poor guy was strong, but before my body could do anything I felt a hand grab the sleeve of my shirt, I turned to see that Maya had turned pale and started shaking; her eyes were looking down at the table as she gripped the fork in her hand almost bending it. I saw her breath start to grow rapid and it was clear she was starting to hyperventilate. Both me and Jett got up to help her out of the restaurant, even though he, too, was shaking at the growing conflict between the customer and employee. We paid for our food and left promptly.

We stood at either side of Maya and patted her back and helped her breath better. I swept the bangs from her face and rubbed her shoulders gently, "Hey, shhh, it's okay; just breath okay, there's no more yelling okay." I murmured to her and I decided to hum a little tune, one that my mother used to sing to me when I was sick.

Eventually, she was okay again and the three of us left to take her home so she can rest. After making sure she was safe and sound, also that she had everything she needed, Jett and I left the Barracks and went back to the Academy. I made my way to my room after saying goodnight to Jett and sat there. I laid down in bed to go to bed and waited for sleep to come.

…But sleep wouldn't come, instead what came was the same uneasy feeling crept down my spine. I tossed and turned, trying to push down the feeling, but it seemed to linger no matter what position I was in. I somehow ended up sleeping because I felt my dreams come into my mind and it wasn't pleasant.

The morning was cloudier than it had been the other day, both the weather and the atmosphere around me. I was walking down the street, because I had heard that Padme had come back from her visit to Naboo and I wanted to welcome her back. It's been a while since I've seen her, but I was in no hurry since I could just visit another time if she's too busy putting things away.

The building she was in was a tall rectangular building with a bit of a bend at the front. She was living in the top suite and owned the entirety of the upper floor. I was walking up the steps to the building's entrance and was greeted with a few guards pointing their guns at me. I immediately stepped back and held up my hands, "Woah, woah, fellas' I'm here to visit the Queen of Naboo," I said, "I'm a friend of hers, my name's Leia Starwatcher." I tried to explain as I looked from one guard to the next.

They didn't seem to buy it and for a moment I thought about using the Force mind trick, but I didn't need to when I heard a familiar voice call out to the guards.

"Put your weapons down at once!" The voice that belonged to Padme rang out like an angel's choir and I felt relief flood my chest. The guards immediately put their guns down and apologized immensely for almost shooting me down, but she waved them off and ordered them to remain at their post. She walked over and gently took me beside her and pushed me along with her inside.

Once inside, I was standing in a beautiful crimson and gold carpeted room with even more gorgeous golden-colored curtains. The furniture in the room were a warm hazelnut-colored brown with swirls of gold and even some red in them. Padme moved away from behind me and took me by the shoulders before pulling me into an embrace. I smiled gently as I put my arms around her as well, "It's good to see you, Padme." I told her as I held onto her. She seemed to smile as well, "I know, it's really good to see you, too." She and I held each other for a little while longer, before we pulled away.

I looked at her and took in her appearance: Her long golden hair straightened out as it reached the middle of her back and she had two side buns in her hair. She had a white chain circlet around her head and she had ruby red lips. She was wearing a long light red, gold and white diamond-patterned dress with a golden-brown corset around her waist. She also wore white heeled sandals and white gloves.

"So, how was your trip?" I asked her as she went to finish, what looked like, putting away some of the clothes she took with her, "Oh, it was lovely to be home and I got to see some old friends and family as well," She told me as she hung up some shirts in her closet, "The scenery was just a beautiful as I remembered it when I was little," She then sighed dreamily at that, "The last time I had been there was when I had Anakin with them, but back then, he was still a Padawan learner and was ordered to guard me. He was quite the gentlemen and also was a bit reckless and immature at times." She seemed lost in thought as she blushed and giggled at the memory, "But, I'll never forget that time we spent together; it was a breath of fresh air from all the politics and responsibilities we both had." She finished her words; she had a dreamy look in her eyes and seemed caught in her memories.

I quickly put two and two together, that was the day when Padme had nearly been assassinated and needed one of the Jedi to escort her safely back to her home. Also, Obi-Wan had decided to investigate the person behind the attack and discovered the Clone Army that was being formed on Kamino. That also matched up with when she and Anakin started to develop feelings for each other and eventually got married. But that stuff already happened long before I had arrived here and the Battle of Geonosis wasn't the first battle of the Clone Wars, but it definitely is something that will be remembered. Especially with the discovery of me and my involvement in the battle, although it was limited and scarce.

"Anyway, how has training been for you?" She cleared her throat before speaking to me, clearly trying to drift away from the subject. I snickered to myself, before I answered, "Well, it's been pretty much the same, I get up every morning, learn new techniques and…oh! I got to go to my first meeting with the other Jedi pretty much everyone was there…except I was the only

Padawan there though." I rubbed the back of my head as I smiled awkwardly, pleased with myself.

"Oh, how did that go?" She asked me amusedly, "I take it was kinda dull for you to be standing around for hours with a bunch of people talking about things, right?" She had her eyebrow raised as she seemed to take in my expression. I sputtered a bit as I tried to fight of the embarrassment of being completely obliterated by the truth, "Pssh, it wasn't that bad, it was just…new and something I'll have to get used to is all." I waved her down before crossing my arms.

She giggled and it wasn't long before I started laughing and caving in, "Okay, yeah, it was pretty boring, like I don't even remember most of what they said, or if I did, I didn't understand what they were talking about." I confessed through my laughter. She did the same before responding, "Yeah, I know the feeling, trust me; I remember being so bored at my first meeting, that I almost fell asleep standing up, right there in front of the Ambassador of Naboo's moon, Onoam," She sighed at the memory, "Ahh, to be young again."

I smiled and felt the uneasiness in me fade for a bit, and after she finished cleaning up, the two of us went for a walk together through the building. Everything was going along really well and the we even had a treat at the inside café of her home. I had a strange drink that seemed like a mix of coffee, soda and tea, and surprisingly it was really good. I had finished mine while she was almost done with hers, when I felt a strange chill in the air, like something or someone was watching me. I turned around to see but there was no one, at least none that I could see since their were several groups of people scattered about. But as we continued to walk around, I still felt the unseen eyes watching me and it was making me look over my shoulder more and more often. Padme was beginning to notice my panic and put her hand on my shoulder, "Hey, is everything alright, Leia?" I didn't know what to say as I looked around until I saw something roll out from what would be a guest room. I looked at the object and immediately recognized that this was a threat, especially when the round object began to make a very clear sound that it was going to explode, "Padme, it's a bomb!" I yelled just as I grabbed Padme by the arm and just hurled us out the window, the sound of the bomb exploding hit the back of my ears and the feeling of heat on my back as smoke and sparks scraped my back.

As we were falling, I pulled out my grappling hook just in time as I held onto her and threw the thin rope as its hook attached itself to the wall. It worked, we had stopped falling and I began to pull us down the rope and we got to safe ground. I turned to Padme and was about to say something before I saw a suspicious figure speeding away on a Speeder. I pointed in their direction, "Padme, look!" I shouted directing her to the fleeing person as well, she did and saw whoever it was as well. She saw them but just as she did, I went on to run after the fleeing figure. Despite my better judgement telling me to stay, something else inside me compelled me to go and for some reason I choice to do just that. I ran at top speed and found myself gliding through the air and I grabbed onto the Speeder and saw that the figure was covered with cloth and wore a clothed hood over a clothed mask and a pair of dark brown goggles with blacked out shades. It

turned and grabbed out its gun and aimed at me as it was driving, trying to shoot me off, but I dodged it. Realizing it wasn't getting anywhere with getting me knocked of that way, the figure then decided to speed up faster, so fast that I slipped a little on my hold and was now clinging to the back of the seat for my dear life. But some strange determination in me refused to let go and I pulled myself forward (with the aide of the Force) and yanked the person off the Speeder and the two of us fell off and landed on the ground. I felt the ground moving underneath me as I rolled off and came to a stop; I coughed as dust and debris as the Speeder exploded after it hit the wall across from where I lay. I pulled myself up on my hands and knees as I turned to look to where the figure had fallen to and saw that they weren't too far away. I got up only to feel the pain in my leg and my head was pounding, hard. I had to force myself forward towards the person, limping a bit only to see that they had gotten up as well. I peered through the smoke and saw a face looking back at me, it was a girl. Her bright purple eyes met mine before the realization clicked in and the figure pulled out a knife and threw it at me. It flew passed me and I grabbed it with the Force and threw it back at her and I watched it connect with her shoulder and she grunted from the blow. I went to move towards her, but she had another trick up her sleeve and she pulled out a bag of some sort and just as I was about to run at her again, the bag erupted in my face in a puff of smoke and dirt. I hissed in pain from the dirt in my eyes and tried to wipe it away and by the time one eye could open, the figure had gone.

I stood there and looked down at my feet to see the goggles I had pulled off of her face. I picked them up and studied them, before I went back to Padme. As I headed back, I was wondering to myself, "Who was that girl?" I thought.

Chapter 2

I had returned to find Ahsoka and Anakin along with Padme standing there. I waved at them meekly, which resulted in an immediate reaction from them. They ran towards me and I was pulled into a strong embrace by Padme, who was the first to get to me. She pulled away a bit, but her hands were still on my shoulders, "Leia, you scared me half to death!" She said as she squeezed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes, "Don't you dare do that to me again, you hear!" She cupped my face in her hands while moving some hair from my face.

"Padme's right, Leia, you should've called and stayed with her until we got here," Anakin said firmly as he put his hands on his hips, "I know you have a habit of running off before, but you have to be more careful."

I blushed and dipped my head at that, before I scratched my head awkwardly, "Yeah, I know; I'll try not to worry you as much," I said as I looked at Ahsoka, who also looked at me with a tender, yet stern look, but then I remembered what happened, "Ah! I did chase the person who used the bomb, while I didn't recognize her, I did manage to grab this from her." I exclaimed as I pulled out the pair of goggles and showed it to them.

The three of them looked at it, took it and looked back at me, before I spoke up, "I think

you should be able to figure out her identity through her DNA on these goggles." I told them, but I did feel awkward about them staring at me, "I-I think…".

Anakin ruffled my hair, "Yeah, we should be able to." He said warmly as Ahsoka next him looked at me with pride, "I guess you did save us some trouble in looking for this person, and yet we don't know the motive behind this just yet." She then turned serious as she looked back as Padme, "Do you think it's someone, who's after you, Padme?" She asked as the other woman seemed to be thinking about the same thing, "I-I can only guess that this person was sent her on purpose to attack me." She said, "But other than that, I have no idea."

"We'll figure it out, Pads." Anakin said affectionately as he touched her hand, clearly wanting to hold it, but quickly backtracked and instead put his hand at his side.

The days after the incident left everyone tense and Ahsoka seemed to be more and more sparse when it came to our training. But most of that was because she was helping with the investigation behind the attack against Padme. Despite several protests from some of the Jedi, they all knew that this attack may lead to more panic and people getting hurt.

But something seemed off by everyone lately, I mean when Ahsoka was in the middle of training me she stopped mid-way and cut our lesson short. I had noticed that she had gotten some sort of message on her communicator and told me to that we should stop and continue later. She didn't give me an explanation as to why, which got me to become suspicious of her behavior. Today I was going to get to the bottom of this, so I decided to follow her and I found her in a small room next to the room where their meeting usually take place. I peeked in and saw her with Windu, Obi-Wan, Anakin and…wait was that Eliza in the back leaning against the wall?

I pushed the door open, loudly, causing everyone in the room to jump at the sound. They turned to see me standing there, I looked from one to the other, "What's going on here?" I asked them furring my eyebrows as I waited for an explanation. I watched their fleeting glances to one another before Windu finally spoke up, "We have grave news, news we had planned to tell you once we felt you were ready to hear it—" "What do you mean "ready to hear it?" I stopped him at that, "Will someone tell me what's happened or do I have to guess?" I demanded as my eyes met Ahsoka, who was the one to speak up, "Leia, the one who was responsible for the bombing incident was working with the Separatists, specifically Dooku," I tensed up at hearing this, but let her continue, "Despite our efforts to keep people from being harmed, we left ourselves open and they made their move," She then looked back at the others before continuing, "They have abducted several senators from our district…and one of them is Senator Amidala." She finished.

My brain suddenly short-circuited and I felt my heart stutter as the waves of the realization hit me. I stepped into the room and felt the desperation in my every movement, they could tell as well, but right now my ears were ringing as I spoke, "You're going rescue her, aren't you?" I looked from Windu to everyone in the room, "That's what you're doing here, right? To come up with a plan to rescue them, right?" I felt like I was spinning in circles when Ahsoka took me by the shoulder and pulled me back a bit, "Of course, we are, but we need you to listen,

even though you may not like it." She told me.

"I already don't like it, so what's the difference?" I snapped at her, before I silenced myself and tried to calm myself, I breathed in and out, "So, what's the plan? Is there anything I can do?"

It was Obi-Wan who spoke up this time as he cleared his throat, "Actually, we were also discussing that as well…and we've just come to a conclusion on whether to involve you in this—" "Yeah, we have…well...um." Anakin interrupted but he didn't seem to have much else to add to this conversation and seemed unsure of what to say and whatever words he wanted to say evaporated into the air. Windu's frustrated sigh broke in, "Does it really have to come down to me to say it? I mean I get that you care about her, but if you won't say it, I will," He said before he turned to me, "We've decided that you shouldn't be involved in this, in fact, you are going to remain here, until the situation has been handled."

I felt my heart drop at that, "What do you mean I'm not coming?" I demanded feeling frustration bleed into my voice.

Windu didn't back down, in fact, he bit back, harder, "You. Are. Not. Coming. Period!" He emphasized to me as glared down at me.

I was just about to fire back, when Ahsoka grabbed my shoulder a bit tighter, "Leia, that's enough; we're only saying this because it's for your own good and…to keep you safe, that's all." She told me.

"Ahsoka's right, little one," Obi-Wan said as well as I looked back at him with more shock, "Your emotional right now…which is why we didn't tell you right away when we got the news."

"Wait you mean to say that you knew about this before today?" I felt the words fly out of my mouth as disbelief kept hitting me, "You…were just going to keep this from me…until it was okay to tell me?" I just couldn't wrap my head around all this, my head was spinning from all this information and the disappointment seemed to gag my throat and threatened to strangle me.

The final nail on the coffin for me was when Anakin came over a put on hand on my shoulder and bent low to meet my gaze, "Listen, Little Star, I know how much Padme...Senator Amidala means to you; believe me when I first heard about this I wasn't happy with it, in fact, I'm still not happy about it," He told me, ignoring the fact that he almost used her "less professional" name, and then he said something that gut punched me, "You remember when you talked me out of going after the Senator; I know you do, I lashed out at you because I wasn't thinking about your feelings, only mine, so…all I'm asking is for you to not make the same mistake as me." I felt the anger dissipate from me and my shoulder slumped, "Alright, I guess I'll stay put then." I looked away from him only for him to nudge my chin with his hands, "Hey, listen; we will do everything in our power to save all of them, including the Senator and all those people who are in danger," He smiled despite himself, "Just be safe, that's all we can ask." He

then pulled away and looked at the others and then back to me, giving me one last pat on the back. Then they all cleared out, but Windu stopped before turning to me, his eyes softened at me, "Miss Starwatcher, you are a valued member of the Jedi Order, all Padawans are precious to us," His voice was warmer than before, "We only wish to protect you, that is all."

I nodded and he gave me a smile, but the bitterness was still there in my eyes, as I watched him walk out of the room, then one by one, Ahsoka, Anakin and Obi-Wan were gone. The feeling of helplessness fell upon me once again, frustrated tears ran down my cheeks, and the dam inside me burst as I ran out of the room, no longer caring how childish or immature it was. I just needed to get out of here and to find a place to calm down and to feel safe in. All I could think about was Padme being in danger and everything they all told me as the tears landed with a splash on the floor.

Chapter 3

I sat there in my room for hours as I tried to calm my beating heart. I tried everything I knew to calm down, I mean, I meditated, I tried to sleep it off, I tried punching a pillow or just try to rationalize it in my brain. While I wasn't angry or crying anymore, I still felt the gripping sensation of disappointment run through my veins. I sat up and rubbed my red eyes and looked up at the ceiling just waiting. It was driving me insane knowing that Padme was a prisoner and possibly being hurt by…who knows what, Dooku, Ventress or any of the Battle Droid commanders, even Gunray, since he has a grudge against her. But here I was…useless, but I understood that me being so close to Padme, would've probably caused more harm than good.

I was so caught up in my own feelings that I hadn't heard the door hiss open, I just happened to look up as a familiar figure was standing just outside the door. The person was none other than, Eliza Siegfried. I honestly forgot about her being with others and didn't see her leave the room with them either. I jumped up in a cross-legged position, "Eliza, what are you doing here?" I asked as I rubbed my nose and tried to stifle a sniffle and wipe away some beads of tears. Eliza just stood there before she spoke, "Can I come in, kid?" She asked as she put her gloved hand on her hip. She didn't have her dark brown robe over her shoulder and instead had on a lighter tan-colored tunic and trousers, but she still wore her heavy black boots, her long black glove and eye-patch over her eye.

I nodded as I leaned against the wall with my knees tucked up to my chest, while making a space next to me for her to sit down on, "Sure, I could use the company." I admitted to her, despite the awkwardness starting to seep in, considering this was the first time Eliza sought me out and most of all, us being in the same room. I mean sure I knew her, but our relationship was more similar to merely acquaintances. But she was at least someone I could talk to, other than my own thoughts which was only running circles in my mind.

Eliza stepped inside and went to sit down next to me; she had one leg up at the knee while the other was laying straight out in front of her on the floor as she looked at the wall across from us. She had on hand on her perched up knee and the other hand was gently laid flat down

on the rug. Silence fell on us for hours, nothing but the sounds of our breathing. That was until Eliza broke the silence without looking at me, "How are you doing?" She asked me calmly.

I shrugged, "Okay, I guess," I said as I looked down at my feet, "I-I'm not crying anymore, or angry; sooo, I guess that means I'm…better?" I felt my voice switch into a question near the end of my sentence as I then put one leg down and scratched my head.

I then glanced at her before saying the question that's been bugging me since she walked in, "Eliza, umm…if you don't mind me asking; what are you doing here? I mean shouldn't you be out there with the others…you know…coming up with a plan to rescue the imprisoned senators?" I honestly wanted to know, since she had been there for the "secret meeting" they were all having.

She looked up at the ceiling as she laid her head against the wall, "Well, I decided to sit this one out; I mean I've been out in the Outer Rim for so long that I've missed out on a lot of time here," She said as she sighed, "I mean, being out on missions can get lonely sometimes and I felt like it was about time that I needed a break from it for awhile," She chuckled a bit at that before glancing at me, "Besides the four of them can handle this themselves; they don't need me...hmph…not that they ever needed me before." Her voice trailed off like before when she had said the same thing to Windu and the others.

She then leaned forward and looked back at me, "Besides you need someone to keep an eye on you, I mean I've heard the stories about you and how you'd often sneak off and disobey orders quite a lot, so…here I am." She said as a spark of humor ignited in her eye. She then noticed me frown and looked me up and down before speaking, "You're upset." She leaned back again with her arms crossed.

I looked down guiltily as I nodded, "Yeah, I am; I mean I understand why they told me to stay and it makes since logically," I started then my words and feelings all came out faster than I could stop them, "I-It's just I'm so frustrated, I just want to help and I hate feeling like I can't do anything, even though I can do something!" I snapped as I put my hands in my face, "I mean what's the point of having the Force, to be able to actually fight back, if I don't get to do so!" I felt the frustrated tears fall down again, "I know they only want to protect me and it makes sense to my mind, but my heart just doesn't agree." I said as my voice began to lower down, "I know that rushing in to save them, to save her, the way I was before, would've made it harder to perform a rescue mission, I-I…probably would've caused others more harm than good." I admitted with a huff of disappointment, before I put my hands down and just sagged against the wall.

"You care about Senator Amidala, don't you?" Eliza stated seriously as she took in the state I was in and once again seemed to be studying me as I began to speak, "Yes, she saved my life from when I was in the slave market on Tatooine," I told her as I turned to face her and put my balled up fists against my chest, "I owe it to her; I mean sure Anakin saved me that day, too, but she was one of the people who made me feel welcome, and I don't want her to end up like…

Lulu." My voice fell as I remembered poor Lulu, just seeing Padme in the same position as her just caused me to cry and shake. The singed hole in the center of her, the glazed over eyes and the tangled limbs as they lay right where they fell.

"Who…is Lulu?" Eliza asked me, which prompted me to lean against her shoulder, which caused her to stiffen. "How should I say this?" I thought, since I never told anyone outside of those who were there, not even Jett or Maya know. I mean sure I mentioned someone died in front of me to Trixie, but I never gave her a name. I don't know why, but the idea of sharing the pain I felt that day to Eliza, just seemed right to me. Like she didn't seem the type to snitch on the others, also she and I are on the same side, after all.

So, with a deep breath, I told her the tale of what happened to poor, sweet Lulu, my hands had gripped the carpet, "Lulu was a slave girl...I tried to rescue; I promised her that I would get her out of there, but she…was just, gunned down like some animal," I felt the disgust come back into me at the memory, "I don't want anyone to die like that, just killed like it was nothing...like they were nothing." I felt my knuckled turn white at this, and I gripped my knee to bruising effect, "I just…want to help, even if the role I take isn't a big one, even if I have to be in the background and don't get the credit for it, I still want to help," I told her and she listened allowing me to speak my mind. I then looked down at my hands as I lifted them, "That's just something I was raised to do, even though, before I came here, I didn't do anything my parents didn't want me to do; I never had a rebellious bone in my body up until now, but I just…I just…well, you get it." I sighed as I hung my head and I put my hands down.

Eliza didn't say anything as my tears seemed to slow and my cries seemed to disappear completely. She moved in close and held me by wrapping one arm around my shoulders, pulling me back into her and she rubbed my arm. She then moved her hand up to my head and pulled me into her chest as she petted my head soothingly, "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me what's on your mind," She said softly and I looked up at her, "Yeah, to be honest, I don't know why I felt so at ease telling you these things, I just do." I confessed as I continued to lay against her, I felt her chest vibrate from a little chuckle, "Well, I'm flattered, truly it is refreshing to hear someone have such a positive feeling about me," She told me as she pulled away and look back at me with a smirk, "Most often I get mostly dirty looks or people saying bad things about me…behind my back, no less." She then put her hand under her chin as she looked back at me with a tilted head, "I'm truly glad that someone who trusts me enough to just simply talk to me, instead of avoiding me all together," She admitted, "I mean Jett's great company at times, but it…still gets lonely sometimes…I don't have any real friends to talk to here about my feelings." After that she seemed to drift off and look back at the wall in front of her. I could see and feel the loneliness that she was talking about. My heart saddened as I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. "She must've lost a lot of people dear to her." I thought to myself.

Then the frustration and disappointment in the other Jedi Masters returned, "Yeah, they've told me that you're not someone who I should be hanging around with." I glared at the wall at my side. I looked back at her as she waved me down, "Ehh, I'm used to it; trust me, I

never seemed to fit in with the rest, ever since I first stepped into this place."

I grumbled at that, "That's still not fair to me."

"Heh, no it's not, but that's just how it is," She told me before she then got up on one knee as she leaned forward, "You want to know my secret? I just do what I gotta do and not let their words get to me, at the end of the day that's all you need to do." She said before she ruffled my head and stood up, looking down at me, "It looks like you've calmed down now," I nodded and was about to say goodbye or for her to say goodbye, but instead she surprised me by giving me her hand to take, "Well, are you just going to sit there, or are we gonna get going?" She inquired me with a raised eyebrow.

I sputtered as I practically squeaked, "W-What do you mean? I-I thought you were supposed to keep m-me from getting into t-trouble, weren't y-you?" I looked around franticly as she seemed to be laughing her head off at my response, "Haha! You sound just like Jett does," She told me as she held her sides as she laughed, "You're a real riot, Starwatcher, truly you just made my day." She then straightened up as she put her hands on her hips, "I stayed to keep an eye on you, which I will…out there as we go head-to-head against those who kidnapped your friend." She then crossed her arms while puffing out her chest, "Besides you want to help right, then do it." She then lifted me up from the ground and set me down rubbing off some dust on my clothing.

"But they told me not to go—" I tried to say until she broke in, "When has that stopped you before?" I shook my head at that, "No, I mean, yeah It hasn't but—" I was once again stopped by her, "So, what is stopping you now?" I frantically moved my hands back and forth as I shook my head, "I can't—" She butt in again, "Why not?" I tried once again to persuade her from persuading me, "It's not what Ahsoka or the others do, it may be what you do, but—" She stopped me again, "Leia, listen to me, sometimes doing what you feel is right requires you to make a stand; if they tell you not to go, then find another way to achieve your goal." Before I could protest she said something that stumped me, "You said it yourself, you want to help in anyway you can, right? Well now's your chance to make it right and to prove to them that you can do what they believed you couldn't do." She looked me in the eyes and I felt that she was right. Besides if Eliza's going with me than at least I won't be alone in this and I know just the people to help me with this.

I smiled up at her and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right," I said as I felt determination run through my veins as my smile matched hers. She then put her hand on my shoulder and both of us went walking out together into the hallway. Now, we were walking side by side, with the sun glowing its bright orange glow directly on us. It felt great to be by the side of a friend…an ally.

As we walked, I was quickly discussing how we were going to approach the situation, "First things first, we needed allies," I told her as we walked by the windows overlooking the city, "Not Jedi, or Clones, they have to be people who can see outside the box," She listened to

my idea and hummed in thought, "So, do you have any idea who we might want on our side?" She asked me, I smirked at her, "Oh, yes, I do." I thought of just the right people to do so.

"That's the attitude I like to see." Eliza said confidently as she smacked me on the back, hard. I grunted at that and grinned at her, "Cool, first things first, we need to get Jett in on this; also, Maya as well, she's a super soldier after all." I explained and she nodded in agreement and without a word we went about our way to get a team, make a plan and rescue the senators who had been captured.

Chapter 4

There we were. Me, Eliza, Jett and Maya side by side as we headed into the Undercity of Coruscant. The hot, wet atmosphere is just how I remembered it the last time I had wondered here. We had to wear cloaks over out bodies and faces to hide not only our weapons (especially since three of us are Jedi). I looked around as we passed through a few crowds of people and slipped through alleyways. Then I saw it, Trixie's father's shop…it was rebuilt? I guess Trixie must've returned, or maybe someone else to the place of the shop. "Okay, this is it." I told them as I nudged my head into the direction of the building. Jett seemed very uncomfortable by all the different creatures, he gulped before he went up to me, "Are you sure you know what your doing?" He asked in a hushed voice, "Also, who's this friend of yours anyway? Are they friendly or…scary?" He squeaked out that last part, until a gentle hand landed on his shoulder, it was Eliza, "Hey, Jett, it's alright; let's just keep our heads down, okay?" She reassured him as she looked back at me with a nod, "I'm sure you know what you're doing." I smiled sheepishly, "Well…to be honest I don't even know if she wants to see me or not, considering I haven't heard from her since the…incident." I finished with a saddened expression remembering what happened to Trixie and to her dad, Pluto. It was horrible, almost just as horrible as what happened with Lulu.

Eliza gave me a look with an eyebrow raise, "And you're just telling us this now?" Despite her accusatory tone, she still seemed more curious than anything. My sheepish smile continued to widen and I felt a little embarrassed to say the least. Thankfully I didn't have to explain since we just got to the door, I looked up at the sign, "It looks like the same shop." I thought as I studied the building. It was a little wider and it had a tower overlooking the street and their was one big round window on the roof of the tower. I looked back at the door and knocked on it and no sooner had I done so the door suddenly flew open and someone came flying out of the building. Eliza, Maya and I stepped aside in time, but Jett wasn't as lucky being too startled, by the door opening and the person flying at him, to move. There was a crash and a scream and we looked down to see Jett on the ground with someone on top of him. I recognized who it was immediately, it was Trixie. She had goggles on her face and she didn't seem to notice the person under her, until she did, she then cried out in shock, then she jumped up with so much speed that she accidently stepped on his tail. This caused his mouth turned into a grimace and his ears flattened in pain as he pulled his tail away.

"Oh, mah gosh, ahm' so sorry!" Trixie gasped upon realizing that she had hurt him and held out her hand to help Jett up, "Ah didn't hawh'rt ya' too bayud, did ah'?" She pulled him up once he took her hand as he blushed heavily, "Uh, I-I'm fine; just…um, wasn't expecting you at all." He lifted his tail up and stroked it as he said this. Eliza rushed over to check on him, "Hey, are you okay, Jett?" She took his tail gently in his hand before glaring at Trixie, "You should be more careful." She hissed at her, although she didn't shout or yell, just had a bit more of an icy tone to it. Trixie was taken aback by Eliza's glare that she matched hers with her own, "Hey, ah' apologized, didn't ah'?" She snapped back as she gripped her hands into fists, "Ya' don't hav tuh bay so upset, so chill out, will ya'?" The glared at each other for a while, before they, thankfully, backed away from each other leading to Trixie turning in my direction and froze upon seeing me. I also froze where I stood, hoping she wasn't mad at me or something, even though we left on good terms, I still felt unsure. Then she came up to me, I waited for there to be a blow or something, until she suddenly took me into a bear hug, "Wayul, wayul hifit ain't Leia Starwatcher, come hare ya' rascal!" She laughed as she gave me a noogie while I was trying to get out of her grip, "Come on, Trixie, let go, will you?" I groaned and grunted as her rough knuckles rubbed against my head. She let me go then watched as I straightened myself, before she gave a hearty laugh once more, "So, whut brings ya' back tuh these parts? Hif thayure's anythin' ah' can do tuh help, then by all means, how can ah' help ya'?." She beamed at me as she put her hands on her hips, upon seeing her smile I couldn't help but smile, too.

"It's good to see you, Trixie," I said and couldn't be more honest then, "I was in fact looking for you since I really need someone who's an ace pilot, don't suppose I can find one around her, do you?" I remarked as I pretended to not tell her that she was the pilot I was looking for, but hinting at her that I was looking for her. But she caught on really quick and I could see the stars in her eyes once she heard the word "ace" and "pilot", "Rilly? Wayul, uh course, ah do." She grinned like a wild cat, "Yore lookin' at her, sugar cube!" She then pointed to herself with her thumb, before taking my hand into her greasy, grimy gloved hands and shook them vigorously, "Ahm at chur service, mah dear friend!" Maya walked over, curiously, but friendly, "So, this is your pilot friend, right, Leia?" She asked as she approached, which broke both me and Trixie out of our reunion. The two girls' eyes met and I turned to introduce them along with Eliza and Jett, "This is, Trixie Nebula, and she's called the Ace at the pro-circuit," I explained, before I then turned to her and gestured to my friends, "Trixie, this is Maya Eden, Eliza Siegfried and Jettison Blake or Jett for short." I smiled proudly as I named them off. Trixie turned to the others, before I took her by the shoulder, "Trixie, we really need your help," I said as she looked back at me, "Some senators have been captured by the Separatists and we're going to need your piloting skills for this." I explained to her, then I looked down for a moment before continuing, "You see, a friend of mine was taken by them," I could see a range of emotion in her eyes, "I need your help." I asked her as I watched her expression, hoping to reach her.

She smiled softly before putting her hand on mine, which was still on her shoulder, "Ah already sayud I'd help ya'; an ah' always wanted tuh stick it tuh them rotten Separatists," She said as her grin widened, "Also, we're friends, so an' friend uh churs thet needs help iz more than

enough reason tuh help them." When she said that, I felt relief and hugged her, "Thank you, and I'm sorry about what happened—" I was about say, before she suddenly pulled away and seemed a bit upset, which caused me to worry that maybe she might've changed her mind on helping me, but instead she pulled up her hand and playfully bonked my head with her fist, "Stop thet, don't say sorry fahwar tryin' tuh git may tuh say reason," She snapped at me, before her voice softened, "Ya' wuz raht, revenge wasn't thuh way, so thayure's naw need tuh feel sorry," She pulled her hand away only to rub the back of her neck with it, "It wuz uh tough setuation at ah' gist needed tahm tuh thank it ovur," She explained as she seemed to be recalling what happened to her father, then a shadow fell over her face, "In fact, ah' though ya' wuz thuh wun not wantin' to tawk tuh may, but ah guess we're both idiots," She then brightened up with a low laugh, which caused me to laugh a little. She then looked with a happy smile, "So, thayure's nuthin' tuh worry bout, we're still friends, an whut happened iz in thuh past." Relieved that she still wanted to be friends, I nodded, "Yeah, that's right and I'm glad that you're going to help us."

Then we heard a fake cough behind us, we turned and remembered that we had an audience. The one who fake coughed was Eliza, who was giving me a look, "If you're quite finished with this reunion, I suppose we should get started on getting us a ship and maybe, oh I don't know…save the imprisoned senators." Her voice bit out like a knife. She didn't need to yell to get me to straighten up and feel very childish to her. I was so flustered that I stumbled a bit away from Trixie before I remembered that we were in fact without a ship and we needed to get a plan going. So, I turned to Trixie again, "Yeah, almost forgot about that, so you wouldn't happen to have a ship by any chance, would you?" I asked her. Now, it was her turn to blush and feel flustered, "Oh, ah'…wayul, naw…ah don't havuh ship…" She said awkwardly as well, Eliza rubbed her forehead at this, "So, you're telling me that, you, a pilot…an ace pilot and…you don't have a ship to pilot?" Trixie nodded sadly, which caused the silver-haired woman to drag her gloved hand down her face, "Great, that's just great." She hissed out bitterly, before she spoke again, "So, you think that, maybe just maybe, you can get a ship to pilot?" She asked with a hint of frustration. Trixie brightened up at that, "Oh, yeah, shore ah can; ya' say thayure's wun particular ship thet ah had in thuh past thets purdy fast, with shields an—" Then she froze before she let out a groan, "Oh, man, thets raht; darn ah forgot bout thet!"

"What's wrong, Trixie?" I asked her, "If it's a ship then we can use it, right?" Her shoulders sagged before speaking, "Yes, it izza ship, an ah ustuh own it once," She explained before pulling her left ear frustratingly, "But ah lost it in uh stupid bettin' game…tuh Michael Jade and his brother." After the words left her lips, I, too, suddenly groaned, but more at the idea that I'd have to deal with Orion again. I mean I haven't seen him since…Pluto's death, but I haven't been looking forward to go to him for anything, but I needed to save Padme at all costs. Besides the more allies I had on my side, then we should be able to deal with this.

So, we decided to follow Trixie to where she believed the Jade brothers would be. It was an oval-shaped building with a glowing, neon-lit sign that read: The Iron Million. As we walked in, we saw various tables with some at the very back wall and others closer to the front. There

appeared to be a bar in the center with two long-neck aliens giving out drinks. They both had two beady-dark eyes and a long trunk nose (like an elephant). Trixie then tapped my on the shoulder and spoke to me in a heightened voice that was muffled by the loud music all around us, "Come wun, he's at thuh table in thuh far raht." She gestured towards a round table and she was right, there say Michael Jade and he was sitting with two female aliens at his side. One was bright blue with purple spots on her with very pale electric blue hair with green eyes and big blue lips and her friend is pink-skinned with a beak-like mouth, long straight orange hair with one pale, opaque eye and one dark red. They were both dressed in a black top over see-through, glittery black skirt and long black tights with red high-heeled shoes. I nudged Maya, who was standing next to me, which caught Eliza and Jett's attention and we moved to follow Trixie to the back. Trixie was the first to approach him and she made her presence clear by slamming her right hand on the table and the other was propped up on the top of the seat. The slam of her hand caused Michael to notice her and for the other women to jump away from him. I watched as the color in his face faded upon recognizing Trixie and immediately pushed the two women out of the seats next to him, rather harshly because the women looked at him angrily but understood that they weren't wanted right now and left together with their hands resting on the other's lower back.

"Trix, w-what are you doing here?" He asked her franticly as he realized how awkward his situation was, "I-I've been worried about you—"

"Save it, ya' scoundrel, ahm not hare cuz ah wonna bay, but thus iz an urgent matter," She snapped at him with a clear look of irritation at being in the same area as Michael.

Before things got more awkward, I stepped up beside Trixie and looked at the older Jade brother with a look of determination, "Michael Jade, I need your help," I said this before I turned to my friends, and back to him, "We need your help on an important mission." Michael looked back at me as I said this and awkwardly scratched his head, but before he could speak an unfortunately familiar voice rang out from across the room, "Hey, bro, what are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you, like, come on man, you can't just disappear on me like that—" The familiar ginger-haired boy appeared from the other side of where me and the others were standing. He blinked a few times, before he recognized me and immediately had the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "Ohhhh, hey, princess," He said playfully as he made a bow at me, "Long time no see, your grace." He looked back up at me with a smirk at my clearly annoyed face.

"I see you haven't changed much, huh, thief," I said back as I crossed my arms, looking back at him, "Then again, I shouldn't expect much from you, right?" I smirked back, but my eyebrows were still twitching in irritation at having to deal with him again. He then leaned against the arm of the table, in order to lift his hand up under his chin, before speaking, "Surely, you're not here to admire my charming personality, so what's the deal-io?" He asked me, clearly liking the idea of annoying me some more. I felt like steam was rising from my head, and was about to snap at him, before I stopped and remembered what I came here for. I let out an irritated

sigh, "Look, the real reason, we came here because Trixie told us that you had a ship that we could use for a mission we have to do." I explained to him as Michael got up to join his brother until eventually, the two of them were standing there together listening to my explanation.

"Ah-ha, I see, so what is this "mission", you speak of?" Orion asked with cat-like curiosity, "And why do you need us scoundrels?" Despite his attitude, he seemed to be genuinely be asking about what we were trying to accomplish. I felt my mood lighten just a bit by that, "At least he's asking an understandable question." I thought as I contemplated if I should tell him and Michael.

Eliza came up to me and I turned to her, our eyes locked and I could read the question in her eyes very clearly: are you sure we should tell them? I gave her a look before she nodded and stepped back allowing me to handle the situation. I turned back to Orion as Michael approached him, until the two of them were in front of me with both their piercing green eyes on me. I crossed my arms before speaking, "Okay, I'll tell you, but we have to talk somewhere privately." I said indicating to the very public place we were at. Thankfully, the two nodded in agreement and we went to the room they had rented up above the bar, quickly making me realize that we that we were in a hotel. I stood in the center of the room with Eliza standing by the door in case anybody would try to enter or listen in on us. Jett and Maya were both standing behind me, but on opposite sides of me as I watched the brothers curiously and cautiously. Trixie was standing with on hand on her hip the other at her side.

"So, as I said before, we need a ship and Trixie told us that you had a ship that we could use." I explained

"Yes, as a matter of fact; we do have a ship," Michael said as I asked him about his ship, before he turned to Trixie, who spoke up, "Yeah, ya' better still hav it; ah put un lottuh mah money into thet ship and ah won't preshate it few made uh mess uh it." She said as she glared at Michael, who flinched a bit at that. Then I heard Maya speak from behind me, "He doesn't seem like the type to mess up someone's ship," Her voice came out calm, quizzical and soft. Me and Trixie turned to her, thus making her visible to the Jade brothers. In that moment as her eyes met Michael's, there seemed to be a spark that lit up in both of their eyes. Realizing that we were looking at her along with Michael, who her eyes seemed to be drawn to, she blushed a bit before speaking, "I mean, he doesn't seem like the type to mess up some's ship…on purpose." Once she finished, Michael stared at her and had a look in his eyes that could only be described as awe, "Uhm, yeah, that's right." His voice came out lighter than it should've and she looked back at him with eyes that seemed to sparkle, more than I've ever seen them before, "Uh, I mean, at least, you aren't right?" She asked as she turned her face away, but still kept her eyes on him. He nodded dumbly, before standing up straight and walking towards her and she met him with her steps as well. There they stood a few feet apart, Michael was the first to speak, "Hi, who might you be?" He asked with eyes still aglow and a hand raised to take hers, once her hand met his, he slowly closes his hand around hers as she spoke, "My names Maya, Maya Eden, and you're…

Michael, right?" He then placed his other hand over hers and spoke softly, "Yeah, my name's Michael, Michael Jade." He finished with his last name, before he finally released her hand from his, "It's nice to meet you, Maya." She put her hand at her side, "Likewise." It was simple, but it told all that she was feeling. I couldn't help but smile a bit, seeing Maya look so happy to have met a new friend, made my heart melt. I mean the girl's been through a lot in her past.

Then, Trixie stepped in between Maya and Michael, interrupting their long, silent stare, full stop, "Okay, okay, thets enough uh…whutever thus iz, now, take us tuh mah ship, so way can actually do sumpn tuh stop thuh Separatists." She said as-matter-of-factly, before the realization of having to fight the Separatists came into the brothers' ears. Orion was the first to snap, "Woah, woah, hold on a minute there, Trixie!" He said as he waved his hands in front of himself, "The Separatists are an organization that is run by a bunch of lunatics, why in the world would you be picking a fight with them?!" He seemed hysterical as he practically screeched those words out. I almost laughed at his expression, at least, I would've if it was appropriate, but it wasn't. He looked over at Michael and noticed that he didn't seem to be as freaked out as he is, "Hey, Michael, you're not seriously considering doing this are you?" He asked, but all Michael had to do was look at him, before he got the message: they were going to help.

"So, you'll help us?" I asked as I could feel my face light up at his answer. I knew somehow out of the brothers that Michael would be the most reasonable of the two, but it still surprised me. He looked at his younger brother a bit longer, before he turned back to us, "Yes, but I have some conditions," He explained as he raised his hand up to show three fingers, "One: we are rewarded for out contribution, two: we are told the full plan so we can participate easily, and three: we are allowed full leave once we are finished, no name-dropping, no attempts on arresting or recruiting us in the future, unless it is a serious, life-or-death situation, that should be simple enough for you right?" He looked into my eyes seriously, "We aren't asking much, those are our only conditions." I looked back at Eliza and the others, before I spoke, "Alright, we'll honor your conditions." Michael looked back at Orion, who rolled his eyes and his older brother looked back at me and nodded with a smirk that spread across his face, "Cool, I'll hold you to that." I never felt so relieved about how things were turning out. I had allies, next thing up on my to-do list is to get a plan up and running. Thankfully, I had the right people to help out with this…hopefully. I, honestly, was just hoping that everyone kept their ends of whatever plan we came up with and wouldn't do something drastic.

Chapter 5

The ship that the Jade brothers had was not what I expected at all. It was painted in a mix of greens, golds and oranges, but its paint job needed a touch up or two. It had a few dents, rusty spots and there was a crack on the window in the front of the ship's cockpit. Seeing the beat-up state that the ship was in had sent Trixie into a very passionate rant about the state of the ship, despite the fact it was won from her, she still was fond of the ship. She got so heated that I had to get in between her and Michael, who was holding his hands up and sweating profusely. Eliza was

just watching and sometimes laughing at the duo, while Jett had his hand up to his mouth in shock at how angry Trixie was. Maya was standing next to Orion, who had a frustrated look on his face (he probably has seen them arguing before), his mouth turned into a frown. He let out an exasperated sigh, as he waved them down as he got aboard the ship, saying that he'll be inside. After finally pulling Trixie apart from Michael and getting her to calm down, we all made our way inside the ship and started to come up with a plan. We all sat in the living quarters of the ship, Maya, Jett and I sat at the table resting against the wall, Michael and Orion were both gathering items to bring that could be of use in our plan-making…operation…thing-y. Eliza was leaning against the wall by the chair where Jett was sitting. Michael grabbed a tablet-like object and was tapping the screen rapidly, "Okay, so…uhm…we need to come up with a plan, right? Right!" He stumbled over those words and…looked back at us, "Any suggestions? Because I don't have any."

An awkward silence fell over us and the realization that we had no idea what to do or where to start, weighed heavily on us. Eventually, I took a deep breath, "Might as well start coming up with something." I thought as I stood up and stepped out from the round table. I rubbed my neck, before I spoke, "Well, I think...the first thing we should figure out is, if anyone here can hack things," I put my hand down from my neck and started fiddling with my fingers as I continued, "That way we can figure out what Master Windu and the others have on the location of the kidnapped senators; if we do that, then we can figure out if they're near by, on another planet, or in deep space." I started just going with whatever was coming to mind, and also started to pace around the room gesturing with my hands the whole time. I then stopped and looked as everyone's eyes were on me, I blushed and stammered with my hands up, "I-I mean, h-how else are we going to…uhm…find them if we…you know, don't know were they are?" I said with my hands up in a shrug, before I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Eliza, she smiled at me softly, "I think I know what you're talking about, kid." Then she turned to the others and locked eyes with Michael, "Do you or your brother have a way of hacking into the council's communication mainframe?" I felt a little better knowing that Eliza was there. Michael stiffened at Eliza's statement, before he glanced over to Orion, who seemed to have an unusually grim expression on his face. Eliza noticed the look and took her hand from my shoulder to place it on her waist, "Well, out with it, boy." Her eyes narrowed at him, which caused the boy to groan before getting up, as he put his hands up in a defeated gesture, "Okay, okay, I-I have a way to hack into tech and stuff." He then put one hand down and lifted the other and took off his glove. A collective gasp erupted from Maya, Jett and I as we saw his arm. It was a mechanical arm, so much like Anakin's but way more high-tech/mixed with scrap metal. He then turned his arm around so we could she his hand and palm, in the center was a round circular all most like the Arc Reactor that Iron Man had. "My arm isn't the only tech thing about me," He stated as he took a deep breath before opening his left eye to reveal the neon blue light, which I quickly recalled from our run in with the Bloody Crows from before. He then lifted his thumb and index finger against his temple. Then his eye suddenly flared out a holographic image of various news articles. I looked at it in awe, before turning to Orion, and saw his face grimace and he closed his eye allowing the image to disappear.

"So, you did have a way to get the information we needed," Eliza said both taken aback and a little frustrated, "Well, you could've told us sooner, instead of standing there like two buffoons with no ideas whatsoever." "Yeah, we do have a way to get the information…just that—" Orion was about to go on before Michael came over and put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Michael looked down at him with a warm and reassuring smile, before he turned to us, "I'm sorry, for disclosing this fact about us, but I can promise you that we didn't do it out of a means to lie to all of you; we never had to show others our…various scars." He explained, "While it is a sensitive topic for us, we will give you all of our aid just as promised; after all, we have a mission to complete, don't we?" He looked back at me and I nodded, "Yeah, we do." Despite that fact that I'm glad that they opened up about this, I still felt bad for having to force them to do something they're not comfortable with. But I knew there was no other way and sometimes you need to push others a little in order to get them all to help you. My eyes went back to Orion and saw that he didn't seem too fond of the idea, but remained quiet. He had his hands both clenched and he was looking away from us. I felt another wave of guilt and sympathy, "I'm sorry, Orion, but I promise it'll all be worth it.".

After that, our plan-making shenanigans started to gain some speed, Orion successfully hacked into the Jedi council's mainframe and thanks to Eliza, who helped navigate the coding to prevent discovery, we discovered that the ship that's holding the senators' captive is orbiting a small, blue ocean planet with a single, large island on its surface. The ship was actually a large battle station that was stopped in the sky, but it was surrounded by other smaller ships. We were also lucky to witness a big, yet kind-of expected hurdle in our plans. We watched, thanks to Orion's skill to download what he sees onto a computer on the ship, republic ships attack the battle station (noting that, the others were indeed fighting to rescue the hostages as well). When they attacked the battle station, a large shield suddenly appeared and neutralized the missiles that were launched. Also, immediately the smaller ships started to move into a sudden and tight defense/offense against the attackers.

As we watched the scene, we were also looking for a possible weakness in the defense. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a good read-out on the inside of the ship as long as the shields remained up. But then, Orion pulled through once again by saying that his eye and arm are able to bypass all that. To prove it, he simply tapped and moved the wires on his arm around and he used his eye to project a hologram in from of us, just like before, and showed a full image of the ship. He used his bare arm to move the hologram around to zoom in and out when we asked to see something. We noticed that the lower levels of the ship were where the prisoners were kept, due to the huge amount of heat signatures that showed up in the square below the deck. There was a long bridge that was lying across the square and there was another bridge that crossed the one going straight down towards the front door. The square beneath the bridge had the heat signature, which meant that the prisoners were underneath the bridge. The front deck of the battle station where the pilots were was a wide oval/square shape, but it was hard to know how many Separatist droids were there, due to them not giving off any heat or life signals like humanoids do. But we had a location, now all we need to do is find a way to disable the shield so we could

get aboard the battle station, right?

As everyone was working on the plan and getting supplies needed for the mission, I walked along the halls of the ship until I rounded the corner and was about to pass a room, when I stopped and looked to see Orion sitting using a blowtorch on the side of a wall. He had goggles on and had taken off his jacket leaving him in a beige tank top with the jacket wrapped around his waist. He was sweating as the sparks sizzled off the plating he was enforcing into the wall. The glow radiated off his ginger hair making it shine along with his skin which glistened thanks to the sweat. I couldn't pull my eyes away from the muscle tone on his arms and my mind seemed to screech into a halt. Suddenly, he stopped upon seeing me in the doorway watching him. He then pulled up his goggles onto his head and stared at me without a word, before his eyes shimmered mischievously and a smirk appeared on his face, his eyebrow raised, "See something you like, princess." He teased as he put his hand under his chin, perching his arm on his knee while his other hand was on his hip. Immediately, I blushed furiously at his response, "Yeah right, as if!" I said as I crossed my arms, "I was just looking to see how everyone was doing." He chuckled at that, which only made my blood boil more, "I'm serious!" I scowled at him, which only made him chuckle more. Then he stopped and looked away before turning back at me, "Listen, I…" He was about to speak, before a familiar voice appeared on the radio of the ship.

"Hey, Leia, Orion yawl need tuh git up hare!" Trixie called out, which led me to turn around and walk on to go see what she found. But I couldn't help but give a look back at Orion, who had that serious look in his eyes as he looked at his hand. I honestly hadn't expected to see him so serious and I felt a little bad that every one of our conversations had been nothing but childish bickering. I looked at him sadly as he walked out in the hall with me on our way to the cockpit. As soon as I got up there, I was out in the doorway, "Okay, Trixie what did you—" She interrupted me immediately, "We're hare…" She said seriously. I gasped upon looking up and seeing the battle station covered with various Separatist ships and Republic ships. I saw bright lights indicating that lasers were being fired and some shot down some pilots and their ships. "They're surrounded," Maya said, she, Jett, and Michael were already there, except I didn't see Eliza come up yet.

I trusted that she was on her way up here. "So, Michael, Orion do you guys know a way to take the shields down?" She asked them, turning to Michael, who she seemed the most eager to hear from out of the two of them. Michael gestured for Orion to come up to the front more, without a word Orion's mechanical eye glowed bright blue then he shut his eye, before opening it, "The shield isn't going to break easy, even if you do knock it out it will just automatically come back up before the next attack," He states as he turns to us, "If you do knock down the shields, you will have only a few seconds to get through and that is not an exaggeration."

Hearing this made me feel a little down, but then an idea suddenly appeared in my brain like a light bulb going off, "Wait, is there a way that we can disable the shields by hitting the ship with a sort-of…electric pulse that can knock out the systems of the station?" I asked, "I mean if

this station is a machine, it should be able to be knocked out using that right?" I looked at the others for a response. Orion sighed, "Yeah, there is but the problem is that the shields surround the whole station; also, the time limit will need to be accounted for." He explained to me, before I spoke up again, "That's why we should use our electric pulse weapon-thingy to hit it while the shields are down in that small amount of time," I said, but before Orion and Michael could interrupt me, I held my hand up to stop them, "I know that it seems crazy, but if we are able to estimate the exact time that it takes for the shields to get back up then the electric pulse should be able to knock it out, right?" Orion and Michael looked back at each other before turning to me, still unconvinced, but seemed to get my meaning. Michael spoke first, "Well, yeah, that would work, but the timing has to be precise, otherwise it'll only be blocked by the shield again." Orion spoke up as well, "Also, we have to take in consideration that there are other enemy ships that'll attack us."

"Yeah, but we don't have to be seen, do we? This ship has a cloaking device, don't it—" I said, "Well, yeah, it does—" Michael said, Trixie nodded in response, but I butted in, "So, we use that to keep us from being seen," I said, "Also, there is a way to guide our attack and make sure it hits the target: the Force!" I explained to them with an energy I've never felt before, "With the help of three Jedi, me, Jett and Eliza, we should have more than enough accuracy to hit the ship and knock it out enough for the shields to be out a lot longer. Also, if we get inside, we can make sure that station can go down once we get the prisoners out of there!" Realizing that I was, surprisingly, right, Michael and Orion looked at each other and back to me. I realized that I had raised my voice a little too much and felt my cheeks redden. But the brothers didn't laugh, in fact, the others there didn't either instead they nodded before looking at me. "There's a risk, but it'll work." Eliza said from where she was standing, causing me to turn knowing that she wasn't there before, "And it's the only plan we got." I smiled at her and then I turned to the others, "Alright, people, let's take out that shield and save the prisoners." I felt confidence shine within me and it also helped that everyone was on the same page.

Just like that, our plan was set and ready to be followed through. Thanks to Trixie for getting us the weapon we need, Maya, Orion and Michael are taking the ships guns and using them as a means to fend off our enemies. Jett, Eliza and I prepared ourselves to use the Force on the electric pulse weapon. Once the weapon ready, Trixie let out a sigh before pushing her hair back behind her long ears, "Okay, everyone git reddy." She said as she gripped the controls, "Wun…two…thray…fower…fav…sicks…seven…go!" After she said "go", she pushed forward and the ship flew straight towards the battle station and the battle that was going down. Almost immediately as we entered the battlefield, ships began firing around us. Maya and the Jade brothers fired at the enemy ships (specifically the Separatist ships). I was still sitting with Eliza and Jett, I felt beads of sweat fall from my brow as I prepared myself to use the Force when the right moment came. I looked up after feeling a negative aura coming at our right, "Trixie, look out! There's someone attacking from the rear!" I shouted. She gritted her teeth as a blast hit us, "Yeah, ah say them!" She managed to spit out as she flew to avoid the unwelcome attacker, but the single ship was a relentless one. It didn't give up even as explosions and lasers flew close to

it, but I had faith in Trixie to get us through it and away from this enemy. "Hmph, yore uh stubborn wun, arncha, buddy?" She said as an amused chuckle came from her throat, "Hif thus weren't uh lahf-or-dayuth setuation, then ahd luv tuh cawya uh rival…but not tuhday, sorry." She eventually turned suddenly and pushed a button on the front and a missile was fired at the tailing ship, it hit the wing, knocking it out of the sky.

Once the enemy was gone, we continued our pursuit towards the battle station and watched as the shield went down but just as quickly come back. Trixie gave the signal, since the weapon was hers to fire, and me, Jett and Eliza focused on the shield, counting down the seconds to when the shield would be down as a laser hit the shield, thanks to a Republic ship that had fired. Blocking out all the sounds around us, until there was just a single heartbeat between us. My vision went black as a calm wind blew all around me, then I opened them as I pushed the wind forward. I saw just in time as the missile flew through the air and collided into the right spot just in time. Eventually a burst of electricity ran along the surface of the ship and when the shields didn't come up as planned, Trixie piloted the ship into high gear and flew the ship into a hanger door as it was about to close. The ship skidded along the floor of the hanger with a screeching and banging and then the ship came to a halt. We were in the enemy's ship. We did it.

Chapter 6

The hanger of our ship opened with a hiss as we all made out way out, we all had our weapons drawn and ready to fight whatever enemy comes our way. Trixie stopped at the top of the hatch and spoke, "Wayul, ahl keep an ah out hare in thuh ship, yawl guys go on an find thuh prisoners; ahl bay chur eyes and ears should any trouble come chur way." She gave a salute before ducking back into the ship. After Orion gave us the technical lay-outs of the ship along with the location of where the prisoners were being held; I turned to the others and told them our plan, "Okay, Michael and Maya, you two are going to—" I was about to give them orders when we all turned around to see a bunch of Separatist droids there. I didn't have to say anything before we all fought against the droids. Maya, being an absolute tank, dominated the droids with quickness, skill and super strength. She crushed one of the droid's heads with both of her hands, before snatching a gun off of it and fired at several in a row. Michael ran in and fired at two, before turning and firing at two more, while Orion came up from behind one of the droids and fired at it, before he turned to three of them and did a backflip as he dodged their attacks, before finishing them off with three more blasts while flipping upside-down and landing in a drop pose. Jett and I looked at each other before we both did a crisscross in the air and slashed at two groups of twelve droids before coming in and force-pushing the droids away. Eliza did a cartwheel and then lowered herself so low that she easily dodged a big Separatist droid's machine gun trail and slashed it in half. She then seemed to disappear before reappearing again behind the last two droids and slamming their head together with a crunch sound before dropping their unresponsive bodies.

After that we reformed at the ship and I went back to continue my orders' dish out: starting with Michael and Maya. I turned to them, who were also giving sweet compliments to each other.

"Not bad, Michael; I'm impressed by your skill," Maya said before she came up and dipped her head as she put her hands together awkwardly as a blush formed. Michael just laughed as he came up with Orion behind him, he was scratching his head as he approached her and put his other hand on his hip, "Oh, well, that was nothing," He stated before continuing, then looking at Maya, feeling particularly stunned on what to say before he finally did, "Um, well, you fight good, too." He said with a blush as he turned to look away. Orion looked like he wasn't having a good time by seeing his brother's attempt to flirt with Maya. I quickly got their attention and they turned towards me along with Orion, Jett and Eliza. I then gave out my orders to them.

"Okay, you two, see if there's a way to knock this ship out of the sky," I said to them as they looked at each other and nodded before running off towards the left door, I watched as Michael opened the door for Maya, who shot two droids who were standing in the doorway and he said to her, "Ladies first." Before they walked through. I then turned to the boys, "Jett you are going to help Orion send out a signal to our allies that we might need their help carrying all the prisoners," I said as both of them took off towards the right door. Orion turned to look at me with a look I couldn't help but feel the need to return and he ran on behind Jett. I then felt Eliza walk up next to me, I turned to look up at her when I felt her hand on my shoulder, "Let's go, the prisoners need rescuing." I said before the two of us ran on towards the front door.

As soon as we entered the first of many corridors, a group of Separatist droids saw us and aimed to fire at us while chirping out orders to fire, but it was too late and Eliza and I sliced them all to pieces, practically bouncing off the walls and into the next hallway. We continued on like that for awhile, as I pulled up a mini-version of the map from the technical wristband on my arm. Just then, I heard the ship get fired upon at a different area of the ship which caused a rumbling in the floor causing me and Eliza to pause. Orion then came on to the communicator, "Okay, princess, sounds like your buddies got our signal; we're heading out to give Michael and Maya a hand!" He told me.

"Okay, stay safe and good luck!" I said back, before hearing a tired, yet still amused chuckle, "Didn't think you cared so much, princess; but thanks for it all the same." He teased me then I heard the sound of his communicator turning off. I didn't really feel in the mood to argue with him since I was busy with my own situation.

I turned a corner and before I could even see what was down the hall, Eliza pushed and dragged me out of the line of sight and fire. I found myself on my knees with her peaking around the corner and the pulling something off of her belt and chucking it in the direction of the hallway we were heading towards. She hid with her back against the wall and the sound of a grenade went off and then she looked down at me before she spoke, "Leia, we can't afford to stop and fight every single droid here; which is why you are going on ahead without me," I didn't like the idea of splitting up, considering that never goes well in movies or…the last time I was told to split up…which was with Lulu. But before I could voice my concerns, Eliza spoke up, "I know what you're thinking, but trust me; it's going to take more than a few Clankers to take me out." She grinned before lifting me up onto my feet with one arm and then as she pulled me out into

the hallway, she pushed by using the force to go flying past the droids. I wasn't quite passed them when I got there, so I quickly used my own force push to throw the droid into the roof and then push the other droids against each other. I turned back to where Eliza was, but she was gone; I let out a huff of frustration but decided to go on ahead like she asked. All that mattered right now was getting to the prisoners and getting them out, besides Eliza is stronger than she looks, she'll catch up eventually. I'm on my own for now, so I should focus on what to do right now.

The hallways seemed to be going on endlessly, but I wasn't about to stop now regardless of how frustrating it was to look down a hallway only to see more droids or no cargo hold anywhere. I sighed, feeling a little exhausted from the last skirmish with some droids, but I pressed on. I managed to slice down a couple more droids on my way through the hallways to get to the lower levels. As I ran down one particular tunnel, I sensed something coming through in the hallway that is to the right of me and I turned just in time to see a droid point its gun at me only for it to immediately get cut down by a familiar green lightsaber blade. The droid fell to the ground in a heap as Ahsoka appeared behind it with a look of surprise upon seeing me, "Leia?!" She lowered her lightsaber and after gathering her bearings of the fact that not only was I not at the Jedi temple or barracks like she thought I was, but she was in fact here on the enemy ship.

"What in the world are you doing here?" She asked, her eyes turning from shock to being furious.

"W-Wait A-Ahsoka l-listen I-I—" I stuttered as I tried to explain, but before I could the familiar voice of Eliza was heard and she came running down the hall towards us, "Looks like there's more of these Clankers than I previously thought, but oh well, here I am," We both turned to watch as the silver haired woman stopped in her tracks, before making a sharp turn to face away from us only to bring up her lightsaber and block the lasers with ease and little effort. She still backed up from them as she hurried on towards us with her back still to us. She then stopped and then slipped forward to the left before darting up the wall to the ceiling with a crescent-shaped slash from her attacks against the droids. She then ran on towards us having spotted me first, she stopped upon seeing Ahsoka and I together.

"Well, well, well, good to see you decided to join the party, 'Soka!" She said in a huff of sarcasm.

Ahsoka bristled upon hearing the other Jedi call her "Soka" again, and immediately glared at her, "You! I should've known you were behind this!" She yelled at Eliza, "You put Leia up to this didn't you?" She glanced from me to Eliza in response to that before pointing at her rival, "You're nothing but trouble, Eliza Siegfried; all you ever do is risk people's lives, not caring about what might happen to them, just so you can have a thrill!" She walked up to her and tapped her finger on her chest to prove her point. I quickly decided that I should stop them before they get into a fight which is definitely not what I want nor need right now. I walked up to push Ahsoka and Eliza away from each other, "Enough!" I said through gritted teeth as I broke them apart and turned to face Ahsoka with my back to Eliza, "It was my idea to do this, Ahsoka," I

explained as I put my hand against my chest as I told her, "Eliza's only here because I wanted to do this and I couldn't do this alone, also she was the only one there who I could talk into do this." I said with as I stood my ground against my teacher, my idol, "Also she isn't the only one here, Jett and Maya are here; also, there are a few other allies here helping me, too, we all did this." I then let out a sigh before looking back up at Ahsoka, who looked like she was about to say something, but I put my hand up to stop her, "Stop, Master, we can't stay here and continue arguing about this; if we do we'd all be shot and killed before we could even come to an agreement," I said, "So, unless you want to be put on the menu of a newly made dish called "Smoky-Grilled Jedi", I suggest we move on." I then pulled my lightsaber back out to prove my point, before walking past her and Eliza without a word. Behind me though I heard Eliza snark to Ahsoka, "Man, 'Soka', I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I'm really starting to like your Padawan." Then I heard her laugh under breath and clap Ahsoka on the back before hearing her running behind me and then hearing Ahsoka's footsteps as well.

We finally made it to the cargo hold, which is where the prisoners were being held. We readied ourselves as we stood on either side of the door, me and Ahsoka on one side and Eliza on the other. I nodded to Eliza and nodded back as she then used her lightsaber to slice through the door like a hot knife through butter and just as expected dozens of lasers fired out at us, but I pulled something out of my pocket, I looked down to see the bomb that Trixie gave me and thought back to that moment:

Trixie was stood against the wall with the orb in her hand as she explained the mechanics, "It works lahk any other bomb, but it has uh countdown uh teyun seconds an once it goes awf it will instantly destroy with small, thin lasers they spin in uh circle all around thuh bomb," She then carefully tossed the orb to me, which I caught and looked at it: it was a small bronze-colored orb that didn't look like anything particularly dangerous and looked like it was just another weird orb, but I was sure it would look different upon use.

Trixie continued as she looked at me with a wide grin as she put both her arms behind her neck, "Uh course, thus iz gist uh prototype, but ahm shore ah can make us these fahwar ya' tuh use in thuh future."

I looked at it one more time before silently thinking, "Thank you, Trixie, let's hope this works." I then pulled the pin before I immediately chucked it through the broken doorway and it landed on the ground with a thunk as I turned to face the wall. It made a sound before I heard the sound of its lasers activated and the sound of metal being cut and the droids all yelping before being completely sliced in halves both vertically and perpendicularly and straight up and down. The three of us the jumped through the doorway as soon as the room was clear, until we saw a familiar face that didn't get killed by the orb grenade.

Her mohawk and cold eyes were one's I had seen in my nightmares sometimes, it was indeed Ventress. She gave a satisfying smirk as she saw the three of us come in with our lightsabers at the ready, "Ahhh, if it isn't the great Jedi Knights' and their little Padawan pet," She mocked with a wicked laugh that sounded like she was a classic dramatic villain from movies like the

Bond films (yeah, the Bond films…I didn't follow any of it, my parents made me watch them). She was spotted standing at the end of a long metal rectangular riveted bridge. She pulled both her lightsabers out, their bright red glow emanated off the walls and lit up her face in a sinister red glow which made her golden eyes seem more evil.

"Ventress, you were behind this!" Ahsoka growled as she readied her lightsaber in her attack form that she was known for fighting in, I held mine at the ready and so did Eliza.

Ventress laughed despite the possible danger it was for her to fight 3 on 1, she lunged straight at us and easy separated us from being close together. Ahsoka flew towards her and she kicked her stomach causing her to gasp as she was knocked away, "Ahsoka!" I yelled as I ran towards her, ignoring Eliza as she ordered me not to. I really should've listened because Ventress than turned on me and grabbed at my arm as I tried to attack her which knocked my lightsaber from my hand and once, I was unarmed she spun me in a circle before throwing me back towards Eliza, who caught me easy without it barreling her over. Eliza got up while helping me up and just as Ventress came back to attack me, she pushed me to the side and just when it seemed like she was going to block with her lightsaber, she switched her tactics by turning around and elbowing Ventress in the throat, which caused the evil Darksider to choke and cough as she was knocked back by the sudden blow. With Ventress distracted, she doesn't turn to look at me when she says, "Go Leia, release the prisoners now while you can!" She then blocked Ventress's next attack as she struck down on her blade. I nodded despite my heart telling me that I shouldn't and that I should stay and fight. I then turned to jump down from the bridge and onto the ground, helping various prisoners, I then started scanning and asking the different prisoners where Senator Amidala was until she made herself known to me by calling my name, "Leia, you came!" She said both with relief and worry as I ran towards her and undid her bonds. I helped her up and managed to help the other prisoners as I found out that there's a secret passageway that will let the out without interfering with Ahsoka and Eliza's fight against Ventress. I helped them all get through one by one since the passageway was slightly bigger around than an air duct but was still more of a crawling type tunnel, but just as I turned to Padme to help her get through, I heard Ahsoka scream. I turned just in time to see her get slashed in the side and force pushed into the wall. My heart stuttered with fear as I saw her get hurt and then fall to the ground, thankfully not knocked our or dead, but definitely looked like she hit her heard really hard. Eliza was the only one being able to hold her own against Ventress, but even she found herself struggling at times. It especially didn't help that the bridge wasn't very wide and it was hard to maneuver around her without doing flips or jumps off walls to avoid her. I jumped onto the bridge using the Force and stopped just as I saw Eliza get out from the block to get behind Ventress and go for a strike before the Darksider easily ducked and punched her in the gut and face which sent her falling back in a skid on the ground on one knee and one hand on the ground while the other was still hold her lightsaber. Blood started to drip from her face from where Ventress had punched her. I saw a flash of anger cross her eyes that seemed to have a hint of darkness it them and I even felt that strange Aura that I had felt that one time before talking with Maya during the Myria mission, the one that felt like a cold, snowy and bare forest. But no sooner had I seen it, it was gone,

replaced with still anger but a more controlled anger.

I didn't act fast enough and was brought out of my thoughts as Ventress practically disappeared only to reappear behind me in a swift rush forward. I jumped back around just to make sure she didn't strike from behind, but she didn't instead she did something that made me freeze. She had grabbed Padme by the neck as she forced her into her chest and had one of her lightsabers against her neck as her other arm pinned her captive's arm behind her back, the red heat and light glowing from the lightsaber was glowing in Padme's fearful eyes. Her eyes were blown wide with fear as she thrashed around trying to break free, but it was clear she wasn't as strong as Ventress was and thus it was only causing her fear to spike.

"Wait, don't kill her, Ventress!" I yelled as I put my lightsaber down to my side and reached out with my other hand, "Let her go!"

Ventress didn't, instead she grinned a wolfish type of grin that told me that she was enjoying her and my distress, she then sniffed the air like a wolf does when smelling for its prey, letting out a satisfied groan, "I love the smell of fear that's radiating off of you, Padawan!" She sneered with a slight purr to her words, "This is why I love fighting inexperienced young Jedi like you, Starwatcher; they're always so passionate, so stubborn, yet also so easy to manipulate!" She then put her other hand up against Padme's face, who scrunched up her eyes and furrowed her brows in distress, and sniffed the other woman's hair and enjoyed the terror on her face as well, before looking back at me with eyes blown bright with darkness and power that sent chills down my spine and made me feel like I was nothing more than a little mouse about to be eaten by a feral, hungry cat. I shook in my boots as I held my lightsaber, I hadn't felt this helpless since when I met Count Dooku on Geonosis. She then put her other hand back down to hold her arm as she raised her lightsaber to come up right against her cheek, "You care about this woman don't you, child..." She hissed before finally pulling Padme closer to her and pointing her long fingernailed finger at me, "If you want to save the pretty Senator, how about you, your master and Siegfried drop your weapons and surrender, be my prisoners, then you will have your pretty friend back." She said with a twisted smile.

I wanted to comply so badly, but I couldn't, yet I couldn't move to fight either or I just couldn't move in general, I could feel my mind and heart at war with each other. I could vaguely hear Eliza and Ahsoka trying to reach out to me, Padme was talking too, but I couldn't hear them. All I heard was static, like my head was like a TV screen that will filled with dead air. But what I saw next happened in slow motion: Padme managed to bite Ventress's hand and kick her in the foot and break free only for the Darksider to grab her by the throat, lifting her in the air with her back to me. My mind felt like it ways splitting a part as flashbacks of Padme's death came crashing into my mind alongside what was really happening in front of me. To the point where I saw Ventress fade in and out only to be replace by Anakin during her fading out before fading back into focus. I saw Mustafar again and saw Anakin fighting Obi-Wan, saw Luke and Leia being born, saw Darth Vader being born. Everything was running through my head like a river until everything went red and my ears felt like they were ringing. The last thing I remember was

feeling cold, numb and also, I felt like something was inside me that was waking up, it was hungry too, I could feel it growling wanting to sink its teeth into my very soul. It felt good though, it felt amazing like something delicious just crossed my tongue and I felt in bliss and powerful for the first time and I wanted to drown in this feeling.

But then I stopped and immediately felt sick upon realizing how it felt and the good feeling was gone and replaced with the feeling of disgust like I just had a mouth full of garbage and drunk awful sewage water. I then started to break free from the darkness trying to keep me from leaving its embrace and snare. I could feel the temptation again and managed to open my eyes…erm…sorta of…I could see a little bit from what I saw and felt, Eliza was holding me and telling me she got me and calling me "kid". Then I passed out for a bit, but I didn't feel that dark feeling again, instead it felt very much like I was asleep.

Chapter 7

When I finally opened my eyes, I was looking up at a familiar ceiling. It was the hospital and I felt the cool air of the advance cooling/heating systems in the room. I felt hurt and sore all over, which made it hard for me to move, let alone sit up. But after a little bit of trying, I did manage to look to the side of the bed. There sitting in the chair, sleeping, was Ahsoka, who appeared to be bandaged up on the side from where Ventress hit her. I finally managed to speak, but it was more of a hushed whisper because of how dry my throat felt, "Ahsoka…". Upon hearing my voice, Ahsoka looked up, startled out of her sleep, and immediately smiled with relief, "Leia, thank the Force you're awake," She then pushed herself forward until she was on her knees in from of me and holding my hand, "I was so worried about you." She also seemed to have tears welling up in her eyes.

I tried to smile back at her, but it hurt to do so, yet I still tried, "Hey, the feeling's mutual." Then I remember Padme, Ventress and Eliza. The ship, Jett, Trixie, Maya, and the Jade brothers. I suddenly threw myself forward, gasping in realization, "Wait, what happened to Padme, the other prisoners, the ship?" I asked, before I winced and fell back against the pillow. Ahsoka suddenly frowned, which wasn't a good sign, "I-I well, Padme's alright, you saved her and Ventress was defeated…by you and thanks to you we managed to get everyone out." She explained as she let go of my hand and inside clasped her own hands together as she did so. I would've felt relieved if it wasn't for how serious she was about this, "It sounds like we succeeded, so why are you so…well, serious. What happened?" I asked her.

"Listen, Leia, I'm not going to blame you or anything, but…I mean…you did beat Ventress but…it's just that a lot had happened and it all happened so fast, you and I were both still injured at the time, Eliza carried you out and we met up with Jett, who was with these other people, but they flew away in a separate ship so I didn't get the chance to see them or even look at them properly." She explained as she was trying to find the words to say without having to say what really happened, "I promise you're not in trouble, just the council wants to monitor you for awhile and are allowing you more time even after you've left the hospital to finish recovering, but you'll be back in training in no time.".

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Ahsoka, can you stop being so mysterious all of the sudden and just tell me straight; what happened?" Ahsoka was about to say something when we both looked back at the door just as we heard a familiar voice of Eliza Siegfried, "Tano, can you stop dancing around the topic and give the poor girl an explanation already," she said dryly as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She was out of her long Jedi robes and was now standing in a simple white shirt and was wears her dark brown skirt and long high-heeled boots; the only things that remained unchanged was the eyepatch and glove. Ahsoka looked like at her with a dirty, distrustful look, "It's not that simple, Siegfried, and you know it," She snapped back as she got up on her feet to look in Eliza's eyes, "She needs to recover first, then she can learn about what happened back there, but right now she should focus on getting back on her feet."

Eliza didn't seem to agree and for the first time since I've known her and her back-and-forth relationship with Ahsoka, she often shoots back with an equally fiery response or a sarcastic remark. But this time, she almost seemed thoughtful and humble, "Let me talk to her about it." She then leaned off of the wall as she entered the room on a foot onto the hospital room's floor. "What? Are you trying to kick me out?" Ahsoka snapped back again, only to stop when she heard Eliza speak again and give her a soft, pleading look, "Ahsoka, please." At that, Ahsoka hesitated but then decided to do as she was told with a sigh, got up and walked over to give me a kiss on the head, before making a move towards the exit, but not before giving Eliza a look that said, Be careful with what your saying, then she turned and walked out and the door shut with a hiss.

After she was gone, Eliza made her way towards the chair where Ahsoka had been in, pulled back a bit, before putting her leg over her knee and crossed her arms, "How are you feeling, kid?" She asked me as she looked me over. I looked at my arms, hands, legs and the rest of my body, before speaking, "Um, I feel like I just got run over by a bus; I feel hurt all over." I explained simply, upon hearing my explanation, she nodded, "Yeah, that would make sense after what you just did." She said with a gravely sound to her voice.

I rolled my eyes with frustration, "Can you please explain to me what it is I "just did", please?" I asked her as she adjusted her position to be leaning forward, "What's the last thing you remember?" She asked me vaguely as she looked at me her one blue eye that was filled with various emotions: curiosity, worry, fear, and even a small bit of interest. I looked back at the wall and thought about what had happened, at first, couldn't remember anything until it call came flooding back, "I remember us in the Separatist ship, we were making our way to the cargo hold where the prisoners were and—" Then I remembered, "Eliza, are the others okay? Jett, Maya, Trixie, Michael, Orion are they okay?" I asked with worry running through my veins and my heart thumping in my chest waiting for the worst.

She stopped me from sitting up straight as she warned me to not move so quickly, before telling me what happened, "Don't worry, our companions are safe, a little banged up, but overall alive: Michael and Maya were able to take the ship down after we just barely got into Ahsoka's ship in time and they got out with the others, Trixie helped Jett and Orion get out of there since we got

separated on our way out, but they had a bit of a fight with a pursuer, the same one from before we managed to get through the shield before. I don't know what happened back there, but Jett ended up meeting us here at the hospital after Trixie helped reunite Orion with his brother. Maya helped carry you into the hospital and thanked Michael and his brother for helping them and leaving." After hearing this I felt immensely relieved, before asking another question, "What about Padme?" I asked, Eliza nodded, "She's safe as well, she went straight to Chancellor's office and has set up a meeting with the other Senators and government officials to talk about what happened and what to do with Ventress." At Ventress's name, I felt a familiar stab of anger before it quickly vanished like breath on a mirror, "Ventress, Ahsoka said I beat her, but how?" I asked her with legitimate confusion.

Eliza looked down for a minute before looking up at me, "The only thing I know for certain is that during the fight, you saw Padme being held hostage by Ventress and it seemed like you were just frozen where you stood and then you…we felt your Aura start to go crazy around you," She explained as she looked at me dead in the eyes, before shaking her head, "I've never felt anything as powerful and dangerous as the way you were right then," She rubbed her hands in her hair as she seemed to still be reeling at what happened, then she looked down at her gloved hand as she continued the story, "I will kill you," you said that repeatedly and each time you said it your voice got louder before you practically screamed it out and then you raised your hand which caused Ventress to start choking and she was forced to let Padme go but that didn't stop you as you kept pushing until the Darksider was close to dying from strangulation, then I managed to snap you out of it, although I feel like Padme should be thanked for that as well since she was able to break through to enough for my voice to reach you," She admits with a smile and a little laugh before looking back at me, "I see why you like Padme so much."

After she explained everything, it all came flooding back to me and I realized that I used the dark side and on top of that used a one of the most famous uses of the dark side of the Force, minus Force Lightning of course known famously to be used by Emperor Palpatine. It all hit me, I just used the dark side…oh, that's why Ahsoka looked so shaken by what had happened and why she didn't want to tell me. I looked back at Eliza, who seemed to be studying my reaction to the story, I decided to at least say what I know as a guess or something to keep her from being suspicious of me, "Did I use the dark side, Eliza?" I asked, legitimately shaking from head to toe, for very different reasons of course. But it seemed to work, because of what Eliza said next, "Yes, there's no doubt in my mind," She sat back with arms on the chair's arms, "You were furious with what could've happened to Padme, so you felt compelled to save her at all cost, giving in to your anger as a result." She said, her words not unknown by me, it still held the same type of wisdom if Obi-Wan or Yoda would've said, but she also said with this strange look in her eyes which I couldn't pin down.

I looked down at my hands which were both still shaking at the reveal of what happened, the weight of what could've happened if Eliza and Padme hadn't snapped me out of it, then I would've been another victim who was taken by the seductive feeling of the dark side. She then turned to me and asked a question that's stuck with me for a long time…but it isn't until recently

I've finally understood the meaning behind her question. She turned to me but the look I had seen in her eyes seemed to vanish and be replaced with an intense look of curiosity as she spoke, "How did it make you feel seeing Ventress about to kill Padme?" I wasn't sure what to say so I just went with what I felt was the right answer, "I-I w-was angry, really angry, but I was also scared," I said as I remembered seeing the look of fear in Padme's eyes, "I wanted to make Ventress pay for hurting her and all of you," I said as I looked back at Eliza, "I-I felt that if I didn't stop her then she would've killed her and it would've been my fault," I tightened my grip on my sheets as tears fell down my cheeks then as quickly as they fell, I rubbed the tears from my eyes then I fell back into the pillow as I finished my confession. Eliza looked back at me and nodded seeming to be understanding what I was talking about before she got up and sat at my bed side and turned my face up with the tips of her fingers to make me look in her eye, "It's okay to be afraid sometimes, you just can't let it control you, Leia," She smiled at me and gave me a pat on my cheek, "You're a good kid and yet you're stronger than you think," She then placed her hand on the bed again, "And one day, you will be a great Jedi and admitting your faults is the best start to conquering them…and if it helps, I've been where you have, I was young once after all," She said before making a smug smile after seeing my amazed expression, "Yeah, even someone as awesome as me was once a little brat; in fact you remind me of myself when I was a kid." She then gave a surprising saddened smile.

"Really?" I echoed with awe, having never thought about what Eliza Siegfried was like as a kid, "Don't suppose you could tell me why you think that?" I gave out at cheeky smile despite the fact that I already knew the answer, she then ruffled my head and bopped my nose, "Nope," She said simply before getting up and stretching before looking back down at me, "Now, I think I should leave you to your long, long recovery." She then gave me a wink before walking towards the door to leave, I couldn't help but snort and roll my eyes at her with a smile on my face. I hesitated for a moment before I looked up at her again, "Eliza," I said, which made her stop and turn back to me with a look that told me "What?", "I-I've been wanting to thank you for saving back on Myria, but I just haven't been able to find a way to say and even now you saved my life and I wouldn't have been able to save Padme without you—" I said only for Eliza to raise her hand for me to pause, "Don't mention it, I was only helping out a friend is all," She said which prompted me to look back at, surprised, that she called me a friend. Eliza gave a smile before she walked out of the room letting the door close behind her. I fell back into the pillow and went to sleep.

A month had gone by really quickly and I found myself on my feet and fully healed. During that time, the rumor of my involvement in the rescue mission began to spread thanks to Padme and other people who were prisoners alongside her. It even was spread to the newest senator of central Coruscant where the capitol of the whole planet sits. I've never met him because he was elected into that position during the time, I was still doing basic training. But apparently, he's hosting a dinner party in the honor of the brave heroes who saved the hostages and naturally he sent out invitations to some of the council members and he sent one to me since I was rumored to be apart of the rescue operation. I couldn't refuse since I did like meeting new

people and the fact that it was someone who had been a mystery to me. But that means unfortunately, because it was a fancy gathering, I needed to dress appropriately for it. Here's a secret about me…I don't like getting all dressed up for anything, I mean I'll do it but it doesn't mean I like it. But Padme, Ahsoka and Maya practically dragged me out for shopping, Eliza was invited too, but she didn't join us and said that she already got a dress for the occasion and that she'll skip the shopping craze. I wanted so badly to join her, but I also liked hanging out with the others too. They took me to different shops until they found what they were looking for. My dress was a knee-length light blue, pink and dark purple patterned dress that looked like a starry galaxy. I also wore a pair of golden high-heeled strapped shoes; I also wore a pink necklace with a star hanging from it and a matching bracelet. My eyeliner was a subtle light pink and my lips were pink and smooth, my cheeks were touched up with a soft pink blush as well. Finally, my hair was curled and my bangs were swept to the side by a golden star-shaped hair clip.

To be honest, I did look pretty but I did not like walking with heels…it's just…ugh! Why do we women do this to ourselves? Whoever invented heels should be cursed for all the broken ankles and accidents as a result of high heels, of course the person who invented them is probably already dead by now…but my point still stands. Above all things, why do women in another galaxy with all these different cultures and species, out of all the similarities we could possibly have together, it had to be wearing heels.

Anyway…mini rant on shoes aside, I was nervous and curious on meeting the host of the party having never met him before. I looked up at the huge fancy rich-person-looking building that towered over a lot of the neighboring buildings. I saw large square-shaped windows with dancing lights all around the room inside the building, which I could only guess it was the ballroom. I was standing on the concrete staircase with Ahsoka and Maya, but the two of them had walked off to talk to someone but they shouldn't take long.

I turned as a person tapped my shoulder, I turned around and saw Jett standing there with a blush on his face and the most adorable black suit he was wearing. I giggled, "Hey, Jett, I love your suit; it looks great on you." I said to my friend, who's blush deepened, his ears and tail were both lowered as he rubbed the back of his neck, "O-Oh, u-um, w-well, thank you, L-Leia," He stuttered, "I-I t-think you look great t-too." He smiled shyly at me as I continued to giggle, then I spotted someone peeking from behind a pillar outside the building. It was Orion, he was leaning against it. It was clear that he wasn't meant to be there based on the fact that his clothes were more ragged and worn and that he and his brother disappeared after the chaos of the rescue, probably not wanting the public's attention on them being bounty hunters and scoundrels after all. I excused myself from Jett before I slipped quietly towards him and once, I came in view he gave me the same smile he's always done when he sees me, "Sup, princess, I guess that title is more fitting now than it's ever been until now, huh?" He raised his eyebrow as he teased me. I felt my cheeks redden at his words, but decided to remain calm, he was always trying to get a reaction out of me and it seems to only attract his attention rather than push him away like I want. I cleared my throat before speaking, an smiled at him, "Hey, Orion, it's good to see you again, as always," I said which startled him, "Understandably." I told myself, which caused him

to seem to be at a loss for words for the first time I've spoken to me. He rubbed the back of his neck before speaking, a blush graced his face, "Well, I'm flattered you think so; I-I wanted to see you." He put his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the pillar, his back turned away from me as he did so. I stepped back, my heels tapping on the cobblestone floor as I, too, leaned against the pillar until we were both on either side of the pillar.

I put my hands behind my back as I waited for him to speak. I heard him sigh before finally speaking, "I promised that I would tell you…about my arm and the…other tech stuff in my body," He began and I nodded, "Yeah, you did." Which caused him to move a bit to straighten himself up as he leaned further into the pillar, "It happened when I was little, I was eight when it happened—" He let out a sigh, "To be honest I don't remember a time when I didn't have this arm and this eye." I looked back at him around the pillar and saw him shift uncomfortably as he told his tale, "After my and Michael's parents died, we were taken by…this place called the Factory; we were told that if we wanted to get out then we needed to prove ourselves and if we succeeded then we'd receive this reward." He laughed, but his laugh was bitter as he started to get emotional about it a bit even clenching his fists as I looked down at them, "What a load of…they cut off my hand and took my eye!" He whisper-yelled, "My brother saved me and got me out, but not before the fire…the fire that we started to escape ended up nearly taking his eye and his life, too!" The anger and hurt coming out of his hushed, yet passionate words, "I almost lost my brother, Leia, because it was my idea to start the fire and it was because I was too weak to stop them from hurting me and him!" He finally started to cry into his hands, the frustration and newly opened wounds, that I forced him to open again. I felt a stab in my gut after hearing his choked sobs.

He finally stopped, although his sniffles could still be heard, before apologizing, rubbing and brushing his tears away, "I'm sorry, it's still a dark memory and I-I've tried to forget it and move on, accept that I'm still whole and not broken." He says which prompted me to push myself around the pillar until I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me to look in his eyes, we remained like that for awhile, before I pulled him to a hug which stunned him, his arms were still out in front of him unable to decide what to do with them, while I held him in my arms. He then decided to do the same and we stood like that for a bit before I looked into his brilliant jade eyes and cupped his face in my hands and said, "I'm sorry that happened to you, Orion; you don't need to apologize for something that wasn't your fault," I said and before he could interrupt me, I squished his cheeks as I continued to speak, "Listen, we may have gotten off on the wrong foot when we first met, but meeting you has changed me and I feel awful that I didn't try to understand more or even just be a decent person to you instead of being rude and always assuming the worst in you." I said as I let go of his cheeks and instead held his hand in mine before speaking again, "And you are not broken, Orion, you may have these scars on your body and in your mind, but you aren't some broken pieces of junk tossed away like the other pieces of junk, you are you and I hope you never let yourself doubt yourself when you've got so much to do and to be." I wiped the tears from his eyes with my hands and smiled at him again, "I wonder if…" I blushed before speaking again, "Well…if you'd like to be friends with me?" I rubbed the

back of my ankle with my other foot and felt my hands fiddle with themselves as I waited for his answer. He was still stunned by what I said before smiling, an actual genuine smile, not the cocky, smug-like smiles. I blushed harder when I thought that his smile was actually something that I must cherish forever. He laughed a little before speaking, "You are the silliest girl I've ever met; you know that?" He put his hands on hips as he continued to laugh, "I would definitely like to be your friend, princess." I blushed hard again before twirling a strand of hair around my finger as I spoke, "Thanks…I suppose." I mumbled and looked back at him. He grinned and leaned back with his hands back in his pockets, I smiled back before I question thought about for awhile, "I was wondering, Orion, why do you call me "princess" anyway?" I said as I used finger quotes over the word "princess". He blushed again before speaking, "Well, to be honest, I called you "princess" because you reminded me of one," He admitted, "And it wasn't until I knew your name that I felt it was an appropriate nickname to call you because Leia Starwatcher sounds like a new fit for a princess." He ended his explanation with a laugh, "So, yeah, there's that."

"Leia!" I heard my name being called, it was Maya, who saw me and waved at me and motioned for me to come along. I waved back before turning just as Orion turned to walk away, I stopped him by tugging his coat sleeve and he turned back to me, I blushed before saying "See you around, Orion." And he smiled at me and took my hand in his and kissed it before winking at me and saying, "See you, Leia." Then he turned and walked away. I rolled my eyes but the blush never left my face and neither did my smile which seemed to grow.

I walked up to Maya, who was just as eager to get to known the mysterious host. I went along behind her and we joined Ahsoka, who I saw was talking with someone. The person was a woman with yellow scaly skin and long braided black hair. The two of them turned to us and Ahsoka's companion seemed familiar to me but I wasn't sure and was shocked that I didn't recognize her since I met quite a lot of Jedi including those who are apart of the council. When we walk up to them, Ahsoka smiles and puts her arm around the other woman's shoulders and begins to introduce us, "Leia, this is my friend Offee Bariss and Bariss this is my—" She is then interrupted by Bariss, who smiles at me, "Leia Starwatcher, yes, I've heard a lot about you both from Ahsoka and from rumors," She says as she gives me her hand to shake and I took it in surprise, because I almost forgot about Offee Bariss, who had also been in Clone Wars and was a padawan learner alongside Ahsoka but then I remembered that she had a hand in Ahsoka leaving the Council and going rogue. I wasn't sure whether to feel awe or hate for what she did, but of course I couldn't show her my mixed reactions and shook her hand, "It's good to meet you," I said before turning to Ahsoka, "But why didn't you tell me about her." I asked her, which resulted in her coughing awkwardly and Bariss looking at her with a look of betrayal and hurt. Maya and I both blinked in surprise before laughing at both of their expressions.

I then remembered Anakin doing the same thing when Obi-Wan was rescued and had asked Anakin what kind of stuff had he talked about him to me only to blush having not told me much despite the fact that he didn't need to tell me since I already knew who he was. I chuckled to myself, "Like Master like Apprentice.". Bariss then looks back at us and gives another warm smile, "Well, to answer that question, you see, I've been escorting our new governor; he will be our host for this evening and he thought it wise to have some extra security during this important day."

"And…who is he—" I was about to ask when the door behind us opened and Bariss turned around only to stiffen and straighten our her shoulders and she motioned for us to follow her and as we did I got a chance to look up at the very tall door and elegant golden colors along the door and the door's frame. The four of us entered the hallway and walked past all kinds of different guests and they all were deep in conversation and music was playing all around us. We eventually made it to the door at the far end of the hallway and it opened allowing two people to approach us after Bariss announced us. The first was a rather short, stubby looking creature with long pointy ears and has a monocle on the side of his face and he wore a dark crimson-colored robe and he had his hands out in front of him and clasped together. I didn't like the look of him, but I didn't feel any negative or evil intent from him, so I guessed that he was just different. I also kicked myself mentally for judging him by his looks that way, since I should know better by now.

As for the second person, he was a tall elegant looking man who had long straight black hair that went down to his lower back and he had very warm, friendly brown eyes and wore a long white military-looking uniform with a long dark red jacket and had two golden rings: one on his left hand and the other on his right. He appeared to have a gun in the holster near his waist and had that authoritative look about him. I turned to see Bariss dip her head with respect before speaking…and these words, I won't forget.

"Greetings Governor Palpatine, sir, you're most honored guests have arrived," she said and was going off on a tangent but I completely blocked her words out as the name struck my like…well, like being struck by his Force lightning. I felt my body start to grow cold and my skin paled with dread. I just stood there like a deer in the headlights and completely still. My eyes widened as I stared up at the man before me and couldn't believe that this was the soon-to-be Emperor. But in that moment all I could think about was all the pain and death this man would cause and it didn't matter what he looked like, this was him. He then turned to look at us all in turn until his gaze landed on me which didn't soothe my panic and I was pretty sure he could tell I was afraid being who he is after all. But I couldn't stop my rapidly beating heart until I felt a warm hand on my shoulder touch me gently. I turned and saw that Maya was looking at me with concern, "Are you okay, Leia?" I managed to calm down with her beside me and smiled, "I-I'm fine, just a little…um, nervous, I guess." I said, which caught Ahsoka's ears as well as she turned to us and seemed to want to ask the same question, but I smiled at her and said the same thing that I told Maya. She then backed away but not before giving me a reassuring smile. I let out a sigh and calmed myself down, until I heard the man, who's Palpatine, the lord of the Sith, laugh, but not an evil laugh but a warm and kind laugh, "Well, I surely wasn't expecting my reputation to have such an affect on your apprentice, Ahsoka," He said with a bright smile, before stepping up towards me and extended his hand, "I'm so happy to meet you, Leia Starwatcher; you're the guest of honor for tonight because of your great act of heroism and bravery," He said with a

voice that did sound nice and pleasant, "I'm looking forward to seeing what the future awaits you, young one." Those last words struck me in a way I'll never forget. This man may not know the future that I've grown up seeing, but he is apart of that future and he is the last person to hear of it and of what's to come. I looked him in the eyes and while most others would see a kind and respected leader, I could see what lies beneath those eyes. I saw his lies and every wicked intention. I then found it within me to calm down my fears and swallow all the words I wanted to say, instead I forced myself to smile back at him and took his hand, "Thank you, sir," I then let his hand go placing my hands at my side, "Sorry, for being blanking like that, sir; I just…haven't been paying much attention to the news since my training began," I explained while swallowing hard, "So, I haven't had the chance to see what you looked like before today." I finished my explanation and he gave me another smile before speaking, "Oh, it's quite alright, my dear," He said while waving me down, "You're new to this planet, or at least, so I hear; it only makes sense that you wouldn't be aware of who I am." As soon as he finished that last word, I could feel my hands turn into fists to try and calm my hidden feelings as I tried to keep my smile friendly, "Well, I'm looking forward to knowing more about you." I bowed respectfully, and he did the same before he smiled at Ahsoka and greeted her along with thanking Bariss for her expert escort-ship. He then turned to Maya, who smiled and shook his hand. I watched on but could only think of one thing as I felt my inner eyes glaring at him, "You're wrong, Governor; I do know who you are and who you will become," I thought as I could feel my hands shaking once again, "I promise, I won't let you corrupt Anakin; I will stop you." That declaration became the fuel within me, I knew I had to do something to stop him. But I had to be patient, now wasn't the time. But I will find a way to succeed.

After our meeting, we had a feast together with other guests including Padme, who I kept an eye on while doing my best to both pay attention and pray for this evening to end. After having our fill of the food, Ahsoka, Maya and I said goodbye to Bariss and we headed back to the Jedi Temple but as we were leaving, I felt the creeping shadows behind me but I won't let them win. My eyes faced forward and I knew that the moment to act, to stop this tyrant from rising is about to begin. I needed to stop him and protect my friends including Anakin Skywalker and his children: Luke and Leia.

"I won't let you win, Darth Sidious," I thought with determination as I looked out of the window behind me, "I'll make sure you won't hurt Anakin or Luke." Those were my last thoughts as I entered my room for the night and shut the door behind me.

Well, here we are again. It's the end of this entry but don't worry it's not the end of my story yet. The journey is about to take a turn and I must warn you when you do see the next entry to proceed with caution. My life is about to change, for best or worst, you decide that for yourself. There'll be more action, more drama and even more danger. Will I be able to stop Order 66 and the emperor from getting his crown and power over the galaxy? Can my friends help me or will I choose to remain silent and on my own? Those are all great questions but sadly you'll have to see for yourself. For now, you'll just have to wait once again for the conclusion of my adventures but thankfully you've reached the middle half of my journey and life. Just be

patient, be kind and be adventurous.

End of entry…