"Captain, I assume there's a mission that a Jedi might be needed on and I'm the one chosen"

"Not exactly, the Senate has discovered another planet that might be of use either for an Academy of Starfleet and the Federation to start here since we don't know how long the war will last after we get started and it's best to continue training if at all possible in the meantime, or it could be used as another home for our refugees they want us to check it out along with a Council member, something about a sight that looked like an academy for the Jedi or something like that and since the Council are the ones who know the most about Jedi history..."

"We will discuss this issue then Captain, however I have a question, are you guys going to be part of the celebration tonight?"

"Yes we are"

"Celebration?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten what day it is Portland"

"No it's...the day I came home and initiated the alliance between the Republic and Federation"

"Well we didn't quite sign anything for another three days but we're celebrating all three days and today's the opening ceremony, it's been almost a decade since that day and we want to celebrate it, before we don't have a chance"

"I would love to be part of the celebration if I can Captain"

"Of course Portland, you're considered a guest of honor considering what this celebration is about"

"Well I need to do some meditation before the celebrations tonight and I also need to prepare a few things for a potential situation that the Council is aware of Captain, then after a certain time period I should be able to join you back on the ship"

"Understood, Soketh is also going to be joining in and we have a new arrival that might enjoy it as well so we'll talk to them and see what they think about it"

"New arrival?"

"You didn't sense them?"

"No the last arrival I sensed was a few days ago"

"That's odd because a new ship just arrived this afternoon during a Senate meeting"

"Oh that's why then"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"I was at the Senate meeting this afternoon and was also wearing my Force inhibitor for a few hours and I've discovered that if I don't detect them as soon as they enter Republic space there's a good chance that after I take the inhibitor off I won't know about new arrivals until told about them"

"Why did you put the inhibitor on?"

"High emotions at the meeting today Captain, though I honestly don't know why they were so high I could sense them in the Force and realized I might start projecting if I didn't have the inhibitor on"

"Ah a small issue in regards to your Force Trouble indicator abilities?"

"That's the closest analogy the Healers could come up with yes"

"Okay, see you this evening then"

"Agreed"

Ashland then left for the Room of a Thousand Fountains and went into a deep meditation she hadn't had since her mental breakdown in her first year at the Academy, she hadn't even gone that deep after she discovered she was a Force Trouble indicator which meant that the Force itself wanted her to be immersed in a way she hadn't allowed in a long, long time. The Force showed her what it took for the trust between Jedi and Clones to form and it was an incident that would force the two groups to work together and have to simply ignore past history to make it through, but that one incident would also be what showed the Jedi that things were truly different that time. Ashland also saw more of what Soketh would have to go through over the years, including the fact that what she thought was the same planet she would have to be put into the unique bacta/carbonite sleep was actually a different planet, she also sensed that there was a period of time between the two incidents though she wasn't quite sure how long, though she knew it was still soon after her freezing sleep from what she could sense through the Force. After that she woke up to find it close to time for the celebrations to begin

"Oh Soketh, you're going to go through so much but you'll be the stronger for it I'm sure of it, though why that planet has a base is beyond me unless...that would make sense even if we can't send out signals from that planet we would make sure there was a place of refuge if something happened to a landing craft"

Ashland then made sure she was dressed properly for such celebrations, and oh how they started the celebrations that night. Ashland danced to music using traditional Republic dances and showing people a few of the dances she'd learned in the Federation that were appropriate for the music and mood that was being set. Ashland gave a brief history of what started the alliance between the two galaxies and how both had benefited since. No one but Ashland knew that night would be the last time anyone saw her in public for a long, long time, after that night the only people who would see her would be her crew and even they would lose her soon enough, though at one point during the celebrations Ashland and Soketh locked eyes and Ashland knew that Soketh sensed something in the Force even if he couldn't precisely make out what it was. Ashland could also sense that the Force was doing it's best to protect the Jedi and would also do so when she was in carbonite because losing her would be a major blow and she knew it. The next day the New Hope took off for what they thought would be a simple mission, not knowing the truth that Ashland knew, and what Soketh felt

"So how long until we reach the planet?"

"At our current speed it should take about two days to get there"

"Good to know, Portland any thoughts on the away team?"

Ashland was sitting next to the Captain's chair with her eyes closed trying to get a feeling of who should be part of the mission because she knew that she couldn't do this alone it would be too suspicious, and then the Force gave her the answer she needed at the moment even though it was really only a feeling that she should trust her instincts in this instance

"Besides me I think you're the one who should choose the away team Captain, I'm needed on that planet for reasons I can't explain but because I'm too close to the situation this time I can't choose without my emotions coming into play and that would be dangerous"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"The Force is telling me something quite clearly but I don't have the words to explain it, it's part of what's kept me up lately as you already have seen Captain"

"Very well, but you do realize that this means you can't turn anyone away"

"I know and understand Captain, and I'm sure that you'll choose the best crew you can think of to assist me on this mission"

Two days later they finally arrived at the planet and Ashland was actually pleased with the people she was to be assigned the mission with

"Now then does everyone understand their orders?"

"Yes sir, we're to make sure the main area we're looking at to make an Academy is suitable for the task, the rest of the information can be gathered through scans and what not but an on site review is important if we want to be sure that things will be stable should we use this planet"

"Okay, and make sure you guys don't go outside the designated area, even if you think you noticed something, we may have comms but if something happens it's better for you guys to be in a central location. As always the exception to that is Sentinel Portland but that's the way it's been since the Texas arrived all those years ago"

"Captain, make sure to keep a close eye on the away team just in case and...I want to have open comms after fifteen minutes if we don't initiate communication ourselves"

"What for?"

"Just trust me on this Captain...please"

"Very well I trust you"

The group started doing multiple observations and tests as soon as they were on the ground when suddenly they were surrounded by droids that Ashland recognized

"Portland to New Hope open comms are needed now, there's Trade Federation droids here which means Separatists might be close by keep an eye out for trouble, in the meantime I'm going to deal with them in the only way I can and Captain tell Soketh I'm sorry"

"What do you mean Portland?"

"Sentinel's final defense!"

Those on the ground suddenly saw Ashland surrounded by flames and she was faster then anyone had seen her move and she was decimating the legions of droids not only with the flames which were super hot from what she could tell but also her lightsaber, the few she didn't manage to destroy the team did but those were few and far between. Ten minutes later the battle was over and the flames dissipated from Ashland body, and that's when they realized that Ashland had basically sacrificed herself, because while she didn't have third degree burns most of her body was covered in second degree burns and they also realized she used a lot of her life force through the Force to be able to do what she had done

"Portland...to New Hope...emergency beam up...to medical...alert Soketh...bacta/carbonite tank...not much time"

Ashland is quickly beamed to sickbay and everyone realized that Ashland had been correct in saying that the bacta/carbonite tank was needed. Soketh arrived right as she was put into the tank and Soketh touched the tank and received a message from Ashland before she was encased in carbonite

"Captain, we have to declare her dead"

"But Soketh..."

"No Captain, we don't know how long it will take for Ashland to heal from this, especially as she was encased in carbonite, we don't know how that affects bacta healing, plus it will keep her safe from all enemies"

"Very well, what about the Federation and Republic?"

"Well as for the Federation they're basically dissolved though I might be wrong and as for the Republic Ashland has that covered"

"Very well I will make the necessary records then"

Two hours later Ashland was declared dead and that's when the Council received Ashland's pre-recorded message, and they could also tell that a few things had been added over time including shortly before Ashland arrived on the planet's surface

"...only Soketh will know where I am, don't worry if I have the strength I will pass on that message to him through the Force. Don't tell anyone that I'm alive mainly because you'll have your own issues to worry about by the time this message is sent if I am seeing the visions correctly, goodbye and good luck to us all for those from the Federation, for the Council may the Force be with you"

The Council knew they had to trust in Soketh and the Force because Portland was right, things were starting to get more and more tense in the Senate and they were close to another Clone Wars, when suddenly the temple was under attack and even though the Jedi weren't too keen on it they had to call on the Clones to help. Throughout the next three days the Jedi learned to trust the clones while the clones learned to trust the Jedi and they all managed to get past what had happened when the Republic became the Empire because the Jedi trusted the clones implicitly and the clones trusted the Jedi just as much. Meanwhile Soketh had been looking for a good place to keep Ashland hidden while the fighting went on in the Republic and the New Hope was taken down on the planet that Ashland had seen in her vision. What Ashland didn't know was that they would indeed have to fake their deaths through an explosion that was witnessed by, both a Starfleet and Republic vessel and since Soketh had put an inhibitor on that made everyone think he was dead the Jedi felt his loss as well, because the Jedi had felt Ashland's passing too or so they thought

"We'll stay here until the time is right, in the meantime we're going to have to learn to survive here and hopefully eventually we'll be able to send people out to fight because we are headed for war"

"Hey Soketh I think I found a good place to put the tank and...I think I discovered the remains of some Jedi but I'm not sure"

Soketh goes over and confirms that they were deceased Jedi, that's also when he discovered that he could take off the inhibitor because while he could use the Force, the same atmospheric conditions that prevented comms from leaving the surface of the planet also prevented Force users from being detected and the team had tried to use mental contact via the Force and had failed

"Okay, let's properly bury them and then...we have a lot of work ahead of us"

Several hours later the two bodies had been given a proper Jedi funeral and Ashland had been put in a spot that would never be detected. They then decided to salvage what they could of the New Hope and use the materials to make a new home and even actually a base for the day they could fight back. Due to the fact that they had unintentionally crashed a lot of damage had been done to the the hull of the ship thus the salvage operation. That's when Soketh discovered the message Ashland left for him

"You're going to feel alone for a very long time but don't give up eventually you'll be able to properly reconnect with the Republic and then the Federation, it may not seem like you're alone right now because of the fact that you're with the crew you know but eventually they will die and as a Vulcan you have a long life span. Even though you'll feel isolated and will most likely act like that even with the crew because of the fact that you're the only Sentinel available don't forget to occasionally confide in someone about your feelings, and also don't forget you don't have to be the sole leader after everyone else from the crew dies. Well that's everything I can think of this is Sentinel Portland signing off"

"Don't worry Portland I'll take care of everyone and when the time comes I'm sure the Force will let me know and we will make a great comeback, I also will never truly be alone even if I am isolated from everyone as long as I remember you're healing and will come back, and as long as I have the Force I will never be alone but don't worry I will find someone to confide in, and eventually I will recruit even if it takes me a while"

So Soketh and the crew started preparations for a fight, whether it came to them or they eventually went to it. No one in either the Republic or Federation would know it but the war between the Republic and Federation would last for seventy years while the Separatist war would last two years. By the time the fighting was over many surprises on both sides would be revealed and there would also be some very battle worn people, and one person would wake up to a familiar face in an unfamiliar time and bring the two galaxies together again. All they had to do was wait for the right time and a seal would be broken, a seal that no one except one person would know about by the time it was ready to break the seal.