Prologue Part 3
Leia sat in her cell, her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She felt distressed, unsure. The feelings tumbling around her restless mind as she tried to understand why she was taken back to the Clone Wars. Leia never believed in time travel; even the Imperial scientists deemed it a relic of fiction, and from what she could tell Luke never heard of the Force allowing its wielders to travel through time and space.
Yet, it seemed as if the spheric key in the temple on a backwater moon had done the impossible. It had been connected to the Force, built by Force-wielders, though Leia wasn't sure who built it, Jedi or Sith. Even Luke hadn't yet explored it fully, but the Force surrounded it. In some way, or another, it had sent Leia back to the time of the Clone Wars.
Leia took a deep breath and attempted to push all her thoughts about how she got here, this didn't matter yet. What mattered now was getting out of this cell, find the purpose of traveling to the past, and as the mysterious woman said, fix everything. Though in regard to fixing, Leia still could not understand how she could fix everything. According to her father, the Republic was already falling apart in the year she was currently now; Palpatine was gaining more power, abusing it, having the senate under his influence.
Leia was snapped back into reality when the door to Leia's cell opened and Ki Adi Mundi stepped through. He was alone and unaccompanied, the lightsaber attached to his belt. His expression was calm and confident, though from his narrowed eyes, Leia could say that Ki Adi was suspicious of her and didn't trust the girl. "We are approaching Coruscant. I and Master Windu will present you to the Council and you'll answer our questions." He spoke to her, not before putting cuffs on her hands and leading her out of the cell.
Once the cruiser jumped out of hyperspace, an Eta 2 shuttle immediately left the vessel as it headed towards the planet's atmosphere. There were no viewpoints inside the shuttle, except for the pilot's cockpit, so all she could do was stand silently in anticipation, waiting for the spacecraft to land and the convoy bring her wherever it was they were going to. She assumed they were heading to the Jedi Temple. She had never been there, but what she knew was that the Empire used the archives and libraries of the Temple to hunt down the surviving Jedi. Leia tried to imagine some Imperial Inquisitors she had seen before, such as Tremayne, looking over the archive files, sitting at their desks with the bodies of the Jedi slaughtered in the end of the war still lying and rotting there.
She then began to wonder how different Coruscant would be. She had not visited the planet for a long time. After being publicly outed as a Rebel leader, it had been almost impossible for her to go back to the capital. The only difference she could think of was that there were no statues of Palpatine. Leia thought to herself that this was her chance to see Coruscant from her father's stories, a shining beacon of democracy, freedom and equality, before it was ruined by Palpatine's tyranny.
Soon, the shuttle landed. Leia followed the two Jedi masters, while being escorted by clones, as the ramp descended to allow the convoy to leave the vessel. Leia noticed that they were on a landing bay of the Jedi Temple, the sight of which was caught by the young girl. The exterior of the Temple looked much like it had in her time, a squat ziggurat of light stone, five towers the jutted up into the sky. One of the clones slightly pushed Leia with his blaster rifle, guiding her down the gangplank onto the landing platform where hooded men in brown robes and ivory masks with gold marks were waiting for them. Each had a double-bladed lightsaber pike that produced yellow blades.
"Sergeant, the Temple Guards will take on from here. You may return to the cruiser." Ki Adi Mundi told the troops. The clone sergeant nodded in acknowledgement with a short 'yes general' coming from him and the clones left Leia, only for her to be surrounded by the Temple guards. With that, the Jedi continued on. They soon approached a tall, human Jedi with long dark blonde hair and reddish-brown Jedi robes. He bowed before the Jedi masters, who bowed in return. "Master Drallig" Windu spoke first. "Greetings, masters." Drallig answered back, before eyeing Leia. "This is her?"
"Yes. This is Leia Luce." Ki Adi Mundi answered. Master Drallig nodded, and motioned towards the Temple. "The Council is already waiting."
He led the way, Leia and the guards followed behind. They entered one of the building's side entrances. Another guard stood at the doorway, but stepped aside as the party approached. As they slowly walked along the huge hallway, Leia looked around in awe. The floor tiled in colourful stone, the ceiling arched high above them, one side was covered by towering windows. Staring in awe at the impressive architecture, Leia, who had grown up in palaces, knew that none of them compared to the sheer size and design of the Jedi Temple.
They passed several Jedi as they walked. Nearly all of them are either very young or elderly, but they all paused to acknowledge Masters Mundi, Windu and Drallig. The young ones, most of them aren't even teenagers yet, stared at Leia passing by. The party took one of the lifts in the hallway that shot up, ascending higher and higher. Leia guessed that they were in the central tower of the Temple. When the lift came to a stop, the doors opened into a small atrium. The three Jedi headed for the door, while Leia's guards stopped her from following them.
"We must report to the Council first," Mundi explained, pausing in front of the door. "Master Drallig will retrieve you when they are ready." The doors opened and the three Jedi went inside. Leia tried to catch a glimpse of the room inside, but one of the guards blocked her view. She sat down on the bench and waited until Drallig returned. He motioned Leia forward, and she stood, following the Jedi master. Leia approached the center of the atrium as Drallig closed the door behind them.
The room was circular with wide windows. The sky outside was clear, as the sun began to lower towards the horizon. There were twelve chairs in the room that sat in a circle around the room, all of them in varying shapes and sizes. Most of the seats were occupied, well, to be precise, some chairs were occupied by holograms of the members of the Jedi High Council. They represented various species.
Leia looked at a small creature in green wrinkled green skin sitting in the chair between Mundi and Windu, directly in front of her. She didn't know what species he was, but he was shorter than an astromech droid. His three-fingered hands were clasped together, as he observed the 14-year-old with his wide eyes. Leia never seen him before, but he looked familiar. She soon remembered of Luke's stories of his old master who taught him on Dagobah. 'So that's Yoda.' she thought to herself.
"Welcome, young Luce," Yoda greeted, bowing his head in her direction. "A Jedi you're not," he spoke before she could answer, "Yet, strong in the Force, you are."
"Where are you from, Leia?" asked a female Togrutan Jedi master, that was now sitting as a hologram. "Alderaan." Leia answered. "And who were your parents?" Mundi asked. "I don't know much. My father was a navigator for a spice trade, and my mother was some dance girl in one of the clubs, both from Alderaan." Leia recalled the fake origins of Luke's parents that his uncle Owen Lars told him, but she hated herself for calling her mother Breha a dance girl. Still, Leia remained calm in front of the Jedi.
"What were you doing on that planet, Leia?" Windu asked. "I… I was travelling around the galaxy by stowing away." Leia answered. She looked at the Jedi nervously, fearing that they won't fall for that bluff. She still wasn't ready to reveal the truth to them. "What age are you?" a male Kel Dor Jedi asked her. "Fourteen." Leia looked at the Kel Dor. After a number of questions, Yoda finally spoke again. "Master Drallig," he said, looking past Leia to the Jedi master. "Return young Luce to the guards. To the cells, she is to be taken."
"Yes, Master Yoda," Drallig said before he stepped forward, gently touching Leia's shoulder, signalling for her to come with him. Leia glanced at the Jedi one last time before turning and following Drallig. She had no idea how the Jedi would decide her fate. They all seemed distrustful and suspicious.
Plo Koon didn't know what to make of the girl that Masters Mace Windu and Ki Adi Mundi brought to them. He also didn't know if she was telling the truth. Her shields were quite impressive, making incredibly difficult to read her thoughts. He wasn't the only Jedi with the same opinion. Shaak Ti had sensed little honesty in her story. The only thing she was absolutely certain was that she was an orphan.
"I don't trust her," Mace Windu was the first to break the silence. "I sense that she is not telling the truth."
"But I do believe she wasn't lying about being an orphan," Shaak Ti said. Yoda nodded. "Not speak of all the truth, she does." He grunted. "I agree with you masters. Yet, I could not sense any trace of the Dark Side in her." Kit Fisto spoke. "Yes, I also don't think her intentions are malicious, but her Force presence is remarkably song." Plo Koon pointed out. "One of the strongest I say, about the as strong as the Force presence of Knight Skywalker. I am sure that someone that strong in the Force could easily hide their true intentions and interests."
Some Jedi murmured in agreement. Agen Kolar, a Zabrak Jedi master, leaned back. "So what shall we do about her? How are we going to seek the truth?" he asked. "It would be best to have her under our watch." The hologram of Stass Allie answered. "You propose to keep her in the cells and wait for when she will act?" Kolar asked. Allie nodded in response. "It would not be that easy. She has a Force presence to rival Skywalker's. We need a very well organized cell." Kolar told her. "Then we shall send her to the Ghost Prison." Ki Adi Mundi interfered. "I'm afraid one Jedi knight and four droids are not able to hold her, not to mention that they have other dangerous prisoners to guard. Also, we are not jailors." Shaak Ti argued.
"Another solution, there is. The status of Young Skywalker, what is?" Yoda suddenly spoke, attracting everyone's attention. Shaak Ti was the first to answer.
"I've met him not that long ago on the battlefront, Master Yoda. He is tearing himself apart over former Padawan Tano. There was a silence in the room as everyone looked at each other. They still remembered those few days when Ahsoka Tano was unjustly accused of a crime she didn't commit, when they ignored her pleas and demoted her, which led to the young Togrutan leaving the Jedi Order.
"He is too attached to the former padawan" stated Mace Windu. "I agree with Master Windu," began Plo Koon. "Although I am saddened that Little Ahsoka decided to forge her own path. He must cut his attachment to her, leave the past behind."
"Still, I don't understand what that has to do with the child?" Allie asked. Yoda thoughtfully close his eyes. "Hmmm. In turmoil Skywalker is. Take his mind off his former student he must. Teach the young girl, he can." He uttered. Everyone looked at Yoda with shock. Windu was the first to object.
"She is too old to be trained in the ways of the Force," he argued. "Too old to be trained too, young Skywalker was. Yet, his loyalty and skills many times, he showed." Yoda answered with a smirk, making Windu frown. "Even if we decide to train Leia and see how she will behave, I think it would be better to put someone more experienced in charge of her." Kolar argued. "Reckless many times, Skywalker could be. Efficient many times, his proved. I trust that he will not fail. Each other, they will help. Leave the past, he will. Guided in the ways of the Jedi, away from the Dark Side, she will be." Yoda remained stubborn.
Although some council members were wary of the idea, they all nodded. With that Yoda stated. "Decided it is. Skywalker's new apprentice, she shall become. Inform her of Skywalker and Kenobi, I will. Retrieve her from the cells."
The flagship of General Skywalker, 19 BBY.
Anakin watched as Ahsoka Tano, his padawan, his daughter, walked away from him. He then looked down at the silka bead chain in his hand. Her padawan braid. He clenched it close to his chest and headed back into the looming trap and pit of lies that was the Jedi temple.
He suddenly opened his eyes as he awoke from his meditation. Right now, he was in his cabin on his flagship, which was a Venator-class Star Destroyer. Anakin heard the sound of the source that disturbed him from his meditation, as it came from the knock on the door. Annoyed, Skywalker stood up and approached the door, opening it. In front of him stood a clone trooper.
"What is it?" Anakin grumbled. "My apologies, sir. But General Kenobi demands you. We are approaching Geonosis, sir." The clone told him. "Thank you, trooper. I'll be right there." Anakin answered. The clone nodded, and left, understanding that he was now dismissed. Grumbling to himself, Anakin took his lightsaber, attaching it to his belt before leaving the cabin.
From the author:
From now on every chapter will have a Clone Wars intro and Legends Notes at the end. Also, can someone please tell me if I am correctly writing the way Yoda talks.
