The Padawan and the Rebel

The Padawan: Mirial

Adhara had, of course, been to worlds in the outer rim. She'd been to Geonosis, Felucia and Tatooine. It wasn't anything new.

But the Jedi Temple was located on Coruscant, one of the worlds closest to the galaxy's core. Her home planet of Eshan was located in the inner rim.

For some reason, she never considered the fact that Mirial is an outer rim world.

"Does it make me a bad person for feeling a little blindsided that my father's homeworld is in the outer rim?" Adhara asked Ahsoka as they walked across the desert grounds of Mirial, bundled in long coats as the wind whipped sand around their heads.

"Yes," Ahsoka answered.

Adhara rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

Ahsoka laughed, but her teeth chattered together. "I think the real crime here is this weather. No wonder your cold loving parents fell in love."

Adhara inhaled, breathing in the icy air. "Nothing tastes better."

"Shut up," Ahsoka replied, and they grinned at each other.

Adhara's heart fluttered in her chest as she looked at Ahsoka. She didn't know how they had been assigned this mission just the two of them - she was certain Obi-Wan knew exactly what was going on because for some reason she couldn't keep anything from him, but he still signed off on the mission.

It felt like he was acknowledging exactly what was going on, and still accepting Adhara. It felt like an opportunity to prove herself, attachments and all.

"So," Ahsoka said as they moved into the streets of Dupree, the largest city on the world. "Tell me what I need to know before we meet the Queen."

"Mirial is a mining world, they mostly mine Ore. It's not very lucrative though, so they rely heavily on trade. That makes them vulnerable to the whims of the planets they trade with, which is probably a reason why they switch between allegiances with the Republic and the Seperatists so much," Adhara explained, her breath puffing in a crystallized breath in front of her. "Their monarch is Queen Miri. She just took the throne a few months ago after her father passed. He was prone to switching sides but Queen Miri has expressed a vested interest in the Separatists."

"And we're going to convince her otherwise."

Adhara nodded, setting her jaw. "That's the hope."

She didn't know if she was the best candidate for this mission, and had expressed as much to the Jedi Council. With Luminara and Barriss in the order, why would they send a half Mirialan when most people knew what Mirialans thought about mixing their blood. Just by looking at Adhara, you could be certain she wasn't a full Mirialan, not with her snow white skin and partially white hair. She didn't even pass.

It had been Obi-Wan who'd convinced her to take the mission.

"Prove them wrong about you," he said emphatically. "Show them you don't have to be full blooded to be Mirialan."

Now, with her hand on her lightsaber at her side, Adhara ignored the looks from the Mirialans who took in her purple Mirialan eyes and tattoos on Echani skin. She tried to brush it off, but their gazes felt excrutiating, every look burning into her.

Ahsoka took her hand. Adhara looked at her, letting the twinkle in Ahsoka's eyes mesmerize her.

"You've got this," Ahsoka murmured.

Adhara exhaled, squeezing AHsoka's hand before dropping it, so no clones could see. "I do. You're right."

Ahsoka grin was cocky. "Aren't I always?"

"Shut up."

***

Adhara and Ahsoka sat in the Queen's holding area of the castle, sitting on hardback chairs.