Star Wars: Echoes of Dathomir

Chapter 2 - 43BBY - The Will of the Force

          The inside of the ship hummed softly as it traveled through the hyperspace tunnel, soft beeps and chirps emanating from different machines that lined the ship's interior. It wasn't a very roomy ship, the three occupants taking up most of the room within the cockpit. There was a separate area in the back which contained cots and a small sitting area for eating and relaxing.

          In one of the lower cots they had made a makeshift bed for the babe, taking the master's robes and folding them so she would be comfortable on the normally rather uncomfortable fabric of the cot. As Tholm and Mace sat in the cockpit and made sure everything was on course and working correctly, Quinlan had decided to instead stay in the back area, choosing to keep an eye on the baby. He had sat down on the floor next to the cot, making funny faces to make her smile and giggle with glee. Eventually she would let out a soft yawn, closing her eyes and falling into sleep.

          Quinlan knew as a Jedi Padawan, attachments were forbidden. But he couldn't help feeling a strange connection to her, having lost his own parents to violent means. He couldn't help feeling sorry for her, though her young mind couldn't even fathom the loss of so many lives and her family.

          She would sleep for an hour or so before waking up with a roaring cry. Quinlan would gently pick her up and began rocking, trying to sooth the babe's tantrum. The cockpit door slid open after a moment, with Mace standing in its doorway. "Is there an issue, young Padawan?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

          "I-I'm not sure Master. She was sleeping soundly. Perhaps she's hungry?" Quinlan suggested as he got to his feet, watching as Mace walked past him to the storage containers that held their rations and supplies. "I'm not sure what we can give her, there's not exactly rations for babies on board."

          "One thing you must learn as a Jedi, young Padawan, is to always be able to improvise when the situation calls for it." Mace said, gathering some supplies from the containers, which included a water flask, food rations, a bowl, and a spoon. He then turned and nodded to Quinlan to join him in the small sitting area. He placed the bowl on the small table, taking a seat then scooting in so Quinlan could sit beside him.

          Mace would then take the food rations, squeezing some from their pack and into a bowl. The food wasn't exactly "food", but more of a nutrient paste that tasted good enough and gave the consumer enough nutrients to survive long term space travel. To most, it would suffice. He would then open the flask and add in a bit of water, using the spoon to stir the mush until it became more of a slurry.

          "I'm not sure how old she is, or if she was still drinking milk. But this will be better than nothing. When we get to Coruscant we can get her some proper food." Mace said, taking the spoon and scooping up a bit of the nutrient slurry. Quinlan watched as he moved the spoon towards the babe's mouth. The child looked at the spoon curiously, giving it an almost suspicious look. He put it just below her upper lip so she could smell it, hoping she would recognize it as food.

          "I think she's not interested in it, Master." Quinlan said with a chuckle as the babe made a face. Her arm suddenly shot up, knocking the spoon from Mace's hand. He made a face at her, raising his eyebrow again.

          "If you wanna eat, little one, you better take what we have." He said sternly as he moved to pick the spoon up from the table. As he went to get another scoop of the slurry in the bowl, he would be caught off guard as the bowl would suddenly launch from his hand. It flew across the room, landing with a splat against the wall. Mace looked from the bowl to Quinlan, who shrugged his shoulders.

          "It wasn't me Master, honest." Quinlan said as he looked down to the babe in his hands, a mischievous smile now on its face. Quinlan then looked up to Mace, the same mischievous smile having spread to his face too. "Looks like I was right about her. She's different. She's strong in the force."