Elayne Starwind - Padawan of Ashoka

Chapter Five

Well, I was looking for you because you are the strongest force sensitive child I have sensed since Anakin Skywalker himself.

The words rang continuously and annoyingly through my mind.

Part of me didn't believe her.

The other part begged for me to trust the former Jedi in front of me.

I didn't know what to say.

I stumbled across words I could spit out. Finally, I decided to say, "Who the heck is Anakin Skywalker?"

That was pretty much the only thing I could say without sounding annoyed, upset, or possibly a mix of both.

Ahsoka smiled sadly. "Only the best Jedi in the galaxy."

"You're joking."

"I would have no reason to joke around in times like this," Ahsoka said.

"What are 'times like this?'" I demanded.

Ahsoka chuckled. "For such a small child, you sure have a whole ton of questions."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I stated.

Suddenly the ship shook a little bit. Ahsoka didn't seem at all fazed.

"Looks like we're out of hyperspace," Ahsoka observed.

"Where are we now?" I asked.

"I have someone to meet up with," Ahsoka said. "But don't mind is she gets somewhat upset when she meets you."

"Why would she get upset?" I asked.

Oh. I could see why Ahsoka said I asked too many questions.

"She wasn't expecting... You," Ahsoka said. Her emphasis on you scared me to pieces.

"I'll be fine," I said.

I hope.

Ahsoka went to the front of the ship to land on the planet she wanted to land on while I explored a little bit.

I started down the hall. There were a few rooms, including mine, but most were empty.

First, there was my room, of course. It had the broken frame from my hut sitting on the desk, the bag of jogans beside it, and a drawer full of blasters.

The second I figured was Ahsoka's room. It had her white cloak hanging on the wall and a few gadgets I didn't know did. There was also a helmet that looked similar to a storm trooper's, but slightly different.

The third room with actual things in it was very colorful. The bed was full of different colored blankets and the lights were dim, making it look as if it glowed in the dark. But what really brought my attention were the paintings. The walls and ceilings were covered in different designs. The biggest one was a picture of five people.

One person was a green twi'lek wearing a pilot suit. Another was a man with long, brown hair and white eyes, I figured he was blind. Then there was a lasat, a tall purple guy. In front of him was a girl with short purple and white hair holding a helmet.

Finally there was the kid standing in the middle.

He was a young boy with short blue hair and an orange jacket on. A loth cat, at least that's what I thought it was from the few books I had access to, sat on his shoulders. I assumed he was from Lothal.

Something about how the painter painted his confident grin and where he was standing told me he was an important guy. Maybe he was. I didn't have time to think about it more before Ahsoka called my name.

"Elayne!"

My head perked up. "Yeah?"

Ahsoka startled me even more when she appeared from behind the wall. "Come on. We're about to land."

"Okay," I said and followed her out of the room.

We walked down the hallway until we got to the helm, as Ahsoka called it. It was where she did the steering and stuff.

Ahsoka sat in the drivers seat and I sat in the passengers seat.

"How's your shoulder healing?" Ahsoka asked as she took the wheel.

"It doesn't hurt as much," I shrugged and pulled my seat belt together.

I peered out the window and studied the planet we were approaching. It has mossy green land and swamp like water. You could see thin clouds floating across the sky.

"It's beautiful," I admired.

"This is Lothal," Ahsoka told me.

Lothal?

"The Lothal that the boy in the picture is from?" I asked.

Ahsoka took a second to think about which picture, and then she said, "Oh yeah. That's Ezra."

"Ezra," I repeated. "Huh."

"He was strong in the force," Ahsoka said. "My acquaintance and I have been searching for him for a while now, but no such luck yet."

"Is that who we're meeting with?" I asked. "Your acquaintance?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Entering the atmosphere now."

The black sky disappeared as the ship flew down toward the planet of Lothal. As we got closer, I could see metal buildings, and in the center a domed building. Everywhere around the city was plain.

"It looks like the opposite of Endor," I commented.

"It kind of is," Ahsoka agreed and punched a few buttons that seemed to let the ship down without crashing it. After landing, we got out and Ahsoka put on her white cloak and led me to a small building without many people.

The building was a small bar. An Ithorian stood at the cashier, and he reminded me of the shop owner back on Endor.

"It doesn't look like she's here yet," Ahsoka said and sat down at a table. "So we shall wait."

"What if she doesn't come?" I asked.

"She will come," Ahsoka assured. "Unless she is in trouble. In that case, we'll go look for her. But I sense she is here on Lothal. It is only a matter of time before she comes."

"With the Force?" I asked.

"Yes," Ahsoka answered. "A person could use the Force in any way they want, as long as they have the will to do it. Unfortunately, some people use it to hurt."

"The Sith," I remembered.

Ahsoka nodded.

"Hey," A voice startled me from beside our table.

I turned my head to meet a tall woman wearing a helmet and black armor with maroon and yellow colors decorating it.

The woman sat in the seat next to me and pulled her helmet off, revealing her short purple hair and light brown eyes.

The woman hardly glanced at me, her attention focused on Ahsoka. "So? What did you find out? And who's your friend?"

"Ezra wasn't on Endor like we had hoped," Ahsoka sighed. "But this is Elayne. She was who I had found instead of Ezra."

Now the woman looked at me. "You are the super powerful person in the Force Ahsoka was talking about?"

"I guess," I said.

"And we found you instead of Ezra," The woman clarified.

"Um, yeah," I looked down. Maybe this was what Ahsoka meant about her being upset with me.

She wanted to find this Ezra guy instead of me.

Of course.

"We've searched every planet in the direction Ezra went!" The woman slammed her hands on the table. "Instead, you brought her!"

"Sabine," Ahsoka said soothingly. "Try not to attract attention."

That was it? Don't attract attention? That was all Ahsoka says to defend me?

Sabine and I were off to a rocky relationship.