Across the Stars

Chapter 23

Shira took a deep breath. She had tossed and turned all night worrying about Rex and now Fives and Echo as they left for the barracks and was especially worried now that they were shipping back out later the next day. She didn't know if she could trust General Anakin Skywalker with these three brothers that were quickly becoming family to here, albeit in different ways. The commander however...

Ahsoka Tano.

Shira remembered the first time they had met. Plo Koon had been in the middle of training Shira, though unofficially, and they had been guided by a vision from Master Yoda that a young force sensitive Togruta was in danger of being stolen away by bounty hunters pretending to be Jedi. The ploy was somewhat new in terms of at least how much of a problem it was causing the order.

They had barely made it in time. Initially they were turned away from the village, as they were slow to trust a second set of Jedi and didn't know who to choose. A scream had cut through the village as the bounty hunter had gotten tired of trying to wait for the parents to give the young girl willingly and snatched her from her mother's arms, stealing away into the night.

Plo had moved as quick as lightning, igniting his lightsaber, and leaping into action, keeping himself just out of reach of the bounty hunter but effectively cutting him off.

Young one. Cut him off from behind.

Shira slowed her heartbeat and pulled focus to the living force within her. Pulling it fully within herself Shira closed herself off from the outside world, making her presence in the force as small as possible, something that would keep her hidden even from one who wasn't trained in the force.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet Shira braced herself, then as gracefully as a trained dancer, she glided over behind the bounty hunter and perched herself on a crate behind him so she could see over his shoulder and get a better view of what he was doing. The human bounty hunter was dressed in the brown robes that most people associated with the Jedi order, but as Shira looked closer, she saw the tell-tale lump of a blaster concealed beneath the robe.

The bounty hunter pulled out his blaster and seeing the beam of Master Koon's lightsaber realized his mistake. Whipping around the Bounty Hunter made to make his escape the other way and was stopped by Shira leaping from the crate and her white blade cutting off any escape from that route.

Snarling he pulled his blaster out and pointed it at the child. "Take another step and she dies."

Shira froze but didn't back down. Instead, she reached out into the force to the little Togruta girl who was completely calm. Shira sent images to the young girl of floating into her arms to prepare her for what would happen next. Touching her masters mind Shira counted them off.

3...2...1

In perfect unison Shira deactivated her lightsaber and pulled the girl from the hunter's arms with the force and into hers. As the bounty hunter fired his blaster Plo Koon used the force to twitch the blaster so its trajectory was off it's intended target. Shocked the Bounty hunter whirled his target on Shira and the young girl, but Plo Koon was faster, leaping in front of the bounty hunter and cutting off the end of his blaster.

Blinking the bounty hunter tried to wrap his mind around what had happened, before throwing the now useless weapon and turning and sprinting into the forest. He got a few feet between him and the Jedi before he found himself running, but making no progress as he was lifted into the air by the force.

Knowing her Master would manage the handing over of the thief to the leaders of the tribe, Shira turned and walked towards a now frantic mother and father as they ran from the house. The mother's eyes widened in relief seeing her young daughter in the arms of a real Jedi.

"Ahsoka..."

Years later when Ahsoka was brought to the temple she and Shira became fast friends. Ahsoka was often bullied because of her smaller size and simply because many of the young Jedi were jealous of her natural connection to the force, and Shira was naturally seen as an outcast because she was not an "official" Jedi. The two quickly found solace in each other and trained together until Shira finished her training and left to try and help where she could as a Senator on Brentaal IV.

When Rex had told her Ahsoka would be the Jedi Commander of the 501'st, Shira finally felt she could trust someone with her new family.

Because that was what they had become.

Family.