ELIA had just finished another training session with her Master, Mace Windu. Seeing the Master and the Padawan together, one wouldn't think anything of it. But the duo were opposites. Mace was very uptight, strict, and always followed the rules. A very serious man. Elia on the other hand was pure chaos, stubborn, and was often found breaking the rules. She was as sarcastic as he was serious. This made them quite dynamic, but also allowed for Elia to become one of the best Padawans.
Master Windu had found her when she was six in the city of Naboo, the girl had been running around with Padme Amidala. They were best friends, and have been ever since. When they tested her for a count of Midichlorians, they found out she had more than Master Yoda himself. Windu took great pride in training the extremely force sensitive child.
"Go get cleaned up now, the council wishes to see you after." Master Windu told his blonde Padawan who nodded eagerly.
"What for? Am I becoming a Jedi Knight early?" Elia asked Mace, who chuckled at the question.
"No, young one. No one gets granted the title of Jedi Knight that early." Mace patted Elia on the shoulder before they went their separate ways. Elia went to her room to shower and change into her nicer Jedi robes for the meeting. While most robes for Jedi were made neutral colors, Elia had chose dark pale shades of green and brown for her robes. With her lightsaber hanging by her waist, and her blonde hair pulled into one long braid, she made her way to the council.
"Padawan Stormborn, thank you for joining us." Jedi Master Plo Koon greeted the girl as she stepped into the center of the room.
"Going well your training has I hear." Master Yoda complimented.
"Training is going well, Elia picks up new material quickly." Master Windu responded, giving Elia a proud smile. "Which is why we are giving you your first mission today." Mace said to her, Elia's face began to stretch wide with a smile. Her eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Master. What is my mission?" Elia asked, trying to contain her excitement.
"Senator Padme Amidala, who I'm sure you know, is in danger. A hit has been placed on her by an unknown enemy." Master Plo explained, suddenly, Elia did not feel excited. Master Windu sensed her emotions now turning scared and spoke up.
"Out of anyone we could assign to this mission ,we picked you. We all agreed you have all the strengths for this mission, and you know the Senator personally. She had been refusing help from us so having you around may make her more open to the help." Master Windu added on. "We will also be assigning Master Kenobi and his Padawan to this mission as well, they helped save her once therefore she can trust them." Windu finished. Elia glanced over at Master Obi-Wan Kenobi giving her a small wave from his chair. She had never spoken to him or his Padawan before. However, she had heard from Mace and other Masters that his Padawan was an absolute pain.
"Thank you for trusting me with this mission, I won't let the council down." Elia stood tall and spoke proudly.
"Good. The Senator is up in a penthouse, head that way." Mace told the Padawan.
"Dismissed from this meeting you are." Yoda gave the girl a nod as she exited the room. Elia left and headed to Padme's chambers. She had not seen the woman in years, it was the one attachment Mace allowed the girl to have. Being that Jedi weren't supposed to have any attachments of any kind. Elia rode the elevator to Padmes room, the doors opened with a ding. Elia walked out the elevator and around the corner to the sitting room. Padme looked over from the balcony at the blonde girl standing in the room now.
"Is that you Elia?" Padme gasped in astonishment at seeing her best friend after more than a decade.
"It is." Elia smiled and ran to Padme, who hugged her tightly.
"It's so good to see you again. Look at you, a Padawan!" Padme congratulated Elia at her ranking knowing it was her dream as a child to be the best Jedi in the universe.
"And a good one at that." Elia smirked, letting the woman go. "I've been assigned to you as protection. They said you refused it, so they sent me." Elia explained to the Senator.
"They must be very determined to keep me protected. I'm glad you took the mission, that way we can catch up." Padme led the Padawan over to the couch. A man and a woman waited at the balcony Padme had come from to give her privacy. A gungan entered the room with a small robot rolling in behind him.
"Senator! Whosa theesa?" The alien pointed to Elia, who giggled at the creatures voice and dialect.
"Jar-Jar, this is my old friend and protector, Elia Stormborn. She's a Padawan." Padme gestured to the blonde girl sitting next to her
"Yousa trainee Jedi like Ani!" Jar-Jar Binx pointed to Elia. She glanced to Padme for an explanation.
"He means Master Kenobi's Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. About ten years ago, three years after you left to train, Master Kenobi and his Master, Qui-Gon, helped Naboo out that situation with the Viceroy." Padme told Elia who nodded as she listened. She vaguely remembered Master Windu telling her about this. "Once we escaped out of Naboo, our jet crash landed on the sandy planet of Tatooine." The Senator continued.
"That's convenient." Elia scoffed, smirking at her friends luck.
"The two Jedi and I adventures into the small desert city where, long story short, we found Anakin. He won a pod race to help us get the credits to fix our jet, and Master Qui-Gon took the boy to begin training him to become a Jedi." Padme finished, Jar-Jar nodded, his ears flapping. And the small robot beeped loudly.
"Thesa met mesa too!" Jar-Jar he pointed to himself. "And Artoosa!" Then to the robot.
"Yes, and Jar-Jar and R2-D2." Padme smiled at the duo.
"I've missed a lot while I've been training." Elia said.
"We'll have plenty of time to catch up, Ellie." Padme patted the girls hand when the bell for the elevator maybe a ding-ing noise, announcing the arrival of someone else. Jar-Jar went to fetch whoever it was and could be heard exclaiming as he re-entered.
"Senator Padme! Mesa palos here! Lookie, lookie, Senator." Jar-Jar was followed in by Master Kenobi and his Padawan. Padme stood from the couch and walked over to greet the Jedi, the man and woman from earlier going with. Elia came to the conclusion that the woman must be a hand maiden of Padme's from Naboo. Elia followed behind them and waited patiently at her side.
"It's a great pleasure to see you again, milady." Master Kenobi bowed, his Padawan mirroring his actions.
"It's been far too long, Master Kenobi." Senator Padme shook the Jedi's hand, then her eyes drifted to Anakin. "Ani? My goodness, you've grown." Padme gave the boy a soft smile. Elia took in the tall boy, his short cropped hair, his lean body, his strong jawline.
"So have you... Grown more beautiful, I mean." The Padawan spoke, tripping over his words. He gave away his feelings for the Senator, Elia let out scoff at his words. "Well, f-for a senator, I mean." Anakin tried to correct himself, his master looking away in exasperation.
"Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine." Padme replied, chuckling. Elia let out a quiet laugh at her friend's attempt at friend-zoning the boy. Anakin heard her, and peered over Padme's shoulder at this. His blue eyes meeting her green eyes. Obi-Wan took notice of this and cleared his throat.
"Anakin, this is the other Padawan I was telling you about. Elia, this is Anakin, my Padawan." Master Kenobi introduced the teenage boy to the teenage girl, Padme moved so Elia could step forward.
"I've heard a lot about you, Anakin." Elia said to him, smirking mischievously. Anakin raised an eyebrow at her as he held out his hand for her to shake.
"All good things, I assume." Anakin replied back to her, Elia shook his large and firmly.
"Bold of you to assume." Elia quipped back, she could see him redden with anger from this as she followed Padme and Master Kenobi to the couches.
"Our presence here will be invisible, milady, I can assure you." Obi-Wan promised the woman. Padme and Elia sat on one couch while Obi-Wan and Anakin sat on the one across from them.
"I'm Captain Typho of Her Majesty's security service. I am grateful you are here, Master Kenobi." The one-eyed man introduced himself. "The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit." Captain Typho shot Padme a look.
"I don't need more security. I need answers. I want to know who's trying to kill me." Padme said to the Jedi across from her.
"We're here to protect you, Senator, not to start an investigation." Master Kenobi told the woman. Elia watched Padme's expression carefully, she seemed annoyed.
"Padme is right, the least we can do to give her peace of mind is to find out who's trying to kill her". Elia jumped in, agreeing with her friend.
"We will find out who is trying to kill you, I promise you." Anakin added in agreement to Elia, this annoyed the blonde girl for whatever reason.
"But we will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner." Obi-Wan corrected Anakin, then giving a look to Elia. "I'm sure Master Windu would agree with me, would he not, Elia?" Kenobi asked the girl, already knowing her answer. Obi-Wan now realized how hard it would be for him to keep Elia and Anakin in line.
"We only meant it in the interest of protecting her, Master Kenobi." Elia said to Obi-Wan, Anakin nodding. "But if you say that it is past our mandate to do so, then so be it." The blonde girl shrugged, respecting the Jedi Master.
"This is ridiculous." Anakin scoffed at Elia and frowned deeply.
"Anakin, I will not be having this conversation with you again and you will pay attention to my lead." Obi-Wan told his Padawan, whom looked down at his feet now.
"Why?" Anakin questioned his Master, Elia's jaw dropped. Her hand moving to cover her mouth.
"What?" Obi-Wan turned to Anakin in astonishment. The room went silent.
"Why else do you think we were assigned to her if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate." Anakin finished, leaving Elia to watch Master Kenobi state at his Padawan in shock. Elia understood now why Master Windu trained her so heavily, because he didn't want her to become someone like Anakin.
"We will do exactly as the council has instructed." Obi-Wan said as to tell Anakin this was over. "And you will learn your place, young one." The Master finished quietly, Anakin blinked at Obi-Wan.
"Perhaps with merely your presence... the mystery surrounding this threat will be revealed." Padme said to the Jedi's. She stood with a sigh. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will retire for the night." Padme signaled her hand maiden to leave, leaving Elia with the other men.
"I know I'll feel better having the three of you here." Captain Typho told the Jedi. "I'll have an officer stationed on every floor, and I'll be in the control center downstairs." The Captain left out the door and Obi-Wan went to the balcony, Elia following the Jedi Master.
"I was trying to figure out why they wanted to put you on this mission earlier today." Obi-Wan said to Elia, as they leaned against the railing of the balcony.
"Was it not to protect Senator Amidala?" Elia turned to the older man.
"It was, but perhaps there was another reason. A more fateful reason." The Jedi Master ran his hand over her face.
"What is it?" Elia asked Obi-Wan.
"Your presence may keep the peace between my Padawan and I. As you can see, he desperately needs to learn how to hold his tongue." Obi-Wan let out a dry chuckle, Elia smiled.
"I suppose that could be a reason." Elia shrugged, then looked out at the city of Coruscant.
"Let's go check security." Obi-Wan beckoned for her to follow, Anakin walking close behind them. They checked floor for places where anyone could possibly sneak in, there weren't many. Master Obi-Wan had been going over more security with Captain Typho. The blonde girl sat in her robes reading a book when Anakin entered the living room. He watched her eyes scan the book as she took no notice of him.
"What are you reading?" Anakin tried to make conversation, taking his place on the couch across from her.
"A book." Elia replied dryly, her eyes not moving to look at him.
"I can see that." Anakin said back.
"So why ask?" Elia smirked, looking up finally at him.
"I was only trying to have a conversation." Anakin muttered, laying back on the couch.
"It's a novel about a man and a woman falling in love, except it's forbidden." Elia explained to him, closing the book and setting it on the coffee table in front of her.
"I thought for sure Master Windu would be having you read the Jedi text." Anakin joked, Elia rolled her eyes at his comment.
"Perhaps you should read it sometime." Elia quipped, leaving Anakin searching for words. "Master Windu really isn't all that bad, you know." Elia added in, she was aware now of his feeling towards the Jedi Master.
"I have yet to see that, he's always been so... against me." Anakin said back, shrugging. His anger shining bright.
"Do you think it could be because you have horrible listening skills, I'm just curious." Elia teased him, Anakin narrowed his eyes at her.
"Is everything that comes out of your mouth an insult?" Anakin asked the girl.
"Pretty much." She grinned at him. Anakin chuckled and shook his head. Obi-Wan entered the room speaking to them.
"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs. No assassin would try that way." The Jedi Master told the young Padawan's. "Anything up here?"
"Nothing except Skywalker chatting my ear off." Elia teased Anakin who shot her an annoyed glance.
"He's been know to do that." Obi-Wan gave Anakin a smile who shot his Master the same look.
"I don't like just waiting here waiting for something to happen to her." Anakin sighed, standing from his position on the couch. The monitor in Master Kenobi's hand beeped.
"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked the younger duo, Anakin glanced over his Master's shoulder to see what he was looking at.
"She covered the cameras." Elia said from her place on the couch, she stood up to see as well. "Perhaps she didn't like us watching her."
"What was she thinking?" The Kenobi man wondered aloud as he ventured closer to Padme's hallway.
"She programmed R2 to warn us if there is an intruder." Anakin told his Master.
"There are many other ways to kill a Senator." Obi-Wan told them.
"I know, but we also want to catch this assassin, don't we, Master?" Anakin replied, Elia followed the two men down the hall further.
"Master Kenobi, I am extremely force sensitive. I'd be able to tell immediately if something was wrong." Elia added simply, watching as Obi-Wan turned to look at his Padawan.
"As am I, Master. You know this." Anakin chimed in, Obi-Wan gave the Padawan's both a look.
"You're using her as bait." Kenobi said to Anakin, Elia's mouth fell open. If she had known this was Anakin's intent, she would have been paying attention to his actions more closely. "It was her idea." Anakin insisted.
"No, Padme would never agree to that." Elia shook her head at Anakin.
"Don't worry, no harm will come to her." Anakin assured Elia, although his words did not reassure her. "I am just as sensitive to the force as you are, I can sense everything going on in that room." He added, jutting his chin to the door down the hall.
"I can too." Elia said to Obi-Wan.
"So you've both said." He said to Elia and Anakin. "Besides, both your senses can't be that attuned." Obi-Wan told them.
"And yours are?" Anakin raised an eyebrow at his Master.
"Possibly." Master Kenobi replied vaguely, leaving Elia to softly chuckle. Obi-Wan and Anakin went to the balcony, leaving Elia to go back to reading. She listened as they spoke. "You look tired". The Jedi Master said to his Padawan.
"I don't sleep well anymore." Anakin said back, his attention facing the speeders in the sky.
"Because of your mother?" Kenobi asked the teenage boy, Elia looked up at this as her eyes caught Anakins. He looked away quickly and nodded.
"I don't know why I keep dreaming about her." Anakin said. Elia now understood what he had been talking about. When she had been young, one night she started having dreams about a fire and her parents being stuck in it. After a week, the house was set on fire by someone and her parents died in it. Young Elia was left to live on the streets of Naboo, where she met Padme later on.
"Dreams pass in time." Obi-Wan replied to Anakin. Those were the words her own father had said to her when she told him about her own dreams. Anakin looked frustrated as he walked past Obi-Wan and noticed Elia still listening.
"Besides, I'd rather dream about Padme." Anakin said to Obi-Wan trying to keep his voice quite from Elia, she heard him anyways. "Just being around her is..." He looked up at Elia and shook his head.
"Be mindful for your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you. You've made a commitment to the Jedi order, a commitment not easily broken." Master Kenobi reminded his Padawan. "And don't forget, she's a politician, and they're not to be trusted." Obi-Wan eyed Elia at this statement.
"Padme isn't like the other senators." Elia said from the couch, shutting her book once more to walk to the other Jedi.
"It is my experience that senators focus only on pleasing those who find their campaigns." Obi-Wan told them.
"Well, it is my experience that Padme would never use me or any of her friends for politics." Elia argued, crossing her arms.
"Please Master, not another lecture, especially on economic politics." Anakin sighed, running a hand through his short blond hair. A sudden shiver went through Elia's body. "And besides, you're generalizing. The chancellor doesn't appear to be corrupt." Anakin pointed out.
"Palpatine is a politician. I have observed that he is very clever in following the passions and prejudices of the senators." Master Obi-Wan explained to the Padawan.
"I agree with Master Kenobi. Something doesn't sit right with me about Chancellor Palpatine." Elia agreed with the older man who gave her a grateful nod.
"I think he's a good man. I—" Anakin stopped short and whipped his head over his shoulder. Elia had felt it before he had and was already running down the hall. She charged through the doors of Padme's room with her saber now ignited, the green light illuminating the room her her. Two worm creatures lay on Padme ready to strike. Elia ran and jumped onto the bed to slice the aliens in half, killing them. Padme gasped awake as Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the door with their mouths agape at Elia's quick reflexes. Elia looked up at a small robot floating by her window through a large circle, Obi-Wan suddenly ran and jumped through the window to catch it.
"Stay here." Elia told Padme before following Anakin out of the room.
graci's notes: omg first chapter done. i guess this chapter only really consisted of Anakin and Elia insulting each other but i promise it gets better:))