Star Wars: The Great War

by ShootingStar25

Chapter 53: Lightsaber Lost

Easy isn't always simple.

Recap: War creates opportunities for the criminal underworld! Ruthless mercenaries conspire with the Separatists to disrupt and exploit the unstable situation within the Republic. Now, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano descend into the treacherous gangster havens in an effort to find a corrupt and vile arms dealer who is buying weapons on the black market and selling them to the Republic's enemies.

In the slums on Coruscant, Anakin and Ahsoka were on a mission. They were looking for someone who was working with their enemies. The pair was walking by some crates as someone let out a cough while sitting. Ahsoka made a face as they kept on moving. They continued to walk a few meters ahead as they turned the corner to walk down the alley.

"Car Affa is an arms dealer selling Republic weapons on the black market," said Anakin to his student.

"Who's he selling them to?" asked Ahsoka.

"The Separatists. According to intelligence, he's inside this joint," said the Jedi Knight as they came to the bar's entrance. "You stay here in case he tries to escape."

"Hmm, just like always," said Ahsoka as she crossed her arms and watched her master enter the bar.

The door closed as she had an unpleasant look on her face. Once more, Ahsoka didn't like being left out of the action. She glanced around and noticed some nearby pirates. They were eyeing the girl as Ahsoka held a smug smile. She purposely put her hand on her lightsaber on her side to send a message. Even then, the pirates continued to look in her direction as did the padawan. Soon a blaster shot was heard as the girl looked in front of her. The door opened up as many patrons came running out.

They all ran into Ahsoka who was caught in their path as she was in the scuffle. She was soon knocked down by several patrons and fell. Ahsoka then put her hand to her side as she felt something missing.

"My lightsaber!" said the girl as her eyes widen.

She quickly looked behind her to the crowd that was leaving. She saw her weapon in the hands of someone as they were walking. The person in question turned his head for a moment to look at the girl before they disappeared.

"Hey!" shouted Ahsoka as she looked to go after the thief.

She got up and ran down the alley. She reached the end of it and looked around.

"My master's gonna kill me," said the padawan as she was worried.

Ahsoka kept on scanning the area, looking for the person who took her weapon. However, the person wasn't in sight as it seems they were gone.

"This isn't happening!" said Ahsoka as she was panicking.

Anakin had emerged from the bar as he had their target in custody. Ahsoka then made her way back to him.

"Where were you?" asked Anakin.

"I... I was checking out a suspect. I had a bad feeling about him," lied Ahsoka while nodding her head with a small smile.

"And?" asked Anakin.

"It was nothing. False alarm," answered Ahsoka.

"Come on, then," stated the Jedi Knight as they needed to head back to the Jedi Temple.

While the pair were handling their business, another pair had been doing their own thing. For Storm and Twilight, the pair was in the library as both their masters assigned them some studies and for the boy, Luna required him to write a 3-page report. However, Luna was very strict that Storm did not receive any help from Twilight lest he risks the chance to piss her off again.

With that said, Twilight still snuck her way towards where her partner was seated as for some reason, she couldn't help but help Storm with his report. So once he finished writing it, the princess did her job of proofreading it as she found a loophole in Luna's guidelines. Eventually, some time passed as the boy finished Luna's homework.

"Done," sighed Storm putting his head down on the table.

"Nice work. You did it without any of my help," smiled Twilight.

"Yeah, though I gotta give credit to you, Sparky. It pays to be a nerd at times," said Storm as he brought his head back up.

"I appreciate it."

"Okay, what the hell?" asked Storm as he backed up a bit from Twilight who was seated next to him.

"What?" asked the princess.

"You always shout when I call you a nerd," clarified Storm as Twilight didn't attack him when he said it just now.

"Maybe, I just decided to let you call me that," smiled the girl as she looked at her partner.

While Storm was a bit uneasy about Twilight letting that slide, especially by how the princess was looking at him, Twilight kept that warm smile.

"O-kay. I... I think we should go," said Storm with uneasiness as he quickly began to clean up his station.

The princess couldn't help but giggle at how her partner was acting. She sighed and helped the boy to clean up all while keeping her gaze on him. As they were cleaning up, both Ahsoka and Anakin had made it back to the Jedi Temple. They were looking to deliver their suspect as Ahsoka was still nervous about telling her teacher about losing her weapon. Her fingers dwindled as she was trying to figure out how to begin this discussion.

"Master? Is it all right if I go to the library and do some research?" asked Ahsoka.

"Sure. I'll take care of our little friend here," said Anakin as he kept on walking.

Once he was out of sight, Ahsoka quickly ran to the library. She arrived just as Storm and Twilight were leaving.

"Storm?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah," replied the boy.

"Tonight, I was hoping..."

"Twilight, come with me!" said Ahsoka as she walked in between the teens and grabbed the lavender girl's arm to drag her.

"But..." said the princess as she was about to ask her partner for them to hang out later.

"NOW!" said the padawan as she gave her friend "the look". This meant that this was an issue that didn't require any boys to be involved.

"I guess, I'll talk to you later, Storm," replied the Jedi Knight as the doors closed behind the girls.

"See you later, princess," said Storm looking at the closed door as he began to leave.

---

Ahsoka managed to drag Twilight to a nearby bookshelf as they quickly hid behind the corner. The padawan peaked out to see if she was being followed to which the coast was clear.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight. "And... where's your lightsaber?"

Twilight noticed that was the first thing missing from her friend.

"It... I... lost... it got stolen," confessed Ahsoka to her friend.

"WHAT?!!!" shouted Twilight as the padawan quickly jumped on the princess and put her hands over her mouth.

A nearby Jedi saw the pair as he saw them in their weird position. Ahsoka removed one of her hands from Twilight's mouth and gave an innocent wave while smiling sheepishly. The Jedi nodded as he just kept on walking and forgot what he saw. Ahsoka held the fake smile until she heard the footsteps fade away.

"You lost your lightsaber?!" shouted Twilight with less volume.

"Quiet. You want the whole temple to hear that. I didn't mean to lose it... it... just... happen." said Ahsoka as she didn't have a good justification.

"Ahsoka, you know the importance of it. It's our life," spoke the princess.

"I know. You don't have to remind me. Look, I just need your help in getting it back before anybody else hears about it."

"And what if they do?"

"That won't happen if we get it back. So are you gonna help me like the good friend I know you or not?" asked the padawan.

Twilight merely sighed before answering her friend, "Fine. Let's just do this before Master Celestia, and Master Skywalker find out. I don't want to be labeled as a bad student."

"You're not a bad student. You're a good friend who's helping another friend. Your master will understand. Besides, it's not like you haven't lost your lightsaber before." said Ahsoka.

"I haven't," answered the Jedi Knight truthfully as that was one accomplishment she was proud of.

"Right, I forgot who I'm talking to," said Ahsoka rolling her eyes. "Anyways, let's go."

The girls now exited from their spot and headed to another section of the library. They were able to find Jocasta as Ahsoka explained to her the situation. The librarian was at a terminal as she was looking up some info to help the girls.

"I'm sure if you explain your loss to your Master, he'll understand," said Jocasta to Ahsoka.

"No. He tells me over and over: Your lightsaber is your life. Don't lose it." said the padawan.

The screen in front of the three was scrolling through different images, but none of them matched what Ahsoka saw.

"Ugh, there has to be a better way to find this thief," groaned Ahsoka.

"I'm sorry. Pickpockets aren't my field of expertise," said Jocasta as she got out of her seat.

"At this rate, it'll take me years to find him," sighed the padawan.

"I might have another idea. There..." said Jocasta as she directed the girls' attention down the bookshelf to a person sitting in a chair.

"Who is that?" asked Twilight as she knew almost everybody who worked in the library.

"That is Tera Sinube. He's an elder Jedi. He happens to be an expert on the Coruscant crime world." said the librarian as she was walking with the girls towards the Jedi. As they got closer, they could hear some snores.

"I think he's sleeping," stated Twilight.

"Yes. Well, he may be able to help you," said Jocasta.

"Uh, pardon me, Master Sinube?" said Ahsoka as she tapped the elder Jedi on the shoulder.

"What? Who? I was just resting my eyes," said Master Sinube to the girls that awoke him.

"I'm... sure you were," smiled Twilight playing along with the Jedi Master's response.

"Hello, Master Sinube."

"Good morning, Jocasta."

"Uhm, it's actually about to be evening," said Twilight as she pointed to the sun rays peering into the temple as it was starting to set.

"Oh, well, nice to see you, Ms. Twilight."

"You know my name?" said Twilight as she was surprised the old-timer knew her.

"Master Celestia's star pupil. She tells me a lot about you. You're a bright young student."

"Thank you," smiled Twilight as she was amazed to hear her master speak so highly of her to other Jedi Masters.

"Uh, I don't know you, do I?" said Master Sinube as he looked at Ahsoka.

"My name is Ahsoka Tano. I was told you could help me."

"Help you, hmm?" said the elder Jedi as he was confused.

"I'll leave you three to your business," said Madame Jocasta as she left the girls with the old Jedi.

"A thief stole my lightsaber, and I only got a quick look at him," explained Ahsoka. "I could tell he definitely came from one of the aquatic planets, you know, one of the water worlds?"

"So you're saying there was something fishy about him?" said Master Sinube with a smile before laughing.

"Oh no," said Twilight as she facepalmed herself at the joke the elder Jedi did.

Ahsoka shared the same reaction as the princess as she merely rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrow at the old Jedi. He soon saw the expression he was being given by the girls before he stopped laughing and regained himself.

"Well, let's try and see if we can find out where he went, shall we?" said the old Jedi as he turned to the computer and began to search through it with the girls looking over his shoulder.

"We were near the slum districts, G17," explained Ahsoka to the old-timer.

"Where would he go, your little pickpocket? To a gangster hideout. Unlikely, but possible. Maybe the gun market to sell the lightsaber, within the radius." said Master Sinube as he looked at his screen and was rambling on.

"Um, Master Sinube? Maybe I could..." suggested Twilight.

"Just... Just a moment. Let me see," said the old Jedi to Twilight. "He was a Patrolian. That's a fish guy. Maybe... is it one of these fishes?"

The old Jedi managed to pull up some images of Patrolians. Ahsoka now began to look at the images in hopes of finding who took her weapon. She scanned the screen and soon saw something.

"That's him!" shouted Ahsoka to both Jedi as she pointed at the second portrait in the top row.

"Interesting indeed," said the elder Jedi.

"Why is that, Master Sinube?" asked Twilight.

"According to the file, his name is Bannamu, a petty thief. He hangs out in the slum district."

"Thank you, Master Sinube," said Ahsoka.

"I'm sure I--" spoke the elder Jedi.

"Your help has been invaluable. Twilight, let's go," said Ahsoka as she looked to leave.

"Well, you're welcome--" said the Jedi Master before being interrupted by the girl once more.

"If there's anything we can do--" said Ahsoka as the pair was about to leave.

"Yes, there is! I haven't been on an assignment in years. And if you don't slow down, you're not going to find what you're looking for. I'll come with you both." said Master Sinube as he got out of his seat and walked.

"Okay, Gramps. It would be nice to have some company," said Ahsoka as she and Twilight stepped to the side.

"Splendid," said Master Sinube.

"You sure this is a good idea?" whispered Twilight to Ahsoka so that the elder Jedi couldn't hear.

"I have no idea," said the padawan as they stopped for a bit to see the old man walking with his stick. "But I need my lightsaber back. Besides, if anything, we're gonna have to babysit him."

---

The girls then caught up with the old Jedi as they left the Temple. They soon made it back to the Slum District as they were shown walking to a small restaurant. The girls and old man took a seat as the owner of the shop dropped a bowl in front of a customer and saw them.

"Can I help you?" asked the owner as he leaned on the table to look at the Jedi.

"We're looking to buy a lightsaber. Any ideas where we could do that?" asked Ahsoka.

"Come with me," said the owner of the shop as he gestured for the Jedi to meet him outside.

The girls and old Jedi got off and walked to the side of the shop into the alley. The owner was shown exiting his shop as he approached the small craft next to him along with a friend of his. Twilight had her hand ready on her weapon in case of a struggle.

"So you want to buy a lightsaber? How much are you willing to pay?" asked the owner.

"If you have it, you'll give it to me," demanded Ahsoka.

"What my little friend is saying is, how much?" clarified Master Sinube as he put his hand on the padawan's shoulder.

"Twenty thousand," said the owner.

"Twenty thousand?!" shouted Ahsoka.

"It's a rare weapon, a Jedi weapon," said the owner.

"Twilight!" shouted the padawan.

"Why me?!" said the girl.

"Princess, hello. You're filthy rich! No wonder Storm likes having you around." stated Ahsoka to her friend.

"What does that mean?!!" said Twilight as she was offended that people brought her wealth and status. Not to mention bringing up her partner's name.

"Come on, just do me the solid."

"No!"

Twilight was defiant in her stance that she wasn't going to budge.

"Do you have the item with you?" asked Master Sinube to the owner in hopes of moving the conversation along and getting the girls to stop arguing.

"No, but I can get it," said the owner as he leaned against the ship.

"From him?!" said Ahsoka as she pulled out a projection of their thief.

"Hey, who are these guys?" said the owner as he was shocked to learn they know who his boss was. He turned around as his partner talked to them.

"Ah, they're Jedi!" said the other person to the owner.

"And if we are?" asked Master Sinube while the girls held scowls.

"I don't want to get mixed up with Jedi," said the owner as he sighed, "We were just doing our old friend Bannamu a favor."

"Well, I think it's time you forgot about him and do me a favor. That's my lightsaber he stole!" stated Ahsoka.

"Oh, well, uh, that makes a difference," said the owner. "Uh, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to tell me where he is," demanded the padawan.

"I hope you remember this and someday do me a favor," said the other individual to the group. "He's not that far away. He's at the Spider Arms hostel."

"Thank you," said Twilight as the Jedi began to leave.

As Ahsoka and Master Sinube left, Twilight hung back a bit as she reached into her pocket. She found her purse and pulled out some shiny gems to both individuals as they caught them and looked at them. Soon their gaze turned back to the Jedi princess.

"This conversation never happened. And don't spend it all in one place," smiled the girl. Once showing her act of friendship, the Jedi Knight ran to catch up with the others.

---

The group soon found the location of the place as they entered it. The door opened as standing behind a small window gate was the owner of the place. He saw the Jedi as he addressed them.

"May I help you?"

"We know where we're going," said Master Sinube waving his hand in front of him as they all turned left.

"You know where you're going," repeated the owner as he peaked his head under the small opening as the Jedi mind trick worked once more.

"We must be careful not to warn him," spoke Master Sinube softly to the girls as they walked down the hallway.

"But, Master, we don't know where we're going," said Ahsoka. "Ugh, he could be in any one of these rooms."

"You need to be more quiet, young one," instructed Master Sinube to the padawan as Twilight was putting her hand out to use the Force.

"Okay, okay," said Ahsoka lowering her voice a bit.

"Not quiet with your mouth, quiet with your mind. You're so anxious to find this pickpocket that your worry is equal to his," said Master Sinube as he walked to where Twilight was.

"You mean if I relax, I can sense Bannamu's anxiety?" said Ahsoka.

"Yes. If you relax, you would realize that's what Ms. Sparkle is doing right now. And that he's in this room." gestured the elder Jedi to where Twilight had her hand on the door.

Since entering, the Jedi Knight was informed by the Jedi Master to sense their thief's anxiety to help pinpoint his location.

"Let me guess, Master Skywalker didn't get to that part of your training?" asked Twilight to her friend while keeping her hand on the door as Ahsoka nodded. "Well, I'm sure you'll get to that lesson soon if you want to become a Jedi Knight. I got something."

Ahsoka wasted no time in shoving Twilight out of the way and thrust both her hands out. The door flew open due to the Force as the padawan rushed in with Master Sinube helping the princess get up. The pair entered as they saw Ahsoka confronting their culprit.

"Well, well. Bannamu, I assume," said the padawan as the individual spun in his chair to look at them.

"Who are you, huh? What do you want? Hey!" asked the Patrolian as Ahsoka grabbed him out of his chair and pinned the small thing to the desk.

"My lightsaber, you slimy thief. I want it back, now!" shouted the girl.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey. I no have it, I swear. I got rid of it. Yeah." said Bannamu. "I almost kill myself with that thing, ah."

"What did you do with it?!!" demanded Ahsoka as she glared at him.

"No, no, no. I don't recall," said the patrolian as he shifted his eyes.

"You little--"

"Ahsoka!" shouted Master Sinube to the girl. She also had her fist raised as she looked to punch him.

"Maybe give me a few minutes with him," offered Twilight as she tried to be peaceful during this skirmish.

"It's not smart to steal from a Jedi," said Ahsoka as she let go of her suspect.

"Uh, you're looking a little too young to be a Jedi," responded Bannamu as he got a closer look at the girl.

"She's only a Padawan," responded Twilight.

Both answers got Ahsoka to be angry as she used the Force to lift the patrolian into the air and pin him against the wall. Twilight was about to step in and stop her friend before Master Sinube put his walking stick in front of the girl. The Jedi Knight glanced a look at the elder Jedi as he simply shook his head.

"Okay, okay, okay," said Bannamu as Ahsoka got close to him with an angry look. "His name is Movers. Yes, uh, Nack Movers."

"Nack Movers?" asked Ahsoka to Sinube as she released the hold on the patrolian.

"He's a very dangerous one, well known in the underworld," responded the Jedi Master.

"Oh, great! Just when things couldn't get any worst," sighed Twilight.

"Yes, exactly! Yeah. I sell it to him, yeah, yeah. You should be afraid." said Bannamu as he agreed with Master Sinube. "I got a good price, huh? He was very, very motivated."

"Any idea where he is?" asked Twilight.

"You can find him with his girlfriend. She has a place on the upper east side of our happy land. I bet he's there now. He's always there." said Bannamu.

"You can stop talking now," said Ahsoka as she was becoming annoyed.

"Okay, I shut up," said the patrolian as he remained silent.

"Well, at least you know where your lightsaber is," smiled Master Sinube.

"Yeah, in the hands of a killer. This is exactly what I was afraid of," said Ahsoka in a worried tone.

"Then let's hurry," stated Twilight.

---

Once more the Jedi were making their way to the other side of Coruscant. They were able to find the location of where the girlfriend of Nack Movers was as they ventured inside. Like before, Twilight had her hand out as she was using the Force to pinpoint which door was the right one. All the while, Ahsoka was in a frantic state as even the Jedi Knight could sense her friend's worry while she was busy.

"Master, we've got to hurry!" said Ahsoka as she looked back to see the old Jedi walking slowly.

"Patience, young one. You worry that if people die at the hands of your lightsaber that you will be as guilty for their death as the one that strikes the blow."

"Well, I mean, that's true," spoke Twilight as Ahsoka gave a threatening glare to her friend. "Sorry, just trying to liven the mood," chuckled the princess sheepishly before going back to tracking.

"A valid concern, young one, and one for you to puzzle out," said the Jedi Master as he kept on walking with Ahsoka taking a few moments to sink in what he said.

"That's... weird," spoke Twilight softly. The princess put her hand in front of her to check the door she was on as it was sending her a message.

Master Sinube arrived as he could sense the princess' doubt. He didn't even put his hand out as he could already tell what the Force was saying awaited them behind the door. He put a serious look as Twilight looked over at him and that meant something was about to go down.

"What? What is it?" said Ahsoka as she saw the way the two were staring at the door.

"I believe we've reached our destination," said Master Sinube as he and Twilight were now looking at the lock of the door was cut open.

That alone meant, something or someone was trying to enter the room. Ahsoka quickly ran to them. Both she and Twilight pried open the door as it slid to the side and they all looked in. Upon first glance, Twilight gasped as she put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, no," said Ahsoka as she hopped over the couch and went to the person who was laying on the floor. "Let me guess. Nack Movers."

"A reasonable assumption," said Master Sinube.

Twilight and Ahsoka bent down to the person as they checked his pulse.

"He's dead," confirmed Twilight.

At that moment, a sound was heard. A hat rack was knocked over as the sound of glass breaking rang. It caused all three of them to look at where the rack was as Twilight turned on her lightsaber.

"Are they gone?" said a voice as it belonged to a person who emerged from the corner.

The person was a female Salenga. And based on the look on her face, it seemed she was frightened. Twilight put away her lightsaber as they began to address the women.

"Who's gone?" asked Master Sinube.

"The men who killed Nack," responded the female Salenga as she began to cry.

"Who are you?" asked Twilight.

"Ione Marcy," responded the woman as she sat down on the steps. "I came home and found him here like this."

"Ione, did you call for help?" asked Ashoka. "Why were you hiding?"

"I was afraid," spoke the woman.

The girls looked at Master Sinube for some guidance. The Jedi Master called them over as he began to inform them.

"She seems terrified," whispered the elder Jedi.

The sobbing sounds could be heard when the girls looked back as they saw Ione crying.

"And yet, I sense something else is troubling her," spoke the Jedi Master.

"Figures. You come home and find your lover laying on the floor dead. Of course, you'd be traumatized," spoke Twilight.

"It's not that, Ms. Sparkle," said Sinube.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the princess as she didn't understand what the elder Jedi was trying to say.

"We'll search the other rooms," stated Ahsoka.

Both she and Twilight left as they began to explore the other parts of the apartment. They split up to cover more ground. Ahsoka passed through a door and hugged the wall. She peaked her head around the wall and entered as she came to another room.

The padawan looked around as she examined the bedroom. She then made her way to a closet. She opened it, but there was nothing inside. She was unaware of someone sneaking up from behind her until the last second. Ahsoka saw someone as the person was a woman who punched her and knocked the padawan to the floor.

"Time to die," said the person as she pulled out a lightsaber and was trying to turn it on. "How does it work?"

"My lightsaber!" shouted Ahsoka as she saw it was her weapon.

"You're a Jedi?!" said the person as that made her eyes go wide.

She quickly turned and ran to the window. She kicked it open as the glass shattered and fell. The woman then jumped out and began to slide down the building as Ahsoka made it to the window to see her escape. At that moment, Twilight entered the bedroom.

"What was that sound? Are you alright?" asked the Jedi Knight.

"I'm going after her!" said Ahsoka as she quickly went after her suspect.

"Ahsoka!" shouted Twilight as she was too late in stopping her friend.

The Jedi Knight saw her friend chasing after the person as she sighed. The princess began to make her way back to the elder Jedi in order to tell him what went down.

With Ahsoka and the culprit, they continued to slide down the roof as they jumped from the top one to the lower one. The thief was approaching the end of the lower roof when she made one giant leap as she landed on the building across. She looked behind to see Ahsoka still chasing her as the padawan did the same thing. She was approaching the end of the lower roof and used her powers to make the jump as she began to run. Ahsoka landed on the building and continued to chase after them.

"Master Sinube, you're right. I found the intruder, and she has my lightsaber. She's a Terellian Jango Jumper and hard to keep up." said the girl through her commlink.

Twilight had managed to go get the old Jedi and brought him to the bedroom to see the shattered window.

"So the assailant is a female?" responded the elder Jedi.

"Ahsoka, I'm on my way to help you," said Twilight as she was about to leave.

"No!" said Master Sinube into the girl's commlink as he shut it off.

"What?" said the princess as the elder Jedi began to walk. "Why shouldn't I go help her?"

"Because she needs to learn. That and we need to speak with our guest. Perhaps she can confirm with her about the details of what went down." said Master Sinube as he gestured for the Jedi Knight to follow him. He had a lesson he was also going to teach the princess as part of her training.

While the pair were still in the apartment, Ahsoka was still on the run. She chased after the intruder as they continued to run along the edge of the building. The intruder got to the edge and once more jumped to another building as she rolled through when landing. Ahsoka did the same when she jumped and continued her pursuit. Both were using flips and parkour moves to get over the obstacles in their way while gaining momentum.

The intruder then did a wall jump to get to the higher roofs. Ahsoka did the same as she was still hot on their tail. When the intruder got up she got out Ahsoka's lightsaber as she noticed a small tower near her.

"Aha! That's it!" said the intruder as she managed to figure out how to turn on Ahsoka's lightsaber.

She slashed at the tower as it fell and was about to hit the padawan who was hanging from the ledge below her. Ahsoka let go and backflipped to the ledge across to avoid getting hit as she looked back up. She jumped as the intruder ran when the girl landed. Once more, the chase continued.

While this was happening, Twilight and Master Sinube made it back to the living room as Ione was still sitting on the steps. Twilight lowered herself a bit to whisper into the elder Jedi's ear.

"Master Sinube, what are you going to do?" asked the princess.

"Simply watch and learn, your highness," instructed the Jedi Master as he walked forward with the Jedi Knight in tow. They approached Ione as the older Jedi took a second look at the dead body.

"We found the intruder. Don't worry, she left," said Twilight trying to offer some comfort to Ione's nerves.

"Thank you," said Ione to the Jedi Knight as Twilight smiled.

"I'm sure our little friend will catch up to your intruder," said Master Sinube as he sat down next to Ione and put his hand on her shoulder to offer more comfort. "You have nothing to worry about."

The Jedi Master patted Ione's shoulder as when he removed it, there was something on her. The elder Jedi had placed a small tracker on her that even Twilight was unaware of.

"Right, of course," said Ione as she got up.

She went to go fetch a cup of water and when she grabbed it, her hands began to shake. Jedi Master Sinube's senses went off as he could see that Ione trembling even when she didn't show it. She then brought it up to her lips as the elder Jedi spoke.

"Your friend Nack wasn't a very good fighter now, was he?" asked Sinube as he bent down and poked the body with his walking stick. "Or maybe he was poisoned."

"What?" said Ione.

"Master Sinube?" said Twilight as she was confused about what the elder Jedi was doing.

"Well, obviously he's come to an unfortunate end. He'd be stronger than the average man, though, wouldn't you say?" explained the Jedi Master to both females.

"I... guess," answered Ione before turning around.

"Hmm," said Master Sinube as he stroked his chin.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight in a whisper.

"Princess, do you remember what she said when we found her?" asked the Jedi Master to the Jedi Knight.

"She was scared. She said a group of men barged in and killed her boyfriend," explained Twilight so that only he could hear.

"And do you remember what Ahsoka describe the intruder?" asked the old Jedi.

"She was a Terellian Jango Jumper. But what does that have to do with anything?" said Twilight.

"You just said it," smiled the old Jedi Master.

"Huh?" said the Jedi Knight as she was still not piecing together the clues.

"Princess? Are you not Celestia's star pupil?" mocked Sinube.

"Of course, I am! I'm one of her brightest students. I just don't see how the intruder is connected to the men... that..." Twilight blinked as her mind thought of something. The Jedi Master could sense the princess had an epiphany as he smiled.

Ahsoka and the intruder were now high above the city. They were currently walking along a steep edge as they side-stepped. Both kept their eyes up and dared not look down to see just how high they were.

Back with Twilight and the elder Jedi...

"You said a group of men killed your friend Nack Movers. And yet my Padawan described the assailant as a female," spoke Sinube.

"There was a group of them. I didn't get a good look," said Ione to the Jedi Master.

"We've contacted the authorities to come here and help you with your unfortunate friend," said Sinube.

"Oh. You're very kind," said Ione as she took another sip from her drink.

Both Jedi kept a close eye on her, as Twilight was now noticing small shifts in Ione's body language.

Ahsoka kept on her pursuit as the intruder turned the corner from the steep ledge to a more spaced-out one. She then jumped down and turned on the lightsaber as she sliced off a pulley system. She then dropped down to the pulley as she then jumped to some floating signs. The padawan saw her as she hesitated for a moment to collect herself. She then jumped and tucked herself into a ball as she landed and the chase continued once more. They were hopping onto the other floating signs as they ran. The intruder used Ahsoka's lightsaber to slice at the sign she was on before jumping.

It began to tip over when Ahsoka landed on it. She now began to run as she leaped off to the other. The intruder kept on slashing at the signs she leaped from. The sign in front of Ahsoka and the one she was on tipped at the same time. The padawan jumped but she missed the sign in front of her as she fell and quickly grabbed onto the screen. In the distance, Ahsoka could see the intruder getting away as she looked back to see many speeders flying by her.

Back in the apartment...

"You should have a seat. You might have been distraught before, but ever since the intruder left your apartment, you've become more nervous," pointed out Master Sinube to Ione.

"I'm upset. This whole ordeal I just endured, it's upsetting," explained Ione.

"But you're safe. You have us. Don't you trust us?" said Twilight as she played along with the elder Jedi's tactics.

"I... do," spoke Ione softly while gripping the cup harder.

Ahsoka was still hanging onto the sign as a speeder was passing by. She jumped off and timed her jump as she landed on it. The driver noticed the sudden weight as he looked behind and saw the girl as she gave a small salute and winked for the ride before jumping off. Ashoka landed on the building where the intruder was as she was still climbing a pole.

"Or is there a reason you might be concerned?" asked Sinube as he and Twilight were still questioning Ione.

Ione secretly pushed a button on her wrist as it sent a signal. The signal was received as a small hovercraft began to turn on.

"I already told you," said Ione.

"And it has nothing to do with the female intruder that was spotted by our friends," said Twilight. "You said that a group of men came in and attacked your boyfriend. However, there's no sign that a struggle ensued. Add in the fact, that there are no blaster wounds on him and the cup near his hand. Means that he suffered no physical harm, but rather that he was taken care of by other means."

"What are you getting at?!" said Ione as she felt a bit attacked by the girl.

"You're boyfriend didn't die by a group of men. He was taken care of by the female intruder. But not by any means of being physical, but rather poison!" shouted the princess.

"You weren't afraid because you were in danger. You were afraid we would find your friend hiding in the other room! You're in league with the bounty hunter!" declared Master Sinube.

At that moment, some GU-series Guardian police droids appeared in the doorway.

"Arrest her!" shouted Master Sinube to the droids.

Ione now began to run as she raced to a balcony. The air speeder she called appeared as she quickly got in. She sped off as the others approached the balcony and saw her leave.

"Off she goes, always rushing," said Master Sinube.

"If we knew where she was going, we could go after her," said Twilight.

"Not to worry. First, we need to retrieve, Ahsoka," smiled Master Sinube as he wasn't worried about tracking down their culprits.

"Cassie, the Jedi know I'm involved. I had to run," said Ione to the intruder that Ahsoka was still chasing after.

"Just get over to J Street and pick me up," said Cassie as she continued to climb the pole as Ahsoka appeared below her.

The padawan looked up to see the woman escaping as she began to use the Force. She used her hands to make the pole shake before she yanked it out of place from the others as it began to lean and tip over. Ahsoka then got on the pole and began to tightrope walk to where her foe was as she got up from hanging upside down. She was about to close in when the woman began to jump up and down on the pole. It wobbled and caused Ahsoka to fall as she quickly held on by her hands as she hanged. For Cassie, Ione had made it to where she was as she leaped off the pole and landed in the air speeder as they took off.

Ahsoka saw them as she hung her head in shame. Sometime later, she was now sitting on the building's ledge in disappointment. The padawan heard some sounds as she saw both Master Sinube and Twilight pulling up in speeders.

"I see you have learned patience, young one," spoke Master Sinube.

"Where'd you get those speeders?" asked Ahsoka as she got on the one the elder Jedi was riding.

"We asked one of the police droids to lend us some transportation. They were kind enough to oblige," smiled Master Sinube.

Ahsoka looked at Twilight to see if what he said was true.

"We 'borrowed' them," said Twilight doing air quotes to point out the hidden meaning.

The padawan nodded as they all took off. Sunrise was starting to come on Coruscant as the Jedi were still hot on the trail of their culprits. They were all in a lane as Master Sinube was riding very slowly.

"Hey! You're driving way too slow. We need to go faster." said Ahsoka.

"Patience! We'll cut them off at the train station!" responded Master Sinube to the girl.

"How do you know they're headed there?" asked the padawan.

"Did I mention I planted a tracking device on Ione, the girl that ran away?" smiled the elder Jedi as he pulled out the device.

"No," answered Ahsoka bluntly.

Soon they all arrived at the train station and they got off their speeders. The girls were keeping an eye out for their suspects while following Master Sinube who was using his tracker. A few meters away, both Ione and Cassie were in line as they were about to board the train. They noticed some security guards as they turned their heads to avoid looking at them. The tracker the Jedi were using was beeping faster as they got closer.

As they were about to board, Cassie noticed the small device on Ione's shoulder. She grabbed it and looked to see it flashing quickly. She showed it to Ione as the pair realized what it meant. Cassie immediately tossed it to the floor and stomped on it. The signal was lost as the Jedi saw it and Ahsoka and Twilight took a few steps forward. A few people stepped passed by before the girls saw the pair as they saw them.

"Stop them!" shouted Ahsoka.

The security droids looked to where the girl pointed as they saw both suspects. They were now closing in on them.

"Halt. Halt. You're under arrest." said one of the security droids.

They managed to grab a hold of Ione, but Cassie pulled out Ahsoka's lightsaber and sliced down the droids trying to apprehend her. She then ran with Ahsoka going after her.

"Stay here, Master Sinube! We'll take care of this," instructed Twilight.

"But..."

"You've done enough already. Ahsoka and I can handle this. Plus, it's probably best you don't get involved with anything physical." gestured Twilight at how old the Jedi Master was.

She then ran after Ahsoka as the girls were chasing after Cassie. Cassie was looking to board the train but the doors closed as the train was seconds from departing. She looked behind to see the girls coming after her as Twilight had her lightsaber out. She then jumped onto the train as did both girls with the locomotive leaving the station.

"You ran off in such a hurry. I trust you didn't mean to be rude," smiled Master Sinube as he made his way to where Ione was being restrained by the droids.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Jedi," growled Ione before turning her head away.

"Well, perhaps you meant to be a little rude," responded Sinube at the attitude he was given by Ione.

On top of the train, both girls were still chasing after Cassie. Cassie then leaped off the roof to the side of the train as did the girls. She appeared next to a window as she shattered it using the lightsaber and hopped in. She took off running down the aisle as the Jedi were right behind her.

They were about to capture Cassie until she saw a Twi'lek mother and her child. She turned on the lightsaber and pointed it at them as she held them in her arms. That got both girls to stop in their tracks as Twilight cautiously pulled out her weapon and turned it on.

"You're trapped!" declared Twilight keeping her blade pointed outward.

"Surrender now and turn the lightsaber over to me," stated Ahsoka.

"Don't tell me what to do!" shouted Cassie as she put the blade closer to the mother and her daughter. "I've got a lightsaber and I'm as powerful as a Jedi."

"Simply holding a lightsaber doesn't make you a Jedi. It's how you use it," said Twilight as she did some quick spins of her hands as she sent a message to Cassie that the princess was someone to be afraid of.

As Ahsoka took a step forward, Cassie immediately put the blade to the mother and daughter's throats. Seeing the condition of the situation, it wasn't good. While Twilight could have no problem taking on their foe, she wouldn't be fast enough to disarm her and save the hostages before the blade pierced their skin. Knowing that Ahsoka put her hand on Twilight's to lower her weapon a bit.

"I'll trade myself for them," spoke the padawan.

"What?!! Ahsoka!" shouted Twilight to her friend.

"You know how much I'm worth to the Jedi," said Ahsoka trying to bargain with Cassie. "It's a good deal. All you have to do is let them go."

"Ahsoka, I can't let you do that!" said Twilight to her pal.

"Once we're alone, you'd use some kind of Jedi Force trick on me. No deal!" stated Cassie as she wasn't buying Ahsoka's bargain. "These two stay with me. And you two, stay out of my way!"

Twilight raised her blade once more as she prepared to engage with Cassie. The train was pulling into the station as Cassie backed up to the entrance keeping her hostages in her arms. Upon the door opening, there stood Master Sinube.

"Master Sinube, look out!" shouted both girls as they were worried for the old Jedi.

The elder Jedi simply smiled as Cassie looked to bring the lightsaber down on the old-timer. The Jedi simply brought his cane up as he pulled out the top part of his walking stick which was his lightsaber as he blocked the attack without any effort. The girls were stunned to see the old Jedi move and fight as he moved his hands to block all the attacks and then flung the weapon out of Cassie's hand. It flew through the air as Ahsoka caught it. Master Sinube then swung the bottom part of his walking stick at Cassie as he knocked the girl against the wall to release the hold of her hostages.

"Quite impressive for someone your age," said Twilight as she was amazed by how the old Jedi Master could handle himself.

"For a guy that moves slow, you always seem to get ahead of me," said Ahsoka as Master Sinube put his walking stick back together.

"The value of moving slowly is that one can always clearly see the way ahead," spoke the Jedi Master to both girls. "Take this lesson to heart, girls."

The girls nodded at the wisdom and guidance they received from the old Jedi. Some security droids then entered through the doors as they captured Cassie. The Jedi exited the train as both girls saw the Twi'lek mother hugging her child. They smiled knowing that they were able to catch the culprit and save innocent lives.

---

They were now back at the Jedi Temple. The trio was walking in the hallways.

"Well, I best be getting back to my master before he misses me," said Ahsoka.

"Certainly. But first, I need one last favor from you," said Master Sinube to the padawan.

"Sure. Name it."

"Pass on what you have learned. You as well, Ms. Twilight." said the Jedi Master to both girls with a smile.

"Of course," responded the princess with a warm smile.

The trio then approached a room as the doors opened. Twilight waited by the entrance as both Ahsoka and Master Sinube entered. Inside were some younglings practicing their skills as their teacher for class was none other than Master Yoda. The Grand Jedi Master saw them as he turned off his lightsaber as did the kids who took off their helmets.

"Hello, old friend," said Master Sinube to Yoda.

"Greetings, Master Sinube. Padawan Tano, a lesson you have for us today, hmm?" said Yoda as he could sense the girl's feelings.

"Yes," said Ahsoka as she reached for her lightsaber.

"A lesson in patience," responded Master Sinube.

Ahsoka then approached the Jedi kids as she bent down to a knee and showed them her lightsaber.

"Gather round, younglings. Listen to the padawan, you shall," instructed Yoda.

"This weapon is your life. But it is also your responsibility. Don't let it out of your sight," said Ahsoka.

Twilight was listening to her friend give a lesson to the kids as she smiled. The princess soon left as the doors closed behind her. She started to walk when a voice called out to her.

"Twilight!"

The Jedi Knight turned as it belonged to none other than Celestia. The Jedi Master was looking for her student as she had some training for her to undergo. Twilight then approached her teacher as she stood in front of her.

"Master," said Twilight bowing to show respect for her teacher.

"Are you ready for your lesson today?" asked Celestia.

"Of course, I have my lightsaber..."

Twilight put her hand to her side as her eyes widen. For the girl, her weapon wasn't by her hip as she felt nothing. Now the princess was starting to go mental and sweating hard. Every second that passed, Twilight could feel her heart drop as in her mind, Celestia's smile turned into a frown as she saw Twilight as a disappointment.

"Twilight?"

The Jedi Knight didn't hear her master's voice as she was having an inside panic attack.

"Twilight?!" spoke Celestia with a bit more volume. "I said are..."

"I'm sorry!" shouted the girl.

The princess got to her knees and put her hands together as she was begging in front of her teacher.

"Twilight?"

"I'm sorry, Master. Please don't punish me! I'm not a bad student. Just don't send me back to Padawan training!" said Twilight as a few tears were starting to form.

"Twilight, what is going on?" asked Celestia as she raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry! Please, don't give me a bad grade!" said Twilight putting her head down.

"Twilight!!" spoke Celestia in a stern voice as the princess looked up to see the serious look on her master's face. "What is going on?!!"

"I... I..."

"Hey, Sparky!"

"Not now, Storm!" shouted the girl as she turned her head to see her partner standing a few meters away. "I'm having a serious crisis right now! And I don't need you to make a joke, okay!!"

"Yeesh, calm down, princess. All I was going to say was, you forgot this," said the boy as he held his hand up. In it was Twilight's weapon.

"That's... that's my... lightsaber..." said Twilight as she blinked and looked at it.

"You dropped it in the hallway. I saw you didn't notice it, so I was gonna give it back to you," replied the boy as he approached her.

"That's my... you... me... Thank you!" shouted Twilight as she immediately flung herself at the boy and wrapped him in her arms tightly. "You're my hero!"

"Sparky, no hugging!!! Let go of me!!!" shouted Storm as he didn't like the princess was showing this type of affection. The boy could feel the girl tightly hugging him as if she didn't want to let go.

"Get your hands off of me!" yelled Storm as he managed to free his arms and tried to use his hands to pry the girl off of him.

Watching the two teens act was Celestia as the Jedi Master smiled. She couldn't help but laugh at how Twilight was overreacting about her being upset that she lost her lightsaber. Truth be told, both she and Luna lost it several times throughout their journey before they reached the status of Jedi Master. Still, while the woman watched her student holding onto the boy, she couldn't help but be reminded of what her sister mentioned in their private discussion from earlier.

"If you're really gonna help Twilight, then I suggest you start taking her training more seriously, sister. You know the consequences that she's facing. The consequences of forming an attachment, especially to a boy close to her age. The duty that she needs to uphold for her family and her entire planet. But she can't focus on that if she's going to be distracted by my student, and I don't want Storm to be distracted from his duty. His destiny. I don't want it to come to this, Tia. But you need to do what is necessary for Twilight. Forgive me for what I'm about to say, big sister. You're a Jedi Master. So act like it, 'cause if you don't. Then you'll have failed two apprentices. Do you really want Twilight to be a repeat?"

The Jedi Master opened her eyes as she saw Storm still trying to pry off Twilight from him. The woman let out a sigh as she approached them. Storm noticed the Jedi Master as Celestia extended her hand out and grabbed Twilight's arm. She began to drag away her student as the princess was shocked. The Jedi Knight looked up to see her master as Celestia kept on looking forward with a serious look. She looked back at her partner to see him standing there, and she couldn't help but put her hand out as if she was reaching for him.

I will not fail Twilight. I will not fail my student again. I need to do what is necessary to help her.

Storm watched Twilight and Celestia as they got farther and farther away. He then turned to walk as in Twilight's mind, she could hear the boy's footsteps. They echoed as each one he took, meant one that he was getting farther and farther. The princess could do nothing but let Celestia take her away as she put her head down. They approached a door and entered as it sealed shut with an echoing thud.

Comments

[Postwarmonkey50]

Nice chapter.
What's confusing is, why didn't Ahsoka just use the Force to grab the Lightsaber. it's the first thing I would've done.

Plus the elderly Jedi held many surprises.
Goes to show you, even the older generation can surprise the new if they use neutral Jin.

Plus, Celestia is now determined, which is worrisome, but understandable.
And Luna, you just had to go there.

Now I worry for the two of them, but I agree. Though they remain friends, they need to take their training and partnership seriously.

And now the next one...i assume the Mandalorian one is next? Or is something else coming up.

All an all, great job.
Looking forward for more.

[ShootingStar25]

11244203
The Mandalorian arc is the next one. And one of those episodes in that arc is a personal one for me which I'll explain when we get there.

[Postwarmonkey50]

11244205
Not a problem, will wait in the meantime.

[ShootingStar25]

11244207
Appreciate it. Plus the thing Luna said to Celestia, it may have been painfully for her to say that to her own sister, but it's the truth. And as you know, the truth hurts. And again, Celestia and Luna aren't Jedi Masters if they haven't mastered letting go of their attachments, which means being strict with their students.

[Postwarmonkey50]

11244209
Yeah, it's a teacher's job to be strict in order to remind their students of the path they tread.
It's never easy.

Reminds me what Xavier said. "Just because someone stumbles, and loses their way, it doesn't mean that they're lost forever. Sometimes we all need a little help,"

I always took that lesson to heart.
And in case you wonder about neutral Jin. Neutral Jin is when someone waits and listens. Which is also very handy. It's how many can be very well observers.

[Darth_krayt]

Master sinube is my favorite second Jedi of all time he reminds me of Treebeard from Lord of the Rings now don't be hasty Ahsoka Tano