Wow.

Well.

I might have slightly given up on myself and decide that this story would sadly become an uncomplete one-shot.

But after reading some comments, I decided to get my lazy butt to work and concoct another chapter to throw up.

Is it the longest? Not really. Is it actually another chapter though? Surprisingly, yes.

Also, to my fellow Americans,

"Are you ready for this, Ahsoka?" Embala asked excitedly, turning to her ghostly pale friend.

    "Su...sure!" Ahsoka stuttered unconvincingly, wringing her hands together. This could possibly be the most important event of her life. No, she took that back. This had to be the absolute most important event of her life. She was about to be knighted into warrior duties.

    Embala only rolled her eyes, "C'mon! Why are you so nervous? This is going to be awesome!"

    "Oh, I don't know," Ahsoka replied, a small amount of confidence and sarcasm managing to worm its way into her voice, "It's totally not like the whole entire colony is going to be watching me make history.'

    The pale blue Togruta sent her a smile of reassurance, then winked and began to push her up the backstage stairs. After stumbling a couple of times on the elevated steps, Ahsoka finally managed to gain enough balance so she could spin around and give her friend a dirty glare.

    "Go!" Embala hastily whispered, ushering Ahsoka up the rest of the steps and across the backstage.

    Get it together, Ahsoka. What could go wrong? Ahsoka willed herself as she took a deep, steadying breath. Then, without a second thought, she painted a smile on her face and threw the curtains aside.

~previously~

    "Felt this Force wave, we all have. Location, none know," Yoda summarized the situation, readjusting his position in front of the rest of the Council. He glanced around at the fellow masters, trying to see if he could read any information off of them. However, all of them looked just as dumbfounded as he had been.

    "I'll have to admit, this wave seemed very... odd. It didn't feel like anything we have experienced before," Ki-Adi commented. The majority of the others regarded his remark and nodded in agreement.

    "Did anyone at least narrow it down to a planet?" Luminara asked. Nobody responded.

    Yoda was about to give up and adjourn the meeting. It was very unusual to feel a Force presence and not know where it came from, especially for him. Perhaps the Force was trying to hide something from them. Surely the time would come when they were called to seek out this individual.

    "Masters," a usually quiet Council member spoke up. Everyone turned to the red-skinned Togruta, and she continued, "I believe I know where it came from. This location is very... familiar to me."

    "Where do you propose it came from, Master Ti?" Mace asked. For once, his tone wasn't snarky or rhetorical.

    Shaak hesitated before she answered, "Shili. I believe it is from my home planet of Shili."

    "Sure of this, you are? Personal thoughts sway this, do they not?" Yoda questioned. The whole ordeal did seem very strange. Nobody else could figure out where the Force wave came from except Shaak, who believed it was some planet that coincidently has very strong values to her. Maybe her past was clouding her judgment and making her believe what she wanted to. After all, another Force-sensitive Togruta would look great on her species' reputation.

    "I'm positive masters," Shaak assured them, "There has been an arising of a Force-sensitive Togruta, and if my instincts serve me correctly, it's a young female."

    "If so convinced you are, travel to Shili you must. Recruit this youngling, you will, before it is too late," Yoda replied, presumably referring to what would happen if the wrong people got a hold of her. Given how strong the Force appeared to radiate off of her, the youngling was probably very strong with the Force. Shaak knew a Sith wouldn't give up a chance to better their odds, given that the Jedi had already managed to secure who they thought was the Chosen One, young Anakin Skywalker.

    "I will see to it," Shaak bowed, then left the meeting to prepare a shuttle to Shili. The sooner she could get to the peaceful planet, the better.

~

    Back in the Togrutan colony on Shili, Ahsoka stood bewildered by a large group of townspeople. They all wildly cheered and clapped for her, especially the females. Even though there were rare instances in other tribes where Togrutan women had been admitted into the ranks of the warriors, it was unheard of in their colony. There were even some Togrutas that yelled words of encouragement along the lines of, "You go girl!" and "Make our tribe proud!"

    Despite her previous nerves, Ahsoka allowed her extravert personality to shine through. She basked in the praise and waved a small hand back, giggling and jumping up and down if she saw people she knew.

    Ahsoka turned to see the person who would be knighting her. It was Kai, the young male who had once mentioned Shaak Ti a while back. He smiled warmly and gestured for her to come towards him. Ahsoka did as he asked, but not before studying what he held in his hands. In his right hand lay an akul headdress made from the teeth of the beast she had slain, and in the left was a leather belt with fabric flaps. There were a few things that differed between Ahsoka's and other's tribes; one being that the symbol of being a warrior was different. Other colonies of Togruta used the headdresses as a sign, but here, the article only proved that one had killed an Akul before. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, it wasn't uncommon for many women to display these items.

    Instead, a belt with colorful pieces of fabric was used to identify those who were a part of the band of town protectors. Ahsoka eyed hers excitedly, noticing that the color of the material that had been chosen for her was a nice, deep burgundy. Even though the color wasn't usually found in her wardrobe, she took a liking to it. The almost purply red contrasted very nicely against her orange skin.

    Speaking of clothing, Ahsoka had indeed changed her outfit since the last one was stained crimson and torn to shreds. She has mourned the fate of the beautiful gift that Embala had presented her, but the pale blue girl had insisted that it would be fine and the dress could be replaced. While Ahsoka had sniffled and nodded in agreement, she couldn't help but know that no ordinary clothes could ever replace the love she held in the outfit because of it being such a meaningful gift from her friend.

    Ahsoka had ended up picking a fairly simple dress. It was off-the-shoulder and reached her mid-thigh, colored the same dusty navy as the striped on her lekku and montrals were. The only extra detailing it obtained were small, circular silver embellishments on the hem of her dress and the short sleeves. All that was left to complete her outfit was a good belt, namely the one that Kai held.

    The male Togruta gave her a smile before beckoning to the ground and instructing, "kneel, Ahsoka Tano."

    Vaguely remembering the run-down that one of the Council members had given her before the ceremony, Ahsoka closed the gap between them and came to a knee right before him. Kai fitted the headdress around her headtails, then handed Ahsoka so she could fasten the belt around her waist since it would be improper for him to. The belt consisted of two straps that were arranged in a way that they came to an X on the front, conjoined in the center by a metal ring. Then, on each lower leg of the X, a flap hung from the belt.

    "I declare you Knight Tano, protector of our Togrutan tribe. May you forever battle on behalf of the galaxy, and in turn, the galaxy on behalf of yours. Rise, Sister," he declared, and the crowd who had unknowingly been holding their breath elapsed in cheers once again.

    A beaming grin was plastered on Ahsoka's face as she stood up, tracing her fingers along the akul teeth headdress and her new belt. There were no words to describe how happy she felt that moment; it was as though the whole universe was shining a light down on her. The crowd applauded the Togruta and showered her in praise, but all she could do is smile like an idiot back. She turned to Kai, who in turn gave her a nod of approval and a wink. Ahsoka couldn't help but blush at this, and she inwardly cursed her lekku for turning a vibrant shade of blue.

    It seemed like nothing could add to her excitement.

    Oh, but how wrong she was.

    A hushed silence fell over the crowd as a unique spaceship entered the atmosphere and landed right beside them. Some were forced to shuffle back from the strong gust of wind, but most stayed put and curiously studied the frigate.

    The doors gave out a loud whoosh as they opened, and a Togruta was revealed.

    Red skinned...tall stature...dark blue and white lekku...female...

    She looked just like the character from all the Togrutan stories were about.

    Shaak Ti.

    The female opened her mouth after the engine powered off and loudly proclaimed, "Hello, my people. I am Shaak Ti."

    Gasps rang out of the crowd as people stared at her in amazement. However, before anyone could ask anything, she got off of the ship and headed towards the stage. She gave a kind smile to Ahsoka, then turned to the crowd and continued.

    "I am looking for a Force-sensitive youngling...I believe she is a girl. The time has come for her to travel to the Jedi Temple with me and begin her training. Would anyone perhaps know of this girl?"

    Only silence ensued. Even though they were extremely pleased by the appearance of the famed Togruta, they didn't want to give up Ahsoka just yet. They felt as though she was still a gift to them to protect their city, and as selfish as it sounded, they weren't exactly about to give their new hero up.

    Once Shaak saw that nobody had the intention of talking, she sighed and continued to talk in her kind and peaceful tone. "I am afraid that if you do not let me know, others that will make her suffer a cruel fate will take her. I am sure you know of the evil Sith. Well, the Force informed both the Jedi and the Sith about her presence, and the Sith will soon be here if we don't act quickly."

    While the townspeople were still weary on letting Ahsoka go, the girl herself was excited. Sure, she didn't exactly want to leave her mother and Embala behind, but she had heard so many stories about the brave Togrutan warrior that went by the name of Shaak Ti. She was powerful, fierce, and very kind.

    With a slight hesitation and a quiver, Ahsoka took a small step towards the Togruta. She tugged on the Jedi Master's robes, causing Shaak to look to her side and at the little girl, then bravely said, "I'm Ahsoka, and I have the Force within me."

    Shaak gave her a gentle smile before replying, "Show me, child."

    Ahsoka nodded, then outstretched her hand towards the Jedi Master. If she could lift an akul, then surely a person would be an easy feat. Sure enough, Shaak slowly began to rise into the air, then stopped once she reached a couple of feet off of the ground.

    "I see you have control over your powers better than most," Shaak complimented, then used her own bond to the Force to remove Ahsoka's hold from her so she lightly dropped to the ground.

    "Most?" Ahsoka questioned, cocking her head to the side in a cute, childish manner. By now, the crowds had begun to thin out and return to their daily life, save for the few that were intrigued by Shaak Ti and wanted to see what would play out. "There are several more?"

    "Much more than several," Shaak chuckled, bending down to Ahsoka's level so they could see on a more eye-to-eye scale. "There are many younglings like you, gifted with a special talent that is supposed to be used for good. They all grow up to be like me and fight off the bad guys."

    "Do I get to use a glowy-thingy like you?" Ahsoka asked, pointing to the lightsaber that was hooked onto Shaak's belt.

    "Most definitely," Shaak answered with a grin, then rose and held out her hand. "But first, you have to come with me."

    "Are Mama and Embala coming?" Ahsoka asked, eyeing Shaak's hand but not taking it.

    "Sadly they can't, but you can say goodbye one last time. You'll be back again one day to visit them."

    Ahsoka took the opportunity to run jump down from the stage and sprint to her mother, who had just been joined by Embala and her family. "I... I love you guys."

    "Aww sweetie," Ceilaa whispered, wrapping her baby girl in a hug. Tears stung the corner of her eyes at the thought of losing Ahsoka, but she knew it had to be done. The girl had been given a gift so incredibly wonderful, so it was their duty to make sure that it was used the way it was intended. As Shaak said, if Ahsoka didn't go with her, she could possibly be swept into the hands of the evil. "Remember that I will always love you. No matter what happens, I will be with you right..." Ceilaa laid her hand on the left side of Ahsoka's chest, "here."

    "Promise you'll come back soon?" Embala asked with a quivering voice when Ceilaa let go of Ahsoka.

    "I'll try," Ahsoka agreed, giving her best friend a hug too. Someday, no matter what day it was, she would find her way back here and visit the people that she loved again. She wouldn't be like Shaak Ti and disappear for decades without return. No, she would not let that happen.

    Ahsoka turned to Shaak, who simply asked, "Would you like to say bye to your dad as well?"

    "About that," Ceilaa interjected. "Her father... um... doesn't exist. There never, ever, was one."

    "But that isn't possible," Shaak argued. "There had to have been at one point."

    "Never," Ceilaa confirmed. "She must've been a creation of the Force."

    Shaak slowly turned her head to Ahsoka and looked at her in confusion. The little girl herself was just as lost as Shaak, since in her mind, she never really thought about needing a father before. Since she hadn't grown up with one, she had just assumed that a mother could have a child perfectly normally without a male.

    "Interesting," Shaak quietly remarked, but she eventually straightened herself out. "Well, in that case, we should be on our way. Come, Ahsoka."

    Ahsoka looked back to her mother and Embala in both sorrow and excitement, then jogged to catch up to the Jedi Master who had already begun to head towards the spacecraft. Then, with a newly earned headdress and belt, Ahsoka disappeared into the frigate.

    The only thing that was for sure in the girl's mind was that it wouldn't be for a very, very long time that she would see those that she grew up with.

    So, with a heavy heart but spirited soul, Ahsoka decided to push her memories of her home to the back of her head and instead focus on the mysterious culture that the woman beside her was so greatly a part of. No matter how long it took her, Ahsoka would make her mother proud, and she would be the greatest warrior the Jedi had ever seen.

I gotta admit, that chapter was...

*cringe*

but we'll get there eventually.