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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓

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After handing over Whorm Loathsom to the clones so that they could process him, Aurora followed Obi-Wan and Yoda toward the command center. Her thoughts bounced around in her head as they approached their destination, but they soon faded when her eyes fell on exactly who she was looking for. Her nerves were replaced by a large smile after seeing that Grizz was still in one piece. The Jinn woman couldn't stop thinking about him and his well-being since they parted ways. Her grin did nothing but grow when she saw Laken standing next to him. If she were being honest, Aurora was still wary about having a Padawan learner. But she was over the moon that the Diem girl made it through their first mission. And she had a feeling that her Lieutenant played a huge part in that.

What Aurora didn't notice was the Jedi Grandmaster watching her closely since their arrival. He noticed how his former Padawan greeted Grizz with a large smile and how relieved she was that they were reunited. He also noticed how Aurora's greeting to her Padawan was hesitant and not as enthusiastic. But Yoda knew it wasn't the Jinn woman's fault. He and Obi-Wan had a long conversation about how Aurora would feel about gaining a Padawan learner. They knew that she thought she wasn't ready for the responsibility and didn't trust herself to train anyone correctly. Despite her feelings, they believed she would make a great Master to a young Padawan, especially when that young Padawan wasn't so sure of their abilities. But even though Yoda and Obi-Wan felt she was ready, they couldn't force the Jinn woman to take on Laken as her Padawan. The decision had to be Aurora's and Aurora's alone.

It was during her conversation with Grizz that Aurora felt as though she were being watched. The smile on her face faltered as she turned to meet Yoda's gaze. They just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the Jedi Grandmaster gestured for her to follow him. Confusion began to flow through the Jinn woman's veins as she followed her former Master away from their allies. It wasn't until Yoda thought they were a good distance away from everyone that he stopped and turned to face Aurora.

"Happy with your new Padawan, are you?" the Jedi Grandmaster asked while keeping his eyes glued to the woman in front of him. When she didn't respond right away, Yoda took that as a cue to continue speaking. "Feel not ready, do you?"

Aurora remained silent for another moment before letting out a long sigh and looking away from her former Master. She just stared at the clone battalions in front of them until finding enough courage to respond. "I'm not a real Jedi no matter how much I want to be. I'm only here as one last favor to Qui-Gon. Many remind me of that. I try to prove them wrong and not let it get to me. But I know I'll never change their way of thinking. I don't want to drag Laken down with me."

"A very long time, never is," Yoda said, drawing Aurora's attention back to him. She was surprised to find a small smile on his lips. "A real Jedi, you are, Aurora. Believe in you, I do. The one to decide your fate, you are."

A matching smile soon appeared on the Jinn woman's lips. It wasn't long before she found herself looking over at Laken, who was laughing at something Grizz had said. She watched the Diem girl for another moment before speaking. "I see much of myself in her. I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

"A good thing, it is. Strong, you are. A Master like you, Laken needs," the Jedi Grandmaster told his former Padawan before following the latter's gaze, "Chose you, Laken did."

"Chose me?" Aurora repeated with a somewhat confused look on her face as she looked back down at Yoda, "I didn't know Padawans had a choice on who their Master is."

"Usually, they do not. The choice between you and Obi-Wan, Laken had," the Jedi Grandmaster explained before looking back up at his former Padawan with a proud smile on his face, "Chose you, she did. Needs you, she does. Join Obi-Wan's battalion as a General, you will. Succeed, you both will."

The smile soon returned to Aurora's lips before she thanked Yoda for the talk. The two of them just stood enjoying a moment of peace before making their way back to their allies. It wasn't long after Aurora and Yoda rejoined Obi-Wan and Laken when a ship landed a few yards away from them. Everyone turned their attention toward the vehicle to find Anakin and Ahsoka stepping off of it. Both of them held expressionless looks on their faces as they approached the small group of Jedi. No one said a word as they watched the duo until they stopped just feet away from the group of four.

"Master Obi-Wan. Master Yoda," the Skywalker boy greeted, still showing no signs of how he felt about their successful mission.

"Trouble, you have, with your new Padawan, I hear," Yoda said as his eyes studied the young Jedi Knight in front of him.

The Jedi Grandmaster's words caused Anakin to glance down at Ahsoka, only to find the Padawan already staring back at him. That continued until Obi-Wan began speaking, drawing all attention toward him. "I was explaining the situation to Master Yoda."

"If not ready for a Padawan, you are, then perhaps, we can-"

"No, wait a minute," the Skywalker boy interrupted, earning slightly shocked looks from those around them. But if any of them were being honest, they weren't completely surprised by Anakin's outburst. "I admit Ahsoka is a little rough around the edges. But with a great deal of training and patience, she might amount to something."

A small smile soon appeared on the Tano girl's lips after hearing her new Master's words. But her attention was quickly drawn back to Yoda when he spoke once again. "Then go with you, she will, to the Teth system."

"Teth? That's Wild Space," Aurora said without bothering to hide the confusion in her voice. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before pointing out a very important piece of information. "The droid army isn't even in that sector."

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been," Yoda explained, earning shocked looks from those surrounding him.

The Skywalker boy took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding to the Jedi Grandmaster. "You want me to rescue Jabba's son?"

"Anakin, we'll need the Hutts' allegiance to give us an advantage over Dooku," Obi-Wan said after looking over at his former Padawan.

"Go with Obi-Wan to negotiate a treaty, Aurora and Laken will," Yoda continued as he continued to look between the group of young Jedi standing in front of him, "find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker."

"Come on, Master, it doesn't sound that hard," Ahsoka stated with a bright smile on her face, an expression that didn't match anyone surrounding her, "I'll find Rex and get the troops organized. Come on, Laken."

After watching the Tano girl run off with her friend toward the troops, a small smile appeared on the Kenobi man's lips. "Don't worry, Anakin. Just teach her everything I taught you and she'll turn out fine."

"You know, something makes me think this was your idea from the start," the Skywalker boy retaliated after turning his attention toward his former Master.

"Welcome to the club, Anakin," Aurora muttered under her breath, earning a chuckle from Obi-Wan. She instantly rolled her eyes at him before looking back at the Skywalker boy. "Mind sending my Padawan back before you take off?"

"Sure thing," Anakin told her before following the two Padawans.

The Kenobi man watched his former Padawan walk away until returning his attention to the woman beside him. "If we've got to make a deal with Jabba the Hutt, we'd best be on our way."

"We can go as soon as my Padawan returns," Aurora retaliated, earning a playful eye roll from Obi-Wan.

It wasn't long after that when Laken made her way back over to them. When the trio were ready, they boarded their designated ship and headed to Tatooine.

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What felt like an eternity of traveling through hyperspace passed before they got the alert that they were approaching their destination. Obi-Wan and Aurora kept their heads calm as they started out the window in front of them. But despite their cool heads, both could sense the stress radiating off Laken. The Padawan sat just behind the elder Jedi and had been silent since they set foot in their ship. That was all it took to make the Jinn woman once again unsure of taking on Laken as a Padawan. She didn't think she'd be able to help the Diem girl with her fears of the universe. But one look from Obi-Wan changed her thoughts completely.

It was as if he sensed the uncertainty emitting from Aurora, which he probably did. She was usually good at hiding her emotions from others, but Yoda and Obi-Wan always seemed to know what she was thinking. The look the Kenobi man sent her was one she had seen him wear before. It was the look he gave Anakin whenever he doubted himself as a Padawan. The kind of look that showed Obi-Wan believed in someone and their capabilities. And it was exactly what Aurora needed at that moment.

A shaky breath passed over the Jinn woman's lips as she moved to sit beside Laken. Neither of them said a word for a moment as they came out of hyperspace and watched Tatooine come into view. But that only caused the Diem girl's nerves to grow.

"Don't worry, Laken," Aurora said with a small smile on her face, drawing the Padawan's attention toward her, "Jabba's expecting us. He knows we're here for a peaceful negotiation."

"But what if he isn't peaceful?" Laken asked without bothering to hide the shakiness in her voice.

The Jinn woman couldn't help but chuckle at the young girl's words before opening her mouth to respond. "Well, then be lucky Obi-Wan is here with us. He and I have plenty of experience with peaceful negotiations gone wrong. Everything will be okay in the end. Trust me."

The Diem girl just stared at her new Master for a long moment before sending her a small nod. It wasn't long after that when Obi-Wan began flying toward Tatooine. They broke through the atmosphere with ease before heading toward Jabba's Palace, which was each to spot on the sandy planet. The building towered higher than everything surrounding it and had one solid steel door as its entrance. It was an impressive building for a hot desert planet. The Kenobi man continued to fly the ship until they were a few yards away from their destination. As soon as he steadied the ship, he landed it with ease.

Aurora wasn't surprised when the large steel door opened the second their ship landed. She would've been shocked if they weren't greeted at that moment. She exchanged a quick look with Obi-Wan before the three Jedi pulled on their cloaks. They soon exited their ship to meet with the droid and the three bounty hunters accompanying it.

"We should not keep the wise and powerful Jabba waiting," the droid said while its allies stared down the three Jedi in an attempt to intimidate them.

"We wouldn't dream of it," Obi-Wan responded in a calm tone before he, Aurora, and Laken followed the droid and the bounty hunters into the Palace.

It wasn't long before they found themselves standing in Jabba's throne room. This was Aurora's first time seeing the Hutt and she hoped it would be the last. And by the look on Laken's face, the Jinn woman knew she felt the same. Lucky for them, only Aurora seemed to notice the uncomfortable look on her Padawan's face.

"Mighty Jabba, one of our most powerful Jedi is on his way to rescue your son," Obi-Wan explained in a respectful tone while Aurora and Laken stood by his sides, "we will not let you down."

The Hutt didn't hesitate to respond in his native tongue, a language that Aurora still hadn't been able to pick up on. Lucky for them, his droid was able to translate. "The most gracious Jabba has one more small condition. He demands you bring back the slime who kidnapped his little punky muffin. Dead or alive."

A wave of shock washed over the Jinn woman after hearing the conditions Jabba had for them. But before she could voice her thoughts, the Hutt continued speaking. And once again, his droid translated his words. "If you do not succeed in one planetary rotation, Count Dooku and his droid army will."

"It won't be necessary to get them involved," Aurora declared, drawing everyone's attention toward her, "our allies will not fail."

Silence filled the room for what felt like an eternity before Jabba sent them a small nod. The three Jedi didn't hesitate to return the gesture before making their way toward the exit. It wasn't long before they found themselves back at their ship, but they didn't board until the steel door was closed behind them. Once they were back in the ship's cockpit, they removed their cloaks and took a moment to gather their thoughts. That only lasted for a few minutes before Aurora pressed a button on the panel to contact the Skywalker boy.

An unknown amount of time passed before the holograms of Anakin and Ahsoka appeared in front of them. Obi-Wan wasted no time to explain the information they received from Jabba. "Alright, Anakin, here's the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back home to Tatooine safe and sound."

"Won't take us that long, Master," Anakin declared while wearing a determined look on his face.

"I admire your usual confidence, Anakin, but you still need to be cautious," Aurora said, only to receive a smug smile from the Skywalker boy. The Jinn woman couldn't help but roll her eyes at him before she continued speaking. "Remember, we don't know who or what took Jabba's son. You need to be prepared for anything."

"When we've finished negotiations with him, we will join you," the Kenobi man added, earning a small nod from Anakin before their conversation ended.

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