The beautiful Jedi walked into our wooden hut, taking a look at her surroundings. While doing so, she had a subtle smile on her face and a keen interest in her eyes.
A hand motioned toward the table as my mother spoke. "Please have a seat, Master Jedi."
The Jedi nodded and then walked over to the table and sat down.
"Welcome to our humble abode, Master Jedi. Would you like anything to drink or eat perhaps?" My mother asked, hoping to cater to the Jedi's needs.
The Jedi chuckled softly as she waved her hand. "I'm fine; thank you very much for your hospitality."
My mother nodded, picked me up, and we sat at the table with me on her lap.
The Master Jedi looked around. "You have a warm, beautiful home."
"The housemaids and I worked hard to make it this way, so I'm glad you thought so." My mother said, glancing at a few places that filled her with nostalgia.
The beautiful Jedi hummed. "So, onto the topic at hand. I would like to apologize for coming so late, if not for recent events. However, I trust that you're aware of how we do things, yes?"
My mother nodded. "Yes, Master Jedi, to a certain extent. Because of my family's background, I've learned somewhat about how the Jedi Order operates. Using that knowledge, I made sure to raise Halan to meet the Jedi Order's requirements."
'Family background? So, was I right all along, or is it not that simple?' I thought, listening in on the conversation.
"I understand. I'd like to ask you again if you have second thoughts about letting the Jedi Order adopt Halan, and train her to become one of us. Should you feel any, now is the time to say so." The Jedi said while looking into my mother's eyes.
My mother looked at me for a few seconds before sighing. She looked at the Jedi with determination. "I do not have any doubts, Master Jedi. Politics, while less dangerous than Jedi duties, is not something I wish for Halan. Plus, as you said sometime ago, she has great potential, and I don't want to limit her."
'Yeah, I never really liked politics at all either. However, it's not easy to decide on something like this, and she had three years to do it. Mother, what are you feeling right now...?' I asked in my thoughts, trying to imagine the emotional and mental pain of letting someone else take your child.
The Jedi had a straight face, which made it hard for us to tell what she was thinking. "I see. I'd like to tell you that most of the older Jedi deal with politics quite frequently, as we're currently in a war. Halan, while a youngling right now, might be subjected to that in the future. Again, are you sure?"
"I-I'm sure. I've made up my mind since the moment Halan was born, Master Jedi." My mother said, biting her lip and clenching her fists under the table.
The Jedi gave a small sigh and nodded her head. "I understand. I'm sorry, but our time is short, so we'll have to leave in a few moments. This will be the last time you see Halan, so you may say your goodbyes."
I looked up at my mother, who was struggling to hold back tears. She looked down at me as she spoke slowly, uneasy. "H-Halan, I k-know you're destined to do remarkable things, so I need you to do me a favor, alright?"
I nodded my head while feeling my heart clench. I hate goodbyes so much, and I know I have little say in this matter.
"I need you to f-forget about me, okay...? I need you to always look forward, never back..." Two small tears fell from her reddened eyes.
"...Okay." I said, making sure that everyone knew that "I'm okay" in the matter. However, I felt a heart-clenching pain when I tried to respond.
My mother sighed in relief as she stood up with me in her arms and handed me over to the Master Jedi.
Soon, the housemaids walked over to my mother and comforted her. She was almost about to break down in tears, but she tried to keep herself strong in front of me.
Without hesitation, the Jedi turned around and walked toward the door. Before closing it, I could hear the Jedi muttering to herself in a sad tone. "It never gets easier..."
She then walked out of the hut and closed the door. When she began to walk, I turned my head toward the hut as I thought to myself.
'I'm sorry, Mother. This is another time I lied to you...'
------
It's been almost an hour since I traversed through the woods, being carried by the Jedi Master.
I was beginning to wonder where we were headed until I saw an open field with a starship in the distance.
The starship had a long body, with the nose having a spider-like pincer at the front. Connected to the starship's body were two small, diagonal wings. At the rear of the wings were two ion thrusters. One laser cannon was on each slat of the wings. The starship had a black exterior with red trim.
"We're here, little one." The Jedi Master pressed a button on her arm, and the starship's canopy made a clicking noise and slowly lifted itself so we could get in.
Without warning, the Jedi Master jumped up at a great height and landed in the starship's cockpit, all while carrying me in her arms.
At first, it startled me, but a second later, I felt excited deep inside me. I couldn't help but shout. "Cool!"
The Jedi Master chuckled as she pressed a few buttons in the cockpit. After a few minutes, the canopy closed, and we were almost ready for takeoff.
"Alright, little one. We're heading to a place far, far away, so I need you to calm down until we get there. I wouldn't want you to throw up in my starfighter." The Jedi Master finally pressed a red button, which activated the starfighter's engine.
In a few moments, I could feel the starfighter lifting from the ground. The muffled, loud noises it made could still be heard from within the starfighter.
The starfighter flew straight before pulling up, gradually gaining speed. I looked down at all the creatures I'd never seen before.
They all looked alien, but they bore little resemblance to the animals I know on Earth. Some looked like cows, pigs, and even flying shark-like creatures.
A few seconds later, I heard an alert before a blue hologram appeared in front of my eyes.
Standing in the hologram was an alien blue creature, whom I know is a Rodian. He wore a cloak, a tunic, a belt, and some boots. He truly looks like a Jedi.
"Master Kona Ti, you do realize you're late once again, right?" The Rodian Jedi said, seemingly displeased with the Jedi, who I now know is named Kona Ti.
'Ti? That sounds awfully familiar...' I remembered someone who resembled Kona Ti, and they even had the same surname.
'Perhaps she's a relative or something? However, I don't remember Shaak Ti having any relatives in the Jedi Order...' I thought confusingly.
Kona Ti sighed. "Once again, Master Khzaro, I apologize. There was a problem with some space pirates, so it delayed my arrival on Kinzara. I've just picked up the youngling, and I'm on my way to Coruscant now."
Master Khzaro sighed. "Well, alright. I will let Grand Master Zym know when you'll arrive."
Soon after Master Khzaro's speech, the hologram disappeared, leaving just Master Kona Ti and me alone.
'I've never heard of a Grand Master named Zym before. What happened to Yoda...?'
Deciding to test what time period I was in, I asked Master Kona Ti. "Um, do you know Yoda?"
Kona Ti looked at me, confused. "I'm sorry, I don't. Why do you ask?"
"O-Oh, he's just my friend I made growing up!" I said, trying to come up with a lie that sounded believable.
"I see... Well, when we arrive at the temple, you'll make new friends when join your assigned group." Kona Ti said, glancing at screens in the cockpit.
I nodded, becoming silent while watching us leave the Kinzara's atmosphere and entering space. Although there was a slight anxiety, seeing the beautiful stars and planets soothed it.
"Beautiful..." I uttered, looking at all of the twinkling stars and the large planets in the distance.
Zooming in through space for a few moments, I heard Kona Ti say. "Sit still, Halan. We're going to travel really fast."
In a few moments, I felt something large attach to the ship. Looking out of the canopy, a large ring connected to the ship.
After a few more minutes, nothing happened until Master Kona Ti started a countdown. "Three... two... one...."
As soon as she finished saying one, I saw small blue lights stretching in front of us. In the next moment, our ship shot straight toward the blue lights.
'We're launching into hyperspace!' I exclaimed in my thoughts. Although I got excited, it felt no different from flying in space. However, it was still cool nonetheless.
"We'll arrive at our destination in two weeks, so would you like to talk about something in the meantime?" Master Kona Ti asked, glancing at me and the cockpit screens.
"Well..."
Again, in what felt like a blink of an eye, two weeks have passed...