Chapter 27 - Redemption

Over the next few years, Ash learned a lot of new tricks. She practiced with her Shatterpoint technique regularly and got extremely good at it. She could now reflexively, aim, point, and shoot like a breeze. She practiced on droids, crappy lightsabers, and occasionally a landspeeder. It took a lot more concentration to blow up one of those. She was only able to do it once, and that was on one that her sister had built. She also had created quite a few more lightsabers. He collection now consisted of 12 lightsabers.
She eventually could battle her master and neither one of them would win. Ash was becoming more cunning and inventive with her style. She tried stuff that she never thought would work, and eventually she perfected them to were they completely tricked her opponent to think that she was stupid for even trying something like that, and then she would attack. She almost always caught her master off guard. Echo was the only person that was a challenge anymore. Because of their twin connection, it was harder for Ash to surprise her sister. She almost always knew what Ash was always gonna do. It drived her crazy and she vowed that one day she would catch her sister off guard. Now she just to wait for that day to come, and Ash didn’t have very good patience.
Now, five years later in 22 BBY, Ash was a much respected person in the Temple. Many believed that she was so skilled that she should be a Knight. The Council had said she was ready for the Trials and she passes every one except the Trial of Skill and the Trial of Courage.
The Council had declared that she was ready for the trials in 23 BBY, although she was extremely young. Since then, she had been facing each trial one at a time.
She had passed the Trial of the Flesh when she overcame a life-threatening poison. Although she was young, the Council had agreed that it could be counted as a test since she showed exceptional skill in slowing down the poison.
She had passed her Trial of the Spirit when, about a year ago, she resisted turning to the Dark Side in order to save one of her friends from their doom. In the end, she didn’t turn, and her friend lived.
She suspected that the Trial of Skill and the Trial of Courage would come sometime in the very near future. She had a gut feeling that they would be the test sent by the Force.
Echo had also passed all of her Trials except the Trial of the Spirit. She had been on so many missions and been faced with so many bad odds that she automatically passed all of them. But she had yet to face the darkness inside herself as the Trial of the Spirit would make her do.
One night when she was 17 yrs old, she felt a surge of shock from her sister. They had such a strong twin connection now that they could share thoughts with each other mentally.
Ash jumped out of her bed, put on a robe, and ran to Echo’s room. They had closer rooms now. Ash and Echo had insisted they have closer rooms.
She ran to Echo’s room in a hurry to see what was wrong. Ash burst into the room, almost pulling the door off its hinges. Echo was looking at transmitter and turned to look at her.
“Well, now I think I’m gonna need a new door,” Echo said smiling.
Ash smiled. “What’s up? I felt your surprise in the Force.”
“Aero-“Echo started to say, but Ash cut her off.
“What about that rancor butt?” she said, a hint of hatred in her voice. She didn’t have very fond memories of that boy.
“He sent me message. He says he’s turned back to the light side and he needs my help,” Echo said.
Ash walked up and grabbed Echo’s shoulders and started to shake her.
“Don’t listen to him!” she said fiercely.
“He sounded sincere,” Echo said quietly.
“But—“Ash started to say, but Echo interrupted her.
“I’m going,” Echo said firmly. “You, Broze, Juno, Nya, and Kali are coming too.”
Ash’s mouth dropped. “WHAT?” she said.
She looked her sister right in the eyes. She didn’t break. She was set on going.
“I can’t tell there’s no stopping you,” she said.
“We’ll have to go tell Broze and everyone,” Echo said.
Ash looked at her. Apparently she didn’t know what time it was.
“Echo, it’s 2 in the morning. Not even Yoda’s awake. You’ll have to wait.”
“Oh ya. Sorry!” she said and started to walk back over to her bed. Ash started to walk out the door..
“Goopta ma Bossa!” Echo said.
“Goopta ma bossa…” Ash said smiling as she walked out the door and back to her room. When she got back she tried to go to sleep, but couldn’t. She sensed that Echo couldn’t sleep either, and that was making her not be able to sleep either.
She woke up early and walked to Echo’s room. One the way, she ran into a couple groups of younglings. She was friendly and said hi and good morning. She loved kids. She felt good today, and it seemed like it was going to be a very productive day.
She knocked on Echo’s door, and Echo opened the door and walked out with the transmitter already in her hand.
“Good morning,” Ash said. “You didn’t have a very good night sleep did you?”
“Not really,” Echo replied. “But I got enough.”
They walked to each of their friends rooms and got them up. Everybody was already up except for Kali, who insisted that she get her beauty sleep, but she came anyway.
They all walked back to Echo’s room and gathered round the transmitter. Echo clicked it on and they watched the transmission. Aero appeared. He was much older and scruffy lookin, but there was a sense of urgency in his eyes. He looked like he was in trouble and desperately needed help. He was in a hurry to get what he had to say out.
“Friend, I have repented of my mistake. I want to turn back. The people here are evil. They only want bad. I beg of you, come and get me. I'm still at the Ag. Corps. I need just you to come down, Echo-." Aero started to say then it started to buzz and get blurry, it turned off.
Echo looked around the room.
“I need your help guys,” she said. “I believe him. It is almost like I feel the Force urging me to help me. I cannot dismiss a direct call from the Force, but I need your help.”
Ash felt the tension in the room rise. She didn’t think Broze would go along with it, along with anyone else. But she was surprised when Broze agreed.
“I think we should go, even if we get in trouble. I know Aero betrayed us, but if he has really changed his ways, then it is our duty as Jedi to help him.”
Everyone else slowly agreed, but Ash was still a little confused. She didn’t like Aero; she didn’t like him at all. But if he was in trouble, she wouldn’t feel right just leaving him for rancor food.
“Okay, I’ll go. But just to let you guys know, I don’t have a very good feeling about it.”
Echo laughed, and everyone else just nodded.
Kali spoke up.
“Okay, but how in the galaxy do you guys plan to sneak out of here?”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Echo replied. She sensed that Ash was coming up with a plan and she looked at her. So did everyone else. Ash was grinning from ear to ear.
“I think I may have an idea,” she said, her grin getting wider and wider by the second.

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