[Junior Jedi Knights] -05(2)
“That sounds fun,” Anakin said. “I wonder if she’d mind if I came along with you.”
“Yeah, me too,” Uldir said.
“Well, you can ask her yourself,” Tahiri said, pointing upward. “That must be her now. But where did she get that strange ship? I’ve never seen it before.”
A ship had indeed arrived and was floating down through the air toward the landing field. The craft was very old and had a strange design, with a plump reddish-orange body and broad solar sails that collected sunlight to power the ship. The shimmering metallic sails spread out on each side like wings, making the craft look something like a pudgy copper dragon. Tahiri seemed to dance with excitement as they waited for the ship to land. When the orange sails finally folded and the spacecraft touched down, Tahiri could contain herself no longer. She ran forward, shouting a greeting as her good friend and Jedi instructor Tionne stepped down from the odd little ship.
Anakin wanted to give the two of them a chance to talk before he joined them, so he hung back for a moment with Uldir. He could sense through the Force that Tionne was just as giddy as the blonde-haired girl, but he couldn’t tell what the excitement was about. Watching the talkative girl and the quiet Jedi instructor together always made Anakin smile. In spite of their differences, the two shared a close bond.
They could almost be mother and daughter, Anakin mused. Since Tahiri’s mother had died when she was only three, he wondered if she did think of the Jedi teacher that way. Beside Anakin, Uldir cleared his throat impatiently and fidgeted with his robe.
“Okay,” Anakin said, “I guess we can go help Tionne now.” They started forward.
“Welcome back,” Anakin called.
“Hi,” Uldir said. Tionne turned.
Her large mother-of-pearl eyes sparkled with delight at seeing them.
“It’s good to be back,” she said. “Even better because I have such exciting news for Master Skywalker.”
“So you found something?” Anakin asked.
Tionne smiled in an I’ve-got-a-secret kind of way.
“Quite a bit, actually. But first, what do you think of my new ship?”
Uldir snorted. “If that’s a new model, then I’m the son of a nerf herder.”
The silvery-haired instructor gave a musical laugh.
“You’re right, of course. The Lore Seeker - that’s what I named my ship-is really quite old. That’s why I loved the design so much.”
“Well, I think the ship is perfect for you,” Tahiri said.
“It’s just right. And so is the name.” Anakin nodded.
He knew Tionne had called her craft the Lore Seeker because she loved to look for stories and legends about Jedi who lived long ago. He closed his eyes for a moment and reached into the ship with his mind then looked up at Tionne with surprise.
“It’s in excellent condition,” he announced. “I’m glad to hear you say that,” the Jedi instructor said with a smile.
“I thought so, too. But because the ship was so old, I was able to buy it from a Randoni trader for a song.”
“How much did you really pay?” Uldir asked.
Tionne shrugged.
“Just a song. Really. While I was looking for Jedi legends, I came across an ancient song that told about the very first Ran - doni merchants and the vaults where they hid their wealth. The trader was so interested that she offered me the Lore Seeker in exchange for the song. Now come help me unload my cargo, and I’ll show you some of my other treasures.”
Anakin and Tahiri needed no more urging. They hurried to explore the strange ship and help Tionne. Uldir grumbled something about never getting the fun jobs, but lie went along with them anyway. Inside the Lore Seeker’s tiny hold, Tionne said,
“You may carry this Twi’lek story-chain, Tahiri-each link tells a different part of a story. Please be very careful with it. Uldir, here is a holodisk. It holds a recording of some very old Jedi songs. Anakin, would you please carry this scroll? I’ll take the tapestry.”’
On the way back to the Jedi academy they each carried their packages with extra care. As usual, Tahiri chattered gaily.
“I can’t wait to see Master Skywalker’s face when you show him everything you found. He’ll probably want to see the Lore Seeker right away. Have you learned any of the old songs from that holodisk yet? Will you sing them to us?”
“You sure seem to have had a successful trip,” Anakin put in.
Tionne tossed back her silvery hair and chuckled.
“Oh, that’s not all-I found something even more important. I learned where to find an object that may have more meaning for Master Skywalker than any of these treasures we’re holding.”