Hey, doods! I'M NOT DEAD! THIS STORY ISN'T DEAD! I'm so sorry that I hadn't updated all this time-my writing has improved, (I think,) and I just got distracted by other fandoms and school and drama and all that jazz.

But I'm back now! I can't guarantee frequent updates, but I promise that I'll try harder to continue with this story. However, I will never, ever, EVER abandon this story because it just reminds me about last year's summer where I met all of you awesome people. :) Of course, I have other stories to remind me about that time, but this story is the only one that I'm still continuing/updating. :)

Thank you so much for the continuous support and thank you SO MUCH for bearing with me. :)

Chapter 6. Whispers in the Dark

Jim Kirk—

The first thought that came to my mind when I open my eyes was that it was unnaturally dark and quiet.

"Spock? Bones?" I whispered, sitting up quickly.

"Sh!" Someone hissed to me and I blinked several times, trying to make a sense out of the darkness.

"Ahsoka?" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes. "What's going on?"

"Just keep still!" Ahsoka whispered quietly.

"Why are the lights out? Where is everyone?" I asked, reaching blindly for a light switch.

"I'm right here, Jim, now shut up!" Leonard growled.

I sighed and slowly slipped off the couch, narrowing my eyes to see what exactly the reason for the tension in the room was.

"Don't move." Ahsoka said suddenly, grabbing my arm. I frowned and turned around to look at her. The lights from outside allows me to outline the girl's figure—her entire body was stiff and prepared for action, although she was about to pounce on any victim.

I pause and for a full minute, I couldn't hear anything except for my own breath.

The minutes on the chronometer ticked away and my legs were beginning to cramp up. "Can we—" Ahsoka's hand clamped itself over my mouth.

"Ahsoka," I muttered angrily through her hand but she shook her head vigorously.

I sighed and then stood up. "Guys, this isn't very—shit!"

A bright, red laser shot dangerously past my ear and Ahsoka yelled, "Why can't you just do as you're told?"

There was a loud, whirring sound as Ahsoka ignited her weapons—light sabers, I think they're called—with a flash of green light.

"Get down!" Ahsoka yelled as she deflected each bullet with tight, efficient movements. "And stay down!"

I ducked low to the ground, but I didn't stay that way for too long. It didn't feel right that Ahsoka was taking on the intruders by herself.

This was stupid. I wasn't going to sit around and watch her try to fight by herself, even if she supposed to be a Jedi.

I reached up from the ground and flicked on the lights.

For a second, Ahsoka stopped, surprised, and faster than she could react, a bullet grazed her arm. With a sharp cry, she dropped one of her light sabers and bit down on her lip, obviously trying to regain her stance.

"Jim!" Leonard yelled. "Keep your head down! Ahsoka's got it!"

"Bones, you can't just—"

"Yes, I can. Now, shut up and try not to get hit, will you?"

I opened my mouth to protest but quickly stopped when there was a loud, scraping sound.

Leonard and I both looked up to see Ahsoka standing above the intruders with a smug smile on her face. "They're knocked out," she told us, clipping her light saber to her belt. "And they'll be answering to some questions later on."

"Why would they attack us?" I murmured, crouching down next to one of the intruders. He wasn't human—instead, he had green, somewhat fish-like skin, with puckered lips and strange, green things poking out of his head.

"They don't favor the idea of off-worlders staying here." Spock said quietly and I turned around. It was the first time that he had spoken in quite some time, which was somewhat unusual for him. He was staring hard at the intruders and I had a sudden, fleeting impression of an owl when it's about to attack its prey.

With pointier ears, of course.

Ahsoka looked a bit taken aback, but she nodded. "Yes." She replied. "I would think so. The news of people from a different galaxy…well, it must have unnerved them."

"How do they already know about us?" Leonard asked, peering down at the intruders from behind me. "And what the hell are they?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "They're Rodians. I'm not very surprised. Even though we're on friendlier terms, they never really were…safe to be around. There's a reason why people avoid certain areas in Rodia."

"Isn't that the same for every place?" I asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. "I suppose so," she replied. "But still, you don't want to get on these guys' bad sides." She straightened herself and glanced down at the bullet wound on her arm with a small wince.

I swallowed and turned around. "Bones, can you go check that out?" I nodded towards Ahsoka and the girl's…lekkus (I think,) darkened.

With a start, I realized that Ahsoka was blushing in her own, strange, Togrutan way.

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "I can take care of it later, really—"

"You're worse than Jim." Leonard rolled his eyes. "Come here—I've got the feeling that your master wouldn't be too thrilled to see you like this."

"Oh, no, he'll be fine about it." Ahsoka replied. "I've been through worse."

"That goes for the both of us." I smirked and Ahsoka gave me a teasing grin.

"I bet I have more experience than you." She said as Leonard continued to inspect the wound.

"Willing to bet on that?" I challenged.

"Jim, she's—" Leonard began to say but Ahsoka interrupted, "Not really a bet—more so a deal. If I have more experience in combat, then I have to teach you how to handle a real gun—not a phaser."

"What's wrong with a phaser?" I asked, hurt.

"It's not that it isn't advanced or anything," Ahsoka replied. "It's just that you'd want to lie low for some time, especially if you have people like these," she pointed at the Rodians with her spare hand, "wanting to hurt you guys. Your best chance of defense would be a regular gun that most citizens carry."

"I guess gun control laws don't apply here, then." I grinned.

Ahsoka shrugged. "No," she said. "They're supposed to be enforced, but ever since the war came, there's been loads of black markets and these days, normal, average citizens can get a gun just about anywhere."

"That's promising." Leonard muttered under his breath and Ahsoka let out a small laugh.

"So…what happens if you lose?" I asked.

Ahsoka shrugged again. "I suppose you'll have to come up with a punishment yourself." She said.

"Hm…" I feigned pretending to think hard. "If you lose, then you have to have dinner with me."

Spock lifted an eyebrow and Leonard quickly turned around to look at me. Ahsoka's lekku stripes darkened but she didn't look embarrassed.

If anything, she looked furious.

She quickly pulled her arm away from Leonard and looked at me coldly. "No thanks," she said stiffly. "Come on, we better go somewhere else. Who knows, this place might not be safe."

Ahsoka gestured out the door and wordlessly, the small group of the crew walked out after her. As I started to walk out, Leonard grabbed my arm.

"Jim, are you insane?" He hissed.

"What? It's not like I asked her to have a one-night stand or anything." I replied defensively.

Leonard raised an eyebrow, which had an uncanny resemblance to Spock's own infamous eyebrow. "You're not preparing that, are you?" He asked.

I frowned. "What? Bones…I thought that you had a bit more faith in me!"

Leonard shook his head. "Be careful with her, Jim. She's not…well, I don't think she's so thrilled. She's a Jedi—I think she has…some sort of thing against dating strangers."

"What, you're not allowed to date if you're a Jedi?" I asked. "That's stupid."

"I never said that," Leonard said quietly. "But you've seen how these guys carry themselves—I've just got the feeling that she won't be talking to you any time soon.

"Geez." I grumbled.

"That's an understatement."

◦•◦

"Commander Tano, I thought that you said that we were not to be allowed to take lodging in the Jedi Temple." Spock said coolly as we headed up the steps to the large building.

Ahsoka sighed and she turned around to face us, only she seemed rather set on not looking at me in the eye.

"I'm going to sneak you guys in." She said quietly.

"Sneak us in?" Leonard asked incredulously. "I thought that the Jedi were powerful—wouldn't they…I dunno, feel us or whatever that you guys do?"

Ahsoka winced. "There's a possibility that they would sense us, but where else can you guys go? The rest of your crew is taking lodging in other apartments, but you obviously can't because well…"

"What? What is it?" Leonard asked.

"You guys…well, I think everyone can tell that you guys are sort of the bigger, more important group. People like to aim at the source of power—that's you guys." Ahsoka said pointedly.

"Great. I always knew that people couldn't get enough of us." I said dryly.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself." She said and turned back around.

We all slowly advanced towards the doors and Ahsoka hadn't even opened them all the way when she crashed into a figure at the entrance.

"Oof!" Ahsoka grunted, falling to the ground and we all held our breath to see who she had bumped into.

"Ahsoka? What are you doing at this time?" Obi-wan's familiar voice asked and we all let out a sigh of relief.

"Um…Master Kenobi, there were some…difficulties at the apartment that our visitors were assigned in." She said quietly. "There were intruders—I think they were trying to kill them."

"Kill them? Are you sure?" Obi-wan whispered.

"Well, either that, or they were trying to seriously harm them." Ahsoka replied. "So, I thought that the only safe place for them to stay for now would be here."

Obi-wan gave a look of disproval at Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, you know that you can't…"

"Well, where else can they go?" Ahsoka asked desperately. "I don't want to leave them there, Master Kenobi!"

"Are we allowed to talk yet?" Leonard murmured into my ear.

I shrugged. "Let's just give it some time." I replied.

Leonard gave me an incredulous look. "Since when did you ever believe in giving things some time?"

I watched as Ahsoka and Obi-wan continued to talk. For all I knew, the fate of my crew might be in their hands.

"I started believing in that sort of stuff ever since we came to this place." I replied tiredly.

A/N: Well, I've changed up a few things. For one, I'm actually using the proper TENSES (thank the Force!) and I think I'm going to stop with the random POV changes because it's just messy and I know that it can be annoying.

Ahsoka: Not to mention that it's confusing! *coughs* Man, there's so much DUST here!

Me: It's been a while since we've visited this story, that's why.

Jim: Whoa! *trips over some papers* What the hell is this? Caroline, you need to clean this place up!

Me: Hey, it'd be easier if you guys HELPED ME!

Jim: What? *whistles casually* I didn't say anything.

Me: *rolls eyes* Can YOU do the review notice?

Jim: Why me?

Me: Because you never do it.

Jim: What? Yeah, I do!

Ahsoka: *snorts* Only BARELY.

Jim: Not true! And stop being so...mean-are you still mad at me about the entire dinner thing?

Ahsoka: What do YOU think? My master isn't going to be very happy, you know.

Anakin: *reads over my shoulder* WAIT, WHAT?! JIM, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!

Jim: Uh-oh...*runs*

Me: ...Ahsoka?

Ahsoka: *sighs* Please review, constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not!

Me: That wraps it up! Thanks for the support!