Vader had gotten the message, the chamber within his fortress on Mustafar was set to a single purpose. As he watched the aggressive Togruta weave her way through trooper after trooper with deft precision and cunning accuracy, what held his attention most, through countless replays, was the ferocity in her technique. A technique that was both identifiable and melded multiple forms, yet it was more than that. Different practices melded with different forms into something never seen before. The confrontation unfolded in reverse order as Vader toggled the holoemitter controls back to the beginning. He was understanding with each restart how she was able to gain the upper hand in their duel a few years ago. A duel he knew he should have lost. She had out maneuvered him countless times and could have inflicted a mortal blow at any number of points. That she hadn’t spoken to, what he perceived was her disabling weakness, but there was something more. Had she pushed the young Jedi to prevent him from destroying them? Or was it more sinister? Had she wanted this victory for herself, to prove to him that she was somehow stronger? Before the events of the last 2 hours, it was a question he didn’t believe he would ever be able to answer. Fate had brough her back. Was it her destiny or his?
He reeled himself back in to watch the entire encounter again, in efforts to compare the encounter he had with her on Malachor. He had to run the recorded image at three quarter speed to truly grasp everything that had happened due to the speed with which she was moving. Deliberate. The word struck him the first time he had watched the carnage. She could have employed Shii-cho and had the same results, but she had taken the offensive immediately after realizing her partner was being fired upon. She was low with acrobatic kicks and had engaged in a combination of Soresu and Ataru. As he continued, he acutely saw the point at which she had switched altogether to Juyo and finished off the clone. Again, the word came to him, deliberate. She was goading him; her admission came through audio impeccably clear. It took a measure of insanity to lace into the tirade directed at his master, but to him, that insanity was courage he always remembered her having. The courage he wasn’t certain he could wield himself, not for lack of it, but for a means. He had insisted on this task being conducted without his suit on so that he could watch it with his own eyes, not through the bespectacled reddish mirage the helmet provided.
He returned the holo to the beginning yet again and scrolled through its entirety at half speed this time. The use of the lightsaber throw was deadly accurate and the ability to retrieve her primary while still under siege and on the aggressive with her secondary was to be admired.
“You have grown powerful padawan,” he said to himself with a raspy, gravelly voice.
He wanted to be able to see her eyes for the final part of this engagement and had stopped the image several times upon hearing his former name, anticipating what her expression would have looked like, what shone in her eyes. Was it hate? Or was it simply passion in what she was doing? The finale with the clone was most interesting. She had employed dark side powers beyond what they thought she was capable of. To crush and snap a spine took considerable effort, he knew, but her rage had granted her incredible power and strength. His thoughts hung in the air, almost tangible, as he fought to understand. Her purpose was eluding him entirely.
It was at the very end, however, that a fresh idea was taking form. She was clearly not defining any allegiance to light or dark but combining them both to turn herself into a very deadly weapon. She knew she was being watched and that her message, in all its lunacy, would clearly be seen by those it was intended for.
“She was putting on a show,” he whispered, “But not for me.”
Anger took hold of him, renewed at her insolence. Could she vi for his master’s attention? She had insulted him directly for the benefit of his master, he concluded. In agitation, he ran through the commands to secure his helmet and impatiently waited for it to descend and lock into place. His breathing was instantly more rapid, aided by the completed transpiratory, as rage welled up and took the place of any reason that was left in him. Rage born of contempt, anger the likes of which he had not felt since Padme turned her back on him. Anger, resentment, hatred…all boiling and seething, audibly through the mask. His vision dulled beyond anything that same mask would impart, he began to channel that energy into one final thought, one derisive and agonizing thought: his master had indeed continued a path he had no intention of sharing with Vader. What that path was, he could not say.
The visions and premonitions that had once defined Anakin were completely and irretrievably lost to Vader, although he could tell something was on the horizon, something irreversibly significant. He would leave that knowledge to his master, he thought, and decided to play along, at the moment, that his master would include him when he felt the timing was right. This suited Vader fine as their personal agendas were beginning to venture into different directions and the outcome, he, for so long, wanted to employ was looking almost impossible with each day that passed.
The memory of Padme hung in his thoughts too long and he cursed himself for that weakness. In trying to re-bury it, he saw in his mind all the faces of those who had betrayed him: Master Windu, Master Yoda, Ahsoka, Obi-wan, his wife…and now Sidious.
“There will be retribution my master, a reckoning will assure the apprentice becomes the master, you have all but set that into motion yourself, and I intend to complete the task,” his whisper through the modulator was only for himself. The signal from the door broke his meditative trance instantly and he allowed entrance without a word.
“My Lord, Governor Tarkin is requesting your present. He wishes to discuss a matter of foremost importance, I am told,” Vanee spoke quickly and ushered himself just as fast back the way he had come.
Vader made for the holotable and without hesitation he brought up the image of the Grand Moff.
“Moff Tarkin, what is it,” he demanded.
“A matter of distinction between two possible threats, Lord Vader. First, there is a long-range communique informing me of a growing rebel concentration near Dressel. Second, you requested a direct report on the status of the battle stations’ weapons capabilities. This will be forthcoming as we are currently running tests on the hyperdrive. To the point, we have reason to believe schematics of the battle station may have been compromised in some fashion, to what degree, we have yet to ascertain. Be that as it may, I am extending my own efforts to decipher as much as I can,” Tarkin concluded.
“Very well governor, I will investigate the matter at Dressel. Keep me informed of the situation regarding the battle station,” Vader insisted.
“I will, my Lord,” Tarkin replied as his holoimage dissolved into blackness with a chirp.
Vader contemplated his options in the moment. He knew he should inform the Emperor of either situation but was hesitant to even decide whether he cared or not to do so.
“Divine it for yourself,” he said finally and initiated his helmet comm to Vanee. “Have Admiral Ozzel prepare for our departure and have my shuttle ready.” He quickly ended the transmission, not waiting for an answer.
✦
“Ahsoka.” Kowani calmly tried to wake her. Eliciting no response as Ahsoka remained fast asleep in her bunk. “Ahsoka!” She tried again with more exuberance, and still without effect. She commd’ R3 to engage the ship’s hull breach klaxon.
“Do it and your Bantha fodder.” Ahsoka spoke with eyes closed, her hands already grasping the pillow with which she was preparing to pin over her montrals.
“R3, belay that.” Kowani quickly snapped off at her wrist.
“Thank you for that, my head is killing me already, that klaxon would have annihilated any sense of self I still possess.” Ahsoka said, as she slowly made to sit up, wincing with the effort.
“What’s wrong Ahsoka.” Kowani asked with clear puzzlement.
“Nothing detrimental, I hope.” Ahsoka admitted. “I went a little further than I had wanted to create the new saber and am currently paying the price for it.” She finished. Kowani sensing as much, the force still flowed smoothly in and around Ahsoka but the currents out and around her were moving much quicker than the ones flowing through her, as if the force itself was nursing her.
“It must have been some event.” Kowani thought out loud.
“It certainly was. I had never delved that deeply into it before and understand completely now how one can get lost in it.” Ahsoka admitted, again. “Like a mother or a father, it lends that comfort and if you’re not careful, it will embrace you fully, taking you with it on its path.” She finished.
“We’ll have to discuss philosophy another time I am afraid. We are currently on Tatooine, Mos Eisley specifically, and I have a rendezvous to tend to. I am not certain what to do with the crates of Kyber yet, but I have found a buyer, non Trandosian, for the remaining Ashes.” Kowani listed off the specifics. “The onboard speeder is at your disposal. R3 will mind the ship. Here are the security entry codes. And I would like to re-sync our comm frequency before I leave.” She finished, satisfied she had relayed all the information.
“Thank you Kowani, for everything I mean.” Ahsoka said with sincerity. “You could have walked away at any point, but you haven’t, and I need you to know how much that means to me, and how much it is appreciated.”
“What, and miss all the fun and excitement?” Kowani said with a laugh. “Not a chance sister, not a chance.” With that she turned to leave.
Ahsoka could hear her return to her cabin briefly before issuing forth the boarding ramp and the subsequent hiss as it drew back into place with another hiss and finishing click.
Alone, save the presence of the droid, she knew she had to delve into the realm of the force again to locate Obi-wan. In her present state that wasn’t going to be an easy task, nor would it be advisable. That would have to wait, she both decided and acted upon simultaneously as she pushed herself off her bunk, turning around instantly as something brushed against her hand by the weight transfer of leaving the padded surface. Her new saber lay there. She remembered her actions vividly in crafting it and moved slowly to retrieve it. It almost felt as if it begged her to wrap her hands around it as she thought she was sensing jumbled whispers in her head. Voices from ages past and present, new friends and old foes from the conflicts that had been her entire life, either begging for mercy or demanding justice.
Voices of masters she knew to be long since deceased and voices of those she had no memory of at all. In her hands the voices were diminishing but two were taking forms that she had no recollection of. A female voice it was at first, then transitioned to a more masculine form. Both counseling a host of virtue’s she knew she indeed possessed but had not practiced, fully, in the last twenty-four hours. Patience. Peace. Compassion. Trust. Forgiveness. “Ghem sa ma’vidda du Ashla. Geweh mjet wah. Ghe vhee tah du tunguma.” She repeated the phrase in Togrutan several times and realized she knew the voices, and why Ashla had come to her so quickly in the past. Her parents. She would never know them but any emotional reaction to that fact was peacefully put to rest long long ago. It was counsel within the words that she focused intently on. “Accept my destiny. Dispel my fear. Go in peace.” The saber called to her more intently at that and she grabbed it with conviction, feeling warm to the touch. “Du meht, du khos, ma’vidda du marukki!” She called to the ceiling of the cabin as she ignited the lightsaber. Staring intently into the red blade she felt at ease, relaxed, and rejuvenated. She lept the ignited saber from hand to hand, feeling its almost weightlessness but also the balance point from what little weight she could sense. Gripping it firmly in her left hand, she wanted to ensure the weapon was just as formidable as it was in her primary as she laced in to arcing weaves and twists, letting the erratic hum of the focused energy sing to her. Tossing it to her right hand in an overhead juggle, she bent back to retrieve her usual secondary and had it ignited and extended as she grabbed her new primary, executing a flawless Makashi stance with a low crouch on bent knees. There was no viciousness in her movements, nor malice in her technique. It was an elegance, everything moving in a prescribed order, a transical hypnotic dance of sight and sound. The more quickly she began to move the more at peace she was beginning to feel.
The aggregate hums and haws of both beams enhanced by the competing energy modulators were picking up a furious crescendo and she knew she would be but a blur of movement herself. The more she employed her unusual and quite exclusive styles the stronger she was feeling in her recovery from self-deprivation, but more, she was feeling more attuned to the natural force in the process. Although it would take time to feel her entire self again, time she felt she was running low on although she couldn't accurately explain, this practice of self-discipline was a necessary step. As she had trained herself in the past, she closed off the hypnotic music of the dueling blades to incorporate her entire suite of senses into her practice. She could feel everything around, taste the recycled air, feel the deep baritone presence of the ship still online, see the astromech in her doorway watching her every move. With that she whirled through the room at a fevered pace and stopped suddenly with her sabers crossed right in front of the droid’s photoreceptor.
Panting and heaving from the exercise, “See everything you came to see little one?” She sneered sarcastically as the droid backed up instinctively, albeit far too slow to prevent what would have been its absolute destruction. Its boops, beeps and exaggerated whirls confirming that it was simply ‘curious.’ Ahsoka laughed as she extinguished the blades, got up from the crouch she finished in and simultaneously made to fasten both sabers at her hip, providing another conundrum of sorts since her original primary was still attached. “Hmmm, two hands, three sabers.” Something to figure out later as she clipped the new saber to another latch further removed behind her.
Patting the astromech on the ‘head’ she moved toward the cargo hold, the legitimate cargo hold, with purpose. Contacting Obi-wan was her immediate priority, or finding him as it were, but now the need for fresh air was paramount. Stepping into the hold, and finding it unsurprisingly empty, she focused her attention on the speeder strapped to the fore bulkhead. A modified 614-AvA, it would more than fit her purpose. Any resemblance to its basic form was almost nonexistent if one wasn't standing on their hands. She tilted her head to confirm as much. “She must have inverted the entire assembly!” Ahsoka said with a laugh, applauding the practice of making the conspicuous inconspicuous with only a few crafty hacks. At any rate, she had a dependable, fast, and light speeder to get her to wherever she was going. Checking her comm as she was deploying the speeder, she used the codes Kowani had left with her to open the cargo bay ramp. A hiss and shake of the ship confirmed the code as she bent to her wrist again to ascertain their location. Kowani came in immediately with “Docking bay 93, we’ll leave when you’re ready.” With that she hopped on the bike, threw her robe around her, donned the cowl, and left the ship.
✦
Chalmun’s spaceport cantina was packed as usual with denizens from across the galaxy looking to operate or just simply enjoy life in areas not as frequently in the crosshairs of the Empire. The drinks were strong, too strong for some, and the music was fashionable as well as dependable by Figrin D’an and Modal Nodes as they were, by all rights, the house band. Brokering, dealings, both legitimate and non, courtships, grandstanding, camaraderie, and bounty hunting assemblage dotted every seat, booth, and open space within its walls. Kowani made for the booth containing a male human and a Talz of unknown gender.
“Dak Vishar, it has been ages.” She said upon seating herself. “Who’s your friend?”
“Muftak, and I’m just the middleman in this arrangement.” Said the human male behind a tangle of long hair and through a chest length beard of matted black.
“Well, that’s a change I should have been made aware of prior, don’t you agree Muftak?” Kowani said defiantly, watching as the furry head bobbed and swayed revealing no sentiment whatsoever, its oral protrusion dilating and relaxing.
“A deal’s a deal Kowani, why would you care where the shipment goes, or for that matter, where the credits come from?” Dak insisted, shifting briefly under his robes. “Besides does he look dangerous to you?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” She replied immediately eyeing the Talz’s strange facial features, “but I am inclined to agree with you that it, in fact, doesn't matter one bit in the long run.” She spoke.
“Truth is, he’s got a line on a cargo headed to Orto Plutonia and needs whatever Ash you can deliver to barter for, what he says, is vital to release his family...or something along those lines, translation is somewhat limited.” Dak revealed, the affirmative headshake by the Talz confirming.
“You can have the remainder of my load if the credits are suitable, 13 crates.” She returned.
“Credits will be limited but you will receive all that we can supply you.” Dak shot back quickly.
“Dak, I’ve been too charitable recently and can’t afford to be too generous on this one.” Her haggling skills are coming to the forefront.
“Ani, what you have is what you'll get, meaning we, and just about everyone else in here, knows you’re not returning to Malachor anytime soon.” Dak pointed out.
Kowani was not used to being on the defensive so soon into negotiations but downplayed it as much as possible for the sake of the deal being consummated. “I have no intention of returning to that backwater, ever. But that is beside the point. What are we talking by way of credits? It better not be any lower than fifty thousand!” She began standing mid speech.
“55000 we can muster Ani, sit down, sit down.” He said back as she was following through with her intention.
“Dak, you know what it takes to process this, refinement alone is worth that on that many crates!” She was losing her patience and was quickly entertaining the idea of leaving.
“65 Ani and that taps us out.” Dak returned.
“10 for the trouble it takes to risk my ass operating under constant Imperial watch?” Kowani was truly riled up.
“Everyone knows you enjoy the hell out of counter-fitting your ship to fill your needs, it’s a game to you!” Dak played his ace.
She thought about that last comment, laughing in her mind, yet strictly appearing non placated. Yes, she loved the game of becoming something else in the eyes of the transceiving community and played her part with expertise, but the events of the last twenty-four hours had opened her eyes to the vulnerability being such a player in the game can be. “64 Dak, keep 10.” She concluded.
Surprise showed on his face and his partner emitted a tear in his upper left eye that Kowani, guessing as she was, conveyed happiness. Her extremely limited knowledge of Talz shining through with ignorant bliss.
“Having concluded business,” she returned her data pad to her pocket, satisfied with the completed transaction, and issued commands to R3 to fulfill their end, “We’ve been seeing heavy Imperial mobilization recently, any idea what’s going on?” She was genuinely curious, putting her feet up on the booth seat, settling in for some intel she could actively use.
“Rumors outta the ring saying there is highly classified activity in this sector, specifically deep space outside of the Anoad system, that all traffic into and out of that entire system is limited to the Imp’s exclusively.” Dak revealed, inching closer to Kowani, and lowering his voice. “Heavy’s go in, light in the belly coming out.” Pointing out that cargo is incoming to the system and not leaving it.
“Dak, we’ve known that for some time, at least generally guessed, anything newer? Because this is the same intel we’ve been trading since Geonosis” Kowani said, inflicting a very uninspired sigh at the information.
“Well, there is that same activity beginning in the Moddell sector now.” Dak said in a barely audible whisper.
“Now, that is something Dak, although a bit vague,” Kowani said with astonishment, a thought quickly taking form. “Any word from Saw? I know he was all over the Kyber extraction on Jedha after trying to convince the alliance of the need to investigate what the Empire is doing with it.” She finished, prodding for more information.
“None actually, which is way off base for him.” Dak said dejectedly.
“That may be of more value than the Kyber extraction honestly.” She said with a thoughtful look at Muftak whom she couldn’t read whatsoever. “The Moddell sector...there is nothing of note there….at least to my knowledge. Are you sure?”
Dak looked blankly back at her for a moment but decided against lacing into sarcasm. “Massive amounts of materials are being staged through Sullust via the Bakura Trace and Ovise Reach. The defensive buildup at Sullust is unprecedented, committed fleets, defensive orbital rings...the list goes on.”
Kowani swung her gaze back to Dak with extreme confusion painted all over it. “If the materials are being staged at Sullust from both trade routes, where are they going? And what kind of materials?” She asked.
“The short answer is everything Ani. Many of the manifests we've been able to get our hands on are almost verbatim to those traced to Geonosis and Sentinel years ago. As far as destination, full military transport loads are departing toward a new route, something called the ‘Sanctuary Pipeline’.” He finished in as hushed a whisper as he could muster, his eyes dodging around the room to ensure he wasn’t overheard.
“I need to get my hands on the specifics of that route Dak.” She cast her gaze down at the greasy table wondering how to convey this message to command. “I will be in touch, tell your friend not to Ash himself into extinction. I hope it’s worth it.” She finished.
“For him, anything is. His people have been raided more times than even he can count, to be sold into slavery or for games, usually inspired by the Hutts, on both counts.” Dak said with a hint of detest.
“For a galaxy to accept forms of cruelty and barbarism as being more compliant than a dictating empire owes much to the general conscious.” She added for no one’s ears particularly.
“Cheekee Muhzmarcha, Ka pokka ping Lokip!” Muftak mumbled, Dak nodding affirmatively.
“What did he say?” Kowani asked, curious.
“Basically, we were promised peace, but we’re returning to war.” Dak translated. Kowani understanding the importance of the words.
“Don't I know it, everyone knows it’s coming, it’s just a matter of where and when.” She added for their benefit. Planting her feet on the floor she bowed her head to Muftak, nodded at Dak and got up as the Bith band lead led his fellows into another stirring melody. Her intentions set to returning to the ship and waiting for Ahsoka’s signal, it was the timing of her thought and catching a very quick glimpse out of the corner of her eye of a swirling holo image of the Togruta that made her stop in her tracks. A robed individual was proffering a holochip with Ahsoka’s image to a Weequay who snatched it and stuffed it into a pocket at his belt in one incredibly fast move. She etched his image quickly into her memory and cast a glance at the door to avoid suspicion. Her first thought being that if Ahsoka’s capture was the intention he was going to need a whole lot of help, the horrific memory of the last time she was threatened taking hold. The Weequay, headed to and out the door with determination, Kowani assigning herself the covert operation of obtaining more information, slipped out shortly after him.
Ahsoka gently, slowly, geared the bike from the ramp through the hangar bay entrance and into the street. The difference between this place and their last was the diminished number of people present, the smaller, low-profile dwellings, knowing full well most establishments on Tatooine were built underground to avoid the beating suns and the absence of stench. The heat was incredible however, although lacking the humidity found on Nar Shaddaa, it was considerably warmer. If she was moving, however, she didn’t care one bit. Easing the bike through the wide streets, she was careful to keep the robe clung tight, concealing her identity as much as possible. Aching to clear the city itself and hit open ground where she could unleash the full speed of the bike, she did her best to steer clear of any mass gatherings, although they were few and far between in the midday sun. Seeing the final dwelling down what she understood to be ‘Paradise Road,’ she opened the throttle and shot out of the city at full speed, understanding the thrill of racing the vehicles. The adrenaline rush was exactly what Ahsoka needed now, to realign her sense of self to the ever-flowing force, and to just let herself relax overall.
The wind wiping at her face, she was lost to the heat as she headed south out of Mos Eisley and into the sprawling hills and valleys of the southern wastes. The terrain, she thought, was strikingly beautiful. The changing angle of the suns, and resulting shadows they caused, played the color wheel giving the impression that nothing had an original hue, that everything was awash in some shade or form of red, orange, and yellow. If not for the ever-present blue sky as a backdrop they could easily hypnotize her senses into dizziness. Where the rocky escarpments and gorges were interrupted by open desert, moisture vaporators could be seen doting on the horizon. Butte’s, arches, and mesas could be seen far and wide, splashing everything with that same vibrant color. Ahsoka, navigating the bike through a dusty gorge, emerged to a wide expanse and could sense herself moving away from Obi-wan. She immediately turned back and headed northwest, picking paths between valleys so as not to strand herself on so much elevated rockiness.
Passing into and through what later Ahsoka would understand were the valley straights of the Jundland wastes. Beautiful as the setting suns reflected those same reds, oranges and yellows in their full array and color wheels, but completely inhospitable. She slowed the bike to effectively enter a slender canyon without careening into wayward stone and immediately began a delicate incline. Dangerously close to overshooting her sensed coordinates and right off a cliff, she was surprised to see how high in elevation she was, to her left seeing a very homely looking dwelling. She parked the bike and slowly treaded toward the door. Upon reaching it she could see a very sparse living space, a small fire in its place and not much else. “Ms. Tano, it is a pleasure to see a familiar and friendly face, but even from behind.” She heard the words and spun right into an embrace with her old master, forcing him to drop the bucket of water he had been carrying.
✦
Kowani had followed the Weequay up one street, down three alleys and into the back lot of a starship parts dealer, sufficiently far enough away so as not to attract unwanted attention but determined to see where this man was heading and for what purpose as he was carrying a holochip of Ahsoka. He had slowed down and settled on an overturned crate as he retrieved the holochip and sat down to inspect the image. In all her glory, Ahsoka’s head spun slowly counterclockwise from the emitter chip in his hand, lines of text appearing at either side and underneath that Kowani was too far away to read. It was then that her commlink chimed loudly, too loudly she thought, and Dak was at the other end.
“Ani, I just received word that Jedha city has been destroyed. We believe Saw was either involved or was a casualty as neither he, nor any of his crew are responding!” He crackled in.
“What? By what…. why?” Kowani attempted to ask as her emotions took hold.
“We don't know, there aren’t any details, a spacer just said it was completely destroyed.” he crackled in again.
“All right, I appreciate it Dak, let me know if you have any other information.” She said, wanting to keep things as short as possible. Jedha destroyed? For what purpose, there was nothing there but what the Empire was already confiscating. “Here and now Ani,” she said to herself. She had pulled herself back around the corner to receive the comm and peaked back around afterwards to continue her efforts with the Weequay. He was gone!
“Looking for someone?” a voice behind her questioned.
‘Nope not gone, moved.’ She thought to herself.
✦
“Gracious young one, do you realize what a commodity it is that lay in a puddle at your feet?” Obi-wan said after letting go of his own embrace. Ahsoka, looking down took his meaning.
“My apologies master, I can get you more.” Ahsoka admonished herself.
“No need, no need, please come in, we have much to discuss and little time.” Obi-wan ushered her forth through the door. It was just as sparsely furnished as she had thought.
“Want for nothing, is that right Master?” She said.
“I have no need for more than what I want, which currently, is what I have.” He replied.
“Master…” Ahsoka started.
“First, I need to tell you something.” Obi-wan cut her off “I wish to apologize for my actions twenty-four years ago. I would for the Council as well, but I and Yoda are all that remain. I am sure he will likely wish to share the same sentiment.”
“Master, it’s not nec….” Ahsoka began again.
“But it is young lady. Even now, you embody all that we sought to be Ahsoka. Your courage, integrity, honesty, intuition, vibrance, fortitude and resilience have always served you well, even when we did not.” He looked down for a moment. “Had the council listened to you, there is no telling what may have changed, maybe nothing, but it was the lessons we thought we were teaching that in turn we hadn’t learned ourselves.” He brought his gaze back up to look her in the eyes. “The rolls are quite reversed I must say and have been ever since you walked away from the temple.” Ahsoka gave that a minute to register.
“Master, apologies are gracious, but you don’t need to lecture me on the misgivings of the council or even the Jedi in general. Adhering to a code is what turned the Jedi themselves into just another senate for debate and lecture. That wasn't anyone’s call to make. The Jedi served the Republic, and in that they chose poorly. Had the Jedi served the force alone, there wouldn’t have been need for war at all. There wouldn’t have been any need for the council itself either and that is where humility was lost. Humility and respect for the force Master Kenobi.” It felt good for her to say.
Sitting down, Obi-wan’s gaze ventured out a mud caked opening Ahsoka took for a window, and he didn’t say anything for a while.
“I have no argument with that assessment Ahsoka, you are absolutely right.” He said finally.
“Master, it is my stance, and has been for over 20 years, it isn’t about being right or wrong, good, or bad, righteous, or evil, its finding the balance within the force itself. Something like that cannot be guided, influenced, or judged.” She said, her tone changing to sadness at the end.
“You could not have saved him Ahsoka, no one could, not even himself.” Obi-wan said quickly, understanding her dejection as he turned to face her again, placing an open palm over his knee for support. “I pleaded with him on Mustafar Ahsoka, pleaded, but his mind was already made up in that even Padme had betrayed him.” He took a deep breath.
“If this is about Padme, I already know.” She cut in.
“It’s about more than Padme Ahsoka. It’s about perspective. It’s about legacy, and a prophecy fulfilled.” Obi-wan stated. “You, Anakin and I have a unique perspective on many things…” he let the words trail off into the thoughts that gave them birth and fell silent for a long moment. Exhaling dramatically, he turned his gaze once again to the opening in the wall, the setting suns bathing the room in an orange glow. “What do you remember of the Chrelythiumn system Ahsoka?”
She had not expected the question whatsoever. Appreciative that his attention was focused away from her, she straightened her contorted features back into a semblance of normality, giving her mind a moment to compose an answer. Images that had drifted in and out of dream, dancing forever within the realm of her subconscious. She remembered seasonal changes within the span of footsteps, choices made that she couldn’t control. She remembered limitless power and the engulfing tide of satisfying greed, a forced channel for unbearable amounts of anger and hatred, but she also remembered the blinding rays of light that had obliterated her insatiable thirst for destruction and annihilation. A nurturing peace that had washed away the hunger for power, leaving her the vessel of its blessing. Obi-wan swung his gaze from the window slowly to ensure she had heard the question. Ahsoka crossed her arms before her chest and walked closer the window, narrowing her eyes as she passed him by. She stared from the orange, dried mud frame out toward the beauty of the day’s final light. “Master…. I remember everything.” She said as she turned her head over her shoulder.
“I thought as much, although I do not think it was their intent that we depart with memory intact. I only ask because I understood the trials, we had witnessed had led me to believe in the chosen one wholly, where before I had my doubts. Anakin made up his own mind and chose his own path. The light still resides within him but it’s a conflict I don’t think he even knows how to overcome.” Obi-wan stated, omitting his true understanding.
“Master, you mentioned legacy?” Ahsoka said, dismissing the thought of Anakin again as she turned to face him.
“Yes, his children. Luke and Leia.” Obi-wan said, not sensing surprise of any sort from her.
“I have spent some amount of time with Leia Master. She has become quite a force in her own right. Bail tried to contain his ruse but relented some time ago. She is strong in the force, very strong.” Ahsoka admitted. “What of Luke?”
“He has been my charge for the last 20 years.” Obi-wan stated.
“What…. here?” Ahsoka was surprised. “Why…. here?”
“Can you think of no place better?” Obi-wan almost laughed. “This is the last place Anakin would look, even if he knew of his existence. Do you know what this place holds for him Ahsoka?”
“Only through pieces of conversation from years past.” Ahsoka said.
“Ahsoka, this is his home...or was his home. The anger in him was ignited through fear. My master took him in, compelled to follow his instincts in that Anakin was the chosen one. He was the chosen one but only for the part he played in what would become the legacy, but it all started with losing his mother. It happened not far from where you now sit Ahsoka and is exactly the reason he will not come back here. His son, Luke, is close.” Obi-wan finished staring out the window again.
Ahsoka thought on that for a few minutes, asserting to herself that it made sense and why Obi-wan has been difficult, if not impossible, to sense. He had closed himself off from the force to protect the boy. But then… “How were you able to train him having been cut off Master?” She asked matter of fact, assuming that Luke was just as force sensitive as Leia.
“I have not trained him Ahsoka.” Obi-wan admitted after a long moment.
She ran through the spectrum of emotions at that statement. Anger welled instantly, replaced by confusion and sadness. Obi-wan watched and waited with patience, as he could see her sincerely struggling with the fact. Ahsoka was beginning to piece things together to make her mind see the whole. Her own point of view clouded, knowing Anakin as intimately as she did, and had struggled to remove her opinion from her thought process. “I understand to a point Master, but leaving so much to fate can have severe consequences. Unless of course he has no sense of the force in him.” She muttered looking at the floor.
“Ahsoka, I have been privy to many of the most powerful force sensitive beings this galaxy has ever seen. None of them compared to what I’ve sensed surrounding Luke, including his father, however he doesn’t know of it.” Obi-wan said.
“All the more reason for my confusion to return than Master. Why wouldn’t you at least reach out to him to guide him in some regard?” Her anger returning. “His mind would reel at being exposed to so much truth all at once if he chose to look inward. Master, I feel it is irresponsible to leave him so exposed!” Ahsoka said rising to her feet. “You’ve fated him to die at the hands of those looking to take from him that which he doesn’t even know he possess!” She finished.
“Ahsoka, please sit. Do you not think I have thought of that? Does all the gray that graces my head and beard count for nothing? Think Ahsoka. You and I had the galaxy at our feet, albeit through arrogance, but an arrogance bred from the knowledge of tens of thousands of Jedi with a foothold or presence on every planet. Consigning children away from families they would never know to follow a doctrine of our own creation to, in turn, enforce or mediate measures of peace, while adding to our knowledge base. Any future the Jedi may have ultimately will lie with these siblings. We cannot doom that future before it even shows itself by continuing dogma.” Obi-wan was almost scolding.
Ahsoka paced back and forth to the window with her arms crossed in front of her. She knew he was right. That force sensitive beings across the galaxy went untrained for many reasons was nothing new to her. She thought of Thabeska and her own inability to guide young Hedala or see to it that someone else could. Her mind racing as guilt was beginning to overwhelm her. Why would the Fardi child be any different than the son of Anakin? But even Obi-wan was sensing something different in the two, Luke specifically. “Master, I do understand, to a degree. I’ve had to make similar decisions in the past.” She paused for a long moment staring out at the setting suns. Without turning to Obi-wan she finished, “It’s the importance you’ve, rightly, placed in Luke’s hands to fulfill a legacy he doesn't even know he’s a part of that troubles me.