Hi guys! May I present Chapter 2 of my latest project! Read and Review!
…...
Master and Padawan arrived at the loading dock, watching the sky lighten over the horizon as they awaited the transport. Anakin scrolled through the notes on his datapad, while Ahsoka stood bleary-eyed at his side. She let out an enormous yawn, clutching her bag in one hand and a to-go cup of tea in the other.
"Tired, Snips?" He asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.
"Just a little. I went to sleep later than usual...What time did they say they were picking us up?"
"I think she said…." As he began to answer her, a ship broke away from the traffic in the sky, easing into the loading bay and landing in front of them. "...right about now." She gave him an incredulous look, raising an eye marking at him.
"You had no idea, did you?"
"I had a fairly good idea...that...they would be here...sometime…" He trailed off as his Padawan rolled her eyes and straightened the strap on her shoulder. The ramp to the ship lowered, revealing Captain Antilles, striding toward them with a set smile and arms crossed stoutly behind his back.
"General Skywalker, Padawan Tano, good morning to you both. Are you ready for departure?"
"Yes, Captain. All set." Anakin nodded to the captain, turning to Ahsoka.
"Ready?" Although she was sipping from her cup, she nodded in confirmation, and obediently followed her master into the hull of the ship.
They entered the seating area, where the rest of the senators sat comfortably across from each other. Ahsoka recognized each of the senators as she passed. Senator Mothma sat in her chair, crocheting a small piece of pink fabric. She gave the girl a small smile as she took her seat next to her Master. Senators Organa and Farr were quietly chatting a few seats down from them, barely acknowledging the presence of the Jedi. Deep in conversation, the lines in Organa's head creased in concentration as he listened to Senator Farr, who spoke in urgent whispers. Senator Amidala sat directly in front of the pair, smiling as the two Jedi took their seats.
"Greetings, Master Jedi. I thank you for accompanying us on this trip." Senator Organa greeted them as they took their seats.
"It's our pleasure, Senator." Ahsoka acknowledged politely, strapping herself into the chair. As she clipped the restraint into place, she noticed her master whispering under his breath to Senator Amidala.
"How long is this flight, exactly?"
"A couple of hours, at least. Just try to make yourself comfortable."
"Check." He said, a smirk discreetly set on his lips. Ahsoka merely chose to ignore it, quelling the urge to roll her eyes. Captain Antilles reappeared from the cockpit, gaining the attention of all in the room.
"Senators, we are beginning our departure. I ask that you please remain in your seats until we have left the atmosphere." Multiple 'thank you's' echoed off of the durasteel walls, and with that the Captain left them to return to the cockpit. All of the senators had already strapped in, and with the addition of the Jedi, they were ready to depart for the planet Bharati.
…
Multiple hours had passed without incident, now that the passengers had been allowed to roam the ship freely. Anakin was more than content to sit and talk with Padme for the duration of the flight, but in the interest of his Padawan, he conceded to playing a game of holochess with her. She was quite good; her nimble fingers expertly guided her monsters to and fro across the board, dodging his attacks and gaining ground one square at a time.
Of course, Ahsoka didn't possess years of experience as a military strategist, and he planned to use it to his advantage. He smirked, content that his plan had fallen precisely into place- over the course of several moves, he had created the illusion that his pawns were set to batter her defenses and force his way through. But in reality, he had moved his most disposable pawns onto a course of self-destruction and therefore, tricked her into doing the same. This clever move left her most valuable pieces defenseless. He angled his holographic pawns, gearing them up to strike, when Padme reappeared from the hallway. She had taken one look at the board, and calmly crouched down to whisper to Ahsoka. Her eyes widened, and a mischievous grin played on her lips. With her next turn, she turned a pawn back and blocked the path of his monster, rendering his plan useless and putting his attacking piece in jeopardy.
"Hey, that's not fair. She told you exactly what to do!" He argued, casting a glance at the senator, feigning innocence.
"What can I say? She's brilliant at this game." In a move that took him completely by surprise, Ahsoka stationed her monster past their blockades of respective pawns, and her holographic monster held his ringleader in his jaws.
"Checkmate." She said, sitting back and crossing her arms laxly across her chest. "I'd pay to see you and Senator Amidala play against each other."
"I'm afraid there won't be time." They turned to look at Captain Antilles, who addressed them in his usual professional manner. "We are making the preparations to exit hyperspace and enter the atmosphere." Raising his voice to address the rest of the senators, he added "If you would be so kind as to take your seats, ladies and gentlemen, we will begin our descent into the atmosphere."
One by one the senators complied with his request, each taking their respective seats and securing the safety straps. Ahsoka gazed out the window, mesmerized with the streaming colors of hyperspace. She noticed the familiar sensation of the ship's hyperdrive shutting down, and with a slight jolt, the ship entered the orbit of Bharati. At her first glance at the new planet, she immediately noticed the abundance of water that stretched across the planet. It was a vast, oceanus planet, coupled with immense stretches of green. But what stood out to her the most was the dystopian mass the ship was headed for. The lights of the city shone so brightly, they could be seen from space. Ahsoka turned around, hoping to gain the attention of her master and show him the view she had, but she noticed he was deep in conversation with Senator Organa.
Moments later, the ship entered the atmosphere of the planet, gliding smoothly over the outskirts of the city. Ahsoka noted with humor that it was the first time in quite a while that she had entered the atmosphere of another planet without their ship being engulfed in flames. With practiced ease, they flew onwards, gently losing altitude as they descended into the planet's capital, Kiandis. The idle chatter of the Senators immediately ceased, each turning to catch glimpses of the city's extravagant capital. The buildings and the ships that filled the streets of the city gave Ahsoka the impression that this planet was very, very wealthy.
Their rudimentary tour of the city was cut short, however, as the ship landed in its allotted spot in the main hangar of the palace. Quickly undoing her seatbelt, Ahsoka grasped her satchel and secured her cloak, concealing her lightsabers as she was told, and followed her Master and the senators out of the hull. Descending the ramp, she was surprised to see people running to and fro, carrying the luggage from the cargo hold toward the palace. Turning her attention back to her master, she was met with the downcast eyes and outstretched hands of a servant, requesting to take her bag. Ahsoka looked startled, but didn't want to insult the servant, handing over her bag reluctantly. Not once did the servant make eye contact with her, but she nodded her thanks and dashed off. She shrugged, figuring that the poor girl was just trying to do her job, and realized that none of the senators still possessed their things. The only person who still had his luggage was Anakin, who had bluntly refused the offer of the servant, content to carry his bag by himself. The party was met by the captain of the royal guard, his face concealed by his helmet.
"Welcome to Bharati. May I please escort you to your rooms?" The senators chatted amongst themselves, as Captain Antilles spoke to the Bharatiian captain.
"I suppose they're used to this sort of treatment..." Ahsoka whispered to her master, in an attempt at a joke. However, she realized that he was deep in conversation with Padme. Her eyes looked directly into Anakin's, concerned and serious. She spoke in a low, even tone, as one would speak to a threatening animal. Her master, she realized with a startling revelation, held a look of disgust and contempt as she spoke to him.
However, she had little more time to dwell on it as the party was guided into the palace. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Padme hung at the back of the group. With a final calming phrase spoken to him, Padme placed her hand in his shoulder tenderly before rejoining the senators ahead of them.
The Padawan was completely in awe of the palace, boasting countless corridors filled with expensive-looking chandeliers, lavish furnishings, and each wall tastefully decorated with priceless art. The extravagance of the palace went practically unnoticed by the other senators, who continued to casually chat back and forth.
"Disgusting, isn't it?" Ahsoka was surprised at her master's tone as he spoke to her, sounding as if he was greatly upset. "Do they have any idea how many people could be fed with the money even one room of this palace is worth?"
"I suppose that's true…" She conceded, coming to a stop behind the senators as they were led down a hallway to the side and ushered into a spacious lift. She gazed at her master, standing rigidly and tense, as they were pulled up through the palace. Why is he so upset? She closed her eyes, searching for any clues behind the feelings of anger coming from her master. He must have felt her presence in his mind, because he grasped her hand, hidden from the others by her cloak.
"I'm okay, Snips." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Thanks though."
The lift came to a slow stop, allowing them to exit and continue walking through the enormous palace. At last, they came to a stop in the middle of a hallway, several doors aligning on either side. One by one they were shown to their rooms, until the door was opened for Ahsoka by a servant, as the one across the hall was opened for her master.
She bid her thanks and entered the room, finding her satchel hanging on a small rack. In amazement, she realized that all of her belongings had been unpacked, folded, and put away neatly in the wardrobe adjacent to the bed. Even her dress hung neatly, protected by its shield, and a pair of matching flats sat below it. She realized that Padme must have mentioned to somebody that they were hers, although they were more adequately transported along with Padme's luggage. Ahsoka was impressed by how thorough the servants were, and the attention that they had paid to make sure their guests were as comfortable as possible. Especially in the short time it had taken them to arrive, Ahsoka was impressed.
Without the task of unpacking to do, she decided to take a shower in the attached bathroom. Walking through the door, she was shocked at the lavish bathroom and all of its features. This bathroom was bigger than her room at the temple! She knew that the Jedi had no use for such extravagant material items, but in contrast to the small, practical refreshers she was used to, this one was bursting with extravagance.
Moments later, she stepped into the cascade of warm water, and was taken aback by how many types of soaps, shampoos, and various cosmetics lined the walls. Choosing a floral-decorated vial, she let the sweet smell fill her nose. Such fancy luxuries, even in the showers, reminded her of what her master had said about the palace earlier. Perhaps it was a waste of money, but Ahsoka couldn't deny that it was nice. Life in the Jedi temple certainly did not prepare her for the petty luxuries Kiandis had to offer.
After stepping out of the shower and redressing, she decided to speak to her master. He had tried to deny it, but Ahsoka knew him well enough to know when he was upset. Perhaps after getting the chance to settle, he would be in a better mood. However, upon him opening the door, Ahsoka realized that she was sorely mistaken.
"Hey, Snips. What's up?" He said, without any sort of emotion in his voice.
"Just wanted to see that you'd settled in ok," she said. "That and there's a few hours to kill before dinner and I have no idea what to do."
"I'm in the same boat. Do you want to take a walk?" She nodded, and they set off down the hallway.
The two walked down the halls, finding an exit to the palace easily. They approached one of the palace's many gardens, every bush and tree perfectly manicured. Ahsoka approached the stone railing, placing her arms on the textured stone and staring out at the city below.
"Pretty, huh?" She said to her master, standing a few paces behind her with his arms crossed.
"I s'pose," he said with a shrug. Ahsoka frowned, turning towards him to look directly at him.
"Master, what's wrong? You've been in a bad mood since we got here." He opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it. She obviously knew that he was upset, and it was only a matter of time until she found out why. It was just as well that she found out from him.
"I'm sorry, Snips. I can't stand this palace, or the people for that matter. If I had known how they prosper, enslaving those who can't fight back, I would have never agreed to this mission. These people let their greed control them while their people suffer...it's shameful. No government built on the backs of slaves deserves my respect."
His eyes seemed to look beyond her, off into the distant city. She followed his gaze, intent to see what exactly he was looking at. She peered over the skyline, mesmerized by all of the twinkling lights, when she noticed her masters distraction: farther along, past the lights of the city lay a corner shrouded in shadow. She realized how run-down and poor the slum looked.
"Do you see it?" She nodded silently, as her master approached from behind. "If you look past all the gold, you can see the suffering it was sculpted from."
Ahsoka nodded, solemnly, before glancing to her master's new position beside her. He had taken a place on the railing, staring out at the city with an expression Ahsoka couldn't quite read.
"I suppose for the senators I have to be nice, though." She chuckled, grateful that he had decided to lighten the mood.
"Agreed."
…..
Thank you everybody for reading on this far! Currently I am on a plane to Germany, so I won't be able to publish this formally for a while. Plus, I still need to think of a title! Also, in case any of you were wondering, I'm currently pouring most of my energy into this story and Coming Down With Something, but if you have any requests to work on my other projects, I'd be grateful to know what everybody is interested in! Read and review, as always! Much love!