Ahsoka shoots the equivalent of a bucket of cold water down the Force bond. When she feels Anakin gasping awake she sends a comlink, nowmessage too and fumbles through her gear until she finds the hologram comlink that's attached to her gauntlet. She calls Anakin and yawns as she waits for him to pick up.

"Ugh," Ahsoka groans. She winces and closes her eyes against the bright light of Anakin's hologram.

"Ah…Ahsoka?" Anakin asks, just as groggy as she is. His voice is still thick with sleep.

"Uh, what…what the hell was all that?" Ahsoka asks. "You're sending me visions now?"

"Oh no." Anakin pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, Snips. I didn't mean to send you that."

"I think you owe me some answers," Ahsoka says. Anakin looks blearily up at her. "What's going on?"

"It's complicated."

"And I'm a smart girl. Master, let me help you."

The both of them stare at each other for a long moment, each thinking that it's too damn early for this kind of thing. Anakin sighs.

"Padmé told you of our marriage, right?"

"Yeah. Congratulations," Ahsoka says. Anakin gives her a brief, tired smile.

"She's pregnant."

"Okay that, I didn't know." Ahsoka leaps up, joy spreading across her face. "More congratulations, Skyguy!"

"Thanks, but," Anakin's chuckle dissolves into a frown and he says, "I've been having visions about her dying. She's crying and screaming and in pain. I don't wanna lose another person, Snips. I can't lose Padmé, I don't think I could stand it."

"It'll be okay," Ahsoka says. "As for the vision, is Padmé in childbirth? I hear that's supposed to be painful."

"Yeah, and she says that she'll be fine, but I can't help but worry."

"Have you talked to her about any this?"

"Not yet," Anakin says, looking guilty.

"I don't understand, Padmé's your wife. Aren't married people supposed to talk to each other?"

"That's what I've heard too," Anakin says, as dry as Tatooine.

"Although," Ahsoka pauses to gather her thoughts. "The last time I had visions of Padmé in danger, it was because of an assassin."

Anakin gapes. "But my visions were of her dying in childbirth!"

"It could be induced labor because of an assassination attempt. Senator Onaconda was poisoned, remember? And I don't mean to be scary, but pregnant women are kind of easy targets."

"Hmm." Anakin strokes his chin in thought. "That's a good point. Padmé's finds herself in danger a lot and it wouldn't stop just because of her condition. I'll have to talk to her about what we should do. Thanks, Ahsoka."

"No problem, Master."

"Now, let's talk about your visions."

"Huh?"

"Force bonds are two-way streets, remember? You got some of mine and I got some of yours."

Ahsoka sighs. "I've had the most terrible vision. It was about the Jedi Temple. There was smoke and fire."

"That doesn't sound like the Jedi Temple."

"This is the second time I've had this vision. I think it means something."

"You might be right. I'll bring it up to the Council and see if anything can be done. Let me know if you see other visions too, okay?"

"Yeah. And I could tell you the same thing. Do you think going to the Council will even work?"

"It should. I'm on the Council now."

"Get out!" Ahsoka grins. "You're a nerd now, Skyguy!"

"Hey, that's Master Nerd to you, Snips. But it's strange."

"What's strange?"

"They didn't give me the rank of Master. And they want me to spy on the Chancellor."

"I'm sorry," Ahsoka says. If she had stayed and become a Jedi Knight, Anakin would have been eligible to become a Master.

"Don't worry about it."

"If it helps, it does sound like something the Council would do. What are you going to do about the Chancellor?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm starting to see what you meant by not having the Council trust you."

"It's not a good feeling."

"It's not." Anakin sighs and rubs his face. "Hmm. Before I forget, nice shirt."

"This?" Ahsoka picks at the collar of her oversized t-shirt. "Oh no, it's Riyo's. Shut up."

Anakin doesn't bother hiding his grin. "I didn't say anything."

R7 landed the ship right on the temple doorstep. Magnus sits halfway down the open entry ramp, absolutely at ease in the raging blizzard outside. He pulls a beanie over his ears and short hair against the wind and pulls a cigarette and lighter from his pocket.

Riyo stands next to him on the ramp, a blanket around her shoulders. She gathers her long, light purple hair in her hands and quickly braids it to keep it from flying everywhere in the storm.

"We're standing on the edge of the galaxy," Riyo whispers. Magnus lights up beside her. "If we could see it—we can't because of the blizzard—but if we could, we'd see it arc across the sky." Riyo gestures straight up. "A stream of stars, like grains of sand. Shame we can't see it."

"It'd look like the sky on Pantora, then." Magnus takes a drag. The lit tip of his cigarette is a beacon in the dark. When he exhales, the wind whips the smoke away. "Different, 'cause of the angle, but similar."

"That's true."

Magnus offers Riyo the cigarette, but she shakes her head.

"Good," he says. "Never start. It's a waste of credits."

"So you do it because you hate money?"

"I do it because I'm old and my lungs have had their fun," Magnus says. He holds the cigarette away and flicks off the ash at the end. "Nah, it passed the time while I was in the trench. Too late to stop now."

"Do all soldiers smoke?"

"All of them my age. Don't know about Titon's generation though. Might be different for those boys."

The two of them fall into a moment of silence while Magnus takes another drag.

"You still love that girl, Riyo," Magnus says. It's not a question, and they both immediately know who he's talking about. "Even now, after all this time. It's plain as the tats on your face."

"I'm doing all this for her because she deserves better, not because she'll owe me," Riyo whispers. "It's the right thing to do."

"I'm going to watch you break your own heart into pieces, aren't I?"

Riyo gives him a sad smile. "I'll be fine. And when that happens then we'll deal with it then."

"Mmm." But Magnus doesn't sound all that convinced.

"Do you think that maybe you can take me on a Snow Walk while we're on Pantora? I've never been on one before." Riyo asks. Magnus warily looks up at her.

"A young woman's first Snow Walk should be with her father."

"I know. That's why I'm asking you."

Magnus seems thrown, and his usual pokerface melts away into open wonder.

"I'd be honored," he says. Pretty soon, the two of them are grinning at each other like a couple of idiots.

"Hah!" Magnus allows himself a small chuckle. "Wait 'till the lads hear about this."

R7 sets himself just at the top of the ramp, his joints and servos rattling against each other from the cold. He oohs at Ahsoka, who pulls her parka over her head and lets it drape over her body. Riyo clears her throat and Magnus's usual passive expression settles back over his face.

"You got us really close," Ahsoka says to the droid. Just beyond the end of the ramp, half-hidden in the gloom, is the frozen pad that marks the entrance of the Jedi Temple.

Too late, Ahsoka asks herself if she should even be here. What is she hoping to find here anyway?

Riyo finishes braiding her hair and ties off the end with a band. She turns to Ahsoka and finds her staring out at the pad.

"Ahsoka?" she asks. "What's wrong?"

"I shouldn't be here," Ahsoka says. "I'm not a Jedi anymore."

"In my experience, the instant the Gods abandon you, you die." Behind Riyo, Magnus gives a vague grunt of agreement. She weighs Ahsoka's hands in hers and continues. "You're still here, Ahsoka. The Force can't have abandoned you yet, so don't you turn your back on It."

"Okay. Right. You're right."

Riyo gives Ahsoka's hands one last squeeze before she lets go. Ahsoka straightens up, takes a deep breath, and walks past her to the pad.

One last visit then. One last pilgrimage to a Temple so that she can say goodbye. The pad is firm and smooth under her boots, much different than the give of snow. Ahsoka lets the Force well up in her body, and it burgeons within her as if water behind a dam. She reaches up and unleashes it all on the great rocky wall that protects the Temple of Ilum.

The wall is hundreds of feet tall, rivaling the height of some Coruscanti skyscrapers, and it's more than a dozen feet thick. One padawan couldn't move it, and several padawan could barely get it to budge, but a Force-wielder who commands the power equivalent to a Jedi Knight's, the kind of power that Ahsoka now brings to bear on the great wall, that makes it groan and shift and slide down in a great cloud of frost, revealing the entrance of the temple.

Magnus's cigarette falls from his lips and bounces apart on the ramp. Riyo pulls her blanket tighter around herself and covers her mouth with a hand.

"I'll be back soon," Ahsoka shouts over the wind at them so that they can hear her. She waves, then trudges across the snow into the temple.

The temple is just as impressive as Ahsoka remembers, a veritable cathedral to the Light Side of the Force. Somehow, even though the door is opened, the howling wind outside is muted and instead, what echoes around the temple is the sound of Ahsoka's breath and the crunch of ice under her boots.

There's an elaborate sunlight-catching device built into the ceiling of the temple, but sunrise won't be for a few days yet. Ahsoka will just have to get through the thick sheet of ice in some other way. If she should break in. She closes her eyes and reaches out to the Force and while It doesn't seem to regard her as a trespasser, It still feels a little…off, like It's not sure what to make of her. Since It doesn't seem to reject her outright, however, she decides to stay.

She makes her way up the steps to the ice, which is almost clear enough to be mistaken for glass. She inhales, drops into a stance, and throws a combination of punches.

CRACK CRACK CRUNCH. Ahsoka's punches are bolstered by the power of the Force, and the thick ice wall splinters and breaks under the attack. Chunks of ice scatter over the temple floor and after a few more combinations, she's made a hole big enough for her to slip through. Ahsoka climbs through and drops catlike on her feet on the other side. When she straightens up, she finds herself in a dark, freezing cave. She walks deeper into the cave, looking for that tell-tale glimmer of light from a crystal. After a few minutes of this, she's startled by a noise behind her.

"Tano," someone says. Ahsoka whirls around to see Asajj Ventress.

"You!" she shouts. Asajj sniffs.

"Rude. I thought we were acquaintances at the very least. And you still owe me a pardon, by the way."

"Oh. Right."

"You didn't talk to the Jedi yet?"

"I quit the Jedi Order."

Asajj stares. "Huh. What the hell are you doing in here then?"

"Me? I should be asking you that question! How did you even find this place?" Ahsoka asks. Asajj stares down at her. "Right, Count Dooku was once a Jedi too."

"Sounds like you have a brain after all." Asajj steps past Ahsoka and leads the way deeper into the cave. "You should use it more often."

Asajj's verbal jabs roll off of Ahsoka like water off a Gungan's back. "Why are you here?" she asks.

The bridge of Asajj's nose wrinkles, as if she's smelled something awful. "Because I got mugged by your friend, Offee, and now I'm in need of a lightsaber." The two of them come to a fork in the cave and they stop. "Or did you forget that I got punished for helping you out?"

Ahsoka winces. "Sorry. A lot of things have happened since then."

"So you said. And you're having trouble adapting."

"How…how did you know?"

"Because you're like me."

Ahsoka recoils. "How are we anything alike?"

"First off, you can stop being so insulting, brat. Second, the both of us have been betrayed and abandoned by our respective masters. I've been exactly where you are and I know just how poodoo it really is."

"You have a point."

"Let me ask you something before you run off and get lost in this forsaken place. I'm not a Sith anymore, but does that make me a Jedi?"

"Oh wow, no. No it doesn't."

"Don't worry, Tano," Asajj says dryly, "the feeling is mutual. Next question: you're not a Jedi anymore; does that make you a Sith?"

Ahsoka opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

"Try not to hurt yourself over that," Asajj says. She smirks and saunters down one of the paths, disappearing from sight. Ahsoka grips the front of her parka, and can't help but think of the last time she saw Mechanic. She goes down the other end of the fork and keeps looking. She ignores the tiny feeling at the back of her head, like she's forgetting something.

"Ahsoka?" someone rasps behind her. Ahsoka turns to find Riyo, stumbling into view from around the bend. "Oof!"

"Riyo!" Ahsoka goes to her and steadies her. "What are you doing in here?"

"I just…you were taking a while, so I came in to check on you," Riyo whispers. "I saw the hole you made. Am I not supposed to be here? I'm sorry."

"No, actually, that's…okay. You're okay." Ahsoka thinks about Asajj wandering around in the other part of the cave and wonders who the hell else is in here. "Apparently, this is the place to be tonight. Just stick close to me, okay?"

"Of course." Riyo sounds incredibly relieved and Ahsoka doesn't blame her. These caves are spooky and dark.

Ahsoka and Riyo fall into step with each other, and as they walk, Riyo's hand curls around Ahsoka's arm so that she won't lose her.

"Aren't Jedi Caves supposed to be filled with crystals?" Riyo asks.

"Well, these caves are full of crystals," Ahsoka says, "but a person can only see the ones that are meant for them."

"So that's why I can't see any? That makes me feel better."

"The first time I came here, I was worried that I wouldn't see anything either. Like what if I didn't get any crystal at all, and then what kind of Jedi would I be?"

"But you found one."

"Yeah." But would she find one this time? Ahsoka reaches out to the Force once again, and finds It still distant and cold, but It watches her closely.

They turn with the bend and come out into an extravagant, shining cavern. The floor is as smooth as the surface of a frozen pond, and stalactites hang from the high ceiling. Riyo gasps and steps out to the middle of the floor, careful not to slip.

"It's beautiful," she whispers.

"Yeah." An easy smile spreads over Ahsoka's face as she watches Riyo gawk, glad that at least one of them is enjoying their trip in these caves. She steps out to join her.

"Do you see any crystals in here?" Riyo asks. Ahsoka looks around and frowns.

"Unfortunately, no, just reflections and stuff. It looks like there's another way out there though." Ahsoka points at another few tunnels on the other side of the cavern. "It might be in one of those."

"Ahsoka. Riyo." Both of them freeze and turn to find Barriss Offee, clad in dark robes and blocking the way they came before. Ahsoka's eyes narrow and she steps in front of Riyo, shielding her.

"What are you doing here?" Ahsoka asks. It seems she's been asking that a lot today.

"Waiting for you, of course," Barriss says. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up in this place, lightsaber-less as you are."

"But you were arrested. You're awaiting trial."

A wrinkle of disappointment appears between Barriss's brows. "You really thought a Republic prison could hold me? You should know better than that, Ahsoka."

"What do you want from me?" Ahsoka asks.

Barriss reaches out to her. "Come with me."

For one instant, Ahsoka's overcome with a profound sense of loss. She stares at the thin hand, then looks back up at her former friend. "No, Barriss."

Barriss frowns. "Can't, or won't?"

"Either. Both. You can choose."

Barriss's hand falls to her side and she closes her eyes. "I had hoped," she whispers, but doesn't finish her thought. When she next opens her eyes, her gaze is iron. Her stolen lightsabers fly into her palms and they ignite in angry beams of red.

SHVOOM.

Riyo gasps and Ahsoka turns to her.

"Run!"

"Where to?"

"Away from here!" Ahsoka hisses. Riyo takes off, leaving Ahsoka free to focus on Barriss.

"I am offering you something better than anything the Jedi Council could ever give you," Barriss says. The lightsabers cast shadows on her face.

"I'm not…you're Sith! I'm not Sith," Ahsoka says. Disbelief flickers through Barriss's eyes.

"You sure about that?" she asks. She looks past Ahsoka to where Riyo went. "Maybe you just need some persuasion?"

"Nope!" Ahsoka pushes with the Force and Barriss slides back over the stone floor. In order to keep her footing, she jabs the tips of the lightsabers into the floor, making the ice hiss as it evaporates and leaving furrows of melted stone.

CRACK. Ahsoka reaches up and breaks off the oversized stalactites from the ceiling with the Force, then throws them at Barriss. Barriss slices through the ice and rock with a few expert strokes and sends the pieces back at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka banishes what she can, and dodges what she can't. Her movements are minimalistic, letting shards of ice and stone whistle past her head to smash against the wall behind her. She falls into a rhythm. Banish, dodge, push. Banish, dodge, push. It's not going to defeat Barriss at all, but Ahsoka's not going to win unless Barriss makes a mistake, and if she's right, Barriss has been short on patience lately.

"Enough!" Barriss shouts, and Ahsoka sees her chance. She inhales, takes a step, and sends a Force uppercut into Barriss's jaw. Barriss's head snaps back and the lightsabers fall from her hands. She staggers, but remains upright. When she recovers, she's alone in the cavern.

Ahsoka is running through the caves as fast as she can. Always faster. She cannot run fast enough.

"Riyo?" she calls. "Riyo! Oof!" She turns the corner and runs into someone.

"Ahsoka! Whoa!" Riyo grips Ahsoka's arms to keep herself from sprawling onto the ground. When they collided, Riyo just bounced off of Ahsoka as if she weighed nothing.

"You haven't left?" Ahsoka asks.

"I tried! This place is like a maze," Riyo whispers.

"AHSOKA!" Barriss's scream echoes through the cave.

"Go!" Ahsoka says. "Go, go, go!"

They run and judging from the sounds of slashing lightsabers and rage, Barriss is not far behind them. The caves twist and turn and drop out from under their feet. They slide down a steep incline on loose pebbles and when they reach the bottom, Ahsoka pulls Riyo into a deep alcove off to the side. Ahsoka eases her breathing, pulls back on her presence in the Force, and places a hand over Riyo's mouth. Riyo's trembling, and she grips Ahsoka's arm as if a drowning person on a life line.

A couple seconds later, Barriss slides down the rocky ramp, her lightsabers at the ready. She's breathing heavily, and her yellow eyes burn in the darkness.

"Ahsoka?" Barriss shouts again. When she gets no answer, she huffs and walks away. The sound of her footsteps fade and Ahsoka drops her hand from Riyo's mouth.

"Oh Gods." Riyo covers her eyes with a trembling hand. "What-uh…what now?"

"We have to get out of here," Ahsoka says.

"But you haven't found your crystal yet."

"I'll figure something out."

CRACK. The alcove they're sitting in splinters and falls apart. Dust and fragments of stone fall on them as layers of the ceiling caves in.

"Hurk!" Riyo folds in on herself and grasps at her throat. She's lifted off her feet and she shoots through the ceiling, which has become thin enough for her to break through without snapping her neck.

"Riyo!" Ahsoka raises her arms to block out the newest shower of stone and dust, then launches herself through the hole left behind.

She finds herself back in the cavern, now ruined by her fight with Barriss. Debris is scattered everywhere, great chunks of stone are smashed into the ground, sending great cracks running through it. Riyo lies on the ground at Barriss's feet, dazed, and Barriss herself has put away her lightsabers and watches Riyo with mild interest. The hood of her cloak is up.

"Mild concussion," Barriss mutters to herself. Then, upon noticing Ahsoka, says louder, "she's got a concussion." Riyo tries to get to her feet, but as soon as she rights herself, she tilts to the side and topples over again.

"Barriss!" Ahsoka pulls herself out of the hole and straightens up, doing a very good job of concealing the rising tide of panic in her body. "Leave her alone."

"Ahsoka?" Riyo calls, her voice cracking. Her consonants are slurred. "Help!"

Barriss whips out a hand and throws a black ball at Ahsoka. Ahsoka raises her hands to swat them away with her bare palms, but it explodes, revealing a net made up of thick ropes. She tries to run, but it's too late, the net ensnares her and swoops her off her feet. Ahsoka falls hard on the ground.

"Barriss! Ah!" Ahsoka struggles against the net, only for it to electrocute her. "No! Don't do this."

Barriss stands over Riyo and ignites a lightsaber, making Riyo flinch.

"Ahsoka!"

"Rrrgh!" Ahsoka powers through the electricity in order and tries to lift the net off of her with the Force, then tries to Force Push Barriss away, but it's not working. The Force, who has been a quiet witness all this time, must have found Ahsoka lacking and has finally abandoned her. Ahsoka loses control of her body for a few seconds and she stops struggling.

"Take me instead," Ahsoka shouts.

"I intend to," Barriss says. "But your soul will not save the Senator's."

"Barriss!" Ahsoka struggles against the net once more, and is electrocuted long enough to start smoking. She even gnaws at a rope with her sharp teeth, but it holds firm. She can't do it.

She can't do it.

She must have broadcasted that thought, because Barriss scoffs and says, "a Sith could do it, but you're not Sith, are you?"

A long stream of Mando'a curses fall from Ahsoka's mouth before she slows to a stop, sick with realization.

"I'm sorry, Riyo," Ahsoka whispers, then louder, "I'm so sorry. Just look at me! Just look at me, okay?"

Riyo looks with unfocused eyes. She's shaking so hard, and Ahsoka's heart clenches in desperation.

"Best to do it like taking off a Bacta patch then." Barriss lunges and stabs through Riyo's chest.

"No!" Ahsoka shouts. Riyo reaches up, as if to touch the lightsaber blade, then goes limp. Her head lolls to the side, her eyes closed.

Barriss stomps on the ice, splintering it into large pieces and revealing that part of the cavern floor to really be the surface of a lake. She steps back from Riyo and with a wave of her hand, the piece that she lies on flips over, dunking her body into the water and trapping her underneath. Barriss flicks her wrist and lifts the net off of Ahsoka, freeing her.

"Riyo!" Ahsoka runs over to the upturned ice floe, which is already freezing back into place. The ice is too thick to see through and she can't see clearly through her tears. "No, no, no. Please, no. Don't do this to me." She kneels and presses her palms to the surface, but can't seem to break it.

Ahsoka looks up at the dark hooded figure watching from a distance, and rage wells up, hot and feverish in her chest.

"SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!"

"Are you sure you're not Sith?"

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?"

"Look." Barriss gestures to the cavern around them. The walls shake from the sheer amount of Force that Ahsoka oozes, creating an ominous rumbling. "How glorious. It would be so easy for you."

She takes off her hood, revealing Sithsoka.

"Boo," Sithsoka says. Ahsoka gasps and falls back. Her rage vanishes into confusion, and the cavern eases into silence. She blinks, and the floor returns to its pristine state. The stalactites that she and Barriss were throwing at each other earlier hang once more from the ceiling. There is no hole in the floor and there is no net. Even the furrows that Barriss carved into the floor with her lightsabers have been smoothed over.

"Everything I've seen in here were visions?" Ahsoka asks, still in shock. "Everyone I've seen in here isn't really in here?"

"Did you honestly think that getting your crystal this time around would be as easy as the last time?" Sithsoka asks. "You don't even know if you deserve one."

"N-no. I guess not." Ahsoka says. Exhaustion seeps into her bones and she sits cross-legged on the floor. She sobs. She cries and cries, purging herself of all the fear and tension she's been carrying. She cries out of relief because Riyo isn't dead, but she also cries because she's just seen Riyo die and Force, that's messed up. And the person who was under the hood after all….

Ahsoka grabs a stone off the floor and throws it at Sithsoka, who ducks.

"Whoa!"

"How could you do that to her?" Ahsoka shouts, her teeth clenched and her face still marked by tear tracks. She picks up a couple more stones, but Sithsoka raises her hands in a pacifying gesture.

"Hey, you might see me while we're here in the caves, but I'm still you. You're talking to yourself."

"I would never do that to her," Ahsoka says. "I love her!"

Sithsoka draws back in surprise and Ahsoka pauses as she realizes what she's just said.

"I…." Ahsoka trails off as she thinks. Years of Jedi training can't protect her from the deluge of images that bombard her now. Riyo, when faced with a problem, opens her mouth and proves herself to be thinking in six different directions. Riyo smells like soap and fresh laundry and when she lets her light purple hair down, it cascades down her back and Ahsoka must always quell the urge to run her hands through it. She must resist,because Force, it would seem like such the greatest indulgence and Jedi don't indulge.

"Oh Force, I love Riyo," Ahsoka whispers in awe. She absently wipes her face on her sleeve.

"Really?" Sithsoka asks, unimpressed. "Just like that?"

But Ahsoka doesn't answer, still lost in thought. She takes a shaky breath and looks down where she's seen Riyo fall under the ice. She reminds herself that it was just a vision and she thinks about her other visions about the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

When she finally looks back up at Sithsoka, it's with the hard, searching gaze of someone who has run out of patience, but is too tired to care.

"Go away," Ahsoka says, weary. "I'm done with you."

Sithsoka shrugs and walks out of the cavern. When Ahsoka's sure that she's gone, she closes her eyes to meditate.

"Welcome back."

Ahsoka finds herself in the machine shop again. All the overhead lights are on, and the machines are fixed and ready. All the tools and parts are put away in chests and bins. Raw materials are racked on the wall and even the concrete floor has been resurfaced.

Before her sits Mechanic, who rests her chin on her hand and watches Ahsoka with a soft smile. She looks as exhausted as Ahsoka feels.

"Whoa." Ahsoka gapes as she looks around. "You did all this?"

Mechanic chuckles. "You did! With all the meditation and the whole trip into the temple. That's what happens when you figure things out."

"Wow." Ahsoka's floored.

"I knew you could do it," Mechanic says with a fond smile. Ahsoka's eyes narrow.

"Who are you?"

A mischievous glint shines in Mechanic's eye.

"I'm you," she says, but Ahsoka shakes her head a little. "Not this time. Not while I'm in this temple. What else are you?"

"Well, I'm not sure of what to do with you, that's what I am." Mechanic leans back in her seat and regards Ahsoka with open curiosity. "You're not Jedi."

"I may not be a part of the Order anymore, but I still feel like a Jedi. I don't need permission from the Council to be a good person."

"And yet you have broken into this temple for a kyber crystal." Mechanic spreads her arms wide. Ahsoka ducks her head in shame.

"Old habits die hard."

"This is true. Why should I give you a crystal? I have shown you your worst fears and your reaction was both great and terrible. How am I to know that you will not abuse these gifts should I give them to you?"

Ahsoka thinks it over for a second. "I know I'm not really supposed to be in this temple. I'm not a part of the Order; I'm me, and I can only do my best and hope that it's enough. And yeah, you showed me some awful things today, but you also showed me visions of the Jedi Temple on fire! I don't know how exactly I can help, but I'm going to do something, and I can't do that without a lightsaber. So if you could just please…."

"Please," Mechanic echoes softly, mulling it over. "You know this means you'll have to work harder, right?"

"It'll be worth it," Ahsoka says, and at that, Mechanic gives her a soft smile and holds her hands out to Ahsoka.

"What'cha got there?"

Ahsoka realizes that she's still holding the two stones that she picked up in the cavern. They're smooth and gray, and fit in her palms. She gives them to Mechanic and watches her place them on the tabletop between them. Mechanic hums and pulls her goggles down over her eyes, then hefts a hammer.

"Ready?" she asks. She lifts the hammer high, and brings it down on the stones.

CRACK.

Ahsoka's startled from her meditation when the stones in her hands crumble apart. The pieces fall into her lap, revealing two greenish kyber crystals.

Magnus has gone through two more cigarettes by the time Ahsoka emerges from the temple. He and Riyo don't notice her at first, too engrossed in a conversation about what actually happens on a Snow Walk, but they notice the unearthly groan that the stone slabs make as Ahsoka raises them back up over the entrance of the temple. Riyo stands and brushes the dust off of the seat of her pants.

"How'd you do, Ahsoka?" Magnus calls out for her. Ahsoka reaches into her parka, pulls out a small leather bag, and holds it triumphantly above her head.

"She did it," Riyo whispers. Magnus slowly gets to his feet and stretches, making his bones pop as they click back into place.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Magnus claps Riyo on the shoulder before he goes back into the ship. "Come on, R7. Let's get this ship back into space, eh?"

Ahsoka walks up the ramp and stops right before Riyo. Her eyes are red and haunted, as if she's swam to the bottom of the ocean and back.

"What's wrong? Have you been crying?" Riyo asks. Ahsoka pulls her into a tight hug and she reaches up to hug her back.

"I'm right here," Riyo whispers. She rubs comforting circles on Ahsoka's back and wonders what in the galaxy happened in that temple.

When Ahsoka pulls away, her hands linger on Riyo's shoulders.

"We need to talk," Ahsoka says, and she steps around Riyo to go further into the ship, leaving her on the ramp.

The ship flies once more through hyperspace, only this time their destination is Pantora. Magnus, who has somehow sensed the tension between the two young women since Ahsoka came back, shuts himself in the cockpit with R7.

Ahsoka said that they needed to talk, but she looks so bone tired that Riyo almost wants to suggest postponing it until after she's had a nap. After she puts her parka away, she eases herself into the booth in the lounge and silently watches Riyo make a fresh batch of tea for the both of them. She accepts her mug with both hands and drinks half of her tea without a word, and watches Riyo over the brim of her mug.

When she finally sets her mug down on the table, she says, "you still love me."

Damn if it doesn't feel like a dagger in Riyo's heart. Riyo closes her eyes against the sudden wave of pain and humiliation, and braces herself for the impending fallout. Of course Ahsoka would want to talk about that. Riyo's been trying to act normal around her, but she must have failed somehow and now Ahsoka must need to tell her that she's been acting weird and needs to dial it back.

She opens her eyes again, but can only look at the mug in her hands. Ahsoka hasn't said anything else, as if expecting an answer. Well, Riyo got caught. There's nothing left but to be honest.

"Yes," Riyo whispers. Her heart beats near the speed of sound, so fast it could break. "Yes, I do."

Ahsoka pushes herself out of her seat and steps around the table to stand before Riyo, whose chest fills with dread. This is it. What else did she think would happen, really? She feels like such an idiot.

"Riyo, look at me," Ahsoka says, her voice full of incredible fondness, and Riyo looks up in confusion. Ahsoka doesn't look disgusted. Or disappointed. In fact, she might look like….

"Oh," Riyo whispers, her body flooding with cautious relief. For the life of her, she can't say anything else.

Ahsoka takes Riyo's face in her hands, leans down, and kisses her. Ahsoka's soft and warm against her mouth and she tastes like tea and salt. Riyo's hands descend onto Ahsoka's hips and tighten on her belt. For once, the thoughts in her head are silent, absolutely overwhelmed by what is happening.

When it finally ends, Riyo's eyes flutter open (when did she close them?) and she watches Ahsoka with astonishment. She pulls her in for another kiss. Ahsoka smiles into the kiss and swipes a thumb over Riyo's cheek, right over her tattoos.

R7 wolf-whistles behind them, and the both of them freeze, mortified.

Ahsoka turns to the droid. "R7!"

"Is it safe to come out yet?" Magnus calls from the cockpit. After R7 beeps his affirmative, Magnus peeks into the lounge.

"So it all worked out then? Aye, that's good."

"Oh Gods," Riyo mutters. She turns away to hide the brilliant shade of dark purple she's turning.

"Magnus," Ahsoka says in an even tone.

"Got a request for you two, if you don't mind."

"Sure."

"If you decide to fool around, can you keep it down? Ship's got thin walls."

Ahsoka's stripes darken and Riyo curls in on herself in mortification.

Note Bene: Our space girlfriends are actually girlfriends now. Yay! And it only took around 35k words to get here lol.

While writing this chapter, I realized that Ahsoka was sent to Anakin when she was 14 years-old, way past the cutoff age of 13. Despite all of her hard work, no one chose her, and it was only through Yoda that she was assigned to Anakin at all. That's gotta suck, and it might explain why she's so eager to prove herself in season 1.

Ahsoka's Ilum vision was cruel af and I enjoyed writing every single word of it. Just…here's some trippy-ass shit, readers! Wade in it. The visions were horrifying and even though I made you read it, I hope that you can still forgive me.

That said, writing this chapter was still emotionally exhausting, so goodnight. I'll see you readers next time.