On this installment of the adventures of Ahsoka, we find her getting back to her familiar routine – only it doesn't last long.
Chapter 10: The Dark Times
Felucia, 1 BBY 6 months, 26 days, 22 hours
Leaving Tatooine, the Corvala Dawn carried Ahsoka Tano, Shaak Ti, Frehya Lumoxa and Hedala Fardi back to Felucia. After about 18 hours, the ship dropped out of hyperspace and was channeled via the protected re-entry path to the planet below, passing through layers of mist and clouds, to the jungle home of the Grand Master of the Order. Shaak and Ahsoka walked arm in arm to the Assembly Hall and were greeted by Maris Brood and some other acolytes of the Order, happy to see their leaders back among them. Maris pulled Ahsoka aside and said she had some proposals for her regarding training and other exercises. Ahsoka thanked her for confiding in her and told her she would be happy to go over these with her the next day. Hedala and Frehya were also greeted by Maris and made to feel welcome among their fellow members of the Order, while Shaak and Ahsoka bid them a good night and walked off together to Shaak's private residence.
When they entered, Ahsoka asked, "Master, what's our next move? I mean, I guess we have to find out much more about this project that the Empire is building. It would seem to me they have been working on it for years. Why has it been able to stay secret for so long?"
Shaak shook her head slowly, "My child, that is one of the things we will come to know. We may not be happy with the answers, but we must not shrink from them."
"You told me you heard they started the project on Geonosis … but we had a battle there – Barriss and I were trapped together for a while and we became friends at that time – why would we not have noticed it?"
Shaak pondered the question. "Perhaps it was only in the beginning stages … but that would have been prior to Palpatine becoming the Emperor. It also means he was planning this while the Clone Wars were taking place …"
Ahsoka snapped her fingers and pointed to her master. "Exactly! He knew the war was just a cover for his real plan. We found out that Order 66 had been implanted by chip into all of the clones when they were being built on Kamino."
Shaak fingered her right lek while Ahsoka was talking and then added, "Yes … I seem to recall learning of these chips at that time when a clone trooper named Fives apparently lost his mind. We had taken this case to Chancellor Palpatine and he later tried to tell us the problem was caused by a parasite. All of this so we would not investigate these chips."
"So …" Ahsoka then noted, "if the war was a plan to eventually destroy the Jedi – because we would have stopped him from becoming Emperor, were they also working on the battle station at the same time? Dooku had to have known about it. Tell me, Master, when and why did they move the project away from Geonosis?"
"That's what we have to learn, my child. Along with many other things … but let us see what our friends on Tatooine can tell us. As you know, Geonosis is very close to Tatooine and almost like a sister world. Chances are good that Jabba and his associates know much about the project."
Shaak then changed into night clothes and prepared to lie down. Ahsoka did the same and the two were again next to each other as they went to sleep. As she laid there, Ahsoka again had dreams of a possible future where she was an exalted leader, bringing a better life to untold billions of people all over the galaxy. When she awoke, she kept asking herself why these dreams kept recurring. She thought to get her Master's take on it:
"Master, do you think it's absurd that I could someday rule the galaxy?"
"Not at all … have you been thinking about that?"
"Not directly – but I keep having these dreams. Do they tell me anything?"
Shaak paused, then looked at Ahsoka directly. "Perhaps. Do you see yourself as a leader in them?"
"Yes – I am being coronated as the new Empress. I have no idea at all how that could ever happen to me."
"It is the future you are seeing, my child."
Ahsoka shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not looking for that kind of power. I'm really more of a simple girl."
Shaak took her adopted daughter in her arms and hugged her tenderly. "You may believe that now, darling, but there is a long road ahead of you. Don't be quick to presume where it may lead."
Felucia, 1 BBY 6 months, 25 days, 8 hours
The next morning, the two of them dressed and went out to meet the others. Maris was able to persuade Ahsoka to accompany her to the training arena, where they discussed methodology. She spoke first. "Master Ahsoka, do you have any recommendations for me on how to carry this out further?"
"I think you have things well in hand. Do you mind if I ask a more personal question?"
"Not at all – go ahead …"
Ahsoka nodded. "Maris, how did you come to know Master Shaak?"
Maris looked around for a minute, then answered. "She had watched my progress as a Padawan, then once I had gone through the trials, she then asked me to join her on a mission together."
"By any chance, was that the same day as Order 66?"
"Yes. So much took place that day ... it's become a blur to me now."
"How did you feel when she asked you to leave Coruscant with her?"
Maris again paused, and lowered her voice as she took Ahsoka's hand gently. "I was a little bit afraid. She was asking me to trust her and I had just gotten to know her. But she spoke so gently and looked at me with such power. I felt I had to go with her."
Ahsoka nodded. "I know what you mean about her. How do you feel now?"
"Best thing I ever did," Maris said without hesitation. "She is the true Master. If Master Shaak had been in charge, that evil emperor would have been stopped. I feel this deeply."
"Can I tell you something?" Ahsoka asked quickly. "I'm glad to have met you. Everyone thinks the Jedi are no more but we will show them otherwise."
"To be completely honest, Master Ahsoka, I think they are right. The Jedi as we knew them are no more. We are a different breed now. More understanding. More supportive. I want to see you as a Sister of the Force, Master. Only if we work together will we be victorious."
Ahsoka nodded again, and patted the Zabrak on her shoulder firmly. "Yes. We will."
Ahsoka's apprentices then arrived at the arena, and Maris immediately took them aside.
"Apprentice Fardi, Master Ahsoka asked me to work with you directly today. She told me you killed a Tusken and seriously wounded two more. How did you feel about that?"
Hedala nodded and cheerfully snipped, "It was thrilling, actually. They were trying to kill us, I seriously thought. But I never did that before."
"Hedala, you may have to do it again – many times."
"If it is necessary, I am ready. I'm committed to defeating the Empire."
Maris nodded and smiled. "You will get the chance. I feel certain."
Ahsoka smiled as well and left. She then met briefly with Shaak and made her ship ready for a trip back to Almania. It was time to see how well things were going with the defense implementation and she wanted to meet with Chelli Aphra again. I suppose I should not let her just have a free run. Shaak is correct that Chelli is quite clever. Soon, R8-ND indicated the Corvala Dawn was ready and so they left Felucia. Hedala and Frehya would stay behind to continue their rigorous training, while Shaak elected to stay there as well.
Almania, Ahsoka's residence, 1 BBY 6 months, 24 days, 10 hours
The next day, on Almania, Ahsoka asked Chelli and Sana to join her. They were wrapping up a meeting on the Corporate Sector world of Issagra and said they would arrive on Almania that afternoon. So Ahsoka then decided to ring up her new friend and prospective beau Commodore Je'har and see if he would mind having a "working lunch" with her. Happy to hear her voice again, he quickly agreed.
"My place, Commodore?" Ahsoka asked cheerfully. "See you soon," he replied in kind.
When he later arrived at her mansion, she greeted him at the entrance and they exchanged a quick kiss, then walked into the dining area, hand in hand. As they sat down, Ahsoka's servants handled their menu choices and they settled into the discussion. She opened:
"Tri'ku, have you anything you want to ask me about the deployment? Doctor Aphra and her partner will arrive later this afternoon if you want to get more details."
"At this time, things seem to be going well. I have been briefed on all the components and how they fit together. Ahsoka, will you be in the area for the few days?"
"I can't say for sure, but at the moment I have no plans to go any further than Vaynai or the Corp-Sec." She paused, then looked at him intently. "Tri'ku … can I pick your brain for a bit?"
He laughed. "Why Ahsoka, my dear, whatever you need."
She giggled a bit as her lekku brightened slightly. She spoke quickly, with a nervous tone. "Okay. We haven't had much chance to talk about the Empire and the Rebellion. You had indicated that your family and the leadership here might be sympathetic to the rebel cause. Just how sympathetic?"
He chewed his food for a second, then looked at her and smiled. "Ahsoka, this is a sensitive area, as you may well imagine. Officially … Almania takes no position on this matter, but we are primarily concerned with keeping up appearances when it comes to the Empire. Why exactly do you ask?"
Ahsoka fidgeted a bit and then spoke. "I'm going to ask – as a friend – that what we discuss is in strictest confidence."
"I understand."
"There are …" she cleared her throat, then continued. " … Some reports I've received about some type of super weapon they are developing. Some type of huge battle station – with a destructive capacity never seen before."
Je'har looked at her carefully. "How much credibility do you place on the sources of those reports?"
"I'm not sure at the moment. I first wanted to ask if you all had heard anything like that."
He first shook his head, but then reconsidered. "We will of course want to know as much as we can. I'm going to ask around."
"Tri'ku, please don't tell anyone it came from me."
"That's fine. I can always say there are plenty of rumors, especially from places like Vaynai. Can you give me any more detail?"
"Okay … this gets even more sensitive, but what I'm getting is that the construction started on Geonosis and was moved. The Empire wants to keep it as secret as possible. It's like they're afraid if anyone found out too soon, they could make plans."
"Sure, but if it's as big as you're saying, it would seem there is little anyone could do about it."
Ahsoka shook her head wearily. "That's what they will want us to think, once it's rolled out. I wouldn't be at all surprised if my old nemesis Tarkin is involved. He's always been rather ambitious."
"I know what you mean. Next to Vader and the Emperor, he's as bloodthirsty as anyone."
Almania, Stonia City, 1 BBY 6 months, 24 days, 13 hours
As they wrapped up their lunch, Tri'ku invited her to take a small trip with him on the planet. She smiled, and said, "Just so long as I can get back in time for Chelli and Sana." He nodded and then escorted her to his speeder and they headed for the spaceport. They then boarded a shuttle craft that whisked them away some 300km and then landed in Almania's capital city of Stonia. Once there, he took her to an impressive-looking structure that appeared be a giant type of gazebo from a distance.
"What is this place, Tri'ku?" she asked.
"It was built centuries ago by my ancestors. We call it the Dome of the Je'har. I would like to show you around."
As he escorted her inside, they went up into the structure and eventually rose to the top, where they went outside and stood on what seemed like an observation platform. As they looked out over the city, he spoke to her again.
"Ahsoka, I've been thinking about what we discussed at lunch. Our world must be quite vigilant about the type of threat that such a weapon might be to us. The rest of my family will be most interested. I'd like you to meet someone."
She nodded. At that, Tri'ku activated his com-link and spoke. "We're waiting up top. Please come."
A few minutes later, another man, somewhat older, appeared on the platform.
"Ahsoka, I present to you the President of Almania, Mr. Ordholm Je'har."
Ahsoka curtsied sincerely in her colorful dress. "Honored to meet you, sir."
The President bowed to her. "I am most pleased to meet you … should I say, Doctor Tanner?"
"You may call me Ahsoka," she giggled nervously.
He laughed. "Ahsoka, it is then. Madam, on behalf of the fifty million people of this world, I want to extend my sincere gratitude for all you are doing to help us. We will be a stronger nation with this new defense in place."
She nodded to him. "It is my pleasure to assist you. Your people have shown me every kindness imaginable."
The President smiled. "Now, my cousin here has explained to me about the Imperial battle station. We are most concerned over this development and we will do all we can to help you learn more about it. We also hope you will share as much about it with us as you can as well."
Ahsoka sighed for a second. "Absolutely, sir. I am happy to be working with you."
More pleasantries were exchanged and then the Commodore returned Ahsoka to her estate, where he left her with a parting kiss and embrace. This one lasted longer than previous instances and she was taken somewhat by surprise. Still, she told herself she liked it. After another 30 minutes or so, she received a call from the spaceport informing her that her guests had arrived from Issagra.
"Director Millsap, please make the arrangements and have them brought to my home."
"Right away, Doctor Tanner."
When Chelli and Sana arrived, they seemed excited. "We can't wait to show it to you, Ashli," Sana gushed.
Chelli nodded vigorously. "You're gonna love it."
Ahsoka smiled at them. "Come in and sit down, girls. Would either of you like some Almanian ale?"
They answered in unison. "But of course …!"
After the servants had brought it, Ahsoka asked them for a more detailed progress report, which was mostly delivered by Chelli. They agreed to tour the installation in the morning and Ahsoka graciously offered to let them stay overnight at her home.
Almania, Tirana Spaceport, 1 BBY 6 months, 23 days, 9 hours
The next day, the three women went to the Tirana spaceport and Director Millsap procured them a shuttle craft that they could use to conduct the demonstration. As they got on board, Ahsoka took control of the ship as Chelli gave her the directions. When they got within range, Chelli asked Ahsoka to observe. She opened a briefcase she brought aboard the shuttle and removed a small control module and a portable computer. After launching the application, she plugged it into the shuttle's display screen so everyone could watch. Chelli had brought them to a position overlooking part of the Almanian ocean below and there were about ten satellites in place, which were labeled on the display screen. She then launched a simulated attack by three probe devices and placed these on a vector that would take them into the grid between the satellites. As the probes each penetrated the perimeter, high-powered lasers from the satellites took out each one in turn via a triangulation formula. Extra fireworks on the probes lit up brightly when they were hit, to simulate an explosion.
Ahsoka watched the demonstration with rapt attention. The system was quite ingenious, and Chelli went into detail about its capabilities.
"Doctor Tanner, we will have over a thousand of these satellites in place when the system is fully operational. They each are powered by an algorithm that can read and react in real time on the orbital battlefield. If a threat presents itself, the system will assess the severity of the threat and the determined number of satellites will close in on the hostile vessel. We can also vary the amount of power contained in the laser blasts. What do you think? Cool, huh?"
Ahsoka was impressed but soft-pedaled it. She simply stated, "Good job, Chelli. This is the kind of system we were looking for. I want to study it some more but I think it could well be possible to deploy even more of these drones if needed."
Chelli beamed, knowing she had made the right impression, despite Ahsoka's low-key reaction.
Ahsoka then asked, "Do you suppose I might meet some of the designers behind this work?"
"Sure. I don't see why not. Would you like us to set up a meeting with them?"
"Yes … could we do that on Vaynai?"
"I will see to it, Doctor Tanner."
On the way back down to the surface of Almania, Ahsoka's mind ran through the possibilities. She intended to give herself the capacity to control this system and use it not only to defend Almania, but maybe herself at some point, should that become necessary. It's nice to have options, she mused. She also entertained the possibility of getting more financial backing. It might not be a bad idea to have another account to draw on. Chelli's awfully smart, maybe she could be of some use here as well …
Almania, Ahsoka's residence, 1 BBY 6 months, 24 days, 20 hours
That night, after Chelli and Sana had left, Ahsoka received a transmission from Alderaan. Her pal Bail Organa was trying to raise her and he had something he wanted to run by her. She opened the line with more than a little curiosity.
"Fulcrum here. Hello Bail."
"Ahsoka my friend, how are you?"
She chuckled softly. "Doin' all right. How's Leia?"
"As a matter of fact, she wanted me to contact you. It seems an old friend of yours has taken on a job for us, and he might just want to see you ... very much."
Ahsoka paused a second. "Hmm. Who are we talking about?"
"Would you believe … Saw Gerrera?"
"NO!" She swallowed a laugh. "I haven't heard from him in I don't know how long. What's he up to?"
"Well, he's doing a little investigative work for us – on Geonosis."
"Seriously?"
Ahsoka's mind raced back to her Clone Wars days … to the rebellion on Onderon and the fight against Dooku's droids. When the Gerreras – Saw and his sister Steela – needed the Jedi Order's help and only she was available.
Bail responded, "Yes. I had informed him that you were still very much with us and he said he really wanted to see you – had something to pass on to you. He wouldn't tell me what it was."
"Why Geonosis?" Ahsoka immediately thought about what Shaak had told her, some of the info stream that was filtering in from the Hutts.
"Well, we asked him to go there and see if he could find out how the Geonosian species had been nearly wiped out – apparently by the Empire."
Ahsoka swallowed hard at that revelation. "Wiped out?! What in the …"
"Yes. There seems to be not a trace of them. Saw may be better able to fill you in."
She moaned aloud. "Is there no end to the treachery that they are perpetrating?"
"I hear you, Ahsoka. These are truly the dark times."
"OK … please let Saw know I will see him soon. I've got something I need to wrap up, then I'm on my way."
"Thank you much, friend. Organa out."
As Ahsoka ended the transmission, her head was spinning. Saw Gerrera … Geonosis … a mass genocide. Somehow she knew this had to be connected to the battle station project, which had started on that world, a place very much bound up in the Clone Wars era, where Count Dooku had plotted great treachery against the Republic all those years ago. Except that it wasn't the Republic, it was the Jedi Order. How many Knights and Masters died that day, long ago, as they worked to free Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme? Shaak had been there herself, along with other great heroes like Mace, and Kit, and Aayla. Her eyes started to get misty just thinking about her old friends who were now lost for eternity. But Shaak survived. That's right. And no doubt she would want to know about Saw too. And soon the both of them would be going to Geonosis – to get some answers.
But first she had to wrap things up here – in a neat little bow on Vaynai. She'd see Tri'ku again, soon enough, but this business had somehow jumped to the front of the line.
To be continued …