Hi guys! I hope you're all doing great! So here comes the new chapter. I know it's short, but it's just to finish the bit with Manpha before moving on. I still have like maybe three missions for Ahsoka in mind, the last one will take several chapters though because it will settle the next arc, but we're getting closer to the end of the Corellia Arc!
Lux's Sister - I agree, Anakin wouldn't pay in advance. I didn't want him to be the one on Manpha because he would have tried to talk to her, make her come back and he would have only succedeed, in my opinion, in making her uncomfortable, maybe even making her loose her job. Obi-Wan was also an option, though, as was Luminara.
EmilyBridger - Nope, it's neither of the three. I'm glad to know you like the story though! I really do appreciate the feedback, so thanks for the review!
Bellahan121 - Thanks for the review, again, I'm happy to know you guys still enjoy it and I hope you'll stick to the end (because it's going to be long, I mean, we're still in 20 BBY). But unfortunately, Lux won't appear in the next update, at least not physically. I might mention him and I'm pretty sure Ahsoka will call him again at least once before the end of her contract, but he won't be present physically before the Raxus Arc. Sorry...
Thanks a lot for those very helpful and kind reviews guys! You're the best!
TS
20 years before the Battle of Yavin / one month and a week after leaving the Jedi Order
Ahsoka forced herself to remain calm but her mind was racing and so was her heartbeat. She just couldn't believe it. A Jedi! Here, on Manpha! And not just any random Jedi she might not know. It had to be the first Jedi ever that she had met, the one who had found her on Shili, the one who had discovered her abilities and brought her to the Temple on Corusant.
She cursed under her breath, loud enough to actually let it out of her chest but not loud enough for her coworkers to hear. As her fighter landed on the small island made of grass and thick greenery, she looked at the hooded figure patiently waiting in the middle. She only saw his face when Geronimo went to talk to him and the passenger lowered his hood, revealing his Kril'Dor face and dark mask. He looked just like Ahsoka remembered him. Actually he hadn't changed much during all these years she had spent at the Temple and then on the field. He was the closest she had to a father. She considered Anakin as her closest friend and brother, Obi-Wan was like a very close uncle, but she had always had a special relationship with Master Plo, even though her relationship with Anakin had grown stronger over time.
Seeing him only a few feet away from her, alive and well, moved her even more than seeing Obi-Wan on screen during the latest Onderon celebration. Just by simply looking at him she felt her resolve crumble and regretted her decision. All she wanted to do was come back to the Temple and be a Jedi again. Suddenly she felt as if she had been walking in utter darkness for a whole month and Master Plo was the light leading to her salvation. She felt whole now that he was here as if leaving the Jedi Order had truly broken her in half and one piece had been left with Anakin.
She looked away and tried to quiet her mind and calm her thoughts. If she had been able to feel him through the Force, he had certainly sensed her too. She didn't know how to hide her Force signature and the way he looked at her fighter told her he knew it was her. Her window shield was a little dirty from the long travelling but she could still see clearly and so could he. Even though her helmet and integrated goggles concealed her so recognizable face, her montrals were still pointing out. She just knew he had recognized her but his gaze shifted from her fighter to Geronimo and he didn't mention her. Ahsoka realized he was respecting her decision to stay separate from the Jedi Order and tears welled up in her eyes.
She could hear their conversation thanks to Geronimo's mike and the young Corellian didn't say anything about her either, keeping her secret like he had promised. Sax got halfway out of his fighter and put a foot on his fighter's wing while still saying a bit in the cockpit.
" Hey! Crazy Ful, why aren't you coming out?"
He knew she was usually the one to deal with the client and did most of the talking if not all of it. She simply told him to shut it and the Zabrak's gaze went from her to the Kril'Dor but he didn't seem to make the connection and eventually shrugged. Geronimo then opened the cargo ship door and let the Jedi in. Master Plo simply sat on the ground near the pilot droid.
Ahsoka wondered if he would tell the counsel about her whereabouts. He could and she wouldn't be surprised or mad at him for doing so since with the Holocron the Jedi kept track of the Force-sensitive children. So why not her? But she was sure he wouldn't tell Anakin. Maybe Obi-Wan but not her former Master. Yoda and Windu wouldn't allow it. They all knew about Anakin's trouble to let go. But Obi-Wan or Plo Koon, they'd be able to let her go and wouldn't try to look for her like Anakin was sure to do.
Once Master Plo was on board, they left Manpha and made their way to Terminus. Ahsoka didn't speak during the whole trip but Sax made stupid jokes nonetheless and it filled the conversation. They got attacked near Terminus but even some action wasn't able to shake Ahsoka from her anxiousness and sadness.
When they reached an open landing bay on Terminus, which really looked like a small Coruscant except the city was smaller and calmer and you could see scum immediately, Master Plo bowed in the traditional Jedi way and left without saying another word. He didn't look back and Ahsoka left her fighter once she was sure he was gone. Sax was about to say something about her rude and unusual behavior but Geronimo came to her rescue.
"Leave her alone, Sax. It's not the right moment to be an ass."
The Zabrak was about to protest but Geronimo took him by the arm and dragged him towards the cargo.
"We'll see you at the hotel later, Fulcrum," said the Corellian.
They had agreed before they left Corellia that they would rent a suite for all three of them on Terminus, that way the two other pilots wouldn't be tempted to get into trouble while having fun. Ahsoka let the boys take care of the cargo and the client then headed to the hotel. She walked mindlessly through the streets, ignoring the stares people were giving her and especially her white uniform that seemed so out of place. She was actually too preoccupied to notice. She couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Master Plo. It seemed to her that having a normal and legal job out in the open wasn't actually such a good idea after all… The more she thought about Master Plo the more her thoughts drifted to Nar Shaddaa and to Max. She wanted to believe him, believe that she could actually have a place there. Of course, it wasn't the best of places in the entire galaxy, quite the contrary, but she was sure no Jedi would be looking for her there. Her face markings and headdress were still too recognizable but she couldn't change the way her face looked and there was no way she'd wear a mask. After all, she was just trying to put her past behind her, it wasn't like she was wanted, at least not anymore.
When she reached their suite in the hotel, she didn't even eat. She just didn't feel like it. After a quick passage in the common refresher, she jumped into bed but mostly laid awake on her back, sleep eluding her as if drowning in her thoughts was some kind of punishment. After a while, she decided to grab something to eat and painfully filled her stomach, forcing herself. The trip all the way from Corellia had tired her and she got into bed a second time as the sun was sinking in the horizon. This time, she fell asleep and was only waken up but some noise in the common room of the suite. Someone was trying to open the door, fumbling with keys and joking loudly.
She instinctively put her hands on the nightstand where her lightsabers usually were but reality slapped her hard, reminding her she was no longer a Jedi. She quietly got up and reached her bag that she had unceremoniously thrown across the floor, pulling out her two vibroblades as Geronimo was telling Sax to shut it, in order not to wake her up. The Zabrak kept asking why she had acted so weird during the day but Gero didn't tell him anything at all, simply stating that it was none of their business. The two pilots then reached their own rooms and silence reigned once again in the suite. Ahsoka put one vibrobalde on her nightstand and the other under her pillow, just in case.
Weird dreams greeted her third attempt at sleep. She was seeing familiar faces in different places and the people she knew seemed to be doing their usual jobs. She saw Master Secura in an environment filled with huge colorful flowers that could only be found on Felucia. She saw Master Yoda on Kashyyyk, talking to Wookies, his faithful clones behind him. She saw Master Plo in a Jedi fighter, making his way through what looked like a blockade or a space battle. She saw Master Kenobi riding a strange creature that looked like a huge lizard. She saw Master Ti in the Jedi Temple, calmly meditating. She saw Master Unduli and Barriss on some forest planet. She saw younglings training at the Temple. She saw Master Windu with Anakin and the Chancellor at the Senate.
But that last vision was the most disturbing of all. Master Windu's purple sword was drawn and he seemed angry. Her mind became foggy and she couldn't quite make out what was happening, only few details were offered to her like the strange glow of his lightsaber or the fact several people were shouting as if they were arguing. Then Master Windu disappeared from her sight, she had no idea where he had gone and darkness filled the back of her eyelids as she struggled to wake up. She heard some frying noise like lightning and screams of pain, she heard an evil laughter that made her skin crawl, she heard cries, multiple cries of young and old, all leading to an unnamable pain she couldn't bear. She heard Padme's pleading voice, Obi-Wan's ordering tone and the angry, even hateful voice she couldn't quite place but that reminded her a bit of her former Master. She felt a great pain in her chest as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs and felt like she couldn't breathe but she was still a prisoner of her nightmare. She heard more screams and cries, she could literally feel the pain and the fear, she heard the noise of a lightsaber battle, she heard the cries of a baby and the voices of the different Senators she had met once or twice but it wasn't enough for her to put a name on those voices. She heard fire burning and something more consistent like lava perhaps. She also heard a rasping, wheezing voice that seemed to be altered by some kind of mask, this voice was like ice in her veins. She heard the cries of different races whose lives had been cut short, she heard sirens, she heard blaster shots and clones giving orders. She heard running feet, desperate pleas, and anguished shouts. And a number. A number kept ringing in her ears. Sixty-six. But she had no idea what the kriff that meant.
Suddenly, she was able to break free from her nightmare and brutally sat in her bed, screaming. A few seconds later, she heard shuffling behind her door and a loud thud which probably meant that Sax had rammed into her door, trying to open it.
"Fulcrum! Are you alright in there?" Geronimo asked. He seemed concerned.
Ahsoka ordered the door to open and the two pilots fell into the room, probably leaning against the door a few seconds ago. Had she been not drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Ashoka would have laughed.
"Yeah, I'm… fine."
She tried to control her breathing, forcing her heart to beat slower.
"We heard you scream…" the Zabrak said as he was getting up, pushing Geronimo who was lying on top of him.
"Just had a nightmare."
She didn't manage to convince even herself, but the pilots seemed to have bought it and left her room. She tried to think about her visions and the first, normal parts were very clear, but the rest was a big blur of hatred and fear, pain and agony, death and fighting. She basically didn't see much and everything she heard was just mixing up in her head, making no sense whatsoever. She tried to forget about it or at least ignore it but her mind wasn't that kind and kept her up for most of the night. She eventually drifted back to sleep and woke up when the sun caressed her cheek through the half-closed shutters. She had overslept big time and it was near noon when she walked out of her room but at least she was rested and ready to fly. Neither Sax nor Geronimo said a thing about the last day in general and didn't complain about the late time they left Terminus. They arrived during the night on Corellia and immediately went to bed and this time, Ahsoka didn't see any visions as if they never existed in the first place.
