Chapter 13: An Intertwining of Destinies (End of Act 1)
A/N: Well, here it is. This is a big milestone in this story, because this chapter represents the one-third mark for me in terms of the plot line—Act one was the political thriller, Act 2 will be the romance with action and adventure, and Act 3 will be… Well, you'll see.
Now, I want to give a big thank-you to every person who left a review on this story: TCWRules, cptawkward, Captain leon, Righteousham, Lost Lauren, Happy Doodle, BR0TH3R MENACE, FoxfaceFan1, WintersLoneWolf, CatBludger3903, sabrac1, and the three guests—Thank you so much to all of you for taking the time to leave a review.
Now, guess what? If you left a review on this story at any point, then I'll write a 500-word Star Wars fic of your choice for you! It can be set in the A Path She Couldn't Follow universe (no spoilers, sorry), or it can be from anywhere else in the Star Wars universe. This giveaway is only open to people who left a review under a profile, because I have no way of verifying who a guest reviewer is and someone could claim to be a guest reviewer when they actually aren't. I reserve the right to not write a story, but it would be pretty hard to ask me to write something that I couldn't write. Send me a PM to let me know what you want me to write for you. The number of reviews you've left doesn't mean anything—one fic for each user no matter what.
Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to ask me for a 500-word story if you've left a review! (P.S: I'll do this again after Act 2 and Act 3.) Enjoy the chapter!
The next morning, Ahsoka woke up to a galaxy that seemed considerably more optimistic. The stress of the Sector Governance Bill was gone, and soon she would be walking out into the galaxy on her own path.
Without Riyo.
She felt a painful tug in her chest. Kriff. Now was not the time to have second thoughts.
Well, she would think about that later, after she'd left. Right now, she needed to pack.
Her old Jedi cloaks and robes weren't necessary anymore, and neither were her volumes on meditation. The cloaks would go to a secondhand shop, and Riyo was going to keep the books. Everything else that she was keeping fit into a small pack that she could throw over her shoulder.
She'd already told Rosgrest to be ready later that day, and she had all the money she needed to pay him. She was ready to go. But… she would be leaving Riyo.
Ahsoka sighed. Come on, she told herself. You can't let your crushes get in the way of your duty. This happened to you before. With Lux. And with—with—with-
Abruptly, an image of a slender Mirialan Padawan with deep blue eyes filled Ahsoka's mind, and she had to close her eyes and forcibly push the thought out of her head. That was history—far too painful for her to even think about. Just the thought of the name was enough to make her want to curl up into a ball and cry—she hated thinking about the betrayal, she hated thinking about how much it still hurt—the pain and the rage that it made her feel-
STOP THINKING ABOUT BARRISS! she screamed at herself, rubbing her forehead. She couldn't be miserable today. Any other day but today.
She pushed open her door and walked into the living room. Riyo lounged on one of the couches, watching a holoscreen on the far wall, where three news reporters were talking. A caption scrolling across the bottom of the trumpeted, 'SECTOR GOVERNANCE BILL DEFEATED 7,984-7,396.'
"—an incredible comeback victory," one of the reporters was saying. "Nearly all of the 'undecided' senators voted anti-governance after Senator Chuchi's incredible speech."
"Morning," Ahsoka said, sitting down next to Riyo, who looked up with a brilliant smile.
"Hi. I've been watching this all morning," Riyo gushed. "I've never been praised on galactic television before."
"It's one of the greatest speeches I've ever heard," another anchor added on the holoscreen. "I have to admit, I liked the Sector Governance Bill, but Chuchi made me see it differently. She said it perfectly. It's becoming clearer and clearer that we're going to win this war, so why bother changing things now? This was a war for upholding the principles of the Republic, after all."
"When I was a child," Riyo said suddenly, still watching the newscast, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would happen to me."
Ahsoka patted Riyo's shoulder. "You did it all." She'd never been so proud.
"Oh—before I forget—" Riyo pulled out her datapad and handed it to Ahsoka. "Check your bank account."
Ahsoka turned on the datapad and followed Riyo's instructions. Her account read,
Bank of Coruscant
Account #A31415926535-11386969732097882122
Balance: 5000 Republic Credits
Ahsoka squinted at the total. "You've overpaid me. It should only be four thousand."
Riyo shrugged. "So I rounded up a little. Who knows how much money you might need out there?"
"You don't need to do this," Ahsoka protested. "I'm already leaving you behind. I'm the one who should be trying to make you feel better."
Riyo shook her head. "As a person who really—really—" she faltered. "—really—is a good friend to you—I need to be able to let you do what makes you happy as well. It's what matters the most."
Damn it. Ahsoka was not going to cry right now. She couldn't cry. Don't cry don't cryDON'TCRY-
"I'm going to go get some caf," she said abruptly, standing up. But before she even got halfway to the kitchen, Jorys walked into the suite.
"Tano," she said. "I think your ride's here. There's an Iktotchi by the name of Kevor Rosgrest down there. He's illegally parked his freighter in a speeder lot."
Ahsoka sighed and turned around, calling her pack into her hand with the Force. More and more, she was regretting the decision to make a deal with that smuggler to get to Cato Neimoidia. "He's here already? I might as well get going, then."
She was halfway to the door when Riyo's voice, quiet and brimming with emotion, stopped her in her tracks.
"Ahsoka."
Oh, KRIFF, Ahsoka thought, turning around. Please don't beg me to stay. I might say yes.
"Listen, before you leave…" Riyo began. "I just wanted to get something off my chest. It might take a few minutes."
Mechanically, Ahsoka sat back down next to Riyo. "Go ahead. I've got plenty of time."
Riyo took a deep breath and began. "Ever since we first became friends, you've been one of the best people I've ever known. You've saved my life countless times. You helped to save my planet. You've been my friend through this entire war. That time when we were on the Trade Federation ship over Pantora… I realized something that day, but I didn't know what I realized until a just couple weeks ago. When I found you five weeks ago, you were like a gift from the gods. You helped me so much—you even helped me discover Force powers that I didn't even know I had." Riyo's expression was dead serious. "I wouldn't be where I am right now without you. And now you're about to go off into a war that's killed billions of people. So this's why I have to tell you this now. I might never get another chance." Riyo took a deep breath and looked up at Ahsoka with pleading eyes.
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Ahsoka, and I'm in love with you."
Ahsoka's eyes widened.
Oh. KRIFF.
She couldn't deny this any longer. Just once… just once. To satisfy both of their feelings.
She closed her eyes and leaned in, cupping Riyo's face, and their lips met.
Cities burned. Worlds exploded. Empires rose and fell. The galaxy was never the same. None of it mattered.
It was the here and the now that was important, and all Ahsoka cared about was the feel of Riyo's soft lips on hers, and the warmth of Riyo's body pressed against hers, arms around her, and oh yes this was what she'd wanted all along-
She broke away, gasping, her lips tingling—no, her whole body felt like it was aflame—as Riyo fell back, her eyes wide, her face full of wonder.
"Riyo—" Ahsoka started, struggling for words that could even begin to describe how she felt, at the same time that Riyo said, "Ahsoka—"
Suddenly, Ahsoka's vision warped, and then she wasn't looking at Riyo in front of her—it was Barriss, looking just as lost and innocent, and Ahsoka was so scared that she wanted to vomit, because memories of another trembling kiss with a tragic ending were filling her mind, she was afraid, so afraid-
She didn't have another conscious thought until she was at the end of the hallway, panting for breath. To the infinite credit of Jorys, she said nothing as she took Ahsoka down to the speeder lot. Still dazed, Ahsoka barely heard Jorys's parting words to her.
"I wish you nothing but the best, Tano," Jorys said, shaking her hand. "You saved Senator Chuchi's life more than once. Without you, she'd most likely be dead."
"Uh, thanks," Ahsoka muttered. "May the Force be with you, Jorys."
Jorys cocked her head at Ahsoka. "Anything else?"
"Uh—tell Riyo that I said—said that I—I said goodbye."
Jorys nodded. "Right. I'll do that." She paused, and then she put a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Goodbye, Tano. You're a good person. But I can't say that I like the choice you're making here. In case you have second thoughts… the Senator's leaving in half an hour from hangar 1138."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Ahsoka to head towards Rosgrest's ship with her head spinning.
"Morning," Rosgrest said jauntily, greeting her at the boarding ramp. "Ready to go?"
"Just get me out of here," Ahsoka growled, walking up into the belly of the ship.
Rosgrest followed her up into the ship. "Lockers are on your left after the hold. Bunks are directly after the lockers, and the lounge is to your right. I'll go get the ship going."
"Thanks," Ahsoka mumbled, heading off to the lockers.
The freighter's engines powered up with a rumble as she tossed her stuff into a storage locker, and as the ship lifted off the ground, she found the bunks and sat down heavily on one. Force. She was actually doing this. Cato Neimoidia was just a few standard days in hyperspace away. Would she ever see Riyo again?
After a minute, she made her way over to the cockpit, where Rosgrest was steering into the speeder lanes.
"Oh, good," he said, looking up as she entered. "Have a seat. I could use some help here."
"Sure." Ahsoka sat down in the copilot's seat and glanced around. "What should I do?"
"Plug the coordinates for Cato Neimoidia into the navcomputer. I want to make the jump to hyperspace as soon as we're out of Coruscant's gravity well."
"Sure." Ahsoka turned on the navcomputer.
"Hey, about my payment—" Rosgrest started.
Ahsoka held up her datapad, quieting him. "I've got all the credits right here. They'll be yours after you get me to Cato Neimoidia."
"Wonderful," Rosgrest said. After a pause, he added with a grumble, "I still can't believe you made me wait here for five weeks."
"It was better than being arrested," Ahsoka shot back.
Rosgrest fell silent, immediately cowed, and Ahsoka turned back to the navcomputer, jabbing in the coordinates for Cato Neimoidia.
A query popped up on the computer—ENTER COORDINATES?
Ahsoka went to enter before she could touch the screen, an explosion rent her vision and sent her reeling as images of flames, death, despair filled her head-
"Ahsoka!"
"Ahsoka!"
No. No. NO. NO! Not this again. Riyo was out of danger now. Why was she having that vision again?!
"Hey!"
Someone was yelling at her. She opened her eyes and saw Rosgrest looking over at her.
"What happened?" he asked. "You started shaking all over, like you'd been electrocuted. Did one of the switches short-circuit?"
"No," Ahsoka managed, taking a deep breath. "Sorry. Just… got overwhelmed for a second."
"Well, as long as you're all right." Rosgrest turned back to his controls and flipped a switch. "A dead customer can't pay me."
"How considerate of you." When Rosgrest didn't reply, Ahsoka sat down heavily in the copilot's seat again. Why in the Force was she having that kriffing vision again? The threat to Riyo was over now. Unless… Unless it wasn't.
No. No sane person that was trying to pass the Sector Governance Bill would try to kill Riyo after the bill had been struck down.
A small voice in her head piped up: But most criminals who blow up things aren't necessarily sane.
Kriff, when had her subconscious started going against her?
Rosgrest's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, did you put the coordinates in yet?" he asked.
Ahsoka blinked as she realized that her finger was still hovering over the screen, with the computer's query for entering coordinates unanswered.
Could she leave Riyo behind? Could she?
Suddenly, the sound of sirens filled the cockpit.
Rosgrest swore, and Ahsoka looked up to see a Republic police gunship flying above them, lights flashing.
"What in the Force?!" she said. She turned to Rosgrest accusingly. "What did you do?!"
"Nothing! Nothing!" Rosgrest said frantically. "I don't know why the police would after us!" He glanced up again. "Should I stop? Maybe they noticed my busted radar dish."
Ahsoka stared at the gunship. There was someone in it that felt oddly familiar—
And then Commander Fox's voice came crackling through the communicator.
"Screaming Japnek, stop immediately and lay down any weapons you may be carrying. Prepare to be boarded and searched."
Oh, no. This was serious. "GO!" she yelled at Rosgrest.
Rosgrest jumped and slammed down the throttle. The freighter sprang ahead, their speed increasing to something that was definitely illegal, and they began weaving through traffic. Rosgrest bent over his controls, perspiring as he jerked the freighter through narrow gaps that Ahsoka wouldn't have tried going through with a bike. The gunship was in hot pursuit, but the freighter was leading by the thinnest of margins.
"How are we staying ahead of them?!" Ahsoka asked in disbelief.
"This ship's got more modifications than a Hutt's mother," Rosgrest said proudly, pushing the freighter between two massive passenger crafts. "What I did to the engine is illegal in all but fourteen star systems. It can do the Kessel run in less than thirteen parsecs."
"Parsecs are a unit of distance, you idiot," Ahsoka snapped, trying not to get thrown out of her seat.
Rosgrest threw a surprised look over his shoulder. "You're the third person I've ever met that knew what a parsec was."
"Just drive," Ahsoka said through clenched teeth. The gunship was still hot on their heels, and she was starting to worry. "There's no way that we can get out of the planet's gravity well before they call for reinforcement."
"You may be right," said Rosgrest thoughtfully. As if to back up the point, Commander Fox's voice echoed through the cabin again:
"Screaming Japnek, cease your evasion immediately or we will open fire. This is your last warning."
Rosgrest snorted and took a tight turn into another lane. "Fire on us? This is the Republic. They wouldn't do that."
Ahsoka gulped. If Fox was looking for her, then there was a very good chance that he would-
A volley of blue laser bolts flashed across the windshield, coming just inches from hitting them.
"Kriff!" Rosgrest screamed, jerking the ship to the right. "They weren't kidding!"
"Screaming Japnek, those were warning shots," Fox said through the comm. "We will shoot to disable your ship if you do not cease and desist immediately."
"This is the Republic!" Rosgrest said. "They wouldn't just open fire on a civilian vehicle like that, right?"
Suddenly, the ship shook, and Ahsoka heard the sound of muffled explosions from the rear of the ship.
"I guess so! Shields!" Rosgrest yelped, slamming the throttle forwards and pushing the ship to dangerous speeds.
Ahsoka jumped across the cockpit to smash the button for the shields, and to her intense relief, a quiet thrum spread through the ship, signaling their activation. A series of muted thuds from behind confirmed that the shields were holding.
"We need to get out of here," Ahsoka said, taking a seat.
"You're right," Rosgrest said. "Change of plans."
He pushed the steering yoke all the way forward, and they dove out of the speeder lanes into the lower levels of Coruscant. The gunship followed, but the Rosgrest took aim at an impossibly narrow space between two buildings.
"My ship's smaller," he said, shoving the throttle forward.
Horror overtook Ahsoka. "DON'T!" she yelled. "There's no way—"
Rosgrest threw the yoke to the right, and the ship spun sideways. Ahsoka took a tense breath as the ship screamed towards the gap.
And then they sailed through by the narrowest of margins. Fox's gunship was forced to pull up, and just like that, the pursuit was over.
"YES!" Rosgrest pumped his fist and slowed the ship to a gentle cruise.
Ahsoka allowed herself to relax and nodded at Rosgrest. "Nice job."
Rosgrest leaned forward and patted the dashboard. "I love you, you wonderful hunk of junk! You didn't let me down this time!"
"But now we've got to get out of here. The whole planet is going to be on high alert now. You think we can make it out before they notice us?"
Rosgrest chuckled. "Oh, do I think?" He reached down and removed a panel from the dashboard, revealing a row of switches that were definitely modifications. "I've got one more trick up my sleeve." He ran his hand across the switches, switching every single one of them from off to on. "I'll have to reroute some power from the shields, because this modification sucks power like nobody's business, but—" He reached down and pulled a lever rising from the floor, which resulted in a ka-chunk sound. "—This baby is highly illegal for a reason."
"Can it get us out of here?" Ahsoka asked.
"Oh, you bet." Rosgrest sat back down in his chair and pushed the throttle forward slightly. The engines kicked to life with an entirely new sound—a throaty rumble, like a beast rising from a deep-space nebula. "I call it the Republic Special. It combines a military-spec Corellian YE-9 power cell, four engine couplings lifted from some wrecked Z-95 Headhunters, a sublight driver belt system pulled from a gunship—"
Abruptly, Rosgrest's description was interrupted by a volley of flashing lights in front of them.
"What the—" Ahsoka looked up. And then her heart sank.
Four Z-95 headhunters were circling them—two above them and two in front, and in the distance, Commander Fox's gunship was approaching them.
"Kriff," Rosgrest muttered.
Fox's voice returned to the comm. "Screaming Japnek, this is your last warning before we bring you down by any means necessary. Touch down and shut off all your engines."
Rosgrest fingered the throttle, revving the engines ever so slightly. "I can still outrun them, you know," he said to Ahsoka. "There's no ship in the galaxy that can catch this."
Ahsoka looked out the window at the five ships around them, and she thought of Cato Neimoidia and freedom. Then she thought of Riyo. Of their journey together, through war and politics. Of everything that they'd learned about each other. Of the trust they'd built together. And of one single kiss, with meaning behind it that she couldn't ignore anymore.
She made her decision. To kriff with Cato Neimoidia. She was walking away from someone who cared deeply for her. Again. She couldn't do that.
And seconds later, the Force, in its own twisted way, made it clear that she'd made the right decision. The same terrifying vision came yet again. But this time, there was no explosion first. It was just Riyo's tormented voice, screaming her name over and over again.
"Ahsoka!"
"Ahsoka!"
The vision wasn't trying to trick her. Riyo was still in danger.
"STOP!" she screamed. She could deal with Fox—whatever he wanted with them, it couldn't be that bad. She hadn't done anything wrong.
"Really?" Rosgrest said in disbelief. "After all this? You're just going to give up?"
"LAND!" she ordered as a newfound urgency came over her. She had to get back to Riyo before it was too late.
"If you say so," Rosgrest said. "You're the customer." He eased off the repulsorlifts, and the freighter touched down.
"Screaming Japnek, prepare to be boarded," Fox said. "Do not attempt to resist. We are authorized to use force." There was a click, and the comm went silent.
Rosgrest threw down his headset. "Listen, I have some hidden smuggling compartments. They won't find us in—"
"You can hide," Ahsoka said. "I'm staying here."
Rosgrest stared at her as a clunk signaled the lowering of the freighter's boarding ramp, and a few seconds later, the clacking of boots on the ground echoed through the ship. He hesitated, and then he spun around and dashed out of the cockpit.
Ahsoka shook her head. Not a moment later, a surprised yell came from around the corner, followed by a smack and a clone yelling. Then, silence, and then the sound of the boots on the ground resumed, drawing nearer. Seconds later, Fox and a clone burst into the cockpit, blasters drawn. Behind them, another clone held Rosgrest with his hands behind his back.
"Tano! Hands in the air where I can see them!" Fox barked.
Ahsoka complied, nervousness creeping into her at Fox's hostility. "What's going on?"
"Hands behind your head," Fox growled. "Hollands, scan her for weapons."
The other clone moved forward and ran a scanner over Ahsoka's body. "Negative, sir," he said after a glance at the scanner. "She's clear."
"Good," Fox said. "Move nice and slow out of the cockpit now, Tano," he said, backing up. "You're coming outside with us."
"Why?" Ahsoka asked again.
"Move," Fox said, jerking his blaster.
Ahsoka had no choice but to obey as Fox walked her and Rosgrest out of the ship.
Once outside, Fox turned to another trooper. "Get me two sets of binders."
"What?" Ahsoka exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
Fox pulled off his helmet. "Ahsoka Tano, you're under arrest."
No. No. Not again.
A thousand images flashed through Ahsoka's head, none of them kind. She couldn't be back in Republic custody. She couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't-
Her chest was tightening. She couldn't breathe.
A traitor to the Republic. The punishment is death.
"What… what am I being charged with?" she asked weakly.
"The Jedi Order forbid you from leaving Coruscant until further notice," Fox replied. "You violated that restriction when you tried to leave today."
WHAT?!
Ahsoka she stared at Fox in utter astonishment. "They put me on parole even though I didn't do anything?"
"Any attempt by you to leave will be seen as an entitlement to take you into custody. Any persons consenting to bring you off the planet will also be taken into custody," Fox continued, ignoring her outburst.
"WHAT?!"
That was Rosgrest, staring at Fox in equal disbelief. Then he turned to Ahsoka with accusing eyes. "Lady, you never said that you were a fugitive! That does it! Our agreement is over! I am dissociating from you!"
Quick as lightning, he elbowed the trooper behind him, sending him reeling, punched the other one, and reached for something on his belt. As Fox raised his gun, yelling angrily, a blinding flash and earsplitting screech rocked the belly of the gunship.
"GRENADE!" Fox bellowed, and Ahsoka instinctively dropped to the ground. She heard the sound of running feet, and when she looked up, Rosgrest was running back into his freighter and pulling in the boarding ramp. A few moments later, the heavily modified engines roared to life, and in the blink of an eye, the freighter was screaming into the sky.
"TANO! Stay down!" Fox roared, leveling his pistols at her. "If you move a muscle, I will shoot you!"
He glanced at Rosgrest's freighter and barked an order into his comm. The four Z-95 Headhunters broke off and dashed away in pursuit of the freighter.
As Ahsoka stared up at the tiny, receding dot of the freighter, despair overtook her. Every belonging that she had to her name had just disappeared with that ship. The gift from Anakin, her datapad, her credits, and her treasured pictures. All gone. And perhaps her only chance to rejoin the war, or even escape Coruscant, was gone.
"You're coming with me, Tano," Fox said in a low, angry tone. "The Jedi want to talk to you now."
Ahsoka was still in shock. She was going back to prison and in trouble with the Order for absolutely no reason. They hadn't even told her about the rule! How was she supposed to follow it if she didn't know about it?!
For the second time in a few weeks, she found herself thinking that nothing had ever been so unfair in her life.
And then, glancing back and forth between Fox and the two troopers, a desperate thought occurred to her. These were clones… they weren't immune to mind tricks…
She took a deep breath. She'd never tried using a mind trick on more than one person at a time. Doing three at once would stretch her abilities to the limits.
"E-excuse me," she began, lacing as much Force power as possible into her voice.
Fox and the two troopers both turned to look at Ahsoka. She fought down a wave of excitement. It was working, so far.
"You will forget that I was trying to leave the planet," she said.
This one didn't go over as smoothly. The troopers nodded and repeated her command dutifully, but Fox frowned. "I…" he started, before scowling viciously. "Tano, you are not—"
"You will forget that I was trying to leave the planet!" Ahsoka screamed out, pouring her anguish and her shock and her righteous anger into the Force with as much power as she could muster.
Fox's mouth snapped shut, and he mumbled, "I will forget that you were trying to leave the planet."
Ahsoka clapped her hands over her mouth. It had worked. Now she had to cover her tracks.
"You will tell anyone who asks about this that it was a false alarm."
Fox nodded in a daze. "I will tell anyone who asks that this was a false alarm," he repeated dutifully.
Ahsoka relaxed. She'd done it. Her name was clear. But she still had to save Riyo. And that meant getting to her—Force knew how far away 500 Republica was-
"You will give me that speeder bike," she said hurriedly, pointing at a small bike lying on the floor of the ship next to them.
Fox nodded dully. "All yours."
Ahsoka hopped onto the speeder and gave one last Force-laced order to him.
"You will not follow me," she said.
"As you wish," Fox intoned robotically.
"Thank you." Ahsoka gunned the engine and shot away, and just like that, she was free again. She didn't dare to look over her shoulder.
As she blasted through the Freight District, the enormity of what she'd just done caught up to her. Using a mind trick on clones was an offense that would put her in jail and land her in real, dangerous trouble with the Order. But strangely, she didn't regret it. This situation was incredibly unfair. All she did was even the field a little. The Jedi had absolutely no right to put rules around her like that and not warn her. She was so, so tired of them defining her life. Would she ever be free from their grip?
But all those thoughts soon took a backseat to the most pressing matter—Riyo.
The Force was still whispering alarms in her head, and it was foolish to ignore it. Ahsoka could only hope that she wouldn't be too late to save Riyo.
She was in the Senate District now, and a new problem arose. She didn't have her security pass. It was on that motherkriffer Rogrest's ship. Well, she just wouldn't stop for anything.
Hangar 1138. Jorys had said that Riyo was leaving in a half-hour. That had been… nearly a half-hour ago. Kriff.
She sped up, weaving through traffic. 500 Republica loomed on her right. She cut off a yellow speeder and broke out of the lane, making directly for the building. Without her security pass, she couldn't go in the building, but she could go on it…
She switched on the magnetic lifts and pulled up on the yoke, pushing the nose of the speeder upwards, and as she came right up to the side of the building, the maglevs kicked into action and found purchase on the durasteel walls. In this way, she began driving vertically up the side of the building. It was a little vertigo-inducing, but it worked.
Hangar 1138, hangar 1138, she thought frantically, searching the sides of the building as she roared along.
She didn't have time for guessing. After just managing to avoid a silver shuttle that was departing a hangar, she made a sharp left turn and screeched to a halt in one of the hangars, shocking the living daylights out of a worker sitting on a crate.
"Where's hangar 1138?" she yelled at him. Now this, by any stretch of the imagination, should not have worked. She had no credentials, she wasn't wearing any official gear, and she had just come blasting into the hangar in a pilfered speeder. But the worker was so caught off guard by her entrance that he answered honestly.
"This—this is 1140," he said haltingly. "1138 is that way—"
Yes. She was close. "Thanks!" she hollered, throttling the speeder and rushing back out. Two sharp right turns later, she flew into-
An empty hangar. Her heart dropped. The only thing in there was a pair of Senate guards talking in the corner.
And then one of the guards jumped in surprise and took off her helmet, revealing a familiar human face. Jorys Solant.
"Tano?!" she yelled, running over. "What in the six Gods are you doing here?! What happened? How?"
"No time!" Ahsoka said quickly. "Where's Riyo?"
"Senator Chuchi?! Are you kidding me?!" Jorys threw her hands up. "She left twenty seconds ago! She's in that ship flying away right there!" She pointed at the exact shuttle that Ahsoka had just dodged around a minute ago.
"Oh, Force," Ahsoka muttered, dismounting from the speeder.
"Would you mind telling me what you're doing here anyway?" Jorys asked.
"Riyo's in danger. I had another vision."
"Oh, for the love of—" Jorys pulled on her helmet and gestured at the other guard. "Edose, get security on the radio and call for a speeder. We've got some trouble!"
Edose spoke rapidly into his radio for a few seconds, and nodded. "They'll have a speeder here in five minutes," he said, running over.
"We don't have time," Ahsoka said. The Force was screaming in her head now. "I'm going to have to do this the hard way."
"Whatever it is, we're coming with you!" Jorys said. "Like you, we've still got a duty to protect the Senator as long as she's on Coruscant!"
"Take my hands," Ahsoka ordered.
"Okay," Jorys said immediately. She took one hand, and Edose shrugged and took the other. Ahsoka turned back to face the ship and concentrated.
Jorys spoke up. "Tano, I trust you, but I would really like to know what we—YAAAARRRRRGH!"
That scream was elicited when Ahsoka jumped into the air, performing the farthest and most powerful Force jump she'd ever attempted. It was a quarter of a mile, and if they missed, then it was a long way down. But Ahsoka trusted in the Force.
They sailed through the air, closing in on the shuttle.
"AAAAGHHHH—" Thud.
Jorys's screaming was cut short when they landed hard on the top of the shuttle. Ahsoka tucked and rolled, coming to a stop, and used a Force-pull to stop Jorys and Edose from falling off the side.
Jorys sat up slowly, her eyes wide. "Never… never in my thirty-eight standard years have I ever done anything like that," she gasped, grinning crazily. "That was unbelievable, Tano. Now what?"
Ahsoka got to her feet, looking around. Her eyes fell on an access hatch under her feet, and she bent down, inspecting it. A keypad built into the door signified that it wouldn't be easy to get in.
"Jorys, Edose, do you know the password for this?" she asked hopefully.
Jorys shrugged. "Nope. Sorry. Got any Jedi tricks for dealing with locks?"
"Well, actually, I could do this…" Ahsoka stood up, settling into a half-crouch as she put her hands around the handle. She would've preferred not to resort to brute-force methods, but she was ready to move mountains when Riyo's safety was concerned.
Summoning a wave of strength with the Force, she simply tore the outer door off in a screech of metal, revealing the sealed but unprotected airlock door beneath. Setting it gently aside, she began unlatching the airlock door.
Jorys's eyes bulged. "Holy kriff. Remind me never to get on your bad side, Tano," she muttered.
"Seconded," Edose added.
Ahsoka didn't crack a smile as she pulled open the door and entered the shuttle. The Force was pushing her forward with more urgency than ever. She had to find Riyo.
Fortunately, that was made easy when three Pantoran guards, all with blasters drawn, crept into the room she'd just entered, with Riyo trailing behind them, also armed. Riyo's mouth fell open as she saw Ahsoka.
"St-stand down," she said, calling back the guards, who were bemused enough that they'd already been holding their fire.
"What—" Riyo began, blinking hard and staring at them like she'd seen a ghost. Then, sweeping her eyes over Ahsoka's form again, she asked, "Ahsoka?"
Her voice was so full of hope that it made Ahsoka even more disgusted with herself for wanting to leave. She straightened, hoping that her face displayed just how sincerely she regretted leaving Riyo behind.
"Riyo," she said, savoring the feel of the name on her lips again. She wanted to proclaim the name to the galaxy, making it so that the two beautiful vowels reverberated through the ages forever—but right now, she could settle for saying it quietly. It was enough while Riyo was right in front of her.
"Yeah, hello, Senator. Nice to see you, too," Jorys said, coming in behind her with Edose. "There's a bit of an emergency going on, according to Tano—" She broke off and looked askance at Ahsoka. "Just what was this vision that you had, anyway?"
Ahsoka barely heard Jorys's words. She was too busy staring at Riyo—who was right there—and taking in every inch of her appearance, from her flowing lavender hair to her flawless blue skin to her elegant figure to-
"TANO!" Jorys shouted. "Will you get your head out of the gutter?! You can ogle the Senator later, after she's out of danger!"
Ahsoka felt her face heat dramatically as she turned back to Jorys. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"The vision," Jorys prodded. "What was it?"
"Uh, you see…" Ahsoka folded and unfolded her hands. "I don't know… exactly."
Jorys looked about ready to explode, but Edose rescued Ahsoka by stepping in.
"I think I get it," he said. "Was it an ambiguous vision? A warning of something to come without saying what it was?"
"Yes, exactly," Ahsoka said, relieved. "Thank you."
Jorys calmed down a little. "Okay. So we just need to be on our guard. That's easy enough." She turned to Riyo, who had been watching the exchange with utter mystification. "Senator, I apologize for the abrupt entrance, but there was a credible threat to your safety."
Riyo nodded, still looking lost. "I see… What do you plan to do now?"
"We're going to land," Jorys answered. "This ship isn't going anywhere else until it has a full CorSec escort."
Riyo blinked. "All right. You can notify the pilot."
"We'll do that." Jorys started forwards. "Edose, come with me."
As the two senate guards made a beeline for the cockpit, Riyo turned to Ahsoka.
"Why don't we go into the lounge?" she asked.
"Sure," Ahsoka said. "Whatever you want."
The ship's lounge was hardly basic, but it wasn't the picture of decadency, either. Riyo took a seat on a couch, and Ahsoka sat next to her. The guards stood against the wall and remained there in silence.
For a minute, neither of them spoke. Riyo had an expression of cautious wonder, as if she wanted to believe that it was Ahsoka right in front of her, but she was afraid that she might be snatched away from her again. Eye contact was almost too much to ask as Ahsoka tried to figure out just how to say to Riyo that she wanted to stay with her forever.
"Riyo, I—" she started at last. But then the entrance of Jorys and Edose interrupted her.
"We're turning back, Senator," Jorys said, taking a seat. "We're going back to the hangar. CorSec's going to sort this out, and you should have a full security escort in a jiffy."
"Good," Riyo said.
She turned to Ahsoka, and Ahsoka felt her heart speeding up.
"Ahsoka… Would you mind telling me… how you got here?"
"Yeah," Jorys said. "Tano, I would love to hear just how you found your way back here after I personally saw you leaving the planet on a decrepit freighter."
Ahsoka opened her mouth hesitantly. "Uh," she said. "Um." She wasn't exactly eager to repeat the story.
Suddenly, Edose jumped out of his seat, and Ahsoka was saved from having to answer in what was perhaps the worst well-timed interruption ever.
"That cargo speeder is coming towards us too fast," he said, pointing at the transparisteel window that covered one wall of the lounge.
Ahsoka turned around to see a black freighter flying directly at them. "That's going to hit us!" she said.
Jorys got up. "Senator, get to the cockpit right—"
The Force roared in warning.
"TAKE COVER!" Ahsoka yelled, grabbing Riyo and diving for the floor.
WHAM!
A thunderous crunch ripped through the shuttle as the two crafts collided in midair, and the Pantoran cruiser listed violently to the right. A cloud of dust filled the room as the air roared around them.
Ahsoka was the first to recover. She leapt to her feet, dispelling the dust with a push of the Force, and pulled Riyo to her feet as well.
"You all right?" she asked, taking stock of the situation. The entire back wall of the lounge had been obliterated, replaced by the twisted wreckage of the other speeder, which had pierced the shuttle like a lightsaber. Wreckage was scattered all over. The guards… Oh Force, the guards, they weren't even there anymore, just like the wall that they'd been standing against.
"I'm fine," Riyo said. "The guards—we—we can't help them. We have to get in the cockpit."
"Good thinking." Ahsoka turned around and thanked the Force when she saw Jorys and Edose back on their feet. "Into the cockpit!" she barked, throwing aside a fallen ceiling tile to clear their path.
However, the situation inside the cockpit wasn't any better. The Pantoran pilot was slumped down in his seat, and alarms were blaring all over. Ahsoka ran up to the controls, only pausing to confirm that the pilot was just unconscious, and grabbed the steering yoke.
"What's the situation?" Jorys said, running up to Ahsoka's side.
"Pilot was knocked out by the crash," Ahsoka replied, glancing at a row of warnings on the screen next to her. "Try to resuscitate him. Our thrusters are going, we're losing altitude, we're losing power to the repulsorlifts, and the fuel's going—we're going to start dropping like a rock if we don't land soon. I think I can get us down in one piece, though."
POW!
An explosion rocked the entire ship, shaking the four people in the cockpit like pinballs, and an enormous screech of twisting metal came from behind them, as they were pitched forward violently, pointing the nose almost directly at the ground.
Ahsoka wrestled furiously with the controls and barely managed to put the shuttle at a less alarming angle to the ground. "What was that?!"
"That speeder must've been rigged to explode!" Edose yelled. "It sounds the whole tail section fell off!"
Ahsoka raked her eyes over the new barrage of warnings. "Repulsorlifts are dying! I've got no power!"
Jorys slammed her hand on the dashboard. "We're crashing!"
KRIFF. Ahsoka pulled the control yoke as far back as it went, praying to the Force that there was some system in the ship that would respond and arrest their descent.
Nothing happened. The ground, two miles below them, was rushing towards them too fast, and they had no thrusters, no repulsorlifts, no fuel—nothing.
"We're out of options!" Jorys shouted.
A ridiculous, unattainable, and completely insane idea occurred to Ahsoka. But this was a day filled with things that fit that description. "I'm going to try to land this with the Force!"
"Might as well try!" said Jorys. "We're dying anyway!"
Ahsoka let go of the now-useless controls and closed her eyes, sending out a silent query to the Force.
I've never needed you more than right now. Please don't disappoint me.
An answer floated back in her thoughts: You can only disappoint yourself.
Ahsoka gritted her teeth and concentrated. Almost imperceptibly, their descent slowed.
"I think it's working," Edose said. "You've got this."
Ahsoka ignored it and increased her concentration. This wasn't about landing comfortably. This was about landing with them all alive.
"Come on, Tano," Jorys muttered. Their descent slowed further.
The distance to the ground had already been halved, and they were still falling too fast. A drop of sweat rolled down Ahsoka's forehead as she pushed even harder.
"You can do this, Ahsoka," Riyo whispered, speaking for the first time since entering the cockpit. "I know you can."
"Hold on," Ahsoka muttered. The ship was decelerating too slowly as she struggled. Her entire body was aching from the effort. She didn't know how much longer she could keep it up.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let the Force flow through her straining muscles in a bid to stem her exhaustion. It wasn't enough. She was slipping.
Her concentration wavered, and the ship juddered. Sharp pains were lancing throughout her entire body now as she took ragged breaths. They were too far away from the ground… But it felt like wild akuls were tearing into every part of her body, and even trying to suck in a lungful of air was too steep of a task. With sweat pouring down her face, she opened her eyes and looked up at Riyo's worried expression.
"I'm sorry," Ahsoka gasped, and she collapsed. The ship dropped like a rock.
It wouldn't be a safe landing. Ahsoka summoned the last of her energy to form a protective shield around Riyo, Jorys, Edose, and the unconscious pilot as they plummeted to the ground. She couldn't see where they were going to hit—she could only hope that they would end up on safe ground.
There was a half-second where nothing happened and they were utterly weightless, and then suddenly, it was as if a Venator-class Republic cruiser was crashing onto Ahsoka's back, and she was tossed into the air and slammed down back into the ground in a cacophony of crashing metal as pain exploded all over her body.
Then, miraculously, it was over. Silence filled the cockpit.
After a few drawn-out seconds, Ahsoka tried to move. The slightest movement of her legs was agonizing, but she managed to raise her head. The sight that greeted her wasn't pretty. Jorys and Edose were in motionless heaps on the floor (thankfully, she sensed immediately that they were alive), and Riyo was flat on her back, stirring only slightly.
Riyo let out a moan, and then she whispered, "Ahsoka."
Ahsoka's blood ran cold at the sound. The voice sounded just like it did in her vision—helpless, hurt, and begging.
She pulled herself up onto her elbows and resolutely began dragging herself forward, ignoring the excruciating pain in her lower body until she was at Riyo's side.
"Riyo," Ahsoka said, brushing her fingers across the Pantoran's bloodied face. "I'm right here."
Riyo's eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head. "Ahsoka," she gasped reverently. "You came back."
"I came back for you," Ahsoka said, even as darkness encroached on the corners of her vision. "Now I'm not leaving you again."
And finally, having made her feelings plain, she surrendered to the darkness.
When Ahsoka opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed with a bevy of machines around her, a medical droid hovering by her side, and her legs swathed in bandages.
"Where am I?" she asked.
The medical droid looked up. "Greetings, Patient: Ahsoka Tano. You are in the Chancellor Palpatine Surgical Reconstruction Center," it announced blandly. "Are you in any pain?"
"Yup."
"That is to be expected. You have fourteen separate bone fractures and numerous instances of soft tissue damage in both legs. Your right hip is dislocated and also has a bone fracture. A fragment of your right hip punctured your—"
"Stop," Ahsoka said, raising her hand. "I don't want to hear anymore."
"Are you suffering any emotional distress?" the droid asked. "I am authorized to call for a psychologist or administer sedatives."
"I'll tell you what would solve a lot of my emotional distress—can you tell me where Riyo Chuchi is?"
"I am attending to Patient: Riyo Chuchi in the adjacent berth," the droid said.
Ahsoka glanced over at the next bunk. Riyo was indeed there, lying on her side with her back to Ahsoka.
"Patient: Riyo Chuchi currently has—"
"Don't bother." Ahsoka stopped the droid before it could go into graphic detail about Riyo's injuries. "Just tell me if she's going to live."
"Patient: Riyo Chuchi is expected to recover," the droid answered. "She will receive bacta treatment soon, as will you. However, your treatment has been delayed."
"Delayed?" Ahsoka furrowed her brow. "What for?"
"A visitor with security clearance: Sentinel-class has requested to speak with you."
Ahsoka sucked in a breath. Sentinel-class clearance was for Jedi.
"Send in the visitor, please," she said.
"I will notify the visitor," the droid said. "Call for help if you experience a medical emergency." With that, it scooted out of the room, leaving Ahsoka alone with Riyo.
As soon as the droid left the room, Riyo rolled over and sat up in her bed. She had one arm in a sling. "Hey."
"Hey," Ahsoka said, cracking a smile. "So how badly are you hurt?"
Riyo waved her uninjured hand. "Oh, probably better off than you. All I did was break my arm in two places, fracture a few of my ribs, and get concussion."
Ahsoka's heart skipped a beat. "A concussion?!"
"Don't worry, it's minor. The droid said so itself, but it was still quite fussy about it—kept wanting me to lie down and rest, so I had to pretend I was asleep."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Ahsoka asked.
"Well, I am injured," Riyo said dryly. "But—" she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up—"—I can walk, so I feel pretty decent." She walked over to Ahsoka's bed and sat down next to her. "So. I wanted to talk."
Ahsoka resisted the urge to panic. She knew exactly what was coming. But even so, she let Riyo make the first move. "About what?"
"About the kiss," said Riyo. She gazed at Ahsoka. "Did—did you mean it? Do you really feel the same way that I do?"
"I—I think so," Ahsoka said. At the worried look on Riyo's face, she hastened on. "In the Jedi Order, attachments are forbidden. That includes love. So—I never was actually sure what love was like, since no one ever bothered to explain it to me."
"Oh," Riyo said in a voice full of intense sympathy. "Oh."
"But… I think you're helping me discover what love is," Ahsoka said. "Because I think I feel the same way as you do, and I think that's love." She took Riyo's uninjured hand and rubbed her thumb over the smooth fingers. "And I want to feel so much more of it with you."
Riyo beamed at Ahsoka. "So this is real?"
Ahsoka smiled. "It's real, if you want it to be. We're together now?"
"We're together," Riyo said.
They were silent for a few moments. Ahsoka couldn't think of anything to say as the moment overwhelmed her. This was real. This was happening. She and Riyo Chuchi were together.
Finally, she tugged on Riyo's arm. "You know… I don't think our first kiss was nearly long enough."
"Oh, definitely." Riyo leaned down. "Let's make this one a lot better," she said, and they kissed.
The desperation of their first kiss was gone, replaced by exhilaration, and the knowledge that they had all the time in the world now. As Ahsoka wrapped her arms around Riyo, she found herself thinking about the Jedi Order. This was a direct slight against them, and if they found out about this, then there would be no way she would ever be allowed back into the Order.
To hell with them. This was wonderful.
Any uncertainty between them was brushed away as the kiss deepened. Riyo made a moaning noise deep in her throat and shifted, gripping Ahsoka's shoulders as Ahsoka ran a hand up and down her back. She wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the galaxy at that moment.
Suddenly, she heard a door slide open, and then a familiar voice exclaimed, "Whoa!"
They broke apart in surprise, and Ahsoka looked over to see Anakin Skywalker standing in the doorway with a look of complete and utter shock.
"Visitor: Anakin Skywalker admitted to see Patient: Ahsoka Tano," the medical droid announced blandly, sliding around Anakin to enter the room.
"Anakin!" Ahsoka cried, dropping her arms from Riyo's back as they scrambled back into their beds. "Uh, hi! What brings you here?"
"Am I interrupting something?" Anakin asked, taking a step back. "Because if I am, I can definitely come back later—"
"No, no. Stay, please," Ahsoka said, hurriedly adjusting her disheveled head-tails. She was ecstatic to see him here in one piece.
Anakin stepped back into the room. "If you say so." He looked around for a chair, and failing to see one, sat down on the edge of Ahsoka's bed. "It's been a while. I missed you."
"Same," Ahsoka said. She took a moment to take in his appearance. His hair was longer, and he looked a little bit more battle-worn, but otherwise his swaggering air was unchanged. But his Force-presence was changed—it felt more jovial, and she could detect the slightest hint of… pride? "I'd give you a hug, but that would require sitting up, which is kinda hard to do right now…" She gestured at her legs.
"Don't worry about it." Anakin scratched the back of his neck. "So, you and the Senator, huh?"
"Yes," Ahsoka answered. Riyo flushed a dark indigo, but she watched Anakin steadily.
"How long has it been going on?" Anakin asked.
"Officially? Less than a minute," Ahsoka said. "But I think it was a long time in the making."
"Okay. I've only got one thing to say." Anakin turned to Riyo. "Listen, Senator Chuchi," he began. "Just because Ahsoka left the Jedi doesn't mean that I'm not responsible for her anymore. If you hurt her in any way, then I will hunt you down and make sure that you pay for it."
Riyo nodded, unfazed. "I'll never hurt Ahsoka, Master Skywalker. You can be sure of that."
"Good."
Ahsoka stared at him. "You're okay with me doing this?"
Anakin shrugged. "Why not? I always thought that the thing about no attachments was stupid. Besides, you're not a Jedi anymore. You can do whatever—" He faltered. "—whatever you want."
"Yeah… about that…" Ahsoka muttered. "Not exactly."
Anakin started. "So you did try to leave Coruscant?"
"How did you know that?"
A pained look came over Anakin's face. "It's… it's bad, Ahsoka. I don't know if you should hear this."
"Tell me," Ahsoka said insistently, sitting up and ignoring the pain that shot through her hips.
Anakin closed his eyes. "You aren't going to like it."
"Tell me," Ahsoka repeated.
Finally, Anakin relented. "Well… you know that the Jedi Order prevented you from leaving Coruscant."
Ahsoka scowled. "Don't remind me."
"It's worse. They knew when you were going to leave Coruscant, because they've been following your every move for the last five weeks. Everywhere you went, everyone you spoke with, your datapad, your bank account, your comm—all of it was tracked by the Jedi."
Ahsoka's eyes widened.
"Do you know who the two Jedi that were following you were?" Anakin asked bitterly. "One of them was someone who had been close to you—so that if you caught him, then he could pretend to be checking on you."
No. No. They wouldn't be that deceitful. No way.
"It was Plo Koon and his padawan," Anakin said. "They've been tailing you for the last five weeks."
It was like all the air had been sucked out of Ahsoka's lungs suddenly. She'd trusted Plo. He'd been one of only three Jedi that she still trusted. Now that number was down to two.
Suddenly, she thought back to an incident from several weeks ago, right after meeting Rosgrest, when she chased that mysterious spy. That spy was Daileer Nosk—Plo's padawan. That was why Nosk's voice had sounded oddly familiar when Plo visited her a couple of weeks ago. And Plo must have been driving the speeder that Nosk jumped into.
And Master Koon's visit to her hadn't been a visit of charity. Tebathia had made the complaint with the Jedi, and he went just to assess the situation in person—he hadn't been concerned for her well-being at all.
"I cannot believe," she began slowly, "their nerve, their idiocy, their perfidy—WHY?!" she abruptly screamed. "Why are they doing this?!" she lamented, looking at Anakin pleadingly.
Anakin's visage was stormy. "I'll tell you why. They think that you're going to be the next Barriss Offee."
At the mere mention of the Mirialan's name and the understanding that she was still being compared in the same breath to a convicted terrorist with sociopathic tendencies, rage erupted in Ahsoka. Pure, burning, righteous, unadulterated rage.
"Don't say her name," she hissed.
The Order was a mass of deceit and shortsightedness and lies, and she did not deserve any of this. Here she was, hounded and scrutinized and bound by them even though she'd renounced them.
"I never want anything to do with them ever again," she growled. "I am not like Barriss, and I never will be. Those motherkriffers—" She balled her hands into fists—"They cannot do this!"
"Ahsoka," Anakin said uneasily.
Ahsoka looked up sharply. "What?!"
"You're—you're—" He pointed at the windows, and for the first time, Ahsoka noticed that her anger had leaked into the Force. A spiderweb of cracks ran across the transparisteel, and the light fixtures above them had suffered the same damage.
"I…" She trailed off, staring in horror at the havoc she'd wreaked, all of her rage forgotten. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"You don't need to be sorry, Ahsoka," Riyo said. "I would be just as angry if I were in your position."
Ahsoka gaped at Riyo. "Do you remember the last time I got this mad? It wasn't pretty. I need to—"
Riyo stopped her from speaking further with a kiss. After a few seconds, she broke away and whispered, "That kiss says that it's normal to be angry."
Anakin nodded in unsure assent. "Er—right," he said. "Listen, Ahsoka, Senator Chuchi is right. I'm mad about this, too. I talked about it with the Chancellor and he didn't like it, either."
Ahsoka held up her hand. "Wait. You mentioned this to the Chancellor?"
"I did," Anakin said. "I met with him earlier today. He was very understanding—said that he would see if he could reason with the Council. Said it was unlikely, though—they're too obstinate."
Gratitude filled Ahsoka. "You didn't have to do that. I would've just found a way to sneak off the planet."
Anakin patted something in his pocket, as if to make sure something was still there. "Actually, about that… It reminds me of the other reason why I wanted to talk to you." He leaned forward. "You were trying to get back into the war, weren't you? The Council thought that you were going to leave the planet earlier today, and they sent Fox to detain you. But he called back and said that it was a false alarm. It should've been over after that. But the Council's suspicious. They want to talk to you."
Ahsoka's throat tightened. "Talk… to me?"
"I'm not sure why, but that's not happening on my watch," Anakin said. "I'm going to get you off this planet as soon as possible, legally or otherwise. The Jedi won't touch you." He reached into his pocket and handed Ahsoka a datachip. "The Chancellor gave me a mission. I want you to undertake it for me."
Ahsoka took the datachip. "What's the mission?"
"There are stirrings of a Separatist rebellion on Corellia. Arms shipments being stolen, shipbuilding facilities sabotaged, things like that."
"So you want me to go figure out whoever's doing it and put it to a stop?"
"Yep. This datachip has all of the intel that the Chancellor gathered for the job. He specifically asked me to do this mission, but I'm passing it on to you. I know you can do it."
Ahsoka turned the datachip over in her hands. "I don't know… How am I going to get to Corellia?"
Riyo coughed loudly. "Perhaps I may be of assistance. I am a senator, after all. I'm sure that I could convince the Pantoran Navy to lend us a ship."
Us?
Ahsoka turned in surprise. "Riyo, you want to be on this mission, too?"
"Are you kidding me?" Riyo smirked. "Espionage is right up my alley. I can provide transportation, weapons, supplies, cover stories—anything we need."
"But this would be dangerous… Are you sure?"
"Dangerous?" Riyo scoffed. "Ahsoka, we snuck on board a Trade Federation capital ship once, and you're telling me that going to Corellia, a Republic stronghold, is dangerous?"
"Well—"
"If you're going on this mission, I'm coming with you," Riyo said firmly. "And that's final."
"All right," Ahsoka relented. She looked back up at Anakin. "Are you sure about this, Skyguy? If the Chancellor wanted you to do this—"
"Don't worry about it. You're just as capable as I am." He stood up. "I need to go, but you should take this on. You wanted to get back into the war, after all."
He started for the door, but then, halfway there; he stopped and turned around with a small smile on his face. "I'm proud of you, Ahsoka."
And with that, he was gone.
Riyo didn't waste any time. "Do you want to do the mission?" she asked immediately
"Definitely," said Ahsoka. "I'm just worried about you, though."
Riyo shook her head. "You don't have to worry about me. I can fend for myself. "
Ahsoka thought of the bull's-eye that Riyo had shot between the statue's eyes, and she relaxed. "Okay. So, I guess once we're all healed up, we'll go?"
Riyo nodded. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "I don't think two people is enough for this mission. We'll need some help."
"Were you thinking of someone?"
"I've got two more people in mind. You can guess who they are."
Ahsoka thought for a moment before it hit her. "Jorys and Edose?" She nodded. "Good idea. I trust them."
"Yes. If they agree, then we'll be all set to leave. We'll make a stop on Pantora for supplies first, and then it'll be on to Corellia."
Ahsoka gently pulled Riyo down for another kiss. "I can't wait."
A/N: So there's the end of Act 1! Now you know where the next act of the story will take place. Chapter 14 will be out in a week.
Holy heck. I cannot believe how long this chapter got. Nearly ten thousand words. That alone is more than chapters 4, 7, and 9 combined. And now this story has been pushed over fifty thousand words. That's all for now. Please leave a review! If you already did, then don't forget to claim your free 500-word Star Wars fic from me. Thank you. Air Force Muffin out.