Hello all! I hope everyone had a good Christmas! I wrote this chapter at work on Christmas Day. I'm also working tomorrow and New Years Day so I am hoping I can continue to make progress on this story. I am hoping to end this story at 50 chapters but I have a feeling it will go over that number though hopefully will not go too much over it.
This chapter rounds off the Onderon conflict...
A Jedi's Love
Chapter 36
King Rash was waiting for her when she rushed into the throne room though he did seem surprised to see her specifically. She gave him a wry smile, taking both the hilts of her lightsaber into her hands, keeping her thumbs hovering over the activation switch. She could see a few droids guarding the throne room around her and she attuned her Force senses to them so she could sense any change in their movement.
"King Rash, you have the opportunity to do the honourable thing and relinquish your throne," she said. "The people are rebelling against you and the Republic is aiding them. By willingly giving up your throne, you will showing humanity and compassion for the people you have unwittingly hurt."
The King smirked. "I always intended to hurt them. These people deserve to be squashed under a regime of power rather than one of fairness. There are planets and people who prefer that sort of rule. Onderon is one of them."
Ahsoka felt disgust filling her. This man did not care. She had given him a chance to willingly step down.
"These people are not capable of fighting back. Not all of them. A small minority may have found their independence yet most still need to be squashed and told exactly how to live their lives," continued King Rash.
"Then you leave me no choice," she grated. He didn't have one anyway but it made her feel better she had given him the freedom to choose his fate.
"Are you threatening me?" he hissed darkly.
She was tempted to be sarcastic but that being too much like her Master. "Yes, yes I am," she replied. "You've committed horrendous acts against the people of this planet. You sided yourself with Count Dooku, a war criminal and plotted to help him regain his power base. He gave you resources to build your own droid army in which you planned to use to attack the Republic with. You intended to execute Mina and Lux Bonteri and you planned to enforce labour on this planet, making the people your slaves. This is illegal under Republic law."
"In case you missed the memo, Jedi, my planet is not part of your infernal Republic. You have no jurisdiction over us," said King Rash menacingly. "I can do whatever I feel like."
"Not when you have people who do not wish to be supressed," answered Ahsoka.
Rash waved a hand dismissively. "The people barely know a portion of my crimes. What they do not know will not harm them."
This was where her plan would work in her favour. Ahsoka just smiled.
"You have nothing to smile about," intoned King Rash.
"Don't I?" smirked Ahsoka. She almost felt like laughing but didn't.
Rash's face slowly began to fall from the malicious grin he had been wearing. "What have you done?"
She had no intention of telling him. "You'll find out won't you?"
"As long as they do not learn the full treachery of what I have done then I have no worry of everyone rebelling against me," dismissed King Rash.
Ahsoka simply raised an eyebrow. "You may want to reconsider your position," she advised.
"I don't think I will. There is nothing you can do which will change my mind," he waved towards his guards.
Ahsoka sensed their movements, raising their blasters menacingly at her. She gripped her lightsaber hilts tighter. "You may thing that but you are very wrong."
Rash's eyes glinted. "No, I'm not." He brought his hand down. "Kill her."
Ahsoka whirled, activating her lightsabers, twirling around, blocking the multiple shots that came her way. She jumped up, landing behind one of the droids that was coming closer to her. She swiped it in half. Pieces scattered to the floor. She turned to the right and took another one down and then to the left, bringing her blade down quickly.
She leapt around the room at a fast rate, blocking, defending, scattering droid pieces everywhere, all the while casting glances at the King, his face becoming rapidly redder as she took down his assortment of droids. He probably hadn't see a Jedi in this way before. Showing her power and abilities could potentially make him rethink his position but she doubted it.
The last droid fell with a clatter to the marble floor. Ahsoka somersaulted, landing right in front of Rash's throne, pointing the blade of one of her sabers at his face. "You were saying?"
"Your victory changes nothing!" he spat. He whipped his hand through his thin black hair.
Ahsoka laughed. "At this very moment Mina and her son are transmitting date of your duplicity to everyone on Onderon. They will rally against you. Your rule is over. Make it easy on yourself by surrendering when you have the chance!"
"You are a liar! Those two are in my prison cell!" hissed King Rash.
"I rescued them before I came to confront you," she said mildly. "Your rule is lost."
The King was visibly angry. "How dare you! This is my planet!"
"Not anymore!" she retorted. "Onderon belongs to its people!"
His fists curled. "Never!"
Ahsoka's shoulder slumped. "You really cannot see it, can you? The people do not want oppression. All they want is freedom. Why can't you give them that? You can still be King, just a kind and fair one who cares about his people rather than power?"
Rash's eyes glinted. "Power is the ultimate thing in the universe that everyone desires. One does not easily give it up once you have it."
Cocking her head to the side, Ahsoka frowned. "But you have power as a peaceful and kind King. You do not need to oppress a population to make you feel powerful."
"It is who I am," he snarled. "You have broken your own Republic laws by intervening here."
"No, we haven't," she shook her head. "You collaborated with a known criminal. Regardless of whether you are part of the Republic or not, that automatically gives us the right to come here. Your old constitution even says it and that is something you still have as part of your rule. I think you didn't bother to read up on Onderon's complicated history with the Republic. The Senate also advocates us coming here because of your connection to Dooku. We want to prevent a war, not start another one. The galaxy has already had enough to last it for thousands of years." She lowered her lightsaber and stepped back.
"No one will ever agree completely on everything at once. There will always be conflict," said King Rash.
"But we can always try and stop it," answered Ahsoka sadly. "And we always will. Onderon deserve its people's life back. It is a shame you cannot appreciate everyone's individuality." She gritted her teeth, further stepping back from the throne. "But your rule is over."
A voice echoed out from behind her. "Ahsoka is right. It is."
Rash stood from his throne, his eyes wide.
Ahsoka had sensed them coming so she hadn't been surprised by the voice.
Behind her stood Adi Gallia with Cody and few other clones and with them were Mina and Lux Bonteri.
"We've transmitted the data to the public. Soon they will rise up against you," explained Mina quietly.
"Surrender," added Adi.
Rash's fingers curled into a fist. "No."
Ahsoka's shoulders drooped. "Then I have no choice." She glanced over at her colleagues. "Cody, you know what to do."
Rash moved away from the throne, stumbling back, his hands reaching into his robes.
Ahsoka felt her danger sense blaring suddenly. "He's got a weapon!"
In his hands the King now held a blaster. "This is not over! If only you had respected me, Senator! None of this would have happened!"
"Mina, look out!" cried Ahsoka, rushing towards Rash.
Rash's finger pressed down on the trigger three times.
Ahsoka's blade went up quickly, deflecting all three shots. One hit King Rash in the arm, forcing him to drop his blaster, the other two went into the wall. With a quick flick of the Force, Ahsoka pulled the weapon away from him and approached cautiously. "That's another crime we can add to your list. The attempted murder of Senator Mina Bonteri."
Cody moved forward. "It's over." He grabbed Rash by the shoulders, indicating for another clone to assist him.
Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers, folding her arms across her chest. "King Rash, you are under arrest for crimes against the Republic. You will be held here for interrogation and – providing the people of Onderon agree – you will be transported to Coruscant to answer for your crimes."
Rash tried to pull away from the grip of his captors. "You will find I will walk free! The courts will rule in my favour! I have allies at my disposal!"
Ahsoka laughed. "Criminals used to have that advantage but they do not have anymore. The new Republic has ensured fairness comes to all and power cannot be abused." Though, admittedly, it was difficult to ensure that, however Ahsoka was not about to reveal that particular little bit of information. Chancellor Organa was doing an admirable job.
"Commander Cody," Mina Bonteri walked up to Ahsoka's side. "Please take him away. I will send my General to see him shortly."
Rash struggled as he was led away. "You haven't won! You cannot have peace! The galaxy needs chaos! It was always have it! Nothing you do will ever end it! The Count has ensured of that! His legacy will live on!"
And then he was gone.
Ahsoka sighed. "What did he mean by that?"
Adi laid a hand on her shoulder. "Dooku's legacy will continue to haunt us for years to come. He has influenced so many people that his actions will continue to come back to us, even after his death. The same way that Chancellor Palpatine's legacy will live on. He will always be known as the man who took the Republic to the brink of destruction. He will never be forgotten and there will always be those who will seek to emulate what he did."
"It's a shame really…" said Ahsoka. She shook her head. "What will happen now?"
Mina cleared her throat. "I will rule for an intermediate period. Master Gallia told me the people are already piling at the gates of the palace, calling for his resignation. I will also contact the rebels in the forest and extend aid to them by asking them to help me bring peace back to Onderon. We need to bring our society back together and we can only do that by including everyone in our designs. I will make a speech to the people soon." She steeled herself. "You know I am not happy about taking his place on the throne but I won't be named as Queen. I will be known as Acting Regent until a proper ruler can be found. The royal line died out years ago and now we rely on elections to decide who would be best suitable to lead us."
"The Republic can work with you," explained Adi.
Mina smiled gently. "I know."
"We'll stay for as long as you need us to," said Ahsoka. "It's the least we can do. And we do need to sit in with the questioning of King Rash. It might help us with tracking Dooku if he's escaped again."
Adi nodded. "Yes, it might. We do need to call the Council and report in with the development here. Never know what could have happened in our absence."
Events moved very quickly after Mina had made her speech to the people, explaining how she would rule temporarily and anyone wishing to put themselves forward who had relevant political background and leadership history was to report to her later that evening so she could lay down the rules of the election and its campaign.
Ahsoka and Adi contacted the Jedi Council and learnt Dooku had been killed and there was no need to question King Rash on any potential further relationship he might have had with the Count. However the Council did wish for further information regarding the legacy the former Jedi had left. What other plans had he put in place that King Rash knew about that they didn't? Whatever the case was, Dooku had ensured he would continue to cause trouble for his enemy's years after his death. The worst type of people always succeeded in accomplishing their names lived on past their expiry. Dooku would not be forgotten.
Elections for the rule of Onderon were to be held in a month with each of the candidates demonstrating why they should be chosen to lead the people to a glorious future. The leader had to be right and they also had to show their intention to join the Republic. To have someone like Rash rule the world again would simply bring the planet back into the dark and never fall back into the light. They needed help. Someone who cared.
The former King's interrogation did not yield anything more to Dooku's future plans so he was released by Mina Bonteri to Republic custody.
With Onderon shifting towards peace, Adi and Ahsoka decided to take their leave of the world, leaving behind Cody and the clone troopers for protection until the new ruler was installed. They were also tasked with locating and destroying any remaining droids that had survived the onslaught wrought down upon them in the battles taking place outside the city.
As they were boarding their shuttle, Lux came running through the hanger towards them, waving his right hand at them. "Ahsoka!"
Adi looked over her shoulder. "I'll warm up the ship. You go and talk to him."
Ahsoka stepped down the ramp, stopping at the bottom of it as Lux skidded to a halt. She placed a hand on her hip, tilting her head to the side. "We said goodbye earlier." Because they had. She and Adi had gone to say farewell to Mina Bonteri where Ahsoka had also said farewell to Lux. So it was strange he had rushed after her.
"It's just… Well…" Lux's cheeks went a shade of red. "Look… I want to give you something…"
"What is it?" asked Ahsoka, feeling a bit confused. What could he want to give her?
"It's a thank you for coming to help us, for saving our world," he smiled, holding out his hand.
She opened her hand and a piece of paper fell from his hand into hers. Ahsoka opened to find a com-unit mail address.
"It's my personal contact if you want to use it. I'd… well… I'd like to talk to you when you can, if you like?" Lux's face was completely red. He was obviously embarrassed. "You're different than anyone I've ever met before. You helped me to change my views and I think we could teach one another things."
"So… how often would we chat?" Ahsoka felt a bit awkward.
He shrugged. "When would you like?"
"I don't know. I've never really done anything like this before," she answered. What could she say? Every day was too much… But every month was too little. "Sorry, I'm a Jedi. We don't exactly have friends to talk with on a regular basis."
"Your Master is married to a Senator?" said Lux. "How could you not know?"
"Master Skywalker may be an unconventional Jedi but he hasn't taught me how to deal with ordinary people," she explained.
"Guess I'll have to teach you that then," grinned Lux. "Twice a month to start with. If we like chatting, we up the amount when your schedule allows."
"And if we don't?" she asked. "We've got to think about whether we won't like talking."
"I don't think we will have that problem," he continued to grin.
Ahsoka smiled. "Fair enough."
"Message me," he raised a hand for her to take. They shook hands. His smile was enchanting to her. It made his eyes shine brightly.
"Thanks, Lux," she finished.
"No," he replied. "Thank you, Ahsoka Tano. Without you, my home would still be enslaved by King Rash. Your help has saved my people."
"It's part of my job. I will not stop helping people. It's the role the Force chose for me," she explained.
Behind them, the soft noise of the engines roared into life.
"I'd better go," said Ahsoka awkwardly.
"Speak to you soon," waved Lux as Ahsoka retreated up the ramp.
"Yeah, you to," she replied. She felt her cheeks warm as the door closed on Lux. She stood there, thoughts racing through her head. Did she like Lux Bonteri? Was he attracted to her? He had, after all, when they had first met, eyed her up.
She walked slowly towards the cockpit and sat down beside Adi.
"What did young Mr Bonteri want?" Adi seemed to be interested and there was a slight smile on her face as she piloted the shuttle up through the atmosphere of Onderon.
"I'm not sure… well, he wants to stay in contact, regular contact every few weeks and I think he likes me," she said.
"You are nearly a Jedi Knight, Ahsoka. It's up to you to decide whether you want to keep contact. There is nothing in the Jedi code that forbids you from maintaining a friendship," Adi advised.
"Right." Ahsoka leaned back in her chair. "And if it turned into something more?"
"As long as it only becomes a romance after you are Knighted," pointed out Adi, "then the Council will not frown upon it."
Ahsoka nodded. She had a lot to think about it.
Throughout the journey home, she kept hold of the piece of paper with Lux's contact mail address on it. And she couldn't figure out why it meant so much to her. Do I fancy him too?
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Next, we return to Obi-Wan... And for those wondering I won't be going into detail about a potential Ahsoka/Lux romance, though I haven't ruled out following it up in some form.
The next chapter, I hope, will be posted next week...
Until then... Happy New Year everybody!
the-writer1988