Chapter 38 - Returning Home

So… For some reason this file got corrupted on my computer. Very, very frustrating. I couldn't open it anymore, it constantly said: file is damaged, cannot open etc. I tried using some 'free' file recovery program I downloaded. To be fair, it did restore the file. BUT… It only restored about 30% of the text and replaced the rest with the word 'demo'. "Please purchase the full version to bla bla bla…" or "Register now and get the full file after three+ weeks…"

After a lot of struggling I was able to recover most of the text, only the formatting had been screwed up and all of the "…" and dots Etc had been replaced with strange random symbols . I'm just really glad I didn't have to rewrite everything.

Shen Peacock and General Ripper, I think I will incorporate a number of things from the Lost Missions in this story. I haven't seen the episodes yet, but I have read a few summaries on some wikia page. If anyone knows a good place to watch the episodes, feel free to send me a PM. I'd love to know.

In previous chapters, I've always used "this" to indicate Basic and /like this/ to indicate Togruti whenever I used two languages in the chapter. However, because this chapter mostly takes place on Shili, /text like this/ means Basic and "Text like this" is Togruti. I hope it's not too confusing, but most conversations will be in Togruti and this way it's a bit easier for me.

One warning, there are mentions of death and slavery-related themes in this chapter.

;-

Aisha awoke slowly. She couldn't tell how long she had been asleep, she had been too tired to care. She then became aware of two arms and a figure pressed against her. Her eyes shut open and she looked at the person fearfully.

Instead of seeing the vile man she had feared, she saw an orange skin and a blue-white lekku. She was puzzled at first, but then she started to remember what had happened the day before. She had been rescued from that awful man.

Ahsoka, she recalled the older Togruta's name, had found her hiding in that alleyway and she had protected her when that monster found her again. He was gone and wouldn't be coming back. She was safe from him now.

She felt a few tears run down her cheek. They were tears of joy, but also tears of pain as she remembered what had happened before.

She gently wiped her tears away and looked at the older Togruta again. Ahsoka… The name plagued her mind a bit. She had heard some stories about a Jedi called Ahsoka. "Could this really be her?" Aisha asked herself.

There was something strange about her though. A strange, soft white glow surrounded Ahsoka's

form. For some reason, the glow didn't scare her. Something told her that it was alright. Looking at the glow made her feel safe and warm.

She relaxed the tension she didn't even know she had been feeling and took a deep breath. She snuggled a little bit closer to Ahsoka, enjoying the safe, warm feeling she felt coming from her.

Sensing the sudden movement, Ahsoka awoke as well. She smiled when she saw Aisha lying closely against her. "Good morning, Aisha." She said softly, trying not to startle the young girl.

Aisha moved back a bit and looked up at Ahsoka's smiling face. "Good morning." She replied a moment later. She looked at the older Togruta with interest.

Ahsoka was a bit surprised by the sudden curiosity she sensed from Aisha. That was until she noticed the glow on her arms. "Oh, am I glowing again?" She asked herself out loud.

She concentrated for a moment and the glow faded away. "I hope that didn't scare you." She said to Aisha.

Aisha lightly shook her head. "No." She replied softly. "It was kinda pretty. It made me feel a little better." Ahsoka smiled when she heard this. "What was that?" Aisha asked curiously.

Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "She's a lot more talkative than yesterday. Thank the Force for that." Ahsoka thought to herself. "Well, it's a bit difficult to explain." She replied. "But it has something to do with the Force. Do you know about the Force?" She asked Aisha. The only reason she had found Aisha was because she was broadcasting a plea for help through the Force.

Aisha looked deep in thought for a moment. "Isn't that the magic the Jedi use?" She asked in return.

"Well, it's not really magic." Ahsoka replied. "It's more like an energy that is everywhere and in every living thing. Some people, like the Jedi, are more attuned to it and can tap into its power." She smiled when she saw that Aisha was listening intently. "The Force has been with me since I was born and I have seen some incredible and unbelievable things. That glow is the result of one of my adventures of when I was still with the Jedi Order."

Aisha nodded. "Are you really the Ahsoka?" She asked with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

Ahsoka smiled a bit and nodded. "I suppose I am." She replied. "I had almost forgotten how many times Anakin and I were in the news." She thought.

Aisha's eyes twinkled a bit with excitement. "Wow." She said softly. "I've heard a lot of stories about you. You're a hero!" She smiled. "But, how did you find me?" She asked curiously.

"I didn't find you." Ahsoka replied. "You found me. You were calling to me."

Aisha gave her a strange look. "But I was hiding. I wasn't calling to anyone." She said softly.

"You did call me, you just didn't realize it." Ahsoka replied. She saw Aisha's confused expression and explained. "I was on my way back to the ship when I felt something or someone calling to me through the Force. I went to investigate and I found you."

Aisha looked at her confused. "But, I don't know the Force. I'm not like you." She said in a very confused voice.

Ahsoka smiled at her. "You may not know much about the Force, but it is in you." She said as she lightly tapped Aisha's nose, earning herself a slight giggle from the young girl.

Aisha's face turned a bit more serious after that. "But what will happen to me now?" She asked a bit worried.

Ahsoka gently rubbed Aisha's cheek. "Well, my friends rescued some more people from that disgusting planet. When we reach Shili, they're going to have a ship prepared so they can be brought home." Ahsoka explained. "If you want me too, I can take you back to your parents." She offered.

Suddenly, she felt Aisha's mood drop immensely. A wave of sadness radiated from the young girl as a few tears appeared in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ahsoka asked kindly as she tried to wipe the tears away.

Aisha sobbed and hiccupped a bit as she answered. "M-my mommy and daddy… They're gone…" She said softly.

Ahsoka felt shocked as she heard this. "What happened?" She asked. She really wished that she didn't have to ask, but she had learned during her time in the Temple that it was sometimes better to talk about these things rather than keeping it bottled up inside.

Aisha started sobbing more. "We were at home when the droids came. A group of people went to fight them. Daddy did too. He…He got hurt. He didn't come back…" She said sadly. "Mommy got really depressed. She got mixed up with some bad things and some bad people. That evil man was one of them." She paused a bit and tears started to run down her cheeks. "I heard something weird and looked. M-Mommy was laying on the floor. That man looked at me evilly and took me away." She stopped talking and cried.

Ahsoka gently placed her hand on the back of the girls head and pulled her into a closer embrace. As she used the Force to send her some comforting feelings, she could feel images flooding from Aisha's mind. Ahsoka could see a Togrutan man being shot down by battle droids. After that she saw a Togrutan woman who looked like Aisha sitting on a couch, different types of alcohol and drugs on a nearby table. The image changed and the woman was lying on the floor, convulsing in agony until she stopped moving.

Ahsoka rubbed the back of Aisha's head. "Don't worry, I'm here for you." She said as she held Aisha close. "I'll keep you safe, I promise."

The two of them kept laying there for a while; Ahsoka constantly comforting Aisha. After a little while the younger Togruta finally calmed down again. "Are you feeling a little better now?" Ahsoka asked kindly.

Aisha nodded and wiped the remainders of her tears off her face. "Yeah… A little better." She replied softly as she looked at Ahsoka. "I miss them."

Ahsoka nodded and rubbed Aisha's cheek gently. "I know it hurts. I've lost people dear to me as well." She said. "However, the people that leave us aren't really gone. They're always with us, in here," She tapped Aisha's head gently, "and in here." She said as she tapped Aisha's chest lightly where her heart was.

Aisha smiled a little bit. "Thank you 'Soka." She replied.

"My pleasure." Ahsoka said. "Now, how about we get out of bed? We've been laying here for quite a while." She asked with a smile.

Aisha nodded slowly and Ahsoka could see her small lekku darkening a little. She let go of Aisha and sat upright in bed. Ahsoka climbed out of the bed and Aisha sat up as well.

Ahsoka walked to her suitcase and took out her regular outfit. Aisha looked the other way as Ahsoka changed her clothes.

When she was done, Ahsoka turned back to Aisha. "Hmmm… All of the clothes I have with my are my size and I don't think that anything I have will fit you." She said as she looked at the young girl. "But, maybe we can improvise a bit. With all of Anakin's crazy ideas I've had to improvise plenty of times." She said, earning herself a little smile from Aisha.

;-

A little bit over an hour later they arrived back on Shili. Silara had informed Ahsoka about their arrival a couple of minutes ago. Ahsoka was just preparing to disembark with Aisha. She looked mildly amused at the young girl. She was now wearing a earth colored shirt and a pair of black pants that belonged to Ahsoka. They had cut several parts of the clothes so that they fit her a little better. It looked a bit silly to Ahsoka, but Aisha wasn't complaining one bit.

Ahsoka picked up her suitcase as Aisha walked up next to her. "We're going to get you better clothes later, okay?" She asked Aisha. The young girl nodded and they walked of the ship's ramp.

Ahsoka looked around and saw Aurora and Silara reporting to the king and several others about their mission and the additional people they had brought back. She could sense a number of mixed emotions from the small crow. But overall, she could mostly sense relief from them.

"Ahsoka!" A familiar voice called to her. She looked to her side and saw her mother and her sister Lilo walk up to her. As soon as she reached her, Yuae pulled her daughter into a hug. "I'm so glad you came back safely." She said as she took a deep breath.

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Ahsoka asked in return as she pulled back from the hug.

Her mother smiled at her. "Yes, you did." She replied. "But that doesn't mean that your mother won't worry about your safety. So how did everything go?" She asked.

Ahsoka smiled. "I'd say everything went pretty well." She said. "We got the shield generators and Ventress agreed to get the information we need. Things went better than I had expected and I'm sure we'll be able to help the people of Kiros."

"That's great! What a relief." Lilo replied as she sighed. "Thank you so much Ahsoka. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You know you don't have to thank me, sis." Ahsoka said. "You know that I'll always do what I can to help others." She smiled at her sister.

Yuae nodded. "You really have a heart of gold, Ahsoka." She said to her daughter. Then she looked at the young girl at her side. "Ahsoka, who is this?" She asked.

Ahsoka looked at Aisha. "This is Aisha Kariya." She introduced her. "Aisha, this is my mother Yuae and my sister Lilo." She told the young girl as she gestured at her relatives.

Yuae smiled at the young girl. "Hello there, little one. It's nice to meet you." She said kindly.

Aisha looked a bit nervously at the two other Togruta. "Hi…" She replied shyly.

Yuae looked at Ahsoka again. "How did you two meet?" She asked her daughter.

Ahsoka hesitated a bit. "We uhm…met…on Tatooine." She replied. "She came with me and I was hoping that she could stay with us." She gave her mother a look that said 'I'll explain later.'.

Yuae nodded. "Sure, she can stay with us." She said. Ahsoka could sense that she was a bit surprised by the question, but her mother knew that she wouldn't ask such a thing normally.

Ahsoka nodded gratefully. She looked to her side and saw king Zhorin walking towards them. Ahsoka, her mother and Lilo bowed as he reached them. Aisha was a bit shocked by the new Togruta but followed Ahsoka's example and bowed slightly as well. "Good afternoon your majesty." Ahsoka greeted him.

King Zhorin smiled warmly at her. "Ahsoka, once again, I am in your debt." He said. "The warriors told me about your actions. You have secured what we need to help our brothers and sisters on Kiros and, besides that, you've also saved numerous others from an awful fate even though you didn't have anything to do with their situation. Your actions serve as an example to us all."

Ahsoka felt her lekku darkening a bit from the praise. "Thank you sire." She replied. "But there's no way I could've done these things on my own. Aurora and the others helped me greatly."

/Uhm… Excuse me…/ A nervous voice called out. They all turned around and saw the two light-green skinned Twi'lek they had rescued from Tatooine. /I hope we didn't interrupt./ One of them asked.

Ahsoka looked at them. /No, it's alright. Is something wrong?/ She asked them in return.

The two girls looked at each other. /My name is Ellona Demora and this is my twin sister Edea./ The other girl introduced them. Ahsoka looked a bit closed at them. The two were almost identical twins, the only difference being their eyes. Ellona had light blue eyes and Edea's eyes were a deep purple color.

Ellona looked nervously at Ahsoka and the king. /We are really grateful for all that you've done for us already and that you'll be willing to bring us home, but…/ She stopped talking as her voice started to shake.

Edea continued where her sister left off. /Is there any way we can stay here on Shili?/ She asked.

The group of Togruta was rather surprised by the question. /Don't you want to return to your home? To your family?/ Lilo asked them. Ellone looked down and Ahsoka could sense a wave of sadness rolling of her. At the same time, she could sense anger coming from Edea.

Edea looked at the group. /It was just us and our parents back home./ She replied. /About five years ago, mom and dad went out but dad came back alone. He told us that there had been an accident and that she had died./ Ellona started to sob a bit and Edea wrapped her arm around her sister. /It was a lie, I'm sure of it. Just like it was a lie when he promised that he would never let anyone hurt us, just a few days before he sold us both so he could pay off his debts and continue gambling…/ She said, her voice shaking with anger.

Ellona looked up again. /We don't want to go back home. We're scared of what he will do to us. So please, can we stay here?/ She asked with fearful eyes. /We've been through such terrible things. Those vile people he sold us to did such disgusting things to us. I never want to go back./ Her voice went hoarse as she said this.

Ahsoka clenched her fist, her nails digging into her skin almost drawing blood. "That is just awful." She heard her mother say. "How could anyone do this to their own family?"

The two Twi'lek sisters were still looking at them for an answer. Lilo stepped up to them. /My name is Lilo Tano. I'm Ahsoka's sister and the senator of Kiros./ She introduced herself. The two sisters nodded in return. /Things as a senator have rapidly become a lot busier for me since Kiros joined the Republic. I've been thinking of hiring one or two assistants. Maybe we can work something out together?/ She offered to them.

Both of their faces lit up. /Really? Thank you!/ They both replied as they hugged Lilo. /Thank you so much!/

Lilo was taken a bit aback by the suddenness of the hug and awkwardly hugged them back. /Don't mention it./ She said. /Shall we go to my office? We'll see where you two can stay for now and then we can work the rest out tomorrow./ The girls pulled back and nodded with a grateful look in their eyes.

Lilo turned back to her mother. "I'll be back a bit later. I'll see you guys at dinner." She told them.

Yuae nodded. "Of course Lilo, we'll wait for you." She replied. "You're doing a wonderful thing."

Lilo smiled at her. "I think that Ahsoka's actions are rubbing off on me." She said. "See you later." She and the two Twi'lek then made their way to the palace.

King Zhorin chuckled a bit and turned his attention back to Ahsoka. "Thank you again, I have to arrange a few things so we'll speak again some other time." He told her.

Ahsoka nodded. "Of course your majesty." She replied as she bowed. After that the king went back to his staff and they went inside the palace as well.

"Well then, shall we head home?" Yuae asked. Ahsoka nodded in return and looked over at Aisha. She smiled at the young girl and held out her hand. Aisha smiled back and took her hand. The three Togruta then went to the speeder parked nearby.

;-

As her mother flew them back home, Ahsoka noticed how much Aisha was looking around the city. She could sense great curiosity and enthusiasm coming from the young girl from being on Shili. "I guess she used to live on a different planet." Ahsoka mused.

She smiled as she recalled how she felt when she arrived back on Shili after she had left the Jedi Order. "It already feels like so long ago. I can barely believe how different things are now." She thought with a hint of mixed joy and sadness.

Several minutes later they arrived in the street where they lived. "Hey Aisha, look." Ahsoka told the young girl as she pointed at her family's house. "That's where we live."

Aisha looked at the house. "It looks great!" She replied happily. "It's such a big house. Do you have more family?" She asked.

"Yes, I sure do." Ahsoka replied as her mother parked the speeder. "Come on, let's go and meet them." Aisha nodded and they walked inside the house.

;-

As soon as Ahsoka entered the living room she was almost immediately greeted by Marina with a hug. "Welcome back sis, I'm glad that you're safe." Marina said. "Did those guys give you much trouble?" She asked as she pulled back from the hug.

Ahsoka shrugged. "No, not that much. I almost got into a fight with some other bounty hunter I got arrested once, but with Aurora and the others we scared him and his friends of." She replied. She looked closely at her sister for a moment. It was clear to her that Marina was very troubled. "So the prince kept his word." She thought to herself. "I'll have a talk with her later."

She saw her father walk up to her as well. "Welcome back Ahsoka." He said. "So, how did everything go?" He asked.

Ahsoka smiled at him. "It went a lot better than I originally expected. I had counted on a lot more trouble." She replied.

Her father nodded and smiled back. "That's good to hear." He said. He then noticed Aisha standing in the doorway and gave Ahsoka a questioning look.

Ahsoka turned around and gestured for Aisha to come closer. She slowly moved to Ahsoka's side. "This is Aisha Kariya." She told her family. "Aisha, this is my father Haymish and my oldest sister Marina." Then, without warning a little Togruta ran up to them. Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "And this is Marina's daughter Rosette."

Rosette smiled happily at Aisha. "Hi!" She greeted her.

Aisha was a bit surprised by Rosette's sudden appearance. "H-hello." She replied a bit startled.

Ahsoka could sense that Aisha was getting a little overwhelmed and decided to act before it got too much for her. "Shall we go upstairs for a bit Aisha?" She offered. "You should take a little shower after visiting that dustbowl of a planet. It might make you feel a bit better. I know I did the last time I was on that rock."

Aisha looked at her and nodded. "O-okay…" She replied. She then followed Ahsoka upstairs.

Ahsoka quickly showed her around for a bit and led her to the refresher. After seeing Aisha's confused stare at the model of their shower, she explained briefly how it worked and how she could lock the door. "I'll be right downstairs. I have to talk with my family for a moment." She told Aisha. "You just take your time and relax a bit. Okay?"

Aisha nodded at her. Ahsoka smiled and left the room. When she got downstairs she found her parents and Marina waiting for her.

Ahsoka sat down on the couch next to her mother. "So, what is her story?" Yuae asked her daughter. "I don't mind that you've brought her along, but she seemed very sad." She said slightly concerned.

Asoka nodded. "Well, it's like this…" She told her family how she had found Aisha and what had happened to her. How she had lost her parents and that she was almost sold into slavery.

"That poor girl." Marina said after Ahsoka had finished explaining. "How is she doing?"

Ahsoka sighed and looked down. "I'm not sure." She replied. "She's very traumatized by this whole experience. I can sense that she's still afraid." She looked up at her family. "Like I said, she's Force-sensitive, that's how I found her. I think that the Force told her that she could trust me. She's very fragile right now and I don't want to betray her trust." Ahsoka paused a moment as she recalled just how important trust had become to her after being betrayed by the Council.

"I don't know what the future holds for her." Ahsoka continued. "For now, I just want to make sure that she's safe. That's why I brought her with me. Can she stay here for a while?" She asked her parents.

Haymish and Yuae looked at each other for a moment. A moment later Haymish nodded and smiled. Yuae smiled back and looked at Ahsoka. "She can stay here for as long as she wants."

Ahsoka smiled. "Thanks mom, dad. That means a lot to me." She replied. She got up and gave her parents a quick hug.

"Of course, dear." Yuae replied. "It just wouldn't be send her away. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I did so. But, what is with her clothes?" She asked.

Ahsoka rubbed the back of her head a bit. "Well… she was wearing nothing but rags when I found her." She replied. "I adjusted some of my clothes to fit her so she had at least something to wear."

"That's very nice of you sis." Marina said with a smile. "Hey mom, didn't we save some old clothes of me and Lilo?" She asked her mother.

Yuae thought about it a moment. "Yes, I believe we did." She replied. "Let's take a look with Aisha when she's done." She said to Ahsoka. Ahsoka nodded and smiled.

;-

Sometime later Ahsoka walked into the garden of their house. Aisha was with her mother at the moment trying on a few clothes they had. Aisha seemed to be at ease around her mother, so Ahsoka thought that it would be a good time to talk with Marina.

She found her sister sitting outside, obviously deep in thought. Marina looked up when Ahsoka walked up to her. "Hey sis, mind if I sit down?" Ahsoka asked. Marina shook her head and gestured at the seat. "How are you holding up?" She asked as she sat down.

Marina rested her back against the seat and sighed deeply. "I don't really know." She replied. She looked at Ahsoka. "I'm grateful that you found out the truth for me, sis. I suppose this could've been a lot worse, but I just don't know what to do…" she said softly.

Ahsoka looked her sister in the eyes. "Do you love him?" She asked.

Marina looked at her confused. "Wha…?" she replied a bit startled.

"Do you love him?" Ahsoka asked again. "Lilo repeatedly told me how you always felt about him. If you still love him, try and work this out with him." She told her. "When I talked to him, I could sense that he was sincere and truthful when he said that he never wanted to see you get hurt. If you can find it in yourself, just give him a chance."

Marina chuckled a bit. "This is such a strange situation." She replied. Now Ahsoka gave her a confused look. "I'm the oldest sister here, but you're the wisest one of us all." She said with a small smile.

Ahsoka laughed a bit at her sisters words. "Only in some areas." She replied. "You know more about other things than I ever will."

"I suppose that's true." Marina said. "Do you really think that I should try to be with him?" She asked.

Ahsoka gave her sister a serious look. "Marina, I grew up believing that attachments and love were bad things. I never wanted anything to do with it. When I met a few other Jedi that did love I feared for them that they would fall to the Dark Side." She told her sister. "However, I never sensed any darkness in them. A few years after that I met Lux and I started to questions those beliefs myself." She looked up at the sky and smiled. "When I left the Order I was hurting immensely. But, I was also finally able to admit that I loved Lux and I'm really glad that I did. It's one of the best feelings I've ever had." She looked back at her sister. "Just give him a chance."

Marina smiled. "You do make a good point." She replied. "I'm going to think a bit more about it tomorrow and then I'll talk to him."

Ahsoka nodded. "Good." She said. "Now let's go back inside and eat, I'm getting hungry." She said, hoping to get her sister out of her dip. Marina laughed a bit and they both went inside.

;-

Later that evening

"The guest room is over here." Ahsoka said to Aisha. "Like I said earlier, you can stay here for as long as you want." Aisha walked into the room and looked around a bit. Ahsoka could sense that she was still hesitative of being alone. "You can also stay with me for a little while if you want to." She offered to her. Aisha looked at her and nodded slowly.

Ahsoka smiled at her. "Okay, come on then." She said as she held out her hand. Aisha took it and they walked back to Ahsoka's room.

;-

That's it for this chapter.

So we know more of Aisha's background now. She's been through some terrible things but don't worry, Ahsoka will help her recover. I think that it should be clear what kind of role she'll be playing in the remainder of the story?

The Twi'lek twins Edea and Ellona Demora will appear later in the story as well. They will be a bit minor characters, but I thought it would add be nice to have a few more characters in the story.

I'm going to write the epilogue for Mysterious Ways next. I want to finish that story so I can focus on my other stories after that. Unfortunately, the amount of free time I have is getting less and less. I have no idea when the epilogue will be ready, but I hope it's somewhere in three weeks. I honestly don't know if I can do it sooner but I will try.

Until next time.