Here you go guys, the last chapter of the year 18 BBY! I had that chapter planned for a while now, so I'm glad to finally be able to write it (I don't like to write my chapters in any other way than a chronological order). So, as per usual, the next chapter will be posted next week around the same time. I'm thinking of trying to write chapters in advance when I'll actually have some time off (my film shooting might be over, but the postproduction won't do itself), to allow the story to move faster. A chapter a week is good, but it's still too slow for everything that I have in mind for that story (and knowing that I'll write 19 chapters for each year, we're still some good 200+ chapters short. Yeah, Shadows will be that long. So basically, if I don't update the chapters faster, we still have at least 4 years of Shadows ahead of us. It might seem like nothing, but it's huge. A lot of things can happen in 4 years, but I'll try to finish this story guys. It means too much to me to stop now.
Once Shadows is over, I actually have some plans for Myra, especially when it comes to the events of the original trilogy with Leia (that I had to rewatch because part of my memoire is about princess Leia (so cool, I know) and so I'm just bathing in Star Wars content every single day which also motivates me to write Shadows). But I need to wait for the end of season 4 of Rebels to even begin planning what comes after Shadows. We're not there yet, don't worry.
So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and that you'll stick with me until the end. May the Force be with you, always.
Starwarshobbitfics: Thanks for the weekly review and your encouragments! The feedback means a lot to me. As for Ahsoka's book, I'll buy it some day, but not yet, I don't want to get influenced by the book even though Shadows has drifted away from canon already on several occasions.
18 years before the Battle of Yavin / 2 years, 5 months and 2 weeks after leaving the Jedi Order / 2 years, 2 months and 2 weeks on Nar Shaddaa / a year, 8 months and 2 weeks after Order 66 / 11 months and 2 weeks after adopting Myra (Year +11,2)
The streets of the village were busy at every hour of the day and every hour of the night, except for the blissful moments from four in the morning to seven. The wildest parties were usually finished at that time and the sun wasn't up yet. It was a three-hour quiet moment that Ahsoka had learned to appreciate when she had trouble sleeping.
Max never had trouble sleeping and on the few occasions (actually more than a few, Ahsoka reminded herself) that he slept on the couch, he only woke up when he smelled bacon or when Myra knocked the wind out of him when she playfully jumped on him. Jynna was also a heavy sleeper but couldn't sleep at all during the anniversary of her parents' passing. Those nights, she spent them on the roof of the refresher, huddled in a blanket next to Ahsoka, watching the stars and the holopictures that she had in her ever growing collection. Now, Myra joined them on those nights and always dozed off in the middle of the night, Little Max against her side. As for Myra, now that she was less and less plagued by nightmares, she seemed to have taken the habit of falling asleep quickly but waking at the slightest noise. As it often was Little Max that moved around in the bed they shared with Ahsoka, Myra didn't wait long before going back to sleep.
Two weeks had gone by since their mission on Dressel. Max had taken the news surprisingly well, despite the fact that both Taiilyrra and Ahsoka had been in danger. He was glad the Inquisitor had been dealt with and he promised to keep his ears and eyes open for that child he was talking about. Because Ahsoka was sure he was talking about a Force-sensitive child. Maybe it was Myra, maybe not. They had no way of knowing now and despite the Inquisitor not being a threat anymore, she knew the consequences of his death would fall on her shoulders in the end. He had said he was the sixth, so Ahsoka was expecting five more Inquisitors at least to barge into her house any day now.
One day, in the quiet hours following lunch, Ahsoka grabbed a cup of coffee and headed into the workshop. After her missions with the Sneaky crew, she had a lot of work to do. Her wounds from Dressel prevented her from fully participating in anything dangerous, that's why she spent the last two weeks on Nar Shaddaa, getting back into a semblance of a routine.
Thirty minutes in, there was a loud insistent bang on her door. She barely had time to get up from under the hovercraft she was working on in the first garage when angry Trandoshians entered the workshop and grabbed her by the arms. She managed to pull out her vibroblades and break the nose of the nearest lizard before a dark-skinned Trandoshian walked in, holding Jynna by the back of her neck, a blaster pressing so hard in her temple it would certainly leave a bruise.
"I don't know what's going on Scarlett!" Jynna cried out. She seemed rather unharmed but her hands were bound behind her back.
"What are yo…" Ahsoka started but the black Trandoshian pressed his blaster more forcefully into Jynna's skull. The blue Twi'lek tried not to make any sound, but the fear was present in her eyes. Ahsoka knew that Jynna had seen her fair share of nasty stuff and traumatic experiences; she was a spy after all. But even she had her limits and a group of angry Trandoshians threatening them for no reason while barging into their home would scare anybody.
So Ahsoka played along and let the Trandoshians take her weapons, tie her hands up and lead her outside with Jynna. All the villagers were being dragged out of their homes and led to what looked the most like the main square. It was no square though, just the most dusty and empty space surrounded by various buildings, among them the spaceport and Taii's Saloon whose entrance had been blown off, the doors lying on the ground.
Taiilyrra was on her knees, gagged and her hands bound. She still tried to talk but Tass'lik bashed her head with the butt of his rifle, sending her to the ground face first. She grumbled, probably some kind of insult, before pushing herself up on her elbows and sitting on her knees, her eyes glaring murderously at the leader of the Trandoshians. All of the other villagers were being pushed next to the other on their knees, making a line in front of the saloon.
Ahsoka looked at everybody, but not everybody was accounted for. At least ten people were missing and three of them were Max, Myra and Softness. The Wookie was off planet on a supply run on Nal Hutta. He wasn't due before the evening. Myra had run off somewhere like she usually did, doing Force knew what. Ahsoka hoped that the girl remained hidden. She didn't know why the Trandoshians were gathering all the villagers like that, but it could have something to do with that Inquisitor on Dressel. As for Max, he had gone hunting right before lunch, as he sometimes did to eat fresh game. There wasn't much to hunt on Nar Shaddaa, but Max was not one to be picky about food and would even eat a Lothrat if he had to. She didn't count Little Max because there was no way in the universe that the Trandoshians would be looking for a pet and the last time Ahsoka had seen him, he was sleeping in the sun on the roof of the refresher, right outside her window.
Probyji, a Rodian for whom Ahsoka had once repaired a droid, suddenly pushed the Trandoshian closest to him and ran for the spaceport. Tass'lik shot him before he could reach the first landing bay. Some villagers tried to fight back just like Probyji did, most of those villagers were outlaws after all, but the Trandoshians were too many and had taken all of their weapons away. They ruthlessly hit and sometimes killed anyone who dared oppose them.
That's when a familiar clicking noise could be heard. Grakkus the Hutt appeared before them on his metallic legs. He was even uglier than the last time Ahsoka saw him. He moved in front of them as if he was a king looking down at his peasants. Beside him was a small man in a hood, dressed as a traveler with a bag slung over his shoulder.
"It's him, my Lord!" he squealed pointing at one person at the end of the line.
Two Trandoshians lifted said person and brought them in front of Grakkus who now had three lightsabers attached to a string around his neck like a necklace.
"And who do we have here?" Grakkus asked.
Tass'lik pulled back the person's hood, revealing the graying face of Old Hoody.
"A Bothan, Lord Grakkus," Tass'lik said. "Everybody calls him Old Hoody. He's a regular in that saloon and is known for being an excellent Sabacc player." Ahsoka could see in the corner of her vision that Taiilyrra was trying to sign something to her neighbor. The Togruta didn't doubt that the Chagrian had some kind of plan in mind. After all, they were all outlaws here. They couldn't let a group of Trandoshians working for a Hutt do with them as they pleased. But strategy had to be their weapon since they didn't have any.
The hooded man stepped forward but didn't reveal his face. "He is also known by the name of Kai Hudorra, a former Jedi Knight!"
Myra was almost at the top of the roof of the spaceport, when she heard blasters being fired and screams and noises of struggle filling up the street. So she laid flat on her stomach to see what was going on. Ahsoka told her to be careful and that's what she did. She was careful when she looked over the edge of the roof. She was careful so nobody saw her up there. She was careful when she climbed down the way she had climbed up so she found no surprises on her way down. She was careful when she circled the back of the spaceport, diving below bushes and avoiding crates of explosives or other questionable cargo lying around. And she was most certainly planning on being careful while coming out of the bushes to help Ahsoka and the others who were being held hostage by that Bantha poodoo of a lizard.
Fortunately, Max pulled her back behind the bushes before she walked out in the open. "What are you…" she was about to yell, but he put his hand on her mouth and pulled her so close to him that she could feel the vibrations of his heart without even trying.
"Shut up and listen to me!" His whisper was so angry, Myra stopped struggling and looked at him. She had never seen Max so tense. "See those lizards and that giant larva? They want someone from our village. And I don't know who that is. It could be anyone…" His eyes told the little Togruta that he had his suspicions about who they might be looking for, but she didn't ask. "Scarlett would want you to be safe. They haven't seen us yet, so we're gonna stay here and we're gonna stay quiet. Not a word, noise or anything. Try not to breathe even. Got it?"
She nodded and he let her go.
"Search him!" Grakkus ordered. Two Trandoshians searched the old Bothan so roughly he fell down. One of them took out an elongated object from a sewed pocket in his jacket and handed it to the Hutt who greedily examined it. "This is it! It's a lightsaber!"
Ahsoka couldn't believe it. Old Hoody had told her his lightsaber wasn't on Nar Shaddaa, that he didn't have it with him. Did he lie? Or did he retrieve it only recently?
"Now, kill him. For smuggling illegal artifacts on my property." Grakkus waved his hand as he walked away, his metal legs clicking noisily.
Ahsoka got to her feet, ready to jump into the action, as did other villagers. But when she met Old Hoody's gaze, she was surprised to see his acceptance. He was prepared to die. He didn't move as Tass'lik pressed a blaster against his graying head. He didn't move as he held her gaze. He didn't move as the other villagers rose up and protested, jumping on the Trandoshians to fight for their freedom. He didn't move as Ahsoka yelled his name.
His body fell limply to the floor when Ahsoka managed to free her hands. As she ran for him, Taiilyrra was already on her feet, roaring like a berserker, kicking every piece of lizard skin she could find. The villagers fought all around her, defending their lives and their homes, despite the fact that they were outlaws and that maybe, none of them deserved to have a home.
But Ahsoka did fall on her knees next to Kai's body and checked for his pulse, although she could clearly see the fatal wound on his head. She didn't move when Tass'lik targeted her, nor did she move when Taiilyrra shot the Trandoshian in the face, sending him running and screaming back to Hutta Town. She only lifted her head when she heard Jynna's crying and Myra's wail. Max was barely holding the young Togruta by the scruff of the neck, trying to shield her from seeing the body.
But it was useless.
Old Hoody, Kai, was dead. And for once, the Empire wasn't entirely responsible for that loss.
Kai Hudorra's body was burned at the edge of the village in the evening that day. After she finished crying Jynna told everyone she was taking care of Myra and the two girls were not seen until the next day. Only Ahsoka, Max and Taiilyrra remained until the ashes were swept by the wind.
Taiilyrra had a heavy hand that night as she served everyone almost for free. Half her stock was gone come the morning lights and Softness yelled at his business partner. Taiilyrra didn't listen for once and locked herself in her room, showing the middle finger to anyone who would dare get in her way or talk to her after her last drink. Luckily, Softness took care of the rest.
As Ahsoka was half-lying, half-merging with the table she sat at in Taii's Saloon, she looked over at Max who she believed was passed out in his chair, feet propped on the table and the chair tilting dangerously backwards.
"We've got to go out there, Max."
She didn't expect him to answer.
"Yeah, I know." He put his chair back on its four legs, looked inside his empty tankard, then back at Ahsoka whose left lek was bathing in a small poodle of beer. "Does your plan involve kicking Tass'lik's ass?"
"I plan to do way more than that to this filthy lizard."
"Good. Grakkus?"
"I'll have his head."
"What about the Empire?" Max asked.
"Although they weren't directly involved in this, they still hunt the remaining Jedi. And life sucks because of them, even here on Nar Shaddaa. Our village survived so long because we left everyone alone, didn't cause any trouble. We were not a threat to Hutta Town. But the big fish can only be found in the big ocean."
"Starting with Hutta Town seems like a good idea to me. Any missions off planet in your mind?"
Ahsoka lifted her head from the table.
"A few. Most of them dangerous though. But they could help the Rebellion or whatever Bail and the others are calling us."
"Works for me."
For the first time that night, Ahsoka smiled.
"Good. Cause I'll need a co-leader for my team."
