Chapter 19: Lothal

Ahsoka's POV

Ahsoka didn't know what to expect from the planet of Lothal. When she, Barriss, Anakin, and the now happily engaged couple, Luminara and Obi-wan, landed the night before, the Togruta teen couldn't help but feel bored. Lothal was all but grassland with some cylindrical peaks here and there. The "city" made Coruscant seem like an entire star system with only a handful of businesses and homes to account for. Ahsoka was sure she could count the entire population within an hour or two. Alas, an ancient Jedi temple was untouched here, so if the Jedi of old found value in the planet, then she would find it too in due time.

Ahsoka then turns to the bunk beside her own. Even though she and Barriss have become accustomed to sharing a bed between her home back on Coruscant and the guest room in Bail Organa's palace, the bunks on the ship they're traveling in didn't make it possible for any couple to share a bed. Unless neither woman valued breathing. As Ahsoka observes her now girlfriend sleeping, she wonders on what direction their relationship will go. Obi-wan and Luminara have decided to take their relationship to the next level by being engaged and of course, they'll settle somewhere together once new order business is complete, but where does that leave Ahsoka and Barriss? Will she live with the Kenobi's? Will Ahsoka be forced to stay in Coruscant until the senate election is over and Anakin and Padme make a decision on where to live? Ahsoka is saddened at the thought of being worlds away from Barriss, especially now that they're starting to build a new chapter of their lives together.

Not being able to sleep anymore, Ahsoka gets dressed and heads for the kitchen area. She sees both Obi-wan and Luminara sitting at the kitchen table together drinking their coffee. Luminara looks up and offers Ahsoka a smile, "Good morning Ahsoka".

"Good morning Masters, how are you two?" Ahsoka repeats, pouring herself a mug of coffee.

"Can't complain" Obi-wan laughs, smiling at his fiancee.

Ahsoka grins at Obi-wan and she settled into a seat across from the couple, "So when's the wedding?"

"We're not sure yet… depends on what Depa and Quinlan tell us today. As you know there's been a change of plans with the new order" Luminara replies.

"Yeah… I'm worried about what they may say" Ahsoka says glumly.

"What is it Ahsoka?" Obi-wan asks her.

"It's just…" Ahsoka begins looking up at Luminara before turning to Obi-wan "I don't like not knowing what's in the immediate future you know? Back when we were at war, there were routines in place and I can predict what my life will look like in a few days time, but now things are changing everyday and then there's Barriss…"

"What about Barriss dear?" Luminara presses.

"She's fine, it's just our relationship has changed and I'm not sure where she'll be when things start to settle down. I'm pretty sure she's almost ready to be knighted and I'm still a Padawan so it's not like our locations are permanent."

"I see…" Luminara says putting a hand on top of Ahsoka's free hand.

"Anakin and I have spoken Ahsoka and it looks like as far as living situations go, we'll all be residing in Coruscant until the election results in a few months so no one is going anywhere anytime soon. As for the training, that's going to have to wait as well as new Force-sensitives seem to be contacting Quinlan and Depa everyday and coming here. Seeing where everyone's abilities are and how training will be conducted will take time. Our ancestors didn't build the life we knew on Coruscant overnight" Obi-wan adds looking sympathetic.

"As for Barriss, Obi-wan and I have something to go over with her soon but we promise that no matter what becomes of us, you'll never be far away" Luminara reassures by squeezing Ahsoka's hand.

Anakin and Barriss then enter the room.

"Morning all!" Anakin yawns before sitting next to Ahsoka. Barriss decides to sit next to Luminara as the older woman reaches for her lovingly.

"Good morning Anakin, I see you're enjoying the luxury of sleeping in for a little while longer" Obi-wan teases, leaving everyone else but Anakin confused.

"Shut up old man, you would too if you were me" Anakin says playfully slapping the older man in the arm.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ahsoka pipes up

"Tell them Anakin," Obi-wan said, sitting back with a smile.

"Padme is pregnant," Anakin announced, leaving all the women gasping in surprise.

Once again, Ahsoka's world has been turned upside down. On top of everything else, her Master was not becoming a father. At this rate everyone around her will be distant. Her Master will be devoting what's left of his free time with Padme and his future child, Obi-wan will be married soon, and Barriss will most likely leave with them. Ahsoka doesn't know what hurts more, the idea of everyone around her dying or the fact everyone's lives appear to be moving on without her. Forcing a smile on her face, Ahsoka joins Luminara and Barriss in congratulating her Master.

"That's wonderful Master! Maybe now you'll be more responsible!" Ahsoka jokes, earning a signature smirk from Anakin.

"Thanks Snips, I'm sure my children will love their auntie Soka," Anakin replied.

"Children?" Luminara asks.

Anakin nods his head and tells everyone, "I have a good feeling it's going to be twins, I foresaw it back on Mortis."

"So should I be expecting two mini Masters or mini Padme's?" Ahsoka questions before seeing Quinlan Vos enter the kitchen.

"Hey all! Ready for an update?" Quinlan asks the group.

"Go for it," Anakin said.

"Alright, so it's come to our attention that Jocasta Nu has already developed a new school somewhere. Apparently she's been hoarding all the Holocrons and archive texts as well as the birthdates of Force-sensitive children when Order 66 occurred" Quinlan reports looking grim.

"Damn that old woman!" Anakin exclaims, crossing his arms in contempt. Ahsoka was positive no one in the room had positive thoughts regarding the senior Jedi librarian. Jocasta Nu has always been rude and bitter according to Ahsoka's memory.

"So where is she?" Obi-wan questions, stroking his beard.

"It appears she's returning to Coruscant, she's been hiding out in it's moon since the Order was given" Quinlan says flat causing Ahsoka to groan in response.

"You're joking! So we travel all this way to Lothal to further discuss our new order and that old bag just winds back up where we started?!" said Ahsoka.

"I know it's a bit of an annoyance but regardless of what her next move is Depa and I still feel that residing in Lothal is beneficial for all of us. The Force is quite strong here and it may not look much, but it's peaceful and there's an intact Temple present. I'm sure we all could use some meditation during this interesting time" Quinlan offers.

"So do you and Depa intend on confronting Master Nu?" Luminara politely asks.

Quinlan shakes his head, "Not really, neither of us are keen in arguing with a wall. If anything we're just going to inform her that we're here on Lothal and if she needs something then she'll know where to find us. Our original plans are decades worth of wishes so even if Jocasta was out of the picture, we'd still be starting our foundation here."

Anakin's comlink goes off and he immediately informs everyone that it was Padme and that he would return in a bit. This made Ahsoka sigh which didn't go unnoticed by Barriss.

"Well, I suppose we'll take the day to look around and meditate on things before heading back home. The five of us will still reside in Coruscant until at least the election and of course there's the wedding" Obi-wan states calmly.

Quinlan smiles, "Of course, but you'll have to come meet our newcomers! I bet you'll like some of them!"

"Sure Quinlan, we'll be around," Luminara says, kindly seeing her friend out of the ship.

"Damn…" Ashoka sighs, putting her head on the table. Ahsoka feels someone sitting next to her, who she assumed to be Barriss.

"Ahsoka?" Barriss asks with concern.

"I don't want to talk about it now," Ahsoka decides, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her.

"Come, Barriss, let's give Ahsoka some space right now and let's go exploring. I know Luminara has been itching to mediate somewhere quiet for a bit" Ahsoka hears Obi-wan say as she feels Barriss leave her.

"We'll be just outside if you need anything Ahsoka" Barriss tells Ahsoka to which the latter nods, her face looking downward.

Luminara's POV

"Congratulations on the engagement Lumi, I hear the proposal was quite the show" Quinlan says giving Luminara a hug.

"Thank you, I could not have asked for something more grand. I'm so happy Quin, I still pitch myself in the mornings seeing Ben still beside me" Luminara replies, enjoying being in her dear friend's embrace. An embrace she knew too well.

"You told him about Master Lestrange?" Quinlan asks softly.

Luminara relaxes her shoulders, "I did and now I finally feel free and accepted."

"Good, Lumi because that's what you deserve. I was never more relieved hearing about a Jedi being overrun by bounty hunters. Serves him right for being a monster and a smuggler… some Jedi he was" Quinlan snarls at the memory.

"Yeah.." Luminara said seeing the two loves of her life approach them.

"Darling, what do you say to meeting Quinlan's new friends?" Obi-wan asks.

"Yes, of course… Quinlan shows us the way Luminara answers, offering a hand to both Obi-wan and Barriss, "Is Ahsoka alright?"

"She just needs a moment," Obi-wan replies with a knowing look that Luminara understood.

The trio follow Quinlan to the Jedi Temple which was embedded within the unique mountain peaks Lothal offered. In the distance, the Jedi can see the young Caleb Dume practice his lightsaber form with Depa supervising as well as a small group of varying species. One of the beings appeared to be Pau'an man, a Mirialan woman, a human woman and man, a Twi'lek woman, and a few grey humanoid creatures neither of the Jedi could quickly identify. The Pau'an steps forwards and extends a hand to Obi-wan before introducing himself, "Hello, I'm Lucius Isaacs and I'm a former Jedi Prison Guard."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Master Obi-wan Kenobi and this is my lovely fiancee Master Luminara Unduli and her Padawan Barriss Offee."

Lucius bows as do Luminara and Barriss, "It is an honor to meet you three personally and congratulations on the engagement. I find love to be a good thing to cherish going forward with the new order."

"Good to hear you agree, Lucius, I fear what would have become of us all if we were never to pull strength from our attachments" Luminara kindly says.

The Mirialan woman steps forward to bow to her fellow Mirialan women, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Jedi Knight Isadora Green. It's an honor to be in the presence of the brave Master Unduli and her student."

Flattered by Isadora's words, Luminara reciprocates the bow, "I'm flattered, it is always a pleasure being a fellow sister."

Isadora and Lucius then proceed to introduce the remaining group who claimed to be fellow Knights who were fortunate to escape from the clone troopers a month ago. Each and everyone of them all but sang their praises for the war heroes which made Luminara melt inside. Their words of affirmation reminded her of what Obi-wan said to her in his marriage proposal when she was a "light" in the galaxy. Not once did she truly allow herself to be proud of being one of the few who stood against a Sith Lord.

Luminara is interrupted by her fiance when Obi-wan tells her that Caleb wished to spar with him, leaving her with Barriss and Isadora who have engaged in small conversation.

"Would you ladies like to join me in meditation? Perhaps Isadora you could find us a quiet spot in the fields?" Luminara suggests with a smile.

"Of course Master, this way!" Isadora says she starts to jog in the direction of the open fields.

Luminara follows suit with Barriss in hand, "Come on! Let's show her what a Master and an apprentice can really do!"

Barriss laughed with glee as she ran alongside her Master.

Barriss's POV

Besides her private moments with Ahsoka and seeing how happy her Master looked when she accepted Obi-Wan's proposal, Barriss has never been happier. Like Luminara, Barriss was pleased to meet another young woman of her race and she loved the way the Force felt on Lothal. Alderaan was beautiful indeed, but Barriss hasn't felt more rooted in the Force than when she constructed her lightsaber on Llum. Isadora led them to a lush green clifftop that had a roaring waterfall beneath them. They could see the small city from their location and the sunlight made the fields glow in eternal yellow light.

"This is perfect Isadora!" Barriss admits as she starts to sit cross-legged.

"Yes Isadora, thank you for joining us" Luminara says, also beginning to close her eyes and sit.

Isadora's bright smile was the last thing Barriss saw before closing her eyes and taking a series of deep breaths. As usual, she recites the Jedi Code to begin clearing her mind of all distractions.

"There is no Emotion, there is Peace

There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge,

There is no Passion, there is Serenity,

There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.

There is no Death, there is the Force"

In her mind's eye, Barriss begins to see the world around her. The grass blowing in the wind, the twin suns beaming light onto the planet's surface, the sound of laughter and conversation in the distance. This centers Barriss; she oddly enough wasn't bogged down by any other emotion. Then, Barriss sees a vision of Ahsoka running up to her in excitement, her words muted though. Then, she noticed a ring, her Master's ring to be exact, which glowed green. She then heard laughter, but not just any laughter, a sinister one. Barriss didn't recognize it to be Palpatine's but it felt just as evil. There was a flash of red followed by the sound of screams, but no different then the laughter, Barriss couldn't see the source of the screams. Finally, there was a much older looking Obi-wan and Anakin, who looked withered and depressed. The two said nothing as Barriss tried to reach out to them. A feeling of dread washed over Barriss as she heard Isadora's voice tell her, "Barriss I'm so sorry" followed by Ahsoka's "I love you". Then there was darkness, Barriss felt herself grow cold. There was no one around and there wasn't a sound. Before Barriss begins to panic, she sees that she's back on Lothal's grassy fields. Barriss appears to be alone until she notices the silhouette of a person, no, a child staring into the twin sunsets. From a distance, Bariss couldn't make out the gender of the child, but what she did know is that she felt intense loss and pain. The familiar of a lightsaber ignites behind her and all Barriss could do was scream as she sees a flash of red.

"Barriss?! Barriss, if you can hear me darling, wake up!" Luminara's voice calls Barriss out of her trance.

Barriss jolts from the ground seeing Luminara and Isadora look worried as they must have been on the ground with her for some time considering the position of the sun. As the Padawan catches her breath, Luminara envelopes Barriss into a hug. Barriss can feel her Master's rapid heartbeat against her back as she tries to make sense of what she just saw.

"Was that…. A vision?" Barriss thinks in a panic. For if that were the case, the future she saw was very grim.

"Oh Barriss…. Are you okay?" Luminara asks in a sob as she continues to hold Barriss.

"Y-yes Master… I'm sorry I've frightened you and Isadora…" Barriss shakily says.

"What did you see?" Isadora speaks up.

"I'm not sure… I want to say it was a vision, but it wasn't good.." Barriss answers, lip trembling.

"BARRISS!" Ahsoka calls out.

The Mirilian women turn to see both Obi-wan and Ahsoka running up to them. Without skipping a beat, Ahsoka tackles Luminara and Barriss.

"Please tell me you're alright?!"

"Ahsoka, you're hurting us" Barriss coughs as she struggles to get up.

Obi-wan picked Luminara up and held her close, whispering something Barriss couldn't hear. Ahsoka extends her hand to Barriss who accepted it, "To answer your question, yes I'm alright, just a bad vision…"

Ahsoka's eyes widened and said, "What was it about?"

Barriss rapidly shakes her head, "Not now Soka"

Ahsoka then gives Barriss a quick peck on the cheek, which earned an unreadable look from Isadora.

"Let's head back to the ship. Isadora it was a pleasure to meet you, we hope to see you soon on Coruscant. Barriss, we'll talk at home okay?" Obi-wan announces, earning nods from everyone.

Barriss couldn't shake the look of worry that was painted on Luminara's face as they walked towards their ride home.