Chapter 9

Gone With a Trace

CORUSCANT

Upper City

It was going to be a warm night over Coruscant, as the sun set over the sparkling skyline behind her. Ahsoka felt the wind brush past her lekku that flowed behind her at the ends of the tail. Like the rest of her it had grown from just past her neck to all the way down her back to just above her waist. She no longer wore the crimson and black jedi padawan uniform that she once found pride in. Instead she had downed a faded blue jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up past her elbow. A pair of fingerless gloves and bracers were around her forearms and palms with a tech pad of some kind on her left arm. She wore around her waist and a satchel across her left shoulder and side over her jumpsuit which had two pockets on her chest. Her lekku had reached down in front above her belt. To keep lekku from flopping all around she wore a leather cap with a metal diamond shape on the front for protection or just to match the two grown diamond tattoos on her forehead, either way no one would mistake her for a jedi where she was going.

The under city, atop her used speeder bike she sped toward the great sinkhole like entrance where she'd fled the Republic after her false accusations of terrorism and treachery. The upper city was no longer a place she felt welcome or anywhere for that matter, as she sped down the entrance she joined the incoming traffic when suddenly her speeder bike gave out. "What?" She lost control a second later "No, no, no."

Crash, her bike smashed into a satellite of a loading craft before the bike flipped upside down leaving her legs dangling below the thousand foot drop.

She saw a low enough speeder she was able to run over while still holding onto the bike. The drivers grunted and groaned in shock seeing her "Hey!" One shouted

Still trying to regain control she stifled out a quick "Sorry!" Ahsoka Had to bounce and run off a dozen different speeders and vehicles to reach up and try to reset the gyro back in place. When it went green she spun back up before she flew straight toward a gonzatti cruiser with the two pilots seeing her. Pulling up at the last second she rammed into the ship's satellite knocking it off before she came to a hover above the under city portal.

"All right." She breathed a sigh of relief when the speeder bikes engine sputtered out "Oh, no-Whoa!" She yelled before she started to go down, her speed rapidly increasing.

"Come on! Come on!" She frantically pressed the pedal to start the engine but nothing happened, the engine just whined. Seeing no other option but a crash landing Ahsoka saw the wall of the entrance was just close enough for her to make it. She steered the crashing speeder toward the wall and was able to skid stop it bouncing just enough to crash right into a landing pad. She was flung from the bike but held onto the handle as it came to a screeching halt at the edge with a mechanic at the garage witnessing it all.

With the danger past, mostly, she pulled herself up, and dragged the broken bike to safety grumbling "What a piece of junk."

"Now, how am I gonna fix this?" She mumbled to herself as someone walked up behind her.

"Oh! Bad crash. Nice roll, though." Ahsoka looked behind her to see a young woman, near her age with dark brown wool like hair faded on the sides and back so it fell over her forehead in fluffy bangs, a dark tan skin like Mace Windu or Adi Galli and full lips. Her eyes were brown but lighter than her hair, she wore dirty gloves and a stained red jacket with a hood and pelted gray patches on the side. A cloudy spotted shirt lay underneath with two necklaces around her neck. She wore charcoal pants with stripes on the front.

Ahsoka glanced at her "Thanks... I guess." Before she looked at her scuttled bike, "That bike is trash." The girl said looking it over.

"I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it." Said setting it upright, angry at herself for the poor purchase, she took a knee to examine the bike more thoroughly "Look at this mess. The repulsor blew. The compressor is shot."

"Sounds like you know a thing or two about engines?" The mysterious girl asked.

Getting her to stand again, Ahsoka asked "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Trace." The mystery girl said, offering her dirty glove for Ahsoka to shake, "Ahsoka."

Trace gave an unusually warm smile she hadn't seen in a long time. "As for your bike, you're in luck."

"You happened to crash onto one of the best repair shops on 1313." Trace said pointing back to her shop.

"So you're a mechanic?" Ahsoka asked,

Trace swirled around with a smirk "That I am, and I'd be glad to fix your bike for a price." She said, holding up her hand ready for credits.

Ahsoka shrugged, "I can fix my own bike. I just need some tools." She said thinking about where she'd possibly get some.

"Have it your way. But the tools are still gonna cost you." Trace said with a second offer.

Ahsoka stood there fidgeting at the mention of payment "I don't have much in the way of credits"

Instead of being disappointed Trace laughed "Don't worry down here no one does come on." Trace said reaching into her pocket and pulling out door control, she pressed a big red button and the shop doors opened up to reveal a garage full of crates and one Nebula Class Freighter.

Ahsoka's eyes widened and her lip curled up at the sight of the ship "That's a Nebula-class freighter, or at least it was." She said sarcastically. The ship had two small engines on each side, it was a longship with a rounded tip at the bow. The est of the body was filled with attachments for cargo and plenty of space inside.

"Goodeye." Trace said hands on her hips smiling at Ahsoka "I'm turning it into something with a bit more speed, I think?" Trace said back to her.

The two women walked in with her pointing to a spot next to the freighter "Your space is over there."

"Why don't you get that thing inside and settle in?" Trace said as Ahsoka stopped just short of pulling her bike in.

"Thanks." Ahsoka said.

"Don't take too long, time is money." Trace said unaware she'd stopped behind her.

Ahsoka looked at Trace confused before she asked "Hey, why are you helping me?"

Facing Ahsoka, Trace let off a shrug "Shouldn't I? Seemed like the right thing to do. You can leave if you want." Trace offered.

"No, it's all right I'll stay thank you." Ahsoka said following Trace into the shop, the mechanic all smiles again "That's good. I really need the money."

CORUSCANT

Jedi Temple

Some of the jedi council members had gathered in the war room looking at three holograms of Obi-Wan, Anakin and Mace all still at Anaxes while in the temple room was Plo Koon, Yoda, Mundi, Koth, Kit Fitso and Luminara. "Are you certain it was Rock?" Plo asked Anakin.

"Of course I am." Anakin said heatedly at the doubt "He arrived just as I was about to arrest Trench, we fought and then they escaped." Anakin repeated.

"How is that possible Skywalker, given your skill and knowing his tactics?" Mundi asked him.

His holographic fist squeezed behind his hand "Leo has… he's committed to the dark side I'm afraid, using force lightning like Count Dooku before he sealed me in the bridge, I had to use my lightsaber to cut myself free by then he was long gone." Anakin said.

"Skywalker behaved admirably on Anaxes, without his aid we would never have disarmed the bomb on Anaxes he saved myself, Obi-Wan and countless others." Mace said, surprising almost everyone at the compliment "But Leo escaped, with Trench." Anakin insisted.

"And we will recapture them both, but we must focus on this victory with Anaxes free from Separaitst control we can focus our efforts on the rest of the outer rim." Windu said steering them back to their main focus of a war room, winning the war.

Anakin kept his silence while Obi-Wan watched him curious at the outburst "Master Kenobi, do you believe it possible your former padawan has fallen to the Dark Side, or were we blind to his corruption?" Plo asked him.

Obi-Wan's gaze was still on Anakin's "Obi-Wan?" Luminara asked.

"... I don't know, I don't know these are hardly the actions of the boy I trained." Obi-Wan said resting his chin on his palm and arm on his elbow.

"A boy no longer he has, a jedi no longer either, a dangerous man we are dealing with united Trench and Rock are a danger to all they will be I fear." Master Yoda said to everyone.

Plo Koon scratched his mask "Rock's recent targets have been non military up until now, what does he hope to gain by allying with Trench I wonder?" Plo asked them.

"Regardless, I believe we should inform the Chancellor of this development, he has the right to know that a Jedi traitor is working with a Separatist Admiral?" Anakin chimed in.

The masters eyed him at his suggestion "... Agreed, it might give us the Jedi a chance to regain the Chancellors trust in the military?" Mace said.

Again the masters were stunned by Mace's agreement to support Anakin, "I will go to the Chancellor's office and relay the information personally, I will also observe the Wookie delegates set to arrive here on Coruscant to petition the Republic for military aid." Luminara said, offering to go.

"Very well, may the force be with you all." Mace Windu said before he cut the transmission.

UNDERCITY LEVEL 1313

Trace's Shop

Back in the UNDERCITY, both Ahsoka and Trace were wearing goggles working on their respective vehicles. Ahsoka had a splicer cutting through her bike's handlebars to get a better look at the engine while Trace welded some parts into the underbelly of her Nebula.

"How's it going down there? Need any help?" Trace

"Not if you're gonna charge me." Ahsoka snapped back.

Trace stopped working and looked at her square. "Hey, I don't know where you're from, but down here, everything has a price." She said pointing the splicer at her "Well if you're gonna stick around,you better get used to it" Trace added.

"Well you might be in luck" Ahsoka said as she pulled out a small part of the bike,small tube with fried marks on the end showing it was broken. "This engine isn't gonna run without a new sparker. Got one I can buy?"

"Bad news" Trace said, banging on the bottom of her ship to the sparkers in her ship, "The only sparkers I got are right here and I ain't got no more"

"That won't do I need to get out of here" Ahsoka said

Coming down from her ship Trace took her goggles off the same time Ahsoka did, "Why are you running from something?" Trace asked the togruta.

"Maybe this was a bad idea" Ahsoka said as she walked outside ignoring Trace's curious calls to why she was acting so weird, Ahsoka walked to the edge of the garage's landing pad looked up to the upper levels of Coruscant, she was so far down she couldn't even see the sky. Her mind drifted back to her past life as a Jedi, when things made sense. To the day she arrived on Christophsis meeting Obi-Wan and Anakin, her Skyguy. The adventures they had, everything they'd learned even when she was given her shoto lightsaber, taught her how to repair starships. When she met Obi-Wan, a jedi among jedi, the man who taught her Master his quick whip and quicker lightsaber. How he always knew what to say, when to say it and how which is probably how Anakin got so good at being a Jedi, maybe she would be the same but now. She missed Rex, the boldest clone in the Republic army, she missed all the clones like an army of brothers all ready to lay down their life for her, but she missed Rex the most out of all of the clones. The other Jedi she'd been close to, Master Plo Koon, how he'd taken her off Shili to the Temple her home, she barely remembered Shili. She remembered learning her first lessons from Yoda, a master as patient as he was kind, Windu's stern gaze. Quinlan Vos's roguish behavior, Luminara's grace and elegance. And Aayla, one of the few older jedi women she confided in and looked up to, how she warned her against her emotions for a certain once red headed jedi. Was she wrong, how could it have been when it felt so wrong to love him...

She thought back to the Temple far away now, they may be on the same planet but she never felt more alone then she was now. Her mind wandered back to the training grounds where she and Leo would sit together talking or training, usually both. The conversations of what they would do after the war, of where they'd go, of the time Pong had given Leo up as his padawan. When he trained in the rain how he was always training "Rusty…. What am I doing?" She asked, feeling a ship pass by her giving off warm exhaust, it wasn't like the wind up above she couldn't even hear it over the engine, the engine? Ahsoka turned around walking back into the shop to see Trace working on her bike revving the engine like it were brand new before it started to sputter out again, but it stayed on fighting to stay alive.

When Trace noticed Ahsoka gawking at her, she turned the bike off "No sense in keeping you here if you're gonna be miserable." Was all Trace said.

"I appreciate the help. What's it gonna cost?" Ahsoka asked while walking the table her bike was on.

Trace just scoffed it off "It's on the house."

Ahsoka leaned on the table folding her arms to her chest. "You know, where I come from, it's very different from here."

"Obviously, so where do you come from anyway?" Trace asked her.

"I… um… used to live in the upper levels of Coruscant." Ahsoka stammered to get it out wanting to avoid the question at all costs.

Trace didn't take it too shocked as Ahsoka thought she would "Ah, up there where the air is clear, huh?" She said picking up a wrench to tighten some screws "You're probably better off down here."

This got Ahsoka's attention "Why's that?" She asked.

"I'm sure you have your problems up there with the Jedi running around starting wars, policing everything."

Ahsoka was unable to believe what she was saying, "The Jedi didn't start the war, they're trying to stop it." She was curious as to why someone would say something like that.

"Sure ture, they are look, it doesn't really matter anyway, they've forgotten all about us." Trace put her tools down and walked past Ahsoka around the table.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked again.

Trace set her other tools down to focus on the conversation "It's just…" she paused "when you're a kid, you hear stories I guess they're not what I thought they'd be I Mean there was one jedi who came down here once, returning the bodies of people who died in that attack on their palace." Ahsoka avoided Trace's gaze.

Ahsoka figured her silence was skeptical. "... really, who?" She asked.

Trace shrugged "Didn't know his name, dumb thing to do if you ask me, when word spread that he was going door to door to return the bodies, I saw a mob throw stuff at him, rocks, bottles even the crud in the street didn't once fight back, not once…" Trace said, shaking her head, "Definitely not what I thought they'd be… but they come down here so rarely "It's not safe down here or anywhere on Coruscant." She pointed up to the nebula freighter.

"That's why I've got my ship, so I can make my living in the stars. Just me and my sister Rafa, we'll get away from the Jedi, this war, all of it." Trace said, smiling up at the ship then at Ahsoka.

"Martez!" Someone very loud and very angry shouted at the entrance

Someone shouted at the entrance, walking in were three people, a short fat moyn wearing a green and beige harness for clothing, followed by two tall green cloaked abyssians their big eyes popping out from behind their masked heads.

"Your sister said she was paying me today." The moyn said "Where is she?" He snapped.

"Let me handle this." Trace said to Ahsoka "Don't do anything, got it?" Trace warned.

"Alright" Ahsoka said.

Trace put on her smiley face to meet with the moyn who just barged in, both big eyes starring at her like she was a piece of meat "Hey hey Pintu" Trace greeted the alien "Rafa said she was coming to see you"

"Well, she's not here" Pintu growled, "which means you're gonna have to pay me instead" Pintu then ordered his abyssian goons forward.

"I'd back off if I were you" Ahsoka said threateningly ready to push back.

"Stay out of it" Trace and Pintu said at the same time, Ahsoka rolled her eyes and put her hands up resisting the urge to stop the bully.

"Now where's my money?" Pintu growled pushing Trace back up against the workbench.

"I got it." Trace said as she reached for a "Right-" metal bar, she gripped it tight "-here!"

Trace swung the pipe right into Pintu's face knocking his henchmen down before she swung the pipe at the other hitting him in the head. But the other abyssian pushed Pintu away to attack her, he came up and smashed his fist across her jaw before she fell against the table. The second abyssian grabbed Trace lifting her up so the other could punch her. Trace kicked the one who hit her in the gut knocking him back into the shelves. She broke free for a second and pushed back on her captor. The abyssians surrounded her, grabbing Trace and slamming her on the table before Ahsoka walked around watching, not doing anything like she was asked.

"On second thought" Traced choked "Some help would be great." Trace said.

One of the goons was about to punch Trace in the face but Ahsoka caught the punch with her bare hands. Then she pushed him back standing between the goons and Trace. She took a fighting stance one these goons had never seen before they attacked, she dodged kicking them both away with separate kicks and in a flurry of punching and kicking, attacking one and then both at the same time before she roundhouse kicked on away and smashed her boots right into the others family kyber crystals.

"I think you wanna leave now" Ahsoka said in a low menacing tone.

Pintu looked at Ahsoka petrified when he started to back up "Ugh this isn't over" Pintu groaned and walked away while his goons limped on ahead.

"Whoa!" Trace said in awe as Ahsoka helped her up. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My older brother taught me." Ahsoka replied not wanting to talk about it.

On her feet Trace just smiled again unbothered by the fact she was upstaged by Ahsoka, or the fact Trace was sporting a black eye under her left "Maybe you can teach me someday" Trace said "Come on" we gotta go tell my sister about Pintu."

Later, Ahsoka and Trace walked into a lower city, the various neon lights on billboards and the walkways lit the roads with a neon hue. Ahsoka looked around the city's other side when she saw a flash appear around the corner. As they walked by she could see it was a holographic broadcast of the Senate Tower meeting. She stopped seeing a delegation of wookiees speaking.

"You coming?" Trace asked tapping her shoulder "Hold on a sec?" Ahsoka said hearing the translation come through.

The two girls watched the broadcast as the wookies spoke a translator speaking in basic for the crowd of Coruscant citizens watching "-That is why we're here at the Republic to ask for assistance of the clone army be brought to our home as we face impending invasion."

"An invasion of Kayshyyyk." Ahsoka said, looking at Trace.

"Of where?" Trace asked.

Ahsoka pointed at the wookiees "Kayshyyyk, it's the wookiee homeworld."

Trace huffed "And we care?"

"I- uh… I had a friend who was a wookiee who helped me and some friends out when we were in a tight spot, he's there now with his people. I just hope he'll be okay." Ahsoka said as the broadcast went on.

A voice came over it showing the delegation starting to vote "The Supreme Chancellor brought the Senate to a vote on the matter with a majority passing to send Jedi led reinforcements to Kayshyyyk, even in the brash claims of a rogue jedi Leo Rock being credited as the jedi who saved the Wookiee Chief Tarfful from trandoshan Separaitst mercenaries however the Republic has announced this as a false narrative when in reality it was Republic Special forces who rescued the Chieftain."

This got Ahsoka's attention, her head snapped to the broadcast the image changed to show a wanted poster for Leo and then a recording of Rock and what he looked like now, his white hair tied in the bun, mantle hood and gray outfit "Oh yeah, that's the jedi I was telling you about." Trace said.

Ahsoka starred at the broadcast went on "The Republic and Jedi have disavowed Rock and all actions he's taking, he was last seen in the Kashyyyk system after Jedi forces failed to arrest him, and his recent attack on the Doge of Malastare who was discovered to be part of a slavery ring."

"Hey you good?" Trace asked, poking Ahsoka in the cheek, "What- yeah I'm fine." Ahsoka said.

They continued on "So that was the jedi you saw?" Ahsoka asked, Trace nodded "Yeah, was in green well it was mostly brown when I saw it, if you get my meaning, rumor is he went insane in their palace, tried to kill a bunch of them uh… uh-" "Masters?" Ahsoka asked.

Trace nodded "That's it, next day on the holos we're all abuzz with him being a traitor, a terrorist eh jedi stuff, did a bit of reading on him talked to a few refugees apparently he use to be some kind of Hero, come on we need to find Rafa." Trace said walking ahead putting the jedi out of her mind, Ahsoka stayed back and watched for a bit longer.

"Republic citizens are expected to report any known locations about Rock to the proper authorities, he is to be considered extremely dangerous and a serious threat to the Republic." But what got Ahsoka's attention the most was as the voice listed off the dangers of Leo, the people were cheering?

Later at a laundromat, Ahsoka and Trace walked in to see that it had a row of washers on the left and dryers on the left. Ahsoka saw a woman, hunched over a dryer taking out a forgotten leather hat. She had the same colored skin as Trace, her hair was shaved on her left side and combed all on the right side of her head and she was wearing a fur coat. Over a yellow lined dark tunic with a high white collar and matching yellow pants with bright red boots.

"Rafa" Trace called to her older sister as she walked up to her "Rafa does that belong to you?"

"Not yet" Rafa replied as she got up and saw the bruise on Trade's face. "Oh,Trace! What happened to your face?" She asked, dropping the stolen hat.

"Pintu came by to get paid when you weren't there." Trace said "You plan on paying him?"

"I am" Rafa said "I got a big job coming through that'll make everything better for us"

"Is it legitimate this time or the usual job?" Trace asked skeptically.

"Hey, what did I teach you?" Rafa asked "We can't count on anyone-" "So we count on ourselves" Trace finished "I know"

"That's how we survive,'' Rafa said as she looked at Ahsoka. "Who are these interesting creatures?"

Ahsoka looked at Rafa thinking back to the time she ran into some weapons dealers in the city "My name is Ahsoka." She said,

"Interesting name Ah-So-Ka" Rafa said, making sure she pronounced it overly. Trace came around and made the introduction for her if it weren't already obvious.

"Ahsoka, this is my sister Rafa Martez." She said,

Rafa looked at Ahsoka curious and somewhat as distrustful as Ahsoka did at her "How did you meet this moof-milker?" Rafa playfully asked

Trace's eyes lit up like fireworks "She fell from the sky" Trace said "Well Ahsoka did I mean really dropped right in on the mech bay platform."

"Where are you from exactly?" Rafa asked her.

"I'm from topside" Ahsoka replied "Your sister has been helping us out"

"Really?" Rafa said "How much is she charging you?"

"Not enough to pay your debt" Ahsoka answered, sensing that was on the tip of Rafa's tongue.

"Not that it's any of your business" Rafa said as she turned to Trace "But I'm sorry about that Trace." Rafa said focusing on her sister.

"You promised to stay away from Pintu" Trace said.

"I needed money for this place,for repairs and other things." Rafa said, looking away.

"You could've at least given me a heads-up that you weren't gonna pay him" Trace scolded.

"You're right it won't happen again" Rafa said as she turned to her sister.

"Good I can only take so many punches to the head and still be considered a pilot" Trace said as a Twi'lek walked into the laundry mat. He had blue skin with a tattoo covering the left side of his face, he wore mix of armor of some kind, and looked at the three women like he was in the wrong place.

Rafa approached him with a grin and her arms open, whispering back to Trace "Here's our next payday… How can I help you, my friend?" She said to the twi'lek.

"I've got three droids that need to be built, my business partner brokered a deal with a… a Rafa Martez." The twi'lek man said to her.

Rafa chuckled and confidently introduced herself "You're looking at her and that deal will be honored."

"This may not look like a droid factory, but that's to throw off the authorities, my associate does assembly in the back."

Trace came up whispering into her ear "Who's your associate?"

"Don't worry about that yet." Rafa whispered back.

The twi'lek paused for a few seconds thinking it over "My, uh, business partner, he said you build droids better than anybody."

"Then they know the quality look, just bring them round back." Rafa said before the two shook hands on it, as the man left Rafa turned to Ahsoka and Trace.

"So Trace, feel like building some droids?" Rafa asked.

Later, Ahsoka was led into the back where three large green droids were waiting for them, they quickly started to get to work mostly in silence. "It's been a while since I built a droid." Trace said.

"But it's not too difficult, just more moving parts." She added to break the silence.e

"Just make sure you affix the restraining bolt to that pile of moving parts before you punch the power cycle." Ahsoka warned her as she worked on the droid next to her.

Trace on her knees held on up in her hand and juggled it to show she was prepared "Got one right here what's your worry?" She asked.

Ahsoka kept working before she shut the hatch on the loader droids he was working on "I've had my fair share of run-ins with droids, the majority are fine, but some are just cross-wired from the start." She said finishing up.

She pressed the start button on it to see if it works "And this is no astromech." It gave an affirming beep to show it was operational.

"You seem to know a lot about everything." Trace said, impressed.

Ahsoka's face changed, she seemed sad, confused, alone "Not everything I still don't understand people."

"What's to know? There are good people and bad people, and some are just cross-wired like this binary load lifter." Trace said.

Ahsoka stepped back, seeing the droid for what it was, a "Binary load lifter wait a minute I do know this type of droid." The droid grunted coming alive grunting and beeping. It slammed its two fists down on Ahsoka who dodged, it went berserk attacking her as she jumped around dodging before she held up the droid's control remote and activated the restraining bolt.

"Are you all right?" Trace asked coming up to check on Ahsoka "Type two load lifters were a fraud; they were repurposed demolition droids prone to violence."

Trace rolled her eyes "Naturally, well, good thing we put the restraining bolts on." Trace said holding up the restraining bolt, just as the loader droid behind Trace came alive beeping in a fury.

"Trace, the bolt!" Ahsoka snapped, but Trace forgot to put the bolt on the last one and the Load lifter started attacking the two and started smashing everything and it ran out the door. Outside the shop, Rafa walked up counting her credits on a holopad as the bunker ran past them followed by Trace and Rafa "No, no, no." Rafa shouted.

Trace hurled past her "Don't worry, just a test run." Trace said as Ahsoka chased after her "Trace- TRACE YOU BETTER NOT BREAK MY DROID." Ahsoka and Trace chased after the droid, seeing it tear apart everything in it's way and leaving knocked over citizens in its wake. They chased the droid all the way to a bridge before it leapt off down to a lower level tearing apart the city as it went.

"You said demolition droid,right?" Trace asked as she watched."Yep" Ahsoka said worried.

"You go back to Rafa's and get the tracking device for that droid" Trace said to Ahsoka.

"What are you gonna do?" Ahsoka asked her.

"Find a speeder and meet you there" Trace said as she ran off while Ahsoka ran back to Rafa's to get the tracking device then Trace arrived driving a forklift speeder. They chased the tracker all the way down the city streets before coming up on an intersection in a lower level "Where is it, the tracker says it's close?" Trace asked.

Just then the loader droid came around the corner in a stampede "Uh oh." Ahsoka said. The loader droid ran toward them and leapt over the speeder before Ahsoka and Trace chased the droid up, down and sideways across the under city level.

"It's off switch is on its face" Ahsoka said, holding onto the speeder.

"I'm on it!" Trace said as she climbed on the droid.

Ahsoka saw Trace shut off the droid but it started to fall until Ahsoka used the fork lift to catch the droid and Trace tied the lift's hook and cable to a think pipe on the wall and pushed the retraction button to pull them up but the droid was to heavy and the cable was about to break, Ahsoka decided to do something they hadn't done in a long time. They used the force to pull up the fork lift until it was safely on the ground.

"Trace?" Ahsoka called out as Trace gave the torugtan a thumbs up.

"See? Nothing to worry about" Trace said "We had it all under control"

Later the trio of friends went back to Rafa and she was not happy.

"I am not gonna dismantle these droids" Rafa said in a stern tone."A deal is a deal"

"Did you not see the destruction they are capable of, they could hurt someone"

!?" Ahsoka said, pointing at the droids.

"Honestly not my problem." Rafa said, turning to Ahsoka undaunted at the warnings.

"You don't know what Those droids could be used for" Ahsoka said again "They are dangerous one tore apart the sector."

"Without a restraining bolt" Rafa said, turning to Trace "Trace did you put the bolt on all three?"

"Yeah" Trace replied "But what if one comes off?"

"Why is this a discussion?" Ahsoka asked "We all know-"

"That you two are new here" Rafa said while pointing at Ahsoka causing some tension between the three as Rafa turned back to Trace. "Trace, I'll do the right thing. I'll meet you at the wharf ok?"

"Rafa just be smart, come on Ahsoka" Trace said as she and the couple walked off.

Later at the wharf Trace and Ahsoka were eating while waiting for Rafa. The wharf itself was a massive underground lake with speeders whooshing in and around its port docks. On the edge of the lake was a large food court with various restaurants and shops that filled the air with better smells than the usual garbage and gas that covered the under-city lack of skies.

"Do you ever get a say with Rafa?" Ahsoka asked across the table.

"She's my older sister." Trace replied. "She doesn't always get it right, I know she's trying to make things better for us."

Ahsoka watched Trace play with her food as she thought confused about it all. "If you feel like she's making a bad decision you should speak up and tell her."

"It's not that easy Ahsoka" Trace said "Rafa is stubborn and doesn't listen to anyone."

Ahsoka sighed leaning on the table they were at "I can understand that, I knew a guy like that, whenever his mind was made up he was more stubborn than a rancor."

"Your brother?" Trace asked, Ahsoka shook her head "No, someone else." Ahsoka said, her lip curling up. Trace dropped her fork looking at Ahsoka bug eyed "What is it, do I have something on my face?" Ahsoka asked.

The smile that Ahsoka saw when they first met grew again on her face, this time bigger and bigger like a nexu's teeth "I just realized who you are and what you're running from."

Ahsoka panicked "Y-you do?"

Nodding and smirking at the same time with a twinkle in her eye Trace said "Oh yeah, it's clear a day now." Trace said.

"Huh?" Ahsoka asked to get ready to run if she needed to, she looked at the number of people around her. At an undercity cop smoking a death stick, speeders to get away in "You're not as sly as you think Ahsoka." Trace said.

Ahsoka focused on Trace again about using a force trick "You're running from boyfriend trouble."

The brutal and sudden rush of false worry sent Ahsoka nearly off her seat "W-what?" Ahsoka asked, her face turning red as a sith lightsaber.

Trace bolstered out a clap of laughter "Oh my gosh your face, oh my gosh, I'm right aren't you had a spat with your boyfriend and no- a fiancé that's it." Trace said pointing at her "F-f-f-f-fiancé?" Ahsoka gasped.

Nodding furiously thinking she was right Trace went on "Wait, wait let me see- you have a brother who taught you to fight so maybe he didn't like the idea of you getting married, but you were madly in love with your fiancé, he was a spacer from some far off distant planet so you two planned to marry in secret but then your bother found out and challenged him to a duel, but those are so stupid. Ugh so you washed your hands with both an over protective big brother and a macho man, honor head and now you ran away from home and-and-and…." Trace looked at Ahsoka's face which was nothing short of absolute confusion "Aaaaaaaaaand I'm wrong, right?"

Ahsoka gave a casual shrug and tilt of her head "Uh… yeah, sorry." Ahsoka said, looking away.

"Okay?" Trace asked, she groaned "Sorry just needed to get my head off of Rafa for a few seconds sorry didn't mean to pry."

Ahsoka reached over and took her hand. "It's fine I mean… look it's complicated but you weren't entirely wrong, there was a guy- a boy who I was close with but not everyone around us understood it, I barely understood how I felt either."

"But you cared for each other, looked out for the two?" Trace asked, Ahsoka smiled at the memory "We did…" Ahsoka said smiling her eyes softly thinking about the times Leo and her fought together side by side, how they helped each other through wounded moments faced dangers over and over always coming through, even the kiss they shared in the moonlight in the temple.

She wiped whatever tears she was about to shed "But we went our separate ways, I told him I needed to think about things, away from him."

Trace held her hands up wanting more "And what, he was just- okay with that?" She asked.

"I don't know, I don't know where he is now or what he's doing but I do miss him." Ahsoka said as Rafa walked up to the.

"Did you tell that guy about the droids?"

"Actually I charged the Twi'lek double." Rafa said as Ahsoka stood up shocked.

"You gave them back" she said, disappointed.

Rafa confronted Ahsoka irritated "You said be smart" Rafa said "Look,they weren't mine to keep we don't build them someone else would and if I don't get them back that's more trouble for the Martez sisters"

Rafa..." Trace said sadly as her sister knelt down to her and gave her some credit chips.

"I used the credits to pay off Pintu." Rafa said "If I didn't get the credits for those droids they would keep coming after us and you can use those to buy new tools.

"Ok" Trace said

"Stick with me sis and soon we will have enough credits, Pintu will be coming to us for work." Rafa said as she walked away.

Ahsoka watched Rafa push through people like she owned the place "I better go finish my speeder." Ahsoka said

"You aren't staying?" Trace asked

"I think it's for the best Trace" Ahsoka said, getting ready to leave "Hey thanks for saving me out there" Trace said

"You're welcome" Ahsoka said smiling like Trace always seemed to be doing. "Now let's get that speeder working." Trace said as the three friends walked away from the wharf back to the shop. Ahsoka's smile was sincere this time and Trace noticed it.

She put her hands behind her back and hummed to herself and as Ahsoka started to sense a question "What is it?"

Trace rolled her eyes "Oh, I was just wondering I've got a new friend, with a mysterious past, not that it's my business, but it just happens to deal with a boy and I don't meet a lot of people, I just wanted to know a bit more and then I'm done asking, promise, fingers not crossed." Trace said, holding her hands up.

Sighing, Ahsoka looked at her "What do you want to know, and nothing too personal?" Ahsoka asked.

"Hmm, what color were his eyes?" Trace asked, thinking of the first question that came into her mind.

The memory of the last time she saw Leo at the steps of the Jedi temple came to her and she said "Green, his eyes were green." Ahsoka said.

"Green huh, you know that's actually rare for humans, you being a torgurtan and all." Trace said, throwing her arm around her "Come on, that bikes not going to fix itself."