Well, what do you know. I found some time in the weekend after all!
I've noticed how much shorter my chapters look on Fanfiction then they do in word… So, I decided to write a longer chapter. This chapter has more than double the words of my last chapter.
Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter five – No rest for the weary
Ahsoka sat cross-legged in the gardens of Lux' mansion, trying to meditate. A couple of hours had passed since Lux left. She would've felt better if he could have stayed with her. But, nevertheless, she had managed to calm down a little with some help from the Force. She felt herself sink into the serene state of mind meditating always brought her. Her troubles were slipping away, but before she could completely relax her senses were suddenly disturbed. She frowned and opened her eyes. Something felt… off. There was definitely something going on, but she wasn't sure what. She closed her eyes again and tried to focus. There was panic in the Force, mass panic and fear. She got up and ran back to the house to try and find out what was going on.
Two of Lux' maids were sitting in the living room staring at the TV with a look of shock on their faces. "What's going on? Ahsoka asked them. "A-a group of criminals stormed the palace. They've taken the King, Senator Bonteri and several others hostage." One of the two replied, her voice shaking. "Oh, no…" Ahsoka said worried. She quickly thought about what she should do. What she could do. "Does Lux have an extra speeder or something around here?" She asked the maids, her voice filled with determination. "Y-yes, there is one in the garage, but… What are you going to do?" The other maid asked confused. "Fire it up for me, I'm going to get them out of there!" Ahsoka replied as she ran to the quest room she had slept in last night. She grabbed her robe and Barriss' lightsaber from the nightstand and quickly made her way after the maids towards the garage. She nodded a quick thanks towards the two maids and took off with the speeder.
The Force guided her straight towards the palace. She had to perform a few daring, most definitely illegal, maneuvers to get there. "I just hope Lux doesn't mind the tickets for speeding and reckless driving." She thought. "Oh well, he's a senator now. He can probably get rid of them.". She shrugged and sped on towards the palace.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the palace forcing her to park and make her way through the crowd on foot. The Onderon police were trying to set a perimeter around the palace and prevent people from getting too close. Ahsoka finally made her way towards the front of the large crowd and spotted an officer. "Hey officer!", she yelled at him "What is the situation here?" "Don't worry miss, we have everything under control. Just stay behind the perimeter and we'll take care of this." The officer replied and waved at her to move back. "I can help you! Let me through!" She yelled back at him. "Now look here little lady, we have everything under control and we definitely don't need some wild teenager who thinks she can fight getting into harm's way. Now get back and let us do our job!" He replied to her, obviously mocking her. Before she could give him an angry remark another voice called out to the officer. "Let her through Jeff!" The officer looked back in shock at the approaching person who was apparently his superior. "But sir, she just a…" The other person interrupted him: "She is a lot stronger that she looks pal, I should know, I've seen her in action before. Now let her through!" "As you wish, sir." The officer replied as he let Ahsoka pass. The superior approached her and she realized who he was. "Saw, what are you doing here?". Saw Gerrera smiled and said: "King Dendup appointed me as head of security at the palace. I'm glad to see you here Commander, we can really use your help." "I'm not really a Commander anymore Saw." Ahsoka replied, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "What do you mean? Saw asked confused. "Never mind, first we need to end this hostage situation!" Ahsoka told him, not wanting to think about what had happened. Right now she needed to focus. "Alright then, come this way!" Saw replied and motioned for her to follow him.
The two of them walked up to a small operations center the police force had set up. "Has anything changed in the situation?" Saw asked one of the officers. "No sir," came his reply. "Those thugs are still inside and they're well-fortified. Uhm sir, who is this?" he asked and pointed at Ahsoka. "She's here to help us out. There's not a doubt in my mind that she's going to give us a well needed edge over these crooks." He turned to Ahsoka and motioned for her to approach the holo-projector. A map of the palace was being displayed along with several recordings and images. "Alright Commander, here's the deal. Those crooks stormed the building and forced us out. They've barricaded themselves in the main meeting hall with the hostages. The hostages are King Dendup, Lux, and a group of the king's staff. As for these low-lives, we know that there are eight of them in total and they're armed." Saw informed her. "How did they get inside in the first place?" Ahsoka asked him. A deep frown spread across Saw's face. "One of the palace guards valued money over his duty and joined their group. He let them in." Ahsoka sighed, "That is a shame. How can we get inside?" "I'm not sure, they've got access to the security camera's so they can see the main access halls that lead to the room they're holed up in. If we storm the chamber they might shoot the hostages. That is a risk we cannot take. We need some kind of distraction." Saw replied, leaning over the projector as he tried to think of something. Ahsoka thought for a moment before answering. "I might be able to provide that distraction, all I need is a way inside." "Hmph, and exactly what are you planning to do girlie? They are armed villains, they will shoot you on sight." One of the officers said as he and his colleagues laughed at her suggestion. "That's enough! All of you be quiet!" Saw ordered the group. "But sir, you can't seriously be thinking of sending this girl in? That is going to be…" One of the officers began but Saw interrupted him. "Yes I am, and we will get everyone out of there. Now then Commander, what do you need?" Saw turned to face Ahsoka. She thought about it for a small moment before replying. "I need a way inside, after that I can easily get their attention." She told him. "That's not going to be easy, like I said, they've got access to some of the camera's." Saw said slightly frustrated. "Uhm…" Ahsoka paced around a bit. Then an idea hit her and she turned to face Saw. "How about an air vent or a ventilation shaft? That has worked for me multiple times before." "Yea, that might work." Saw replied encouragingly. He turned to the projector and pulled up some schematics. "Got it!" He said and Ahsoka moved up next to him. "There is a vent that leads from the outside straight to the meeting hall. You just need to enter here and then go down a few floors and take a right turn here." He told her while pointing at several areas of the projection. "But sir, the entrance to that vent is on the tenth floor. How is she supposed to get there? If we use any kind of crane or whatever those crooks are sure to notice" One of his officers asked him. Saw turned to Ahsoka, "Do you have any problems with reaching that vent?" "Not at all, let's go!" she replied with a grin.
They quickly moved to the right side of the building. Saw looked around a bit and then he pointed up. "Look, there is the entrance to the vent!". Everyone looked up at the building. The entrance to the vent was indeed located on the tenth floor. There was a small ridge right beneath it. "Well then, young lady, how are you going to get up there?" One of the officers commented as he looked at Ahsoka. "Well, let's see." She replied as she moved closer to inspect the area. There was another building right next to the palace with a small balcony. She looked back and forth between both buildings. "Let's see, that ledge will work, then the balcony there. That flag post looks too weak to hold onto. The ridge next to it is perfect. And then up to the vent." She thought to herself and smiled. "And…?" the same officer asked her mockingly. They really didn't seem to have much faith in her. "Here, hold this." Ahsoka replied taking of her robe and throwing it to the rude man. "Hey!". He said in surprise. "And now, just watch." Ahsoka said with a grin on her face. She bent her knees and focused the Force through her. "Hey, wait a minute…" One of the officers began when he saw the lightsaber on her belt. "You're a J…" He stopped talking as Ahsoka jumped up a couple of stories to a ledge. From that ledge she jumped to the balcony on the opposite building and then jumped back and forth, reaching the vent on the tenth floor in a matter of seconds. She looked down, all of the officers who were just mocking her were now looking up in shock, not believing what they just saw. Ahsoka chuckled to herself before removing the vent and going inside.
She quickly and quietly made her way through the vents. They were large enough for her to crouch through. As she got closer to the meeting hall she could hear several conversations. She moved towards the vent above the room and looked through to assess the situation. Three of the criminals were standing next to the hostages, making sure they didn't move. Two others were sitting at a monitor, probably checking the camera's, making sure nobody sneaked up on them. The remaining three were standing next to what looked like a small bar of sorts. She looked around the chamber. It was very large room with a large meeting table at one end and a bar with matching tables and furniture on the other side. Different types of ornaments hang from the walls and there were a few large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The hostages were sitting in the corner of the bar area.
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"Do you really think you'll get away with this?" King Dendup asked one of the hostage-takers. "What do you hope to gain from this anyway." "Credits, my dear king. Lots and lots of credits." A rather tough-looking bandit replied while his comrades laughed. He was obviously the leader of the group, dressed in some more durable armor then the rest. "We're going to get rich, leave this stupid planet and live the good live." He commented as he moved toward the two bandits who were watching the monitors. "Don't worry sire, help will come." Lux said quietly to the king. "How can you be sure, senator?" one of the king's advisors asked him. Lux smiled and replied: "I have a friend over, she's not going to let these thugs get away with this." "Shut up, all of you!" One of the hostage-takers threatened.
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Ahsoka had seen enough. She adjusted her belt so that her lightsaber was hanging behind her back, out of sight. She moved the vent away and dropped to the ground, landing silently with some assist from the Force. "Hello boys." She said after landing. All off the people looked at her in surprise and shock, the hostage-takers readying their weapons. They looked at her, confused about how one 16-teen-year-old Togrutan girl made her way in. One of the three men standing at the bar made his way towards her. "Well now, what do we have here. Hello there miss, welcome to this lovely establishment." He said in a confident and mocking tone, not perceiving her as a threat at all. He'd soon regret that. "So tell me darling, what brings you here?" He asked Ahsoka while looking her over. She did not like the look he was giving her. She replied in the same tone of voice as he was talking: "I'm here to offer you a chance to surrender quietly, otherwise you're going to get hurt.". The group of bandits laughed loudly while the hostages looked in shock at the young girl standing calmly in front of a group of armed criminals, that is all of the hostages except for one.
The man who approached her now stood about two meters away from her. "And just what were you planning on doing little missy?" He asked her mockingly. "Why do people keep treating me like some weak, frail girl?" Ahsoka thought to herself. She then told the man: "I was planning of beating you up and disarming you. After that the police force will storm in and arrest all of you." They all laughed again, even louder this time and the man moved even closer until her was standing right in front of her, his blaster hanging at his side. "You? Beat us up? That is really cute." Ahsoka looked him in the eyes, an irritated frown spreading on her face. "Tell you what little lady, " the thug continued, "I'll give you the first punch." He said while pointing at his cheek. "Come on, hit me!" He dared her. His comrades just laughed at the whole scene. "Alright then, if that's how you want to do this" Ahsoka replied with a shrug. "Come on th…" He said, but he was interrupted with Ahsoka's boot shoving into his gut. He doubled over in pain. Ahsoka spun around and kicked him hard in the face causing him to collapse on the ground unconscious. Everyone on the room looked in shock and confusion as the tough bandit was knocked out by a seemingly harmless teenage girl. Ahsoka jumped back a few meters, grabbed her lightsaber and ignited it, it's blue blade shining brightly. She assumed a fighting pose, her left arm in front of her and her lightsaber behind her in her favored reverse Shien hold.
"JEDI!", "Blast her!" The bandits yelled in surprise and anger and opened fire. They were obviously still in a bit of shock. The first series of blaster bolts didn't even come anywhere remotely close to Ahsoka. Then their aim improved and she moved to block their shots. Blaster bolts were flying around the room. Ahsoka reflected a couple of them back at the crooks standing next to the monitors. One of them got hit in the arm and slammed into the monitors. He rolled of them unconscious. "Two down, six to go." She thought.
One of the two men at the bar to her right ran towards her hoping to catch her off-guard. The Force warned her of the incoming attack and her sharp senses quickly picked up his footprints and pinpointed his location. She quickly turned to face him and trusted her left arm towards him. She sent him flying with a strong Force push. He flew right into his comrade and they both slammed into the bar. Ahsoka jumped through the air, blocking more blaster bolts, her lightsaber creating a swirl of blue energy around her. She landed next to a small table. She then used the Force to blast the table straight towards the lone crook next to the monitors. He was too shocked at seeing a table fly towards him that he was unable to dodge and he got knocked of his feet, landing next to his unconscious friend in a the same condition.
Now there's just three of them left, the leader and two of his henchmen. They had sought shelter behind a table they knocked over and were shooting a barrage of lasers at Ahsoka. She moved quickly, her lightsaber creating a powerful shield of deadly energy. She kept moving around at a fast pace dodging and reflecting the bolts as they flew towards her. With her lightsaber she could keep this up for hours. The problem, however, was that this wasn't her lightsaber, it was Barriss'. And, even though it works the same, the design of the weapon was very different. The handle wasn't like her own and it caused her defense to slip. She cried out on pain as a blaster bolt struck her upper left leg. Ahsoka collapsed on the ground. The three thugs laughed and made their way towards her.
Ahsoka saw them come closer and she got up as fast as she could. She grunted in pain and held her left leg with her left arm whilst still keeping her lightsaber in front of her. "Surrender Jedi and maybe we'll let you live." The leader of the group threatened. They were now standing less than two meters away from her. Ahsoka knew she couldn't move fast enough with her leg to dodge their attacks. Her eyes quickly darted across the room looking for a way to turn this around. "Last chance, Jedi." The leader said in a dark tone as he raised his blaster. Ahsoka spotted something that would help her out of this mess. She shifted her stance, placing more weight on her left leg. This caused her to grunt more in pain, but she was standing in a stable position now. She lowered her lightsaber, pretending to back down. The three thugs laughed in victory as the hostages looked hopelessly at the scene.
"Now drop it." The leader commanded. Ahsoka stretched out her arm, 'complying' with his order. She then quickly threw the lightsaber at the wall past the three crooks. They stepped aside and looked in shock at the passing whirl of blue energy. They then turned to Ahsoka. "Nice try, but now, you have no weapon." Their leader commented. Ahsoka smirked back at them. What they had failed to realize is that they weren't the target, something on the wall was. A loud cracking sound was heard as the lightsaber spun through several steel cables before it deactivated and flew back to Ahsoka. She caught it before dropping to the ground and rolling away. The trio of villains turned around in shock and horror as one of the large chandeliers swung towards them at an alarming rate. "Uh oh…" one of them said right before the massive steel construct rammed into them, sending the three crooks flying into the wall.
At that moment the doors burst open and Saw Gerrera and his men stormed in. They quickly moved to free the hostages and secure the hostage-takers. "What the hell took them so long?" Ahsoka thought to herself as she sat up and held her leg in pain.
"King Dendup, Lux, is everyone alright?" Saw asked them. Lux responded quickly: "We're all fine, but Ahsoka needs help. She got shot." Lux and Saw made their way towards Ahsoka along with a few other officers. "Ahsoka, are you alright?" Lux asked concerned. "Yes I'm fine, the fact that my leg is bleeding is perfectly normal" she replied sarcastically. "At least your sense of humor is still intact." Lux commented with a smile. "Don't worry Commander, paramedics will be here soon," Saw told her. "Just try to relax for now. You did a fantastic job. This would've gone very ugly had it not been for you." "You're welcome." Ahsoka said as the paramedics come and helped her up a stretcher.
When they got out of the palace a thunderous applause was heard. The people clapped and cheered, yelling thanks and praise at the brave young Jedi that rescued their king, the senator and the others. Ahsoka was loaded up into an ambulance and Lux sat next to her, holding her hand comfortingly.
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Lux was sitting in the waiting room. After they'd reached the hospital Ahsoka had been brought to the emergency room. About forty minutes had passed before one of the doctors came to him. "How is she? Lux asked almost immediately. "She's fine, " The doctor responded, "the shot didn't hit any major arteries. I suspect, with her being a Jedi and all, that she'll recover in a few days." "That's good to hear." Lux said as he relaxed visibly. "It's quite impressive," the doctor continued, "I had heard that Jedi can use the Force to suppress pain and lessen bleeding and things like that. I didn't really believe that at first but after seeing her, well I definitely believe it now. Grown men would have recoiled in pain at the wound being stitched up but she didn't even flinch. I'm confident about the fact that she might recover even faster then I think now." The doctor said, amusement in his voice. "Can I see her?" Lux asked the doctor. "Certainly, one of the nurses will take you to her." He pointed towards a nurse and Lux followed her to Ahsoka's room.
Ahsoka was sitting in a hospital bed with a bit of an annoyed look on her face. Her leg looked alright. The doctors had cut of a part of her legging so her leg was left bare except for the bandages wrapped around her wound. She smiled a bit when she saw Lux enter and then asked him: "Why is it that every time we meet I get hurt?" Lux looked very stunned at her question. "I…eh…" he stuttered. Ahsoka laughed at his silly reaction. "Relax Lux, I'm just teasing you." She replied grinning. Lux smirked back at sat down in a chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked with concern in his voice. "I'm… alright, I just can't stand being in a hospital…" she admitted a little hesitantly. She looked to the nurse in the room and said: "No offence of course, it's just that… Well…" she shrugged. The nurse replied. "I understand miss, don't worry. And rest assured, we've had far more ungrateful types here in the past. I'll give you two some privacy." She smiled and left the room.
"So, Ahsoka, how did you figure out what was happening?" Lux asked her out of curiosity. "Well, I was meditating in the gardens, it's a beautiful place by the way, " Ahsoka began, "Then I sensed that something was wrong. I went back inside and two of your maids told me what was going on. I then borrowed one of your speeders." Ahsoka laughed a bit nervously. "Speaking of which, you may be receiving a few traffic tickets…" She said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Oh don't worry," Lux replied encouragingly, "one of the perks of being a Senator is that you are a bit more above the law." They both laughed at his remark. "Well, that's a relief. It would have been an expensive ticket otherwise…" Ahsoka commented. "What happened then?" Lux asked. "When I got to the palace I made my way through the crowd. At first the officers were mocking me when I offered to help. Those guys are pretty rude, you know that?" Ahsoka said with a frown on her face. Lux nodded knowingly. "Anyway, that's when Saw appeared and told that rude idiot to let me through. He filled me in on all of the details. We found that air vent and I used it to get inside to 'distract' those crooks." She finished her sentence with a strong hint of annoyance in her voice. "You saw what happened, I ended up doing all of the work and I got shot. Oh well, at least everyone is safe." She continued with a shrug. Lux chuckled a bit at her comment. "Still, it was pretty impressive seeing you move like that. You were almost flying through the room. Those crooks didn't know what hit them." Ahsoka gave him a warm smile and Lux felt something inside him stir in a strange way.
"Well, I wasn't fast enough." Ahsoka said a little discouraged. "Yea, what happened? One moment you were untouchable and then…" Lux asked in concern and curiosity. "One other thing, didn't you have two lightsabers? A green one and a green-yellowish one?". "Yes, I did." Ahsoka replied in a gloomy tone. She called the lightsaber sitting on the nightstand towards her and floated it in front of her. "This isn't my lightsaber, it belongs to Barriss. Master Unduli gave it to me before I left Coruscant, so I would have something to defend myself with." She continued. "What happened to your lightsabers?" Lux asked. Ahsoka brought the lightsaber down in her hand. "I'm not sure…" she said depressed. Lux knew why she was so down. Ahsoka had told him about the weapons of the Jedi during the first time they met.
He had been curious about the weapons the Jedi use and had asked Ahsoka about them during her and Senator Amidala's visit to Raxus. She had told him that using a lightsaber makes the battles more personal. Anyone can kill at a distance with a blaster, but fighting up close with another person forces you to think about your actions and the consequences. He had been quite surprised and impressed about the philosophy behind the weapon.
During the liberation of Onderon some rebels had commented that they'd take a blaster over a lightsaber any day. He and Ahsoka had talked more about the weapon after that. He had been unable to control his curiosity again. Ahsoka told him more about the philosophy behind the weapon and the different forms of combat. It was a lot more complicated than he had thought. She had also told him about the code that went with the construction of a lightsaber: The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one.
There was so much more to it than just swinging around a lasersword. He had been stunned by everything. A Jedi created a lightsaber as an extension of him- of herself. It was a part of them, made to resemble the Jedi's spirit. It was their most sacred possession. Ahsoka told him about Anakin and how loose he had been with his weapon as a padawan. Master Kenobi had told him a thousand times: "This weapon is your life, don't lose it." So, as a result, Anakin had told her the same thing a thousand times as well.
Lux saw the sadness in her eyes as she recalled what had happened to her sabers. "I lost my shoto when I was escaping the prison. A rocket from the clones knocked me of my feet and I dropped my lightsabers. My main saber landed on the railing, but my shoto fell into the abyss below. Considering all of the dangerous construction sites there in the lower levels, it's probably destroyed." She said as she was on the verge on crying. "I later lost my main saber in that factory where…" a few tears started streaming down her face. "Where Barriss attacked me. My lightsaber was lost somewhere and the clones stunned and arrested me." She was sobbing now. Lux moved to sit next to her on the bed and he placed his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his embrace. "Don't worry Ahsoka, everything is going to be fine. I'm here to help you if you need it." His voice was comforting to Ahsoka as she calmed down a bit. "Come on, stop crying. I care too much about you to see you hurt like this." He told her. Then, realizing what he had just admitted, he blushed severely. She sat up and looked at him. He was unable to tell what she was thinking and was afraid that he might have ruined their friendship. She smiled at his reaction. "The Jedi Code has always prevented me from forming attachments. But now, I'm no longer a Jedi. I'm no longer bound to the Code." The stripes on her lekku darkened in colour, the Togrutan equivalent of a blush. "I care a lot about you too Lux." She said softly. They looked at each other and found themselves inching closer. They closed their eyes and their lips met. They both felt an incredible surge of happiness and love as they shared their first, real kiss. After a short moment they broke up, smiling at each other and blushing madly. Ahsoka laid back comfortably in Lux' embrace, having forgotten all of the pain and sadness. For the first time in weeks, she felt happy again.
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And with that we end this chapter. Love starts to happen. What will it lead to?
I wanted to see if I could write a good action-scene, so I came up with that whole hostage situation thing. With the amount of corruption in the Star Wars universe it could very well happen. Hope you liked the action.
Next chapter probably won't contain (that much) of Lux and Ahsoka. I wanted to do something from a few other perspectives, Anakin's for starters. We'll see how it all goes. So many ideas, but to use them all would just make it impossible. Hmm… Oh well.
In case it's not yet clear, the events in this story are leading up to my other story "Barriss Offee, puppet of the Sith." If you have any suggestions about some other things that could happen in the days ahead, let me know. If I like the idea I may just use it (maybe not immediately).
Until next time.