Why is it that when you're trying to focus on studying you come up with the best ideas for a story or a chapter? Very distracting… Oh well.
I managed to find about an hour, hour-and-a-half each day to write. So, without further ado, here is the next chapter.
;-
Chapter 8 – Onderon
Ahsoka stirred slightly in her sleep, the sound of chirping birds waking her up slowly. She yawned loudly and sat up in her bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at the small clock on the nightstand, it read 10:23Am. She yawned again and stretched her arms. Before she brought her arm down she waved at the window, using the Force to open up the curtains a bit, letting the morning sun shine through the room. After sitting still for a moment of enjoying the peace, she got out of bed, took her spare set of Jedi robes out her suitcase and went into the small bathroom that was adjacent to the guestroom.
Once inside she took off her clothes. She frowned a bit as she held up her leggings and inspected them for a moment. The doctors had cut off a part of the left leg so that they could treat her wound. As a result, her leggings looked ridiculous. "Maybe I can get them fixed somewhere…" Ahsoka thought to herself. She put the clothing on a cabinet next to the sink. She sat down on the toilet to inspect the wound on her leg. She carefully removed the bandages and put them aside. The sight of her wound surprised her quite a bit. There was barely anything left to see. The flesh were she had been shot was still red and a small part of it was still recovering, but the majority of the wound had already healed. "Huh. It healed a lot faster than I thought it would." Ahsoka said to herself in a curious voice. "Hmm… Oh well, I'm certainly not complaining." She shrugged it off and stepped into the shower.
;-
Lux was sitting at the dining room table, drinking some coffee and reading the latest news. He heard the door open and looked up to see who it was. He smiled as Ahsoka entered the room. "Good morning" he said as she sat across from him. "Good morning Lux" She replied with a smile. "Sleep well?" Lux nodded and answered: "Yes, how about you? Is your leg feeling any better?" Ahsoka looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "I don't think I've slept that well in weeks. First time I didn't have to worry about getting shot at any moment or having to attend some meeting or class." She said with a grin. "And my leg is doing much better, it's almost completely healed. Thanks for asking." Lux nodded back and smiled at her.
One of the kitchendroids brought in a few trays of breakfast and set them on the table and rolled back into the kitchen. Lux saw Ahsoka eyeing the food. "Hungry Ahsoka? I'm surprised you can even eat again after everything you ate last night?" he asked her in a mocking tone. Ahsoka laughed a bit at his question. "This looks a lot better than the food they serve in the Temple, so yeah. I'm hungry." She said as she dug in. Even though she smiled, Lux could see a small trace of sadness flicker in her eyes when she mentioned the Temple. They both ate the food, enjoying each other company and stories. Lux swallowed his food and recalled what he had just read. He contemplated not telling her for a moment, but she deserved to know. "Ahsoka," he began in a serious voice. She stopped eating and looked at him. "Yes Lux?" she asked. She could tell that Lux wasn't comfortable about something. "Well, I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but… There was a small article about Barriss in the news." He could see the smile on her face fade. The memories were still fresh and they were still hurting her. He continued: "The Senate has decided something rather unusual, at the recommendation of the Jedi Council. She was placed in a special isolation cell, no one has spoken with her or has been inside her cell for these past few days. Tomorrow, they plan on interrogating her, but they're not following regular procedures." He could see a trace of fear spreading across Ahsoka's face, she was clearly thinking about something awful. "They're not going to do anything bad to her Ahsoka." Lux tried to reassure her. "They are going to broadcast her interrogation live over the holonet. They've decided that the public has a right to see this. They also want to prevent any form of, uhm, errors in the Court." Lux gave her a light smile. "I'm sorry, I know it's not easy to hear about these things after what happened. But I thought that you had a right to know." He looked at her. She seemed a little down but she gave a little smile shortly afterwards. "Thank you Lux," she said quietly. "I really appreciate you telling me." "Are you going to watch?" Lux asked her. Ahsoka thought about it for a moment before replying. "Yes… Yes I will. Maybe it will clear things up a bit. Perhaps it will help me understand her motives better." She said in the same soft voice. "Are you sure you're alright Ahsoka?" Lux asked slightly concerned. Ahsoka nodded and gave him a smile. "I'll be fine Lux."
After they finished breakfast they went to the living room and sat down on the couch. "So, what do you want to do today?" Lux asked Ahsoka. "Uh, I'm not really sure. Hmm." She replied. She thought about it for a moment. "I think I'd like to see the planet for a bit. I didn't really get a chance to appreciate the beauty of this world while we were fighting clankers." She said with enthusiasm. "Do you know any nice places Lux? She asked him. Lux gave her a large smile. "it just so happens I know one or two great locations." He looked up at the ceiling, thinking back at some events in his past. "Remember what I told you before? My parents and I used to live here on Onderon. That was well before the war. We moved to Raxus only a couple of months before the Clone Wars began." Lux looked back at Ahsoka. "There is a small lake not too far away from the city. It's hidden from view by the trees surrounding it, unless you know where it is you're not going to find it. My dad once found it and we went there several times. We could go there if you'd like?" he asked Ahsoka. "And what did you want to do there?" she asked in return. Lux looked a little surprised. "Well, go swimming I guess, maybe a bit of a picnic?" he replied. Ahsoka gave him a strange look. "And how do you propose we go swimming Lux?" He looked at her with a confused face. "Like I said yesterday, I don't really have a lot of things with me. Which means I don't have a swimming suit. What do you expect me to do? Go skinny dipping?" she asked him with a slightly insulted look on her face. Lux looked shocked, worried that he had insulted her. "No, no of course not… I-I mean, you could…eh…" Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an angry stare. "You'd like to see me naked, don't you?" she said accusingly. "yes, I-I-I mean no… No wait what I meant was…" he was starting to panic now. "Ahsoka, You know that's not what I meant. I eh… uh…" His face was about as red as a tomato. "Oh man, how am I going to get out of this…" he thought to himself. He desperately tried to think of a way to apologize and explain without pissing Ahsoka off. He buried his face in his hands in frustration. He looked up at her: "Ahsoka, I…" he stopped when he saw the look on her face.
Ahsoka was holding her right hand in front of her mouth, desperately trying to hold back her laughter. "Wait a minute…" was the only thing Lux could say before she broke into loud laughter. Lux looked shocked and perplexed as he realized what she had been up to. "You're just messing with me, aren't you?" he asked her with an accusing voice. She nodded 'yes' between her laughing. "I… I'm sorry Lux, I just couldn't resist. The look on your face was priceless!" she said, trying to calm down a bit. "You're awful, you know that?" he said laughing along with her.
Ahsoka shook her head, her lekku shaking as she did. "No seriously Lux, I really don't have a swimsuit." She admitted a little embarrassed. Lux shrugged and replied. "Don't worry, there is a number of clothing stores in the city. I'm sure you can find something you like there." "Or perhaps something you like, hmm?" she shot back, earning another shocked look from the young human. "Very funny Ahsoka. Then again, if it doesn't matter to you I suppose you could also go skinny dipping, I certainly won't mind." He replied in an equally teasing tone. Now Ahsoka was a little shocked and her lekku were turning a darker shade of blue. Lux pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Ahsoka. "Here, take this with you." He said. Ahsoka looked at what he had just given her. It was a Senatorial credit card. She looked back at him and wanted to give him the card back. "Lux, I can't take this. I can't ask you to pay for anything for me." He smiled but didn't take the card back. "Of course you can Ahsoka. Feel free to buy some more things you need as well." He replied. "Lux…" she began, but he interrupted her. "Ahsoka, look around." He gestured around the room. "You've seen the size of my home, what am I possibly going to but with the money? Some kind of meaningless art of decoration? No thanks. If you use it then at least I know the money is well spend helping a friend." He explained with a smile. Ahsoka smiled back at him. "Thanks Lux, you're the best." She leaned in and kissed him. "Shall I give you a ride to the city?" Lux asked her. "As long as it's not a problem for you." She replied. "No, of course not." Lux sighed a bit before continuing. "I got a message from king Dendup shortly before you woke up. He wanted me to stop by for a moment to ask me about something. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two, two-and-a-half." Ahsoka looked at him curiously. "I thought that you had a few days of?" she asked him. "Well, yes I do. But I guess something important came up." He replied in a slightly disappointed voice. "I know the feeling Lux." Ahsoka told him. "More than once I've had a break time interrupted by some sort of trouble. Droids here, Grievous there, invasion this etc. etc. etc." she said, waving her hand as an indication of how often a Jedi's time to relax was shortened because of the war. They both laughed and sat on the couch for a few more minutes.
;-
Ahsoka was sitting in a small café in the city's largest shopping center. Lux had dropped her off about 45 minutes ago. Right now, she was taking a small break. Shopping isn't exactly her favorite activity, but that doesn't really change the fact that she needs some more clothes and some other basic things. She had already purchased a few sets of clothing and some other bathroom necessities. All she really needed now was maybe a few other clothes and of course, a swimsuit. A smile crept across her face as she recalled the terrified look on Lux' face earlier. She was also very curious about how his 'secret' lake would look like. "Guess I'll find that out soon enough." She thought to herself.
Ahsoka groaned a bit as she saw what was on the TV in the café. They were, once again, talking about her fake trial and Barriss' confession. Three others in the café who were sitting at a table not far from her whispered to each other and gestured towards her. "I'm am not in the mood for this." She thought to herself. She finished her drink, paid the waitress, picked up her bags and left the café while ignoring the stares from the three.
about 40 minutes later
Ahsoka was still walking through the shopping mall. She smiled a bit, she had almost gathered everything she needed. She had enough clothes and also found a few extra things she might be able to use. There had been a small store in the mall, it didn't sell clothing or jewelry or toys like the other stores. No, this store sold all kinds of scented candles. Ahsoka had remembered a talk she once had with Master Shaak Ti. The Togrutan Jedi Master had told Ahsoka how she often used scented candles during her meditation. Because of their species' sharpened senses, the fragrance of such a candle can provide a very soothing feeling. Ahsoka had tried it with Master Shaak Ti and to her surprise it really worked. However, she had been unable to obtain more of those candles. So now, when she saw the store, she had decided to buy a number of candles.
Right now however, she was trying to find a nice swimsuit. She passed another clothing store and decided to look inside. She found the swimwear section and looked through the selection. "Hmm, what to choose?" she thought to herself. "A one-piece isn't really for me. The colour of this one just curses with my skin. What the…? What in the galaxy is this? Do people really were this?!" she was a little stunned as she saw a swimsuit hanging between the racks that was more strings than actual fabric. Slightly embarrassed she quickly moved on to the next section.
Ahsoka suddenly felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked in the mirror to see who they belonged to. Some human teenage boy was making his way towards her, ignoring several other customers along the way. "Ugh, great." Ahsoka quietly muttered to herself. "Hello miss, how are you?" the boy asked, now standing next to her. "Fine, thank you." Ahsoka replied in such a tone to indicate that she wasn't interested. He didn't move however. "Can't he take a hint?" Ahsoka thought to herself. Then she saw his outfit. "Ah crap, he works here…" Slightly irritated she put the bikini she was looking at back in the rack of clothing. "Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked her with a smile on his face, it was pretty obvious what kind of 'help' he was thinking of. "No thank you." Ahsoka replied calmly. "it's clear to me that I don't want to be in this store anymore. Good day." She said and walked away. "H-Hey wait up!" the teenage employee replied and tried to grab her arm. Ahsoka yanked her arm away before he could grab her though and quickly spun around. "Don't touch me." She said with a light growl in her voice. Before any of them could say anything else a third voice joined in. "Is there a problem miss? Ahsoka looked to her side. A Mirialan woman asked her, by the look from her outfit she was the manager of the store. She turned to the boy and asked him the same thing. No Ma'am, I don't know what the problem is. Something offended the customer and I was trying to find out what." He answered to his boss, slight panic in his voice. "Oh, you don't know?" Ahsoka shot back at him. "You come out of your break room, see a girl looking at bikini's and immediately make your way towards her. On the way you ignored four others customers so you could 'help' said girl looking at bikini's. I think it's pretty darn obvious what you had in mind and I am not interested in such creepy nonsense." She said irritated. The manager of the store replied to her: "I'm am terribly sorry miss." And she shot her employee an angry look which caused him to flinch slightly. "If there is anything I can do for you…" Ahsoka interrupted her. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I think that I'm just going to look in another store.". And with that Ahsoka left the store, not interested in all of that nonsense. She remembered a conversation she had had with Padmé shortly after they left Raxus.
;-
"So Ahsoka, what did you think of Lux?" Padmé asked her with a grin. "What do mean Padmé?" Ahsoka asked her a bit confused. "Oh, don't give me that Ahsoka. You two seemed to get along pretty well." Padmé replied. "Has someone found herself a boyfriend?" she asked in an accusing tone. Ahsoka looked a little shocked at Padmé's question. "What are you talking about?!" she asked. "Oh come on Ahsoka, you can't deny he's cute." She replied with a smile. Ahsoka didn't say anything in return. "Come on, admit it. He's not that bad." Padmé challenged her. "Alright fine," Ahsoka groaned, "For a Separatist and a boy he's not that bad." Ahsoka shrugged, "Especially not compared to some other people I've met." She turned to face Padmé. "But you know as well as I do that as I Jedi I can't form attachments. So it doesn't really matter what I think about him. Besides, he'd never like me." Ahsoka said, her voice becoming a bit softer at the end. Padmé smiled back at her. "Oh, don't say that Ahsoka, you are a very attractive young lady." Ahsoka looked a little embarrassed before replying. "No, I'm not." She replied a little ashamed. Padmé laughed a bit at her reaction. "Yes you are Ahsoka! And I'm sure that if you weren't a Jedi boys would be lining up for you!" Padmé said in a teasing voice.
;-
"Heh, thanks a lot, Padmé." Ahsoka thought to herself.
It took a couple more minutes but she finally found a small store with swimsuits that was just for women. "Which means no boys trying anything funny." Ahsoka thought with a smile. She went inside the store and was greeted by the owner, a Twi'lek female with green skin, probably about 26 years old or something. "Hello there, can I help you with anything?" She asked with a smile. Ahsoka smiled back and asked: "Maybe, but first: are there any boys in this store?" The Twi'lek shook her head 'no'. "Thank goodness." Ahsoka said relieved. "Having some trouble with the men?" the storekeeper asked. "Yeah kind off." Ahsoka replied. "I'm trying to find a nice swimsuit but in every store there is a couple of boys that keep staring at me and it's getting very annoying." The other woman laughed. "I've heard many other girls come in here with the same problem. That's why I made this store 'women only'." She said with a smile. "So, what do you need a swimsuit for? Vacation, special occasion, you name it." The Twi'lek asked Ahsoka. "Well, I'm going out with a friend later today and I need something that'll make me look good, but nothing too revealing like I've seen in some other stores." Ahsoka said, her lekku turning a little bit darker. "A male friend?" the woman asked curiously. Ahsoka nodded 'yes' in return. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find you something that looks good on you."
;-
Lux was on his way back to the shopping mall. Ahsoka had contacted him a couple of minutes ago saying she was ready for him to pick her up. Fortunately Lux had just finished his meeting before she called. He drove the speeder to the place they'd decided to meet up. He parked next to Ahsoka and was quite surprised when he saw the amount of bags she had. "I see that you succeeded." He commented with a smile. "How did you manage to carry all of those bags on your own?" Lux asked. Ahsoka chuckled a bit and said: "With just a little help from the Force." She raised her hands up and her bags gently flew into the back of the speeder. "That's definitely useful." Lux replied, slightly impressed with how easy it seemed for her. Ahsoka got in the speeder next to him and they flew off.
"So, how was your meeting?" Ahsoka asked him curiously. Lux shrugged. "It was alright. After uhm, recent events here and on Coruscant there's been a lot of talk about sharpening several rules and laws concerning safety. A few people are becoming a little paranoid and basically want camera's just about everywhere." He shook his head. "Half of the public will see it as an invasion of their privacy and the other half will applaud it. This is going to be one ugly mess." "Don't worry Lux," Ahsoka replied with an optimistic voice, "I'm sure you'll find a way to make things work." He smiled back at her.
On the way back to Lux' house they finished up their plans for the afternoon. They were going to the lake Lux had mentioned earlier and have a relaxing swim and picnic. It was still early and the weather was perfect to go outside so they decided to take advantage of it.
They both changed into their swimwear inside Lux' house while the kitchendroids prepared several meals to take along.
Lux was waiting outside at his speeder. He had packed the meal and several towels and things like that. Lux couldn't help but wonder what kind of swimsuit Ahsoka had bought. He quickly pushed the thought away as she came outside. She was wearing a loose white shirt and a pair of blue jeans. "Ready to go Ahsoka?" he asked. She nodded excitedly. "Of course! I'm anxious to see this secret lake of yours." She said with a smile. "Then let's go." He replied and they both got in the speeder and left the mansion.
On the way to the lake Ahsoka kept asking Lux questions about how it looked, but he simply replied: "You'll just have to see it when we get there." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pouty look. "I thought that Jedi were supposed to be masters of patience?" he asked her in a mocking tone. "Hey!" she said and playfully hit his arm. They both laughed and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
;-
"Wow!" Ahsoka gasped in amazement. They had just arrived at the lake and Lux hadn't been kidding when he said the place was amazing. The water was crystal clear, you could see the bottom without any difficulty. There was a small pocket of sand next to a shallow area of the lake, kind of like an actual swimming pool. From this 'beach' you could walk into the water and it would get deeper as you continued. Around the rest of the lake are small cliffs and boulders rising up about a meter or so above the surface of the water. One large cliff, about 8 meters tall with a small waterfall running down dominated the south side of the lake. The sun was right above the lake and a large array of flowers was growing all around the lake giving the rocks a rainbow of colours.
"See? What did I tell you?" Lux asked, a hint of pride in his voice. Ahsoka turned to face him. "I think you were lying to me earlier. This place is even better than you described!". She said with a huge smile on her face. Seeing Ahsoka so happy made Lux smile as well. They quickly unloaded their things, placing a couple of towels and an umbrella on the sandy beach with their bags beneath the umbrella in the shade it provided. Lux took off his shirt and pants, placing them into one of the bags. He turned to Ahsoka and a wave of shock hit him. She was wearing a blue bikini, with a small skirt-like bottom around it. It was less revealing than he had thought, "less then I'd hoped" his face turned red as he tried to push that thought away. Nevertheless, the outfit really showed of her form. Her days as a Jedi had given her a very good shape. Ahsoka turned to face Lux, a curious frown appeared on her face when she saw his stunned expression. "Is something wrong Lux?" she asked slightly concerned. "W-What? N-no of course not." He replied a little nervous. "You just, eh… You look amazing." He admitted blushing. Her lekku turned a few shades darker. "Thanks Lux, you're not so bad yourself either." His days as a rebel had given him quite an impressive physique as well. They both stood there for a short moment, blushing and trying to avert their eyes from certain areas of interest.
Lux then moved towards Ahsoka and took her hand. He lead her towards the side of the lake. There were standing on the rocky cliff side looking down at the lake. "From this angle the waterfall creates a small rainbow effect." Lux said as he pointed at the lake. "Oh wow, that so cool!" Ahsoka replied excited as she moved closer to the water. Lux then got a wicked grin on his face. He silently moved closer to Ahsoka and pushed her of the rocks into the water. "Wha…!" Ahsoka managed to yell before she went under.
She came back up, gasping slightly at the unexpected sneak attack from Lux. She looked up and saw him standing of the cliff, laughing triumphantly. She then got an equally wicked grin on her face. "You're going to get it now, mister!" she yelled as she raised up her arm. "Uh oh!" Lux replied as he flew into the air and fell into the water. Ahsoka laughed as he hit the water. Her smile quickly faded when he didn't resurface. "Lux…?" she asked.
Then, all of a sudden, she felt a hand on her leg pull her underwater. She looked down and saw Lux smiling as he pulled her under. She shook her leg loose and resurfaced, Lux following shortly after. They were both laughing and splashing water at each other. They fooled around in the water a bit more before swimming back to the shallow part by the beach. They laid down, resting on their elbows, just enjoying the sun and the refreshing water. "This place is amazing, I really appreciate it that you brought me here, Thank you Lux." Ahsoka said in a soft voice. He smiled at her. "My pleasure Ahsoka." He replied. Ahsoka smiled back and kissed him.
They were sitting on the beach enjoying a cold drink when Lux went up the large cliff to jump down into the water. He was up about three meters and preparing to jump down when Ahsoka yelled at him: "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lux smiled and waved at her. "Don't worry, the water below here is over five meters deep!" he yelled back and jumped into the water, creating a large splash. He swam back to the beach and got out. He sat down next to Ahsoka. "See? Nothing too it." He said a little cocky. "Showing off? Ahsoka asked him with a smile. Lux smiled back. "That depends, is it working?" Ahsoka laughed and playfully punched his arm. Then she got up. "My turn!" she said as she made her way towards the large cliff. Lux smirked at her reaction. "Figures." He said to himself.
Lux knew that Ahsoka was wilder then him, but he hadn't really expected her to appear all the way on top of the cliff. She waved down at him. He waved back, a bit of concern brewing in him. It was a very high jump down into the lake. Ahsoka ran up to the edge of the cliff. Lux could barely see her face, but he was able to tell that something was wrong with her. He jumped up in shock as Ahsoka slipped and lost her footing and fell of the cliff, landing hard on the water. "Ahsoka!" he yelled and ran to the side of the large cliff, hoping to spot her in the water. She didn't resurface. He was starting to panic. He then saw an orange shape at the bottom of the lake, the shape wasn't moving. "Oh no!" he yelled worried. He took a deep breath and dove into the lake.
Because of the clear water he was able to see Ahsoka lying on the bottom of the lake. She had lost consciousness. He quickly swam towards her. He silently thanked his mother for making him take those life-saving swimming lessons when he was younger. He grabbed her and made his way to the surface of the water. They both rose from the depths of the lake. Lux gasped for breath as he resurfaced. Ahsoka, however, didn't. Lux gasped in horror and quickly swam to the beach with Ahsoka. He laid her down on the sand and quickly looked her over. She didn't appear to have any injuries but she wasn't breathing. "No! Don't you dare Ahsoka!" he yelled to her as he placed his hands on her chest and pushed down to try and get the water out of her lungs. "Come on Ahsoka! Breathe!" he shouted desperately. He moved down to her mouth to begin mouth to mouth resuscitation. "Please wake up!" he said and moved his hands back on her chest to pump out the water. He repeated the motion several times before breathing air into her again. "Come on Ahsoka!" he resumed pumping on her chest. "Please, don't die on me! I can't lose you Ahsoka!" he yelled as a tear spilled along his face.
;-
Dark. It was completely dark. Nothing but an infinite darkness surrounding her, reaching as far as the eye can see. Ahsoka panicked. "Where am I!?" she said aloud. There was no response, not verbal at least. The shadows around her seemed to move, twisting around her. At first she felt worried, but the presence around her was warm and comforting. She started to feel relaxed. She felt safe and content. A sudden extreme sense of tiredness crept through her. The shadows started to cover her like a blanket, a blanket made of the finest silk, warm and comfortable.
There was a sudden tremble between the darkness as a small shimmer of light started to shine. Ahsoka could hear a heavily mumbled voice. Was it saying her name? The shadows moved, trying to cover up the light. It grew brighter and stronger and made its way towards her. The darkness around her seemed to scream. Something was wrong, very wrong. Ahsoka started to panic again. "Where am I? I don't belong here!" she yelled. The darkness swirled around her, trying to wrap her in its embrace, swallow her up completely. She desperately looked for a way out. Some way to escape the shadows surrounding her.
The light suddenly shined brighter than ever. The intensity of the light rivaled that of the Festival of Light from Naboo. The ray of light burned away the shadows. They trashed and wailed and scurried away from the light that was ravaging them. The light seemed to form a hand. Ahsoka reached up, desperately trying to reach it. The moment she took hold of it she was yanked of her feet, being pulled at an indescribable speed towards the light.
;-
Lux moved to blow air in Ahsoka's body again when she suddenly jerked and rolled over on her side. She began coughing and throwing up a large amount of water. She was breathing heavily, gasping for air. "Ahsoka!" he yelled relieved and moved next to her, rubbing her back to try and comfort her. She stopped coughing and threw herself around his neck, hugging him tightly. She pushed her head into his shoulder and started sobbing uncontrollably. He held her close and placed a hand on the back of her head. "It's alright Ahsoka. You're safe. You're alright. You're alright." He said to her trying to comfort her.
They sat like that for a couple of minutes. Ahsoka sobbing in his shoulder and Lux gently rubbing her back to comfort her. Ahsoka gently pulled away from him a bit. She looked at him, tears still in her eyes. "Thank you Lux, thank you…" she whispered softly. "Don't mention it Ahsoka." He said back, relief that she was alive still visible on his face. "I am just so glad you're okay. I wouldn't have been able to stand the idea of losing you…" his voice was soft and worried. He looked her directly in the eyes and wiped a tear away from her face. "I love you, Ahsoka." He told her.
Ahsoka's mind was in a slight state of shock. Those three words, three simple words she had heard other people on other planets say so many times to each other. Three words she had never expected to hear being said to her because of her life as a Jedi. But now, things had changed. And those words were being said to her. She smiled and knew exactly what response she wanted to give him. "I love you too, Lux." She said. They both smiled and their faces moved closer together. Their lips met and they eagerly kissed. It was a deep and passionate kiss. Even though it lasted for a couple of seconds Ahsoka could've sworn it lasted for hours. They pulled back, smiling. All fears and worries from before gone. Lux grabbed a towel from behind him and wrapped it around her. They laid down on one of the towels on the beach, Ahsoka resting her head on Lux' shoulder. They lay next to each other, enjoying each other presence as the sun shone above them, slowly drying them of.
They lay there on the sand for almost an hour. Ahsoka lying lazily next to him, still a bit shaken from almost dying. Lux couldn't contain his worry and had to ask her. "Ahsoka?" "Hmm?" came her reply. "What…What exactly happened?" he asked concerned. "I-I'm not sure." She said softly. "One moment I was perfectly concentrated, then. I don't know. Something stirred in the Force. It disturbed me and my concentration broke. I slipped on a patch of moss and fell. Then I woke up with you over me." She sobbed a little bit. "Ssh, it's okay." He assured her and hugged her a little closer. Her features calmed and she snuggled a little closer in his embrace.
After about thirty more minutes they reluctantly parted from each other. It had gotten pretty late already and the sun was starting to set. They got dressed and Lux packed up their things. Ahsoka wanted to help but he told her to relax. Normally she would've argued but this time she nodded a quick "thank you" and sat in the speeder. Shortly after Lux sat next to her and they left the lake, heading back to his house. They rode in silence, Ahsoka lightly hugging herself. Lux looked at her, feeling pity for her having to go through such a nightmare and anger and shame at himself. "Ahsoka, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't… Then you wouldn't have…" he said in an ashamed voice. Ahsoka interrupted him. "Lux don't. I'm glad we did go." She told him. "Apart from… you know." She shuddered a bit. "It's been quite a while since I've had so much fun. Thank you Lux." She said smiling. He smiled back, his nasty feelings gone. "You're welcome Ahsoka." He replied softly.
When they got back Lux parked the speeder in the garage. They left the bags in the speeder, Lux said he would take care of those later. They went inside the house. Lux looked at Ahsoka, she still looked a little shaken from almost drowning. Her eyes were a bit dull, the usual spark that brightened them seemed to have disappeared. "Are you sure you're okay Ahsoka?" he asked her again, knowing that she wasn't the type to quickly complain about her injuries or feelings. Ahsoka looked at him and gave a small nod. "I… I'll be fine Lux," she said, her voice still a bit softer than usual. "I think I'm going to take a quick shower and try and meditate a little." Lux nodded back at her and smiled. "Alright then. I'll go make sure the kitchendroids prepare dinner. Can I get you anything special?" he asked her. She chuckled softly. "No, surprise me." She replied. "I'll come and get you when dinner's ready, okay?" Lux said to her. "That would be great." She said and she made her way to her room. Lux looked at her for a moment before making his way towards the kitchen.
;-
Ahsoka was sitting cross-legged in her room, trying to calm her thoughts. After she had taken a quick shower she changed back into her regular clothes.
She had lit one of the candles she had bought earlier, hoping it would aid her in finding some peace of mind. She recalled what Master Ti had told her about using the candles while meditating. "The environment in which you meditate can influence your state of mind. By adjusting your surroundings it will become easier to find that serene state in which you can truly feel the living Force." She heard the wise lesson the Togrutan master had taught her in her mind. The quietness in the room and the nice fragrance of the candle helped her relax and she felt the Force swirl inside and around her.
There was something different to the feeling than other times she had meditated. Something in the Force felt… different somehow. Ahsoka wasn't really sure what it was, but it didn't feel like anything bad. She remembered the lessons she had as a youngling about the Dark Side and how it wouldn't feel bad but good when you used it. She quickly shrugged of the idea. Thanks to Mortis, she knew all too well how the Dark Side feels. She hadn't been able to remember what happened at first, but terrifying nightmares a few weeks after had cleared it all up. She had been horrified by what the Son had done to her, what she had almost done. Anakin had reassured her that it hadn't been her fault, but the feelings of guilt had haunted her for quite a while, as did the Dark Side. She had managed to clear herself of those nasty feelings, but it had taken some time. After that, she had a benefit over other Jedi. She knew exactly what the Dark Side felt like.
The feeling she had now was very different from that. It wasn't seductive like the Dark Side. No, this feeling was pure, fulfilling and full of hope. She felt her the fear that still remained in her after her near-death experience fade away. The negative feelings washed away with the strong current of the Force. A smile spread across her face, she suddenly felt a lot better.
;-
Lux was sitting in the living room looking at some of the news over the holonet. Most of it was just war propaganda, worthless commercials and other junk. He switched through the channels hoping to find something worth to watch. Something caught his attention as Ahsoka's name was mentioned. He looked at the screen to see what they were talking about.
Some male reporter was following Anakin around, his cameraman walking in front of them. He was asking Anakin about his padawan, what happened to her?, is she back as a Jedi? And how does she feel about her one time best friend betraying her like that? The reporter was incredibly pushy and annoying.
Lux was watching with a slight trace of disgust on his face. There were a ton of different bad people in the galaxy, but they were the worst. Those reporters who like to make money of the misery of other people. True, most reporters are kind and normal people who just try to report events as they happen. But a small group of them, like this particular reporter, are scum who don't care about others and their feelings. To them, it didn't matter how painful something was or how another person was feeling. No, only the credits and fame was what they cared about. He shook his head and looked at the screen.
The reporter was standing in front of Anakin now, the camera right next to them. He was almost shoving the microphone in Anakin's face, still asking one question after another. Anakin obviously thought the same about the man as Lux did. Lux was a little shocked as he saw Anakin grabbing the microphone and crushing it in his metal hand. After that Anakin moved his hand, pointing his palm at the camera and he forcefully closed him palm, the screen went dark. Then the image changed back to the studio. One of the newsreaders mentioned that it was probably a good idea not to pester Jedi with questions on a bad day.
Lux laughed for a moment. Anakin felt the same way about those reporters as he did. Lux himself had had some problems with them when he just became a Senator. Him being a former Separatist and all made him a perfect target for those gossip-seekers. He'd managed to keep his cool and let them talk. After a few days they'd stopped bothering him.
One of the droids informed him that dinner was almost ready to be served so he went to Ahsoka's room to inform her. When he got there he knocked on the door. He didn't get a reply so he slowly went inside the room. "Ahsoka?" he asked as he stepped inside. He was startled by what he saw.
Ahsoka was sitting cross-legged, her eyes closed, meditating. Her being a Jedi, this wouldn't be a huge surprise to him. He had seen her and her former master meditate during the struggle to free Onderon, but this was different. Ahsoka was floating. She was literally floating over half a meter of the ground. Lux looked in amazement and shock as she just hovered there above the floor. After a short moment she lowered to the floor, opened her eyes and looked at him.
;-
Ahsoka was in a very serene state of mind, all of her problems seemed to have faded away. She felt that another presence had entered the room. "Lux" she knew instantly. She withdrew her mind from the Force, returning to the here and now. She opened her eyes and looked at Lux.
A confused expression quickly spread across her face when she saw his startled face. "Lux? Is something wrong?" He just stared at her. "You… eh… You were…" he muttered. Ahsoka raised one of the markings above her eyes and gave him a look that said "What are you talking about?". Lux regained a bit of his senses. "You were…floating…above the ground…" he said in a confused voice. Ahsoka looked surprised at his statement. "I was?" she asked perplexed. Lux looked very confused now. "You didn't even know? How couldn't you tell? You were almost a meter of the ground!" he said shocked. "How is that even possible?" He asked. Ahsoka had a thoughtful look on her face. After that she got up and walked towards him. "There is a technique known as 'rising meditation'." She began. "It's… How do I explain this? Ehm… It's a very advanced form of meditation. In enables a Force-user to connect to the Force in a very deep way." She shrugged and gave a sheepish laugh before continuing. "I didn't even know I could do that… I… I don't know… I'm feeling very…different…after all that's happened." She looked a little confused by now. Lux gave her a comforting smile. "Okay, so the floating thing is just more Force stuff. So, nothing to worry about I guess?" he joked. Ahsoka laughed a bit. "Dinner's just about ready, you hungry?" Lux asked her. Ahsoka gave an eager nod and they made their way to the dining room.
;-
After they had finished dinner Ahsoka and Lux had laid down on the couch. Ahsoka was lying next to him, one of his arms around her waist. They were just watching some comedy show about people's home videos and funny accidents called "the galaxy's funniest holo rec's". They both laughed at some of the stupid things others sometimes thought off. A few times they grunted in pain as the image they saw almost hurt them by just watching it.
After about an hour Ahsoka was yawning pretty heavily. She struggled to get up. She immediately fell back on the couch when she had been able to stand up. "Tired Ahsoka?" Lux teased her. "Oh shut it Bonteri." She shot back. He chuckled a bit before he moved. "Hey what?!" Ahsoka yelled as Lux picked her up bridal stile. She blushed and placed her arms around his neck for support. He carried her back to her room, Ahsoka felt she could just fall asleep in his arms right now. They reached her room and Lux gently placed her in the bed pulling the covers over her. "Thanks Lux." She muttered softly. "You're welcome Ahsoka. Sweet dreams." He said. He moved closer and gently kissed the space between her montreals, earning a little giggle from Ahsoka. "Good night." She muttered again before she closed her eyes. Lux looked at her for a moment and then left the room.
;-
Lux had woken up a little bit early. He was still a little worried about Ahsoka so he decided to check on her. He quietly made his way towards her room and looked inside. She was still sleeping peacefully. He smiled and closed the door. He quietly left and went to the living room.
Lux was reading through some messages he had received. There was a lot going on in the Senate right now. The Public was worried and the Senators had to try and find some way to put them at ease.
Ahsoka still hadn't woken up. Lux had decided to just let her rest, she really needed a break. Bad things kept happening to her, first she was shot and now she almost drowned. "Is it impossible for Jedi to catch a nice, quiet break or something?" Lux wondered. He shrugged and opened a new message he had just received. The contents made him groan in frustration.
;-
Ahsoka was asleep until about 2pm. After she had woken up she made her way to the balcony where she sensed that Lux was. She stepped out onto the balcony and Lux turned to face her. "Hello Lux." She said. He smiled and replied: "Hello Ahsoka, you look like you're doing a lot better." Ahsoka sat down next to him. "Yea, I was just very sleepy yesterday. But now I feel fine." She said with a smile on her face. She saw Lux looking at her with a satisfied smile. "What?" she asked a little confused. Lux looked a little startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It just that, well, yesterday your eyes looked a little dull. But now, that lively sparkle is back in them." He smiled at her. "It makes you look so beautiful." Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Aww, thank you Lux." She leaned in and kissed him. "So, what do you want to do today?" Lux asked Ahsoka as he wrapped his arm around her. She thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well, first I…" a loud rumbling interrupted her. Lux couldn't help but laugh as her lekku turned dark in embarrassment. "Shut up Lux!" she said as she playfully nudged his arm. "First I think I'd like to eat something." She admitted. "After that, well, I don't really know. I've never really been a 'normal' teenager before." She shrugged. "What kind of things are there to do on Onderon?" Lux was a little confused at first by her statement of being 'normal'. But he knew that Jedi don't really go out or do thing other people do. "I was thinking," he began, "we could go and see a movie or something and then go out for dinner or something like that. Does that sound like a good plan?" Ahsoka smiled at him. "Sounds great."
;-
The rest of the day went by rather fast. They had gone to the cinema and afterwards to another restaurant. Ahsoka had been very happy and excited all day and this in turn made Lux very happy as well. He was glad she didn't feel so bad anymore considering, well, everything that happened.
After they had returned home the smile on Ahsoka's face had quickly disappeared. Lux knew why, it was almost time for Barriss' interrogation. They moved to the living room and Ahsoka sat down on the couch. Lux kneeled besides her. "Ahsoka, do you want me to get you something? Something to drink or anything like that?" he asked her concerned. She shook her head 'no'. "I'll be fine Lux, thank you. I just, want to see what happens and try to understand her more…" she said in a soft voice. Lux gently grabbed her hand. "I understand. I'll be here if you need anything, okay?" Ahsoka gave him a simple nod and he went towards the kitchen.
;-
This was Mira Caletta for the Coruscant Archive, good day
Ahsoka smiled and a few tears of joy were running down her face. "Oh Skyguy, you never change. Barriss, I knew you would never do such a thing." She said quietly.
"Ahsoka, are you alright?" A male voice behind her asked. "Yeah, Lux I'm alright." She replied smiling. "Alright then, I'm going to bed, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow." Lux said while moving next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "Lux…?" Ahsoka began, "Do you… Would you mind I if slept in your room tonight? I… I don't want to be alone right now." She asked blushing slightly in a quiet voice. An equal blush quickly spread over the young senators face. "Uh… Of course. That…That is uhm… If you're alright with that…" He stuttered out. A smile appeared on Ahsoka's face as she stood up, gave him a light kiss on the cheek and hugged him. "Thank you Lux, for everything you've done these past few days." "Of course Ahsoka, anything for you." He turned off the TV and they made their way to the master bedroom.
;-
Ahsoka woke up feeling very well-rested. She was a little surprised at first when she felt an arm around her and a person lying behind her. A smile grew on her face when she remembered the night before. Barriss had not really been the one responsible for the bombing on the Temple. It made her feel a lot better that her best friend didn't try and frame her.
She gently turned around and looked at Lux. He was still asleep. After the broadcasting of the interrogation they had both gone to sleep in his bed. Ahsoka had really needed company, needed someone to hold and comfort her. She was trying to remain strong despite everything, but it's not so easy on your own. But when they had laid down Lux had wrapped his arms around her and she had felt so safe and warm that her worries had faded away.
Lux stirred in his sleep and woke up as well. A smile lit up his face when he saw Ahsoka's bright smile. "Good morning Ahsoka." He said sleepily. "Good morning handsome." She replied giggling. Lux chuckled along with her. "How long have you been up?" he asked. "oh, just a few minutes." She said smiling. They briefly kissed before getting out of bed and readying themselves for the day.
;-
After Ahsoka had finished changing and refreshing herself she had made her way to the dining room where the droids had just served breakfast. Lux followed a little moment after her. "You're faster than me this morning." He teased her. They laughed and sat down to eat breakfast.
Ahsoka could tell by the look on Lux' face that something was bothering him. "Lux?" she asked. "Yes Ahsoka?" he replied as he looked up at her. "What's wrong?" she asked a bit concerned. "What do you mean Ahsoka? Nothing is." He replied, trying to give a reassuring smile but failing. "Yea, nothing's wrong. And I am a two-feet tall albino Wookie." She said sarcastically. "You can tell me Lux." Lux sighed. "I got a message from one of my assistants on Coruscant yesterday. There's going to be an important vote on some safety matters and I have to be there." Ahsoka understood why he was upset. "When do you have to leave?" she asked him. "Three days from now." He smiled at her. "That means that we'll still be able to spend some time together. Because, well, I don't think that you want to back to Coruscant yet, right?" Ahsoka nodded and looked down. "You're right Lux, I… I'm not ready to go back there yet. Someday, just not now." She looked up at Lux again. "Anyway, I was hoping you could do me a little favor. Two actually…" she said with a cute smile on her face. "Of course Ahsoka. What is it?" he asked as he smiled back. "I wanted to send Barriss a letter, along with something else I want to return to her. Do you know a way I can send I to her so nothing will be able to happen to it?" she asked him. Lux was in thought for a moment. "I can send it via the Senate mail. That way it will be delivered without much trouble and without inspection. You can also send it anonymously if you want." Ahsoka looked a lot happier now. "That would be great Lux."
They moved towards the living room and sat on the couch. "So, what is the second thing I can do for you?" he asked curiously. Ahsoka looked at him. "Well, there is something that I've been thinking about. Something I really want to do." She sighed. "But I have no idea where to start. I was hoping you could help me with that." Lux moved a little closer and took her hand. "Sure, what is it you need?" Ahsoka reached into one of the pouches on her belt. "I was hoping you could find some people for me." She said as she gave Lux a piece of paper. He looked at it. It was a small list of names. He was very surprised by them. "Are they…?" Ahsoka nodded. Lux smiled. "I'll see what I can do." Ahsoka's face lit up and she gave him a fierce kiss. "Thank you."
;-
And that's where I'm going to end this one.
Wow, my largest chapter to date. Funny, I usually hated writing assignments for school. It was almost impossible to come up with some 500/600 word story and now I write this… If you like what you're writing about it sure gets a lot easier.
Noil23sj, thanks for the suggestion. It was a nice idea. (note, for story purposes only. I don't think that someone actually drowning is a good thing).
As for the nightmare part. I read a similar story from MorningRose'sSea47 (previously known as Ahsokaisawesome, at least I think that's what it was ). This idea came from the story "The Shadows", so I don't claim the credit for this idea.
I was in some waterpark once and swallowed a heap of water in one of the slides. It was a nasty experience. Nothing bad really happened, but it was pretty scary and I felt incredibly nauseous. After that I sat on one of the sunbeds and fell asleep. Somehow, swallowing a heap of water like that makes you really drowsy and lazy…
I know, there are a few vague things in here that aren't explained yet. Don't worry, that will all follow in later chapters. A story is a lot more exciting with a bit of mystery in it.
When I have some more time I'll work on more updates for this story. But first, I'm going to start another story about Barriss that will be tied with this story. I hope I can publish the first chapter somewhere at the end of this week.
Until next time.