Chapter 12 – Disturbing Visions
Edit 27-04-13
I was in such a hurry to upload this chapter that I forgot to add a bit of an author's note. For this chapter (and the previous one), assume that everyone speaks in Togruti (when they're on Shili). In other chapters were people speak multiple languages, I'll make sure to add a little note or something to clear it up.
I've also added a little request at the end of this chapter.
;-
"Wow, look at her go!" Lilo said in excitement as Ahsoka spun around the garden, her green lightsaber blazing around her. It had been a week since Ahsoka had gotten her lightsaber back. Since then, she had practiced with it every day. "I've never seen anyone move so fast." Marina said in amazement. Ahsoka jumped around a few more times before turning of her lightsaber and joining her sisters on the terrace. She sighed deeply as she sat down in one of the chairs. "Tired?" Lilo asked teasingly. Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Maybe a little." She replied as she tried to catch her breath. She laid down comfortably in the chair. "It's very impressive to see you move like that." Marina said. "Can you do that with the Force as well? Ahsoka nodded. "Years of physical and mental training." She replied. "It's also a great way to exercise and stay in good shape." Her voice softened. "It's also a good way to keep my mind from wandering to painful places…" Both her sisters looked a little worried. "Ahsoka, you okay?" Lilo asked. Ahsoka nodded. "Yea, I'm fine." "No you're not." Lilo replied. Ahsoka sighed. "I'm still getting used to things a bit. This is a huge change for me." Both her sisters chuckled a bit. "Don't worry Ahsoka, no one is expecting you to get over all of this so quickly." Marina said. Ahsoka smiled. "Thanks. Don't get me wrong though, it's great to be here with you." "It's great to have you here again Ahsoka, I really didn't know if we were ever going to see you again." Lilo replied. "Well," Ahsoka began, "If you two had become the Senators of Shili and Kiros there would have been a very likely chance of us meeting at the Senate building someday." "Huh, guess you're right about that." Marina replied. They laughed for a moment.
Ahsoka smiled as she sat in the chair. Adjusting to regular family life was a bit difficult for her after growing up in the Temple. However, she definitely didn't regret her decision. The past week had been great. Spending time with her family was great. Helping her parents around the house, being with her sisters and helping them prepare to take over as Senators and of course, playing with Rosette. "She's such an energetic little girl." Ahsoka thought to herself. She chuckled as she watched her niece play in the garden.
;-
Blasterfire was heard all around. The metal clanking of marching battle droids. Clone soldiers running around, shouting orders and taking cover.
Soldiers and droids running through the vast plant life. Two Jedi, a Mirialan and a Twi'lek, leading a large assault on a base.
An opening in the woods. A group of clone troopers and Togrutan soldiers sneaking through a series of tunnels. Droids being shattered into pieces. Two Lightsabers whirling, blue and green, side by side. A familiar Mirialan's face, Barriss!
A prison cell, dark and dirty. The door opened revealing a female Togrutan teen sitting chained to the wall, her dress tattered. Fear filled her face as the light coming from the opened door. "W-Who are you? She asked in a fearful tone. Another Togrutan female appeared in the door opening. "My name is Ahsoka, I'm here to rescue you."
Loud sirens blaring in the silence, the sound of explosions, followed by a deep darkness.
;-
"Ahsoka? Ahsoka, wake up!" A voice called out of nowhere. "ugh…wha?" Ahsoka woke up startled. Her mother was standing over her, next to the bed. "Ahsoka, are you alright? You were tossing and turning in your sleep." Ahsoka sat upright in her bed, panting heavily. "I… I'm alright, I just… had some kind of, weird vision…" she said shakily. Her mother sat down on the bed next to her. Ahsoka had told them about the Force, but this was a new experience for her. "Is something wrong?" she asked concerned. "I'm not sure…" Ahsoka replied. She flashed a comforting smile to her mother. "Don't worry about it mom, I'm sure that things will work out." Her mother smiled back. "Alright then dear, I'll leave it to you." She said. She then left the room to allow her daughter to get ready for the day.
;-
Ahsoka and her family all sat in the living room, watching the TV when an loud signal sounded all over the city. "What's going on?" Ahsoka asked startled. "That's the emergency siren. It means that everyone in the city has to come to the main hall of the castle." Marina replied. "It usually means that something bad has happened…" Lilo added softly. "Come on, let's go." Their father said. "You two are expected as advisors to the royal family, you shouldn't let them wait."
;-
A large deal of the people of Corvala had gathered in the main hall of the castle. Everyone was whispering to each other, wondering what had happened. The call for everyone to gather at the castle for an emergency speech was unexpected and unusual. It was obvious what it meant, something was terribly wrong…
;-
Ahsoka and her parents sat among the crowd in the benches that were provided. She looked around a bit. The hall they were in was very large and filled with a lot of benches, all pointed towards one side of the hall. A group of stairs led up towards an elevated platform where a number of royal-looking chairs stood. "I wonder what's going on…" her father said worried. "The king wouldn't call for a meeting like this unless something very bad happened." He explained when he noticed Ahsoka's confused expression. "I see." Ahsoka replied. She looked at the elevated platform. Her sisters were standing on the side with a group of others. "Probably other royal advisors or something." She thought.
A horn announced the arrival of the king and queen. The doors behind the elevated platform opened. A group of soldiers entered, followed by a number of heavily armed Togrutan warriors. "Their armour looks very familiar…" Ahsoka said silently. "They are the H'Raani M'Kai, the royal guards." Her mother replied. "Wow, I've read about them." Ahsoka said in slight amazement.
Behind the elite warriors two other Togruta entered. "The king and queen." A few voices in the crowd whispered. Ahsoka frowned. Something was definitely wrong with them, the king was trying furiously to keep a straight face and the queen looked like she had been crying. She didn't need the Force to see that they were immensely worried about something. They sat down in the chairs. Another Togruta walked to the front of the platform. "The general of the army." Ahsoka's father said.
"My dear people, I have terrible news." The general spoke in the microphone on the platform. "Yesterday, in a disgusting and unexpected attack, our beloved princess, Zaa Vashee has been kidnapped."
"Oh no." "What?!" "Who would do this?" The crowd of people shouted in confusion and anger. "Please everyone, calm down!" The general said. He began to inform the people of everything they knew thus far about the kidnapping.
A strange fear grasped Ahsoka. "Could it be…?" she thought. Her mind started to race through multiple possibilities. "Dad?" she asked. Haymish turned to his daughter. "The princess, what does she look like?" she asked, her voice softer than usual. "There is a painting of them over there." He replied, pointing at the wall. Ahsoka looked at the painting, a mother and a father with two children, a son and a daughter. Ahsoka's eyes went wide in shock as she saw the girl's face. It was the girl from her vision! "I saw her…" she whispered softly. Her parents looked at her in shock, a few others around her as well. "What do you mean?" her mother asked. Ahsoka looked down, her face showing that she was in deep thought.
"If anyone has any information about my daughter, please, tell me." The king asked the crowd. Ahsoka pondered about her vision and the options available to her. Everyone in the crowd stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Ahsoka looked up, determination on her face. She got up and moved out of the row of benches and started making her way towards the elevated platform. "Your majesty, I would like to offer my help in finding your daughter." She said in a loud voice. Everyone in the crowd looked shocked at the young girl walking to the king. The general laughed a bit and motioned for her to stop. "Alright missy, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but we don't need you getting in our way. Just sit back down and let us do the work." He said in a mocking tone. Ahsoka stopped moving, an irritated look on her face. "I can help you with this. Don't underestimate me, I'm stronger than you think." She said annoyed. The general chuckled and moved down the stairs. He stopped at the end of the walkway Ahsoka stood in. "Tell you what," he said as he drew a vibroblade, "Get past me, and then I'll listen to you." He said intimidatingly, assuming a fighting stance. The crowd looked shocked at the young girl. Ahsoka stood there, totally unfazed by his threats. "Fine with me." She replied shrugging. Ahsoka smirked and drew her lightsaber. She activated it in her traditional reverse shien hold and dashed towards the general. In a matter of seconds she had reached him. Ahsoka swung her lightsaber at him. He blocked it with his vibroblade, a look of surprise and shock on his face. Ahsoka broke the lock and performed a high sweep followed by a low kick, knocking the general of his feet. She deactivated her lightsaber and walked up the stairs. "Who…Who are you?" the king asked as Ahsoka walked up to him. She bowed respectfully. "My name is Ahsoka Tano." She said. "Tano?" the king asked slightly confused as he looked at Marina and Lilo. They nodded. "Yes sire, she's our little sister." Marina replied. "She was taken to the Jedi Temple years ago. She came back to us last week." The king turned back to Ahsoka. "You're a Jedi." Ahsoka shrugged nervously. "More or less…" The queen walked up to Ahsoka. "Can you help us find our daughter?" she asked worriedly. Ahsoka gave a comforting smile. "I believe I can, I will certainly try." The queen's expression eased up a bit. "Thank you."
The general finally got over his shock and appeared next to Ahsoka. "Forgive me, Master Jedi, for doubting you. I didn't think that…" he said. Ahsoka smirked at him. "What? That a girl like me could be such a strong fighter?" she teased. "I've used the whole 'innocent' act before. Oh, and I'm not really a Jedi Master. Just call me Ahsoka." The general looked a bit surprised. Ahsoka turned to the king. "I had a strange vision last night. I could see several very clear images. Visions that clear are very likely to come true." She explained to the king. "From my visions, I can conclude that it is the Separatists that have kidnapped your daughter." A strong sense of shock radiated through the hall. "But, Shili is a neutral world still." One of the advisors replied in shock. Ahsoka turned to him. "The Separatists don't care." She looked down. "That much was obvious when they invaded Kiros and kidnapped everyone and shipped them of the Zygerria." She said. "You've heard about that?" Lilo asked her sister. Ahsoka looked at her. "I was there." This earned another shock from her sister. "What?" Ahsoka smirked. "I was one of the Jedi who helped free Kiros and save the people from the Zygerrians. I've really absorbed my former master's disgust of slavers." She explained. "Oh wow." Surprised whispers were heard throughout the hall. Ahsoka looked at the king. "Anyway, I could clearly tell in my vision that the Separatists have her in a base." The general nodded. "Alright then, do you know where this base is? We'll deploy our army immediately." He said signaling some of his men. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea." Ahsoka replied. "Why not? We have to help the princess, don't we?" the general asked confused. "That's probably what the Separatists are waiting for." Ahsoka replied. "In my vision I saw myself enter her prison cell with several Togrutan soldiers at my side." She turned to the king. "Lend me a couple of your soldiers and I'll bring her back." "You're going to invade an entire base on your own?" one of the other soldiers asked. "No," Ahsoka replied, "There will be a Republic army on the planet as well. I… I could see myself fighting along several other Jedi." Marina walked up to her sister. "Ahsoka? Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked concerned. Ahsoka nodded. "If it means protecting Shili and its people then I can certainly put aside my own feelings." She replied. "Why would you have difficulty with fighting alongside other Jedi?" the king asked curiously. Ahsoka looked down. "I don't want to talk about it now." The king nodded. "Alright, but are you sure you can save my daughter?" he asked. "I will do whatever I can." Ahsoka replied. "Do you have anything from your daughter? Something that she's kept close for a long time?" she asked. The queen walked towards her. "Why? What for?" she asked Ahsoka. "If you have something like that, it will carry her presence on it. It may help me to sense where she is." Ahsoka replied. The queen pulled a bracelet out of her pocket and gave it to Ahsoka. "Thank you." Ahsoka said as she accepted it.
Ahsoka took a few steps back and sat down on the floor. She held the bracelet in her hands and concentrated on the Force. Everyone looked in amazement as she sat there, eager to hear what she learned. After a short moment Ahsoka got back up. She walked back to the queen and gave her back the bracelet. "Do you know where she is?" she asked concerned. Ahsoka nodded. "Felucia." She said. "Your daughter is on Felucia."
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
These two chapters took a bit longer than I had intended. I've got two weeks of holiday now so the next ones will hopefully be a bit faster.
Soon Ahsoka and Barriss will meet. In the heat of battle, how will their old friendship hold up? We'll find out (I hope) soon.
Also one request of sorts. The name of the Shilian princess came from one of the Clone Wars comic books. There is a different version of the Slave Arc in which Ahsoka impersonates the princess Zaa Vashee.
However, I still need some names for a few other characters, namely the rest of the royal family. The king, queen and their son. I assume in my story that the princess is the same age as Ahsoka, the prince will be about 21 or so. Suggestions for names are greatly appreciated, either in a review or personal message, both are fine. If I get more names I will use them for other characters, like the warriors of the H'Raani M'Kai (don't ask me how I came up with this name, I was half-asleep).
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Until next time.