Chapter 20 – Gratitude
It took a little bit longer to update my stories than I thought. I had a bit less access to the pc with my stories than I had planned. In any case, I'm finally done with school for this year. I waited with uploading until I had finished both this chapter and another chapter for my Barriss story. These two chapters are a lot 'lighter' than my other chapters. Both include a bit of a celebration. I felt like writing some happier chapters to celebrate being done with school.
I've also uploaded something extra, more about that at the end of this chapter. Enjoy.
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Shili, Corvala
General point of view
Ahsoka smiled as she made her way to the front door of her and her family's house. Despite what she thought earlier, she's been a lot less bored than she had initially thought. Her parents both had to go to work, Marina had an appointment with Princes Zaa Vashee and she had taken Rosette with her and Lilo had to arrange things for a meeting on Coruscant. As a result, she had been alone in the house. After a short time of thinking and some meditating Ahsoka had decided to take a walk around the block. It was a really great neighborhood. The neighbors were all kind people, she had stopped to talk with a few of them and their kids. She chuckled a bit, those kids had been really curious about what is was like as an Jedi. After some time of telling them a few more pleasant stories they had parted ways again. Those kids still had more school in the afternoon and they had to get ready for that. Ahsoka had gone home as well.
She unlocked the door with the key her parents had given her and went inside. She was a bit surprised to find Lilo sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Lilo, are you back already?" she asked her sister as she walked up to her. "Oh hey Ahsoka," Lilo replied, "Yes, I've made all of the arrangements for my trip. I just have to read through these documents and then I'll be prepared for the meeting." She said as she gestured at the holopad on the table. "Where did you go anyway?" Lilo asked her younger sister. Ahsoka sat down at the table as well. "I took a little walk around the block and spoke to some of the neighbors." She replied. "They're nice people." Ahsoka said with a smile. "That's true, does this mean that you're feeling better?" Lilo asked. Ahsoka nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing fine." She replied. Lilo gave a look. Ahsoka sighed. "Alright, I had to take a little break during my walk, but other than that I'm fine." She replied. Lilo gave a little smile. "Well, the doctors did say that it would take a little while before you have your full strength back. Don't be discouraged by that." She said. Ahsoka chuckled. "Don't worry sis, it'll take a lot more than that to discourage me." She replied. Lilo smiled. "That's good to know." She said. "I'm going to get something to drink, do you want something?" Ahsoka asked as she got up. "Some blue milk would be nice, thanks." Lilo replied.
Ahsoka came back a moment later with the drinks and sat down again. Lilo nodded in thanks as Ahsoka handed her the drink. "So Lilo, I've been meaning to ask," Ahsoka said, "Which Senator are you meeting?" she asked. "I have an appointment with the Senator from Naboo, Senator Amidala." Lilo replied. "You have a meeting with Padmé?" Ahsoka asked surprised. Lilo looked surprised for a moment, but then remembered what Ahsoka had told them about her life as a Jedi. "I forgot, you know her very well. What is she like?" Lilo asked. Ahsoka smiled. "Padmé and I were very close. She's a great person to be around. She's very different from other politicians I've met." She replied. "what do you mean by that?" Lilo asked. Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Well, Padmé is the type of Senator that's not afraid to get her hands dirty or to speak up for the public. She's definitely not afraid to take risks, she's dragged me, Anakin and a few others into some crazy adventures before." She replied with a smile. Lilo laughed a bit. "She does sound very interesting if you describe her like that." Ahsoka laughed as well. "Yeah, maybe a bit. But she really is a nice person to be around." She said. Ahsoka then thought of something. "What's on your mind?" Lilo asked. "Anakin and Padmé have known each other for quite a while and their good friends. There's a good change that you'll see him with her." She replied. "Really? Well, after everything you've told us about him I'd like to meet him." Lilo said. Ahsoka sighed. "Knowing Anakin he's probably still worrying about me. You'll probably find him pacing around and complaining about things in her company." She said causing Lilo to chuckle. "If you do see him, can you tell him I'm doing fine?" Ahsoka asked. Lilo chuckled for a moment before replying. "Sure, I'll tell him." Ahsoka smiled. "Thanks sis. I'll leave you to your reading." She replied as she got up. "Alright, talk to you later." Lilo said as she continued studying.
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Several hours later
Marina sat down next to her sister. "Hey Lilo." She said. "Hey Marina, so? How did the planning go?" Lilo asked. Marina smiled widely. "Everything's all set for tomorrow night." She said excitedly. "Great, but how are we going to get Ahsoka there?" Lilo replied. "We thought of that. We're going to say that we have to attend a little meeting with the whole family. I'm sure that she won't say no." Marina explained. Lilo smiled. "Sounds like a good plan. I can't wait to see her reaction." She replied.
Both sisters continued talking for a while about the party.
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The next day
Ahsoka sat on her bed in her room, meditating. All kinds of thoughts and images flashed through her mind. A lot of these images were too vague too make out. Other images didn't seem very relevant to her. Ahsoka sighed deeply, the Force was not being very calming right now. "There's probably a lot of fighting going on right now somewhere." She muttered to herself.
One image she had seen lingered around in her head. Using the Force she floated the broken locket in front of her. "Could that really work?" she thought. Ahsoka kept staring at the locket for a moment, pondering about her options before she placed it gently on her nightstand next to the bed.
Shortly after she had placed the locket down Ahsoka could sense a presence approaching her room. She quickly recognized the identity of the presence. "Marina." When her sister reached the door Ahsoka opened it with a flick of her wrist just as Marina was about to knock. Marina looked surprised for a moment but then smiled as she entered the room. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?" she asked. Ahsoka shook her head 'no'. "No, not at all. I was trying to meditate, but I ended up doing a lot of thinking and I started to give myself a headache." She replied. Marina chuckled. "So, what's up?" Ahsoka asked. "Well, we have a little meeting at the palace tonight with the whole family. I just wanted to ask if you could join us as well?" Marina replied. Ahsoka thought about it for a moment before replying. "To be honest, political meetings and things like that aren't exactly my favorite thing, no offence sis, but… Yeah, I guess I'll go with you." She said. Marina smiled. "That's great, thanks Ahsoka." She replied excitedly. "What's gotten into her all of a sudden? It's just a meeting right?" Ahsoka thought to herself. "Now then, there's just one more thing…" Marina began. "Yes?" Ahsoka asked, raising one of her eyebrow markings. "Well, you see, it's kind of an official thing, so… you have be dressed for the occasion." Marina said. Ahsoka looked a little confused. "Meaning you have to wear a dress." Marina continued. Ahsoka groaned. "Really?" she asked annoyed. Marina nodded 'yes' with a smile on her face. "But I don't even have a dress." Ahsoka said, hoping to convince her sister that she could wear something else besides a dress. Marina wouldn't have any of it. "Don't worry Ahsoka, Lilo and I have plenty of different dresses. I'm sure we can find something that suits you." She said. Ahsoka tried to think of some other excuse so that she wouldn't have to wear a dress, however, she could sense that her sister wasn't going to give it up. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?" she asked. Marina shook her head 'no'. "Alright then…" Ahsoka said with a sigh. Marina smiled excitedly. "Come on, let's see what we can find for you." She replied as she led Ahsoka out of the room.
A few hours later everyone had finished preparing. Marina, Lilo and Rosette had really enjoyed making Ahsoka try on a large number of different dresses. Marina was wearing a light-blue dress and Rosette was wearing a pink dress. Lilo was dressed in a similar dress as her sister, only in purple. Right now they were waiting for Ahsoka to come down. "Ahsoka! Come on, we have to go!" Lilo called out to her sister. A large groan was heard followed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. "I feel kinda uncomfortable like this." Ahsoka said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Nonsense Ahsoka, you look great!" Marina said. Ahsoka was wearing a long flowing dark blue dress. "I don't know…" she said with a sigh. "You do look great in that Ahsoka." Yuae told her daughter. Ahsoka smiled and blushed a bit. "Come on, let's go. It'd be rude to be late." Haymish said. Everyone agreed and they left.
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At the palace
Ahsoka and her family entered the palace. It was obvious to Ahsoka that her sisters were up to something. The way they were smiling earlier was a dead giveaway. "What are they up to?" she wondered to herself. "Is something wrong Ahsoka?" her father asked when he noticed her expression. "No dad, everything's fine." She replied. "Oh well, guess I'll find out soon enough."
Marina and Lilo led them through the palace. After a few minutes they arrived at a rather large set of doors. Marina and Lilo went inside, followed by Ahsoka, Rosette and their parents. When Ahsoka entered the large room a loud applause was heard. Ahsoka looked in shock around the room. Princess Zaa Vashee, her brother and their parents stood at the end of a large table and numerous other people were gathered in the room as well. "W-What is this?" Ahsoka asked slightly startled and confused. "What does it look like?" Lilo replied with a chuckle. "It's a thank you party silly." She said smiling. "Wha…?" Ahsoka replied still somewhat confused. Zaa Vashee approached them. "We've been trying to find some way to thank you and we came up with a little surprise party." She said with a large smile. Ahsoka looked at Zaa Vashee and her sisters. "You guys…"she said softly. "Come on." Zaa Vashee said as she led Ahsoka and her family to the end of the table. They all sat down next to the royal family. King Zhorin got up. "Welcome my friends. You've all heard about the recent events and the kidnapping of my daughter Zaa." He began. "Tonight, we've gathered here to say thanks to the person that helped and risked her own life to save my daughter, Ahsoka Tano." He said as he gestured at Ahsoka. She blushed and looked around the table. There were a few familiar faces amongst the people, several advisors she had briefly seen when she spoke to the king and queen about her vision before the rescue. She didn't know any of their names however. Three people on the table she did recognize: Lania, the little Togrutan girl she met on her flight to Shili and her parents Dar'leena and Kaltor. They were seated next to her parents, opposite Ahsoka on the table. "Ahsoka," the king continued, "You saved my daughter from a horrible fate and you have done the people of Shili a tremendous service. For that, you have my eternal gratitude. If there is ever anything you need, please do not hesitate to ask." He said. As he finished and sat down a small round of applause was heard. Everyone looked at Ahsoka as they expected her to say something. She slowly got up. "Everyone, thank you. I…I don't know what to say." Ahsoka said. "I'm not really used to this. I mean… Being raised as a Jedi, I was always thought to be humble… I've never experienced such a display of gratitude." she sighed. "I'm really speechless… Thank you." She said with a nervous chuckle. Ahsoka sat back down, her lekku flushed a deep dark colour. "The only one we should be thanking is you, Ahsoka." Prince Zolar said with a smile. "Now, let's enjoy this celebration and the rest of the evening." As he finished speaking several palace staff appeared out of an adjacent room, carrying multiple trays. They placed the trays on the table and took of the covers. Ahsoka stared wide-eyed at the contents of the plates. All kinds of exotic and expensive looked dished were being placed on the table. "Wow, I've definitely never had food like this before. It all looks great." Ahsoka admitted. Zaa Vashee chuckled next to her. "I'm glad to hear that. You really deserve this." She said with a large smile. "Still, I feel that you deserve a bit more." Ahsoka looked at the Togrutan princess. "Really? Isn't this enough already?" she asked a little stunned. Zaa chuckled a bit. "Well, I don't know. You rescued me from an awful nightmare and I just feel like I should give you a larger reward or something." She replied. Ahsoka could sense that Zaa wasn't going to change her mind about this nor would she let it go. Ahsoka sighed. "Tell you what, if I think of something I'll let you know. Will that work?" she asked. Zaa smiled. "That sounds like a good idea." She replied.
"Ahsoka is doing quite well for herself isn't she Yuae?" Dar'Leena asked Yuae. "It certainly looks so. But how do you know her?" Yuae asked in return. Dar'Leena smiled. "We met her on our flight back to Shili. Lania got unfortunately separated from us. Ahsoka found her and helped her find us again. I had no idea she was your daughter though." The other woman explained. Yuae smiled. "I had no idea that she was on her way back to Shili. I was so shocked to, out of nowhere, see my daughter standing at our front door. She's been through a very rough time, but I'm very glad to have her back with us." Yuae said with a smile as she looked at her daughter talking with the Shilian princess.
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The party went on. Ahsoka really enjoyed everything. It still made her feel a little overwhelmed that this was all for her. Even though she didn't really know anyone, it was still a great evening.
"Excuse me Ahsoka." One of the male Togruta seated on the other side of her said. "Yes?" she replied. "There is something that I wanted to ask of you." He said. "Sure, what is it?" Ahsoka asked. "Well, you see, my daughter is Force-sensitive. A Jedi wanted to take her to the Jedi Temple two years ago, but I didn't want him to take her." He explained. Ahsoka kept quiet and nodded for him to continue. "With all of the negative news about the Jedi Order then I didn't want her to get involved with that. Only now, uhm…" he continued. "Yes?" Ahsoka asked when she noticed his hesitation. "Well, lately she's been having some…issues…" he said. Ahsoka thought about his answer. "Something with her Force control, probably." "What kind of issues do you mean?" she asked. "Well, for instance, a few days ago she had a little fit during dinner and… In her anger she caused all of the plates to fly into the ceiling…" he explained, earning a few rounds of laughter from around the table. "She's unable to control this… Force ability she has and I was wondering if maybe, you could teach her a few things so that whole flying plates thing won't happen again." He said his request. Ahsoka was taken aback. "Uhm…" she began. "Please miss, that incident has really shaken her up. She's worried that she might hurt others unintentionally." He said. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can right now." Ahsoka replied with a sigh. "What do you mean? Is something wrong Ahsoka?" Marina asked slightly concerned next to her. "No no, I'm alright, it's just…" Ahsoka thought about her words before continuing. "You know everything that happened to me with the Order. After all of that, I'm still a little bit confused and…" she sighed deeply. "I need to get things together myself first." She finished explaining. The man nodded. "I see. I heard about the things that happened, so I understand if you need some time. But please, think about helping my daughter." He requested again. Ahsoka smiled at him. "As soon as I get things together I'll see what I can do for her." She replied. "Thank you." The man said.
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The celebration continued for about another hour. After that everyone had started to go home. Ahsoka and her family bid the royal family a good evening. Zaa Vashee reminded Ahsoka of her promise to think of something as a potential reward. As they made their way out of the palace Shaden Zadane, leader of the H'Raani M'Kai, came up to them. "Good evening, everyone." He greeted them. "How was the party?" he asked, looking at Ahsoka. She smiled. "It was incredible." She said enthusiastically. "I'm glad to hear that." Shaden replied. "Before you head back, I have something for you." He said. Ahsoka looked surprised. "You too?" she asked. He chuckled. "Yes, me too. That's the prize you have to pay as a savior." He replied as he pulled something from his tool belt. It was a cylinder shaped object, similar to a lightsaber handle. He pushed a button on the side. Ahsoka and her family looked on in shock and surprise as the object extended into a spear. "It's an old tradition of our people to gift weapons to those who have done a great service to others. We did a bit of research on you. In our people's traditional star signs, you were born under the symbol of the huntress. Other great fighters who were born under that symbol all used a spear as a weapon." He explained as he handed Ahsoka the weapon. "This is our way of saying thanks for helping us save the princess." Shaden said. Ahsoka looked the weapon over. The handle was made of a combination of different alloys, giving it a bronze colour. "The handle, as well as the tip of the spear are combined with Mandalorian iron, this makes it capable of withstanding even the blade of a lightsaber." Shaden explained. "Wow, it's amazing. Thank you." Ahsoka managed to say. Shaden nodded. "I don't know what the future holds for you Ahsoka, but there will be a place for you amongst our group if you want to." He replied. "Thank you Shaden, I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I'm sure I'll visit you and the others occasionally." Ahsoka replied.
They said their goodbyes and after that Ahsoka and her family went home.
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I'm going to end this chapter here.
A nice little celebration party. There's not so much detail in the dresses, I know. I can't describe such things well, so just use your imagination.
The last bit was a bit inspired by two other writers. The spear was inspired by "Under Blackened Skies" from iSparks, Ahsoka fights with a spear in this story. I could really imagine her using a weapon like that so I added it here. I'm not sure if she'll use it later on, but I thought it fit nicely in the whole thanking thing and as a bit more Togrutan culture thing. There's not a lot known about the Togruta culture, so I just made up my own thing. I'm not going to spoil the story of iSparks here, just go and read it, it's good.
The star sign thing is a bit inspired by "Star Wars Zodiacs" from TheWrongJedi. The other stories from this writer are pretty good as well.
In the next chapter Lilo will visit Padmé. How will she react?
Like I mentioned above, I've also uploaded a story idea I had. Please read that and review it. I'd like to know what other people think about it and whether or not I should write the story.
Until next time.