Chapter 34 – Growing Threats

In this chapter, Ahsoka will join the meeting her sisters mentioned and her visions will be revealed.

There is a lot of talking and discussing in this chapter and little action, but that is necessary to build up the next chapters.

Hope you enjoy.

;-

Ahsoka sat at a large table in a meeting room at the royal palace of the Shilian Capital. Her sisters were sitting in front of her at the other side of the table. They were seated almost at one end of the table, where the King of Shili, Zhorin Vashee sat. His son, Zolar, sat to his right, next to Marina. To his left, next to Ahsoka, sat another advisor that had been in the service of the royal family for quite a few years.

Ahsoka looked to her left at the other end of the table. She recognized several other advisors as well as the general that had addressed the people of Shili when the princess was kidnapped. There were two other seated beside him, both dressed in similar outfits. "Probably other generals or high ranking officers of the Shilian military." Ahsoka reasoned.

There were still a few empty seats at the other end of the table. However, she could clearly make out the small holoprojecters in the chairs. Others would obviously join them through a holotransmission.

To this moment, she still didn't know what the meeting was about. She prayed to the Force that it wasn't related to her vision; that it had just been a bad dream, some conflicted emotions plaguing her or something like that. She glanced at her sister Lilo. As soon as she saw her face the image from her vision shot through her mind again. Ahsoka lowered her head and took a deep breath to steady herself. It wouldn't be helpful to anyone if she stressed herself out.

Lilo noticed her sister's worried look, but before she could ask if she was alright the holoprojectors activated. In the empty chairs, governor Roshti of Kiros and several members of his staff appeared. Seeing them more or less shattered Ahsoka's hopes that her visions weren't related.

"Governor Roshti, it is good to see you again." King Zhorin greeted him when the connection was completely established.

"Likewise King Vashee," Governor Roshti replied. "I just wish this meeting could have been under different circumstances." He added with concern in his voice. King Zhorin nodded in agreement.

"Governor, is it true?" Lilo asked concerned. "The rumors I heard, they can't be true, right?" After hearing her words, Ahsoka quickly scanned the emotions of the others at the table. Most of them all felt the same concern and fear as Lilo did.

Governor Roshti nodded with sadness present on his face. "I fear it is." He replied, earning himself worried looks from the others at the table. "The past few days several citizens have reported seeing Separatist Spy droids on Kiros. We fear that the Separatists might attack our planet again." He said with worry in his voice.

The others at the table looked at each other in worry and started murmuring amongst themselves. Ahsoka lowered her head again. Lilo noticed this and recalled the urgency with which she wanted to talk to her about the visions she had earlier. "Ahsoka?" she asked, causing the others at the table to fall silent. "What did you see in your visions?"

Lilo's question caused everyone to look at Ahsoka. They had heard about her visions and how they helped safe Princess Vashee from the Separatists.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "I could see our people's colony on Kiros, the streets of the city; people minding their daily lives without worry. Then, without warning, everything changed." Ahsoka paused a moment before continuing. "Suddenly I could hear explosions. I sensed great panic and fear amongst the people. Then, the sound of metal footsteps, thousands of them, started echoing through the streets."

She took another deep breath and continued in a slightly softer voice. "I could hear our people scream as the droids marched through the streets. The people were captured and carried away. Those who fought back were killed on the spot." Ahsoka took a few shaky breaths. By now, several other faces on the table had changed to horror. "I saw our people being ferried of the planet, darkness, pain and death surrounding their future." Ahsoka blinked away a tear and looked at Lilo. "I saw you…broken and beaten…being sold off at a slave auction." She said softly.

Lilo's eyes widened in shock. Marina looked at both of her sisters with a worried expression on her face. The others did more or less the same, not sure of what to say. "Is this the fate of our people?" one of the governor's people asked, her voice filled with sorrow.

"No!" Ahsoka replied, her voice strong and determined. Everyone looked at her in surprise and shock again. "I once saw one of my friends dying in one of my visions. She would be shot by a bounty hunter. Master Yoda taught me more about this ability and told me to act on my visions." Ahsoka looked around the table. "I did. My friend survived and that bounty hunter was arrested and the one who hired her earned himself an extended prison sentence."

"What are you saying?" One of the other advisors next to her asked. "Can you change the future?" she asked somewhat amazed.

Ahsoka nodded in response. "The future is not set in stone. That is one thing Master Yoda taught me." She explained. "It is possible to see the future through the Force, but there is no guarantee that it will come true. Like I did with my friend, undertaking action can change the future. Sometimes, simply knowing the future can cause it to change." She looked around the table again. "If any of you think that I won't undertake any action knowing this future, you're sorely mistaking." She stated.

There was a moment of silence, then King Zhorin broke it. "Well spoken, Ahsoka, thank you. We certainly are grateful for your help." he told her. Zhorin looked at Governor Roshti. "Last time, they took you by surprise and we were not able to help our Togrutan brothers and sisters. This time, we do know and we will be there to help you. We will not simply stand by and let them cause harm to our people." He assured the governor.

Governor Roshti nodded in gratitude. "Thank you, my friend." He replied. "I am grateful for your help. But what can we do to stand against the Separatists? Why would they even attack us again?" he asked.

"Probably to build a hidden base." Ahsoka replied. "The Separatists are quite fond of that. They'll invade a planet and create a stronghold from where they can launch further attacks. If they capture Kiros without the Republic noticing, they can launch further invasions of surrounding planets."

"A cunning and dangerous strategy." A female general at the other end of the table commented. "If they capture our people, they can use that against us." She looked at the Governor. "Your people are fewer in number than us here on Shili so it would be easier for those cowards to attack you instead of us."

The others nodded in agreement. Governor Roshti looked around. "So how can we defend ourselves?" he asked the group. "Ever since that horrifying experience, several of our people have been training with weapons should we have to defend ourselves again. However, I doubt that there is enough of us to fight them off." He said worried.

"We will stand by you this time." King Zhorin said. "We will send a portion of our army to help you. You won't have to fight them alone." He told Governor Roshti. The military staff at the table nodded in agreement. "However, we need to be careful with how many of our soldiers we send. We don't know if the Separatists will try to attack us as well." He added.

Ahsoka remembered the population of Kiros. "Governor, your people are skilled builders, aren't they?" she asked Governor Roshti.

He was a bit taken aback by her question. "Yes, they are." He replied. "But how will those skills help us?" he asked her in return.

"Anakin, Aayla Secura and I once protected a small settlement of people on a deserted planet." She began to explain. "It was just the three of us and a few clones against an large number of droids. However, we build a wall around the village and forced the droids through one small opening." Several other at the table nodded, catching on to her idea.

The male general that had addressed the public during Zaa Vashee's kidnapping continued. "If your people construct a good solid wall around the city and perhaps barricades around the city to prevent them from landing, we can force the droids into a bottleneck. That way their numbers won't help them win the battle." He finished her line of thought. Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "A solid plan, madam advisor." He told Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked at the advisors of the Governor. "Do you have shield generators?" she asked them. "If we can deploy a number of shield generators around the city we can prevent them from executing bombardments to destroy the walls and overrun the city." She explained.

"That does sound like a good plan." One of the advisors replied. "Unfortunately, we don't have any shield generators." Ahsoka looked down and thought about that.

"Perhaps we can secure a number of shield generators elsewhere." King Zhorin said. "But will all of that combined be enough to save our people from the Separatists?" he asked the group.

After a moment of silence Ahsoka looked at Lilo. "Hey Lilo." She said to get her attention. Lilo turned to her sister. "Kiros is part of the Republic now, isn't it?" she asked.

Lilo nodded. "Yes, that's true." She replied a bit confused. Then it hit her what her sister meant. "We can petition the Senate for Republic help! Great thinking, Ahsoka!" she said with enthusiasm.

"Are you certain that they will help us?" the female general asked. "They will require proof that our people are truly in danger." She looked at Ahsoka. "I am willing to trust in your visions, madam advisor. However, I doubt that others will. We know what happened to you and why you left the Jedi Order. You were innocent, but there are plenty of people that still believe that you were responsible for the bombing. If we tell the Senate that we suspect an attack based on the visions on a former Jedi padawan, I doubt they will believe us." She said to Ahsoka. "No offence, of course." She quickly added.

Ahsoka looked at the general. "That's true, unfortunately. The Senate won't listen to that." She thought to herself. What the general said was true, they needed evidence. If they could get a hold of the Separatist's plans then they would certainly be get the help they needed. A sudden idea involving infiltration hit her. "I may know someone capable of infiltrating a Separatist base and 'obtaining' the proof we need." She said a bit hesitant. Another idea hit her. "I might also know someone that can 'acquire' number of shield generators."

Marina looked at her sister. "People you've met during your travels when you were with the Jedi?" she asked. Ahsoka nodded in return. She could sense a great deal of curiosity from the rest of the table all of a sudden. "So who are these people? Are you sure they can help?" Marina asked.

"Eh…" Ahsoka muttered. "I'm not really sure if they will be willing to help…" she admitted. The looks she received made it clear that they wanted an explanation. "They are people that I've met in the past, but…" she paused.

"So who are they?" Lilo asked. "If you think that they can help us it could be worth a try."

Ahsoka sighed. "One of them is a dangerous and powerful pirate with whom I have both fought against and fought beside." She said, causing people around the table to look quite startled. "During our last encounter, he tried to rob a bunch of Jedi younglings. Thanks to me, he failed. However, he captured me and was planning to sell me as a slave as compensation for his loss." Those words caused her sisters to look at her in shock. "The younglings had ignored the order of Master Kenobi and had come to rescue me. The rescue didn't entirely go as planned, but eventually we had to team up with the pirates against General Grievous." She shook her head. "He might be a questionable character, but there's a good chance that he will have some shield generators or can 'acquire' some of them." Ahsoka finished explaining.

Just as she had expected, the others at the table were looking at her in slight shock. Zolar Vashee broke the somewhat awkward silence. "And who is the other person?" he asked a bit cautiously.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "The other is a former Sith assassin that has tried to kill me, my former master and his former master on multiple occasions." Her sisters looked at her even more shocked. "However, her master betrayed her and left her for dead. She survived and now she's a bounty hunter. During that bombing incident she ambushed me and wanted to collect the bounty that was on me, but I was able to convince her to help me." Ahsoka rubbed her rear lekku nervously. "I promised to put in a good word for her with the Council afterwards, but…" Ahsoka sighed. "Things didn't work out the way I hoped they would. Still, she always was a very skilled infiltrator. She might be able to infiltrate a Separatist base or ship and get the proof we need."

Ahsoka looked around the table again. The stares she received were somewhat uncomfortable. "Forgive me for questioning you, Ahsoka." King Zhorin said a moment later. "But do you really think that these people will help us?" he asked with doubt in his voice.

She couldn't blame him for being doubtful; there would be quite a risk involved. "I believe that there's good chance that they will, your majesty." She replied. "After Dooku betrayed her, Ventress…"

She was cut off by one of the advisors. "Wait, Asajj Ventress?! That dangerous women?!" Came a very startled and somewhat fearful reply.

"Eh…Yes." Ahsoka replied. "That Asajj Ventress. However, she has changed a lot from the person she once was. She's not that evil anymore. Still mean and somewhat cruel maybe, yes, but not truly evil." She explained. "Being a bounty hunter, if we can offer her a good price, I believe that she will be more than willing to get us the information we need; especially if it means foiling Dooku's plans."

"A woman scorned…" King Zhorin said as he nodded. "Perhaps you're right. In any case, it's worth to look her up for the protection of our people. We can at least try." Despite their reservations, several others agreed with the king. "But what of this pirate? Based on what you just told us, what he tried to do to you. Can he be trusted?" he asked Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked up a bit in thought. "Hondo Ohnaka," she replied. "is definitely one of the most interesting people I have ever met." She admitted with a small smile. "His mood can change very quickly; He certainly made that obvious during our last 'meeting'." She paused a brief moment and shook her head. "However, there's one thing that will always change his mind: profit." Ahsoka explained to the others.

"Of course." King Zhorin said mildly amused. "So if we offer him a good price too he will be able to help us?" he asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, I very much believe so." She replied. "I know where to find Hondo and I believe that the Force can lead me to Asajj Ventress. If you can provide me with the credits to offer them I think I can secure their help." Ahsoka offered to them.

"You're willing to go find these dangerous characters yourself?" One of the advisors asked shocked. "How can you be sure that they won't kill you on sight?"

Ahsoka turned to look at the advisor. "Hondo won't kill people on sight; That's not his style." She replied. "If there are deals to be made he's just about always willing to listen."

"So he's somewhat greedy?" One of the Governor's staff asked.

Ahsoka nodded at her. "That's right." She replied. "And as for Ventress, I'm pretty sure that she will be willing to talk; in any case to complain to me that our previous agreement wasn't really honored…" Ahsoka admitted with a sheepish smile. "They both might not be happy to see me, but that is a risk I'm more than willing to take if it means saving our people from going through another hell."

"You already have done so much in so little time for our people, Ahsoka." King Zhorin said. "I would feel bad to ask you to risk your own life further. However, I really appreciate your willingness to help us and I'm glad to accept your help." Ahsoka smiled and slightly bowed her head.

"Hang on, Ahsoka." Lilo said, her concern and shock still present in her voice. "You do realize that there is no way in the galaxy that mom is going to let you run off chasing after such dangerous people on your own?" She told her sister.

"She's right, Ahsoka. Mom would probably lock you up in your room to prevent you from doing that. You have no idea how worried she was when you went off to Felucia." Marina added in a similar concerned tone of voice.

Ahsoka gulped nervously, that was one thing she hadn't thought of. "They're right, mom is going to freak out if I tell her about this…" She thought, a sense of fear regarding her mother's reaction crept through her.

Next to Marina, Zolar Vashee spoke up. "If you are truly willing to do this for our people, then it would be wrong of us to ask you to go alone." He said to her. "Several of our warriors accompanied you when you went to Felucia. I insist that you take a number of them with you again. Just in case the worst happens, they will be able to help secure your safety." He offered to her.

Ahsoka smiled at the prince. "Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better about this whole situation." She admitted to him.

Marina looked at the prince as well. "Yes, thank you. That really means a great deal to us. Our sister is selfless and willing to help others at the expense of her own safety. But we can't help but worry about her when she does these things. Thank you for looking out for her." She said with a wide smile.

"O-of course, it's the least we can do in return." Zolar replied with a slightly nervous smile.

Nobody else noticed the slightly nervous tone in his voice, but Ahsoka clearly picked it up with the Force. She reached out and gently touched their minds without them noticing. She smiled a bit when she clearly sensed the affection the two felt for each other. They obviously liked each other, but they were both too shy to admit it. "Maybe I can talk to the prince alone later." Ahsoka mused to herself as she thought of a few plans.

"Then everything is settled." Governor Roshti said. "We will inform our people to begin building a defensive wall around the city. Generals, we will contact you later for the placement." He said as he nodded at the two generals. They both nodded in return. "Ahsoka, I truly appreciate what you're willing to do for us. I will pray for your safety." Ahsoka smiled and nodded at him. "When you provide us with the evidence we require, I will go the Coruscant to petition the Senate for help."

"Everyone in agreement?" King Zhorin asked. Everyone at the table nodded. "Then may the Force be with us all." He said and the connection with Kiros ended.

A few more things were discussed with the remainder of the people present. After that they all bid their goodbyes and left to prepare themselves.

;-

Back at the Tano residence

Ahsoka and her sisters had just arrived back at their home after the long meeting. The upcoming events would be trying, but she was confident that everything would go well. What worried her greatly, however, is how their mother will react to what she was going to do…

"You're going to do what?!" Yuae Tano half-yelled. The three sisters had just finished explaining everything that had been discussed in the meeting and what Ahsoka would be doing soon. Just as her sisters had predicted, their mother freaked out quite a bit.

Ahsoka cringed a bit. "Mom, calm down, please." She replied. "I'm doing this to help our people. If I don't do anything, terrible things might happen to them."

Her mother shook her head. "Why do you always have to do these dangerous things? Why can't anyone else do this so you can stay safe?" Yuae asked her children.

"I know how you feel, mom." Marina replied with a sad smile. "I wish that there was another way, but…" she paused a moment. "We've discussed it thoroughly and looked for other solutions, but Ahsoka has the best chance to succeed here." She explained to her mother.

"And besides," Lilo added. "she won't be going alone. Prince Zolar offered to send several of the H'Raani M'Kai with her. He's selecting a group now. If something does go wrong, they'll be able to back Ahsoka up and see to it that she returns safely."

Yuae looked at her daughters, still not anymore relieved with the current situation. Haymish sighed and placed his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Don't worry about this too much, dear." He told her. "You know that she is going to do this, no matter what. The two of you both share that same stubborn, determines streak." He smiled at Ahsoka. "And we both know that our Ahsoka always places the well-being of others in front of her own."

"Thanks dad." Ahsoka replied with a smile, glad that her father understood. It was just in her nature to be selfless and help others.

Yuae took a deep breath and looked at Ahsoka. "I know, I'm sorry sweetheart." She told her daughter. "I know you want to help others. But I can't help but worry for your safety. There are so many people that wouldn't even think twice about hurting a sweet girl like you."

Ahsoka smiled comfortingly at her mother. "Don't worry, mom. I know how to take care of myself. And since I've been training with Shaden, Aurora and the others I've become even stronger. Plus, I won't be alone in this. I'll have some of the strongest fighters in the galaxy backing me up." She told her mother. "And besides, I don't plan on dying anytime soon." She added in a slightly teasing tone.

Despite her worrying, Yuae couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her daughter's words. "I know that you don't. Just promise me that you'll be carefull." She requested her daughter.

Ahsoka nodded in return. "I promise. Don't worry, I know how both Hondo and Ventress think. I'll know what to look out for and I'll take extra care not to fall for any traps and whatnot." She assured her mother in a firm and convincing voice.

Yuae nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "You're going to put your mother in the hospital one day." She replied jokingly, attempting to break the tension that had built up in the room. A moment of silence passed before the family laughed and relaxed.

;-

The next day

In the afternoon of the following day Ahsoka had gone to the palace again. She had received a request to write a detailed report about the different types of droids the Separatists used. Seeing as how Ahsoka had a great deal of experience fighting the droids, they thought that it would be in their advantage to benefit from her knowledge. Ahsoka had agreed with that and had spent the morning writing the report. She had just delivered the report and was now on her way to meet with Zolar Vashee.

The prince wanted to see her to inform her about the mission and who would be accompanying her. Ahsoka secretly thought that it would also give her a nice opportunity to ask him how he felt about her sister. It was obvious to her that they liked each other, but both of them were too shy to admit their feelings. "Is it wrong to try and get your sister together with a prince?" Ahsoka asked herself as she made her way towards the prince's office.

;-

A few minutes later and Ahsoka was in the office discussing the mission with the prince. He had put together a team with Shaden's help. They had put everything together and everything would be ready for their departure the next day.

Ahsoka read through the file on the datapad she had just received. She was pleased to see that Aurora, Cira, Dodge and Gaven would be joining her. They had joined her on the mission to Felucia and Ahsoka had trained with them as well. Four other warriors she hadn't met yet would accompany them as well, so their group consisted of nine, herself included.

She put the datapad down with a smile. She was glad that the prince and his family were willing to trust her so much. Even since the Council had failed her trust had become important to her. It made her feel good that she had earned their trust.

"Are you satisfied with the team we put together?" Zolar asked her.

Ahsoka looked at him and nodded. "Yes, I am." She replied. "Should anything happen, I'm very confident in the fact that they will be able to help me get away safely."

Zolar nodded in return. "Good, it's the least we can do." He told her. "You've done so much for our people already and you still continue to fight for us. I can't even begin to explain my gratitude."

Ahsoka smiled. "I can sense your gratitude, so I have a pretty good idea." She replied.

Zolar looked at her in surprise, but then laughed. "Well then, that saves me the trouble of trying to explain, huh? Is there anything else you want ask me before you leave?" he asked as he got up and walked towards the window.

Ahsoka figured that now would be a good as time as any. She got up as well and followed him towards the window. "Well, there is something that I've been meaning to ask you. It's not related to the mission at all and it might be a tad…personal." She said to him.

Zolar turned to face her again, a somewhat confused expression on his face. "Uhm… alright. What did you want to ask?" he replied.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. She then looked him in the eyes. "How do you feel about my sister, Marina?" she asked.

His face turned to shock and Ahsoka could clearly see his lekku darkening. Through the Force she could clearly sense that he became quite nervous. "W-what do you mean by that?" he asked in return. "We've been friends for a long time. We went to the same school and occasionally spent a lot of time together." He said in a slightly nervous tone.

Ahsoka could tell that he was trying to hide the nervousness in his voice, but to a Force user that was pretty futile. "I know, she and Lilo told me those things before." She replied. "I meant something else and I think you know what I mean."

She used the Force to call the datapad to her and kept it floating in front of them. Zolar looked at it curiously. He had heard what everyone had heard about the Force, but a demonstration like this was something he'd never imagined.

"The Force can allow one to do quite a bit." Ahsoka explained to him. "This includes sensing the emotions of others." She looked him in the eyes again. "Others may not have noticed it, but I sensed it when you and Marina spoke with each other. You like her." It wasn't a question but a statement.

Ahsoka floated the datapad back to the desk and waited for Zolar to respond. He turned around and stared out of the window. Ahsoka frowned a bit when he didn't respond. "If you like her, you should tell her. I've sensed quite clearly that Marina likes you too. There's no need to be so shy." She added the last sentence a bit teasingly.

Zolar took a deep breath and leaned on the windowsill. "You… you don't understand." He replied in a very nervous voice. "I do like her, but…" he sighed.

"But what?" Ahsoka asked. "I grew up as a Jedi and always thought that love and attachments would only lead to dark thoughts and countless problems. Ever since Lux and I got together I've learned that it's definitely the opposite." She locked eyes with his reflection in the window. "There's nothing wrong with seeking happiness is there? Or is there some kind of royalty rules or traditions I don't know about?" she asked him.

Zolar shook his head. "No, there's nothing like that." He replied.

"Then what is it?" Ahsoka asked, pushing him a little.

"You just don't understand." He replied again. "There's no way that we could be together, not after…" he stopped himself.

Ahsoka frowned at his sudden pause. "Not after what?" she asked. He closed his eyes and looked down. It was clear to Ahsoka that he wasn't going to reply. "Dilemma, is it wrong to read the thoughts of the prince of your home planet?" she asked herself. She could sense that whatever it was, it caused him great pain and shame as well.

Ahsoka decided to use the Force and searched through his thoughts. He desperately tried to hide a memory, but the Force revealed the memory to her.

;-

She saw him, at his school? Or something like that. Sadness filled the memory, obviously he had received some bad news.

The setting changed. He was now in a bar, drinking something. The wild colors of the drink making it quite clear that it was a strong liquor. He joined someone else at the bar, a young Togrutan woman around his age.

After that the memory was broken. Scattered and incomplete, as if he can't recall what happened. The effects of the alcohol effecting his mind.

The last scene she saw was of him standing next to a bed in a hotel room. A worried look on his face and a great sense of shame hanging around him as he stared at the sleeping Togruta in the bed. She could see the Togruta's all too familiar face.

;-

Ahsoka gasped in shock as she identified the young woman from the memory. She now saw that face on a daily base, after all.

Zolar turned around in shock. Fear overtook him immediately. "She read my thoughts. She knows" he thought worriedly.

Ahsoka looked at him, complete shock, surprise and confusion overtaking her.

"It was you…"

;-

That's the end of this chapter.

What did Ahsoka see in the prince's memories? It should become clear if you can piece the hints together. The results from Ahsoka's conversation with the prince will become clear in the upcoming chapters. It's quite a twist in the characters, so I hope everyone likes it.

The next chapter will finish the preparations for Ahsoka's new mission. After that, she will set off to find Hondo and Ventress. Who should she try and visit first? I know how I'm going to write the chapters, but the order of the two doesn't really matter. So, which one should be first? Let me know in a review or a PM.

My next update will be for my Barriss story again. It's been a long time since I last updated that story. The reason: I want to keep these two stories somewhat the same when it comes to the time that passes. I took a break with that story so the events in this one could play out. So now, both stories will be progressing. I will try to keep the updates coming regularly, depending on the amount of time and motivation I have to write.

Until next time.