Chapter 41 – Arrival on Kiros

I'm done with both of the chapters. This is Ahsoka's side of the story about their arrival on Kiros. She will meet up with Barriss again in the last part of the story.

Hope you enjoy.

;-

Shili, royal palace

Prince Zolar Vashee sat in his office in the palace. It had been a stressful day for everyone. A few hours ago, general Seithe Madine, had reported in. He would be overseeing the battle on Kiros and the safety of the people. He had reported that they were well on schedule and would arrive on Kiros on time.

The report had brought a slight bit of ease to everyone on Shili, but their worry for the well-being of the people was still very much present. Senator Lilo was especially worried. She wanted to race to Kiros herself and see to the people there. Only her younger sisters words kept her on Shili right now.

Zolar's thoughts were interrupted when one of the palace staff announced that the planet's Senator was here to see him. Worry immediately filled him. During their last private talk, he had revealed his biggest secret to her. If it were to come out in public the wrong way, it could embarrass him but it would most likely destroy Marina's life. If he could, he would be a part of her and their daughter's life. If he could, but more if she would let him. He had asked her for a chance and she had said that she had to think about it. He understood perfectly that she had to think about it. They were very close friends and he had kept such a massive secret from her.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst. He signaled for the staff member to let her in. The woman nodded and left. A few seconds later, Marina walked in. He was unable to tell what she was thinking from the look on her face. She was trying to keep a straight face. Being a politician, she was incredibly good at it. She sat down quietly in front of him.

For a few moments they merely sat in silence, but to him it felt like eternity. Then Marina finally spoke. "I've thought about it for a long time." She said slowly. "I still have some difficulty wrapping my mind around all of this. I wish..." She paused and took a shaky breath. "I wish that you had been honest with me several years ago. Things could have been so different..."

Zolar rested his hands on his desk and lowered his head. It was as he had already feared. She hated him now and their friendship was now forever ruined. His train of thought was again interrupted when he felt a hand being placed on his own. He looked up to see Marina looking at him with watery eyes.

"I wish that things had been different, but..." She continued as she looked him in the eyes. "I can't change what has already happened. I can only think of what can happen now." She took another deep breath. "I can tell that Rosette really wants to have a father and I can't deny that I still have strong feelings for you, even after all of this. For Rosette's sake, I'm willing to give you the chance you asked of me." A tear rolled down her face. "I want to try and make this work."

For a moment, Zolar was stunned. Then he took her hand in his own. "Thank you, Marina." He replied shakily. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know that what I did was wrong and I should have told you the truth long ago." He took a deep breath and gently squeezed her hand. "I promise that I will do whatever I can for you and I will never hurt you again."

A few more tears rolled down Marina's face. She nodded slowly and a slight smile appeared on her face. He smiled back at her, very grateful for the second chance. They barely even noticed that they were moving closer to one another until their faces were the smallest bit apart. Zolar hesitated, but Marina was quick to close the distance between them. They sat there, their lips locked for a time neither of them was certain of.

After they separated, Marina got up and moved to the other side of the desk. Zolar got up as well and hugged her tightly. Marina responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "How are people going to react to this?" She asked him quietly.

Zolar gently rubbed her back. "I don't know." He replied softly. "But I will stand by you, now and forever. I don't care what anyone says, I'm here for you and our daughter."

Marina looked up at him and smiled a bit. "Thank you." She said softly. Then her smile faded. "How are we going to tell our parents about this?" She asked him. Both of their lekku paled considerably at the thought of that conversation.

;-

Hyperspace, Shilian cruiser

Ahsoka Tano sat in her quarters on the cruiser King's hand, one of the two cruisers on their way to Shili. Earlier in the day she had spend time with the other pilots of Eagle squadron. They had run a number of checks on their ships and equipment to make sure that everything was in top condition. After that, Ahsoka had instructed them about Separatist ships and their flight and attack patterns. When she had finished explaining all of that, Varon had instructed her in several maneuvers that they frequently used. They had set up the last bits of their battle plan and were now completely ready for the battle.

After the discussions with Eagle squadron, Ahsoka had taken some time to attend the briefing of the ground troops and answer their questions about Separatist ground forces and tactics. The members of the H'Raani M'Kai that were with them had already informed the troops of most of the different droids and their weaknesses. Because Ahsoka had more experience with them, they had asked her to attend as well and help with further questions and the like.

Her fellow Togruta took preparation and battle planning a lot more seriously than Anakin sometimes used to. The thought made her feel very relieved, this was going to be a dangerous battle with a lot at stake. Still, she had the a great deal of faith in her fellow Togruta.

All of the discussing had made her a bit tired, so she had returned to her quarters to rest and prepare for the battle. She had taken some time to read Governor Rosthi's report of the Senate meeting that discussed the aid for the people of Kiros. She smiled as she read that Lux had been one of the first to say that the Republic needed to help the people of Kiros. Padmé, Bail and Riyo Chuchi had joined him on that. After some 'political arguing' back and forth, a vote was called. Fortunately, the vote resulted in a largely positive result to send aid to Kiros. The Republic had already send troops to Kiros. They were there on the planet right now, setting up their defenses.

She quietly wondered who would be leading the Republic troops on Kiros. She hoped dearly that it wasn't some irritating military official or one of the Council members that had thrown her aside. She wouldn't have much interaction with them, but it still worried her somewhat.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and let that worry fade away for now. There were still a few hours left until they arrived on Kiros. She decided to meditate in order to rest and focus her mind. She needed to be on her best for the battle. Thankfully, Daughter had taught her more about meditation as well. She was able to ease her mind a lot easier and let her mind sink into the Force.

;-

From this point in the chapter, text "like this" is in Basic and text /like this/ is in Togruti.

;-

A few hours later

Ahsoka was now standing on the bridge of the cruiser, wearing a pilot's outfit like Varon and Silara. They were just about to arrive on Kiros. Everyone was all set and ready to fight for their fellow Togruta. She walked up to General Seithe Madine. /General, as soon as we leave Hyperspace, we will probably be contacted by the Republic force immediately. It would be wise to have the communication lines open to respond./ She informed him.

He nodded. /Alright, we'll make sure of that. Thank you, Ahsoka./ He replied. Ahsoka nodded back and waited for them to leave Hyperspace.

A short minute later the two cruisers dropped out of Hyperspace. Just like Ahsoka had said, a transmission came to them almost immediately. "Unidentified cruiser, this is Jedi Master Shaak Ti. You are entering a combat zone. Identify yourself and state your intentions." Came the message from the planet.

At the side of the bridge Ahsoka silently sighed. "So a member of the Council is here on Kiros. At least Master Ti had the decency to apologize..." She thought with a hint of regret. Dealing with the Jedi Council was not really something she was interested in doing. "Oh well, for the good of the people of Kiros I can overcome my personal issues with them."

Seithe activated the transmission and a hologram of Shaak Ti appeared. "Master Jedi, I am general Seithe Madine of the Shilian army. We are here to aid our brothers and sisters of Kiros." He introduced himself.

A surprised look appeared on Shaak Ti's face. "I was not aware that the people of Shili were aiding the population of Kiros." She commented. "Still, I welcome your assistance greatly."

The general nodded. "We were not able to help our people last time, to our great shame." Seithe replied. "Fortunately, we found out about their schemes in advance this time. We are very grateful that the Republic has send its troops to help our people."

Shaak Ti nodded as well. "We do not want to see a repeat of the previous tragedy. We are here to make sure the people of Kiros are safe." She said.

"That is good to hear, Master Jedi." General Seithe replied. "We will begin unloading our troops and supplies now. We have both ground and space forces ready to fight the Separatists. They will not take our people again."

"I will inform my troops to let you all pass through. If you can join me later after you've set up, we can discuss strategies." Shaak Ti said. The general nodded and the transmission ended.

;-

Ahsoka had moved down to the hangar and boarded one of the transports. She would be overseeing the deployment of the shield generators on the planet. All of the troops and equipment had been loaded up. After the final checks had been done they departed for the planets surface.

As she looked out of the viewport at the planet, she couldn't help but feel worry and regret. She was worried for the safety of the people of Kiros and regretted greatly that the peaceful planet was once again targeted by the violence of the war. "Let's just hope that everything goes well and that this is the last of the violence the people have to endure." She quietly prayed to the Force.

A couple of minutes passed and the transport had landed on the planet. The other troops were already disembarking. Ahsoka checked her things and headed out as well.

As she walked of the ramp, she felt a very familiar presence. She looked to her side and saw Barriss walking up to the transport, followed by a few other Padawans. She smiled at her friend and walked down the ramp. She waited there for her friend to reach the transport.

"Hello Barriss, it's great to see you again." Ahsoka greeted her friend.

"It's great to see you as well, Ahsoka." Barriss replied with a warm smile. "I had a feeling that you would show up here." Barriss told her friend.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a sneer from Jara. "Why are you even here?" The Human Padawan asked in a dirty tone. "You're not a Jedi. You shouldn't be here." Jana moved her right hand towards her lightsaber. "There's no way that we can trust you. You're just a renegade who should be locked up!" She taunted Ahsoka.

Ahsoka merely rolled her eyes. "So I can't be trusted, hmm?" She asked sarcastically. "Funny, the king and queen of Shili seem to trust me completely." She said absentmindedly as she checked her fingernails.

Jana wanted to say something again, insult her again, but then a male Togruta walked off the ships ramp.

/Lady Ahsoka, we are ready to install the shield generators at their assigned locations./ The technician informed her.

Ahsoka nodded at him. /Good, let's get them in position as soon as possible. Thank you./ The other Togruta nodded back and walked back into the ship. Ahsoka turned back to her friend.

"So, will you be joining us in the battle here?" Barriss asked, not giving Jana another chance to say something stupid.

"Yes and no." Ahsoka replied as she turned her attention back to Barriss. "I will be a part of the battle, but I won't be fighting on the ground. I'll be joining the pilots of Eagle squadron. We'll be taking down as many ships as we possibly can in order to make your job a bit easier." She explained to her friend.

At that moment, a number of Togruta walked off the ramp. A couple of familiar devices floated along with them. Barriss recognized the machines instantly. "Ahsoka, are those…?" She asked.

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "Yep, we brought some shield generators with us." She replied. "Just do me a favor and don't ask where they came from."

Barriss gave her friend an odd look, but before she could ask further about them Ahsoka changed the subject.

"So Barriss, what exactly brings you to Kiros?" Ahsoka asked. "I know you're here to fight in the battle, but that's not really what I imagine you doing."

Barriss nodded. "You're right about that." she replied. "I don't really want to fight battles anymore, but this is different. This is about protecting innocent people, not conquering territory or obtaining resources. Protecting people is what a Jedi is supposed to do." Her expression turned a bit grim. "And I remembered what you told me about what happened to the people of Kiros before. I want to prevent that from happening again."

Ahsoka smiled when she heard that. "Thank you Barriss." She said. "I'm glad that you and everyone else is here."

At that moment she sensed another presence approach them. She didn't have to look to know that it was Shaak Ti walking up to them. She looked over and saw the Togrutan Jedi Master approach them. "Well, let's see how this goes."

Shaak Ti reached them. "Ahsoka Tano, in a certain way, I'm not that surprised to see you here." She greeted Ahsoka. "I assume that you are here to help the people of Kiros as well?"

Ahsoka nodded. "That's right Master." She replied. "We've known about the attack for a little while now. Our scouts and the people of Kiros reported Separatist activity. Also, the horrible vision I had told me all I needed to know." She let her gaze wander over the other Padawans and the clone soldiers all around them. "I'm really glad that the Republic came to help." She admitted.

Shaak Ti nodded in return. "As am I, Ahsoka. The fact that I could not help my people last time was difficult news to take." She said. "I'm glad that you and the people of Shili are here to help as well. And I noticed that you brought a group of shield generators with you. Where did you get those?" She asked.

Ahsoka sighed. "I'd rather not say." She replied.

Barriss frowned a bit. "Why wouldn't you want to tell us?" She asked a bit confused.

"She probably stole them from a Republic base somewhere." Jana commented with a mean look towards Ahsoka.

Barriss just ignored her, as did everyone else. "So where did they come from?" She asked Ahsoka again.

Ahsoka didn't immediately reply. Barriss gave her a questioning look. A few seconds later Ahsoka sighed and gave in. "Alright then." She replied. "They came from a Separatist transport ship that just happened to crash on a planet near Florrum."

Barriss looked a bit stunned, but she didn't interrupt Ahsoka. "Hondo Ohnaka and his men just happened to be there and salvaged the goods on board. We made a little deal and now I have a bunch of shield generators." She explained to them.

"I see..." Barriss replied. "Oh well, doesn't really matter. We'll be sure to put them to good use."

"Indeed." Shaak Ti said. "They will certainly go a long way in protecting the people." She gave Ahsoka a questioning look. "Were you and the people of Shili involved in the other defensive measures here as well?" She asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, we took advantage of the building skills of the people of Kiros to build a defensive wall and obstructions to prevent the Separatist ships from landing around the city." She explained. "We went to get the shield generators in order to protect the city from orbital and other long-range bombardment."

Shaak Ti smiled a bit. "It's good to know that you are all this well prepared." She replied. "I'm just about to meet up with your General and discuss the battle plans. If you would all join me?"

Ahsoka, Barriss and the other Padawans nodded and they followed Shaak Ti to the command center.

;-

After all of the plans had been discussed, everyone had gone into place for the battle. Shaak Ti had returned to the main cruiser of the Republic force. Barriss and the other Padawans had taken up positions in the city. The Togrutan soldiers had taken up positions with the clone soldiers. Ahsoka had also traveled back to one of the Shilian cruisers to prepare her fighter for the battle.

Everyone was now in place and ready for the battle. Now, they were waiting for the Separatist ships to begin their attack.

;-

That's the end of this chapter.

In the next chapter, the battle will take place. I have most of it planned out already, but it will take some time to write everything down.

Marina has also decided what to do with her situation. Now, the two of them just have to find a way to tell their parents the truth...

I intend to write both chapters again and then upload them at the same time. There will be a short, general opening that is the same in both chapters. After that, this story will follow Ahsoka in space.

Until next time.