Chapter 45 – Celebrations

I'm done with a new chapter. I know it's been a little while since I last updated this story. I've just been busy and I'm also working on my other stories. Rest assured though, I'm planning on continuing this story for a long time.

In the first part of the chapter, "text like this" is in Basic and /text like this/ is in Togruti. In the remainder of the chapter, it will be the other way around. I'm doing this because the main language in the first part is Basic, while the rest of the chapter is mostly in Togruti. Hope it's not too confusing.

Hope you enjoy.

;-

Coruscant, Padmé Amidala-Skywalker's apartment

As Padmé walked back into the living room of her apartment, she couldn't help but smile a little. Her husband Anakin had arrived about thirty minutes ago. She could instantly tell that he was worried about something. Padmé had to admit, when Anakin told her about the large battle on Kiros and the fact that Ahsoka was there, she did feel worried about the teenage Togruta.

However, she knew that Ahsoka was capable of looking out for herself. From what Anakin told her, Barriss Offee had already informed him that Ahsoka was doing just fine. Padmé knew that they wouldn't really have to worry about Ahsoka, but Anakin was being his usual self again.

Padmé put down the two cups of tea on the table and sat down. Anakin was pacing through the room again. Padmé sighed as she studied her husband. "Ani, take it easy," she told him. "Come on, sit down."

Anakin gave a frustrated sigh and sat down next to his wife. "I can't take it easy, Padmé," he replied. "Ahsoka was just in a massive battle and I have no idea how she's doing." There was a lot of annoyance and worry in his voice. He started nervously tapping his fingers on the couch.

"Didn't Barriss Offee already tell you that Ahsoka was alright?" Padmé asked him. She hoped that Anakin would remember that and calm down a bit, but she knew how Anakin could be. Especially when it comes to the people he cares about. "Besides, you know Ahsoka, she can take care of herself. She's a strong girl. You taught her, remember?"

"I know that, but…" Anakin replied with a frustrated sigh. "I'm still worried about her. From what I heard it was a massive battle." He got up and started pacing again. "And she might not have told Barriss the truth. Ahsoka has lied about her injuries before, you know that."

Padmé sighed as she watched her husband pace up and down, complaining constantly. Anakin was right, Ahsoka wasn't one to quickly complain about her injuries. She always acted strong, no matter what happened. However, Barriss was a skilled healer and would be able to tell if Ahsoka was lying about any injuries. If she said that Ahsoka was alright, then she probably is.

Also, her husband seemed to be forgetting something important. "Ani," she said to get his attention. Anakin kept pacing around. "Ani," she said a little louder. That shook him out of his thoughts and he looked at his wife. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked him. Anakin gave her a confused stare, obviously he had forgotten it in his worry.

Padmé sighed again. "Don't you know where Ahsoka lives now?" She reminded him. "If you really want to know if she's alright, why don't you just call her?" Padmé looked at Anakin again, but to her surprise, he wasn't standing there anymore. She was barely able to catch a glimpse of him disappearing into the other room where the holotransmitter was.

Padmé laughed for a moment. Anakin was really being his usual predicable self again. She shook her head and got up to join him in the other room.

;-

Shili, Corvala, Tano residence

Ahsoka was in her bedroom, checking on a few things before she, her parents and Aisha were planning on leaving. She couldn't help but smile. In a few hours' time, Aisha would really be a part of their family. She really liked the idea of having a younger sister.

Aisha had been beaming with happiness since she woke up. She was absolutely delighted at becoming a part of Ahsoka's family. She had been an only child, so having sisters was something she really wanted. Her big smile had put everyone in the house in a good mood. Nothing could probably spoil her mood.

Suddenly, Ahsoka's thoughts were interrupted by her holocommunicator going off. She looked at it slightly surprised. "Who could be calling me now?" she asked herself as she walked towards the nearby counter. She picked up the communicator and activated the transmission. A smile spread on her face as the images of Anakin and Padmé appeared.

"Hey Anakin, Padmé, how are you?" she asked them happily. Ahsoka watched them both for a moment. They were both smiling, although she could also see quite a bit of relief on Anakin's face. She set the holocommunicator down on a small table next to her and sat down on her bed.

"We're both doing well, Ahsoka," Padmé replied. "We just wanted to see how you were doing. You've been busy lately, haven't you?" she asked a bit accusingly.

Anakin spoke up before Ahsoka had a chance to reply. "I heard about the battle. What were you thinking joining such a dangerous fight?" he asked in a worried voice. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

Ahsoka was a bit surprised by his sudden little outburst. Next to Anakin, she could see Padmé shake her head a little. She couldn't help but smile a bit, Anakin was acting like his usual overprotective self again. It was quite amusing to her. "He hasn't changed a bit." She shook her head as well.

"Come on, Anakin," she replied with a smile. "You know me. There was no way that I was just going to sit here on Shili while my people were in danger. That's just something I can't do." She looked at Anakin for a moment. The rapidly changing expression on his face was very entertaining.

Anakin sighed. "I know that, Snips," he said after a short moment. "But did you really have to place yourself in such danger?"

Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Danger comes hand in hand with battle, you know that Skyguy," she replied. "There's no need to be so worried, Anakin. I wasn't fighting alone you know. I had a lot of help. There were a lot of strong fighters with me."

Padmé decided to speak up before Anakin could. "After hearing about that battle, we just wanted to know how you were doing," she told Ahsoka. "We heard it was a long battle. But from the looks of you, you seem to be alright." She gave a little glance at her husband.

Ahsoka saw the glance. It wasn't difficult for her to figure out that Anakin had probably been panicking again. In a certain way, she thought it was sweet. It showed he still cared. "I'm doing just fine, I wasn't hurt in the battle at all," she replied with a smile. "That fighter I had was incredible. The droids couldn't touch me at all."

The mention of the fighter made Anakin recall something Barriss told him. In that moment, his passion and excitement for flying took over. "Barriss told me about some kind of maneuver you pulled. What was that about?" he asked interested.

Both Ahsoka and Padmé smiled a bit at Anakin's sudden change in mood. Once again, he was being his predictable self. Ahsoka didn't mind at all. This was Anakin after all. "The fighters that we used were designed for maximum agility. Their wing design was unlike anything I've seen before," she told him. "During the battle, we had to perform a bombing run on a group of tanks. There was a group of Vultures chasing us, but they couldn't keep up with us. We executed a really sharp dive to get down to the planet quickly. We broke the dive at the last moment, a normal fighter would have torn apart, those Vultures sure did."

Hearing that really interested Anakin. "You were able to pull off such a sharp dive and get out of it without any difficulty?" he asked. "Those fighters must be quite something."

"Oh yes, they definitely are," Ahsoka replied. "Their design was amazing. I was also able to use some of our tricks to increase their speed." Anakin couldn't help but smile at the mention of that.

Padmé smiled as she listened to the two of them talking about the fighters. Anakin seemed to be a lot more at ease, much to her relief. "It looks like you're doing really well, Ahsoka. I'm glad to see that you're alright," she said.

Ahsoka looked at Padmé. "I feel great," she replied. "We were able to protect everyone and prevent great disaster. The people were all so happy." She smiled with the memory. "Oh yeah, thank you for voting to help the people of Kiros, Padmé. We couldn't have done it without the Republic support."

"There's no need to thank me, Ahsoka," Padmé said. "Of course I was going to help. I wouldn't just leave them to suffer." Padmé then thought of something. "What about your sister Lilo?" she asked. "I would have expected her to address the Senate to be honest."

Ahsoka's expression saddened a bit. "I had the most horrifying vision of what could have happened to her, so I asked her to stay on Shili where she would be safe," she replied.

Padmé nodded. "I understand, Ahsoka," she replied. "Thankfully, everyone is alright."

Ahsoka nodded back at her. From the look on Anakin's face, she could tell that he would have preferred it if she had stayed on Shili as well. She flashed him a smile that said that she knew exactly what he was thinking. Anakin couldn't help but smile back as well.

Anakin wanted to say something else, but both him and Padmé were surprised when a little Togruta girl suddenly jumped on the bed next to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka smiled as Rosette jumped up on the bed next to her. /Hi Rosette,/ she said to her niece.

/Hi 'Soka,/ Rosette replied in a happy voice. /Mommy is making some tea, do you want some too?/ she asked.

/Yes, I would like some," Ahsoka replied. /Thank you Rose,/ Rosette smiled and jumped off the bed. She ran out of the room with the same speed as she entered. "She's always so energetic," Ahsoka thought amused.

She turned her attention back to the images of Anakin and Padmé. Their happy and slightly questioning expressions made her chuckle a bit. "My niece, Rosette," she told them. "She's a really sweet girl."

"She's adorable, Ahsoka," Padmé replied with a smile. Next to her, Anakin was smiling as well.

"She's very excited for later, we're all going to have a great day," Ahsoka said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to what?" Anakin asked. Part of him began to worry a little, his usual protectiveness kicking in again.

Ahsoka smiled. "There's going to be a large celebration later today," she replied. "Everyone is immensely relieved that the people of Kiros are safe. The Royal Family is preparing a feast as a 'thank you' for everyone that went to fight."

"I see, that sounds wonderful," Padmé said. "You are all going as well?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Princess Vashee insisted we all came," she replied. "She'd probably send some guards to bring me there if I didn't show up." She chuckled a bit.

"Really?" Anakin asked surprised. He and Padmé shared an amused look.

"Yeah, the princess and I have become quite good friends," Ahsoka replied. "Thanks to her, I'm doing pretty well. She made sure that I was well taken care off after Felucia. Thanks to her and her family, I'll be just fine." There wasn't really any reason to tell them that, but she hoped that it would ease Anakin's worry about her somewhat.

"I'm really glad to hear that you're doing so well, Ahsoka," Padmé said with a smile. "I must admit that I was a bit worried, especially after hearing about the battle you went through, but I knew that you would be able to take of yourself." She gave a slight glance at Anakin as she said it.

Anakin caught the glance and knew what his wife was implying. He gave a slightly frustrated sigh, much to Ahsoka's amusement. Anakin looked at Ahsoka. "I know you can take care of yourself, Snips," he told her. "I just can't help worrying."

Ahsoka chuckled a bit. "Don't worry Skyguy, I understand," she replied. "But there's no need to worry so much. I'm doing great here." She smiled at him. "And if you do worry, you can just contact me or send me a message instead of panicking, okay?"

Anakin smiled and wanted to say something in return, but his comlink went off. "Excuse me for a bit," he said as he got up. "Don't go anywhere," he told Ahsoka as he walked to the other room. Ahsoka and Padmé shared an amused look.

"Thank you for saying that, Ahsoka," Padmé told her. Ahsoka gave her a confused look. "For telling Anakin that he can contact you if he wants to. I think it put him a lot more at ease."

"Don't mention it, Padmé," Ahsoka replied. "I don't want you both to be strangers now. I would really miss the both of you."

Padmé smiled at her. "I'll try not to be," she said. "And I'm sure I'll see your sisters every now and then in the Senate."

Anakin rejoined them. "I have to go soon, unfortunately," he said with regret. It was perfectly obvious for both Padmé and Ahsoka that he'd rather have spent the rest of the day talking to her.

"Don't worry, Anakin. I understand. I'm going to have a busy day as well," Ahsoka replied. "And don't worry, I wasn't planning on doing anything dangerous soon. Fortunately, it looks like things will be quiet in the good way here."

Anakin smiled. "I'm really glad to hear that," he said with obvious relief. "Just… Promise me that you'll contact me if something does happen, okay?"

Ahsoka wanted to say it was alright, but she knew Anakin. "Alright, I promise. I'll be sure to contact you first if something bad happens," she replied with a smile. She looked between Padmé and Anakin. "It was great to hear from both of you."

"Likewise Ahsoka," Padmé said with a smile. "Have a nice day."

"Have fun, Snips," Anakin said smiling as well. "Just don't do anything crazy."

Ahsoka waved at the two of them and the transmission ended. With great amusement she placed the holocommunicator away again. "Anakin still hasn't changed. Good thing Padmé is there to keep him in check." She shook her head and went downstairs.

;-

For the rest of the chapter, "Text like this" is in Togruti and /Text like this/ is in Basic.

;-

A few hours later

Ahsoka was in one of the governmental buildings close the palace with her parents and Aisha. After some time of waiting, they were now about to finalize Aisha's adoption.

Ahsoka was smiling happily. She had been looking forward to this since her mother had told her of their decision. After what Aisha had been through, she deserved to be happy. Ahsoka wanted to make sure of that and, with Aisha now becoming her sister, she would be able to do just that.

She looked at Aisha sitting next to her. The younger girl still had a massive smile on her face. It was obviously taking her a lot of effort not to bounce up and down in joy. Ahsoka didn't need the Force at all to tell just how happy Aisha was at the moment.

Right now, her parents were busy filling in all of the required forms and information the with the governmental worker. "Our parents in a moment." Ahsoka thought joyfully. They were already busy for a few minutes. From the time she spent with Lux on Onderon and with helping her sisters, she knew that matters like these required a lot of forms.

She studied Aisha for a short moment. Ahsoka had already been able to tell that they had several things in common. However, it seemed that she did have some more patience than Ahsoka herself had at Aisha's age. "That's a good thing. It will help her understand the Force better."

Ahsoka was looking forward to teaching Aisha about the Force. She had always loved teaching others, so being free to teach her sister at their own pace was going to be great.

"Alright then," the worker said after a few more minutes. "We're just about done." She put a few documents together and picked up a datapad. "All that's left now, is for you to sign this," she said to Aisha.

Aisha jumped up from the chair she was sitting on and quickly made her way to the female Togruta's desk. After a short moment of explaining the form and some legally required information, she signed the form.

The woman took the datapad back and tapped a few buttons. "Alright then, we're all finished," she said as she put the datapad away. "From now on, you will be known as Aisha Tano-Kariya. Congratulations."

Aisha's face beamed with happiness at being called that. She quickly turned around to face her family. Haymish, Yuae and Ahsoka were all smiling at her. She ran up to them and gave her new parents a big hug. After that, she turned to Ahsoka to her new big sister.

Ahsoka returned the hug just as eagerly. "It's official now, welcome to the family sis," she said happily. They pulled back from the hug and gave each other a big smile.

"I don't know how I can ever repay you for this," Aisha said softly. "Thank you so much." Her voice was shaking with emotion.

"You don't have to do anything," Yuae replied with a smile. "It was our pleasure. We're glad to have you with us." She looked between Ahsoka and Aisha. "Now then, let's go back home. We have to get ready for tonight."

Both Ahsoka and Aisha nodded. Ahsoka took her sisters hand and the two followed their parents out of the room.

;-

A short time later, back at the house

Ahsoka and her new sister walked back into their house. Aisha was still a shining beacon of happiness in the Force. Ahsoka figured she would have to teach Aisha about shielding her emotions later, but for now, she didn't mind.

The two of them went into the living room where Marina and Lilo greeted them excitedly. Rosette was also very happy that her new friend was staying with them. They had talked for a while, which had mostly been Marina and Lilo trying to convince Ahsoka that she needed to wear a formal dress. They had been unsuccessful.

After that long chat, Ahsoka and Aisha had gone upstairs to get ready for the celebration. This feast was something they were both really looking forward to. It didn't take them that long to get ready. It wasn't going to be a formal ball, or something like that, so they could both wear something easy and comfortable.

A thought crossed Ahsoka's mind, she turned to Aisha. "Hey Aisha," she said to get her attention. The younger Togruta looked at her sister. "I know I promised you that I would teach you about the Force today, but I don't think we'll have enough time for that now. I hope you don't mind."

Aisha shook her head. "No, it's okay," she replied with a smile. "You already did so much for me." She was still radiating happiness. "Besides, don't you have to be calm for the Force?" she asked.

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "That's right," she said. "You need to be able to concentrate and focus in order to use the Force properly. When you learn more about the Force, it will get easier." Aisha seemed to have some basic idea of the Force.

Aisha smiled a bit. "After everything that happened today, I don't think I will be able to concentrate much," she admitted amused. "I'm way too excited."

Ahsoka laughed a bit at her confession. "Don't worry about it," she replied. "This is a day for celebration anyway. We can start any other time you want to." She smiled at her sister. "Come on, let's go downstairs. We have to leave soon. Otherwise Princess Vashee will send her guards to come and get me."

Aisha laughed at that and the two of them went downstairs.

;-

Later that evening

Ahsoka and Aisha sat down at a table with the snacks that they got from the large buffet. The celebration was in full progression.

Everyone had first gathered around the palace where the king had held a speech. He spoke a moment to thank everyone for helping. He also extended the gratitude of Governor Roshti. After that, he discussed the progress of the repairs taking place on Kiros and some plans for future constructions.

When he was finished, he gave the word to his daughter, princess Zaa. She also thanked everyone briefly. She then invited all of the people gathered to go and enjoy themselves at the celebration. There was a round of applause and the music started playing.

Several rooms inside the palace had been redecorated for the celebration. The ball room had been prepared, of course. It was currently one of the liveliest rooms in the palace. In a few rooms around the ball room were places to sit and talk, to enjoy each other´s company and the large buffet that had been prepared, something which Ahsoka and Aisha were doing right now.

Ahsoka had learned from Marina that Zaa Vashee had been responsible for the ball room and the feast she and Aisha were enjoying now. "She's really done an amazing job." She thought as she took another bite of the Akul meat.

Next to her, Aisha was enjoying herself greatly as well. She was looking around excitedly at all of the people. Ahsoka was really glad that she was having such a good time.

As she looked through the happy crowd of people, she spotted Zaa Vashee walking around the hall with a large smile on her face. The Togrutan princess saw her sitting and started making her way to her.

"Good evening, Ahsoka," Zaa greeted Ahsoka with smile. "I'm glad you're here. You deserve to enjoy yourself. What do you think of the celebration?" she asked excitedly.

Ahsoka smiled and bowed her head. Aisha did the same next to her, surprised by the fact that the princess just came up to talk to them. "Good evening princess," Ahsoka replied, making sure to sound respectful, just in case anyone overheard them. "We wouldn't miss this for the world. This is great. Your family has really gone all out with this celebration."

Zaa looked really happy to hear that. "We wanted to make sure that everyone had a great opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves," she said. "After that battle, everyone really deserved it." She looked over at Aisha. "Who is this with you?" she asked.

Ahsoka looked between the princess and her sister. "This is Aisha Tano, my little sister," she introduced Aisha. The younger girl smiled at that. "Aisha, this is princess Zaa Vashee."

Aisha nodded respectfully. "It's an honor to meet you," she told Zaa.

Zaa smiled at Aisha. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well," she replied. She remembered talking with her brother and a few warriors of the H'Raani M'Kai about the people they had rescued from Tatooine. Ahsoka herself had taken along a young Togrutan girl. "So she's a part of your family now?" she asked with a smile.

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, that's right," she said with a smile. "She's a part of the family now. I'm sure that we're going to have some great times together."

Aisha smiled happily as well. "I'm really happy to have sisters now. Everyone is really nice," she told the princess. "And Ahsoka is going to teach me about the Force. I will be able to help people as well." She said.

"You're going to teach her the Force?" Zaa asked Ahsoka in surprise. "I don't know much about how it works, but is that possible?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, Aisha is Force-sensitive. She has the ability to learn and use the Force," she explained. "It's how I found her in the first place. She unknowingly called out to me. I've always liked teaching, so I'm looking forward to it as well."

"Well then, that's great," Zaa replied. "Ahsoka has done so much for us. I'm sure that she can teach you a lot." She smiled at the two. "I hope you both enjoy the evening. I'm off to the ball room, I wonder if anyone has the courage the ask me for a dance." She chuckled a bit.

Both Ahsoka and Aisha laughed a bit. "You have a bit of a wicked streak, don't you?" Ahsoka asked the princess. Zaa gave her a wink in response and walked off. Ahsoka and Aisha smiled at each other and continued eating.

;-

Ahsoka had showed Aisha around the palace some more. After that, they had gone back to their family. Locating them through the Force had become quite an easy task for her.

They were all together now, enjoying themselves in the ball room a bit. Their parents were currently dancing with each other. Lilo, Aisha and Rosette were sitting on the side, watching them and the others on the dance floor. Marina was standing a bit to the side, talking with the prince. Ahsoka hoped that they had been able to work everything out.

As she watched her parents dance, Ahsoka secretly wished that Lux could have been there with her. Unfortunately he was busy with his work, being a Senator was very demanding. However, he had promised to take her on a vacation soon, something she was really looking forward too.

Glancing around the room, Ahsoka suddenly spotted two familiar people. Standing a bit away from her were Ellona and Edea, the Twi'lek twins they had rescued from Tatooine. After they said that they didn't want to return home, Lilo had offered to hire them as assistants so they could stay on Shili. She had been curious as to how the two were doing, so she decided to go and talk to them.

/Hello Ellona, Edea,/ Ahsoka greeted them as she reached the two. /It's nice to see you two again./

The two of them turned to face her. /Ahsoka,/ Ellona replied surprised. She and her sister smiled at her.

/It's good to see you as well,/ Edea said. /We heard a lot of things about that battle. Miss Lilo was very worried./

/It was a long battle, but I'm fine,/ Ahsoka replied. /I was just wondering how you two were doing. How are you finding life on Shili?/ She knew they were probably still recovering from slavery, but hoped that this was an easier question for them to answer.

The twins shared a bit of a sad look. /It's great here on Shili,/ Edea replied with a small smile. /We can't thank you, Lilo and the others enough for everything you've done for us./

/It's just difficult for us to adjust right now,/ Ellona continued. /We've been through so much…/ Her voice dropped a bit at the end.

Ahsoka moved forward a bit and placed her hands on the twin's shoulders. /I understand,/ she said comfortingly. /I've seen some terrible things during this war. No one is expecting you to get over everything this quickly./ She gave them a warm smile. /Don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel you need it. If you want to talk to someone, you can come to me. I'll do what I can to help you, I promise./

Both sisters smiled a bit at that. /Thank you, Ahsoka,/ Ellona replied. /We really appreciate it./

/If we feel like we can't cope, we'll come to you,/ Edea continued. /I just hope everything works out./

/The two of you are stronger than you give yourselves credit for,/ Ahsoka told them. /You can get over this, I just know it./

Both sisters look more relieved now. /We'll do our best, thank you,/ Edea replied.

/Miss Lilo has already helped us a lot, she's given us a safe place to stay and recover,/ Ellona said as she glanced over to Lilo. /I hope that we'll be able to repay her kindness./

Ahsoka smiled at them again. /I'm sure that you will be able to help her out,/ she told them. /Her work as a Senator can keep her really busy. There'll be a lot that you can help her with./ She looked between the sisters. /You'll probably be travelling quite a bit, to all kinds of meetings with other Senators, so keep an eye on my sister for me./

Ellona and Edea both smiled and nodded. /We will,/ they both replied at the same time. Ahsoka nodded back and the three of them headed back to the others.

;-

That's the end of this chapter.

Aisha is now officially a part of the family. In the next chapter, Ahsoka will begin teaching her about the Force.

The next story I will update is either Rebirth of Light or Unexpected Company.

After seeing the latest episode of Star Wars Rebels, I realized that Disney has pretty much messed up my whole idea for Unexpected Company. I won't go into details, I want to avoid spoiling things for those that haven't seen it yet, but Unexpected Company should now be considered a Rebels AU. Still, I'm going to write it out because I think it can make a good short story.

Which story is updated first will depend on the amount of inspiration I have for them. I will be working on both stories.

Until next time.