Chapter 1 - Slave Child
DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P
Plot: What if the Jedi thought that Ahsoka was the Chosen One? When Qui-Gon finds the nine-year-old slave girl on Tatooine, he knows the Togruta is special. Ahsoka struggles with her troubled past, and her seeming inability to fit in at the Temple only increases her burden. Unbeknownst to her, she's caught the eye of a Sith Lord, one who is determined to win the alleged Chosen One over to his cause.
Author's Note: This story was inspired when we wondered what would have happened had someone else been in Anakin's place. How would they have reacted to their circumstances? What kind of person would they have become? This story answers those questions with Ahsoka. :P
~ Amina Gila
WARNING: This chapter contains references to inappropriate behavior towards a female Togruta, you can probably guess why... Nothing graphic though!
Padme Naberrie Amidala is far from comfortable on this dustball of a planet which no doubt contains a nest of the galaxy's lowest criminals. Really, she only came so she could see personally how the Jedi is planning to conduct himself. It's not that she doesn't trust him - she does - but she's wary, especially with her people and planet at stake.
She follows Qui-Gon Jinn into a shop, and though it appears to be a junk shop, it's probably the best place to start. A blue Toydarian hovers near the doorway, small wings flapping incessantly.
"What do you want?" he demands.
"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian," Qui-Gon answers politely.
"Ah yes yes," the Toydarian murmurs, "Nubian. We have lots of that. What kinda junk?" He flies towards the back of the shop, yelling something in Huttese.
"My droid here has a readout of what I need," the Jedi replies. Artoo rolls forward, but Padme's gaze is pulled from the droid when she sees movement. A young Togruta scurries into the shop from the junkyard out back. Padme would estimate her to be around nine or ten, maybe. Her clothes would more accurately be rags which are becoming increasingly worn, and her normally orange skin is covered with dirt and grime from whatever she'd been doing.
Watto waves a hand in the air, growling something Padme can't understand. She doesn't miss the young girl's flinch, though. After a short conversation, the Toydarian turns away from the Togruta back to them.
"Soooo, let me take you out back. Ni you'll find what you need." He flies over to the backdoor of the shop, disappearing around the corner.
"Don't touch anything," Qui-Gon warns Jar Jar who's already poking around on one of the shelves, before he follows Watto out the backdoor.
Padme glances around, not seeing much that she recognizes, though there seems to be mostly droids. The Togruta climbs onto a counter, picking up a small object which she starts cleaning with a rag that's in no better condition than her clothes.
The girl studies her silently for a moment, head tilted in obvious curiosity, before she finally blurts out what's on her mind. "You aren't from around here, so what are you doing in a place like this?"
"We were going to the capital of the Republic, but our ship broke down," Padme explains carefully. "Until we can repair it, we're stranded here."
"Oh. What are you going to trade?" the child wonders.
Padme blinks at her in confusion. "What?"
"Trade. Y'know, you have to exchange stuff to get something." One orange hand waves slightly, before returning to grasp the rag.
She doesn't need to be a Jedi to suddenly have a very bad feeling. Granted she doesn't know much about Tatooine, but if they have to trade... Well, they don't have anything that they can trade. This is not looking good. "How long have you been here?" she queries curiously, trying to cover her mounting unease with friendliness. Besides, she doesn't want to be rude to the girl.
"Since I was very little, three, I think," the Togruta replies, "My Mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us, betting on the Podraces to Watto, who's a lot better master than Gardulla... I think."
Sold? Wait, that means... "You're a slave?!" Padme exclaims in shock. She winces at the untactfulness of the question, but the words escaped before she had a chance to think them over properly.
She glares at her, blue eyes flashing with anger. "I am a person! My name is Ahsoka."
"I'm sorry," Padme hastily apologizes. It sounded worse than she realized. Sure, she'd thought that Watto was engaging in child labor, but child slavery? "I don't fully understand." Her gaze flickers around the shop for a moment. "This is a strange world to me."
Ahsoka gives her an unimpressed look. "Are you a princess or something? I thought everyone knew about the slavery out here."
Padme sighs quietly. She didn't mean to offend her; now, she needs to figure out how to appease her. "There isn't slavery on my planet," she explains. "I thought that slavery was pretty much outlawed in the galaxy, and I've not been to many other places."
A sudden shriek draws Padme's attention across the shop. Somehow, Jar Jar has turned on a droid which is now running around, and as he runs after it, he trips over nothing apparent and goes sprawling. Padme really wants to sigh. He's well-meaning, but he seems to have a penchant for getting in trouble. The Gungan jumps up again, grabbing for the droid, picking up the flailing machine by its neck.
"Hit the nose," Ahsoka calls, unable to suppress her laughter. Jar Jar looks vaguely confused, but finally does as she instructed. The droid deactivates and falls to the ground motionless.
Suddenly, Qui-Gon strides quickly back into the shop, heading for the exit. "We're leaving," he says simply, then exits. Artoo rolls after. From that simple reply, Padme can only assume his search went nowhere.
"I'm glad I met you, Ahsoka," Padme says, stepping back towards the door.
"Glad to meet you too," Ahsoka calls as Padme steps out of the shop, turning to follow the Jedi.
"You didn't get anywhere?" Padme deduces as she catches up with Qui-Gon.
He shakes his head. "They won't accept Republic credits out here. We have to trade." Just like Ahsoka had warned her, then. This will not be easy.
"I don't think we have anything to trade," Padme worries.
"I'll call back to the ship. There might be something," Qui-Gon replies.
They move to a quiet area in between several buildings, trying to avoid the street bustling with creatures of countless species as the Jedi contacts the ship.
"Obi-Wan, are you there isn't anything of value left on board?" he inquires.
"A few containers of supplies, the Queen's wardrobe, maybe. Not enough for you to barter with. Not in the amounts you're talking about," his padawan responds.
"All right. Another solution will present itself. I'll check back." Qui-Gon breaks the connection and they head back out into the street.
"Noah gain," laments Jar Jar as he follows, "Da beings hereabouts cawazy. Wesa be robbed un crunched."
"Not likely," Qui-Gon replies, "We have nothing of value, that's our problem."
Padme suppresses a quiet groan. No. She refuses to be trapped on this planet. They will find a way to leave. There must be something they can trade, right? Shrugging, she follows her companions as they move back into the crowd and begin walking down the sandy street. Maybe all they need to do is keep looking.
**w**
Ahsoka is elated to finally be out of Watto's shop and on her way home with her mother, Sharlan Tano. Thankfully, today wasn't as long as some of the days she's endured. The extra time will allow them to spend a little longer on their way back to their hovel. Maybe they can even purchase a few pallies on the way back.
Her happy train of thought is interrupted by an all too familiar growl. "A few moments of your time?" She looks up, wide-eyed to see Gratuge Izidz, the Zabrak master of her best friend, Kitster Banai. Uh oh. This isn't good. He's never been extremely overt about what he wants, but Ahsoka has her suspicions, and none of them are good. Female Togrutas are always vulnerable like that, which is why her mother taught her basic self-defense. Watto doesn't want either of them to be injured, so Ahsoka knows he'll defend their actions if necessary.
"I'm sure whatever you have to say can be said right here," her mother replies with far more assurance than she probably feels.
Ahsoka winces and grabs her mother's hand. There's no way that she'll let that slaver touch her mother. Izdiz scowls, taking a step closer, a bottle of some type of alcohol, presumably, in his left hand. There are a few curious onlookers who are watching the drama unfold before them.
He throws the bottle aside, careless for how it smashes into a nearby wall and falls into the dust and sand. Taking two steps forward, he grabs Sharlan's arm in what must be a bruising grip. "I'll show you, slave scum," he hisses.
"Let me go!" she yells defiantly, trying to wrench herself free.
In response, he slaps her, and Ahsoka glares at him. "Let her go!" she demands with all the fury a nine-year-old can muster.
Izdiz sneers at her, before trying to drag her mother away, probably into one of the nearby building. Nope. Not happening. Years of suppressed anger boil up, and Ahsoka instinctively throws her hands, a wave of energy rushing from her and crashing into the slaver. He's sent flying backwards, slamming into a wall hard enough to do serious damage. Her mother is also sent sprawling, but not nearly as hard as Izdiz.
"Mom, are you alright?" asks Ahsoka fearfully, scrambling to her mother's side, and trying to ignore the rising panic, because what did she just do? She always knew she was special, different from everyone else, but this is something else entirely.
"Yes. Yes. I'm fine," her mother reassures her.
"Whatsa going on here?" shouts an incensed Watto, wings beating furiously as he flies up.
"He tried to hurt Mom," Ahsoka helpfully tells him, pointing at the still, unmoving form of Izdiz.
"I'll be having words with him," huffs Watto. "No one hurts my slaves. Now get home, and don't get into more trouble on the way. There's a sandstorm coming."
Ahsoka instinctively turns towards the horizon to see the telltale signs of an imminent sandstorm. As she helps her mother back to her feet, she hears the whispered words of "Jedi" from all around her. Huh? She's not a Jedi, even though she's always wanted to be one. Ignoring the onlookers, she takes her mother's hand and begins hurrying away through the crowd when she spots a familiar group, speaking to someone up ahead. The strangers in the junk shop.
"Hi!" she calls, skipping over to the young human girl. "There's a sandstorm coming," she tells her. "Do you have shelter?"
"We'll head back to our ship," answers the man who was at the shop earlier also.
"Is it far?" Ahsoka questions with a frown.
"Near the outskirts," he replies casually. The outskirts? If they really think they can get that far, they must know almost nothing about Tatooine. Or at least not about sandstorms.
"You'll never get there in time. Sandstorms are very dangerous, and you could easily die," Ahsoka informs him, steadfastly refusing to think about the story she'd heard about when younger about a slave who was killed in a sandstorm because of his master's cruelty. She's loathed sand ever since.
"You can come to our home," offers her mother slowly, giving Ahsoka a questioning look. Ahsoka nods slightly, silently telling her mother that she trusts these strangers.
"Thank you for the offer," the human girl says. "I'm Padme Naberrie, and these are my companions, Qui-Gon Jinn, Jar Jar Binks, and Artoo-Detoo."
"I'm Ahsoka," she tells them again, "And this is my Mom."
"Sharlan Tano," her mother concludes. "Come. Follow us."
As they hurry through the streets towards the Tano's home, the wind begins to pick up. Ahsoka sticks as close to her mother as she can, because she knows that being separated would be a death sentence in this weather.
A strong gust of wind whips past the group, sending swirls of sand through the air and blowing Qui-Gon's robe. A glint of metal catches Ahsoka's eye. Startled, she looks over in time to see - is that seriously a lightsaber? Her eyes widen, but she knows better than to mention it right in the middle of the street. It would be better to keep the comments and conversation until they get home. Jedi aren't particularly welcomed on Tatooine.
The storm is already beginning to pick up by the time they reach the Togrutas' home.
"Disen cozy," decides Jar Jar as they enter, the door sliding closed behind them, blocking out the wind and torrents of swirling sand.
Ahsoka lets out a breath of relief at being safely away from the storm. Of all the things she hates about Tatooine, sandstorms are on the top on the list. Shaking out her clothes, she looks hopefully up at Padme. "Do you want to come to my room while Mom makes dinner?" she asks.
"Of course," Padme replies, following Ahsoka as she moves off towards her bedroom. Artoo follows them with no hesitation, leaving the adults and Jar Jar behind.
The floor is covered with a variety of various odds and ends, none of which seem to be there for any purpose. "I've collected all this stuff," Ahsoka tells Padme, frowning down at the floor, "Because the best way to get things is by trading, and sometimes, I'm able to find useful things which no one else wants. And they help."
"Is it hard for you to get food?" Padme questions, and she sounds genuinely concerned.
Ahsoka shrugs one shoulder and slumps onto the bed. "Sometimes," she admits, "But Watto usually makes sure we have enough so that we don't starve, but... that doesn't mean it's enough." She reaches over, picking up a few objects the purpose of which Padme can't determine and tosses them to the floor. "We usually can only trade with the other slaves, the ones who are better off than us. They'll want things like rags, which we can give in exchange for food." She almost doesn't notice Padme's flinch.
Artoo whistles and beeps, but Ahsoka can't understand what he's saying, so she looks at the elder girl quizzically.
"I'm not sure what he's saying either," Padme admits with a quiet laugh.
Ahsoka turns back to the room, eyes scanning it as she tries to remember what all she's stashed away. "We don't have enough to help you," she says finally, "Or at least I don't think we do..." Her voice trails off when she remembers something she'd found one time, lying in the dust after a cantina brawl. She wasn't supposed to be there, but she was curious about the commotion which is when she found it.
Standing up, she moves across the room and crouches in the corner, digging through a pile of rags and other various objects until she finds what she's looking for and pulls it out. It's small, fitting neatly in her palm, and it sparkles with a faint reddish-orange glow in the light. "I found this one time," she informs Padme holding it out to her. "I'm not sure what it is, but Mom said we should keep it in case it's important."
Padme takes the small object from her hand and turns it around, studying it carefully. "Ahsoka," she says slowly. "I think this might be a Mustafar fire diamond. I saw one once, and it seems to resemble it."
Ahsoka stares at her, wide-eyed. "It's a gem?" she squeaks in surprise. "How much is it worth?"
"More than enough to free you and probably your mother too," Padme answers gently. Her words render Ahsoka speechless.
"Would it be enough to help you too?" she questions. The only reason she got it out was because she thought it might help Padme and the others.
"I'm not sure." Padme passes it back to her, and Ahsoka proceeds to hide it away again. "I don't know much about those gems or how much slaves are worth."
"Well, we can find out," Ahsoka announces cheerfully. "I'll give it to Qui-Gon in the morning, and he can see how much its worth."
Padme hesitates. "I – I don't want to take it from you, Ahsoka. It belongs to you."
Ahsoka glares at her. "It's a gift," she insists. "Mom always tells me that the galaxy would be a better place if people helped each other more, so I'm gonna try and do it even if no one else does."
Padme smiles softly before pulling Ahsoka into a hug. "I'm glad I met you, Ahsoka," she whispers. "I'm going to do whatever I can to help you in return."
The moment is disrupted when Ahsoka's mother calls them to eat supper.
"All slaves have transmitters placed inside their bodies somewhere," Ahsoka's mother informs the others as they eat. "No one knows where they're located, and any attempt to escape..."
"And they blow you up. Poof!" Ahsoka slaps her hand down on the table for emphasis. She does her best not to remember the times she's seen or heard of it herself. Those are tales she'll never let herself dwell on, but they frequently haunt her dreams. The thought of losing her mother like that is almost more than she can bear.
"How wude!" gasps the horrified Gungan.
"I can't believe there is still slavery in the galaxy," Padme exclaims, obviously just as appalled, "The Republic's anti-slavery laws – "
"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Ahsoka's mother interjects, shaking her head sadly, "We must survive on our own."
As they continue eating, Ahsoka's mind wanders back to what she'd seen earlier. "I've been wondering..." she begins hesitantly, leaning forwards.
"What?" Qui-Gon asks.
"Well... you're a Jedi, aren't you?"
"What makes you think that?" he questions.
"I saw your laser sword," Ahsoka explains, "Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon."
Qui-Gon leans back in his seat, smiling faintly. "Perhaps I killed a Jedi and stole it from him."
Ahsoka frowns."I don't think so. No one can kill a Jedi."
"I wish that were so," he responds, and Ahsoka feels a faint flicker of some emotion which isn't strong enough for her to place. She can do that sometimes; feel the emotions of others. It's what's helped her survive so long.
"What are you doing here?" Ahsoka inquires. She knows they ended up here because their ship was damaged, but she doesn't know what they're doing in the Outer Rim in the first place.
"You mustn't let anyone know about us," explains Qui-Gon. "We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system in the Republic, on a very important mission, and it must be kept a secret. We need parts for our ship before we can leave."
"Wit no-nutten mula to trade," supplies Jar Jar.
"I can help!" Ahsoka offers immediately, "I found a gem that Padme says is extremely expensive. It should be enough to get the parts you need."
Her mother jerks towards her, startled. "What?"
"Remember that shiny stone I found several months ago?" Ahsoka questions. "I showed it to Padme, and she says it's a gem. We could probably free ourselves with it, but that won't help them. Besides, it's probably worth enough to help them and us."
"If it won't be enough for us, we don't need to take it from you," Qui-Gon says hesitantly. Ahsoka can tell how uncertain he is about accepting something from them, something which could change their lives for the better, when it's rightfully theirs.
"I already talked to Padme about it," Ahsoka informs him before hiding a yawn.
"We can deal with this in the morning," her mother immediately decides. "Some little girls need to be going to bed now."
"Hey!" Ahsoka tries to scowl but fails when another yawn overtakes her.
Final Note: We'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and what you think will happen, and even things you might like to see happen! The next chapter will be released on the first Thursday of March. :)
