Chapter 23

reviews:

Malirbly: Thank you! Well here's part one of finding out what happens on Ryloth, anyway. We'll have to wait another week to see how it ends on Ryloth ;)

littlesky33by: Thank you! (wants to type heart emoji but fanfiction dot net does not allow).

Edgeofdoom: Gotta admit you're right, but Ahsoka just doesn't think the same way ;) thank you for reviewing!


It had taken a flight of about six hours, but finally Ahsoka came out of hyperspace above the planet of Ryloth. According to the information she'd acquired, she still had about a day and a half before Vader would arrive. During her flight she'd debated what to do with that time.

Ahsoka had come to the conclusion rather quickly that it wasn't even something to think about. She would try to help the Free Ryloth movement prepare for Vader's arrival, as best as she could with this timeframe. If they wanted her to, that is.

Yes, Ahsoka had heard of them. The Free Ryloth movement was hard to miss after what had happened last year. The failed attempt on the Emperor's life had not gone unnoticed to Ahsoka's rebel cell. It was with this in mind that she found it strange that Vader was only returning now to deal with them once again. Given his current nature in handling these types of actions, they should've been dead by now – not that she would complain. An enemy of the Empire was a friend of hers.

Then again, Ahsoka also knew that they were almost untraceable. They would crawl underground, literally, and be gone. Keeping that in mind, Ahsoka wasn't planning on finding them. They would find her.

Ahsoka directed her shuttle towards the vast plains of the Tann Province. To her knowledge, that's where they should be located. It was at least worth a shot and a better idea than landing in the Empire occupied cities.

The idea was that they would notice an Imperial shuttle in the middle of the desert and certainly come check it out. At least, that was what Ahsoka hoped. She had no idea how they really operated. She knew Master Windu once worked with them during the Clone Wars, but that was all.

Oh well. Nothing like just winging it, right?

Ahsoka approached the plains and set the shuttle down on the ground. She looked around through the viewport. Everywhere around here were Twi'lek residences. From what she knew about Twi'leks, whole clans lived in those. That would mean someone would sure notice her.

It took about 15 minutes before Ahsoka was approached, but it wasn't what she was expecting. She was approached by a droid. To be more specific, it was an old astromech. A C1 series if she was correct. Ahsoka stared at it, and if she didn't know better, she would say it stared right back at her.

Neither droid nor Togruta said a thing. Ahsoka was the first to break the silence. "So, you're here to check me out? See if I am not a danger to your people, or…?" she started, trailing off. Again, the droid remained silent. She was seriously doubting if it was still operational enough to let out anything binary. He honestly looked like he would fall apart any second now.

"I'm not Imperial, if that's what you're wondering. I stole this," Ahsoka said, pointing behind her to the shuttle. "I'm looking for Cham Syndulla. I have some news for him he would want to hear."

At this the astromech slowly rolled away from her to the front of the ship. That's where the welcome party must be waiting for her. And finally, the astromech spoke. Or, well… you know-

And Ahsoka was going to pretend she did not speak binary, right now. Because she would not be called that!

But the astromech didn't only insult her, he also drew someone out. And again, it was totally not what Ahsoka was expecting.

It was a teenage Twi'lek girl. She was jade-colored and had markings on her lekku. Ahsoka guessed she had to be around 16. What was she doing out here, checking out a potential threat? Didn't this girl know how dangerous this situation could be? Ahsoka could be her enemy. Lucky for her, she wasn't.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, staring intently at Ahsoka.

"I could ask you the same thing. You weren't who I was expecting," Ahsoka said back.

"You came to my planet. I have the right to ask first," was the retort. And well, Ahsoka thought, this girl certainly has the wit and determination to approach a possible hostile situation like this one.

Ahsoka conceded. She was 90% sure this girl wasn't an Imperial. She could trust her with her information. Maybe she even knows where Cham Syndulla was. "My name is Ahsoka Tano. I'm a rebel, insurgent, freedom fighter, whatever you want to call it. I have some urgent news for Cham Syndulla regarding the safety of his Free Ryloth movement. Everyone here is in danger."

The Twi'lek girl stared skeptically at Ahsoka. The droid said something – man he was rude – and the girl nodded. "Why should I believe you?" she asked.

Ahsoka reached behind a patch on her hip to retrieve one of her lightsabers. She held it out to the girl for her to take. "Because I used to be a Jedi," she said, while assessing the girl's reaction.

The Twi'lek's eyes widened as she stared at the lightsaber. Ahsoka nudged her hand further forward, which brought the curious girl over the edge. She picked the lightsaber up and held it in her hands while looked it over, completely fascinated. "How do I know you didn't just steal this?" she then asked.

Ahsoka reached out with the Force and pulled her lightsaber back to her hand. She activated it and spun it a few times in her grip. The girl stared, awestruck, obviously shocked at the display of the Force. "I made this lightsaber myself and trained with it for most of my life while with the Jedi Order. I have two actually, and they are completely in touch with me. I swear to you that they aren't stolen. They wouldn't come to me using the Force like that, if they were," she said.

The girl just nodded. She would not argue with Ahsoka. The droid beeped again. He was certainly a lot less chirpy than Artoo. Ahsoka missed him. She heard him say that the girl still had to answer to Ahsoka's question to Cham Syndulla and that she should take her to him. Again, Ahsoka pretended she hadn't understood it. She now knew this girl knew Cham. She would wait for the girl to take her to him, or not.

The girl seemed to think it over. "My father doesn't like Jedi very much, says they're too much affiliated with the Republic. Which he didn't like either. But if it's about important news, I'm sure he'll understand. I'll take you to Cham Syndulla," she said.

Ahsoka smiled at her. Together with the droid, they started walking towards one of the residences.

"So," Ahsoka started, "you were pretty brave back there. I could've been a dangerous Imperial. What's your name?"

The girl looked up. "Hera," she said. "Hera Syndulla."

Ahsoka had already figured it out from the previous statement about her father, but having confirmation was nice. This was his daughter and didn't that just make a lot of sense.

The droid chirped up again. He was basically scolding Hera for giving this stranger her name. he appeared to be protective of her. Ahsoka chuckled at that. "Who's your droid friend here, then? He seems protective of you. He also doesn't seem to like me, from the things he's called me," she said.

Hera's eyes widened. "You can understand him?" she asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "As generals and commanders, the Order used droids to help with the flying. But the real reason I learned binary was because my master had an astromech droid and he was very lively. I learned to understand him over time."

Hera nodded along. "This little guy is Chopper. He was in a Republic Y-wing that crashed next to my home during the Clone Wars. I pulled him out and repaired him. We've been companions ever since. He does have his own agenda and attitude, though," she grumbled.

Ahsoka laughed at that. "Some droids sure appear to be good at that. And it's quite impressive, repairing an astromech after a crash. Are you a mechanic?" she asked.

Hera shook her head. "No, I can find my way around, though. I mostly learned from ships. You see, I want to be the best pilot in the galaxy," she said proudly.

Ahsoka smiled at that. "I'm sure you can make it." She paused, "hey, if you want, I can help do some upgrades on Chopper's systems. I am kind of a part time mechanic."

A smile spread across Hera's face. "I would like that. And I'm sure he would too. We're here, by the way," she finished, and they both stopped in front of one of the residences. Ahsoka had to admit that this was very much hiding in plain sight, and that it seemed to work.

"He should be in his office. I lead you there." Hera said. The both of them entered the residence. It was like this small city. It looked beautiful inside. Everything was decorated. Definitely not what Ahsoka was used to. She stared at everything while blindly following Hera.

They stopped in front of two doors. Hera knocked on them three times before stepping inside. "Father," she started, sounding insecure all of a sudden. "there's so-" she was never allowed to finish her sentence.

"Not now Hera, we're discussing strategy. If it's important, you can come back later," the voice of a man spoke out from beyond the door.

"But father, it is important. Someone's here to-"

"I said, not now Hera," he said again.

Ahsoka couldn't take this. She stepped forward through the door, then came to a stop. She stood tall and surveyed the room. There were three Twi'lek males in the room. Ahsoka assumed the one sitting at the desk was Cham.

"General Syndulla," she started with authority, "my name is Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi and current rebel fighter against the Empire. I'm here with an urgent warning. They're coming for you."

Everyone in the room stared at her, including Hera, who had not yet left.

"If that's news, then I don't know what kind of rock you've lived under. They've been coming for me constantly. Now, I must ask you to leave. We were planning something, and I don't want an outsider to be involved. Especially a Jedi," Cham said.

"With all due respect, General Syndulla, but this is not just some troopers. I've been tracking Darth Vader. His trail led me here. Vader's coming, General. And he's coming for you. I know for a fact that if you're caught by surprise by him, your chances of survival are slim," Ahsoka said, her face hard. They had to understand the urgency.

The men looked thoughtful. Hera just looked confused. "Who's that?" she asked. At her voice, her father looked up. "Hera, I need you to leave now," he said.

Hera looked let down but turned around anyway. Before she could completely walk out, Ahsoka stopped her. "Why don't you go prep Chopper and come find me when you're done. We'll start working on him right away."

That put a small smile on Hera's face as she nodded and walked out. Ahsoka turned back to Cham.

"You're telling me Vader's coming here. A year after what happened. Unlikely. And why would a Jedi be tracking Vader? Shouldn't you be running from him?" Cham asked, skeptically.

Why was everyone skeptical of her? It was getting old.

"I don't know why, Sir. I only know that I just came from an Imperial communications outpost. They had ship logs. His Star Destroyer was amongst the list. He will arrive in about a day. As for why I'm keeping my tabs on him. Well, he destroyed my Order. I have a right to know what he's up to. I have my plans for him, which do not concern you. The only thing you must know is that I'm not currently your enemy. Don't make me one. I know you disliked the Republic, but I don't represent that anymore. Jedi is just a name which doesn't fit me anymore. I use the Force and I fight the Empire. That should be enough for you," Ahsoka said fiercely.

Cham and the man to his right exchanged glances before he spoke again. "You're sure he's coming here? Tomorrow?"

"That, or the day after that, yes. I'm very sure," Ahsoka stated.

"Then we thank you for your warning. We will handle this and will no longer keep you. Best wishes, Ahsoka Tano," Cham said. Ahsoka nodded at him and walked out the door. They didn't want her help. That's fine. She would find other ways to spend her time here until Vader comes.

Outside the door stood Hera, already waiting for her. "So?" she asked. Ahsoka smiled. "Message delivered. Let's hope they take it seriously. Now, where's Chopper? I could use some good old mechanic work right about now."

=O=

Hera led Ahsoka through several halls and into a small room. "This is my room. I keep all my stuff for Chopper in here too. I know it's not much, but hopefully we can still do something with it," Hera said.

Ahsoka smiled. It was more than enough to get a little work done on the droid. At least make him look better. She inspected the droid carefully. Chopper was indeed already quite old. Compared to Artoo he looked quite worse for wear. But from what she'd seen from him in the last hour, she was sure he was worth the effort. Ahsoka was glad a girl like Hera had a droid like him. Though she did wonder who used to fly with the C1 series astromech.

They both got to work. Ahsoka redid some of this wiring and brushed up some plates that looked too rusty to be comfortable on the droid. Hera was mostly arguing with Chopper, but Ahsoka didn't mind. At least it would keep him occupied from throwing remarks at her.

"So," Hera suddenly started, startling Ahsoka out of her work. She wasn't expecting Hera to suddenly switch from talking to Chopper to talking to her. "You used to be a Jedi. What was it like?" Hera's entire tone spoke of curiosity. Like she'd been wanting to ask this for a little while now but finally worked up the courage.

Ahsoka let a soft smile form on her lips. "The Jedi, well… they were certainly special. Growing up in the Temple on Coruscant was quite an experience. It can't be compared to how you grew up here. We lived in creches. Had no parents. It was mostly training and studying. But the work was rewarding. When I finally got to go out into the Galaxy as a Padawan I was so excited. It would've been the best part of being a Jedi if there hadn't been a war going on. Honestly, due to the war I have no real idea what it ever really meant to be a Jedi. I didn't stick around long enough to find out."

Hera looked at her, confused. "What do you mean you didn't stick around long enough to find out?" she asked.

Ahsoka sighed. "I left the Jedi Order a year before they were wiped out. My views didn't align with theirs any longer and I felt like I didn't belong in what they had made themselves become."

"Is that how you survived?" Hera asked carefully. Ahsoka turned to stare at her, face unreadable. She understood why Hera asked, but it was still harsh. But what can you really expect from a teenager? Ahsoka had been too blunt sometimes back then as well. Anakin never hesitated to point it out. Hera noticed Ahsoka's stare and looked away shamefully. "I'm sorry," she said.

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, it's okay. You were only curious. But to answer your question: no. I was actually on a Republic military mission. They tried to take me out, but I got away. I guess it was just dumb luck that I survived. It certainly wasn't for their lack of trying. I've been running from the Empire for over 6 years now."

Hera looked at her with pity. "I'm sorry Ahsoka. That must've been awful. I can't imagine…" It was obvious the girl had run out of things to say. Ahsoka decided to change the subject. She didn't want pity anyways.

"So, what about you? Your father is a rebel general. Living among these freedom fighters must be dangerous," Ahsoka said.

Hera nodded. "We do have to be constantly on guard. But we manage. The Empire hasn't caught up with us yet," she said.

"You're a part of the group too? How old are you?" Ahsoka asked. She couldn't have been wrong about Hera being a teenager, right?

"I'm 16, and yes. I am a part of his group. Because I would have no life if I weren't," Hera said.

"And your father is okay with that?" Ahsoka asked, shocked. At 16, she'd been an experienced Jedi padawan. Even then Anakin was reluctant to let her go on certain assignments. She couldn't imagine a father wanting this for their daughter.

"He doesn't really care about what I do," Hera said, looking defeated. "After my mom and brother died, he stopped caring. The only thing he cares about is opposing the Empire. But that's fine. I don't really care anymore either. I'm fighting because I want to get out of this place. I told you I wanted to be the best pilot in the Galaxy. I want to leave and fly and help people."

Ahsoka felt bad for Hera. It was obvious she still cared so much about her father, despite what she says. But her stupid teenage thoughts were blocking it. Ahsoka decided to just not comment on it and let it rest. Instead she focused on the girl's dream to be a pilot. "So, you any good at it already?"

Hera nodded enthusiastically. "I practice every moment I can, but my last ship got destroyed by the Empire. I currently have nothing to practice on," she finished as she sighed.

Ahsoka smirked. "I think I can change that. I have a perfectly good shuttle just sitting outside that we can damage as much as we want. Wanna take it for a spin?" she asked.

Hera grinned. "Let's do it," she said. She got up and pulled Chopper with her into the hallway. Ahsoka followed closely behind. This should be fun.


This chapter took a lot of work and I barely had it finished in time. I'm hoping to have more time to write next week. My summer holiday will have started then. So I'm hoping to get a few chapters written before I leave to go on vacation. But we'll see, I guess.

Oh, and I introduced Hera, because we couldn't be on Ryloth and not meet one of the best characters in the whole Star Wars universe.