Prologue 3 – Ahsoka

A/N: Hey all! Here's the last prologue for this story. This is gonna be noticeably shorter than the other chapters of this story. I honestly expected this to be longer, but then, it was only a short scene, and including anything else would essentially be rehashing Canon, as Ahsoka's life isn't majorly deviated from Canon at this stage. That comes later. However, there'll be one major difference that you'll notice in the chapter itself. Most of the information used in this prologue comes from Season 7 of The Clone Wars and Wookieepedia's article on the Ahsoka novel, as I didn't actually read that. I filled in some stuff with my own thoughts based on what Wookieepedia implies and Legends material, too.

Also, skip this paragraph if you haven't watched the Mandalorian or don't want to be spoiled, but have you all seen the latest episode? While it was good, Ahsoka's lines about attachment and Anakin were kinda sad. Basically, it shows how Ahsoka thinks attachments were why Anakin turned dark, not knowing that it was Vader's love (read: attachment) for his son that turned him back to the light. She probably doesn't even know that it was Anakin that finally killed Darth Sidious. That entire scene's kinda sad, it it shows to me how she starts taking pages of the same Order she left because of the shitty hand she's been dealt with in life.

Okay, spoiler paragraph done, now: enjoy the (short) chapter!


At first, they had thought they would have a hard time getting off the system they had crash-landed on, due to them not being able to identify the cold moon they were on. However, it was seen that they had landed next to a civilised, little-known planet which was easy to get off of. A Republic planet, so they still had to look out for Clones that may want to attack a Jedi, however, it was not a very large concern as the planet had not been that involved in the war, due to it being located within a neutral hyperspace lane. They had crash landed on the smaller moon of the planet Corsin, a Republic-loyal planet in the Expansion Region hanging off the Mandalore hyperspace trading route, closer to Mandalore itself than the core, however, more culturally similar to the Core. The planet itself was comparable to Alderaan, with many native fauna, however with an immigrant human majority who had completely wiped out the historical native sentient species thousands of years before.

Ahsoka was just relieved they could get off the planet and go into hiding quickly. The former Jedi Padawan had sensed, and the talk of the planet confirmed, that the Jedi Order was dead, betrayed by their own Clone Armies. Apparently, Chancellor Palpatine had declared the Jedi to be "traitors" and established a Galactic Empire. That was a load of poodoo, in Ahsoka's opinion. The Jedi, for all their flaws, were too dedicated to the Republic. However, as the former Jedi herself knew, public opinion of the Order was low, and when Chancellor Palpatine declared that the Jedi were traitors, most wholeheartedly accepted it, and cheered the man as their new sovereign. Ahsoka knew better, though. She knew that the Jedi wouldn't betray the Republic like that. There was something off about the whole thing. What was off, though, other than the Clones having mind chips that forced them to betray their Generals and Commanders, she had no idea. Perhaps the Chancellor, power-hungry and devious, threw the Jedi under the bus to establish his own Empire.

Though, she already hated the new Empire, for the fact that they persecuted her and her kind, the Jedi, however not one of them she was. She saw the Empire, and the new Emperor Palpatine, as selfish karks (thank Anakin for unwittingly teaching her that word) willing to betray their allies for power, while demolishing democracy and the system which had at least bought some liberty to the people before the Clone War, in a system which some Corsinan people had said on the streets, and Ahsoka agreed with, was "increasing the already-present corruption". For all the good Anakin had said about him, Palpatine had been a clearly corrupt leader, in Ahsoka's opinion, and him becoming Emperor would only make things worse. The former Jedi Padawan already had experience with the galactic leader's corruption during her farce of a trial.

Now, due to the same Empire, she was sitting inside a bar, waiting for her former Captain and good friend, Rex, to arrange transportation for himself. She was waiting to say goodbye to her friend before she herself searched for her own transportation. Her lightsabers were on her belt, obscured by the table. She did not want anyone to see them and give her up to the new Empire. Originally, the young Jedi had wanted to drop the lightsabers on the snowy moon she and Rex had been on, so anyone looking for her would think she was dead, however, the Force had, gently nudging, told her to keep her lightsabers with her. Something had changed, and she would need the lightsabers. So, she kept her weapons, her life, loaded with the crystals Anakin gave them.

The crystals were perhaps the only shards of Anakin Skywalker she had left. The young former-Jedi wasn't able to sense her Master, their bond was muted for some reason, and she had no inkling to if Anakin Skywalker was alive or dead. She hoped it was the former. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her Master just after losing most the Clones she had stuck with, thick and thin, throughout the Clone Wars. Losing Anakin Skywalker, the man who had taught her most of everything she knew, the man who had protected her no matter what, would be too much of a loss for the young Togruta.

"Hey, kid.", A voice broke her thoughts, Ahsoka felt her right montral slightly twitch towards the source before she turned to it, Rex. The Clone Captain looked at her for a second before saying, "I've managed to charter a flight off-world to a planet in the Outer Rim. I… err… I guess this is goodbye, then."

"Yes.", Ahsoka replied, her voice thickening some with emotion, as she stood up, and ran towards Rex, wrapping him in a tight hug, trying to prevent herself from eliciting sobs. While it was a goodbye, it was not exactly a time of emotion, lest they bring attention to themselves, which wasn't all that desirable at that moment. She didn't want to leave her friend, but she knew, it was best in this situation, that they split up. Ahsoka was being persecuted, and Rex betrayed the galactic government. It was best, to prevent anyone tracking them. "I'll miss you, Rex.", Ahsoka almost whispered, pressing her head softly to the man's chest plate.

"I'll miss you too, Ahsoka.", the Clone Captain softly replied, and Ahsoka could sense the man's own distaste for the whole situation.

The Togruta girl released the hug after that, and Rex released her in return. "Goodbye.", Ahsoka waved. The Captain, the man who had fought alongside her and Anakin throughout the war, smiled at his former Commander, waved back once, and then smiled softly before turning and leaving, presumably to the hangar that was going to take him to his new life, a post-war life.

Ahsoka felt distaste pooling within her, she really didn't want this to happen. What choice did she have, though? The entire string of events was those she had never wanted, never wished for. She had never wanted for the Clones to suddenly betray her. She had never wanted darkness to suddenly prevail in the Universe and the Force. She had never wanted Chancellor Palpatine to suddenly become an absolute ruler, and, finally, she had never wanted Rex to have to split up from her, with the large possibility that they may never see each-other in person ever again. She and Rex were going to stay in contact through the Fulcrum network that Anakin Skywalker had created in the middle of the Clone War, however, that alleviated very little emotionally, as it still meant they were going to stay split for an undetermined amount of time, not meeting each other in person until the right time.

As she sat back down on the table she was on, Ahsoka remembered the rest of her grievances. Her bond with her Master was muted, shrouded by darkness covering like a curtain on a window, and so she couldn't tell the current status of Anakin Skywalker. Alongside that, she had no idea if there any Jedi that were still alive from the Clones' and Palpatine's respective betrayals. And, she would have to spend an indefinite amount of time as an enemy of the galactic government, not a position she appreciated.

"I hope…", Ahsoka whispered to herself, something she couldn't help doing after the very taxing day she had, "I hope you're somewhere out there, Master. Alive."

Apparently, based on word from the street and the HoloNet, the Emperor Palpatine was going to make a public address at Coruscant explaining the whole situation, and how the New Order was going to be organised/managed. Wherever she goes, Ahsoka considered that she would have to look at the broadcast to have certain things explained, even if from the new Empire's point of view, such as why and how the Jedi betrayed the Republic, why the Clones betrayed the Jedi, and why the Republic was now an Empire.

But, for now, she couldn't let that affect her. She needed to either buy a ship or find a flight to a planet in the Outer Rim, far from the Empire's control, hopefully. She would find work in the Outer Rim to survive, most likely as a mechanic, as that's what she knew best outside of being a Jedi (something else to thank Anakin for). And, when the time was right, hopefully, she would resist the Empire and the Emperor that had taken everything from her. The young Togruta stood, intent on doing that. She had been waiting to say a goodbye to Rex, and that was done. Now, she needed to move on, however distasteful the current events were to her. If Anakin taught her anything, it was to move forward even when life brings you down.

That's what her Master would have wanted her to do, along with making as much noise against the new Empire, but that was a story for later.

Now, she needed to move forward.