Hello again, friends and readers. Acknowledgements to JackTheBlacky, DemonQueen8787, tpowe15, and Alyas-Anne for adding me to your favorites list. I've received some inquiries about Luke and Leia. Rest assured, they will be on the canvas very soon. Leia was last seen in Chapter 12 on Corellia, during the meeting that formally launched the Rebel Alliance, which was about 1 year back in the current timeline.

[NOTE: For the sake of this story, I am dividing the Galaxy along a rough geographical outline, based on Coruscant and the Core Region as its center. For the Outer Rim, "North" would be the sectors with Dantooine, Dathomir, Yavin, and Mandalore. East would be Lothal, Mon Calamari, Kessel, and Nar Shaddaa. South would be Sullust, Dagobah, Mustafar, and Bespin. West would be Endor, Jedha, Ilum, and Jakku. Worlds such as Tatooine, Scarif, Ryloth, Geonosis, and Kamino are Southeast, while Felucia, Almania, Vaynai, and the Corp Sector are Northeast. … I hope this helps somewhat. I've had a couple of questions about how to keep track of all these planets and sectors. A really good galactic map (which is scalable) can be found at: swgalaxymap . com]


Chapter 20: New Horizons


Almania, Ahsoka's residence, 0 BBY 6 months, 15 days

It was three months later. Ahsoka was at home on Almania, and she and her lover Tri'ku Je'har were sitting on a relaxing lounge sofa in the den, in front of softly burning logs in the fireplace. They were dressed in elegant silk garments and sipped some top-drawer single malt whiskey from the Corp-Sec world of Fether (a mostly agricultural planet known for growing various types of grains). Tri'ku decided to lay all his cards on the table this night and as he took Ahsoka in his arms, she relaxed and sighed softly as he gently caressed her right lek. Her blue eyes shone with anticipation.

"My love, the time has come. I've put in my resignation from the Almanian navy, effective in about four weeks."

"So you've done it …" She sighed, and slowly nodded her head to him. "Are you really ready?"

"Yes. I know this much. I don't want to be away from you any more. Wherever you are, that's my home."

She smiled and turned to kiss him. He recited the following verse as she felt the emotion well up inside her:

A single look, a tiny touch – can change the system, it's enough

I can see it all in you, love

And your eyes explode with light

My home, is where you are – with every beat, every beat, we're closer

She stood up, then turned back to face him. The softness in her eyes was truly devastating. She had never seemed so beautiful to him before. "I've come so far since that horrible day on Malachor. My life since leaving the Jedi was a long, miserable time. But now …" She took both his hands in hers, and recited a verse of her own:

Hating my own shadow, living on what was borrowed

Nothing was mine, nothing felt right, living a lie

You were as lonely as I was, we knew there was so much for us

Come take my hand, there are no demands

I am insecure, knocking on your door

Let's … get lost in our love.

As he listened to her words, he realized she was pouring out her soul to him. Her time as an adult after the Wars had been impossibly hard on her as she was constantly on the run from her past, living in a galaxy that was harsh and unforgiving. How her life had changed that fateful day she landed on Almania in that stolen TIEv1 craft … But now she is mine and I won't let her go. The rest of that night was truly special as the two started making plans. Tri'ku was ready to join the Rebellion in whatever capacity he could. His flying skills were a bit rusty, but with a pilot like her, he knew he could regain them. His best contributions would be in helping to organize forces and strategize. Ahsoka knew the Alliance could really use him.

The next morning, the two awoke together, feeling the glow of their love. Ahsoka decided to bring Tri'ku with her to Felucia and properly introduce him to Shaak and Maris, and give him a chance to see what they had built on the lush planet that teemed with life and the Force. As they departed together, she encouraged him to take the controls of the Corvala Dawn. He was most impressed with its immediate power and quick response. He turned to her and laughed.

"I remember when you asked us to get you a ship. You didn't waste any time picking one out – this one is amazing, truly built for the great Ahsoka Tano."

She blushed a little and giggled softly. "Well, you know me now, don't you?"

"I've never really been to Felucia before. It was always a little out of the way. The unit I served with – we were a bunch of hot shots, always looking for action, like most young men from an Outer Rim world like Almania."

She nodded, "But now?"

"Now it's a place that suddenly holds great promise. I've been wanting to see the world your mother has built."


Felucia, Shaak's residence, 0 BBY 6 months, 15 days

While they were on their way, Shaak Ti, Grand Master of the Order of The Galaxy, was deep in meditation – always one of her favorite pursuits. So much had taken pace over the past few months since she discovered Ahsoka was alive and well. It was only a matter of time before she would bring her to Felucia and help her to realize her destiny – what had always been her destiny, in Shaak's mind.

All of my life as a Jedi I was forbidden to have attachments. But now I not only can have them, I welcome them. Ahsoka is the child I would have always wanted to have. She is so like me – it is as if she carries my DNA, but in some ways she is superior to me. She has greater compassion and kindness than I ever could, but maybe I can learn from her. I feel so ashamed of how I said nothing during the time of her trial. I wanted to, but I felt it would not be helpful. Instead, I backed up Yoda and Windu, playing a political game. Ahsoka has clearly forgiven me for that, but maybe she just chooses not to remember.

She then pondered the events of a few months back, when Darth Vader was snared in the trap they had laid for him. It seemed all too easy in hindsight, but it was a good plan, and Ahsoka set things up perfectly on Issagra – without being aware of it. Shaak had determined that Vader might be turned if they applied enough psychological pressure on him. Due to her connection with the Jedi Temple (now the Imperial Palace) she knew that Vader and Palpatine had talked about finding Ahsoka, so she just decided to help them out.

Anakin Skywalker was always too unfocused, reckless. It was a mistake for Obi-Wan to be entrusted with his training as he could not contain the boy's energy, nor direct it in a constructive way. When Anakin slaughtered the Tuskens wholesale, that was an opportunity to show him the error of giving in to anger without discipline. I have often believed anger can be a useful emotion, so long as it is channeled. But a smart man like Palpatine knew just how to channel it for his own nefarious purposes.

At this point, she had come to the crucial juncture.

What are we doing, where are we going? Do I want to face Sidious directly? I do. Because I know I can win. But I also know that it would not be one-on-one. He has many tricks that he can pull, cards he can play. I cannot know all of these at present. Vader will be the key for me to learn the full scope of his master's knowledge and thinking.

Do I hate Palpatine? Yes, I do. That's right, I'm not ashamed to say it. And that is because of who the man is, as much as for what he has done. A perfect example of the sniveling rich kid that had everything handed to him and then pretended to be superior. Plus his disdain for non-human species is also a major character defect. A large part of me wants to literally smash this man into a thousand pieces. And that is not a good quality for a leader to have. Ahsoka will be so much better than I, in this regard as well.

Shaak emerged from her session feeling more drained than energized. At times like this, she felt especially weary, as if the weight of the universe was on her broad shoulders. There was so much to do, but she knew that, somehow, it would get done.


Felucia, 0 BBY 6 months, 15 days, 14 hours

Ahsoka and Tri'ku arrived on Felucia and were greeted by Frehya first. She was happy to see Ahsoka with him and even more to hear that Je'har had decided to join the rebellion. Maris perked up when she felt Ahsoka's arrival. Her feelings toward the younger Togruta Master had evolved to the point where she not only respected Ahsoka, but genuinely liked her as well. Ahsoka made a point of always getting Maris's input on decisions, reasoning that the Zabrak had put in almost 19 years as Shaak's loyal right hand on Felucia.

Tri'ku looked around the peaceful surroundings of Felucia with interest. Although he was 48 years of age, he'd yet to visit this place and there was something about it that he could not quite put his finger on. In his mind, he'd never understood the concept of the Force. The Je'har family never raised their children to learn about it and for the most part they saw it as some type of superstition. But he'd been around Ahsoka long enough to know that it was real. When he'd asked her about the Force, she told him she'd known about it as a three-year-old and that's how she became a Jedi. Then he asked whether it might be possible to discover this ability later in life. She said it was something they could explore together at a later time.

Frehya then came to speak with Tri'ku. "Well, Commodore Je'har, it's strange to see you here, but I know you and Master Tano are in love. I'm happy for her. But you'd best treat her right," She said with a sly smile.

"Ah, Lieutenant Lumoxa, we meet again. How is the new job working out for you?"

"Tri'ku, Tri'ku, you know I'm long past that title," she laughed.

"But you may not know that I'm retiring from the Almanian SDF, as of next month," he said with a nod.

Frehya cocked her head, feigning surprise. "Is that a fact?" she chuckled. "Drawing a pension already?"

"Why not?" he laughed. "Wouldn't you say I've earned it?"

"Pffft. The best thing you did was to recognize Ahsoka's talent. She built you all an amazing defense system."

"You'll get no argument from me on that. We used it to trash a whole fleet of pirate ships. Not the Empire, I realize, but look at it this way. Tarkin won't have an excuse to send a garrison to Almania. We take care of ourselves and we pay Imperial taxes."

Frehya scoffed at that. "Oh you all are just regular star-fleet command scouts, snapping to attention like so many marionettes … does your family ever get tired of being patsies?" She snipped. Tri'ku was a bit disappointed in her attitude. She's hardened over the years … and there's a bitterness I'd never seen from her before.

At this point, Ahsoka and Maris had finished their discussion and came to join them. "Maris, I'd like you to meet my good friend, Tri'ku Je'har."

He bowed to the Zabrak, who was somewhat charmed. "My pleasure, sir." Maris leaned over to whisper in Ahsoka's ear. "Nice. He's the one you told me about earlier. I feel something from him already."

Ahsoka turned to stare at Frehya. "Are you giving our guest a hard time?" She laughed, somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh, Ahsoka … the Commodore and I were just talking about old times. We've known each other for over twenty years."

Before Ahsoka could process this, she heard a discussion growing closer and her mother's voice was audible.

Hedala and Shaak then approached. They had been engaging in some light banter as Shaak was inquiring about the young Padawan's training regimen.

"Maris tells me good things about you, Padawan Fardi. You seem to have the killer instinct."

Hedala nodded her head to Shaak. "I'm doing whatever I can with it. It's such an honor to train under her because she's strong and experienced. I will be a warrior, Master Shaak, I can feel it."

Shaak patted Hedala softly on the shoulder. "Good … keep working. You will get there."

Hedala had come to realize that was what passed for encouragement from the Grand Master. She was as surprised as anyone the day they all first met Shaak. Although she and Ahsoka were both Togruta, there were major differences in their appearance, with the older woman being taller, more muscular, and usually quite stern in her expressions. But there was also a kindness to her as well. Hedala knew that everyone looked up to Shaak and she badly wanted to impress her, too, but it was difficult to determine just what she was impressed by. It seems that the GM spoke to the entire group about once every two weeks or so, and occasionally would pull individuals aside to ask questions of them. Those were opportunities one could not pass up.

Shaak gazed upon Padawan Fardi and smiled slightly. The young woman was driven by something, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. Her abilities were indeed noteworthy, as was her positive attitude and her general aptitude. The girl picked things up quickly. She'll be a fine Knight someday.

They both joined Ahsoka, Maris, Frehya, and Tri'ku. "Mother, this is the one I have been telling you about." Tri'ku bowed deeply, then kissed Shaak's hand when she extended it to him. He stood erect facing her and she chuckled softly.

"Commodore Je'har. So what brings you to my humble world?"

Tri'ku figured the old lady was used to straight talk. "Your incredible and beautiful daughter, my lady."

Ahsoka beamed with pleasure to her mother and nodded gently.

Shaak smiled. "As good a reason as any. Ahsoka is a treasure. We all love her dearly."

She remained silent for a few seconds, then looked him in the eye. "Mr. Je'har, I extend an invitation for you and Ahsoka to join me in my humble little home. If you please …"

The three of them walked the distance together silently. As they reached their destination, Shaak opened her door with a wave of her hand and they followed her in. Soon the lovebirds were seated together while the GM sat opposite them. She was a gracious host, offering Je'har some mild tea (without stimulants or other consciousness-affecting ingredients) and asking some gentle questions about his background and where he saw himself in the next few years. Ahsoka admitted to her mother that she'd come to know him over the months since she first left Malachor and came to Almania.

To Tri'ku, the mysterious older Togruta seemed to give him some sort of blessing but it was quite ambiguous. One thing was for sure, she was difficult to read and she liked being that way. The others on Felucia for the most part were polite and welcoming to a point, but it was clear that they had what amounted to a special club that did not readily admit outsiders. He knew they all were protective and proprietary about Ahsoka and that was to be expected. He had come to feel the same way about her. She was such a special person, one with a unique outlook on just about everything, and a way of charming nearly everyone she met.

The two of them spent the night together on Corvala Dawn as Ahsoka did not yet have her own home on Felucia, usually staying with Shaak when she was there overnight. In the morning, they made plans to head for Yavin IV so that Tri'ku could formally declare his allegiance to the rebellion and decide where he might best fit in. Ahsoka was planning to have him accompany her at first, at least until he had got up to speed with everything. He still had some follow-up work to do on Almania before resigning his commission as Commodore, and he had also told his fellow Je'har family members that he and Ahsoka both would be available for consulting on Almanian military matters. Ahsoka for her part decided to keep her direct access to the satellite-based defense system, as she was the leading expert on how it worked.


Almania, 0 BBY 6 months, 1 day

Two weeks passed.

Tri'ku Je'har was given a hearty welcome on Yavin IV with his decision to join the rebellion. Bail Organa and Mon Mothma were receptive to his desire to work in support of Ahsoka and Shaak on intelligence and his offer to review the force structure already in place. He was unable, however, to commit his home world of Almania to the effort, explaining that he had decided to formally leave the Self-Defense Force there so that he might serve off-world with Ahsoka. With this commitment, Ahsoka and Shaak agreed to supply him with all vital information pertaining to the galactic intelligence network they had set up. However, Shaak was not ready to divulge her more sensitive operations that allowed her to spy directly on the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Only Ahsoka was permitted to know of its existence and even she had few details on its nature and what had been learned from it thus far.

Ahsoka and Tri'ku agreed that he would work out of her home on Almania and also would set up an office somewhere in the Corporate Sector. Other times he would accompany her on Corvala Dawn or Master Ti on Intrepid V. His old friends on Almania agreed to allow him to keep the shuttle vessel he'd used for his military duties and had customized to his own tastes. Though not as fast as either Ahsoka or Shaak's vessels, it was certainly adequate for the travels that he'd be using it for.

It was on this date that Tri'ku was reviewing the contact info and reports trickling in from the "southern" Outer Rim region and the post over Scarif had news that the Death Star had left the planet's orbit and then went into hyperspace. About two hours later, the post near Sullust picked up the station as it dropped into the system. He quickly relayed the news to Ahsoka who was returning from Felucia aboard her ship. Ahsoka then relayed it back to Shaak on Felucia. Once Corvala Dawn had landed on Almania, she quickly went home and greeted Tri'ku. After a sweet embrace, she gave him the plan.

"Love, it's settled. We go to Felucia immediately. Shaak wants us to bring Maris along for the trip to Sullust. She has contacts on that world that we should meet."

"OK, I'll get ready. This sounds potentially exciting. I've yet to see the Death Star in person."


Felucia, 0 BBY 5 months, 30 days

The trip to Sullust would take a day and a half so there was a lot of time to kill. Ahsoka thought it would be a good time for Maris and Tri'ku to become better acquainted. The short hop to Felucia was uneventful and once they had touched down, Maris was ready and waiting to board. She hadn't taken very many trips away in recent years so she was quite happy about having this chance.

"Ahsoka, this is only my second time on your beautiful ship and I love it," Maris said cheerfully.

"Yes, it's quite the elegant vessel," Tri'ku agreed.

"So, friend, what can you tell us about this place?" Ahsoka asked as she glanced at Maris.

"Well, it's a very different kind of planet. Most cannot breathe the atmosphere so all of the cities and the people are underground. But over a billion people are living on it. They've made it a very hospitable place."

"Quite interesting," Ahsoka noted. "Shaak said you had contacts there."

Maris nodded. "Yes, fellow Zabraks like me, from Iridonia. My people do well on a place like Sullust. We always pay close attention to our surroundings, just like you Togruta."

"Shaak said there are many pockets of rebel activity on Sullust."

"Quite right, Master Tano. But we will do better to go to the main cities. My friends are very sympathetic to the rebellion but we keep our feelings hidden as best we can. The Empire has tried to persecute us but we survive. We are a proud species."

Maris Brood carefully glanced at both Ahsoka and Tri'ku while fingering one of her many braids. She had silky black hair that came from the top and rear of her scalp and had grown it quite long so she could sculpt it into braids of varying patterns. She explained to Ahsoka that over the long years she had lived on Felucia there were times when Shaak hadn't given her much to do so this became a hobby for her. Ahsoka had grown fonder and fonder of the woman, who so clearly wanted to be part of everything that her master was doing. Zabraks were quite independent and were often loners, but Maris was extremely loyal to Shaak for saving her from the Jedi Purge. When they had captured Darth Vader, Maris wanted to kill him for all he had done to hurt and destroy so many who had been her friends. Ahsoka was able to convince her that "Anakin" – as she insisted on calling him – was not entirely to blame as his mind had been corrupted by the Sith lord, and that Master Shaak had special plans for Vader.

Tri'ku mostly listened as Maris told various tales about Zabraks from historical references and their current plight under the Empire, who had garrisoned most of their worlds and collected onerous taxes from them. The more enterprising members of the species had branched out into the galaxy as free agents, some becoming bounty hunters. One such Zabrak went by the name of Sugi and she would be the contact Maris wanted to see first on this trip. Ahsoka remarked that she remembered Sugi from the Clone Wars on an earlier adventure on Felucia, back when that planet was a very different place than the world into which Shaak had transformed it.


In hyperspace en route to Sullust, 0 BBY 5 months, 29 days

The next day, they were still under way. Tri'ku watched intently as Maris and Ahsoka staged a lightsabre duel for his benefit. They each set their weapons to non-lethal energy levels and went at it in the ship's training area. Ahsoka again noticed that Maris's new blade was pink. The Zabrak claimed that she was inspired by Shaak's new pink "super" sabre, which could be set at a level that would overwhelm most normal lightsabres. Shaak apparently had fashioned it from a sort of "hybrid" Kyber crystal and she had been experimenting with these for the past ten years. Yet another talent that Shaak has and somehow forgot to mention, Ahsoka thought. As they clashed, Maris's new blade hummed with an odd sound and seemed quite lethal.

"Did Shaak give you one of her new crystals for that?" She asked, and tilted her gaze at Maris.

"Yes, she did. But she at least let me pick it out. I wanted a unique relationship."

"Quite impressive. I wish I'd had this back when I was dealing with Ventress and Grievous."

Maris laughed heartily. "Shaak told me about Grievous. The guy was always in a bad mood. She said you called him a 'tinny'. Bet he loved that."

"Oh yeah, drove him nuts. I wish he was still around now, he died with me owing him a few things."

"Yeah. How high would you take the current on the guy now?"

"I'd go for 50kW so I could hear him howl. The guy was complete scum."

Maris nodded at that. "But I kind of liked Ventress. She seemed to change there at the end. You know, she was from Dathomir, a place that many of my Zabrak brothers went to."

Ahsoka nodded as well. "True, Asajj and I were almost friends for a minute there, while I was on the run from the Temple. I wonder what became of her."

"Perhaps Master Shaak knows."

After a few more intense minutes of dueling, where Ahsoka was still able to hold her own due to her superior reflexes and positioning, they called it quits.

"Nice job, Maris. You've got a lot of basic ability but I think you're trying too hard to master everything at once. With that new blade you can get more aggressive. Start with a defensive posture (Soresu) to draw your opponent out then switch and you can use more acrobatics (Ataru) like I do. But if you don't want to be so bold, use a counter-punch (Shien) to neutralize. Your new blade is perfect for that. Maris, you're very strong physically, which not everyone would realize to first look at you. I would advise you to take advantage of that."

"Thank you so much, Master Ahsoka. Shaak would always say I should try these ideas on my own to see which one was best. I wanted her to respect me so I tried to master everything. It may have left me a little confused and slowed me down."

"Right …. But as you likely know, Master Shaak prefers to be as efficient (Makashi) as she can. Have you practiced much against her? She is extremely quick and precise, and moves her feet almost like she was dancing."

Maris sighed. "I know. It's quite hard to keep up with her."

As the two women deactivated their blades and left the training room for the lounge, Ahsoka put her arm around Maris's shoulder in a show of good will and sisterhood. They shared an ale in the lounge, then went to the bridge and sat watching the hyperspace display through the viewport. Tri'ku occupied himself by poring over more reports from the spy network. He started entering these into a database so he could analyze them later for possible patterns. The Almanian also studied some of the Rebel handbooks he had received on Yavin IV.


Sullust, Brema Sector, Southern Outer Rim, 0 BBY 5 months, 28 days

Finally the ship came out of hyperspace and Ahsoka reflexively went to stealth mode, favoring it until she could spot the presence of the Death Star in orbit around Sullust. It did not appear to be there – yet – so she uncloaked and made contact with spaceport personnel below, in the city of Pirin. Once they had the coordinates, the Corvala Dawn descended to a platform, which then brought them below the surface. Soon the artificial light was visible to Ahsoka, Maris and Tri'ku and they were impressed by the variety of the scenery below the surface.

Ahsoka gasped. "It's like another whole world down here … this must have taken decades or even centuries to build."

Tri'ku noted: "Unless you know this planet, you will just keep on going. It's like Mustafar with all the lava flows, but down here, these folks have created a paradise. They've even got their own sun – or something like it – so they can simulate day and night."

Maris smiled and nodded. "Yep. We're on an adventure, all right. Let me contact Sugi."

As they disembarked from the ship, the Sullustans welcomed them and showed them into a reception area. Maris activated her com and Sugi answered. Soon her friend had arrived and was inviting them to a local watering hole. As Sugi approached them, she smiled at Maris and they had a short embrace. Then she spotted Ahsoka.

"If it isn't Ahsoka Tano! How have you been keeping yourself? You look great …" before Ahsoka could answer, Sugi spotted Tri'ku. "And who is this gorgeous creature?"

Tri'ku bowed to Sugi, introduced himself, took her hand and kissed it. "Maris tells me you're a bounty hunter?" He asked innocently.

Sugi laughed. "Was a bounty hunter. I've moved up in life. My new occupation is logistics consultant."

He laughed back at her. "Hey, whatever pays the bills."

Ahsoka spoke up. "Sugi, we're actually here on business. Let's get settled in a little and we'll tell you about it."

Sugi came alongside the Togruta, locked up her arm with hers and led the group toward the bar. "Tell me everything, Lady Tano …" she chuckled as they walked.

(to be continued …)