Epilogue
Part I
In first couple of hours after dropping out of Jedi temple Ahsoka wanted to come back to the old life more than she could count and just as many times, plus one, she had to remind herself that it wasn't happening. The moment she reached the last step of the stairs leading to the temple she felt truly alone: Without friends, family, perspective, money and without a job. Of course, in the next hour, Padme commed her with a proposition: she, as always, needed a maid-slash-bodyguard - seemingly a perfect job for an ex-jedi. Ahsoka refused, se knew the senator acted on Anakin's behalf – how could she get the info so fast if it wasn't the case?
Ahsoka had to decline the offer - she had to cut the umbilical cord linking her to the old life. Staying with Padme meant staying with Anakin, and keeping in touch with Anakin was like staying with the Order. Jedi were train to let go without a hitch. They were trained to not have ties at all. She knew she would misss everyone immensely - her clan-mates, friends and mentors. She already missed Skyguy's brashness, master Plo Koon's soft approach, Obi-Wan's stoicism and Yoda's wisdom. She missed clones. Troopers, to the contrary to the jedi, were like ducklings. They imprinted on the people who were their commander officers, respected them and their individuality. Once that connection formed, they were ready to die for it, be it a jedi, fellow trooper, a child or even an animal.
Ahsoka hoped Rex would understand her decision. That her master, for the first time in his career, would challenge the issue rather than suppress it, and explain the boys what has triggered her to leave them hanging.
Running away from the troopers had proven to be harder than she anticipated. Not only because commander Fox's watchful eye kept the streets safe but also as Ahsoka found herself tapping her wrist numerous times in order to comm anyone from Torrent Company – a group she no longer belonged to. During the first days outside the order, ex-jedi realized that those exact replicas of one man taught her more than she ever thought they would. Rex was, once again, right: experience really outranked everything:
Keep your sentences short and to the point. Respect dress code. Always boil water before drinking. For every level, there is another clanker. Don't touch exposed wiring with wet hands, scratch that, don't touch exposed wiring at all. During food poisoning, take one sip of water every ten minutes to avoid dehydrating yourself. Sometimes it's better to use flamethrower rather than to complain about the darkness. If your boss is like general Skywalker try to reason with him, if he's like Krell - change the job immediately if killing him is not an option and the most of all: Fake it till you make it to the safe haven.
Their wisdom never led her astray.
Finding a job was much harder than she anticipated. She tried to deny even a single though about upcoming job search. Courscan jobcenters were in disarray at best, their employees did their job sloppily and didn't gave a rat's ass about customers' experience, all they cared about was their education. Jedi Order didn't hire – no senator would force the Order to bend the rules and once you're out of the Order, you're out.
"Kriffin' war" Ahsoka would often murmur as she stood in a line to receive yet another blank page of job opportunities "Padme should cure that rotten to the core jobcenter system rather than fixating over the war economics."
Ahsoka sighed painfully, she, of all people, knew all too well that war needed the founding, as clones needed equipment and supplies in order to survive on the battlefield.
She sometimes fantasized about the end of the war. maybe Plo Koon would finally take a padawan? Ahsoka hated the HoloNetNews but it was the only way to learn about causalities on the battlefront. The worst part of the platform was how they addressed the clones, if they did at all, by their CT- numbers. Ahsoka had a hard time remembering the numbers in the first place, maybe except Rex, his digits were like a mantra to her… and maybe Fives – he was, quite literally, named after his birth numbers. She could line up Jesse's if she tried hard enough, but Kix… he was a mystery to her!
It took her several months to end up at a small diner she now worked at. It was ironic really, Ahsoka remembered it from that one time she went there with commander Fox. He praised the establishment's caf and he was right - the brew was superb. The place was nothing how she remembered it, thought. It still had an high quality food but with exquisite restaurants popping up like mushrooms at Kashyyk on the upper levels, the establishment lost it's luxurious reputation and let itself go… just like it's owner. Master Plo used to say that the food cart always reflects it's vendor, although it must have been one of those sayings that were true in both metaphorical and literal sense as Plo Koon used to say that about Anakin and 501st.
Ahsoka's new boss, miss Okrasa Omasta, was the Ortolan female who, at the time Ahsoka started to work in her establishment, was devastated after loosing her clientele. That, unfortunately, exposed her alcoholic tendencies. So, ex-jedi employment was at the whims end as the business was on a verge of bankrupt. Everything was going down the drain.
Sickness was like a cherry on the top of miserable and bitter cake. When Ahsoka felt sore and feverish during her shift, she feared for the worst. She left her work with heavy heart and mentally embracing herself for days of torment full of clogged nose, aching muscles and fever.
To her surprise, she woke up just fine, but in slightly different reality. As if someone shifted it while she was asleep.
Her dream was different than her usual grim visions of Jesse stabbed with three-pointed pitchfork by some malnourished freedom fighter, Rex having a bandage on the right side of his head and Kix standing proudly in front of the firing squad. This time she dreamt about Rex and Kix hosting a holo-program where they're traveling from household to household to teach the residents how to properly clean and maintain their houses. In that peculiar dream, both troopers wore pastel-coloured aprons over their plastoid armors and Kix was always the one who swept the floors.
When she woke up, she suspected she was still dreaming or having feverish hallucination. Yet smell of food in the air and a blanket wrapped around her felt too real.
It was real.
She sat, cross-legged, on her bed under the gray fabric, sipping spoonfuls of warm broth. Food rations were stacked in a cupboard and medkits! So many of them! If she didn't know any better she would have sworn Kix snuck up at night and tried to turn her apartment into safe haven. Seriously, that medic was obsessed with medical supplies and handed them like candy to anyone who had at least a cubic centimeter of space in their backpacks.
Ahsoka shrugged. If war did taught her anything it definitely was that Force works in mysterious ways and if something is presented to you - take it, if you're being hit – run away.
The alarm of her clock brought her out of musing. Togruta quickly sprung out of her bed. She has to go now or she would be late to her job.
In a hurry, she kicked her boots off the way, with clinking the shoe tipped over spilling credits over the floor. Ahsoka watched the golden mount with widened eyes. Upon closer inspection it was a collection of a petty change – nothing much, it could cover monthly ticket for a speeder bus at best. She had no time to count the rectangle coins now! Ahsoka wrapped the money in the blanket and threw it under the bed. for safe keeping.
The teenager tackled the doors, running past the old, crazy lady. She had no time listening to woman's bizarre tale about twin brothers harassing her yesterday's night.
"Oh force, I must have been out cold yesterday" Ahsoka mused.
The old lady was always very vocal about any of her complaints so the ex-jedi always knew what was happening next doors. Unfortunately, walls are thin in this building.
