Deep in the maze-like alleys of Korono, Anakin and Rex had finally reached their destination.
"This is it," The Jedi exclaimed, and Rex saw that he was clenching and unclenching his mechanical hand. "It saw this place…"
The pair walked over some coloured cloth, their boots grinding it into the ground just as many had before them had. Rex understood what his general was feeling. His thoughts were also on Ahsoka. Sometimes Obi-wan's perpetual calm could wear on the nerves when someone they all cared for was in danger. All the same, Rex knew it was this which made him a good leader. With Anakin like this he was always a little on edge, waiting for the conflict which seemed to follow the man like a shadow; not that Captain Rex ever shied away from a fight.
They shoved through the beads across the door of T'sto's hostel. Behind the counter, Anakin saw the same small, reptilian alien from his dream.
It said something in a local dialect.
"Basic?" Anakin asked, frustration mounting.
He leaned on the counter, looking down at the creature. It shrank away, large eyes bulging.
"Bed for night?" it finally managed.
"Actually, we have a few questions for you."
It stared back at him blankly.
Anakin growled, looking back over his shoulder at Rex. "We don't have time for this."
The side of his fist slammed into the sheet of transparasteel which cordoned the little office off from the rest of the room. A few small cracks appeared, and the creature jumped.
"Anakin," Rex hissed, placing a hand lightly on his shoulder.
The general seemed to shake himself, and relaxed. The look he gave the alien was almost apologetic. Rex was used to this from Anakin. Usually the recipients of Anakin's wrath were—in Rex's opinion—deserving of it, or Obi-wan was there to defuse the situation, but the clone had found himself having to remind the Jedi of himself several times before this.
"Can you ask someone," Rex spoke slowly, motioning towards the back of the store, "translate?" He made a motion to his mouth.
"Yah," it answered, nodding frantically.
Holding up one of its three clawed fingers it darted through the nearest doorway. Soon after he returned with a zeltron woman. She was red skinned and as tall as Anakin, dressed like a refugee or a migrant of some sort.
"So," she asked, her basic no more accented than Obi-wan's, "why are you hassling old T'sto?"
"We're looking for a friend of ours," said Anakin, "she would have caused a bit of a disturbance."
She said something to T'sto which seemed to frighten him.
"I told him," she said, turning to them, "that you are here looking for the Jedi child."
Before either of them could respond the hostel owner said something.
"He said," she translated slowly, calmly, "that you are not the first ones."
"The zygerrians." Anakin bared his teeth.
"Yes," the zeltron said, "I was here that night. I saw them carry her out."
Rex kept his eyes on Anakin, curious and a little afraid of how he would react.
"Do you know where they took her?" Anakin asked, a little desperation leaking through his poker face. "How they knew she was here? Anything at all?"
The zeltron shook her head. She said something to the creature, and he shook his as well.
"Please try to think," Rex pushed, his spirits plummeting. "If you met her you know she's a good kid. She doesn't deserve this. If you could just give us something…"
"I would tell you anything I knew," the zeltron said, "but I know nothing. Only that they drugged her while she was sleeping, and that word got out she was a Jedi when she fought those weequay pirates."
"Pirates?" Anakin asked.
T'sto tugged at the end of the zeltron's tunic, speaking quickly.
"He says he is very thankful to her. She exposed herself to save his business, and maybe his life."
"But yet when they came for her you did nothing," Anakin's voice was low, tearful.
Seeming to understand at least partially, T'sto was saying something. They spoke back and forth for a moment, then the zeltron explained.
"He wishes me to say there was nothing he could do. The zygerrians threatened his life, his business, and the lives of everyone in it."
Anakin still stared angrily down at the small alien. "You understand me, right?" He crouched so that he could meet T'sto's eyes directly. "You're a coward. You could have warned her, done something! I should…" he trailed off, clenching and unclenching his mechanical hand.
"Come on," Rex placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder for a second time, guiding him up from his crouch, "they obviously don't know anything."
"But we can't just leave here," Anakin protested, "this is our only lead. We should ask around inside, find the floor she was taken from. There could be some clue."
Rex nodded, also unwilling to give up quite yet. That was when Anakin's communicator blinked. It was a burner bought from some pawnshop. The only ones with the frequency were those on their mission.
"What?" Anakin snapped.
"You should both come back to the spaceport." The voice on the other end was Obi-wan's. "Padme and I have got something." He sounded so cheerful it was clear that what they'd gotten a lead.
"Fantastic," Rex spoke into his. They all shared a channel. "We've come up mostly empty here. We should be back soon."
He gave Anakin a questioning look, and the Jedi nodded, seeming notably calmer. As they headed through the doorway, Anakin turned back one last time.
"Thanks for all your help," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sure he was annoyed, but Rex could tell this was one of his general's usual attempts at humour. The threat in his voice was gone. Rex understood that Anakin Skywalker was a dangerous man, and he had been around long enough to know the other Jedi did not always approve of his tactics. Though this was sometimes the cause of Rex's worries, today it was a comfort.
He knew Anakin would stop at nothing to get Ahsoka back. He would go past the edges of the galaxy, move stars, and crush anyone who got in his way. This was a comfort to Rex because he felt the same way, though he lacked the Jedi's power. So he would feed Anakin's flames for now, hoping that war would not change him as Rex had seen it change too many of his brothers.
Back at the ship, Padme and Obi-wan had shut the pirates in one of their own bunk rooms. Despite tireless searching, Padme had been unable to find the zygerrians in the landing data she'd stolen from the portmaster's office. After a bit of convincing, the pirates had told them why. The zygerrians had not landed in the spaceport. They'd forced themselves on some poor farmer, using their land to set down on Korono unnoticed.
Once the pirates had realized how difficult escape would be they'd warmed up to Obi-wan and Padme. They offered derogatory descriptions of the zygerrians, making it clear the disdain they held for the slavers. The captain, whose name was Wirek, had told them he had information on where the zygerrians had gone, but was trying to feel out whether or not he could get something in exchange for the information. They'd only just reached this stage, and the pirates had been in captivity almost an hour when Rex and Anakin returned.
Obi-wan, Padme, and Wirek sat around the table in the Starless's mess, as they entered. The rest of the crew was still locked in the bunk room.
The weequay was prattling on, hoping to wear them down through pure stubbornness. "I mean… I prefer to deal in spice, but republic credits would suffice, I suppose. My crew and I, we have medical expenses from our run-in with your friend. I know the Jedi to be honorable, you would never let us suffer."
"You!" Anakin's voice rang out, too loud for the cramped metal space.
Wirek jumped, not having noticed their entrance.
"You're the ones who attacked T'sto's," Anakin accused, grabbing Wirek by the front of his shirt. "It's your fault she had to reveal herself."
"Now, now…" Wirek had obviously been caught off guard, as had Obi-wan and Padme. "I'm sure we can be reasonable here. My crew and I were just out for a night on the town, we certainly didn't want any trouble with any Jedi."
"Shut up." Anakin let go, and the pirate fell to the floor, just barely missing the edge of his chair. "I can't believe scum like you think we owe you anything."
He activated his lightsaber.
"Anakin…" Obi-wan warned.
The younger Jedi met his eyes, the message clear. I know what I'm doing.
"We only need one of you to talk," he said, holding the blade so close to Wirek's throat that one wrong breath and Anakin's words would become more than a threat.
He kept him from moving away with the force, holding him immobile where he sat on the floor. Such a sensation was terrifying, and Wirek quickly decided that he would do whatever he needed to end his interaction with this Jedi who was different than any he'd ever heard of.
"I have four other options," Anakin continued, "and you're really starting to piss me off."
"No murder necessary," Wirek said, almost afraid to speak for fear he would accidently move into contact with the lightsaber. He could feel the heat on his skin, and it was starting to hurt. "I will be happy to help you find your friend."
As easy as that, Wirek told them all they needed to know. Obi-wan could sense he was being truthful in the same way he could sense his fear of Anakin. The pirate didn't dare lie to them out of fear of retribution. As much as he was relieved to have their next step in locating Ahsoka, Obi-wan couldn't help but worry about his former Padawan. It was habit, at this point.
"Watch your anger," Obi-wan warned, as Rex shut Wirek back in with the rest of his crew. "It's a path to the dark side. I know you know that."
"I got results, didn't I?" Anakin retorted.
"I'm not arguing that. Just…" Obi-wan did not wish to turn this into a lecture. They had passed that stage in their relationship. There was something to be said for the good cop bad cop routine. "Just be careful," he finished.
Before Anakin could respond, Wirek's voice interrupted them, coming from around the corner.
"I thought you were going to leave us alone if I talked."
"We're thinking it over," Rex responded.
There was the distinctive sound of a door sliding closed then the clone reappeared.
"So," he addressed all three of them, "what's our next move?"
The pirate had no known who the zygerrians intended to sell Ahsoka to, but he had known where they'd heard about her in the first place. Wirek had also hypothesized that it was from here that the zygerrians conducted their business.
The next stop on their quest was a massive space station known as The Purgat Station. The name was vaguely familiar to Obi-wan, though none of the other had ever heard of it. Purgat Station was a place outside of the jurisdiction of any government. It presented itself as a massive casino, but it was so much more than that. It was a rest stop and place of business for the scum of the galaxy: a place for bounty hunters to find jobs, and stolen goods to be fenced. Slaves were no acceptation to this. Wirek's crew had been in communication with some friends on the station since their confrontation with Ahsoka, and Obi-wan thought it a reasonable assumption that this was how she had come to the zygerrians' attention.
"We're going to need a ship," Rex mused.
The four of them sat around the Starless's table, planning out the next leg of their journey.
"I'm running a bit low on credits," Padme admitted. "I know you two have some, but if we buy a ship even half was nice as this one our financial situation will finally match up with our cover story."
"You like this ship?" Anakin asked her.
She nodded.
"You have good taste." He paused. "What's it called again?"
"The Starless," Obi-wan answered for her. "And I think I might know where you're going with this."
His former Padawan grinned toothily at him from across the table. "I'll tell them to consider it our fee for leaving them alive."
"No need to try to scare us," Obi-wan said, eyebrows drawing together in concern, "save that for the weequay,"
Anakin shrugged. "Just getting in character."
"My only concern is that if we piss them off they'll make our presence here known to the Separatists."
"If they're going to do that they'll do it regardless," Anakin said. "Plus, from the sounds of it you didn't do the best job of staying under the radar anyways."
Obi-wan looked away, tight lipped smile on his face. Anakin had him there.
Anakin and Rex went into the room to deliver the news. Padme and Obi-wan waiting tensely with their hands on their weapons. They were unsure how well the pirates would take the news. Rex got easily into character. If he was trying to be scary, he wished he had his helmet, but standing beside Anakin he knew chances were they wouldn't be paying attention to him anyways.
At first the weequay protested, saying they'd played ball, that they'd had no quarrel with them until this point. This was cut short when Anakin lifted Wirek into the air with the force. The weequay struggled desperately, gasping uselessly as the Jedi tightened an invisible hand around his throat.
Good, Rex thought. It was the fault of these scum that Ahsoka was in danger in the first place. The weequay with the bandaged head made a dash for the door, and Rex slammed the butt of his blaster right into the old injury. The weequay crumpled to the floor and Rex kicked him in the stomach.
Wirek's spasms were becoming weaker, yet Anakin continued to hold him as if he'd forgotten he was there.
He addressed the crew. "We're taking this ship. There's really no reason to keep you alive other than our Jedi good will," he spoke sarcastically. "So that leaves you with two choices. One, you leave this ship here on Korono, and two you leave it once we're in orbit."
He let Wirek's body crumple to the ground. Rex kept his eye on the door. He was intelligent, even by clone standards, and the longer he spent with this group the more aware of their dynamics he became. He knew neither the Jedi Master nor the peace loving senator would approve of this side of Anakin. They did not understand that a certain degree of ruthlessness was required in wartime.
Outside, Obi-wan could not shake the feeling of dreed which had settled over him, all of a sudden.
"Are you alright?" Padme asked, astute as ever.
"I just have a bad feeling," he answered, "thought I guess I always have a bit of a bad feeling, these days."
The door to the dormitory slid open, and Padme's hand flew up, pistol at the ready. She was tense. He didn't blame her. Padme had seen her fair share of conflict, but for the past few years she had lived the sheltered life of a senator. This was not her world. The weequay filed out, but they did not look like much of a threat. One clutched his head. Two others supported Wirek between them. The captain didn't look so good, and Obi-wan's concern deepened.
Whatever methods Anakin was using, he intended to have a talk with him about their necessity.
"Can we at least grab a few things?" one of the weequay ventured, fearfully.
"What things?" Rex asked, brandishing his blaster. "These are our things."
His words sounded a little forced. He did not have the same knack for this character that Anakin did. Before the man in question could speak, Obi-wan interjected.
"I don't see the harm in it," he said, fixing both the Jedi and the clone with his most disapproving stare.
Padme, who was starting to feel a little guilty about mentioning she liked the ship in the first place, chimed in as well. "We're already taking their ship. We can't leave them with nothing."
"They could try to sabotage the ship," Anakin said.
"Then we'd better keep a close eye on them," Obi-wan was quick with a counter. "Artoo will go to the cockpit and run a full systems diagnostic. Rex and Padme can go and make sure this ships previous crew doesn't try anything on their way out. You and I are going to have a conversation."
Padme promptly joined Rex, blaster pointed at the nearest pirate. When the Jedi were alone, Obi-wan trapped Anakin in a stare. He did not look angry, more as if he was trying to read him.
"You are no longer my Padawan," he began. "Which is why I struggle with the fact that I must remind you of such basic lessons. Even younglings are aware of the importance of mercy, and kindness even to ones enemies. Jedi do not treat their prisoners as you have."
Obi-wan was talking down to him, and Anakin hated it, but he pushed down his anger. Fighting with his former master would get him nowhere.
"I don't take pleasure in this," Anakin said. "Fear is simply an effective tactic. That's what people like these pirates respect. What happened with Ztherr is a perfect example of what happens when you act with honour and expect everyone else to do the same."
"That was a mistake on my part, I admit that. But that does not mean we must stoop to the level of our enemies."
Anakin knew he was slipping. It was the stress which accompanied someone he cared for being in danger. Sitting across from Obi-wan's calming presence, he took a moment to clear his head, and began to feel a little bad. There was no arguing his method was the fastest and most effective at getting what they wanted, but now that he surveyed his own actions from a calmer mindset he understood Obi-wan's concern.
"I'll let you handle negotiations next time," he said, and he meant it.
"Together," Obi-wan corrected him. "I like the good Jedi bad Jedi thing we had going on. It's a good routine"
He flashed Anakin a smile, which he returned. The tension dissipated, and the pair headed to the cockpit to prepare for takeoff.
As the Starless headed for The Purgat Station, they were unknowingly heading away from Ahsoka. She had been in her new home only a few hours, and she had already come to the conclusion that if she did not figure out how to escape she was going to go insane. That was if they didn't kill her first.
She still wasn't completely sure who the zygerrians had sold her to. They'd knocker her out again when they'd brought her into the cell. Her best guess was the Separatists, though she dared to hope this was not the case. As she sat watching the door, she couldn't help but imagine Grievous walking through, or Dooku. A Jedi did not feel fear, she reminded herself, but it was pointless. The idea that she was in the hands of the Sith was almost too much for her. There would be no hope of escape then.
However the more she thought about it the more she realized that this was probably not the case. For one, the cell in which she was being held was rather odd. Though the walls were metal they were a strange colour, like a bronze or a gold. This seemed to be for aesthetic purposes, as were the rest of the furnishings. Aside from a fresher, her room was furnished with a simple bunk in one corner of the room, and a more lavish couch and low table near the center.
Her two arms were chained to opposite walls, and both legs shackles were attached to the wall behind her. The chains were so long this was not much of a hindrance as she moved around the room, unless she got too close to the door. The energy which made up the chains pulsed a dull orange, and she could barely feel the cuffs. Beside the door there was what looked like a large window, though she could see nothing through it but pitch black.
Then there was her clothes. She no longer wore the threadbare tunic she'd been wearing on Korono. In fact, she was quite scantily clad. A silk wrap covered her breasts, secured behind her with a gold ring. Her shorts were tight, coming only to her mid-thigh. This, in contrast to being in the hands of the Sith, did not scare Ahsoka. If whoever had her tried to touch her she'd rip their throat out.
Ahsoka paced the length of the room, waiting for something to happen, anything at all. She knew she should count herself lucky that boredom was the only torture that was being inflicted upon her, but she was pumped full of adrenaline with nowhere for it to go. She'd already attempted to pull the door open with the force to no avail. The window wouldn't shatter, and she'd also had no luck releasing herself from the energy bindings.
She knew someone was going to come in before they did. The length of the chains began to shrink, dragging her backwards across the polished floor. When they finally stopped she was held in an awkward position, arms pulled forward and out to the sides, feet barely able to stay on the ground. If they had tightened them anymore she would end up suspended in mid-air, staring at the floor.
Next, the window changed from black to transparent and Ahsoka got her first good look at her owner. He was a neimoidian flanked on either side by a magnaguard. She bared her teeth at him involuntarily. He was a disgusting creature with his flat green face, bulging eyes, and ridiculously extravagant robes and headdress.
Behind him, she met the eyes of a beast. She had not seen the likes of it before, with its shimmering dark blue coat, and eyes like a hyperspace lane. The best way she could describe it was as a large feline with two short tentacles hanging from its mouth. They twitched as it paced, and Ahsoka suddenly realized it was also trapped behind a pane of transparent material. It was not the only creature in the room. There were many beasts of many kinds. Even if she could not see them, reaching out through the force she could feel them.
But they were not the only thing on display in this room. A little further away than the catlike creature sat a case filled with ancient jewelry. She could feel the dark side coming off of it in waves. This was a collection, Ahsoka realized, and she was its newest addition.
The name of the neimoidian was Co-King Daine Dalloe. It was a title which had been officially decided upon only ten cycles ago after a long and tedious debate with his other Co-King. He studied the young Jedi with tremendous satisfaction. She put on a brave face, staring him down with surprising anger, but she was clearly helpless. The cell had been built by the best engineers he could afford, and he had quite a lot of money.
Nodding to his magnaguards, Co-King Dalloe indicated his intention to enter the cell. He was no idiot. He would not have risen so high in the ranks of the Separatists if he was. He knew how dangerous Jedi were, even restrained, even as children, and he had taken the proper precautions. There were two sets of magnetically sealed durasteal doors which—much in the style of a ship's airlock—were incapable of both being open at the same time. The window may have looked like a weak point but it was made of carbon crystal and was more than two feet thick.
As the second set of doors slid open before him Dalloe gave the togruta a polite nod of greeting.
"Welcome to Kru'vuren," he said.
He had not purchased her because he wished her harm; on the contrary he viewed her as a cherished possession. Daine Dalloe enjoyed enslaving dangerous things, and he would go to any means necessary to ensure he stayed in a position of power over her. All the same, he came to visit her with the intention of friendship. Through a combination of isolation and brainwashing techniques he was still figuring out the details for, Dalloe hoped to tame the Jedi Padawan. It was a farfetched dream, certainly, but Dalloe knew this girl must have left the Jedi Order for a reason.
The togruta had returned his greeting with nothing but an icy stare, and Dalloe knew he had to accept that the Jedi might have to be a captive beast. There were many in his collection too dangerous to train. He was used to it.
"What's your name?" he tried again.
The response was silence.
"So it's going to be like that?" Dalloe asked. Turning to the magnaguard, he said, "show her what happens when she's unnecessarily stubborn."
The droid jammed one end of his electric staff into her stomach, and she spasmed, clutching desperately at the energy chains. Yet, through it all, she made now sound, biting down so hard on her lip he was surprised it didn't begin to bleed.
"I just want to have a conversation," he said, as she looked back up at him, panting. "I am your new master and you will treat me as such."
"You're not." Her voice was so low at first he was unsure if he'd heard her.
"What?"
"You're not my master."
Dalloe intended to make her pay dearly for that, but before the magnaguards could move in for another strike the table lifted off the ground. It crashed into one of the droids, and before he could react the edge collided hard with Dalloe's head.
When Dalloe came too only a few seconds had passed. He was halfway across the room, and everything was spinning. The wound on his head hurt a lot. The table had cut all the way down to his exoskeleton. It had been his mistake not to attach the furniture to the floor. That would be fixed by tomorrow.
The still functioning magnaguard was electrocuting the Jedi. It stopped only long enough to smash her in the face with the side of the metal staff before it returned to the previous activity. Responding automatically, a group of battle droids had just entered from the airlock chamber. The girl was screaming now, though it sounded more like wheezing. When he finally commanded the droid to stop she hung limply from the chains, toes barely touching the ground.
"The situation appears to be under control, sir," one of the battle droid said, still keeping its gun trained on the motionless Jedi.
"Stay while I continue our conversation," Dalloe instructed.
"But Co-King," the same battle droid continued, "Co-King Var has been attempting to contact you for some time now."
Dalloe looked down at his blinking communicator. He hadn't noticed.
"Alright," he said, both for the benefit of the Jedi and the droids, "it appears I will have to continue this later."
As the second set of doors slid closed, the chains were returned to their original length and Ahsoka crumpled limply to the ground.
Daine Dalloe returned to the part of his large office not occupied by his collection. His desk was flanked on three sides by it, and on the fourth by a large window which ran along the entire front of the room. He brought up the hologram of his fellow ruler, bracing himself for whatever stress was sure to come.
Co-King Reyla Var was a neimoidian as well, and she was in charge of the southern hemisphere of Kru'vuren while Dalloe ruled the north.
"Daine!" she cried, flustered, as usual. "There has been another rebel attack. They destroyed a whole squadron of droids and took back their village."
"So send more droids," Dalloe said, itching to get back to the newest piece of his collection.
Somehow Var always seemed to have it worse in the southern hemisphere. In the time since they'd been instated Dalloe had experienced almost no rebel activity, while with Var it was one crisis after another. He had decided to chalk it up to poor leadership on the other Co-King's part instead of luck.
"With the troops we have now if the population were to militarize we'd be done for. Kru'vuren is a densely populated world, we'd be outnumbered."
"But the population isn't going to militarize," Dalloe said, confidently, "they're just scared civilians. That's what it all comes down to: fear. These people don't know how to fight, and they've seen what happens when even the army of the Republic tries to go up against us. Keep them scared and soon they'll stop rebelling and start working harder. And the harder they work the sooner we can start pumping out droids right here on world."
It appeared that, no matter what he did, this was going to be a long meeting for Dalloe. Governing a planet was a lot of work. There was policy to discuss, strikes to coordinate, and Separatist superiors to deal with.
Because of this, Ahsoka had been afforded some time to recover. She still sat on the floor of her cell, leaning against the wall. It seemed somehow like submitting to use the furniture provided to her. Despite the agony she'd experienced at the hands of the droid the only evidence of the torture was a slight quiver of her hands, and one bloody gash across her cheek.
On the other side of the door she sensed a presence. She tensed but did not get up. It did not feel like the neimoidian. When the second set of doors finally opened a blue skinned twi'lek girl entered. She carried a metal tray with an assortment of items.
It took Ahsoka a few moments to realize that she'd seen her before.
"It's you!"
This was the slave from the zygerrians' ship. Ahsoka sat up a bit straighter, intending to stand up and greet her guest, but a wave of pain from her fried nerve endings made her reconsider; too much effort. She slumped back against the wall as the twi'lek approached her.
"Are you alright?" she asked, placing the tray on the ground beside them as she knelt down next to Ahsoka.
"I've had worse," Ahsoka answered, truthfully.
The slave had brought some bacta, a plate of ration biscuits and a glass of water.
"I got interrupted last time," the girl said, following Ahsoka's gaze. "How long has it been since you've eaten?"
Her sense of time had become so distorted Ahsoka honestly didn't have an answer.
Instead, she asked, "what's your name?"
"Cara'me," said the twi'lek, "and yours, Jedi?"
"Ahsoka. And like I told the slavers, I'm not a Jedi anymore."
Cara'me gently cupped her chin, turning her head so that Ahsoka's injured cheek faced her. It was badly bruised with a minor cut, both results of the side of the maganguard's staff. As the twi'lek softly applied the bacta Ahsoka was momentarily overcome with sentiment at this seemingly spontaneous act of kindness. She'd been alone in the outer rim too long without anyone to count on but herself, in a world where no one did anything that did not benefit themselves. Yet here Cara'me was, trying to help her, even after Ahsoka had inadvertently gotten her hurt.
How Cara'me had ended up here with her, she was unsure. She knew Kru'vuren was a mostly twi'lek inhabited planet.
"Are you from here? This planet?" Ahsoka asked.
Cara'me shook her head, lekku swaying. "I was born on Ryloth. The slavers gave me to the Co-King as a gift after they purchased you."
"Co-King?" Ahsoka asked. She had been confused ever since the neimoidian had mentioned they were on Kru'vuren. "I thought Kru'vuren was a democracy."
Cara'me had finished tending to her wound, and now simply sat across from her on the floor. "Wow, you really have been out of the loop, haven't you? Kru'vuren fell to the Separatists almost a standard month ago now."
A wave of sadness and illogical guilt washed over Ahsoka. She felt like this whenever she was reminded of the war which continued to rage on across the galaxy, even after she'd abandoned her duty. She didn't owe anyone anything, she tried to remind herself, but the feeling was impossible to shake. That was the price of having being raised a Jedi.
A/N: Wow, that was a monster sized chapter. Do you guys like long chapters or would you prefer I chop chapters like this up into bite sized pieces? I really want to hear what you guys think. Do you like the pacing? The structure I've been using with all the mini arcs? Just talk to me! You're all the bomb, thanks so much for reading.