Lux and Appo stood in a stance facing each other. A fight was about to begin and the men knew it.
"You don't want to do this boy!" Appo said holding up his fists as the two began to circle.
"I might not have battle experience, but I do have fighting experience!" Lux said in a shout!
"Lux are you there?" Ahsoka's voice rang in his head.
"Ahsoka?" Lux asked aloud dropping his fists and narrowing his brows.
"Come on boy fight me!" Appo said beginning to walk towards him.
"Wait! I hear something!" Lux said holding up his hands in peace.
"Your a live! Your a live! I can't believe it!" Ahsoka shouted threw their bond and aloud as she jumped off the floor and began to run around the room forgetting Sage was there.
"Oh, my apologies Master, I grew overly excited…" Ahsoka said awkwardly before sitting down.
"It's okay, padawan, I shall forgive you this time!" Sage said smiling at her.
"Ahsoka, what's going on!? How are we talking to one another?" Lux said in a slightly louder tone.
"What are you talking about boy!" Appo said as the other men began to laughed at Lux.
Lux shot him a glare before he stomped away into the trees.
"Ahsoka, are you really there?" He asked in his regular voice now.
"Yes, Lux, this is real!" Ahsoka said cheerfully.
"How are we communicating?" Lux asked narrowing his brows to himself.
"Master Sage Ornate taught me how to contact key role people in my life." She replied before blushing after she realized what she had said.
Sage chuckled at her embarrassment.
"So I am a key role in your life?" Lux asked blushing himself.
"Of course! We are friends, all my friends play a big role in my life!" Ahsoka said trying to cover up her recent response.
Lux smiled at her awkwardness.
"Where are you? I will be there immediately to retrieve you!" Ahsoka said in a firm voice.
"Ahsoka, you make me sound like an item! I am fine, me along with the rest of the prisoners were able to escape! We have weapons!" Lux said pridefully.
"Wow, it sounds like you are really taking care of yourself!" Ahsoka said smiling,"Now where are you?"
"I…" Lux began when an explosion was heard in the distance.
"What was that!?" Ahsoka asked wide eyed.
"Duty calls!" Lux said before darting off to see what had happened.
"Lux!" Ahsoka screamed threw the bond,"He's not responding…"
"But he is alive?" Sage asked smiling at her already knowing the answer.
Ahsoka blushed again before replying,"Yes…"
"There is nothing to be embarrassed of, child! Your friend is alive, you should rejoice!" Sage said watching a smile grow on her face.
"Master, were you banned for love?" Ahsoka asked making another attempted at discovering his true reason for staying here.
"I guess you've waited long enough….please, sit…" Sage said directing his hand to the chair next to him.
Ahsoka narrowed her brows again and took a seat beside him.
"When I was young, and still part of the jedi order, I had reason to believe, senator Palpatine was a sith lord…" He said pausing as a tear watered his eye,"I contacted the jedi high council with my suspicion…my request for farther investigation was denied…."
He stopped placing a hand over his face. He was not crying for his act of foolishness.
"And?" Ahsoka asked placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I did as I wished… I disobeyed my direct orders…. I held senator Palpatine a hostage to my blade demanding he reveal his true identity.." Sage paused once more.
Ahsoka's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe someone as wise as he would do something that ridiculous.
"When the jedi found out about my acts… I was immediately sent into exhale…" Sage said staring her dead in the eyes,"I do not mourn for my foolishness…I morn for he is the great Sith lord…"
Ahsoka couldn't believe her… lekku… was she hearing what she thought she was hearing?
"How do you know this?" Ahsoka asked narrowing her brows again.
Sage took a deep breathe before responding. He leaned in right next to where Ahsoka's ears would be if she had any and said,"He told me…"
Ahsoka felt as if her jaw had hit the floor now.
"Are you sure it wasn't a dream? My Master has dreams such as this all the time that he believes are real!" Ahsoka said becoming concerned of this mans mental health.
Sage shot her a look and said,"Child, if I know one thing, it is that I can tell superstition from reality.."
Ahsoka shuddered as fear tickled up her spine again. Dagobah seemed to bring nothing but fearing to her.
"I think we have trained enough for today…" Sage said as he arose from his chair and made his way to his bed,"You may put the two chairs together if you please, it won't be the most comfortable thing you've ever slept on but it's better then nothing"
Ahsoka felt uneasy about remaining in this man's presence, but she did as he said and joined the two chairs together coming up with a plan to leave when he was in a deep sleep.
"But he hasn't given me a lesson on becoming prepared to let go!" Ahsoka said to herself.
Lux ran back to where the other men had been to find them in a flat out battle. The droids had followed their foot prints in the moist dirt.
"What's going on here?" Lux shouted running over to Appo.
"Can't you tell!?" Appo said ducking behind cover just as a blast flew over his head.
"Listen!" One of the prisoners shouted to Lux.
Lux tried his best to make out any odd noises between the loud blasts from the battle.
"What is it?" He asked curiously.
"A tank!" The prisoner yelled back. And not a second later the blaring sound from the cannon of a separatist tank was heard.
The missile exploded just 20 feet away from Lux.
He struggled to his feet holding his head. His hearing was all blurry as well as his vision. The top layer of skin on his back had been penetrated by multiple tiny pieces of wood from the trees.
"Lux!" Appo yelled at him from behind a rock,"Get down!"
Lux was barely responsive but dropped to the ground when his hearing started to clear up.
Appo popped up from behind the rock giving Lux covering fire while he crawled to the rock Appo had taken cover behind.
"What are we going to do! We can't destroy a tank with only blaster rifles!" Lux shouted over all the noise.
"We'll have to enter through the top hatch and destroy the droids controlling the blasted thing!" Appo said running for the tank.
"Appo, wait!" Lux said before chasing after him.
Appo slid down to his side as he extended his leg kicking the droid's shin causing him to collapse to the ground. He jumped to his feet and turned swiftly taking aim shooting the two droids standing on the tanks sides.
Lux followed closely behind. Noticing he had not thought to pick up a weapon, he stooped down taking hold on one of the droids blasters.
Appo jumped on top of the tanks turret throwing the hatch up violently.
"Eat This!" He shouted to the droid firing the cannon before blasting his head off.
Lux hopped on the tank just as Appo had and forced the bottom hatch up roughly.
Taking aim, he quickly destroyed the droid piloting the tank.
"Good job, boy!" Appo said with a side smile as he crawled into the tanks turret.
A worried look casted itself across Lux's face.
"You expect me to drive this thing!?" Lux said throwing his hands to his sides.
"Come on, it's just like driving a speeder! Right makes you go right and left makes you go left!" Appo shouted before slamming the top shut.
Lux did not like this idea at all. He couldn't pilot a tank! But if he didn't get the tank moving soon he worried the droids would destroy it, keeping the rebels from using it!
"Blast!" He shouted loudly in frustration as he jumped into the cockpit.
Ahsoka began to stir as she opened one eye slowly. The fire was going and it was obvious something was cooking. The smell was extraordinary.
Ahsoka sat up rubbing her eyes. She felt as though she had slept a life time away!
"It is about time you wake up, child!" Sage said caring in some fire wood.
Ahsoka smiled as she threw her arms in the air and kicked her legs out in means of stretching.
"Did you have a pleasant sleep?" Sage asked gently placing a new log into the small flame.
"Yes, once I got to sleep!" Ahsoka said jokingly standing to her feet.
"We shall eat breakfast, then we will begin your lessons." Sage said watching the fire closely.
"Yes, Master." Ahsoka said nodding her head in a bow.
"Do take a seat, young one!" Sage said pulling a chair next to the fire for her.
Ahsoka lowered herself softly into the chair hoping her body weight wouldn't cause it to collapse.
"Master…" Ahsoka began slowly," I…"
She couldn't finish. She wanted to get off this horrid planet to set off on her adventure for Lux.
"Speak, child, don't be afraid!" Sage said placing a hand on her shoulder.
Ahsoka hesitated before continuing,"I would like to ask your permission to set out to find Lux.."
"So Lux is his name?" Sage said closing his eyes. This was a hard decision for him to make, he hadn't come face to face with another civilized being in many, many years!
Ahsoka crossed her fingers behind her back. She was so nervous for some reason! She was sure Master Sage had noticed her shaking.
"You may go, but you must learn to rejoice when your friends and loved ones are united with the force and mourn as the deal with constant struggles in this life…" Sage said give her his most serious look.
"Yes, Master!" Ahsoka said nodding her head in a bow again.
"Then go." Sage said still sitting in his chair.
Ahsoka stood up calmly trying to hide her excitement. She turned and began to walk to the door but turned and ran back to Master Sage engulfing him in a hug.
"Thank you, Master…" Ahsoka said hugging him tightly. She felt so bad! He hadn't seen anyone in years and she had asked to leave!
"Go, child, your friend needs you!" He said smiling at her.
"Yes, Master!" She said as she released him.
She turned to the door slowly walking closer and closer to it. She couldn't resist turning to him one more time.
"Good bye…" She said as a single tear ran down her face.
"Good bye…" He said smiling at her greatly.
Ahsoka opened the door to the fog filled swamp and took her first step forward.
"May the force be with you… always…" Sage said softly as he watched her begin her way back to her ship.