Hey guys. Sorry for the late update, my weekend was super busy. Hope you enjoy this new chapter. I encountered a slight bout of writers block, so chapters in the future might be a little late. Don't worry I'm not going up on this story. If you have any questions PM me. As always review. - Kiera

CHAPTER 12

On the other side of the Galaxy, Anakin Skywalker stared listlessly out into space. The supply run was short and uneventful, he had nothing to do. There were no Imperials or pirates. Not even a space slug had crossed their path. All he could think about was Padmé. He had royally messed up. He couldn't believe that he let his wife think that he believed her useless. Of course she could, they had embarked on many missions together during the Clone Wars. He had simply wanted to protect her and it blew up in his face. He was miserable. Suddenly, Anakin felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Anakin, moping about it won't change anything," advised Obi wan. "The best thing you can do is apologize to her as soon as you see her."

Sighing, he went to the cabin to practice his mediation. Not twenty minutes in, and their transport listed to the side. Anakin burst out of the cabin, arms grasping the various pipes lining the sides of their ship. He made his way to the cockpit and pressed assorted buttons.

"It's no use Anakin. The hyperdrive has been compromised, and our engine is faulty," Obi wan said as he began to pilot the ship towards a nearby planet. "We'll have to land and find someplace to make repairs."

Anakin halted when he reached the end of the catwalk. Horrified, he realized where they had landed. Kessel. Domain of the Pykes, a criminal empire that specialized in spice. Spice was a highly addictive drug that few people have ever fully sobered from. It clouded the mind, and after awhile, it reduced a person to a raving lunatic. This planet was the exact place Anakin despised. Full of slavers and the like, basically everything wrong with the Galaxy condensed into one planet.

"Of all the places we could have landed, we had to land here," muttered Obi wan.

Anakin nodded in agreement and pulled his cloak around him. They wandered the streets for what seemed like hours until they came upon a seemingly decent hotel. The hostess cast them a weary look as she gave them their room. The place stank of spice. The bed had stuffing popping out of some places and strange stains everywhere. Sighing, Anakin volunteered to be the one to sleep on the moldy chair next to the bed. Reluctantly the two Jedi both fell into an uneventful rest.

After she had made sure that the two Jedi were gone, the hostess immediately contacted the Pykes. Like many people on Kessel, she believed Jedi prevented her from running her business. They had to be taken care of. The Pykes would know what to do. Hopefully, these Jedi would be out of her hair for good.

Ahsoka paced around her room. She had no idea what to do. She had been trying to avoid Lux all day, but her new assignment had now made that impossible. She was supposed to spend every waking hour formulating an attack plan on a certain space station. And guess who was also assigned to said project. Lux. She hadn't seen him in a long time. No doubt he resented her for cutting off all communication with him.

He was one of her closest friends, which wasn't saying much since she had a grand total of 5 ( technically 4) friends. Plus, she could barely say hello to him without stuttering. Ahsoka was unsure what that meant. Usually, she was friendly and confident around most people. Maybe it was her Jedi training that was preventing her from talking to him. After all, she wasn't supposed to have any attachments, yet she had forged a strong bond with Bonteri. Her training had never deterred her from socializing before, and she hadn't been a Jedi for years.

She jumped when she her a sharp knock on the door. Ahsoka opened the door, and Lux stepped in holding a tray laden with plates of food. The smell filled her room with an appetizing aroma. Unbeknownst to Ahsoka, a blush had spread across her orange cheeks.

Gathering her inner strength, she asked, " Lux what are you doing here? I thought you were working on the project."

He proceeded to sit on her bed and began to lay a worn tablecloth over her bed.

" Well, I was working on the project, but then I heard that you hadn't eaten dinner," he responded. "So I thought I would bring something up food so we could work on it together."

Ahsoka was about to politely decline, but a rumble from her stomach betrayed her. Realizing how hungry she actually was, she nervously began to stuff her face full of food. When she shifted around on the bed, she accidentally spilled a bowl of soup on her Jedi attire. Cursing she sprinted to the bathroom and emerged in her baggy, rumpled pajamas. She could tell that Lux was trying to stifle a laugh. Ahsoka glared daggers at him as she ate her shura fruit ice cream. Surprisingly, she noticed Lux also had a plate overflowing with ice cream.

" I didn't know you liked shura fruit ice cream," Ahsoka said.

" Yeah, my mother used to make it when I was sick," replied Lux. " One time she even made me an entire tub full. It was probably twice the size of me."

Lux leaned over to retrieve a glass of bantha milk, and the bowl of ice cream tipped over onto his pristine, neat pants. Now it was Aksoka's turn to a brief exchange of playful banter the conversation turned serious.

"So what prompted you to join the Rebellion? " inquired Ahsoka. Lux pondered this for a moment.

"Well, I guess it was the next logical step after the Clone Wars ended. It's always been my dream to create a government free of corruption. I joined the Rebellion because it thought it would be like the rebellion in Onderon." At this point, a look of longing and sadness crossed Lux's face. " It was one of the only times I felt I had a family after what happened to my mother."

Then, Ahsoka did something that surprised both her and Lux. She leaned forward and embraced him. At first Lux was hesitant, but then he relaxed into the hug. The two sat there for what seemed to be an eternity before going their separate ways.