Chapter 10 – Voice of the Force

During his entire trip back to Hoth, Luke Skywalker had been praying that the makeshift repairs on his X-Wing starfighter would hold. Not that he doubted them; after all, R2-D2 was an excellent mechanic. When the ship came out of hyperspace in one piece, Luke breathed a sigh of relief. "Good job, Artoo." In the astromech socket, R2-D2 chirped happily. Luke angled the fighter down and sent a coded message to Echo Base, letting them know of his arrival. The hanger doors were wide open, and a team of mechanics was waiting to repair and refuel Luke's ship. Princess Leia Organa was there, too, to assure herself that her friend was safe.

The X-Wing landed and Luke climbed out of the cockpit. R2-D2 was lifted from the astromech socket by a magnetic crane and placed on the ground. The droid rolled away to begin talking to C-3PO, his protocol droid friend. Leia hugged Luke and said, "Thank goodness you're safe. I was beginning to worry about you."

Luke smiled in amusement. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

Leia blushed slightly for a second before coming to her senses. "So, did you find Ashla?"

"Yes, I followed her to Gederon. We damaged each other's ships and we crashed near an Imperial base."

Leia's ears perked up at the mention of the last two words. "There's no base on Gederon. Not that we know of."

"Well, there is now. I'll tell General Rieekan about it so he can add it to the database. Anyway, there was some fighting, but Ah- Ashla and I eventually came to an understanding and she let me go." Luke had almost said Ashla Fett's real name, but he quickly corrected himself, knowing that Ahsoka Tano wanted to keep her identity secret.

Luke jumped in response to a loud laugh behind him. "You're joking, right?" asked Han Solo's voice. "Ashla Fett let you go?" Luke turned around to face Han and unintentionally yelped. There was a bacta patch and some bandages strapped to Han's nose. Luke was about to ask Han what had happened, but then he remembered Ahsoka fighting Han before she escaped. Han continued, "Yeah, take a good look, kid. This is the least she can do to her enemies. She's coming after you later, believe me."

"She is not after me!" exclaimed Luke. And then he admitted, "Well, she did say that she's still coming after you, and that you have one week to leave."

"Aha!" Han shouted triumphantly. "See? She's tricking to you! She wants you to think you're safe so that when she comes back, you'll be unprepared! Honestly, kid, where would you be if you didn't have me to teach you these things?"

Leia turned to Han and yelled, "That's enough! I'm tired of hearing you saying all these things that you think are jokes, but are actually offensive! Don't you have any idea what Luke's going through? What we're all going through? So fix your attitude, or else take your snide comments, and your walking carpet yes-man, and get out!"

Luke stood with his mouth hanging open. He had never seen Leia lose control like that before. All of the other rebels in the hanger had stopped their duties and were watching the confrontation. Even Han was speechless. After several seconds of glaring down at Leia, he turned on his heel and marched back to the Millennium Falcon, which was still being repaired by Chewbacca. The Wookiee was also glaring at Leia for being called a "walking carpet yes-man."

Leia saw that everyone was looking at her, so she said, "There's nothing to see. Back to work, everyone."

Once activity in the hanger had returned to normal, Luke asked Leia, "What's wrong?"

Leia scowled. "Sometimes I just can't stand him. Why can't he…"

"This isn't about Han," interrupted Luke. "I've never seen you lose control like that before. Something else is going on." Leia neither confirmed nor denied Luke's presumption, so Luke added, "I'm your friend. Tell me what's going on so that I can help you."

Leia sighed in defeat, pulled Luke towards a secluded area and whispered, "You were right about me being stressed out. We received a report of Imperial scouts in the sector a couple days ago. I haven't slept since – I've been watching the scanners and reading reports."

Luke was surprised. "That's all you've been doing for two days? You should take the day off and let everyone do their own jobs. If anything comes up, we'll take care of it."

Leia didn't want a day off, but she knew that she needed it. She nodded and began to walk to her quarters. But then she stopped and asked Luke, "Are you sure Ashla's not going to hurt you?"

"Believe me," answered Luke, "She doesn't care about me or the Rebellion." And then he added, "Or anyone, for that matter." Before Leia could ask what he meant, Luke turned around and walked away.

Ahsoka Tano had escaped from Gederon and was travelling through hyperspace en route to a nearby port where she could restock her ship. She had also planned on trying to contact Boba Fett again, but she was still conflicted about Luke Skywalker. Now that she knew that he was the son of Anakin Skywalker and the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, she wondered if she should go back to Hoth and protect him. On the other hand, she had promised herself that she would never go back to being a Jedi. Not only that, but she had been a bounty hunter for twenty years. How could she ever face her past now, when it was far too late?

"This is ridiculous," she told herself. "Why am I wasting my time thinking about something that happened a long time ago? I'm a bounty hunter. I have to focus on what's happening now."

You are focused on the present, Ahsoka Tano. The events of the past still live in your heart.

Ahsoka jumped up and drew one of her blasters in response to the unexpected voice. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

I am someone with whom you were once acquainted. I have come to revisit you, and ask for your companionship.

Ahsoka looked around, but she didn't see anyone. In fact, the voice didn't seem to be coming from inside the ship. It sounded more like it was coming from inside Ahsoka's head. She did not recognize the voice. It sounded like that of an old man. "Where are you?"

I am everywhere. I surround you, penetrate you, and bind the galaxy together. I have watched you for many years, Ahsoka Tano. Even when you did not realize it, I was always there for you.

It did not take long for Ahsoka to piece the riddle together. "Are you… the Force?"

Yes. I am glad that you still remember me, even though you claim to have forsaken me.

Slightly less wary, Ahsoka began to lower her blaster. "I didn't forsake you; I just, well, didn't want to be reminded of my old life."

And why not? What was it about your life as a Jedi that you find so disappointing? Did you not have food, shelter, friends, and a master who cared deeply about you?

Ahsoka sat down and answered, "No, I had all of those things. But when the Jedi were killed, I had nothing left. Everything had been taken from me. All I had was Boba, who said he could protect me if I became a bounty hunter."

Boba Fett does not truly love you. He only asked you to become a bounty hunter because of his own greed. He does not feel that he can love a Jedi.

"That's not true!" exclaimed Ahsoka. "Boba has always loved me for who I am!"

But not for who you were. You know this, deep in your heart. Why do you linger when you know that you could become so much more?

Ahsoka thought about what the Force had just said. She didn't want to believe that Boba didn't love her as a Jedi, but, then again, he had changed over the years. Was it possible that he was only interested in her as a bounty hunter? Ahsoka knew that, deep down, she was a Jedi, but could she live as a Jedi again? "How can I face my past when so much has changed? For twenty years I've been working to suppress my former life."

And yet, you have kept your Jedi weapons after all these years.

"I don't have my lightsabers anymore," responded Ahsoka. "I destroyed them, years ago."

Is that the truth, or another belief? I advise you to look in that drawer.

Ahsoka found herself looking at a specific drawer without being directed to it. "That drawer's been broken since before I got this ship. I've tried everything to open it, but nothing works."

Have you tried everything? You were the one who made it that way. You have the ability to undo it.

Ahsoka didn't understand. She had truly tried everything she could think of. She had even tried to destroy the drawer when she was unable to force it open. And then it hit her. The Force. She had to use the Force to open it. She stood up and walked over to the drawer. She hadn't used the Force in this way in years, and she was doubtful that she would succeed. But she had to try.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached out with her emotions. She concentrated on emptying her mind and focusing on the drawer. After a few seconds, she was surprised to find that she could feel the drawer without touching it. She could also feel the internal locking mechanism that she had forgotten about. She willed the latch to slide open, and, incredibly, it did. The drawer opened and Ahsoka looked inside.

There, sitting in the drawer, were the two lightsabers that she had made when she was a Jedi. She couldn't explain the mix of emotions that flooded over her. For one thing, she was shocked that her weapons had been under her nose for all those years. She was also somewhat proud that she had succeeded in using the Force. But the biggest emotions came from the memories running through her head. There were happy memories, sad memories, and scary memories.

"I… I don't believe it. How did I not realize this?"

The Force answered, If you are still not convinced, then you must search for the truth. There is a hot spring near the Massassi Temple on the fourth moon of Yavin. Go there, bathe in the pool, and you will discover your true purpose.

Ahsoka picked up one of her lightsabers and held it in her hand. She pondered the Force's instructions. What was at this spring that would reveal her true purpose, whatever that was? What if it was a trap? But, she figured, she didn't know that she had kept her lightsabers, so perhaps there were other secrets yet to be revealed.

After she had made her decision, she felt the Force's presence diminish. She was alone.

As per the Force's instructions, Ahsoka flew back to Yavin 4 and landed near the Massassi Temple. The specified hot spring wasn't hard to find; all Ahsoka had to do was walk toward the cloud of steam rising from the jungle. When she arrived at the spring, she saw that it was little more than a pool with steam rising from the surface. There didn't appear to be anything special about it. Still, Ahsoka removed her clothes and took one step into the pool. After her foot had adjusted to the heat, she slowly waded toward the center of the spring, disappearing into the steam.

Inside the cloud, it was so thick that Ahsoka couldn't see anything except for the body parts nearest to her eyes, which were beginning to sting from the billows of steam. She closed her eyes and continued to walk forward until she felt the water level stop rising. She was standing waist-deep in the center of the pool, not knowing what to do next. What was supposed to happen? After a moment, Ahsoka began to think that nothing would happen, and that she should return to her ship.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her disappeared, and she sank into the hot water before she had a chance to take a breath. She struggled to swim upward to no avail, and she began to run out of air. When she felt that her head was about to explode, she inhaled a lungful of… air? How could she be breathing air when she was underwater? When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find that she wasn't underwater, and she was awestruck by where she was.

Ahsoka was in a hallway wide enough for two rancors to stand side-by-side, and tall enough for twice as many rancors to stand on each other's heads. The hallway was so long that Ahsoka couldn't see where it ended. The floor and walls were made of stone, as were the enormous pillars that lined either side of the hallway. Between the pillars to her right were tall glass windows through which the setting sun shone. To her left, the pillars were joined by archways opening to a wide staircase leading down into a large atrium. A crimson carpet ran the length of the hallway.

Ahsoka was ashamed to be naked in such a grand and beautiful place. But when she looked down, she saw that not only was she wearing her old Jedi uniform, but that her skin had returned to its natural orange color. She realized that she was in the Jedi Temple, before the clone attack. She was shocked and excited at the same time to be back in the place of her upbringing. Everything looked exactly the same as she remembered it. She was reminded of fond memories that took place in the temple. She remembered being about four years old, running down the hall, racing her classmates. She had tripped and fallen and scraped her forearm on the carpet, and a ten-year-old Padawan boy had helped her up and escorted her to the infirmary. She regretted that she never did learn his name.

Ahsoka's thoughts were brought back to the present, and there were two men standing in front of her. She recognized them immediately; Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, two of her most trusted friends. They smiled and bowed to her, and she bowed back. At that moment, Ahsoka felt happier than ever. She was home.

Then the sun set and the temple went dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of the surrounding buildings. The ground began to vibrate, and, to Ahsoka's horror, the temple began to decay. The stone cracked and crumbled, the windows shattered, and the carpet burned. Ahsoka returned her attention to Obi-Wan, who was aging before her eyes. His skin became tanned and wrinkled, his hair grey and tousled, and his robes tattered and dirty. When Ahsoka looked at Anakin, she was completely terrified to see that he had disappeared and was replaced by a monstrous black figure. It was Darth Vader. Vader ignited his lightsaber and sliced through Obi-Wan's torso. As soon as the blood-red blade touched him, however, Obi-Wan disappeared, leaving behind a pile of empty clothes and a now-ownerless lightsaber hilt. Ahsoka screamed "No!" before Vader turned on her. The Sith Lord raised his lightsaber and brought it down on Ahsoka's head.

But the blade never made contact. Vader disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Ahsoka alone in the dark and ruined Jedi Temple. She was reminded that everything was gone, and she began to cry. Is this what the Force meant for her to see? That her life was so happy until the Empire destroyed everything? That her purpose was to watch her life fall apart around her? If so, what was the point in her living any longer? She opened her eyes and was about to jump out the window when she saw the sun peek out over the horizon. As its rays fell on the ruins, the temple magically began to renew itself. The cracks in the stone receded, the carpet was replaced, and new glass began to form in the windows.

Ahsoka was stunned by the transformation. How was this happening? Who was rebuilding the temple? A moment later, eleven humans and aliens appeared in a circle around her. Ahsoka didn't recognize any of those people, but they were all wearing Jedi robes. Were they Jedi Council members from the distant past? No. They were from the future. Somehow, the Jedi Order had been rebuilt. To Ahsoka's confusion, the Jedi all bowed to her. And then a familiar voice said, "Master Tano." Ahsoka looked at the man who had spoken. He wore black robes and a glove on his right hand, and he had light brown hair and a determined expression on his face. The more Ahsoka studied him, the more she realized that he was none other than Luke Skywalker, several years older.

It wasn't until then that Ahsoka realized the meaning of everything she had seen. By destroying the Jedi, the Empire had ruined not only Ahsoka's life, but the lives of everyone else as well. And the Emperor would continue to gain power, eventually destroying the galaxy. And there was only one Jedi left who could stop him; Ahsoka. She was meant to rebuild the Jedi Order and help defeat the Empire. Ahsoka could train hundreds of new Jedi and become the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. She could have everything she had lost and more. That was her purpose; to free the galaxy and become a Jedi again.

Ahsoka kneeled and bowed her head to Luke, who held out his hand. Ahsoka took his hand in hers and he pulled her up… out of the water. Ahsoka coughed and sputtered, wiping hot water from her face. She was back in the hot spring on Yavin 4, once again alone. Ahsoka looked down and gasped, not because she was naked again, but because the water was turning red. She was bleeding! Frantically, she ran her hands over her body, searching for her wound, but she stopped when she noticed that her hands had turned from red to orange. It wasn't blood in the water; it was the red body paint Ahsoka had used to disguise herself. The hot water and steam were washing it away, revealing Ahsoka's natural orange skin color.

Ahsoka waded back to the edge of the pool and washed the rest of the paint off before returning to her ship. Ahsoka thought back on her vision. She now had the answer to her dilemma. She had to go back to Hoth and help Luke. She would join the Rebellion and train him to be a Jedi. But she couldn't go back wearing that ugly bounty hunter jumpsuit. She needed a new look – or rather, an old one.

Ahsoka had thrown away her old Jedi uniform, so she searched through her closet, looking for anything close enough. She found a brown tank top and skirt and grey tights. She removed the dagger holsters from her boots and the blaster holsters from her belt and put everything on. After observing herself in the mirror, Ahsoka was convinced that she looked very close to what she had looked like as a Padawan. Except there was one thing missing. Actually, there were two things; her lightsabers. Ahsoka opened the drawer and attached the lightsabers to her belt. Now, her look was complete.

Ashla Fett was no more. Ahsoka Tano was back.

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