Chapter 11 – A Jedi in the Alliance

"Well, Princess, it looks like you're about to get your wish."

Leia Organa looked up from her computer console. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Han Solo answered, "The Falcon's up and ready to go. Chewie and I will be gone by the end of the day, I'm going to pay off Jabba the Hutt, and you won't have to deal with me again."

Leia nodded, her expression neutral. "That's nice." She looked back down at her computer and continued working.

Han pretended to be offended. "'That's nice?' Is that all you have to day? I thought this is what you wanted!"

"It is, but I don't have time to see you off. I have work to get done."

"Work?" repeated Han. He turned and said, "Hey, did you hear that, kid? The princess is working. Better not disturb her or she'll get cranky."

Sitting at another nearby computer, Luke Skywalker said, "Just leave her alone, Han. No one's in the mood for jokes."

"Aw, not you too!" groaned Han. "Doesn't anyone care about me?"

"No," answered Leia bluntly, still staring at her computer.

Luke answered, "I care about you, Han. And I wish you good luck. I'm really going to miss you."

Han, slightly touched, smiled and patted Luke on the back. "Same here. I'd ask if you wanted to come with us, but I know the answer already."

Luke returned the smile. "At least you understand that this is important to me. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, but I think you'd need my help more."

Luke didn't respond, so Han left the Echo Base command center. After he was gone, Luke turned to Leia and said, "You know, you could have at least said good-bye to him."

"He could have said good-bye to me," justified Leia.

"He did, just in his own way."

Leia sighed. "I know. And I will miss him sometimes."

Luke nodded his head. At least Leia was tolerant enough for that.

A moment later, a rebel controller announced, "General, I'm picking up a ship on my scanners."

Carlist Rieekan, a tall man with dark, greying hair, walked over to the controller and asked, "What kind of ship? One of ours?"

"No," replied the controller, "and it doesn't appear to belong to the Empire, either. It looks like some kind of recreational ship."

Luke froze when he heard these words. A recreational ship? Could it be…? He stood up and walked over to join General Rieekan. He looked at the ship on the screen and saw that it was indeed Ahsoka Tano's ship. Was she here to capture Han? Or had she changed her mind about joining Luke? The latter was the more likely; Ahsoka said that she wouldn't come after Han for another week. And Luke didn't believe that she had broken her promise.

He was soon joined by Leia, who observed, "It's heading straight for the base. Contact them."

The controller opened the comlink frequency and spoke to the pilot of the ship. "Incoming ship, identify yourself."

A female voice replied, "This is Ahsoka Tano, requesting permission to land." Luke's heart skipped a beat. She had used her real name! Maybe she was coming to join Luke!

Rieekan asked, "Does anyone know who this Ahsoka Tano is?"

Luke instantly answered, "I do! Let her land." When everyone gave him questioning looks, he assured them, "Trust me, everything's going to be fine."

After a second's hesitation, Rieekan nodded to the controller, who gave Ahsoka permission to land in the main hanger.

Luke ran out of the room and through the hallways, confusing all passersby with his excitement. A Jedi was coming! An actual Jedi! Ahsoka would join the Rebellion, help fight the Empire, and train Luke to be a Jedi! This prospect gave Luke hope; hope that he would become a Jedi like his father and defeat Darth Vader after all. When he entered the hanger, Ahsoka hadn't arrived yet, so he waited.

Luke's attention was drawn toward the sound of engines firing up. He looked over and saw the Millennium Falcon preparing to leave. And then a thought occurred to him; Han didn't know that Ahsoka was coming, and she didn't know that he was leaving. If one of the ships didn't stop, they would crash into each other! Knowing which one would be easier to stop, Luke ran in front of the Falcon's cockpit, waving his arms and yelling for Han to stop.

Inside the Falcon's cockpit, Han and Chewbacca were throwing switches and testing systems, preparing for liftoff. Han said, "As long as we did everything right, we'll be fine. That is, assuming you didn't mess anything up." Chewbacca roared in protest, prompting Han to add, "What? I had to remind you to refill the engine coolant. If it weren't for me, we'd be fried."

Chewbacca continued the preparations until he noticed something out the forward viewport. He barked to point it out to Han, who looked in the direction the Wookiee was indicating. Luke was waving his arms and yelling. They couldn't tell what he was saying, however, because of the sound of the engines. Han groaned, "Aw, don't worry about him, Chewie. He's just trying to get me to stay here." Han waved good-bye to Luke and said, "Let's go." He pulled a lever and the Falcon rose off of the ground. The landing gear retracted and the ship glided slowly toward the open hanger doors.

Just when it seemed that they were home free, another ship flew into the hanger. Chewbacca roared in alarm and Han screamed, "Evasive maneuvers!" He pulled the Falcon hard to the right and backward to avoid the new ship. His sudden movement was followed by a loud bang and a cacophony of alarms. "Damn it!" exclaimed Han. "We hit the wall!" He landed the ship and looked over a report of the damage. The back-right corner of the Falcon had been crushed against the hanger wall, and part of the engine with it. It could take two weeks to fix. Meanwhile, the ship they had almost flown into had landed in the hanger. Han growled and stormed out of the cockpit toward the boarding ramp. "When I find out who that pilot is, I'm going to shoot the jerk!"

Luke winced as the Millennium Falcon hit the hanger wall, but he wasn't too concerned. After all, Han had landed safely and so had Ahsoka. Luke ran up to Ahsoka's ship, waiting for the hatch to open. Princess Leia and a group of rebel guards joined him, ready to attack if necessary. Han arrived a second later, toting his blaster pistol and sneering. The ship's hatch was raised and Ahsoka Tano walked out, calmly and confidently.

Luke surveyed her with surprise. Ahsoka had completely changed her appearance. Her skin was no longer red with yellow facial markings, but orange with white markings. The stripes on her montrals and lekku were now thin and blue as opposed to wide and purple. And she had switched out her black jumpsuit with a brown tank top and skirt with grey tights. Luke also noticed that her plethora of weapons had been replaced by two lightsabers hanging from her belt. She really had come back!

Han, on the other hand, believed it was a trick. "You!" He raised his blaster pistol and immediately began firing off shots. To everyone's surprise, Ahsoka ignited a lightsaber with a green blade and deflected the blaster bolts into the ceiling. And then, to add to the shock, she tugged at something invisible with her left hand and Han's blaster flew out of his hand and over Ahsoka's ship. All of the rebels in the room whispered to each other, and more rebels rushed into the hanger from throughout Echo Base to see what was happening.

Ahsoka spoke loud and clear, "I'm not here to fight you; I'm here to join you. My name is Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight."

This generated an even greater buzz of excitement. None of the rebels had ever met a Jedi before. They continued to whisper amongst themselves, some excited, some doubtful. In a nearby corner, R2-D2 warbled excitedly while C-3PO said, "Impossible! The chances of a Jedi Knight appearing here and now are approximately 29,685,129 to one!" Leia looked at Luke in disbelief. "Did you know about this?" she asked. Chewbacca, standing at the Millennium Falcon's boarding ramp, let out a surprised roar. Commander Don Dain, who had interrogated Ahsoka when she was captured, stood open-mouthed. "This can't be," he told himself repeatedly, heaving his chest. Han Solo yelled, "Oh, come on! You can't possibly be buying this! She's Ashla Fett! A bounty hunter! She's only here to capture me and turn you all over to the Empire!"

In response to Han's accusations, Luke yelled, "Shut up, Han! She's Ahsoka Tano, and she's here to join us!"

Ahsoka walked up to Luke and held up and hand to calm him. "Thank you for defending me, Luke, but I can take care of this." She raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. "It is true that I was once a bounty hunter. After I saw the Jedi Order killed around me, I went into hiding, teaming up with Boba Fett. For twenty years, I stayed in the shadows, refusing to let my true colors show. But now, my mind has been changed." She looked at Luke as she continued, "I see now that the Rebellion has a chance of defeating the Empire and restoring freedom to the galaxy. I have military experience and a broad knowledge of the old Republic and Jedi Order. I can help you fight the Empire and train new Jedi."

"Preposterous!" exclaimed Dain, almost before he thought it. "Even if she is a Jedi, like she claims to be, we cannot allow her to join the Alliance! We have no background check on her, except that she broke out of our prison facility and caused damage to the base. Also, as Captain Solo has said, she is a dangerous bounty hunter and criminal. You do not want that type among us!" Some of the rebels muttered their agreement.

Dain continued, "And, secondly, if the Empire learns that there is a Jedi in the Alliance, imagine the lengths to which they will go to find her and, subsequently, us! She will bring about the deaths of us all, the destruction of the Rebel Alliance, and the quenching of the final flame of hope for the galaxy!" More rebels added agreements and protests to the muttering. Dain turned to General Rieekan. "General Rieekan, I must protest. The Jedi must not be inducted, and she must not be allowed to escape, now that she knows so much. And seeing as imprisonment is not enough to stop her, I suggest that she be terminated at once!"

"No!" exclaimed Luke, stepping between Dain and Ahsoka. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. I know Ahsoka. She doesn't want to hurt us; she wants to help us. Did you ever think that a Jedi could be the tool we need to turn the tide of this war? Imagine how much the Empire will lose when we gain because of Ahsoka. Commander Dain's only saying these things because he doesn't like her. And also because he doesn't like me."

"I resent that, Skywalker!" retorted Dain. "I don't like you any less than everyone else here. It is your youth and inexperience that I find disturbing. They have made you too reckless and impulsive. That is not healthy in a leader."

Ahsoka stepped out from behind Luke and replied, "I think you will find that sometimes recklessness and impulsiveness can lead to victory. I have seen it happen often. I understand your concerns, Commander. And I came fully prepared to be met with hostility. But consider this; I only escaped and lightly damaged your base because I was being threatened. And I say lightly, because not only did I leave everyone unharmed, but I caused no considerable damage, didn't I? Also, my career as a bounty hunter was only a cover-up and a means for survival. I couldn't continue being a Jedi, and I couldn't make a living off of nothing.

"Thirdly, let's assume that somehow, word did get out about me. What lengths could the Empire go to greater than they are now? They're already sending out spies, searching the entire galaxy, and interrogating everyone they feel may be associated with the rebels. All that they can do is increase their efforts, which are already very high. And, if other people hear rumors of my existence, they may become inspired to join the Rebellion and fight alongside a real Jedi Knight. And lastly, Commander, since when is it your decision alone as to whether or not a person should be inducted?"

Everyone agreed to Ahsoka's points, and began cheering for her. All except for Dain, who was quite taken aback. General Rieekan held up his hands and called for silence. Once the room had fallen quiet, he walked up to Ahsoka and said, "It appears that the majority of us agree with you, including myself. Also, Commander Skywalker has openly declared his support of you. I only have a few questions. Do you pledge yourself to the Rebel Alliance?"

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "I do."

"And do you swear that you have no allegiance to the Empire?"

"None whatsoever."

"And are you fully prepared to risk your life for those around you, and to act bravely in the face of death or defeat?"

"I always have been."

Rieekan smiled and held out his hand. "Then, welcome to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight." Ahsoka shook Rieekan's hand, and the rebels in the hanger clapped and cheered. Luke clapped loudest of all. After a few moments of celebration, Rieekan announced, "All right, everyone! There's still a lot of work to do! Let's get to it!" Everyone returned to their daily routines, still talking about what had just transpired.

Luke approached Ahsoka and said, "Thank you so much for coming back. What happened on Gederon?"

Ahsoka answered, "I broke into the Imperial base and found the supplies I needed. Then I overheard a holoconference between some of the Imperial leaders. They mentioned the rebel pilot who destroyed the Death Star, and Darth Vader believed that the pilot was a Jedi connected to Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Luke's expression of gratitude turned to fear.

"Yes, I realized it was you," confirmed Ahsoka. "I thought about coming back and protecting you, but I still didn't want to put my identity at risk."

"What made up your mind?"

Ahsoka answered, "It was the Force. I had a vision of the Jedi Order rebuilt. I realized that if the Jedi are ever to return, it would be up to me to train new Jedi and organize the new order."

"Does that mean you're going to train me?" Luke asked hopefully.

"I will, if you're willing to put in the time and effort. Because, believe me, it's not an easy task."

Almost without thinking, Luke answered, "Yes. This is want I want."

"Very well. Meet me at my ship tomorrow and we will begin."

Luke and Ahsoka were joined by Leia. Luke introduced the women to each other. "Leia, this is Ahsoka Tano. She was a Jedi in the old Republic. Ahsoka, this is Princess Leia Organa, one of the rebel leaders."

As the women shook hands, Ahsoka asked, "Organa? Are you related to Bail Organa?"

Leia nodded her head. "He was my father."

"I knew him when he was the senator for Alderaan. I'm very sorry about what happened to your planet, by the way. I'll do whatever I can to prevent the Empire from hurting any more innocent people."

Leia smiled. "That's what we all want to hear. I think you're going to fit in well."

The three walked out of the hanger, talking to each other, unaware that they were being watched by a very angry Don Dain.

On the bridge of the Executor, Darth Vader seethed. The disturbance in the Force was growing stronger every day. He had no doubt that the cause of the disturbance was a Jedi. He was already formulating a plan for when the time came to destroy said Jedi. There would be no survivors.

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