A/N: By the time you all read this, I will have finished this story. It's about time, wouldn't you think? Rebellions Own is only about two, probably closer to three years old. But anyway, I had to place it on hiatus. I hated leaving you guys with no updates, I really did. And thankfully now, I have all of the rest of the story written, so no more waiting! Well, no more waiting six months for an update. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I enjoyed writing it.
A/N2: (11/15/14) Yay! I'm finally uploading this! So, as the note above states, I am done (pretty much. Finishing up the final chapter) with this fic! Yay! Also, for NaNoWriMo I've been working on the final piece for my Ahsoka series. I'm pretty stoked to share it with you!
So, including this chapter, there are only 20 chapters in this fic, which means you have three more to read. Because of that, updates will generally be between 4 and 5 days (i.e. next update will be on Wednesday or Thursday), and then the "premiere" of the new fic will be posted a week after the final chapter of Rebellion's Own. If that makes sense...
Okay, well after an insanely long wait, here is chapter 18!
~MLV
"What do you know of the force?"
The question struck a chord in Ahsoka. She knew how to harness it, to manipulate it to her will. She understood the symbiotic relationship between the force and herself. Was there even more to it?
"Um, I know a bit of it," she replied hesitantly; she wasn't sure what kind of answer the man was looking for. "Not as much as I should, I suppose. I didn't complete my training."
The old man chuckled. "Even then, young one, you would understand next to nothing about the mysteries of this great energy."
Ahsoka frowned. The Chosen One had been her mentor, the man who'd been chosen by the force to bring balance to the galaxy. If things hadn't gone the way they had, then she supposed she'd have unlocked many mysteries of their greatest ally beside her master. "I don't believe that it'd be next to nothing-"
The man interrupted her. "Even your master Yoda knows but one fifth of the power that you wield." His sightless eyes were eerily focused on her
Ahsoka's face dipped into a frown. "No. Master Yoda is the oldest in the order. He literally knows everything about everything."
"Come with me," the old man said, turning his back on her. She could hear him chuckling. "Let us get some tea."
Ahsoka stood up from her mat and followed him. As they left the room into what appeared to be the kitchen, the floor beneath them began to heat up; it seemed to glow with unnatural warmth.
"Tell me about the, uh, the floor," Ahsoka said awkwardly.
"The force flows through it, just as it does with you," he explained. He made more tea, choosing to stay silent. When the tea was finished, he handed a small cup to Ahsoka.
"Imagine the force is this tea," he said. "When you first take a sip, there is a sweetness that cannot be explained."
Ahsoka frowned, but took a sip. Just like he had said, there was a sweet taste to the tea she had never tasted before. But the aftertaste was terribly bitter.
"And there is also a surprising bitterness to it as well," he said, taking a sip of his own cup. "The Jedi reject the bitterness of the tea; they add in unnatural sweetener to mask the taste of the bitter." He added a small spoonful of a white powder into their cups.
Ahsoka took another sip. Just as he had said, the bitterness was gone, but the sweetener also changed the taste of the tea.
"Those you call the sith reject the sweet. Their focus lies on everything bitter; believing that in doing so will give them unnatural strength. But this only wears down them down, eventually rendering them completely soulless.
"Those of us who embrace both the bitter and the sweet begin to have a truer, more pure understanding of the force. And that, in the end, brings about balance."
"To the galaxy?" Ahsoka asked, trying to understand.
The old man smiled. "In a far better place." He rested his hand above his heart. "Here."
Ahsoka thought a moment about what he said. It was definitely different than anything she had ever learned. But somehow, it all made sense.
"Where did you learn this?" she asked.
He chuckled, but there was no true amusement in his voice. "I was once a part of a clan whose purpose in life was unlocking the mysteries of the force. We were decedents of a Jedi master who lived long ago. She was the first to unlock the secret to true balance, but did not understand it. In the end, the evil consumed her, and she locked herself away, ignoring the council of the light, only learning from sith holocrons."
Ahsoka interrupted his story. "I thought they had all been destroyed."
He laughed quietly. "You must remember this was a very long time ago. But yes. We are in no danger of their teachings any longer. They were destroyed, along with their mistress.
"Her pupils understood that they were all in danger of being consumed by the same hate and darkness that had destroyed their teacher. They destroyed the holocrons, and set out to understand the true meaning of the force."
"Why did the original teacher ignore the council of the light?" Ahsoka asked.
"I do not know," was the reply.
Ahsoka's mind turned, trying to process everything. "What is your name?"
He smiled. "I am called Telo."
"Why are you no longer apart of this group?"
Telo sighed, and Ahsoka noticed it held a lot of sadness. "Because my clan is gone; I am the last one to exist."
"How?" Ahsoka whispered.
"Keeping balance is just as difficult as finding it," he replied cryptically. "And now, Ahsoka Tano, you must leave Coruscant."
"But I have so many questions for you," she said. She placed her cup on a table. "You have more to tell me."
"That may be true, but you are in grave danger Ahsoka. You must leave right away if you are to survive. Now go!"
Ahsoka took one last look at Telo, and saw truth in his eyes, and then fled.
Ahsoka wandered through the streets of Coruscant, keeping an eye out for stormtroopers. She was tired of hiding, of keeping her head low, of pretending that the Telo's words of warning did nothing more than nag at her. What did he know that she didn't?
An explosion behind her forced her off of her feet and threw her a few of feet away. Scrambling to her feet, Ahsoka faced the explosion, and despite the heat radiating from the flames, felt a cold fear settle into the pit of her stomach.
Telo's apartment was gone.
Ahsoka ran towards the site, trying to make sense of what had happened. She focused on the force, and was surprised at the connection she felt. The terror of everyone at the scene seemed to fuel the flow she was feeling.
Ignoring the frightening thought, Ahsoka focused on the growing gawkers. Most of them were coming closer to the site, but there was one who was calmly walking away. They were wearing a hood, so Ahsoka couldn't tell much about who it was. The force was tugging at her though, telling her to go after the mystery person.
Ahsoka took one last look at the burning building, and then started after her mystery person. It was easy to gain some ground on the unknown; they weren't walking very quickly. Probably trying not to draw any attention to themselves.
Ahsoka easily gained on them, using the force to dampen the sound of her footsteps. When she was right behind them, Ahsoka reached out a grabbed the person's shoulder.
Ahsoka wasn't expecting a fight. The hooded person reached around and grabbed Ahsoka's hand, twisted and then kicked at her. Ahsoka jumped backwards, yanking her hand out of the hold and also missing the majority of force from the kick.
Momentarily off beat, Ahsoka's senses snapped back immediately when she heard a familiar snap hiss. A purple blade illuminated the area they were standing.
"I don't know who you are," Ahsoka started, reaching for her own lightsaber. "But you're foolish to try using that against me."
Taking the goad, the person lunged at Ahsoka, who brought her own lightsaber up at the last minute and easily parried the attack. In the light of their two sabers, Ahsoka could tell who ever she was fighting was female. She'd obviously had some training on lightsaber techniques, but she didn't have the finesse of a well-trained Jedi.
"Who are you?" Ahsoka asked, parrying another blow. There was no reply. Frustrated, Ahsoka used the force to push the attacker backwards. Using the momentum to backflip, the woman then jumped up onto a low hanging balcony, and disappeared into a doorway.
Ahsoka chose not to go after her. Whoever that was, she was trained by a force user, and was clearly competent in using the force herself, though not extremely skilled. But why would she-and whomever she worked for-want to kill Telo? Perhaps Ahsoka needed to learn more about the mysterious man first.
Standing outside in the cool breeze, Leia tugged the shawl that was wrapped around her shoulder tighter. Even though it seemed ridiculous, she had always felt a sense of calm being outside. It gave her time and space to think. And now was a time when thinking was imperative.
They needed to move their base. Leia knew they had stayed here too long; it wouldn't take the Empire long to discover their location. Her stomach twisted at the thought. They would move the base by the end of the week. Han and Luke were still gone, and there was no way to send word.
Leia gripped at a handrail, taking in deep, sharp breaths. She squeezed her eyes tight, trying to come up with a solution to her problem, but all she got was a headache.
The wind started to kick up, and Leia reluctantly went back inside. The temperature had dropped drastically, and there was a slight chill to the air. Walking over to a small lamp resting on a side table, Leia lit the wick. She stared at the flames a moment, wishing that an answer would jump out at her.
"Princess?"
The voice pulled her out of her thoughts, startling her. She whirled to face her guest, and the movement knocked her lamp from the table. Leia took an involuntary step backwards, and then reached for something to douse the flames.
In a few short seconds, Lando was by her side, helping her to put out the small fire. After the last of the flames had died, Leia put a hand to her head and groaned softly.
"I can't believe this," she whispered.
"It's just a small fire," Lando assured her. "No harm done. You can't even tell."
Leia let out a humorless laugh. "Not that," she admitted. "Just…everything else."
Lando cocked an eyebrow. "Everything?" he asked, emphasizing the word.
Leia met his gaze. "Well, no. Not everything," she admitted. "But…we're moving the base. Since my capture, the council agrees that we're no longer safe on Yavin 4."
Lando nodded slowly. "And you're worried about Luke and Han," he filled in.
Leia merely nodded.
"Look, Leia," Lando said, taking her hands in his and giving them a friendly squeeze. "I know Han much better-and for much longer-than you, which means to have to trust me when I say this: He's smart. He'll figure out where you guys are going. And if not? He'll find someone who does. He's resourceful like that." His voice had taken on a somewhat annoyed tone.
"What about Luke?" Leia asked, keeping her voice strong and steady. "He's just a farm boy. He knows nothing about how the galaxy works."
Lando dropped Leia's hands gently and crossed his arms. "He'll be with Han," he stated matter-of-factly.
"And how do you know that?"
Lando chucked throatily. "If I know Han, then I know he'll find that kid. Trust him on that one."
Leia sighed deeply. "I suppose you're right," she whispered, but her voice held no conviction.
Lando placed a hand on her shoulder. "Try to get some sleep, alright?" He let his hand slip, and then walked back towards the door. Before exiting, he turned and faced the princess. "And your highness?"
Leia turned and looked at him, raising her eyebrows in indication for him to continue.
"Also try not to burn the base down." He winked, and then disappeared.
Leia watched him leave, and then laughed. She supposed he was right; she should get some sleep. Leia slipped into bed, shut her eyes, but was met with sleeplessness. She tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but it was evading her.
Frustrated, Leia threw the covers off of her and checked the time. She groaned inwardly when she found out it had been less than an hour. Jumping out of bed, Leia put a robe on and slipped out of her room and headed towards the records room. Something inside was telling her she'd find answers there.
Leia entered the room and turned on a light. It flickered wildly before finally settling on a soft glow that barely lit the room. Trying to keep her bubbling frustration in check, Leia began to browse the room. She had no idea what she was doing in here, let alone what she was looking for. Trailing her fingers on the shelves of holos, her eyes read each of the titles. She paused on one of the holos; the case was upside down.
Frowning, Leia pulled it out and read the cover: Empire Day. Who had been reading on that day? Leia couldn't help but feel disgust for the day of her birth. Shoving that feeling aside, Leia moved away from the shelves and placed the holo into a computer. She read up on the file, but everything on it was what she had already known. The creation of the Empire, her father's part in it, and the failed attempt at an assa-
That was it. Leia was sure. Luke had been here and had looked over this file. He had learned of the Jedi Yoda, and gone in search of him.
"You fool," Leia muttered to herself, shaking her head. There was no mention of where this Yoda might have gone, but Luke was smart. He'd figure it out.
A thought struck her. Perhaps Obi-Wan Kenobi had known. She supposed Luke had gone back to his home planet in search of clues. It made sense, but was disappointed that the revelation didn't bring her a sense of peace.
Leia placed the holo back in its place, right side up this time, and took a step back. Suddenly, exhaustion flooded her body, so she went back to her room. Returning to her bed, Leia pulled the blanket up to her chin and squeezed her eyes shut. Images of Han holding her before he'd taken off, and images of Luke, the idealistic young man bursting into her detention cell, explaining that he was there to rescue her. She also thought of her father, of his warm smile and kind heart. Her own heart ached at the reminder of the loss.
Be brave, she willed to her spirit. Be strong. But she knew it would take more than talking to herself to get over the death of her father.
With those final thoughts, Leia drifted off into a deep sleep. She was awoken a few hours later to alarms blaring.