Hello everyone. I think you want me to continue with this; thank you for all the reviews. Before the chapter begins, I just want to say that I won't be covering the dark side perspective in this story as it isn't required and wouldn't fit with the story. Just assume that Palpatine's altered plans means that the Clones Wars go on for longer. Dooku and Grievous do exist; just assume they are doing what they always do. Anyway; here is the next chapter and Anakin reaches Pheebos to begin his investigation but he gets very concerned when he meets a very depressed Togruta girl called Ahsoka.
An Agri-Corp Mystery: Chapter 2 – Arrival
Usually Anakin Skywalker's emotions start to swirl as he approached a mission; a strange mix of dread and expectation comes with an opportunity for him to forget about his wife's death. Well usually he feels like that. This time however, Anakin was just numb; the journey from Coruscant to Pheebos and been uneventful and Anakin had done nothing but reading a few files on the upcoming mission and think about those events two years before that killed him in all but technicality. The technicality of course was the he was still alive, somehow. There had been many occasions during the war that he, the chosen one, had almost become one with the Force but somehow events seemed to have conspired to keep him alive; keep him suffering such as Aalya Secura and Commander Bly pulling him on board a small ship when he was blown up trying to rescue them on Quell; his Angel was still alive then and he was grateful, now however, he wished that they hadn't bothered.
Anakin felt some relief therefore when he could drop the shuttle out of hyperspace. As the hypnotic blue swirls of hyperspace gave way to normal space, Anakin got his first look at Pheebos. It was small planet; considerably smaller than Coruscant. So small in fact that its local gravity was only three quarters as strong as Coruscant. From space, it looked like a swirl mix of green and blue and even from space; clouds could be made out floating through Pheebos' sky. It made Anakin's heart ache; its appearance, whilst not the same, reminded him considerably of Naboo and that brought a pain of its own. Burying his own feelings, Anakin made contact with the Agricultural Corps base, "Anakin Skywalker requesting permission to land."
"Welcome to Pheebos Knight Skywalker" A male voice replied. Anakin knew from the files that he had been reading that were only two Agri-Corps Jedi on Pheebos and Anakin had only be told the name of the senior Jedi, Kliph Freeah, and since Anakin knew the other Jedi was female, he guessed it was Kliph who had answered him. "We have activated our landing beacon and you are clear to land."
Anakin acknowledged and followed the beacon. As he set the ship down and walked down the boarding ramp, Anakin took his first look around. The actual landing pad his ship had set down on was the only clear area he could see. Apart from the living quarters he could see in front of him everywhere surrounding the pad was covered in crops. Anakin had no idea what they were; he was not at all interested in plants. There were more important things to think about; like the war and just who or what was poisoning this farm's output.
Anakin waited by his ship's boarding ramp for several minutes. If he was honest, he was unsure what he should do next; he'd been expecting a welcome but there was no one here. Stretching out with the Force, Anakin could detect two Force signatures heading his way; he guessed they were the Agri-Corps Jedi, so he just decided to wait for them to arrive.
A few more minutes went by and Anakin was starting to enjoy the cool breeze that was swirling around him. There was a lot to like about this planet Anakin reasoned; pity you had to be stuck in the Agricultural Corps to enjoy it. Still, Anakin was here and judging by the mysterious poisoning of crops, he would be for a while.
"Knight Skywalker."
Anakin was snapped out of his thoughts; that seemed to have been happening a lot to him recently. He looked up and was greeted by a tall Zabrak male. He looked to be in his forties and had grey skin and brown eyes and he wore a lighter version of a Jedi Robe, Anakin guessed it was a more practical garment for use in fields. "Yes that's me" Anakin simply replied. There was a time when Anakin would have smirked, made himself look bigger and played on his reputation but Anakin saw no point in doing that now.
"It's good to finally have you here. I am Kliph Freeah. I'm the senior Agri-Corps Jedi here and this…." Kliph gestured to a teenage Togruta girl standing next to him, "…is my fellow Agri-Corps Jedi, Ahsoka Tano."
Anakin's gaze focused on the teenage Togruta and he studied her. She had orange skin with white markings on her face. The markings consisted of wing like markings on her cheeks, zigzag lines on her forehead that ended in markings over both her eyes and small diamond shaped markings either side of the lines. Her lekku had blue and white stripes with continued up her montrals and she wore an akul-tooth headdress. She was wearing a sleeveless crimson tunic with a decorative panel cut out exposing some of her cleavage and an open back, four strips around each arm, gloves, grey leggings with diamond cut-outs down the side, combat boots and a Torguta Sash. Anakin reasoned that her attire suited her perfectly but didn't really suit her role.
It was Ahsoka's disposition that worried Anakin immediately however. Anakin could tell that her eyes were a crystal blue but they looked lifeless and lacked spark, her shoulders were slumped, her lekku were darkened and she was looking to the floor. She seemed unwilling to look up or look at Anakin. Anakin was taken aback by her Force signature; the girl had far more power than he would have expected for an Agri-Corps Jedi but he was concerned that her signature was laced with hopelessness, despair and self-loathing. He could tell immediately that Ahsoka was not thriving here. Hiding his concern, Anakin stated, "Hello Ahsoka."
"Master Skywalker" Ahsoka responded. Her voice made Anakin's heart bleed; it was quiet, monotonic and lacked any brightness. Anakin reasoned it was a voice of a person who had simply given up. It was a voice that was a female version of the voice he had immediately after Padmé's death so he recognised it straight away. Anakin decided that whilst he was on Pheebos, he would keep an eye on her as there was definitely something wrong.
"Are you ok Ahsoka?" Anakin asked. He had a feeling that if he didn't ask, no one else would.
Ahsoka forced herself to look up at Anakin Skywalker for the first time. His reputation had spread through the Jedi Temple when she was just a youngling and he had just been a Padawan then. She noticed his dark blonde hair, black robes and the scar by his right eye. His Force presence overwhelmed her and she sensed the seeds of sadness within him; seeds that she recognised all too well.
The very thought of the word 'Padawan' brought pain to Ahsoka's heart; there was one time when she was fourteen that there was talk of making her a Padawan but nothing became of it. She knew why; no master would want to bother with her; only failures end up in the Agri-Corps after all. She had of course been given the standard lecture from the Reassignment Council telling her that the Agricultural Corps were just as important as being a Padawan and that their role was just as important but like everyone, Ahsoka knew otherwise. Ahsoka put barriers up around her mind as she finally answered Anakin; she didn't want anyone knowing the truth and she didn't want anyone's pity, "I'm fine Master Skywalker."
Anakin instantly knew that Ahsoka was lying; she was anything but fine, but he decided to say nothing. It wasn't really his place but he would definitely watch her. Anakin was again snapped out of his thoughts by Kliph, "It has been good to meet you Kinght Skywalker, but I must continue my work; we are fighting a plague of weevils at the moment. We have enough problems with the poisoning of our output without weevils. I have assigned Ahsoka to assist you whilst you are here and I will leave you with her."
Anakin nodded and Kliph walked away. Anakin wondered why he had left so quick; it wasn't that he was suspicious but he still wondered just the same. Anakin turned his attention back to Ahsoka. To his dismay, he noticed that the girl was again looking at the floor. Anakin began to wonder if Ahsoka ever did anything else. "Ahsoka" he prodded quietly; he didn't want to sound like he was pressuring her at all.
"Oh sorry Master Skywalker" Ahsoka quickly responded looking up; she then bit her lip. Anakin sensed that she was struggling to get the confidence to continue but eventually she did, "Do…..Do you want me to show you around? It's getting late now so I doubt I could show you tonight."
Anakin was getting more and more concerned as he noticed her stuttering speech. It appeared to him that Ahsoka wasn't used to talking to people; she certainly gave that impression. Again, he chose to hide his worry and just concentrate on his mission, "Yes, thank you. I'll need to see everything."
Ahsoka said nothing in response; she just nodded and gestured for him to follow her. She led him off the landing pad and headed for the living quarters. As they walked in an uncomfortable silence, Anakin looked around in more detail. He could see that the crops were arranged in rows with a walkway between each row. He also noticed the path they were walking on was not in the best condition; Anakin wondered if the people on this planet had any time for path repairs, with only two Agri-Corps Jedi present on this planet. He briefly considered that this could be his first clue; with only two people on the farm or base, Anakin didn't really know what to call it, anyone who shouldn't be here would have a pretty easy time.
Anakin again focused on Ahsoka; she had been assigned to aid him during his investigation, yet Anakin wondered whether she was actually well enough. One thing was certain, he had to get her talking; he was going to find nothing out if she was silent. "So Ahsoka, as I understand, you and Kliph are the only Agri-Crops Jedi here?" It wasn't much of a question, but it was an ice-breaker of sorts.
Ahsoka kept her head down and her eyes glued to the floor. She couldn't understand for a moment why Master Skywalker was even bothering with her; no one else had. She had spent the one and a half years since she was assigned here more or less alone so it seemed unusual for someone to actually direct a question at her. The only communication she had had in her time here before was orders and assignments off Kliph Freeah. Eventually Ahsoka reasoned an answer; Master Skywalker was sent here to solve the mystery of the crop poisoning so of course he'd have to question her. This made sense to her; for a second she wondered if Anakin was talking to her because he wanted to; she inwardly laughed at that thought. No one wanted to talk to her. Ahsoka knew that she had to answer him due to duty, "Yes we are. There were a few more before they were reassigned to a larger planet."
Ahsoka's response interested Anakin; there had been others here at one point? Why were they reassigned? He quickly looked around again; this base may have been the Agri-Corps smallest but it was certainly big enough to require more than two people. "Is there anyone else here Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka's shoulders visibly slumped as she answered, "Not really. A few people from the village come here during harvest but apart from that…" Ahsoka's head dropped.
Anakin watched Ahsoka's reactions with sadness; it was clear to him that she was lonely but there was more to it than that; he knew it. Anakin didn't know much about Togrutas but he did pick something up about them whilst he was freeing the Togruta colonists on Kiros from slavery and he knew it was relevant; he just wished he could remember what it was. Deciding to think about it later, he asked, "So it's left to the two of you to run this entire farm?"
Closing her eyes, Ahsoka nodded her head slowly, "Pretty much Master Skywalker….I mean we do have a few droids to help us but…." At this point, they reached the living quarters; Ahsoka was glad, she could change the subject. Being reminded of her loneliness and inadequacy was not something she needed; she already knew how useless she thought she was. Her voice brightened slightly with the knowledge that she could change the topic, "These are our living quarters Master Skywalker. I...I think we'll start here so you can settle in to one of the empty quarters."
Anakin noticed the change in Ahsoka as she changed the topic but even so, he noticed that she still stuttered slightly. Now he was worried; if this girl brightened slightly just because she could assign him some quarters and not have to talk, she was really down. Making sure Ahsoka wasn't looking at him; he shook his head with the realisation that it wasn't really any of his business. On the other hand, someone who is depressed might be easily led into doing something silly; may be it was his business after all, "I see. How many empty quarters do you have here?"
Ahsoka's eyes widened slightly with surprise; why would he ask that? "Er…..um…..at least fifteen I think. I'm not sure to be honest; Kliph handles things of that nature."
'Fifteen empty quarters?' Anakin silently asked himself, 'What is going on here?' This puzzled Anakin; it appeared to him that this base was designed to be much bigger and house far more Agri-Corps Jedi than it was doing so why didn't it? There was definitely more wrong here than just the output being poisoned; Anakin reasoned that Ahsoka's general state of mind was proof of that. For now, Anakin just let it pass but he decided to contact the temple and ask about it once he got a moment alone and that wouldn't be difficult. Anakin could see how uncomfortable Ahsoka was with people; not entirely surprising considering that she was alone he reasoned. "Ok Ahsoka, I'll settle in to one of the empty quarters and you can show me around tomorrow morning. Is that ok?"
Again, Ahsoka slumped and her lekku darkened, "Ok Master Skywalker. I know those quarters there are empty." Ahsoka pointed to quarters just to the right and continued, "I'll come back tomorrow once you've settled in."
Anakin nodded and Ahsoka walked away down one of the side corridors; Anakin guessed she was heading to her quarters. He made a point of watching her as she walked and he couldn't help but notice how slowly she was moving; in his view, it didn't fit with how slim and physically fit she seemed to be. Shaking his head again, Anakin opened the door and entered the empty quarters. The quarters consisted of a reasonably comfortable looking sofa with a HoloNet projector next to it, a small dining table and a desk with a computer terminal. Off to the right was a bedroom and on the left were a kitchenette and a refresher.
The bedroom was the most enticing to Anakin at that moment. It had been a monotonous flight and he needed rest before he could start his investigation proper. Before he slept however, he decided to contact the temple; the council weren't Anakin's favourite people, but he did need to report in and he did need some answers. He sat on the sofa and entered the connection details of the temple into the Holo projector. After a few minutes, holograms of the Jedi High Council appeared.
"Reached Pheebos you have Knight Skywalker?" Master Yoda asked.
Anakin could barely stop himself from laughing; talk about obvious, "Yes Master. I'm just going to have a night's sleep before I fully start my investigation."
"Very Good" Master Yoda continued, "Any first impressions do you have?"
Anakin mused for a minute before he replied, "There is something wrong here Master. I don't know yet what it is but I need to ask for some information."
"What kind of information Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.
"I need to know how many people are supposed to be here on this Agri-Corps base" Anakin replied; something was telling Anakin that it was more important than it seemed which was why he was asking.
"Why do you need to know that? It was in the files we gave you Skywalker" Master Windu bellowed.
Anakin wasn't happy with that response and there was a definite part of Anakin that wanted nothing more than to throw Mace Windu into a sarlacc pit. Hiding his annoyance, Anakin answered, "Masters, the base here seems far bigger than the files state and it was built to house far more Agri-Corps members. In addition, I was told earlier that the Agri-Corps have actually moved people off this planet. Was the Reassignment Council aware of that? Were you aware of that?"
"Aware of that we were not" Master Yoda answered, "Interesting this is."
"We will have a word with the Reassignment Council and get back to you on that" Master Mundi added, "The fact that we were not made aware of that is a touch disturbing."
Anakin nodded, "I have no proof that it's anything to worry about or that it is linked to the poisoning but it does make me wonder. It's not the only question I have also."
"What do you mean?" Master Shaak Ti asked.
Anakin smiled; Master Shaak Ti, perfect, "Master Ti, there is a member of your race here; a Togruta called Ahsoka Tano. I ask that the council grant me permission to look into her bio files."
"Why?" Master Ti asked.
"There is something seriously wrong with her. She is depressed and can barely hold eye contact yet she is far stronger in the Force than I would have expected. I don't think she has anything to do with the poisoning but with how depressed she is I must make sure." Anakin could see that Shaak Ti began to look concerned.
"Grant you permission we do" Master Yoda answered, "Deliver the files by holoNet overnight we will."
"Thank you Masters" Anakin slightly bowed, "I will wait for the files and begin my investigation tomorrow morning."
"May the Force be with you."
The connection broke and Anakin was left to himself. One thing he did now know; the council were unaware of the people being transferred off Pheebos but the big question was: Why? Why hide a simple personal transfer? It made no sense. Anakin also decided that he was going to try to make friends with Ahsoka; for some reason, the Force was pulling him to her; in what way, he didn't yet know but we was certain that he was more concerned over her than he usually would be.
Well that's chapter 2. I told you that Ahsoka was going to be different as is Anakin. One point, Anakin knows she is depressed but doesn't yet know why; that will come later. Also, this story is after the temple bombing so Ahsoka is sixteen which is why she is already wearing her later attire but because she was never deemed to be Padawan material, she doesn't yet have any lightsabers. Anyway, next chapter; Ahsoka takes Anakin on a tour and he begins his investigation proper and tries to engage Ahsoka in conversation in the process.