Hello everyone. It's been a while since I updated this story. I apologise for that, but I have had major internet connection issues that are still not fully resolved. Thank you for the continued support. Anyway, on with the next chapter and Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan begin to go after those responsible for the experiments on Pheebos.
An Agri-Corps Mystery: Chapter 9 – Finding Joa Pritia
For the first time since she had become a Padawan, Ahsoka Tano woke up without a feeling of nausea. It had been a week since her life had been changed completely by Anakin picking her and the side effects of the anti-depressants that the healers had put her on had hit her with full force. Ahsoka couldn't ever remember feeling as sick or being as sick as she had been for the preceding week.
It wasn't just the nausea which had caused her problems. There had been a couple of occasions where she wasn't sure if she was still in her own body or not. After informing Anakin about that, she was rushed back to see Master Stass Allie. Fortunately, the healer told her that such a side effect, whilst relatively rare, was not unheard of and, although very unpleasant, it was actually a really good sign and was a good indicator that Ahsoka would respond well to the medication.
However, for the first time that she could remember, Ahsoka finally felt well. In fact, she felt better than she had in years and today was the first day that she could remember that she actually wanted to get out and make a difference.
Ahsoka's thoughts came around to the mission. Fortunately, the council had listened to Master Stass Allie and had pushed it back a week. This was to be her first mission and it was something that she had given up on ever happening before. Although she felt ever so slightly excited for the first time in her life, Ahsoka still felt a hint of fear. What if she couldn't keep up with her new Master? What if Anakin changed his mind about her? What if she made a mistake? The logical part of Ahsoka's mind knew that such questions were unfounded of course, but she still couldn't escape the negative part of her mind which had almost driven her to suicide. Truth be told, she didn't think that she ever would, but at least she was no longer alone.
Ahsoka's on-going thoughts were interrupted by the door into her room opening. She looked up and noticed Anakin entering her room. "Hi Master," she stated.
"Hey Ahsoka," he replied. Anakin looked over his new apprentice. He knew that the previous week had been hard on her. The distress from the side effects had really roughed her up. The poor girl had been sick almost every day and only the sickness medication that Stass Allie had also given her had allowed her to keep anything down at all and the whole out of body thing had scared him, never mind her. This time, though, he sensed that Ahsoka was considerably better. He could tell immediately that her thoughts were clearer and that her sickness had finally gone. 'A week; just like Master Allie had said,' he thought to himself. However, he also picked up on her unconfident thoughts. "Feeling better today?"
Ahsoka smiled and nodded, "Much, thank you. I think…..I think I'm finally through the side effects."
"That's great. You'll feel happier soon Ahsoka, I promise. Now, take your pill for today and come on. We've got to meet Obi-Wan in the docking bay."
Ahsoka frowned as she took the next anti-depressant. It felt strange to her that she was about to hunt down the very people that she had served in the Agri-Corps with. How much of that was genuine discomfort with the situation and how much was being caused by her depression, she wasn't sure. It felt odd to her all the same. Still, she reasoned, she was a Padawan now and those people did need dealing with for the lives that their experiments had and could have cost. However, she still wasn't entirely confident of success. After all, all she had known was farming and loneliness. "Do you think we'll find Joa, Master?"
"Oh we'll find her," Anakin answered with a smirk. Joa Pritia was Anakin's primary target. In his opinion it was her that possibly had the most to answer for and it wouldn't have surprised him if she had killed Draskel Kifar. Anakin was delighted that the council had been able to find out which planet she had been "reassigned" to at least, even though he knew in reality, she had just run away.
Ahsoka frowned. She sensed her master's confidence and in her opinion, it didn't fit. She had no idea where Joa Pritia had gone so how could Anakin know? "W….where do we start?"
"Taanab, Ahsoka," Anakin quickly answered. "According to the council, that's where she was reassigned."
Ahsoka nodded. It did make some kind of sense. Ahsoka, as a former Agri-Corps member, knew that the corps had a chapter house there that was far larger than the base on Pheebos. It was, however, far less well known than the one on Bandomeer. She had spent a week there immediately after being assigned to the Agri-Corps learning how aid with the growing of plants. In her view, it was the perfect place for Joa to hideout; if indeed that was what she was doing. "Yeah, master, there's a Chapter House there; mostly for Initiates."
"I know; that's where we are going." Anakin gestured to the door. In his opinion, the quicker they start, the quicker they could speak to Joa and the quicker Ahsoka could be cured of her depression. "Come on, you're late enough as it is," he added smirking.
Ahsoka's eyes widened. "ME?" she exclaimed. She then smirked herself, "You're just as late as I am."
Anakin's heart leapt with glee at Ahsoka's comeback. When he first met the young depressed Togruta, he would have never believed that she had such a natural wit or snippy nature. He knew that there was a long way to go, but it was a great development in her. "Alright, we're both late. Now, come on."
Ahsoka got to her feet. "I'm coming Master." As she followed Anakin out of the door, her apprehension spiked; there was no going back now.
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"Late as usual, Anakin," Obi-Wan teased as he saw Anakin walking towards him. Obi-Wan had been waiting in the temple's docking bay for over half an hour. He didn't really mind. He knew that Anakin's new Padawan had had a very rough week and he figured that she needed all the time she could get to rid herself of the depressed thoughts which had almost cost her life.
"Blame Ahsoka," Anakin answered with a smirk. He deliberately said it in a way which would appease her. It was certainly not Ahsoka's fault that they were late. He just wanted to see if her sense of humour was coming back.
"Hey!" Ahsoka exclaimed, "It is not my fault." To everyone's slight dismay, her shoulders dropped slightly, "At least I don't think it is."
Ahsoka's slight change of expression worried Anakin. It was obvious that he would still have to be very careful with her. Ahsoka was far from completely stable and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her to drop again. "I know, Ahsoka. It was a joke."
Obi-Wan smiled. Ahsoka's slight change worried him as well. This was why he offered to come on this mission as well. He knew that she would be unstable and he was well aware that even though she did appear to be better, her suicidal thoughts were almost certainly still there. He knew it would take two of them to watch her fully especially since he could tell that Anakin was attached to her already. Even though Anakin had grown up very quickly after Padmé died, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin still had a tendency to get very close to people and when he did, he would sometimes put them before the mission.
On this occasion however, Obi-Wan was willing to allow Anakin that slight transgression. He could tell the difference in his former Padawan already. If the truth was known, Ahsoka was as good for Anakin as he was for her. Obi-Wan decided that this time, the council would just have to live with the attachment as it could've very well saved two lives. It wasn't only Ahsoka that Obi-Wan had seen some suicidal tendencies in, but Anakin as well. "Erm," he interrupted. "I really think we should be going."
Anakin and Ahsoka both nodded as all three Jedi boarded the shuttle immediately behind them. As Anakin guided the ship out of the docking bay, his thoughts focused on the mission. How easy would it be to find Joa? Would it be as easy as he had let Ahsoka believe? Probably not, but they would find her. He was certain and Ahsoka would at least see one of the so called Jedi that had neglected her brought to justice. As he took the ship into hyperspace, he knew that it was good enough for him.
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There was a definite similarity, Anakin reasoned as he landed the ship, between Taanab and Pheebos. Both planets were predominantly agricultural worlds and both provided a significant supply of foodstuffs to the Republic. Unlike Pheebos, however, the docile favourable climate on Taanab was artificially optimised by orbital mirrors and weather controlling satellites; many of which Anakin had had to dodge on approach.
The primary destination for the three Jedi was the Agri-Corps Chapter House in the capital, Pandath. "Where exactly are we going?" Ahsoka asked as the three Jedi walked down the boarding ramp. Her lekku blushed slightly as she realised that her question was slightly dumb. The young Togruta looked around her. Even though she had been on this world before, she still found her new surroundings slightly confusing. She wondered if she would find everywhere slightly confusing for the moment. Fortunately, she knew it was just the residual side effects from her medication. The healer had told her that, as she was Togrutan, the anti-depressants could affect her thinking for a brief while but it wouldn't last very long; her thinking may even clear by the end of the day.
"I believe the Chapter House is not far from here," Obi-Wan answered. He pointed at a large building at the end of the spaceport. "Just behind that customs building I think."
"Well," Anakin began. He enclosed his fist in his left land. "There's no time like the present. Joa needs dealing with."
As the three Jedi began to walk, Obi-Wan shook his head slightly. "Patience Anakin," he replied. Even now, Obi-Wan noticed that Anakin had an inbuilt ability to run off at times and act without thinking. After all this time, Obi-Wan figured it was part of Anakin's character that would probably never change.
Anakin frowned at his former master in reply but wisely, he chose to say nothing. He briefly chuckled to himself. There had been a time when he would have raised to that bait but not now. He had noticed himself how calmer, quieter and, unfortunately, tortured he had become in the two years since his wife's death. However, he had also noticed that his own zest for life had improved and had started to come back in the week since Ahsoka had come into his life. He glanced at her and again, he grinned internally as he watched her smirk at him. There was no doubt that even after only a week on the medication and a week where she wasn't alone, Ahsoka was coming back; very slowly, but she was.
The remainder of the walk to the Chapter House passed by in a comfortable silence. Quietness was something that Ahsoka was very used to. She had spent over a year and a half in relative loneliness on Pheebos and silence was often all she would hear for days. This time however, it was different. It was the first time that she could remember when she didn't feel that the silence was because no one wanted her around. This time, she knew that Anakin wanted her. In fact, her master hadn't let her out of his sight for the whole week since he had picked her. His excuse was that she was still officially on suicide watch, but Ahsoka was beginning to realise that he had been just as lonely as her. She smiled; her earlier thoughts that day about Anakin changing his mind couldn't have been more wrong and for the first time, she was beginning to see it.
As the three Jedi walked into the front door of the Jedi Chapter House, they were met by an elderly human man. His grey hair and bread gave away his advancing years and his slightly untidy robes gave away that it had been a while since he was last in the field. Anakin wasn't sure if the field in question was an actual field or a mission. For once, it wasn't obvious if this man was in the Agri-Corps or a retired elder Jedi. Perhaps it didn't matter, Anakin reasoned. "Greetings; the council told us you were coming. Anakin Skywalker and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, I assume?" the elderly man greeted warmly. He then noticed the young Togruta girl standing behind them and his eyes widened in shock. "Ahsoka? I thought you were on Pheebos."
"Morning Master Kreti," Ahsoka replied. She then smiled; it felt great to her to be able to smile again. She couldn't remember smiling at all before Anakin had picked her. "Master Skywalker has picked me as a Padawan."
Master Kreti looked at Anakin and when he saw Anakin nod in agreement, he replied, "Congratulations Ahsoka. When you were first assigned to the Agri-Corps, I knew that you were better than that. In fact child, I remember telling you so."
"Yes you did. I….I didn't believe you then." Ahsoka looked to the floor as a small amount of shame filled her. Now she looked back, the truth was that she wasn't thinking straight. In fact, Ahsoka realised that she hadn't been thinking straight for over two years. Maybe, the anti-depressants were starting to work already.
"Well, you cannot escape the will of the Force, young one. I knew the Agri-Corps was wrong for you. I would've picked you myself if I'd have still been on active duty." Master Kreti chuckled when he saw Ahsoka smile at him.
"You're a Master?" Anakin asked curiously.
"I was…." Master Kreti answered. "….Long ago, but now," he sighed, "I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm afraid my days of wielding lightsabers for the Republic are behind me. I've trained a couple of Padawans though; that's their role now. Since I have retired, I spend my time helping the Agri-Corps out here. I've always appreciated the calm life of agriculture."
"I see you've met Ahsoka before," Obi-Wan pointed out. This had rather surprised him. Then, he thought back to when he was briefly in the Agri-Corps and realisation dawned. "Ahhh, I see."
"Yes, all young Initiates that are assigned to the Agri-Corps that haven't had a stint in the Corps already are sent here to train for a week." Master Kreti pointed at Ahsoka. "I knew the council had made a serious error with her, however, but it was out of my hands. It warms my heart that she is finally doing what she should be. Now, what can I do for you? The council told us you were coming, but not what it was about."
Anakin narrowed his eyes. He wasn't entirely sure how much he could tell Master Kreti. He decided to tell him as little as was possible; just in case. "There's a major problem on Pheebos. It's where I met Ahsoka. We need to speak to the woman who used to be the senior Jedi there, Joa Pritia." Anakin gestured to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. "We understand that she has been reassigned here." Anakin was going to say, 'we believe that she has run away to here,' but he decided to be more tactful. 'Force,' he thought to himself, 'I really am turning into Obi-Wan.'
Master Kreti rubbed his beard. It was an action that raised a slight chuckle out of Anakin. He wondered if Obi-Wan would look like that in a few years. "Joa Pritia?" Master Kreti mused. "Yes, I believe a woman of that name has just been assigned to us. I believe she has started teaching Consitor Sato to the new Initiates."
Obi-Wan also rubbed his beard as he thought. He ignored Ahsoka as she laughed slightly at two Jedi Masters rubbing their beards at the same time. Just like Anakin, Obi-Wan chose not to pick her up for it; it was good to see the young Togruta laugh. It was a definite improvement to the state of mind she was in when Anakin presented her to the council a week before. He turned to Master Kreti and asked, "Where is she?"
"Well I don't know exactly," Master Kreti replied. "But usually, we teach Consitor Sato in the small patch of vegetables we keep in the Chapter House's garden. Unlike the Agri-Corps bases, such as Pheebos, this Chapter House is more like our Agri-Corps college so we don't have fields of or own." He pointed down one of the corridors behind him. "If you follow that corridor, it will bring you out in the garden. She should be there at this time."
"Thank you for your time," Obi-Wan stated as the three Jedi walked down the corridor.
The corridor was long. The sunlight that came in through the large windows that lined the left hand side cast a serene glow that turned the white paintwork a subtle shade of orange. In the far distance, Anakin could see a set of double doors silhouetted against the brightness of the day; one of which seemed to have been propped open. If he squinted hard, the slight green hues of vegetation could just be made out through the open door and he could sense the Living Force grow in intensity as they all approached the door.
It was an increase in the Force that Anakin had only just realised was missing on Pheebos. Of course, he knew instantly why that was the case; here, there were no crops here that produced a deadly nerve toxin, no dangerous genetic experiments, no murdered Agri-Corps Jedi and no neglected younglings. Yes, Anakin mused, the two planets weren't so similar after all.
As they passed through the double doors, the corridor opened out into an outdoor garden. It was enclosed on all four sides by several buildings and several paths and doors could be seen in the surrounding walls. Various plants of several different types could be seen growing in rows with walk ways between them. It reminded Anakin of the fields on Pheebos where this problem began.
As soon as Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walked into the garden, they were met by a female Mon Calamari. She had gold skin and yellow eyes and she was dressed in a special water proof version of a Jedi robe. Anakin reasoned that, like all Mon Calamari, she would need to be in damp environments as often as was possible, as was common with amphibious species. "Good morning," she began, "I'm Tica Picklar. I'm the lead tutor here. What can I do for you?"
"We are searching for a human woman, Joa Pritia," Obi-Wan answered. "We were led to believe that she would probably be here."
A concerned expression appeared on Tica's face. "You're looking for her? That explains why she has been worried for the past few days. As soon as we were told that you were coming, Joa instantly paled. In fact, no one has actually seen her since yesterday. We have been quietly looking for her and we were just about to report it as an emergency."
"She's ran, Obi-Wan," Anakin stated with a hint of anger. He figured that if she could abandon Pheebos and leave poor Ahsoka to take the blame, the woman wouldn't think twice about running again. He suspected she would try that. "She must know that we are on to her."
"It would appear so, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied as he stroked his beard again.
"W…..why would she do that?" Ahsoka asked honestly. "It's not as if she could actually go anywhere. This Chapter House has no ships. I should know; I was here for a week." It felt good to her to be useful for once. Although by the grace of the Force, she had finally become a Padawan, she knew that she had more experience and knowledge of the Agri-Corps than either Anakin or even Obi-Wan.
"Is that right?" Anakin asked, narrowing his eyes. "This house has no ships?"
"Young Ahsoka is right," Tica replied. She turned to the young Togruta and she smiled when she saw the Padawan braid attached to Ahsoka's headdress. "It is good to see you as a Padawan at last, young one. You ending up in the Agri-Corps always disappointed me."
Ahsoka nodded and gave a beaming smile. Her heart began to swell with the genuine happiness for her that she sensed in the Force. It was a total change from how she was on Pheebos. "Thank you," she replied.
Tica nodded back in acknowledgement and then, she turned back to Anakin. "We rely on the local spaceport, which you have undoubtedly just landed in, to get other students on and off Taanab."
"That's where she's gone," Anakin stated as he turned. He began to run. "We have to catch up with her. NOW!"
Obi-Wan sighed at his former Padawan's behaviour. He shook his head and turned to Tica. "Thank you for your time. I apologise for Anakin; he can be like this." Tica laughed a bit and then turned back to what she was doing before. Obi-Wan turned to Ahsoka, "Come on, let's catch up with your master."
Ahsoka chuckled a little bit. Anakin was proving to be interesting; she was certain of that. In fact, for the first time in her life, Ahsoka felt happy. She was definitely glad that Anakin had caught her before she could stab herself with that harvester blade.
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It was half an hour later when Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walked into the customs building in Taanab's spaceport. In front of them, a small counter labelled 'Arrivals and Departures' could be seen. The three Jedi walked up to the custom's official standing behind the desk. As it was his mission, Anakin took the lead. "Good morning," he began.
"Morning, Master Jedi," the official replied. He was a slightly pump, dark skinned human male with closely cropped black hair, brown eyes and he was wearing what appeared to be highly antique spectacles. All three Jedi frowned slightly at them. The spectacles were only seen in ancient history books. Modern medical methods meant that any type of sight defect could be easily fixed. They could only guess why he continued to wear something so out dated. His voice got slighted shaky as he continued, "How can I help you?"
Snapping out of his wondering, Anakin answered, "We are looking for a woman that we believe has fled the planet. She is an Agri-Corps Jedi by the name of Joa Pritia. Have any ships left here since yesterday?"
"Actually, no master Jedi; none have. The next ship due to leave here won't take off until this afternoon." The official cupped his chin in his right hand and Anakin sensed that the man was thinking. A few seconds later, he added, "Now you mention it, I do remember a woman wearing Jedi garb that came here late yesterday. She was human, oh…I don't know, about late thirties perhaps, blond hair and green eyes. She asked about the next ship off world. When I told her what I've just told you she ran out of the building."
"Does that sound like her, Ahsoka?" Anakin asked.
"Yep," Ahsoka replied. An idea came to her mind and she turned and asked, "Any idea where she went?" She was starting to enjoy life as a Jedi Padawan. It suited her character far more than being a farmer. In fact, she realised that she was improving by the hour.
"Not entirely, but I did watch her as she ran towards the farms that are just out of town. Obviously, I could only see the direction she ran, not where she actually went."
"Wonderful," Anakin exclaimed as he turned and looked towards the distant farms. "She could be anywhere."
"At least she is here, Anakin," Obi-Wan cut in. "I guess we will have to follow her."
Anakin and Ahsoka both nodded. Anakin internally sighed to himself. As he thought, Joa Pritia was proving a problem. He didn't think for one second that she would hang around and wait to be caught, of course. The problem now was how to find her amongst farms. It was not going to be easy. Anakin realised that he could stop worrying about Ahsoka so much, at least. The vast improvement in her mental condition was easy to sense in the Force and that brought joy to him.
I think I will leave it there for this chapter. It is a natural break in this part of the story. Don't worry, we will meet Joa next chapter. I hope you liked the two additional characters that I had in this chapter. They were there to prove that not everyone in the Agri-Corps was against Ahsoka. There were a few who realised that she should have been a Padawan all along. Also, we got a tiny bit more of Ahsoka's back story here.
Before anyone picks me up on it, Ahsoka is improving quite quickly in this chapter. This was because her depression was due to loneliness, which is a big problem for Togrutas. With the assistance of the medication, now her loneliness has ended, like all of her kind, she will improve quite quickly. In fact, the first utterance of certain nicknames will come soon.
Anyway, next chapter; Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka finally catch up with Joa Pritia. What answers does she give them? Did she kill Draskel Kifar?