Shaak Ti's Secret

by david.davies.5851

After Ahsoka Tano leaves the Jedi Order, no one is surprised when Anakin Skywalker falls to pieces. However, everyone is surprised when Shaak Ti's reaction is even worse than Anakin's. This causes a secret that Shaak Ti has been keeping for seventeen years to finally come to light. What difference does it make to everyone's destiny?

6. Chapter 6: Shilian Arrivals

Hello Everyone and I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support. It really means a lot to me. We have reached the chapter where both Ahsoka and Shaak will reach Shili. From Ahsoka's point of view, she has reached Shili, but is she really any better off? In addition, Shaak also reaches Shili. She detects something in the Force that cannot possibly be true; can it? We might also get more coverage of the fall out in the temple and on Coruscant.

Note: /Sentences like this are in Togruti; the native language of Togrutas./

Shaak Ti's Secret: Chapter 6 – Shilian Arrivals

Ahsoka stared out of the freighter's cockpit window as the ship finally dropped out of hyperspace. Ahsoka had forgotten that not every ship in the galaxy had a fast hyperdrive, but even so, this ship had the slowest she had ever seen. It had taken over two days for it to finally reach Shili. However, in a strange way, Ahsoka hadn't really minded. It had been peaceful on board the ship and the ship's owner and captain, Rita Tegrea, had even supplied Ahsoka with food, water and a place to sleep.

Ahsoka was grateful for all three of Rita's gifts and she had needed them badly, but even so, it still hurt her slightly that she had had to rely on charity. When she was a Jedi, she was brought up to be the one supplying aid; not the one relying on it. Still, Ahsoka assured herself, things would be better on Shili. She could find herself a role as a starship mechanic there and live a prosperous life; at least she hoped so.

Ahsoka's mood lifted slightly and a kernel of hope blossomed within her as she espied the planet visible through the freighter's cockpit window. Shili was a beautiful world and it was one of the jewels of the Ehosiq Sector. From space, it gleamed with a mixture of blue sea and continents which she knew were a mixture of green forests and rustic red plains of turu-grass.

Just seeing the planet again brought up the vague memories of running through the turu-grass plains pretending that she was on a hunt and of running through the same grass again when she returned to Shili to complete her Akul hunt rite of passage. It wasn't just the visual appearance which appeased her, for the first time that she could remember from any world, a peaceful feeling in the Force emanated from the planet. Ahsoka couldn't help the slight smile that came to her face or the feeling of peace in her heart as she took it all in. In many ways, Ahsoka still couldn't quite bring herself to believe that because of everything that had happened, this world would, most likely, be her home for the rest of her life.

Everything that had happened….Ahsoka's face soured. Even after a few days that thought still burned within her. It wasn't as if she was particularly angry anymore. Indeed, she would have understood it more if she was. Rather, she was confused, uncertain and disappointed. She had served the Jedi council since she was three and yet when the time came, her word meant less than some overly ambitious admiral who seemed more interested in the rank he could obtain than genuinely helping the Republic win the war.

Ahsoka knew that it would be a long while before she could come to terms with all of that and even longer before she could trust herself with the revelations this whole affair had brought up; if she ever could. For now, however, Ahsoka knew that the best thing she could do was attempt to put it behind her. She had flown enough ships herself to know that they would be landing very soon and then she could lose herself amongst the peaceful contemplation of her home world and nothing appealed to Ahsoka more than that.

Still, Ahsoka was well aware that she still had to live when she landed; she couldn't rely on charity forever and she would refuse to do so even if she could. No, it was time for her to start thinking about her plan. She had decided already to become a mechanic, but now was the time to consider how to go about doing that and in addition, she still had to work out how to find her mother or at least any surviving member of her family.

"Strap yourself in. I'm starting the landing cycle."

Ahsoka bolted upwards in shock. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had almost forgotten about Rita. She quickly fastened the straps in her seat, noting that they were frayed in the process, and turned her head towards Rita. "Thanks; that's great."

Rita again regarded the young companion she'd had for this trip. She had noticed that the young Togruta had spent a great deal of time lost in thought. Rita was well aware that Togratas were a quiet and peaceful race, but even so, the girl's behaviour had seemed odd. Rita was also well aware of how slow her ship was and usually, whenever she took passengers, there was a flurry of polite questions asking how much longer, but on this occasion, Ahsoka had seemed quite content. There was definitely something different and overly mature about the girl and it was obvious to Rita, from the look in Ahsoka's eyes, that Ahsoka had seen things that young girls her age should never see. In many ways it was…..it was Jedi like…..sort of. Rita shook her head and dismissed her silly thoughts. "Looking forward to returning home, Ahsoka?"

A shallow smile appeared on Ahsoka's face and she nodded her head briefly. At that precise moment, she was definitely looking forward to putting the whole "Jedi" thing behind her and it wouldn't have mattered to her if she never felt the Force again. Nevertheless, Ahsoka couldn't help the slight uncertainty or fear that rose up within her. This was it, Ahsoka knew that she was completely alone now and unless she could find any surviving relative, she always would be. Still, at least she couldn't be betrayed again and neither could she fall into darkness herself. "Yes, definitely," she replied. She paused and bit her lip. "I've been away for a while, but my life has changed now and I'm glad to be going back." Ahsoka closed her eyes and a slightly choked and quiet continuation left her lips, "Besides, I have nowhere else to go now."

Rita drew back slightly and frowned. She picked up the slight hesitancy in Ahsoka's reply immediately. You didn't survive hauling freight through Hutt space for fifteen years without being able to notice uncertainty or the fact that someone was hiding something and Rita instantly knew that there was something in Ahsoka's past that the girl had decided to run from. Rita had seen it many times before and she had carried many such people during her time as the owner and captain of The Divinity. Still, it wasn't her business and Rita was well aware that nothing good ever came from prying in her line of work. Rita decided to let it go and turn to a more positive topic. "What do you plan on doing when you go home?"

"Become a ship mechanic, I think," Ahsoka quickly replied as she again thought of Anakin's lessons on the subject. She twisted her mouth, sighed and added, "It's the only aspect of….of what I did before that I can use now."

Rita could instantly tell the pain that statement had caused Ahsoka. She was in no doubt that Ahsoka had gone through some kind of ordeal, which considering the planet she was on at the time, wasn't that surprising. Coruscant may have been the capital of the Republic, but there was more scum on it than any Hutt world, even Tatooine, in Rita's opinion. Eventually, Rita's curiosity got the better of her and he couldn't help it when she asked, "Well, what did you do before?"

Ahsoka felt stabs trough her heart as she heard Rita's question and she had to fight to retain her control. Ahsoka needed to forget about her past, not answer questions about it. If she was honest, Ahsoka didn't want to think about the past anymore and that was the only answer she could really give. Her breath heaved, she sighed and then replied, "To be honest, I don't want to think about it anymore. I…I thought I was valued but when the time came…." Ahsoka went quiet and shook her head.

Rita grimaced. She had definitely seen such a response before. She was well aware that there appeared to be betrayal in Ahsoka's past and it was quite clear that it continued to hurt Ahsoka greatly. She decided to let it go and to try to build the young Togrutan girl back up. "Well, judging by how you fixed my ship, you should do well."

Another smile came to Ahsoka's face. She was not used to much praise. The Jedi certainly didn't go overboard on praise and Ahsoka could only remember a few times that the council had given her praise over how she had done. It did seem odd to hear such from a woman she didn't even really know. "I hope so. I don't know what else to do, really."

"Well, good look with that. Well, we're about to enter the atmosphere, so you haven't got long to wait now."

Ahsoka nodded as she noticed the heat of re-entry start to build up around the window in front of her. Although she intended to repair them, Ahsoka briefly wondered if this was the last time that she would be on a ship herself. Still, it didn't really matter; she could start the new life she needed, although she knew that she needed to figure out how to accomplish it.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A smile came to Ahsoka's lips as she walked out of Corvala's spaceport. Shili was considerably more pleasing to the eye than Coruscant had been and the very sight of so many of her own people raised hope and peace in her heart. She glanced around. The capital city was definite proof that not all Togruta were the backward primitives that some people in the galaxy believed them to be. All around Ahsoka could see every modern make of speeder and ships of numerous types were arriving to and departing from the spaceport behind her.

Indeed, her plan on what she was going to do with her life depended on the fact that Togrutan's were far from backward, but that such technology was far from as commonplace here as it was on Coruscant. That did leave her a question: How was she going to become a mechanic? Most young girls her age on any planet would probably have been still at school, not fixing starships. Ahsoka reasoned that wherever she went to find employment, she would probably have to prove herself. Even though it wasn't a particularly light side thought, Ahsoka wished that, just for once, she could find someone who would just trust her and give her a chance.

In fact, the very observation which had given Ahsoka the direction she wanted to go was also giving her a dilemma. Yes, she wanted to become a starship mechanic, but at the same time, she wanted to see if there were any surviving members of her family and she vaguely remembered that they were far outside the city. Really, she needed to stay in the capital to be near the ships she was going to repair, but how could she find her family in the city?

Ahsoka had always been a girl who jumps for action rather than thinking. For that reason, she made a snap decision. At that moment, employment was more important. Without that, she couldn't afford a place to stay or food to eat. Therefore, she decided that she would attempt to find a starship repair station that needed extra help before she'd hunt for her family; if any family members had survived, that was.

She stood and looked around for a second as the smile on her face got larger. Ahsoka knew that any repair stations were likely to be very near the spaceport, if not in it, but to her puzzlement, she couldn't see any with an initial look, still she couldn't help but feel peace and joy at the various colours that her people tended to put on the streets. As she continued to look, Ahsoka eventually noticed that there seemed to be a slow, but noticeable stream of people that were of many different species walking out from a street to her right. All of the people then entered straight into the spaceport.

Ahsoka's first thought was that they were, perhaps, travellers or tourists. However, when she noticed that many of them were wearing clothing similar to what Rita had worn, she began to wonder. Acting on curiosity rather than any genuine deduction, Ahsoka decided to investigate. They might just guide her to the location of the ship repair stations and besides, she had nothing to lose and for the first time in her life, she was in no danger.

The scene that greeted the young Togruta as she walked into the street brought warmth to her heart that she had never felt before. The street opened out into quite a wide thoroughfare. Along both sides of the wide street, market stalls selling every type of merchandise Ahsoka could think of plied their trade. As Ahsoka looked to her left, she could see a stall selling traditional Togrutan jewellery which she could see were made mostly of akul teeth and as she looked of her right a refrigerated stall hummed as it kept pre caught thimiar meat alongside exotic imported meat from every corner of the Republic chilled. Those two stalls cast an interesting foil for the stalls selling every type of modern tech. Again, Ahsoka noted how the market demonstrated how her people had a foot both in the old and traditional as well as the high tech and modern.

What warmed her heart the most though, were the children. All around, she could see little Togrutan boys and girls laughing and playing whilst their parents shopped at the stalls. It was a scene that she realised she had never seen before. As a Jedi, her entire time as a Padawan had been spent in a war where everything, even the Force, was dark, chaotic and chilling. Here, however, Ahsoka felt peace, warmth and joy and she stopped for a few seconds just to revel in it.

As she watched the children run to their parents, however, Ahsoka couldn't help but feel a slight stab to her heart. Technically, Ahsoka knew that she was still a child herself and would be for another year and a half, but she now had no one to run to. Unlike these children, she had never had a parent to run to and the closest she had had to a family turned out to be false idols. Ahsoka closed her eyes to chase away the pain which had hammered on her soul since she had left the order, and continued her walk. In the distance, she just made out a building standing up against the spaceport wall which formed the right hand side of the street. When she scrunched her eyes, she could just make out starship components. At last, she had found a repair station.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Senator Padmé Amidala sat as regal as ever as she waited for C3PO to answer the doorbell, which had just rung. Although calm on the surface, she was worried; very worried. She had heard nothing from her secret husband since the conclusion of that farce of a trial and that had been over three days ago. The young woman shook her head. How could anyone think that lovely innocent girl was capable of that? Like her husband, Padmé knew the accusations against Ahsoka were false as soon as she heard them.

Knowing they were false was one thing; proving it was another and at the end, Padmé had almost resigned herself to losing Ahsoka and she would have been just as devastated as her husband. Fortunately, Anakin came through and Padmé had never been as proud of her husband as she was when he walked into that courtroom with the true perpetrator. Padmé was extremely relieved that all charges against Ahsoka were immediately dropped.

Somehow, though, Padmé knew that there was still something wrong. She had expected Anakin to pull a slightly uneasy and sad Ahsoka to her apartment pretty much straight after the two of them saw the council, but Padmé hadn't seen or heard anything from either of them. That was what was worrying her. She knew that Anakin would normally ignore orders from Obi-Wan to rush to see her, but now, nothing. Yes, something was terribly wrong and she hoped the Jedi council hadn't done anything even more stupid with Ahsoka.

In the young senator's opinion, this incident was just one of many which had highlighted that something was starting to go very wrong in the Republic. Before the war, no one would have dreamt of executing such a young girl even if she was guilty; which Ahsoka clearly wasn't, but now…..? Coupled with the increasing powers that were being bestowed on the Chancellor almost daily now, Padmé began to wonder what there was left of democracy.

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. That left what she thought of the council. She had always been the Jedi Order's biggest supporter in the Senate and in general she wasn't going to change that view, but even she couldn't deny there was some truth to what the true perpetrator had said. There was no doubt in her mind that the judgement of the Jedi Council during this whole affair had been seriously suspect and to her dismay, she knew this was going to drive an even bigger wedge between her husband and the council.

Padmé quickly looked up as the door into the room opened. One look is all it took for her to realise that her fears were well founded. She could tell already that something had seriously hurt her husband. "Ani," she gasped as she jumped off the sofa. A strange feeling gripped her as she flew into Anakin's arms; a mixture of relief from seeing him again and dread from the dangerous omens he was giving off. For now, Padmé pushed the feeling to the back of her mind and continued, "I've missed you. I expected both you and Ahsoka to come."

Anakin's heart clenched and pain flooded through him. He thanked the Force that he had his precious wife back in his arms, but he wished that she hadn't mentioned Ahsoka. Again, he felt his eyes sting as tears threatened to come. Up until now, he had kept everything hidden; it would have done him no good at all to let those idiots on the council see his pain, but here, in front of his wife, he could do no more and the tears which had threatened to come since Ahsoka had walked down those steps finally made their presence known. Anakin could do nothing to stop them this time and he succumbed to silent sobs as he held Padmé even tighter.

Padmé's heart shattered. She hadn't seen Anakin cry like that since his mother had died. What had happened? Judging by Anakin's reaction, Padmé knew it was something terrible, whatever it was. She laid her head on Anakin's chest and in a concerned voice, she asked, "Ani, what is it? What has happened? Where is Ahsoka?"

"Ahsoka's gone," Anakin all but screamed out.

"Gone?" Padmé exclaimed as she lifted her head. Sadness filled her as her worst fears were finally confirmed. "Why? Wasn't she allowed back?"

Anakin closed his eyes and turned his head away. He didn't want Padmé to see just how much this had hurt him. He sniffed his tears and he choked out a reply, "S…she left, Padmé. She left. They offered to her allow her back, but…..but she refused." Anger started to colour Anakin's voice as he continued, "They destroyed her, Padmé. It's despicable. She told me that she couldn't trust herself anymore. After all she's done for the Republic, they destroyed her."

Padmé hung her head. As much as her husband's words worried her, she couldn't disagree with him. She found herself wondering if there was anything else she could have done. She held her husband tighter. "Oh Ani," she sighed. "Do you know where she is?" she asked. Padmé felt her heart drop even further as Anakin shook his head. Padmé knew she had to do something and she pulled herself out of Anakin's arms. "Come, Ani. I'm going to find her. I'm not letting that girl spend another night on the streets."

Anakin shook his head again. He would've loved nothing more than to have found Ahsoka, but he knew it was no use. He had sensed the moment she had left the planet and it had felt like a hot vibroblade through his heart. In that instant, he had realised just how important the young Togruta had become to him. A few more tears escaped his eyes; the chances were that he would never see her again. "It's no use. She has left Coruscant. I sensed it."

Padmé shook her head and sighed. Where had all of this gone so wrong? She walked back into Anakin's arms; she knew he needed her at this moment and she knew she had to try and find something positive out this situation. "Well, at least she's out of this war."

Anakin just grunted in reply. Yes, Padmé's statement was true. He didn't have to worry about Ahsoka dying in battle anymore, but that didn't matter; he had still lost her and that wasn't even the worst of it. In truth, he was still reeling slightly from Shaak Ti's admission. "You know what is worse, Padmé?" he asked in a choked voice.

"What?" Padmé replied. She had no idea where Anakin was going with this.

"This could have been prevented," he snarled. Anakin's anger with the council, with the Republic courts and with Shaak Ti had reached its height. He could no longer stop the venting which he had known would come since Ahsoka had left. "It turns out Shaak Ti is Ahsoka's mother. Can you believe that?"

"Wha….?" Padmé let out with wide eyes as she stared at her husband. "Her mother? That's…..that's….." Padmé stopped. She had no idea where to go with her statement. Ahsoka was Shaak Ti's daughter? It couldn't be true, and yet, she could see from Anakin's expression and his anger that it was. She froze in stunned silence for a few seconds. Padmé racked her memory. To her knowledge, Ahsoka had never mentioned a mother; did she even know? How could that have prevented anything? Eventually, she managed to stutter a question out, "H…how could have Shaak being Ahsoka's mother prevented this?"

Anakin turned his back as a dangerous scowl crept across his face. He would never forgive the council or Shaak Ti for this; never. He knew he was very close to losing what little control he had left and he felt almost like there was an animal inside him desperately trying to escape. He had to remind himself that his precious wife had helped Ahsoka; she was on his side. "Shaak…..Sorry, Master, Ti….." he sneered,"…visited me the day after Ahsoka left. She told me that she felt that her daughter was innocent from the start." He flung his arms out as rage gripped him. "Can you believe it? She put her position on that stupid council in front of her own daughter."

"She did what?" Padmé's voice fell to a whisper as she shook her head. For the first time that she could remember, she began to question Jedi beliefs and the wisdom of the Jedi council. How could any woman put her position or career in front of her own child? Padmé knew that if she ever had children with Anakin, she couldn't. Padmé was now certain that somehow, that silly attachment rule within her husband's order, the one that they had violated just by marrying, had to change. It was a pity that, as a senator, she could do nothing about it.

In addition, concern flooded Padmé as she watched her husband. She had seen Anakin angry; the situation with Senator Rush Clovis a year and a half before sprang to mind, but she had never seen him like this; sneering at the very mention of a fellow Jedi. It was clear to her that Ahsoka had been more than a Padawan to Anakin. The young girl had been his best friend, his little sister, almost like his daughter in fact. Padmé realised that, in many ways, the Togruta had been like her own daughter as well. There was no doubt in the senator's mind that Ahsoka leaving had unbalanced her husband and she knew enough about Jedi ways to know that that was dangerous.

With all that, Padmé knew that Anakin needed his mind taking off all of this. It was the only way she could think to help him. The problem was, he was too angry at the moment for what she had in mind. Somehow, she had to calm him down and there was one topic she might just be able to use. Calling on all of her experience as a senator and the former queen of Naboo, she subtly changed the topic. After a few seconds, she cautiously added, "You've got me, Ani. Don't forget that. You could have come here." She decided not to add that she had been yearning for him. Watching Ahsoka go through all that had upset her as well, plus it had been ages since Anakin had last been on Coruscant and free.

Anakin turned around. He had immediately sensed his wife's yearning, plus it was true; he could've come straight to see her. He had really wanted to do exactly that, but he knew he was being watched; those council fools simply didn't trust him. He had known that from the beginning. Anakin began to wonder if that was one of the reasons why they had been so unwilling to trust Ahsoka as well. He slowly walked over to Padmé and lightly stroked her face; here was the one woman who was truly his; the one thing he had left to live for. "I wish I could've come straight here, Angel; I really do. I knew I was being watched. Besides….." his shoulders heaved slightly and his voice quietened before he continued, "….I…I needed some time."

Padmé nodded and smiled before she took Anakin's hand. "I'll help you through this. I love you and I want to show you. Come." She slowly started to pull her husband towards her bedroom and inside, she smirked when Anakin seemed to brighten instantly. In her opinion, Anakin needed help today and if sex was the only thing that would help to take his mind of what had happened, then that is what she would provide. If she was honest, she knew it would help herself as well.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Ahsoka gave a deep breath as she walked into the starship repair station. The scene which greeted her held no surprises for her. It was a scene that she used to see almost daily before…..before…..Ahsoka closed her eyes and forced that train of thought back into her heart. She briefly wondered how long it would take before she wasn't constantly reminded of what she used to be. Quite a while, probably, she reasoned. After all, she couldn't expect to instantly forget the last thirteen years of her young life, no matter how much she wanted to.

Ahsoka opened her eyes again and looked around. "Tidy" was not a word that came to Ahsoka's mind as she took in the state of the shop. Electrical components and ship parts littered everywhere and Ahsoka briefly wondered if whoever owned this place ever cleaned or tidied at all. Amusement flooded her system; this reminded her of the quarters she used to share with Anakin. Although not untidy all the time, his quarters were often hidden under a layer of droid parts and other electrical components. It appeared that Anakin had a kindred spirit here on Shili and as much as she wanted to forget, Ahsoka couldn't help but laugh slightly.

As she continued to look around, Ahsoka noticed what appeared to be an office in the far left corner next to open hanger doors. Through them, she could see the landing pads of the spaceport she had just landed at. It was obvious to her that that was where any ship that needed repairing would be brought and it was clear that no ship needed any work at the moment even though it was clear by the state of the place that normally, this repair station was snowed under; which was good news to her.

As she realised that there was no one immediately around, Ahsoka bit her lip and wondered; how should she go about this? She had to attract the attention of whoever owned this and she had to convince him to take her on, but she knew she couldn't be seen as pushy. She knew enough about her own people's culture to know that was definitely out. Togutra's were a people that valued teams and groups and didn't like too much individuality. Being pushy would make her appear individualistic and self-centred, even though she was anything but, and would almost guarantee that she wouldn't get a job. Indeed, she didn't know for certain if there was a job to have. She sighed; another complication to deal with.

After staring at the office door for a couple minutes, Ahsoka finally decided to risk it. After all, she would never get the job unless she pushed a little. For some reason, she felt extremely nervous as she approached the door and she couldn't understand why. She could feel that there was someone inside the office, but whoever they were; surely they couldn't possibly be as unnerving as the Jedi Council could be. Perhaps it was the fact that she'd never had to ask for a job before; she'd never been a civilian. It was clear to her at that point that nothing in her previous life had prepared her for this.

Making a promise to herself that this would be the last time, Ahsoka called on the Force to compose herself and knocked on the office door. Ahsoka felt her insides bubble as she heard someone put something down and walk to the door. She allowed herself to swallow as the door opened. She immediately studied the Togutan male that stood in the door way.

Ahsoka estimated that he was late twenties, early thirties with dark yellow skin with large white montrals and lekku with grey stripes that reached his chest. As Ahsoka expected, he was wearing work overhauls that had numerous oil stains.

/Can I help you, miss?/ he asked in Togruti as he looked her up and down.

Ahsoka froze for a second. Even now, she realised that this would be far harder than she thought and no matter how much she drew on the Force, she couldn't stop her heart pounding with nerves. In addition, to her shame, it had been quite a while since she had spoken her native language. She wasn't sure she still could fluently. At least she had understood him. /Erm yes, I think you can,/ she replied. She paused again as she tried to find the best way to word this; how do you ask someone for a job? Ahsoka knew it was a stupid question that she had asked herself, but the Jedi Order hadn't exactly prepared her for this. /I notice you seem to be busy here. I…..I wonder if you have a position as a mechanic available. I assure you, I can repair almost anything. I had to repair the hyperdrive of the ship that brought me here, in fact./

The male stayed quiet for a second and continued to look Ahsoka over. Eventually, he answered, /I mean no offence, but I haven't met any females as young as you that can repair ships./

Ahsoka wasn't exactly surprised by his reply. She had already prepared for such a reply. /I've spent most of my life on Coruscant. Repairing ships, fighters and similar was a large part of what I did there. Trust me, I can handle it./

The male drew back and narrowed his eyes. It was obvious to Ahsoka immediately that there was something about her statement that he hadn't liked. She grew increasing uneasy when he again, looked her up and down. She had sensed that there was nothing untoward in him looking her over, which came as a relief, but she sensed that something was concerning him. Ahsoka was snapped out of her thinking when he asked, /Did you do mechanics at school, there?/

Ahsoka grimaced slightly. She didn't entirely like where this was going. She had never been to school as a civilian would understand it. The Jedi Order had provided her education and Anakin had taught her all about mechanics. She certainly didn't want to tell him that as she did not want him to know that she used to be a Jedi. The problem was how to answer him. Eventually, she came up with a reply which, while not exactly a lie, didn't tell the whole story either. /I never really attended a school. I had a friend, well more like an older brother really. He was obsessed with machines. He taught me to fix anything. As I said, I had to fix the hyperdrive in the ship that brought me back to Shili./

The man started to shake his head. It was quite clear that he'd become quite sad all of a sudden. /I'm sorry child. I really would love to give you a chance. The truth is I've been looking for another mechanic for over a year now, but mechanics are so rare here that the rules laid down by the Royal Family dictate that any mechanic operating on Shili has to have a mechanics degree obtained from a known school that teaches starship and speeder repair. You're what, sixteen, seventeen maybe. Strictly speaking, you should still be in school. Come to me again when you have obtained the required schooling and I'll gladly give you a job./ He smiled and added, /It is nice to see a young woman interested in mechanics and I'm sorry I can't help you yet./

Ahsoka felt like she'd been hit by a ship in hyperspace as she nodded in reply. She needed a civilian degree before she could fix ships? Inside, her heart sank; how was she going to accomplish that? Schools that taught such were likely to be expensive; on Shili especially. What was even more annoying was she was quite certain that, with what Anakin had taught her, she could teach at such a school, as young as she was. It wasn't as if she hadn't been a teacher either. Recently, the Jedi Order had begun to use her as such. /Thank you for your time./ she stuttered out.

Ahsoka could no longer concentrate as she left the repair shop. She felt heartbroken all over again. The worse thing was that, in this case, she could sort of understand why he'd had to refuse her. Technology was rarer on Shili than Coruscant and it was true that many Togrutan tribes simply refused to have anything to do with ships or speeders. If she thought about it, a rule requiring mechanics to obtain a degree did sort of make sense, otherwise someone who had never seen a ship before could try to repair one; with probably disastrous results.

Ahsoka walked into a corner of the market. Even though she understood it, her plan was in tatters. If she was honest, she had no idea what to do now. She allowed herself to slide down and as she sat on the floor, she noticed that the sky was beginning to darken. Her only two options left to her that she could see were to either find any employment that she could or to perhaps seek her father's tribe. She shook her head again; she had no idea what to do and whatever she decided to do, would have to wait until tomorrow. It looked like another night on the streets.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Anakin silently stood in fury. Again, the council had cut his time with his precious wife short. It had been wonderful with Padmé all afternoon and even more wonderful to make his love for her known. Towards the end, he had been in such bliss that he had almost made some kind of peace with Ahsoka leaving. He would never forget, of course; there was no way he could ever do that. Snips was just too precious herself. However, that had all ended with that call. Inside Anakin growled at himself; why hadn't he switched his comlink off?

As he looked around the council chamber, his anger only grew. In truth, he wanted to scream at each and every one of them; except perhaps, Luminara Unduli. He'd initially bean surprised to see the Mirialan master on the council and he could see from her facial expression and the feelings of loss coming from her that she was also grieving the loss of a Padawan. A flash of anger went through him; if he ever got hold of Barriss Offee again…..Well, he certainly wouldn't hold back quite as much as last time. Now Ahsoka was safe and alive, there would be no reason to let the traitor live.

Inside, Anakin was grateful that he had become practiced in his mental shields; he knew his less than Jedi Like thoughts would have been picked up otherwise. Even so, he had to wonder what exactly he was doing here. He hoped and prayed that it was something that could get him away from the temple; away from the council for a while. Even if that was the case, it would still be the first time out in the field without Ahsoka and he wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but at least it would help take his mind off things.

Anakin again locked all of his annoyance up inside him and clearly stated, "You wanted to see me, masters?"

Master Yoda studied Anakin. The grandmaster had noticed Anakin slip out of the temple earlier and worry had filled him when he had sensed Anakin's mood. Yoda was now in no doubt that his fears over the Chosen One were verified. In addition, Yoda was quite certain that Anakin had a destination in mind when he left and that there was someone he was going to see. Yes, Master Yoda was now certain that there was someone else that Anakin was extremely attached to. As for whom it was or how close the attachment was, Master Yoda didn't yet know, but from the current look on Anakin's face and the slightly lustful thoughts he had briefly sensed before Anakin slammed his shields down, Master Yoda was certain that someone was female.

Of course, that left Master Yoda with another predicament. Strictly speaking he should have picked Anakin up on his suspicions there and then, but Yoda now knew that would be a very bad move. If the affair with Ahsoka and Shaak Ti had taught him anything, it was the value of such relationships as against the code as they may be. Yoda felt the burden on him increase that little bit more and, even with his wisdom, he wasn't sure how much more he could withstand without being squashed flat. Secretly, he knew he would have to keep his observation to himself, otherwise his plan involving Shaak and Ahsoka would definitely fail. Still, he had to find out which woman Anakin Skywalker was visiting and there was only one thing the grandmaster could think to do; speak to Obi-Wan. If anyone knew Anakin, it was him.

For now, Yoda decided to continue on the topic that needed discussion, especially since he had sensed it would be an important topic if his plan worked as he hoped. "Need your input, we do, Skywalker. Exposed and captured young Offee you did."

Inside Anakin soured even more. He'd been pulled from Padmé to talk about that traitor? He had no idea what there was to discuss about her. She'd betrayed the Order, she'd betrayed Ahsoka and she was guilty, end of story. After all, they had been keen to execute Ahsoka, so the fate of the true perpetrator should be equally simple in his view. Again he bottled up his annoyance and asked, "Why does Barriss Offee need to do be discussed? After all they were going to execute Ahsoka; won't Barriss just be executed as well?" He was desperate to add the Barriss deserved to die for destroying someone he loved, but he held himself together enough to stop the words coming.

"Certain that is not," Master Yoda replied. He cast a sideways glance at Luminara Unduli. It was quite obvious to him that Skywalker's statement had hurt the Mirialan; not that it surprised him. In fact, he knew that the discussion to come would probably hurt many on the council. No council member liked discussing the fate of wayward Jedi, despite how much Anakin may have thought otherwise. Nevertheless, it had to be done. Again, although he didn't know for certain, Yoda had an idea how this discussion must go. There was no doubt in his mind that young Ahsoka would need answers from Offee at some point. He knew, however, that he had to be very careful with Anakin. "Careful we must be this time." He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Make those mistakes again, we must not."

Concern immediately flashed through Obi-Wan. He knew what Anakin would think of that statement. Even though he agreed with Master Yoda that things should be done better this time, he knew that Yoda's statement might not have been the most sensible at that moment and he knew what Anakin would say, given the chance. Therefore, he decided to get in before his former Padawan in the hope that Anakin would look at him more favourably. It was a small hope, but it was all Obi-Wan could think of. "Yes Master. I would hope we could help Barriss return to the light. Blindly following the Senate cost us dearly last time." Obi-Wan hoped that his little dig at his fellow council members would appease Anakin slightly.

"Why would anyone spare that traitor?" Anakin blasted. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but let some of his anger appear in his voice. The council were really going too far this time.

Luminara opened her eyes and looked at Anakin. In truth, she couldn't really argue with Anakin's attitude to this. She reminded herself that he had lost just as much as she had and it was in no way his fault. Luminara couldn't help but feel guilty and again she had to ask herself how she had let Barriss get to the stage where she would cause this. Still the thought of Barriss facing execution, as deserved as it may have been, gnawed at her very soul. She knew she had to say something. "Barriss was my Padawan. After my interrogation of her, I have some idea of what happened to her, but I couldn't get her to open up enough to get the full reason for her behaviour. I believe we need more time with her to find out so we can stop anyone else from going down that route."

Master Windu took a brief look at Anakin Skywalker and it was obvious even to him that Anakin was angry. For once, Windu was not that surprised or perturbed by that. Everyone was used to Anakin's attitude and in this instance, even though Anakin was a tiny bit misguided, he wasn't exactly wrong either. Indeed, Mace was uncertain about Offee's fate himself and there was a part of him that agreed with Anakin. On the other hand, he was still secretly reeling over his miscalculation with Ahsoka. He would never admit it, of course, but he couldn't help but wonder how he had got it so wrong and there was still that Shaak Ti mess to deal with in two months' time. "I would like to know why Padawan Offee turned so….disappointing, but can we really deny the Senate over this? They will push for Offee's termination."

Anakin had never really liked Mace Windu that much. Indeed, Anakin didn't know anyone who really did, but on this occasion, he couldn't help but smirk a little. For once Mace had got it right. The Senate wanted Ahsoka dead and now she was proven innocent and the true perpetrator was known, they'd want her dead as well. It was the first time he could think of that he had agreed with Mace on anything.

"I do not believe we can be so final this time," Master Plo Koon stated. The Kel Dor was still reeling from his realisation that Ahsoka leaving had hurt him to. It had been a sad moment for him when he had handed Ahsoka's lightsaber to Master Yoda. He'd still no idea why he had been sent to retrieve that, but he was very glad he had. In addition, in the time since he'd returned from his task, he'd decided not to be so black or white about everything. It was the nature of his species to be so, but he'd realised that, as a Jedi, it had made him too blind and too quick to Judge. How he had talked to Ahsoka during her ordeal was still haunting him and he had now decided to listen to both sides a bit more. This was as good time to start as any. "We got the decision over Little 'Soka so wrong because of that. I think we must deal with Padawan Offee ourselves. We will not learn anything otherwise."

"I really don't believe this," Anakin stated. He struggled to control the animal inside him. He felt like he was going to explode any minute. Did the council care about what they'd put Ahsoka through? How could they be okay with Ahsoka being executed if found guilty, but not with the real culprit? At that moment, Anakin was glad that Ahsoka wasn't here. This would have destroyed her even more. "Do we really want to deny the dead justice? Do we want to deny Ahsoka justice? How can you overlook what that traitor did to her?" He gave a little smirk as an idea came to his mind. He was angry with Shaak Ti, but that didn't mean he couldn't use her situation. "And what it did to Master Ti, for that matter."

Master Yoda grunted. Yes, Anakin was out of their control. It was obvious that he had become darker. Yoda had sensed the slight glimmer of hatred in his words and a worse thing was that Yoda couldn't really deny them. What they were saying was hypocritical from a certain point of view. Nevertheless, the discussion was going the way he needed and this was a perfect opportunity to give another slight hint of his plan. "Hmmm, a valid point that is, young Skywalker, but unfinished business between young Offee and young Tano, I sense there is. Overlook that as well, we cannot."

"What?" Anakin asked with anger. Despite his best efforts, it was getting harder and harder to keep his anger hidden. He couldn't remember feeling quite this angry in front of the council before. "What does Ahsoka have to do with this? SHE IS INNOCENT."

Master Yoda's ears drooped as he heard the extra emphasis in Anakin's statement. In truth, he wasn't that surprised. It was likely that Anakin would point that out a few times. Still, there was something he could say that might give Anakin some hope, if he picked it up. "Trust your Padawan, you must," he uttered in a quiet voice. "Guiding her, the Force is. Abandon her, it will not. Needs Offee's answers, young Tano does." Master Yoda gave a subtle smile when he noticed a few puzzled looks directed at him from his fellow council members. He'd wondered if his choice of words would be noticed. It appeared that they had.

"Ahsoka just needs peace, Masters," Anakin blasted back. Nevertheless, Anakin had given up. It was obvious that, in its own way, the council had made its decision. He knew from experience that no matter how wrong those decisions were, nothing anyone could say would change them. "Still if you have decided to keep Barriss alive, what exactly are you going to with her?"

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, then at Master Yoda. To his ears, Yoda had said something slightly strange. Ahsoka was no longer Anakin's Padawan. As terrible as it was, the young girl had left the order heartbroken. It had been a surprise decision, but now he thought about it, Obi-Wan was beginning to understand why the young Togruta had made it. If only Ahsoka had known that Shaak was her mother. With that in mind, Yoda's statement was odd and Obi-Wan could tell that Yoda had chosen his words very deliberately and one question flooded Obi-Wan's mind; why? Maybe a talk with Master Yoda was needed especially with the slight change in the grandmaster that he had noticed recently. Nevertheless, he was grateful that Anakin hadn't cottoned on. That could well have blown him up even more than he was.

Deciding to concentrate on more immediate matters, Obi-Wan chose to think about it later. For now, an idea about Barriss came to mind. "We could imprison her ourselves. We can then find out exactly what drove her to such actions."

"Yes, we could do that," Stass Allie agreed. She was also keen that the mistakes of the past were not repeated. She would rather give the wayward Mirialan the opportunity to return to the light rather than just allow her to die. After all, Barriss had been a very gifted healer.

"Agree, I do," Master Yoda quipped. "The best cause of action that may be."

"If that is the consensus," Master Windu began. In many ways, Mace could see the wisdom in such a decision. He hoped that the Senate and the media could be dealt with, however. "I will ready the one of the cells at the base of the temple."

"Closed this discussion is," Master Yoda stated in a slightly brighter voice than he had used recently. Still, he was desperately concerned about Anakin. He could see the seething anger smouldering in the young Knight. He prayed to the Force that his plan was working. "Thank you Skywalker, we do. Dismissed, you are."

Anakin gave a brief bow before he turned and fled out of the council chamber. As soon as the doors closed behind him, his mechanical hand closed into a fist. He couldn't even begin to fathom the decision that had just been made or why Obi-Wan had gone along with it. He hoped that Master Yoda knew what he was doing, but somehow Anakin suspected this would end badly. Still, at least he could return to Padmé again and Force, did he need her.

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Shaak Ti was both relieved and slightly fearful as she walked down the boarding ramp of her Jedi Shuttle. She'd finally made it to Shili and immediately, the peacefulness of her home world in the Force reminded her of why she trained both of her Padawans here and why she was here now. Truthfully, Shaak didn't expect to be able to reclaim her own peace and serenity any time soon, but she knew she had more chance her on Shili than anywhere.

For the first time in her life, Shaak was free. She could do anything on Shili that she wanted to and she had already planned to take part in a few activities between the long periods of meditation that she needed. After all, even in her state, Shaak knew that she couldn't just meditate for two whole months; she would have to do other things. Since the Order had given her all the supplies she would need for the entire period, she knew those actives could be recreational. In fact, such activities were part of the point of Meditative retreat; even Jedi need recreation sometimes. Perhaps there would be an akul hunt somewhere. Shaak had always been a very competent huntress and the Master had always enjoyed undergoing the activities of her people.

Of course, being on Shili again also brought Shaak some pain. She couldn't help looking around without thinking about seventeen years before. Indeed, she remembered crying in this very spaceport after leaving the new born Ahsoka with her father. It would be the last time that Shaak had held her daughter and Shaak knew it would be the last time that she ever would. She closed her eyes and shook her head; this task was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Perhaps, in some ways, she reasoned, coming back to her homeworld; the world she gave birth to Ahsoka on was not the best idea, but it was too late for that.

She tried desperately to rid herself of those thoughts and memories. However, her task was not helped by the fact that it appeared that nothing had changed in this spaceport since the last time that the Togrutan master was here. Indeed, Shaak even noticed the slightly ugly beige freighter sitting on the landing pad next to her shuttle. She couldn't help remembering that there had been a similar such freighter the last time…..No, she had to stop thinking about that.

Shaak released her anguish into the Force before she set off towards the exit. She intended to spend most of her time on Shili in the location where she taught both of her Padawans. In her mind, it was an ideal spot which was full of peace and tranquillity, but was still within relatively easy reach of Corvala if there ever was anything she needed. In addition, the tribe that Ahsoka's father was part of was nearby if she ever decided to…no, she mustn't do that either. For certain, there would be some people there who would remember her and it would bring the memory of Pash Tano up again.

Deep down, Shaak knew that rather than run away from her pain, she must face it at some point, but she knew that she couldn't do it right now. She had to come to terms with her daughter leaving first and she couldn't help but wonder what Ahsoka was doing at that moment. Where was she? Was she alright? Was she in trouble? Even though her heart again started to ache, Shaak couldn't help but raise a smile. Ahsoka was so like her former master, Anakin Skywalker, that it was almost certain. Still, Shaak prayed to the Force that her daughter was okay.

As Shaak walked out of the spaceport exit and into the street, she did her best to pull herself together. She could feel the tell-tale sting in her eyes but, for some reason, the tears would not fully come. Maybe, she had finally cried herself out. What was left was just a numb ache that she felt right in her heart; an ache that proved to her just how much of a hypocrite she had been for the last seventeen years. Regrets flooded her system; she had spent that entire time being the perfect Jedi Master when what she should have been doing was being the perfect mother. Shaak vowed there and then that if she ever saw her precious daughter again, that is exactly what she would be.

"I know you can't hear me right now Ahsoka, but I'm sorry and I love you," Shaak whispered into the Force. She gave herself a few minutes before she started to move towards a speeder rental shop that she knew about; there was no way she was going to walk this late with all the akuls around.

Just as she was about to round the corner, however, she suddenly felt a faint presence. It was a presence she hadn't felt since…..Her eyes instantly filled with all the tears that wouldn't come earlier; surly it wasn't true. It couldn't be true, could it? Desperation filled Shaak as she quickly followed the signature. Every step felt like a marathon and with every step, her maternal instinct notched up ever higher and the Force danced around her, enticed her and begged her to follow and she was powerless to resist.

She made her way past Covala's market towards the spaceport repair shop. Now with every metre she walked, the Force presence grew stronger and her heart beat faster until…Shaak's hand flew to her mouth and her whole body was overcome with a combination of joy, disbelief and maternal love. There, clear as day and silhouetted against the spaceport's white walls, and with pain and uncertainty rolling from her Force signature was her daughter.

"Ahsoka?" Shaak uttered. As the young girl looked up, Shaak's heart leapt with joy. It was true; she had her precious daughter back and if Shaak had anything to do with it, they would never split again.

Wow, finally reached the end of that chapter. Before you all kill me for leaving it there (trust me, I don't like cliff-hangers either), I want to say that their discussion will take place next chapter. I simply didn't have the room to write it here.

I do have a couple of things to say about this chapter. I know some people will ask why Ahsoka was so fixated on being a mechanic. The answer is that she wasn't. I wanted to show how like Anakin Ahsoka can sometimes be. Just like him, she comes up with a plan and just runs with it without really thinking it through completely. She'll be similar in the next chapter but I promise, we will see the other, more mature side of Ahsoka's personality in this story as well.

I also attempted to show more of the contradictions in Ahsoka in this chapter as well. If you read it, you'll see that she still has one foot in what she did as a Jedi even though she only wants to think about what she'll do in the future.

I hope you liked the two Anakin sections and Master Yoda's observations. These will set up things that happen later (It should be obvious what the scene with Padmé is setting up, but as well as the obvious, it also sets up another scene that will happen later.) The council discussion scene is there to show some of the subtle changes Shaak being Ahsoka's mother have made to the Jedi already as well as setting up a very important talk between Yoda and Obi-Wan next chapter.

Anyway, next chapter; a stunned and emotional Shaak comes clean to her daughter. What does Ahsoka say or do when she is presented with proof that her mother is Shaak Ti? Master Yoda and Obi-Wan have a very important talk; one which could determine the future of Anakin Skywalker.

Just to inform you, I'll probably write chapter 46 of The Order Redeems next and I hope to start it after Christmas.