Previously on Star Wars: Exile's Journey

Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi Padawan, has just had the shock of her life. While she meditated in the peaceful ruins of an ancient Jedi enclave on Dantooine, she felt a great tragedy through the Force. Nearly every Jedi she had ever known, met, and even those she had never had a chance to meet, were killed at nearly the same instant.

The days of the Republic were over. The Empire rose out of its ashes. And the few Jedi who survived were being hunted down.

Meanwhile, a group of archeology students who had been traveling with Ahsoka discovered an ancient Jedi holocron in the ruins. The mental impression of an ancient Jedi Master, Zhar Lestin, advised Ahsoka to rebuild her lightsabers and take up the mantle of Jedi once more...

Chapter 5

The Crystal Caves

"Tell me again why we're helping her go on a Jedi 'thing' when Jedi are being hunted by the Imperial army?"

"Because she needs to do this. And we're her friends."

"Okay. But if you lose your other arm, don't come running to me."

The two followed Ahsoka through the tall grass. The young Togruta was walking along with her eyes half closed, reaching out with the Force for guidance. They were in a patch of particularly high grass, where it reached up to Jyssa and Arc's waist, and about level to Ahsoka's ribs.

"Whoa..." Ahsoka stopped and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "That's... not pleasant."

"What did you find?" Arc scanned the horizon with his left hand shading his eyes.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's what I'm looking for. Master Zhar said that there's a wellspring of dark side Force energy here on the planet. I think it's somewhere over there," she said as she pointed to a nearby ridge.

Jyssa said, "Well, that sounds pleasant. Might make for a good vacation spot. Wanna check it out?"

Ahsoka shivered, "Not really. I think I'll want a lightsaber first before I go anywhere near there." She continued on around the ridge, then closed her eyes again and reached out with her left hand, following some thread of the Force that neither of her companions could see.

"Look, kid, I know you're still a Jedi at heart... but..." Jyssa pursed her lips, trying to find the words, "Do you really think it's a good idea to carry around a lightsaber? I mean, it's not like it's illegal or anything. But the Jedi are being hunted down. And the one thing that lets everybody know that you're a Jedi is having a lightsaber on your belt."

Ahsoka turned around and grinned at her, something Jyssa hadn't seen in a while. "Good point. I'll keep it in a sling or a holster on my back."

"I'm just trying to look out for you, kid."

"I know, Jyssa. And I appreciate it. But I think this is something that I have to do. The Jedi Order may have fallen, but there's centuries of knowledge and an unlimited ability to do good that needs to continue to exist."

Ahsoka stopped for a moment to get her bearings in the Force, while Arc scanned the horizon again. Jyssa plucked up a tall, reedy plant and broke off the bottom of it. It wasn't a cigareme, but she'd found that this plant had a deposit of deliciously sweet sap in the bottom few centimeters, and it was chewy enough to distract her from her lack of cigaremes.

While she chewed, she wondered if it could be harvested and sold. Honeyroot maybe? Sweetreed? Branding might be a problem.

She was jarred out of her reverie by Ahsoka's voice, "It's this way! I can feel it! Actual adegan crystals... who would have thought?"

Ahsoka bolted, running far faster than the other two could keep up. Eventually she came to another ridge. She closed her eyes and held out her hand. "I can feel it... there's a cave right behind this rock scree..."

"Scree? Who talks like that, honestly? What kind of language classes did they teach you at the Jedi temple?" Jyssa said, around her honeyroot. She chewed down, then said, "Is that even a real word?"

Ahsoka ignored them, and held both hands out in front of her.

"Yes, it's a real word. It means a pile of loose rock, usually on the side of a mountain or cliff." Arc chimed in.

"Hrmph. Gotta show off that fancy flash learning, don't you."

With a grinding sound, the rocks started to move. One by one, they gently lifted up into the air to expose a cave entrance. Finally, the way was clear, and Ahsoka lowered her hands.

"... kriffing showoffs. All of you."

Ahsoka stepped into the cave entrance, and let her eyes start to adjust to the dark. It seemed to lead deeper into the ridge, but she couldn't see past the first bend. "I'm going to scout ahead, you two stay here."

"All I'm saying is that 'all of you' doesn't work when you're talking to two people."

"Zip it, soldierboy." She stopped chewing for a moment, then pulled out a small pistol, "Actually... really zip it. I think I heard something."

"It's just me," said Ahsoka, "and I found something up ahead. We might want to tell our archeologist friends about it. It might make up for me taking the holocron."

She lead the way down the passage, and two turns later they saw what looked to be an ancient campsite. A couple of durasteel reinforced shacks were rusting away in the back of the room, alongside what looked like it may have once been a power generator. A small bit of light worked its way into the room from above, and below the hole in the ceiling there was a depression that could have very well been a campfire a long time in the past.

"This is definitely the place. I haven't gone digging around for any Jedi artifacts, but I can sense it. Excitement. Fear. Confusion. Triumph. This is where the Padawans would come camp for the night when they went on their quest for lightsaber crystals. Even after all this time... the caves remember."

"Whatever, kid. I'm just here because you said there'd be gems."

Ahsoka held up a glow rod. "The exit to the room is over this way. I think it leads to the gemstones. Let's go."

The passageway was narrow, but eventually widened enough for the three to stand side by side. "This would be a lot easier if I had a helmet with night vision," said Arc.

"Yeah, well your helmet took most of the blast from that grenade. It was in worse shape than your head was when I found you," said Jyssa.

"I just don't like being the only one who can't hold a blaster and a glow rod at the same time."

Ahsoka trailed ahead of the group and said, over her shoulder. "If it helps you feel better, I don't even have a blaster."

"Wait, why not?"

Jyssa piped up, "Arc, she's a seventeen year old girl. How's she supposed to get her hands on a blaster?"

"We're on a farming planet. Kids go iriaz hunting here at 15."

"Yeah, when they're with a responsible adult. So technically, I'm the only one here who qualifies. Ahsoka's seventeen. You're thirteen."

"According to the other ARCs I talked to, thirteen is old enough for a Mandalorian to technically be considered an adult. Besides, nobody around here knows what a clone looks like under the helmet. I could walk right in to a hunting supply store and they'll never ask."

Jyssa shook her head, "Yeah, I know. It's weird though. You're the only other adult on my ship right now. So every time I make a crude joke at your expense, I suddenly remember that you're only thirteen and it weirds me out."

"Wait... you make crude jokes about me?"

"Well yeah. I took you aboard and dressed your wounds when you were injured. I hate to tell you this, but I've seen your junk, Arc."

Even in the darkness of the cave, Jyssa could see the deep blush.

Ahsoka hissed, "Quiet, you two."

"We're just joking around. Lighten up, kid."

"No really, quiet. I think I hear something." Ahsoka held up her glow rod as two large, spindly shapes skittered around the corner. One of them shrieked, and charged directly at Ahsoka. It had multiple legs and an exoskeleton, and looked like some kind of waist-high spider.

Before either of the two pistol wielders could react, the teenage girl did a spinning kick and knocked the creature aside. The combined momentum of its charge and her kick caused it to bash into the rock face hard enough to stun it for a moment. With a wave of her hand, she lifted it up with the Force, and threw it into the other one.

Arc fired two shots into each, and they both shrieked loudly. There was a little bit of twitching, but neither one got back up. His pistol hummed as it slowly recharged.

Ahsoka kneeled down by the twitching bodies. "These are a little paler than I've seen before... but they're definitely kinrath. I thought they only lived on Kashyyk. What are they doing in caves on Dantooine?"