Previously on Star Wars: Exile's Journey

After the events of Order 66 and the death of the Jedi Order, Ahsoka Tano has decided to become a Jedi once more. But before she could build her lightsaber, she faced a new challenge. The fledgling Empire had begun hiring powerful hunters called Inquisitors to track down any remaining Jedi.

A Zygerrian bounty hunter named Koros L'Larr came to the ancient Jedi enclave to see if any Jedi had returned to the old place of power. Luckily, due to the fact that Ahsoka had left the Jedi Order nearly a year before, she was not in any database of living members of the Jedi Order that the Inquisitor had.

But he tracked a young Padawan named Nat Tina to the nearby city of Sandrale, and Ahsoka was forced to defeat him in battle.

Chapter 13

Personnel

Ahsoka drove her speeder as casually as she could, coasting through the spaceport. Luckily, this was a small town spaceport and there were very few covered hangars. And most of them were reserved for large grain ships, like the one that Nat had stowed aboard. Most of them flew out, full of grain for worlds that had larger populations and less farmland than Dantooine, then returned half empty, carrying smaller amounts of luxury items, fuel, and farming equipment to continue the cycle of commerce. Nat had hidden inside the bed of a transport truck that had been shipped to Sandrale City from Toprawa.

After twenty minutes of searching, Ahsoka saw the familiar profile of a modified Baudo class yacht. Pulling closer, she saw now that the ship was called the Whipclaw. Not a surprising name, since the late owner had been from a proud race of slavers. Pulling out the Inquisitor's wrist computer, she pressed a button on it, and the ramp lowered.

She pulled the speeder bike inside the ramp and raised it again. "You ever piloted a ship before, Nat?"

He shook his head. "No. Just simulations."

"Okay, then you're stuck in the copilot's seat." Ahsoka paused and cocked her head. "Wait a minute... I think I heard something."

She walked along the corridor and opened a door. The small room inside appeared to be a miniature jail, with three cells. One of them was occupied by a large insectiod alien. It clicked its mandibles together excitedly.

"You! You are not him! Not him, good, good, good. Please help. Have done nothing. Nothing. Nothing wrong. Nothing."

The creature spoke almost too fast for Ahsoka to follow. "Slow down, I'll see if I can get you out of there. What's your name?"

"Name... we have a name. Haven't used it in weeks. Bounty hunter kidnapped me. Made me fix his ship. Forces me into cage when he leaves. Not surprising. Zygerrian's entire culture based on slave ownership." He clacked his mandibles a few times. "Xho Fik'ta. My name. Xho. He never used it. Almost forgot. Seems like forever. Only ZT-47 calls me by my name. Do you know where he is?"

"Is that a droid?"

"Yes. My personal droid. Talks to me. In my head. Keeps me sane. Haven't talked to him in days. Been locked up. Cell disrupts communication." The insectoid alien's antennae twitched, "Please, get me out of here. Must find ZT-47. Must find Zete. Will help."

Ahsoka looked at the panel. "Looks like it needs a code," she said as she hovered her hand over the panel and closed her eyes. She reached out through the Force, trying to feel what buttons the Inquisitor pressed when he opened it. "Blast! I can't feel anything."

Nat piped up behind her, "I've got a key right here."

She turned around to see him holding up his lightsaber. She smiled at him, "Good call, kid. I can't sense any booby traps. That should work just fine."

She took the lightsaber, turned it on, and started cutting through the bars. They were a sturdy, thick material and they resisted even the lightsaber. But one by one, the bars gave way to the glowing blade.

"You are Jedi! Not safe, not safe for you! Cursed Zygerrian has a contract. Deal. He is hunting for you. Full government cooperation. You're not safe here! Don't risk your life for me. Run. Hide."

"Relax," said Ahsoka, "He won't be coming around any time soon. I'm afraid we had a little run-in with him. He won't be capturing anyone anymore."

The alien chittered as Ahsoka cut through the last bar. Delicately, trying to avoid touching the still orange-hot edges of the bars, he stepped through. His antennae waved. "Thank you, Jedi. You have saved me. Saved us. Zete! Must find Zete. It sounds like he's..." the antennae circled around until they pointed towards the back of the ship, "this way. This way. Not capturing anymore... does that mean he is deceased? Demised?"

Ahsoka nodded and said, "I'm afraid so. We hid his body so we'd have time to find this ship and move it. We don't want anyone tracing his movements back to here."

"Intelligent choices. Good choices. Couldn't have done better myself. Really couldn't. Been locked up. No contact. A little bit stir-crazy right now." Xho led the way towards the back of the ship. Sitting on a workbench in the engine room was a small tablet computer. He scooped it up. "Zete! I have missed you for days!"

The tablet responded, "I am glad to see that you are safe. I have been in power standby mode, I'm afraid I'm rather low."

"Your droid is a tablet?" asked Nat.

"Yes. Sentience program does not require legs. Arms. Locomotion. Only a processor capable of running the sentience program. ZT-47 is my partner. He helps me while I'm working."

"Greetings, Masters Jedi," said the tablet, "I am glad to meet you, and equally glad to hear of that awful Koros L'Larr's demise. While my programming may cause me to be incapable of causing harm to sentient beings, I would be lying if I said I hadn't wished that I was capable of breaking the rules in his case."

Ahsoka grinned, "That's an awfully strong willed tablet."

Xho shook his head, "You have no idea."

"Good hearing, too."

Xho's antennae twitched, "Didn't hear earlier conversation. Relayed."

"What do you mean?"

"Verpine antennae are not merely decoration. Transmit radio waves. Zete has been programmed to be able to communicate with me. Can transmit ideas, words, sentences, pictures, even some thought fragments. Verpine are not a communal or hive minded species, but we are used to hearing each other through radio waves. Go a little strange in the head without it. Sensory deprivation. Lack of contact. Been away from my people for months now, up until I was kidnapped Zete kept me sane and grounded. We are both in your debt. If there is anything we can do for you, please, name it."

"Well, first thing's first. We have to get clearance to take off from the spaceport authority. Then we have to pilot this bucket of bolts back to where our ship is, about eighty kilometers south of here."

ZT-47 piped up, "Of course. I know all the contact protocols for the spaceport authorities on over seven thousand worlds. I have just sent a query. We should get a response with an approximate time and vector window momentarily."

"Thank you, Zete," Ahsoka said, "I'll head to the cockpit and start powering the ship up. Xho, do you know of any lockdown codes or booby traps he may have left here?"

Once again, ZT-47 responded first, "There is a lockdown code. It cycles every hour. For the next thirty three minutes it should be four-seven-orenth-krill-two. Once we are safely away from here, I can show you how to reset the lockdown code to one of your own choice."

"Thank you, Zete."

"My pleasure, Mistress Jedi."