Chapter 17

Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was worried. Oh, the conversation with via the HoloNet with the Council had gone well enough, as had her formal introduction to Fearless' officers who were some of the highest leadership of the Republic Navy.

That had been the first indication of change, how much the Jedi had been integrated into the 'normal' Republic military and no one seemed to have the slightest issue with that. She knew that this was an effect of the situation they had all found themselves in and while odd, perfectly understandable.

No, what actually worried her was that after being given the task of enlightening Master Unduli on the changes that had taken place since the Exodus, as Master Yoda had not quite put it, Ahsoka had not actually said anything to the effect, but it was clear that she did not view this as an enviable task. It wasn't because of their shared past, that much Unduli was certain about because of the tentative truce they had reached.

And that was what truly worried her. Sure, she could see and sense that down below it was still the same Jedi Order. And yet it wasn't.

She was aware that adaptation was a basic precept for all sentient life and that during the final days before the Clone Wars the Order seemed to have forgotten that. She was also aware that her unease with the concept was a flaw that she had to get rid of eventually, that much she had quickly realized during her time as a guerilla leader. Now she had left her people behind on [I]Fearless[/I] where they and the former Stromtroopers were being processed.

Glancing over at Ahsoka who was once more seated behind the controls of the [I]Mynock[/I], she could see that the young Jedi smiling.

"You are happy to return?" she ventured, and Ahsoka nodded.

"Yes, Master. This... Weitun, Sanctuary... they are home to me, at least as much as the Jedi Temple ever was."

She said nothing more than that, but to Unduli it was clear that there were quite a few things she hadn't said, though what these were... Unduli knew better than to pry into that. If Ahsoka felt comfortable to tell her, then she would. So instead she looked out the cockpit windows and dove into the Force, concentrating on the fast approaching settlement. Even at this distance they were almost completely undetectable against the background hum the planet had in the Force, which was of course why it had been chosen as the Order's new home. Intellectually she knew that Sanctuary was far more than a home for the Jedi, but the sheer strength of the light side of the Force that extruded from all the sentients down there was something she hadn't expected. This place was so much more full of life than any place she'd spent any time since... since before the war, really. The Force-based mixture of.. well, everything was almost intoxicating to her after so long of war and violence. The one she recognized immediately was the peaceful serenity of the Jedi, stronger than she remembered yet also more emotional at the same time.

Unduli savoured the feeling until Ahsoka brought the Mynock in for a landing in front of Echo Base. The frown of worry on her face was what pulled Unduli back from the Force. "They're getting better at concealing themselves, but they have come to meet me, and they're alone."

"Who is they?`"

The shuttle stopped and instead of answering, Ahsoka flipped off the engines before excusing herself and rushing outside. Unduli followed down the ramp to see Ahsoka being hit by two balls of energy dressed in Jedi initiate robes. She hugged the both of them before pushing them slightly back.

"Where's your mother?" she asked.

"At home, Soki." the girl answered, and the boy nodded.

"Force, Leia, you know you're not supposed to come in here on your own! Don't you know how dangerous that is?" Ahsoka clearly worried a lot about those two initiates who... were not the same type of initiates she was used to. They were clearly still living with their parents, which was something unheard of before the war. Was that the sort of change that Master Yoda had hinted at? If so, then the Jedi Order was changed almost beyond recognition.

"Now, aren't you supposed to be in the Living Force class right now?"

"Master Yoda was called away and cancelled the rest of it." the boy replied, and his presumable sister nodded eagerly.

Unduli watched as the three talked. Ahsoka had told her that the Jedi Order no longer 'shunned' emotion like in the old days, but knowing it and experiencing it like this were two different things entirely.

"Never do this again, either of you!" Ahsoka admonished them.

Both children looked crestfallen now. "We're sorry!" they replied almost at the same time.

Ahsoka smiled. "I am happy to see you anyway." she said and hugged them again.

Then, as if remembering that they weren't alone and without standing back up, she turned.

"Master Unduli, may I introduce Luke and Leia Skywalker?"

"Hello."

Looking at them it was fairly obvious, and their signatures so resembled their fathers' that anyone trained enough in the Force could see the relation. Was that what Ahsoka had meant? Younglings and Initiates who did not have to sever all connections to their homes? And how far did that go? In any event, it would take some time for her to fully understand just how much the order had changed.

They made the usual polite platitudes due a Jedi Master of Unduli's standing which she acknowledged, and as Ahsoka escorted them back to the spaceport perimeter Unduli followed at a respectful distance, studying the bond and mutual love that permeated the Force between the two siblings and their father's former padawan.

Once they had reached safer grounds, Ahsoka sent them home with a promise to visit later before berating the gate guard for letting them in to begin with.

The quarters that had been assigned to Master Unduli were the same sort of spartan simplicity that she remembered from the temple, although the furniture was made out of local materials where possible, so the stonework had a slightly blue-reddish hue to it. Still, it was comfortingly familiar and after the revelations of the last hour, she needed at least something that was as she remembered it.

Ahsoka was standing in the central living area, awkwardly waiting for Unduli to finish her inspection.

"Sit down, Jedi Tano." Unduli said very formally.

When seated, Ahsoka looked at her. "You must have so many questions, Master."

"I do indeed. What I have seen, what I have sensed... is it...?"

So Ahsoka explained in great detail.

When she was done, Unduli did not say anything at first, and both Jedi let the silence stretch on. Eventually Unduli folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them.

"I knew... I knew that the Order and the Code were not perfect, ever since the end of the war. If Order... sixty-six taught us one thein then that we had been too complacent. All that time I knew that we should have adapted, should have changed when there was still time. We failed to see the obvious and let our own sense of superiority blind us."

They both knew that she wasn't just talking about Palpatine, but Ahsoka chose not to bring [I]that[/I] matter up again just yet. Instead she leaned slightly forward in her seat.

"For what it's worth Master, we were all blinded."

"Maybe." Unduli replied and looked up at her. "And yet it was us, the Jedi Masters who should have seen the truth. And now, now the truth is staring me in the face, and I do not know how I am to deal with it."

"It was... difficult for many, Master. It was a period of adjustment for most of us, myself included. You should give it time."

"I will."

Silence settled over the room once more.

"Those two children, are they truly..."

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "Yes. They are his children. Twins, even."

"And their mother, if I may ask?"

She wasn't certain if Anakin would want her to tell Unduli everything, but then, the twins' heritage wasn't any sort of secret, in fact pretty much everyone on Weitun was very much aware of it.

"Senator Padmé Amidala, though she has formally dropped that name years ago and is 'just' a Skywalker these days."

Unduli thought back at her impressions of them. "They are exceptionally strong in the Force."

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes. Their count is as high as Ana... Master Skywalkers'. When they're fully trained they will be just as exceptionally powerful."

"You.. seem to be very close to them."

"They... I like them, I love them almost as if... as if they were my own, almost." she said, unsure just why she poured her heart out to Luminara Unduli of all people.

"They love you back, Ahsoka, that much is obvious."

"They see me as an honorary aunt, as a part of the family, Force help them. They and their parents."

It was obviously to Unduli that Ahsoka was humbled beyond belief by this, that she saw this as an honour she didn't really deserve. Which was ridiculous, going by what Unduli had seen, heard from others and generally thought of the other Jedi in the room. Ten years ago this would have been seen as the dangerous form of attachment, and maybe it still was, and yet if there was any Jedi who would not let that rule her actions, influence maybe, but not rule, then it was Ahsoka Tano. And yet...

"Isn't this exactly the sort of attachment that was forbidden?"

Ahsoka didn't take this any more personal than it was meant.

"There might come the day where I, or any other Jedi, has to sacrifice our relationships. And I know that. It's something I really, really wish to avoid if I can help it. And at the same time, this gives us strength. It is something to fight for, something to return to beyond our fellow Jedi or the nebulous masses of the Galaxy, something other than the will of the Force." she said, slightly misquoting the curriculum.

"Is it going to be easy? No. We are threading on new territory in so many ways, there is no chance we are getting it perfect right away."

Which had been the issue, Unduli had to admit. For centuries the Jedi Order had rested on its laurels, believing that the post-reformation code was sheer perfection. Now they had barely survived the realization that it hadn't been and tried out something new. Or at least 'new' in the sense that not even Master Yoda remembered a time when it had been different.

"Indeed," Unduli replied, "and we all still have so much to learn."

tbc

Chapter 18 will return to Tatooine, I hear a certain fat slug has finally returned. At present the plan is for another ~5 chapters or so. After that, there will be a minor time jump after all (right now two or three months tops) before we set off on Episode IV. After that there will be the biggest time jump yet, which will bring us straight into what would normally be the very late Rise of the Empire era. The plan right now is for Episode V to be set in 15 AJE/4BBY.

Why the time jump, I hear you ask? Well, if I didn't do one we wouldn't reach OT times until I die of old age, and the entirety of this was supposed to culminate in or after the Original Trilogy-era. It always was my favourite era (which is why I am incredibly hyped for Rouge One) and I cannot wait to get a certain set of characters into the cockpit of an INCOM T-65 X-Wing.

NOTE: For some reason, the site won't let me access your most recent reviews. I see them in the count and get e-mail notifications, but when I click links in those, I get a 'non-existing message' error. I have not forgotten you, but that's the way things are right now. Hopefully fixed soon.