Chapter 7 - Eyes Wide Open While I'm Dreaming
Author's Note: A certain face from the past shows up. :D
~ Amina Gila
"I still don't think it's a good idea," insists Luke, stubbornly crossing his arms. Yes, he's totally reminding me of Anakin right now.
"Really," I retort, rolling my eyes, "I want to go. It's going to be fine. You're just being overprotective again." Like my old master.
"It's not a place for Padawans."
"You're just being protective again. That's not fair. How am I supposed to learn if you won't me share the risk?"
"This isn't a mission for learning. You either do or die."
I smile faintly at the memory surfacing in my mind. Over the past several months, I've slowly begun to remember more and more about my life as Ahsoka. In so many ways, that name fits me so much better than the one I have now. 'Ashara' fits my old identity as a farmer. Ahsoka... It belongs to someone who's a Jedi, a fighter... The life I have now. Which is why I'm planning on going under the fake name "Ahsoka Tano" on my first mission for the Rebel Alliance.
I remember vague flashes of training at the Jedi Temple, often by a small green being. Yoda, I think his name was. And I remember some of when I first became Anakin's padawan, and met Obi-Wan and Rex, though some of it might be more impressions based on what Artoo has showed Luke and me. I'm hardly certain. I remember other random flashes of fighting against droids, the Separatists.
And at the end... something happened, my brain refuses to supply what, but I stopped considering myself a Jedi. All I sense when I think about it is the crushing feeling of betrayal. What could have happened? I have no idea and asking Ben – I mean Obi-Wan – is weird. I usually call him 'Ben' out loud, but as I remember more things, calling him that just doesn't seem to fit anymore.
After whatever happened with me and the Jedi, I don't remember much of anything, just random flashes, nothing that makes any sense. Looking out the window of some run-down apartment, out into the under levels of Coruscant. Missing Anakin more than anything – like I do right now – but knowing that I can't just go back. Fighting off a group of clones trying to kill me. Images of lava and someone... burned beyond recognition.
And finally, flashes of a final desperate lightsaber battle, something I've had nightmares of on multiple occasions. Of my death.
My fingers curl tightly around the hilt of my lightsaber, the blue blade humming in my grip. I glare furiously at the dark robed figure in front of me, holding a red blade in his hand. He lunges forwards, and I hastily block his blow.
Our blades clash furiously, the duel traveling across the darkened landing platform. Wherever we are, it's the middle of the night and there's hardly any artificial lightning sources at all. A perfectly sinister background for the battle.
I struggle to keep up with his blows as he attacks me incessantly. I'm already worn out and trying to keep up defending against him is becoming increasingly difficult. A sense of desperation overwhelms as I continue to fight. I can't lose this battle. If I do, all hope will be lost. Who knows what will happen to him if I do lose. Whoever the "he" is I'm trying to protect in the nightmare, I'm still not sure.
The robed being's blade slashes across my right arm as we keep on fighting. A cry of pain escapes me, and I stumble back, the blade slipping from my hand. Before I have a chance to react, a barrage of lightning from his fingertips strikes me.
The world explodes with pain and for what feels like eternity, all I can feel is the energy pouring into me. Finally, it lets up and I realize I'm lying near the edge of the landing platform, a fair distance away from the building where whoever it is I'm trying to protect is.
The dark robed figure stalks towards me, cackling darkly. "You shouldn't have interfered, foolish child. You will now learn the true power of the Dark Side."
He raises his hands to blast me with lightning again, but I reach out my left hand, calling my lightsaber to my grasp. The blade hisses to life barely in time as the barrage of lightning starts again. I hold it in front of me, struggling to block the electricity from striking me.
The figure finally lets up the assault for a moment and I slowly push myself onto my knees before shakily rising to my feet, keeping the blade poised in front of me, ready for his next attack. But it doesn't come as expected. He reactivates his blade, charging at me again.
Our blades clash furiously as I parry his blows, not managing to find a chance to take a strike of my own. A sudden swing catches me slightly off guard, because of the lightning and my other's arm's injury. The red blade stabs into my side.
With a cry, I collapse to the ground, pain and dread overwhelming me. This is the end. I know it. Darkness is already starting to encroach on my vision as a Force shove suddenly catches me, flinging me over the edge of the landing platform, for the burning rivers of lava right below.
The thought of having once died... vaguely remembering when it happened, makes me feel strangely numb and detached, almost as though I'm watching someone else's life through my eyes.
But no.
Ahsoka Tano was and is me. After this mission, seeing how it goes, maybe just maybe, I'll consider reclaiming the name. Maybe. There are times I feel so much more like her than I do "Ashara".
"You don't have much time," Obi-Wan finally speaks up, "You need to hurry and get ready for the mission."
"At least someone's on my side," I chirp, darting for the door.
"And make sure to take your lightsaber," he calls after me.
I skid to a stop, looking back. "Are you sure that's necessary? Wouldn't it, like... attract suspicion if someone saw me? It's not like there's anything dangerous about the mission in the first place." I give Luke a pointed look at that, which he ignores. Yes, I'll admit that for whatever reason I also don't have the best feeling about this mission, but really, what could go so wrong?
"You'll be safer," Obi-Wan asserts, "I can sense..." He doesn't finish the sentence. "Just make sure to keep it out of sight."
"Of course," I nod, hastening out the door. Can he sense danger also? That really doesn't sound good. Well, as long as I can keep my lightsaber out of sight, having it with me will be much safter. At least if something happens, I'll be able to defend myself.
It doesn't take long before Luke, Obi-Wan, and I are gathered in the hangar where Leia and someone whom I've never seen before are waiting for us. For whatever reason, he looks vaguely familiar. Reaching out tentatively to feel his Force-signature, I get the sudden strong inkling as to who it is.
"Ashara, this is Rex," Leia announces, "He'll be going with you on the mission." Rex... Rex... The name of Anakin's clone captain. My gaze snaps back to the man. Yes, he looks just like Rex would when he was older. I don't have as many memories of him, but my emotional impressions are enough. I may not have missed him nearly as much as Anakin, but I still have, and if I could explain who I was and if it wouldn't look stupid, I'd be hugging Rex already.
I'm beyond elated to see that he's still alive. I vaguely remember... he was with me at the very end. Or right before anyway. Wherever he and I were, I don't remember exactly, but I do remember telling him to run before that Sith and I got in our final fight.
Maybe while we're on this mission together, I'll have time to talk to him privately, maybe ask him about it. Somehow. I'm not ready to tell anyone other than Luke what I believe about myself, but at least I can collect information.
"Corde – one of the queen's handmaids, has the information. You just need to get it from her inconspicuously while you're touring the palace gardens." Leia's instructions snap me back to present. Doesn't sound too hard. Why is everyone so worried about it? For that matter, why do I have such a bad feeling about it? Maybe it's just nerves.
"Stay safe," warns Luke. Our relationship has changed a little now that we aren't on Tatooine. He often goes flying, while I deal with ground operations. We're not together nearly as much, and I've grown used to it, but sometimes I miss before. Not that I'd ever want to be back on Tatooine. At least I didn't get stuck there forever, by myself.
"Of course I will," I assure, "When don't I?"
"Most of the time. But I don't think now is a good time to get into it."
"Probably not."
"You must hurry," Leia says.
I nod, moving for the shuttle.
"Be careful," she adds.
"May the Force be with you," Ben calls after us as Rex and I board the ship.
**w**
"Have you ever been to Naboo before?" I inquire, leaning against the wall in the corner of the large transport ship to Naboo where the two of us are sitting. We switched out of the smaller ship that we'd taken when we left the Rebel Base, to avoid any suspicion. The route we've taken so far has been extremely roundabout. If anyone's been following us, they should be totally lost by now.
"Once, actually," Rex answers, a faint smile curving his lips for a moment, "When I was General Skywalker's Captain during the Clone Wars."
"What were you doing there?" I ask interestedly. I don't remember being to Naboo myself, but that doesn't mean much.
"We were trying to prevent the release of a deadly virus," Rex replies, "The Blue Shadow Virus."
"Wasn't that like... eliminated a long time ago?" I frown. And why is that a job for the military?
"A former Nubian doctor decided to ally with the Separatists and was manufacturing test tubes of the virus to be spread across the galaxy, or at least the planet," he explains.
"Wow... Did you manage to stop it?"
"Barely in time," he says, "It was released in the underground compound it was being manufactured in. I got infected, as did a few other troopers. Senator Amidala and Commander Tano – General Skywalker's padawan were also." Tano – Ahsoka. Me. I was there.
Ugh, I wish I could just remember everything about the past. Only being able to remember a few things with no rhyme or reason behind it is driving me crazy.
"General Skywalker and General Kenobi were able to find an antidote for the virus," Rex continues the story without being asked, "Though we nearly died before they got back."
"Hey, does that mean the virus is still loose down there in the underground compound?" I ask.
"It probably is. There's no way they could have contained it further that it was."
"Imagine if it got loose while we were on Naboo and we got infected again?" I can't help but joke, then wince. I just implied I got infected before. Oops. I may have known Rex in the past – and that part of me really trusts him – but I'm not ready to talk to anyone about this other than Luke.
Rex chuckles, hopefully not noticing my slipup. "We better hope that doesn't happen."
"I –" I begin, a sudden movement catching my eye, cutting off my reply. A sudden movement cuts off Rex's reply. We both glance up to see someone moving closer this way, close enough that we won't be able to track privately anymore. It's probably not safe to discuss these things here anyway, but still.
An uneasy feeling entirely unrelated to what Rex and I were discussing settles over me, the closer we get to our destination. Something isn't right, and I'm not sure what it is.
With a jolt, the ship finally streaks out of hyperspace, revealing the green and blue ball of the planet, a few white swirls from clouds scattered about. For whatever reason, I suddenly can't shake the feeling that what happens on this mission is going to change everything forever.
Again.
I'm not ready for that. Not yet. I haven't fully recovered from everything changing only a few months ago.
Whatever changes happen, they better be for the good.
Or maybe I'm just imagining things. Either way, time to get on with the mission.
People are milling about everywhere on the docking bay as we land and get off the ship. I do my best to act perfectly casual as we head to the security checkpoint that everyone has to go through when they're coming onto the planet. Instead, I focus on taking in my surroundings.
From what I saw while landing and even from what I can see here, the planet is beautiful. This is definitely going on my list of planets I wouldn't mind living on after the war is over. Though I suppose a Togruta would probably be rather out of place. Then again, Togrutas were relatively rare and out of place on Tatooine also.
Compared to everywhere I've been so far Naboo feels so incredibly peaceful in the Force. Even with the Empire and all. Maybe the oppressive effects of it haven't affected Naboo as much as they have some other planets. But since its mostly human... that may not be too surprising.
A sigh of relief escapes me as Rex and my faked documents check out without a problem. No one seems to be paying either of us much attention.
The tour around Theed's palace goes smoother than I expected; we blend in well with the conglomeration of people here. Most are human, but there are a number of beings from different species.
While we're going through some open-to-viewing rooms deeper in the palace, I spot several women milling about dressed in bright orange. The queen's handmaids. One of them is the one whom we need to talk to. Hopefully she knows that we're coming, or I don't know how we're ever going to find her.
The group is left in the palace gardens alone after the official tour is over. With everyone wandering around, Rex and I discreetly head off by ourselves.
No one's watching us, I don't think, but I still can't shake the feeling that something is off. The Force is warning me of... something. Everything's gone smoothly so far. I can just hope it will stay that way.
"How will she know where to find us?" I whisper.
"She'll know. She saw us. This was planned ahead of time you know," Rex assures me.
"I know, just –"
"May I help you?" a voice breaks through my thoughts. We both turn to see an orange-garbed woman approaching us. There's a veil covering her face, so we can't see her.
"Corde?" Rex queries.
The woman nods. She reaches into the folds of her dress, pulling out a small device with the information we came here for. It should be pretty easy to smuggle that back to the base. "This should give you the directions you need," she says calmly, as though discussing nothing serious.
That voice... it's so familiar. She's too familiar. I cautiously reach out with the Force, brushing her mind, feeling her Force presence.
What – how?
I remember vague flashes of her from my past. We were fairly good friends, since Anakin often took me to go see her.
I rest a hand on the tree, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and unsteady.
Of all people... Padme?
Padme...
I should have expected her to come stay on Naboo and help with the Rebellion. For some reason, I'd just automatically assumed she was dead, like Anakin, when I heard she wasn't a Senator anymore.
There's so much I want to ask her.
How she's been doing, what's happened to her, if she knows anything about Anakin... But I can't talk to her. Not right now. Maybe when I get back to the base, I could talk to Obi-Wan about it. I don't know. I expect he already knew.
I don't miss the way Padme's gaze is lingering on me, and I can feel her mixed emotions probably over how similar I look, but she doesn't say anything.
I'm still lost in thought as Rex and I make our way out of the area of the Palace and head back towards the landing zone. It's late in the afternoon already, and we're planning to get on the next transport leaving the planet this evening. There's no reason to stay here any longer than necessary.
As we continue making our way towards the landing zone, a sudden dark presence washes over me. I freeze in my tracks. I don't dare to reach out with the Force and try to identify it, but even so I know who it is.
Vader.
But why in the world is he here on Naboo?
"Ahsoka?" asks Rex, confused.
"I sense a presence..." I reply quietly, glancing around nervously, "I think it might be Vader."
"Are you sure?" he presses, tensing.
I nod. Yeah. Maybe everyone's bad feelings weren't unfounded after all.
"We need to get out of here," I murmur, trying to tamp down on my fear.
We're just arriving at the port to leave the planet when a glint of something in the fading golden sunlight suddenly catches my eye. Turning, I spot a group of stormtroopers heading around the corner.
This doesn't look good. Maybe they're not here because of us, but – It feels too coincidental.
What if they found out about Padme? I shudder at the thought. Knowing her, I'm certain she'd be one of the most wanted if they knew she was still alive. No wonder she's been so carefully concealing herself right in plain sight.
Trying to act flippant, I continue walking forward. Besides, even if it we wanted to back out, it would attract too much attention.
Except then, one stormtrooper heads straight for us. "Show me your identifications," he demands.
I gulp. So much for that. Fumbling through my pocket, I pull it out as slowly as I can, scrambling to think of a way out as I hand it over.
"It's them," one of the stormtroopers says gruffly as he scans over my identification.
Air freezes in my lungs, as the other turns to us. "You are under arrest," he snaps.
No, this can't be happening. But – I need to stay calm. This might not have to be a fight.
Throwing the weight of the Force into my voice, I say, "We are not the people you are looking for."
Rex glances at me, a hint of concern in his eyes. I don't think he thinks this will work. Probably, it won't, but I have to try.
"We are not –" begins one of the stormtroopers.
"Jedi," hisses the other.
So much for that.
And now, I've guaranteed they're going to kill us, or worse. Both of them immediately raise their blasters. In a flash, I throw up my hands, sending both of them flying backwards with the strongest Force-shove I can manage.
Without wasting another moment, I spin around and bolt, Rex close behind. I shove past the other very startled security as we make our way towards the entrance.
"Stop them!" shouts a voice from behind me.
I sense a flare of danger through the Force a split second before a blaster shot rings out.
Ducking as the shot flies over our heads, I reach into my bag, fumbling around to get to my lightsaber. Another shot rings out nearly striking me again. Rex pulls out a blaster – how did he get that out so fast – and fires back at them.
Finally, my fingers closer around the hilt of my lightsaber. Whipping it out, I whirl around activating the green blade.
Rex fires at the closest stormtrooper, hitting him, and he goes down. I swing my blade, deflecting several shots back at their source.
Nearby civilians scramble for cover as the Naboo security and the stormtroopers shoot back at us. We need to get out of here somehow, or they're going to overwhelm us by sheer numbers. There's only two of us against everyone and there's nowhere to hide.
Raising my hands, I Force-shove back the approaching troopers. They fall backwards, hitting the ones right behind them. Everyone goes down, and using the momentary distraction, I grab Rex, Force-jumping across the hangar. We land right next to a speeder.
He slides into the pilot's seat, firing it up. The stormtroopers and security are already getting up, shooting at again, as we streak out of the hangar.
"I think we need to split up," I warn, deactivating my lightsaber, but keeping it in my hand in case or rather when I need it again at a moment's notice. "You'd be able to blend in easily if I wasn't with you. A Togruta stands out too much. And besides, you have the Rebellion information."
"We need to steal a ship to get off-planet, either way." Rex points out.
"We can communicate by comm," I propose. The Force is warning me of this, and I can't ignore it, "I... have a feeling. I think it would be easier for us to get out separately."
His expression shifts at that, and he nods.
The whir of engines suddenly reaches my montrals and I turn to see several speeders with both security guards and stormtroopers flying out after us. They're going to try shooting us down. The last thing we need to do is have a battle up here right above the city where so many people could end up injured.
It's not like this speeder even has firing capabilities in the first place, unlike theirs.
"We need to get back on the ground and get out of sight," Rex cautions.
I twist around in my seat, swinging my lightsaber to deflect the shots away as we maneuver in between the buildings.
A laser shot from the guns of one of the speeders strikes the back of ours. It shakes violently, before spiraling out of control, plummeting downwards leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
I unsteadily stand up unsteadily, Rex and I jumping from the speeder, landing behind one of the buildings. Now is our chance to split up and go separate ways. I don't know why I'm suddenly struck with a feeling that it might be a while before I see him again.
"Good luck, Ahsoka," he says, quietly.
"May the Force be with you," I whisper before we take off, without looking back.
The sun has already disappeared below the horizon now and the sky is rapidly darkening, making it much harder to see for humans. My night vision is far superior to theirs which gives me a small advantage.
I dash down the street, weaving my way in between the buildings. Backing up against one of the walls, I stop to shuffle through my bag, withdrawing a different cloak and slipping it open, pulling the hood up over my head. At least they shouldn't be as likely to recognize me. Unless someone is paying attention, they may not notice right away that I'm a Togruta.
Starting off again, I do my best to avoid anyone passing by. I can hear the stormtroopers' speeders still flying nearby, searching for us. From up there they might not recognize me, but someone on the ground could, and the whole city has probably already been alerted to our presences.
The situation feels strangely familiar. It reminds me of the nightmares I have sometimes, of being on the run from people who look like stormtroopers, though I'm pretty sure they're actually the clones who fought in the Clone Wars.
I cautiously reach out with the Force, searching for any malevolent presences up ahead. Two stormtroopers suddenly circle into view, and someone stops in front of them, speaking too quietly for me to hear.
But they just pointed my direction.
Great.
My gaze darts around the street, looking for somewhere to step out of sight without being obvious. I dart across the road, moving towards the buildings near the other side.
"Stop!" a voice yells, and I glance back frantically to see them giving chase.
Blaster bolts rain down around me as I break into a run, slipping my lightsaber out from under my robes again. I dodge around the corner of the building, igniting my blade to deflect a few shots that come far too close for comfort before I bolt again.
I dodge around another corner in the building, nearly slamming straight into two other stormtroopers. They step back in surprise for a moment before raising their blasters to fire. I lunge forwards, slashing through their blasters before spinning to deflect shots from behind as a couple more round the corner.
One of them tries tackling me, and I kick him hard the same moment I Force-shove over the ones in front of me, aiming for the balcony of the building.
But my jump is a little short. I scramble to catch onto the edge of the railing of the balcony, nearly falling all the way back down into the group of half a dozen stormtroopers swarming below.
They immediately start shooting up at me. I spin my lightsaber, desperately trying to deflect all of the shots away from me. This is next to impossible. It's literally the worst position to be when trying to fight.
A burning pain suddenly sears up my leg as one of the blaster bolts grazes across it. Swinging my blade to block several more shots, I brace myself against the railing before jumping over it, landing on the balcony. I wince at the pain that stabs through my leg on the impact of landing.
I'll have to ignore it if I'm ever going to get out of here. Hopefully, this circus means they're forced on me instead of Rex.
I jump again, this time easily making the short distance to the roof. Pulling myself to the top and looking around, I see the stormtroopers talking to each other quietly down below. Whatever they're planning I'm not waiting for it.
Reaching into the Force, trying to use it to dull the pain in my leg as I move to the opposite side of the roof, I jump again. Landing on the roof of a nearby building, I take off running, trying to ignore the pain running through it at the movement. There's nothing else I can do.
Night has long since fallen. I don't even know how long I've been running. Every time I think I may have finally shaken them off my trail, I promptly run into them again. How am I ever going to get out of here? There's only so long I can keep on running like this before I'm too exhausted.
I'm already rapidly reaching that point, especially with my leg hurting so much from the constant motion. I need to find somewhere to hide and plan my next moves.
I slip along through the shadows, doing my best to stay out of sight of the streetlights without looking suspicious. Up ahead my eyes fall on a large building that I'm quite certain isn't open to the public, so somewhere no one would think of looking for me. Probably.
At least it should be somewhere to rest temporarily. Glancing around to make sure no one is watching me, I dart to the back entrance of the building, using the Force to open the door which can otherwise only be opened from the inside. Hopefully there's no cameras around here.
I cautiously peek out from under my hood, scanning the halls. Nothing. A sigh of relief of escapes me as I slip inside. Maybe I can spend the night here unnoticed, and escape in the morning.
It looks like a power generator facility as I slip inside, making my way along the narrow walkways.
Slipping into a side room, I sink to the floor, my back against the wall so I'll have a good view of the room. My leg is throbbing now, and even sitting down is hardly helping. It's swelling badly. I really need to treat it, but there's no way I'll be able to do that until I get out of here.
While sitting here, I can't help noticing the faint echoes in the Force, like the remnants of strong emotions from something extremely traumatic that happened here long time ago. What could have happened? I suppose it could have been anything.
It makes me think of death, and it floods me with an aching longing. I miss Anakin, and sitting in the dark room, stranded here with no help, leaves me feeling unbearably alone.
What happened to Rex? Is he alright? What if he was caught? And Padme... what if they tracked back the fact that we talked to someone at the palace and realized it was her? If only there was a way I could ask someone for help. Like Obi-Wan... But there's no way I can contact anyone.
I'm not sure how long I've been sitting here, when a sudden far too close dark presence washes over me. Just like what I'd felt when we first were preparing to leave Naboo.
No. Not now. Did he figure what where I am? There's no way I can face down a Sith Lord right now. Especially when I can't even walk properly right now.
I stumble to my feet just as the door at the far end of the corridor suddenly slides open. My heart skips a beat, icy fear flooding me, at the sight of the towering dark figure in the doorway. Vader.
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