The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Seven

Chapter Eighteen: Worries Back-To-Back

ANAKIN SKYWALKER

Anakin watched as Luke and Biggs ran back and forth between an eopie, unloading the supplies that they had somehow managed to get from their houses without their guardians noticing. He only watched, because although they were staggering under the weight of some of the packs, the two boys had refused any help that he, Rex and Christo had offered.

In the two-hour lapse that the boys had been away, the three had come up with their cover stories. Anakin’s alias was Hayden Christen-Chienn, the first mate on the freighter that Luke’s father had supposedly been the navigator on. Rex opted for Genson as a last name, and was a dropout from the Imperial Academy on Coruscant, giving him an excuse to tell all of his good stories from the Clone Wars. Christo, finally, was an ex-pirate who was currently working for Jabba the Hutt. His alias, because he was also wanted by the Empire, was Jayl Cummings.

According to their story, they had all met in the Mos Eisley Cantina over a bar fight. After a few bruises and a broken finger or two, they had made peace and shared a round of drinks. Just the sort of thing that young boys living on a backwater planet would enjoy.

He couldn’t help laugh a little. This was so much fun. Was this what it was like to be a father? If it was or even if it wasn’t, he definitely liked it.

The boys finished setting up, proudly showing off their campsite. It was pretty good. For the work of a five-year-old and a ten-year-old, at least. Soon they had a merry fire going, and the storytelling and joking began.

Anakin told a slightly tweaked version of falling in love with Padme – minus the kissing episodes and with extra emphasis on the action – and found all sorts of emotions welling up inside him. When his story was done, he drifted off into space, only half-listening to an account of one of Christo’s missions and two or three battles that Rex had been a part of.

He was beginning to realize that yesterday, when he had chosen to leave for Tatooine, he had snapped. And that was something that the Chosen One didn’t take lightly. It was like he was just fed up with carrying too many secrets, and knowing what horrific, evil forces he had unleashed when he had opened that Sith holocron.

Bad things were about to happen, and he had left the scene for no valid or honorable reason. He had run away like a cowardly Sith would. And he could feel, with his senses as the Chosen One that no one else seemed to have, that the Temple and its inhabitants were in danger.

But from what kind of danger he had no idea.

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka put the finishing touches on her favorite old outfit, the maroon combat suit that she had purchased on Tatooine all those years ago. It fit over her slim frame like a second skin. Throwing on her personalized Jedi cloak, she walked out the door to where Lux was waiting for her.

“You look beautiful,” he said, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips. “And you’ll be fine. There’s no reason to worry about the briefing.”

“I know. It’s just that… They haven’t spoken to me in three years. And Windu told me that all of the older padawans were Knighted over a year ago. I wanted to be there for them. I wanted to be the one that Knighted them.”

“Well, you know what they say, ‘what has been done cannot be undone’.”

“I guess…” she said, trailing off.

She had been feeling the strangest kind of hollowness ever since she had woken up. It was almost like something was pulling at the edges of her mind, and was it was making her feel uneasy. It was like she was walking into a gungark’s den, and she knew that the animal was somewhere near, but she couldn’t guess when or where it was going to strike. Something was coming. Something big.

“You hesitated.” Well, Lux was a politician at heart, and politicians were anything but dull. One had to be sharp to survive in the Senate.

“Sorry. A lot on my mind. It’s nothing to worry about,” she lied smoothly.

He nodded, then stepped in front of her, gripping her shoulders. “Are you sure that there’s nothing you need to tell me? You know that you can tell me anything, Socks. Anything at all.”

“I know,” she said. From his facial expression, she wasn’t sure if he believed her or not, but he let the matter pass. They continued walking, but instead of feeling better because she hadn’t burdened someone with her own worries, the pressure only increased.

*Secrets, secrets... Everyone has something to hide. Anakin knows that he unleashed something terrible on the New Jedi Order, but has no idea what it is exactly, Ahsoka is plagued by strange emotions that she can't explain, Amni is keeping everyone in the dark about what she knows about Ahsoka's coma. But even the best-kept secrets can only stay buried for so long... You'll find out how in the next chapter of the Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano!

Call for a Vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership and may the Force be with you,

Sharron*