The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Seven

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Riding Free

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka opened her window completely, looking out at the steep descent below. She felt around under the windowsill, the she found what she was looking for. It was a small latch. She pulled it, and a secret compartment opened up. Inside was a durasteel board, which she pulled free.

It was attached to a sturdy metal cable, which she had hooked up to a pulley system when she had first moved into the room. When weight was placed on it, she had it set up to trigger the release function. This would make it shoot down the mountainside that the Temple was built in at a high, exhilarating speed.

The board lowered into place, and she leapt lightly from her windowsill and landed soundlessly on top of it. She heard a few faint noises as the mechanism began to work, then, almost without warning, it shot down the mountain. She was used to this, for she used this little private escape route a lot, but she could never get over how fun it was.

Ahsoka remained standing, perfectly balanced despite the bumps in the ride as she sped down the slope, and a whoop of joy escaped her lips. Even though she had been feeling somewhat beaten down and empty, this still made her happy. The wind rushing past her, the possible danger of flying off… it was almost magical.

Soon, she reached the bottom, and the ride was over. Gradually, the strange feelings that she had been preying on her caught up with her. It was like the rushing wind had pulled them off of her and carried them away, and letting her feel happy. But now they were slinking back to her, and clouding her mind with worries again.

Trying to clear them away, with partial success, she began the five-minute walk to the meadow. It was their favorite place here on Cialone. It was sheltered from the outside world by a curtain of vines, and at night, the most exquisite flowers, a plain white in the daytime, bloomed in innumerable colors.

As Ahsoka walked, she thought about her dream. It had seemed so real; it was nothing like the other premonitions she had had in the past. In every other dream, there was always a sense of off-ness to the images and the information her brain was receiving. In the last one, there was none of that.

Was Padme really alive, or was this all something her mind was making up to comfort her? After all these years, she was beginning to realize that she wasn’t all-powerful, unable to do always do everything at the same time, and that she was beginning to break down under the weight of always having to be there for people who needed her. She wasn’t even twenty-three standard years old yet, and she already had nearly a hundred lives depending on her.

She had been forced to take on her job as a symbol of hope for the group of padawans she had rescued when Anakin, Darth Vader, her Master had launched his attacked the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and killed nearly everyone there.

Ahsoka wanted to be mad at him, but right now she couldn’t. Ever since the day of her death – she winced to think the word – she officially was no longer mad at him. It was when he appeared to her, and had convinced her that there was still good in Darth Vader. The Anakin Skywalker that had shown itself to her had been his Light Side, exiled from its body by his Dark Side, which had taken control.

And now he was back. The Light Side was now here in the flesh and blood. She wanted to blame him for her, but she couldn’t. It was in the nature of life forms to blame others for their mistakes instead of owning up to them, and now she no longer had the means to blame him for anything. Knowing that the way her destiny had gone was her fault and hers alone was hard to live with.

She had no reason to after all this time, but she still felt this way.

It was then that she noticed that she was right outside the meadow. Lux had already arrived, judging by the presence that was emanating from inside. Taking a deep breath, she parted the curtain of long, flowering vines and walked inside.

*Ahsoka's strange feelings are coming back... But is there something more than the Sith behind them? Could there be another secret that no one knows yet that will be revealed? And what will become of Anakin on Tatooine? Will Obi-Wan manage to forgive him, and Anakin him? You'll find out in the next episode of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano!

Once again, like the shortest chapter I've ever written. This one and the next one, which is also ready and will be posted shortly, are just something from another one of my books that I decidedI would use when I was beginning to write book seven. I'm so happy, I can be lazy!

Next chapter will be up momentarily.

Find out that your husband has turned to the Dark Side and has assisted in the deaths of thousands and may the Force be with you,

Sharron