The Unchronicled Adventures of Ahsoka Tano, Book Eight

Chapter Forty-Two: Revelations And A Friend's Return

 AHSOKA TANO

"You idiot! Could you have done anything more foolish?" 

Ahsoka winced as Saw banged his fist against the table. It was late at night, and the Rebel forces had fled back to the base under the cover of darkness to rest and regroup. But for a few, her included, there was 'no rest for the weary'. 

"It was the only thing I could do in the situation," Lux reasoned in a patient tone, but even she could see that his tolerance was starting to go. "It may have been foolhardy, but it was either that or dead. And, for the sake of the men and women who need us, I chose to live to fight another day." 

Saw stalked the length of the room, sat down, then got up and began to stalk again. "If the Sith didn't feel you using the Force, then the Imperial probes got everything on tape. At this rate, there might not be another day left to live, Bonteri." 

Bonteri. Saw and Lux were very close; they only ever called each other by their last names when they were really mad. 

Ahsoka took a deep breath, then stood up. "Look, with that attitude, you're only making the fact that our days are numbered certain. We have a chance, Saw! We always have! To... to hell with the odds!" 

He stopped mid-stalk at her words. Then he sank back into his seat with a groan. "I wish Steela were here. She would be handling this far better than I am." 

"Saw," she said, softening her voice, "I went through a lot of tough situations back during the Clone War. I think you're doing better than I did at times." 

He managed a small smile at that. Ahsoka looked at the familiar faces around the room: Anakin, Christo, Amni, Saw, Janira, Rex, Cody, Lux... They all had something to fight for. Something they needed to accomplish before their time came. 

Suddenly, the door burst open. Ahsoka reasoned that Lux must have been about to jump up, demanding who dared to interrupt their meeting, but Anakin beat him to it. He jumped up and ran to throw their arms around the new arrival. 

Ahsoka smiled. It was Padme. 

She returned the gesture, hugging him back for a long moment, then smiled. "It's so good to see you all again!" she said, throwing off her hood and giving her beautiful curly hair a shake. 

Saw gaped. "S-Senator Amidala! I thought you were dead! We all did, we–" 

"Commander Gerrera, I presume?" she asked politely, despite the fact that she had cut him off. "And I know that you must be confused. I understand that. But just let me tell you that I was forced to fake my death, for reasons I don't think I'm supposed to share." 

Saw nodded, and Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. He apparently suspected that the complex political system in the Senate had been the need for her going into hiding. It was a good guess, but still very far from the truth.

Ahsoka stood up and went to see her friend. "Padme, it's good to see you, but... Why are you here? What's happened?" 

"I talked with Senator Organa," she said, addressing Saw more than Ahsoka, "and, he is unable to send reinforcements. But I also have news from Watcher."  

There were some murmurs of surprise. Watcher was the codename of a high-placed informant in the group of rebelling systems. Only a handful of people knew Watcher's true identity, but the people that made up that group were unknown. It was popularly believed that they were male, and speculated that he had once been a Jedi, or a Senator, or was maybe even an Imperial officer. But only three things were known for certain: that he was an expert slicer, that he was a skilled smuggler, and that he was unwaveringly loyal to the Rebel cause. 

Lux looked up. "From Watcher? How do you know about him?" 

"He has contacted myself and Bail on several occasions. But this is really quite urgent. He found out that the Empire know the location of our base. They're only waiting for the right moment, either in terms of troops or of ammunition, to strike and wipe us out." 

"So what is Watcher proposing we do?" Ahsoka asked, alarmed. As if mirroring her concern, the baby began to kick. 

"We have to get to the base on Morvolo." Padme looked gravely upon her listeners. "It's our last hope."

*Time is running short for the Jedi and rebel soldiers on the planet Onderon. Who will save them now? Will a rescue, if one is eminent, arrive in time? And what has become of Darth Maul and Darth Bane, who have been so quiet in these last months? You'll find out in the next thrilling chapter of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano!

Hello my friends! How are you all doing on this fine afternoon (err... morning? Evening? Whatever time zone you're in, it's afternoon for me)?Sorry about the lack of updates lately, but as I implied earlier, it's hectic now and it's only going to get worse. So yeah.

I think I might be able to get in another chapter or two today, but I'm not making any promises. This has been an unusually good weekend for me in terms of story writing, but I'm not going to push it.

Become the leader of the High Jedi Council and may the Force be with you,

Sharron