What Could Have Been Part III: The Destined Warriors

The Lost Padawan

      Luke

      This was Ahsoka Tano.

      "Kopi?"

      "Yes please. Thank you."

       Ahsoka had led him to her home deep in the jungles and far away from any signs of civilization. It was a quaint little hut with a garden beside it and a small speeder parked in the back and covered by a faded purple tarp. Just by looking at the vehicle, Luke could tell it hadn't been driven in years. Although the simple home was small, it was still large enough that she couldn't be there alone. Luke took notice of this. His eyes shifted every so often to scan for anyone other possible residents.

        Now he sat inside the home on a carved wooden stool at a low rising table. Ahsoka moved about the kitchen- which consisted of only the essential stone oven, preparation counter, and cupboards. A pot of something spicy-smelling boiled over the fire in the oven. She was cooking for more than two people. She poured a cup  of Kopi tea and placed it in front of him on the table. Steam danced out of the cup of orange liquid and Luke took a sip. The fleeting sweet flavor was an oasis to his mouth which had been without anything to drink for- how long had it been? Hours maybe. He wondered what time it was.

       When he wasn't looking about the house for signs of other presences, Luke was stealing glances at the women who had once been his father's apprentice. What was she doing here? Was she in hiding? Who from? She finally took a seat in front of him with her own cup of tea, though she slid hers away seemingly with no intention to drink it. Her teal blue eyes were fixed on him. Studying his movements, his mannerisms. She must have found whatever he was doing quite amusing because a smile would grow on her face and she would shake her head. Slowly the smile would fade away until some immaterial action brought it back.

       "You look just like your father," she said slowly. Luke set aside his mug of tea. While he was flattered by the comparison, he had questions that he wanted answers to. "So when you left the Order you-" Ahsoka pointed to his drink with a stern look. "Drink now. Talk later." Luke opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He took a gulp of the tea and let the hot fluid warm his throat. The sugary taste was familiar to him. He remembered drinking something like it on cold mornings with his mother when he was young. The same maternal nature of his mother was present now in Ahsoka. Her smile was warm and comforting and her voice was easy to listen to. When Luke had finally reached the bottom of his beverage, he turned the empty mug upside down to show her. His words fell out of him rapidly; an eruption of questions that had been building up inside him for years.

       "What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?"

       "Living."

       "You lied to be about not being a Jedi."

       "What I said was the truth."

       "What made you leave?"

       "A story. You'll hear it someday."

       "Why not now?"

       "Someday."

       Luke eased off on the questions for a moment. Ahsoka didn't seem to want to elaborate on what had made her leave the Jedi. It was obvious he had hit a dead end so he decided to reroute the direction of the conversation. "Well, of all the places to go, why Onderon?" he asked curiously. He would have thought a Jedi would go looking for adventure, not settle down as a hermit. Ahsoka leaned back. "I'm partial to the locals," she replied evenly. Luke rubbed his chin.

       "So you've lived here since...?"

       "How old are you?"

       "Nineteen."