Ashes

1: The Fallen

AHSOKA TANO

Three months passed since Ahsoka found herself at the mercy of her current master. He was a vile man in the upper ranks of the Empire, though all things considered, he was a lot better to her than her previous master.

So far, the six masters she'd had (except her current one) were all lowlife criminals looking to make easy money at the expense of others. With the Empire around, that had become all too easy. Slavery like this was commonplace now, without the Jedi around to stand up for those who couldn't fight for themselves. That had been Ahsoka's job once. Now, she was nothing more than a slave girl.

She was ashamed of how far she'd fallen.

Unlike a lot of his other slaves, Ahsoka didn't try to fight the system that oppressed them and took away their humanity. She was quiet, obedient, and weak. Maybe if she'd been all of those things to begin with, she wouldn't be a slave. She had failed her Master, the Jedi Order, and her friends. That's why she was here, at the mercy of another. She deserved it.

Regardless of her moral disagreements, she really liked it here. Well, as much as she could like being a slave. She had no idea where in the galaxy she was, of course, but that wasn't the most pressing concern. The other slave girls here were supportive of one another—something Ahsoka desperately needed in an era of galaxy-wide fear and oppression

She sat up on her cot in the slave quarters of the palace where her master resided and rubbed her eyes. She was tired, and she knew it was going to be another long day.

"Sleep well?" a voice piped up beside her.

Ahsoka glanced at the cot to her left, her eyes meeting the bright smile of a Twi'lek named Alema Eyan. Several years her junior, Alema still had a youthfulness to her that Ahsoka envied. In a lot of ways, Alema reminded Ahsoka of herself when she first stepped off of that shuttle on Christophsis. Alema had hope that things would be better for her in the future; by now, Ahsoka knew better.

There was something else about her that drew Ahsoka's attention. Alema was gifted with many of the same abilities Ahsoka had exhibited when she was identified by the Jedi Order.

Now, that gift was a death sentence.

Ahsoka managed a weak smile. "As well as you can sleep on these things, anyway. How are you holding up?"

Alema shrugged. "Never better," she said bitterly.

Ahsoka felt badly for the girl. She'd taken Alema under her wing and tried as best she could to shelter her from the horrors of being used for her inherent beauty. It was definitely the Jedi part of Ahsoka that always volunteered for the less desirable tasks their master required, but Ahsoka was glad it do it if it meant keeping an innocent child out of harm's way.

Ahsoka sighed heavily. I deserve this after what happened, she reminded herself. She doesn't.

"I heard that we're doing something new today," Alema said, jarring Ahsoka from her thoughts. "We're suppose to wear these hideous things." Alema held up the poor excuse for an outfit. It was really just two pieces of cloth made to cover their bodies as minimally as possible. Ahsoka's didn't quite fit her right, which made her feel incredibly insecure and self-conscious. She knew, though, that she wasn't allowed to care about how she felt in her own skin. As long as her master was pleased with the way she looked, he would leave her and Alema alone. Ususally, anyway.

"Something new?" She asked.

Alema nodded. "Yeah. They're having some sort of meeting today with all the regional governors in this sector."

"What are we doing, then?" There were a multitude of possibilities, and Ahsoka didn't like any of them.

"No idea. I'm just excited to see some new faces!"

"Me too, kiddo," she replied, feigning as much confidence as she could.

So many people had died because of her: the soldiers under her command during the war, the entire 332nd, Rex, Obi-Wan, Anakin, the slaves that participated in the uprising against her first master...

How many more had to die before Ahsoka admitted that she was better off in chains?

Even though she had so much blood on her hands, she was still going to do her best to keep this child safe.

"Remember, Alema," she whispered to the child, "don't do anything to draw attention to yourself. You know how the Empire feels about people like us."

"I know. I'll be on my best behavior."

Ahsoka smiled. "Good." She glanced at the clock on the other side of the room and sighed. It was time to go brave the day.

-:-:-:-:-:-

LUX BONTERI

Lux stood in front of the window of his office in the Onderonian palace, staring in disgust at the Star Destroyer looming above Iziz. As the king of Onderon, he was supposed to endorse the Imperial presence, but secretly, there was nothing he wanted more than to free his people from the tyrannical presence of stormtroopers at every corner. He knew he didn't have the numbers to bring down the entire regime himself, so he resisted as best he could without drawing too much Imperial attention to his efforts.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face them.

"You're ship's leaving in a few minutes, babe. All your stuff is already on board."

He smiled. Koyi, his girlfriend, never failed to keep him on schedule. "Thanks." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "Where would I be without you?"

"Dead, probably," she said. "Or at a very minimum, late to everything all the time. Come on! You know you can't blow this meeting off, especially after what happened last time." She turned and walked towards the door.

He ran a hand through his hair. "You go on, I'll catch up."

She was right; he really didn't want to go to this meeting. The Empire wanted him to start cracking down on security more. Initially, he resisted, and they sent a Star Destroyer to Onderon. Now, his presence was requested at a meeting about the new "correctional facilities" that will become mandatory in all major cities across the Empire.

He crossed his arms. If the Jedi were still around, this never would've happened. He worked so hard to free his people from the Separatists during the Clone Wars only for it to end up being worse as soon as the war ended. While he didn't like the Republic or the Separatists, the Jedi had always been friends of his. One Jedi in particular more so than others.

"Where did I go wrong, Ahsoka?" he wondered aloud. "How did we fall so far?" He sighed heavily as a rush of emotions flooded him. Every time he thought about her was like reopening an old wound. Even though three years had passed since her death in the Jedi Purge, not a day went by when he didn't miss her.

Pushing Ahsoka from his mind, he picked up his briefcase and headed for the ship. There was no sense in making them wait longer than they already had for him. It was time to go brave the Empire again, whether he liked it or not.