Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A little astromech droid does too good of a job, and the fate of the galaxy is altered forever.

“General Kenobi, we’re approaching orbit." Came the voice from the comm.

“Well, my very young padawan, you heard Commander Wolffe." Obi-wan said, enjoying a last sip from his tea. "It is time.”

“Yes, Master." Said the padawan in a nervous tone. She was excited, but also nervous, for this was her first mission outside the safety of the temple.

“I can feel your apprehension. Do not fret dear, this should be a smooth mission. We’re right in the middle of Hutt Space, very low chance of encountering any Separatist presence." He calmed her down.

“I’ll try, Master." Ahsoka said with a slight smile.

“Do or do not, there is no try." He smirked to a pout from his very new padawan. He sighed. "I know it is scary to go out of the temple for the first time. I was scared, myself, and I wasn’t going into a war. But I can promise I’ll do my best to guide you through it.”

“I know, Master. I trust you." She smiled. "And soon enough it will be me who will save your skin from danger, you’ll see." She added cheekily.

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but chuckle. The young togruta was a spitfire, and probably Master Yoda’s idea of a joke. After ten years he had centered himself enough to ask for a padawan learner from the council, and he had been given the perfect opposition to his quiet, patient approach to things. It would certainly be an adventure.

They made their way towards the hangar, where Ahsoka hurried to give a last goodbye to Master Plo before boarding her ship. Those two had a history together, and Master Plo, being stationed nearby, had offered to give them a lift to their destination. They boarded their fighters and descended into the sandy skies of Tatooine.

Strong sandstorms covered the stratosphere of the planet most of the time. The only reason there even was light on the surface was due to the two suns that the planet orbited. Night wasn’t so much a lack of sunlight as it was that sunlight not being enough to penetrate the sand clouds, and so the planet only had daylight for as long as both of the suns were fully visible in the sky, which worked out nicely to about half a rotation, making it not very different to the standard galactic day. 

That is, for the planet’s inhabitants.

For travellers coming in and out of the planet, it was much less trivial. The strong sandstorms could deteriorate a ship or even crash it if the pilot wasn’t very skilled. The sand could damage the ship, the strong winds could fight the pilot for control of the craft, and most importantly, inside the sand clouds the sensor arrays couldn’t pick up most signals, which meant you were effectively flying blind. This was the main reason that Tatooine was one of the preferred spaceports for smugglers, bounty hunters, slavers, and the unsavoury in general, as it was very easy to lose a tail during reentry, and once on the surface there was no law but Jabba’s.

While not as dangerous and lawless as some planets on Hutt Space, such as Nar Shadda, Tatooine was still a criminal planet by definition, ruled by Jabba the Hutt, one of the biggest Crime Lords of the Hutts. It was also right on the border of the Mid Rim, very close to the Corellian Run, which meant it was the perfect spot for smugglers, pirates and others to operate out of. It was also host to the biggest slave market on this part of the Outer Rim.

All of these facts Ahsoka had studied as part of the mission brief, but they still didn’t explain why they had been sent here. She had not much else to do during the slow - but safe - descent through the sand clouds than to meditate on the nature of this mission. The Jedi High Council had sent her Master and her to investigate rumours of the planet having had some kind of revolt that had ousted Jabba from his throne. But that surely wasn’t true, as all slave revolts on the Outer Rim had been brutally put down as soon as they started. Even the ones that managed to depose a local lord only invited the others to move in on the power vacuum. If Jabba had been deposed the Hutts would have come down with an iron fist on Tatooine. If he was killed, they would have murdered the entirety of the planet as a show of force. They had done it before, she had read. So why not now? These rumours had to have been going on for months, to reach the core.

Even if the rumours were somehow true, that still didn’t explain what they were doing here. The Republic did not mess with the Hutts. Historically, the Jedi had made petition after petition to the senate to organise an operation into Hutt Space to liberate the slaves, like it had been done with Zygerria, and they had been rejected over and over. The only reason the Republic had dealt with the Zygerrians was because they had become imperialistic, and threatened Republic interest, and so they had struck back. The Hutts, however, were content with minding their own business, and preferred to deal with the Republic in the form of corruption and bribery instead of open hostility. And so the Republic turned a blind eye at the suffering in the Outer Rim.

So why now? Why had they decided to investigate? It’s true this mission was given by the Jedi High Council, it didn’t come from a Senate request, but even then surely they wouldn’t go against Senate policy. It could get ugly if this turned out to be non-sanctioned. They would have to be subtle, and Ahsoka was awful at subtlety. All of these things made Ahsoka very anxious about her first mission.

Though if she was being honest, it was not the mission that made her anxious, but her Master. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first Jedi to kill a Sith in a thousand years. The most skilled Form III practitioner in the order. The newest member of the High Council, and also the youngest by a significant amount, even excluding Master Yoda. And now, her Master.

She had a lot of misgivings about it, she couldn’t possibly see how she would fit with Master Kenobi. She had been hoping for Plo to take her on, but he was very busy with his Council duties. But Master Kenobi was also on the Council, so how come he could and not Plo? Apparently, it had been Master Yoda’s idea, he thought the two of them would make a good pair. She knew she shouldn’t doubt the wisdom of the Grandmaster, but she and her new Master couldn’t be more different.

Master Kenobi was a highly decorated Jedi Master while the only reason she didn’t age out as an Initiate was that Yoda took pity on her. He excelled in social skills and diplomacy, being sent to deal with the Senate on lots of occasions, while she was rash, impatient, cocky and even rude at times. Her Master was High General of the 3rd Systems Army, with 300.000 troopers under him - apparently he had experience in warfare and had been hand-chosen by the Council - while she had never seen live combat.

All of this she could deal with, it was a matter of experience, of maturity, and part of her journey as Padawan. But what she couldn’t deal with was with his Master’s… everything. His presence in the Force, his patient teaching, his calm demeanor… He was just perfect. Everything a Jedi should be. And even though she knew this was objectively good, it was a great learning opportunity for her, she couldn’t help but feel worthless at his side. Like at any moment he was going to realise she wasn’t worth his time and dump her on the AgriCorps. He was just so white and pure in the Force, a wellspring of calm water, imperturbable by anything and nourishing to everyone, while Ahsoka herself was turbulent, conflicted, emotional, all things a Jedi should not be. And obsessing over these things only made her more so. The worst part is she could tell that her Master knew, that he could feel it and didn’t mind, he tried to reassure her and make her feel safe. Instead, that only made her feel worse, like she was fooling him, or taking advantage of him somehow. She only hoped he would be too busy with the war to realise he had gotten the wrong Padawan.

“Why are we here again, Master?" Ahsoka asked between coughs, her Jedi robes not being enough to keep the sand out of her mouth. "I don’t see how this planet could be relevant to the war. It’s just another backwater planet without any valuable resources, just people exploited by the Hutts.”

“And that’s exactly the key of the situation, my young padawan." Obi-Wan answered, far more adept at keeping the sand out of his face. "You see, they may have tried to keep it from getting out, and tried hard at that, but it turns out Tatooine is not a Hutt planet anymore. About three years ago, Jabba the Hutt, local Hutt Lord, was killed in his palace. Supposedly, this started a chain reaction, slaves rising up against their masters all over the planet. It appears they were successful.”

“Well, that’s great, isn’t it? The people are free. What are we doing here then? I thought this was an investigation?" Ahsoka asked, confused.

“Of course it is, my young padawan. But look at it this way. If you were the Hutts, what would happen after one of your own is killed, and all of the slaves, from which you obtain your power, free themselves?”

“I would take revenge, lest it would incite other planets to do the same, Master." She affirmed. This was all in the mission dossier.

“Certainly. And yet, the Hutts, known for their ruthlessness and brutality, have done nothing to Tatooine in reprisal. Instead they have tried to prevent others from learning of it. Why?”

“Hmmm. I don't know, Master. They would usually do a show of force. Perhaps they didn’t want to spend the resources in wartime?" Ahsoka asked unsure.

“But this was three years ago, there wasn’t a war then, though admittedly there was some tension in the outer rim. The only reason for the Hutts not to conquer back Tatooine, is that they couldn’t, or more likely, that it would cost them more than the planet and the loss in reputation is worth. Which means that there is a faction in Tatooine, powerful enough to fight against the Hutt and carve their own little place in the Galaxy." Obi-Wan finished.

“Wow Master, did you deduce all of that on your own?" Ahsoka asked, not familiar enough with the Hutts to make the same connection.

“Of course not. It was on the dossier of the mission, which you clearly didn’t read." He smirked.

Ahsoka smiled awkwardly. She must have missed that part. She had made an effort to review everything and still she came short.

“Do you think it could be a plot by the separatists, Master? This is very close to Naboo, is it not? It’s the homeworld of the Chancellor, and one of the most iconic of the Republic, it could be a rallying point for an attack." She tried to save face.

“That is a possibility, although a bit far-fetched, my young Padawan." He smiled. "I don’t think the separatist would have prepared that much in advance for such a symbolic target. But then again we are just learning how they think. It would be much more likely to be staging grounds for a future invasion of Hutt space, but they don’t currently have the resources to enter a war against the Hutts. They would be shooting themselves in the foot.”

“Then what do you think is the cause, Master?" She asked, a bit lost.

“I have no idea." He smiled, to his Padawan’s frustration. "I find it is better to enter this kind of situation without any preconceived notion. However, the most likely explanation is usually the simplest. Perhaps some kind of pirates, mercenaries or bounty hunters, a force big enough to hold the planet through war of attrition. We’ll know more once we ask around." He pointed towards the village.

They’d finally arrived after a long trek through the desert, preferring to park their easily recognisable Jedi Starfighters away from prying eyes. Mos Espa was not the biggest city in Tatooine, that doubtful honour going to Mos Eisley with its spaceport, but it was the ‘capital’, for lack of a better name, as Jabba’s Palace was located on its outskirts. Obi-Wan could immediately notice that it didn’t match the description on his dossier: Mos Espa was well on its way to being unrecognisable.

“Master, what are those domes?" Ahsoka asked, pointing towards three huge structures surrounding the city. They were made of a translucent, whitish material, as if they were cloudy.

“They look like terraforming eco-domes, my Padawan. A way to allow for a milder climate in the middle of the desert. Most likely used to grow greenery and hold water. They’re also quite expensive, so it is rare to see them on a planet like Tatooine.”

The domes were not the only change in the city. The first and most noticeable one was that Jabba’s Palace was nowhere to be seen. There was only rubble and uneven land where once it had stood. The city had also seemingly grown, a lot more buildings than recorded, most of them cheap housing as far as Obi-Wan could tell from sight alone. It seemed whoever had dethroned Jabba had inverted most of his wealth in the well-being of the people.

“Now, for your first lesson, try and open your mind to the Force. Feel the people around you, their intentions, their disposition. Try and find someone who’s willing to talk to outsiders." He instructed.

Ahsoka tried to follow the instructions, but it was difficult. She had always been better with a lightsaber than with the Force, especially with the more subtle aspects of it. And she was particularly bad at connecting with others, such as reading feelings or calming beasts.

As they walked through the narrow streets of Mos Espa, she noticed just how different it was from the Temple. The people here were far from the calm Jedi she knew, they all seemed to be hurrying somewhere, most looking around with suspicion, in tension, like they were expecting to be attacked any second. Others walked with their head low, a kind of resigned sadness in their expression, giving her a disquieting feeling in her gut. All of them were covered in a layer of dirt, grime, and sand. All in all, it was quite a miserable place. She had known there was such poverty in the far reaches of the galaxy, but she hadn’t known. It was not the same as reading it in a book.

As they made their way through, his master stopped at a stall selling some kind of nut.

“Hello there, how much for two bags?" He asked.

“40 wupiupi." The old woman manning the stall said. Her face was worn by sun and sand, and her expression was wary.

“That’s too much. 30." Her master haggled.

“35.”

“Done." He closed the deal with a smile, handing the coins to the woman. It seemed her master was smart enough to prepare for the journey, she didn’t even think about there being a local currency and only had republic credits on her. She needed to get better and fast.

“Now, it’s been a while since I’ve been on Tatooine, and I find it much changed. I thought Jabba the Hutt ruled the place?" He led, as he made idle while tying the bags of nuts to his belt.

“As if you don’t know already, Jedi." The woman scoffed.

“Ah, see my young Padawan, this is the downside of being on the news, can’t go incognito anywhere." He smiled. It seemed nothing could get him down. "Very well, my good woman, how about this?" He followed while putting two whole tugruts on the counter. "Can you tell me what exactly happened here? The Hutts are suppressing the information.”

The woman looked around discreetly and pocketed the coins.

“Nothing much to tell. Every day the same, then one day there is something happening up in the Palace. Loads of slaves come running out of it, and moments later the whole thing comes crashing down, just rubble. Silence all around, everyone holding their breath, then something must happen because there is some noise from the outskirts. It gets louder and closer until it gets here, and I see all around slaves are jumping on their masters, killing them. I even saw a little twi’lek, even smaller than this girl," she said, nodding towards Ahsoka, "choke a toydarian to death with her own two hands. Couldn’t have been older than 8, I think. What a shame." She shook her head. "And that’s about it, few days later we have a ruling council and they take the Palace’s treasure and use it to rebuild. Best thing that ever happened to this place, now there is fresh water and greens available, if expensive." She made a shooing motion "Now get out you will scare my clients.”

“Thank you for your time." He bowed. Ahsoka hurried after him.

“Master? We didn’t learn anything new, right? We already knew that someone had taken down Jabba, right?" She asked

“That’s correct, but it’s not about what, rather about why.”

“Why?”

“Exactly." He smirked. Ahsoka was starting to hate that smirk. "Think about it, she said that the slaves started revolting. No one liberated them, they freed themselves. Which means that the objective was Jabba. The slave’s revolt was a secondary objective at best, it probably wasn’t even part of the plan, though we don’t know for sure just yet." He explained. "What else did we learn?”

She took a moment to think.

“She said everything seemed normal up till the moment the Palace crashed down right? So it was something subtle, sabotage and infiltration, instead of a full-frontal attack." She said, not quite sure of her answer.

“Very good, Padawan." She beamed. "Though it doesn’t necessarily imply sabotage, just that it wasn’t a frontal attack. It might have been a small strike team. Quite a good one, if that’s the case, as Jabba was never seen without some of the best bounty hunters around him.”

“Couldn’t they have betrayed him, Master?”

“I doubt it. Bounty Hunters get most of their jobs from the Hutts, and crossing one would mean the rest would put a high paying job on you. There is little friendship between bounty hunters, it’s just business. So, none would dare anger them.”

“So the infiltration looks more likely, then." Ahsoka said.

“Perhaps. There is also something more to take into account, which says something about the principles or motivations behind the perpetrator. Care to take a guess?”

“I don’t know, Master." She frowned after a while of thinking.

“The woman said the slaves came out of the Palace and only then did it crumble down. I think it’s safe to assume that many of them would have been bound, unable to escape without external assistance, even when the guards are distracted. And then there’s the Palace crumbling only after they’ve made their way out. I suppose we don’t know if any weren’t fast enough and were inside the Palace when it came down, but the fact that many came out is telling on its own. Whoever took the Palace wanted the slaves free." He smiled at the young Togruta.

Ahsoka felt inadequate once more. She was only able to deduce the barest, most surface things, while her Master could gleam so much from so little.

“Come now, my Padawan. We must secure lodging for the night." She hurried after her Master, trying and failing to get the sand out of her mouth.

They had spent the night in a rundown inn. Ahsoka imagined this was what passed as high-end around here, for the other buildings looked even more deteriorated. She had made sure to block the door and window, she wasn’t an innocent youngling anymore. Slavery might have been removed from Tatooine, but this was still Hutt space, and she knew what could happen to a young togruta woman.

Her Master had risen from his bed as if he was completely refreshed. It seemed the sandy sheets and unyielding mattress didn’t bother him. After they had cleaned up he continued the mission.

“Tell me, Padawan. Where do you think we should go next?" He asked with that infuriatingly calm face.

“I don’t know, Master." She begrudgingly admitted.

“That’s fine, my young Padawan. What do we do when we don’t know what to do?" Obi-Wan asked patiently.

“We… ask the Force for guidance?" She offered.

“Is that a question?" The Master raised an eyebrow.

“No, Master. We ask the Force for guidance." Ahsoka said, more confidently this time.

“Very well then, join me in meditation." He encouraged her, as he closed his eyes and crossed his legs in his seat over the bed.

Ahsoka sighed. She hated meditation, she was not nearly patient enough for it.

“Calm and patience, Padawan. Do not force it, it will come to you in time if you just let it." His voice filled the room, full and warm.

Ahsoka relaxed and opened her senses. At first nothing happened. Every time she started to get frustrated and lose her focus, her Master’s presence would envelop her, his peace and serenity calming her down and returning her to a meditative state. After enough time, though, she noticed something at the edge of her consciousness.

As Ahsoka centred on that presence, that small, barely there spot exploded into a bright star that filled her senses.

“Woah. What is that, Master?" She asked, overwhelmed.

“That, my dear, is a Force-sensitive being nearby.”

“But Master, I’ve never felt anything like it. It feels brighter than you and we’re sitting right next to each other!”

“I know. It is an unusually powerful presence. I have nothing to compare it to, but Master Yoda." Obi-Wan continued with his calm tone, though a slight frown marred his face. "What is more interesting, though, is the fact that I didn’t notice it until I meditated last evening. Whomever it is, they’re passively occluding their presence. Not enough to hide, but enough to go unnoticed unless someone is searching for it.”

“Do you think this is related to our mission Master?" Ahsoka asked, still basking in the presence.

“I would be surprised if it wasn’t. A Force sensitive of this power could have dealt with Jabba’s forces on their own. Add the rest of the planet after the slaves revolved, and the lack of natural resources of Tatooine, and it could explain why the Hutts gave up on it, even with a hit to their reputation.”

“Is… Is it possible this is a Sith, Master?" She asked, afraid. She had heard the tales of Count Dooku and his assassin Ventress. She supposed Master Obi-Wan was the best suited to protect her from a Sith, but couldn’t help but feel unprepared.

“That is yet to be seen, but I don’t think so." He thought it over. "This presence doesn’t feel evil, though not completely light either. And they let the slaves go, but then again that could have ulterior purposes behind it. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“What’s our next step then, Master?”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and smirked at the worried girl.

“Why, we go say hello to our mystery man.”

Chapter Text

The Jedi pair approached the shop in the outskirts of town, the side opposite to Jabba’s Palace. It was a small building, with a large storage area, metallic and plastic pieces peeking from below tarps. All in all, it seemed like just another mechanic shop. However, there were a few key differences.

First of all it was located in the outskirts, which meant the owner was quite unafraid of theft - it would be easy for someone to run away quickly, as there were no small streets, corners and people to obstruct a speeder. Second, it seemed much less run-down than others. Most of these shops made a living of selling subpar - or straight up faulty - equipment to people in need, and from what Obi-Wan could see of the wares, this was not the case in this shop. Finally, there was a speeder parked out back, which was clearly custom made, made out of pieces of different makes. As little as Obi-Wan knew of mechanics, he knew the owner had to be skilled to make that speeder work.

The Master and Padawan parted the entry curtain with a hand as they made their way inside. Behind the counter was a single person, a girl of no more than 20 years. Her arms and face were stained with grease, and she wore a pair of goggles on her forehead. She was wearing simple working overalls, and wore her dark blonde hair in a ponytail. Her body language was open, but her eyes spelled distrust.

“Hello. What can I help you with?" She asked as she dried her hands with a cloth. Her voice was high but hard. Maybe she didn’t even reach 20 years.

“Hello there! My companion and I were looking for parts to repair our ship." He started.

“Is that so? What kind of ship?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A J-type 327 Nubian starship." Obi-Wan supplied. Ahsoka had no idea what kind of ship that was, though her Master spoke of it with familiarity.

“And what’s wrong with it?”

“The hyperdrive is busted. Need a whole new one.”

“I might have one that works. But it’s going to cost you, this is probably the only shop in Mos Espa that has what you need.” She laid down the cloth and rested her hands on the counter. "6000 wupiupi.”

“That’s almost 4000 credits! You must be out of your mind!" The young girl intervened. The shop owner could notice the brief shadow of annoyance that passed before the face of the man before he could school his expression.

“Indeed, 6000 is too much. I’ll give you four." He countered, genially.

“Five and a half”.

“Five”.

“Five two.”

“It’s a deal." He smiled, while the child looked incredulous.

“Well, let’s see it." She crossed her arms.

“I only have 3000 on me at the moment, but I can pay you the rest later." He offered a full pouch.

“Well, that’s a lot more than I was expecting anyways, good enough." The girl said. She snatched the pouch and attached it to her belt.

As she made her way to the door, Ahsoka followed only to stop as the girl closed it, flipping the ‘Open’ sign. The girl made her way to her chair and sat, putting her boots up on the counter.

“Now, what do you want to know, Master Jedi?”

“What?… How?!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

“Come on kid, you two wear robes, way too clean for Tatooine, and I can even see your lightsabers." She said, pointing at Ahsoka’s belt, where the sabers were poking through. "And there’s no way you’re really searching for parts for a luxury transport in Mos Espa of all places. You want something, and you paid quite well for it. So, ask away.”

Ahsoka was open-mouthed, but Obi-Wan had not lost his composure at all.

“Very well, then allow me to introduce myself. I’m Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano.”

“Leia Skywalker. Now, get to it, I have actual clients, you know?" Leia hurried.

Obi-Wan nodded. 

“We’re here on behalf of the Jedi Council, investigating the current situation of Tatooine. We’d just like to ask a few questions." He kept his expression open. "I’d like to ask if you know how the slave revolt started on Tatooine.”

“Jabba died." Leia deadpanned.

“Indeed, but how exactly would that mean an uprising?" Obi-Wan insisted.

Leia looked up to him for a second, as if he was stupid, making Ahsoka angrier.

“Slaves have always been stronger than their masters. They were outnumbered 20 to 1. If a slave runs away, their master has only to use their slave chip to instantly kill them, wherever they are on the planet, or pay Jabba’s men to retrieve them. The chip is kinder." She scoffed. "Now you could kill the master, of course. But most masters have dead-man switches on their slave transponders. After three cycles without the master’s input, the implant would blow up." She paused. "Most slaves would prefer that, really. Three whole cycles to enjoy their life, and then freedom. But, there’s Tatooine law to take into account.”

“Tatooine law?" Obi-Wan asked.

“When someone dies on Tatooine, their goods default to Jabba. So if your Master dies, even if you killed them yourself, you belong to Jabba. That’s almost always a downgrade. And, if you made Jabba come and get you, you better hope you get killed instead. Much kinder." She nodded thoughtfully.

“I see. So, no Jabba, nothing stopping the slaves from just killing their masters?" He inquired.

“You got it." Leia started to fiddle with a circuit on the counter.

“How did they deal with the chips?”

“There are always a few scanners around, but they’re rare, and the surgery is very risky, mostly because it takes time and the masters get suspicious. But with the masters dead…”

“I see. I suppose afterwards the population, mostly freed slaves now, got together and elected leaders, and they used Jabba’s wealth on infrastructure such as the domes. Am I correct?”

“Yup." She popped the ‘p’.

“And you wouldn’t happen to know who it was that killed Jabba in the first place?" Obi-Wan got to the point.

“And what makes you think he was killed?" Leia countered, busying herself with cleaning a greasy piece.

“Was he not?" The Jedi Knight asked surprised.

“Oh yes, he definitely was." She nodded.

“Then why the stupid question?" Ahsoka intervened, irritated.

“You ask questions, I ask questions, kid." Leia deadpanned. "I’m trying to figure out what’s your angle. The Jedi have never shown any interest in Hutt Space before. If you assholes are bringing your war to Tatooine, I want to know. Might flee the coop.”

“Why you -!" Ahsoka started forward, only to be stopped by her master, who was frowning at her.

“Enough, Ahsoka. We’re guests here." Obi-Wan warned, and Ahsoka cringed back. He never used her name.

“Yeah, no need to get snippy. I thought anger was forbidden to you Jedi?" Leia smirked.

“Not as such, but we strive to avoid it." Obi-Wan confirmed. "I must ask, why ‘our’ war? Am I right to assume you sympathise with the Separatist cause?”

“Of course. Why would I not? I live in the Outer Rim." She could not believe they had really asked.

“But the Separatist are evil! They started the war!”

“Kid, shut up and think before you open your mouth." Leia scolded. "You see, the one good thing about Hutt Space is that there is no politics involved. Everyone knows who the true power is and has been for tens of thousands of years. So there’s no need for censure or propaganda. We get news from many different places, and so we’re pretty much unbiased.

“As far as I can tell," she continued, “some Jedi was spying on the Confederacy, and the idiot got caught." Leia ignored Obi-Wan’s coughing. "He was tried and convicted according to the law of the system, and the Republic used it as an excuse to declare war on them. So yes, the republic started this war. Though the fact that both sides had armies ready meant that they were already intending to fight." Leia scoffed. "Not that it matters. War is war. It doesn’t matter who starts it, just who wins it.”

“So we should have just let them die?" Ahsoka interceded, looking back at her Master. It seemed he was content with letting her debate for the moment.

“Yes." Leia stated quite strongly. "Why is that a problem? You mess with the gundark, you get the fangs. Ideally, that death would avoid a war. Seems worth it to me. Though they probably would have found another excuse to fight sooner or later, like I said, both sides were chomping at the bit.”

“But life is sacred! As Jedi, we can’t just stand by while someone’s in danger!”

The mechanic laughed a humourless laugh.

“Would that be the same Jedi order that has stood by for thousands of years without doing anything to free the billions of slaves just because it would mean war with the Hutts, but is now leading a war against half the galaxy for political differences, with an army made up of slaves?" She deadpanned.

Before Ahsoka could find the words, Obi-Wan interceded.

“Well, it seems we have conflicting points of view. Nevertheless, let’s get back to the topic at hand, if you don’t mind." Leia nodded. "Would you happen to know who killed Jabba?”

“Oh yes." She said, but didn’t elaborate further.

Obi-Wan sighed.

“I’m afraid I’m out of wupiupi, how about 50.000 credits?”

“Come on, Jedi, you know I was involved, I have what you want and you have the money to pay for it, don’t waste our time." She tensed.

Obi-Wan’s face lost his calm friendly smile and adopted a neutral expression in an instant.

“I can offer another 5000 wupiupi and 200.000 credits "

“What!" The kid exclaimed outraged.

“- though it will take a couple of days to get it together." He finished.

The girl thought it over for a few seconds, and finally nodded.

“Good enough. I will need physical credits, of course, no transfer." Obi-Wan nodded to the request.

Her face changed instantly, back to that fake, sales smile she had when they had first come in.

“Will that be all?”

“Knight Kenobi. Padawan Tano.”

“Masters." They bowed.

The Jedi Council was reunited, listening to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka give their report from sandy Tatooine. Most of them were missing, busy with war and other matters, and the rest there only in hologram, being dispatched to faraway systems due to the war. Only Master Yoda remained in the Temple.

“Found something unexpected, you have, yes?" Master Yoda prodded.

“Indeed Master, most unusual. So far we’ve confirmed that the Hutts have withdrawn from Tatooine, and the planet now rules itself. The cause of this change was a slave revolt following the death of Jabba the Hutt." He intoned.

“And you have found the ones responsible for it?" Asked Master Koth.

“I believe we have, Master. Jabba and his entire retinue of bounty hunters and guards were killed by someone, propitiating the aforementioned slave revolt. Now, we do not have confirmation, but we have a strong lead on the likely culprits.”

Master Yoda nodded for him to continue.

“The Force guided us to a person, a Force sensitive human girl of about eighteen years, operating a mechanic workshop on the outskirts of Mos Espa. The girl is clearly involved in the incident, most likely a key piece, but she is warded. She is only willing to talk to us at a steep price, Masters.”

“It was expected for people in Tatooine to be greedy. Were the provided funds not enough?" Asked Master Mundi, somewhat derisively.

“No, Master. She seemed to be doing fine economically, even for the raising standards of the planet, probably wouldn’t risk the information without enough money to move into a more hospitable planet." Obi-Wan explained.

‘So that’s why he offered so much.’ Ahsoka thought.

“A strong predilection for the material, these people have. Expected, it is to be, for those who so little have, to hold on to what they can. Lots of things, for granted we take." Master Yoda lamented.

“What was the amount accorded, and why are you so certain the information is worth it, Master Kenobi?" Interceded Master Windu.

“The amount was 5000 wupiupi, over the previous budget, plus 200.000 credits.”

Several voices were raised at the same time.

“Nonsense!" Master Mundi exclaimed.

“That much money could be better used in the battlefront!" Reproached Master Rancisis.

“You’d let a desert rat rob you blind like a youngling?!" Exclaimed Master Poof.

“Enough, that is." Master Yoda rapped his cane against the ground. "Younglings, we sound like. Bah! Kenobi, explain yourself, you will.”

“Of course, Master. I am convinced this girl killed Jabba herself. I have yet to determine how, why, and whether she had any help, though by the way she spoke she had a plethora of reasons to do so. I believe it is crucial we find out, and especially what her intentions are now that the war has upended Tatooine’s status quo once more.”

“Help, Master Kenboi? Surely you don’t think she could have killed Jabba and his retinue on her own, even if she was force sensitive. What are you not telling us?" Inquired Master Ti.

“That’s where my reasoning lies, Master. You see this girl wasn’t barely force-sensitive, she was strong in the force. She shines in the Force like nothing I’ve seen before, even brighter than Master Yoda.”

“Impossible!" Called Master Poof, the other Jedi no less outraged. "We would have noticed such a powerful Force user.”

“Which leads me to the most interesting part, Masters.” He cut over the chattering. “I didn’t notice her until I searched the planet with the Force. She’s able to mask her presence to some degree. Once we met in person it was undeniable, the girl is experienced with the use of the force, at least to a point. Whether that experience is due to experimentation or actual training, I cannot say.”

“You’re saying there’s a highly powerful, trained, unaffiliated Force sensitive, who’s had no problem with murder before? This is troubling indeed." Master Windu frowned. "She seems like a prime target for the Sith. Dooku would replace that assassin of his in a heartbeat.”

“Troubling news, indeed. The Dark Side of the Force, inside her, did you feel?”

“No, Master. At least, not like I could with Dooku, or the assassin ten years ago. Though she didn’t feel completely light either. If anything she felt… tense. Like a string pulled taut. Steady, but ready to unravel at any moment.”

“Hmmm. Meditate on this, we must. Your thoughts on this woman, I would hear, Padawan Tano.”

“M-mine, Master?" Ahsoka stuttered, not expecting to be called upon.

“Different viewpoint than your Master, you have. Many perspectives, must one consider, for insight to obtain." He smiled at her. Master Yoda never failed to make her feel safer and more accepted.

“Well, Master, one thing I noticed is that she seemed to heavily dislike the Republic and the Jedi. According to her, the Republic started the war against the Separatists, though she also said that either side would have found an excuse to fight sooner or later. She seemed to resent the Jedi for their inaction against slavery in the Outer Rim.”

“Hmmm. Unexpected, this is not. Some good arguments, in favour of the CIS, there are. Complex, this issue is. More troubling, her opinion on the Jedi appears. Failed the downtrodden, we have. A fact, that is, one that on me weights greatly. Appealed to the Senate on this issue, on many occasions we have. More, we could have done. Understandable, her opinion is." Yoda raised his head with a grunt. "No point to dwelling in the past, there is. Approach this woman with care, we must. Meditate on this, I will. In the meantime, the funds, you will have. Encourage you to know her better, I do. Make a friend of her, the Jedi Order should. To make her an enemy, we cannot afford. Trust you with this, I do, Master Kenobi, Padawan Tano.”

“Yes, Master." They both bowed.

“To meditate too, I’d ask you, Masters. Important, I feel this will be. Council dismissed" Yoda rapped his cane on the ground, closing the connection.

Chapter Text

The day after, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka made their way towards the workshop once more. Ahsoka had been reticent, wanting to help in any other way, as she was uncomfortable with the other girl. The clear disrespect of the Jedi and the Republic made her lose her calm, which was not what a Jedi was supposed to be like. However, her Master deemed it good training for mediation, which according to him was the larger part of peacekeeping, keeping people from escalating hostilities. Also, there was nothing else for her to do in this sand ball, so she supposed she couldn’t complain much.

The girl was still there. Obi-Wan had half expected her to run away. He was quite convinced she had been the one to kill Jabba, and she probably knew of his suspicions, so she might have decided to fly away. That she was still here meant that she wasn’t worried about a possible conflict, which worried him. Either she was very confident in the non-hostility of the Jedi, or she was confident she could fend them off, which meant probable allies.

“You again." She said, raising her visor to show a grease-stained face. "What do you want now?”

Ahsoka entered past the curtains after her Master. Now that she was somewhat more used to the blinding presence in the Force of the other girl, she could pay more attention to the details. She had dark blonde hair, which strangely enough seemed much healthier than what she had seen in the city. Her eyes were a pretty green colour, and her skin was tanned from the sun. The layer of grime and dirt on her skin and overalls gave her a rugged appearance, if not a pretty one.

“We have a few follow-up questions, if you would be so kind." Obi-Wan offered with a smile.

“I can be kind." She smirked.

“For a price, I imagine?" Obi-Wan scoffed, handing her over another pouch with wupiupi, though significantly smaller than yesterday’s. "The promised amount from yesterday will be ready in a couple of days. In the meantime I had hoped we could get to know each other a little better.”

“Might as well get to know your pockets, Jedi." She got her visor back on and resumed work on the engine. "So, go ahead. Turn the door sign around, will you?”

“We were wondering why the Hutts have not retaliated for Jabba’s death. Surely they would seek to make an example out of the culprit?" He made no mention of who the culprit was, avoiding the implicit truth.

“Oh they tried." Leia scoffed. "They sent another slug a few days after, one of his cousins or whatever. At the time I didn’t know, I was … busy. Anyways, they didn’t know who had done it as all recordings were fried, so they started to take former slaves from their houses to interrogate. Very few of them would have known who to point to, but still none of them gave a name.”

“That was very brave of them." Ahsoka offered as a branch of peace.

“No it wasn’t." She laughed mirthlessly. "It was not bravery, but fear. Every freeman they got would have been tortured until they told even their deepest secrets. The Hutts know a lot about pain, they can get anyone talking. So the moment the rumours started, all the freedmen got to carry around a knife, or some poison. Some poor soul took a slow acting poison. They screamed for almost a whole day. No more freedmen were caught alive." She shrugged.

Ahsoka choked a noise, but didn’t interrupt.

“I heard a few days later, trying to buy in the market, that the new Hutt was dead too. Same people. Anyways, they left the bastard’s corpse with a message.”

“What kind of message?" Obi-Wan inquired

“Oh, they branded Ar-Amu’s crest on the slug and left it in the plaza. It smelled rank." She scrunched her nose in disgust.

Ahsoka couldn’t believe someone could take defacing a cadaver in such a nonplussed manner.

“A crest?" Obi-Wan asked.

Leia lowered her overalls to show a tattoo on the left part of her chest, slightly above the heart. It was a series of circles of different sizes, a broken one in the middle and three around it, overlapping the middle one. Right in the middle there was a slightly raised white scar line.

“It’s the symbol of freedom and hope for the people of Tatooine. Most get it over their chip scar." She explained. Ahsoka swallowed her gasp. She hadn’t known the woman had been a slave, but she didn’t want to seem insensitive. Better to remain quiet. "Anyways, the message seemed to work. The slugs didn’t deem the planet worth the trouble. We do have little else of worth for the Hutts other than slaves." She shrugged.

“They may have taken that as a sign of the revolt being contained to Tatooine and not part of a bigger attack on the Hutts." Obi-Wan hypothesised. By the slight smile on Leia’s face, he was correct. "That was smart. And now that the planet is free, why didn’t Jabba’s killers step in to fill the power vacuum?”

Ahsoka couldn’t believe what his Master was asking. It was a miracle she wasn’t already a tyrant. They shouldn’t give her any ideas!

“Well whoever did it was clearly one of the Children of the Desert. Most of us don’t care much for material things past what we need. Or power and influence beyond keeping you and yours safe. But then again some rebound and turn out no better than their masters.” She spat at the ground.

Obi-Wan smirked, at least something they had in common.

“Well, then I suppose that whoever is responsible was very determined to keep the Hutts out. After all Jabba might have been a target of opportunity, but even then they would have known the reprisals to come from the Hutts. They could have taken the chance and ran away, but they stayed. It speaks of a conscience." He smiled.

“I thought a Jedi of all people would comprehend the basic concept of empathy, for all you preach of it." She snarked. "Besides, nobody is really free this far Rimside. You’d have to run away - far, far away - and even then they’d probably reach you." She shook her head. “And what about you, snips? You were yapping at me all day yesterday, now you’re suddenly quiet." Leia directed at Ahsoka.

Obi-Wan noticed the abrupt change of topic, but let it slide. Meanwhile, Ahsoka mumbled something.

“What was that?”

Ahsoka took a breath and remembered her lesson. Be empathetic, be kind, don’t lash out.

“I said, you were right. It’s not fair that the republic would go to war now, but not for the slaves.”

“Wow, a Jedi that can recognise their shortcomings. You might do something good in the Galaxy after all." She smiled.

Ahsoka smiled back, she didn’t know why but getting a compliment from this rude woman felt like an accomplishment.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why a mechanic shop?" Obi-Wan inquired.

“Well, I’ve always liked machines. They make sense to me." Leia nodded emphatically. "And I worked in a mechanic shop up until I was 12, when I was bought by Jabba.”

“You didn’t work as a mechanic for him?" Ahsoka asked, innocently enough, before Obi-Wan could stop her. He could imagine what work the Hutt would have given a 12 year old girl. Contrary to his expectation, however, Leia chuckled.

“Not exactly. I raced for him." She said with a prideful smirk. "You’re looking at the 11 times champion of the Boonta Eve Classic, kid. I won my first at 10, and just kept winning. The only human ever to win.”

“You’re a pilot?" Ahsoka said excitedly. Obi-Wan knew if she got ideas she was going to be trouble. He hated ships.

“Well, if you can consider pod-racing piloting." She said, somewhat abashed.

“I would. Extremely dangerous for all involved." Obi-Wan added.

“I do have an actual ship." Leia nodded behind the yard, where said ship could be seen peeking out from behind the crates. "But I don’t fly much beyond the occasional supply run.”

“How come?" Ahsoka asked, much more open now that she had something in common with the other girl.

“Well, this is my home, I have my life here. I don’t want to leave for long in case someone tries to mess with my workshop." She shrugged.

There was a slight silence - Ahsoka had no idea why anyone would want to live here - before she started asking once again about the races, mechanics, and everything in between. Despite the circumstances, it was good for Ahsoka to make friends outside the order, Obi-Wan thought. Different perspectives could only enrich her own, no matter how… unorthodox, in this case.

Tuning out the chatter, he sat and started to meditate, reflecting on the current situation.

It was the next day, and Ahsoka had been helping Leia to fix the engine for the better part of the morning. She had learnt quite a lot of things about mechanics, especially how to make do with limited resources. She would have never even thought to use a cryo-spanner to couple the coolant lines, but it could save her ass some day. She was tired and covered in grease and dirt, but she was having more fun than she had in ages.

Most special of all these lessons were the actual lessons in the Force. It seemed Leia had relaxed in their presence enough to stop hiding her Force sensitivity. Initially it had been just passive use, until Ahsoka had been brave enough to ask.

“How do you always know what’s wrong with each piece with barely a look? Do you have that much experience?”

“Oh, it’s just a feeling. You should be able to do it too, just concentrate on the thing, and… ask, I guess? It’s how I managed to run pod-races at 7 years old without blowing myself up. I’d just listen and when I got a gut feeling, I’d follow it. Works like a charm." She shrugged.

Ahsoka decided to ignore the fact that a 7 year old was participating in a death race, and tried to understand what the girl was saying.

“Can I try?" She asked shyly, throwing a look at her Master which was meditating on a corner.

“Sure, knock yourself out." Leia shrugged and went back to working on another piece.

Ahsoka picked up a piece from a discarded pile, she had seen Leia frown at it and throw it away that same morning. She concentrated on it and closed her eyes, trying to feel its shape with the Force, tracing its form in her mind. A few minutes later she was starting to get frustrated, so she released her feelings into the force and tried to meditate, but focusing on the item. It was like looking in two directions at the same time, but she felt something on the edge of her awareness. Following the pulse, it led into… a corner of the piece? She followed the insight and got strange sensations, a burnt smell on her nostrils, a buzzing feeling on her fingertips, and an impression of some kind of spiral.

Ahsoka gasped, and the sensations went away.

“Did you get it?”

“It’s… the coils in the power supply are burnt, I think?" She tried.

“Very good!" Leia smiled, and Ahsoka beamed.

“That’s amazing! Why isn’t this taught in the Temple, Master?" She looked at Obi-Wan, not seeing the look of disgust in her new friend’s face.

“It is taught, my very young Padawan, and I think it’d be better to just call me Obi-Wan for the time being. That word has unfortunate connotations on this part of the galaxy." Leia scoffed and turned back to her work.

Obi-Wan got up from his seat and started pacing, what Ahsoka had quickly started to call “lecture mode”.

“It is the same process by which we learn to use the lightsaber, as in the case of the blindfold exercise. We open ourselves to the Force, asking for guidance, and the Force answers by giving us intuition. This is made easier by our natural bond with the kyber crystal inside the saber. Without any such bond, we have to actively reach for the Force, which is how the Jedi Pilots do their suicidal stunts, and what…" He gave a sideways look to Leia. "Certain operatives use to investigate crime scenes.”

Right, he was speaking about the Shadows. They were not public knowledge.

“It is usually taught later on, but I suppose it will serve you well with the current situation, especially if we get into any space battle." He shuddered. Her master really hated flying.

“Well, I think it’s really neat." Ahsoka said, back again with Leia. Obi-Wan scoffed. Only a teenager would describe an advanced Force Technique as ‘neat’.

“Know any more tricks for working with mechanics?" She asked, excited.

“A few." She nodded. "Usually just precision stuff, you know, when hands are too big." Leia said, wiggling her fingers, which made Ahsoka laugh.

They kept working on the engine - a modified sublight engine for a YT-series freighter, Ahsoka could only guess it was from some smuggling or pirate craft - for the better part of the day, stopping to eat and for Ahsoka to do her daily meditation. Occasionally, Obi-Wan would intercede with one or two questions about the lifestyle and culture of Tatooine, but he mostly kept to himself. At one point, they even had a client enter the workshop, who looked somewhat spooked by the Jedi, or as Leia put it, “Those credits better be ready tomorrow, you’re already costing me money”.

During the repairs, Ahsoka saw Leia’s Force ‘tricks’ in action. She was able to move the circuitry with the Force, which was very useful for small, microscopic connections, especially since the Force would guide her movements to place everything in just the right spot. Ahsoka herself was having some trouble with it, having trained more for power than finesse, but was enjoying the challenge. Finally, late in the afternoon, they managed to fix the last error - whoever had altered the engine hadn’t accounted for saturation distortion on the feedback signal.

“And done! It should be ready for testing." Leia smiled. A job well done was always its own reward. "Now we have to charge it.”

“I’ll go get the power cells" Ahsoka said excitedly.

“No need, really, I know another trick." Leia smirked. "Kinder on the pockets, too. Watch.”

Leia put her hand on the charging port and the Force swirled around her. Just as sparks were starting to jump around her fingers and into the engine, Ahsoka felt her Master explode into activity.

It was only Leia’s supernatural reflexes that saved her, the hand casting lightning snapping back just as Obi-Wan’s lightsaber was about to cut it off. The blade missed its target, just a few centimetres from her arms, and left a burned trail in the ground.

With a heave, she pushed him back and put some distance between them both, quickly unsheathing a vibroblade and getting on guard.

“What are you doing, Master!" Ahsoka screamed, but Obi-Wan paid her no heed, circling around to put himself between the two young women, his lightsaber raised in a defensive position.

“Stand back, Ahsoka. That was Sith Lightning, an extremely Dark and lethal ability. You could have been killed”.

“She was charging a battery!" She interjected.

“She was- wait, a battery?" Obi-Wan asked, perplexed, without taking his eyes from Leia, who was now looking annoyed at him, her blade still in the air, not making any sudden movements.

“Yes, a battery, you dimwit. Once again assuming you know everything about the Force, Jedi. The lightning is just that, electricity. Quite useful.”

“Useful? It is a devastating weapon. A painful and debilitating one, born from hatred. But nothing more.”

“I know it can be a weapon, dumbass. How do you think I offed Jabba? Toasted the fucker up until he croaked, left him well done and crispy. Of course it can be a weapon! I could kill someone with a spoon, but you won’t see people freaking out over a bowl of soup!" She exclaimed exasperated.

“… She was just loading the batteries, Master." Ahsoka tried.

“It is a power of the Dark Side, fuelled by anger and hatred. Nothing good could come of it." He said, finally lowering his lightsaber, but not turning it off yet.

“The Dark Side? Anger and hatred, huh? For a supposed expert, you have no idea what you are talking about. I didn’t use the Dark Side, idiot. This," she said, electricity crackling over her palm, "is not the Dark Side.”

Obi-Wan flinched at the sound of the electric arcs, but didn’t attack.

“Now this is the Dark Side." Leia said, snuffing out the electricity.

The whole area around them seemed to suddenly become a few degrees colder, and a shiver crawled through Ahsoka’s spine. Leia’s eyes were not her previous blue, but rather were the colour of molten gold. Obi-Wan instantly raised his saber once again, his face paler than before.

“And would you look at that, no anger or hatred needed." She scoffed, shaking her head. The cold seemed to go away as the Dark Side left her body, her eyes going back to green. "I’ll let this one slide because I can recognise a trigger when I see one, but attack me again and the kid will be going home alone.”

Obi-Wan nodded and lowered his lightsaber, still tense.

“Now get out of my shop, I don’t wanna see your face unless you’re here with my money." Leia turned to smirk at Ahsoka. "You can stay if you want, Snips. I could do with a helper.”

“We’ll be retiring for the day. Come on, Padawan." Her Master tone left no doubt that she shouldn’t argue.

“… Yes, Master." Ahsoka was wise enough to know not to contest the decision. They’d had enough action for a day.

Chapter Text

“Unsettling, this is. A powerful Force sensitive, already infected with the Dark, a troubling discovery is. Above all things, fall in the hands of the Sith, she must not. Disastrous, this would be." Master Yoda stated, looking tired and upset.

The council was reunited once again, discussing Obi-Wan’s findings.

“Surely we must deal with her. This is no mere dabbing in the Dark without knowledge, we’re talking about Force Lightning. And she was conscious of her use of the Dark Side. Do we even know she isn’t part of the Sith? Maybe some kind of trap?" Master Mundi suggested.

“That rings false in the Force, even muddled as it is." Master Windu countered. "I think we can safely assume she’s an independent factor, and not part of the Sith. But that doesn’t make her harmless.”

“Innocent, she is not. And yet, know of her reasons, her intentions, we do not. Hard, it is, to avoid the lure of the Dark, even for those warned against it. To Jedi standards, hold her we cannot." Master Yoda thought for a moment. "Hostile, was she? Use lightning against you, why did she? Provoked, was she?”

“Well… She might not have used the lightning against us, specifically, Master." Obi-Wan awkwardly stated.

“A battery.”

The masters moved their gaze towards the Padawan who stayed on the sidelines.

“A battery?" Master Windu prompted.

“She was charging a battery with the lightning." Ahsoka stepped closer to the holoprojector. "She had been showing me little tricks she uses with the Force to help her in her workshop, like feeling for the fault in a component, or manipulating small or hard to reach components. She was just about to charge a battery when my Master…" She stopped herself, not wanting to accuse her Master.

“When I attacked her. Had she been any slower she would have lost her arm." Obi-Wan stated with resignation. "I apologise for my outburst Masters. The moment I identified it as Force Lightning I acted without thinking. I take responsibility for it.”

“It’s unlike you to act rashly, Master Kenobi." Master Ti prodded.

“Leia called it a… trigger, I think?" Ahsoka added.

Obi-Wan shot her a look of disapproval, making her feel awful.

“Completely recovered from Geonosis, it seems you are not, Master Kenobi. A session with the Mind Healers I recommend, after your return." Yoda’s tone indicated this recommendation wasn’t optional at all.

“Yes, Master.”

“Use the Force to find faults, she does? And to hide her presence, we knew. One of the most basic traits of the Force, prescience is. If used to certain habits, a Jedi is, much easier to enhance them with the force, they will find it. Instinctive, it becomes. Unconscious. Hiding, quite a necessary skill for a slave it is. Detecting something wrong, before it can harm them, crucial is. Experts in avoiding their masters’ wrath, they are." Master Yoda analysed.

“It seems most of her use of the Force was due to necessity, or usefulness, and not thirst for power." Said Master Fisto.

“And yet, she’s using lightning like a toy, the darkest of arts." Master Poof scoffed.

“Actually, Master, that is not correct. She made a point to show that those were separate things when I accused her of it." Obi-Wan explained. "She called on the Dark Side separately from the lightning. We could feel the difference, both on the Force and physically, as her eyes turned golden. And then she banished it as easy as it came, and she was back to normal.”

“More proof that she’s a danger, if she has that much control over the Dark." Accused Master Piell.

“Force Lightning, separate from the Dark Side, seems to be. For another time, those thoughts are. More troubling, the fact is, that she understands what the Dark Side is, and on it, how to call." Master Yoda grunted. "But banish it, she’s able to. Hope, this gives me. Once it’s in, control your destiny, I thought it would. Mistaken, we might be.

“More information, we need. Continue to talk to her, you should. Cordial, you must be. Talk to her, know her, you must. But be careful not to anger her, you should. An enemy of her, we should not make.”

“Yes, Master.”

“To you, this too applies, Padawan Tano" Yoda stated. "Know the impatience of youth, I do. Steady, in this matter our stride must be. Unstable, those of the Dark are. Their rage, the slightest offence can wake.”

“Of course, Master Yoda. I will bite my tongue." She accepted, chastised. She didn’t even know why she was being warned over her Master, she was getting along quite well with Leia, despite their rocky start, it was her Master who almost cut off her arm.

“Closed, the session is." He finished with another bang of his staff.

“Do not take it badly. It’s just a stressful situation.”

“I know, Master, but… Master Yoda is usually so kind and patient to us, and yet he basically told us to not fuck it up." Her voice was lower than usual, it was obvious she was upset.

“Language, my young Padawan. And it is not everyday you find a Dark Side free-agent, much less one as powerful as she seems to be. It has the council worried enough for Yoda himself to get serious. Don’t take it personally.”

“I will try, but… Master, even though we get along somewhat, she seems so… bitter at the Jedi. Did we really fail these people that badly?" She asked, worried.

“It’s… a difficult topic, Ahsoka. You see, I don’t know much from before, but since the Ruusan Reformation about a thousand years ago, the Jedi are more or less subject to the Senate. We act as representatives of the Republic, so a high scale Jedi operation outside the Republic boundaries would be taken as an act of invasion and begin a war." He explained. "Now, whether it would be worth it to go to war against the Hutts or others, is another question. But the ultimate choice resides in the senate, not us.”

“… I don’t like that, Master. Jedi should go where we’re needed, not where we’re sent.”

“I agree, Ahsoka. But it is also not that easy. A war would affect countless people. We cannot take a decision that would affect the rest of the Republic for them. That decision should belong to the people, through the Senate. If the Jedi could act without dragging the Republic into it, then it would be quite another matter.”

“I understand, Master. But I still don’t like it. I hate to say it but she’s right. The Republic was willing to go to war to keep some systems against their wishes, but not to liberate countless slaves. It seems extremely selfish." She seemed more annoyed than upset now.

“It is selfish, my young Padawan. In my experience, most politicians are. Some are just corrupt, and others are just looking out for themselves over the rest. It doesn’t help that the system promotes competitiveness over cooperation. But again, it’s not the Jedi’s decision." He looked at the young togruta and smiled. "Now, what do you say to a sparring session?”

Ahsoka smiled, and unclipped her lightsaber.

It wasn’t even noon when the pair entered her workshop yet again.

“Good morning. First of all I would like to apolo-”

“Save it, Jedi." She interrupted the pompous man."I already said it was fine, and I can tell it won’t happen again. Forget the apologies, they’re useless things.”

“You don’t believe in apologising?" Ahsoka asked.

“What’s the point? It changes nothing. You can explain yourself all you want, and yes, sometimes there are things I don’t know that might change how I take it, but I will still rethink how much I trust you, which will be less, if at all. Blind trust gets you killed, and words are empty. You trust someone based on their actions, not how sorry they are.”

“So you don’t trust anybody? That’s a sad way to live." Inquired the Master.

“I didn’t say that, but this is not your fancy Core. Here, it will get you killed. You are used to trusting everyone unless they give you a reason not to. Here, it’s the other way around, trust has to be earned. And even then, it’s not enough. You can have best friends, or a partner, but being a slave, your will is not your own. You might have to hurt or kill those you love, and they might do it back, so you have to keep on your toes." She shrugged.

“But that’s awful! Would they really turn against their loved ones?”

“If I ordered you to kill your master or die yourself, would you do it? Maybe you wouldn’t, self-sacrificing Jedi and all, but it’s much harder to give up your life when it’s literally the only thing you own." She tilted her head in thought. "Also, we’re not stupid enough to believe that saying no will achieve anything. The Masters get what they want one way or another, you wouldn’t be saving anybody, just dooming yourself too." Leia shrugged again.

“Anyways, just know I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Jedi. And you best stay some distance away." She pointed to Obi-Wan, who nodded and retreated, saddened. "Well, what is it today, what do you want?”

“We’ve got the rest of the payment." Obi-Wan stated, taking a datastick out of his pocket.

The datastick flew from his hand and into Leia’s, who plugged it into a terminal and started checking the data.

“All right, it checks." She left the transfer in progress and went back to the counter. "So, what do you wanna know? There’s not much more to tell, but hey, no take-backs" She smirked.

“How did Jabba die? We’d like to know why you killed him, how, and whether you had any help." Obi-Wan started.

“Well, let’s start with the why." She said, taking a seat and getting another one for the kid. She pointedly didn’t leave any for the older Jedi, who just sat on the ground with his legs crossed.

“It’s very simple, really. Why do any slaves rise against their masters? They reach a breaking point, something - sometimes even nothing in particular - makes it too much. Everything… kind of overflows and suddenly self-preservation is not that important anymore. Usually they only manage to kill themselves, many times before they can even hurt their masters. And of course, they then systematically track and kill anyone who was friend or family, to teach the rest.”

The kid looked horrified. It was starting to get kind of tiring, to be honest, she should be used to the cruelty of Hutt space at this point.

“So of course, this is not a rational decision, or nobody would do it. You just… do.”

“And what was it that… What was the straw that broke the bantha’s back?" Obi-Wan inquired.

Leia took some time to answer.

“Jabba was my fourth owner. I was born into service to Gardulla the Hutt. You see, every slave knows that the Hutts are especially cruel even amongst the masters, but you don’t really understand how much until you’ve served one. Fortunately, I was four when m… when I was sold to another owner, a toydarian who owned a mechanic workshop." She didn’t miss the glint in the Jedi’s eyes, he had noticed her slip up, but she was not going to tell him about her mother. "I had a hand with machines so he had me doing repair work more and more frequently as I grew up, until he found out I was building a racing pod with scrap metal in my spare time.”

“I thought pod racing was incredibly dangerous, why would you do that?" Ahsoka asked.

“Well, for starters, I was seven, so not the best at thinking things through. But yes, pod racing is very dangerous and lots of people die. But that’s not that much worse than the average slave, and successful pod racers make a lot of money. Sometimes they even make enough to buy themselves. So I was determined, even though a human had never won one of these things. So I built my pod, and raced.”

“Did you win?”

“No, I crashed the pod. Watto was furious with me for losing the pod, even though it had cost him nothing it was still his. But anyway, I rebuilt the pod and tried again a couple of times, and was able to at least salvage most of the pod. Then I did the worst thing I could possibly do.”

“What?" Ahsoka asked, intrigued.

“I won." Leia smiled mirthlessly. "You see, a human had never won the Boonta Eve Classic, much less a ten year old kid. It made a lot of people lose money on bets, and they were furious. Watto didn’t like the trouble, so he sold me soon enough to a Pantoran woman. I didn’t see much of her, she didn’t live on Tatooine, only came here for the races, so she left me to my own devices, mostly. Fucked me once or twice a year, paraded me at a few parties off-world. Probably the best master I’ve had to be honest, I even got to see other planets.” She shrugged, ignoring an horrified Ahsoka.

“Anyway, I kept getting better and kept winning, soon enough I was racing in Malastare too, and that’s when Jabba took notice. He couldn’t just not own the best pod racer in Tatooine. So he bought me. I had been a Hutt slave before, years earlier, but only as a child, and I was fourteen by then, I didn’t remember much of it, so I tried to prepare myself for it. It was worse than I had expected.”

She paused for a moment to drink some water, neither of her two guests daring to interrupt her.

“I was treated very well. You see when a slave makes their master money, the masters treat them as priced pets. You have lots of possessions, money - you’re rich compared to the average slave - and pretty much every other slave at your disposal, from servants to pleasure slaves." She couldn’t hide the disgust from her expression, her eyes turning just a bit brighter. "Some slaves get lost in all this and start to believe they’re part of the masters, and start treating other slaves just like they do. Deputrekka. The worst kind of people." She spat on the ground, belatedly realising the Jedi would miss the implication.

“Anyways, velvet chains are still chains. I wouldn’t be such an asshole as to say it’s worse, but it was very hard for me to be able to walk around that nest of pure evil and have people react as if I was one of them. The slavers looked at me like I was their buddy, and the slaves with fear. Having to contain myself every time any cruelty happened, because Jabba would take me acting saddened or angry as being ungrateful at his oh so generous gifts." Leia sneered. "But one day… One day was too much. One day I saw something no one should ever see. It was just… too cruel.”

Obi-Wan got tense as her eyes turned yellow, the smell of anger, hatred and grief permeating the room, and slowly and naturally positioned himself between Leia and Ahsoka. The mechanic noticed without even looking.

“Calm down, Jedi. I have no reason to hurt you, my anger is not directed at you." She scoffed.

“My apologies, but we Jedi believe that when someone touches the Force in anger or hatred, these feelings will overwhelm the user to the point they may not distinguish friend from foe." The genial, friendly man was gone. Obi-Wan knew the woman was a Dark Side user, but this was confirmation that she consciously used it, and was powerful in it. She was extremely dangerous.

“Ah yes. The Dark Side. Dumb name. Tell me Jedi, have you ever used this Dark Side of yours?" She asked, whirling around on her chair to face the two Jedi. The master looked calm but determined, while the Padawan was ... unsettled. Not exactly fearful, but definitely uncomfortable.

“No. We train from childhood to resist its call." Obi-Wan stated proudly.

“Then what the fuck do you know about it? How could you know how it works without trying it?" Leia snapped, short of temper.

“Once you touch the Dark Side, forever it will rule your destiny. It will consume you until there is nothing but hatred." He recited.

“Yeah, I’m going to call bullshit on that. You Jedi like to think you know everything." She scoffed, and went back to her work. "Any other question, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight?" She mocked.

“Don’t you mock him, darksider!" Ahsoka called out, clearly conflicted about her defence of the Dark. This kid was an emotional mess, one moment acting all friendly and the next being angry.

“You act so high and mighty and yet I can feel a lot of anger and fear from you. You sure you’re not a darksider yourself, kid?" Leia smirked.

Ahsoka paled and stepped back behind her master. Obi-Wan frowned, he somewhat agreed with her on this, he would have to help his Padawan center herself.

“Apologies, Miss Skywalker. Let’s get back to the questions, if you please. May I ask, why did you decide to kill Jabba for that particular thing? Surely it wasn’t the first time he was cruel.”

“Does anyone need any reason to hate the slugs, Jedi? You said you learn from infancy to avoid emotions. The first thing a slave child learns is fear and hatred, in equal parts. Before we learn the love of a parent, or the joy of a friend, we learn the cruelty of the masters. Fear and hate, equal parts. It sticks to you for the rest of your life." Leia said in a quiet voice.

Ahsoka swallowed. She had been taught to never hate, to forgo anger. It was easy to condemn Leia for acting in vengeance, but she would never understand what it was like to live her life.

“I see. Nevertheless, there must have been something different about that day, a drop that spilled the glass so to speak. May I ask, if it is not too private?" Obi-Wan pried.

“Slaves have no concept of privacy. We’ve never had it, and so we’ve never needed it. But in any case, I would not discuss the details in front of a child." She said, nodding to Ahsoka. "Anyways, it doesn’t matter what exactly." She shook her head, and the gold bled out of her eyes. "Just that enough was enough. I wasn’t even thinking clearly, I just felt rage, hatred so deep it was boiling my blood inside my veins, and I remember being just so confused at how someone could… That’s the last I remember, just a red haze blotting out my vision. After I came to, everyone in the room was dead. Broken bodies mostly, thrown against the walls if I had to guess, though I didn’t stay to check. Jabba himself was pretty much vapourized, just ashes left. Turns out the slugs don’t have a skeleton." Leia smiled morbidly.

“But… how could… if you kill you’re not better than them." Ahsoka whispered.

“You can tell me that’s not the Jedi way, that it was cruel, or that revenge is not the solution. But no one will ever convince me that what I did in that room was anything other than good. That night I slept without nightmares for the first time in a decade. My conscience is clear." Leia’s eyes hardened and took a slight golden tint. "Now, be careful with your words, girl. If you ever compare me to the Hutts again, I will kill you.”

Leia exhaled, tired of the conversation.

“You got what you wanted, right? Now get out of my shop.”

“Very well. Thank you for your time." Obi-Wan nodded, and escorted his Padawan outside.

“What happens now, Master?" Ahsoka asked, her bravado forgotten. "I feel cold.”

“I don’t know, Ahsoka. I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

The next two days passed by without much change. To Obi-Wan’s surprise, Leia did not take the credits and move to a better place, as he expected her to do. He was reluctant to ask about it, so he could only speculate. The pair continued with their visits to the workshop, the Master’s silent contemplation a contrast to the young girls bickering. Ahsoka still had mixed feelings about Leia, jumping from excitement and admiration to fear or admonishment in the blink of an eye. The young mechanic took it in stride and seemed to enjoy the presence of the Padawan.

The third day, however, carried with it an unsettling feeling. There was something coming, Obi-Wan felt, but the Force was quiet on what exactly, and it unbalanced him. He was distracted the whole day, even refraining from commenting on any discussion about the Force, where usually he would chime in to counteract Leia’s influence over his young Padawan; the older girl was far too liberal with her use of the Force, never mind the Dark Side. The feeling came to a head by the afternoon, when his comm chimed. He excused himself and went outside the workshop to answer it.

“Captain Howler." He nodded to the Clone Captain in charge of the Valiant, a Pelta-class frigate off of Master Koon’s forces that had stayed in Tatooine’s orbit to give them support.

“General!" The Captain sounded quite alarmed. "A separatist dreadnought has come out of hyperspace, Providence-class, escorted by two Munificents." The captain gulped. "It’s an invasion force, General.”

Obi-Wan sighed, it had been a fool’s hope to expect otherwise. Now that Tatooine wasn’t Hutt territory, it was up for grabs.

“Very well, Captain. Do not engage, hide on the other side of the orbit, and wait for orders.”

“Understood, General." The Captain relaxed a bit, and the comm turned off.

He breathed deeply, releasing his feelings into the Force, and called the Council, using the code for urgent transmissions. Soon enough the comm connected and the holo appeared, showing Master Yoda.

“Master Kenobi. An emergency, you have?" The Grandmaster nodded in greeting.

“Yes, Master." Obi-Wan nodded back. "Separatist ships have appeared in orbit. A dreadnought and two frigates. I believe they intend to capture the planet.”

“Grave news, these are." Yoda hummed in thought. "To fall into the hands of the Separatist, the Tatooine system, we cannot allow. A strong, strategic position, it is.”

“My thought exactly, Master. However, it is not a Republic system. Attacking it before it has been conquered by the Separatist would be seen as an invasion by the neutral systems. We cannot be proactive in this.”

“A problem, indeed that is. For the people of Tatooine to ask for our help themselves, we need. Speak to their leaders, you must." He rapped his cane against the ground.

“Yes, Master. I will offer them the protection of the Republic, but I’m not confident they will accept. From what I’ve seen, they’re far more in line with the Separatist ideals than the Republic.”

“Yep, they would laugh you out of the building.”

Obi-Wan turned around, and sure enough, there was Leia, leaning against the wall of the workshop.

“I noticed your distress and came to check it out. Don’t worry, I sent the kid on an errand, this seems too serious for her." She paused and nodded towards Master Yoda. "Who’s the wrinkly frog?”

“The - th- …. frog?" Obi-Wan was speechless at the disrespect, but Yoda merely laughed loudly.

“Wrinkly, I am. Your face, not much smoother will be, if 900 years you reach." He complained good-naturedly. "Yoda, I am." He nodded to her.

“Leia Skywalker." She smirked back. "Anyways, he’s right, the Council of the Sands will not side with the Republic." She snorted. "Mind you, we don’t want any part in the war, but if they’re forced to choose, it won’t be in favour of the Core.”

“The Council of the Sands. Would that be the new governing body? Are you not part of it?" Obi-Wan asked, having recovered from his shock.

“Me? What for? I’ve got no time for those things, I’ve got a shop to run. Also, they don’t know it was me that did the slug in, so I didn’t get an offer anyways." Leia shrugged.

“To not support the Separatist cause, what would it take? The Republic, what could it offer?" Yoda inquired.

“Honestly? A miracle. What we want is to stay out of the war, but it seems we’re not going to get that." She shrugged. "So barring that, the Republic’s terms would have to be much better for us to go for it.”

“Maybe we should find out what the Separatist are offering and go from there." Obi-Wan proposed.

“Not much else we can do, it seems." Yoda concurred. "Speak with this Council, you and your Padawan must. Trust you to make a logical offer, I do.”

The comm powered off and Obi-Wan took a few moments to process.

“I don’t suppose you could lead us to this Council?" Obi-Wan asked.

“Of course I can." Leia grinned like a shark.

The Jedi Master rolled his eyes and started counting coins once again.

The trio made their way towards the center of Mos Espa, where the Council building was located. Ahsoka had been caught up to speed with current events, though she had been somewhat pissed at being told after the fact.

“So where is this building exactly?" She asked. The young togruta only saw houses and kiosks.

“It’s on the old plaza that used to serve as the slave market. The people decided it should be placed there so the councillors don’t forget where they come from. The building itself is made out of Jabba’s Palace’s rubble." Leia explained. "There’s also the fact that it was the only empty space near the center of the city." She shrugged.

They kept walking through the narrow, unplanned streets. Her Master and Leia were talking about the upcoming negotiation, but she was struggling to pay attention. There was something about this town, a feeling in the air that made her uncomfortable. As they entered the plaza of the Council building, the feeling grew by a lot, now a noticeable buzz on her lekku, making her feel lightheaded.

“Everything alright, my young Padawan?" Her Master asked.

“Yes, Master, just a headache." She shook her head.

The moment they entered the building, however, she fell to her knees, her head assaulted by a high-pitched noise. Ahsoka cried out and grabbed her montrals, trying to take away the insufferable screeching.

“Ahsoka! What’s wrong?!" Obi-Wan knelt right next to her, but Ahsoka didn’t react to it, struggling on the ground.

Wails, cries, and screams of pain attacked her senses. So much fear, so much pain, so much desperation. Ahsoka screamed, scratching her own face in an attempt to shut out the noise.

“Her shields are in tatters!" Obi-Wan discovered. "Hang on, Ahsoka!”

As Leia watched impotent, the Jedi Master laid his hands on his students head, and slowly the shakes started to diminish, until the young padawan was just left crying on her master’s arms, holding on to his robes.

Leia sent a glare to the couple people around who had stopped to watch, sending them on their way.

“What happened?" She asked quietly, trying not to upset the girl further.

“They’re screaming. The pain, they…" Ahsoka hiccuped between sobs. "They can’t rest.”

“Who, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked with a calm, warm voice.

“The slaves." She whispered. "So many suffered here. They linger, on the ground, on the walls. They’re so angry. So sad.”

Obi-Wan frowned.

“You’re psychometric… " He murmured.

Instantly he took out his own robes, covering Ahsoka - who had forwent them, the togruta not having to worry about sunburns - and making sure to completely cover her lekku and montrals. She shuddered but calmed a bit. Encouraged by the response, he took out his own shoes and put them on the girls bare feet. They hardly fit, but it seemed to calm down Ahsoka further.

“They’re muffled now, they don’t scream as much. What did you do, Master?" She sniffed.

“Well, I’m not 100% sure, but it seems to work so far. I’d say you are psychometric, my young Padawan. It is a rare Force talent which allows a person to see the echoes of life imprinted on things and places. It is not very well understood." He frowned. "I only know of one other, Master Quinlan Vos. He gets an echo by touching the object. However, he’s a kiffar, not a togruta. Perhaps your enhanced senses make you more sensitive to the echoes, allowing you to pick them up even at a distance. I’m not sure. Of course, it doesn’t help that the echoes associated with this place would be… far from pleasant.”

Ahsoka nodded, her tears slowly stopping.

“Come on, let’s get you out of this place. And make sure your skin is covered, especially your montrals and lekku." He helped her out of the place, walking slowly.

“Yes, Master." She answered listlessly.

“Would you stay with her for a few, while I talk to the Council?" Obi-Wan asked Leia, his face concerned.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll take care of the kid, don’t worry." She nodded. She cared little for the Jedi’s mission, but she would not leave the child alone right now.

“Thank you." He bowed. "I’ll be right back.”

It was about an hour later that Obi-Wan came out of the Council Building. His two companions were just where he left them. Ahsoka was sleeping, her head on Leia’s lap, while the latter was scrolling through a datapad. He could feel the young togruta was resting deeply, exactly what she needed after such a shock, and he couldn’t help but feel grateful towards the older girl.

“So, are we part of the glorious Republic now, Master Jedi?" Leia asked mockingly, in a quiet voice so as not to awaken Ahsoka.

“Very funny. They outright rejected all my proposals. I can usually talk circles around politicians, but of course, that depends on the politicians acting as politicians and not as sensible people." He huffed.

“We’re practical." Leia shrugged. "We don’t want to join a corrupt government whose only function is to tax the outer rim to funnel the money into the core elite. But we want to join the Confederacy even less.”

“I thought you endorsed the Separatists over the Republic." He frowned.

“I endorse the idea, not the execution. If a government is corrupt and only favouring part of their populace, it’s only logical for the rest to split and govern themselves." She affirmed. ”The thing is, most of the CIS leaders are megacorporations like the Trade Federation or the Commerce Guild who just want less regulation and taxation biting into their profits. Which quickly turns your revolution of the masses into an anarcho-capitalist hellhole.”

Obi-Wan looked at her incredulously.

“What? Desert rats can read too." She frowned.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I just thought you would prefer a … laxer, government, from what you said about the Republic”

“Are you kidding? That’s what a free market looks like." She said, pointing around at the plaza. "The problem with the Republic isn’t too many taxes or regulations, but too few on where they really matter. Selling people is fine as long as the Senate gets its cut.” She sighed. “In Tatooine, we don’t have taxes, because we don’t need to force people to not be assholes. Everyone pools their money together, whatever you feel like you don’t need, you give to the Council and they invest it in some public good, like the domes.”

“Is that so?" That was a fascinating concept. "And what if someone decides they need all they can get, and gives away nothing?”

“We lynch them and steal all their shit." She admitted without a speck of guilt. "Tatooine is no place for selfish assholes. We’re all Children of the Desert, we all understand that we will all live better if we pool our efforts. If someone doesn’t, then they can go take a walk through the dunes.”

“Hmmm. Perhaps I could resume negotiations with the Council by offering them to keep their own government and law…. We don’t really need Tatooine, just for the Separatist not to travel through it…" Obi-Wan pondered.

“I would advise you not to offer us to keep what is already ours. Sounds an awful lot like surrender talk from an invader." She glowered at him.

“Oh, of course, of course, I didn’t mean to imply…" The Master Jedi composed himself. "Leia, what do you think the Republic could offer the people of Tatooine in order to not allow passage through its system to the Separatist? Keep in mind that to ensure that, we’d need to keep a military presence here.”

“There is nothing you can offer, Jedi." She smirked. "We have nothing to gain by entering this war, and everything to lose. We’ve just got out from under the slugs, we’re not looking for a new Master.”

“You are aware that the Separatists will not give you an actual choice, right? That up there is an invading force." He lifted a brow, pointing to the cruisers, which by now were visible from the surface.

“They can try. The Hutts did. We quickly showed them that Tatooine was not worth it. We’ll fight tooth and nail for our home until they cut their losses." Leia shrugged.

“The slaves.”

Both of them looked at Ahsoka, who had just spoken. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing her montrals.

“Neither of you are thinking about the slaves.”

“What are you on about?" Leia asked.

”That’s what you have to win. The freedom of all the slaves in Hutt space." Ahsoka spoke to the older girl. "That’s what the Republic can offer.”

“My young Padawan we cannot afford to enter another war against the Hutts." Obi-Wan chastised her.

“Who said anything about a war? Leia said that there’s no point in freeing the slaves, to really be free they have to free themselves, right?" She asked the older girl.

“That’s right.”

“But they need a kick-start, like you did by killing Jabba. A small force to help launch slave rebellions in Hutt space.”

Leia’s eyes glinted.

“Again, we cannot afford a war with the Hutts. What will a small force do, if the Hutts attack us back with full strength?" Obi-Wan asked exasperated.

“Well, then we make sure they don’t find out, right?" She shrugged. "I’m sure there are plenty of covert operations going on right now, what’s one more? We could easily hide a small, elite strike team. We could even frame the Separatists.”

“Even if I agreed, and I’m not saying I do, the Republic will never agree. We don’t gain anything." He sighed.

”We don’t win anything? And what about the millions of people freed from slavery? The future generations which are born free? You have no idea of the suffering I just felt from those rocks or I would have to physically stop you from jumping on a ship and freeing them yourself." Ahsoka growled at her Master.

“Padawan, control yourself!" He countered, indignant. "A Jedi does not look for the immediate good, but for the greater good of the Galaxy. The good of the many has to be weighted against the good of the few. It’s not your place to make that decision.”

“The good of the many, really? So it’s better to fight, lead men, slaves really, into their deaths, just to gain back control of a planet, while there are actual people suffering we could be helping? I will never agree that helping people is the wrong choice." Ahsoka was defiant.

“You know, if the Jedi thing doesn’t work out and you need a place to crash, you can come to me kid. You’re the good sort.” Leia smiled.

Obi-Wan calmed himself and sighed.

“I… You should be proud of your principles, my young Padawan. You have a strong sense of compassion. Being able to let go of your personal feelings and looking at a situation objectively enough, being able to sacrifice the life of one to save the life of twenty, is one of the toughest lessons a Padawan has to learn.

“Take Tatooine, for example. Its population is barely 20.000. A single dreadnought carries up to five times that many clones. Those resources you use in helping those 20.000 people could perhaps be the difference between that dreadnought blowing up or not. We can never take something at face value.”

Ahsoka’s face softened.

“Perhaps that is so, Master. But I cannot in good conscience leave those people to their fate just because of a maybe. I cannot reduce mercy and compassion to numbers. I…. I don’t think I can release that into the Force. It doesn’t feel right." She whispered, her face fallen.

“And I think you both are fighting for no reason." Leia said from the side, where she had almost been forgotten by the Jedi pair. "Though obviously I agree with the kid, especially seeing as saving the army will only get them to another battle where they will either die or help kill someone else, there’s a solution you’re not seeing. You said what you wanted was the air space right? You can probably leverage that against helping free the rest of Hutt space. And no one’s stopping you from making other deals with the planets you free. You will never get them to join the Republic unconditionally, too much like living under the Hutts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a favourable deal." She shrugged.

“That…" Obi-Wan stopped and pondered. "Huh. That just might work, my friend.”

“Air space. What does that even mean?" The Council representative, a zabrak in her fifties, asked.

“It would imply leaving some kind of presence in orbit, much like the Separatists are doing at the moment, though smaller in scale." Obi-Wan explained. "Of course, its purpose would not be to control or act on Tatooine in any way, but rather as a deterrent for the Separatist not to invade. If they would attack you, this force would serve as a first line of defense, and to call for backup.”

The representative turned to Leia and they traded a few sentences in a language he was not able to identify.

“You speak too many posh words, Jedi. So, it’s a warning. That sounds harmless, but you’re forgetting most of the traffic we get are smugglers, bounty-hunters, and the like. They’re not going to be landing here if there’s a Republic cruiser on orbit." She frowned.

“Well, we understand that Tatooine is outside of Republic juris- That we can’t arrest anyone on our laws, but we need to be seen to work as a … threat, against a separatist invasion." The Jedi Master countered.

“How about orbiting the moon instead?" Ahsoka asked. She sat on the ground, her eyes closed and her face sweaty from the effort. She had to actively block the echoes of the place, and it was tiring. "That way they will be out of sight for regular traffic, but cruisers and the like would be able to pick them up on scans no problem.”

“That… is a great idea, my very young Padawan. Would that be alright with you?”

“I suppose." The zabrak grunted. "We’ll need to see specifics on the freeing people part. We’re not taking a ‘we’ll get to it someday’. We want a plan and a timeline.”

“Of course. That would have to be proposed by the actual force doing the liberating after studying the current state of Hutt Space, but you’d agree to a preliminary deal, until we figure it out?”

Again, she traded a few words with Leia, and nodded.

“We would. But there’s a thing to do first. The Confederacy already has ships here, and they gave us a day, less than a day now, really, to surrender the planet. Will your people be able to get here in time? We’re only now starting to build, if our dome gets damaged your people will pay for it." The councillor demanded.

“That will be fine, the Jedi will deal with it. Won’t you, Jedi?" Leia interceded with a smile. "I can vouch for them.”

“I don’t know what you’ve heard of us but we cannot take on a whole invading force on our own." Obi-Wan frowned.

“Ah, now they’re just being modest." She smirked. "Don’t worry, they got this." Leia glowered at Obi-Wan, daring him to contradict her.

“I suppose we do. We’ll get to it." He bowed and left the chamber.

Chapter Text

The trio made towards the workshop once more. After a very confident ‘trust me, I’ve got it’ from Leia, and the Force urging him to go with it, Obi-Wan had contacted the council and relayed the terms of the agreement. Leia had her own piece to say as well.

“Natborns and volunteers only.” She crossed her arms, before the holo of the council seats.

“You cannot expect us to bow to every demand.” Ki-Adi Mundi frowned.

“We might not have enough people to fill that criteria that we can dedicate to this cause.” Plo Koon commented diplomatically.

“You don’t have enough people in your whole army who are fighting of their own volition for a small cruiser? That should worry you.” 

“The clones are loyal and willing-” Mace Windu started, only to be interrupted.

“The clones are slaves. Whether they notice their chains or not is irrelevant. We’re not contributing to it. Volunteers and natborns only.”

“I’m sure we can get enough volunteers among the clones, there’s no need to fight over this.” Koon pacified.

“Your volunteers, you will have, Skywalker.” Yoda nodded. “Intend to lead this force yourself, do you?”

“Lead? I have no idea how to lead people, the most I’ve been in charge of is a protocol droid.” Leia scoffed. “No, I’m going to join them because you need someone who actually knows how the Hutts operate, but I’ll be more of an advisor than anything. I’ll do my part in the fighting too, of course. And I’m sure I can get a few more volunteers from Tatooine.”

“Absolutely not. A consultant position, certainly. But you’re much too risky to have as a field operative. The Dark Side is, by nature, unstable. You’d be putting all your team at risk.”

“You guys seem to be so sure how the Dark Side works for not having ever used it. It’s a moot point, anyways, whoever leads the operation will make that call, as they should. You have no business dictating how we should work from the other side of the galaxy.”

“Enough. Young Skywalker, right is. The assigned Commander’s choice, it will be. Someone in mind, I already have.”

“Eh, good enough. Anyways Kenobi can figure out the rest.” She mockingly saluted them, then walked away from the transmission.

“Keep an eye on her, Master Kenobi. The Force swirls around her person, and it cannot be for a good reason.” Windu frowned.

It would take a couple days to get the GAR to send an actual force, but at least it was already being worked out. Leia had her own matters to attend to in the meantime. Once they reached the workshop, she led them to a ship, a heavily modified light freighter. The thing looked like a mash of different, incompatible parts, like it would fall apart any moment. The Jedi, however, knew better than to judge by appearances. After all, they had seen Leia’s mechanical prowess first hand.

“You can wait here while I do a couple errands." She pointed at Obi-Wan from the ramp of her ship. "You can come if you want." She smiled at Ahsoka.

“I’m afraid I can’t leave my Padawan alone. I must insist on accompanying you.”

“No kriffing way. This is private." The mechanic crossed her arms.

“And I can come, then?" Ahsoka asked.

“You put the slaves first, you’re trustworthy." She shrugged. "Him, not so much.”

“Master, please?" She pleaded.

“I promise no harm will come to her.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“We still have to deal with the matter of the invasion force. You are severely overestimating what Jedi are capable of.”

“I’ll take care of it, you grump. That’s part of the errands. Don’t worry about it too much, your little Jedi brain might overheat.”

“Very well, where shall we rendezvous?” Obi-Wan ignored the taunt, massaging his temples in resignation.

“In two hours, a mile east from Jabba’s Palace. That ok?”

“It will have to do. Take care, my very young Padawan.”

“Of course, Master.”

“See you in a while, old man." Leia smirked, and went inside the ship.

Soon enough the ship lifted into the atmosphere, Obi-Wan doubting himself. Was it really the right choice to possibly expose his Padawan to corrupting influences just to ensure mission success? Maybe he wasn’t ready to take on a student after all.

“So, how are we taking down that force?”

“Chill, Snips, you’ll see later. It’s honestly not that much of a problem, if they keep to their ultimatum. We need some contingencies in case they land troops. That’s what we’re going for.”

“Oh, reinforcements?”

“Of a kind.” Leia chuckled as the freighter travelled slowly over the hot air of the desert.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Why do you use the Dark Side? You’ve proven you can come back from it, you don’t have to use it, so why?”

“Are you a rightie or a leftie?”

“Huh?”

“Your arms. Which one is dominant?”

“Oh, the left, why?”

“So why do you use your right arm? You don’t have to use it, your left one is better. There’s no point to it.”

“Oh ha ha. You know it’s not the same, there’s nothing wrong with using an arm, but the Dark Side is dangerous.”

“Kid, your order gives plasma swords to children. How is that any less dangerous?”

“A lightsaber is a tool. It should only be used in defense, or in extreme situations. It is not dangerous in the right hands.” She recited.

“Well, there you go. The Dark Side is a tool too. Just like the Light Side. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but they’re not inherently dangerous. It depends on what you use them for.” She hummed. “Kenobi was spooked by my lighting, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, it’s a Dark technique. It’s used to torture and kill.”

“And yet I use it to charge up batteries. It’s just a tool. If I were to stab you, you wouldn’t say it was the knife’s fault, would you? Also, it’s not Dark. It’s just lighting, it’s a natural phenomenon. It can be used with either side. Pretty much anything can be done with either side of the Force.”

“So if you can do anything with the Light that you can do with the Dark, why not use the Light?” Ahsoka seemed frustrated.

“Why not use the Dark? The only reason you have a preference for the Light is because you’ve grown up hearing how the Dark is the root of all evil. I however, didn’t have anyone to teach me, so I made up my own conclusions. Like I said, there’s no real difference in effects between one and the other, because it’s all the Force. The difference is in how you access that power, what you use as a focus. Tell me, what’s the first like of the Jedi Code?”

“There is no emotion, there is peace.”

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion.”

“What’s that?”

“That would be the first line of the Sith Code.”

“You… You know the Sith Code?” Ahsoka asked, unsettled.

“I know lots of stuff. How can you have an informed opinion if you’re not informed? Don’t be looking at me like that, I dislike the Sith even more than I do the Jedi. The Jedi may be blind and condescending, but at least they have good intentions. The Sith… did not.”

“They were monsters.”

“That does not invalidate their knowledge of the Force, does it? So, peace is a lie, there is only passion. Which one is right?”

“There is no passion, there is serenity.”

“Not the point. They’re both right, is the thing. They’re just different views of the world, no one is more true than the other. You might like one more, think it more just and moral, but it does not make the other false. It’s not science, it’s philosophy. There’s more than one correct answer.”

Ahsoka ponders for a few minutes.

“How does that relate to the two sides of the Force?”

“Well, that’s just it, what do you do when you reach for the Force?”

“I clear my head, try to be mindful and serene.”

“Just like the Code. What would a Dark Sider do then?”

“Try to control the Force instead of letting it guide you.”

“No, that would be the Sith. Being passive or dominant when reaching for the Force is a separate thing, you can bend the Force to your will through the Light Side just as you can let the Dark guide you. It just so happens that the two major Force Sects, Jedi and Sith, use those combinations. Again, what would you do according to the Sith Code?”

“Try to be passionate instead of serene I suppose? Focus on my emotions?”

“Now you’re getting it! You access the Force through emotion, instead of the absence of it. That’s the difference between the Light and Dark sides. Nothing else.”

“But that’s why it’s dangerous! If you’re focused on anger and hatred you can’t possibly make a rational decision, it will consume you and make you into a monster.”

“Well, there’s a lot to unpack there.” Leia laughed. “First of all, the rational decision isn’t always the right one, we’re sentients, not machines.You yourself said life cannot be reduced to numbers. But we’ll get to that later. Yes, if you keep continuously focusing on your anger and hatred and feeding it into the Force, it will only make you angrier and more hateful, much like a feedback loop.” She nodded.

“So?”

“So, don’t use anger and hatred? There are other emotions, you know?” She chuckled. “Anger and Hatred are the preferred of the Sith, yes. They also happen to be, along with Fear, the most easy to dip into while in battle, which is the favourite pastime of the Sith. That’s kind of the main problem you guys have, all your knowledge of the Dark Side is based on the Sith, and they’re weirdos. There’s much more to it.”

“What do you use, then?”

“Well, it depends on the occasion, of course! Anger and Hatred are not wrong in and of themselves, you know? They can be righteous. I dare someone to argue that what I did to the slug bastard was wrong.” Leia frowned. “There’s also Fear, it’s useful, keeps you alive. Sorrow, of course, and Love. Joy’s a bit harder to dip into, but it’s there.”

“Wait, you can use Love to power the Dark Side?!”

“Well, a Sith would consider it pretty profane, but yes, of course.” She chuckled. “See the difference. This is Hatred.”

The air in the cockpit quickly dipped into freezing temperature, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and doesn’t leave. Leia’s eyes turned a sickly yellow.

“And this is Love.”

Just as quickly as it came, the cold went away, replaced by a pleasant warmth, like being hugged beneath a blanket on a cold winter night. Leia’s eyes were a golden honey colour.

“Feels nicer, eh?” Leia chuckled, letting the Dark Side dissipate.

“The difference is… stark.” Ahsoka spat out, overwhelmed by the emotional whiplash.

“So yeah, you can use any emotion. Of course, if the emotion is somehow linked to what you’re using the Force for, then it will be easier. So of course Anger is the most common in combat.” She shrugged. “But not the only one, you could be protecting someone you love, then Love would be more effective fuel. In any case the emotions themselves are not dangerous, but more like… Like alcohol.”

“Alcohol?” Ahsoka scoffed.

“Yeah, it’s nice in small doses, but too much too often and you can get yourself lost in it, yeah? Same with the emotions. If you spend all day immersing yourself in rage and hatred, you’ll pretty much be unable to feel anything else. Hence all the Sith psychopaths.”

“So you do agree the Dark Side is dangerous.”

“I agree the Force is dangerous. Tell me Ahsoka, if immersing yourself in an emotion all the time would lead you to only feel that, all the time, what would happen to someone who continuously suppressed their emotions, never let themselves truly feel?”

“I suppose they would become cold and detached?”

“Yep. They wouldn’t have to deal with pesky things like grief or anxiety, they could just chuck them into the Force. Eventually, they’d do it with anything and become a flesh droid. And that’s the danger of the Light. Which is the reason most people see the Jedi as condescendent and indifferent. They’re literally out of touch with their emotions.”

“But that’s not bad, you’re just thinking clearly, without your subjective emotions blinding you to the truth.” Ahsoka argued.

“Remember in the plaza, how you said that killing thousands to save millions was not the right choice? How it was rational, but wrong? That kind of cold-hearted logic is the result of isolating yourself from your emotions. Like I said, the rational decision isn't always the right one. Sentients are both emotional and rational. We’re neither mindless beasts nor emotionless machines. You shouldn’t go to either extreme.”

Ahsoka didn’t answer, sitting quietly, ruminating on the other girl’s words. They arrived at their destination, a small moisture farm in the desert. The ship touched down on the sand lifting a small cloud of dust.

“So, why do you prefer the Dark Side if you use both?”

“Oh, I’m a passionate person. You’ll understand once you grow up.” Leia said, lifting her eyebrows suggestively, making the younger girl chuckle. “Also the gold eyes are cool.”

“Oh, kriff off!” Ahsoka snickered.

Chapter Text

They came down the ramp of the spacecraft to find a man waiting at the entrance to the farm. He looked rugged, his skin aged by the desert. He greeted Leia in their language, giving her a tight hug, and nodding towards the farm.

“Oh, this is Ahsoka. She’s a baby Jedi, but it’s fine, she’s cool.” She nodded.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Ahsoka bowed.

“You too. Cliegg Lars.” The man nodded. “Anyways, come in.”

They made their way inside where she met three other people. Owen, Cliegg’s son, and his wife Beru, along with Shmi, Cliegg’s wife and Leia’s mother. Leia greeted her mother with a crushing hug, the comforting warmth of Love filling the room once again as the girl’s eyes flashed golden. It was obvious Leia loved her mother a great lot.

To Ahsoka, it was difficult to understand. She had no concept of family, having been taken into the order when she was very young. She didn’t remember her parent’s faces, let alone their voices or names. She had never seen familial love in person, as the closest to it in the Temple was the Padawan-Master relationship, but even that was more… distant, almost clinical, aseptic. It was respect, not love. Certainly not the love she could feel from both Skywalkers, the warm fondness from the rest of their family.

“What brings you here, dear?” Shmi asked, caressing her daughter’s cheek.

“Well, it’s two things, really. I have good news, and bad but also kind of awesome news.”

“Good news first?” Suggested Beru, cuddling up to Leia on the couch.

These people were so openly affectionate with one another. It made Ahsoka uncomfortable. She didn’t feel upset, really, it was more like… longing. It seemed nice, even if it was forbidden.

“Good news, I got 8.000 wupiupi plus 200.000 Republic credits.” She smiled widely.

“Fucking hell.” Owen exclaimed.

“Language, honey.” Shmi reprimanded. “How?”

“The Jedi were very eager to know what happened with Jabba. They have deep pockets.”

“And will the Jedi be looking for… compensation?” Cliegg asked Ahsoka, menacingly.

“Oh, no, Tatooine is not under Republic jurisdiction, so we can’t judge Leia or anything like that.” She tilted her head in thought. “The Jedi Council might be interested in her, but that’s a whole other topic.”

“They think they have copyright on the Force.” Leia chuckled. “Nothing I can’t handle, don’t worry about it.”

“Well, it’s great, sweetie.” Shmi smiled. “It’s enough money for… pretty much anything.”

“That’s the idea. Enough to get out of here, in case things get ugly with the war. Should set you up in a nice place. Naboo is close by and they accept refugees. It’s a beautiful planet.”

“If it gets ugly, sure. But I will not abandon my home for no reason.” Shmi frowned.

“Of course not. Just in case.” Leia smiled, handing the datachip with the credits and the bag of Hutt currency.

“And the kinda bad kinda cool news?” Owen asked.

“Oh, it’s really kind of crazy. So, there’s a Separatist cruiser in orbit, and if Tatooine doesn’t surrender in… about eight hours, they will invade and take it by force.”

There was silence in the room.

“I wouldn’t say that’s just kinda bad, Leia.” Beru punched her arm.

“So violent!” She grinned. “Also, calm your tits, it’s gonna be fine. See the Jedi made a deal with the Council. The Republic takes over the space around Tatooine so the Separatist can’t invade.”

“So we’re Republic now?” Owen asked, unamused.

“Of course not. It’s just a free pass agreement, they can move troops and ships and stuff, as long as they don’t do it too close to the planet, to not disturb the trade. They don’t really want Tatooine itself, there’s nothing here, it’s more about keeping it out of the seppie’s hands.”

“So we now have overlords watching over us who can invade at any moment. Sounds like a sweet deal.” Beru sneered.

“And that’s the cool part! What we get in exchange, is they’ll send a striking force to help start slave revolts in Hutt space. The Hutts are favouring the CIS now, so it works for them to wipe the slate clean. And as it’s a black-ops team and not direct attacks, they can deny it was them and avoid open war with the Hutts.”

“And we get to liberate the other planets. That’s… playing into the Republic’s greed for cheap labour… I don’t know if it’s dumb or brilliant. But I don’t like working with slavers.” Cliegg shook his head.

“Ah, volunteers only, I made sure of that.” Leia nodded. “But it was the only way we were getting something out of the deal, and we might help a lot of people. It was the kid’s idea, actually.”

The room centered her attention onto Ahsoka, who shrunk into herself.

“I… It was the right thing to do? Leia is right, the Republic and the Jedi should have been helping free the slaves a long time ago. The fact that we have to be… bribed into it is shameful.”

“Huh. A Jedi with principles. Who would have guessed?” Owen lifted his eyebrows.

“Told you the kid was cool!” Leia smirked at the young padawan.

“You’ll be going with them, right Ekkreth?” Beru asked, a bittersweet smile on her face.

“Dukkra ba dukkra, sister.” Leia smiled, bloodthirsty, and Ahsoka shivered at the momentary coldness.

“Be careful, child.” Shmi touched her forehead to her daughter’s.

“I will. But I will be borrowing C-3PO if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, yes, please. I would worry less.”

“I’ll go wake him up then, I’m sure he’s itching for some action.” Leia got up from her seat, and dusted her pants. Sand and dust got everywhere here, even indoors. “By the way, did you feed Little Leia today?”

“Not yet, why?” Owen asked.

“Good, I wanna show Snips here, ten wupiupi says she shits herself.”

“A Jedi? I’ll take that bet.” 

“Hey!” She protested, but followed the laughing woman further into the house.

“A protocol droid?” Ahsoka asked, intrigued.

“A peculiar one, yes.” Leia chuckled, turning the droid on.

The brass colored droid whirred to life, its optics flickering into light.

“Miss Leia. Are we in trouble? Do you have some work for me?” The droid seemed excitable.

“Perhaps. I’d like it if you could come with us, things could get ugly, and I’d like to count on you.”

“Yes! I have been waiting for quite some time now for a bit of entertainment, Miss Leia. It was long overdue, if you ask me. What inferior lifeforms will we be putting out of their misery today?”

“That’s a protocol droid?” Ahsoka asked worriedly, hearing the bloodlust on the droid’s tone.

“No sentients today, I’m sorry to say, 3PO. Just a bunch of battledroids, if they land at all.”

“Oh, bantha spit. You can’t entice me with meatbags and then give me droids, Miss Leia, it’s anticlimactic. I believe the organic term is ‘blue balls’.”

Ahsoka choked on her spit.

“Yeah, this is C-3PO.” Leia chuckled. “I built him as a protocol droid to help my mom around when I was 9. A few years ago I upgraded him with an HK-series assassin droid processing module. So he’s a bit bloodthirsty now, but always polite.”

“Indeed, I am burdened with a programming that drives me to be inappropriately accommodating to disgusting meatbags and other organic byproducts. I find ending their pathetic existence to be the highest form of service.” C-3PO cheerily said.

“Leia, you are so damn weird.” The young padawan shook her head.

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” She chuckled. “Come, we’ll feed Little Leia and leave.”

“With live feed, perhaps?” C-3PO asked.

“Nah, just meat.”

“Disappointing.”

They made their way outside the farm, Leia stopping to pick up a few slabs of meat. They walked a few meters away from the porch, into desert proper, and stopped. Leia touched her hand to the ground, and the ground began to shake slightly, in regular pulses, like small earthquakes.

A few moments later, the sand started to tremble, and a wave of sand moved through the dunes towards them. When it was nearing them, the wave lifted and revealed a huge worm-like creature with terrifying looking mandibles. Ahsoka jumped back, making distance from the animal, but the other two stood their ground.

“Meet Little Leia.” The human Leia chuckled as the creature came to a stop right in front of her. She patted its mandibles and offered the meat, which it devoured ravenously. “She’s a Greater Krayt Dragon. Scary things, they can swallow people whole, or break a freighter in half. I tamed her, and now she protects the farm. A bit expensive to feed, but still a great defense system.”

“Tame her? With the Force, I assume? These things don’t seem domesticated.”

“Of course with the Force. Most animals will agree to regular food, the hard part is them understanding you.” Leia shrugged, as she usually did after mentioning a mindblowing feat of the Force as if it was a regular thing. “Anyway, let’s go back to Kenobi, or he’ll be pissy.”

“You still haven’t said how we’re going to deal with a CIS cruiser.”

“So impatient, Snips! You’ll see, the Force has a solution for everything.”

Chapter Text

They met at the accorded time and place. Obi-Wan was already there waiting for them.

“Miss Leia, I believe that is a Master Jedi!” C-3PO exclaimed excitedly.

“No, 3PO, you can’t kill him.” Leia sighed exasperated.

“Excuse me?” Obi-Wan frowned.

“But Miss Leia, he’s a Master! It’d be a challenge!”

“He’s our ally, keep it in your chassis.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I find myself supremely disappointed.”

“Cheer up, 3PO, you should have lots of battledroids to smash.” Ahsoka attempted.

“B-1 Series tincans? An astromech could deal with those! They’re less advanced than even some organics.” C-3PO shook his head. “It’s a poor consolation prize, I’m afraid, Padawan Tano.”

“So this is your solution to a full cruiser, a single - though I suspect, heavily modified - protocol droid?” The Jedi Master cocked an eyebrow.

“Of course not. 3PO is here because I think he’d enjoy it. And that’s only if any troop transport manages to land.”

“I appreciate the gesture, Miss Leia, but don’t think sweet talking will compensate for not letting me murder the Jedi.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it 3PO.” Leia chuckled. “Anyway, we better get to business.”

“And what business is that, exactly?” Obi-Wan looked towards his padawan learner.

“Don’t ask me, Master, I’ve learned with her it’s just better to go with the flow.” Ahsoka shrugged.

“The business is taking down the cruiser.” Leia sat down cross legged and closed her eyes. “I just need to concentrate for a bit, so I’d appreciate some silence.”

Obi-Wan frowned but didn’t contradict her, sitting along with her and motioning his padawan to do the same. They could use the time to meditate and center themselves. He sensed turmoil on the young Togruta. He tried to ignore the droid staring straight at him.

Ahsoka tried to meditate, but felt unbalanced, as she had felt since she touched the stones at the plaza. She tried to acknowledge her emotions and release them to the Force, but some of them… stuck to her, for lack of a better word. She felt reluctant to release her anger at the slavers. It felt righteous. Her sadness and compassion for those poor souls also deserved to stay. They deserved to be remembered.

“Ah, I see it.” Leia murmured. “Wow, these things are cheaply built, aren’t they? Credit-pinching bastards.”

“What is it that you see, exactly?” Obi-Wan had felt the girl’s Force presence reach outwards, but towards what, he was clueless.

“The cruiser’s engines, obviously. I just need to see how to block emergency systems, which should be few and far between by the look of things, give me a minute.”

“Engines? What is it you intend to do, exactly?”

“Ah, only one redundancy. Bless their greedy souls.” Leia chuckled. “Ok, Jedi, enjoy the show.”

Leia raised her hand slowly, her fingers twitching and moving slowly as if manipulating something. 

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka watched expectantly, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Erm, Leia?” The padawan asked, confused.

“I implore you to relax, Padawan Tano. Isn’t your order supposed to value patience? Miss Leia is solving your problem, allow her to do her job.” C-3PO defended his creator.

Obi-Wan’s eyes goggled as he noticed the cruiser in orbit was growing a bit bigger by the second.

“Is that cruiser… flying towards the surface?”

Leia opened her eyes and got up from the ground, dusting her pants.

“Job’s done. We’ll just need to deal with the landing ships if any manage to survive. The Munificents won’t work without central command.”

“Did you just… Did you just pull that thing out of the sky as if it was a pebble?!” Ahsoka yelled, near hysterics. She knew Leia was powerful but this was ridiculous.

“Kriff no, do you know how heavy that thing is?” Leia frowned. “I just put it into a crash course with the planet and locked the controls. It should crash in a few minutes, far away from any settlement. It’s really not that different from what we did in the workshop, pretty much the same.”

“But that’s… a battle cruiser! And it was really far! In space!”

“Just because it’s bigger doesn’t mean it’s more complex.” Leia shrugged. “And yes, it was a bit far, that’s why I needed to concentrate. The desert helps me focus.”

“This is… Unprecedented. Not only the scale of it, but the application.” Obi-Wan frowned, contemplative.

“Master, why aren’t we doing this in the war? We could disable enemy ships before the battle even starts, preventing any deaths.” The little togruta was excited.

“Well, Ahsoka, for starters, not many Jedi would have the needed strength in the Force, nor the finesse to pull something like this off. And even if they did, they shouldn’t. The Force is not a weapon, or a tool to be used against our enemies. Sabotage and trickery are not the ways of the Jedi.”

“Not the ways of the Jedi? Who cares?! You’d rather clones die than bend your rules a little?! Isn’t life supposed to be sacred, held over everything else?” Ahsoka exploded.

“Calm yourself, Padawan!” Obi-Wan raised his voice. “The end doesn’t justify the means. That line of thought is a slippery slope. If we start abandoning our principles for anything, we’ll do it again, and again, for the slightest gain. That’s how you fall to the Dark Side. By the end of it we’d be justifying any atrocity and be no better than the Sith.”

“So you’d rather not do anything rather than risk the slightest chance of something going wrong? Cowardice isn’t the way of the Jedi either. Nor is indifference to suffering.” Ahsoka crossed her arms.

“You overstep, Padawan. It is not for you to decide how to interpret the code. Go back to the inn, right now.”

“Gladly, Master.” She answered disdainfully.

The wind howled as Ahsoka made her way back towards the town.

“Well, that went splendidly.” Leia deadpanned. “3PO, a lander made it, about 4 klicks north-northwest. Should be around 200 B-1s.”

“Finally, some enjoyment, though of poor quality. Maybe there is someone out there who does value my talents appropriately, Miss Leia.”

Ahsoka fumed in her room at the inn. She meditated and tried to balance herself to no avail. She did feel remorseful over her argument with her Master. But only about the words she used, not the message behind them. She had been disrespectful, but she was still convinced she was in the right. That inaction, passiveness in the face of suffering, was almost as bad as the suffering itself. 

How could the Jedi say it was wrong to use any tool at their disposal to save sentient lives? She could understand how it might lead to an utilitarian point of view, how it was easy to become the judge who decided who lived and who died. But she was not suggesting winning at all costs. The objective was not any nebulous Republic measure of success, but the actual survival of sentient beings. She was not even suggesting sacrificing the few to save the many. It was just plainly reducing casualties, no cost or ‘sacrifice’ to add to it. 

What was the downside to it? Was there something wrong with saving lives if there were no unwelcome side effects? No collateral? Even the means themselves didn’t have anything wrong with them, besides some vague risk of validating and reinforcing these kinds of justifications. Ahsoka wasn’t dumb, she had studied the dangers of utilitarianism in class. But usually the ‘slippery slope’, the sunken-cost fallacy, the relativization of the collateral, all came after there had been collateral, sacrifices, in the first place. For the life of her, she could not see what the problem was with doing their best to save their soldiers.

How was using the Force to disable enemy systems any different than using the Force to crush a droid? If anything, the latter was more violent, more likely to lead to using the Force in anger, to the Dark Side. By that reasoning, any use of the Force at all was a risk, even something passive like premonition. Who got to choose where to draw the line between what was an acceptable risk and what wasn’t?

And even then, if the risk was too high and the Jedi were to fall into the Dark Side, wasn’t that worth it too? Surely it was much easier to subdue a single Force user than the thousands upon thousands of battledroids they’d avoid if they used the Force to its full capability. Yes, that was once again sacrificing the few for the many, but weren’t the Jedi supposed to do that? It wasn’t collateral damage, wasn’t sacrificing an innocent who wasn’t consenting or even aware of their sacrifice. When one joined the Jedi Order they vowed to put the lives of the innocent before their own. To value their integrity as Light Side users over the lives of sentients seemed indifferent at best, selfish at worst.

And wasn’t that what it all came down to? Indifference. Passivity. Leia said that the biggest problem with the Jedi was that they were too far away, too disconnected from the lives of the common people to properly judge how to help them. Perhaps there was a point to what she said about using the Light Side exclusively leading to being emotionless. After all, Jedi doctrine emphasized mercy and compassion over everything, but those both were the result of empathy, of feeling what others felt. How could one be compassionate with someone else if they weren’t able to feel like they did? It was like trying to read through wet glasses, everything was blurry.

Ahsoka didn’t like feeling like this. She was just chosen as a Padawan, and to one of the best Jedi Masters. A councilor, even. She was supposed to learn from him, copy him in everything and learn the values of the order. Temper the willfulness her instructors always complained about. She wasn’t supposed to doubt him or contradict him. She wasn’t supposed to disagree with core Jedi principles. She certainly wasn’t supposed to think that a darksider’s view of the Force made much more sense than her Master’s.

For all that she tried to center herself and give these feelings to the Force, Ahsoka found herself unable to. The frustration turned to anger and the anger turned to rage, and she didn’t know how to deal with it. They’d never taught her in the Temple how to work with her emotions, how to process them, only how to release them. So now that she couldn’t release them, there was nothing for them but to fester. Ahsoka took a deep breath, and tried to drown them, to shove them deep down into her being. She knew this was a bad idea, at best a stopgap solution, but better than exploding on her Master again. She couldn’t afford to be sent back to the Temple, she’d be sent to the AgriCorps, or outright expelled from the order.

She relaxed, the tension in her shoulders dissipating. Her emotions simmered below the surface, not boiling out, but not gone either. The righteous anger at the state of the galaxy was still there. So was the disappointment in the Jedi Order, and her frustration with her unsure place on it. So was her compassion for all the poor souls abandoned by the system that promised to care for them. 

All of these emotions, she focused on as she meditated. She didn’t acknowledge them and let them flow into the vastness of the Force. She kept them there with her, let them swell and heat up as the Force flowed into them. Let them subside as the Force ebbed away, cool down into a slow simmer. These emotions were a part of her, a part of her that she couldn’t give away or ignore, just like she couldn’t part with a limb. And as a part of her, they should also be part of her connection to the Force, not something to be discarded, but something to be embraced.

As Ahsoka sat on the dusty floor of the inn, her eyes closed and her posture relaxed, she felt more centered than she’d had in days.