How to Take an Empire

Chapter Sixty-One: Devotion

Tatooine, Ahsoka sensed, had an underlying rage, hate, pain, and suffering going back thousands of generations. Starting with the conflicts between the native sand people and the ancient humans that settled there, continuing when the Hutts arrived and brought their tyranny and crime upon the people, and getting worse through the many generations of slaves that suffered and cried out in the face of cruel subjugation by their masters and overseers.

The dark feelings were so thick in the atmosphere, so buried in the sands of the planet, so bred into its people, that it surprised Ahsoka that the planet hadn't become a dark side locus. Like Mustafar or the Sith world from Jedi legends, Malachor. Instead, the Force presence around the Tatooine seemed to have a blanketing effect that dampened Force presences and helped the light to hide. It was no wonder the Jedi didn't sense Anakin until they'd happened upon him on his home planet.

It was understandable, then, why Sidious had been so adamant on having Anakin Skywalker as his apprentice. That kind of suffering and rage was bred and buried in him. Making him as tough and coarse as the sands he'd been raised in, waiting for the right circumstances to be freed. It had first been to the Jedi's advantage, the simmering dark emotion unconsciously and ironically fueling his righteous passion and crusades on behalf of the light. Then it was to the advantage of the Sith, Palpatine, in particular, by taking away all the tempers to that darkness and unleashing it to terrorize the galaxy and bring it under his will.

Today, Vader had channeled that darkness again. But there was something tamer about it when the people of Tatooine collectively shared the burden of the darkness. He'd directed Diya to make the suggestion to throw Jabba, his remaining lackeys, and any of the remaining slavers that tried to put up a fight across the planet into the sarlacc pit, a suggestion their Elder Council and resistance forces happily agreed to. Then, with the slug having to suffer through the painful torture of live digestion for the next thousand years, there was the matter of what to do with the Hutt's palace.

The general consensus was to burn it down. Thus, they'd freed any captives and slaves and gutted the valuable items, including food and medical supplies before dragging barrels of gasoline and spice through the palace. Then they lit dozens of torches and lit the palace in a blaze that Vader lamented would probably attract every tusken clan for a fifty-mile radius. Diya, not fooled by Vader's disguise thanks to the Force, took it for an order to set up a perimeter just in case the tuskens were attracted. Meanwhile, everyone else either recovered from the ordeal or started up celebrations for their victory under the backdrop of the blaze.

Ahsoka lost Vader somewhere in the thick of the aftermath. The battle here might be won, but they'd effectively just started a war with the Empire, and it was crucial their beginning was on the right footing.

Ahsoka first checked in with the situation on Naboo, where Imperial forces had retreated or been subdued. Barriss was on her way to negotiate with Naboo's queen and the gungans on the Alliance's behalf. Then she had Diya brief her on the other key revolts to deal with Jabba's extended network of lackeys and other crime syndicates so they could secure his trade routes and hyperspace lanes. After she checked in with her other generals and admirals, she reached out to see which Rebellion senators had checked in to confirm their safety as they fled from Coruscant to go back to their homeworlds where they could more easily invoke their diplomatic immunities. If their planets were too dangerous, they would head to the new Rebellion headquarters.

Only a few had checked in, but that was no reason to panic. Many were probably still in hyperspace, carefully maneuvering through hyperspace routes less patrolled by the Empire. She'd check for more in the morning.

Necessary rounds finished, Ahsoka went to find food, smoked eopie that they'd looted from Jabba's palace. She might have retreated to her ship if it weren't much further of a walk than she was willing or had the energy to make right then. So instead, she retreated to the tent that had been set up for her use. If anything needed her attention, someone would no doubt come find her.