The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Nine

Chapter Twenty-Six: Worries/ Discovery In The ISB

LUX BONTERI

Lux found Ahsoka standing in front of the large viewport in the common room. Her arms were crossed over her chest, hugging the front of her body as if she was cold. She was looking out at the view of Coruscant, the sheer scope of which filled the window as the ship began its slow descent into the planet's atmosphere.

But, somehow, he got the feeling she wasn't really seeing it; she was looking past it, into her own worries and fears.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Are you all right?"

She exhaled softly, before turning towards him. There were tears in her eyes. "No, I... I don't think I am."

Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms, shifting his face so that he was clear of her montrals. She tucked her face into the crook of his neck, her fingers kneading at the front of his shirt, like little Ani sometimes did when he wanted to take a nap.

"We're gonna be okay, you know. It's all going to be fine, Ahsoka. You'll see," he whispered, planting feather-light kisses on her lekku.

He felt her smile against his skin, despite the fact that she was crying. He knew she liked it when he did that. Through the Force, he could feel her beginning to calm down.

"Thank you," she whispered after a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm just so worried about this... I mean, what happened back in the cockpit could have serious implications on the entire Rebellion!" She looked up into his eyes fearfully. "And if I'm captured, you and the kids would inevitably follow. I can't let that happen, Lux!"

"Then you won't," he replied softly, cradling the back of her head as she snuggled back down into his sweater. "What's that you're always telling me? 'We're not friendless here on Coruscant, even if it's the Imperial Center.' Even if the Empire finds us tonight, we'll have some sort of backup, right?"

Ahsoka nodded, biting her lip. "Yes. I know people who could help us if we needed it. But it's imperative that we get this information. The Imperial slave trade must come to a stop, and if Admirian has uncovered anything about the Wookiees..."

"We can only hope that he has. And even if he doesn't, we'll find another way. After all, what are we without a cause?" Lux asked softly, a smirk coming to his face. He looked into her beautiful sea-blue eyes, and, tilting her chin up, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.

She kissed him back just as sweetly, her arms winding around his neck. Her aura was slowly turning from worried to contented as she relaxed into their steady rhythm of long, slow kisses.

She broke the kiss after a moment, a small smile on her face. "Without a cause? Us?" she murmured with a laugh. "Well, we'd probably be two thirty-something-year-olds still acting like lovesick teenagers, hidden away from the rest of the galaxy in some remote corner of the Onderonian jungle."

"Yeah, probably... Too bad," he said, and their lips met once more.

HARUS ISON

Deputy Director Harus Ison of the Imperial Security Bureau stared at the datapad in his hand. He had just received rather interesting orders from his superiors to delay the transfer of one of his officers from their headquarters here on Coruscant to a world in the Outer Rim.

Under usual circumstances, this would hardly be out of ordinary, but the order had come from the office of the Emperor himself.

The nature of this particular mission perplexed him. Apparently, a freighter thought to contain Rebel spies had just come out of hyperspace over the planet. Although the Docking officials had not boarded the vessel, as was part of their protocol, they had sent the information directly to Ison's office.

It was important, but hardly worth the time of one of his best officers!

He decided to listen to what the Docking officials had picked up on. Apparently, whoever the ship's pilot – which the files claimed was called the Binary Sunset, but the name was probably fake – had turned the volume down on their comm system, but some words were still audible. However, due to the quality of the recording, if he tried to boost the sound, it would come out as little more than static.

"Admirian," a voice said through a scrambler. "...have some rather interesting news. I've come up with a list of..."

There was a fizz of static, but the second voice was certainly female. "We'll meet at the usual place and time... Guardian is coming... Imperials."

"Very well," the scrambled voice replied. "But make sure to come up with... Security has been rather tight around Coruscant... Tarkin... Emperor..."

"Will..." He couldn't hear the next part, as their voices had dropped too low for him to make anything out except for some vague murmurs.

"Fulcrum... out," the scrambled voice finished.

At the end of the recording, Ison had to sit down. He was utterly shocked, and could hardly think. What he had just discovered was massive. He was certain that whoever the scrambled voice was... Their identity would prove to be the man hiding behind the alias 'Fulcrum' and all of the informant's operations.

No longer questioning his orders to send one of his agents after them – as the recording had given the mission a new importance – he turned on the comm on his desk and linked his signal to that of the agent the orders required.

"Agent Kallus, please report to the Deputy Director's office immediately. You have one more mission to complete before you leave for the Outer Rim."

*Lux still has an ability to comfort his wife, but with what's coming their way, how long will it last? Who are Ahsoka's reinforcements? And should our heroes run into danger, will they arrive in time? And what could the Sith and the Empire be planning? And what happened between Han Solo and Kaya Ti? You'll find out in the next thrilling chapter of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano!

Hello all!! Sorry I haven't updated in the last little while. But every now and then, I take a break from writing for a little less than two weeks. Think of it as... a creative recharge for the girl juggling too many fanfics and a time to catch up on the ones she regularly forgets to update...

And the second part of the chapter (and the guy's name and post are part of the canon universe, even if he won't be that important in this story) demonstrates how narrow-sighted and misunderstanding the Imperials can be. And also how different the same thing can sound to two parties who have different ideals and ways of thinking.

But, based on what they heard, it would only be reasonable for them to assume that Admirian was Fulcrum, and that Ahsoka was just some other unimportant Rebel sympathizer... Hehehe

I'll try to update soon. Oh, and btw, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! The meme above is what I wish I could do... Although I was Princess Leia tonight (and my costume was actually PRETTY LEGIT and my hair is like the exact same colour as hers so it looked pretty good when I put it up in two sock buns AND I MADE A BLASTER LIKE HERS IN ANH), I couldn't use the Force to give kids their candy... Shame.

Discover that a friend and mentor lied to you about your father's identity and may the Force AND CANDY BECAUSE I GOT THE LEFTOVERS be with you,

Sharron