ahsoka || a fanfiction

iii

Sora looks away, regretting bringing the subject up. She tries to act preoccupied with chopping some strange vegetable stalks, but she's cutting them too ferociously, her face set.

"What did you say?" I ask, ignoring Anakin's all too familiar warning glare.

"I said nothing," Sora replies stubbornly, her knife missing the vegetable stalk and impaling the rough wooden table instead.

"Don't lie," I say, but she must have taken this as a threat because she takes out the knife and points it at me.

"I will not speak of those traitors here!" Sora shrieks, her voice unusually high pitched.

"Please. I need to know," I reply calmly, "It's vital." I ignore Anakin's glare.

After a moment of stubborn silence, she sighs in a defeated way, and slumps onto a hard backed chair. "About 13 years ago, the Jedi came. They said that there were Force-sensitive younglings here on Shili. Many didn't believe them, they hid their children. But there was one family who claimed that the Jedi were Peacekeepers, and that if we didn't give our Force-sensitive children to them, somebody else would take them. The family had a tradition of selling off their younglings to the Jedi generations back, so it was no surprise that they gave away their only child to the Jedi this time. I hear they set it up themselves, that they would leave in the morning for work, the child in the backyard, and then the Jedi would arrive and take her."

"Who was this family?" I ask, shaking with anticipation.

"They used to live down the road. They went by the name of Tano," Sora replies offhandedly, like it was just a simple question.

"Really?" I say eagerly.

"Ahsoka, don't get any ideas-" Anakin starts warningly, but I ignore him.

"So what happened?" I ask.

"Well," Sora continues, "the Jedi took the youngling, and she was never seen again. I heard the father died in a mining accident a couple of months afterwards. And then the separatists came and nothing was ever the same again. They murdered the mother on sight."

"They...murdered her?" I say, tears pricking my eyes. "But..."

"It happened years ago," Sora replies

"Where did they live? Just down the street? Which house-?"

"Ahsoka, for the last time," Anakin cuts in sharply. I take a moment to glare at him. Then he sighs. "I'm sorry. I really am. I know what it's like to lose - your family. But we're Jedi, and we have a duty."

"Exactly," Sora says quickly, keen to end the conversation. She stands up and resumed chopping the stalks.

"No," I say, my voice shaking. "No. It's not true. I won't believe they're dead. I would've felt it. The Force is strong with me, they're still alive."
I storm out of the house, unsure where to go. I pull my cloak around me to conceal my face
As the dying light of the Suns bleeds through the thin metal walls of the house, I position myself on the narrow rooftop, watching the orange glow being replaced by the twinkle of the stars who wink at me with all the knowledge of the galaxies.