Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.1.0

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Ahsoka kneeled on her bed, donning a pair of comfortable shorts and a tank top, and her montrals still dripping water from her shower a few minutes earlier. She sank into meditation, and her bedroom faded into the background.

It was a calming routine, meditating at night. As she strived daily to walk on both sides of the line separating the Light and Dark sides of the Force, evening meditation helped her keep track of who she was and what she was becoming. She had long since understood why Obi-Wan had always enjoyed meditation so much: while dealing with her and Anakin Skywalker nearly every day, it was probably the only rest he got.

The day hadn't been overly interesting or unorthodox, but it had been good. She had worked her typical hours at Gauges and Gears, the mechanic shop she had been working at for nearly three months. After working out a few kinks in the past several weeks, she was now on good terms with all of her colleagues. They had all but forgotten about her surface past, and only referenced it to make a joke or tease her every once in a while. It also seemed like the community around her had accepted her as well. Every day, fewer people were staring at her, wondering where they had seen her before. She was less the 'Jedi Gone Rogue' and more the 'new good mechanic down the street'. Ahsoka was pleased with her new reputation.

After work, she had come home, had dinner, and tidied up the front room. After surfing the HoloNet for news, she had taken a quick shower before winding down for the night. All in all, a typical day, but a nonetheless productive one. When she submerged herself in the Force, the peace of mind that had accompanied her through her day surrounded her. She was making progress, every day, to find her balance. Days like these encouraged her, and she looked inside herself to see if her Force signature reflected her state of mind.

For far too long, she had fought to keep the Darkness at bay inside of her, while also suppressing the Light. Only recently had she abandoned the notion, recognizing that the Force could not be caged any more than the wind. Now, she felt both of them rise in her, flowing through her veins and filling her mind. Her path now was not to use neither but to embrace both, each when it was necessary.

Unfortunately, she had had very few instances in which the Force was necessary. Although she was no longer denying the Force, she wasn't about to advertise it either. All of her learning had to happen in private, away from public view. It was possible, in her house and in alleys no one was looking down, but she had hardly been able to put it into practice. Maybe it was for the better, though. It would be easier to learn without an external crisis to deal with at the same time. At least now she could focus on her training without also having to command a squadron.

It was no secret that Ahsoka was far from ready, anyway. She was very young in her study to find balance and nowhere near mastery. This was one area in her life that couldn't be learned on the fly but required specific attention and time set aside to concentrate. She still needed to learn a lot before she could begin to apply it, but that was okay. She didn't have to have every answer right now, and she probably never would. As it was, though, today was enough for today. Ahsoka would keep taking baby steps, one at a time, and she would learn.

At that instant, something unlocked inside of her. She opened her eyes and stared at the wall, but she didn't see the wall. Instead, she saw Coruscant from a bird's eye view in the Force. There were millions of people on the planet, most of whom she had never met. She tried to concentrate on a specific sector, but Ahsoka's view zoomed out, and she saw other planets, other systems. Some of them were Republic, and others were Independent, and still, others were neutral in the Clone War. It wasn't long before Ahsoka could see the whole galaxy.

For a few seconds, she stared at her universe in silence. Then, from beyond the edges of the galaxy, she heard a voice, deep and ancient, speaking to her. "You did not think that your role in this war was finished, did you?"

"I didn't think I was needed," she answered, trying to figure out where she recognized the speaker from. "Even now, I'm trying to be better. The galaxy doesn't need that."

"Perhaps not," the voice mused, "but it needs someone who can see through the politics of the matter. Someone outside of its influence."

Ahsoka pondered the words when she finally realized where she had heard the voice before. Mortis. "Father? How are you alive?"

"I am not quite alive, young one," the Father responded. "Even after so much time apart, you and the Chosen One still seem to share some similarities."

"You spoke with Anakin?"

"Yes," he answered, "sometime before you killed the Dark Lord. I tried to warn him of what was coming, but the Darkness obscured his vision when the time came."

Ahsoka thought back to the last day she had posed as the Inquisitor. She never doubted how strong Sideous' grip had been on Anakin, but the Father's affirmation of the fact made it feel so much more solid.

Discarding the thought, she went on. "Why are you speaking to me?"

"Because you are ready, child," the Father told her. "You may be tired of war, but the war is not yet over. You can run from it all you wish, but you cannot escape it. It is in you, Ahsoka Tano."

She couldn't deny it. Four years of fighting in the Clone War had steeled her blood and sharpened her mind into that of a soldier, a warrior. Even during the time she had lived down in the Lower Levels, she had noticed that her battle tendencies had not left her. The Republic and the Jedi Order had ingrained war etiquette into her mind, and she doubted it would ever truly leave her.

Ahsoka shook her head. "I'm not the trained soldier I once was. I can't fight this war knowing the reason it was started. I can't risk lives that don't belong to me, not anymore."

"Indeed," the Father said, "and you won't. That is why I am warning you: beware. Now that you have found what you believe in, it is time to use it. The galaxy needs you, not for who you once were, but for who you have become. Rest, Ahsoka Tano. Rest, and beware. The time is coming."

She looked around, even though the Father was nowhere to be seen. "Will I know when the time comes?"

"You will. Beware."

Her vision narrowed back down to her room, and Ahsoka caught her breath as her mind returned to her body. She looked around, to make sure nothing had moved during her out-of-body experience.

Well, that's some food for thought, she concluded and did her best to fall asleep with her vision on her mind.