Once There Was a Light

A Surprising Meeting

A/N: Same disclaimers apply. Update: 3/21/17 to reflect changes in previous chapter. 

A Surprising Meeting

"Ahsoka. Did you hear what I said?" Anakin asked, his voice longing to become violent so much that it was straining. "Come with me, now!"

Ahsoka frowned, looking away from him for a moment, but trying not to linger anywhere too long. He couldn't learn of her escape plan - she was going to run from this madness. 

Anakin sensed her thoughts. "Don't you dare do it, Ahsoka!" He looked around him, ordering around the troops. "On my mark, men, you will fire at her," he decreed, pointing towards the Togrutan warrior. 

Obedient to the end, the clones all turned their weapons on the fearless girl in their midst. Darth Vader backed into their ranks, watching her with his glowing eyes. 

Ahsoka smiled, but it was a sad smile, more patronizing than anything. "So even the clones too, have fallen." With that, she ignited her lightsabers, spun through the air and several stunning blasts, and landed on a pipelines. She dug her sabers into the soft, pliable metal of the water line, twisting until a hole formed and ducking from the ringed stun blasts.

She slipped in just as one of the clones reached her, peeking his head down the hole. She dashed through the water quickly, letting her feet skid for extra distance, and trying to use twists and turns in hopes of escaping and finding a route much like she had the first time she was traversing through this set of pipes, when she made her escape from the Order. This time she was escaping a fate far worse. 

The clones were loud and had to pause to turn their headlamps on, which stopped them up. She heard Vader's insistent shouts somewhere behind her as she sloshed forward, ducking through the valve system that emptied water into...the Coruscant Underworld! More than likely, the Underworld was so far left untouched by the destruction on the surface world. It was once again going to be her refuge. 

The gaping maw of the end of the pipeline and the glaring lights of the transports that traversed the Underworld and surface in turn tuned her in on the location of her target. She slid to a stop right as the water ended, dropping off into the Underworld. 

"Ahsoka, you can't do this again, it won't work well for you every time." 

Spinning around, she found Darth Vader standing there almost nonchalantly. His eyes were intense. 

"I'll be back, Anakin," she promised, sort of looking at Darth Vader, but trying to look through him as best as she could. "But right now, you leave me little choice." She pointed back towards the noise from the clones. "Death by troopers who used to be my friends," she recounted, ticking the first choice off on her peach fingers. "Become a Sith apprentice," she added, sticking out another finger, "Or escape to live another day, and," she continued. "Fight for Anakin another day."

"Anakin's dead -" 

"No, he's in there somewhere, and I'm getting him back or he's going to destroy the whole Republic," Ahsoka declared, glaring at Vader finally. "And I'm picking the last option," she rambled, "In case you wanted to know." 

"Don't you dare..." Vader called in a chilling voice, as clones started to come down the aqueduct they were inside.

She spun on her heel, calling all the Light of the Force towards her, as she jumped down, through the hole in the viaduct. Her heartbeat was a million times faster than it should have been, but she was in an agitated state; it was to be expected.

"Oomph." Ahsoka landed with a thud on the metal roof of a transport heading for the Coruscant Underworld. She, needless to say, was pleased. But she caught a minuscule glimpse of Anakin's face as the transport began its descent. His expression, while making his face seem almost more attractive, was not the expression of a pleased man. On the contrary, Vader was furious.

It was a week later, and the Republic had crumbled, just as Ahsoka had predicted. But she had more pressing matters, like avoiding the bounty on her head. 

"Searching...scanning...beep...beep." A probe droid scanned the area for any sign of the fugitive.

"Say, isn't that the same Jedi wanted a year back for the bombing of the temple?" A bounty clone queried his partner.

"Same one. Now she's wanted by the Emperor. Something about hunting down all the Jedi, who were corrupting the whole galaxy. That's a lofty statement, but they say it was made by Lord Vader himself," the other bounty clone returned, eyeing his companion with a conspiratorial glance. "But I'm in it for the money, of course. I could care less about Vader's objectives." 

 Patting his companion on the back, one clone said, "Well, since the pretty little Jedi isn't here, lets to back to the bay and rustle up some grub, eh?"

Laughing, the two clones boisterously clamored around the corner, the probe droid in tow.

Ahsoka sighed with relief. In her efforts to escape notice, she'd cloaked her Force, preventing the droid from scanning her. She was in hiding now, even though she knew Coruscant was the last place any sane Jedi would stay. Right then, she wasn't feeling too sane, though. 

Glibly, Ahsoka slid her sleek frame around a corner, turning to one of the dirty streets of the Underworld. Man, she hated this place - 

Suddenly, she backed up in shock,  face to face with someone she did not expect to see.

"Hello, Ahsoka!" His voice had a cheery lilt to it, which was both odd because he was most likely unfamiliar with this area and also, his Senate was completely demolished thanks to her Master and his Master, apparently. Plus, the last time she had seen him, everything had gone all wrong and she'd ended up feeling responsible for the death of his friend....

"Lux? What are you doing on Coruscant?" She dragged him by the collar toward a dark alley, scanning the area for any other unexpected surprises. "And for that matter, what are you doing in the Underworld? This place is a a wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Lux grinned eagerly at Ahsoka, "I knew you'd be happy to see me, but a didn't know you'd be glad enough to do this," he said, referring to her hostile grip on his collar.

"Sorry." She winced and released it. The folds in the collar became rumpled, and she blushed awkwardly, while trying to smooth them out.

"So," she pressed casually, "What are you doing here? This place is dangerous, not for the likes of you." 

 Ahsoka was having a day outmatched by none, at least in its level of danger, intrigue, and surprises.

 Lux opened his mouth, but it was left in its fish-like pose, as a laser from a clone's blaster flew straight at Ahsoka. She had been detected. While she would have shot Lux a neat glare, she was a little bit busy trying to make a Jedi-escape from this new situation. It seemed no matter which corner she turned, it was an awful idea. 

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