Between Life and Death // A Gray Jedi's Legacy Sequel

Chapter 16 // Karma

Everyone had fallen into silence at the sight of the Togruta. Their minds were racing with a million questions as they stood shell-shocked. How was it possible?! They had witnessed the planet blowing up! They had mourned her death!

The first one to break out of their ghost-like trance was Rex. A bittersweet grin spread across his lips as he gave her a sloppy, two-fingered salute and said, "Commander." Ashley could tell the soldier was trying to stay strong, but hints of tears across his cheeks glimmered in the midday sun.

"I can't believe it," Obi-Wan muttered. "I suppose I should start listening to Anakin's crazy ideas more, then."

"I'm not even going to ask how you're still alive," Barriss laughed, running up and wrapping Ahsoka in a big hug. She pulled back and studied Ahsoka's face. "And not even a scratch? What are you now, invincible?"

"Something like that," Ahsoka chuckled. "Just when I thought I had lived my life, reality came and slapped me back awake and told me to get back to work."

"And for good reasons, too," Barriss added, referencing her role as the grandmaster of the Gray Jedi.

"So is it really true?" Luminara questioned, a look of disbelief evident in her normally straight face. "You're the Gifter?"

"It's a stupid name, but yep, that'd be me."

"I'll have you know that I picked that name!" Anakin exclaimed, punching her playfully in the arm.

"That would explain it then," Ahsoka taunted, sticking her tongue out at Anakin.

"Almost ten years later and you two still haven't changed," Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are we going to sit around all day long or is there actually something that needs solving?"

"There's no way to really sugar coat this," Ahsoka began, flicking her gaze over to the trees to avoid eye-contact. "Sidious built an army of Sith equipped with lightsabers and the Force, and now they're about to massacre the entire Jedi Order."

A heavy silence ensued as Ahsoka awkwardly rubbed her back lek.

"I'm sorry, I think you lost me," Luminara finally managed to cough out.

"The Sith-army part or the massacre part?" Ahsoka inquired jokingly, but a sharp jab to the side by Anakin's elbow caused her grin to fade from her face.

"Don't be insensitive," Anakin scolded through a whisper.

"Meetings with you have never been dull, but this truly takes it to new extremes," Barriss admitted, her olive-green skin turning an unusually pale shade.

Trying to lighten the mood, the Togruta finally chirped, "Just like old times, huh? Never would've thought all those years ago when we first met that this is where we'd end up. How about we take the night off and just chat?"

"Take the night off? Snips, I don't really think that's a good idea," Anakin disputed. "We can't waste time right now."

"No, I've made that mistake," she shook her head, pausing for a moment to gesture towards the fallen log. She outstretched her hand towards the forest, then, using the Force, she searched through the woods until she found a similar fallen tree. She pulled her fingers back into her palm, signaling for the trunk to come flying back to them. A polite smile spread across her face as she gestured towards the recently added seating. Sensing that this was going to be a long conversation, they agreed. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex sat together on one, while Obi-Wan, Luminara, and Barriss rested on the other.

"There's something special that separates us from the rest," she began, a small spark of fire igniting in her eyes as she recounted her journey to where she was now. Then, placing a hand over her heart, she continued, "Right here. We don't fight because of politics, or because it's expected of us. We fight because of our compassion. We stand up for the little guys, right? Not because it makes us look heroic at the end of the day, but because it plants a small seed of hope and inspiration into future generations. Then, after all those years, we'll be able to sit back and watch a strong nation rise together and make the galaxy a better place because of what we started. It's not about fame or power..." she paused as her muscles quivered in the excitement of the speech. "It's about the legacy we leave behind."