Author's Note: This chapter is quite similar to what happened before on Onderon, except the emotions are quite different. And don't worry. There will be major divergences coming up shortly. :D
~ Tirana Sorki
Ahsoka can hardly believe it. Yes, she had hoped that she was going to see Lux again before the end of the war, but she didn't expect it to be this soon. It's only been months since the incident with Death Watch, and now, here she stands in the Council chambers, with a call from Onderon.
"The only way to reclaim Onderon will be through armed struggle," Lux is saying, "But we lack sufficient hardware and supplies." She has to admit that she's glad he's finally planning to take a stand against the Separatist occupation. It couldn't have been an easy decision, she imagines.
"Onderon is in your king's rule," Obi-Wan asserts, "And at the outbreak of the Clone Wars, he chose to align it with the Separatists." Because of that, the Council is obviously reluctant to get involved, but Ahsoka really thinks they should help him.
"Our true king has been silenced," objects Saw Gerrera, the other person in the transmission who's standing beside Lux. "The one you recognize is a traitor and a Separatist minion. We need your help to survive this."
"Find a way, we shall," Yoda assures.
"We await your answer," Lux replies, gaze flickering around the Council room, landing briefly on Ahsoka. He smiles faintly, a reminder of their promise to one another, before the hologram disappears.
"There are pockets of rebels on many of these planets that simply need guidance," Anakin speaks up, "With training and resources, they could attack soft targets while the Republic continues to engage them on the battlefield."
"That sounds like terrorism, Anakin," objects Obi-Wan. Who are they terrorizing exactly? Battle droids? Sounds more like strategy, in Ahsoka's opinion.
"We are simply helping them with their insurgency," he objects, "We can divide the Separatist forces and press them on two fronts."
"A means to an end, fear cannot be. Stop those who spread terror, the Jedi must," insists Yoda.
"Indeed," agrees Obi-Wan, "What you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities, and we must not train terrorists."
Ahsoka barely refrains from glaring at Obi-Wan. Lux is not a terrorist, even if he got dragged into something like that unknowingly. All he wants is the best for his people and to free his planet.
"How we conduct war is what distinguishes us from others," Obi-Wan continues, "Funding rebels to overthrow a legitimate government puts innocent lives at risk."
"They just said the government isn't legitimate," Ahsoka interjects frustratedly. She can't sit back idly when Lux needs her help. She doesn't understand why the Council is so reluctant to do anything about it. At times, it seems they're far more concerned with their own image rather than the people they should be protecting.
"We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect droids," Anakin suggests.
"The least we can do is help them defend themselves, test the tactics while we're at it." Ahsoka is frankly shocked when Windu of all people stands up for Anakin.
"This could be a great new weapon for us," one of the other council members muses.
"Train and observe. Send advisors we will," Yoda murmurs finally, and Ahsoka instantly feels a surge of gratitude. Maybe Anakin's idea will go somewhere after all. And there's no way she wants to leave Lux without help when he needs it.
"I'll assemble a team," Anakin decides immediately.
Obi-Wan rises, crossing the room towards them. "I'm going with you." Things may have gotten somewhat better since the Hardeen incident, but there's still a lot of tension between them at times. It certainly doesn't help that Obi-Wan has just spent the past fifteen minutes studiously contradicting everything Anakin has to say, and annoying Ahsoka to her wits end.
"What, you don't trust me?" Anakin asks, a flare of hurt rushing through their bond.
"Too much," the Jedi Master insists, "That's what worries me." Personally, Ahsoka doesn't believe a word he just said, but she won't object. They don't need to start an argument, not when they're about to head back into battle.
Ahsoka tries to let her frustration at the way the Council is always acting fade away as the three of them head out of the Council chambers. She's going to be seeing Lux again, after so long. She doesn't want her irritation to ruin this. If the Jedi are going to start doing things like this, it will help speed the war to an end faster. If it works on Onderon, it could in other places as well.
"Ahsoka?"
But Lux. She's going to see him again. It's been some time, and things have changed, life has kept moving, but they'll be together again. Not only that but working together. She doesn't know how long, though it could easily end up dragging on for a while.
And all that time, she'll get to spend with him. She knows there's no way either of them can act on their feelings for one another and seeing each other again may only make it harder, but still. Despite the months which have passed, she still loves Lux as much as she did when they parted. Hopefully, he feels the same, but based on the look of affection he'd cast in her direction at the end of the call, Ahsoka's quite certain that he does. That makes her heart pound a little faster, and she carefully keeps her feelings shielded, hoping that no one can pick up on them.
She still doesn't know what to do about it, though, because she can't imagine any life outside the Order, even if the war were over and she was Knighted. But she doesn't really want to keep ignoring how she feels towards Lux indefinitely either.
"Snips?"
She jumps slightly. Oops. Was she really that distracted? "Yes, Master?" she replies, montrals flushing with embarrassment.
"Did you hear a word I said?" He seems more amused than annoyed, thankfully.
"Um..."
***
Lux is both anxious and excited when he hears that the Jedi have arrived. They're about to get the help they so badly need to free their planet. Finally. It's not going to be easy, but at least they'll be able to start learning what they need to know. And he's about to be reunited with Ahsoka. Hopefully.
He spots her almost immediately among the group of Jedi and their clone captain but doesn't get a chance to talk to her immediately, since they get right down to business. Admittedly, focusing on the Jedi's instructions on how to 'more efficiently' conduct their fight is more important right now, so he'll be patient.
"I'll show you how the 501st destroy clankers," Captain Rex declares, stepping forwards, "First, I need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point a half-klick west."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Saw agrees.
"Excellent," Rex replies as the others start scattering.
Lux turns to follow them, soon finding himself walking next to Ahsoka while the other Jedi remain behind talking. Although from the animated nature of the conversation, maybe they're actually arguing, he's not really sure. "Lux, it's so good to see you again," she says with a smile.
"It's good to see you too, Ahsoka," he tells her, wishing that he could hug her, though he's not entirely sure it would be a good idea, much less appropriate, at the moment. There will be plenty of time later. He'll make certain of it. In the months when he'd thought about their reunion, never had he imagined it being like this, on the same side of the war.
"I didn't realize you had such strong ties to Onderon," Ahsoka remarks.
"Onderon is my home. My mother represented it in the Senate."
Steela Gerrera, Saw's sister, walks over to them, falling in step beside them. Lux and Steela have become friends since he joined up with the Rebels, but he's tried to keep his distance, especially knowing how she feels about him. His heart belongs to Ahsoka, not Steela. She might want a relationship with him, and that's not something he'll be able to give her. "Your voice is strong, like hers was," Steela comments, obviously overhearing the conversation.
"Have you reconsidered joining the Republic?" queries Ahsoka.
"Even if we do take back Onderon, it won't change how I feel," he asserts, "I'm not fighting for the Republic." That's one thing that isn't going to change. He doesn't agree with them anymore than his mother did, even if he also can't stay with the Separatists. They can be neutral, the way Mandalore is.
"Well, either way, this may help bring a faster end to the war," Ahsoka points out hopefully.
"I hope so," Lux states firmly, remembering his promise to Ahsoka again. They need to try to end the war, for the galaxy and to a lesser extent for... personal reasons. They can't even consider becoming anything more than friends until after it's over.
"We need to help each other now, just like we did back on Carlac," the Togruta adds with a grin.
Steela stops at that, frowning. And for a moment, Lux really wishes he could have this reunion with Ahsoka without Steela's presence. "Carlac? What happened on Carlac?"
They walk a few paces ahead before turning to face Steela. "Ahsoka is the reason I'm here and not with Death Watch," he replies. She saved him from a decision he would have forever regretted. If she hadn't been there, once he realized what was really going on, it would have been too late to leave. The more he objected, the sooner they would have killed him. He sees it now. Looking back, it was a stupid choice, one that nearly got them both killed; he didn't realize what kind of people the Death Watch consisted of at the time.
"Really?" Steela looks almost skeptical.
"What he means is --" begins Ahsoka.
"She saved me from a huge mistake," he responds. Glancing over his shoulder, he can see that the others are returning with the weapons. "We can talk more later," he offers, "But now, we have some practicing to do."
"We do!" Ahsoka agrees cheerfully, eyes sparkling with the promise of fun to come as they hurry to rejoin the others.
Lux is uncertain he sees a hint of... unhappiness in Steela's eyes as she watches them, but what can he do? It's Ahsoka he wants, not... Steela, even if they've become friends. Maybe if Lux and Ahsoka hadn't talked on Carlac that day he would have let it go, knowing it was nothing but a fantasy since she's a Jedi, but she expressed the desire to continue things with them, and it's not something he can let go of anymore.
***
"Everyone, divide up into teams of two, and we'll practice an assault on both hatches," Anakin instructs the gathered rebels. Right now, they're learning how to destroy tanks. Ahsoka stands off to the side, watching. It's not the first time they've gotten involved in training civilians to help – there was a time on Felucia they had to, although that was just against pirates. At least she knows how to do it, though.
She can't quite help how her gaze keeps wandering to Lux, though.
"I'll take the top," Lux says, standing near one of the tanks.
Saw nudges his arm. "Let's see what you're made of, Bonteri."
Rex tosses each of them a bomb, and they run for the tank. Saw opens the lower hatch, tossing the bomb inside while Lux scrambles up the side, trying to reach the top. When he's only halfway there, he promptly loses his balance and topples straight off the side, knocking over Saw on the way down. They land in a heap on the ground.
Ahsoka stifles a laugh, walking over to see if they're both alright.
"Sorry about that," Lux mumbles embarrassedly as he stands up.
"You're a terrible soldier, Bonteri," Saw scowls at him.
"Well he did train to be a politician," Ahsoka declares snippily.
"Hey, I can be more than one, you know," Lux protests. "We fought off the Death Watch pursuers on Carlac together, remember?"
"I love you and all, but you're an idiot. As I recall, I did all the fighting." Ahsoka smiles sweetly at him before going back to stand where she was before.
As the training continues, they move on to teaching the rebels how to throw bombs through the shields on destroyers. Rex tosses a bomb to Saw first. "Watch and learn," Saw announces, tossing the bomb at the destroyer. It bounces harmlessly off the shield, rolling away instead.
"Quite brilliant," Lux smirks. Saw glares at him.
Hiding a grin, Ahsoka hands one over to Lux, who tries; it rolls right through the shield. "Nice touch," the Togruta complements, "Maybe you'll make a soldier after all."
"Thanks," the Senator replies, with an I-told-you-so grin. Ahsoka sees Steela frowning at them, before going over to stand next to Saw to practice. Once she's sure that Lux has gotten the hang of it, she approaches Steela and Saw, both of whom are having a hard time.
"Just take it easy," she advises, "Don't get frustrated." Saw tries again and this time, succeeds, while his sister continues failing.
"Just forget it. I'll never learn this," Steela mutters, turning and stalking a distance away, sitting down on a bench. "You made it look easy," the girl grumbles as Ahsoka walks over to her again.
"It wasn't always that way," Ahsoka tells her. It wasn't the easiest for her when she was first learning. She often didn't get the right angle at first and then got impatient, which made it even more difficult.
"Right. The Force. That your secret?" Steela asks, irritation clear in her voice.
"No. Perseverance. Look, you'll get the hang of it. I wouldn't let it get you down." From the way she keeps acting around Ahsoka and Lux, the Togruta gets the feeling she doesn't like her very much, and she's pretty sure she knows why. It's clear that Steela must have feelings for Lux, feelings which he does not reciprocate. At least she's willing to put aside her emotions to work for the good of her people. It means that she'll be a great leader.
"I'm not feeling down," Steela retorts, "I just know what I'm good it." She picks up her sniper-rifle, carefully aiming it off at something in the distance before following Ahsoka when she moves to rejoin the others.
Ahsoka suggests that they practice with that weapon next, especially since Steela is good at it. She hits the first droid head dead center, so Ahsoka uses the Force to levitate the other, moving it around to make it more difficult as well as similar to a real battle. Steela hits it after a couple tries. "Nice work," Ahsoka congratulates.
Rex explains the importance of shooting battle droid heads, and Steela raises her sniper rifle at another target when she suddenly freezes. Ahsoka feels her spike of alarm. "Wait a minute, what is that?" she exclaims.
Ahsoka spins, following her gaze. Just then, a group of battle and super battle droids burst through the trees, open firing. A shot explodes on the ground nearby, and everyone dives out of the way. "Take cover!" Rex calls.
Ahsoka whips out her lightsabers, deflecting the blaster bolts as she scans the area for Lux. Where is he? Is he alright? Anakin and Obi-Wan are deflecting blaster bolts, while Rex and the rebels are shooting back at the droids.
Seeing Lux taking cover nearby, she flips over to him, deflecting a shot which might otherwise have taken off his head. "Thanks," he says breathlessly, cheeks slightly flushed from the adrenaline of the battle. He has a blaster, and he's shooting at the droids, though he seems to miss as often as he hits. He needs a bit of practice, so at least he's getting some, she supposes as she continues covering him and the other nearby rebels.
"We do fight well together," Lux comments dryly, ducking a bolt and letting Ahsoka's lightsaber harmlessly pass by him.
Ahsoka grins back at him, realizing that they've fallen into a rhythm that might take others many battles to achieve. "Yes, we do," she agrees. "I thought we decided that after Carlac."
She uses the Force to shove some droids back, but more keep coming.
"There are too many!" Steela cries finally.
"Anakin, Ahsoka, and I can hold them off while you get your people out of here," Obi-Wan calls back.
"You didn't teach us to run," she shoots back, before calling into her comm, "Saw, use your disruptors to take out the droids." Ahsoka doesn't catch his reply above the commotion. She continues blocking the blaster bolts while Lux stands behind her, shooting down as the droids advancing towards them.
Several bombs suddenly fly through the air, landing in the midst of the droids and blowing up only a moment late. "Not bad," Anakin remarks, surveying the destruction.
"That is only the first wave," Obi-Wan warns. Right on cue, Ahsoka spots a tank heading towards them. It opens fire, and all Ahsoka can do is cover Lux, using the Force to shield them as the debris rains down all around them. This would be going better if she -- or Anakin, Obi-Wan, or Rex -- would help take out the tank, but on the bright side, they haven't lost anyone yet. There are only injuries as far as she can tell.
"We'll handle this." Obi-Wan declares.
Ahsoka is ready to lunge forwards when Steela interrupts. "No, I will." She turns, firing at a nearby fence surrounding a group of animals, and the gates immediately snap open. The animals stampede out in a panic.
"Hey, Bonteri, you ready to try again?"
Lux nods, and Saw jumps up, stepping out from behind their hiding place and running forwards between two of the animals. Lux is right behind him.
"Don't fall!" Ahsoka yells after him, smirking, even though she's secretly scared. He's far too young to die, and it's different somehow for him as opposed to Anakin or Rex. They fight in battles all the time, and she knows they can handle themselves. Lux isn't used to warfare, and he doesn't have the same quick reflexes that are honed through constant battles.
Ahsoka leaps forwards, using the Force to close the top hatch of the tank as Lux and Saw dive for cover. The explosion makes her montrals ring, but she's used to it by now. She stands up, helping Lux to his feet, and they exchange a sincere smile, while Steela pulls her brother to his feet.
"Now you look more like a soldier than a politician," Saw teases, as they walk back to regroup and plan their next move.
***
With the rebels' hidden location exposed, they can't stay hiding in the forest anymore. Which is fine, regardless, since it's time for them to take actual action. Anakin keeps his hood pulled up in the mere chance that someone might end up recognizing him. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka are doing likewise. Hopefully this attempt to masquerade as hunters will fool the droids.
He eyes Ahsoka and Lux for a moment, where they're seated side by side up in the front. They work well together, he has to admit, and there's a closeness to them that reminds him very much of how he and Padme interact. More than that, he can see how much Lux respects Ahsoka, and that's all he wants. If anyone wants to get involved with his little sister, there's a select number of qualities which they must possess, and Lux has all of them. They're perfect together.
Except Ahsoka is a Jedi, and Anakin knows that as her master he should speak to her about it. If she really wants to pursue things with Lux, she needs to... make sure she understand all the implications. For a moment, Anakin wonders if she'd be willing to. She'd been the first to suggest leaving the Order, after all.
And Anakin knows that in time, he probably will as well. He wants to just be with Padme but he can't imagine leaving either. On a similar level, he thinks that's true for Ahsoka also.
"What were you doing outside of the city gates?" demands one of the battle droids guarding the entrance. One of the others heads forwards to start scanning the transport.
"Hunting," answers Lux simply, "We've been trekking for days."
"Did you register before your excursion?"
"No, but most of our time is spent in the brush, collecting our traps. We come to the city to sell. You can't get thrip larvae like this in Iziz. Only the biggest trees on the other side of Onderon," Lux answers.
"Hey, listen!" Steela calls in feigned annoyance, "We need to deliver all of this in time for supper."
The droids continue discussing the scan amongst themselves. Finally, another one of the rebels from farther back stands up. "Come on! Our merchants are waiting inside. Can you hurry it up?"
"Let them through," decides one of the droids finally.
As soon as they're safely inside the city, they decide they need to split up and regroup after nightfall, while working on getting new recruits and necessary supplies. "How do you think they'll do?" Anakin queries, looking at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka once the others have started to disperse.
"I have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised."
"So you admit our new strategy will work?" Obi-Wan had certainly seemed pretty convinced it was a bad idea, and considering how everything has gone, Anakin can't see why. He knew it would work; he felt it. That's why he insisted so strongly. For his plan to have been so adamantly rejected by Obi-Wan, hurt more than he cares to admit. And now...
"I am hopeful, Anakin. Hopeful."
The validation after the fact doesn't make him feel better, at least not much. Sometimes, he wonders if he should have taken Ahsoka up on her offer to leave the Order. It might have been worth it.
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