This is an Ahsoka fanfiction. It kicks off before the show, will extend through the end of season one, and hopefully conclude with post-show content before season two of the real thing airs. Let me know how I’m doing in the comments!
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Rating: General, Spice Level: None
Characters/Tags: Original Character, Master and Apprentice Relationships, Original Female Character, Original Jedi Character, Ahsoka Tano, Huyang
Read Chapter 26 here.
Reunion
They crashed through the upper atmosphere of the planet at the same time as the smaller fighters returned to give chase. There were only three though, following the earlier collisions.
Her recent meditation settled Kendra’s mind to the point she did not at once grab the arm rests, though her stomach did jump into her throat. She began controlling her breathing and focusing on the code before she panicked again.
“Good job back there,” Ahsoka said.
Blaster fire from the fighters flew past their shuttle as Ahsoka dodged.
“Should I go to the tail gun?” Kendra asked.
“No,” Ahsoka said. She guided the shuttle at a seemingly impossible angle toward the surface. There was nothing to see at this height yet, but she seemed to know where she was going. “You’re coming with me, I hope.”
“Where?”
“There.” Ahsoka flipped the shuttle upside down to avoid blaster fire at the same time she pointed ahead of them. A group of metal pods at some sort stood in a circle. Blaster fire pelted the pods as fighters in red swarmed the group.
“We have to get down there,” Ahsoka banked hard to the right to avoid the fighters behind them. Then she pitched up, flipped back over, and dove down.
“We cannot land while under attack,” Huyang said. “Standard Jedi mission protocol states…”
“No need to land,” Ahsoka leveled the shuttle just enough to unbuckle and rise from her seat. “You coming, Kendra?”
Huyang said, “Oh not this again!”
Kendra grabbed at her own belt but missed the release in her nervousness. She wasn’t excited about leaving the shuttle without landing but didn’t think her stomach would hold for many more twists and turns in the air.
“Yes, this again.” Ahsoka reached down and unclicked the buckle for her. “Once we’re on the ground, draw the fighters away”
Kendra scrambled to her feet and checked her lightsaber remained on her hip. It had never fallen off yet, but there was always a first.
“Yes, yes of course,” Huyang said, “Just remember what happened last time!”
Ahsoka led Kendra back into the training area and slammed the button to open the side door. “You got the timing wrong.”
“And didn’t I feel terrible?” Huyang asked from the cockpit.
“No.” Ahsoka grabbed Kendra’s shoulder. “You jump after me. Remember your training. You’ll be fine.”
“Yes, Master.” Kendra didn’t have enough time to think, which was probably for the best. The effects of their earlier meditation lingered, and she found herself far calmer than she would have expected, given she was about to jump out of a moving ship and into battle with an unknown force.
“On my mark,” Ahsoka said.
“Copy,” Huyang replied.
“Three, two, one…” Ahsoka grinned at Kendra. “Mark”
And then Ahsoka jumped from the ship, landing on top of a hill and rolling forward before sliding to a near-stop. She used her momentum to continue forward in the direction of the battle.
Kendra was not as fast and nearly waited too long. As Huyang started to pull up, she jumped out and chose to take a more standard falling approach. Just like she’d done at the falls on Celestoria, she slowed herself just before impact and landed standing but without any forward movement. She also didn’t know where Ahsoka was; they’d been separated.
Huyang led the fighters away from their position, but a new problem flew in over Kendra’s head as two troop carriers approached the battle. She figured Ahsoka could take care of herself, so she ran and followed the carriers instead.
She remembered her escape on Arcana and slowed her pace to something more sustainable than a sprint. Fighting would be easier if she was breathing and not hurling. Thankfully, the planet seemed to have a near-standard gravity, and the air was well suited for humans.
The sound of lightsabers crashing behind her and to the left almost distracted her, but she realized that had to be Ahsoka. If Ahsoka couldn’t handle her assailant, she wouldn’t be much better off with Kendra.
She had landed much farther away from the battle than she’d intended. The hesitation at the door following Ahsoka cost her a lot of distance. She’d have to remember that next time. Then she scratched that thought from her head as she wasn’t sure she wanted to make a habit of jumping out of moving ships.
As she crested the small rise ahead of her, she could more clearly see the battle. The metal pods were transports of some type, and a small humanoid creature stuck his head out of a window before ducking back in. Many of the fighters in red armor lay dead or wounded around the pods, though the Stormtroopers from the transports rushed forward at the same time.
The woman with the orange lightsaber stood against Sabine and a man who must be Ezra. They seemed to have the upper hand against the woman, but the stormtroopers closed the distance quickly. Baylan was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed he was the one fighting somewhere behind her.
Kendra was almost there, and the stormtroopers did not seem to notice her behind them. She took an angle, hoping to find cover behind one of the pods as she approached. She could fight some of the troopers; maybe pull their attention off Sabine and Ezra.
The woman called on the troopers to fire on Sabine and Ezra just as Kendra pulled her lightsaber and struck the trooper nearest to her.
It was the first time she’d used the lightsaber against a person, and he fell with no sound. She felt the Force leave his body. What was once a man with a distinct feeling in the Force was now just part of the land and no longer rippled in the lake in her mind. She didn’t like the feeling.
At the same time, Ahsoka appeared, riding some sort of creature between the troopers and Sabine and Ezra. She used the Force to push many back, with some landing in front of Kendra.
Kendra didn’t have time to ponder the feeling of taking a life. Her attack and Ahsoka’s arrival set everyone into motion, and four of the troopers turned their attention to her. Without much thought, she slipped into her defensive stance and blocked all of their blaster shots. She sent one back into one of the assailants before stepping forward to slice through another.
“Who is that?” Ezra asked as he fought back to back with Sabine.
“Friend!” Sabine shouted back. “I’ll explain later.”
“I like friends!” Ezra nodded at Kendra and ducked behind one of the pods.
One of the creatures stuck his head out of the pod next to Kendra. Up close, she could see he was blue-green and had eye stalks. She felt his terror in the Force. The pods were like shells that these creatures lived in.
“I’m a friend,” she said. “You should go back in there.”
The creature glanced around before squeaking something in his language and dropping back into the pod. The hatch slammed shut as a blaster bolt connected with the pod nearby.
Kendra spun to find two more storm troopers running toward her. Once again, she easily deflected their fire and killed both. Ahsoka had been right, when she wasn’t fighting talented Force users or assassin droids, she fared pretty well. No wonder Master Edith had insisted she only use the weapon in cases of life or death; a Jedi was far too skilled to safely use the weapon without thought and care.
An aerial droid sounded an alarm and all the stormtroopers began a hasty retreat to their transport ships. At least half of the ones the transport ships had deposited did not return but instead lay dead or dying in the dirt around the pods.
She rounded the pod to find Ahsoka staring down Baylan’s apprentice. Ahsoka didn’t even have her lightsaber out but easily avoided the woman’s attacks before using the Force to fling the apprentice backwards onto her backside.
Kendra joined Ezra and Sabine behind Ahsoka, all three ready to continue the fight. Now that she could see her more clearly in the light, the apprentice was young. Maybe as young as Kendra, certainly no older than early-twenties. What could drive someone so young to such violence?
The young woman rose and looked around at the retreating troopers. She hesitated, caught between wanting to fight Ahsoka, join them, and something else Kendra could not name.
“Surrender your weapon,” Ahsoka said. “I can help you.”
She looked like she might consider it for a moment. In that instant, Kendra saw fear and sadness and abandonment. Where had her master gone and why was she facing Ahsoka alone?
Whatever the woman’s thoughts, she shook her head, turned and ran.
Ezra and Sabine lunged forward to chase, but Ahsoka threw her arms out to stop them. She shook her head. “Let her go.”
They watched as she jumped on the creature Ahsoka had ridden in on and fled the area. Kendra wondered where she would go, if she didn’t return to Thrawn.
Sabine turned to Ahsoka, surprised but smiling. “I thought you were dead.”
“And miss this reunion?” Ahsoka grinned and then enveloped Ezra in a long hug. She let go long enough to laugh and then hugged him again.
“Hey, kid.” Sabine clapped the back of Kendra’s shoulder. “Did you puke again?”
“No,” Kendra said. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” Sabine leaned in and scanned Kendra’s forehead. “How’s the head?”
“A lot better than the last time I think you saw me.”
Sabine looked back at Ahsoka. “Seems like everyone is doing better than the last time I saw them.”
“Yeah…” Kendra had no idea how to explain Ahsoka’s recovery after everything they’d experienced.
“Wait.” Ezra pulled free from the hug. “You thought she was dead?”
“Clearly I was wrong.” Sabine shrugged.
“Unsurprising,” Ezra said. “And who is our new friend?”
Ahsoka gestured toward Kendra. “Ezra, this is Kendra Thornbrook.”
“Another Jedi?” Ezra beamed. “We’re basically unstoppable now.”
“A padawan,” Kendra offered.
“And a healer,” Ahsoka said. “And I believe this was her first real fight. How did it go?”
“Fine,” Kendra lied. It had gone fine in the sense she won, but she didn’t think she’s remember killing people fondly.
Ahsoka held her gaze for long enough Kendra knew she knew, but the older woman didn’t comment.
“First battle!” Sabine slapped her on the back again, this time with more force. “We’ll have to celebrate.”
“But later,” Ahsoka said. “We still need to stop Thrawn.”
“Yeah,” Ezra said. “Could somebody tell me what is going on?”
Kendra, Sabine, and Ahsoka all sighed at the same time. This was going to be an interesting recap.
Read Chapter 28 here.
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