Ahsoka, Daughter of the Light (Book 6): Hero

Chapter 12: Uninvited

AHSOKA TANO-BONTERI

Ahsoka opened the door to the apartment building.

It looked like any other apartment building lobby, except with one distinct difference:

She was swimming, and in a scuba suit, while the lady was a water-breathing Mon Calamari.

There were a few locals sitting in chairs, probably waiting for something or someone. Luggage was hauled around in some sort of carrier with propellers instead of wheeled around or hovered like normal.

"Hello," said the lady at the desk. "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for-"

She looked down on her datapad to double-check and see if the name she was getting was correct.

"The Dori family?" She continued.

"Hmm," said the desk lady, "I don't think that they have any visits from surface-dwellers?"

"I need to... ask them a few questions," Ahsoka said. It might seem suspicious, but it was actually a good tactic, as it might make it seem like you're an agent of the Empire. And of course, everyone knew the repercussions for not obeying the Empire.

"...Nineteenth floor, room 1962," said the woman.

"Thanks," Ahsoka said.

It was an underwater settlement, so there was no elevator to go up. Instead, there were four tubes of flowing water.

Ahsoka swam up to one of these columns, and pushed the button labeled "19." The tube then opened.

Ahsoka went inside the tube, and was then launched upwards after the door closed.

She went up at high speeds, but the current quickly stopped her at the nineteenth floor, where she then exited.

She swam down the hallway. It was quite an odd feeling, swimming somewhere where normally you should be walking. It sort of made her sick, almost.

Then again, she was Ahsoka Tano-Bonteri. She could handle anything short of a universal collapse. She wasn't about to throw up because she was slightly disoriented.

She swam over to the door.

"Room 1962," she said to herself. "I hope they're home."

She knocked on the door.

"Who is this?" Asked a male voice from the other side.

"A visitor," Ahsoka replied.

"Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?" Replied the person on the other side.

Then, there was a female voice talking from the other side, and the male replied. Ahsoka couldn't tell what they were saying, however.

"...You know what? Kriff it, come on in," said the male.

He opened the door, and the Mon Calamari seemed somewhat shocked.

"A Togruta? Visiting me!? On my homeworld!?!?" said the male. "What the kriff? Am I on death sticks or something?"

"No," Ahsoka replied. "I've come here to... ask you a few things," she replied. "Hener Dori, correct?"

"How the kriff do you know my name!?" Hener replied. "I... you're some kind of Imperial agent, aren't you!?"

"No," Ahsoka said. "Quite the contrary."

"Wait," said the female, looking and pointing at the lightsabers clipped to her waist. "Are those..."

"...Yes, I'm just going to cut right to the chase and say I'm a Jedi," Ahsoka teased.

"WHAT!?" Hener yelled. "Okay, yeah, I think I'm on death sticks. Or I ate something funny. Or I'm still asleep. Because there's no way a heck that, in this day and age, a Jedi has come to see us personally! Like, what do you want, our child or something?"

Ahsoka deadpanned.

"..Oh," Hener replied, suddenly somber.

"Well, this is a... strange turn of events," said the female. "I... request elaboration, please."

"Gladly," Ahsoka began to explain. "I'm currently leading a group of survivors in the Unknown Regions. Right now we're trying to get as many younglings as possible before our list becomes too outdated. I'm lucky you guys didn't move offworld or something. So... I'm asking for your child, for the good of the galaxy. I don't mind if you say no."

Hener looked at his wife, who gave him a somber look back.

"Wow, I..."

"I would prefer if you made your choice quickly," Ahsoka said. "If you couldn't tell, I've got a pretty big target painted on my back."

"Eh..." Hener said, looking at his wife. "I... we'll talk it over in our room. This... might take a while. Like, a really long while. I don't know how quick you want us to be, but we'll try our best to come to a descision."

"Understandable," Ahsoka said.

The two went into their room. The child was presumably in their own room.

Ahsoka waited for a while. Minutes passed. Hours passed. Ahsoka could hear, talking, yelling, and crying from the next room.

Finally, after just over two hours, the wife came out of the room. She could still hear Hener crying from inside there.

"You can take our daughter," said the wife. "But promise you will take good care of her. Now leave quickly, lest my husband changes his mind."

Ahsoka nodded in understanding.

"I'll take you to her room," continued the wife.

They opened the door, and the baby was laying in bed.

Well, it wasn't really a baby anymore, it was more of a year-and-a-half old toddler.

"I want you to take good care of her," said the wife.

"I will," said Ahsoka. "I might have to strap her onto a Seaglide, though. You're not my last stop here. I'm trying to reach another Quarren youngling."

"Okay," the wife said, "okay. She's a Mon Calamari, she can handle... well, being strapped to a Seaglide. Yeah, we're fine, we're fine-"

Then, there was a beeping noise.

"That's an urgent holoreel," she said. "Let's see what it says."

They went over to the living room and turned on the holoprojector.

"...As of 4 minutes ago," said the announcer, "The Imperial Ambassador's ship has exploded, and the ambassador has been confirmed dead. Imperial forces are already in orbit around Mon Cala, although what actions will be taken against this assassination is as of yet unknown, although there are rumors that Tarkin has declared this an act of rebellion and intends to send down an invasion force. There also appears to be rumors of a traitorous Jedi hiding on the planet. We will update you with further details, assuming said further details do not present themselves in an obvious manner."

The holoprojector turned off.

"Looks like they found you," said the wife. "Or another Jedi, at the very least."

Ahsoka was genuinely nervous.

"I have to go," she said, grabbing the child. "Now."