The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Nine: Departure From Takobo

AHSOKA TANO

As the Phantom made a break for the atmosphere, Ahsoka exhaled a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding. The further away they flew from Hammertown and the presence of the Dark Side that lingered there, the more relaxed Ahsoka's body became.

The Ithorian woman, whom Ahsoka had since learned was called Alora, exclaimed in her native tongue how brave her baby had been in the face of danger.

Zeb chuckled, readjusting his hold on baby Alora. "That was crazy," he said, putting his arm across Ezra's shoulder, "but worth it."

"They're Force-sensitive," Ahsoka said, turning back towards Kanan. Although the scene before her was heartwarming, that didn't change the fact that she had things she needed to address. "I've seen this before – a Sith Lord attempted the same thing back in the Clone Wars. But the Jedi Order stopped him."

"And now there's no Jedi Order to protect them."

Oh, if only you knew, Ahsoka thought to herself. I have to remember to get the Council on recruiting more Force-sensitive children – or at least setting up adequate security around them to make sure they aren't stolen from their families. But should I tell them? Kanan and Ezra definitely deserve to know about it...

A sudden burst of cooing from behind them drew their attention back to the Alora and Pypey. Ahsoka's heart softened as she watched Chopper spin the two babies around, and her thoughts were drawn back to when her own children were that age almost immediately.

"Okay, I guess that task falls to us now."

Ahsoka smiled. Perhaps some other time.

Suddenly, Alora began to cry. Taken aback by the sudden explosion of noise, Chopper stopped spinning, warbling perplexedly in Droid Binary.

But the second the infant started to cry, Ahsoka's motherly instincts kicked in. She hurried over to where Chopper was, pausing for a moment to look at the others present. "I'll take her," she said, and pulled the baby into her arms before anyone had the chance to argue.

A quick search of Alora's thoughts – a process Ahsoka had plenty of practice with from raising four Force-sensitive babies – revealed what she had already suspected was the case. The girl wanted to be fed.

Singing a soothing lullaby in her native Togruti, Ahsoka carried her over to where Chopper had stashed her satchel beneath the control panel. Tuning out Alora's cries with practiced efficiency, she rummaged through the bag until she came across a bottle filled with a mix of baby formula and meiloorun smoothie.

This she inserted into the little girl's mouth, all without pausing in her song.

"You have a pretty voice," Ezra said, a smile in his eyes.

Ahsoka nodded in thanks.

"Baby food?" Kanan shook his head, chuckling. "I don't know how you do it. You really are ready for anything, aren't you?"

Ahsoka decided not to tell him that it had been more than a stroke of fate that she had been carrying it with her. Although she wanted to tell the Ghost crew about her kids – and she had come close to actually saying it more than once – she knew that, for the safety of both the Rebels and her family, she had to hold her peace.

Pulling herself back to the present, Ahsoka turned her attention back towards Alora. For a moment, the baby refused the bottle, but, still partially linked to the infant's mind, Ahsoka managed to direct her attention towards memories of her grandmother feeding her, and the feelings of security and trust for the woman holding her that she had felt at the time.