The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Sixty-Eight: A Quest Is Concluded

LUX BONTERI

The 'quest' Lux and Ahsoka had set up for Enarion and Aluxso had taken most of the morning thus far, and was an amazing success – Lux didn't think he had ever seen the twins more thrilled.

Amni and Chulya had just called to report that their respective teams were drawing near to the end point now on their separate paths. Thankfully, he and Ahsoka were almost finished with the final touches for the big finale of the party in the small valley at the foot of Temple Mountain.

Suddenly a clatter cut through the air, followed by a tentative, "Lux...?"

Lux turned to see what was the matter, and before long he found it: the ladder Ahsoka had used to get up into a tree to decorate it with streamers had fallen away, trapping her on one of the lower branches.

"Catch me," she called.

Lux nodded and walked over to stand beneath the tree, despite the fact that he knew full well she could get down just fine on her own. She pushed off the tree and let herself fall, and as soon as she was close enough, he took her by the waist and deposited her gently on the ground.

"Thanks, sweetie." She kissed him lightly on the cheek before turning to examine their work decorating the surrounding area. "We did good, I think."

Lux wrapped an arm around her shoulders, nuzzling her lekku. "And just wait till they get to open all the lovely presents we got them," he said. "Those little things they found on the scavenger hunt are nothing compared to what's waiting here for–"

Suddenly, Ahsoka shushed him, her blue eyes darting back to the pass from Temple Mountain down into the valley. "They're coming up the path now. Quick, we have to go before they see us."

"Right." Lux checked the hologram generator that would mask the usual silvery-blue of his lightsaber with an ominous reddish glow. Once certain it was stable, he turned back towards her and inclined his head. "Ready over here," he said.

"Are your contacts set to dissolve at the right time?"

"Yes. I even have them on manual control, just to be safe." Suddenly, an exuberant cry drew Lux's attention back to the mouth of the pass. "Here they are!"

Enarion's team came first, followed closely by his brother's. For a few moments the two teams seemed more occupied with shoving each other around than anything else, but as soon as they caught sight of the decorations, it became a frenzied race to the bottom of the hill.

"We've completed your quest," Alux exclaimed between breaths as the group slowed to a stop.

Lux staggered back a few steps, dropping his lightsaber. "That's... impossible!"

"You'd better believe it, Darth... whatever your name was... because we did it and we're here to take Momma back!" Enarion agreed, crossing his arms.

Lux shot a glance back at Ahsoka, who had set up a low-level force field around herself to give the illusion of being trapped. She nodded, and so he turned to address his two sons once more.

"Never have I faced such worthy opponents – especially not Jedi," Lux said. "My quest was supposed to be unbeatable... But I see now that it happened for a reason. I have been commanded to give these only to the bravest of adversaries, and you two deserve them unconditionally."

Then, Lux knelt to the ground before them and brought forth two thin, elegantly sculpted metal hilts from the back of his belt. The boys gaped, their eyes wide. They knew exactly what Lux was holding.

"These are the weapons of true Jedi Knights."

"Lucky," Aeja grumbled amidst the cheers of her brothers' friends, crossing her arms. "I didn't get my first one until I was eleven, and even then it was just a boring old hand-me-down."