The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Makings Of A Leader

JANIRA BONTERI

It was another two days before Janira finally found the time to pick up her comm and make the dreaded call. Perhaps she had been putting it off a little, and purposefully seeking out new things to do, but to be fair, she had been very busy.

While Saw's sudden departure had been kept as quiet as possible, Jani knew it had put the higher-ups in a panic. Patrols around the Atollon system had tripled to protect the fledgeling base, but few other ships were even allowed off the planet.

Saw had stated no terms or motives before he left, and while it was nearly impossible the entire Partisan group would have defected as one, the possibility that they had gone and shared Rebellion secrets with the Empire was simply too great to overlook.

But Jani knew that wasn't true. There was no one more loyal to the Rebel cause than Saw was, and she was determined to do everything in her power to prove it to anyone who doubted it.

Absentmindedly, her fingers drifted to her neck, playing with the chain of the necklace she had started wearing again after so many years. In the past few weeks, it had become the most valuable thing she owned, because of all the memories that converged around it.

And, as her father often said, the past was a powerful thing. Jani just hoped it would be enough to convince Saw to talk to her after months of radio silence.

And so she entered his number in her comm and sat down to wait. As the comm began to ring to let her know it had established a communications link and was waiting for a return signal, she tried to picture what was going through Saw's mind right now.

Perhaps he was staring at it with an indecisive frown – or would it be a demeaning glare? Or maybe he would be in a meeting and not even be able to answer at all.

It was almost a surprise when he actually picked up.

"We need to talk," she said, "and it can't wait."

"You should not have called. Someone could be tracking the signal."

"Do you think I would let anyone do that? There's no way anyone could use it to find you; no one here at the base even knows I have your number, save Ahsoka."

"Who could report it to Rebel Command."

"Saw, look at me. Look at me." Janira stared him down until he met her gaze, and once she had his eyes on her, she yanked her necklace from around her neck and held it up to him. "You remember this – of course you do. You gave it to me the day you said you wanted to marry me. Now you take a good, long look at it and ask yourself – really ask yourself – if I would ever betray you."

For a moment, he held her gaze, as stubbornly and as unrelenting as she herself was. But then, he looked down, and she knew she had won. "I'm... sorry."

"You should know better than to doubt the people closest to you, Saw."

"Sometimes, I have no choice. Rebel Command's influence extends far within our ranks, and anyone not directly loyal to me could have reason to sell me out."

"They're not the Empire, Saw. They still want freedom for the galaxy; they just have different ways of getting the same results than you do. And let's face it, you haven't exactly been setting the right example for your way."

They went a long moment without speaking, but before long, she grew tired of the silence hanging over them like a cloud. "Saw, we need you back. There isn't any room in the Rebellion for chasing after conspiracy theories – least of all now. We need everyone focusing on the tasks they need to complete for us to be able to strike at the Empire where it hurts. The Onderon unit will be helpless without you."