The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Different Shades Of The Same Truth

AHSOKA TANO

The Jedi Temple on Cialone was very quiet this time of night. The checkpoints being guarded by the Rebel Troopers on the night watch were far away, and with almost everyone else asleep, Ahsoka strode down the long high-ceilinged halls without fear of being followed or asked where she was going.

Deep into the catacombs of the Temple she went, her steps muffled by the thin carpet as her long legs ate up the distance separating her from her destination. But it wasn't long before the smooth floors faded to rough rock under her boots, the simple but elegant mosaic to tiny pebbles that skittered as she passed through.

In these narrow stone passageways, the only real illumination came from the glow of the green fluorescent crystals native to Cialone, which had been arranged at intervals down the hall to show the way through the darkness. The air was cold and felt somehow stale, despite the presence of frigid gusts of air still passed her by every now and then.

Ahsoka winced against the cold and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Winter was fast approaching now, and this far beyond the reach of the central heating units, she longed more than anything for the warmth of her husband. He would often pull her into his arms as he slept, and rarely let her go before he awoke the next morning.

Sometimes, when the weather was very warm or Ahsoka had places to be, it was annoying. But most times, it was heaven.

But now was not the time for distracting thoughts such as those. She would return to him when her task was completed; no sooner.

Suddenly, the air began to grow warmer, or rather more charged in a way that almost emitted heat. But the energy weighing it down was far from friendly, its power lying in the echo of darker powers that still shone through even in a Jedi Temple. Ahsoka allowed herself a moment to take a few deep breaths and steel herself against what she would soon have to face.

She had to find out what happened to Anakin and the truth behind her visions, no matter the cost to herself.

Another few turns in the path and she had reached her destination. Ahsoka gazed upon the four layers of ray shields around the dome with beskar iron walls ten inches thick with a certain degree of pride, knowing it was her Jedi engineers that had designed it to open only to a few. But it was overshadowed by a sudden feeling of mental fatigue; an overwhelming desire to let go of everything and submit.

Ahsoka stood fast against it, building her mental shields up until she was like a pillar of kyber in a sandstorm. She knew she couldn't hold on forever, but he didn't need forever; in fact, she would eventually need to fall.

Thinking as one who uses the Dark Side is as good as using the Dark Side yourself, came an old quote from a book she had read as a Padawan that probably should have been in the restricted section. She could only hope it would be enough.

She glanced back behind her briefly to make sure she hadn't been followed, probing the surrounding hallway with her senses. Once satisfied she was alone, she reached out towards the small keypad that rose up above the surface of the first ray shield and entered the code. A light on the keypad flashed yellow, and she placed her right hand over the reader above it.

Another light flashed green, and the ray shield fell. She repeated the same process for each of the other three, alternating between hands and using different letter and number combinations until all the shields had been deactivated. Then, she reached out with the Force, letting memory guide her to which parts of the mechanism that ran all throughout the inside of the dome to open first.