Flaws of the Jedi

Alive - Part Three (Final Part)

{Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that the redesigned outfit of Astoria is above, once again drawn by myself! I personally believe this drawing is much better than the first, and the outfit is quite a bit improved, especially considering Astoria's home world; Endor. I hope you all like it! That's all for now; enjoy this chapter! ;) }

Narrator POV:
Have you ever thought about how you would feel if your parents died? You'd be upset, right? Anyone would be; that's just how things are usually. Astoria, however, was struck with a feeling of freedom and mild joy when she thought her parents had passed away. At first, yes, she grieved them; but she had gotten over it quickly. They had controlled her, after all. They got her arm cut off, caused her multiple mental issues, and abused her in awful ways. Why should she grieve people who were never there for her even once? She barely had anyone all those years, and the ones she did have were seldom able to see her. She never wanted her parents to be alive after she found out they were supposedly dead. Now they were alive again. Usually if you find out your parents are alive after being told they were dead, you would be happy... Astoria was broken upon receiving the news...

Astoria POV:
I cried when I was told they were alive. I nearly collapsed into Ezra's arms. He held me close and tightly, lightly rubbing my back as he tried to comfort me, tried to calm me down. As much as I appreciated him caring so much, it didn't help. I cried a lot for a while. My vision was constantly fogged with tears. I kept thinking to myself 'They're supposed to be dead... why aren't they dead...? They should be dead...!' And how wrong could that be? They were supposed to be dead and they certainly deserved to be! And it's a valid question to ask 'Why aren't they dead? How are they alive?'

I cried for a very long time in Ezra's arm while Master Kenobi explained to Anakin and Ahsoka what happened, how he got this information, how they could be stopped, how and why they're dangerous, etc.

My heart ached, I couldn't think straight, my mind was whirring with emotions and thoughts. I was a mess. I knew eventually I would end up having a panic attack, it was now only a matter of time. I just wanted to live my life without the anxiety of being hit, whipped, punched, or starved... and I was able to live like that for a while. But now the anxiety of that was back.

I didn't doubt that the people that I love would be able to protect me from them. They would never let anything bad happen to me. I knew that they would do anything and everything in their power to keep me safe - and I would do the same for them. But still... just knowing that my parents were alive was enough to trigger all of my mental... 'issues'.

My schizophrenia was acting up now, making me see and hear things that made me want to just scream and yell to stop. My anxiety was triggered as I was now scared of ever seeing my parents again. Lastly, my paranoia was acting up... would they find me? What would happen if they did? Would they try to immediately draw their lightsabers on me, or would they try to talk to me? Would they try to actually kill me? Would they do so if they got the chance?

My head began to ache, along with my chest.

"Ezra..." I whispered, "P-Please don't let me go..."

He seemed to understand what I meant: 'Don't let them get to me...'

He held me closer and continued to lightly rub my back.

"I won't..." He quietly responded, "I won't let anything bad happen to you, Astoria..."

I held onto him tighter. My sobbing continued. I didn't believe that it would cease for a very long while...

Narrator POV:
Anakin and Ahsoka felt awful once Obi-Wan had finished explaining everything. Not only were Astoria's parents still alive, but they were also Sith. If they ever got their hands on Astoria again - or any of them, for that matter - it would certainly not end well.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin began after a moment of silence, "You said they own a casino chain, right?"

"Yes... a very unfair one," He replied, "Normally full of gang members and criminals and such."

"Is there a casino here on Coruscant?"

"I'm not sure... I haven't been able to look at any locations yet."

"There are a few..." Astoria said quietly as she lightly pulled out of Ezra's grasp, but still remained very close to him, "They have at least two on nearly every popular planet in Korell... Naboo, Endor, Tatooine, Jakku, Hoth, Bespin, Alderaan, Lothal, and Coruscant..."

"It sounds like they're planning something then..." Ahsoka stated.

"Yeah... but what?" Anakin inquired.

"Only time will tell... hopefully we'll stop them, though." Obi-Wan said.

Astoria nodded at Obi-Wan's comment, then held onto Ezra's arm kind of tightly. It was clear she would refuse to be alone at the moment. And who could blame her? Her parents were still out there, likely planning and plotting ways to get their daughter - their slave - back.

Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Ezra, and Kanan all refused to let them do so, though. They all knew from experience that Astoria would never let anything happen to them, so they felt it was time to return the favor.

"Ezra, take Astoria back to her quarters while we..-" Obi-Wan began, but was interrupted by his and Astoria's mission alerts beeping. They both grabbed their alerts and, upon turning them on, their eyes filled with horror. Astoria looked over to Obi-Wan and shook her head a little.

"Please no... I.. I can't go..!" She cried.

"It'll be quick. I'll make sure they can't hurt you.." He replied.

"What? What's going on..?" Ezra asked, keeping Astoria close as he sensed her fear.

"Astoria's parents are at their main Coruscant Casino location right now... we may never have a better time to get rid of them than now..." Obi-Wan informed Ezra, and the others.

"We're coming, too, then. We won't let you two do this alone," Anakin said, obviously not willing to accept objections.

"Ok... we may need all the help we can get.." Obi-Wan said, "Astoria, you'll need to focus if we're going to be able to do this... can you try to do so?"

After a moment, she nodded and held onto Ezra's arm a bit tighter.

"I-I can try...." She said quietly.

"Ok... lets go then."

They went to the hangar and boarded a ship. They flew quickly to the heart of Coruscant's main city where they found the casino they were looking for. Astoria stared at it in what one could only describe as horror. It had a glowing sign atop it that read...

"Cannossis Casino: Coruscant City"

Astoria was obviously a little ashamed to even be related to the people who owned this casino. But who wouldn't be, really?

They managed to sneak in a side door and reach a dim room where about four people were seated around a poker table. One was a tall, muscular Twi'lek man. Another was a youthful Togruta. Astoria did not seem concerned with those two though. She stared on at the end of the table where a woman and a man were seated. The man had light brown hair and green-ish blue eyes and wore a black suit with a deep maroon tie. The woman had dark brown, wavy hair and green eyes and her cheeks her spotted with freckles... she resembled Astoria. She wore a long, skinny, deep maroon dress that matched the man's tie.

The woman spoke in a dark, mildly threatening tone.

"Ah, Astoria dear... so nice of you to join us... it's been too long."