Ahsoka, Daughter of the Light (Book 2): Shadows

Chapter 1: The Slums

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka walked through the streets of Coruscant. This was an environment of all sorts of people, including the weak-minded. She would have to use some mind tricks here and there, or else she would starve to death.

She had ditched her combat suit for an outfit that made her look less like a Jedi and more like an Engineer. She was no longer a Jedi, after all, so there was no need to go around looking right now. Not to mention she was going through a growth spurt, and the old combat suit was starting to get quite small on her.

Even doing so much as to think of the word "Jedi" brought nothing but painful memories to Ahsoka's mind. All her memories of the Jedi, from first meeting Anakin on Christophsis to saving his neck on Cato Neimoidia, was now tainted with biterness and despair. The Order was her home, and for them to just... cast her out like that!? She couldn't bear think of it.

Now, the closest thing she had to a home was Onderon. She had spent some time there a while back to liberate it from separatist control, and fell in love with the planet's Senator, Lux Bonteri. Right now, that was where she had to go. She really had no other option. The underworld of Coruscant was dangerous, with crime lords and gangs at every turn. That wasn't the type of place she wanted to live in. Right now, she wanted to live on Onderon with the love of her life. It was her only path, at least right now.

Ahsoka's stomach growled.

Aw, kirff, she thought, I need to eat something.

It had been well over a day since she last ate. Her only source of food had been mind-tricking weak-minded salespeople, so that's what she had to do now.

She walked up to a stand that was selling some food. It was being run by a grey Twi'lek male.

Ahsoka tried her best to look like a poor little Togruta who was in need of food, which she essentially was.

"H-hey," Ahsoka said to the salesman, "d-do you have any meilooruns?

"Why, of course," said the salesman.

"W-would you please give me one? I'm... I'm starving..."

"Sorry, kid, I don't give out my fruits for free. Do you have any idea how much of a hassle it is to get these meilooruns to Coruscant nowadays?"

"P-please?" Ahsoka begged.

"No," said the salesman, "I can't. You don't have any idea how many homeless beings would line up asking for free meilooruns if I did it just once."

"Okay then..." Ahsoka said before she waved her fingers in front of the man's face.

"You will give me a meiloorun free of charge."

The salesman seemed to think for a moment. Just when Ahsoka thought the mind trick had failed, he complied.

"You know what," said the salesman, "I will give you a meiloorun free of charge. I guess there's nothing wrong with helping someone out."

He pulled a meiloorun out of a basket and handed it to Ahsoka.

"T-thank you!" Ahsoka said.

"You are very welcome," the salesman replied.

The two waved at each other as she walked away and ate the meiloorun. It was delicious, especially after going so long without drinking.

After she was done eating the delicious fruit, she found an alley to hunker down in and sleep for the night. She laid down on a crate, and her exhausted body drifted off to sleep.