In the end, having nothing else to do, Ahsoka decided to follow her master and this rotten sver queen to the baly of the throne room. Wheepped out onto the baly, closely followed by two zygerrian pace guards and one heavily onised uified type of droid, she found herself in the middle of a versation. Skyguy was trying hard to charm this shameless woman. Even watg it unfold felt awkward for Ahsoka. Yet, it would ter bee a material that she could freely onise against her master. Therefore, she decided to walk closer and listen into the ongoing versation more carefully, while rolling her eyes at the most awkward moments.

  “Oh Lars, you are a bold one indeed, and I like that in a man. A good sver o have ce, to take the offered opportunities. But, it is not good to be too bold, since usually those are the ones who die first. Are you one of those, Lars Quell?” — The queeioned with glinting eyes.

  “I would gdly die if that would let me bask in ylorious presence for just a seore.” — Lars answered with the shamelessness of a practiced womanizer. It almost caused Ahsoka to gag.

  ‘Seriously, how could he say something like that, especially in a pletely serious manner?’ — Ahsoka wondered internally. — ‘I feel sedhand embarrassment only from watg this.’

  Then Ahsoka’s eyes widened even further. Seeing that the queen actually blushed from that? At that point Ahsoka enly staring at the woman, w if she was dreaming all of this, and she never actually found her frieher.

  Now it seems that the queen also realized it and turned away hastily. — ‘Trying to cover your rosy cheeks, are you?’ — Ahsoka thought silently while taking in the view.

  “L-Lars... you should not say such foolish things so brazenly... Even if I do appreciate your words.” — The queen frustratedly fanned her face. — “I wish I had that cold drink. Where did that stupid girl go? I didn’t ask t the refreshments from a mile away!”

  A pair of hurried footsteps sounded behind them as the previously mentioupid girl appeared. She offered a pair of crystal gsses served on a silver pte while l her head dutifully. It was obvious with a ghat she was different from the average sves even ihe pace. Her movements were more elegant and more professional.

  No matter how pretty she looked or how elegant she was. Ahsoka could only feel fresh bile rising ihroat at the sight of her friend so openly submitting to this evil woman. There was no question about it, that she was forced to a such a humiliating mahe only thing that kept her from shing out at the horrible woman was the knowledge that her friend’s fate was about to turn to the better when they succeed with their mission.

  “Five me, mistress. I turned in the wrong way and had to trace back my steps.” — The young twi’lek said in a sad voice.

  “I see. Sometimes I wonder how you mao survive before I took you under my wing. With that scattered brain of yours, it’s a veritable miracle. I might have to order Eqomu to teach you one more lesson per week. That might mao squeeze some seo you, foolish girl.”

  Ahsoka couldn’t help but wat shock, as her friend’s expression morphed into a momentarily terrified ohe very notion of seeing her usually nont friend showcase such fear made her stomach . — ‘Was she... was she beaten so much that she broke down and already gave up hope?’ — While Ahsoka was immersed in the vast sea of terrible possibilities that her imagination actively jured, the versation flowed onwards.

  “Mistress, please spare me. It won’t happen again.” — Nizzal’s words veyed such desperation it was threatening to break Ahsoka’s heart. Yet the queen seemed to hold no mercy as she narrowed her eyes, lecturing her in a strict tone.

  “That settles it then, since you choose to talk bae in front of my guest. One more lesson per week from now on.” — She stated with finality, and Nizzal seemed to accept it with a pitiful expression.

  ‘I never saw Nizzy look as crestfallen as she was now. What tortures must have this Eqomu doo her... I looked at Anakin, as fear began to gnaw at me for my dear friend. She is punished because of our arrival here, so we have to free her!’ — Ahsoka pleaded with her eyes towards her master.

  Anakin’s features already lost their previous edge. Being quite soft as he saw both girl’s lost expression.

  While Anakin was momentarily angered by Nizzal’s presence. Because both Ahsoka and Rika, not eveioning his master, have bee quite depressed after the troublesome twi’lek’s arroga. If one could call it that to begin with. Even Obi-Wan seemed to be worried and sad about how things turned out in the end. Adding one more traumatic experieo the long lists that weighed down oroubled man’s shoulders.

  Irospect, the jedi cil itself seemed tret their as in ning the girl. Especially sihe revetion that they have likely offended an order with a history that ts ihousands of years. Anakin almost scoffed at the thought, knowing all too well that no matter if the cil has regretted it or not, they would likely do it again. If for nothing else, then just to keep up their appearances. He khis to be true, which was also proved by the fact that the cil was yet to revoke the search warrant on the girl. They were so infuriatingly hypocritical about this entire busihat it somewhat shook his, and through him, her padawan’s very belief in the order. Were the jedi just as hypocritical in their other dealings? Or was this a rare exemption? Anakin wondered occasionally. Luckily for him, he was a jedi himself, and therefore knew in fact that the cil was more often right than wrong in their dealings. Something about this other force sect, however, made them ausually hypocritical, and judgemental.

  No matter that, because seeing where her rapid escape he mischievous twi’lek force user. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility for the ensved youngling. It felt s to see her a lih such humility and orderlihat it made him feel a sense of pity for her. Not eveioning the guilt. Anakin knew very well what being a sve felt like. He k more than he would like to admit. And the more he saw the way the queeed the girl, the more infuriated he became. There was a growing urge inside him, ohat demanded him to alleviate the queen’s head from her shoulders. It ity that this was not the time for that, and a jedi was not supposed to think that way to begin with.

  Ahsoka khat the order was not genuinely wrong. There was much good in the Jedi Order, she khis as any jedi knew, but she also uood now that the good that represented most of the order was often blinded by prejudid fear. The way they treated Nizzal as an unknown force user was a simple show of that. On the surface, most of the jedi acted politely and showed no hostility, while iy they were searg for a reason, any reason, to judge her from the beginning.

  This made Ahsoka develop some very flicted feelings about the order and, having no one else to turn to, she decided to speak with her master. Only to find out that her master was increasingly hard to find, or more like, impossible. She didn’t even remember whe saw him, aside from missions, giving their reports to the cil, or eating in the tina of the temple. Also, those times are not really meant to solve personal trust issues.

  She sighed dejectedly. Well, if nothing else, she will have to ask Obi’Wan, or even Master Yoda. Yet if she does that, they will ask: why didn’t she talk about this with her master, and what could she tell them to that question? She ’t lie to them because they will se, and figure it out on their own, but if she tells the truth, their rea will be possibly even worse. In the end, they will reprimand Anakin, possibly even punish him for not supervising his padawan, like at all? She actually had a special love for messing with her master, but this wouldn’t be funny anymore, and Anakin would take it as a betrayal... There was also the one pert possibility that the cil would actually decide to choose her another, more experienced master. She didn’t even want to think about that possibility. Her master was at best annoying, yet he was mostly positively annoying... Is that even a thing? Her long line of thoughts was interrupted as the queen and Anakin finally fiheir ridiculous flirt session, finally. She looked up as the queen began to give orders.

  “Guards show Lars Quell to a first css guest room. Order the sves t him food and drink whenever he desires so.” — With that said, the queen turned back towards Anakin and added almost purringly. — “In the evening hours, I hope to see you in the garden. We will discuss the price of your sve in the pany of excellent food and fine wine prepared by my pace chef.”

  “There is no need. I wish to gift this oo you, my queen.” — Answered Anakin.

  “I appreciate your offer, Lars Quell. Although, I have to deny it, I have long had learhat the things without a price are the ohat we usually pay with the most.”

  The woman’s smile faltered as she called out for her servant.

  “Nizzy!”

  “Yes, mistress?”

  The woman’s gaze momentarily focused on Ahsoka as if she had just remembered about her existence.

  “I leave this... wild togruta in your care for now. Take her to Eqomu for a reevaluation. Also, teach her some basiners. Her hateful looks, although amusing, they will get bothersome ter. We have to stifle them early on. Otherwise, it would hinder her potential as a proper sve.”

  Nizzal hesitated for a sed before answering in a ral tone. Ohat irked Ahsoka to no end and earhe twi’lek a harsh gre from both the queen and Ahsoka.

  “I uand, mistress.” — She said eventually, avoiding both of their eyes.

  “Emma will take your shift by my side today, so you will have the time to show around the ret addition.”

  “I uand, mistress. I won’t disappoint you.”

  “I would expeothing less. Now, get out of my sight. I o prepare myself for a dinner.”

  Nizzal bowed hastily, then grabbed Ahsoka’s arm and began t her back to the throne room. Then through the richly decorated corridors, only to enter a just as beautiful room that had a small baly of its own. The room had quite a few colorful pnts and flowers, luxuriously decorating it. There was even a er with a high-css puter and a few other eleic gadgets, which were in different states of assembling.

  Ahsoka didn’t know what they were doing in such a room. She was kind of shocked that she just dragged her here, suddenly. Without any words or expnation. She looked at her friend’s face questioningly. To her surprise, the twi’lek girl anig? Did she drag her here without any pn or further thoughts? She almost chuckled at the thought and quickly decided to help her out.

  “So... whose room is this?” — Ahsoka asked that was most relevant to their predit. She wasn’t going to talk about sensitive things in some random zyggerian noble’s room.

  “Mine...” — Came the answer, an ahat immediately diverted her thoughts from their initial track.

  “What? Are you joking?” — She blurted out her thoughts without thinking them through. The whole situatio absurd.

  “No... It’s really mine.” — The girl answered again.

  A heavy sileretched betweewo before Ahsoka spoke up again.

  “Okay... It looks nice.” — She squeezed the words out with some effort.

  What was going on here? Ahsoka's mind whirled in siletempting to figure out how a simple sve could live in such a luxurious room.

  “Thanks! I like it too.” — Nizzal answered with a small smile. Ohat mao frustrate Ahsoka even more.

  ‘I swear that it’s not that I am jealous or something, but she has a ten times bigger room than mine in the order, with a damn baly while she is a sve... Something isn’t right here… okay fine... maybe I am a bit jealous, but this doesn’t make any sense…’ — Ahsoka thought internally attempting and failing to uand what was going on.

  While she tried to figure it out, the awkward sileretched on.

  “So... you and Skywalker... what are you pnning to do here?” — Nizzal asked eventually, seeing how her friend was suddenly lost ihoughts.

  Asoka raised one of her eyebrows at that. — ‘Was she trying to figure out our mission? That would be the blu spying attempt, like ever.’ — She wohis question also frustrated her to no end, as if Nizzal was suggesting that they were troubling her with their presence. Ahsoka felt as if something that was suppressed from the shock of seeing her dearly missed friend finally snapped inside her. She began to speak with her emotions slowly shing out, raising her words far above of the volume that was inally intended.

  “Is this… Is this seriously the first thing you ask of me after all this time? YOU STUPID TWI’LEK!”

  Said twi’lek wi that, but Ahsoka was far from finished.

  “Do you know how long I waited to find you? I was worried for you. I just wao know that you are at least alive and maybe healthy, but you just disappeared like you never eveed.” — Ahsoka took a few ragged breaths then tinued with her rant.

  “Now, I find you as the servant of a sver queen living in a luxury pace while growing flowers? Only to be questioned about my presence here? Why are you here?! IDIOT! You didn’t even give me a hug after two entire years! And why do you look the same as two years ago? This is just so fusing!”

  Ahsoka sensed as two small hands hesitantly offered her a shy hug. All that while she was making aremely unfortable expression, her cheeks reddening from a fresh sense of shame, no doubt.

  Ahsoka froze for a sed, then basically jumped at her old friend, giving her a real tight hug. Threatening to suffocate the now smaller girl. It was at that time when her hands actally found a der-shaped object hidden ihe smaller twi’lek’s robes.

  Her eyes snapped open as she brushed over the objece again, this time iionally.

  ‘Is that a lightsaber? How could she, as a sve, have a lightsaber?’ — Ahsoka wondered silently, as she broke away from the hug while agilely slipping out the object from Nizzal’s robes, which a no doubt surprised the irl, seeing how her eyes wide the sight of her on in her friend’s hands.

  There was a moment of silence as the two girls shared a look of uainty.

  “I was right... you actually have a lightsaber on you.” — Ahsoka stated in growing fusion.

  She activated the bde with the iion of testing its funality. As it came to life, it was ihe same silver color, with the dark gray shadows dang around its edge. The same as she remembered.

  There was another moment of silehen Ahsoka blurted out her question.

  “Nizzy... are you w for the queen, for a sver on your own accord? I ot expin you having access to your bde in any other way…” — She demanded an answer.

  “Well, of course I am w for her, since I am one of her handmaidens… On my own accord? Nah… I am not that bored, nor that masochistic.”

  Ahsoka looked on with a strict gaze, expeg more expnation. Nizzal, seeing the way her friend looked at her, sighed and gave in. — “Look, you see this colr? It’s beskar. I ’t cut it even with a lightsaber. Quite frankly, she grabbed me by my tail… I ’t escape on my own. If I want to live, that is.”

  Ahsoka thought about it, but instead of accepting Nizzal’s reasoning, she felt an urge to further question her friend. Something didn’t sit well with her story and it still wouldn’t expin why she had a lightsaber. It sounded like an awful risk for any sver to allow a trained force sensitive to have access to such a on.

  “Oh, really... And how many of the other sves have their own lightsabers? Just don’t say that each of the sves has one, because what I saw iy on the way to the pace doesn’t make that statement believable.” — Ahsoka stated sarcastically.

  Ahsoka waited for a proper expnation while crossing her arms over her chest, yet the only thing she got was Nizzal’s worried expression as she bit into her lower lip anxiously.

  “Sigh... I am waiting for a detailed expnation girl, don’t just stand there like a fish out of water! Oh, and don’t try to stretch the time. I have learned a few ricks since I st saw you. The result of our duel would be quite different now, especially since I got your only on here.” — Ahsoka looked at Nizzal’s face. She was giving her a doubtful expression, but more importantly… Why was she so damn small? She truly didn’t ge at all iwo years.

  ‘I am bigger, with aire head now. It is weird. I think even Rika is taller than her now. — Ahsoka turned off the silver lightsaber on a whim and added the following words as a snide remark with the iion of ruffling Nizzal’s feathers a bit.

  “On sed thought, probably not a good idea. It would feel like bullying a helpless little kid. Isn’t that right, shorty?”

  The moment those words left her mouth, Ahsoka immediately khat she had mao get under her skin! She was givihat stare, after all.

  “So why are you so damn small, anyway? You didn’t even grow a millimeter over two years. Are you a dwarf? I have nothing against dwarfs, of course, but not growing at ye isn’t normal. So what will it be? Should I call you Miss Shortiness, or Oh Short One from now on?”

  Nizzal was fuming at the time. Her eyes even flickered with a yellow hue for a sed. Ahsoka was starting to worry that her lessons on how to rile up your enemy might have been too effective for her own good. All thanks to her dear master. At least if Grandmaster Yoda asks, what is Anakin’s specialty? She could say proudly that he was a master of snide remarks and well versed in all types of word-fu.

  While Ahsoka’s mind wandered around, she kept a close wat the angry twi’lek’s movements. In the end, she decided that the girl needed o tiny little push.

  “So what is it, shorty?” — Ahsoka chirped and was rewarded with the outburst of the infuriated ss.

  “Stop calling me like that! I am not short, it’s normal for my age!” — She stomped cutely on the carpet covered floor.

  “You know, you told me that two years ago, and I agreed, but now, this excuse is getting kind of ridiculous.” — Ahsoka shot back without a blink of an eye.

  Nizzal turned beet red from hearing that.

  “NO, IT’S NOT! Nothing really ged, on my part, that is…” — She admitted at st. — “I am still the same age as I was back then.”

  Ahsoka raised her eyebrows at that... This joke was getting out of hand, she thought.

  “Shorty... I hate to be the oo say this, but you are delusional.” — She stated.

  “NO! Let me finish! It didn’t ge for me specifically, because...”

  “Oh, for the love of the force, please just don’t say that you are a vampire... That would be hel ge!” — Ahsoka said teasingly.

  “What? No, why would you even suggest...” — She sighed, slowly, just realising that she was iionally riled up. — “I hate you sometimes…”

  Ahsoka chuckled at that. — “I guess, the feeling is mutual than!”

  Nizzal looked sad hearing that, and it made Ahsoka wanting to take back that st retort, only it was too te to do so as the irl sighed dejectedly and tinued her expnation.

  “... Well, I guess I see your point, kind of... nevermind. It’s because I was frozen in carboil two weeks ago... when the queen bought me, and I was freed from hibernation. Ironically, when I finally awoke in this room, I was already colred and shackled, so I didn’t have much of a choice, really... I ged a smaller prison for a bigger one... At least I am scious here, but I think that exact fact is not alositive.”

  When she said that, she subsciously massaged the inner side of her wrists and forearms. Ahsoka could swear that she saw a glint of an ugly injury that filled her with a sense hteous fury just before the girl hastily covered it up with those long sleeves of her clothes.

  She felt shaken by the urn of events. Realizing that the girl didn’t have a ce to leave her a message in this whole two years. This also expined many other things about her disappearance. After all, people may lie low for a while, but they never disappear pletely, not if they are alive, and that thought was somewhat troubling.

  “I still ’t seem to uand why you act like a scared little girl and not get the hell away from here? You almost escaped from the Jedi Order? Then you actually mao escape from that highly secured prisoransporter ship. Which was guarded by Master Kenobi. How did you even mao do that in the first pce? And now, you have a lightsaber on you and didn’t even try to get away. Why?”

  The pouting girl proceeded to pull orangely shining colr pced around her neck. It immediately sent a spark of electricity through her, resulting in a subdued groan.

  The room was once again filled in a bit of awkward silence.

  “Ah, yeah, that stuff… Did you actually try to cut it off, or were you so gullible to believe the queen’s words on face value?”

  Nizzal seemed to be surprised by this question, and she answered hesitantly. — “I, ugh… She wouldn’t give me the saber if she wasirely sure that I ’t cut it off. That’s just on sense.” — She protested, and Ahsoka rolled her eyes, realizing that the girl in fact didn’t try to cut it off.

  Soka reactivated Nizzal’s borrowed lightsaber, with the clear iion to remedy that, but to her surprise, the irl jumped away from her. She was afraid.

  “Don’t you dare to do that. You will y head actally.” — She protested while bag away.

  “What? How rude. I am a Jedi Padawan, and three years older than you. That means I have three more years of experienow stop bag away!”

  “Stop, it’s not that I don’t trust you... but you ’t cut this colr off!”

  “Oh, so you have already tried?”

  “Well... no, but...”

  “Then move your ass over here!”

  “You ’t cut it, it’s made from beskar didn’t you pay any attention to what I told you! So put down that damn bde already.”

  “Oh... and how do you know it’s really made from beskar?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but it looks like beskar, it’s weight seems to be corred even if you mao cut it off, somehow, where would I go? I am on a pletely unfamiliar p. Where almost any twi’lek is sidered being a sve immediately, I would stick out from the crowd way too much. I at least need some feasible pns first. So chill out!”

  “Well, you may have a point there... But that still doesn’t expin why you have yhtsaber?”

  “Sigh... I am the secret guard of the queen... I o have a on to protect her...” — The girl admitted at st.

  “... What? You are proteg that woman? Are you crazy?” — Was the expected answer from Ahsoka’s side.

  “I am not... sigh... I am forced to do so! ’t you see?”

  “What I see is that you are living a fortable life in a pace while you very fortably ighe injustice, the cruelty of these svers objectifying life left and right, while yrowing flowers and pying video games!”

  “What am I supposed to do?” — The girl throws up her arms in frustration. — “Teach them of their uncivilised evil ways? Ahsoka, these zygerrians were svers thousands of years ago, and they will be svers thousands of years from now. It is their instinct to ehers. You may mao swing a few to yoal, but they won’t ge only if you force them to, and at the moment the enfort falters, they will go back to their inal ways.”

  “How would you know that so sure? Even if you had visions from the force, those visions could ge. They only show a likely possibility, not a certainty.” — Ahsoka argued back.

  “Believe me, I know it. I have seen it happen... In the past.”

  “How would you see something like that? Were you frozen in carboher times, too? Is that how you go on a weekend in your order?”

  “No... don’t mind that...”

  “Another secret than?”

  “It’s… plicated….”

  “For the love of the force, tell me, how old are you? Tell me, or I won’t talk to you ever again.” — Ahsoka demanded, enraged by her friend once again hiding things from her.

  “... Don’t act like a child, please...” — Nizzal pleaded weakly.

  As, Ahsoka decided to ignore her pletely, and for once pull through ohreat.

  Of course, Nizzal tried to weaken her resolve with different types of questions and distras. She even offered her a slice of cake at one point. It only enraged her, further solidifying her decision.

  ‘Seriously? A slice of cake that was her best shot? She was definitely looking down on me. I am not that goofy child from two years ago, and you will see it!’ — Ahsoka swore to herself.