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Auratera is shockingly beautiful.
Luke had said something about there being a vergence in the Force on Auratera, which draws in anyone Sensitive to the Force like moths to a flame. She isn’t sure about that, but then, she isn’t sure about most stuff having to do with the Force. That’s really her brother’s domain – she has enough concerns in the physical world that she doesn’t have the time in any given day to worry about the metaphysical.
Even now, visiting a planet to find an unfathomably ancient Jedi Temple, her mission has less to do with the mystical properties of a vergence and more to do with the stores of records apparently kept deep under the planet’s surface. No, the weird Force stuff is being handled by her companion, Ahsoka Tano.
“Got a read on a decent landing spot?” Ahsoka asks, sauntering into the room as if summoned by Leia’s thoughts.
She pulls her eyes from the view to check her coordinates and scans again. “Whatever hangars once existed near the actual Temple are long gone, we’re going to have to land a ways out and hike in. I’ve got a clearing picked out, near some kind of former settlement.”
“Could be the former Jedi outpost, actually,” she says thoughtfully. “Jedi didn’t stay within the Temple itself because it could be overwhelming.”
“Should I be worried? Luke said it was perfectly safe.” Leia isn’t afraid of a danger, but whatever’s in this Temple is far enough outside her skillset that it makes her a little nervous. She can’t shoot mystical, invisible forces she doesn’t understand with her blaster. Or, well, she can, but she doesn’t imagine it’ll be very effective.
“No, no, it’s fine… at least, I think it is. It should be.”
“Thanks for your comforting words, Fulcrum,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Do we have an exit strategy or are we going to head vaguely in that direction and hope for the best?”
“No need to hope when we can trust in the Force,” Ahsoka teases. “But let’s maybe land the ship and then cross whatever bridge we find when we come to it?”
Leia sighs. These Jedi types are far too impulsive, she thinks, and then very pointedly does not think about all the times her father had chided her for her own impulsivity. In fact, Ahsoka’s right, and the ship needs to be landed, and she will dedicate every ounce of concentration to that.
Ahsoka, it turns out, is also right about this being the Jedi’s old outpost. It is, however, empty of anything valuable. When they were recalled to Coruscant, they must’ve taken everything important. There are only scattered parts for a project one of them must have been working on, long-expired ration bars that would probably taste just as awful as current ones, a couple of posters for shows that Ahsoka laughs at, nothing that would be worth taking with them now, and they’re heading into the woods before long.
It’s a treacherous path, nearly overrun due to decades of neglect. The trees stretch up to the sky, but even beneath the dense foliage it’s almost unbearably bright. The ground is a mess of colours, flowers and ferns in colours so vivid it’s surreal, small animals scurrying around underfoot without fear. Larger animals move just out of sight, and while they don’t bother her or Ahsoka, Leia feels certain that should either of them prove hostile in any way, the predators would be upon them in an instant.
Everything almost… hums. There’s a presence to these woods, a presence to every creature and every plant within it.
“The Living Force is so strong here,” Ahsoka comments. She sounds awed, staying impressively upright for someone whose eyes aren’t on their feet.
Leia breathes in deeply, filling her lungs with the hot, dense air. “It’s definitely a lot.”
“I can see why the Knights of old were drawn in.”
“I can’t,” she says, tripping over a tree branch and shooting it an irritable scowl. She catches a glimpse of vivid, glowing purple eyes. One of the predators, she guesses, but they’re gone again too quickly to get any kind of read.
Ahsoka gives her an unreadable look, but continues. “At least it isn’t sand.”
“It would be just like Luke to let us suffer through the sand planets in his place,” Leia jokes lightly. “He hates sand. Comes from growing up in a desert, I think.”
“Sand is coarse, rough, and irritating,” Ahsoka says agreeably, her voice tight with suppressed laughter. She waves Leia’s questioning noise away, simply saying, “It’s an old joke.”
They hike through the dense undergrowth for a few moments without speaking, but the forest is so full of life that even without speaking, there’s constant noise.
Leia’s tracker is displaying nothing but static, but she’s not too surprised. When it comes to the Force, whatever can go wrong will. Luckily, she’d banked on technological difficulties, and her padd has maps generated by satellite images and her scans from orbit. The maps are… less helpful than she’d hoped, honestly. All she knows is that they need to go north by northwest, about twenty klicks.
Her compass is also on the fritz, but she and Ahsoka both agree that the outpost is to their backs, so they’re going in the right direction.
“I can see something over that way,” Ahsoka says suddenly. “Some sort of building?”
Leia squints but she can’t make anything out between the trees. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t think it’s the Temple, but it might be another outpost of some kind. Maybe there are better maps in there.”
Lacking in a better plan, she agrees easily enough and they start trekking through the woods that way, and as they get closer, Leia begins to make out the hazy details of what looks like a large gate with a few small buildings behind.
Standing in front of the gates are two figures, both wreathed in glowing blue. Force Ghosts, Leia realizes, her stomach swooping. It’s only upon approaching that she realizes it’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, albeit a version of him far more in line with the holos her father had shown her, where he was younger and spryer. He’s arguing very animatedly with a much taller man that she doesn’t recognize at all, and neither of them seem to notice her and Ahsoka approaching.
“—just saying, Qui-Gon, that this is a dangerous vergence in the Force.”
“You worry far too much, Padawan,” the taller man, presumably Qui-Gon, says dismissively.
General Kenobi pinches the bridge of his nose and looks like he’s staving off a headache, and if ghosts can get headaches, Leia wonders why they wouldn’t just embrace the sweet release of death.
“Master Obi-Wan?” Ahsoka calls.
He turns in surprise, and so does Qui-Gon. “Ahsoka!” General Kenobi says, smiling. “And Leia! What brings you here?”
“Recon for Luke,” Leia answers. “We’re on our way to the Temple.”
Qui-Gon blinks. “That’s in the opposite direction,” he says, as if she should’ve known that. “Are you lost?”
“No,” Leia says, at the same time that Ahsoka says “Probably.” Leia turns a swift glare on her companion, and Ahsoka shrugs.
General Kenobi chuckles. “It is very easy to get turned around when the path is not clear. The Temple can be near impossible to find without direction.”
“We’ll get there,” Leia says confidently. “Something in the electromagnetic field is messing with our locators, but we’re following the sat images.”
“Technology won’t help you, down here. You need to feel the path within, use the Force to discern your direction,” Qui-Gon tells her, and honestly, his tone is a little condescending, and she really isn’t one to respond positively to that kind of attitude, but General Kenobi steps in before she can tell him where he can shove that idea.
“Don’t knock tech, Qui-Gon. Just because you can’t use it doesn’t mean it’s not useful. Let them do it their way.”
Qui-Gon thinks on it for a second, and then grins. “You’re right. The best way to do anything is your own.”
“I wouldn’t go that far –”
“And the most incredible things in life are the ones you find off the path.”
“Okay, sure, but we do actually need to get to the Temple at some point,” Leia said.
General Kenobi and Qui-Gon share a smile. “You’ll get there,” Qui-Gon says confidently. “But don’t be in such a rush. You’ll miss the flowers.”
Leia looks pointedly at the flowers on the ground, which practically glow. “They’re difficult to miss.”
“Easier than you think. Mind your feet lest they lead you astray.”
“And what would that mean?” Leia tries to demand, but from one blink to the next, Qui-Gon is gone. She turns expectantly to General Kenobi.
He chuckles. “If you only knew how often I’ve gotten that look… Cleaning up Qui-Gon’s messes was my primary responsibility as his Padawan. You’ll figure out what he meant or you won’t, and there’s no use worrying either way. There isn’t always a meaning. Sometimes he just says things to be kind of a dick.”
Ahsoka barks out a laugh. “So that’s where you got it from, Master Obi-Wan.”
“Ahsoka, dearheart,” he says, just the tiniest hint of a smile lurking around his features. “Why must you say such mean things to your old Grandmaster?”
“It’s not mean if it’s true,” she retorts cheerfully.
“I think it’s even meaner if it’s true. Master Yoda still calls me Qui-Gon’s Padawan when he’s annoyed with me.” He sounds fond, the clear affection in his voice overriding whatever edge his words contain. “I don’t think you need any directions from me to get where you’re going.”
“Are you sure? We’ve gotten pretty turned around, I think,” Ahsoka admits, just a shade sheepishly. “I can’t get a clear sense of anything here.”
“The vergence is very distracting,” General Kenobi says agreeably, although the politician in Leia notices that he doesn’t exactly say that that’s why they’re lost, or that it has anything to do with him not giving them directions. “But I’m certain you’ll find your way together.”
Ahsoka squints at him for a second, and then huffs out another laugh. “Okay, okay. I got it. Thank you.”
“Good luck. Mind your feet,” he says wryly, echoing Qui-Gon’s cryptic advice. “It was lovely seeing you both.”
“You as well,” Ahsoka says warmly, and then he’s gone as if he’d never been there.
Seeing General Kenobi like this was… weird, to say the least. She’d spoken with him a few times now, but never without Luke, and never when anyone else he knew was around. This time, he was joking and teasing Ahsoka and Qui-Gon, a snarky edge to his advice that was never there when he guided Luke. It was nice, honestly. Her image of him is mostly based on stories others have told her: the great war hero, the wise mentor, master politician and tactician. It’s only occurring to her now, perhaps, that he is both none of those things and all of them. A real person, and all that that entails.
“Which way from here, then?” Leia asks, shelving her thoughts on General Kenobi having a personality.
“Maybe we should sit for a few minutes,” Ahsoka suggests. “We’ll try to get our bearings.”
“I’m not sure how it’ll help without the electromagnetic field changing, but I wouldn’t mind sitting for a few minutes. The air around here is heavy.”
She tilts her head curiously, but doesn’t ask, so Leia doesn’t elaborate. She doesn’t really want any kind of suggestion that it’s Space Witchcraft making the air heavy and not the dense biome.
“I assume Qui-Gon was Obi-Wan’s Master?” Leia asks, the thought occurring to her suddenly.
“Yeah,” Ahsoka confirms, looking vaguely nostalgic. “Qui-Gon Jinn. He died when I was very young, and I never met him, but Master Obi-Wan had stories about him. He was always very firm on living in the moment and following the will of the Force, even when it led him into disaster.”
“Are you sure that he didn’t just have a good nose for danger?”
“If you don’t mind me asking…” Ahsoka says instead of answering her question, in a tone that very much says she doesn’t care if Leia minds. “Why don’t you use the Force? It’s a rare gift, and I think Luke would like to have someone to train with.”
Leia huffs out a breath. “I’m no Jedi. I’ve already got a job, and it’s one I do too well to become a space monk.”
“You can do both. The Jedi used to be some of the greatest diplomats in the galaxy.”
“Oh, I’ve heard a great deal about General Kenobi’s brand of diplomacy.”
Ahsoka grins, seemingly despite herself. “He really was skilled at getting his way. Master Obi-Wan was quite the charmer, whenever he stopped being a jackass for five minutes.”
Leia’s childhood sensibilities, the small part of her that had grown up on stories of the great Obi-Wan Kenobi, are all sputtering in offense, but what comes out is laughter. “That’s quite the way to put it.”
“It’s the truth! Master Obi-Wan could sell salt to a Hutt, but deep down, he was kind of a jerk,” she explains, the affection clear in her voice. “His sense of humour was drier than Tattooine and he never missed an opportunity to complain about stupid stuff. You could set him on fire and he wouldn’t say a word, but every time Anakin turned on one of those stupid holodramas he loved so much, Master Obi-Wan had something to say. I think that he enjoyed them, deep down, though – by the end, he was just as emotionally involved as Anakin. I once caught them crying over a season finale, where their favourite character had died.”
Even more intimidating than General Kenobi is her image of Darth Vader. It’s difficult to imagine him sitting down to General Medship, and there’s a single, hilarious second where she pictures him trying to shove popcorn in through the grill on his helmet.
“Oh,” Ahsoka says, her attention snapping back to the present, sheepish. “I get carried away, talking about – well, you know.”
“It’s okay.” The words slip out before Leia can censor them. “What was he like?”
Her curiosity about her biological father had mostly evaporated when she found out he was Darth Vader. Luke had forged a connection with him, and she didn’t judge him for it, but she has a dad, one who’d helped her with her first debates and braided her hair and snuck her out of the palace for outings her mother wouldn’t approve of. It felt, somehow, like a betrayal every other time she’d considered asking about Anakin Skywalker, and beyond that it had felt unnecessary. Leia can’t go back and change anything, nor would she want to trade her parents for anyone else, so why bother?
But here, with Ahsoka… it occurs to her that the life she had almost had would have involved Ahsoka as an older sister or an aunt, and she spares a second to miss the relationship they could’ve had.
“Bright,” is Ahsoka’s answer, after a long moment of hesitation. “A born leader who drew everyone in, whether to punch him or praise him, and there were certainly enough of both. He loved so deeply, so wholly, that his entire world was built on his connections to others and we were all pulled along in his wake – his men would’ve followed him anywhere, Master Obi-Wan doted on him and allowed him everything, and Padme… Anakin and Padme loved each other so damn much. Their relationship was supposed to be secret, and they both thought they were so good at hiding it, but it was impossible not to notice how they lit up around each other.
“You know, if I’d been asked back then to imagine their child, I think I would have imagined someone very much like you. Principled and well-spoken like Padme, but passionate and practical like Anakin. I sometimes wonder if Luke is actually Master Obi-Wan’s, but you’re a lot like them.”
Leia turns the thought over in her mind. “That’s why I don’t really want to be a Jedi,” she admits slowly. “I don’t really want to…”
“You don’t want to follow in Anakin’s footsteps,” Ahsoka finishes. “I was afraid of the same thing.”
“Really? But you’re so… steady.”
“I am now, but once upon a time, I was Anakin Skywalker’s scrappy little Padawan. Too impulsive, too idealistic, and too arrogant.” She smiles fondly, running a hand along a branch as she stretches. “I was practically his shadow. A loud shadow, mind, but the shape of him. But no matter how similar we were, we made very different choices.
“I think you would make a good Jedi, if you wanted to do that,” Ahsoka continues. “You make a better Senator; you honour Bail by following in his footsteps with his compassion and skill. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the Force as well. Understanding it a little better could bring you closer to Luke.”
Leia keeps her eyes on the woods. There’s something prowling nearby, and she uses that as an excuse to gather her thoughts a bit. Ahsoka’s right – Luke would love it if she took an interest in Jedi or Force stuff, and her twin shouldn’t have to walk that path alone. She doesn’t want to abandon one parent’s legacy for another, but she knows, deep in her heart, that she never would. Bail and Breha will always be her parents, no matter what skills she picks up. It isn’t a betrayal of them to stand with Luke.
Her dad would probably find the Jedi training pretty entertaining – he’d always teased her about her impulsive nature and passion, both things the Jedi were said to lack, although she’s beginning to revaluate that idea. The creature prowling nearby gets close enough that Leia can make out a shape – large and feline, and she catches a glimpse of vivid purple. She wonders how close it will get this time.
“What’s that?” Ahsoka asks suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Her eyes are fixed on the creature. “There’s something out there!”
“Yeah?” Leia says, a little confused. “There have been large animals just on the edge of sight all day.”
“I haven’t seen them.”
She wrinkles her nose. “How could you miss them? There’s one with purple eyes that keeps coming closer and closer. I don’t think it wants to hurt us, but it’s definitely curious.”
Ahsoka looks askance at her, but doesn’t say anything for a long minute. “Why don’t you try calling to it? Maybe it’s just waiting for an invitation.”
“Try talking to the random creature in the forest?” Leia raises her eyebrows. “You’re certain that that’s a good idea?”
“Connection with animals is a Force thing. Master Obi-Wan used to complain about me bringing home strays, but apparently, no one was worse for it than Qui-Gon Jinn. I can try calling it, but it seems drawn to you.”
Leia mulls it over. On the one hand, Force stuff is still strange, but on the other… there’s something nice about the thought of laying claim to her abilities in a way that has nothing to do with Anakin Skywalker, but everything to do with the family of Jedi she’s descended from.
Sharing something like this with Ahsoka, with Luke, and even with the ghosts of their Masters, would mean more than she’s been willing to admit. It isn’t about trying to become a Jedi, but it is about accepting the family of Jedi who want her around.
“Okay,” Leia says to Ahsoka, and while she can see Ahsoka’s smile, more powerful is the sheer sense of joy in the air. For the first time since Leia landed on this planet, she feels at ease, like something is calling her home, and now all they need is a guide to get there. “Can you teach me?”