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Bail was almost ready to call it a night, giving up hope that there would be any message that night when his holocomm lit up. He hurriedly checked the codes before the person on the other side decided to end it.
To his relief the image of Zizi Soof was displayed. "Greetings old friend. It is a relief to see you."
Zizi's face clearly displayed the same feeling. "And I you, Your Highness." A small smile lit his face up, "I ran into a snag and was delayed but I am successful."
"And safe?" He pressed, receiving an affirmative. He felt the rest of the tension in his shoes drain out.
The mission to retrieve the sensitive data had been incredibly high risk. It required a level of stealth that the fledgling Rebellion did not process quite yet but Zizi had volunteered. His once long time pilot turned Rebel flight captain had departed two weeks ago and had missed his last two check ins. Bail had begun to fear the worst. "Tell me what happened."
Zizi started recounting his journey. From arriving on the planet to making contact with one of their own on the planet. He described the heavy security and the caution he had taken but it had been to no avail. He had been made not too long after he tried to enter the main building.
"Once I realize that the guards were coming in my direction I cleared the area." He grimaced before admitting the next part. “I’m not as young as I used to be. They were gaining on me and would have caught me had someone not grabbed me before them and hid me out of sight. Once the guards were gone I finally got a good look at who helped me. To my surprise I recognized my savior."
Now that certainly caught his attention. He sat a bit straighter in his chair. He nodded his request for him to continue.
"She had seen me around the last few days and had been keeping an eye on me apparently. Very grateful for that. I explained to her why I was there and she offered to help. I knew the mission was important and it needed to be completed so I accepted. We laid low for a few days before she made her move. She was as fast as I remember. Then we made our escape off the planet."
Bail wasn't sure how he felt about all of this. About this person that Zizi had so readily trusted with such information. "And who is exactly this 'she'?"
Zizi gave him a mischievous grin. One he used when they used to play sabacc on long flights and he had a winning hand so trying was pointless. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Zizi motioned to another clearly in the ship with him to take his place in front of the holocomm. Bail's breath caught in his throat.
Standing before him was Ahsoka Tano.
There were no words spoken as they both looked their fill at one another. He could hardly believe that this young woman in front of him was the young Jedi he had met oh so long ago.
"Senator Organa." She greeted him, breaking the silence.
He automatically replied, "Padawan Tano." He didn't miss her slight flinch at the address. "I apologize. It was ....habit." Hoping she understood that he had meant no harm.
"It's alright, Senator." She brushed it off, "It's been a long time."
"Indeed it has." He said softly. She wasn't the small girl who trailed after her Master's on the battlefield anymore or the young girl on the cusp of adulthood who went off to liberate Mandalore. That time had passed. "I must admit to some surprise seeing you."
What he really wanted to say was; How did you survive? Are there others? Are you alright? Do you know what happened to your Masters?
"It's a surprise for everyone." She must have guessed some of his unasked questions. "Perhaps I could tell you the story sometime."
"I look forward to it." Genuine warmth coloring his tone.
They ended the comm a minute later with instructions to bring the data to him.
Bail slumped back into his chair, his mind reeling. There was another Jedi alive and it was Tano. He shook his head in wonderment. Of course it would be her.
"You don't look too happy for someone who just learned of a successful mission." Came the inquiring voice of his wife who sat not far on a small sofa.
"I am.Truly." He assured her. "Overjoyed that Zizi is both alive and the mission was successful."
"And Padawan Tano?" She asked.
"I am glad she is alive and that she helped Zizi. Things could have turned out much worse." He admitted.
"Will you try to recruit her once she arrives?" Breha got right to the point.
"She's a skilled fighter. A natural leader and a trained one at that with military experience. Her training at the Temple would put prestigious academies to shame. And I had it on great authority that she was a good student. We need more like her." Yet he hesitated.
"But?" She promoted him.
"But I don't know where she stands.Does she even want to be involved? How her mind has held up after Order 66 and all these years on her own. I need to be sure." He needed to be sure that she hadn't gone down a path that one of her former Masters had.
His wife nodded her understanding of his conflict and steered it in a different direction. "And if she is? Sound of mind and willing to join. Will you tell her about Obi-Wan? Or send a message to him to let him know she is alive?"
Once more he hesitated. Would he tell her if everything falls into place? Should he tell him? Would they want to know?
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It hadn't taken long after their first official meeting for him to recognize that Ahsoka was completely sound of mind and loyal to the Rebellion once she decided to join. He should have told her the moment that he recognized that. He should have but he didn't. Each time putting it off and thinking that he could just do it next time. She had important missions she was going on and didn't need him giving her such important news right then and there. He'd just tell her when they had a moment to themselves, as Bail and Ahsoka, not as leaders of a Rebellion.
Year by year passed and he never said a word. His excuses became paper thin till they wilted down to one reason. His fear.
He feared contacting Obi-Wan would reveal his position to the Empire and put them all in danger. It was flimsy and he knew if he really wanted to he could but it wasn't something he truely wanted to risk.
He feared losing her. That she would go looking for Obi-Wan and never return to the Rebellion. She was a brilliant leader and one that gave hope to those around her when their cause seemed bleak. How could he fill her position if she chose to leave it?
He feared that should she learn of Obi-Wan's survival she would go to him and learn of Anakin’s and what he had become. He knew her well enough to know it would affect her. Would she hide herself away or would she rush to confront him? Bail was sure that Vader had no clue that his former padawan survived and he wanted it to be kept that way.
He feared that he would lose her friendship. He had known her when she was a small teenager trailing after Obi-Wan and Anakin. Cordial and friendly in the way one is to friends of friends. Now she was a friend who he shared his worries, secrets and hopes with. Memories of people and a time now long. A fellow leader to share the burden with. It was unexpected but he should have seen it coming. She reminded him of Obi-Wan in the best of ways and he missed his old friend. What if he finally told her and she hated him for it? To have kept the knowledge that someone so dear to her that she has been mourning all these years is alive? And he had known it all along?
He now feared that he was too late. Durasteel was settling on his chest. He had a bad feeling about this.
She was reassuring him that everything was under control and that they were nearing Malachor.
Her reassurance wasn't helping. He could see the dark circles beginning to show under her eyes. A sign that she hasn't been sleeping.
"What happened on the last mission?", he asked.
"What you didn't put in the report." He added.
She was silent for a while that he thought she would not answer. "I met a being of the Force."
"If my memory serves me right this wouldn't be the first time." He certainly remembered Obi-Wan's hunted eyes as he described to him what he had seen.
"No it wouldn't be." Her voice is soft. "I never seem to have too much luck with them."
His eyebrows lowered in confusion. He knew what happened to her the last time she ran into Force beings. Killed and brought back. What could be worse?
Not being brought back , his mind supplied.
But that couldn't be? Could it?
Ahsoka always came back from the impossible. Luck, or the Force as she puts it, seemed to favor her.
"The Bendu gave me much to think about."
He didn't like the sound of that or the way her face looked either. It was peaceful. Accepting in a way that had the hair on his arms standing up.
"Be careful out there Ahsoka." He warned her. "We have been picking up more chatter than usual about the Ghost crew. Seems that the Empire is more interested than ever. I'd watch for anyone trailing you."
He however failed to mention that it was less about the Ghost crew but more about her. Rumors that Vader knew or suspected that she was out there. He knew it would happen eventually, especially after their latest run in together but she had managed to escape his detection before and he had hoped that this would be another time. He was wrong. Now he just hoped that Vader had escaped her detection. He knew enough about the Force to know that should she had looked too close at Vader she would recognize her former Master.
"Will do."She acknowledged. “I should let you go, we're getting close."
"Of course. Comm me when you complete your mission." He wanted to know right away that she was alright.
She nodded her agreement and he could see that she hesitated to end the call. So he held off on his end as well. "Bail?",her voice came through.
'”Yes?",he answered, curious as to the sudden change in her tone.
"We need to talk." Those words and the look in her eyes sent a chill down his spine. She knew. "If I make it back."
That startled him, "IF?! Ahsoka wait!", he called out as the connection was cut from her end.
That durasteel that was settling on his chest seemed to grow heavier. If she knew or suspected what Anakin had become, what would she do? Did she suspect that he had known? Or was she thinking that this was going to be new information for him as well? He didn't think he could lie to her if she asked him outright if he knew. He didn't want to. He was tired of keeping it a secret from her.
He vowed to tell her the truth once they spoke again. His fears be damned. He'd tell her of Vader and most importantly of Obi-Wan. They will need each other. Tell her where to find him and his hope that she could forgive him for keeping this from her. That Obi-Wan could forgive him for the same for he knew that if Ahsoka went, that Obi-Wan would be just as surprised as she. That he wouldn't lose their friendship for keeping each other from them.
He would make this right.