Dear Lux

xxvii

Dear Lux,

I'm here. I can see the palace from my ship. It's just a simple A-Wing, or else I never would've made it to the planet in the first place. What I mean to say is that you can't come back with me, even if you wanted to.

Saw it supposed to take me in to see you. I haven't seen him in forever, either. Gosh, has it really been 13 years since I saw you last? That's a long time...

Here he comes now. I better get going.

Ahsoka

Ahsoka climbed out of her fighter and walked towards Saw. He looked older and more mature. Years of war would show in a person; Ahsoka new from personal experience.

"General Tano, it's good to see you again," he said, shaking her hand.

"Likewise, Saw. It's been far too long."

He lead her inside to the throne room, past several stormtroopers. She kept forgetting that Onderon was technically an Imperial system. She had to be careful of what she said or she could end up exposing the rebellion or being killed. Neither sounded like a desirable option.

Thanks to the Battle of Onderon all those years ago, she still had a pretty good idea of the floorplan of the building, or at least enough to know that Saw was not leading her to the throne room. The wallpaper turned from a metallic gold to a worn, mustard yellow the further they walked. Slowly, windows started to disappear.

Lux had a secret labyrinth of underground passages underneath the palace. She had only been inside once for a few minutes. It was a great way to stay out of the way of the Empire.

Saw stopped in front of a stone wall blocking the path. There was a single, old-fashioned lightbulb above the wooden door. It looked like a something out of the history books she'd read as a youngling at the Temple. Saw stepped up to the door and slid a key into the handle, instantly klicking it open. It swung open, hitting the opposite wall with a resonant bang.

Ahsoka stepped out from behind Saw and peeked into the hallway. Several lightbulbs were wired together on the ceiling, which was much lower than usual. There was a long, red carpet across the stone tiles on the ground. She couldn't see the end of the hall, so she assumed that it turned somewhere.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She nodded silently. "Bonteri's office is the third door to your left. I'm not allowed inside, since it's for private business of the King only." Saw stepped aside, motioning to the door.

"Thank you. It was good to see you, Saw."

She reluctantly crept inside as he shut the door behind her, locking her inside. Slowly, she knocked on the door that was supposed to lead to Lux's office. There was no response, so she took the handle and pulled it, the door squeaking as it opened.

"Lord Bonteri?" She called into the room.

She could hear holodisks being shuffled on a desk. "Come on in, I'll be right there."

He met her at the door. "Ahsoka! It's so good to see you!" He looked so much different than she remembered. She had always been shorter than him, but not by this much. He had certainly grown into his body and was much more muscular than he used to be. For someone who had grown up in the middle of a galaxy at war, he didn't show it as much. He didn't look a day older that she was. His eyes were still the same sparkly grey that she found so dreamy as a teenager.

She held out her hand for him to shake, bur he gave her a hug instead. "Welcome, my friend. It's been 13 years. I'm surprised you remember me, to be honest."

"Of course I remember you!" I've thought about you every day since we parted... "How goes your kingship?"

He smiled. "Very well. It's a stressful job, but it feels good to serve my people."

She let her eyes wander to the rest of the room. The wooden desk was positioned in the corner of the room next to a small cabinet, across from two red and gold couches. "Do you have a queen on the radar yet to help you out? I can't imagine it's easy running a planet by yourself." Why did she ask that? Where did that question even come from?

He crossed his arms, thinking. "Yeah, I have my eye on someone. She's a bit out of my league, though."

Ahsoka sighed, afraid something like that might happen. "I mean, you're a king, right? You can pick anyone you want."

"I suppose so, yes, but I want her to actually like me. I just get all nervous and sweaty when I talk to her. Someday soon, hopefully, I'll work up enough confidence to tell her. How I feel."

"I hope you do, Lux." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "So what can I help you with as far as the rebellion is concerned?"

He motioned to the chairs beside his desk. They sat down across from eachother as he started talking. "I want in. Onderon wants in. Every day, my people are brought into slavery under the name of the Empire. As a responsible king, I can't just stand by while my people are suffering. We'll provide ships, pilots, supplies – hell, I'd even lead a cell myself. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to put an end to the Empire."

Ahsoka laughed. He hadn't changed a bit from the way she remembered him. "We'd be honored for Onderon to join our struggle. We could use a good fighter like you, and the additon of Onderon's resources would be an asset to the Alliance." Plus, it'll be good to spend time with you. She held out her hand, and he shook it. "Welcome to the Rebellion, your majesty."