AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka and Lux flew the speeder for another kilometer or so, examining the trail cut through the trees. It seemed like the escape pod had bounced several times, and then had slid a short distance. Finally, they arrived.

Ahsoka halted the vehicle, turned it off, and they walked over to the fallen pod. It had sustained heavy damage, and she could see places where the metal plating had been pulled off, sparks fizzing from the exposed wires. It looked like it had just braved an asteroid field, and, as would be expected, it had not come out unscathed.

The inside of the glass had been fogged up, and they couldn’t see inside. There’s only one way to do this, she thought, and took her lightsabers from her belt. She switched them on, and cut a perfectly round hole in the viewing port.

“Lux, I should go first. We don’t know what’s in there,” she told him. She knew that he was just as curious as she was, but she was more experienced.

He nodded, and Ahsoka hopped in. Motioning for him to follow, as the coast was clear, she looked around. In one place, a large piece of the inside wall had collapsed, making a small pile in the corner.

Suddenly, something twitched in the corner, underneath the rubble. Ahsoka’s green lightsaber flashed on, and she was ready for attack in an instant. Walking slowly over towards the piece of metal, she Force-lifted it out of the way, but still held her saber at the ready.

She gasped. There lay a young woman, unconscious, who was maybe three years older than she was. She wore a black dress with off-black designs, and a small cape with a hood, which was now draped over her in a way that it hid her face.

But that wasn’t all that drew Ahsoka’s attention. There was also an ugly gash in one of the girl’s arms that was bleeding slightly. The sharp smell of infection told her that it would need to be treated immediately.

“Can you get her out of here?” Ahsoka asked Lux, who had been standing behind her, staring at the other girl. As he started to pick her up, she added, “Be careful not to touch that wound. It’s infected.”

Lux did as she asked, making sure that her injured arm was safely out of the way. She watched as he gingerly carried her over towards the speeder and lay her down across the seats.

“What are we going to do about this?” he asked her, looking over at the figure in the speeder.

But Ahsoka didn’t answer him. In fact, she was frozen in place, her eyes wide in shock. Then she rubbed her eyes, thinking that what she was seeing was a trick of the light. But it was still there when she opened them again.

“Ahsoka?” said Lux, but she barely heard him, like he was talking to her underwater. As if in a trance, she walked over towards the girl. With trembling fingers, she pushed off the hood, and gasped.

Her eyes weren’t deceiving her.

This stranger was an almost mirror image of Barriss Offee.