CH-12

But most of all, she just didn't feel like he intended to hurt her. In fact her instincts were telling her the opposite.

Harry's expression was one of disbelief, "Mister Religious Fornicator in there thought you'd fetch him some good money." he cocked his thumb over his shoulder pointing behind him toward the cell. "Now, some bounty hunters may be stupid, but they're rarely wrong about how much money a target is going to bring in. And it wasn't Jedi in general he was talking about, it was you specifically."

Ahsoka deflated and sighed a little bit, "Yeah… I didn't think about that either…" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down, not meeting Harry's eyes. "I've been a part of the war for the past two years. My Master and I were pretty active in it. Not just active in it… but fairly prominent. We've ruffled more than our share of feathers even on species that don't have them." She smiled weakly finally looking back up to see Harry's expression as her joke fell a bit flat.

Harry however didn't seem to disbelieve her. He was merely looking thoughtful and nodded a bit, no sign of judgement on his face. "You said that you weren't a Jedi anymore, and those Jedi we ran into definitely seemed less than pleased with you."

Ahsoka sighed a little bit and, seeing no other convenient furniture shifted and sat down on the edge of a table that had books scattered on it. "I told you earlier, about my recent troubles."

When Harry nodded and smiled self-deprecatingly, "I heard something about it when I landed, I tend to ignore the news unless Minnie mentions there might be something of interest." a look of guilt flashing across his face. He had made the flippant jokes to the Jedi about the situation at their expense, without concern for Ahsoka's thoughts on the matter.

Ahsoka nodded, she wasn't surprised, given how many higher ups in the military, government and Order were involved, it was entirely unsurprisingly. Still, she felt she had a bit of explaining to do. "Well… any Jedi is free to leave the Order at any time. The Order is just not real… keen on it." Ahsoka frowned, trying to figure out a way to put it best.

"My former Master didn't want me to go, but he understood my decision because I'm sure it's one he's wrestled with more than once. So few people actually do it though… I don't think some of the others in the Order were as accepting." Ahsoka frowned a bit and her tone turned defensive, "Their utter lack of trust in me just… it got to me, and I couldn't stay there. I didn't think the consequences through, that I was giving up everything I knew."

Harry raised an eyebrow, and kept his tone mild as he considered what she said. "So… then your troubles are going to get worse." It was a statement more than a question.

Ahsoka's puzzled expression in response to the statement caused Harry to sigh.

"Well, you've left the Order, once that fact gets out… something that has quite obviously already happened. People are going to realize that means you no longer have their support… or protection." Harry reasoned out as he regarded her expression thoughtfully.

Ahsoka looked at him blankly for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. Her voice was hesitant as she worked to deal with the enormity of what she was figuring out "So… people that might not have come after me before, because they didn't want to risk taking on the Order would come after me now… like a lot of bounty hunters." She trailed off as she glanced past Harry toward the door he had sealed the bounty hunter behind.

Harry nodded looking pleased at her sharp mind. "Precisely."

Ahsoka looked back to Harry. "But I've made friends and allies the past few years… helping people. They could help me." Even saying the words implying she would need to rely on the others bothered her independent side.

"Friends and allies that would support you and risk alienating the Jedi High Council for aid they may need at some point in the future?" Harry asked mildly, his tone curious rather than argumentative.

"Yes!" Ahsoka nodded firmly and then she hesitated, "Some of them… a few… maybe…" Her voice sounded increasingly disconsolate as she really considered the question and thought about any allies that would help. The only allies she thought who might do it would be people she would definitely rather not be indebted to.

Finally she looked up at Harry dejectedly, though despite the slight sense of despair she was still thinking over her predicament. "I wonder if so few people leave the Order because it usually means they're utterly without support. I mean… with a few notable exceptions they can't even really count on family to fall back on. Most Jedi don't remember their family… if they do it's hazy. Part of having no attachments."

She briefly considered the other few she knew that had left the Jedi Order. A handful of those who had voluntarily exiled themselves without ever revealing a reason. Others who chose other… darker paths to follow. Dooku sprung immediately to her mind. He had gone back to his home planet of Serenno and took his hereditary position as Count. He was one of the Lost Twenty. One of twenty Jedi Masters who throughout the recorded history of the Jedi Order, had left it because of ideological differences.

The number of those who left was higher for those who had achieved the rank of Jedi Knight, Ahsoka herself could remember four or five that had left, during her time but it was still enough of an event to be noted.

"I'm well aware of the Jedi policy of taking students from families when they're found to be 'Force sensitive.'" Harry replied after considering her words, his tone a touch irritated.

"I was one of those kids, I was found by Master Plo Koon." Ahsoka interjected defensively. "He brought me back to the temple and it's where I've spent my life."

Harry tilted his head, "And what of those parents who don't wish for their child to be taken? They're just left alone?"

Ahsoka looked taken aback at that insinuation, "Of course! We would never forcibly take someone from their home."

Harry merely tilted his head curiously in response but didn't push it any farther because he didn't want to be accusing wildly. He did not like the Jedi Order, but out of his laundry list of complaints that was rather far down. Nor was it really the focus at the moment.

Ahsoka shook off her thoughts on that particular comment, knowing they would come back later when she had a quiet moment to consider them. "Who… are you?"

Harry smiled in bemusement before chuckling a bit. "As I said, my name is Harry. Harry Potter."

"That's not what I meant." She replied, narrowing her eyes "I meant…. who are you?" an expression of frustration crossed her face as she realized she had just repeated herself and didn't have any way to better ask the question on what she actually meant.

"I've had lots of titles. Some pleasant, many not so much. I'm sure you have some hypotheses. Why don't you tell me what you think?" He asked, an interested expression on his face, curious to find out what she thought, and using one of his favorite methods of getting people to put their thoughts in order.

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