A/N: You have seen this flashback before somewhere. I thought it appropriate to utilize a certain one of my one-shots in this instance instead of making up another set of thoughts to go with the same set of dialogue. Now read on! It's about to get very feesly very quickly. This chapter isn't bad, but it will get worse. You have been warned.

Ahsoka Tano
21 BBY
Bonteri Mansion
Raxus

Ahsoka stepped outside of the mansion and slowly walked down the stairs. It was truly a beautiful planet, Raxus, and it was a shame that she'd eventually have to leave. She walked past the Senator's son, Lux. His thoughts were centered on her, his gaze shifting to her lightsabers.

"You're a Jedi, aren't you?" He called after her.

"Yes," she turned to face him, "why do you ask?"

"Before the war, I was always told the Jedi were good."

"And now?" She was genuinely interested as to what he would say. Even among citizens of the Republic, the Jedi aren't always esteemed.

He hesitated a moment, as if remembering a particular conversation, and stood up to follow her. "I don't know anymore. There are a lot of terrible things happening, a lot of killing. And now my friends are saying the Jedi are to blame."

She could sense his curiosity radiating through the force. "I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?"

"Well, um, yes," he mumbled.

Ahsoka stopped. "Look at me. Am I so bad?" She realized her mistake after the words had left her mouth. He gave her a once over, his eyes lingering in places they shouldn't have been.

"No, not bad at all," he said more optimistically. One didn't need to be a Jedi to know that he was referring to her appearance and not her Jedi demeanor.

That much was nothing new to Ahsoka. "Well, it sames boys are the same, whether they're Republic or Separatist," she said dismissively.

"Wait, how many of us have you actually met?" Lux asked, not to be outdone.

"What?"

"Well, I mean, you think we're all the bad guys. But how many of us have you actually met? And droids don't count."

Ahsoka hadn't really thought about it that way. It was true, she didn't think about common Separatist citizens as much as she should've. "Well, other than military officers like Grievous and Ventress, none, I guess. You and your mother are the first."

"Well, look at me. Am I so bad?"

I suppose not, she thought to herself. You win this round, Bonteri.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Kalex Bonteri
12 ABY
Imperial Medical Research Laboratory
Wobani

Kal hadn't seen anyone other than Dr. Pestis and the nurse Yersinia in well over a year. His father was still here and alive, which made it bearable. He had given up trying to break out; whenever he tried, they relocated him to an even less appealing cell.

The room was made completely of a dark grey metal. He was free to roam around as he pleased, which was much nicer than other prisons he'd visited. There was a small bed in the corner, complete with a pillow, mattress, and sheets, along with a holotablet to keep up with his shows. It didn't feel much different than his old room, other than the operating table and medicinal cabinets on the other side of the room.

It was almost as if the nurse was afraid of him. He wasn't sure why. They had run several tests on him, but they hadn't done anything too extreme. The most painful thing so far was getting his blood drawn, which was nothing. He didn't understand why all the traders that had come through Maz's cantina had been terrified of this place. It was nothing but empty halls and a few staff members with nothing better to do than play with chemistry sets.

The nurse Yersinia walked into his room and typed some things into a data pad. "Kalex Bonteri, son of Luxorion Bonteri and Ahsoka Tano, correct?" He nodded, not sure how that was relevant. "The doctor has requested that I give you dose of a special chemical. I'm going to have to give you a few shots, but nothing too painful."

"Okay. May I ask what it is?" Kal was curious. Was he a test subject, or was it just a routine procedure for all patients?

"It's for the patients that meet a certain criteria and pass our initial health screenings. It won't kill you." She rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out two syringes filled with a green liquid.

"What is that?" Kal asked. He'd never seen anything like it.

The nurse ignored him and began rubbing an alcohol swab over a spot on his right arm. "Now, you may experience some slight discomfort for the next few hours as the chemical works its way through your system. Some patients had said that their senses become slightly dulled, but nothing too bad."

Yersinia administered the first shot, and he felt a tingling sensation in his arm. She quickly gave him the second shot in the other arm before typing something into the datapad.

The chemical quickly spread to the rest of his body. After the tingling went away, everything was numb. He couldn't feel his limbs, which was a slight problem. After blinking a few times, his vision started to blur. Suddenly, he felt isolated. As long as he'd been alive, he'd always felt a strong connection to other beings around him, like he was part of a bigger web of life. But that was all gone now. He felt alone in the galaxy.

"What's happening to me?" He looked down at his hands, the blood vessels starting to glow green.

"Nothing fatal. It'll wear off eventually, not to worry. I'll be back soon to check on it's progress. In the meantime, don't try anything stupid."

A/N: Happy Saturday! I've made it through my worst exam and managed to squeak out an A for the semester, so I can breath a little more now. I AM ALMOST DONE WITH SCHOOL I CAN TASTE SUMMER.

As far as this story goes, some serious stuff is about to go down. If you've figured out what the green liquid does, be afraid. Very afraid. Kal was brought to the lab for a specific reason that may or may not have to do with Ahsoka...

But what about Lux? Why did Luke want Lux to go to this specific lab? There's not much I can say without spoiling anything, so I'll keep my mouth shut for now ;)

I'm going to point out the fact that Dr. Pestis is not a force user. There's a bit of background info on what his deal is in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that.

I'll see you in the next update, and may the force be with you!