Begin

"Ahsoka, wait! Ahsoka, I need to talk to you."

Footsteps sound behind her and she sighs as she stops having hoped to avoid this conversation. She already said her piece hadn't she? Taking a breath she turns to see her master, no, her former master catching up to her.

"Why are you doing this?" He asks looking at her, desperation clear in his eyes.

"The council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself?"

He looks hurt, it flashes across his eyes. "What about me? I believed you. I stood by you."

" I know you believe in me, Anakin, and I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you, I can't stay here any longer, not now."

"The Jedi Order is your life. You can't just throw it away like this. Ahsoka, you're making a mistake."

"Maybe, but I have to sort this out on my own, without the council and without you."

There's something in his eyes that tells her he's starting to realize that this is fruitless. But he was never one to give up and that emotion passes.

"I understand. More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the Order."

She smiles gently yet sadly. "I know."

With that she turns, away from him, and away from the only real life she's ever known. She starts walking towards the Corasan sunset. She has no path but, the force will guide her.

Anakin bolted upright and looked around. He was in his quarters aboard the Resolute. Running a hand over his face he sighed.

'Why am I still having that dream?' He thought. Ahsoka had left years ago. She was probably safe living her life on some world where the war hopefully hadn't reached. But a few weeks ago he had begun having dreams again, about her leaving. They were always from her point of view, never his. But he couldn't feel her emotions in the situation, only his.

His comm beeped and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"General Kenobi, just arrived sir. He's waiting for you on the bridge." Rex's voice came through the comm.

"Alright Rex tell him I'm on my way." With that he stood and left his quarters.

"Anakin, Anakin?"

Anakin blinked a couple times then looked at Obi Wan. "Yes master?"

"Are you alright? I called your name several times."

"Yes master I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night."

By the inquisitive look shot at him and then at Rex, who was standing behind him, Anakin knew Obi Wan didn't buy his excuse at all. But he let it go.

"Well perhaps you should go get some rest the other masters are going to join us soon and I would hate for you to fall asleep on them."

"No, I'm fine, really."

Obi Wan sighed but didn't insist. Instead he continued briefing Anakin on their mission.

"As I was saying, this is the first time the council has all participated in a mission in a very long time. The last one was before my time on the council. The Resolute, being the biggest of the Republic's cruisers, will be hosting them all. We will travel to our destination and once there we must hope that Master Yoda's visions are correct in predicting a non hostile welcome. We know little to nothing about the inhabitants of the planet we are traveling to, or if there even are inhabitants. We can assume that as far the possibility goes, the planet can support life and therefore inhabitants should be expected. If that is the case we treat them with respect and civility, this is their home we've just landed on afterall."

"What if they don't respond with civility? For all we know their crude and primitive beings, if they even exist at all." Anakin said.

Obi Wan shook his head. "We don't want to risk angering anyone, or anything on this planet. If they react hostilely we will go from there."

Cody, who had arrived with Obi Wan walked up to them. He nodded in Anakin and Rex's direction but spoke to Obi Wan.

"The other generals have arrived sir. Should I have them join us here?"

"No Cody, we will go and greet them."

The clone commander nodded and moved aside to allow his general to pass him. Obi Wan nodded to Anakin and Rex then exited the bridge. Anakin let out a sigh of relief when he left.

"Sir?"

"What is it Rex?"

"Are you certain you're alright?"

Anakin looked at Rex and saw slight concern on his uncovered face. "Yes, Rex, I'm positive."

The clone captain nodded and they dropped into uncomfortable silence. The noise of the bridge was in the background and Anakin wanted nothing more than to have something to do to busy is mind and keep his thoughts at bay. It was these very thoughts that left him totally unaware that the council had made their way to the bridge until Obi Wan laid a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump.

"Go get some rest Anakin. At least go meditate and try to clear your mind." He said.

Anakin looked around and saw the council watching him. He nodded sheepishly, bowed slightly to the council, then left the bridge as fast as he could.

Rex watched his general leave the bridge. He sighed and turned his attention back to the Jedi present, only to find that they were all looking at him.

"Captain, how often would you say you're with General Skywalker?" Jedi Master Mace Windu asked.

"Quite often sir. He's my general and I'm his second in command."

"And have you noticed anything off about him?"

Rex tensed his mind flying to the incident with Fives and Tup.

"Relax Rex. General Windu is merely asking for Anakin's well being. He's not in any trouble." Kenobi assured him.

Rex nodded. "He's been distracted lately sir. He keeps saying he's just not sleeping well and that he's fine but…"

"But?" Kenobi questioned.

"But I think it's something else too."

"And what would that be Captain?" Kit Fisto asked, having sat quietly, listening to the conversation.

Rex hesitated, the last thing he wanted was to get his general in trouble. Reckless as he may be his men trusted him, and Rex did not want to repeat the Umbara incident.

"It's alright Captain. We just want to make sure Skywalker is ok." Fisto said.

Rex took a breath then spoke. "He's been talking about Ahsoka Tano a lot recently. He keeps bringing her up. I thought maybe at first he was just reminiscing but he keeps talking about her. I believe his lack of sleep and the constant mention of her are tied together."

The Jedi said nothing for a moment, merely looked at him. Rex wanted to look at Cody, who was standing next to him, for reassurance but found he could not break his gaze away from the Jedi.

"Thank Captain, you did the right thing in telling us. You are dismissed."

As Rex exited the bridge, Cody beside him, he found that he wasn't quite sure he agreed with the jedi.