He had witnessed her growth from a young padawan to a Jedi Knight. They had been in countless battles in the war, and had saved each other's lives on many occasions. She was a great ally, and an even better friend. So what had changed?
"Master, is something wrong? You haven't been answering my comms."
The young Torgruta female spoke softly, calmly probing to see if her master was safe. Nothing felt strange, but his dismissal was out of the ordinary. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked down at the blinking green light, awaiting a reply. She had just returned to the Jedi Temple after a small undercover mission, followed shortly by the battle of Kadavo – in which the both of them alongside Kenobi and Rex to free a colony of Togrutas. After the mission, Asohka was feeling rather prideful for freeing her people, but she was quickly reminded by her master to remain humble. Upon returning to the Jedi Temple, they had returned to their rooms, so that they could rest before heading off to another mission.
She woke to the moonlight creeping through her window, slowly cooling her skin. Unaware of the time, she took her time waking up; enjoying the few quiet moments of serenity that she was so rarely allowed. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, quickly adjusting to the darkness in the room before she let out a deep sigh. It had only been a few hours, and she could feel the exhaustion wearing on her body. If it wasn't the constant physical battles, it was the lack of sleep. The Togruta slowly rose out of bed, rubbing her face with her hands. Today was going to be a challenging day, and she needed to feed herself if she was going to survive the next twenty-four hours.
It was quiet in the Jedi temple, as it usually was. But the war had divided everyone; even the council. It was rare if even three Jedi were there. Even then, they were Knights – the Masters were all on separate sectors of the galaxy. Her footsteps were soft, but eerie. If she didn't know any better, she would assume the Temple was completely deserted. But she felt one strong sense in the force – her master. Who must had just awoken. She commed him, but nothing. She tried once more, and the light just blinked at her. She tried once more.
"Sorry Snips I was asleep, can you come here for a second?" her master replied.
Even sensing his lie, she headed to his room with no hesitation, a feeling of discomfort washing over her. Was he not pleased with her performance? Or was he going to try to give her another lesson on humility? She rolled her eyes; she was definitely starting to get too old for his lectures.
Before she could knock on the door, he ordered her to come in. She crept in quietly, closing the door behind her.
"What was it you would like to speak about? If it's about Zygerria, I forgive you for enslaving me." She joked, her anxiety overwhelming her. She chuckled nervously, biting her lip.
"You don't need to be nervous, Asohka. I'm not going to lecture you." Anakin said, letting his bright blue eyes meet hers. A shiver went through the young woman, and her curiosity had peaked.
"Well, then what is it?" she asked, her eyes looking over his features, trying to read the man she had gotten to know so well.
"The mission we have later today is probably one of the most important for this war yet. I want to make sure you have a clear head, so that way there are no drawbacks this time." He replied calmly, watching her carefully.
Like he had guessed, her brows instantly furrowed, and she crossed her arms in agitation. "Are you saying you didn't like my handiwork on Kadavo?" she asked, somewhat offended his comment.
"Of course that's not what I'm saying." he shook his head, "What I'm saying is, that things got close, and I want to make sure that one day I will see you get appointed as a master on the council…" he trailed off, not understanding where this was coming from. "You've just been so reckless lately, and I want you to know that it doesn't always pay off the way you think it does." He was getting angry now, and he knew that she could feel his anger.
"That's rich, coming from you." She said, shaking her head. She felt his anger, and it made her shudder. That wasn't the way of the Jedi – something was wrong. She felt his anger in her voice, and she knew that if she continued to get angry, she would be following in his footsteps. Asohka drew in a deep breath through her parted lips, allowing air to fill her lungs before she exhaled, and spoke. "I apologize Master, I know things got a little crazy on our last mission, but I promise you, I'm not planning on dying anytime soon." She offered, hopefully trying to dissolve his anger. It failed.
"No, no no. That last mission was sloppy, Asohka and you know it." He was seething now, allowing his anger to control his actions. The force rippled in reaction and Asohka for the first time in a long time felt fearful – of her Master; the very person who should be ensuring her ways of the Jedi. But the way he was acting was not of a Jedi – but something else.