This story is very AU, and betaed (edited) by the amazing Appel Bougher.
Written for the Team-Ahsoka group's contest, with the prompt: write a oneshot on youngling Ahsoka coming to the Temple for the first time.
Tee and Sky
She's only ever heard rumors about the infamous Jedi Temple. Rumors about how it used to be home to the Jedi and now only serves as the Imperial Empire's greatest prison. The whispers and gossips had never really prepared her for when she actually sees the massive building for the first time, with it's massive, spiraling towers and magnificent architecture. Seven-years-old, but still extremely small for her age, Ahsoka Tano gapes up at the structure even as the stormtroopers nudge her shoulder. "Come on, little one, move it," one of them commands, though his voice is slightly more gentle than the other soldiers she's dealt with. She turns her focus to the captain, blue eyes wide with slight awe, slight fear. "Rex, look how big it is!"
"Yes, well, we've got to get going." He continues guiding her along, one gloved hand placed on her back – she's so short he has to bend down quite a bit – and she wishes he weren't one of the bad guys. He's actually rather nice, considering he's been her guard/escort ever since she was taken from Shili, and she would've loved to call the man a friend. At least he's protected her from his fellow troopers.
He guides her towards the large, oaken doors – the only organic material visible from the outside of the steel & metal walls, along with its ray shielded windows. A squad of stormtroopers march out the doors, and begin conversing with Rex. She only half-listens to their conversation, too busy observing her new 'home'. She's pretty sure she hears Rex say something about "youngling" and "protect her", but isn't sure. Soon enough, the captain turns his attention to her, and jerks one thumb towards the his fellow officers. "These men are going to take you in now," he says. "And you're going to do everything that they tell you. You're to stay here now, and do not leave unless they tell you."
"Aren't you going to stay, Rex?"
"Um, no." He puts on hand on his holster. "I've got other work to do." He hesitates, pauses a moment and stares down at her through the visor of his blue-printed helmet, before sighing and nodding his head. "Take care, little one." Then he simply turns, and walks away.
She watches him with sad eyes as he boards his shuttle and departs, leaving her with the other stormtroopers. One of them taps her on the montrals, and then begins leading her through the oak doors. "This way, youngling," he says, and she notices his voice is colder and more commanding than Rex's had ever been. She doesn't like it very much, but does as she's told. She lets the squad guide her through twisting halls and massive chambers, everything a drab gray and the perfect image of a prison. There are cameras everywhere, the occasional droid wandering around, several more stormtroopers; but she doesn't see any of the Jedi that used to live here, or any of the legendary Sith she'd heard people talk about.
When they reach her room, they simple show her in, tell her if she leaves she'll be in trouble, and then lock the door. She's alone, so she looks around the small quarters. There's a HoloNet projector, a kitchen that's too big for her, a small bed, a little sofa, and minimal furniture. She spots a tiny, tiny crate with a doll, a ball, and a few puzzles. Picking up the doll, she hops onto the bed, and flops down onto her back, chewing on her lower lip, blinking rapidly as she remembers the red rocks, blue skies, green forests, and perfect freedom of Shili.
Good thing she was on her own with no parents when the Imperials had gotten her, or she might just be a bit homesick.
She cries herself to sleep the first night at the Temple.
She hadn't known leaving her room would cause so many problems. She'd simply forgotten the rules, that's all. She'd been bored, because the protocol droid they'd put in the room to take care of her isn't much fun at all. It hadn't been too hard for her to get out; the locks were simple, the stormtroopers probably assuming a nine-year-old can't cause any ruckus. That just challenges her, so she breaks the lock with the parts she got from the protocol droid – she isn't any good with machines, but this is simple enough – and soon she's wandering the halls, looking for something to eat that doesn't taste like it just came from a Hutt's kitchen.
That's had been when the alarms began ringing.
She hadn't known she was going to be in this much trouble, so now she's scared and running up and down halls like crazy, going up and down in lifts before they shut those down, then turning to the staircases. Eventually, she finds this little ventilation shaft, and ducks into it, pulling her knees to her chest, curling up into her little, ragged green dress. What has she done wrong? She was hungry and bored, and had just wanted a snack and maybe someone to talk to who wasn't run by oil and mechanics. What were they going to do to her now? She bites down on her lip, telling herself that she will not cry, she will not cry, she will not cry…
"Who the heck are you?"
She jumps at the whispered, but harsh, voice coming at her from behind. Hands flying to her mouth to keep herself from squeaking in fright, she rolls over to find herself face-to-face with a human boy a few years older than herself, maybe twelve or thirteen, dressed in black pants and a black shirt. The boy's sky-blue eyes are sparking with curiosity and, apparently, irritation. "Who are you?" he repeats, violently brushing a lock of his dark blonde hair out of his face. "And what do you think you're doing? Aren't you the youngling that escaped her cell?"
"I didn't escape," she explains quickly, switching from fearful to defensive. "I was just hungry!"
"Shhhhhhhhhhh! Keep your voice down, sheesh." The boy looks around, as if scanning for danger, before turning back to her. "How long have you been here?"
"Four days," she replies.
He mumbles something under his breath that sounds like "newbie" before smirking at her. "Goodness, look how tiny you are! Okay, back to the problem at hand: Did you know leaving your assigned quarters is illegal? They'll punish you if they find you anywhere else."
She hadn't known she was going to be punished, and that sends goose bumps all along her orange skin. She shakes her head rapidly, showing the boy her confusion, heart pounding. Then, something clicks in her mind. "Wait… then why are you here?"
He's taken aback by the question, but recovers quickly enough, face screwing up in indignation. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do," he snaps. "You… you're just lost, aren't you? You're gonna get us both in trouble, so go back to your room."
She feels her lekku darken. "I… I don't know how."
The boy mutters something that might be in Huttese, she can't tell, before rolling his eyes. "I suppose I can take you back, just so we don't get caught. But be quiet and listen to me when I tell you something." He doesn't even wait for confirmation; he simple turns around and begins crawling down one of the vent's shafts.
"Wait!" She scurries after him. "Why is it bad for me to leave my room?"
He gives her an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me? You do know you're a prisoner here, right?"
Yes, the words had passed through her mind several times; but the actually weight of it hadn't settled until now. "Um… so it's like I'm in jail?" she asks timidly.
"Yes, it's exactly like that," the boy answers with a huff. "This is a jail, and breaking out of jail is a crime against the Empire. Not that I care about the Empire; but I do value my life, so hurry up!"
"Why does the Empire want me as a prisoner? I didn't do anything."
"Well, you're obviously a Force user, so that would be one reason; if you weren't, you wouldn't be here."
"What's the Force?"
"You sure do ask a lot of questions," the boy says dryly. "I can't tell you that."
"Because you don't know?"
"Because me talking about the Force is a bad idea, okay?! It's illegal too."
"Is everything illegal?"
"Oh, good grief…"
"What's your name?" She cocks her head to one side, smirking. "You didn't tell me."
The boy takes a brief pause to think, then replies, "Sky."
And she immediately knows he's lying – that little tickling in the back of her mind tells her so. "What's your real name?"
"That is my real name. Why don't you tell me yours?"
He's still not telling her the truth; and that's not fair. If he won't play fair, she won't either. She thinks for just a second – her name is Ahsoka Tano. Tano. Tano… "Tee," she says confidently, allowing a proud, smug cloud to cover her face; the smile grows when he looks at her, one eyebrow raised.
"Tee? What kind of name is Tee?"
"Well, what kind of name is Sky?"
"It's cool," the boy retorts. "Now let's go already. Do you remember your room number?"
She does. She had memorized it like a good girl when the droid had told her to. "BT254."
"Alright, so that's Tower B, room 254. Let's go." He takes a right turn, beckoning for her to follow.
She grins. "Coming… Skyguy."
"Hey! Don't call me that!"
"Make me." She sticks out her tongue, giggling.
He makes a low growl. "Well, aren't you snippi-Tee, Snips." He faces forward, and refuses to look back at her the rest of the way.
"I'm tired," she tells him, and the boy turns to her, face passive. "Oh?" he asks, and she nods. "Yes."
Suddenly, his fingers are all over her stomach, and she squeals when he places one hand over her mouth. After about a minute of tickling her, he relents, and then stands there, grinning. "Tired anymore?"
No, because there's adrenaline pumping through her veins. She scowls at him but shakes her head "no".
He smirks, a lopsided smile, and then returns to guiding her. How annoying.
"Skyguy, are we almost there?"
"Stop calling me that!"
"But are we almost there?"
'Sky' gives a long, heavy sigh, and crosses his arms. "Yes, we are almost there, Snips. Now will you let me think a minute!"
They are at the base of Tower B, and the stormtrooper squadrons are thickening as the hunt for the missing youngling drags out. Crouched behind a radiator, 'Tee' places her chin in the palms of her hands, exhaling dramatically. "This is taking too long!"
"Well, if you hadn't broken out of your room, we both wouldn't be dodging soldiers like this!" he retorts in a fierce whisper.
"I didn't know it was bad!" she argues, rolling her large eyes and subconsciously rubbing her lekku. "It wasn't like I chose to be here in the first place."
"None of us chose," he says angrily. "Absolutely none of us! And I'm surprised you're even here, considering you don't even know what the Force is. I'm surprised they didn't just shoot you back on whatever planet you came from."
That scares her; why would the troopers kill her? Would Rex kill her? She cringes and unwittingly makes an embarrassing whimpering sound. Her vision blurs.
Suddenly, Sky seems sorry. "Hey… hey, I didn't mean shoot you like that," he says quickly. "T-They won't hurt you here, don't be scared… hey, c'mon, forget I said anything…"
"I'm not scared," she protests, furiously wiping a hand over her eyes. "Just help me get back to my room."
The boy still seems contrite, and regretful too as he goes back to looking for a way to get up to her room.
That's when she sees the flash of white and gray coming down the hall.
"Sky!" she yelps. "Look!"
The Imperial officer and his squadron of stormtroopers break into a run; she starts to turn and run herself, but Sky grabs her arm and holds her tight. She looks at him, eyes wide, as he mouths "Trust me" before turning to face the angry Imperials. She stands there, shuddering, as the soldiers trail their blasters on them, and the officer with the wrinkled, pinched face approaches them.
"You are both out of your quarters and are to be brought to headquarters for punishment," he declares, chin held high, eyes looking down on the children in contempt.
Suddenly, Sky steps forward, the confident expression disappearing beneath a mask of childlike fear and sorrow. "P-Please, sir, oh please, sir, this is all my fault," he stammers while she gapes. "I-I just wanted someone to play with, so I convinced this girl to leave her quarters. This is all my fault, I d-didn't mean any harm…"
The officer's face is livid. "Are you saying, child, that you have been communicating with those outside your allowed contacts?"
Sky swallowed thickly, then nods, looking up with comically large eyes. "Y-Yes, sir."
She doesn't know just what this means; but from the officer's expression, Sky is saying something that means he's done something very bad – which he hadn't, she knows, besides being in the ventilation shaft and helping her get back. She opens her mouth to say something; but before she does, the officer's hand, clutching a long, thin black stick, is thrust forward is a large swipe, the stick striking Sky across the right side of his face. She squeaks – she can't help it – as the boy falls to the ground, eyes now growing hazy and wet, a bruise forming beneath the angry red line that is streaked across his eye.
The officer turns to her. "Take that wretch back to her quarters," he barks. "Take this one…" He gazes down on Sky with scorn. "…to my personal offices."
"Yes, sir Tarkin." One trooper grabs her from behind, and she doesn't protest, because Sky is nodding at her to go with the soldier. When the Tarkin man isn't looking, he even shoots her a weak smile before she's dragged away.
When she's back in her room, she curls up on the bed with her doll, too overwhelmed to do anything but miserably fall asleep.
A month later, her new protocol droid hands her a scrawny little hand note.
Tee,
Just letting you know I'm alright and I want to tell you to do as you are told and do not get sad or give up hope because I know that certain people are going to make everything better. Soon, you'll be able to walk around as much as you like, and do anything you like. So stay strong. Oh, and eat this note after you're done reading it.
-Sky
She smiles for the first time in a long time, and promises to stay strong.
She stays strong for the next five years.
She's fourteen, still rather short for her age; but Ahsoka Tano doesn't care. Doesn't care about anything other than the fact that she's free.
The rebel soldiers had come storming into her room three days ago, ushering her outside, telling her that the war between the Imperial Empire and the New Republic has been won. She has only a half-idea what they're talking about, but follows them, because she senses that they're friendlies. She gets on their big warship and allows them to take her to a planet called Naboo, where they've made their headquarters.
When she is back on solid ground, she's swept away by several people in brown robes, talking excitedly to her, telling her that everything's okay, that she's safe, that she's now free to use the Force and be a Jedi.
A Jedi?
Several missing pieces of her mind's puzzle fall into place, and she finally gets answers to years of questioning.
She's shoved into a small tent, given clothing and food and smiles and laughter. A strange alien man named Master Koon offers her a small data-pad and a portable HoloNet to entertain her. A little green alien says some things – she doesn't really understand. And a human with a small beard and kind eyes whom some call 'Ben' or 'Obi-Wan' makes sure she's comfortable before leaving her to relax.
She's putting her new clothing away in a backpack someone gave her when she hears a tap on the pole near the tent's doorway; and then a quiet, male's voice ask, "Tee?"
She stops short, mind rapidly sifting through various memories before coming up with a short, vague one. She spins around to find herself face to face with a young man, probably eighteen, with dark blonde hair reaching to the nape of his neck, and twinkling blue eyes. A familiar, faint red scar over the right one. Her jaw drops, and the young man laughs. "Holy Force, it really is you!" he exclaims, entering the tent. "I couldn't believe it when Obi-Wan told me!"
"Sky?" She walks over to him, and two stand there, facing each other for a long minute. Finally, she clears her throat, grinning wildly. "I-I wondered what happened to you," she stammers.
He nods. "Yeah… yeah, me too."
Another small pause, and then she giggles. "Well, I suppose we should do this the right way this time, before we mess everything up again." She sticks out her hand. "My name is actually Ahsoka Tano – the 'Tee' thing came from the 'Tano'."
He laughs, nodding his head slowly as he firmly grasps her hand. "And my name is Anakin Skywalker. You can guess where the 'Sky' came from."
They shake, and then sit down on her small cot, talking into the night. Two weeks later, when she returns to the Jedi Temple, which is in the process of being restored. Ahsoka enters the big oaken doors with Anakin and his friend Obi-Wan; and this time, she's not afraid.
*end*