Author: The Jedi Princess

Timeframe: Begins roughly one year before the events in Episode III.

I started this story over 5 years ago. Looking over what I had posted I came to realize I was not happy with it all all. Still having the plot in the back of my mind, I decided to revamp it and repost it. This time finished. J

This is an AU story, that I hope blends well with the world that George built. It's part love story, part adventure, part tragedy. Ave Ralston is my creation, but Obi, Qui, Yoda etc. belong to George.

CHAPTER 1

Coruscant was a very busy place. All go, no stop. Thousand of beings all living together in what one may call-in a cautious way-harmony. It should be impossible to feel alone on such a busy planet. But one can feel alone. So alone that desperate thoughts cannot be controlled. And you feel that there is no one who can help you, nowhere you can turn. How can one be that lonely? And nobody knows.

Ave Ralston knew these feelings were causing her frustration. She knew she should absorb them, accept them, and then release them. Remembering a lesson taught years ago by her beloved Master, now dead. Master Shaili Tylus. Ave regretfully was unable to save her on Geonosis. Another feeling Shaili would have told her was not necessary.

Search your feelings, young Padawan. Accept them, then release them. Never center on fear, guilt, or regret. For they lead to the dark side.

Regret. Ave pondered the word. Do I have regrets? She asked herself. She did regret not being able to stop her Master's murder and that gave her guilt, which led to her fear. The battle of Geonosis had taken many knights. She lived everyday with an aching void at the special place in her heart and mind set aside for Shaili. Even though she had been a Knight for three years when Shaili was cut down in battle, she was still her Master, her confidant, her friend.

Ave absorbed the feeling of regret, and released it into the Force. She sensed her focus returning and concentrated on finding balance.

It was not your fault, Padawan. It was my time.

Ave's head shot up and looked around the balcony. She was still alone, but she heard the voice. She recognized it well, and for a brief moment, the void in her heart filled with warmth. As the warmth dissipated, so did her survivor's guilt. "Thank you, Master." Ave's heart told her that Shaili heard her.

The Clone Wars had been going on for close to two years. Some battles were won, some lost. Her friends were dying. The Republic, crumbling.

Ave's thoughts turned to the Separatists, led by Count Dooku. Count Dooku, had been one of the most revered of the Jedi. Master Dooku was an accomplished philosopher, orator, politician, and warrior, regarded as one of the greatest Jedi ever for his strength of character and his strength in the Force.

Yoda had once considered him one of the Temple's greatest student. Now he counted him as one of his greatest failures. By the time of the Clone Wars, Dooku had been a practitioner of the Force for nearly eight decades, and a Sith Lord for more than ten years.

Ave felt an involuntary shudder. Was it possible for a Jedi to turn? She questioned herself. Of course it was. She admonished.

Ave did not understand it. And Obi-Wan could not comprehend it. Obi-Wan could not, would not consider breaking away from the Order. He could not comprehend ever "NOT" being a Jedi. He lived it. Breathed it. It was his life and he would die upholding Jedi Honor.

But Obi-Wan was the epitome of a Jedi. At only 37 years old, he was the Jedi that the Masters at the Temple used as an example to the younglings. He was the Jedi that most younglings hoped they would grow up to be like. Ave included. She remembered having a crush on the handsome Jedi during her teen years. Most female Jedi Padawans did and still do.

But romantic relationships and external attachments were frowned upon by the Order.

There is no emotion, there is peace. Of course Jedi were not immune to emotions. But emotions had to be understood before inner peace could be achieved.

Besides, Ave was now 30. She no longer had time for childhood fantasies.

Still, Ave had come to form a very close friendship with Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Ave had even accompanied them on a few missions. Obi-Wan's talents were shear and undeniable. How ironic that he almost did not become a Jedi at all. Even though Ave was only a small child at the time, she remembered the whispering among the crèche on how Obi-Wan Kenobi-one of the most promising students in the Temple-was not chosen to be an apprentice.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn did come to see Obi-Wan's true potential and accepted him as his apprentice. To say that the relationship started off less then rocky would have been an untruth. They were both stubborn and willful to a fault. However, from the ashes of that shaky friendship grew a great bond. The two were as close as father and son. While that was in fact an attachment, it was an attachment with the same goal. Loyalty to the Jedi order and nothing else.

A Jedi is a Jedi, first and foremost. For a Jedi to divide his attention between the will of the Force and the will of another is to invite disaster.

So the Code forbade marriage except in extreme circumstances and special permission. Ave never even considered marriage. She was very attractive. Tall and lithe with long flowing hair the color of fire. Her eyes were emerald green that seemed to tell the story of the universe. Men found her attractive, but Ave never noticed. Plus she knew that anyone who would understand her devotion to the Order would have to be another Jedi, so the point was moot.

Ave sensed a presence behind her, she turned from her view of the Coruscant skyline and nodded to a young human padawan. He bowed and said, "The council will now see you, Knight Ralston."

Ave entered the Council Hall. She saw her good friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But right now, Obi-Wan was not a friend. He was a member of the council and she was there to brief them on her mission to Shalan.

"Tell us, what you learned you will".

Shalan was a planet on the outer rim. Not as far away as Tattooine, but one still felt separated from the galaxy there.

It was not the most beautiful planet Ave had ever been to. Mostly rocky terrain. There was no ocean, and the only water was in the rivers that ran freely through the thousand of caves. It was also an amazing place. Great cities were carved into mountainsides and also ran through the caves.

Sent with a legion of Clones to investigate why the populace had become so sick and to render aid if possible. The moment she stepped foot on the planet, she felt a disturbance in the Force.

Ave had some experience in healing, and had even considered the healing arts at one time. As she examined people in the makeshift hospital she did not know what to make out of the situation. All of the victims shared the same symptoms, but there was no direct answer to why. The only clue she had was the faint strange odor she smelled when the citizens fell ill. The planet's top scientists were working on an shield generated dome, something that could place a protective ring that would hopefully protect those inside.

For days on end, Ave cared for these people, attempting to make them well. In her spare time she studied her data pad in hope that the answer would appear.

Ave tried to reassure the people that the Republic would do all they could. But to no avail. They were not listening to her. They did not believe her. There was something there preventing them from trusting her. Something dark and sinister. Something that Ave could not put her finger on.

What am I missing, she asked herself for the thousandth time since she landed. As a Jedi she was always taught that she must be patient and the answer would reveal itself to her. Ave was running short on patience. She could not bare to tell one more parent that their child had died. She could not bare to see one more child become an orphan.

Ave had just switched off her data pad and rubbed her eyes. She would meditate and attempt to get some sleep. Sleep had been evasive for days. However, she sensed movement above her. Leaving her room, she went to investigate. She had just left the compound when she lifted her head to the sky and saw starships slow down over the village. She squinted her eyes and wondered what they were doing.

Immediately her senses became alive with the very real danger unfolding before her. Pulling out her comlink she called to her troop commander, "Kolby, we are under attack! I repeat we are under attack!" Platoons of battle droids were dropped on the planet's surface. It only took seconds for her to see the strange green gas and smell the familiar odor. This time it was not faint, it was concentrated. Ave began to choke. "Get yourself and everyone in the area in the hospital." These people had to be protected.

"What about you, Boss?" Kolby's asked gruffly.

Choking over the gas, "Don't worry about me, and don't wait for me either! Get everyone safely into the dome! You don't have a moment to lose!"

She force jumped out of the cloud of gas enclosing her. There was no way she would make it back in time. She had to make contact with the Jedi before she succumbed to the biological weapon's gas. She only had her comlink with her, so she could only hoped there would be a Jedi within range.

"This is Jedi Knight Ave Ralston," Ave struggled to keep herself from choking. "Emergence Code 174, Please is anyone out there?"

A moment later she heard a familiar and overconfident voice, "Ave, this is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, I'm locking in on your position." His voice was loud and clear, so he had to be close.

"No!" Ave ordered, "make contact with the Council. Let them know the Separatists are behind this…its…a….biological….weapon." She felt herself losing consciousness.

"Obi-Wan would never forgive me for leaving you there. Hang tight, I will be there soon."

Ave stumbled and fell off the crevice she was on, she landed on the hard ground below her. There was no clean air, calling on the Force she held her breath. She was surprised when she heard the sound of hoofs making their way to her, but could not see a thing beyond the thick, gassy fog.

Suddenly one of the large and fast land lizards was upon her. The rider was Commander Kolby. He put out his hand and pulled her up behind him. The lizard took off as Kolby quickly put a gas mask over Ave's face.

Above them they saw a Republican cruiser, the hatch opened and she saw Anakin. The battle tank immediately began to fire on him. Using her comlink she contacted his ship, and Rex answered the transmission.

"Tell Skywalker to get out of here, it is too dangerous. He must make contact with the Council!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but Jedi Skywalker has given me strict orders to belay any command you gave."

Why that arrogant…Ave did not have time to finish her thought, because Anakin's ship took a dive, she knew there would be one chance to get herself and Kolby on board. The ship was about four meters above her. A jump she could easily make in another situation, even with the speed it was traveling at, but her lungs were on fire from the breathing in the deadly vapor.

Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a shadowy figure on the rocks holding two red lightsabers. Her hand went instinctively to her own weapon, but she felt Kolby's hands around her waist pushing her up in. Using her reserved strength she shot up in the air, feeling Anakin's force power connecting with hers.

She reached out and grabbed Anakin's gloved mechanical arm, he pulled her up with superhuman strength. She landed on the ship and they both instantaneously turned around to pull Kolby to safety. The three of them landed on the ship's deck with a thud. As they rose higher in the air, Ave saw Anakin had reinforcements.

Ave pulled her mask off and breathed in the clean air. In a moment she propped herself up on her elbows to reprimand Anakin. "You told Rex to ignore my orders? Are you mad? You could have gotten yourself and your troops killed!"

Anakin flashed her that cocky smile of his, "But I didn't." Ave could not help but grin, and soon the smile turned to a quiet laughter. When Anakin added, "But if it's all the same to you, I would appreciate it if you did not mention that to Obi-Wan," Ave truly laughed hard for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime.

"Your secret is safe with me, Ani," Ave said, then asked, "What were you doing out here anyway?"

"I was on a mission a couple or systems away, Obi-Wan asked me to check up on you and make sure you were safe. Not sure how he knew, but he sensed you were in danger."

Ave was taken aback by the matter of fact response. She laid back on the deck and pondered the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi had been worried about her.

It did not take long for the reinforcements to land, and within a couple of days, the Separatists forces were driven from the planet. The dome was successful in keeping the citizens safe and the Jedi had victory in finding a cure for the bio weapon. The mission would be a success. Ave refused to leave until her permanent replacement arrived, however the small hologram of Obi-Wan ordered her to allow treatment from the medics. Jedi healers were satisfied the gas left no lasting damage. It was the dedication of Kolby that saved her, well that, and a brash young JedI Knight she was indebted to. During this time Ave pulled Anakin aside and told him what she had seen as he was rescuing her.

"Did you see who or what it was?" He asked her, rubbing her chin. She noted that Obi-Wan did the same thing when he was deep in thought.

"No," she replied contritely, "I could not see anything through the vapor."

"We better go investigate, It sounds like Ventress might have been here." They searched the planet to no avail. Ventress expected to catch them off guard. What she did not expect was Obi-Wan to order Anakin and his task force. She fled, as cowards normally do.

Ave finished her report, and waited for questions.

"Well you did," Yoda told her.

"Had you not left the compound to investigate," Mace added, "you may have not been able to react as you did. Your warning was instrumental in saving thousands of lives."

Ave bowed, "Thank you, Masters, but perhaps I should not have boarded Skywalker's ship." Obi-Wan met her eyes, she saw his concern, "Ventress was there, and I did not do anything to stop her."

"Listen to your senses you did," Yoda gently reminded her. "Time to fight it was not. Duty you fulfilled. Now rest you will."