Chapter 3: A Bond Rekindled
Three years earlier...
The low, thundering sound of distant explosions, caught Ahsoka's attention, as she was sitting on a small bed, inside a military tent. The young togruta Jedi hummed quietly, returning to fiddle with a small box in her hands.
She and her Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, were currently on the planet Ord Mantell. Her Master had recently lost a space battle above this very planet, which pawed way for the Separatists to take control of it. He and Ahsoka, along with the 501st Legion, had in turn invaded the planet around a week ago, bringing in some sorely needed reinforcements.
They had managed to drive back the Separatists, and were now besieging their last stronghold on the planet; pounding their fortress with heavy artillery, and air strikes. This had taken longer than expected however, and the Republic army was now stranded in a war of attrition with the Confederacy.
It was late in the night, and Ahsoka knew, that her master would want her to be asleep already. Anakin had been out fighting for several hours, and his young togruta Padawan had stayed up, waiting for him.
After a few minutes, the tent's door opened, and Ahsoka's master stepped in. A wide smile appeared on the girl's face, as the weathered Jedi Knight walked further in, breathing slightly heavy. Anakin was covered in muck and dirt, likely having been fighting in the muddy trenches for hours.
"Hey there.." Ahsoka said to her master with a smile. Anakin, who hadn't noticed her sitting on the bed, frowned slightly, as he wiped off some sweat on his forehead.
"Why are you still up, Ahsoka?" He asked, walking to his own bed, which was placed next to Ahsoka's. The two of them shared a tent, which had better living quarters, and better equipment and appliances in it, as Anakin was the commanding officer of the 501st Legion.
"I wanted to wait for you, Master. Here... let me.." Ahsoka said, before quickly getting up from her bed, grabbing a small cloth, and sitting down next to Anakin. She smiled, and began wiping off dirt on the human Jedi's face.
"I thought I told you, that I'd come back late... you shouldn't have stayed up, Snips.." Anakin said in a tired voice. "Snips" was the nickname, that he had given his young Padawan. Ahsoka chuckled, and rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Skyguy... it's not like I'm five years old. And besides... I had a good reason.." She replied, biting her lip. As Anakin raised his eyebrow, his Padawan made her way back to her bed, picking up the small box. Ahsoka then walked back to her master, sitting down on his bad again, handing him the box.
"Here... Happy Life Day!" She said cheerily, as her master looked at the box.
"What..? Life Day?" Anakin asked, his eyebrows raised. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, and giggled, nudging her master's arm.
"Yeah, Skyguy... it's Life Day tonight. I guess all the droid scrapping made you forget about that, hmm?" She said with a smirk. Anakin still had his eyebrows raised.
Life Day was an annual day of celebration, being held all around the Galaxy. The exact origins of the day were a mystery, but the wookiees on their homeworld of Kashyyyk, had celebrated it for thousands of years. The Galactic Republic had made it a government sponsored celebratory event around 4000 years ago, and thus, Life Day was nowadays celebrated on thousands of worlds.
"Oh... uh.. I guess so... hadn't really thought about that. But... why did you get me a gift..?" He asked his apprentice, who simply chuckled.
"Duh! People give each other gifts on Life Day. Of course I wanted to give my lovely Master a present." Ahsoka replied, smiling wholeheartedly. Anakin bit his lip slightly.
"Uh... but.. I didn't get you anything, Snips.." He answered, which made Ahsoka wave her hand offhandedly.
"That's okay, Skyguy... it's not like you have to get me a present. Now open it!" She said with a giggle, eagerly waiting for Anakin to open the box.
The human Jedi still felt a bit weird about it, but opened the small box nonetheless. Inside the box, was a small, transparent crystal. Anakin picked up the crystal, looking at it with curiosity.
"What is it?" He asked his Padawan, who smiled.
"It's a meditation crystal used by the Baran Do. Master Plo once took me to Dorin, and we visited one of the monk temples there." Ahsoka explained, as her master studied the small crystal in his hand.
The Baran Do were a Force using monastic order on Dorin; the homeworld of the kel dor species. Though the Jedi had no official ties with the organization, they had never been at odds with the kel dor monks, even if they used the Force independently. The Baran Do most of the time welcomed Jedi with open arms, to come and meditate at their monasteries and temples.
Jedi Master Plo Koon, who was the Jedi to discover Ahsoka on Shili, when she was an infant, was actually a member of the Baran Do himself. While not an actual active participant, the Baran Do considered Plo Koon to be one of their own, as the aged and experienced kel dor Jedi Master had spent a lot of time with them during his younger years.
"A meditation crystal, huh? What... does it do..?" Anakin asked, not exactly sure, what Ahsoka's gift was meant to be.
"If you meditate... really immerse yourself in the Force.. the crystal will react to it." The young togruta Padawan said, before smiling, and taking the crystal off Anakin's hands, placing it between the two of them on the bed.
"Here; take my hands, Master." She said, offering her tender hands to the human Jedi Knight, who raised his eyebrows. Anakin quietly then took his Padawan's hands, holding them. Ahsoka stared into his eyes, smiling.
"Close your eyes, and immerse yourself with the Force.." She instructed, after which she closed her eyes, her master doing the same.
The two young Jedi allowed the Force to flow through them. As they meditated, Anakin could suddenly feel something he had never thought to experience. He felt Ahsoka's presence, in the Force, more strongly than he ever had before.
It wasn't the normal feeling of one's presence in the Force, that all Force-sensitive people could feel around each other. It was like he had entered his Padawan's inner being, feeling the entirety of her as an aura. The feeling was quite overwhelming for him, making him shiver slightly.
The meditation crystal between them suddenly rose up, beginning to float in the air. The crystal begun to radiate in different colors, the Force between the two Jedi giving it power. After a few moments, the Force aura begun to disappear. The crystal landed back on the bed, losing its power, and the two Jedi opened their eyes.
Anakin felt weird, overwhelmed. He looked at his apprentice, breathing slightly heavy.
"What... what was that..?" He asked, slightly out of breath. His Padawan simply smiled, her clear blue eyes looking into his.
"That was something called Force meld. The Baran Do monks.. especially the members, who are married to each other, use it to sometimes meld their minds together, and enter a sort of euphoric state." Ahsoka explained. Anakin hummed quietly; it certainly was an euphoric experience.
"I never knew something like this existed... it felt.. strange. Did that crystal have something to do with it..?" He asked, to which his apprentice chuckled, and nodded her head.
"The crystal amplified the connection we shared through the Force. It acted as a conduit of sorts. Of course, the two of us could meld our minds together without it as well... but the crystal just makes it easier." Ahsoka replied. Her Jedi Master really felt confused, having never expected something like this to exist.
"Can any Jedi do this? Why haven't we been taught something like this...?" Anakin asked his apprentice, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Jedi with strong Force bonds between each other, can do this the best. It amplifies their power, and makes them more effective in combat. I guess that the Order frowns upon something, that makes the attachment stronger between Jedi... as you and I both know, that it leads to affection... and that's bad according to them." Ahsoka said, to which Anakin scoffed quietly, agreeing.
"Yeah... it all comes down to attachment, and how wrong it is, doesn't it?" He said, knowing full well, how much the Jedi Order avoided attachments and affection, as they could all lead to the Dark Side more easily.
However, forbidding all such things, because of the slight chance of being corrupted, never had made much sense to the young human Jedi Knight. Although, he had seen firsthand, what the love for his mother had made him do, when he had lost her to the Tusken Raiders...
"I feel like we should at least welcome compassion. And besides... it's not like small displays of affection hurt anyone.." Ahsoka responded with a quiet laugh. Her and Anakin's eyes then met, and they begun staring at each other for a few long moments.
Anakin had no idea why, but right now, his eyes were captivated by his Padawan's clear blue eyes, and he found it difficult, not to look at anything else but them. At that moment, he also noticed, that Ahsoka's hand was gently resting on his own. The young human Jedi then cleared his throat, beginning to scratch the back of his neck.
"Oh... right... uh.. yeah..." He said, stuttering slightly. As Ahsoka kept smiling at him, he became more and more uncomfortable. He felt strange attraction to her at this moment, and it certainly made him feel uncomfortable.
After a short moment, the tent's door opened, which caught the two Jedi's attention. CC-7567, nicknamed "Rex", stepped into the tent, seeing his commanding officers sitting on a bed.
"Sorry if I interrupted anything, General... I can come back later." The clone trooper said, carrying his white and blue helmet in his hands. Anakin quickly got up from the bed, being thankful of the distraction.
"No no! It's fine, Rex... go ahead.." The human Jedi Knight said, to which his second-in-command nodded his head.
"Yes, sir. Our scouts have located a weak spot in the enemy stronghold's walls; I suggest that we hit that spot hard, when we launch our assault tomorrow." Rex explained, his voice collected and professional. Anakin quickly nodded his head, still feeling a bit distracted.
"Yes.. yes, good. We'll do that, Rex. Do you... do you need me to help our scouts? I can do that... I'm in no hurry.." He said, stuttering again. Rex smiled, and shook his head.
"No need, General.. you should get some rest. I will see you in the morning, sir... there's a lot of work to do then.." The clone captain answered, before turning around, and heading out of the tent. Anakin bit his lip, scratching the back of his head.
As he turned back around, he could see that Ahsoka had returned to her bed, now preparing it so that she could go to sleep. His Padawan had placed the small meditation crystal on a nearby table.
"Well... I'll be ready to destroy hundreds of droids after a good night's sleep." Ahsoka said with a chuckle. Anakin scratched the back of his head again.
"Uh... yeah. I'm... I'm gonna go take a shower. I'll see you in the morning, Ahsoka... goodnight.." The Jedi Knight said, before making a rather hasty retreat to the tent's bathroom section. Ahsoka raised her brows slightly, not sure about what her master was on right now.
"Sure thing, Skyguy.." She said to her master with a slight chuckle.
After Anakin had left the room, the young togruta girl prepared herself for bed. She took off her clothes, leaving only her underwear on. Ahsoka then climbed onto her bed, pulling the blanker over her, as she lied down.
The young teenage girl could hear the water starting to run in the nearby bathroom. As she tried to get some sleep, Ahsoka could not help but to think about Anakin in the shower. She didn't know why, but that image begun to circle in her mind. It made her giggle quietly, as she thought of herself being silly, thinking about such things. But then again, she was young, and thoughts like that would be common for any other girl.
But, she was a Jedi, and she was thinking such things about her own Master no less. Shaking her head, Ahsoka tried to get the thoughts off her mind. She closed her eyes, and waited to fall asleep, as Anakin kept showering in the other room.
Present day...
Anakin slowly opened his eyes, waking up from his deep sleep. The human Jedi groaned slightly, as he felt pain all over his torso. He looked down, seeing bandages on his chest, going around his back as well. He then looked around, seeing that he was lying on couch, inside a small house.
Anakin raised his eyebrows, as he had no recollection at all, about how he had gotten to this house. The last thing he remembered, was being beaten down by the Sand People. The human man looked around again, slowly getting up from the couch. He hissed, as the pain in his torso got to him.
Anakin then slowly stood up, looking around yet again. No one else was in the room that he was standing in, and it didn't seem like anyone was in the actual building, other than him.
As Anakin looked around the living room, he could notice several Republic and Separatist items on a shelf. That made him even more suspicious, as he knew that the people on Tatooine weren't big fans of the Republic, and even less of the Confederacy.
He then turned around, and saw that his lightsaber, as well as Ahsoka's lightsaber and Padawan braids, were laid down on a nearby table. Anakin frowned slightly, as he moved his hand on the lightsaber hilts, wondering who had put them there. The same person had also taken care of him, which only made him more suspicious.
Suddenly, the human Jedi could hear the sound of footsteps behind him. Squeezing his hands for a second, Anakin took a deep breath. Then, he suddenly grabbed his lightsaber hilt, and activated the weapon, quickly turning around, and pointing the blade at whoever was behind him.
The person now in front of him, gasped loudly, as the blue lightsaber blade was suddenly pointed at her throat. She dropped a small mug, that was in her hands, making it fall on the floor, and spill water all over it. As Anakin stared at the person, he could now see her features. The young Jedi Knight's heart nearly stopped, as he looked at the girl in front of him.
Anakin couldn't believe what he was seeing; it was Ahsoka, his former apprentice, standing there right in front of him. The togruta girl had her hand in front of her mouth, sharing her old master's feeling.
"Anakin..." She said quietly, staring into the human man's eyes. Anakin's heart was pounding in his chest, and his hand begun to shake ever so slightly.
"Ahsoka...? You... this can't be real..." The human Jedi said, taking a step back. Ahsoka bit her lip, understanding how shocked her former Jedi Master likely was.
"It is me, Skyguy... I know you find it hard to believe.. but this is real..." She assured, but Anakin shook his head.
"No.. I must be dreaming, or hallucinating. Or this is some trick..." He said, not being able to believe, that his former Padawan, one of the most important people in his life, was standing in front of him. Ahsoka took a step towards him, trying to make him believe.
"Please... trust me. This is real... and I'm right here... Ani.." She said very quietly, almost whispering.
That made Anakin's heart beat only faster. Hearing the "Ani", which was his nickname only the closest of people to him knew, made him feel like he was about to fall on his knees. His lightsaber fell from his hand, hitting the floor, deactivating in the process.
"Ahsoka..." He whispered, breathing slightly heavy. Ahsoka began smiling, tears starting to flow down her cheeks.
"Yeah... it's me.." She replied, her tears rolling down to her lips. Anakin breathed heavier, feeling lightheaded.
The two kept staring at each other, their emotions overcoming them. Ahsoka burst out crying, and quickly made her way to Anakin, wrapping her arms around his neck. The human Jedi hissed in pain, as his former apprentice hit his wounds. Ahsoka immediately backed off slightly.
"Oh... sorry.." She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her former master clutched at his stomach for a moment.
"Don't be... you just came at me pretty quickly. Come here, Snips.." Anakin said quietly, gently pulling Ahsoka against him.
The two embraced each other tightly, letting their emotions go free. Ahsoka sobbed against Anakin's chest, her hand going through his hair. The human man rubbed his hand on the young togruta's back, sighing deeply.
"I have no idea how this happened... I can't believe that you found me.." Anakin said, not sure whether the Force had anything to do with this. Ahsoka chuckled ever so slightly, while still sobbing.
"Believe me.. I never would have expected this either. But like Master Kenobi always said... nothing happens on chance alone.." The girl replied, her tears making Anakin's chest wet. The human man sighed again, hugging his former apprentice tighter.
"You've no idea how much I've missed you, Snips... I never thought I could see you again.." He said quietly, his hand caressing the togruta girl's head. Ahsoka parted away from him slightly, raising her head to look into his eyes.
The two stared into each other's eyes, finding themselves captured in the moment. The tears rolling down Ahsoka's cheeks, made her skin glimmer in the light. A smile appeared on her face, as she moved her hand against Anakin's cheek, rubbing her thumb on it.
"I never expected to see you either... but now that you're here.. I only feel overwhelming joy." She said, looking into the human's blue eyes. If the situation was a bit different, Ahsoka could even see herself kissing Anakin; just pressing her lips against his. But she knew that wouldn't be appropriate, or wise right now.
After a short moment, the two of them parted, letting each other go. Ahsoka wiped the tears off her face, looking down at the floor, seeing the mug, that had spilled water. She let out a quiet laugh, before clearing her throat.
"I... uh... I was going to bring you some water. But... you obviously woke up already." She said, finding it hard to not start crying again. This whole ordeal had brought up all of Ahsoka's past emotions, and feelings towards Anakin, and it was overwhelming her.
"Yeah... I guess you didn't expect that." The human Jedi replied, before suddenly clenching his teeth together, as the pain in his torso got slightly worse. Ahsoka took a hold of him, her hand gently rubbing his arm.
"Here... sit down, Ani.. you still need to recover." She said, her voice slightly worried. She helped Anakin sit back down on the couch, also sitting down herself.
"It's not that bad, Snips... I can move just fine. I just need to gather my things, and try to get off this planet, so I can contact Obi-Wan." Anakin said, trying to brush off his wounds. Ahsoka shook her head determinately.
"Oh no; I'm gonna take care of you, until you're fully healed. You'll stay still as long as I need, okay? I can't let you run off, when you're still injured." She said, sounding like a protective mother hen. Anakin chuckled slightly.
"For real, Ahsoka.. you don't need to fuss over me. I'm fine.. and I need to get in contact with the Council." The human Jedi said, trying to get up again, but his former Padawan stopped him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"And I'm being for real as well, Anakin. The Sand People beat up you pretty badly... those wounds will take time to heal. And furthermore; the gunshot wound in your stomach will take time to fully heal as well. Where did you even get it..?" She asked, her hand gently tracing along Anakin's chest.
"Well... uh... General Grievous shot me. His ship was in orbit above Tatooine, and I managed to escape it. And.. here we are.." He explained rather offhandedly. Ahsoka's eyes widened, before she sighed slightly.
"You always manage to get in so much trouble..." She said, shaking her head slightly. That made her former master smile.
"Trouble finds me, I would argue. Besides... it's not like you and I never got in trouble..." Anakin replied, winking his eye at the togruta girl, who responded by rolling her eyes.
"I had almost forgotten how impossible you are sometimes.." Ahsoka said, to which Anakin chuckled quietly.
"Don't tell me you never loved that about me, Snips." He replied with another wink. Ahsoka suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. She bit her lip, and looked around quickly.
"Oh.. well... I guess you have a point there, Skyguy.." She said, scratching the back of her head a bit, as she suddenly felt embarrassed, and flustered.
The two stayed sitting down for a moment, allowing the awkward silence to fall on them. Ahsoka then got up, taking the mug in her hands again. Anakin looked at her, as she begun pacing around for a moment.
"I.. I'm gonna go get you that water now. Please, Anakin... get some rest; you still need to recover." The togruta girl said, before attempting to walk away.
"Ahsoka.." Anakin said, getting her attention. She looked at the young human man, her heart racing in her chest.
"When I've recovered... could you come with me?" He asked quietly, which made Ahsoka's heart skip a beat again.
"I... no.." She could only answer, trying to walk back to the kitchen afterwards. Anakin however gently grabbed her arm, making her look at him again.
"Ahsoka... please come with me. We could go back... work together again.. and bring an end to the war. After that, there's so many possibilities for both of us. Wouldn't you want that..?" He asked, looking into the girl's eyes. Ahsoka had her mouth open slightly, finding it hard to answer her former master.
"I... I can't, Anakin. I can't return to the Jedi Order... not after what happened. I'd love to travel with you again... but I can't.." She explained, again trying to turn away from Anakin, who squeezed her hand, making her look into his eyes again.
"Are you sure? I know that the Order would welcome you back. I still think you made a mistake, leaving us... leaving me..." He answered, his and Ahsoka's eyes locked in with each other. The young girl sighed long, moving her hand to Anakin's cheek.
"Maybe I did.. but too much has happened... too much has changed, for me to ever come back. I'm sorry... Ani.." She said quietly, before finally managing to walk away, and make her way to the kitchen.
Anakin stayed sitting on the couch, leaning back. He pulled his lightsaber hilt from the floor using the Force, grabbing it from the air. The human Jedi Knight sighed deeply, feeling disappointed, that he wasn't able to convince his former apprentice to come with him.
Ahsoka walked in to the small kitchen, placing the mug under a water dispenser. She sighed deeply, leaning herself against the desk. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she shook her head in sadness.
"You know why I also can't come with you..?" She asked very quietly, knowing that Anakin couldn't hear her. She turned her gaze towards the human Jedi, who now lied down on the couch. The togruta girl sighed again, as she watched her former Jedi Master.
"...it's because I still love you.." She finished quietly, lowering her head, feeling defeat and sorrow.
Ahsoka silently then refilled the small mug with water, before making her way back to Anakin. She knew she could never reveal her feelings to the young human man, as she knew it would only make his life more difficult.
She had gone to great lengths, in order to escape her past, and try to move on from her previous life, and that included moving past her love for Anakin. No matter how much it pained her, Ahsoka knew, that she'd eventually have to let Anakin go, and try to move on with her life. Leaving Tatooine with him would only make that even more difficult, and she didn't want that, no matter how strong her feelings were.
...
Hundreds of air speeders, taxis and other small spacecraft, flew past the large windows of the Supreme Chancellor's office on Coruscant. The spacious office was almost completely colored red, which assumingly was the favorite color of Chancellor Palpatine.
The human Chancellor was sitting in his comfortable chair, several members of the Jedi Council sitting down opposite of him. Next to Palpatine stood his aide and spokesman in the Galactic Senate; the chagrian Mas Amedda.
Mace Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Aayla Secura, all members of the Jedi Council, had arrived to Palpatine's office, in order to discuss the situation regarding Anakin. As usual, the Chancellor had welcomed his Jedi allies with open arms, smiling wholeheartedly.
The Jedi had explained the situation to the leader of the Republic, who had listened with an open ear, taking in every detail. Palpatine hummed quietly, after hearing his Jedi comrades' speech.
"This is a dire situation, no doubt. Has there been any contact with young Skywalker, after his escape from General Grievous?" The elder human man asked. Obi-Wan, who was sitting between Master Windu and Mundi, sighed and shook his head.
"No... I haven't been able to contact R2-D2 either, which makes me worried." The bearded Jedi Master answered. Mace Windu then spoke up, leaning slightly forward on his seat.
"Assuming that Skywalker is still alive, he's in danger of being discovered by the Hutts. There's no telling for what they'd do, if they found a Jedi on one of their planets..." The dark skinned human Jedi stated, which definitely didn't make his colleague feel any better.
"The relations to the Hutts are that bad... I agree. I will hold a meeting with the Senate tomorrow. I have discussed things with several senators for days now, and I think we've found a solution to the problem with the Hutts." Palpatine then stated, which made most of the Jedi in the room, raise their eyebrows.
"With all due respect, Chancellor. I doubt that more war will be the answer." Master Mundi told, folding his arms. Mace Windu and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, which made Palpatine sigh slightly, and nod as well.
"I agree, my friends... but sometimes, we have to take the tough approach. The Hutts still control the important hyperspace lanes in the Outer Rim, which we sorely need in order to finish off the Separatists." The Chancellor explained calmly. His chagrian aide nodded his head beside him.
"Make no mistake, Master Jedi; we have attempted to reacquire access to these lanes diplomatically, but the Hutts will not give quarter. They've officially declared us their enemies, as they've done with the Separatists." Mas Amedda explained, his composure staying calm and collected, which was normal for the near robot-like diplomatic aide.
"And if the result is war with the Hutts.. what will our role be in it?" Aayla Secura asked, breaking her silence. Palpatine smiled slightly then.
"I will touch that subject in tomorrow's Senate hearing as well. I believe that the Jedi Order has given enough for the Republic during this war. I assume that you would all prefer to resign from leading our troops to battle?" The Chancellor asked, which made his Jedi allies raise their brows. The question was certainly surprising to them.
"Well... we always hope to avoid war; we're peacekeepers, above all else. But, who would take our place, in leading the clone armies then?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, to which Palpatine smiled again.
"I will explain everything at the Senate hearing tomorrow. I hope you all will attend." The human politician said politely.
Suddenly, the rather loud noise of someone barging in to the office got everyone's attention. Palpatine frowned slightly, as he looked at the entrance to his office. As the four Jedi turned their heads around, they could see another Jedi, a kiffar male, confidently walking in. Obi-Wan sighed deeply, as he lowered his head.
"Late as usual..." The bearded human Jedi said quietly. The kiffar Jedi smirked widely, approaching the group.
"Sorry that I'm late; I took the scenic route." The man said with a smirk. His Jedi colleagues, all stared at him with slightly disappointed faces.
The kiffar Jedi Master was Quinlan Vos; a highly experienced and skilled member of the Order. He was the former master of Aayla Secura, having taught her everything there was to know about the Force. Vos was however a very unique and characterful Jedi, very rarely seeing eye to eye with the Council, usually going his own way to resolve issues.
Vos' confidence, brash behavior and recklessness had given him a rather bad reputation among the Jedi, many not having much respect for him. His personality was one of the main reasons, why he had never been offered a position in the Jedi Council; a position that his former Padawan Aayla, had recently acquired.
Vos' irregular behavior had its downsides as well. Early on in the Clone Wars, the kiffar Jedi Master had lost control over his emotions, which had led him to turn to the Dark Side, and join the Separatists. Fortunately, his Jedi comrades, especially his former apprentice, where able to convince him to turn back to the Light, not too long after his fall. Ever since then, Vos had stayed with the Order, albeit having damaged his relations to them in more ways than one. Still, the Jedi had given him another chance; a chance that he was determined to show was worth it.
As the kiffar man approached his colleagues, he noticed his former Padawan among them. A wide smile appeared on his face, as his apprentice stood up from her seat. Vos extended his arms, approaching the twi'lek woman.
"Hey, Aayla. I didn't know you'd be here." Quinlan said, smiling widely. Aayla rolled her eyes a bit at that.
"I did send you a message about it, Master." She replied, which made her former master scoff quietly.
"You know I don't read my messages... too much spam from scammers." The man joked, pulling his Padawan closer to him. The two of them gave a kiss on each other's cheek, as a form of greeting.
Even though kissing each other's cheeks was a cultural greeting for the twi'leks, the Jedi still frowned upon Aayla and her Master using it to greet each other. All forms of physical intimacy, and displays of affection were frowned upon, even if the vast majority of the Jedi would end up doing such things sometime in their life.
After the two had greeted each other, Vos clasped his hands together, letting out a small laugh, as he turned his attention to the Supreme Chancellor.
"What up, Palps? Good to see you still kickin' and looking fine." The kiffar Jedi said with a smirk, which made the Chancellor raise his eyebrows.
"Oh... well.. thank you.. I think. I trust that you were called here for a reason, Master Vos?" Palpatine asked, his gaze turning to the four other Jedi, sitting in front of him. Master Windu nodded his head.
"Indeed. The Jedi Council has deemed immediate action necessary, in order to find out, whether Anakin Skywalker is still alive and well. As such, we decided that Masters Vos and Secura, will travel to Tatooine undercover, and seek out Skywalker.." The dark skinned human Jedi Master explained. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, looking at his fellow Council member.
"I wasn't informed of this... why?" He asked, feeling slight outrage, that he hadn't been considered for such a mission.
"You hadn't arrived yet, when we came to the decision." Mace Windu explained plainly, which only made his colleague frown.
"Master, I insist to be a part of this mission. Anakin is my apprentice... I need to be there for him." Obi-Wan argued, but Windu lifted his hand up, objecting.
"No! Obi-Wan, you are needed elsewhere. Our decision stands; Quinlan and Aayla will travel to Tatooine, and find Skywalker. We can discuss this more, when we return to the Temple... we don't need to bother the Chancellor with this." He said in a strong voice. Obi-Wan sighed, and nodded, keeping his objections to himself. Master Vos chuckled, and patted his human Jedi colleague's back.
"Don't worry, Kenobi! We will find Skywalker in no time." The kiffar Jedi Master assured with a smile. Chancellor Palpatine then leaned back on his chair.
"Excellent; we have reached a solution. However, I would advise you to be prepared, if military action is in fact to be taken against the Hutts." The human politician said, to which the Jedi nodded their heads in understanding. Aayla then stood up, intending to leave with her master immediately.
"I will prepare the 327th Corps just in case, Chancellor. They'll be ready to aid us, should we need reinforcements on Tatooine." The twi'lek Jedi Master said, to which her colleagues nodded in agreement.
"It is settled then. Be careful on Tatooine, and may the Force be with you two.." Master Windu said to the two, who gracefully bowed their heads to their fellow masters in respect, before starting to leave the office.
The three other Jedi Masters stayed with the Supreme Chancellor for a few more moments, discussing other things, while Aayla Secura, and Quinlan Vos left. As they were walking to the office's exit, Aayla gently tugged her former master's arm.
"You really need to learn to be more professional, Master. You don't just talk to the Supreme Chancellor in that way.." She said to the kiffar, who shrugged his shoulders.
"You know me, Aayla; I've never liked politicians. And you know I can be professional... when it's really needed." Vos replied, to which his former apprentice sighed, and nodded.
"Yeah... I know, Quinlan. But if you'd be more respectful towards your superiors, you'd have gotten so much farther within the Order already." Aayla pointed out, which only made her Jedi Master chuckle.
"Yeah, I'd be in the Council already and blah blah blah..." Vos answered, rolling his eyes. His twi'lek apprentice could only laugh quietly.
"Yes... especially that. But at the very least your Padawan has made it there.." She said with a slight smile. Her former master smiled as well, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"And you know just how proud you make me with that, baby girl." Vos said with a warm smile.
The relationship between the two was a very uncommon one, compared to most Jedi. Quinlan and Aayla saw each other as being family, being related to each other. They were like a father, and a daughter, and often displayed similar affection to each other, that most family members usually did. Even if the rest of the Order frowned upon such attachment, Quinlan and Aayla had gotten far in their lives and careers; proving that the issue of attachment wasn't as black and white, as the Jedi Order would think.
However, because of their close ties, the Order avoided having them working together, out of the fear that one of them might lose control of their emotions, and would thus fall to the Dark Side. The Council's decision to have the two of them seek out Skywalker, was something that neither of them could have expected, but was something that both of them enjoyed.
The two Jedi Masters left the Supreme Chancellor's office, making their way to the Republic Executive Building's main hangar bay, from which they could get back to the Jedi Temple, in order to embark upon their travel to Tatooine.
...
Anakin sighed deeply, as Ahsoka wrapped his torso with bandages. She had just taken the worn bandages off, and was now wrapping him up with new ones. The human Jedi Knight didn't like being fussed over like a child, as he felt like it made him look ridiculous.
"For real, Ahsoka.. you don't need to do this." He said, a sentence he had repeated at least four times during the last hour. The togruta girl sitting down next to him, shook her head.
"Nonsense, Ani... you're in my care now, so get used to it." She answered to her former master, which made him look at her, and begin smiling.
"I had forgotten how bossy you can be, Snips.." He said, winking his eye at the girl, who scoffed quietly, and rolled her eyes.
"You haven't seen a bit of it yet, Skyguy... and for your sake, I hope you won't push me into being the bossiest girl you've ever seen." Ahsoka replied with a slight smirk, still wrapping Anakin's chest with bandages. That made the human man smirk as well, and he moved his finger under the togruta girl's chin, lifting it up, so that she'd look him in the eyes.
"And what if I do?" He asked quietly, his voice becoming slightly suggestive. That made Ahsoka's heart beat faster, but she moved her face slightly closer to Anakin's.
"You sure you want to find out?" She said, almost whispering. Anakin's eyes wandered down to look at the togruta girl's full lips. He bit his lip, and looked into Ahsoka's eyes again.
"Maybe.." He replied, his lips moving just inches away from Ahsoka's. The two of them looked deep into each other's eyes, being silent.
Before anything else could happen however, a sudden slight tremor caught the pair's attention. Anakin raised his eyebrows slightly, as the water glass on the nearby table begun shaking a bit.
"What's that?" He asked, not exactly being sure, what was happening. Ahsoka sighed deeply, seeming to know, what was coming.
"It's the Jawas... they come by my house every month, trying to sell their droids to me." She said, finishing putting Anakin's bandages in place. The young human man raised his brows further.
"Can't you just tell them to leave you be?" The Jedi asked further. Ahsoka shook her head, sighing again.
"You've lived here, Anakin... you know how those little guys can be. I'll go talk to them, and get them to leave. Be right back..." She said, before getting up from the couch, and walking to her front door.
The togruta girl stepped out, the noon light from Tatooine's twin suns shining down on the desert. Ahsoka put her hand in front of her eyes slightly, the light from the sun being brighter than usual.
Sure enough, she could then spot the massive sandcrawler, being utilized by the Jawas, having been parked near her home. The sandcrawlers were old large transport vehicles, having been used by miners, thousands of years ago, when Tatooine was a thriving mining colony. After the desert planet had run out of precious metals and minerals, the large companies like Czerka, left their hundreds of vehicles behind, which were then quickly adopted as mobile homes by the scavenger Jawas.
Ahsoka approached the sandcrawler, seeing a dozen Jawas running around, preparing many droids for display. The young girl sighed deeply, as she walked to a Jawa, who was waving her over.
"Crett... I told you I don't need any of your droids." She said to the little hooded alien, who answered her in the fast paced Jawa language.
"I'm sure you have new droids available.. but I still don't need any of them." Ahsoka continued, as the Jawa, named Crett, wasn't backing down. The small sized scavenger kept insisting, which made the togruta girl sigh, and roll her eyes.
"Okay, fine... I'll take a look at them.." She then said, giving in to the Jawa's wishes.
Ahsoka followed the small Jawa to the droid display, the other small hooded people still trying to make their merchandize look as good as possible. She wasn't interested in any way about the droids, but she guessed that she couldn't get the Jawas to go away, until she'd have looked through their wares.
Crett walked slowly, showing Ahsoka all kinds of droids, from protocol droids to small astromech and utility droids. The young girl could only sigh, as the enthusiastic Jawa showed her all the droids they had scavenged, being especially proud of this month's batch.
As the Jawa merchant walked to the end of the long line of droids, the last one caught Ahsoka's eye. It was an R2-series astromech droid, sporting a blue and white coloration. The droid looked just like one certain astromech Ahsoka had gotten to know during the Clone Wars.
As they got to the droid, it suddenly came to life, starting to beep furiously at Ahsoka. The small astromech droid's voice almost made the girl's heart stop.
"Artooie!?" She exclaimed loudly, as the small droid recognized her, beeping in an even happier tone. Ahsoka had no idea, how R2-D2 had gotten in the hands of the Jawas, but she knew, that she'd have to get the little guy back to Anakin.
"Hold on, Artooie... I'll get you free." She said to the droid, referring to him by the nickname she had come up with years ago. Ahsoka then turned to Crett, who seemed interested in the two's interaction.
"Okay, Crett... make me a deal on this droid. I want it." She said to the Jawa, who nodded his head, and gave her a price. That made Ahsoka frown.
"780 druggats!? Crett, this R2 unit is property of the Republic... being owned by a Jedi Knight no less. Would you really want to get in trouble, for trying sell this droid for that price?" She asked, which seemingly frightened the Jawa a bit. The small alien started stuttering, trying to lower the price.
"You have to go lower than that. I'll give you 60 druggats for it." Ahsoka said to the Jawa, who didn't take that well, throwing his hands in the air.
"Hey, I could just take Artooie... it's obvious that you guys snatched him from the desert. And since he's Republic property; you stole him." She explained to Crett, who then mumbled something quietly, before sighing, and nodding, accepting the price Ahsoka was offering.
The togruta girl smiled slightly, handing the money to the Jawa, who rather grudgingly took them. After that, Crett called his colleagues over, ordering them to remove R2's restraining bolt. Two Jawas then made their way to the astromech droid, and removed the small device on his head.
After that, R2 happily beeped, having been freed. The droid rolled over to Ahsoka, who smiled widely. She knelt down, and patted the head of the droid.
"It's nice to see you too, Artooie. Guess you didn't expect to find me here, hmm?" She asked the droid, who beeped happily in response. Ahsoka chuckled slightly then.
"I know, I know... Anakin is with me, in my house. I found him last night. Come on, little guy... let's go give him a surprise." She said, patting the droid's dome head again.
R2, commonly called "Artoo", beeped happily in response, his dome head turning around in a cheery way. The two old friends then made their way back to Ahsoka's home, the togruta girl having a wide smile on her face. Anakin would love this.
Ahsoka and R2 stepped in to the house, the droid using his feet to get over the small doorstep. An even wider grin appeared on the togruta's face, as she walked to the living room, where she could find Anakin lying down on the couch.
"Hey, Skyguy. Look what I found outside." She said to the human man, who raised his eyebrows, sitting up. As soon as he could see the droid roll in, Anakin's eyes widened.
"R2!" He exclaimed, to which the droid answered with a few happy beeps. Anakin tried to get up, but hissed in pain, as his wounds had still not quite healed. Ahsoka quickly walked over to him, slowly pushing him back on the couch.
"Woah there, big guy... don't get too excited; you still need to heal." She said to her former master, who groaned in slight frustration. R2-D2 rolled his way over to his owner, who began smiling again.
"Hey there, little guy. So you got away from Grievous after all..." Anakin said to the droid, gently patting his metallic head. The human Jedi Knight then looked at Ahsoka again.
"Did the Jawas try to sell him to you?" He asked the girl, who smirked, and shrug her shoulders.
"I got a good deal on Artooie. I know that you would have just roughed up those poor Jawas..." She replied, which made the human man scoff.
"Of course I would have... no one steals my droid." Anakin stated, patting his droid's head again, who beeped cheerily in response. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, sitting down on the couch.
"Yeah, you're so amazingly mighty, aren't you, Skyguy? Bringing fear unto the weak willed Jawas!" She said, making fun of the human Jedi, who let out a quiet laugh.
"Do you always have to mock me, Snips?" He asked with a smile. Ahsoka smirked slightly, and patted his leg once.
"Only when it's due, Ani..." The girl replied, winking her eye at him. That made Anakin smile more, and he moved his hand on top of Ahsoka's, looking into her eyes again.
"I'm glad I found you again, Ahsoka..." He said quieter. Ahsoka felt ache in her heart. She wanted to let the human know of her feelings, but it would make things more complicated. She then turned her hand around, squeezing her former master's hand.
"It was me who found you again, Anakin... and I feel the same.." She replied, holding the human Jedi's hand, her thumb softly rubbing on it. The two of them continued to stare into each other's eyes, letting the beautiful moment linger on, as their droid companion quietly observed them.
...
Jedi Masters Vos and Secura stepped out of an elevator, having arrived to the Jedi Temple's main hangar bay. They begun to approach a Nu-class attack shuttle, that was landed near the hangar bay's exit.
As they walked to the shuttle, an LAAT/i gunship flew into the hangar, landing near the attack shuttle. A few clone troopers from the 327th Star Corps, stepped out of the gunship's passenger compartment. CC-5052, the leading clone commander of the Corps, approached his Jedi commanding officer Aayla Secura, taking off his helmet.
"Good to see you, General. Our troops are mobilizing; we should be ready for deployment by the end of the day." The seasoned Commander said, to which his Jedi officer answered with a smile, and a nod.
"Good work, Bly. We will contact you, once we're on Tatooine, and decide whether or not we'll need the reinforcements." Aayla replied, referring to her clone subordinate by his nickname.
"You got it, General. Good hunting..." Bly then said, saluting both Aayla and Quinlan. After that, the clone commander and his subordinates walked back to the gunship, and jumped in.
The LAAT/i gunship lifted off from the metallic floor of the hangar bay, and turned around in the air, before flying out. Aayla and Quinlan then walked to the Nu-class shuttle, walking up the small ramp, into the starship.
"Been nearly a decade, since I visited Tatooine the last time. This is gonna be fun..." The kiffar Jedi Master said, making his way to the shuttle's passenger compartment.
"Before you ask, Master... no, we will not stop by the different cantinas on Tatooine. I know how you are..." Aayla said to her former master, sitting down next to him in the passenger compartment. Quinlan started laughing after that.
"You certainly do know me, Aayla. Let's just hope that we can find Skywalker quickly... so that I actually can visit those cantinas.." The kiffar Jedi answered, which made his former Padawan roll her eyes.
"You never change, Quinlan..." Aayla said quietly, shaking her head, while smiling.
The entrance ramp of the Nu-class shuttle then closed. The clone pilots in the ship's cockpit activated its systems, powering up its engines. After a short moment, the shuttle's engines came to life, and lifted the ship up from the ground.
The ship brought more power to its engines, turning around in the hangar bay. The two wings on its sides folded down, giving it a slightly similar look to the V-19 Torrent fighters, that were used by the Republic the first two years of the Clone Wars, before being replaced by the Z-95s, and Alpha-3s.
The Nu-class shuttle then flew out of the Jedi Temple's hangar bay, increasing its speed rapidly, as it ascended to the skies of Coruscant. The shuttle flew through several clouds, before hitting the planet's higher orbit, and thus leaving the ecumenopolis behind.
...
The evening sun made the sky reddish in color, being beautiful in many peoples' opinion. Light snow fell from the sky, covering the high rising skyscrapers' roofs on the ice planet Csilla.
Inside one of the planet's government's buildings, two blue skinned humanoids sat in an office. They were chiss, a near-human race hailing from Csilla, which was a planet in the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy. The chiss were distinguished by their dark blue skin, and bright red eyes, though being completely identical to humans in every other way in their appearance.
A female chiss sat at an office desk, a male member of the species being seated opposite of her. The two of them were quiet, as if waiting for something. At the other end of the office, two chiss soldiers stood guard, indicating that the female was a high ranking politician in the government.
Suddenly, a hologram appeared on an emitter, that was placed on the desk. The blue hologram of a human male, donned in a dark robe and a hood, laid his eyes on the chiss duo.
"The time has come, my friends... the war is nearing its end; the opportunity to strike a fatal blow to the Confederacy has arrived, and I require your assistance in it." The dark hooded human man said in a low, menacing voice. The two chiss looked at each other for a moment.
"What becomes of the Republic, after we destroy the Separatists? Do we proceed with the Grand Plan, Lord Sidious?" The female chiss asked, to which the hooded man, Darth Sidious, shook his head.
"Leave that to me, my friend. For now... all that the Republic needs, is assistance in the war against the Separatists. The Senate will approve of the alliance.. I assure you." The Sith Lord explained, which made the two chiss nod their heads.
"I will let the military know of this, my Lord. We will move in immediately against the Confederacy, after our fleets and armies have mobilized." The male chiss said, bowing his head slightly to the Sith, who smiled.
"Good.. good. This is the beginning of the end, my friends... and the dawn of something far greater." Sidious answered, after which the male chiss leaned back on his chair, folding his arms.
"I assume that we're to be in contact with Count Dooku?" He asked the Sith Lord, who nodded his head.
"Yes; Darth Tyranus will help you in coordinating the attacks against the core Separatist worlds. You will move in swiftly, and effectively... the Galaxy will stand in awe, feeling the illusion of your armies and fleets being near invincible." Sidious explained, which made the male chiss scoff quietly.
"Both the Republic and the Confederacy will never know what hit them, when we're done with this. Do you have any other instructions for us, on how to deal with the Separatists, my Lord?" He then asked, which made the Sith Lord be quiet for a moment. The Dark Side user then smirked deviously, nodding.
"Yes... wipe them out... all of them..." The human Sith Lord said, before his hologram suddenly disappeared.
The two chiss looked at each other for a moment, before the female began smiling slightly.
"Well.. you heard Lord Sidious, brother; our forces must mobilize. I will hold a meeting with the other Aristocras right away... we need to bring information to the people as well." She said quietly, after which her brother stood up from his chair.
"You do that, Veeren. You've always brought honor to our family in the government... don't fail us now." The man said, to which his sister scoffed quietly.
"Let me worry about that, Thrawn. You just help our military secure an astounding victory against the Separatists.." She said with a slight smirk, leaning forward on her chair, having her arms rest on her desk.
The siblings were Sev'eere'nuruodo, and her brother Mitth'raw'nuruodo, though they were usually called by their "core names" Veeren and Thrawn. They were step-siblings by blood, although they had always regarded being completely blood related. They were part of one of the Ruling Families of the Chiss Ascendancy; the House of Nuruodo.
Veeren was one of the Aristocras in the chiss government, who served as the leaders of the Ascendancy. Thrawn was a high ranking military officer in the Ascendancy's naval forces. The siblings had been allied to the Dark Lord Sidious for several years, as was the entire government of the Chiss Ascendancy.
The chiss were ancient allies to the Sith, their close ties going as far back as the Great Galactic War, nearly 3700 years earlier. After the centuries long wars with the Republic and the Jedi, and after the collapse of Emperor Vitiate's Sith Empire, and the Eternal Empire, the Chiss Ascendancy had retreated back to their homes in the Unknown Regions.
Ever since then, the chiss had never set foot in Republic controlled space officially, having isolated themselves to their homeworld, and the small region of space, that they had controlled for thousands of years.
The Ascendancy had been in small contact with the Sith even before Darth Sidious had approached them, having offered sanctuary to hundreds of Sith, during the time after the Ruusan Reformations. A few decades earlier, Lord Sidious had established a secret alliance with the chiss government. After that, the two parties had worked in secrecy, trying to move the ultimate Sith plan forward, one small step at a time. Having the Ascendancy ally with the Republic, and move in to destroy the Separatists, would no doubt bring the Grand Plan ever so slightly closer to its completion.
Before Thrawn left, his sister pressed her hand against her chest, standing up.
"Bring honor to our family as well, my dear brother. For the Ascendancy!" Veeren said proudly, which made her brother smile. Thrawn pressed his fast against his chest as well, returning the nationalistic gesture.
"For the Ascendancy and the coming Empire, my dear sister. May luck favor us all.." He said, before giving his sister one last nod, after which he turned around, and began to head out of the office.
As Thrawn exited the office, the guards at the door saluted him. He stepped out, coming to a long hallway, with many other doors leading to similar offices of the other Aristocras. The 33 year old chiss admiral then activated his comlink, contacting the military's hierarchy.
"Patch me to Syndic Reshen; it's time for our forces to mobilize. We are going to war.." He said to the comlink, after which he continued to walk down the hallway.
Thrawn had been appointed the rank of an admiral at only 33 years of age, making him the youngest chiss to having held that title for nearly three millennia. Thrawn had always been a strong, determined soldier, and his loyalty to the Ascendancy was unfaltering.
However, he had no issues about working with a Sith Lord, to secure control of the entire Galaxy, as long as it would leave the Chiss Ascendancy in a favorable position. Above all else, he wanted his people to flourish, and being isolated in the Unknown Regions would never allow them to unlock their true potential.
A great Galactic Empire, being ruled by both Sith, and the chiss, was the young admiral's largest dream, and he was determined to do anything, in order to make that happen. And no one, could stand in their way, as their fleets and armies would soon move in on the Separatists puppets, and show the Galaxy the true might of the Chiss Ascendancy.
...
Heavy clouds and light rain darkened the skies of the rainforest moon Yavin 4, one of the three habitable moons of the gas giant, Yavin Prime. Yavin 4 had always been a remote, rarely inhabited moon in the middle of the Outer Rim.
Five thousand years earlier, the defeated Sith Lord Naga Sadow, had fled to Yavin 4 with his servants, after the end of the Great Hyperspace War. Naga Sadow was one of the most powerful Dark Side users at the time, and the defeat of his empire had driven him insane.
The Dark Lord had arrived on Yavin 4, with delusional dreams of rebuilding his lost dynasty. For the rest of his life, Sadow had guided his massassi slaves to build massive structures and temples in the moon's rainforests, which now stood abandoned and overgrown with vegetation, all across Yavin 4.
No government or large settlements had inhabited Yavin 4 since, with only few vagrants establishing a temporary home in the countless of abandoned temples. Because of the extensive inhabitance of the Sith in the past, Yavin 4 was imbued with Dark Side energy. Naga Sadow's spirit had long since been destroyed, but the energy from him, and his mutated massassi slaves, still lingered on around the moon.
A Separatist Sheathipede-class shuttle flew in Yavin 4's low atmosphere, moving over the massive rainforests, and dozens of small massassi temples. The shuttle decreased its speed and altitude, and begun approaching the ground.
After a few moments, the shuttle stopped, quickly approaching the grassy ground. The landing gear touched down on the smooth surface, blowing away leaves and grass, as the engines still boomed with power.
The shuttle began shutting down its engines, having reached its destination. The boarding ramp lowered, after which two BX-series commando droids walked down on it. The droids stopped at the end of the ramp, setting their metallic feet on the grassy ground.
As they looked around the area, scanning it with their eyes, a dark figure walked down the ramp as well. The female figure wore all black, slightly athletic robes, which gave her an oddly attractive look.
Barriss Offee, the newest acolyte working under Darth Sidious and Count Dooku, scanned the nearby area with her eyes as well, not being able to see any wildlife nearby. As she took a step forward, bringing herself under the light rain, she could hear footsteps behind her.
"You sure you want to do this alone?" A low male voice asked. Barriss turned around, frowning slightly, as she looked at a weequay man, walking down the boarding ramp. The weequay wore dark brown robes, being exactly the same design as traditional Jedi attire, only darker in color.
"Darth Sidious gave this assignment to me... and me alone. I will see it through, Bulq..." She answered to the man, who walked behind her. The weequay Dark Jedi, Sora Bulq, hummed quietly.
"Even so, you might want some back up in this... you are facing Darth Maul after all.." He said to the young woman, who scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Don't kid yourself, Bulq... Maul hasn't been anything worthwhile for a long time now; he won't stand a chance against me." The cocky Dark Jedi said with a smirk.
Darth Sidious' former apprentice, Maul, had fled to Yavin 4, after a series of defeats at the hands of his old allies. Maul had established himself as the leader of a Mandalorian faction nearly a year ago, having taken control of Mandalore, the homeworld of the fierce warrior culture.
At the hands of his former master however, Maul had lost everything, and was imprisoned by Sidious. Maul had managed to escape, and seek the help of the leader of a Nightsister clan on the planet of Dathomir; Mother Talzin. Sidious and Count Dooku had however been able to seek him out, and kill Talzin, forcing the former zabrak Sith to flee, and exile himself.
Barriss had arrived on Yavin 4 with Sora Bulq, a former Jedi Master in the Order. Bulq was a strong, independent and skilled Jedi, but his quick temper and aggressiveness had proven his downfall, as he and Quinlan Vos had turned to the Dark Side early on in the Clone Wars.
Unlike Vos however, Bulq had fallen too far, and refused to denounce the Dark Side, staying by his Sith Master Count Dooku's side. The reason for Bulq's fall was rather simple. He had always been a short-tempered Jedi, finding it hard not to fall into anger. Along with fellow Jedi Master Mace Windu, Bulq had developed a new form of lightsaber combat, Vapaad.
Vapaad was a highly aggressive version of the lightsaber Form VII, commonly dubbed as "Juyo". The practice of Vapaad required its user to delve into the Force immensely, and channel all their energy to aggressiveness and anger. It danced around the Dark Side so closely, that the rest of the Jedi Order refused to ever teach it.
Only the strongest willed individuals could master this risky form of combat, and stay in the Light. Mace Windu was strong enough, but his friend, and the co-creator of the form Sora Bulq, was not. Bulq had utilized the highly aggressive form all throughout his time fighting for the Republic, which made his final fall to the Dark Side all the more easy.
Ever since his fall, Bulq had been a loyal servant to Darth Tyranus; hoping that one day, he could ascend to the level of a Sith as well. This was made harder however, by the sudden appearance of his former Jedi colleague Barriss, joining the Dark Side, and becoming Darth Sidious' new pet. This infuriated the weequay man, and he found himself at odds with the young mirialan woman time after time again.
"Well... don't blame me, if you end up being killed by Maul. Maybe I can then claim the victory over him." Bulq said to Barriss, who could only laugh as a response.
"You would like that, wouldn't you, Bulq? You'd love to just stab me in the back with your lightsaber, if it meant that you'd become a Sith in the process. Your jealousy is really transparent." She said with a laugh. Bulq frowned deeply, and took a challenging step towards the smaller mirialan.
"Do not test your luck, kid. I was a Jedi Master far before you were even considered to be a Padawan! I could snap your tender spine in a second, and your tenure under Darth Sidious would end right there..." The weequay threatened, which only made the young woman chuckle, and shook her head.
"Yeah, you might have gotten were you are before me... but the fact that Lord Sidious will make me his apprentice, after I kill Maul and Ventress, just shows us all, that I'm better than you... old man..." She said quietly, her face inches away from Bulq's, as she taunted him.
Barriss then turned around, and put on her hood, before starting to walk away from the ship, and towards the direction of a large temple. Bulq clenched his teeth together, and squeezed his hands into fists. The amount of rage he had in him was overwhelming, but the Dark Jedi managed to stay his hand.
"Be careful not to get killed by any wildlife... I would just hate to have to pick up all your tiny, pathetic pieces off the ground..." He said after the leaving woman, who chuckled in response.
"Don't worry; I won't give you the displeasure of doing that. I will return, after Maul has been dealt with.." Barriss replied, making her way deeper into the jungle.
Bulq growled quietly, hating the mirialan Dark Jedi with every inch of his body. He then looked around the area, before sighing, and shaking his head. He turned his attention to the two commando droids, who stood guard.
"Keep the area secure... I don't want any wildlife near this ship." The weequay Dark Jedi said, before making his way back into the Sheathipede-class shuttle.
Barriss in the meanwhile, continued to make her way towards her destination; the Great Temple of Naga Sadow, further in the jungle. If all would go according to plan, she'd encounter the hiding Darth Maul there, and with that, would bring herself closer to her ambitious goal, and become the rightful apprentice of Darth Sidious.
But if the disgraced former Sith Lord would prove to be her downfall, then perhaps her rival Sora Bulq, could finish what she started, and eliminate both Maul, and Asajj Ventress, and thus earn the favor of his Sith overlord...
