Disclaimer: Disney owns Star Wars, not me. All the characters and places (except for my OC Analise) belong to them.

"aaaa"-talking out loud."aaaa" (bold and italics)-talking through a holo or com. 'aaaaa'-inner thoughts. aaaaa-talking through a Bond. "aaaa" (bold)-another language.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

Good hunting.

It was a phrase that would shock many beings outside the Order if they were to hear a Jedi use it. Analise knew she had been when she had first heard Da say it to Uncle Plo before the Kel Dor had left on a mission to wage war aganist a violent group of smugglers. Her Da whose hands when not wielding his lightsaber were gentle and tender as they patched her minor wounds and tended to the small collection of herbs he grew in his chambers. The human male never failed to notice a new plant that was blossoming in the gardens, coaxing to full life when it seemed destined to wilt.

Good hunting.

Jedi were not hunters. They were very rarely warriors. They were peacekeepers, defenders of justice and those who could not defend themselves. Jedi did not hunt, did not stalk in the manner of a bounty hunter or a smuggler. When Analise had questioned first her adoptive father and than the man who would become her Soul Mate, they could only shrug. Such a phrase was exchanged among Jedi when they needed to be a warrior...When they needed to be a hunter.

Good hunting.

She hadn't understood it then. She understood it now. Understood it as she and her husband hunted side-by-side, stalking through the dim corridors for the Sith acolyte who was using every skill she had to avoid them. To get past them so she could after Anakin and Ahsoka. So she could kill the Huttlet and start a second war within the Republic. The Hutts against the Jedi.

So they hunted. She and husband hunted side-by-side. Their prey used the shadows to hide, to sneak from them. Analise was the Force's Moon though. Her light was not as bright as the Sun, but it was pure and good. It broke through the shadows and allowed the Negoatitor at her side to find where the acolyte was hiding.

Obi-Wan watched his wife stepped further into the wide circular hall they had come across. He stood near the door, his eyes a mix of blue-green and grey. Grey for his warrior focus. Blue-green as he watched his wife's graceful movement and longed more than ever for this to be over and done with so they could some alone time. Just them...

Focus Ben or we might forget about Ventress. Do you want to give her a show?

Never! Analise giggled and turned to face her husband, her Jedi Master-in-shinning armor...Well not shinning armor right now.

Just like Anakin you are Obi-Wan...Never wanting to share.

What we have is for us is Ventress? The sooner this mission is over, the sooner I can kidnap you. The words sounded like a growl in her mind and she blushed, ducking her head. The growl contained all his longing, all his desire. It flooded through her, threatened to carry her away. She released into the Force, his desire and her own. There would be plenty of time later for him to refresh his claim upon her and hers upon him.

Taunt her. That always works.

"Ventress my pet why do you hide from me?" Analise rolled her eyes and propped the hand not holding her saber on her hip. Of course her Obi-Wan would go with a flirty route to try and lure out the acolyte.

"We can feel your frustration Ventress," Analise chimed in as Obi-Wan took a few steps forward, his eyes scanning the area over her head. "You want Jabba's son, but you will never have him. Anakin has beaten you and Rotta will be returned to his father safely."

Analise! Behind you! She spun, a flurry of blonde hair and blue robes as dark shadow with blood-red blades landed behind her with an angry cry. Ventress lashed out with her blades, trying to strike at whatever she could as she allowed too much of anger to take control and transformed her Makashi into something sloppy beyond recognition.

The Knight fought back, blocking Ventress' strikes. Strikes that were becoming harder to block as the acolyte's anger grew.

Ventress hated the smaller female. Hated the power she held. Power that was second only to her twin, that blaster Skywalker. She hated how Sideous seemed to be obsessed with them. His orders were always for the twins to never be killed. He wanted the twins in his hands and Ventress hated that.

Well if they accidentally died in battle, he couldn't say anything right. Her strikes grew wilder and Analise was forced to give up using her own variation of Makashi as the Ventress grew too wild, too violent for the most classic of lightsaber forms to be of much use.

Obi-Wan reached out with his left hand and the Force, pulling Analise to him so he could grab onto her right wrist, carefully pulling her to his chest. She deactivated her lightsaber and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you love."

"Anytime my soul." His eyes warmed only slightly with her safe in his arms. His fingers squeezed around her wrist, his grip tight. "Are you alright?" She nodded and he dropped a kiss upon the top of her head.

They heard a cry. Dark and angry, born from Ventress' soul that was pitch black. Narrowing her eyes, Analise read what she could of the acolyte's aura, her Force Signature. Her eyebrows raised and she giggled a little.

Care to share the joke?

She's jealous!

Jealous?

Of you and me. Of our love.

Hmmm...We can use that to our advantage. His eyes shifted back to grey as he studied the now panting Ventress who switched her blades off and returned them to her belt. She started to stalk forward, running her hands over her waist to the fasteners on that kept her wrap attached to her belt. Her eyes glared at the couple as she detached the wrap and waved it in a grand gesture over her head. May I Moonbeam?

Always Ben.

Ventress threw her wrap. The instant it left her hands Obi-Wan spun Analise out and away from him. Calmly she stepped back and allowed her husband to take his turn battling the acolyte.

Her plan to blind Obi-Wan with the wrap failed as the Master was quick to slice it in half and was able to block her blades as they swung down in an attempt to dice through him. "You'll have to do better than that my darling..." Analise rolled her eyes even as she giggled.

The giggles angered Ventress. More so when Obi-Wan smirked at his so-called wife's giggles. She fought to stay calm, finding a center in the darkness. Her Makashi, while still unpolished and lacking the grace of Analise's, become much better. Obi-Wan's pause to take in the new stance gave her the chance she needed and Ventress took it. She popped Obi-Wan's lightsaber from his grip, letting it fly across the room.

Analise remained calm. She knew her husband well. The lightsaber was the chosen weapon of the Jedi, but they knew more than just the blade. She watched, somewhat amused as Ventress moved to attack what she now thought to be a defenseless Jedi Master only to be shocked when Obi-Wan took hold of her wrists in a steel grip. He was able to keep her blades from touching him. With the aid of the Force Obi-Wan pushed her away from him enough to unbalance her.

Ventress gasped and Obi-Wan's lightsaber flew back to his hand. Analise came to stand next to him, her own lightsaber again blazing. "Shall we continue then Ventress?"

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"What are you thinking about Snips?" She had been quiet since he had called Rex to let him know they were heading to the cruiser instead of returning to help the troops.

"It's just that...When I made myself stay calm that's when everything seemed to go right. It's when everything came into focus." Ahsoka's voice was tinged with a slight bit of awe and Anakin had to smile.

"Good Ahsoka. Just remember that. It can be hard for even seasoned Knights and Masters to keep calm and focus during war."

"Really?"

"Really." Anakin looked over at his little sister. For now she seemed calm, still excited about this first mission. This first adventure as her brother's Padawan.

Later they would come. The fear, the nightmares, the terror. The cries of men dead and dying would fill the darkness and lurk in the shadows. Later the tears would come as she at long last would be faced with the reality of this first round of battles in her first war. It would be hard as it came crashing down.

He would be there for her though. They all would. Anakin was determined that Ahsoka would make it through the war as bright as she was in that moment. Still filled with hope.

There was nothing he could do about her innocence. Jedi grew up fast and her innocence would have faded fast anyway.

'Just don't grow up too fast baby sister.' Anakin let go of the controls with one hand just long enough to reach over and affectionately rub the top of Ahsoka's head. She had loved that since the moment they had meet years.

Ahsoka looked up his touch and smiled brightly as he flooded their Bond with love and pride. Here was real sibling love. Real sibling affection. Being with Anakin and Analise again had banished the ghosts of her biological siblings from her mind. They love they could never give her was shown to her in spades by her human siblings. Siblings the Force had chosen just for her.

No sooner had Anakin returned his hand to the control than a loud explosion sounded off the side of the G9. They could make out the mixture of smoke and fire through the windows. Ahsoka tightened her grip on Rotta's pack as they broke through clouds to see the very same cruiser they needed to go to under heavy enemy fire.

"Hey Snips...I need you to get focused again."