Chapter 8 - Old Friends

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: Attack of the Clones begins... and it'll be four chapters total. ;)

And to the guest who reviewed, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would never have taken Padme to Zygerria unless they were trying to get her killed, so Ahsoka couldn't have been there. If she was, she would never have been found. I know it would have been more original, but it would also have required changing many other things about the universe which I didn't want to do. :)

~ Amina Gila

Ahsoka is acting strange. First of all, she was already in the kitchen area instead of sleeping, like she usually is. Secondly, every time Obi-Wan tries to make some quip to lighten the mood, she brushes it off. She looks tired, and she hardly eats anything. She's trying to pretend she's fine, but after spending a decade raising her, Obi-Wan knows better. After a while of trying to pretend not to notice, he gives up. "Ahsoka, what's the matter?" he asks finally.

"Nothing," she answers a little too quickly. "It's nothing."

"Something is bothering you," he insists. She looks away, not answering, which only further proves his point. "You can tell me," he encourages, wishing it wasn't so hard to get her to talk to him about things all the time. He can't help if he doesn't even know what the problem is.

"I..." she hesitates for a long moment before continuing, "Last night, I had a nightmare. Nothing more." So that's what's bothering her? It's obviously more than 'just a nightmare' or she wouldn't be so upset over it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ahsoka is quiet for a long moment, considering. "I saw my mother." She falls silent again for a few minutes before speaking again. "Something was happening to her. She was in pain... she was calling for me."

He can't say he's exactly surprised, but the nature of the dream worries him, as does the timing. Ahsoka had issues dealing with loneliness most of the time at the Temple, especially after losing the only two friends she'd made a couple years prior. At first she had often had dreams, prompted from past trauma, but she hasn't dreamed of her mother in... he doesn't know how long, but it's been years. Premonitions haven't exactly been uncommon for her, either. Even so, it doesn't mean it's a vision, and he has to put her mind to rest. "Premonitions and visions are rare. It's probably just a dream, and dreams pass in time."

Ahsoka shakes her head, as if trying to force away whatever thoughts are clouding her mind. "Yes, I'm sure it's nothing."

Obi-Wan has his doubts she truly believes that.

**w**

She should have expected this was going to happen eventually. That doesn't mean she isn't any more shocked when the Council gives her and Obi-Wan the news that none other than the newly appointed Senator Amidala has arrived on Coruscant, and they are to protect her after a recent assassination attempt.

It's been so many years since they last saw each other, and she can't believe the day has finally come at last. Other than Jar Jar, Padme was the first friend she made after leaving Tatooine and one of the last too, she has to admit. She's thought about her a lot during the past ten years, though a part of her can't help but wonder if Padme even remembers her. They only knew each other for a few days, after all. She decides not to let that ruin her excitement.

"I can hardly believe we're about to see her again," Ahsoka mutters, shifting impatiently as the turbolift continues taking forever to come to a stop.

The door finally slides open to reveal Jar Jar, who's practically bouncing with an excitement that's echoing into the Force. "Obi?" exclaims the Gungan, "Obi! Obi! Mesa soo smilen to see'en yousa! Wahooo!"

"It's good to see you too, Jar Jar," Obi-Wan says politely.

He finally looks past to Ahsoka. "Nooo!" he shrieks, "'Soka? Little bitty 'Soka?" She was not that tiny! "Yousa so biggen! Mesa no believen!" He throws his arms around her.

"Hi," Ahsoka greets with a smile, awkwardly returning his hug.

"Lookie, lookie, Senator! Disen Jedi arriven!" he shrieks, scurrying into the main room.

Padme and Captain Typho step forwards to greet them. "It's a great pleasure to see you again, M'Lady," Obi-Wan acknowledges, bowing.

"It has been far too long, Master Kenobi," Padme replies, "I'm so glad our paths have crossed again... Ahsoka? My goodness you've grown."

For a moment, Ahsoka finds herself utterly 's hardly sure what to say, so she decides it would be best to keep things semi-formal. "Padme. It's good to see you again," she manages finally.

"Our presence will be invisible, M'Lady," Obi-Wan assures her as everyone moves to sit down on the two couches. Ahsoka sits beside her master, while Padme sits between Jar Jar and her handmaiden.

"I am very grateful you are here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit," Typho declares.

"I don't need more security," Padme sighs, "I need answers. I want to know who's trying to kill me."

Obi-Wan frowns. "We're here to protect you, Senator, not to start an investigation."

Ahsoka looks over at him. Why must he always do this? "She's right," Ahsoka insists. "We should be looking for the assassin. Protecting is hardly a job for Jedi. Investigating is." She crosses her arms, giving her master a pointed look. What's even the point of them being here if they aren't going to do anything?

"We are not going through this exercise again, Ahsoka," he replies, giving her a sharp look. "We will not exceed our mandate, and you will follow my lead."

Ahsoka does her best to mask her flicker of hurt and looks away. He's not even listening to her. She suddenly senses a vaguely familiar Force-presence nearby. She can't place where she's felt it before, soshe chooses to try focusing on that instead of her frustration with Obi-Wan. "Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now if you will excuse me, I will retire," Padme declares, standing up. Her handmaiden gets up as well.

Typho and Obi-Wan start discussing the locations of security as someone else enters the room. It's a man, probably around Ahsoka's age, with black hair. He looks familiar somehow. Wait. Wait. Is that - can it be?! "Kitster?" Ahsoka breathes.

"Ahsoka!" he exclaims.

Her brain feels too scrambled to think. He's here. Somehow, he's actually here. Her best friend on Tatooine, the only one who had managed to stay with her until the end, who she left, certain she would never see again. But now he's standing right in front of her, as an adult. He should be twenty now. He's grown a decade without her, and her without him, and it feels so wrong, but it doesn't matter because he's here. Without even thinking about it, she sprints across the room and throws herself into his arms.

She can feels eyes on her, but can't find it in herself to care right now. "I can't believe you're really here," she murmurs, then pauses, "But how are you here?"

"It's a long story," replies Kitster, "But to make it short, Padme went back to Tatooine after you left. She freed me and several others including your mother. I went to live with Padme on Naboo, and I'm one of her bodyguards now."

"My mother?" Ahsoka demands urgently, memories of her repeating nightmares surging to the surface. "What happened to her? Tell me!"

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan interejects, "I'm going to check security. You two can catch up."

"Mesa goin toosa," says Jar Jar and heads away. Ahsoka nods, grateful they're giving her privacy, but she doesn't look away from Kitster.

"She met a moisture farmer named Cliegg Lars who lives on the outskirts of Mos Espa. I think they were planning to get married," answers Kitster, "I left Tatooine right after that so I don't know what happened to her since then."

"Oh," Ahsoka whispers, sagging a little. That's not anything recent, but at least she can be assured that Sharlan isn't in danger from slavers anymore. Hopefully. That says very little as to what she might in danger from now, though. "So... you were living with Padme? Did her family adopt you or what?"

"Yes," he replies, "Hey, maybe we should go to her room to talk. I know she's missed you and it would be nice to catch up together." Padme actually missed her? Ahsoka had thought she hardly even remembered her.

"Sure!" Ahsoka agrees eagerly, at least for the moment her nightmares pushed to the side.

Padme is in her room and has no problem joining the conversation about her and Kitster's life on Naboo over the past ten years. A small part of Ahsoka is almost wishing that she could have grown up there with him instead of at the Temple. Being a Jedi wasn't anything like she expected. However, it's always been her dream and still is, so she doesn't regret becoming one. She only wishes that things could be different sometimes. Not as in who she is, but rather what her life is like.

Soon enough, the topic of conversation ends up diverting to her. "So, what have things been like growing up as a Jedi?" Padme asks finally.

"It's where I belong," she answers automatically, despite the small part of her that often questions how true that is. "Though I don't feel like I fit here most of the time. I've far surpassed everyone my age, and I don't really have any friends, but at least I'm doing some good for the galaxy."

"What has Obi-Wan been like as a teacher?" Kitster queries.

"He's been a good teacher," she says, sighing softly as she remembers their conversation earlier. And her visions. "I'm ready to move on, though. To become a Knight, but he won't let me." If she were Knighted, she would have more freedom. She would have enough to go find her mother without him getting in the way or trying to stop her. "He claims I'm too unpredictable. I don't get why he doesn't trust me." She's done everything in her power to earn it, but he still has no faith in her.

Padme's expression is one of sympathy. "That must be frustrating."

"It's worse!" she huffs. "He never listens!" The way he was acting when she pointed out that they need to find the person behind the assassination attempts on Padme is a good example.

"It sounds difficult," Kitster remarks. "I didn't know being a Jedi would mean you couldn't... do what you wanted." From the dark look on his face, she knows he's thinking about what their life used to be like on Tatooine.

"Yeah. Or be around the people I love," she mutters, looking away as her thoughts return to Sharlan.

It hurt so much to have to leave her behind, and even Kit and Padme. She missed everyone so much, and never had anyone at the Temple. Kitster suddenly reaches out and takes her hand, the gesture being enough to snap her out of her thoughts. It's been so long since someone touched her like that. Obi-Wan is not one for physical comfort. No Jedi is. She didn't mean to let the mood get so depressing, but she's never been able to tell anyone how she felt about her life before. Its relieving, but they ought to be happy, being together again, not depressed.

"Are you allowed to love?" Padme inquires, and Ahsoka is instantly grateful she changed the topic. "I thought that was forbidden for Jedi."

"It depends on the type," Ahsoka replies slowly, trying to figure out how to word it to someone who knows nothing about the Jedi way of life.

"I know nothing about this, really," Kit interjects, "But it sounds dumb. I thought Jedi were supposed to be caring, especially to their own, but it doesn't sound like they've done that good a job."

She sighs. "They did," she insists. "I just can't understand how they... do that. How anyone can act so emotionless. Now like I was saying, attachment is forbidden, but compassion is central to Jedi's life, so I guess in a way we're encouraged to love."

"You've changed so much," Padme remarks.

"You haven't changed a bit," Ahsoka replies, lips quirking into a smile.

They sit there in a companionable silence before Kitster finally breaks it. "So, I heard Ahsoka mentioning earlier we should find the assassin, and I agree. Since it's obvious Master Kenobi won't be doing anything about it, what do you say we do, Padme?"

**w**

As Ahsoka expected, Obi-Wan wasn't exactly happy when she explained their plan, but there wasn't much he could do about it when Padme insisted. So, they wait in the living room as the sun sets, and then well into the night, talking on and off until they spotted the poisonous worms about to kill Padme through the cameras in her room. They make it barely in time; Ahsoka cutting them up, and Obi-Wan promptly crashing straight out the window to grab the droid.

"You could've used the Force!" Ahsoka shouts after him as he sails out of sight, then spins around towards Padme. "Stay here!" she orders and sprints out of the room. The dash outside to the hanger where the speeders are takes longer than she likes, but before she knows it, she's firing up the engine and zipping out of the hanger, flying upwards in search of her master. Where even is he? Ahsoka can only be grateful their bond is so strong, or she would have already lost him among the traffic.

She dives in and out between the lanes of traffic before finally spotting the falling figure of her master. Sending the speeder downwards, she positions it below him. Obi-Wan lands on the back, pulling himself forwards into the passenger seat.

"What took you so long?" he grumbles.

"Well, it was fun to watch you falling," Ahsoka snips as she scans the traffic for any sign of the bounty hunter.

"There!" Obi-Wan calls, pointing. She increases the speed as she zooms after the speeder. If she can just get close enough... Their speeder dives up and down in between the lanes of traffic and she may or may not be flying a little more recklessly than necessary, simply to get a reaction out of Obi-Wan.

"Hey, easy!" her master cries a moment later as the speeder jolts especially violently.

"Sorry, I forgot you don't like flying, Master," she smirks, not sorry at all. Not like she'd say that if she actually was.

"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide!"

"Don't worry, master, I know what I'm doing," she insists.

"Just slow down," Obi-Wan practically moans.

As they continue to fly, the bounty hunter's speeder flies into a train's tunnel. Ahsoka contemplates ignoring her master's warning not to follow, but then decides to listen, instead speeding to the other side to wait for the bounty hunter to come out. Sure enough, the speeder zips out as she reaches the other end and the chase is on again.

The bounty hunter swings the speeder into a lane of oncoming traffic and Ahsoka zips after, pulling their speeder right up alongside it. "What are you doing?" cries Obi-Wan, "She's gonna blast me!"

"Be ready to take over!" calls Ahsoka, swinging herself out of the speeder, and jumping onto the other one. The force of her hitting the top rocks it so hard that when the bounty hunter fires out the window, the shot that would have otherwise hit Obi-Wan goes flying off, missing completely. She ignites her lightsaber, stabbing it down through the top of the speeder as Obi-Wan scrambles over into the pilot's seat with a grumble of frustration which she ignores.

The bounty hunter promptly tries to fire at her but she blocks the blast with her lightsaber and it deflects back tinto the control panels of the speeder. Flames erupt from them as the speeder promptly starts spiraling out of control, crashing for the ground. A sudden jolt nearly throws Ahsoka off, and she deactivates her lightsaber as she shifts into a better position to hold on for the ride to the ground.

She Force-jumps off right before the speeder hits the ground, skidding a distance before coming to a stop. The bounty hunter - who Ahsoka is pretty sure is a she, actually - immediately leaps out and takes off running, but she's right behind her in a flash, lightsabers ignited. The bounty hunter runs around another corner, only to promptly come face to face with Obi-Wan. She tries to shoot him but he slashes her blaster in half. Not even a second later, Ahsoka is standing over her, both lightsabers ignited.

"Surrender," she orders sharply. "You have nowhere to run." The bounty hunter only glares back at her, but doesn't make a move to run.

"Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?" Obi-Wan asks.

"The Senator from Naboo," she replies flippantly.

"Who hired you?"

"It was just a job!"

"Tell us!" Ahsoka growls, throwing the Force into her words, "Tell us now!"

"It was a bounty hunter called -" she begins to say, but is promptly cut off as a dart hits her neck. She collapses and goes motionless, her skin slowly shifting into a changeling form. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan both look up in time to see someone with a jetpack shooting off into the sky, disappearing from sight.

**w**

Before long, Ahsoka finds herself in the Chancellor's office, speaking with Palpatine. After she and Obi-Wan had reported to the Council, they'd asked her to get Palpatine to convince Padme to leave the planet. Padme's extremely reluctant about it because of the upcoming vote, so the Council decided to have Palpatine talk to her.

"I will talk to her," Palpatine assures Ahsoka, "Senator Amidala will not refuse an executive order. I know her well enough to assure you of that."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," the Togruta murmurs. She knows how important this vote is to Padme, but her life is in far too much danger right now for her to stay.

"And so, my young Padawan, they have finally given you two an assignment on your own. Your patience has paid off," Palpatine says finally, smiling slightly at her. Yes, she can hardly believe it herself, though she doesn't think her patience had much to do with it. She's not really a patient person, unless it comes to stalking someone, probably a herald to her Togruta predator instincts.

"Your guidance more than my patience," she tells him. Ever since that incident when she was thirteen and went with him into the underworld of Coruscant, they've formed something of a friendship; she's gone to visit him many times, usually at his request. He's the only non-Jedi she's been able to confide in during the past ten years, except recently, Kitster and Padme. In many ways, he's been the only person who ever actually listens to her when she's upset about something. He's the only person who tells her the things she needs to hear.

"You don't need guidance," Palpatine insists, slowly walking across his office. She falls in step beside him. "In time you will learn to trust your feelings. Then you will be invincible. I have said it many times. You are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," she responds.

"I see you becoming the greatest of all the Jedi, Ahsoka," the Chancellor asserts, "Even more powerful than Master Yoda." She knows it's definitely possible. They say she's the Chosen One for a reason, after all. She's still not sure that she necessarily believes in the prophecy, but she does know that so far, her midi-chlorian count is the highest of any Jedi recorded.

She has to admit it would be a lie to say that she hopes he's wrong. And way inside, she knows that as a Jedi, her feels are not right because she shouldn't want such power, but... There are so many people she could help with it, so much good she could do to the galaxy. But now isn't the time to reflect on it. She needs to go back to Padme's apartment.