Chapter 19 - Conference on Alderaan

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: In which Anakin and Ahsoka work together to protect Padme. ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Ahsoka rolls over, willing sleep to finally come. Padme was right. She needs to sleep. Badly. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she hears a mocking voice. "It's already begun. She will die." Ahsoka rolls over again instantly, only to see a light-skinned figure standing over her. She's very human-like, exactly like the holoimage of Aurra Sing which Anakin showed Ahsoka earlier this morning after they first had the visions. They'd decided to do a little research on the bounty hunter but didn't come up with much that they didn't already know. She's here? On the ship?

Years of training flood back to her, and Ahsoka jumps out of bed, diving for her lightsabers at the table next to it, only to remember they're not there. Right. Her heart races, the adrenaline pulsing through her veins giving her insanely high levels of energy. She whirls around, gaze darting across the room for the figure, tensed and ready for a fight. There is no one there. She reaches out with the Force, but she doesn't sense any immediate danger. So, another vision, even though it felt so real. A warning. Perhaps it's soon, then. Maybe she'll attack them when on Alderaan. Leaving Coruscant was a bad idea.

Ahsoka slowly sits back down onto the bed, but her senses remain on high alert. Maybe she should try meditating. She's always been good at it, but she doesn't want to use the Dark Side anymore, and she can't meditate the same way the Jedi do any longer. It doesn't feel right. Even so, it might be a good way to get a better idea what's going to happen. They can hardly stop the assassination attempt if they don't even know anything about it. Ahsoka moves forwards, sliding off the bed and sinking to the floor in a meditative position, attempting to remember what exactly Dooku explained about it. Everyone does it their own way. Maybe she needs to try re-adjusting hers to make it a little less Sith-like.

Ahsoka is not a Sith, not anymore. She needs to stop considering herself one. She's not a Jedi either though. In truth, she doesn't really know what she is. And if she's being completely honest, it doesn't really matter. She is Ahsoka Tano, not someone she only pretends to be but is not. For once, she is herself, and that's all that really matters. She may not have any specific purpose, but she will find one eventually. She is doing what she, for once, considers justice from her own perspective, no one else's. She is her own person, not serving anyone.

Ahsoka isn't sure how long it's been. She's totally lost track of time, but she can slowly see a room beginning to materialize in front of her. It's a very large room, with an area up at the front. It's probably a conference room, like the one Padme will likely be going to. Sure enough, the Senator is standing in the front. Along one of the shafts up above, Ahsoka can see Aurra crawling towards her. She raises her blaster, aiming for Padme. The vision dissipates when Ahsoka finally hears the door opening. "Didn't really mean to disturb you," comes Anakin's voice, "But we're coming out of hyperspace. We'll be landing within minutes."

"You failed to knock," Ahsoka reminds, opening her eyes.

"I did," he insists. "You were too busy meditating to hear me. But come on. Hurry."

Ahsoka stands up slowly, taking a few moments to become readjusted to standing after sitting down in the same position for so long, before following him out of the room.

Minutes later, they find themselves exiting the ship. Sure enough, Senator Bail Organa is waiting to greet us then upon their arrival.

"Bail it's so good to see you," Padme tells him as they disembark. "Thank you so much for hosting this conference. Dealing with the refugees of this war needs to be our number one priority." Of course. Leave it to her to get right down to the diplomatic introduction.

Ahsoka notices the Senator of Alderaan eyeing her for a moment – probably recognizing who she is. Seriously, why does she have to be so easy to recognize? – before turning his full attention to Padme as they head across the landing platform. "Absolutely. Your presence here is greatly appreciated. Come. Senator Mothma and I will take you to your quarters."

It's a while later, honestly shorter than Ahsoka expected but longer than she hoped, that Anakin and she manage to pull Padme aside. She mentioned what she saw to him briefly, and it turns out he had a very similar vision himself. "I believe the attempt on your life is going to happen tonight," Ahsoka warns, biting her lip.

"Why tonight?" Padme inquires.

"We've both had another vision," Anakin explains. "It was much clearer. Far more detailed. I actually saw the location. I think it was later in the day. You were at the front of a large room, giving a speech."

Padme looks at the Togruta, and she nods, trying not to feel disconcerted by how similar the visions were. "It sounds like we saw practically the same thing," Ahsoka confirm.

"This room, could you recognize it if you saw it?" Padme inquires.

"Yes, I think I could," she declares with certainty. Anakin echoes her thoughts.

As soon as things settle down enough, Padme takes Captain Typho and the two of them to a room. Ahsoka's heart skips a beat as she scans the many benches, eyes zeroing in on the vent shaft in the corner. She had seen Aurra crawling through there in her vision. Padme had been at the front when it was fired. "So, does anything look familiar?" she inquires as if their stunned expressions weren't enough of an answer.

"Yes, this is it. This is the place I saw in my vision," Anakin confirms. Ahsoka nods, gaze still fixed on the vent.

"Where would the assassin be?" Padme inquires.

"That's what I'm not sure of," Anakin answers.

"I'm not certain… but I have an idea," Ahsoka murmurs. "She may have been in one of the shafts. I will be sure to keep an eye on it."

"We are taking all necessary precautions, correct, Captain?" Padme inquires, turning to Typho.

"Yes, my lady," he confirms immediately.

"Even so, I think Aurra Sing will be able to find her way in," Anakin warns, expression one of extreme concern.

"In your visions, does Aurra succeed?" Padme inquires. Why does she not seem nearly as worried as she should be? Oh, right. This is an ordinary experience for her. Then again, in her place, Ahsoka probably wouldn't be too concerned, either. She's an assassin herself, and she would know better than anyone else. She truly has nothing to fear unless Sidious tries something himself. There's not really much he could do. Or maybe she's being too optimistic.

"I don't know," Anakin admits quietly, "But…" Ahsoka can see his fear clearly in his bright blue eyes, and a sudden thought flickers through her mind again. It's obvious they've known each other for a long time, but the more she's with them, the more convinced she gets that there is more than a distant friendship between them. She's curious, but she's not going to ask. Anakin would never admit it to her, of all people. Besides, it hardly seems that now would be an appropriate time to start asking such questions.

"Well then, at least we have a fighting chance," Padme tries to reassure him.

"I'm not liking this," Anakin mutters. Suddenly, he turns towards Ahsoka with a thoughtful expression. "Ahsoka, what would you do in Aurra's place?" Why did she not even think about it like that before?

She's silent for a long moment, eyes scanning the room as she turns the situation over in her mind. It's actually not that hard. There would be security all over inside, and outside the doors. If she wanted to get a good shot at anyone in the room, she would have to get a good overall view. The way would have to be clear, preferably from above. She raises her gaze to the ventilation shafts across the room. She doesn't know about most people, but the ventilation shafts are often the route she uses to sneak through ships. Since there's so many people in the room, she would probably use it to hide herself from view. "The shafts, just like I thought she might have been in my vision," Ahsoka concludes, motioning to the grate. "Someone should keep an eye on them. Aurra is a very skilled bounty hunter. Whatever we do, she'll probably find a way past it."

"Actually," Anakin decides, suddenly grinning. "I have an idea."

**w**

Anakin, Padme, and Ahsoka stand next to a railing, overlooking the mountainous forests of Alderaan. Large mountains loom out against the horizon. It's similar to Naboo, yet very different at the same time. Both are quiet and peaceful, but Naboo has more water. Alderaan is more mountainous. "Isn't it just beautiful?" Padme murmurs.

"Yes, but I really think we should go inside," Ahsoka objects, turning towards her. "It's not safe. Aurra could be out there somewhere, waiting for the right moment."

"I can't stop living my life," Padme argues. "I am no stranger to taking risks. I am sure you two could stop her even if she attacked now."

"Yes, but…" Ahsoka trails off, frowning. Anakin can't help but think something else is bothering her.

"What is it?" he inquires.

"I'm confused," she admits with a sigh. "I've had visions before. They always seemed like something that could easily happen. But now, this vision is telling me one thing, but reality is telling me another. They usually line up, but now… I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Just because everything seems peaceful now doesn't mean it's not about to change," Anakin points out.

Ahsoka nods, her gaze refocusing on the horizon. "I suppose we can stay out here a little bit longer, after all." Yes, they can. Anakin can only hope that his plan will work. It's extremely risky, and a risk he'd rather not take given Padme's life is on the line, but it's really the best he can think of. He offers a silent plea into the Force to let both Padme and Ahsoka remain unhurt. He can't bear the thought of something happening to either of them.

They stay outside a short while longer before Padme finally decides to go back in. Anakin heads off to do another full-perimeter scan, temporarily leaving Ahsoka with Padme.

**w**

This is a very, very awkward conversation to be having, but Ahsoka feels duty bound to mention it. "You don't seem to take your safety very seriously," she remarks.

"I can't stop living my life or doing my duty simply because of a threat," Padme objects.

"Which is fine, until you start hurting people who care about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed." Ahsoka forces her tone level. She doesn't want to ruin this by showing her anger. It's something she's had to learn to control years ago, and it's not that hard. Except when she's being protective, apparently. "But Anakin hasn't eaten a thing since this started. After the first morning when I pretty much made him. And he hasn't slept either. I know you deal with this all the time, but you could at least try not to let him stress himself to death. He cares about you. There's nothing more valuable than that."

Padme sighs. "He really doesn't need to be so worried. Maybe I should talk to him."

Ahsoka gives her a sideways glance. "Maybe not, but he is, and telling him not to worry will only make it worse. The last thing we need is to make him feel like he shouldn't feel what he does." Honestly, she isn't sure what kind of reaction she was hoping Padme to have. Just… not this. She doesn't understand, and it's not something Ahsoka can very well explain. After all, how are you supposed to tell someone that they hardly seem grateful for someone else's concern?

"Of course not," she agrees, "But there is plenty of security everywhere, and with both of you here, there's little chance for the assassin to succeed."

"I know, but it feels like – like you don't know how much he cares."

"You're quite perceptive," Padme smiles at her.

"Um, thanks?"

"But I see your point. I'll talk to him." Ahsoka decides to leave it as that, though at the very least, she can rest assured that she tried.

**w**

Ahsoka and Anakin remain outside of the conference room, waiting. Any time now. They'll have to go into the shaft, hopefully to stop Aurra before things escalate. Soon, Anakin can hear Bail begin speaking inside, signaling the beginning of the speech.

"Now," he hisses. They move over to the nearby vent, and he climbs inside. Ahsoka follows. Moving soundlessly through the darkness, he begins making his way down the shaft. The area is low enough that he can't really stand, so he'll have to crawl. Ahsoka is going a different way to make sure one of them will be able to catch Aurra on time.

Anakin can hear the speech continuing down below, and Padme begins talking. Suddenly, he senses an approaching danger in the Force. Someone is nearby.

Anakin scrambles around the last turn in the vent to where it overlooks the conference room, in time to see an all too familiar bounty hunter crouching next to it. Yes, it's definitely Aurra Sing.

"And yet now, I find myself a party to and witness of a full-scale war," Padme's voice echoes up from the room below as the bounty hunter raises her blaster into position. "That has divided our grand Republic in two. Already more than one hundred Jedi –"

Aurra pulls the trigger the same moment Anakin throws out a hand, shoving her blaster to the side. The bolt completely misfires, bouncing off the wall of the shaft, and she has to duck to avoid being beheaded. Ahsoka bolts up from the other side of the vent.

Aurra whirls towards him, repeatedly firing both her blasters. Anakin ignites his lightsaber to deflect them. She dodges down, barely missing getting hit by her own shots before suddenly spinning around and bolting the opposite direction. She fires a shot at Ahsoka who dives sideways, then takes the opportunity to dart past and keep going. Of course, she'd try to escape now. But at least they have her on the run, instead of chasing after Padme.

Ahsoka is already racing after her, not far behind. Anakin deactivates his lightsaber, darting after, only to reignite it when Aurra fires over her shoulder at them. Ahsoka rolls sideways across the shaft, barely managing to avoid being hit.

Light filters into the shaft as they approach a nearby vent. Aurra yanks off the grate, leaping down to the floor below. Ahsoka jumps down after, followed by the Jedi Knight a moment later. Anakin doesn't recognize the room, but at least no one else is in it right now. There's only the two of them to worry about. He steps in front of the Togruta as the bounty hunter starts shooting at them again with both of her blasters. He deflects the bolts into the walls, and some of them back at her. Aurra side steps to avoid being hit from the blasts.

"I remember you, Jedi," she chuckles, pausing her shooting to look at Anakin. "The youngest slave to win a Pod Race?"

"Stand down, assassin," Ahsoka orders, eyes narrowed as she moves out from behind him.

"You left me for dead," Aurra continues, ignoring Ahsoka. "Luckily, Hondo pulled me out of the wreckage."

So that's how she survived. Anakin should have guessed he would intervene. "I'm surprised you're back to work so soon," he retorts.

"Well, a girl's got to make a living," Aurra snaps, shooting at him again, "And I see you've found yourself a pet."

"Be careful," Anakin warns as Ahsoka's eyes narrow angrily. "She bites."

Ahsoka unexpectedly dives at the bounty hunter – presumably not to carry through with a demonstration. She dodges under the blasters, throwing Aurra into the wall. The bounty hunter manages to catch her balance, shoving the Togruta aside. She spins out of the way, using the Force to rip one of the blasters away and tossing it across the room. As Aurra moves to shoot at her again, Ahsoka Force-shoves the blaster to the side. Anakin has to admit, for not even having a weapon, she is doing surprisingly well.

"Why are you trying to kill Padme?" she demands, turning towards the bounty hunter. "If you kill her, you'll only make more people fight back."

Aurra laughs. "Honey, this isn't about her cause; this is about revenge. My employer wants to get even with her, simple as that."

"Well, you're doing a marvelous job at that," Anakin snaps, stepping towards her.

Aurra fires at him again, and he deflects the bolt back into the side of the blaster, making it fall from her hand. Ahsoka snatches up the other blaster she threw across the room, flicking a switch on it. "No!" cries Aurra, eyes suddenly widening in alarm, but Ahsoka spins around anyway, firing a stun bolt at the bounty hunter, who falls to the floor, unconscious.

"Well, that was easier than expected," Ahsoka remarks, tossing the blaster to the floor.

"It was, wasn't it?" Anakin agrees. "Now let's call security."

**w**

"Without your foresight, I fear things would have gone quite differently," Padme tells Anakin and Ahsoka as they head back for Coruscant. The rest of Padme's mission on Alderaan passed thankfully uneventfully.

"But we still don't know who's really behind this," Ahsoka reminds.

"Perhaps you should meditate on it and see if you can figure anything out?" Anakin suggests.

"Maybe…" Ahsoka trails off, closing her eyes. "I see shapes," she murmurs. "Large, devouring. I hear laughter. Bizarre laughter. I see a color…. Purple? I don't know what it means. None if it is familiar to me." She opens her eyes, looking about as confused as Anakin feels.

"It is to me," Padme responds. "I've been thinking, Aurra Sing said the person who hired her simply wanted revenge for something I did to them."

"Well, that could be a lot of people," Anakin points out.

"Yes," she concurs, "But with Ahsoka's added details, I know someone who fits the description. Ziro."

"Oh." That makes sense, actually. She was the one who put him in jail, after all.

"Then perhaps we should go pay him a visit," suggests Ahsoka.

"That would be a good idea," Anakin agrees. "We can do that as soon as we return to Coruscant." Especially considering that it's not like Aurra is going to say anything about it.

**w**

"You must be Anakin Skywalker," the familiar Hutt states as they approach his cell, watching him through the yellow ray shield.

"I am," Anakin acknowledges, "And this is my friend, Ahsoka Tano."

"I believe you have a grudge against Senator Amidala," Ahsoka states, getting straight to the point.

"And what makes you say something so utterly ridiculous?" Ziro exclaims, feigning innocence.

"It's because of Senator Amidala you're locked up in this place. The bounty hunter Aurra Sing attempted to kill the Senator. I believe you hired her for the job." Ahsoka's explanation is brief and to the point.

"I did no such thing!" squawks the Hutt.

"We have Aurra Sing in custody. She told us everything," Ahsoka insists. Anakin shoots her a surprised look. It's certainly a good method of getting him to confess.

"But – what?!" cries Ziro, "She told you – she told you what?! Impossible! I should have hired someone better."

The Togruta smirks. "You just guaranteed yourself an extra-long vacation in this lovely establishment."

"Do you see the conditions I'm living in?" raves the Hutt. "That insipid Senator put me in here! She deserves to die for leaving me to rot in this squalor!"

"Well, thanks to you, Ziro, and that little confession, you've officially failed," Ahsoka cheerfully informs him.

"You'll never get away with this!" screams Ziro as they start walking away, "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"

"What's that?" Anakin calls over his shoulder. "You want your sentence to be lengthened to life? I can arrange that."

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