-Chapter 56: Wartime Relations-
Location: the Jedi Temple/The Dominance
"Every aspect of life changes when war is introduced."
In the time since Wraith was submerged in the Bacta tank, the state of the war had changed drastically. The Republic had successfully destroyed both the Jhas and Yavin assembly installations, taking down a Subjugator each. Thanks to the work of some Clone commandos, a virus had successfully corrupted and destroyed the Overlord along with the Jhas ring. Alternately, a Republic strike force led by General Kit Fisto had successfully destroyed the Yavin docking ring with a barrage of cruiser fire, destroying Tython's Bane in the process as it was still under construction. In addition, the Republic had also managed to reclaim several Mid Rim and Outer Rim worlds from the Separatists, pushing the CIS further back without the presence of a super-soldier to help bolster their ranks as a one-man army.
While these were fairly major victories, the constant worry that a fleet of finished cruisers flying about put a severe damper on any joyous celebrations. As such, the Republic remained on edge. With three Subjugator's now confirmed gone, many more still unaccounted for and The Wraith unheard of and unseen for some time, those higher up the chain of command were beginning to wonder if the Separatists were now rearing back... and getting ready to strike. Chancellor Palpatine now held regular meetings with three of his most trusted advisors when it came to Republic security and intelligence. Newly integrated into these meetings was Commander Thrawn, now a direct military advisor in addition to Mas Amedda's political insights and Armand Isard's security knowhow.
When it came to The Wraith and the threat of the Subjugator's, the Republic could afford to take no chances. One wrong misstep and the war would end with a Separatist victory.
As for the other participants in the war, some were enjoying the moment of reprieve and making the most of the fact that the Separatists weren't on the offensive. But others took the time for moments of contemplation and to consider emotional rollercoaster that had come with the war and its ever-changing scenarios.
One such individual was Ahsoka Tano.
Sitting alone in one of the Jedi Temple's common rooms, Ahsoka was deep in thought. The young Togruta pondered many things, her mind a mild flurry of activity. Ever since The Wraith had become a major player in the war and his evident crush on her made known, Ahsoka had been given a lot to think about. To some, there wasn't. As a Jedi, she'd sworn an oath to obey the Code and made vows to the Order that she needed to follow to the letter. To them, she shouldn't be giving these things a second thought, rebuffing Wraith's advances without hesitation.
But she wasn't. To Ahsoka, they were a sign that there was a man under the guise of a monster and therefore an angle worthy of pursuing..
But how was she to know they were for real? Wraith's attitude was often so conflicting that it would confuse her to no end. She had no idea as to how to approach him or how to interpret his feelings. The problem was she had no other help in this endeavour. It was up to her and her alone to figure out The Wraith, before the likes of the Titan Conglomerate destroyed him.
What she didn't realize was that there were some people who already had the answer to her quandaries: those who has listened to Wraith's personal logs, recovered from his destroyed Utapau base.
The only people who had listened to them were the Jedi Council, plus Anakin. They were the only ones to know that Wraith had confessed his love for Ahsoka in those logs, which was why they had banned anyone else from listening to them and had charged Anakin with deterring her from trying to dig any deeper, lest she uncover the truth.
But Ahsoka didn't know any of this. She didn't know the Council, and even her own master, were keeping secrets from her. The young Togruta could only assume that she was alone in this endeavour and had nobody to turn to whatsoever. So she kept her thoughts to herself, always thinking and always wondering...
"How's it going, Ahsoka?" The rather-cheery voice of her master wondered. Ahsoka looked up to see Anakin enter the room, looking like his usual proud and upright self.
"Just doing some thinking Master." She replied.
"What about?" Anakin asked as he took a seat opposite her.
"Well..." Ahsoka trailed off, pondering how to best approach this with him. "Do you think Wraith could still be alive?" She asked him. After his bloody engagement with the Titan Conglomerate on Takodana, Wraith had been sent packing, bleeding and defeated. While no one knew for sure if he had survived, many were starting to wonder if he had actually died given his lack of presence on the battlefield. But Ahsoka knew otherwise, yet was nowhere near comfortable with revealing her special bond with him to anyone else and thus played along like she was also not in the know. Anakin shrugged.
"I don't know for sure, Ahsoka. Personally, I hope he's dead. But given he's survived an orbital bombardment in the past, part of me thinks it's entirely possible he survived what the Titans did to him." He said. "Sorry it's not a direct answer, Snips."
"That's okay Skyguy. It's just... something that sleemo Corsair said some time ago." Ahsoka continued, causing Anakin to raise an eyebrow. "I had a little run-in with him and he started going off about Wraith and how he didn't actually care about anything, not even me." She explained.
"Really..." Anakin mused, folding his hands together.
"He said he just wanted to... well, I'll let you fill in the blanks." Ahsoka said, not one to swear or even repeat such foul words. But she knew Anakin had a vivid enough imagination to guess what he'd said. "Corsair called Wraith's apparent crush on me nothing more than a facade. Paraphrasing, mind you." She added.
"'Cause he was less eloquent." Anakin said, knowing Corsair's penchant for crude language well. Ahsoka nodded emphatically. After a moment of contemplation, Anakin nodded, "That does make sense." He said to Ahsoka's sheer surprise.
"It... I-It does?" She stammered, turning to him wide-eyed.
"Sure, if you match everything up." Anakin said with a nod. "Commitment and affection really aren't in Wraith's playbook, he's more or else about following orders and doing as much damage as possible. I'd say he cares about killing people more than anything else... like a machine." He explained. Ahsoka raised a brow marking, as if she were mentally arguing against his point. "I know that look. But if you stop and think about it Ahsoka, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Corsair's got it right." The Padawan regarded him with a very incredulous look.
"He does?" She said, almost deadpan. Anakin nodded.
"If Wraith really cared about you to any extent, then he'd show it. Right now, I think Corsair's right, he just wanted you in order to get the bragging rights."
"You... You really think so, Master?" Ahsoka replied, never once thinking that Anakin would actually side with Corsair.
"It was pretty obvious, Snips." Anakin stated. He knew that, while his apprentice was seemingly committed to redeeming Wraith, he'd been busy looking for signals to prove her wrong. And now he had a datapad full of them. "If he cared about you at all... well, look at me! I care about you. So what do I do? I teach you life lessons, I look out for you, I'm there for you, I've got your back." He listed off. "That's how you know I care about you. Him? What does he do? Steal a kiss, compliment you... he's trying to worm his way into your head." He countered, doing his best to highlight the differences between him and Wraith. "He's trying to seduce you." Anakin point blank told her.
"S-Seduce me?!" Ahsoka exclaimed, a little louder than she intended. Anakin nodded, but then rested his non-mechanical arm on her shoulder.
"You're young, you're still learning. It's okay that you missed this, but it's a good thing the rest of us didn't." He reassured her. Her innate Jedi teachings internally reprimanded Ahsoka for being so narrow in terms of her outlook. Maybe she had missed the big picture after all.
"He's... that obvious, huh?" She said with a rather sheepish look.
"I get the feeling you've been so enamoured with trying to help him that you missed some of the more obvious signals." Anakin mused, his words practically ripped from her conscience. Ahsoka's gaze fell, now realizing she'd messed up. "Don't feel bad Ahsoka. Just remember to reel yourself back sometimes. Remember, passion-"
"Goes against the Jedi Code and is a path to the Dark Side." She finished, looking up with a smile. She'd heard Master Yoda and others use those exact words so many times before. "I know, Master." Anakin smiled back.
"I know you do." He said reassuringly, offering her a pat on the shoulder before he stood and moved on. Ahsoka maintained her smile as he did, but it faded as soon as Anakin left, tumultuous thoughts replacing the faux contentment she was putting out. She hadn't told Anakin anything about her 'other' interactions with Wraith, about how he checked in with her about her cutting and how he was willing to be there for her as much as possible. But Anakin's words halted everything she had ever thought about him. Everything he'd done, everything that seemed considerate and nice... what if it was all a facade? What if Wraith was doing all of it just as a means to get to her?
At first, she didn't want to believe Anakin. But the more Ahsoka thought about what he said, the more she realized he was right.
But was he really...?
She needed to figure this out for herself. She needed a straight answer... and that could only come from Wraith. Luckily, she knew just how to reach him.
"Come on Wraith... Where are you?" Ahsoka asked aloud when the commlink failed to connect again. It seemed ironic that his open offer for her to contact him any time was now falling short not long afterwards. With a disappointed sigh, she tossed the commlink onto her bed, feeling like she had too many questions and not enough answers.
Such was why was Wraith not answering when he said he would?
She hadn't yet felt the need to call him over the past while, even though he promised she could whenever she needed to. Sometimes the urge was cut was very great, but she'd been taking Wraith's advice... and it had been working. Every time she felt like cutting, she told herself she didn't have to for another minute or half-hour, however long she thought she could manage. She used that time to try some breathing exercises and focused her mind on the Force. The desire to cut eventually went away, building her self-confidence.
But where was Wraith now that she needed to talk to him?
"There has to be a good reason..." She muttered, trying to think through all the logical reasons why Wraith wouldn't answer. Maybe he was busy, maybe he couldn't hear the commlink.
Or maybe he was in trouble.
Ahsoka chose to act on her wonderings and opted to use the Force to find Wraith's presence. Closing her eyes, she reached out to him through the Force, trying to ascertain his location. The first few images that came to her were solid and shaped, appearing like a case or a tank. The images slowly crystallized to reveal a bacta tank, with a shadowy figure within. She couldn't tell who was in there, but the presence seemed familiar. "Wraith?" She wondered, trying to reach into his mind.
All of a sudden, a flash ripped through her mind and an overwhelming heat consumed her, causing her to cry out as the vision faded. "What the kriff was that?!" She exclaimed, both confused and afraid of whatever that flame was...
Aboard the Dominance...
Striding into Scipio's lab, Sereva Shak looked just as regal as ever, clad in her crisp dark blue Separatist uniform and with her bright red lekku draped over her shoulders. She certainly was a stunning Twi'lek, but she really didn't care for whatever genetic sexuality might inhabit her and her kind. She was all about business.
And today's business involved the other occupants of this gigantic cruiser.
Doctor Pomel Scipio stood over a counter, examining several alloy samples through a microscope, testing them for structural weaknesses. He glanced up upon Sereva's arrival.
"Ah, greetings Admiral. What brings you to my humble wing?" He cordially greeted. Sereva regarded him with a nod.
"Doctor. Just checking in to see how our resident super-soldier is doing." She said, walking over to the bacta tank in which Wraith was suspended.
"Well, he hasn't moved, if that's what you're worried about." Scipio remarked as he joined her. "But as far as the chromatography process goes, he should be almost finished."
"That's good news. We could use him out in the field." Sereva stated, knowing that the Separatists were hurting right now.
"Yes... you're not the first person to ask me that." Scipio muttered, reflecting on a less-than-pleasant experience that had unfolded. "Count Dooku was in here the other day demanding a progress update. He threatened me with a 'throat-hugging' if Wraith were not made available soon."
"Is that what we're calling them now?" Sereva asked with a chuckle. The Twi'lek trailed off as she turned back to the tank, examining the slumbering Wraith within. Despite the bacta around him, his body was very much visible, allowing the Twi'lek to get a good look at his muscular form. She'd seen him without his helmet only a handful of times and was able to confirm that Wraith was actually a very handsome man.
There had been a question on her mind that had been brewing for some time. She hadn't felt a stirring like this for some time, not since her earliest days at the academy. She'd cursed those feelings, but understood that there were some basic aspects of her sexuality that couldn't be ignored. She was hesitant to indulge her desires for multiple reasons, primarily because of maintaining military decorum and a healthy working relationship that didn't complicate their positions in the war but also because she'd been burned before in the past.
Still... fortune favoured the adventurous...
"Doctor, I have a question about Wraith." She began.
"What kind of question?" Taking a breath and readying herself, Sereva continued,
"What would it take to catch his eye?" Scipio frowned, her question not immediately resonating with him.
"What do you-" He started to ask before it dawned on him and he gave a shout and clapped his hands, laughing joyously, "At last! A woman of superior quality who actually wants him!" He happily declared.
Sereva was thoroughly confused, giving the doctor a sideways look.
"Um... What?" Scipio realized his mistake and corrected himself.
"Oh, yes, that's right... I apologize, Admiral." He said, straightening his lab coat and clearing his throat. "I doubt Wraith has ever told you of his attraction?" Sereva shook her head. "Well, for the longest of time, Wraith has always felt a sense desire for the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker: the Togruta Ahsoka Tano." He revealed.
"What?!" Sereva exclaimed, aghast and shocked by what he said. "He... He's in love with a Jedi?! They're the very people he hates most, apart from Clones. That doesn't make any damn sense!"
"I know. I've often wondered what's wrong with him, pursuing a common Togruta when there's such an exotic and gorgeous woman right here on the same ship as him." Scipio responded. Sereva appeared a little flattered, sliding one lekku off her shoulder as she bashfully looked away.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Doctor." She remarked.
"Well, maybe so..." Scipio agreed, "but I believe I can help you out." He continued, running all the facts he knew about Wraith's psyche through his head. "You want to be noticed by him. You want him to take an interest in you, a romantic one if I'm not mistaken?" Sereva did not respond to that, but did offer an expression that told Scipio 'Yes'. "While I might not understand what it is about this Ahsoka that has drawn Wraith to her, I know that you will gain his attention by simply talking to him, becoming an active presence in his life. Be there for him, make him feel needed and wanted. Ever so slowly, we will wane him off of his infatuation with Ahsoka and make him want you instead. I will be sure to give him an encouraging nudge in your direction." He said, growing excited as even more possibilities came to mind. "Why don't you have him start accompanying you on missions? That way you two can spend some more time together. Maybe even ask him to join you on leave, or better yet, have him transferred to your ship!" He eagerly suggested.
"Doc... you're both already on my ship." Sereva told him.
"Oh yes, that's right. Silly me." Scipio corrected himself, calming down. "My point is, if you want him to notice you, then pursue him. Be active, act upon your feelings for him. I am certain he will take notice." Sereva nodded as she committed all of his suggestions to memory, making an extra special note to try and be more active when it came to Wraith's many assignments.
"Thanks, Doctor. I'll be sure to keep those in mind." She replied. Turning back to the tank, she gazed at the slumbering super-soldier. "I've never been certain about how to approach him. What with all the complexities surrounding us." She admitted, keeping her other concern to herself. Scipio nodded in understanding. Having raised Wraith himself, he knew how his creation worked better than anyone and he was only too glad to help someone else understand him.
"Wraith is a very unique individual, I will admit. But he can be as understandable as every other individual. It just takes time and effort, that's all." He said. Sereva nodded as she continued to stare at the tank.
"You know, sometimes I wonder what he's thinking. Even now, while he's knocked out." She suddenly told him. Scipio couldn't help but agree.
"I too often wonder what's going through his head." He concurred. "Even now, he surely must be dreaming of something..."
