Snips of the Future Ch 3
Ahsoka Tano had never been an particularly fond of patience. In her days as a youngling, meditation had been something of a punishment, and during the war she'd been with Anakin, who had never been the greatest advocate of patience either.
Admittedly after the fall of the Republic, patience had become a matter of survival, not just of good manners and not displeasing old fossils calling themselves Jedi Masters. But it had been teeth-grindingly frustrating even then, only possible by thinking of all the other lives that were depending on her. Even then, looking back, there were plenty of times that she'd let her impatience and concern drive her into actions that were not exactly carefully planned out.
Master Dooku was sitting still scrolling through a datapad, just as he had since promising to taker her with him. More than one of her teachers had done something similar as some kind of test or lesson when they felt she had shown insufficient patience. For some reason she'd expected the instant decisiveness of her old Master in a crisis.
Ahsoka's four year old body was betraying her. This body was not conditioned to extended periods of immobility, and the discomfort she was feeling was a reminder that she was in a time when she'd come to the temple relatively recently, from an active farming community.
Ahsoka stopped her fingers from drumming on her thigh for what felt like the tenth time, but was probably more like the fourth, and found her eyes and mind wandering.
This Master Dooku looked very different from the Count Dooku of the war, and yet very much the same. Yes his robes were finely tailored and made of expensive materials, but they were Jedi robes, not noble finery. They were obviously comfortable, and durable, while being fine enough not to draw comment in formal environments. He wasn't wearing a cloak or the gold and silver clasp that had been his near-constant attire during the Clone wars. She'd seen in the duel in the hangar bays that his lightsaber was blue, not red as she remembered. His expression and tone were polite, formal, and distant, but his eyes were missing the hardness she expected. She got the impression that behind his mask of a face there was boundless determination and will, which she expected, but instead of the tempered rage of a Sith, even a Sith as under control as he reportedly had been, there was frustration and concern, and duty.
As if he could feel her scrutiny, and perhaps he could, Dooku typed a few keys on his datapad, and looked up, meeting her gaze.
"Thank you for your patience, young Tano. I have found what we need. If you will follow me?"
Saying this he stood, and strode from the room, again not looking back as he did so. She scrambled up to follow him, of course. Unlike her, he apparently had a reliable way to get off planet without attracting too much attention.
As they walked, she became more and more confused. They weren't heading back in the direction of the hangars. In fact, they seemed to be heading to the creche. Her unease grew, as they arrived at the creche master's office, where it's occupant was obviously waiting for them.
"There you are, Master Tir-lan." Dooku greeting the matronly Chagarian woman who was in charge of Clawmouse Clan. "As you see, I have brought your wayward charge home."
He must have sensed her feelings of shock and betrayal, because he turned and spoke to her. "I have not forgotten my promise to you, young Tano. The trip we discussed will be occuring." Then he turned back to Master Tir-lan. "When going through the records, I have discovered that none of the clans have had any Outer Rim trips or Archaeological experience in the past three years. This is a situation I intend to remedy, starting with Clawmouse Clan. I have already notified the Council that I will be taking Clawmouse Clan to the Heffrin system in the Arkanis sector to visit the Heffrin Aqueducts. I will be notifying the teachers shortly. I apologize for the short notice."
"Certainly Master Dooku. I will see that they are ready, and will inform the teachers myself. Which members of the Clan will be attending?" Master Tir-lan did not look upset. In fact she seemed flattered that a respected member of the Jedi Council was personally taking part in instructing her charges.
"My understanding is that young Tano is currently your youngest member?" At a nod from Master Tir-lan he continued, "I intend to bring all of them. Twenty-nine younglings, plus yourself and your assistants, and me. We will be meeting at Bay 238, at 0700."
He glanced at Ahsoka, and then continued. "I do have another stop with Initiate Tano, after which she will return to your clan area." Then, with a bow, he was off again, with Ahsoka tagging along.
"If you wish to have a future in diplomatic work, you must learn to better control your expression," Dooku said without turning around, "a Jedi may be able to leave with minimal explanation, and his fellows will generally assume that his eplanation was given to someone else, provided he does not abandon existing commitments. He is unlikely to be followed or searched for immediately. We are expected to be able to take care of ourselves. The same cannot be said of a Padawan, let alone an Initiate, and a Master who takes away a brand new Initiate who is not his Padawan will likewise draw attention. However, a learning expedition to a known destination, accompanied by other adults, even one taken on short notice, will cause far less comment."
Ahsoka understood his point, and it made a good deal of sense. However, it did leave another matter that needed explanation. "Naboo is not in the Arkanis sector," she stated flatly.
Dooku raised an eyebrow, though whether at her astrographic knowledge or the tone she just realized she'd taken with a member of the Jedi Council, Ahsoka wasn't sure.
"That is correct. Naboo is located in the Chommell sector. It is also the current site of an armed conflict, and no place for a Youngling clan."
Now he turned to face her. "I can understand your desire to be present for the first conflict on Naboo. I must admit to a similar desire. However, there are practical considerations. First, from what you've said, by the time we arrive the blockade will already have destroyed their transport. You've said that these ships can carry millions of battle droids, Their survival will require stealth, and my presence will not improve their odds enough, given the unlikeliness of us being able to find them while they are actively trying to avoid being found, the risk of panicing the Trade Federation into doing something even more extreme and foolhardy, and the danger of taking an Initiate into a war zone."
Oh if only you knew, thought Ahsoka, but she held her tongue. There were many things she wasn't willing to discuss with any Jedi, let alone this one.
"Afterwards in your vision they were in much the same situation on the ground, before travelling through the core of the planet with three adults in a two-person vehicle, is that correct?"
Ahsoka was forced to nod. She didn't remember Master Kenobi telling that part of the story, but Jar-Jar would tell it at length to anyone he could get to stay still.
"Two more people in such a small craft pursued by 'giant sea monsters with lots of teath,' would no increase anyone's chances. An argument could be made for the rescue of the queen, but in your vision they accomplished it quite handily, and escaped. I would greatly like to assist in their escape from the blockade, but two more people in another unarmed ship wouldn't help much, and might convince them to launch fighters, which not launching was a major blunder on their part, if I've parsed your vision correctly."
"No," Dooku shook his head, and she realized with surprise that he was as unhappy with his conclusion as she was, "our contribution on Naboo at this time would not warrant the additional risks it would cause. The first time they ran into something they couldn't handle themselves was on Tattooine. It is also at the end of their time on Tattooine that this Sith Assassin first made his appearance. Ah. Here we are."
Ahoska looked around and realized they were at the nearest training salle. The same one, in fact, where she'd 'borrowed' the training sabers in her bag, and with a sinking feeling she realize the nature of that 'other stop' Dooku had mentioned. She stepped forward toward the Knight in charge of this block of training rooms, who she suspected Dooku had requested be present.
Ahsoka took two steps forward, presented the practice sabers, and bowed to Pablo-Jil. "Knight Pablo-Jil. I took these without permission. I apologize."
The Ongree knight nodded gravely, although his voice was amused. "I've seen the recording from the hangar. That was most impressive for your age. If Master Dooku has chosen to sanction it I will not impose any penalty, but it is important to remember these are property of the Temple."
He took the training sabers and placed them back on the right racks.
"I look forward to your training. But next time, try to pick someone closer to your own skill level. You don't have anything you need to prove. You are a welcome member of the Jedi."
Ahsoka flushed even darker than she was already, and with a quiet "thank you," and a bow to both Pablo-Jill and Dooku, she almost rushed from the room.
"...should'a known someone would be recording. Kriff."
Notes: I debated where in the Phantom Menace to have them enter, but my reasoning ended up pretty much matching Dooku's. Besides, Dooku isn't really the type to ignore the practicalities if he can avoid it.
Master Tri-Lan is an OC, since we know almost nothing about Ahsoka's time as a Youngling. Pablo-Jil is actually one of the jedi in Windu's strike force in Attack of the Clones who survived that battle. He's got eyes on stalks, and his mouth above rather than below. I've got to believe that something like Ahsoka's attack would be all over the temple gossip network immediately, on whatever version of Youtube they use. People are people, even a long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
Please share your thought. They really help me.
Dooku has in fact notified the Council, but he knows them well enough to know who won't check their messages for a week or more, and will likely ponder it a few days before informing the rest of the Council.
