Normally, Ahsoka wasn't one to people watch, but tonight she made an exception. On Coruscant, there was always something to look at, and more times than not those things weren't things, but people.
Peering through the fancy shroud that surrounded the surface, she observed many of the same things that she would have in the Lower Levels. Drunks yelling obscenities, upper-class citizens pushing around the others, clones trying to control the chaos (although that didn't really happen below ground). The only difference was that everything was dialed up a couple of notches.
After a while, Ahsoka figured she ought to go back home. She was working tomorrow, and it would do anyone any good if she didn't sleep. She let herself walk instead of run, drinking in the air before she got to the shaft. She probably wouldn't be back for a while. The 'Jedi Gone Rogue' might cause a scene, and the last thing she wanted to attract unwanted attention from Tyrannus.
She was halfway back to the shaft when she heard something slam into metal. Ahsoka's hearing sharpened, and she heard grunts coming from the same direction. Not a good sign. She followed the sounds, which led her to a small back alley between two buildings on the outskirts of the city.
From so high up, no one on the ground would notice her unless they happened to be Force-sensitive. From her high ground, she caught a glimpse of a few men in their thirties crowding around a corner. They were dressed somewhat decently, but their faces clearly indicated that they weren't interested in gambling. At least, not with money. Other people's lives, maybe.
Ahsoka didn't hesitate before landing on the street level about ten meters behind the group. She listened in to their conversation while she figured out the fastest way to deal with them.
One in the middle, probably the leader, crouched down and jeered. "Didn't your family teach you better than to get separated?" His followers laughed and rallied him on. "Now they're going to have to pay the price to get you back. You really think they'll pay up?"
"They're gonna kick your balls," a stubborn but weak voice retorted, and the men roared at their bravery. A child. They're picking on a child. That's not just mean, that's cowardly.
The leader stood up straight and kicked whoever they had cornered, and a high howl pierced the laughter. "How about we take you with us, and see if there's anything left for your precious friends after we're done?"
That was enough for Ahsoka. "How about you have a little honor and fight like men, for once," she shot at their backs, and every head turned to face her. "Let's see if there's anything left of you after I'm done?"
Ahsoka felt her snippy attitude return, and she felt a grin sneak onto her face. She loved fighting no-good bullies. She never felt bad about hurting them, although killing would probably be pushing the limits.
Her 'fight like men' comment did not go unnoticed. She saw them draw themselves up and puff out their chests, but she wasn't impressed. The leader, who had been mildly stunned that someone had found them out, quickly regathered himself and sneered.
"Those are strong, fighting words from someone who's outnumbered 10 to 1," he countered, abandoning the child in favor of dealing with the new threat. "You wanna fight? It ain't gonna be fair."
"Oh, you're right," Ahsoka laughed. "Maybe if there were double of you, you might actually stand a chance!"
The leader cracked his knuckles. "I gave you a chance to walk away, alien scum. You're asking for it."
What Ahsoka was 'asking for,' she didn't really know, because this guy was clearly in over his head. His followers advanced behind him, egging on their leader, but Ahsoka saw his punch coming from a lightyear away if it could even be considered a punch. It was slow and sloppy, and Ahsoka could have dodged it with her eyes shut. She ducked under his fist and looped her own arm around his, elbowed his side, his gut, and socking his jaw for good measure. Letting him go, she jumped and roundhouse kicked him in the head to finish the job.
The other nine began to realize that they were screwed, and started to back away. Typically, these days, Ahsoka would have been fine with letting them go, but she was pissed and wasn't about to have it. She worked through them, one to two at a time, and in thirty seconds she was the only one standing amongst the bodies on the ground. They were alive, but that was the only mercy Ahsoka was willing to show them.
She peered back at the corner they had been crowding around and saw a little human girl lying in the fetal position. Her nose was bleeding, and some of the blood was in her bright red hair. She was wearing a black jumpsuit with some white padding around the shoulders, elbows, and knees. A small sheath for a knife was strapped to her hip, but Ahsoka couldn't see a handle.
Looking around on the ground, she found a small dagger lying next to one of the thugs. She picked it up and knelt down next to the girl, flipping it and holding it delicately by the blade so the handle was extended to her. It was a small sign of peace. By giving her a weapon, she was enabling her to reject any further help if she didn't want it.
The girl stared at Ahsoka, doubting her intentions, but she took the knife and slowly crawled to her knees. She studied Ahsoka, trying to figure out why in the galaxy she would help her, but in the end, she put her knife away and did her best to smile. It wasn't easy, since her face was bruising and swollen, but she managed. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Ahsoka replied, and she stood up. "Can you walk?"
"I'm fine," the girl grumbled. "It's just my side and my face. I'll be fine."
That sounds familiar, Ahsoka thought. It's almost as if I didn't like feeling like a failure either. Oh, wait...Ahsoka nearly rolled her eyes at her own self.
"I'm assuming you know where you're headed then?" She asked, trying to build her up, even in the girl's moment of weakness.
The girl nodded, flipping her red braid over her shoulder. "I'm meeting someone. They're probably waiting for me."
"We were, about half an hour ago," a male voice called from behind the girl, and her face lit up instantly. "Then you didn't turn up. We've been looking all over for you, ya little rugrat."
The girl, who couldn't have been much older than twelve, ran to the source of the sounds, which was a man in his late teens wearing the same suit and armor as the person he sought out. He hugged her tightly and started whispering to her, making sure she was okay.
The man was accompanied by a female in her late twenties, and another girl about Ahsoka's age, if she had to guess. They both had dyed hair, blue and green respectively. They were also adorning the uniform, and Ahsoka began to think that this might be the 'family' the thugs had been referring to.
The older woman with blue hair approached Ahsoka, eyeing the mess of bodies lying around. She cocked her head at Ahsoka, asking, "You do this?"
Nodding, Ahsoka looked around at the scene. "I heard them making a ruckus, and I figured I would find out what they were up to."
"If by 'figured out,' you mean 'beat the crap out of,'" the teenager in green snorted, "then you've certainly accomplished that."
The older woman jabbed the younger in the ribs. "You got a name, stripes?"
"Tano," Ahsoka answered, not realizing what she had responded with until it was too late. "And you?"
"Tawnya," the eldest answered, and she pointed to the others. "Green hair is Neika, and Tallie is Obi-Wan's sister."
Obi-Wan? Had she heard that right?
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes when he heard himself being introduced. "My last name is Nobi, and my parents thought it would be funny to name me Obi-Wan, and then put my middle name as Ken. I'm not a Jedi, I promise."
I certainly hope not, Ahsoka thought. "Got it."
The little one, Tallie, pointed at Ahsoka. "She beat them up for you."
"I can see that," Neika confirmed, kicking the arm of one of the thugs out of her way. "I kind of wish I had been there to see it."
"There aren't many people who would go out of their way to protect a stranger," Tawnya said, ignoring Neika. "We owe you one."
Ahsoka waved it off. "Trust me, the pleasure was mine. I would never pass up a chance to take down a herd of bullies."
Neika grinned. "I like her."
Obi-Wan piped up. "Hey, are we gonna get going? The feds will show up any minute, and we got to patch up Tallie."
Waving them off, Tawnya responded: "Get back home. I'm gonna find out more about our friend here."
Not entirely sure if she liked the sound of that, Ahsoka watched as Neika, Tallie, and Obi-Wan set off in the direction they had come from. Tawnya walked over to a ladder leading up to the roof and started to climb. Not wanting to give away her origins by Force-jumping, Ahsoka followed her up and wondered if she was walking into a trap of some sort.
Once on the roof, Tawnya sat on a chimney and stared at the Togruta. After a few seconds, she asked, "You're not a surfacer, are you?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "No. I came up for some fresh air."
Tawnya laughed, taking her word. "Don't blame ya there. It gets stuffy down in the depths. I'm surprised I haven't seen you before."
Shrugging, Ahsoka crossed her arms, indicating that she was a little more closed to the topic. "I haven't been here for very long."
"Long enough to put up a fight," she countered, nodding down to the street. "That's pretty impressive, even for someone like me."
Ahsoka raised an eye mark. "Someone like you?"
Tawnya turned her body and showed Ahsoka her left shoulder pad. An orange symbol was painted on the white armor, something that Ahsoka didn't recognize. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but the others probably had it too since they were all wearing the same armor.
"Live in a gang as long as I have, and you learn to fight," she clarified. "I've seen my fair share of crap."
"That makes two of us," Ahsoka noted, "although for different reasons."
"There's always room for more," Tawnya offered, standing up. "Especially for a chick like you who knows what she's doing."
She wasn't really keen on joining a gang, but Ahsoka smiled at her. "I've just started to settle into living on my own. If you had asked three weeks ago, I might have been able to."
Apparently she had heard this response before because she shrugged the rejection off. "Fair point. You still have something to lose." She walked over to the edge of the building and scoffed. "About time they showed up."
Ahsoka glanced over at what Tawnya was referring to and saw a squad of clone troopers dragging away the bodies of the thugs. She side-eyed the gangster. "I'm sensing a note of tension between you and them."
"No, they're fine," she answered, "they're just slow on the uptake. Always getting to the crime scene after the crime. If they had gotten here sooner, they might have protected Tallie for you."
"And get all of the fun?"
Tawnya smirked at her recklessness. "No wonder Neika likes you."
Ahsoka grinned. "I appreciate the offer, but I have a job and a house going right now. I'd rather not give it up just yet."
Holding out her hand, the gangster nodded. "I've gotta respect a chick who has her life together. You ever want to visit, though, we control Level 10-4. Anyone who looks out for our kids gets free passage on our turf."
"I'll keep it in mind," Ahsoka promised, and she shook her hand.