Ten minutes later, Ahsoka was packed in a gunship with a squadron of shinies, taking off to the Temple. After the roar of the engines died down a little, Ahsoka made a bit of conversation. There was a bit of flight time ahead of them, after all. "First mission?" she asked.
Some of the troopers nodded. One of the soldiers standing next to her spoke. "We just got out of the Academy two days ago."
"Fresh off Kamino, huh?" She smirked and went on. "Have you been assigned to a battalion yet, or are you still waiting for orders?"
"Still waiting," someone else answered. "They said we should get assigned within a week or so."
"Best of luck, then. I hope you all are comfortable with jet packs," she added.
A trooper from the side of the ship called out. "What is the plan? Are we just landing and figuring out as we go?"
"Not quite. Once we get inside the Temple, our first target is to take out any Jedi in sight. We don't have time to decide who is real or an intruder, so set your blasters to stun. We'll check after the fight to see if they are Changelings. When all of the threats have been shot down, we'll work our way to the basement. Most of the Younglings and Padawans are hiding down there, and we need to make sure they're safe. Bottom line is that they live. Does everyone understand?"
"Sir, yes sir!" The squad responded, and Ahsoka felt a pang of guilt since she wasn't their commander, and didn't deserve the respect. Before she could correct them, though, the pilot's voice filled the chamber.
"We're coming over the drop zone," he warned them. "Doors opening in five, four, three..." he trailed off, and the doors slid open after a few seconds. The wind rushed in, and the soldiers held on to the rail straps to steady themselves.
Ahsoka made sure the blaster in her holster was secure and tightened the straps on her bag. "Fire up the jet packs," she instructed, and the soldiers activated them. "Jumping in three, two, one!"
She dove out headfirst, and for the first time in a long time, she was really skydiving again. It was so much better than making do on the skyscrapers, but she couldn't enjoy it. Not when the Younglings and Caleb were at stake. The clones jumped out behind her and they raced towards the Temple. Ahsoka landed first, lightly touching down as the troopers used their packs to slow their fall. While they removed them for speed's sake, Ahsoka got to work on the door. It locked from the inside, but with a few seconds of concentration, she used the Force to unbolt it. She pulled out her blaster and motioned for the squad to do the same.
"Weapons at the ready," she told them, and she led them into the Temple.
The hallways were silent, except for the hum of the air conditioning and the lights. Ahsoka used the Force to feel for where everyone was. The Younglings and Padawans she could feel easy, but no other Force-sensitive presences were active in the Temple. She could feel non-sensitive beings, though. Most of them were in the lobby, but a few of them were in the hangar.
When all of the men were in the building, Ahsoka spoke to the captain of the squad without turning around. "Alert the other squadrons. I count four in the hangars and seven in the lobby. Set blasters to stun, shoot first, and ask questions later."
The captain relayed the message to the other two squads. When the confirmation came back, the captain asked. "What's our move?"
"We'll trap the Changelings in the lobby. They won't be able to hold off an attack from both sides. The intruders in the hangar will be trapped by the layout of the room."
"Copy that," he responded, and the troopers followed Ahsoka down the stairs, silently sneaking to the main entrance.
For Ahsoka, walking through the Temple again was like reliving her childhood. Millions of memories came flooding back to her, and she had to suppress them all to stay focused. She knew every square centimeter of this place, it had been her home.
It wasn't anymore, though. When she felt in the Force, the presence of the Temple almost acknowledged Ahsoka's. It was like it was speaking to her: You are in this place, but not of it. You have a place here, but not as a Jedi. You are who you are, not who you were.
At the last corner before the main foyer, Ahsoka raised a closed fist to halt the men. She felt around the corner and sensed all seven of the Changelings still there. In the distance, the gunship with a second squadron was landing. The 'Jedi' moved to address the incoming troopers, leaving their backs vulnerable and open to Ahsoka's group. She looked back at the men, motioned with her blaster, and nodded. They snuck out from behind the corner and advanced on the unsuspecting imposters.
The Changelings drew the lightsabers that did not belong to them and even brandished them at the second squad, but as they approached, Ahsoka called for open fire and the seven fell within seconds. They never even stood a chance. In fact, the second gunship of troopers was more of a distraction than anything.
Both squads approached the fallen with their weapons raised. Ahsoka used the Force to gather the lightsabers and the comlinks into her bag, and the soldiers pulled out their instruments. When they came into contact with the 'Jedi,' all of them turned back into Changelings.
The captain spoke into his comlink again. "Lobby secure, imposters unconscious, and ready for transfer."
A few seconds later, the response came from the hangar. "Secure in the hangar, uh...same status."
Ahsoka shook her head. Shinies. "Tell them to bring the Changelings to the lobby."
Not long after, all eleven of the fakes were lying on the ground of the lobby, with their lightsabers and coms in Ahsoka's pack. The captains of the squadrons did a quick headcount and found that no casualties had been suffered. Which was good, because the fight had barely been a fight at all.
Confident that the Changelings wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Ahsoka let out a piercing whistle. "One from each squad, keep an eye on them. Everyone else, form on me!"
The troopers fell in behind her as she walked back into the heart of the Temple. Instead of going back up, though, she followed the winding stairwell that led down to the nurseries. If Caleb had done his job, then all of the Younglings and Padawans would be hiding in the lowest chamber, which was blast-proof. Not that it had ever been tested.
Ahsoka could feel the little ones long before she got close to them. It was like a collection of candles that were shining through the Force, leading her to them. She hadn't felt this much Light since she left the Order, and even though she knew she was a part of both sides of the Force, she welcomed their presence. She hoped that they would welcome hers, despite her change.
When she reached the basement, she approached the door and holstered her blaster. "Keep watch," she told the squadrons, who turned and trained their eyes on the surroundings.
Ahsoka had no intention of knocking down the door. If she forced her way in, she wouldn't be building any trust with the little ones. Instead, she rested a hand on the door and felt for Caleb. His presence wasn't hard to pick out amongst the Jedi. He was one of the few who were protecting the smallest Younglings, but he was also waiting for her. She reached out to him through the Force, making sure the message she was sending was calm and steady.
She stepped back and waited. A few moments later, the door slid open, and Caleb was on the other side, with his lightsaber out and activated. Ahsoka couldn't blame him, not given the current circumstances. She put her hands out in front of her, making eye contact. He had to believe that it was really her, or none of them would. More importantly, he had to trust her, just enough to find the true Jedi.
He stared her down, taking in the woman that had come to him. It wasn't the same one he had seen so long ago, but he could feel her. Jedi or not, for better or for worse, this was Ahsoka Tano.
Caleb deactivated his lightsaber and ran to Ahsoka. He nearly tackled her in a hug as the others behind him rose in a cheer. Ahsoka hadn't been prepared for his embrace, but she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled. She felt his body shaking just a little, and she whispered so no one else could hear: "Nice work, Caleb."
The Padawan clung to his mentor, finally resting after holding off so much stress and fear. He didn't have to lead the others anymore, not since she was here. He needed someone else to take charge, someone who had answers, someone who was certain and sure. No matter how much Ahsoka had changed, she would always be that for him.
The other Padawans and the Younglings crowded around the two of them as they parted, and Ahsoka knelt down to comfort a particularly stressed child. The Younglings she had taken to Illum were there too, each holding a little one under the age of five. Most of the older Younglings and the Padawans were, actually. Many of them were calling for her attention, trying to ask their many questions, but Ahsoka held up a hand and stood up, and the room fell silent.
"Who all is here?" She asked, looking around at the Jedi and trying to pick out faces she recognized. "Is anyone missing?"
Caleb answered, standing next to her. Since he was the one who had corralled everyone in the safe room, he had been elected as leader for the time being. "All of the Younglings are in here, but the older Padawans are missing. The oldest Padawan here is about 18 or so."
The others nodded in confirmation. One of them asked her, "Are the fake Masters still out there? We heard gunfire earlier."
Ahsoka turned to see who had spoken, and recognized him as...O-Mer! And Jinx was with him! After a brief wave of guilt, she shook her head. "Not that I could sense. We took out eleven Changelings, disarming them in the process. They're all lying unconscious in the lobby."
"So what's the plan?" Jinx asked, and the whole room looked at her expectantly.
She hadn't anticipated for all of them to depend on her to make the next move, although maybe she should have. Ahsoka had thought that maybe an older Padawan might want to continue the mission, but all of them seemed to be missing. She was the oldest person in the room, and also the most informed person. Leadership fell to her.
So be it. "All of the Padawans, come out with me and the troopers. The Younglings will stay in here."
This was met with immediate outcry from the Younglings, especially the ones who had lightsabers and thought themselves capable. Ahsoka held up her hand again, and the complaint stopped.
"This is not optional," she declared, making eye contact with as many protesters as she could. "You are the future of the Jedi Order. If you fall, then the Order will fall with you. Those of you who can fight are in charge of protecting the little ones, but none of you are to leave this room without a Padawan, Knight, or Master's permission. Understood?"
They nodded reluctantly, slightly astonished at the idea of the future of the Order resting on their lives. The Padawans handed off their children to the eldest Younglings and started filing out of the blast room. Before Ahsoka could leave though, Katooni came up to her. "What's going to happen to us?" She asked, and Ahsoka could hear the fear in her voice.
She knelt down so she was at her eye level. "Nothing is going to happen to you, Katooni. I promise you that. I don't know what has happened to the others, but I will do everything I can to find them, and I won't be alone in doing so."
Katooni nodded, but Ahsoka could see that she was still worried. "I don't want to lose anyone."
Ahsoka rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't, but I would never put the responsibility of saving everyone on you. Not until you were ready. You can protect people, though, Katooni, and you can protect yourself. I've seen you do it before. I just need you to do it again until the Temple is safe."
The Youngling looked up at the Togruta with hopeful eyes, then set her mouth and nodded. Ahsoka knew she would be okay, and stood up. "Keep this door shut until someone you trust comes back."