Chapter Four

Coruscant

Obi-Wan and Anakin arrived on the platform just before Ahsoka and Senator Amidala took off for Onderon.

"Senator." Anakin nodded, hiding a smile.

"Good morning, Anakin, Obi-Wan." She replied.

"We apologize for not being able to escort you ourselves, Senator," Obi-Wan explained, "but unfortunately, we are needed elsewhere."

"Hopefully you won't be needed there too much longer. In any case, I have full faith that Ahsoka will be able to handle anything that comes our way." She put her arm around the padawan; this wasn't there first mission together and the two had become very good friends since Ahsoka became Anakin's padawan.

"As do we." Anakin said, with a wink.

"Come now, Anakin, we must be going; they need us on Geonosis."

The four of them bid farewell as Obi-Wan and Anakin left the platform, leaving only Riz, the Senator's personal advisor, left waiting to say farewell and good luck.

"Senator, I have the utmost faith that you will come out of this summit with a signed treaty." He said, "If there is anyone who can accomplish this, it's you."

"Thank you, Riz, but I'm going to need some help on the other end; I just hope Lux's group of Separatists are realistically willing to participate."

"I'm sure they are feeling the ramifications of this war just as harshly as the Republic. If they have any sense, they will be looking for a swift conclusion to this madness."

"We shall find out soon, enough. I must be going now, Riz. Good luck with everything here; you're sure you don't need me to go over-."

"Senator, please," He cut her off, basically pushing her towards the ramp to her ship, "I have been your advisor for so long that I could practically do your job if need be. Now go, I have everything under control here."

"I know you do, Riz, thank you." She said, finally boarding the ship.

Ahsoka, dressed in her Jedi robes, brought up the rear and boarded just as the ramp was being retracted. Riz watched as the silver ship ascended into the blue sky until all that could be seen was the reflection of the sun off its surface before it punched through the atmosphere and into space.

"Now to get down to business."

The advisor quickly made his way back to the Senate building, weaving his way through the hundreds of offices, passing Senator's Amidala's on the way, until finally reaching a dark and forgotten workplace that had once belonged to a Senator who later pledged his planet's allegiance to the Confederacy. Nobody had been assigned to the space since, as it had been all but abandoned.

The rest of the group was already present and waiting for his arrival. Among them were several different Senators from all over Republic-owned space; some were seated at a round table, others standing anywhere they could find the space.

"It is time," Riz announced as he entered the room, "She is well into hyperspace by now, feed the transmission."

A man sitting at the front of the room placed a small circular object in the middle of the table and they watched as it lit up the small room in a blue glow, and they were suddenly face to face with a similar group of senators from the other side of the war.

The leader of their group, a small man wearing a black robe stepped forward, "Is she on her way?"

"She is," Riz spoke for the group, "She should be arriving within the rotation. With her are a typical Senatorial security detail, and a Jedi."

The man's eyes widened, for just a moment, "Thank you, this information is most valuable. "They will be dealt with quickly; you can be assured, your Senator will die."

In Hyperspace

Senator Amidala had endured several missions with Ahsoka, and they'd become closer with every undertaking; in some ways, Ahsoka had become the little sister she never had. But today something was different, something was wrong with her friend. Ahsoka seemed nervous, anxious – characteristics which she had never exhibited before a mission in the past; in fact she was always the model of tranquility.

"Is everything alright, Ahsoka?"

"What? Umm, yeah, everything's fine." She lied, but could tell from the look she was getting that it hadn't worked.

"Ahsoka, you can tell me anything; you're like family. And we have a lot of time to kill before we arrive on Onderon."

She sighed and gave in, "How could you tell?"

"I don't need to be a Jedi to tell when a friend isn't feeling herself."

She looked down at the table they were sitting at in the ship's lounge area, drawing circles with her finger, "Well, it's just that the last time I worked with Lux I had a hard time putting aside my feelings and focusing on the mission."

"And you're afraid that this may happen again and jeopardize the mission." Padme finished her sentence.

Ahsoka nodded.

"I know that the Jedi urge against acting upon your emotions, so I won't tell you that you should. That being said, sometimes happiness is worth the sacrifice. If you feel that your best chance at happiness is lies with him…"

"No, I can't… I could never!" Ahsoka clearly understood what the Senator was alluding to.

Padme smiled, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "You're young Ahsoka; you have time to make these sorts of life choices. One thing the Jedi are right about is not allowing yourself to make decisions based on emotion. Ease your mind and find the path that best suits you – but realize that there is no rush in doing so. If your feelings are strong and two-way, then no amount of time will change that; the opportunity will always be there."

"I'm not even sure if he does share these feelings though, our past has been…complicated."

"As complicated as it can be for a sixteen-year-old…" Padme laughed, "I was your age once, I understand how you feel; everyone goes through this at least once. Just choose what makes you happy and you'll have nothing to regret."

"I'm happy as a Jedi, I could never leave the Order; especially during a time of war."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"Ugh, I'm not even sure." She buried her head in her hands. Already having admitted this much, Ahsoka decided to divulge deeper into her hidden thoughts.

"Sometimes this war just doesn't make sense to me; I used to think that the Separatists were a group of ruthless, hateful, war mongers; then I met some of them…"

"And you realized they weren't monsters; just people with differing ideologies."

Ahsoka nodded, "What makes them wrong and us right? And how is that determined on a battlefield? I feel like I'm fighting unconditionally for a cause that I don't even fully understand."

"Things are never black and white in times of war, Ahsoka."

"So, I've been told."

"There is always a lot of gray area in war, politics, as well as life in general. Nothing is ever completely right, even if it may seem that way at first. That's when you need to use your intuition and decide what's right for you. And I think you're at that point in your life now."

Ahsoka sat in silence, letting the philosophic words settle and soak in for a while before speaking again, "That's a lot to process. Excuse me, My Lady, but I think I'll go rest for the remainder of the flight."

"I think that's a good idea." She said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze before she left.

Ahsoka spent the rest of the flight in deep meditation, clearing her mind and looking to the force to guide her through her fist identity crisis. She remained in this state until she felt the ship drop out of hyperspace and begin its final approach.

Senator Amidala and her security team were already prepared as she made her way back into the main cabin where she felt the ship break Onderon's atmosphere and descend into a smooth landing.

No words were spoken between Padme and Ahsoka regarding their conversation, whatever was said would be left on the ship as the mission had now officially begun.

"They're going to be very excited to see you, Senator. The prospect of peace has both the Republic and the Separatists extremely hopeful, from what I understand." And she was right, she and the Jedi could feel the galaxy becoming more optimistic with every mention of a diplomatic conclusion to The Clone Wars.

"I think they'll be more excited to see the Jedi who helped them rebel against Dukoo and the Separatist army." Padme responded, trying to shrug off the burden and bringing an air of confidence to Ahsoka for the first time since they left Coruscant.

The ship touched down and the ramp extended out towards the ground, allowing Padme, Ahsoka, and the security team to make their way out onto the Onderon landing platform which was located in the heart of the capital city of Iziz. Padme shot Ahsoka a wry grin as Lux Bonteri and four Separatist Senators approached the ship, waiting to greet them. Ahsoka just laughed it off and tried to ignore her, feeling much calmer after their conversation and her long meditation.

Iziz was a picturesque city with buildings stretching high into the sky, yet holding on to an old-fashioned, homey feel that was now absent on most planets in the galaxy. There was much more life on the streets since Ahsoka's last visit, as children weaved in between the marketplace shops, engrossed in an intense game of Clones and Droids. Fresh air filled her lungs, as the surrounding forests were as lush and colorful as ever.

"Senator Amidala, it is such an honor to have you grace our planet for the next few rotations." Lux said, as they reached the platform, before turning his full attention to the Jedi and smiling, "It's nice to see you again, Ahsoka."

"It's really nice to see you, too." She said, looking up at him, unable to hold back a smile of her own.

An awkward silence fell upon the group as they all quickly sensed what was happening, bringing them back to decades past – Padme, in particular, thought back to a beautiful picnic on Naboo, before clearing her throat and snapping the group back to the present.

"Oh, umm…right." Lux's face turned a bright shade of red as he tried to smoothly segue into the introductions.

"It's so nice to meet you all," Padme said, shaking each Senator's hand as Lux presented them. "I've been told great stories of you all from years ago, before the war."

"I'm sure you've heard your share of complaints as well." An older man laughed as he took her hand and brought it to his lips for a soft peck.

"Hopefully we'll all be together before long, then we can tell some stories about your friends that you'll find very interesting." A middle-aged woman urged.

The group shared a chuckle and began to make their way off the platform when Ahsoka suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Ahsoka?" Padme asked.

"Something's not right. I sense we're in danger."

"In danger?" The older senator spat, "Who is this girl?"

"This is Padawan Ahsoka Tano, my Jedi escort." Padme explained.

"Ahh, a Jedi."

Lux gripped her shoulders, "Ahsoka, are you-"

"Get down!" She force pushed the six senators to the ground just before a barrage of blaster fire shot through the space their heads were just occupying.

Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers, as Padme's personal security team drew their own blasters and aimed towards the sky. In the distance, a dozen figures with jetpacks weaved through the tall skyscrapers, quickly flying towards them. As they drew closer Ahsoka noticed they were wearing traditional Mandalorian armor.

"Death Watch! Everyone get back to the ship!" She yelled, ushering the senators to the large vessel.

The leader of the group quickly realized her strategy and fired a missile that spiraled towards the ship, which exploded, on impact, igniting a fire around the entire platform and knocking everyone back to the ground.

Ahsoka pushed herself back to her feet and deflected a second barrage of blaster fire. "What do you terrorists want?" She yelled trying to stall for some time as the security team was just recovering from the explosion.

"We want a lot of things," The leader responded, "The first of which being the death of your peace keepers."

Ahsoka sensed something strange. This wasn't the Death Watch she was used to. She knew that their original leader had been killed, struck down by a resurrected Darth Maul, but she felt that they weren't working under their own volition.

"And what joy it brings us to see that you and your betrothed are among our group of targets." He laughed, citing their last meeting when she and Lux had narrowly escaped them.

They opened fire again as the security team formed a circle around the senators, trying to keep them safe at all costs. The twelve assassins, though, were proving to be too much as the security team's numbers were rapidly dwindling due to the precision shooting of Death Watch. With two lightsabers, Ahsoka could only deflect so much blaster fire from so many angles and she helplessly watched the last security member fell lifelessly to the ground, leaving only her left to protect the six politicians.

"Looks like this will be quicker than anticipated," The leader taunted. "Goodbye, Jedi."

As he raised his arm to fire, two arrows punctured the jet packs of the Death Watchers on either side of him, causing the equipment to malfunction and sending the men spinning through the air before the jet packs exploded, leaving no remnants of the bodies.

"What!?" The leader and Ahsoka yelled, simultaneously, looking towards the origin of the arrows behind them and watching as the vigilante zip-lined down, landing in the middle of the platform. He drew his blasters, taking out two additional assailants with startling quickness before throwing the weapons to Padme and Lux and igniting his lightsaber.

One assassin brave enough to shoot saw his shot easily deflected, as the vigilante threw his lightsaber through the air, the purple blade mesmerizing the lot before decapitating the attacker. Another ceased the slim opportunity of vulnerability and fired a blast that was heading straight for his masked head before being deflected away at the last second by Ahsoka's green blade.

A small nod was shared between the two before continuing the battle, as if they had just formed an alliance without speaking a word. The senators took cover behind them, as Padme and Lux fired their new weapons relentlessly. None of the incoming fire penetrated the wall put up by the saber-wielders, their colorful spectacle entrancing any citizens crazy enough to stay and watch.

Padme took out the last subordinate with a neck shot, leaving only the leader who finally descended down onto the platform, still ablaze with flames.

"Get them to safety," Ahsoka commanded, "I'll handle this clown."

Hesitating at first, the vigilante nodded and escorted the politicians away from the battle.

"So brave, young Jedi; but so stupid." The man laughed, throwing his helmet to the ground and pulling out his own black-bladed lightsaber, the same that belonged to Death Watch's founder before he was killed.

Sirens began to echo through the city, as the flames drew closer to the combatants, almost engulfing the entire landing platform. Sweat beaded down Ahsoka's face, as she wasted no time lunging towards her enemy, leading with her long blade. The attack was defended, and the duel began, as the two combatants entered a stalemate.

For one not immersed in the ways of the force, Ahsoka could sense that her opponent had a decent idea of how to fight with a lightsaber.

"Your weapons will make a fine addition to my trophy case." He taunted, as a rainbow of sparks ignited between them.

Ahsoka stepped back before unleashing a second flurry of attacks that were all defended, this time with less ease, resulting in another stalemate. "Isn't that a little cliché?" She quipped.

They danced in the small area of the platform that the fire had yet to reach, each calculating the other, conservatively slashing and countering.

"I didn't realize that Death Watch had resorted to doing other's bidding." Ahsoka taunted.

"Mind games won't work on me, Jedi." He spat, wiping the considerable sweat that had collected on his brow.

"I believe you, there's not much mind to play games with." She shuffled towards him, baiting him high with her long blade before coming in low and clipping him with her yellow short blade.

"Rrrrraaaah!" Incensed and on the brink of heat exhaustion, he released a fierce and aggressive group of attacks, violently slashing his black saber though the air, desperately trying to clip his opponent.

His uncontrolled attempts were no match for a Jedi, though, especially one as skilled as Ahsoka, who easily deflected three straight slashes before back flipping away from her adversary and taking hold of him through the force.

"Who sent you!?" She asked fiercely, dangling him just above the fire.

"Foolish child, Death Watch doesn't take orders."

"You lie, I can sense it. I'll ask one more time…" His body lowered, the flames now licking his feet.

Up in the sky a second team of Death Watchers rapidly closed in on the platform.

Ahsoka yelled in frustration before throwing her enemy against a nearby wall, knocking him out cold. Using the force to summon an abandoned blaster, she fired a shot at the flames and watched the platform explode as she escaped through the thick smoke.

"Senator Amidala," She spoke into her commlink, "Send me your coordinates, I'm on my way."