A.N.
Here we go.
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Chapter4 –Murder
"You did great, by the way." A young boy's voice complimented.
Ahsoka was still on her knees, still hurting. She turned her head around surprised to find Ross facing her, a towel around his neck, "What?"
"I said you did great, I was impressed." Those were the words; the very words Ahsoka wanted to hear from her Master, and Ross spoke them. She turned her back to him and lowered her gaze to the ground, frowning and clenching her fists. She hated him.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Leave me alone." She fumed, clenching her teeth.
But he ignored her, "I sense that you're…"
"I said leave me alone!" she snapped, silencing him at last.
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Master Skywalker and Master Jerandeel stood over the hologram emitter, looking over the Separatist fortifications based around the mountainous regions of the planet. Rigid towers embedded within the rocks, each housing large hangars where Vulture droids were kept, between the towers, built into the core of the mountains was a shield generator. Without a doubt these forts could hold out a siege for months on end.
"We've clearly got our work cut out for us, then." Chuckled Forn.
Anakin pointed at the center of the tallest tower just behind the shield generator, "We believe the power core of the entire base, and probably the heart of Darjeeling's chemical production line is inside this tower."
"So, you're thinking sabotage?"
Anakin shrugged, "We take the power core out their shields collapse."
Forn stared at the hologram for a moment, nodded then glanced at Anakin, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Anakin was still preoccupied with the hologram, "What's on your mind?"
Forn grinned, almost menacingly, "How much do you know about your old Master?"
"Obi-Wan?" His attention finally shifted away from the emitter, reflecting on his times with the legendary Obi-Wan, going all the way back to the days of the Invasion of Naboo, "Quite a bit."
Forn shook his head in ridicule, "No, no, no, I mean, how much do you really know about him?"
He smirked at his friend, "You got me there, Forn."
"You see, Anakin…" Forn edged closer, glancing around to make sure no one's listening, he took a deep breath before lining up to speak, "Now that you have your own padawan, you need to be careful of what impression you leave on her."
Anakin shrugged, "But, that's obvious."
"Yes, you think that now. Until you notice the most subtle things in your past begin to be passed down the padawan, just through interaction! Old stains that rub off on them, if you know what I mean."
Anakin frowned, although the concept seemed to make sense to him, he wasn't sure he grasped exactly what Forn was hinting at. Since when did his old friend speak in riddles?
"I'm not sure I understand."
Forn sighed and shook his head, then turned back to the hologram, "You will in time."
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Ahsoka was still sat in the same spot on her knees, practicing the meditative stance she was taught at the Temple. Every time she shut her eyes her mind was filled with the loathing and bitterness of the recent events and there was no chance of erasing it.
The more she focused on anything the more her breathing grew heavier. Soon sweat began to trickle down her neck. She let herself down. She let her Master down. She let the entire Jedi Order down…all because she was a failure. It's no surprise Anakin is so impressed by Ross. He just wants a better apprentice, it's natural.
"Erm…Ahsoka, is it?" it was that voice again, that irritating voice.
She opened her eyes finding Ross crouched right in her face, "What? Can't you see I'm meditating?"
He frowned in concern, "I just noticed, you look… angry."
The sweating intensified, driving her rage even further, and as if it wasn't obvious, the idiot could sense it in the Force. What could he do about it anyway?
"I am not." She lied, again. And it made her feel worse. She shut her eyes to try and hide those emotions.
"But, I can sense it." His voice was on edge, his concern becoming clearer, "I could call on the Masters. They can help."
Now her eyes opened wide, the malice in them was strong, daggers directed at him, threatening him. Quickly, he reeled back.
If her Master saw her like this, it would all be over for her. She'd not only fail her trials, but she'd be exiled, she'd be considered a fallen Jedi and a threat. And it would all be his fault.
"Don't you dare!"
"Ahsoka it-it's for your own good."
She stood up in an instant, knocking Ross over with a Force Push, gripping her lightsaber hilt and directing it to his neck. Her blood boiling now, urging her to ignite the blade and carve him up, but she held back, she had to fight that urge. But The Force, a mixture of Light and Dark, blew around her like a hurricane. It was wild. It was confusing. And it was terrible.
Ross lifted his head off the ground and held his palm out to her, "Don't do this, Ahsoka…don't destroy yourself!"
She didn't speak, she couldn't. Everything around her was a blur, she could hardly breathe now, "I…I…don't…"
"Ahsoka, I know you're confused and angry, but you have to let those emotions go…remember Master Yoda's teachings. Just relax yourself."
She shook her head and yelled, "Shut up! Shut up! I'll kill you, I swear it!"
Ross was now genuinely scared, she could tell. In front of him was a fellow Padawan on the verge of falling, in her eyes he could see the confusion, the fear, the anger, all the emotions he was told to avoid in the Temple, the very ingredients that lead Jedi to the Darkside. But the hurricane grew and grew, as though it fed on itself. It took a hold of her, somehow.
Ahsoka switched on her lightsaber and raised the green blade over her head, glaring coldly at Ross.
"I hate you." She growled.
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Anakin, Forn and Rex stood over the hologram emitter, analyzing a display of Republic skiff and LAAT Gunship formations, until both Jedi suddenly glanced at each other in shock.
Before Rex could voice his confusion the two Jedi ran towards the jungle with haste, not understanding what to make of it, Rex hurried to join them, calling on two Clones nearby to follow.
Using the Force to guide them, Anakin and Forn found themselves back at the clearing where the spar took place, what they found there stunned them to a stop. Anakin's heart sank, before him on the muddy ground lay Ross, a burn hole in his chest, dead.
"Ross…." Forn breathed, walking jaggedly towards his padawan's corpse and crumpling over his body, holding back tears.
Then Anakin's eyes were directed elsewhere… to his padawan. She stood mere meters away from the body close to a jungle tree, staring obsessively at the body, her lightsaber deactivated in hand.
"Ahoska," Anakin called, but she didn't respond, "Ahsoka!"
She shook to his voice and finally noticed him, slowly Anakin took a step towards her stretching a hand out, "Don't run, I'm not going to hurt you, just…"
But she instantly dashed behind the trees, disappearing into the jungle.
"Ahsoka wait!" Anakin cried, sprinting after her, he leapt over the giant leaves and wild mushrooms, hot on her trail. Force Speeding his way through, he sensed every branch she knocked and every tree bark she'd used to Force leap for higher ground.
But despite all that Ahsoka was nimble and could navigate through tighter spots, forcing Anakin through rough and occasionally dangerous plantation, and as he slowed down she continued to run up hill.
Activating his lightsaber, Anakin carved his own route, determined not to lose her.
Finally, when she reached a rather bumpy trail Anakin saw an opportunity and Force Pulled her off balance, she tripped up and landed in the mud, desperately clinging on to an outstretched tree root to avoid slipping back down hill.
"Ahsoka, I'm not going to hurt you." He called to her, trying to clamber up the thick mud to reach her, "I promise, I only want to help."
She finally regained her footing and used the Force to jump higher and on to dry ground.
He stopped and called after her again, "Ahsoka please!"
Then she froze, her sorrowful eyes looking back at him.
Anakin offered his hand out to her as though she could reach it, desperation evident in his eyes, "Come back, Snips. I want to help."
She slowly shook her head and vanished over the hill just as Rex and his men reached his side, "We're here, general. What are your orders?"
But Anakin remained quiet, and continued to stare up hill before walking back to the clearing.
When they got there they found Master Forn still sat where they left him. Rex, confused and on alert, stared at the fallen padawan until Anakin turned to him, clearly on edge, "Rex I want you to call all the gunships, search the entire vicinity, find Ahsoka, I want her alive!"
"Right away, sir." He nodded.
"And Rex…" Anakin sighed, hesitant to speak, "she could be dangerous."
The Clone Captain's body language betrayed his confusion, despite the helmet. He took note of the dead padawan and glanced back at Anakin, "Understood sir."
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A.N.
I'm afraid there's no trivia this time guys, sorry.
Big thanks to Timewatch, Cylon One and powerstaark for the reviews, and a special thanks to my brother Tenkan for being cool and AhsokaTano for the most awesome review I possibly ever got.