"Chancellor Palpatine?!" Ahsoka couldn't stop the sheer shock in her voice. Out of all the people that could have possibly tracked her down, the supreme leader of the Republic himself was one of, if not the last person she ever expected to visit her. It wasn't as if the Chancellor went around making social calls either, so it was clearly important.
For a moment a dark thought came over her. What if he wasn't alone? What if he had some guards to arrest her again? He had presided over her trial after all!
But as she studied his face under the cover of his hood, she saw nothing that would suggest ill intent, and the force around him was blank, showing no warning either.
"Indeed my dear, I am so glad I managed to find you. Anakin and I have been so worried." The Chancellor spoke, his voice full of what seemed like relief.
That was odd to Ahsoka. In all her time as Anakin's padawan she had known that he and the Chancellor were friends of sorts, but she had never really felt included in any discussion of theirs. At times it even seemed like Palpatine was purposefully ignoring her.
Yet here he was now, apparently in search of her out of worry.
Despite wanting to remain hidden from her past, Ahsoka stepped to the side, allowing the Chancellor entrance to her small flat. After all, it would be downright rude of her not to allow the most powerful man in the republic to come in. Clearly he had gone through a lot to get here, in disguise and all.
Ahsoka turned around and watched as Palpatine pushed his hood back, exposing his wrinkled face to the air around her flat, before he too turned to face her, a small welcoming smile on his face.
Why was he being welcoming? This was her flat after all?
That reminded her! She should probably offer him something.
"Can I get you anything Chancellor? Glass of water maybe? Something to eat, not that I have much in." Ahsoka spoke, moving over to her table and retaking her seat in front of her soup. She had waited for this all day. No way was she going to leave it to go cold, Chancellor or not.
"No thank you my dear I had a big lunch, and I'd hate to deprive you of valuable resources such as food." The Chancellor replied, moving to take a seat at the other end of the table, gesturing for Ahsoka enjoy her soup.
That brought a smile to her face. Anakin had always said the Chancellor was one of the kindest most compassionate people he had ever met. Before now she had never really seen it.
Perhaps she had misjudged him.
Taking a small amount of the soup into her mouth, Ahsoka relished the taste before swallowing the liquid. It burned her throat lightly, but she didn't care. Food was food.
"I apologise if I have come at a bad time Ahsoka, but I need your help." The Chancellor spoke suddenly, twiddling his fingers as if he was disturbed by something. That caught the young Togruta's attention. What was wrong? And why did the Chancellor need her help?
"What's up?" Ahsoka replied, flinching at her own casual response. This was the Chancellor she was speaking to! Not Anakin!
The Chancellor however didn't seem to mind about the lack of decorum, that or he was too busy preoccupied with worrying about whatever it was he wanted to talk about.
Silence reigned for a few moments, giving Ahsoka another opportunity to sip at her soup whilst Palpatine prepared whatever it was he wanted to say. Rather than try to pressure a response, Ahsoka waited patiently.
A few more moments of silence passed by before the Chancellor cleared his throat, and began to speak.
"Before I continue there is something I wish to get off my chest young one. During your trial I did not believe in your innocence, and was ready to condemn you if the jury voted so. However, as our mutual friend Anakin discovered, you were innocent. In retrospect, I should have known. No padawan of Anakin Skywalker would ever betray and murder innocent people of the republic. So, on behalf of both myself and the republic, I am deeply sorry for the way we mistreated you during the trial."
The Chancellor's admission stunned Ahsoka into silence herself. Never had she ever expected to receive such an apology, much less from the Chancellor himself.
And the thing was he seemed genuine. There was no false intention in his words, no apologising for the sake of apologising.
And no declaring that it was all simply the will of the force as certain individuals had done.
For that reason alone, she was more than happy to accept the apology.
"Thank you your excellency. That means a lot." Ahsoka replied, bowing her head in a sign of respect. At her easy acceptance of his apology, Palpatine seemed to relax slightly, as much as he could considering the stress on his shoulders from running an entire government.
"Good, I am glad my dear. Any friend of Anakin's is a friend of mine. Should you ever desire to talk, know that anything said between us shall be done so in confidence." The Chancellor replied, his tone friendly, a surprisingly warm smile on his face.
Ahsoka had to admit that it was nice to know that there were still some people out there that cared about her to some extent. She was certain her absence would have impacted Anakin the most, if only Anakin at all. Obi-Wan and Plo Koon would move on quickly, and she doubted the troops, aside from maybe Rex would really care.
After all, they had hunted her down too without question.
Taking another sip of her soup, Ahsoka was suddenly surprised to find the bowl empty. Had she really had it all that fast?!
Shaking her head, she stood from her chair, moving her bowl to the sink to wash up later on.
Right now her mind was elsewhere. Palpatine had come for a reason, and she was certain it was not just to apologise. He had said he needed her help.
But with what?
"You said you needed my help?" She enquired, returning to her seat and meeting the ageing eyes of the Chancellor, whose face took on a grim look.
"Yes my dear. One of my spies recently uncovered some disturbing information regarding an apparent bioweapon being developed by the Separatists for use on our troops. What this weapon is remains unknown, but considering your previous experience with the blue shadow virus, I thought that perhaps you would be the best option for such a mission." Palpatine spoke, his voice shifting away from overly friendly and grandfatherly, and towards his political persona that he had.
Bioweapons were dangerous, that much Ahsoka knew, and whatever it was certainly needed looking into.
But why come to her alone? Anakin and Obi-Wan had dealt with the blue shadow virus before. Why no ask them?
So she questioned it, and the Chancellor responded.
"Because my dear I need someone entirely independent from outside bodies. If I was to send a strike force or even a single Jedi it would legitimize the threat against us. But, if I send one person who is neither a Jedi nor a member of the republic army itself, then we not only find out about this weapon, but keep it out of the public eye. The last thing I want or need right now is a crisis here on Coruscant, or on any republic world for this matter. Besides, I know you have a history of infiltration missions, thus you are perfect for this role."
The logic made sense to Ahsoka. If the galaxy heard about a possible bioweapon development, there would be panic. But if someone could find out the details of such a weapon, then it would also be possible to find a way to either destroy it, or cure it.
That alone almost made Ahsoka accept the offer right there and then, but there was something in the back of her mind, niggling away.
For all accounts and measures, the republic had sold her out, betrayed her. The Senate was obviously corrupt to some extent, a few certain senators not included, but they couldn't be trusted in the long run.
So why should she, a person denounced by the republic itself across their controlled space as a possible terrorist, willingly help save them?
Truthfully she was shocked by her own grudge holding. This was about the safety of innocent lives throughout the galaxy! Not bigoted politicians in the senate.
And unlike everyone else it seemed, Palpatine had actually bothered to apologise to her!
And not only that, but Anakin trusted him, and she trusted Anakin.
Before she could continue her inner dilemma however, the Chancellor continued his speech.
"I understand my dear that you have been having trouble finding your way after you left the temple. Understandable. I myself would not return in a similar situation, but I do believe that your heart lies with the republic and the safety of its people. Therefore, I offer you a place within our ranks, not as a Jedi general, or a member of our military, but as personal agent of myself. You will work independently from the rest of our military, resolving classified missions with no interference from outsiders and unlimited access to republic resources should the need arise. I will also see that you are rightfully compensated for your work through various forms of payment."
It was an impressive offer that Ahsoka knew. The Chancellor was pretty much offering her everything she needed to get back on her feet. To survive in her post Jedi temple life. All she had to do was accept his offer and become his personal agent.
By now Ahsoka was the one twiddling her fingers in debate. She wanted to accept, but she also wanted to decline. She should make her own way in life, not have it handed to her by the most powerful man in the republic.
Clearly the Chancellor could see the debate on her face. The elderly man rose from his chair, moving round to stand beside her seat, before resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"It is a big offer I know my dear. I will leave you to think about it, but please do not think long. This mission is important and I do not have time to find someone else. Come by my office tomorrow with your decision. I will tell my people to expect you."
Ahsoka nodded in reply, still stuck in her inner conflict over what to do. Should she accept? Should she decline?
Ahsoka was so absorbed in her inner debate that she didn't even notice the Chancellor leave until the door closed gently, leaving her alone in her small dingy flat again.
Alone. She was alone again. For a few brief moments she had had company, albeit the Chancellor of the republic, but it was company nonetheless.
Anakin had always said he could trust Palpatine, that he was something of a mentor to her old master.
Now she understood why he said that. There was something about the Chancellor that made him likable, that made her want to trust him.
Standing from her seat again, Ahsoka moved over to the sink, intending on washing her bowl from her soup.
She had the night at least to contemplate the Chancellor's offer.
Personal agent to the Chancellor sounded good in her head.
And if it meant that she could get back to helping people, then it was all the incentive she needed.
Author's thoughts
So, not the most exciting second chapter of all time I know, but one that was necessary. I wanted to estabilsh early on the sort of dynamic that Ahsoka and Palpatine will share in this story. After all, Palpy is a nice caring gentle man with nothing but peaceful aspirations in mind for both the republic and his friends... right?
Anyway, I'm glad the first chapter gained some interest from various people. This story will at times be rather slow, but there will be sections of action as well to hopefully keep the blood pumping, as they say. Anyone who has read my previous stories will no doubt know how I operate anyway.
So next chapter will reveal Ahsoka's decision regarding Palpy's offer, though I'm sure you already know what it is right? Wouldn't be much of a story if she said no!
Oh and if you are waiting for Anakin to make an appearance, be patient. He will come after this first short arc is done.
As for update schedule on this story... well, there is none really. I will update whenever I can. I will try to do at least once a week, but no promises. Sorry.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. I love comments. And questions, if you have any. Speaking of which:
OldWorldVulture: Different is what I am going for. I'm glad it got you curious. Hopefully I can keep it interesting. :)
SLE's fave guest: Welcome back my friend, I am glad you like the ominous opening. Hopefully this story is as enjoyable as the last one I did. Only time will tell huh?
Palpy showing up anywhere can usually mean two things. One is good, the other, very very bad!
Chiara Polairix Edelstein: I'm glad you enjoyed the opening. I had to make it dramatic to get people interested. Glad it worked. :)
TerminatorJedi1995: Confused and excited? Now your talking!
Seriously though, your speculation about the flashforward is pretty accurate. The question is, what will happen when we reach that scene?
Hopefully this chapter is somewhat interesting, even if it is mainly dialogue.
Roddlz25: It begins indeed, and hopefully the ride is entertaining enough.
As for your questions regarding any ships I will be doing, truth be told it is something I have been thinking about. The Anakin and Padme stuff will occur, and will recieve what I hope will be a unique twist along the way. As for Ahsoka however... I'm unsure if I want to ship her with anyone in this AU. I did think about it back when I started planning this story about doing a rather controversial pairing for her, but sort of pushed the idea into the scrapped pile. The last thing I want to do is anger people because of a specific ship, and whilst usually I wouldn't care what people thought and would write it regardless, this is one of those times where I am sceptical about it. That being said, if, when the two characters do interact, people start to want them shipped togther, I might write it anyway.
So, in conclusion, who knows about ships at this point. (and yes, I am aware that I didn't reveal who it would have been that was shipped with Ahsoka. I did that on purpose)
As for Lux, he will appear in this AU, but not be shipped with Ahsoka. I don't mind his character really, but for story reasons he will not be with Ahsoka in this one. You'll see why later. :)
Kondoru: It was indeed Palpatine, not that it was meant to be a secret really.
Glad you liked the first chapter. Hope you liked this one.