It was next to impossible to retrace your footsteps when you were running through a thick forest. Even less possible with the knowledge that General Grievous was right behind you, fully intent on slaughtering you and mounting your head as a trophy.
But still, despite her complete and lack of sense of direction, Ahsoka ran, pushing through vines and bushes, not stopping, not looking back. She dreaded what she would see if she did so.
Reaching into the force, Ahsoka felt a presence on the edge of her signature. The one from before. The one that had emanated from that bird. It sang to her, encouraged her to run in the direction she was heading. Was it trying to direct her, or something else?
Maybe she was just imagining things? Maybe Grievous had captured her or worse, and this was some sort of wishful fantasy or coma she was in.
Still, she pushed forward. The presence had helped her so far, for some bizarre reason. It wasn't that much of a stretch of imagination that it was continuing to do so now… was it?
So she ran, and jumped, and dodged and weaved through the trees, never looking back, her only goal in finding a way out of the dense jungle, and back to her ship.
And from there, back to Coruscant.
General Grievous surveyed the damaged around him. His Magna Guard squad lay strewn and destroyed around the landing platform, their bodies in various pieces from where they had been slammed against a variety of surfaces. His shuttle wasn't exactly in a much better shape. It rested now on it's side, sparking and in need of repairs. Grievous knew he wouldn't be leaving this rock anytime soon.
Right now however that wasn't his concern. Skywalker's runt had escaped, thanks to some kind of divine intervention of the force. What it was, Grievous didn't know? All he did know was that it had humiliated him, allowing the Jedi to escape with the information, and then vanished itself into the tree canopies above.
Snarling under his mask, Grievous began to consider his options. He knew he would have to report to Count Dooku, and that the Sith Lord would not like what he had to say.
But Grievous wasn't afraid of Count Dooku. He was not afraid of anything.
And besides, now that the information about the project was headed for republic hands, it meant that the republic itself would no doubt prepare to assault the various facilities that related to this project.
Perhaps he could lay a trap that way, and strike when they did.
Chuckling to himself, Grievous began to stride back into the facility, a plan forming in his mind.
Rather than attack, he would plan and wait, and ambush.
If such plans worked for General Kenobi, why shouldn't they work for him as well?
Somehow, despite all the odds, and all of the possible threats, Ahsoka's blind faith in whatever the mysterious presence had been paid off. Fifteen minutes of running through the dense pungent forest led to her emerging into an open space, and there, sitting before her was her ship.
"Ah, thank the force!" Ahsoka cried out breathless and she jogged towards the ship, a wide smile on her face. "I've never been so happy to see a ship before!"
Ascending up the ramp and into the interior of the shuttle, Ahsoka unceremoniously dumped her backpack in the co-pilot seat, before taking her position up behind the controls and powering up the ship. Her montrals picked up the distinct hum of the engines roaring to life, and she felt the shuttle begin to lift off the ground as she directed it to do so.
Reaching a hand across the dashboard, Ahsoka pulled the lever that would engage the stealth drive. No doubt Grievous had entered the system on a ship of his own. Kriff, she wouldn't be surprised if the whole damn Separatist fleet was in orbit above the planet.
If that was the case, then she really needed the stealth drive to work. The success of the mission depended on it. Ahsoka was a decent pilot in her own mind, thanks mainly to Anakin's teaching, but she wasn't sure she would be able to outmaneuver an entire fleet easily.
Still, she had no options left, not as she pulled the shuttle up through the clouds of Myrkr and into orbit.
And there, before her, her suspicions were confirmed. A single Providence class dreadnought hovered in space, clearly waiting for their General to return to them.
Ahsoka could do nothing against such a colossal warship. All she could do was hope that she wouldn't be detected.
Mercifully, the ship made no move to suggest that it knew she was there. The stealth drive was working!
A smirk came to Ahsoka's face as she began to power up the hyperdrive. The dreadnought would no doubt detect the sudden surge of energy when she jumped, but by then it would be too late.
Seconds later, the hyperdrive was charged, and Ahsoka watched through the cockpit window as the blackness of space shifted in a vortex of blue.
The trip through hyperspace was thankful uneventful, as was the landing procedure back on Coruscant. Apparently the Chancellor had informed the air traffic controllers of her possible return from such a mission.
Ahsoka had, much to her surprise, be escorted to an official landing platform usually reserved for the Chancellor himself, and from there had headed straight to the Chancellor's office to inform him of the situation and give him the data she had stolen.
Admittedly, she was slightly upset that she had to bid farewell to the experimental ship that the Chancellor had loaned her, but she understood that it was needed elsewhere. For now, she had other business to attend to.
The elaborately decorated halls of the senate building was a sharp contrast to the greens of the jungle she had been wandering through not too long ago, or even the dull greys and browns of the Separatist lab she had infiltrated.
Here, the walls were decorated with a myriad of colours, reds and golds being the most predominant among them.
Turning corner in the halls of the senate building, Ahsoka found herself at the entrance to the Chancellor's office.
The door was closed, suggesting that she was not welcome to just walk on in. Instead, Ahsoka composed herself and knocked gently on the door three times, waiting to be summoned.
From the other side of the door Ahsoka heard the soft gentle voice of the Chancellor respond with an 'enter'.
So she did.
Opening the door and stepping through into the office itself, Ahsoka spotted the Chancellor staring out of the large window planes of his office. The elderly man seemed to surveying the city outside. Why, Ahsoka was unsure, and she could feel nothing of his emotions through her connection to the force that would give anything away. She wasn't even sure he knew it was her yet.
Rather than approach the Chancellor, Ahsoka remained where she was, the door sliding shut behind her. Placing her hands behind her back, Ahsoka straightened her back and stood as tall as she could, before politely coughing.
The Chancellor clearly heard her, as in response he turned around, his wrinkled eyes locking onto her face, a look of surprise on his face.
"Chancellor Palpatine, I have important information for you regarding the bioweapon you wanted me to look into." Ahsoka spoke, keeping her voice full of both respect and professionalism. Now was not the time to be 'Snips'. She was in 'Commander' mode.
The look of surprise remained of the Chancellor's face for a few seconds before his composure returned, a kindly and welcoming smile appearing on his face.
"I did not expect you back so soon Agent Tano. Clearly I was right to put my faith in you. The mission was a success then I take it?" Palpatine spoke as he moved over to his desk, taking his seat and gesturing for Ahsoka to take the one opposite, an offer she accepted.
"It did Chancellor." Ahsoka spoke, placing the data spike she had used to download the information from the Separatist lab on his desk for him to collect. "I managed to download a significant amount of data onto this spike. It is heavily encrypted however, and I haven't been able to crack the codes."
Palpatine nodded as he listened, picking the spike up in his hands and turning the device over several times, inspecting it.
"No worries Agent Tano, I will have my best codebreakers have a look at it. All that matters is that you got it to me in one piece." Palpatine replied, placing the spike back on his desk before shooting Ahsoka a grateful smile.
"I nearly didn't get back at all. Grievous showed up." Ahsoka continued, informing the Chancellor of every aspect of the mission. It was only right after all. He was her boss.
"I see. How… unfortunate. At least you survived." Palpatine spoke, his tone neutral, not that Ahsoka minded.
Silence passed for a few seconds, aside from the sound of paper rustling as the Chancellor began to rearrange the paperwork on his desk before them, creating some room on the desk itself.
"And now I believe I owe you a reward Agent Tano." Palpatine spoke, his voice warm again.
Before Ahsoka had any chance to refute whatever he was about to offer, the Chancellor had reached below his desk and placed a small item before her, one that looked like a keycard.
"What's this?" Ahsoka inquired, leaning forward in her seat slightly to get a better look at the keycard.
"This my dear is part of your reward. I could not help but notice that your current accommodation is not exactly what I would call homely. Fortunately, a rather spacious apartment in 500 Republica recently became vacant after it's owner passed away. I have taken the liberty of placing the deposit for you. This is the keycard to your new home."
Ahsoka couldn't help the fact that her eyes almost popped out of her skull. She knew of the apartment complex that the Chancellor was speaking of. The most prestigious and powerful people on all of Coruscant, save the Jedi council, were said to live there. Even the Chancellor himself owned an apartment there, further suggesting that it was not exactly open to the common person.
"Chancellor this is… this is too much, I can't take this!" Ahsoka replied, keeping her tone both steady and grateful. She didn't deserve something like this. Her small room in downtown Coruscant might have been tiny and on the edge of dilapidation, but the it suited her needs.
Clearly the Chancellor felt different, as he slid the access card across the desk and into Ahsoka's hands, a smile on his face.
"Nonsense my dear. you will need a place to relax and call home when you are not on duty. Take the card and make that place your own."
Ahsoka liked to think she was not a selfish person. She always tried to do what was best for other people, regardless of what it could do to her. She supposed that was partly down to her training as a Jedi.
But now, she was a Jedi no longer, and some part of her wanted to, for once, be selfish and accept the apartment.
Surely she had earned this, had she not?
Across from her, Palpatine's gentle smile did not change. He wasn't forcing her to make a decision, but merely waiting for an answer, no matter what it was.
With a small sigh, Ahsoka gave in, and accepted the keycard from the Chancellor.
"Excellent my dear, excellent. I'm sure it will more than suit your need. To that end, I have also created republic credit account with your name on it, and transferred a sizable amount of credits into the account as payment for a job well done. Buy yourself something nice with it my dear. You can find the access codes in the apartment waiting for you." The Chancellor spoke warmly, leaning back in his chair.
Ahsoka didn't miss the fact that Palpatine had already prepared the apartment for her. Clearly he had anticipated her saying yes to his offer.
She chose not to point it out. After all, she didn't want to be rude to the most powerful man in the galaxy.
"Now my dear, I do have one more gift for you." The Chancellor continued, once again reaching beneath his desk to extract something.
This time round, rather than a small keycard, Palpatine lifted and placed a small ornate looking box on his desk, before gently pushing it towards Ahsoka. The box was clearly made of fine wood, and had been inscribed with various patterns and markings, ones that showed prestige and value.
However, something nagged within Ahsoka. She got the feeling that the box itself was not the gift, but whatever was within it.
When the box was directly in front of Ahsoka, Palpatine gestured for her to open it.
Tentatively reaching for the lid, Ahsoka grasped it gently in her hands, feeling the course wood with her fingertips, before lifting the lid.
A sudden shift in the force caused her to flinch as something hit her, connected with her.
Called out to her.
The sudden shift caught her by surprise, and Ahsoka found her eyes blinking several times before she was able to refocus.
When her focus had returned, she glanced down at the inside of the box.
The inside of the box was decorated with a thin red velvety material, one that Ahsoka could tell was designed to safeguard whatever was in the box. Clearly it was something of great value.
But why had it called out to her through the force?
And then she saw why.
There, resting gently in the centre of the red velvet material, was a small colourless crystal. Ahsoka found herself blinking several times again as she stared at the crystal, trying to determine what it was.
And then she felt it again. The call from the force. Calling out to her.
Calling out from within the small ornate wooden box.
Calling from the crystal.
Ahsoka couldn't help the gasp of awe that escaped her.
It was a kyber crystal!
Across the desk, Palpatine had remained silent, studying her reaction. He watched as Ahsoka slowly reached into the box and extracted the crystal, the Togruta turning it around in the palm of her hand several times in wonderment.
"I do not pretend to understand the intricacies of the force in general, but from what Anakin has told me in the past, these crystals are vitally important to the construction of a lightsaber. I acquired this one years ago after it was given to me as a gift from an old friend after I had graduated from my education. At the time I did not realize what I possessed, not until I became friends with young Skywalker. In my possession this crystal is nothing more than a trinket, but I could not help but notice your lack of a saber, and thought this might help you create a new one to defend yourself with."
Ahsoka barely paid any attention to what the Chancellor had said. Kyber crystals were extremely difficult to get their hands on. Part of the reason was that they only ever showed themselves to a force sensitive individual, and even then only if the crystal was destined to be theirs. One had to have a natural connection to the crystal itself to find it, let alone use it.
And somehow, despite what was no doubt an incredibly slim chance, the crystal that Palpatine seemed to be giving her called out to her. Wanted to be hers.
Ahsoka had known the second she had left the temple, left the Jedi order behind, that the chances were that she would never be able to use a lightsaber again. She had made peace with the fact. After all, a Jedi didn't need a lightsaber to be powerful, and whilst she was no longer a Jedi, the force would always be with her.
But now, as she stared at the small crystal in her hand, she felt a rush of excitement. Perhaps the force had deemed her worthy of building a new lightsaber after all.
Smiling brightly, Ahsoka clenched her hand tightly around the crystal, before pocketing it for use later. She would need to find the materials first to build her new weapon after all.
And once that was done, she would use it to do what she had always done.
Protect those who needed protecting.
Only this time she would not be doing so as a Jedi, or even a commander in the republic army.
But as the personal Agent of the Chancellor.
Author's thoughts
Well now, wasn't that generous of ol' Palpy. He really is a nice guy after all.
So, anyone want to take a guess as to where Palpatine got that kyber crystal from. Or what colour of lightsaber Ahsoka will end up with this time round. I'll tell you one thing, it won't be white.
Anyway, a mix of actions and dialogue this time around. I hope you all liked it. It's always fun to write the dynamic between Ahsoka and Palpatine.
Oh, and for those wondering when Anakin is going to be joining the story... soon my friends soon. I have a special flashback chapter planned for him. :)
So, next time round Ahsoka goes to inspect her new abode, and begins to create her new lightsaber.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Mysterious guest one: Nope, Grievous was most certainly not expecting to get his arse handed to him by a Convor. Then again, who would huh?
Glad you are liking it so far.
SLE's fave guest: I was quick at writing this time. Found a wee bit of inspiration. :)
Yeah Ahsoka's gonna be hitting her growth spurt soon. Then there is no way in hell she will be able to do the ventilation shaft stuff. Then again, she does prefer a straight up fight normally.
Poor Grievous really gets the short end of the stick, and I had to have someone get owned by Morai. Unfortunately it was him this time around.
Jayfeathers Friend: Grievous is bloody terrifying at times. I mean four rotating sabers at once. What was Lucas on when he thought of that!?
Suffice to say, Grievous will show up again later, so there is more time for him to be a badass.
Oh and Vader... put him down now or I'll kill you off again!
Darzefader: Yeah I looked back and saw the mistakes. My bad. I am pretty useless at proofreading, much like I am at life in general. Still, glad you were willing to overlook them and that you enjoyed the chapter.
HuffleHecate: "Hoot hoot" (Yes it was Morai... and she will be back)
Aya Song: I'm glad you are liking this story so far. I try to go in a direction that is rarely seen. Only time will tell if Ahsoka has a positive effect on Anakin or not.
Anisoka's an odd pairing really. Written well it can work, but only in certain circumstances. I personally prefer them being best buds, but I'm not against the ship itself. Each to their own I always say. (though underage Ahsoka and adult Anakin is a no no for me. Maybe a Rebels era AU would suit them more)