343.
That was the number of the apartment she now stood at. The front door before her, waiting to be opened.
And clenched tightly in her hand, the keycard to the door, and what lie beyond it.
Ahsoka didn't know how long she had been standing in front of the door. Was it seconds? Minutes?
Hours?
She had the key to get in. She could open the door, walk right in and make herself at home, etiquette be damned. This was no longer some senators apartment. It was hers!
Admittedly, she had gotten some odd looks from some other residents who had spotted her walking the halls of the 500 Republica building. No doubt they were wondering what exactly a young Togruta teenager such as herself was doing in such an aristocratic place.
A small smirk came to her face as she envisioned herself explaining to them that she now owned this apartment. She was almost certain they would be either mortified or utterly confused.
Truth be told she herself was still confused. The Chancellor had gone to extreme lengths to reward her for one small mission. An apartment, a credit account…
And a kyber crystal, one that resonated with her in the force. Ahsoka still could not believe it, even as her hand subconsciously went to the pocket it was held in. Through the material of her trousers she could feel the crystalline object, waiting and calling out to her.
Sighing to herself, Ahsoka moved her hand holding the keycard towards the receiver next to the door. Despite her shock, the last thing she wanted to do was upset the Chancellor by turning down his offer. After all, he had gone out his way to find her and offer to help her. The least she could do was accept his generous rewards.
The receiver beeped twice once it picked up the keycard, before flashing green once and unlocking the door.
The sound of the door sliding open before her drew Ahsoka's attention away from the receiver, her new apartment being exposed to her.
Wasting no time, Ahsoka slowly passed through the threshold of the doorway, trepidation mixed with a slight of excitement filling her senses.
The doorway led into a large open area, one that was clearly a communal area. A large couch sat square in the centre of the room, flanked on either side by a pair of comfy looking chairs.
Across from the seating arrangement, a large holoscreen stood on an ornate looking stand. The screen itself was clearly designed for usage of the holovision, not that there was ever anything decent on the watch. Both Anakin and herself, and occasionally Obi-Wan and Padme had taken to holding movie nights in Padme's apartment. Most of the time one of them would find an incredibly bad and cheesy movie to watch, and then the four would spend the night mocking the film as it played.
Perhaps now with a apartment and holoscreen of her own, she could be the one to host the next film. She only wondered what would be picked. If she was right, it was Anakin's turn to pick next.
Shaking her head at her memories Ahsoka dropped her backpack on one of the chairs, before continuing her inspection of her new abode.
The floors were lined with a thick expensive looking carpet, as well as bright colourful mirages that seemed to be rugs.
Continuing round her apartment, Ahsoka soon found herself in what resembled an expensive looking kitchen. The room was not separate from the lounge area either, the only divide in the rooms being the sudden end of carpet and beginning of white tiles on the floor.
The kitchen itself was adorned with various cookers and equipment, and cupboards already full of various cutlery and plates, as well as pots and pans for cooking. Whether these were gifts from the Chancellor, or belonged to the previous occupant of the apartment before he passed away, Ahsoka was unsure, but she didn't mind.
It would save her doing some shopping for such things.
Turning back around Ahsoka found herself standing behind a wooden counter, one that acted as another dividing line between the lounge and the kitchen. From where she stood she could see the seating arrangements and holovision. Clearly the kitchen and lounge had been designed with a social aspect in mind. One could prepare food whilst speaking to their guests at the same time.
It was then that Ahsoka noticed the view. Beyond the holovision was several large planes of windows, each of which revealed a magnificent view of the city below. From where she was, high up in the tower, Coruscant looked liked everything the media said it was. A crown jewel.
The buildings around the tower sparkled in the sunlight, each being made more glorious by the ones next to her.
The view was beautiful, Ahsoka would admit that, and she could see how people fell in love with such views.
But from her own experience in war, Ahsoka knew better. The outside may have been stunning, but inside things were much worse.
The thoughts percolated her mind for a few moments before she shook them off, continuing her inspection of her new apartment.
Moving from the kitchen back to the lounge Ahsoka spotted a pair of doorways on the other side of the room. Moving towards them she also spotted a large wooden table with several seats around them behind the couch. That was clearly where the occupants had eaten their dinner during formal events.
Moving past the table and couch Ahsoka entered the first doorway she had seen.
On the other side was a large double bed, one covered with what looked to be the most comfortable bedding Ahsoka had ever seen. In the temple and on the field Ahsoka had never really experienced luxury. She was used to living rough when needed.
But this bed before her looked like bliss.
Another doorway inside the large bedroom led to an en-suite bathroom, equipped with both a bath and shower, as well as refresher and sink.
Satisfied with her inspection of what she assumed to be the master bedroom Ahsoka turned and left the room, heading round the corner and through the doorway of the second room she had spotted.
Inside that room was almost an exact replica of the master bedroom, but with a large single bed as opposed to a double. It still possessed an en-suite bathroom, but was quite clearly designed as a guest bedroom.
Coming back out the guest room Ahsoka moved across the the large window planes, staring down at the city below.
The apartment was far more than she had ever expected. It was almost too large for her.
But she would not turn down the Chancellor's generosity.
Pivoting on her heel, Ahsoka's eyes ran across the apartment again. This was hers now, no one else's. No one could tell her what to do or what not to do.
The problem was she had no idea where to start. The Chancellor had told her he would be in contact when he had a new mission for her.
For now, she had to find a way to pass the time.
Like a lightbulb going off in her head an idea springed to mind.
First, she would indulge herself in a rare luxury, a hot shower.
And then she would head into the city of Coruscant itself.
Surely somewhere sold the types of components needed to build a new lightsaber?
It had taken a fair while to find a scrap metal dealer. Despite the lucrative nature of Coruscant itself, it was next to impossible to find all of the components she would need to construct some sort of lightsaber in one shop, and the more expensive pieces of tech she needed were even harder to find.
At least she wasn't short on money. The credit account that Chancellor Palpatine had opened in her name had blown her mind the second she saw just how many credits he had placed in their as payment for her first job.
One million credits. What was she supposed to do with that amount of money?
Still, she wasn't complaining, not when one piece of equipment she needed for her new saber cost up to 50,000 of those credits. Power modulators were never cheap.
Several hours later, Ahsoka found herself back at the door of her new apartment, a thought that still hadn't really set in yet, her backpack full of various scrap metal pieces and other components that she had managed to scrounge up, as well as some food for the fridge that resided in the kitchen. A girl had to eat after all.
Entering into her apartment, Ahsoka unloaded the various metal pieces and tech onto the kitchen worktop, stopping briefly to place the food she had brought away, before returning to the worktop. She wouldn't be able to build any sort of exquisite looking lightsaber hilt at the moment, but for now a simple hilt would do, one to house the crystal she now possessed.
Reaching into her pocket, she extracted the crystal and placed it with the other components of her lightsaber. The construction process was not easy and took both time and concentration. It made fixing a hyperdrive on a capital ship look easy, not that Ahsoka had ever had any experience with such a thing.
And it had been years since she had personally constructed a new lightsaber. What if she was rusty at it after all this time?
No! She couldn't think like that, not as she felt the crystal call out to her through the force, requesting to be used. It was strange how the crystal had connected to her, despite being a seemingly random gift.
Still, she did not dwell on that for now, not as she sat down in one of the stools at the worktop. It would dom little good to be distracted.
After all, she had a lightsaber to build.
Settling into the stool as comfortably as she could, Ahsoka placed her hands palm down on the worktop. All around her hands were the various components she had purchased, each a separate piece of metal, about to become one.
And resting at her fingertips was the kyber crystal, pulsing lightly with a colourless hue, calling to her through the force, asking for a connection.
Taking a deep breath, Ahsoka closed her eyes, and delved deep into the force.
The world around her changed instantly. Her apartment faded into nothingness as she reached into the force, her mind being transported into a neverworld, leaving her body behind. In her younger more impulsive days she had hated meditation, a trait she had shared with her master. Numerous times they had abandoned any real pretence of meditation, often sneaking out the temple together instead, usually for fast food. Ahsoka couldn't help but smile at the memory.
But now that she was older and more mature, she found that meditating could have it's benefits. In a way, it was a form of escapism for her, a way to evade the harsh realities of being a battlefield commander.
Or of being an outcast in a self imposed exile because those you looked up to sold you out!
Ahsoka flinched slightly at the sudden memory spike that hit her. It would do her no good to dwell on the past.
Centring herself again, Ahsoka listened to the netherworld around her. She could feel the presence of other force users, but could not identify them. For all she knew one of them could be Anakin, or Obi-Wan.
Or even someone like Dooku.
One could only usually identify an individual in meditation if they were in close proximity to them in reality. Meditating together most commonly led to this.
Still, not being able to be recognised at the moment was fine for Ahsoka. She didn't really want to speak or interact with any other force user right now, and she was fairly certain that certain individuals would not approve of her still using the force in such a manner after her departure from the order.
It was then that she felt a pull from something. A distant tug on the periphery shifted her focus, the netherworld changing around her. Everything was dark now, pitch black in fact, all expect on thing.
There, floating in the centre of the darkness was a light, one that resonated with energy, calling out to her and extending said energy to her, offering itself to her.
Ahsoka knew immediately what the light was. Her kyber crystal.
Reaching out with the force, Ahsoka began to intertwine her own energy with that of the crystal, binding it to hers. From it, she felt a rush of power and strength. The crystal was old, and it was clear that she was not it's first owner. Images flashed in her mind of places she thought she recognized, and faces of species she had meet. Naboo seemed common, as did the face of a Muun, but there was nothing she could truly make from it.
Instead, she refocused her energy on the crystal itself, deepening her connection to it, bonding with it. Unlike Sith, who twisted crystals to their will, Jedi, or Ahsoka at the very least, sought to work in union with the crystal, and share a harmonious relationship. Ahsoka liked to think that if the crystal wanted out of that relationship at any point, it could. She was not it's jailer after all.
Another surge of power hit her as the crystal connected to her again, forming the bond that she sought willingly. The crystal wanted to be hers, and that was all she needed.
Still deep in the netherworld of the force, Ahsoka began to channel her focus elsewhere. She would need to remain connected to the crystal as she was for the moment, but she would be unable to fully construct her new saber without a connection to reality as well.
Her mind remained in the force, but her body began to act in reality. Her hands began to move slowly, guiding the various pieces of scrap metal together into some form of shape, one she would not see until she pulled out from the force itself.
In the depths of her mind, Ahsoka began to focus even harder, straining her power to the best of her ability. She could feel her body moving in the real world, manipulating the components she had gathered to create her new saber. No doubt the hilt was forming together.
And then, with a final burst of power, the bright light that resembled her crystal faded suddenly, as if encased within a shell of some kind.
Ahsoka took that as confirmation that the process was complete.
Opening her eyes slowly, Ahsoka found herself back in reality.
Blinking several times to refocus her eyes, Ahsoka glanced down at the worktop before her. The various metal components that had previously been scattered across the worktop were now gone, as was her crystal.
What stood in their place made Ahsoka gasp in both shock and awe.
A lightsaber hilt, unique in its design, and unlike anything she had ever wielded before, a vast difference from her old sabers.
The hilt, while minimalist at best and lacking any real decoration, was curved in a similar manner to that of Ventress' or Dooku's, though not quite as sharply. It was clearly designed for a fast paced fighter, as opposed to a heavy fighting style.
'A perfect, if not unusual fit.' Ahsoka thought, reaching one hand across the grasp the hilt. These types of sabers were rare, and usually difficult to use at first. Ahsoka had no doubt in her mind that it would require lots of practise to get used to.
But, if that was the design the force had chosen for her, then so be it. Ahsoka trusted the force, perhaps more than she trusted herself.
Standing from her stool, Ahsoka moved into an open area of her apartment, testing the weight of the hilt in her hand as she did. It was lighter that her previous one, allowing for more dexterity. Ahsoka may have preferred two blades, but she was just as proficient with one.
Twirling the hilt a few more times in her hand to gauge the weight, Ahsoka took another deep breath. She had anticipated this moment from the second she had been given a kyber crystal, just as she had years prior when she constructed her first ever lightsaber.
Holding the hilt out in the front of her, she angled the emitter away from her body, and rested her fingers on the activation button.
"So, what have you got for me this time then?" Ahsoka queried aloud, her tone steady and confident.
And then she pressed the button.
The snap hiss of the lightsaber igniting did not catch her off guard, not after so many years of using such a tool. What did was the colour of the blade that erupted from the hilt before her. It was a unique colour, one she did not recall ever seeing before in her life, or reading about for that matter. Sure, there were some like it, commonly used by the temple guards, or even her previous shoto, but never one as bold as the saber she now held in her hand.
All around her a bright golden glow was cast by the saber, Ahsoka's eyes hypnotically drawn to the colour as she moved it around experimentally, listening to the sounds of the air being distorted as the blade moved. Ahsoka had always found the sounds produced by a lightsaber oddly hypnotic.
After a few moments of being lost in her uniquely coloured saber, Ahsoka regained her senses and extinguished the blade, before moving to place it back on the kitchen worktop.
It was odd, wielding a new lightsaber after using hers for so long. Ahsoka wasn't sure if she liked the new blade, or was just missing the familiar weight and grip of her old sabers.
Her old, Jedi sabers.
But she no longer a Jedi, not anymore. Perhaps this new lightsaber was a way of symbolising that aspect of her life. She would have to adapt to the new hilt, much like she had to adapt to her new lifestyle.
And if there was one thing that Anakin Skywalker had taught her it was how to adapt to any situation, no matter her opinion on it.
Two days later, in which Ahsoka had spent most of her time acclimatising to her new apartment and the areas around it, the Chancellor called for her. Apparently he had another mission for it, and truth be told Ahsoka was glad. In her time off she has found herself bored, with nothing to do aside from the menial. Thus, she relished a new opportunity to do some good.
The trip to the senate building, and by extension the Chancellor's office was a short one. The 500 Republica was easily within walking distance, and provided a nice peaceful stroll for Ahsoka, as well as a chance to watch the people of Coruscant go about their daily lives in the process. In a way, it was nice to see some people happy despite the raging war around them.
Upon arrival to the Chancellor's office, the elder man had greeted her enthusiastically, leading her over to his desk and offering her a chair, which she took.
When both individuals had taken their seats and gotten comfortable, Palpatine began.
"One of our Venator Capital Ships recently went missing over the planet Manaan. Reconnaissance suggests that the ship was shot down by Separatist forces. The ship crash landed in one of Manaan's many ocean biomes."
It was an odd mission, that Ahsoka could already tell. An entire Star Destroyer being shot down and crashing was hardly unusual. So what warranted her involvement?
"The ship itself was recently returning from a long range intelligence mission, and republic intelligence believe they have discovered something related to this mysterious project you uncovered on Myrkr. I would like you to travel to this planet and investigate the shipwreck to see if any useful information can be salvaged." Palpatine explained, his face grim as her reported the news.
Ahsoka understood now why she was involved. Whatever 'Project Nullify' was had to be discovered. She had begun the search, so it only made sense that she continued it.
"I'll head there right away Chancellor." Ahsoka replied, preparing to stand from her seat, until Palpatine stopped her. It appeared her had more to say.
"There is a complication Agent Tano. This Venator was commanded by a high ranking member of the Jedi order, one of their shadows to be precise. As such, the Jedi council is sending an agent of their own to assist your search. At first they had wanted to send Master Windu, but I assumed that he would not have been a welcome choice for you, so I recommend someone else instead."
Ahsoka had to admit the Chancellor was correct. Windu was the last person she wanted to work with anytime soon, especially after his non-existent apology to her weeks earlier.
The only question was, who had the Chancellor recommended in his place.
Seconds later, she found out who… and she couldn't have been more glad who it was.
"Chancellor? Master Windu said you requested my presence for a special assignment with… Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka couldn't help the warm smile that came to her face as she stood from her seat to face her old master.
"Hey Skyguy!"
Author's thoughts
So yeah, this chapter took a while to craft, mainly due to the lightsaber construction process. I spent forever trying to get it right, I only hope you like the end result.
Now, as for the details regarding her new saber, I'll let you know what I can. The design isn't fully complete yet, but will be in the future. The hilt is still a work in progress. All I knew was that it was going to be curved handle, kinda like her primary blade from rebels. No quite as curved as Dooku's, but curved nonetheless.
As for the colour of the blade, the best colour comparison I can make is that matches the colour of a certain Lord's eyes. I'm sure you catch my drift.
I wanted a unique colour, or at least one that was rarely seen. Yellow seems common theses days, what with the temple guards, Ahsoka's first shoto, and Ventress' saber in Dark Disciple, so I went with gold instead. Plus, it might possibly be foreshadowing of something. :)
As for the origins of the kyber crystal itself, this chapter does give some teases out. Hope you like them. Have fun decrypting them.
Anyway, next time we have an Anakin centric chapter. Only took 10 chapters to get to him huh?
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
TerminatorJedi: Palpy really does have Ahsoka's best interests at heart doesn't he? XD
Hopefully you like the reveal in this chapter of Ahsoka's new saber. As for Morai... wait and see, but she will appear again.
SLE's fave guest: Interesting speculation as to the colour, but you were wrong I am afraid. Hope you like the result despite this. :)
The Plague Doctor: Thanks, glad you are enjoying it. Reviews and comments are my favourite part of all of this.
Mysterious Guest number one: He he, that is one idea indeed. Bet Palpy wouldn't be expecting that!
Hope you like the next chapters. The next mission is a fun one, with a rather unexpected familiar face appearing too.
Jayfeathers Friend: Nope. Not white, or red, or blue. As to where the crystal came from, this chapter gives a few hints.
Darzefader: Glad you are enjoying the pace set out so far. Its a slow story this one, with many small arcs that hopefully all intertwine in the end.
And thanks again. Let's hope I can keep the grammar in check from now on. (I doubt it)