Time seemed to suddenly stand still for Caleb as he stared at the figure before him, watching and waiting for a reaction. He hadn't meant to hurt anyone's feelings. He was only repeating what he had been told by the Grand Master of the Jedi Order himself. Surely he wouldn't lie, right?

But judging by the look on Ahsoka Tano's face, one that was a mixture of deep hurt and betrayal, not everything was as it seemed. Perhaps Yoda's words did not hold the merit he thought they did.

Before he could say anything more, the Togruta abruptly turned and stormed off, mumbling something under her breath. Caleb could only watch as she skulked into the shadows, heading back in the direction of her ship through the long dark cave network.

"I think you hit a nerve kid." Commander Grey's voice came from behind him, a comforting hand resting on his shoulder in the process, a gesture that Caleb appreciated.

"I didn't mean to upset her… I was… I just…"

"I know kid, but clearly you don't know the full story of whatever happened with her." Grey replied, his hand gently squeezing Caleb's shoulder, before returning to his work.

Grey's words made sense, and something within Caleb sunk as he understood. Why did he not know the full story? Had Yoda left certain parts of it out? He had known that Ahsoka Tano had been put on trial for terrorism and treason against the Republic, but he had thought her acquitted and welcomed back into the Order!

But then she had said she hadn't come back, and had practically all but thrown off the title of Jedi! Why had she done that?

As the stinging in his eyes forced Caleb to realise that he had been staring wide-eyed at the spot where he had last seen Ahsoka for the past couple of seconds, he blinked several times in order to re-hydrate his eyes and began to mentally trace the likely route she would take through the caves. In the Force he could still feel her presence ever so slightly, as if it was being concealed or subdued, either by her or by an outside party, Caleb couldn't tell.

Still, Caleb prided himself in being inquisitive, even if he knew it annoyed people. If Master Yoda wasn't going to tell him the full story, then maybe Ahsoka would.

Assuming she either trusted or liked him that was, and that he hadn't upset her too badly. For all he knew she was going to get in her ship and fly away, abandoning them all here to die.

Resolute in his decision, Caleb stood up, told Grey that he would be back shortly, and made to follow Ahsoka, heading deeper into the dark cave network with every step.

His trek through the dark winding tunnels bore no result, at least not until he emerged back outside of the cave network. In the spot where Ahsoka had emerged seemingly out of nowhere from what he presumed was some sort of stealthed ship, he now found a brand new sand dune that had the rough outline of a Republic shuttle. Hidden safely within the bowels of the mountain he had never even stopped to consider what effect the sandstorm would have on their only means of getting off the planet, a thought that now made him feel even more uneasy than he already was.

Taking a step out of the shade of the cave entrance and into the bright hot sun of the planet, Caleb breathed a sigh of relief upon realization that the dust storm had blown over. There were still several small gushes of wind that blew dust into the air around them, but it was nothing like the storms that had ravaged the planet so far. He could actually traverse the distance between the cave entrance and the shuttle without risk of being blown away or lost in a thick cloud of dust.

Covering the distance quickly, Caleb halted at what appeared to be a dust ridden ramp into the ship. From where he now stood he could see that whatever technology was used to hide the ship did not cover it entirely. Up the ramp he could quite clearly see the clean and open interior of the ship, and could easily hear someone moving around inside of it.

Taking a deep breath in anticipation, Caleb began to ascend the ramp, ideas of what to say to her running rampant in his mind.

He wanted to apologise for upsetting her, but he also wanted to know exactly why she had reacted the way she had, and what she had meant by that she was no longer a Jedi. She had said she had left… but why?

As his feet reached the top of the ramp, Caleb couldn't help but glance around with interest. Part of him wanted to explore the ship, even if it was a bit small. It was nothing compared to the size of the Venator of course, but there was something about the shuttle. In a way, it felt like a home, designed not for war, but for something else entirely. Perhaps it had only been retrofitted for combat due to the war. It's design was clearly based on shuttles used by the Jedi Order after all. Perhaps it was supposed to be more like a home, such as the Temple, rather than a warship, like as the Venators.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Caleb redirected his attention when a sound of movement hit his ears. Taking several steps forward again, Caleb found himself passing through the threshold of a doorway and into what looked like the cockpit, one that was laden with various terminals and controls. There were also several seats positioned around the compartment, two by a terminal that displayed what looked like a galaxy map, and another two by what Caleb assumed were the piloting controls.

And there, sitting in one of those seats, her back to him, was Ahsoka, her hands gently moving over the various terminals and controls before her, probably running some sort of diagnostic checks. Caleb himself wasn't very good at piloting, or ships in general, not yet at least. Perhaps she could teach him a little?

The Togruta clearly hadn't heard him enter, only further supporting the idea in Caleb's mind that she was upset by what either he or Master Yoda had said.

The sense of guilt that had been building up slowly in the pit of his stomach began to flare again. He had to apologise for upsetting her.

Reaching a hand up to his mouth, Caleb coughed lightly, hoping to get her attention.

What he hadn't been expecting was for her to jump out of her seat in surprise, whacking her knee on the console before her in the process, hissing in pain as a result.

Now he had two things to apologise for.

'Great first impression Caleb!' His own voice muttered in his thoughts sarcastically, something which caused Caleb to blush as a result.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you jump, or upset you. I was just really excited to meet you and I got carried away and…" Caleb began, the words rolling off his tongue in a high pitched voice, one that Caleb knew was full of panic.

"And I said some things without thinking and I just assumed that you were still a Jedi. I didn't know you had left and never meant to upset you and…"

"Caleb."

"And now I've snuck aboard your ship and invaded your privacy and everything…"

"Caleb!"

"And you've banged your knee because I made you jump and I'm just really really sorry for upsetting you and…"

"Caleb! Calm down!" Ahsoka interrupted him again, this time more forcefully. Her tone wasn't harsh, and her face was flooded with what appeared to be amusement, something which again caused Caleb to blush.

'Well done Dume. You've made an utter fool of yourself. Some Jedi you're turning out to be.' Caleb's own thoughts circulated again in his head, making him halt before her spoke any more. Sometimes less was more, or so his Master had told him in the past.

Managing to hold his tongue for the time being, Caleb instead waited and studied the Togruta before him. The warm amused smile that had come to her face hadn't faded, and through the Force he could feel only compassion. Hopefully that meant she wasn't too mad with him.

"Don't worry about what you said, and don't worry about making me jump. I was just caught off guard, both by you following me and by Yoda's words." Ahsoka replied, gesturing to the co-pilot seat beside her, clearly offering it to Caleb.

"You're really not mad at me? I thought… because you stormed off…" Caleb continued, hesitant to take the offered seat. If he had upset her, then as far as he was concerned he didn't deserve to sit with her.

"No! Of course not!" Ahsoka answered, again gesturing to the seat beside her, the warm smile never leaving her face. This time, Caleb took the seat, turning around to inspect the various controls and displays around him. Clearly there was a lot to learn in regards to piloting a ship.

"That said…" Ahsoka continued, her gaze never leaving Caleb, even as he surveyed the interior of the cockpit around him, "I'm somewhat upset by what you've told me, but that's not your fault, is it?"

"No, I suppose not." Caleb replied, his voice lowering slightly in despair. It may not have been his fault, but he had still been the one to deliver the news, and said news had upset her.

So in a way, it was his fault, from his point of view at least.

"Hey," a gentle hand grasped his own, squeezing with the clear intent of offering comfort, "Chin up Padawan. From what Master Billaba tells me you're usually full of enthusiasm. Where's that spirit now then huh?"

Caleb felt a small smile come to his face, struggling to keep it from flourishing into a wide smile at her words of encouragement. She may not be a Jedi, according to her own words, but her presence was still a comforting one, much like it had been when he had first met her, even if it had only been briefly.

He would never say it aloud, especially not with her in the same room, but he'd used to imagine meeting her. Hearing about the adventures of the elder Jedi in the war, how they travelled around the galaxy defeating bad guys and saving people had only made Caleb want to do the same. He wanted to complete his training, become a full fledged Jedi, and help end the war. He wanted to fight alongside all the legends in the stories he had heard, fight alongside those he would call his heroes.

And now, here, seated beside him, was one such legend, one such hero. Many of the younglings had looked up to Ahsoka Tano, seeing her as a perfect example of what they could be one day. Her status as the apprentice of the 'Chosen One' only helped to increase her fame, and from what Caleb had heard of their exploits, they rivalled even those of the legendary members of the Order's history.

If Skywalker was a hero and role model for the Knights and Masters of the Order, then Tano was the same for the younglings. She was, at the end of the day, proof that they could go far and succeed in their career, and help people, even as Padawans.

She was his hero… and then she had left.

And now, here she was seated beside him. He had long since dreamt of meeting her again, of asking her for advice and to help him become the best Padawan to his Master. Who better to ask than the apprentice of the legendary 'Chosen One' herself.

The Force swam and sang around her, emanating with bright radiance, one that welcomed Caleb in, offering what he would call protection.

But beneath that there was something that he couldn't identify. It wasn't anything he wanted to avoid, but something else. Something to be cautious about. Whether or not Ahsoka knew she radiated such a presence was unknown, and he certainly didn't want to accuse her of such a thing, not after causing her to storm off just a few minutes prior.

For now, she seemed happy, and welcoming, and above all else, kind.

She was all he imagined she would be.

Depa Billaba had warned Ahsoka that Caleb would be somewhat energetic… and she was right, to an extent.

The young Padawan before her could not seem to control his mouth, word after word escaping from it as if someone had opened the floodgates of a dam. The flow of his speech, of the way his eyes darted around, taking everything in around him at once whilst trying to maintain a stable conversation with someone he clearly respected all helped Ahsoka to determine exactly what this young Padawan was truly like. His outgoing nature, his friendliness, his passion all pointed towards one very familiar feeling for Ahsoka.

He was insecure. Caleb Dume, the Padawan that so far everyone had told her was always asking questions and always willing to help was unsure of himself. In a way, his persona was merely a facade.

And it was a facade that she knew well. When she had first been assigned to Anakin, she had been the same. Young, chatty and always trying to impress. It wasn't until her Master had revealed that he too was a child at heart that she had decided to just be herself, and not act like someone trying to impress everyone around her.

That and someone had to be the mature one in their relationship.

And now, here was Caleb before her, trying to be friendly, trying to impress. In truth, if he calmed down, and stopped worrying what others thought about him, then he would fit in much better than he currently did.

A peaceful silence fell into place between the two, with Caleb breaking eye contact to scan the cockpit, his eyes lighting up as he examined the various consoles with interest. It was good to see that he was interested. The last person she wanted for company right now was someone who was bored.

"You like my ship?" Ahsoka decided to spark the next conversation, choosing to avoid the topic that had caused her to storm off in the first place, something which was in hindsight an error of judgement. She would worry about Master Yoda's words later on.

"It's great! Does it have a name?" Caleb replied, his youthful tone still full of enthusiasm, but more reserved, as if he was calming down after realising that he hadn't done anything wrong.

The bright smile on Ahsoka's face only widened as she replied to Caleb's question.

"She's called 'The Huntress'."

Caleb's face shifted to one of temporary confusion, as if he was trying to piece together bits of information he had gathered.

"Oh, so that's why your codename is 'The Huntress' as well right?"

Shaking her head in response, Ahsoka watched as Caleb shifted towards a more contemplative look. His speculation had been wrong, and now he was trying to figure out why.

"No," Ahsoka decided to spare him the train of thought, one that would only lead him around in circles, "I guess someone heard the name for my ship and assumed that was my codename or something. I have a guess who it was, but I'll talk to them later about it."

"Oh." Was Caleb's only reply, as his eyes again began to survey the cockpit, taking in everything around him.

The conversation about her ship appeared to be over, for which Ahsoka was somewhat grateful. Even if Anakin had taught her plenty about ships and how to maintain them, she really didn't want to have to try and explain exactly how each independent aspect of it worked, especially not the cloaking device. She barely understood how it worked herself, let alone trying to explain it to someone else.

"So, what was it like to be trained by 'The Chosen One'?" Caleb was the one who sparked up the conversation this time, asking her a question many Jedi had asked of her in the past. Anakin's prodigal status around the Temple was something of both great respect, but great stress at the same time. He had never outright said it, but she could tell the title and expectations that came with it wore on Anakin. He didn't want to be some legendary 'Chosen One'. He just wanted to be Anakin.

"It was, unique, but rewarding. Anakin isn't like other Jedi. He doesn't let the traditions and restrictions of the Jedi stop him from helping people, and he cares deeply about everyone around him, even if he barely knows them, and would go to any lengths to help them should the need arise, especially if they are threatened. I couldn't have asked for a better Master, truth be told." Ahsoka replied, trying not to let her voice grow too nostalgic or wistful, even as flashes of memories of her time by Anakin's side flooded to the front of her mind. How she missed working by his side every day, even if she had done so recently.

"You call you Master by his first name? Not 'Master Skywalker?" Caleb questioned again, his eyes widening at her description of her time as Anakin's Padawan.

It was a funny thing, now that Ahsoka thought about it. She did very often refer to her Master in a casual manner, either calling him directly by his name, or the somewhat endearing yet also aggravating nickname she had coined for him on Christophsis. Rarely did she ever refer to him as 'Master Skywalker, and usually she only did so because she was in company of people who had expectations of her as a Jedi. If she went around calling him Anakin all the time, people might have looked down on her, or worse, down on his teaching methods.

So in public, she had kept up the facade of being a dutiful and respectful Padawan. But when it was just the two of them, or they were around friends, he was always 'Anakin' to her.

And she had always been 'Ahsoka', or 'Snips' to him. It was just their way of doing things.

"I don't think my Master would approve if I called her by her first name." Caleb replied, interrupting Ahsoka's train of thought. Glancing over at the Padawan she saw him slouch slightly in his chair, as if something was wrong with him. Was he perhaps jealous that she had a closer relationship to her Master than he did his?

"Well what about you then?" Ahsoka continued, a wide smile coming to her face as she began to radiate a feeling of openness through the Force, hoping to welcome him and set his mind at ease. "What's Master Billaba like to train with?"

Caleb's previous despondent look changed in an instant, his eyes flaring up, evidently full of energy and enthusiasm as he began to speak.

"Oh, she's a brilliant Master. I'm honoured that she chose me. She's kind, and patient, and very powerful with the Force. Just being around her makes me feel like I can conquer the universe and make her proud of me. That's all I really want, to be the perfect Padawan. She's a perfect Master after all."

Ahsoka was glad that Caleb was comfortable enough to talk about his training, even if it was only a description of his Master. From the way he had described Depa Billaba it seemed that she could do no wrong. Ahsoka knew firsthand however that Jedi Masters were more than capable of making mistakes. No one was perfect. In fact, being perfect was one of the worst possible things one could be.

Back when she had first been assigned to Anakin she had wanted to be perfect, to impress, and to achieve the greatness she knew she was capable of.

But under Anakin's teachings she had learnt to just be herself, and that there was always some new lesson to learn, or something to improve upon. If you were perfect, you could go no further. But if you weren't perfect, then at the very least you have room to improve.

Perhaps it was the unorthodox methods of Anakin Skywalker that had given her that mentality, or perhaps it was something else. Needless to say, she was happy with just being average, even if Anakin would always brag about how brilliant she was.

Caleb would, in time, learn to be the same, and to accept his place by his Master's side, regardless of whether or not either of them were perfect.

But for now, she would let him hero worship his Master. She had done the same to hers at first, much to her embarrassment, and to Anakin's jubilation.

Just when she was about to respond to Caleb's statement, a series of beeps echoed around the cockpit, originating from Caleb's wrist-com.

The young Padawan's face took an immediate turn to the serious side, something that impressed Ahsoka, before he tapped the receive icon lightly, his Master's voice coming through comm in response.

"Padawan, can you and 'The Huntress' report to the command centre… if you can call it that. Captain Styles reports another storm is on its way. If we are going to strike, now's the time."

"Copy that Master. We are on our way."

Author's thoughts

So... been a while right?

I know, I know, I'm useless and unreliable, you don't need to tell me that. And I am sorry for such a delay on this chapter, but it was a bloody nightmare to edit. In truth, you should all really thank my brilliant beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for this chapter. They pretty much rewrote a large section of this chapter for me because I just could not get it to sound right for the life of me. So massive thanks and gratitude are in order there. They pretty much co-authored this chapter... if not did the bulk of it. :)

Anyway, as for the chapter itself, it was great fun to write somewhat desperate and hyper Caleb, especially in comparison to the calm demeanour that is Ahsoka. He just wants to be friends with his hero figure... that can't go wrong, right?

Then again... what is it they say about meeting your heroes?

Now, as it stands the next chapter has been fully written by me, at least the first draft has been. I still need to pass it over to my beta, who will look over it before giving it back to me to edit some more. That said, considering the sheer amount of headaches this chapter caused off I'm not going to send it right away, and the main chapter itself will not be posted until I have finished the draft for the chapter after it. I'm going to try to keep at least a chapter ahead to hopefully make things a bit easier for us. At times we may slow down a bit, but do not despair. I have every intention of finishing this story, it just will be a long game. We are only about quarter of the way through what I have planned so far for the story for reference.

So yeas, sorry for being so slow. I'll try to speed up, but real life is taking it's toll. The end will come, it will just be a while.

Next time round the team puts their plan into action. What can go wrong?

As usual, comment and speculate at will, even if it is to tell me I'm slow. XD

Speaking of which:

SWGoji2001: You did post in time. It's me that's being slow, so don't you worry. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, even if it ended on a bit of a sour note. Ahsoka's reaction will be seen much more down the line.
And no, I have no shame with the blind joke. I'm not even sorry. It was took good an opportunity to miss. XD
Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

Jayfeathers Friend: Yoda is doing what he thinks is best, which might not be the best for everyone else. Maybe he has his reasons. he doesn't strike me as vindictive.
But yeah, he is sneaky.

Juxshoa: No she's not going to take it well is she. Can't really blame her though.
And it's not the Order as a whole faults. More of the Councils. (Kenobi and Plo Koon exempt, since they are decent Jedi)

Mysterious guest one: Maybe he's telling the truth... from a certain point of view. XD
If it had been Windu, I imagine some lightsabers would have been involved.
Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Hope you liked Ahsoka's reaction.

SLE's fave guest: The Seelos dust storm was the inspiration for what is to come. Glad you noticed the reference.
And I couldn't resist the blind foreshadowing jab. Glad you liked it. :)
Yoda doesn't lie... he just bends the truth a bit. XD