Hey everyone I'm back.
The News of War
Ahsoka let out a long sigh, having just finished folding her blouse in a neat square. The day had finally arrived. Even now, as she packed her belongings, she hoped this was all a terrible nightmare she would wake up from.
She gave her forearm a tiny pinch, wincing from the pain.
Yup, still real.
She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. Frustration and sadness swelled up in her. Tears were building up in her eyes, but she wouldn't cry. She refused to let a single tear into the galaxy. A Jedi never let their emotions take control.
But she wasn't a Jedi, now was she? And now, she would never be.
"Excuse me, Initiate Tano." She stilled at the sudden voice. "Are you ready?"
She opened her eyes, sighing again. "Yes, Master D'oon." Her tongue felt heavy, refusing to utter the next set of words. "…I am…"
Ahsoka placed her blouse into her backpack and closed it. Brightside, her bag was light since she didn't have much personal effects. Never allowed outside to shop, or in general due to her status as an Initiate.
She stood, donning her backpack. She spared one final look at her room. Call her sentimental, but she would miss her chambers. She hadn't spent a lot of time there—usually in the archives studying or training with her lightsaber—but she had memories, pleasant ones.
Like when Ahsoka first received her own room and was terribly scared of being alone, and her friend was there to console her. Oh, there was that one time where she and her group of friends bribed one of the temple workers to smuggle ice cream in the temple—the good and expensive kind—and they finished it all in her room. She even held study sessions that later turned into slumber parties in her quarters.
A lot of memories. A lot of fun. But they were just memories. Memories that reminded her how much of a failure she was.
Ahsoka's hands became clenched fists. Damn it.
"Come, young one," D'oon beckoned. "The transport is waiting."
Ahsoka didn't say anything, just silently followed the Jedi Master. To think the first time she would set foot outside the temple, it would be when she would be shipped off in disgrace. A whole three years of no one wanting her as a Padawan. Not even Plo Koon, the Jedi who founded her, wanted her as an apprentice. They would properly make a special entry in the archives for her. She could see it now. The Failed Knight, an Ahsoka Tano tale.
The two passed by the newest batch of younglings of their clan, Thranta. They were being taught the history of the order by a Jedi Knight. She remembered when she was like them. Brimming with hope and innocence, dreaming of one day becoming a full-fledged Jedi. To one day wield a lightsaber of their own, protecting the galaxy and bringing balance to the Force.
At least Ahsoka accomplished a part of her dreams.
She glanced at her lightsaber that was dangling from her belt. Soon she would have to say goodbye to her most prized possession. For those who go to the Service Corps there was no need to carry such things. After all, what purpose did a failed Padawan have with a lightsaber?
But you didn't even get that far, did you?
Technically speaking, Ahsoka was still a youngling, despite passing the trials to be labeled a Padawan. What they didn't tell you was that, if no one picked you as an apprentice in a certain time frame, you couldn't be a Padawan.
After everything she had done; all the sleepless nights studying, strenuous muscle aching workouts, and mentally taxing Force exercises, she wouldn't even get a chance to be a Jedi. All seventeen years of her life, wasted just like that. Because no one wanted her.
"Tano," D'oon broke the silence. "Have they told you which corps you'll be joining?"
Ahsoka felt like someone threw salt in a wound that hadn't even begun to heal. She knew Master D'oon meant well with the question. He delayed the inevitable as long as he could, of which she was eternally grateful for. She just wished he could be more tactful with the query. He knew how devastated she was when the news finally reached her ears.
"Yes, they have," Ahsoka answered. "I'll be going into Agriculture."
"Agriculture, you say?" he mused, nodding his head. "That's a good corps to join. You'll be able to help a lot of people, Tano."
She hung her head, staring at the floor. "…yeah…"
Ahsoka wanted to help people, what Jedi didn't? But she wanted to do so as an actual Jedi, not as a reject. That was what she was at the end of the day—a reject. Someone nobody wanted. D'oon told her otherwise of course. He was one of those optimistic types of Jedi Masters. When she first started to get passed over by Jedi mentors, he was there with her, saying 'the Force will steer you to your right master in due time. You just need to be patient.'
All she had ever been was patient. And now it seemed time ran out for her.
They arrived at the shuttle that would ship its occupants to one of the four branches of the Service Corps. There was a small line of failures, like herself, being herding inside. She recognized a few of them. Failures tended to stick together. Others were Initiates who couldn't crack it in the Order, either due to not living up to their full potential or couldn't pass the Padawan trials.
"Here we are, young one." D'oon gestured to the shuttle. "Just head to the line and you'll reach your destination. But first," he placed an open hand out towards her, "your lightsaber, Tano."
She unclasped her weapon from her belt. She ran a thumb across the smooth metal, taking her time to memorize the feel and weight of her blade. She remembered how ecstatic she was when she constructed the beauty in her hand. How she promised herself that she would be the best Jedi in the entire Order.
Ahsoka clenched the weapon. She didn't want it to end here. She wanted to keep going. Keep fighting to become a Jedi. Like one of her instructors taught her when she was young, Jedi don't quit.
"…no…" She clasped her lightsaber back on her belt. "No," she said, finding her voice—her confidence. She looked up at D'oon, her brows furrowed. "I will not leave," she declared loud and proudly.
His eyes softened, gazing at her with pity. "Ahsoka..." Sighing, he retracted his hand.
She didn't want pity. She already had enough of that from her peers. What she wanted was a chance. She wanted to be a Jedi, damn it!
"I refuse to accept not even having an opportunity to become a Jedi."
"You had an opportunity," he countered, his voice stern but gentle. "The same as I, and many more before you, had as well." He sighed. "I know it's unfair, but you must accept it. It's the will of the Force."
"Kriff the Force!"
D'oon eyes widened. "A—Ahsoka!" he spluttered.
She gestured to the temple. "You all told us that we will all be Jedi when we grow up." She narrowed her eyes at D'oon, jamming a finger into his chest. "You planted in my damn head that I'll be a Jedi, and now you're telling me I can't because no one wants me as a Padawan? Where's the fairness in that?"
"Ahsoka, calm yourself."
"No, I will not be calm!" she shouted, earning stares from those boarding the shuttle. "I, and everyone boarding that ship, deserved to be a Jedi as much as the next—"
"There's nothing that could be done!" D'oon shouted back. Ahsoka took a step back, shocked at him raising his voice. She never heard him yell before. "This is how it is, and how it will always be, Initiate Tano."
"But—"
"There is no buts," he interrupted. "Now," he used the Force to rip her lightsaber off her belt and into his hand. "Board. The. Ship."
Ahsoka glared at D'oon, her body trembling with rage and frustration. She felt the dam she erected around her eyes about to crumble. She won't cry. Jedi don't allow their emotions to take over. And yet, she felt so angry, upset, and disappointed. Not only at herself and her situation, but also for those who went through or was going through the same situation as her.
Just this once, she would forsake the code. To express her pent-up emotions so it wouldn't fester into something worse.
"Kriff you, master," Ahsoka spat.
She walked past D'oon with her head held high, leaving him stunned with her parting words. She felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. No one would have dared to speak in such a way to a Jedi Master, whether they were part of the Jedi Order or not. She hoped this would be a special entry in the future tale of her failed journey of becoming a Jedi
Ahsoka walked to the back of the line, waiting for her turn to enter the shuttle. It didn't take long before she entered and found herself an empty seat to sit in. She leaned back in her chair, sighing.
"Here's to a new start," she muttered.
She suddenly felt something. A disturbance in the Force. She sensed…death. Like multiple Jedi were being struck down. Their death was echoing through the Force.
Ahsoka placed a hand against her head, feeling a bit light-headed. "What's going on?" she whispered.
Master D'oon suddenly entered the ship, stopping it from taking off. He whispered something to the pilot. She couldn't hear anything from where she was. He turned to address the failures of the Jedi Order. His face looked grim.
"Everyone, I have terrible news."
War, by definition, was a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. It was the last resort for any standing government. To engage in war meant democracy had failed.
Miram didn't like conflict. Her strong stance against it stemmed from her parents being killed by an angry Muun that was passing by. She knew it was contradicting her beliefs to be an officer in the Planetary Defense Corps of Coruscant. The irony was not above her.
"To achieve peace, one must be willing to fight for it. Once attained, one needed to maintain and control it so that it would never be broken again."
It was a motto she came up with on her own and one she lived by with every action she committed. That was why, when news of what happened to the Jedi on Geonosis, and the invasion of planets in the Mid-Rim reached Coruscant, she immediately set for her caretaker.
Miram walked down the halls of the Chancellor Suite, heading to Palpatine's office. She spotted her caretaker talking to Wilhuff Tarkin, a decorated officer of the Senate's Judicial Forces. The Redguards let her walk by with no resistance. She was one of a few allowed entrance to Palpatine's office without permission from the man.
"Your Excellency," she announced her presence, giving Palpatine a courtesy bow of the head.
"Miram, what are you—" Palpatine shook his head. "Miram, dear, I'm sorry but I can't talk with you right now. I have important matters I need to do."
"He's right, Captain Ounessa," Tarkin added. "You'll only be a distraction if you stay."
If there was one thing she respected about Tarkin, it was his ability to not mince words. Too many people treat her differently once they discover who her caretaker was. It was a breath of fresh air.
"It's important, Chancellor Palpatine," she stated sternly. "I will not waste your time otherwise."
Palpatine stared into her green eyes with a serious expression. After a second, he relented with a sigh. "Speak, Captain," he ordered.
"I know you already have plans for it, but I outlined an intelligence agency for the war effort," she announced. "That includes structure, operation parameters, funding, and personnel."
A quirked eyebrow matched the skepticism on Tarkin's face. "And do you have what you proposed in writing?"
"The key points, yes," she answered. She went into her pocket to take out a datachip. "It's the best I can do in the three hours of me finding out about the war and arriving here."
"Three hours?" Palpatine sounded surprised.
Miram replied with a simple nod. Logistics, information, numbers—all the boring stuff that would put someone to sleep, came easy to her. It was the sole reason why her caretakers took her in after the death of her parents.
"If you want a more fleshed out proposal, I can give it to you by the end of the day." She handed Tarkin the datachip. He passed it along to Palpatine, who inputted it in the terminal on his desk. They both started going through the contents displayed on the screen. "But time is short, Chancellor. The opportunity to safely deploy agents in enemy encampments are diminishing with every second. We need to act fast."
Tarkin cupped his chin, humming. "It says here, you suggest Captain Dodd Rancit of the Judicial Forces to be in charge of the agency, not yourself." He flicked his eyes towards her, giving an analyzing gaze. "Why?"
Miram folded her hands behind her back, not at all shaken from his gaze. "I know my strengths. My record in the Defense Corps highlighted my information gathering and analysis abilities, but it also noted my lack of skills in utilizing them efficiently in a leadership sense."
Tarkin hummed. To her, it sounded like it was in approval. "And you think Captain Rancit is able to utilize future information properly?"
Miram nodded. "Based on his past experience, Captain Rancit would know how to relay information gathered to him to the utmost efficiency, and deploy agents as needed."
Plus, I knew you were going to be here.
Miram knew of the close friendship Rancit and Tarkin shared. If you hear about one of them, you would no doubt hear about the other. Personal feelings had no place when making logical decisions. Such emotions were hard to suppress unless you were trained at a young age to do so.
Sentiments such as wanting the best of a friend, could easily be exploited. Even for the cold-hearted Tarkin.
"I see. You are correct," Tarkin admitted. "Captain Rancit does have a good track record in this field." He folded his hands behind his back, glancing at Palpatine. "Chancellor, I suggest we take what she offered into consideration."
"I agree." Palpatine smiled at Miram. "You said you can give us your full proposal by the end of day? I want it in five hours."
Miram snapped into attention, saluting her caretaker. "Yes, your Excellency."
A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a hard time figuring out where to place this bad boy with the upcoming arc. Didn't know if I wanted to put it in the beginning or the end.
Ahsoka, like always, was fun to write. Still one of my favorites. And it was awesome to do some writing in the eye of Miram, as well as some back story of the character. You haven't seen the last of either character. I got big plans for the two in the journey of this rewrite.
There will be another tomorrow around the same time.
Till Next Time
Updated Dec 20 2021