Ahsoka woke up from distant sounds of blaster fire and explosions echoing through Coruscant. She instinctively reached for her Lightsabers, but remembered that they were no longer with her. Looking outside her apartment window, she noticed the Separatist forces in the streets of Coruscant. "Oh no…" Ahsoka let out as she saw the ongoing carnage outside.
Coruscant was under attack. The Separatists led a surprise attack on the Republic's capital, piercing through the defenses of Coruscant's fleets with ease. As the Separatist and Republic warships battled in the skies above, the Clones were locked in fierce firefights with the Droids in the city streets and rooftops of Coruscant. Many Jedi led the defense alongside the Clones, fire and war raging forth in the city.
Ahsoka wondered what to do. She did not know how she could help, but she felt she had to try. Stepping out of her apartment, Ahsoka ran into the streets of Coruscant as she was then jumped by a Droid Commando who swung its Vibrosword at her.
Ahsoka narrowly avoided the attack and dodged to the side as the Droid rushed towards her and swung again. Ahsoka unleashed a Force push and sent the Droid flying. As the Vibrosword dropped on the ground, Ahsoka called it to her with the Force. It wasn't her Lightsaber, but it would do for now.
The Droid jumped onto its feet and drew its blaster, firing at Ahsoka. The former Jedi dodged, strafing from side to side before slicing the Droid to pieces in a few precise swings.
Ahsoka continued onward as he heard blaster fire echoing closer and closer. Then suddenly, she saw a Clone ARC Trooper tackled her out of a Super Battle Droid's blaster bolts. Crawling to cover with him, Ahsoka laid eyes on the Clones and smiled. "Rex! Thanks for the help!" She told him.
Rex chuckled. "You need to be more careful, Commander!" He called out as he looked at the 5 Super Battle Droids firing at them.
"You don't have to call me that anymore, Rex!" Ahsoka replied as she held onto the Vibrosword.
Rex chuckled and answered "Sorry, old habit." He then peaked out of cover and fired his dual blaster pistols at the Battle Droids, striking two of them in the head and destroying them. As two of the remaining Droids kept firing, the other fired a wrist rocket at their cover.
As Rex ducked back to cover as the rocket was flown back into the three Droids and exploded, obliterating them. Rex raised his gaze to see Ahsoka standing above the cover, hand raised. She had deflected the rocket back to the sender.
Ahsoka jumped down from the cover only to see more explosions in the distance. "Let's keep moving!" She called out.
Rex nodded, pointing towards the Senate apartment building. "I was stalling the clankers while Senator Amidala evacuates the Senator Apartments. Come on!" He then ran back in as the street was cleared of Droids.
Ahsoka and Rex made their way to the Senate apartments where they found Padme helping the evacuation of the Senators. "Senator Amidala!" Ahsoka called out as she and Rex reached Padme.
Padme turned around to see Ahsoka and Rex. "Ahsoka! What are you doing here?" She asked the former Jedi.
Ahsoka looked around the ravaged apartments. "I thought I could lend a hand." She answered, looking down at her Vibrosword, then back to Padme. "I may not be a Jedi anymore, but I still want to help!"
Padme paused at that statement. She then placed a hand on her chin before smirking. "In that case, I may have something for you, Ahsoka." She told the Togruta as she went to a box held by C-3PO. Inside said box contained things Anakin had given to her such as the necklace from his youth or his Padawan braid. But inside said box, Padme took Ahsoka's two Lightsabers and handed them to the former Jedi.
Ahsoka was taken aback, dropping the Vibrosword before looking at her old weapons. She didn't think she would ever lay eyes on them again. "But… how did you get them back?" She asked, with a tone of disbelief.
Padme chuckled. "After your daring escape from the Temple bombing incident, Anakin recovered your Lightsabers that you lost. He told me to keep them in case you ever needed them back." She told Ahsoka as she looked outside at the raging streets. "Well, it seems that now is such a time."
Ahsoka took her Lightsabers and bowed respectfully to the Senator. "Thank you. That'll help me in defending Coruscant." She told Padme as echoes of battles got closer. "Speaking of which, I better go help the effort."
Rex stepped forward. "Ahsoka, let me come with you. You may not be my Commander anymore, but I won't let you fight alone." He told Ahsoka.
Ahsoka looked at him then to Padme who nodded and said "Don't worry, Ahsoka, I'll be fine." With that, Ahsoka and Rex ran out onto the battlefield.
Coming upon a large bridge, Ahsoka and Rex saw Master Plo Koon leading several Clone Troopers against a horde of B1 and B2 Battle Droids. The Clones were firing their blasters, hitting as many droids as possible while Plo Koon deflected blaster bolts back to the Droids.
Ahsoka and Rex looked at each other and nodded, the two then running to flank the attackers from the left. Rex fired his dual DC-17 Blaster Pistols at several B1 Battle Droids while Ahsoka sliced through a few of the B2 Super Battle Droids. The sudden flank attack divided the attention of the Separatist force as they had to focus on Rex and Ahsoka, giving Plo Koon and his Clones the opportunity to charge at the enemy.
As the Droids started to dwindle and retreat, Ahsoka, Rex and Plo Koon kept the offensive, slicing and blasting as many of their foes alongside the Clone Troopers. Volleys of blaster fire flew through the air for a solid 10 minutes before the last of that force was destroyed by the Jedi and their Clones.
Plo Koon bowed respectfully to Ahsoka. "Koo-too-yah, little Soka. I am thankful that you showed up when you did, but didn't you leave the Jedi Order months ago?" He told her, looking at her Lightsabers.
Ahsoka rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, took some time but I found my Lightsabers back." She then shook her head. "But even if I did leave the Order, it doesn't matter Master Plo. I couldn't just let the Separatists destroy Coruscant when I could do something about it." She answered with conviction.
Plo Koon placed a hand on his chin, pausing for a second before nodding. "Very well. Given the circumstances, I can't quite reprimand you." He answered before his comm link beeped. Answering, Plo Koon saw Shaak Ti's holographic projection. "Master Ti? What is your status?" He asked her.
Shaak Ti was clearly wounded and exhausted. "I'm injured… General Grievous kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine." She said with shame.
Plo Koon sighed as he heard that. "Hold your position, I'll be there soon." He told Shaak Ti as he ended the transmission and looked at Ahsoka and said "I have to report back to the Jedi Temple. I hope to see you around again, Ahsoka." He said to Ahsoka with a slight bow before heading back to the Temple.
After the Battle of Coruscant ended with the Invisible Hand crash landing on Coruscant, a risky maneuver pulled off by Anakin Skywalker after his daring defeat of Count Dooku and the rescue of Chancellor Palpatine. As Anakin stepped off the wrecked dreadnought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Chancellor, Ahsoka and Rex were seen amongst the rescue team sent to check on them.
Anakin and Obi-Wan escorted the Chancellor out of the ship only to see Ahsoka and Rex. Anakin's eyes, upon locking with those of Ahsoka, widened as he ran to her and smiled. "A… Ahsoka!" He exclaimed in joy. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you left the Jedi life behind…"
Ahsoka nodded in confirmation. "I did, and still wouldn't consider myself a Jedi. But…" She then tapped her Lightsaber and winked at him. "Let's just say a mutual friend kept those safe in case I needed them." Looking at the destroyed Dreadnought, she then looked back to Anakin and smirked "And besides, with the Separatists attacking Coruscant, I couldn't let you get all the fun."
Anakin chuckled and crossed his arms, smirking in return. "Yeah, hard to beat me crash landing while saving the Chancellor, Snips." He told her.
Obi-Wan and Palpatine soon made their way to them, Rex saluting the Chancellor. "Good to see you safe, Chancellor Palpatine." Rex told the Chancellor.
Palpatine nodded with a smile as he placed a hand on the shoulder of Rex. "Yes, I am quite happy as well to be safe, but were it not for General Skywalker's dashing courage, neither me nor Master Kenobi would have made it out alive." he assured the ARC Trooper.
Obi-Wan then joined Anakin in greeting Ahsoka. "Good to see you again, Ahsoka." He said with a slight bow. "I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see you have joined the defense of Coruscant. You very much still have the heart of the Jedi I knew." He added after standing from his bow.
Ahsoka smiled at Obi-Wan. "Nice to see you too, Master Kenobi. Though honestly, could've been under better circumstances." She admitted.
Obi-Wan noticed her Lightsabers and asked "I see you found your Lightsabers. Must have taken quite the search." He assumed.
Ahsoka shrugged, covering for Padme's involvement. "Took a while, but with my Jedi obligations out of the way, I had time." She told him.
Palpatine then walked to them. "Miss Tano, while it is good to see you again, we must report back to the Senate. I'm sure they must be quite anxious for my return." He told her.
Ahsoka bowed and said "I understand, Chancellor." Deep inside however, she still felt a bit of animosity for how quickly the Chancellor had been to prosecute her months prior.
As Obi-Wan and Palpatine followed Rex to a LAAT Gunship, Anakin placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder and smiled. "It's been good to see you again, Ahsoka. I… I wish you'd still be with us, back at the Temple." He said, dropping his smile at the last sentence.
Ahsoka sighed and placed a hand on Anakin's. "I know. But as I told you before, I have to sort this out on my own." She reminded him.
Anakin sighed in return and nodded as he retracted his hand. "Take care Ahsoka. I hope we'll see each other again." He told her as he stepped towards the LAAT.
Ahsoka watched as Anakin stepped onto the gunship with Obi-Wan, Rex and Palpatine. Ahsoka and Anakin locked eyes before the side doors closed and the Gunship departed towards the Senate Building. Ahsoka took a moment to gaze at Anakin's departure before heading back home.
Ahsoka, after the Battle of Coruscant, went back home to her apartment in the outskirts of the Senate Apartments. Night had fallen as she reached the district where she lived. Due to her friendship with Padme, Ahsoka earned this apartment on the upper levels of Coruscant. Arriving in the apartment, Ahsoka unlocked the door and entered before locking it behind her. She looked out the window, having a clear view of the Jedi Temple. She reminisced of her time in the Order, then her departure from it. She looked down at her Lightsabers, then back up at the Temple. Ahsoka sometimes wondered if she was right to have left the Jedi.
Before she could continue her train of thought, Ahsoka heard knocking on her door. She turned to the door and walked to it and looked at the peephole. She smiled and unlocked the door before unlocking it. "Lux! What are you doing here?" Ahsoka exclaimed.
Lux Bonteri scratched the back of his neck. "Well, as a Senator on business at the Senate here on Coruscant, I thought I'd stop by and say hello." He replied as he smiled.
Ahsoka gestured for him to step inside. Lux entered and looked around, impressed at the size of the apartment, looked around. "Wow, that's a big apartment! And what a view of the Jedi Temple!"
Ahsoka chuckled as she closed the door. "Yeah, Senator Amidala helped me get set up comfortably after I left the Jedi Order." She told him.
Lux's smile soon faded as he turned to face her. "I heard about that. If you don't mind me asking… what exactly happened?" He asked hesitantly.
Ahsoka sighed then looked towards the Jedi Temple on the horizon. "Remember the Temple bombing a few months back? Well I was framed for it for a while. Turns out it was a fellow Jedi who did it, Bariss Offee. She was a friend of mine, but didn't exactly agree with the path the Jedi were taking. So she caused a large scheme to get me in trouble. I was expelled from the Jedi Order until my Master proved my innocence." She then looked down, staying silent for a moment before looking at Lux. "But even as I was proven innocent and offered a place back in the Order, I couldn't go back."
Lux, who had listened quietly, then spoke up. "Why? From what I've seen, you were a formidable Jedi." He assured her.
Ahsoka shook her head. "If the Jedi Council had so little faith in me in that crisis, how could I have faith in them?" She asked Lux in return.
Lux stayed quiet for a moment, looking to the side as he thought of what to say before turning his gaze to her Lightsabers. "Even so, I heard that you fought alongside the Jedi while the Separatists invaded Coruscant." He told her with a smile.
Ahsoka smiled in return and looked down at her Lightsabers. "Yeah, I guess some old Jedi habits stuck around." She told him with a chuckle.
The two spent the evening preparing a meal for dinner, then sat in the dining room to eat what they had prepared. Ahsoka and Lux had once been intimate, and now that she was no longer a Jedi, she wondered if he still felt the same way about her as she felt about him.
Lux, noticing that Ahsoka had been relatively quiet throughout their meal, felt concerned. "Ahsoka… Is everything alright?" He asked as he looked at her in the eyes.
Ahsoka looked into Lux's eyes. She was conflicted about many things, and felt she could confide in him. "I.. I saw my old Master again today after defending Coruscant." She told him as he looked to her left, to the window view of the Jedi Temple. "I'm sometimes tempted to return to the Jedi."
Lux smiled and told Ahsoka "Listen, you did the right thing. Not only did you fight the Separatists, you saved a lot of people." He then placed a hand on Ahsoka's. "And I think that, in hindsight, you leaving the Jedi Order might not be so bad."
Ahsoka blushed as she looked at Lux holding her hand. "Well, when you put it like that…" She then paused, looking at Lux in the eyes. The two remained silent for a while Then they both leaned for a kiss, their lips colliding with each others' as they spent an intimate night together.