Master Yoda started to contemplate what he had seen and been told by the Force user when a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in"
In came the master of the council, Mace Windu. "Forgive me if I'm interrupting, but I sensed a disturbance in the Force."
Yoda reached out and felt for the disturbance. Yes, there it was. "Hmm, guests we will be receiving. Inform the guards we are to expect a man and woman, probably wearing lightsabers, within 24 hours. Tell them to inform me immediately when they arrive."
"Of course, Master. Do you know these guests?" Master Windu asked.
"Know of them I do. Their Grandmaster and I were just conversing. A group of Jedi from the unknown regions, likely established there before the Russan reformation, are sending two of their people to train Master Obi-Wan and Skywalker."
"Why would a group of Jedi we have never heard of before want to train Skywalker?" Windu asked skeptically.
"A great darkness this group faces, greater than the Clone Wars. Believe training Skywalker will help put the darkness at bay, they do." Yoda replied
"Wonderful. As if the Sith and Separatists aren't enough. Is this darkness a potential threat to the Republic?" Windu asked with consternation.
"Not for the present based on what their leader told me. In the future, though perhaps. Agreed, however, I have to the exchange." Yoda replied.
Windu looked like he was quickly developing a headache. "Very well, I will inform the guards of our guests' imminent arrival."
Yoda watched as his exasperated colleague left the room and sighed. The war had made them all a little too paranoid. But Windu was right. Why Skywalker and Kenobi? Why now? He sunk back into the eddies of the Force and felt out the stable Jedi master's presence. He was currently in the room of the thousand fountains, where he had often been since the Duchess of Mandalore was killed by Maul. His thoughts then turned to the young knight who had been doing better since his apprentice Ahsoka Tano mysteriously said she had been knighted by a pair of Jedi sentinels some 8 months prior, within hours of her leaving the temple. Skywalker had been so happy Yoda hadn't had the heart to tell him he couldn't figure out the identity of any sentinel within the area who matched her descriptions. Ahsoka had told Skywalker the sentinels had given her a mission in the outer rim and she had left Coruscant the next morning with sufficient funding for her "away mission". The only thing that had stopped Yoda from telling Anakin was the fact he could sense she was in no harm and, truthfully, the council had just offered her knighthood. If she accepted her place as a knight from another, he frankly wasn't going to stop it. He would, however, encourage Skywalker to hold a more conventional knighting for "tradition's sake and, of course, embarrassing holopics" when she returned.
Master Yoda frowned just then,wondering where that train of thought had come from, then shook it off to consider Skywalker. He reached out with the Force and found the somewhat unstable yet bright presence of Kenobi's pupil in the senate building, in the offices of a certain senator of Naboo. Yoda snorted- as if that was a secret from anybody. He himself had made a snide remark to Anakin more than once on the subject that sailed right over his thick skull. In truth the presence of the senator had been a calming affect on his life. Yoda considered the Jedi on Ach-to. "Hmm perhaps Skywalker can learn a thing or two from the couple who are coming here."
He then sensed the senator whose presence was specifically requested, the brave young queen, if a little too impulsive at times, who….. Yoda almost jerked back and then reached out again. No, there was no mistake. He would never forget that presence. Yoda's eyes opened wide stunned. After a moment the small green master started laughing hysterically. Anyone who had entered at that moment would have thought he had finally lost it. After a few minutes he finally got control of himself, as the situation became crystal clear. The bond typically needed for that kind of communication across time and space needed to be at least that of master and padawan. "That's going to be a very swampy planet, Master Luke Skywalker. A lesson in impertinence, perhaps, will also be scheduled."
So the padawan hadn't stopped his old master from his obvious incorrect assumptions- a lesson he had apparently taught, mistakenly. Oh, how he was going to rectify that. As things became clear Yoda grew more concerned. The timing obviously wasn't a coincidence. The Sith Lord's endgame must be upon them. How fitting, though. If one padawan had led them into this war, then he would take the key his future padawan would give him to get out of it. Now to meet the grand padawans. He set back and waited.
In the Chancellor's office the Dark Lord of the Sith had felt the disturbance as well, but was caught up in another tedious meeting with some senator that thought he was important. Usually his frustration at these meetings was covered by his thoughts of his future empire, but the dark lord had better things to be doing at this moment than to give his best smile, usually while thinking of killing the person in front of him. By the time he got privacy, the disturbance had disappeared and, to his frustration, had hidden itself on the tides of the Force. Within weeks of his ascension to ultimate power in the Galaxy, he didn't need anything unknown interfering with his plans. Everything was on track. The only thing that hadn't worked was executing that brat Tano, but then she had left the order. Sidious frowned. Wait. Skywalker told him she was back within 24 hours. Why had he not pursued that loose end? Disturbed by his lack of oversight, he tried to contemplate how that had occurred, but strangely came up blank. He hadn't even asked where she went. No matter. It must not have been important at the time, he rationalized, as the brat is off Coruscant anyway. With that thought, he returned to his paperwork.
8 Months prior 20BBY
Ahsoka Tano was miserable. Miserable and alone, her future taken away as a Jedi- mope, mope, mope. Ahsoka couldn't help but feel that she was experiencing teenage high school drama, something which she should be better at, especially as a commander, well, former commander, of the GAR. As she trudged aimlessly through Coruscant's back alleys after dark, she couldn't help but feel bad about feeling bad. As these thoughts plagued her, she wasn't especially paying attention to her surroundings and so the Force warning she received came way too late.
Force lightning dashed her against the wall.
"Stupid," she said to herself. She glanced around for her adversary when she noted the hooded figure nearby with a barely concealed smirk under the hood.
In pain and desperate, Ahsoka's mind raced. She had come face-to-face with a Sith lord, and she had foolishly handed back her sabers to Anakin just 2 hours before. Battle analysis quickly went through her mind and through the Sith lord's as well. She saw the smirk grow; they had come to the same conclusion. She was toast.
"So, the little baby Jedi is just going to give up."
Ahsoka's brain slowly considered. That was a female voice, but this presence was far more powerful than Ventress. Not good.
"What do you want? I'm not a Jedi anymore." Ahsoka said, stalling- the best, albeit temporary - reprieve that she could come up with and hoped this Sith loved to talk.
"Do you really think that matters?" was the reply.
"I would think a former Jedi padawan would be underneath the notice of a Sith Lord,"Ahsoka retorted.
"Oh, it's not you the Sith want. It's your Master," the Sith replied. "Did you really think it an accident that you were the one framed for the bombing, that the Senate pressured the council to surrender custody, that all this happened mere weeks after your grandmaster's long time girlfriend was murdered in front of his eyes?"
"What does Obi-Wan have to do with this?" Ahsoka asked, horrified that she had fallen into a bigger trap than she had considered.
"Easy. Master Kenobi is emotionally compromised and had to abstain from voting. Without Kenobi, Masters Koon and Yoda could not drum up enough support for you," the shadow replied, stalking her through the alley. And now, with you found dead on the streets of Coruscant, abandoned by the Jedi, your master will go into a spiral into darkness."
Blood rushed through Ahsoka as her predator nature took over. This was never about her. They were attempting to lead her master into a trap and she had fallen for it- hook, line and sinker. "You won't have him. My master would never fall."
"Oh, really? Everything is going according to plan and what is a Jedi washout going to do about it, other than make the 6 am holonews?"
That was it. Without thinking, Ahsoka launched into an attack with her fists against the darksider in front of her. Punch, kick, uppercut. The Sith merely dodged the attempts to land a blow against her.
"I really expected better from an apprentice of Skywalker," the Darksider mused, dodging a force push. "Unfortunately, I'm on a tight schedule and we might be able to get you an early appointment with the 11:00 news."
The darksider once again lashed out with lightning, knocking Ahsoka right back into the wall. Ahsoka's blurry vision could make out the dark boots and cape strolling towards her and she made a feeble attempt to get up. "No, you won't have him. I'll protect him with my dying breath."
"A rather poor choice of words," was the sardonic retort as a lightsaber activated. "Why would you bother to save him?"
"Because that's what a Jedi does," Ahsoka said, "even if they get it wrong they try to do better next time and I won't leave him to the darkness."
"So, Jedi, I guess this is the end," came the voice of the Sith.
On the edge of Ahsoka's senses, she realized a new presence had appeared- a familiar, powerful presence. Hope filled her.
"Master," she thought to herself. The presence walked into the area dimly lighted by the Sith's, oddly enough purple- now that she had time to notice, lightsaber. The newcomer walked alongside the dark presence and Ahsoka hopes were dashed as she realized the second presence was not there to fight the darksider. The second figure lit a lightsaber and Ahsoka awaited the strike. It didn't come
"Ahsoka Tano," a male voiced stated solemnly, "by right of the council and by the will of the Force I dub thee Jedi Knight."
Ahsoka raised her head slowly as the male figure got down on one knee in front of her and put his hand on her. Almost instantly, she felt her injuries leave. Ahsoka stood up slowly. "I don't understand- the Sith," she said, looking at the other figure.
"Once upon a time that was true, but no longer," the female figure said as her presence became light.
Ahsoka blinked. "How did you do that with your Force presence"?
"Simple camouflage. I used the darkness on Coruscant as a mask for my force presence."
Ahsoka blinked, surprised that was even possible. "Who are you?"
The male answered, "I am Master Ben Solo and this is Vestara Khai, once a dark lord of the Sith, now Jedi knight, a tale we do not have time for the telling. Suffice it to say that your master is truly in danger and everything that Vestara said, we believe to be true."
"How come she still uses lightning"? Ahsoka retorted.
Ben grinned. "Electric judgment, actually. A light side variant of Sith lightning, though it's still rather may not have noticed, but it was green and not blue."
Ahsoka huffed in annoyance. "You try it sometime."
"No thanks, I have been on the wrong end of Sith lightning a few times too many already."
"So, if this is true about Anakin what do we do?"
"For now it's simple, go to the apartment of Padme Amidala and stay there tonight. Tell her and Anakin that you have become a knight and are leaving on a retreat in the morning." At this point Ben pulled out two lightsabers and a holopad. "Here is sufficient money to buy a good ship, upgrade it and keep it going. For now go to Tython on your meditative retreat and regain your balance. We will call you when you are needed, but do not tell Anakin where you are going."
"How do I find Tython? The location was lost centuries ago," Ahsoka asked.
"The holopad includes a safe hyperspace lane to reach the system," Ben replied.
"How is me going on a retreat going to save Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.
"For the simple reason that to help another you yourself must not need help. You have been through much, and this is the calm before the storm. We will summon you when it's time to help Anakin, but knowing you're around will be enough for now."
Ahsoka considered, "Why go to Padme, she's done so much already?"
"Ahsoka, your Master has been married to her since the Clone Wars began, that's likely where he will be tonight."
Ben and Vestara saw her wince which indicated, to no surprise of theirs, that she had already suspected the truth.
"Alright, I'll go but if you hurt him in anyway with this information, you will answer to me," Ahsoka said.
Ben smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Here is a communication frequency we will use to contact you for now enjoy your vacation, Knight Tano."
Ahsoka turned to leave walked a few steps away and turned around. "What if I need to….."
The Jedi master and the former Sith were gone. Ahsoka stretched her senses and turned every which way- no trace of either of them.
"Shadows," she said. The mysterious group of Jedi that were a somewhat notorious and secretive group. "What else could they be?" she thought as she walked towards a road to catch a cab.