Chapter Text
While Rex maneuvered the Y-Wing into orbit, Ahsoka took a measured breath. She spent a moment trying to center herself, to come to an understanding of what had happened, to let the strong and complicated emotions wash over her. As she recentered herself, she looked into the vastness of space. Everything had changed; the galaxy seemed so much smaller, and she had nowhere to go. She felt lost, more so than ever before. She felt alone even though she knew she wasn’t. “Commander, any idea for where we should go?” Rex’s voice cut through her introspection like her lightsabers through a droid.
“Your idea is as good as mine. Nearby hub, not under republic control.” Ahsoka wasn’t sure where in the galaxy they had been dropped from hyperspace, but she did know that she wouldn’t be welcome at any republic-controlled "could try going back to Mandalore, I doubt there would be any republic reinforcements there yet. Plus, we could warn them that the republic has fallen.” It made some sense; their mission had been to liberate Mandalore from Maul. Once they had captured him, the Mandalorians had made it clear that their status as allies was strong, but they would not give up their newfound independence, which could work in Ahsoka and Rex’s favor.
“We left a small force behind, but I should be able to get around them.” She knew she’d have an easy time sneaking around; she did have quite a bit of practice, after all.
“And I can talk to ‘em, tell ‘em I was the sole survivor, that you and Maul died in the crash.” That worried Her how would the trooper react, and would Rex be able to bluff his way through all of this? If he ended up being investigated by Republic Intelligence, would his lies be good enough? He seemed confident about his abilities, and she had no reason to doubt him, but still?
“Are you sure? If you go that route, you’ll be going back to the republic, and who knows what will happen next.” She didn’t want to lose him, but she also knew he didn’t want to spend his life running.
There was a moment of silence between the two before Rex’s voice sounded out, “Yeah, I’m sure, if I'm inside, I can help some of my brothers get out.” his voice was filled with hope and determination that she lacked within herself, and she knew then that this was his destiny. But what was hers?
“Ok, Mandalore, it is.” She tried to fill her voice with as much optimism as possible. She watched as the stars before them expanded and felt the familiar pull of hyperspace. As they traveled, Ahsoka attempted to go through some of the meditation exercises that Obi-Wan had drilled into her and attempted to drill into Anakin. The thought of her former master brought to the forefront of her mind all the things Maul had said on Mandalore. That Anakin was being groomed to become a Sith Lord, that the Jedi and the republic would fall. At the time, she dismissed his words as the ranting of a man who had lost everything, who was insane, and yet he was right. At least partially.
‘What Jedi could have survived this,’ she thought. Any master that had been on coruscant was as good as dead, so which ones were deployed off-planet, and which ones would have been able to sense the betrayal in time to act? The list she came up with was not very long.
In a quiet room within the Pollis Massa medical facility, Jedi Master Yoda sat on a makeshift meditation mat. He was reaching out to the force for guidance. He was as lost in this new galaxy as any other. All his life had been dedicated to The Order, to peace. Now the order was no more, the peace he once knew and had fought for was a distant memory. He needed direction, purpose, and comfort, the kind that only came through the force. As his mind left his body, his doubts, his fears. He reached out.
A voice called out to him, a familiar one. It was soft, understanding, and fatherly. “Master Yoda, it has been some time.” the voice of his apprentice’s apprentice, Qui-gon Jinn.
“Long has it been, good to hear your voice is.” As Yoda opened his eyes the connection with Qui-gon was not severed. “Many questions I have.”
“I will answer what I can.” the voice replied.
“What happens next, what to do with the children of Skywalker?” Yoda asked.
“Give them to family. Someone who can love, care for, and train them.” the voice replied easily.
“To whom do you recommend?” Yoda asked.
“That my dear master is for you to decide. In this instance, you will need to let your feelings decide.” the voice was even, but Yoda knew Qui-gon well and could tell that he was holding something back.
“More you wish to say?” Yoda inquired hoping to get more information from his dead friend.
“There is much I wish to say master, but much I cannot.” the voice was stern.
“Think upon what you have said, I shall. Teach young Kenobi to commune with you I shall.”
Their arrival to Mandalore was much less eventful this time having been pinged on radar and sent a landing destination. Ahsoka hid deep in her seat beneath the notice of any guards. She heard clone voices call out to Rex. She reached out with the force and sensed the presence of a squad of clones, as well as Bo-Katan. Through the force she felt the pain of loss within the clones at the loss of so many of their brothers, she also felt a wave of sadness from Bo-Katan at the news of her ‘death’.
With patience, she once thought beyond her, she waited until the area was clear before crawling out of the gunner's seat. When she made to leave she felt a familiar presence touch her mind, “Padawan Tano, to the Pollis Massa, you must go. Meet with you master Kenobi and I shall,” the voice was distant, calm, and made her heart race with joy. If both Master Yoda and Master Kenobi survived then maybe, just maybe there was a chance to rebuild.
It was easy enough for someone as skilled in the ways of the force, and subterfuge, as she to make their way to the landing bay. procuring a spaceship on the other hand was going to be tricky. She needed one that one person could pilot but also had hyperspace capabilities. Her mind raced with numbers, statistics, and even a few quotes from her master, Anakin Skywalker. With a deep breath, she pushed through the many conflicting emotions she had regarding him.
As she made her choice and began to climb into its cockpit a voice rang out, “ I wouldn’t take that one.” turning around Ahsoka saw the familiar figure of Bo-Katan. “It’s my personal shuttle, if I'm not aboard it will be shot out of the sky, take the one two places down.”
“Bo,” Ahsoka started to speak.
“You’re supposed to be dead. I take it Rex doesn’t know.”
“It’s for his own good.” Ahsoka responded, “If he knew, the republic would know and they would kill him. Put him down like a rabid animal, for failing his mission. For not killing me. He can’t know, and you’d best forget because you’ll be a target too.”
“I am not afraid of the republic, Mandalore will remember your aide.” With that declaration, Bo-Katan turned and left. Ahsoka wanted to wish her well, to reach out, to say something, anything. Instead, she said nothing.
The small shuttlecraft would be easy enough to fly on her own Punching in the coordinates for Pollis Massa she once again watched as the lights of hyperspace lit up around her and felt for the first time in a long time since even before she left the order, she had a destination. For the first time since leaving Mandalore with Maul in chains, she felt like maybe everything would be alright.
Ahsoka was hurried through the sterile hospital-like halls of the Pollis Massa medical facility. Her arrival was rushed, and she had to assure numerous security personnel that she had indeed not been followed by any republic spies. Now she was being led to a conference room. When she arrived the room was empty, the secretary told her to stay and that she would be joined shortly.
Taking time to center herself, to turn the inward eye, to let her emotions wash over her, and then let them go leaving her true self behind. She saw all her fears and insecurities leave her. She felt hope fill her spirit, the galaxy has changed, but that didn’t mean it had changed her.
The door opened drawing her from her introspection she rose to face those entering; she sensed five individuals. Turning to face them she was filled with confusion. She recognized the figures of masters Yoda and Kenobi, and senator Bail Organa. What she was confused by was that Master Kenobi and Senator Organa were holding babies.
Her confusion must have shown on her face because the three of them smiled at her and in the case of Master Yoda even laugh. The moment was brief, she sensed a sadness wash over Master Kenobi and Senator Organa. “Padawan Tano,” Bail Organa’s smooth voice greeted her, “I am so glad you made it.” His voice was filled with genuine Kindness.
“Thank you, senator, but I am not a padawan anymore, not since I left the order,” Ahsoka responded. “I didn’t know you were a father. What are their names?”
“The one I’m holding is Luke, Obi-Wan is holding Leia. They are not my children, not biologically at least. It’s something we need to speak with you about.” A feeling of unease washed over her. Looking to master Kenobi, who didn’t meet her gaze, and then master Yoda who looked at her with a sense of Pity.
“Whose children are they?” the three of them exchanged a look.
Speaking for the first time since entering the room; Obi-Wan with his voice full of pain and sorrow, broke her heart, “They are the now orphaned children of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, we have been discussing how to keep them safe, away from Palpatine and the sith.” It took her a moment to fully digest the information, Anakin, and Padmé together, now dead, the two of them having children.
“What have you decided?” her voice was even, but to her, it felt distant.
She was saved from spiraling by Bail Organa’s calming voice, “We haven’t come to a consensus, master Kenobi believes we should split them up, give one to Anakin’s stepbrother on Tatooine and let me and my wife take the other. But Master Yoda recently happened upon an idea, one that requires you.”
“Communed with the force I have, made contact with an old apprentice I did, the guidance he gave me. Together the children should be kept, and taught to use the force they should be, but not by a Jedi. Failed the galaxy we have, fail these children we cannot. Saw the failures of the Jedi you did. Learn from our mistakes you did, and teach the children you can. To you, they should be given.”
“You want me to raise two children? I don’t know, I haven’t ever taken care of one so young. I wouldn’t know what to do, I also don’t have a credit to my name and children are expensive, from what I've heard.”
“Money won’t be an issue,” Bail spoke up, reassuringly. “I can give you a monthly payment to care for the children.”
“You don’t have to say yes,” Obi-Wan said, “We have other options.”
Ahsoka didn’t know what to do. Her mind raced with possibilities, and endless scenarios of problems. What if one got hurt, what if one fell to the Darkside, what if? Her train of thought was broken as one of the children began to fuss. She watched Obi-Wan try to soothe the young Luke. Before she even realized what she was doing she scooped the baby in her arms.
Looking down at the baby she couldn’t help but look for something of Anakin, and Padme. The baby had a tuft of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Luke was exactly what Ahsoka thought a baby Anakin would look like. She knew what she needed to do. Looking up at the two masters and one senator, she knew what she was going to choose. “I, I will do it. I will take care of them.” the conviction in her voice, made even her believe she knew what she was doing.
Barriss Offee couldn’t remember the warmth of the sun or the touch of the force. She couldn’t keep time in her cell. How long had she been here, days, weeks months, years? She didn’t know and didn’t have it in her to care.
She didn’t sleep, she barely ate, and the only thing she could think of was the look of betrayal and sadness on her best friend’s face when she admitted to being the one who bombed the Jedi temple.
The cell doors opened to reveal a clone trooper in white and red captain armor. The trooper was joined by two red armored guards with lightsaber pikes. The captain motioned for her to follow him. Following the captain, she was led through the familiar prison and into a small transport ship. The whole time she forced herself to not think of why they were moving her or where they could be taking her. Focusing only on putting one foot in front of the other and not making any movements that could be seen as aggressive.
The transport ship lifted into the coruscant air space but didn’t make for any of the capital ships in the atmosphere. It moved towards the senate building. Was she getting a retrial? Arriving at the senate building she was marched through its halls, up an elevator, and stopped outside of a room she had only been inside with Master Luminara.
The double doors into the room opened and out stepped a dark armored figure, whose very presence struck fear into her heart, and filled her with a cold that even the vacuum of space couldn’t match. The figure looked at her and she felt like he could see into her very soul. The figure left without a word, but the cold still lingered.
She was pushed into The Chancellor’s office and seated across from Chancellor Palpatine whose face was newly scarred. “I know it must seem strange to you,” the chancellor’s voice was far less changed than his face, “but there is much I think we should discuss. Ah captain can you send my secretary to bring some refreshments.”
“I can’t imagine what we have to speak about. I doubt even you could get my sentence overturned.” her voice was dry, deeper than she remembered.
“Ah, but we do have much to discuss. For you see the Jedi have betrayed the republic just as you knew they would.” Her heart raced, what happened, was anyone hurt, and most importantly was Ahsoka ok?
“What happened?” she didn’t have the will to hide her emotions.
“Once Master Kenobi killed General Grievous, and the knight Skywalker had killed Dooku, four Jedi masters came to my office in an attempt to take control of the Senate. The event left me as you see. Now the Jedi are on the run, the council is all but dead. It was in my recovery I realized that you had foreseen these events. I want your help, I need your help. The Jedi must not be allowed to gather their strength lest they try to bring down the new Galactic Empire.”
“There is one Jedi, I want to know what happened to her.”
“I thought as much,” Palpatine reached into his robe and produced a small box. He handed it to her. Opening it revealed a pair of twin lightsabers, the sabers of her good friend Ahsoka Tano. Looking up to Palpatine who gave her a sad smile. “It would appear she was slain by another Jedi; her body was unrecoverable from the wreckage.”
Barris’ world went cold and dark. She had tried to hold onto the foolish hope that one day her relationship with Ahsoka would mend. She thought of all the things she’d never get to say, or do with her. “I will do it, I will help you. However, I can, do whatever must be done.”
“Good, good.”