Chapter 1: The World Keeps Turning

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its related franchises. All credit for the canon characters and canon occurrences in this story goes to the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm, and Disney.

Getting run through by a lightsaber hurt. A lot.

Ahsoka's dream started in a much less disturbing way. She stood in a dim hallway of the Jedi Temple, dressed in a set of plain robes. The hallway was empty in both directions, and nothing but silence reached her.

But then the Force rose up around her, and suddenly everything was wrong. Instead of the calm that permeated the Temple's atmosphere, unimaginable fear and consuming despair roiled the air. The more she listened to the Force, the worse it felt. Death was… all around her. Everywhere. There was no direction from which the sensation of lives falling like rain didn't come from. Each loss created a nauseating ripple in the Force that hit her like a hard punch. A new sound appeared—blaster fire, fast, furious, echoing in the distance. But that was nothing compared to what suddenly reared up in the Force now. A breathtakingly dark presence was sweeping through the building. It annihilated everything in its path, wiping out any light in the Force and leaving only an oily blackness behind. The presence felt so horribly corrupted that she choked, falling to her hands and knees as she tried to block it out. But it remained, and to her horror, she realized that it was moving towards her. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself up onto her feet and grasped for her lightsabers. But they were gone from her side. What was happening?

She could hear something approaching now, and she could feel it too—it was like an eruption in the Force coming closer with every second. It was a furious lightsaber battle, the sounds of which were plainly echoing from nearby, nearer and nearer. Humming blades clashed violently without pause or end, and finally flashes of light crept around the corner.

Ahsoka threw herself into a recess in the wall just as a Jedi wielding a green lightsaber backed into view, defending himself against a ferocious onslaught from someone with a red-bladed lightsaber. She recognized the Jedi as Cin Drallig, the Temple Battlemaster. She couldn't see Drallig's opponent, except for the red glow of its lightsaber and a raised hood that seemed to hold only blackness. But whoever it was, Drallig was losing the duel. He was giving too much ground and visibly tiring, sweat pouring off his forehead, while the relentless attack of the other showed no signs of slowing. Without intervention, Drallig would be defeated. Ahsoka edged forward, meaning to help in some way.

But before she could reach him, the assailant found a hole in Drallig's defenses and slashed the red blade through his hand, disarming him and sending the green lightsaber clattering to the floor. Then the blade flashed again, and Drallig's head joined his weapon on the floor.

The Force screamed in her head, and Ahsoka fought back a wave of revulsion as she sprang back into the shadows. Drallig was one of the most accomplished Jedi in the Order. He was the one who taught the younglings the basics of lightsaber combat. He knew every form from top to bottom, inside and out, every quirk, every move, every defense. Even the most accomplished master would be hard-pressed to match him. And to beat him… it would require monumental skill. The only one she could possibly imagine doing that would be Dooku, but this Sith couldn't be Dooku. Its relentless style had been very different from the precise strokes of the Count's preferred Makashi form.

Ahsoka couldn't bear to think about it any longer as silence fell on the corridor again. She felt as if her own thoughts were being broadcast out into the hall. It would only be a matter of time before the Sith found her.

The Sith shut off its lightsaber, and after standing still for a moment, started down the hall towards her.

She flattened herself against the wall, her blood pounding, as the soft footsteps of the Sith drew closer. Its proximity made the darkness so horribly intense that her head ached. She quieted her breathing and tried to make her presence in the Force as small as possible. And just for a moment, it seemed as if it would actually work, that this dark figure would pass by her. But then the footsteps stopped.

Her heart skipped a beat.

The only sound was the Sith's quiet, measured breathing. It had to be directly in front of her hiding place, and yet it made no inclination to show that it knew she was there.

Suddenly, it ignited its lightsaber and darted straight towards her, and before she could react, it had buried its lightsaber in Ahsoka's chest. A burning pain erupted throughout her body, climbing up her throat and snuffing out a scream that hadn't even had time to escape her mouth. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. It felt as if her entire body was dissolving. She tried to summon some semblance of strength to look up and see the face of the mysterious Sith, but she couldn't even manage that.

The lightsaber shut off, Ahsoka's knees gave out, and then she was falling. Not to the floor, but somewhere else—the Temple had disappeared, and she was falling down into an endless gray expanse, the excruciating pain in her chest only intensifying—

Ahsoka jerked upright, gasping. For several seconds, she stayed frozen, trying to make sense of where she was. The Sith was gone. She was lying on a couch in a dark room, while a holoscreen flickered in the corner. This was not the Jedi Temple.

Tentatively, she felt at the spot above her heart where just moments ago it felt like someone had rammed a molten metal rod through her. It was unblemished and cool to the touch. Nothing, not even a residual ache. The only thing that remained was a memory of the pain. And even that was quickly fading.

She sank back down. It had been a dream. Just a dream. Now, returning from the haze of terror from her dream, she remembered where she was. This was the room that she'd rented two days ago with the last of her credits. She'd fallen asleep while watching the holoscreen. When she'd fallen asleep, there had been some talk show where various analysts debated when the war would end. But now it was a stern-faced human reporter talking about news she'd already heard.

"—with that, we conclude our report. Thank you, and remember, as always, that the Galactic Republic never forgets about its citizens."

Ahsoka fumbled around for the remote, finally finding it lodged between the couch cushions, and shut off the holoscreen. She worked herself up into a sitting position and stared at the blank screen. A hazy reflection of her stared back. It had been two days. Two days since the Galactic Republic forgot about her.

She rose from the couch, stretched, and walked to the window. Gazing out, she saw that it was still the middle of the night. What a change from her quiet quarters in the Jedi Temple this was. The Freight District was one of the only surface areas on Coruscant that was relatively safe yet cheap enough for her to afford a room. Of course, the tradeoff was what went on outside. Massive cargo ships rumbled by her small room in an unending chain. She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before, and it didn't look like it would be any different tonight. She found herself gazing north. She knew, despite the endless traffic obscuring the horizon, that she was facing the Jedi Temple. She closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force. Sure enough, the powerful beacon of the Light Side was clear in her senses. It felt unbearably close.

From here, she could sense Anakin's presence still in the Temple, mired in a troubled sleep and awaiting redeployment from the Council.

She could sense Obi-Wan in the Room Of A Thousand Fountains, meditating peacefully as his presence rippled with consternation, much less chaotically than Anakin, but still just as troubled.

She could sense the great collective monolith of Force energy that every Jedi in the Temple combined to form, and it still called to her, whispered for her to return.

And she could almost sense herself answering that call, walking up the front steps of the Temple and entering those massive doors, taking the turbolift up to the nineteenth floor where her quarters were, and re-entering a familiar room and a familiar future.

"No." She spoke it aloud and stepped away from the window, shaking off her longing. What was done was done. This was the path she'd chosen. There was no turning back now.

But what laid down this path? She was nothing but a young Force-sensitive teenager now, adrift in the ever-circulating currents of Coruscant with no way out, and she'd just cast away the only family she'd ever known. All she had to her name was a few changes of clothes, some credits, and a box of her belongings from the Jedi Temple. Her lightsabers were no longer hers, left to collect dust in a drawer somewhere in the depths of the Temple. Perhaps the hilts would be taken apart and the crystals returned to the wild for a future apprentice to claim them as their own. It was the way of the Force, after all. Everything returned to it in time.

Was this her fate? Was this the will of the Force? Had it simply decided that she was no longer a part of the galaxy's destiny?

No. Not yet. Ahsoka longed to be back out there. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't be satisfied with a life on the periphery, not while evil in the form of Dooku and Grievous and Gunray and a hundred others still terrorized the galaxy. Not until the Republic was safe again.

She hadn't moved from her spot by the window as she pondered the way forward. The credits she had on her wouldn't last more than a few days. And any job that she could get in that timeframe would barely pay enough for this room, let alone a trip off Coruscant. And what would she even do, once off Coruscant? As much as it hurt to say, she was only a civilian now. It was illegal for her to travel to war zones. And the Jedi would definitely not look kindly on her for trying to go vigilante. The last thing she wanted was another run-in with them.

All of this would be so much easier if there was someone she could reach out to, someone that she could ask a favor of, but there was no one. The few friends she had outside of the Jedi—Riyo or Padmé, mainly—were out of her reach now, hidden by a barrier of security and politics that had been so easy to get around as a Jedi. Those lightsabers dangling from her hip functioned as a security pass that always got her into Riyo's office with no questions asked. Now, without those weapons or a title, she was no more than an average citizen, who wouldn't be allowed near a senator's office in the middle of the war.

Ahsoka felt more alone than she ever had in her life.

The feeling of crushing distress in her was nearly overwhelming. In search of an anchor, she reached out into the Force and attempted to do something she hadn't done in a long time: meditation. She closed her eyes.

The Force answered her call, wrapping itself around her and enveloping her being in a gentle energy that felt like a breeze across her skin. She inhaled, trying to gather all of the negative emotions inside her, and pushed them out into the Force with an exhalation.

Breathe.

Expel the misery.

Breathe.

Expel the loss.

Breathe.

Expel the confusion.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Suddenly, her stomach growled, startling her out of her trance. The sun had risen and was streaming through the windows now, illuminating the room. Ahsoka turned away from the sunlight with a satisfied hum. Her meditation had lasted until the mid-morning, and it had done its job. A renewed calm filled her, and the terrible emptiness of the night had been replaced by a resolute determination. She would find a way. But first, breakfast.

She bent over her food cooler and pulled out a leftover take-out box from her dinner yesterday: cold meat kebabs dripping with a spicy type of Corellian sauce. It wasn't exactly breakfast food, but it would do for now. She sank down on the couch and turned on the holoscreen. The HoloNet News blared to life as she dug into the kebabs.

She watched the war updates intently, but it quickly became clear that the Republic was not concerned with presenting an honest view of the war to its citizens. Nothing but Republic victories were mentioned, and Ahsoka knew for a fact that they weren't doing that well. Sure, the broadcast may have been good for morale, but it was frustrating to have no idea what was actually going on when she needed to know. Force, she missed those daily Council briefings.

She set aside her now-empty food container and sighed. She had to get back into the war. There had to be some way. There was the option of simply enlisting in the GAR… But then she would be under the command of the Order again. And she was finished with following orders from the Jedi. Not an option, then.

Ugh. She was hitting another dead-end. At this point, finding a smuggler and forcing them to take her to the Outer Rim was starting to seem like a plausible idea.

She blinked, a sudden bolt of remembrance hitting her. Wait a minute. She did know a smuggler who could take her to the Outer Rim. She'd met him barely a month ago on Cato Neimoidia. Just days before getting recalled to Coruscant.

She and Rex had gone in disguise into one of the contested cities in search of a local spice smuggler who claimed he had inside information on how the Separatists were setting up their defenses on the outskirts. Except, as it turned out, he was lying. One street chase later, they were watching the smuggler fly off in a battered freighter with the one thousand credits' worth of spice that they'd bought to pay him. However, Ahsoka had at least noticed that he had a registration plate for a private docking bay on Coruscant, and she had the registration number on his plate committed to memory. She'd meant to report him to Customs Enforcement on Coruscant when they got back, but then the Temple bombing fiasco happened and she'd forgotten about it. Until now.

If she could find this smuggler, she might be able to leverage him into giving her a ride offworld. Or, if it came to that, she could just flat-out threaten him. She wasn't above doing that after he nearly got her shot. Except… how to find him?

Well, there was one possible way. She picked up her datapad and turned it on. As a Jedi, she would've had had the security clearance needed to look up registration numbers on Coruscant. But the Order might've deactivated her passwords by now. Oh, well. She'd just have to take the chance and see if she could still get into the vehicular database. If she couldn't, it was back to square one. If she could… Jackpot.

She pulled up the database and tapped in her passwords. Ahsoka held her breath as the screen went blank and a loading symbol popped up.

Then, with a ping, the system let her in.

"Thank the Force," she muttered, tapping on the search bar and typing in the smuggler's registration number. A second later, an answer to her search popped up, and a smile spread over her face. The smuggler was here on Coruscant. He'd been docked at his spaceport in the Freight District for two weeks. Oh, and he'd already been flagged by Customs Enforcement for "special review." She clicked on his name, and a full profile came up. She scanned it, her smile only growing with each line: suspected of actively smuggling Neimoidian goods to Coruscant… repeatedly running Republic blockades… violating trade embargoes…

This couldn't have been better. This was someone who had gone to Cato Neimoidia multiple times in the middle of this war, and by successfully running a Republic military blockade, no less. She couldn't have asked for a more perfect way offworld.

Smugglers were all alike to her: concerned only for their own lives and their money. So a threat to turn him in, coupled with a stack of credits, would be enough to convince him to bring her to Cato Neimoidia with no questions asked.

But then her biggest problem reared up again. She barely had any money. Ahsoka leaned back with a frustrated sigh.

Cato Neimoidia… It made so much sense. The site of her last battle before she left the Order. A planet with a very much undecided war raging on it. She'd learned firsthand how hard it would be to retake that planet when she was fighting there with Anakin, and she would dearly love to jump back into that conflict and take back the home planet of that bastard Nute Gunray's. There was a path leading to Cato Neimoidia that, once she got past the money problem, would be absurdly easy to navigate. The more she thought about it, the worse she wanted to get to Cato Neimoidia and help finish the job.

But still. What in the Force could she do now? Any kind of job that she could get around here wouldn't pay enough—if she got a job working in, say, a dockyard, the war would be over by the time she had enough money.

Ahsoka let herself fall back on the couch, where she laid with her hands covering her face. Was there anything she could do?

She didn't move from that position for a while, letting despair simmer around her. She would find a way sooner or later, but for now, she was fine with taking a minute to be upset with how kriffing unfair the entire galaxy felt right now.

And then there was a knock on her door.

Ahsoka jerked up, briefly wondering if she'd imagined the sound. And then the knock came again, the same as before. She got up, moving cautiously towards the door. She could detect the presence of only a single person behind the door, and there didn't seem to be any danger in the Force, but she moved cautiously all the same. Who even knew that she was here?

She cracked open the door, and then fought back the urge to slam it shut as she caught sight of a blue-armored Senate Guard with a blaster slung over its shoulder. Swallowing her panic, she opened the door all the way and forced herself to speak calmly.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Ahsoka Tano?" the guard asked in a female voice.

"Yes…" Ahsoka said cautiously.

The guard took off her helmet, revealing a brown human face with long, curly black hair. "I'm Jorys Solant. Pleased to meet you." She held out a gloved hand.

Ahsoka stared at the gloved hand, still wary, but she sensed no malice or suspicion in this guard. Deciding that there was no imminent danger, she shook hands. "Um, hello," she said. "What brings you here?"

"I'm from the Senate Guard," Jorys replied. "I've been sent to find you. My charge wants to speak with you."

Alarm bells went off in Ahsoka's head. "Who wants to speak to me? Is something wrong?"

"No, no," Jorys said hastily. "There's nothing wrong. This isn't an official visit, mind you. I'm one of her personal guards. She asked me to find you because she's worried about you."

Worried? Hope rose up in Ahsoka. It couldn't be—

"Who wants to see me?" she asked, cutting off any wild speculation.

"Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora."

Riyo! Ahsoka's heart leapt. Oh, Force. Riyo. She hadn't seen her old friend in months. Maybe even close to a year. The last time they'd talked was… Kriff, she couldn't even remember. However long it was, it'd been way too long.

Apparently, she'd lapsed into a reflective silence for too long, because Jorys produced a datachip from her belt and held it out.

"If you can't meet with her… or if you don't want to, Senator Chuchi instructed me to give you this. It has a message from her and some—"

"No, no!" Ahsoka said, pushing the datachip back. "I'll go with you! I'd love to see Riyo."

Jorys brightened. "Well, thank the gods. That makes reporting back easier. Follow me, then. I've got a speeder waiting outside."

For a building such as 500 Republica that housed basically all of the galaxy's most important politicians, Ahsoka would've thought that the turbolifts would be faster.

They'd been waiting for a full two minutes now. And Jorys had been sneaking inquisitive glances at her for those entire two minutes, which wasn't making the waiting any less stressful.

Finally deciding that she might as well address it now, Ahsoka turned to Jorys. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all…" Jorys trailed off. "I'm sorry, it's just that you're, er, younger than I expected."

"Oh." Ahsoka stifled a laugh. "You're not the first one."

"Really, when Senator Chuchi said that she had an ex-Jedi friend that she hadn't spoken to in a while, I wasn't really expecting to find somebody who looks like they're half my age. I mean, I knew what to expect because I've seen you on the news, but you still somehow look younger in person."

"No, yeah, they… the holonet does that," Ahsoka said. "I think it's because if people realized how young some of the Jedi fighting in this war actually are, there would be an outright rebellion." She'd meant it mostly as a joke, but as it came out of her mouth, she realized that most of it didn't really sound very funny. Thankfully, Jorys only gave a noncommittal "huh" in reply.

The turbolift still hadn't come. Jorys pressed the button again and then gave Ahsoka an apologetic look. "Sorry about this. They're doing repairs, and they've been this slow all day."

"It's fine. I'm just glad Riyo wants to see me."

"She'll happy to see you, too. You made the right choice in coming here," Jorys said, giving Ahsoka a sidelong glance. "From the way that she talks about you, I get the impression that she really cares about you."

"Wait, Riyo was talking about me? What did she say?" Ahsoka asked.

Jorys started to reply, but she was cut off by the ding of the turbolift as, at long last, the doors opened.

"Finally," Jorys grumbled, stepping in and motioning for Ahsoka to follow.

"As I was saying," she began as they shot upwards, "Senator Chuchi was following what's happened to you over the last few weeks quite closely. She was quite worried about you—I think she was losing sleep over it. And you should know that—actually, never mind, I'll let her tell you herself."

Ahsoka nodded, letting her eyes wander over the patterned walls. She had no idea what to expect. Her brief break after Onderon was the last time she'd seen Riyo in person, and that was too long ago. Too many things had changed since then.

The turbolift came to a stop.

"Ah, here we are!" Jorys stepped out. "Down the hall this way. And that's Edose outside Senator Chuchi's suite."

She pointed, and Ahsoka followed her finger to where a tall Senate Guard was standing next to a doorway, the same blaster as Jorys's slung over his back.

They approached, and Jorys raised a hand in greeting. "Evening, Edose," she said to the guard. "All good?"

"Hello, Jorys," the guard replied in a male voice. "Indeed. Everything's been quiet." He inclined his head at Ahsoka. "Is she the friend Senator Chuchi was talking about?"

"Yup," Jorys said. "Ahsoka, this is my coworker Edose Bauon. Edose, this is Ahsoka Tano. You might've heard of her."

"I have. Pleased to meet you," Edose said, turning to her and inclining his head in greeting. Ahsoka swallowed back a stab of nervousness as Edose scrutinized her from behind his faceless visor. But he turned back to Jorys without any further reaction. "You can go ahead. I don't think the Senator is busy right now," he said to Jorys.

"Thanks." Jorys moved by him and opened the door, gesturing for Ahsoka to follow. They entered the suite, and Jorys tapped on her comlink. "Senator Chuchi, it's Captain Solant. I have Ahsoka Tano with me."

There was a pause, and then Ahsoka's heart rose as Riyo's familiar voice came from the comlink.

"I'm in my office. She can come in."

Jorys nodded and shut off her comlink. "That way," she said, inclining her head at a door to the left.

Ahsoka turned and opened it, and her breath caught as she saw Riyo for the first time in months. She sat behind a large wooden desk in senatorial dress, looking down at a datapad. Her hair was in a new style that Ahsoka had never seen before—it was tied into neat purple braids that had been threaded through golden rings arranged around the crown of her head, which made it seem as if her hair itself was made of gold.

She walked in quietly, not wanting to startle Riyo, who seemed deep in thought. Then the door slid shut behind her, and at the sound, Riyo looked up and saw Ahsoka. Ahsoka's breath caught in her throat as she held Riyo's face in her sight for the first time in months. She still had the same flawless light-blue skin and wide golden eyes. But her face had a deep tiredness that was entirely new to Ahsoka, and she had to wonder what'd happened in the intervening months to put an exhaustion usually seen on a Jedi Knight's face in her graceful features.

"Hey," she said softly, mustering a small smile. "I heard you were looking for me."

They were both still for a few long seconds, Riyo saying nothing as she stared at Ahsoka, amazement dawning on her face. Ahsoka didn't dare to move. In front of her old friend as nothing but a civilian, she suddenly felt intensely vulnerable—so vulnerable that if she moved, she might crumble to pieces. Only a few feet separated them, but it felt like they were a star system apart.

And then a brilliant smile spread over Riyo's face. "Ahsoka!" she exclaimed, shooting up to her feet. "You're safe! Thank the Republic!" With that, she practically ran out from behind her desk to throw her arms around Ahsoka and hug her fiercely.

Ahsoka allowed herself to relax. Riyo still cared, and that was enough for her.

"Thank you, Riyo," she said, returning the hug. "I've… I've had some bad weeks, and I'm just happy to see you again. It's been a while."

"I'll say," Riyo murmured, her face still buried in Ahsoka's shoulder.

Ahsoka looked down at Riyo, and suddenly she was aware of a height difference between them that hadn't been there before. They'd been the same height at the start of the war, and now she could see at the top of Riyo's head.

Riyo stepped back and looked over Ahsoka with a scrutinizing eye. "Ahsoka, you've… grown."

"Yeah, a little bit."

"It's been too long. Far too long." Riyo gestured at a chair in front of her desk. "Here, sit down! You must be tired."

"Thanks." Ahsoka sank gratefully into the armchair. "What's been happening with you? How's life in the Senate?"

"Oh, well enough." Riyo leaned against her desk and folded her arms. "Utterly tiring as of late, though. One would think that our job would become easier the closer we get to victory in this war, but it's the opposite. And the worst work is still to come. Reconstruction of the Separatist worlds, reintegration into the Republic—it'll be even harder than fighting the war." She paused, gazing off into the distance. "Pantora seems to think that I'm doing well. I wish I had the same confidence in myself that they have."

She stopped there, but Ahsoka sensed there was more coming, so she simply waited in silence for Riyo to start again.

"But…" Riyo reached over and picked up a pen from her desk. "Enough about me," she said, fiddling with it absently. "I didn't call you here to tell you about my life. I wanted to ask you… tell you…" The pen stopped moving in her hands, and her expression darkened. "I'm so thankful that you survived that awful ordeal, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka stiffened. She'd been dreading this subject, but there was no avoiding it now. "I… I'm just happy that it's over."

"The courage you must have needed to leave the Jedi Order; to leave your whole life behind you. I cannot fathom it. " Riyo shook her head. "I can only dream of having that kind of bravery."

Frantic, fragmented, fearful memories flickered through Ahsoka's mind. "I wouldn't call it bravery."

"I would. Nothing else would help someone to come out of that alive." She caught Ahsoka's eyes, staring directly into them. "There's something you need to know. I was there at your trial, watching it."

"You… For which part?" Ahsoka asked. "Or the whole thing?"

"Everything." Riyo closed her eyes. "It was horrific. I… I couldn't bear the thought of what was going to happen… but they were going to do it. They were going to kill you."

"Yes. They were." Ahsoka was at a loss for words as more terrible memories flashed through her head. She'd never seen Riyo in the courts, but now it was too easy to imagine the Riyo watching from a hidden balcony, silently horrified by the farce of a trial but powerless to stop it. She could only guess at what had gone through her head as she watched. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"I was assisting Senator Amidala with your defense."

An intense gratitude flooded Ahsoka. "You did?"

"Nothing too important, I'm afraid. Only preparing some notes, doing some legal research… really, any aide could've done it." Riyo sighed. "But I wish I did more. What I did do clearly wasn't going to be enough to save you."

"No, Riyo, thank you. It was all rigged against me. They wanted to pin the whole thing me. You couldn't have done anything."

"But I hate to think that I could've." A note of desperation crept into Riyo's voice. "They weren't just going to let such an atrocious miscarriage of justice happen like that, were they?"

"No. They were. And the Jedi knew that. That's why I left."

Riyo looked nauseous at the thought. "Unbelievable." Then, shaking her head as if to ward off the thoughts, she changed the subject.

"But you're here. You're safe. That's the only thing that matters."

"Yeah." Right now, Ahsoka felt better than she had in weeks.

"Speaking of being here, where did Jorys find you, anyway?" Riyo asked.

"In the Freight District. I have a room there," Ahsoka said.

"The Freight District?" Riyo drew up. "After all that, the Jedi couldn't set you up in a better place?"

It took Ahsoka a moment to grasp what Riyo was asking. "Oh, they didn't set up anything. I bought the room myself. Safest place I could afford."

Riyo looked positively horrified. "They just… cut you out? No aid? No assistance?"

"I mean, they're the Jedi…" Ahsoka shrugged. "They don't exactly give you severance pay when you decide to walk out on them."

Riyo's eyes narrowed. "That's inhumane. How do they expect you, someone with nothing to her name who has never lived outside the Jedi, to just land on your feet?"

Ahsoka had to agree, it was a terrible deal. Especially when Riyo said it like that. But she'd left knowing this would happen. There was no going back. "I'm making some plans," she said evasively

Bad plans, a voice in her head piped up with. She shoved the thought aside.

"That settles it," Riyo said firmly. "I can't let you try to start your life over with nothing. I want to help you."

"Riyo, you don't—"Ahsoka started to protest, but Riyo cut her off.

"Hear me out, please. I have an offer for you."

Okay. Ahsoka didn't want to accept any help, but she owed it to Riyo at least listen. "What is it?"

"I've had some… incidents… over the last few weeks, and I've been worried about my safety. That's why I wanted to ask you this." Riyo clasped her hands together. "Ahsoka, would you be interested in becoming my bodyguard?"

Ahsoka hadn't been expecting that. She started to reply, but Riyo held up a hand, stopping her.

"I'm not trying to offer it as a pity position," she said. "I was planning to ask you this all along. I've had some very real security concerns recently."

Ahsoka's mind whirled. This could be the job she was looking for, but it didn't exactly sound temporary. In fact, it sounded like the kind of thing that could last beyond the end of the war. But on the other hand, this was Riyo, her friend who had done so much for her already. She didn't like the sound of "security concerns," and she sure as hell didn't want her friend in any kind of danger.

"What sort of concerns?" she ventured. "Are you in danger?"

"Possibly." Riyo took a seat behind her desk again. "Have you heard about the new bill being brought through the Senate?" she asked. "The Sector Governance Bill?"

"Not really." Ahsoka had seen one or two things about the Sector Governance Bill on the HoloNet, but she had no idea what it signified.

"It's a political quagmire that'll determine the future of the Republic, and I'm right in the thick of it. The Sector Governance Bill is a new bill being proposed by several of the highest-ranking delegates of the Senate. It could fundamentally change the Republic. For the worse. It would reorganize the government of the entire galaxy. It would create the position of regional governors of galactic sectors and an additional position above them called a 'Moff.' The Chancellor would be given the power to appoint both the sector governors and the Moffs." Riyo scowled. "I violently oppose this bill. It goes against the values that the Republic was founded on. If the Chancellor had the sole power to elect governors of entire planetary systems, he would have what amounts to absolute power. The Senate would become almost useless. This bill could singlehandedly kill democracy in the Republic." She sighed. "But my opposition has attracted trouble. There are quite a few higher-ups in the Senate who see a chance to gain power if they help pass this bill. And they see my opposition as an obstacle in their path. There's been trouble already, and there's only going to be more." Riyo stopped to pull open a drawer in her desk, from which she produced a slip of flimsi from and slid across the desk to Ahsoka. "Look at this."

Ahsoka picked it up. Printed on it in neat letters was a simple, unsigned message:

OPPOSE THE SECTOR GOVERNANCE BILL, AND YOU OPPOSE THE REPUBLIC.

"That one was tacked to my door two weeks ago. And then the next day, this one showed up." Riyo handed an identical piece of flimsi to Ahsoka. The message on this one was even shorter, and Ahsoka had to fight back a gasp when she read it:

TREASON IS PUNISHABLE BY DEATH.

"I requested a personal security detail after that. That's why Jorys and Edose are here. There's never a moment when they don't have my back. And yet…" A worried look crept into Riyo's eyes. "They're doing an exemplary job, but I still don't feel safe. Especially not after what happened four days ago."

Dread rose up in Ahsoka. "What happened? Did someone try to…?"

"They tried," Riyo said darkly. "A thermal detonator inside a package addressed to me that was rigged to explode if I had opened it. But it was rudimentary enough that security caught it long before it could even get to my room. Too rudimentary, in fact. The people who want me out of the way are some of the galaxy's forefront politicians. Why would they try something as basic as an exploding package? I think whoever did it knew it wouldn't kill me. They just wanted to step up the threat. I don't know what's going to happen now. I don't feel safe." Riyo turned a pleading look on Ahsoka. "That's why I'm asking for your help protecting me."

Oh, Force. Ahsoka was caught between choices now. On the one hand, protecting Riyo. On the other hand, finishing the war. She couldn't say no to Riyo, not when something was clearly wrong. But there was something about the threat that was still out there somewhere in the galaxy, what still had to be done to end the war. The war that she'd poured so much of her life into fighting. She couldn't just walk away from all that… could she?

"It wouldn't even necessarily have to be permanent," Riyo said suddenly. "The vote on the bill is five weeks from now. I just need the protection until then. After that, you'd be free to go leave."

Hm. Ahsoka liked the sound of that. The war wouldn't be over five weeks from now.

"How would it even work? I don't have any security clearance now."

"You wouldn't need to worry about that. I can get you the same rank and clearance as a Senate Guard. You'd effectively be a partner to Jorys and Edose. And of course, I'd be giving you the salary of a Senate Guard. Eight hundred credits per week."

Eight hundred credits per week!

That sealed the deal. By the time the vote on that bill arrived, Ahsoka would have all the money she needed to pay her way offworld. And she wouldn't have to worry about abandoning Riyo. She stood up so fast that she almost knocked over her seat, excitement rising up in her. "I'm in!" she exclaimed. Then, composing herself, she held out her hand. "I'll take the job. I would be honored to be your bodyguard, Riyo."

A look of immense relief passed over Riyo's face, and she seemed to undergo a transformation that left her standing taller than any moment before in their conversation. "I can't thank you enough for this, Ahsoka," she said as they shook hands.

"I'm glad to do it," Ahsoka said. Satisfaction settled over her as a piece of her plan fell into place. She had a way off Coruscant. She wasn't finished with this war just yet.

Later that night, in the southwest tower of the Jedi Temple, two Jedi stood in front of the massive windows of the Council room, looking out at the skyline of Coruscant: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

"Ahsoka accessed the records to look up a small freighter," Obi-Wan said, glancing at a datapad in his hand.

Anakin nodded. "Anything special about the freighter?"

"The ship's owned by a suspected smuggler. The Customs Enforcement Division is investigating him. He's been shipping Neimoidian goods here for several months now, and claims that he's getting them from a dealer on Elcorth, but Customs is sure that he's illegally shipping them directly from Cato Neimoidia. No record aside from some parking violations."

"Well, I can tell you two things about him right now," Anakin said.
"Oh?"

"He's a smuggler, and his goods are coming from Cato Neimoidia."

"What makes you say that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Don't you see? Ahsoka's trying to get a ride to Cato Neimoida from him." He shook his head. "I should've guessed this. She's trying to rejoin the war."

"Oh," Obi-Wan said quietly. "She's not going to like the Council's decision, then."

"She'll hate it," Anakin said sadly. They were silent for a moment, and then he groaned. "I've taught her too well. If I was in her situation, I would do the same thing."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I won't be trying too hard to stop her from leaving. She deserves a chance to forge her own future, after everything that's happened to her. We all failed her."

"Tell that to the Council," Anakin said gloomily.

"I didn't like their decision on her, either," Obi-Wan said. "It was a paranoid move caused by the fallout from Barriss Offee's betrayal."

Anakin scowled. "In fairness, nobody saw Offee's betrayal coming. They're probably afraid that Ahsoka's going to do the same thing."

"Hm."

"I miss her, Obi-Wan," Anakin said abruptly, his voice thick with pain. "You wouldn't understand. She was like family to me."

Obi-Wan didn't reply.

Anakin cast an incredulous look at Obi-Wan. "You're not going to lecture me on attachment?"

"No. Because at the moment, that would be incredibly hypocritical of me," Obi-Wan said mournfully.

Understanding passed over Anakin's face, and the two Jedi returned to silence, watching the streets of Coruscant below.

A/N: So what do you think? Please leave a review!