The Senator And The Jedi

Chapter One: The News

Ahsoka

Ahsoka Tano, the sixteen-year-old Padawan Learner of Anakin Skywalker, was in her quarters on the Jedi Cruiser Valiant. She and her Master, along with the 501st, the legion they commanded, had just won the Republic another victory on the Outer Rim planet Rodia.

As squadrons of Clones cleaned up the metal space junk to send back to the Republic's foundries to make more of their ships and weapons, the Chosen One's Padawan was taking an opportunity to rest up. They would inevitably be sent off to another planet to fight soon, and she made sure to rest when she could.

But, on this particular evening, galactic standard time, sleep just wasn't coming to her. She got out of bed with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head. She walked over to a nearby table, picking up the datapad that was on top of it.

The 'pad was Jedi Temple-issued, meaning that it blocked pretty much half of the better broadcasts available on the HoloNet, but at least it let her watch some vids and keep up with current events on Coruscant.

None of her preferred broadcasts – her two current favorites were Murder in 500 Republica and Love Among The Delegates – weren't airing until the day after next, and there wasn't much else on at this time.

Ahsoka flopped down on the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through a list of articles on the latest news from Coruscant. One caught her eye, but it turned out to be nothing. As her eyes flitted around the leaf on the Holo, her eyes widened.

An article near the bottom was labeled, Senator Shot! Renowned Representative Not Expected To Live By Medical Specialists.

She clicked on it, and gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. Suddenly, she felt a faint. That was Lux Bonteri's picture on the article!

"Oh no, no..." she whispered, dropping the pad. She put her hands on either side of her lekku, cradling her head. "This can't be happening..."

She crawled up her bed, burying her head under the covers. She clenched her eyes closed to stop from crying, praying that it wasn't true.

She had been attached to him for nearly a year now. It was forbidden for Jedi to have strong feelings for anyone, but she couldn't help it. Her Master had never been one to advocate the 'no attachments' rule, and she supposed that she had inherited that belief from him. And although she had watched her comrades die and hadn't shed a tear, at the thought of her dear friend dying... Dead....

A sob escaped her lips, and she grabbed her pillow and held it tight. She needed something to hug.

A little voice in her head told her that she was overreacting, but she ignored it. When it came to Lux, there was no such thing as overreacting.

Suddenly, her comlink rang. Wiping her eyes dry and clearing her throat to calm herself down, she pushed the answer key.

"Ahsoka?"

"Hey, Master," she replied. "What's up?"

"The Council just contacted me," he said. "They have a new mission for you."

"Great!" she said, trying to pull herself as far away from her previously depressed mood. "When do we leave?"

Anakin chuckled. "I said... They have a new mission for you."

"Oh. So it's a solo, then?"

"As far as I know. Well, they didn't say much to me, but they seem to want you to get back to Coruscant as soon as possible. So I would suggest hopping into your starfighter and getting a move on in the next hour."

"I know, Master. But..." She bit her lip. "Don't you need me here?"

"Nah, now really, Snips," he said with a laugh, using his special nickname for her. "We'll just do our cleanup and head on out to fight our next fight. You can join us when it gets interesting."

"Okay, Master. I'll leave at once. Ahsoka out."