Slaves Of The Empire {1}

| Interlude |

A year and ten months ago...

The Twilight II exited hyperspace with a thunk so ominous for a few heart-stopping seconds Ahsoka wondered if the sublight engines would actually kick in or not. Then, blessedly, the engines coughed to life, and the ship puttered off toward Coruscant on its pre-programmed flight path.

"Thank the Force," she muttered, transmitting their clearance codes to the nearest Republic cruiser and slumping back in the pilot's seat. Her Master was always reluctant to let her fly if he was there to do it, but in a rare show of faith in her piloting skills he'd handed the controls over without a fuss – something about faulty wiring to retract the exit ramp he needed to attend to before they landed.

It was the third such problem they'd run into that day. The ship was a modified YT-1300 freighter Anakin had scraped off a junk heap mid-patrol of the reclaimed industrial sector on Cato Neimoidia, and with the recent demise of its predecessor, the first of its name, the Twilight II had become his new baby.

She still had no idea how he'd been able to make it fly.

"I can sense your frustration," Obi-Wan quipped from where he was flying copilot beside her, breaking the melancholic silence he'd kept to for most of the trip. "Do remember to focus on the positives instead of letting gratitude turn to sarcasm. It's always a blessing to return to Coruscant unscathed."

Ahsoka gave him a long look.

Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "All right, but I'll admit I do share your sentiment."

"Thank you." Then, more loudly, she added, "It's a wonder we got here in one piece! I really wish our resident tech kleptomaniac wouldn't sign his run-down, spark-spewing pity projects up for every second mission that comes our way!"

"Hey, hey!" Anakin yelped from the common area down the corridor. "Say what you want about me, but no loose wire jokes!"

Ahsoka snorted. "You're repairing loose wires right now, SkyGuy!"

Anakin grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a string of Huttese insults, but made no retort.

"Well, really," Obi-Wan huffed. Whether it was directed at Ahsoka's deliberate provocation or Anakin's mouthy response, she couldn't be sure.

"I'll have you both know this 'pity project' can make 0.5 past lightspeed," Anakin said primly as he ambled into the cockpit, wiping his left hand on a rag. "And according to Master Obi-Wan, speed is apparently critical for this mission."

"If getting to Coruscant quickly is so important, why did they send Master Kenobi all the way to Cato Neimoidia to relay the message?" Ahsoka asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

Anakin shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan beat him to it. "Secrecy is also paramount – even more so than speed. It was a calculated risk. Using couriers is not so uncommon a practice it would arouse suspicion, and it eliminates the need for a holo-transmission that could be hacked."

"Well, Master, you're here with us now, and I have Artoo scan the TwiTwo for bugs on the regular," Anakin said, flopping down in the passenger seat behind hers. Ahsoka tried not to roll her eyes at the silly moniker; she knew she was one to talk, but she still hoped it wouldn't stick. "What's all this about?"

"The Council will convene to determine how to manage a situation of galactic importance. We felt there was a need for a... different perspective. Insight from Jedi with fresh eyes and ears – or montrals, alternatively."

Which means practically nothing, Ahsoka thought, and Anakin's perplexed half-grimace told her he was thinking the same thing. Everything is a 'situation of galactic importance' these days with the war going on.