The Rise of the Valkyrie *ON HIATUS*

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ashara stood next to Anakin, who was frantically trying to contact Ahsoka. She wasn't responding, and she grew worried. They had taken out a Separatist outpost, each one taking a different wall, and they lost Ahsoka whilst scaling the walls. That worried Ashara to no end.

Several hours later, Rex came up to Anakin, who had his eyes closed. Ashara could feel him stretching out through the force, trying to see if he could feel Ahsoka.

"General, we've been over the same area a dozen times", the clone said. "There's no sign of Commander Tano."

"Not good enough, Rex. Keep searching", Anakin ordered.

"Belay that order, Rex!" Ashara said sharply, before turning to Anakin.

"Anakin, you know she's not on this planet anymore. I know you know. We both felt her presence disappear hours ago. There is no point in tiring our soldiers when we know there is no chance of finding her here."

"I am not abandoning her", Anakin snarled, glaring at Ashara. "She's my padawan, I can't leave her."

"You aren't leaving her", Ashara snapped back. "You have to trust that Ahsoka will find her way back to us. She's strong, and she has you for her teacher. If anyone can survive anything, it's Ahsoka."

Anakin was quiet, before he sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "Very well. Rex, gather the men. We're leaving."

Rex nodded, and hurried away. Ashara let out a quiet sigh of relief that Anakin listened to reason for once. He didn't always do that and it frustrated the togruta to no end.

Sometime later, when Ashara and Rex found some alone time again, they both began expressing their concern over Ahsoka. 

"Are you sure the commander will be able to find her way back home?" Rex asked as they walked through the halls. Ashara nodded firmly.

"I'm not entirely worried over her. There is a chance she won't make it back, but the odds are more in her favor. She's quick on her feet, and she's able to come up with a plan in a matter of seconds. Perks of having Anakin as her master, since he's so unpredictable." Rex chuckled at that, silently agreeing. Ashara continued her thoughts. "I'm more worried about Anakin. He has a hard time letting go of those he cares about. When our mother died, he was absolutely destroyed. He didn't have many people he could go to about it, and he still doesn't. Jedi aren't supposed to have emotions, as you well know. He spoke to me, and Senator Amidala about it, mostly."

"Why Senator Amidala?" Rex asked. Ashara froze, realizing she let a tidbit of information slip that she maybe shouldn't have.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone", she said sharply. Rex nodded, and promised verbally. 

"Anakin and Padme are married", she whispered. Rex froze, before laughing softly to himself.

"Of course he's married. That doesn't surprise me, not with knowing how the general is." Ashara smiled, before continuing.

"If Anakin had any suspicion that I might not have come back when I left, he wouldn't have let me leave", Ashara admitted. "But he knew that I would come back. He's always known everything about me."

Rex felt a pang of jealousy soar through him, but he had to remind himself that they grew up together, and saw each like siblings, and not romantically. Especially with the information he now has about Padme being his wife. He chose to change the subject.

"So what happened next in the story of your life?" he asked. Ashara smiled before continuing her story.

Ashara stood to the side of the room by the doorway that led into the council room. She watched as Anakin was tested to see if he could become a Jedi. She knew that after him, it would be her turn, and it scared her immensely. She didn't like being surrounded by people, and the council room had chairs that sat on the edge of the room, and she would have to stand at the center. She took a deep breath, before steeling her nerves, and burying her scared emotions as deep as possible. She wasn't sure how well she did, but she kept pushing them down until it was her turn to be tested.

The old green Jedi finished speaking with Anakin and gestured her forward. She and Anakin traded places, and she went through the same series of tests, but with different images.

"A plate", she said first. The image changed. "Now it's a ship." The image changed again. "I don't know what that's called, but I know that it was the screen Shmi used during Anakin's pod race."

Two of the Jedi Masters shared a glance, before it changed to one last image. It was one of Qui-Gon, and Ashara smiled. "That's Qui-Gon."

"How feel you?" the little green Jedi asked her the same question as Anakin. She thought about it for a moment, before answering truthfully.

"I was afraid earlier, but that fear is gone now, sir", she answered. "I feel at peace now."

The Jedi share glances again, before looking back at the seven year old togruta. "Discuss this, we must. Qui-Gon will meet you outside the door."

"I know", Ashara said. "I can sense him approaching with Obi-Wan."

A look of surprise crossed the dark skinned Jedi's face, and she smiled kindly at him before walking over to Anakin. He grabbed her hand and they walked out the door together, greeted by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

They didn't move, they just waited outside the door for them to be summoned back in. It didn't take long either, and they were welcomed in, all four of them standing in the center of the room.

"The force is strong with both of them", one of the Jedi said.

"They are to be trained, then?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No, they will not be trained", the dark skinned Jedi said.

"No?" Qui-Gon asked. Ashara could feel his frustration coming off of him, and she could feel Anakin's upset feelings radiating off him. She wondered if she should be upset as well, but she still just felt at peace. She reached over and grabbed Anakin's hand, sending feelings of comfort through the force. She also sent those same feelings toward Qui-Gon, but it didn't seem to affect him much. 

"So if the council said you couldn't be trained, how come you're a Jedi now?" Rex asked. Ashara smiled.

"That comes later in the story", she said. "Qui-Gon did try to change to council's mind at that point, but it didn't work. Meanwhile, Queen Amidala was growing impatient with the senate's inability to choose whether or not to help her planet, so she chose to leave without the senate's approval. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan went with her for protection, and since Anakin and I had nowhere else to go, we were brought along with them."

"You went to Naboo?" Rex asked. Ashara nodded.

"Yep", she said. "I don't remember too much of what happened though. It all kind of blurs together. I know there was some kind of big battle, and that Anakin and I were told to wait in a fighter while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan fought a sith lord that we had encountered just before we left Naboo."

"Which sith lord was that?" Rex asked. Ashara hesitated.

"Darth Maul", she murmured. "He honestly still terrifies me."

"Why is that?"

Ashara gave him a sheepish smile. "I didn't wait in the fighter like I was supposed to..."