Rex let out a breath of relief as she walked away, trying to ignore the jittery feelings in his stomach, and the blood pumping throughout his body. He could barely hear over the blood pumping in his ears.
"She do that to you often?" the red male togruta asked. Rex jumped, freezing as soon as he was stable.
"No, sir", Rex answered truthfully. "Must be an after effect of this mission."
"There something going on between you two?" Ashara's father continued questioning. Rex wasn't sure what to say.
"It's hard to say, sir", he said softly. "There almost was, but I messed it up, and now we've been slowly rebuilding what I ruined. We're in the midst of rebuilding our friendship."
Her father smirked. "Good. Don't need some no good clone in my daughter's love life. She can find someone better."
"With all due respect, sir, she's not even supposed to love anybody", Rex said. "One of the rules of the Jedi Code, she is forbidden to have attachments. Even to family. It's the same for all Jedi."
The togruta huffed, and just turned away. Rex turned to leave, figuring the conversation to be over. But Ashara's mother had something else to say.
"Watch out for her, clone", she said softly. "I know you care for her more than you'd like to admit." Rex paused, and glanced back at the togrutas, nodding once, before continuing on his way to the barracks to finally get some rest. It had been nonstop the past few days, and he was exhausted.
~~~~~~
Ashara stared at the body below from where she stood on the roof. She watched as Ahsoka checked over the body, and she winced when she saw the look of despair on Ahsoka's face. She was there to make sure the plan went as it was supposed to, Anakin and Ahsoka didn't know she was there. She had made sure to hide her presence in the force as to not tip them off. She hated lying to Anakin, and knew it would only make things worse, but the council had asked it of her. Even Teriko didn't know of her involvement.
Anakin came back, and Ashara winced again when she saw the tears in Ahsoka's eyes. Her hurt was about to tear in two from Anakin's panicked voice as he knelt beside his master. Even though she knew that Obi-Wan wasn't dead, her heart still hurt. Obi-Wan was the closest thing she had to remind her of Qui-Gon, and just how much she missed him. It still hurt her whenever she remembered his death, and she was still frightened of the sith lord that killed him.
She quietly returned to the Jedi Temple, reporting to the council that the plan was successful. When Anakin and Ahsoka returned with Obi-Wan's body, arrangements were quickly made for a funeral.
Several hours later, Ashara stood next to Anakin, staring at the covered body of Obi-Wan. Even though she knew it was a fake body, and that Obi-wan was still very much alive in the medical bay, it still hurt to know that she was lying to her best friend, and for what? A chance at saving the Chancellor's life. But it was for the best that Anakin didn't know, because he would screw up the mission. Ashara knew he would. And that's why she agreed to go along with the council's plan.
She could feel his anger radiating off him, and she knew that he was plotting revenge. She just hoped that the council would permit her to tell him before he tried to go after Obi-Wan's killer, which would really be Obi-Wan in disguise.
The fake body was lowered into the ground, and a door slid closed over it. A beam of light shot up from the center. She wondered how long that body would stay there before it was removed due to the mission being complete. How long would it take for Obi-Wan to complete his mission, and reveal to Anakin that it was just a plot to undermine a plot against the Chancellor's life.
~~~~~~
Ashara watched as Anakin and Ahsoka brought in Rako Hardeen, AKA Obi-Wan. She still hated keeping Anakin in the dust, but she knew at this moment it was still necessary. It would be necessary, until after Obi-Wan broke himself and Moralo Eval out of prison. Somehow she got the feeling that even then the council would not give her permission to tell him, even though if they didn't Anakin would ignore orders and try to go after Obi-Wan, who he believed to be Rako Hardeen, for revenge.
"I'm glad they finally caught him", Teriko said beside her, his fists clenched into fists. "Obi-Wan deserves to be avenged."
Ashara raised an eyebrow. "You barely know Obi-Wan."
Teriko shrugged. "I've been spending more time with Ahsoka, and she tells me a lot about Anakin and Obi-Wan, and from what I hear, Obi-Wan is, well, was, one of the best Jedi we had."
Ashara sighed softly as she mumbled to herself. "Sometimes I struggle to believe that."
"What was that, master?" Teriko asked. Ashara shook her head.
"Never you mind", she waved it off. "Come on, let's head back to the Jedi Temple. Your lightsaber fighting needs a little work."
Teriko groaned, but followed the Jedi to the speeder they had taken from the temple. Ashara chuckled. "Just be glad that I'm not making you go to the library to study."
Teriko made some off-hand comment, and Ashara laughed, but her mind was stuck elsewhere. If even Obi-Wan was willing to lie to Anakin, to what lengths would the other Jedi go to just to get what they want?
YOU ARE READING
The Rise of the Valkyrie *ON HIATUS*
Fanfiction**ON HIATUS** Ashara Ki was your standard Jedi Knight. Well, as standard as she could from joining the order later than other younglings. But at least she had her best friend, Anakin Skywalker, with her. She faces many struggles, but Anakin was alwa...
