Star Wars Series One-Shots

Ilum

Coruscant. A beautiful planet. Tall buildings, speeders going by at all hours, the Senate building, the Jedi Temple. Sunsets of gold and purple, sounds of a bustling city and speeders in the air. And, if you we're Obi-Wan, a whining padawan.

"Why me?" Padawan Anakin Skywalker groaned, trailing after his Master towards the landing pad. Anakin was choosen as the padawan who had 'the great privilege' of escorting younglings and initiates to Ilum to get their crystals for their lightsabers. 

"Anakin, try to be a good sport about this." Obi-Wan said, walking patiently down the hall, a contrast to his padawan who was currently dragging his feet across the Temple flooring. "It's a Jedi Padawan's greatest honor to lead the gathering."

"But I'd rather study than freeze my shebs off." Obi-Wan turned to give him a pointed look. It made Anakin straighten and walk normally, though the slight slump of his shoulders was still there. 

"Just do it. If not for yourself, for me. Please?" Anakin considered it. 

"Alright, Master." 

Obi-Wan let a small smile grace his lips. He turned to look forward, his eyes taking in the silent hallway. There were only a few Jedi in the hallway with them, some with their padawans.

"Who knows, maybe your future padawan will be in the group." He purposefully avoided Anakin's look. He knew what it would be, as it was every time Obi-Wan brought up a padawan for Anakin; a scoff and a look that clearly said 'really? no.' along with a small Anakin-like smirk. And that's the face he made now.

"We've had this discussion before, Obi-Wan. I don't want a padawan. I see the grey hairs you get from training me. I don't want grey in my hair." To add to his point, he ran his hands through his tousled hair which had been getting longer now that Obi-Wan thought about it but didn't have a single grey hair in the sandy blonde locks. Anakin's smirk was full fledged when the wise Jedi turned to him, giving a raised brow to the crack about his hair.

It was good timing that they had made it to the landing platform before Obi-Wan could retort. Anakin heard the sound of many children as they gathered around the transport. He heard their talks of "I wonder what my lightsaber color will be." to "Professor Huyang is so old. I heard he was droppd here thousands of years ago before teaching lightsaber building!" to "Is that Padawan Skywalker?" Once his name was mentioned, the younglings stood in shock a moment at the rumored Chosen One. It gave Anakin a good momet to look over them all. Ten in total. Six humans, a Zabrak, two Twi'leks, and a small Togruta.

Then, all hell broke loose. Wide eyed younglings mobbed him, asking him multiple questions about his lightsaber and training and if he was the Chosen One. Anakin shot a desperate look to Obi-Wan who had started to retreat back into the temple. His master just smiled and said, "May the Force be with you. You'll need it." 

Anakin turned his attention to the younglings. He took a deep breath and put on a commanding presence. "Alright, younglings. Let's save the questions for later. Right now, we need to load up on the transport." To Anakin's surprise, they all obediently sat down in the transport, strapping themselves in. He noticed the Togrutan girl had already strapped in before the others. She looked lonely. The seat next to her was empty so Anakin sat there after giving the go ahead to the pilot. 

"Hello." He said, "My name's Anakin."

"I know." She said, her eyes holding the expression of surprise that her face didn't. "You're kinda famous in the Temple."

"Heh, yeah. I couldn't tell." His sarcasm subtle but the youngling picked up on it and laughed, the wing shaped markings on her cheeks shifting as she did.

"Padawan Skywalker, will we build our lightsabers today or just get our crystals?" A human youngling with reddish hair done up in a fancy braided up-do. It reminded Anakin of something Padmé would do with her hair.

"Well, we're just getting the crystals today. Tomorrow, you'll construct your lightsabers." 

"Padawan Skywalker, when did you get your lightsaber?" Another human, this one with short black hair, the style reminiscent of his own on Tatooine years ago.

"I got mine when I was around your guy's age. My Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, led the gathering that year." He put his hand to the side of his mouth like he was about to say the biggest secret in the galaxy. "If you ask me, I think it was to keep an eye on me."

The younglings laughed at that. He settled back, answering questions as they came up with them. He learned of a couple of their names while others stayed silent. The small Togruta was one of the silent ones. She was talkative, don't get him wrong on that, but she didn't offer her name and Anakin realized days later that he had never asked. The ones that didn't offer their name, Anakin gave clever nicknames. The young Togruta was referred to as Shortie, seeing as she was the shortest of the group by about an inch when you don't factor her montral. 

When the gathering was over, Shortie receiving a bright green lightsaber with a silver hilt that fit her personality, Anakin and her didn't see each other until a few years later when the clone wars started. It was on a planet near the outter rim. A small Togrutan girl with winged markings on her cheeks stepped out of a transport.

"And who are supposed to be?" Anakin had said.

"I'm Ahsoka. Master Yoda sent me." It only escalated from there. Ahsoka became his padawan within a few minutes of her arrival to the planet. It wasn't until a few years later when Ahsoka was getting ready for the gatnering to get her second crystal that Anakin was reminded of the small Togrutan girl he sat next to on the transport. 

Two knocks sounded against Ahsoka's door to her quarters. "Are you decent?" Anakin shouted through the door. 

"Yes." Ahsoka had said, laughing as she pulled on her boot. The door slid open revealing her master with a grin on his face. 

"Are you excited to get your second saber?" He sat next to her on her bed as she wrestled with the boot specifically for cold planets. She was hunched over but Anakin had noticed that she had gotten taller this past week. His little Snips was now up to his shoulder.

"You're getting taller." Anakin said as she got her foot in. He got a rasied marking in response then a smirk.

"Yeah. Soon I'll be taller than you." Ahsoka mused, working on the other boot.

"No. I'll forever and always be taller than you. Even if by just an inch. And montrals don't count. You'll forever be short, Shorty." As soon as the name left his lips, he put the pieces together. He glanced at his padawan who had laughed at the nickname. The winged markings were different now but they were similar enough. 

"I thought you had forgotten that nickname." She said, tugging the boot on. Standing up, Ahsoka grabbed her coat, one specially made to fit her montrals. How Anakin hadn't put together that the little Togutan girl that talked with such enthusiasm was his snippy padawan. "Well, I gotta go now. When I get back, you, me, Padmé, Dex's diner. My treat. Okay?"

"You got it," Anakin said getting up and walking with her to the door of the quarters, "Shorty."

She rolled her eyes but the smile on her face told him that she didn't mind the nickname as much as she says.

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In the book, Brotherhood by Mike Chen, it's mentioned that Anakin led a gathering. So my brain was like 'What if Ahsoka was in that group?' and I wrote this in like an hour. 

Btw, the book is so good!! My friend blind annotated it for me for Christmas and it was the best. She's a podcaster so her deep thinking and 'podcaster mode' would pop in with insightful notes. Highly recommend doing it for any reader friend you have. It's like reading the comments on a fic. 

Anyways, first one shot of the year! Here's to a great New Year for everyone!!