[ON HIATUS] Follow Your Heart | An Alternate Star Wars Story

Old Friends

The doors to the bridge slid open, revealing Lock and Koth standing around the circular holo-table, with the occasional clone navigational officer walking past. Entering the room, you went to your Master's side, bowing respectfully. You were always grateful that it was he who was chosen to be your Master. Eeth Koth was much more open than other Jedi Masters and you were able to confide in him with a deep trust. Koth had always been considerate of the viewpoints and emotions of others before making his own judgements, a trait you wished to emulate as you became a true Jedi. Your Master smiled at you, bowing his head in return. Lock saluted to you respectfully. "It's good to see you my Padawan," Koth said in his soft tone.
"As it is you, Master," you replied. "What could you learn from our discovery?" Koth gestured to the captain, who input something onto the keypad next to him. The table projected a hologram of the outpost you had discovered, or at least one of the same design.
"It's definitely more than we had expected," Lock began. "We believe our initial push back into this system caused Grievous to reinforce the ground battalions. They seem desperate to hold this system."
"I contacted Anakin Skywalker. He and Padawan Tano are nearby and have a good relationship with the local farming colonies." Master Koth once again demonstrated why he was a member of the Council. Both he and the captain were a powerful pair, able to plan something so thoroughly, yet so quickly. Though one matter did concern you...

"Master, I fear the outpost is too durable for two Jedi to handle alone, even ones as skilled as Master Skywalker and Ahsoka. And we don't have the planetary firepower to support an attack like that," you pondered. Whilst you knew a plan would be in motion, you still knew the importance of voicing your concerns. Besides, Ahsoka Tano had been a close friend of yours since your youngling days. The two of you had found your kyber crystals together and ever since then you had had a strong bond. Koth nodded, understanding your wariness.
"Indeed. It's for that reason that Master Plo Koon and the Wolfpack are mobilising to this system. They with Skywalker and Torrent Company will secure contact with the inhabitants and destroy the outpost, whilst we wait here in case they need reinforcements."
"Very well Master. Forgive me for doubting."
"You were concerned for the friends and men who are about to face a dangerous battle. Do not apologise for considering the safety of others. I'm in fact incredibly proud of you for having those concerns." You were filled with pride at his words. To know your Master thought so highly of you was comforting, especially during such a time. "Now go and rest my apprentice. I'll need you to provide information at the briefing. And I'm sure you'll want to catch up with Padawan Tano thereafter." You nodded, bowing to him and the captain before leaving for your quarters. As you passed soldiers and officers alike, you offered them gestures of friendship and kindness. They responded the same way, smiles and salutes meeting you as you traversed the halls of the cruiser. Eventually you arrived at your personal quarters, where you isolated yourself for rest and meditation.

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The Unyielding's hangar was the busiest you had ever seen it; three different clone companies and five Jedi all crowded around as the briefing took place. Lock had started off by giving a rundown of the information your team had gathered the night before, eventually turning to you for anything you wanted to add. You stepped forward to the hologram that was being projected by Anakin's R2 unit. "The clearings you'll want to use for landing zones are a click south of the outpost. The walls could be scaled by tether, but constant STAP patrols make it difficult to go unnoticed. I'm afraid you'll have to make that judgement on the ground." You scanned the assortment of soldiers, catching the blue eyes of your Togruta friend. Ahsoka smiled at you softly, which you responded to with a nod. Wolffe stepped up next.
"We could use our AT-TEs to launch a forward offensive. The clearings leave plenty of room for manoeuvrability."
"Not to mention locals can help with understanding the surrounding environment," Skywalker added, crossing his arms. "Between us and them, we'll know more about the base than the droids do."

The briefing was concluded shortly after that, with everyone dispersing to fulfil their duties before the offensive began. Since you and Horn Company were being held in reserve, you used the time to offer any assistance with the other companies, mainly with last-minute servicing checks and loading gunships. After helping prepare the AT-TE for transport, you sensed a familiar presence coming up behind you. You turned to see Ahsoka make her way over to you, smiling. You walked over, the same smile reflecting from your face. Once close enough, the two of you interlocked in a warm hug, embracing each other for a moment. You soon pulled away from her however, the smiles never fading. "It's good to see you again (Y/N)," she said in a joyous tone, her eyes shining like sapphires as they scanned your face.
"And you. I haven't heard from you since before the Citadel Raid."
"Worried I wouldn't make it?"
"More like worried you'd get yourself and Master Skywalker captured," you chuckled, the sound being joined by a soft giggle from the orange-skinned Togruta.
"It would make up for the time he had to save your Master," she teased in return, to which you could only sigh. You had no rebuttals for that, so instead you simply leaned against the boxes to your right.
"It's good to see you again Ahsoka."
"You too (Y/N). I promise I won't leave it so long next time." The two of you would speak over the next few minutes, small talk about previous missions or training sessions. Whilst some might call it boring, for you two it was nice, almost therapeutic. A friendship like this one was hard to come by, which gave the two of you even more reason to treasure it, especially in the time of war.

You were soon joined by Anakin, who smiled at you. You bowed in return.
"Master Skywalker."
"Padawan (L/N). I'm glad you two could catch up."
"As are we," Ahsoka replied, looking over to Rex. "I best go make sure he's ready. See you later!" she said with a smile to you before walking over to the captain. Anakin watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to you.
"How's Master Koth?"
"Better. Thanks to Crucitorn, he didn't sustain any life-threatening damage from General Grievous' torture methods. I still can't thank you enough for what you and the others did."
"It's the least I could do. A friend of Ahsoka's is a friend of mine." You smile in response. Anakin Skywalker was a legend amongst the people of the Republic. To have his respect was something not to be taken lightly.
"I won't keep you any longer Master. If there's trouble, notify me."
"You'll be the first to know." He bowed to you, which you respectfully returned and watched as he went to join his Padawan. Feeling content, you went up to the bridge to join Master Koth, ready for the mission ahead.

Howdy all! Hope you're enjoying this plot so far. I'm planning to mostly stick to known story for now but I'm making minor tweaks to existing canon in the remainder of this opening arc to make things between you and Ahsoka feel less forced, more organic. The further we go, the more eccentric the changes may become..If you want them to of course! This story is for you after all, so comment what you want to see and I'll see if I can work with it. Until next time! :)