Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Ahsoka thought that if her heart beat any faster, she might actually have a heart attack. She willed her knees to stop trembling and took a deep breath before stepping into the council chamber. All eyes were on her as she walked to the center of the circle and bowed.
"Ahsoka Tano," Mace Windu’s deep voice echoed through the room, breaking the heavy silence. "Are you aware of the consequences of your actions?"
The young Togruta nodded firmly. "Yes, Master Windu. I know what I did."
"And do you believe it was justified?"
Ahsoka hesitated for a moment but then spoke with quiet confidence. "I believe violence is never the answer... but I did what I had to do to protect myself and others."
Her voice was steady despite the nervous pounding in her chest. She meant every word.
Master Yoda studied her with wise, knowing eyes. "Hmmm. Not the first complaint about this youngling, Vin Dorro, there is. Yet action, we must take. A month, helping clean the hangars, you will. And from training, excused you are."
Ahsoka's heart sank. No training for a whole month? That would set her back for sure. But at least she wouldn’t have to deal with Vin anytime soon... and her upcoming birthday would be far away from his taunts.
"Afterward, return to the council, you will," Yoda added.
"Yes, Masters," Ahsoka replied with a respectful bow before turning to leave.
As the heavy doors closed behind her, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
The hangars...
A slow smile crept onto her face.
A whole month in the hangars... with the clones.
Could be worse.
The next morning, it was Master Plo Koon who waited for Ahsoka in front of the youngling quarters.
"Follow me, little 'Soka. I'm here to take you to the hangar."
As they walked through the temple’s grand corridors, Ahsoka couldn’t help but wonder — had Master Plo been the one requesting this punishment, or was this just a lucky coincidence?
When they reached the hangar, Plo Koon waved over a clone trooper. Ahsoka immediately recognized him — Starshot.
"Starshot will be supervising your work," Plo Koon explained. "He will report to me on your performance and your punctuality. You'll assist him with inventory and any other tasks that come up. The rest of my battalion and I will be off on a mission. We won’t return for about a month."
Ahsoka nodded respectfully. "Understood, Master Plo."
"Very well then," the Jedi Master said before turning and heading towards his awaiting starfighter.
Ahsoka turned to Starshot with a grin. "So, why aren't you going on this mission?"
"I'm recovering from an injury," Starshot replied with a shrug. "Which is also why I need you to help me out."
"Well, let's get to it then!" Ahsoka said eagerly.
Starshot chuckled. "You're a strange one, little lady."
The next month flew by faster than Ahsoka expected.
During the day, she helped Starshot with inventory checks, repairing equipment, and organizing spare parts. But after their work was done, Starshot would train with her to keep her skills sharp.
Sometimes, he’d fire at her with a training blaster to help her practice dodging. Other times, he’d show her hand-to-hand combat techniques or teach her about the mechanics of different ships. Ahsoka soaked up every bit of knowledge like a sponge — and for the first time in a while, she felt truly at ease.
One afternoon, Starshot’s comlink beeped.
"Trooper, please inform Ahsoka that she is to report to the council immediately," came Master Plo’s calm voice.
"Sir, yes sir," Starshot responded before turning to Ahsoka. "You heard the man, little lady."
Ahsoka jumped to her feet, stretching her arms. "Alright, Stary, thanks for the best punishment ever. See ya!"
She had started calling him “Stary” during her first week in the hangar. He never complained, so the nickname stuck.
Before she got run away Starshot held out his hand, palm facing forward. Ahsoka smiled and leaned forward gently bumping her forehead against it — a small ritual they’d come up with somewhere along the way.
"Good luck, 'Soka," Starshot said with a grin.
With a confident smile, Ahsoka turned and sprinted towards the council chambers.
This time, she didn’t feel nervous.
She felt ready.
There she was again — standing in front of the grand doors of the Jedi Council chamber.
What could they possibly want this time?
She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d done her duty in the hangars, stayed out of trouble, and hadn’t snuck into any of the classes, even though she’d been dying to.
With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Welcome back, young Ahsoka," Mace Windu greeted her with his usual stern expression. "Don't worry, we’re not here to punish you. In fact, we’ve come to a decision."
Ahsoka blinked in confusion.
"We’ve seen that your skills are advanced for your age," Master Windu continued, "and... let’s say, your energy and strong sense of justice might be better suited for the battlefield."
Ahsoka’s breath caught in her throat.
No... this couldn’t be happening.
One moment she was sweeping floors and counting bacta patches, and the next... she was being assigned to a master?
"We are assigning you to Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker," Master Windu said. "We believe you two will be... a good match."
Ahsoka raised a brow. Anakin Skywalker? The Hero with No Fear?
"You will leave for Christophsis in two hours. There, you will deliver an important message to General Kenobi and your new master."
Ahsoka felt like her head was spinning. This was happening. This was really happening.
Standing inside the Republic cruiser as it descended toward Christophsis, Ahsoka still couldn’t quite believe it.
She was a Padawan.
At only fourteen.
Her heart raced as the ship rumbled beneath her feet and slowly lowered onto the landing platform. The ramp lowered with a hiss, and Ahsoka stepped out into the blinding sunlight of the crystal-covered planet.
Two figures were already waiting for her.
One of them, tall with dark robes and armor, immediately crossed his arms.
"A youngling?" Anakin Skywalker blurted out, clearly unimpressed.
Ahsoka frowned. Well, that was a warm welcome. Didn't he want a Padawan? The Council for sure wouldn’t have sent her otherwise.
Obi-Wan, standing calmly beside him, sighed.
"I'm Ahsoka," she introduced herself confidently, stepping forward. "Master Yoda sent me. I was told to deliver an urgent message: You must return to the Jedi Temple immediately. There’s an emergency."
Anakin let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re in a bit of an emergency right here."
"Yes," Obi-Wan added with a patient nod. "Our communications have been unreliable. We've been calling for reinforcements for some time now."
"Master Yoda hadn't received any transmissions from you," Ahsoka explained. "That's why he sent me."
Both Jedi sighed in unison.
"Great," Anakin muttered. "They don’t even know we’re in trouble here."
Ahsoka smirked. Maybe she could still make a good first impression.
"Maybe you could try relaying a signal through the cruiser that just dropped me off?" she suggested with a hopeful grin.
If Anakin was even slightly impressed, he didn’t show it.
Whatever Ahsoka followed, rolling her eyes.
This was going to be... interesting.
The connection to Master Yoda didn’t last long.
They managed to send a call for reinforcements, but then the hologram flickered and disappeared.
"That's the best we can do for now," Obi-Wan said with a sigh. "Time to introduce ourselves. I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is Anakin Skywalker."
Ahsoka nodded politely, though she already knew exactly who they were. They were far more famous than they realized. Every youngling in the temple had heard stories about the legendary Jedi Knight his former master and his more or less chaotic but heroic missions.
"My name is Ahsoka Tano," she said, standing tall. "I’m Master Skywalker’s new Padawan."
For a moment, there was silence.
Anakin stared at her as if she’d just told him she was a Sith's niece.
"Wait... what?" he blurted out. "There must be some kind of mistake. I didn’t ask for a Padawan. Obi-Wan did!"
Ahsoka’s confident smile faltered for a split second.
He... didn’t want her? But the council had been clear. She was assigned to none other than Anakin Skywalker.
"No Master Yoda was very clear," she insisted. "I’ve been assigned to Anakin Skywalker. He is to oversee my Jedi training."
"This doesn’t make any sense!" Anakin protested, throwing his arms in the air.
Ahsoka raised a brow. Was this really the famous Hero with No Fear? Because right now, he was acting more like a stubborn youngling who didn’t want to share his toys.
She bit her tongue to keep from saying that out loud.
"Let’s move that discussion to later," Obi-Wan interrupted calmly. "We have a battle to fight."
Anakin groaned in frustration. "Fine. I’ll check in with Rex. You," he pointed at Ahsoka, "come with me."
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Ahsoka followed him.
Whoever this "Rex" was, she hoped he’d be more welcoming than her new master.
The man called Rex turned out to be a clone trooper, though Ahsoka had already guessed that from the armor. It was similar to that of Commander Wolffe and the rest of the Wolfpack, but with blue markings instead of grey.
"What’s the status, Rex?" Anakin asked as they approached.
"Quiet for now, sir," the clone replied. His voice was identical to every other clone Ahsoka had heard, yet there was something unique about him a signature in the Force that set him apart from the others. Same as with the Wolfpack.
His eyes shifted to her. "Who's the youngling?"
Ahsoka crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Great. Another one who didn’t take her seriously.
"The name’s Ahsoka Tano," she said, emphasizing every word. "I’m Master Skywalker’s Padawan."
Rex blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Sir, I thought..."
"There’s been a mix-up," Anakin interrupted before Rex could finish. "The youngling isn’t with me."
"Padawan," Ahsoka corrected, her patience wearing thin. "And you're stuck with me, Skyguy."
The nickname slipped out naturally — it just... fit.
Anakin's head snapped toward her. "What did you just call me?"
"Don’t get snippy with me, little one," he added, glaring at her. "Are you even old enough to be a Padawan?"
Ahsoka smirked. Seemed like she’d hit a nerve.
"The Council clearly thinks so," she replied confidently.
Anakin let out a sigh, giving her a look of pure disapproval. But the emotion she could feel coming off of him was at least not anger.
"Fine. Then you'd better start proving it," Anakin said. "Captain Rex will show you how things work around here."
With that, Anakin turned and walked off, leaving her alone with the Captain.
"Alright, come on, youngling," Rex said, gesturing for her to follow.
"Padawan," Ahsoka muttered through gritted teeth as she trailed after him.
Rex led her to a holotable displaying the battlefield layout, including the clone positions and droid forces. Ahsoka studied the hologram for a moment before pointing to a cluster of troops.
"Maybe if you move this line back here, they’d have better cover," she suggested.
Rex shook his head. "I appreciate the input, but the General says they're fine where they are."
Ahsoka frowned. That didn’t make much sense to her, but if she wanted to earn her Master’s trust, she’d have to trust his judgment first.
A thought crossed her mind, and she smirked up at Rex.
"Wait... you’re a captain, right? And I’m a Jedi. Technically, I outrank you."
Rex chuckled. "With all due respect, little one, in my book, experience outranks everything."
Fair point.
But Ahsoka couldn’t resist pushing him a little further.
"Still... since you’re a clone, doesn’t that make you younger than me? If you're around Commander Wolffe's age, you’re, what... ten?"
Rex paused, caught off guard.
"How do you know Wolf..?" , he asked surprised but regained his compusure quickly. "Yeah, I’m technically ten but I have experience in battle and not only training."
That... was hard to argue with.
She may have trained a long time and studied every Holobook she could get her hands on, but she also never fought a real battle where life was on the line.
Suddenly, the weight of her first real battle started sinking in. This wasn’t a training exercise. She could die today.
Ahsoka pushed the thought away and forced a grin. "Then I’d better start catching up!"
Rex was about to respond when something on the horizon caught his attention.
Ahsoka followed his gaze and spotted a red shimmer rising from behind the hills.
"What’s that?" she asked, confused.
Rex’s posture stiffened. "That... is an energy shield."
He pressed a hand to the side of his helmet. "With that thing up, our entire plan just became nearly impossible."
Ahsoka swallowed. That didn’t sound good.
But when she glanced back at Rex, he looked... calm. Almost relaxed. There were also no negative emotions vibrating off him.
"Captain... why aren’t you stressed right now?"
Rex glanced down at her and gave a small, confident nod.
"Because I trust my generals and my men."
Ahsoka felt a strange sense of reassurance from that.
Alright time to prove I belong here.