Chapter Text
Ahsoka gripped the side of the dropship, and found herself wishing yet again that she was just a few inches taller.
The clones all around her were chatting, discussing the worsening situation below them on Christophsis. Apparently, the fight had been progressing well, with the droid armies having lost control of several key sectors across the planet, however fighting in the capital city of Chaleydonia was still fierce, and General Kenobi had requested the reinforcements to bolster their forces before the final push onto the droid foundry. With the foundry taken out, the droids would have no means of reinforcing their losses on the planet and so the battle would not last much longer.
Ahsoka listened to all of their talk of battle, and strategy intently, not wanting to be found wanting if questioned on the situation by her new master. Ever since coming to the temple when she was three, she had been determined to excel and prove herself, finding a serenity in the teaching of the Jedi that helped quiet the discontent at the heart of herself.
When she had been only a couple of years into her training, she had been approached by Master Yoda, who had sensed the conflict deep within herself and encouraged her to open up to him. Sensing no judgement or disapproval from the venerable Master, she told him about her discomfort with male pronouns, with her body and with her gender. To her surprise, Yoda did not dismiss her feelings, merely confirmed that the Jedi understood such matters, and were well placed to support her in resolving this with her.
The Jedi who had brought her to the temple, Master Plo Koon, arranged for her to see the temple doctors. They confirmed what they could do for her, and promised that she would be able to develop just like any other female Togruta thanks to the advanced medical procedures they had access to on Coruscant. She remembered the hug she gave Master Plo Koon, crying tears of happiness into his legs as he awkwardly patted her shoulder.
A sudden jolt and explosion sound shook her out of her revere, and she took a deep breath, recognising the need to centre herself in the now. She was 18, not 5, and she was entering a war zone, no time for reflections on the past. The air in the dropship had taken on a tense, focussed air as they approached the battlefield and the droid anti-air fire began targeting them.
Another explosion threw the ship to the side and she nearly fell to her knees. Cursing slightly, she managed to maintain her grip on the side and tensed, reaching out with the force to find her balance. Before too long they managed to make land and the doors opened, and the bright light shone in, dazzling the young Padawan as she stepped out onto the alien world.
She had never been to Christophsis before, but she had heard a lot about it in the briefing she had been given by Admiral Yularen. A planet covered mostly in crystal forests, it was notable for being one of the few planets to naturally produce kyber crystals. This made it a target for both sides, as, besides powering the Jedi’s iconic weapons, these powerful crystals could be used to power much more dangerous creations. Added to that the proximity to one of the most important hyperspace routes and it was an important strategic planet in the outer rim that the republic could not afford to leave in the hands of the Separatists.
While the clones all ran past her to meet with their commanders, Ahsoka calmly walked towards the two men in Jedi robes who stood debating in the command centre nearby. As she got closer, she could tell that the debate sounded more like bickering, but as she could sense nothing but positive feelings coming from each of them, she smiled and came to a stop next to them, announcing herself through a small cough.
“Good day Masters, my name is Ahsoka Tano, I have been sent by Master Qui-Gon Jinn to be your new Padawan learner.” Skywalker grinned and punched Kenobi playfully on the shoulder.
“Oh look, you finally get to teach the next generation how to do exactly what they’re told and never think for themselves!” he said, grinning as he did so at his friend. Ignoring this, Kenobi smiled at Ahsoka and reached out a hand.
“Hello young one, I’m Master Kenobi, and this sorry excuse of a Jedi Knight is Anakin Skywalker.” Skywalker snorted behind him and began whispering behind his hand to one of the clone captains next to him. “I look forward to teaching you, but before we begin I would like to apologise for Anakin’s blatant lack of decorum. I am afraid Master Qui-Gon, while he is exemplary in many ways, was unable to teach him anything about the social graces.” At this, Anakin burst into laughter, which caused some of the clones to turn around in shock.
“I am pleased to meet you, Master Kenobi” Ahsoka said, taking his hand and shaking it, smiling up at the bearded human in front of her, “but I actually was assigned to be Master Skywalker’s Padawan, not yours.” This stopped Skywalker’s laughter dead. He choked, and started coughing and spluttering in confusion. Ahsoka swore a small smirk appeared on Master Kenobi’s face before he turned around and smacked Anakin hard on the back.
“Now wait just one second” Anakin managed to splutter out between coughing fits, “I never requested a Padawan to train, he did” he pointed at Kenobi, who was putting on a very poor show of confusion “I don’t want to train a Padawan, they would only slow me down!”
Just then the shuttle Ahsoka arrived in exploded in a ball of angry white and yellow fire, shattering the relative peace of the moment with an ear splitting roar. Further explosions could be heard nearby, and Skywalker called for everyone to report to their battlestations. The droids were attacking!
“Ahsoka, stay with me until we can sort this out!” Kenobi called as he ran towards his squad, who were rushing to grab their weapons and forming ready to charge the enemy position.
A shell landed between them before Ahsoka could move more than a couple of steps, and she was hurled backwards by the force of it. She landed sprawled on the ground, head ringing and completely disorientated.
“I’ve got her Obi-Wan, just go! We need to take out those cannons!” Ahsoka felt a hand grab her arm roughly and pull her to her feet. “Are you ok little one?” His face swam into focus in front of her.
“Look at me, are you ok!?” he said again, much rougher this time and he slightly shook her. This brought her focus back and she angrily pushed his hand away.
“Don’t call me little - Master” she said, realising she was speaking too harshly. You should address your teacher with respect, this was something that was hammered into every youngling from their earliest days. She flushed with embarrassment as she felt his gaze on her, but then she heard him chuckle slightly.
“All right Snips, have it your way. Stick close to me and keep your lightsaber ready, we need to assist Obi-Wan.” He turned before Ahsoka could object to the nickname - which was so much worse than “little one”, honestly - and called out to the captain he was whispering to earlier, who was still at the command centre.
“Rex, get the ARC troopers together, we need to assist Obi-Wan with those cannons”
“Roger that General” the clone captain called Rex called back. He barked some orders into his wrist communicator, and soon a platoon of jetpack wearing clone troopers stood to attention feet away. While they were arriving, Anakin strode back to the command centre, Ahsoka following, and checked the map, which was being updated with the incoming intel from their reconnaissance. The cannon’s position would be difficult to get to, she could see, as they were behind a one way shield that they did not have the arms fire to break through. Anakin in the meantime contacted Obi-Wan and told him that he needs to distract the droids as much as possible. From the sounds of battle Ahsoka could hear through the comm, Kenobi was already doing his level best to do that, but he promised he would have their undivided attention soon, and would send a signal as soon as he had it.
Leaving the command centre to observe the assembled troops, Anakin gestured to Ahsoka to come stand next to him and she moved forward, hovering awkwardly. He stood tall and proud in front of his men, and Ahsoka could see he commanded their attention absolutely. He had not been their leader long, but it was clear that he relished his role and they respected him deeply.
“Alright men, the droids have made their move and we need to retaliate. One thing before I explain the plan, this is Ahsoka Tano, she is a Padawan assigned to us by Master Qui-Gon. She will be joining us in the battle.” Ahsoka did her best to stand to attention and look intimidating, but this was hard when you were surrounded by a lot of tough, battle hardened soldiers and you were a lot smaller than them.
“Ahsoka technically holds the rank of commander, so if she gives you an order, I expect you to obey it.” Anakin continued, perhaps aware that her status might need clarification. “In the meantime, this is the plan. R2, bring up a map of the foundry and surrounding area.” A blue and white astromech moved over and shone a holographic map in front of Anakin and the troops.
“General Kenobi and Cody are leading the charge on the front of the complex,” Skywalker said, pointing to the road that lead into the massive factory where the Separatists had set up their own command centre, “and are going to make sure that every eye is focussed on them. In the meantime, we are going to flank the building and infiltrate it, sabotage those cannons and do our best to cause as much destruction as possible while their backs are turned. Any questions?”
No-one raised their hands. They all knew the drill. Well, nearly all. Ahsoka thought the plan was dangerous, but she felt she had to make a good impression on her new Master, and so she remained silent. She could do this. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?