Author's Note: I hope everyone is staying safe and sane during quarantine! I apologize for the long wait, life has been crazy lately, and unfortunately my mom has to do more chemo. This chapter is far from finished, but I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and kicking (even if it doesn't feel that way sometimes being stuck because of quarantine). I have more in the works for this chapter, so keep an eye out for it in the near future now that my schedule has mostly stabilized. I know this is quite short, but after rewriting this twice hopefully it's not too bad. Thank you all for sticking with the story; without your support I'm not sure I could keep writing. Also, to the reviewer who said they're thirsting for more content, I hope this quenches that, if only temporarily.

In Love With A Master

Chapter 19

Co-Author: Brandon66

Total silence is a rare occurrence. Even with meditation, one cannot guarantee it with absolute certainty. When one does achieve this, they must strike a delicate balance with the world around them, and the forces within themselves. Even the slightest disturbance can break the equilibrium.

Deep in the unknown regions, a small ship floated in the midst of an asteroid field. Here, it's owner had found total silence. A mysterious figure was the sole occupant, using the spacious cabin to meditate. Exploring the living force, the figure found something quite interesting. He slowly lifted his head, revealing a pair of dark, sunken eyes.

"I feel… a disturbance in the force. Something has shifted the balance." He continued his search, leading him to the planet Alderaan. "So much energy in such a small place… Two force sensitives will be born. This cannot be allowed to pass."

# # #

As night slowly descended upon the planet, a young woman sat alone on the edge of a large ravine. She pulled down her hood, revealing her piercing blue eyes, in stark contrast to her stormy gray complexion. Her head was smooth, with faint dark lines wrapping around it like a crown. Her face was the only part of her slender and lanky body visible, the rest shrouded beneath her black bodysuit and small crimson dress.

She took a deep breath, letting the world around her slowly melt away as she became one with the living force. This didn't last long, however, as the tranquility was interrupted by the beeping of a holo-communicator.

"I really should have destroyed this," she muttered to herself in frustration. This was the first time in over a year that it had beeped, however, and out of habit she answered it. "Who gave you this frequency?" she asked angrily. "Asajj Ventress, I presume?" She didn't recognize the voice. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is who will soon be. I require a certain… skill set, one which you possess. I know you must be miserable there, without any channel for all your anger. I want to offer a way to release it, and make a tidy sum. I know who you are, Asajj Ventress. Former assassin for Count Dooku, and adept in the ways of the dark side. Dooku left you to die; surely that has created bitterness and anger in your heart? You were abandoned by your master for fear of retribution from his overlord. That same master killed one of your own, Savage Opress. Why did he do these things? The Jedi forced his hand. They were the ones who threatened Sidious enough to force your master to abandon you. They are the ones that forced Sidious to kill Opress. Don't you see? The Jedi are responsible for what has happened to you. I offer you a chance to help me and hurt them. All you need to do is capture one, and bring her to me."

"Who?" she asked.

"Jedi Master Shaak Ti. She will soon give birth to a child on Alderaan, who will only worsen the imbalance in the force. Bring her to me, and I will restore the balance."

"No. I am a slave no longer; I will not be used as a tool to do the bidding of others." Before he could speak, she ended the transmission.

She quickly hopped on her speeder, rushing back to the Nightsisters' fortress.

She ran inside, and found Mother Talzin conversing with one of the sisters. "Mother, we must speak." The aged witch beckoned her to another room. "What troubles you, my child?" She took a few shaky breaths. "Mother, a Sith contacted me, to kidnap a Jedi who will give birth to a powerful force-sensitive child." Talzin sat down on her chair. "This is very disturbing. The last time a Sith contacted us, we almost lost you. We cannot do so again." Asajj nodded. "I agree, mother. I've tried to put the past behind me. What should I do?" Talzin thought about it for a moment. "Warn these Jedi. It will help you atone for the past." Asajj nodded again. "Thank you, Mother."

# # #

"Ma'am, you need to take deep breaths." Shaak Ti had, in the span of less than half an hour, gone from celebrating her adopted daughter's lifeday to spreading her legs on a hospital bed. Anakin stood by her, holding her hand. "Everything's going to be just fine, these are the best doctors on the planet." Every moment felt like an hour for her as pain shot through her body. "Alright, I need you to push. Ready?" She nodded. "PUSH!" Anakin felt her grip tighten like a vice as she screamed. "You're doing great, but you need to PUSH!" She cried out again, and Anakin felt pins and needles as his hand went numb. "Doctor, I think I can see the baby," the nurse said, turning her head to look around the expecting mother's belly. "Push, Shaak Ti! You're doing great." Her eyes were already tearing up, but she could feel that the end was close. "I can see a head! Just one more big push, give it everything you've got!" She pushed as hard as she could, using every last drop of energy she had. "AAAAAAAAH!" she cried, momentarily deafening her husband. "It's a boy!" The doctor handed the baby to the nurse. "Almost done, one more to go!" She was running on fumes now, pushing like her life depended on it. "I can see another head! Come on Shaak Ti, PUSH!" She screamed, and Anakin was sure he would go deaf now. "It's a girl!" She let out a sigh of relief as the sound of two crying babies filled the room. "Congratulations, mom," the nurse said, delicately delivering the twins into Shaak Ti's arms. "Look Ani," she said hoarsely, "a boy and a girl." Anakin kissed her as she held them close to her chest, a tired smile stretched across her face. "Ma'am," the nurse said gently, "We need to get them cleaned and wrapped up." She nodded, gently handing the newborns to the nurse. She looked at Anakin. "We did it, my love." He kissed her forehead as she quietly nodded off.

# # #

Anakin stepped into the waiting room, full of anxious faces eagerly awaiting news. "Ladies and gentleman, today, I am the father of two beautiful twins!" Everyone's faces lit up. "Congratulations Anakin," Bail said as he patted his friend on the shoulder. Ahsoka stood next to them. "Dad, can I go see mom?" she asked. "She's down the hall Snips, just be sure not to wake her." As Anakin fielded questions from their friends and family, Ahsoka sat beside her mother's bed. "Mom?" she said quietly. "Hmmm?" she replied, her eyes half-closed. "I'm so glad everything went well!" Shaak Ti nodded in agreement. "Me too, honey." She took her mother's hand, gently squeezing as Shaak Ti struggled to stay awake. They were soon joined by Anakin. "Honey?" he asked. "Yes?" she said, her voice still hoarse. "The doctors said you should be fine to leave in a couple hours or so, once you're feeling a little stronger. Do you want everyone to come back to the house, or would you like to be alone?"

"I want everyone to see the babies," she said. "Alright. Ahsoka, can you go home with our guests? I'll come back with your mother and the twins."

# # #

Everyone was once again gathered in the living room talking as before. Ahsoka was speaking to Master Plo. "Master Plo, Rex and Cody mentioned the front earlier. I thought the war was over?"

"You are correct, Ahsoka," he began. "The Separatists surrendered, but in war, nothing is ever black and white. Some systems refused to accept the peace, and others never received the surrender order."

Ahsoka looked confused. "Don't they want peace though?" she asked. "Some of the holdouts are laying down their arms peacefully, yes. The Republic's goal now is to remove any remnants of the separatist movement, so it cannot rise up again. Unfortunately, some of the holdouts managed to block the battle droids' shutdown order, and some even have active factories. Until the last battle droid has been deactivated or destroyed and every former Separatist system surrenders, the war isn't truly over." They spoke for a while, only ending their conversation when Anakin opened the front door.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the woman of the hour, Shaak Ti!" He helped her inside as a small hovering crib floated behind him, gently placing itself down on the table. Anakin gently lowered his wife onto the couch, carefully bringing the babies over to their mother. She held them in her arms, looking down at their tiny, scrunched faces. "A blessing, this is," Yoda said, causing Shaak Ti to look up. "New life, you and Anakin have created. Very proud, we all are." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Names, have you chosen?" She looked over to her husband. "We have. Today, we welcomed our son, Brandon, and his twin sister Stephanie to our family." The room was filled with cheers and applause, as their friends and family congratulated the new parents.

# # #

"Please, don't shoot!" the alien pleaded as he waved his arms. "I can give you whatever you want!" The tip of a blaster pressed against his forehead. "Sorry, I always finish a job." BAM! The alien's body fell to the ground with a thud, as smoke rose from the edges of the hole in his skull. A holo-comm activated. "Job's done. You know how to pay me." The call ended, and the assassin boarded his ship. As it was leaving orbit, the communicator flared to life. "Boba Fett here. Don't waste my time, I'm a busy man," the pilot said. "Trust me, I will make this more than worth your while," a deep voice began. "Can you bring me someone alive?"

"Kidnapping? Depends on the target and how much you're paying."

"If you complete this job, you can name your price. I need a Jedi and her two infants delivered to me, unharmed. Up for the task?" He nodded. "Normally I don't do children, but Jedi are an exception."

"Perfect. I knew you were the man for the job. I'll send you the details now, and a down payment."

# # #

After a couple hours of celebrations, Shaak Ti was exhausted. Anakin held her arm as she walked slowly up the stairs, while Ahsoka said goodbye to the last of the guests as they returned to their ships for the night. The twins were sound asleep in two identical cribs in the next room with Ahsoka, and Barriss was just down the hall. Finally, Shaak Ti could rest. She gently lifted herself into bed, falling asleep almost immediately with her husband's arm wrapped snugly around her waist. This is the last good night's sleep I'll have for a while, he thought to himself as he drifted off. Ahsoka and Barriss offered to take care of the babies tonight, save for breastfeeding, to give the new parents a chance to rest. Like clockwork, the babies started to cry shortly after Barriss' head hit the pillow. She quietly tip-toed down the hall, and carefully held the twins in her arms as she cooed them back to sleep. Stephanie fell asleep first, followed soon after by her brother. Barriss gently returned them to the crib. As the door closed, she felt a chill in the air. Looking around, she saw nothing. "Huh, must have been the wind." She returned to her room, pulling the blanket over her chest as she closed her eyes.

Shaak Ti woke up after a couple hours rest, using the nightstand for support as she got out of bed. She quietly made her way across the room and into the hall, closing the door behind her. She entered the twins' room, pulling up a chair to the crib as she gently took Brandon in her arms. Using her other arm, she flung off the strap of her nightgown to expose her breast, as Brandon hungrily drank her milk. She removed the other strap, allowing the nightgown to fall to her waist as the twins sucked on her exposed breasts.

# # #

The bright blue glow of Alderaan grew larger as Slave I approached. The experienced bounty hunter had come prepared, activating a radar masking device which transmitted a false signal, and made him appear to be a small freighter on scanners. Slipping past ground radar unnoticed, he was able to land the ship a short distance from the target's home. The landing ramp extended with a mechanical hiss. Boba used his helmet's binoculars to scout the perimeter, when he noticed open doors on the second floor balcony leading inside. He was able to climb up without much trouble, and step through the wide-open doors. He switched his helmet visor to infrared, and saw someone sitting with their back towards him at the opposite side of the room. Too easy, he thought to himself. Activating his personal cloaking field (a device he had recently acquired from the Core worlds), he silently approached the figure. He quickly used his arm to put his victim in a headlock while slapping his hand over her mouth, pointing a blaster at her head with the other hand. "Don't make this harder for yourself," he said. "Scream, and I'll have to do more work before I get paid." He slowly walked back with her towards the balcony, pressing a button on his wrist-pad. Slave I's engines roared to life, quickly taking off as it sped towards the Skywalker residence.

# # #

Anakin awoke with a start, overwhelmed with agitation. He sprung out of bed, running down the hall as the sound of roaring engines permeated the air. He saw Ahsoka and Barriss in the doorway, watching in horror as an assailant led Shaak Ti and the twins away at gunpoint. He wanted to save her, but something held him back. If he tried something and failed, his wife and kids would die. He couldn't risk it. With one last backstep, the gunman led his hostages into his ship as it took off into the sky. Anakin felt his knees give out as he crumpled to the floor. He wanted to scream, to cry out, to do something, but the words wouldn't come out. For the first time in his life, he felt hopeless.

# # #

Ship ramps extended with a hydraulic hiss as the gathered guests rushed inside, allowing Ventress to land undetected among the commotion. Draping her hood to conceal her face, she walked through the front door of the house now full of Jedi, politicians, and a couple clone troopers. She could feel the tension in the room hanging like a thick fog, making it hard to sense any one person's thoughts or feelings. Only one stood out among the group: Ahsoka Tano. Having engaged her in combat so many times before, Ventress was able to pick her out with ease. Unfortunately, so was the young Togrutan. Sensing one another, Ahsoka carefully approached her former adversary. "Ventress!?" she said with anger and disbelief, quickly drawing her lightsaber as she pointed it menacingly at the perceived threat. Ventress drew her blade. They stared at one another for a moment, neither willing to let their guard down, before Ventress carefully holstered her weapon. "I haven't come to fight, Ahsoka," she said calmly as she lowered her hood. "Why are you here then?" she said with an attitude of distrust. "A warning." Ahsoka was taken aback, sensing the genuine lack of animosity from the former assassin. Retracting her blade, she cautiously stepped closer. Asajj took a deep breath. "Shaak ti is in danger. I was contacted on Dathomir by a Sith lord who wanted me to kidnap Shaak Ti before she gave birth to a child." Ahsoka stared at her for a moment as she tried to process what she just heard. "Why should I believe you?" she asked. "Ahsoka, why would I lie? I have nothing to gain. Since Count Dooku left me for dead, I have spent my time on Dathomir trying to let go of my past, of my anger. The Dark Side holds nothing for me any longer. Helping you is my way of finally letting the past die." Ahsoka felt the sincerity in her desire to heal. "You're too late. My mother was kidnapped less than an hour ago, and by the time we were able to react the ship was gone." Asajj looked around the room, seeing the pain in everyone's eyes as they stared at her. "I can't undo the pain I've inflicted on you, Ahsoka, or anyone else, but I can make things right. I am here to help you find her."

# # #