Chapter 30

Warning: Bit of a steamy scene at the end. Not really a sex scene...

A new Sith threat had risen from the ashes of the Separatist Alliance, Yoda explained. His expression was weary and his words laced with poorly disguised melancholy. For once, Anakin truly saw the ancient master's age reflected in his eyes. How many wars had he seen? How many times had he defeated the Dark Side only for it to rise again?

Nobody knew this newcomers name or face. Nobody knew anything about them or the hordes they recruited to their cause. Lost Jedi, one that neither the Jedi Order now the Grey Order had made it to in time. From the snippets of intelligence gathered, the Jedi found that these Sith worshiped Palpatine as a martyr, raising him to an almost saint-like capacity. An enlightened man struck down by the Jedi.

It made Anakin's stomach turn at the thought. Perhaps, if he hadn't killed the Chancellor... Ahsoka's fingers squeezed his on his lap. They sat in one of King Allern's conference rooms for some semblance of privacy. He released a slow breath and glanced over at her. She watched him with those bright blue eyes before turning back to Master Yoda. "And what do you want us to do, Master?"

Yoda sighed as he turned to look out the large windows to the side of them. "Gaining numbers, they are. Coming, I fear another war is," he looked back at Ahsoka and Anakin, Greys in every sense of the word, and at the balance that hung between them. "Enemies, we need not be."

"You're the ones that made us your enemies," Anakin interrupted, lurching to his feet.

Ahsoka clung to his hand, her eye-markings furrowed as she tugged him back into his seat. Yoda nodded, "Yes. Our mistake, that was. What we did not understand, we feared. What we feared, we hunted. The past, that was. Forgiveness, we seek."

"Forgiveness is not so easily given, Master Yoda," Ahsoka said in the clear, authoritarian voice that did not belong in the mouth of a twenty-one year old woman. A voice carved out by war and politics, a voice born of wisdom and confidence. She glanced at Anakin and he stared back at her. What if this threat is real? Dangerous?

So? he raised an eyebrow at her. They want the Jedi gone, not us.

She gnawed on her lip and looked over at Yoda. He seemed intrigued by their silent conversation. She stared at the floor. What if they come after us next though, Ani? Our people, our family...

Concern and worry passed through their bond. Anakin reached out, tipping her chin up to look at him. "To Coruscant, come," Yoda broke the silent moment between them and they turned to him. "With the Council, you can speak. A truce, we can form. Peace, we can find."

Anakin watched Yoda for several moments. If the Jedi Order meant to set a trap, they would've sent someone else. Someone less honest and trustworthy. Instead, they sent Yoda, perhaps one of the few Jedi Master that Ahsoka and Anakin, the "leaders" of the Grey Order, didn't have any sort of grudge against. It was a bold move. A bold, smart move. He glanced back at Eeden Jilyud as she waited in the shadows. "What do you think?" he called to the Miraluka. Their Order was built on trust and democracy, not the strict regulations and half-truths of the Order. The conversation was even being recorded in case anybody back at the Temple wished to go over it and judge for themselves.

She continued to stare forward, a byproduct of her blindness. After a moment, she sighed, "I think if there is an imminent threat, then it's our responsibility to deal with it, Skywalker. Even if it means working with the Jedi."

"I agree," Ahsoka stated and Anakin turned to look at his lover. She stared right back at him. "We'll go to the Temple, just the two of us-"

"Ahs-" Jilyud started, but the Togruta shook her head.

"Just Anakin and I will go. We can make that decision for ourselves and ourselves alone," she smiled up at Anakin. "If that's your decision as well."

He smirked down at her, "Not gonna let you have all of the fun without me, Snips."

"It's settled then," she bounced out of her seat and Anakin stood with you.

Yoda struggled up, his cane thumping against the marble floors, "In the morning, we will leave?"

"Sounds good," Anakin responded as he stopped in front of Yoda. He offered the Master a respectful bow and Jilyud and Ahsoka followed. "Do you and the men you came with have a place to stay?"

"Shelter, King Allern offered us," Yoda stated as he hobbled towards the door. "Thank you."

The door swung open and he disappeared into the hallway. Anakin turned back to Ahsoka and Jilyud. "I really don't think you should go alone," the Miraluka said. She reached out and placed a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "It could be a trap."

"I don't think it is," Ahsoka pursed her lips. "We're going to go and hear what the Jedi Council has to say. We'll record everything, whether they want us to our not and send our Council the information. Okay?"

She nodded, dropped her hand. "Be careful, okay? Both of you."

Ahsoka glanced over at Anakin and he smiled back at her. "We'll be fine," he said. "As long as we have each other."

Pretty much the entire Grey Council protested to the idea, but ultimately, they conceded that it was their decision to make. They didn't ask for any backup or extraction plans. If anything, Anakin could sense more excitement from Ahsoka than anything. And he had to admit, he was a bit excited himself. Petty bandits and corrupt regimes paled in comparison to Jedi and Sith. As much as they enjoyed being faceless heroes and saving the Galaxy in little ways, fighting pure evil was the real purpose. The real battle.

A battle they missed.

"Do you think we'll be gone long?" Ahsoka asked from the balcony.

Anakin looked up from the hoverdroid model he promised to repair for one of the Younglings. Now that he was leaving, he really needed to get it done. She stood in her nightclothes, staring up at the darkened sky. A hush fell over the Temple like it always did when the sun went down. A few guards meandered around, but there was no threat, no tension.

It was peaceful.

"I don't know," he admitted as he wrestled with some of the wiring.

She turned to face him and leaned back against the railing. He looked up at her, a familiar warmth crawling up his spine when he saw her mischievous smile. "I need to finish this, Snips."

"Get up early and finish it," she said as she closed the balcony doors.

"'Soka..." he tried to sound reprimanding, but he failed.

"Ani?" she smiled at him before picking up the model. She dropped it on the table, easing herself onto his lap.

Her fingers combed through his hair and he leaned into her touch with a sigh. He blinked at her when her icy hand settled against his cheek. "I missed you," she said in a low voice. She pressed a kiss to his jaw and his eyes fluttered shut. "I wish we could stay at home a little bit longer. Maybe sleep in tomorrow. Or maybe not sleep at all."

She let her kisses drift lower, all the while slipping his robes off of his shoulders. Her head raised and she smirked at him as he came undone in her hands. He knew she prided herself for that ability. Nobody got to see Anakin Skywalker like this. Except for her. She kissed him hard then and he reciprocated, hands drifting underneath her nightshirt, touching every space of skin. After a second, Ahsoka pulled back and jumped lightly to her feet. Anakin groaned at being deprived of her warmth. "But you have to finish that model for Sarkun, so I'll leave you be."

As she turned to leave, he surged forward with a growl. He pulled her back against him, tugging at the zipper at the base of her halter top. "The model can wait," he murmured.

He understood her pride because he felt it too. Only he could make Ahsoka Tan come undone.