Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

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This place was hell. There’s no life here. Well, there is life, but if you count the withering leaves and bodies here, then sure. In these parts, there were only beggars, murderers, and rapists, the list goes on forever. What’s worse is that the deeper you go the more broken and forgotten you become. Yeah, that’s right, forgotten. Do you really think the people Up Top care for slums like us? C’mon, if you believe that, then you deserve nothing, not even pity because that is shameful. The people Up Top don’t care. Never did, never will. Not even their high and mighty Jedi. Those assholes claim they’re helping the Galaxy, but they’re so focused on off-worlds, they’re forgetting about their own people here that’s suffering! Hope there’s no day when I come across a Jedi—

“C’mon, Sar’Mari! We’re supposed to be meeting the Pykes, we cannot afford to be late!”

Heavy footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the ship. And a screeching sound of a metal object being dragged across the floor of the broken down ship could be heard as well.

“I know, ma, you told me like a hundred times already!”

Boom! Bang!

“Hey, little girl, be careful with that container! If any of that stuff spills, your hide is mine!”

“Ma, they’re just spices! They won’t notice if a little spills…” a gloved hand smacks against a fingerless gloved one as a reprimand.

“Ow!”

“You need to learn how to be more considerate! And careful! And more ready!” Her mother drags on. “In situations like these, there’s no room for errors!”

“Ma, we’re only delivering literally grains to them. Why should they catch an attitude over us being late or whatever? As long as they get what they want, right?” She rolls her eyes at her mother’s good-natured but too-cautious behavior. Then she hears her mother sighing.

“Because, Gem, they are the only source we have for paydays. If it wasn’t for your father's negotiation with them, we would probably be in the lowest of the lowest parts of this sad world.”

“Mom, the Pykes never keep their word about things! They were the ones who killed Dad! Why should we still beg for them to give us work!? We should be the ones to kill the leader who put together the setup against him!” Her mother takes her pointer finger and thumb and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“First of all, it’s not begging, Sar’Mari. We are simply keeping the agreement alive so we can have a steady money flow, and…Lom Pyke—“

“Needs to die! He needs to be killed for what he’s done to my father, your husband! ”

She sighs, her bones aching and tiredness seeping in.

“Your father was foolish and greedy. I’ve told him many times before to just stick to the amount we’re usually given. But he did his own thing, as he always did. His luck ran out when Lom Pyke came into the picture!” Seeing the look on Sar’Mari’s face brought a feeling of somberness to the other woman. She softens her tone.

“Listen, once we have enough credits to build our way up to the Top Side and afford a way better-functioning ship than this piece of crap, then we can take our revenge. But for now, we must play their game.”

Sar’Mari scoffs and turns away from her mother. She crosses her arms, staring out the front windshield of their ship. Another tired sigh could be heard from behind her, but she was too angry to acknowledge the weight that bared down on her mother. A hand then touches her shoulder.

“That’s how this life we live is like little Gem. We are puppets to the stronger; sometimes, we have to allow them to prey. But do you know what’s the good thing about being the prey?” She asks in a whisper. SarMari looks at her with her peripheral vision. Her mother comes closer.

“We are always the ones who rise at the end.”

Sar’Mari sighs nodding, keeping her eyes on the blue but cloudy sky. Their ship was parked right on the first landing platform of Level 5127: the highest level on the planet. Up here, is where all the ‘magic’ happens. All the big titles lived here. Her whole life, even if her hatred towards the Jedi and the Republic was at its utmost point, SarMari always imagined how her life would be like living amongst the rich and the powerful.

Tch, don’t wish for what you won’t have…

She sees all the lights in the ship light up and hears the engine roar to life. She saw her mother already strapping in and pointing to the seat next to her.

“C’mon. We’re already late.”

==============

“It is about time you have come with my shipment.”

The landing of the ship was always the worst part for Sar’Mari. It was on its last leg and the girl was scared of the day it gave out completely. The day that she and her mother reign revenge on the Pykes, it would be unfortunate if the ship goes out. Arriving at Oba Diah always gave Sar’Mari chills in her spine. She was glad that her mother would order her to stay on the ship to remain unseen while she completed the transactions of the spices. Sar’Mari didn’t mind, she didn’t want to see the Pyke Syndicate Leader, Lom Pyke.

But during this time of completing the job, her mother, Jaccha Dara, would always leave the com open so Sar’Mari wouldn’t be left out of anything that was to be discussed between them and the crime family.

Sar’Mari hated this. She wanted her mother to switch jobs, to pursue her life of mechanics that she always raved about pursuing instead of being a simple delivery worker, who gets tossed almost little to nothing of the credits that they need to live. But because of some negotiation that Sar’Mari had no intel about, her mother’s hands were apparently tied. They had no choice but to work for the Pykes. Sar’Mari dreads the day when they might mess up on an order and they would have to pay for it with their lives, that’s why she was so adamant about getting rid of the crime leader. But as always, her mother keeps her ‘waiting for the right moment’.

Sar’Mari sits up at the beep of her mom’s com link coming online. She quiets her mind’s buzzing and listens in.

“Sorry ‘bout the delay. There was a minor issue with my ship’s engine. Won’t happen again.”

“I certainly hope not. For your sake of course.” The grim and slimy-sounding voice Lom Pyke spoke.

“Well, because we went through trouble getting our ship in order because we had to deliver your spices, I believe compensation is in order…”

Haha, Mom and her shenanigans

“Compensation? Be advised little Twi’lek, I do not take kindly to giving more than what is necessary.”

“You be advised, I’m the only one who’s capable of delivering your shit undetected. If it wasn’t for my partner who installed that sensor block for your products, then all your operations would be shut down, and you’d be thrown into prison.” Sar’Mari hears her mother throw back. Sar’Mari wanted to laugh out loud but had to keep quiet so she wouldn’t be heard.

“Really now? But then you’ll be thrown into a cell right next to me just for being involved, and your little one will be taken into custody of the Republic.”

Sar’Mari stills at this new information. And it seems her mother too because she didn’t hear her quick retort as usual. The com got staticky until it cleared up again.

“Excuse me?”

“What? You think I do not do my research about the people I hire or as your mate said ‘negotiate’ with?” The Pyke sounded sly and sinister. Sar’Mari wrenched the armchair at the mention of her father. She so badly wants her mother to finish this stupid transaction so they can leave, but she continues to listen. But she can feel something wasn’t right. There was never anything right with the Pykes, but there was something different that didn’t settle with her. They needed to go.

“I have no children. You must be mistaken me with someone else.” A steady reply from her mother relaxes Sar’Mari a little. She was confident that Jaccha could sway the Syndicate Leader away from this unnecessary topic. But it was threatening of how he knows…why would he mention Sar’Mari if the only thing he’s worried about is his spices?

“I think not. Maybe if I clear it up, you may remember. Sar’Mari Dara, is it?”

Sar’Mari heard her mom’s holster pop open. Her eyes widen as she stays still in her seat. The back of the ship was still open, so if Sar’Mari were to turn around to go to her mother, she would be seen and would definitely be in some trouble.

“Whatever your sick mind is gearing up, stop it right now.”

Ugly laughter could be heard even from the back of the cargo area, Sar’Mari didn’t need the coms for that. But she needs to do something. Whatever this conversation was leading to, obviously it will not be well, and Sar’Mari wants her and Jaccha to be as far away as possible.

Sar’Mari slowly turns in her seat and looks. Thankfully but unfortunately, the Pykes were all focused on her mother so they didn’t see Sar’Mari leaving her chair.

“I suggest putting your weapon down if you know what is good for you, Mrs. Dara.”

“Like hell I would.“

Sar’Mari goes to the bunker area that they rarely go in to sleep. The girl mostly hangs out in the small room but most of her nightly and hang-out time was spent in the co-captain’s chair, helping her mother manage the ship. Sar’Mari kneeled and looked under her mother’s bed where an old and tattered box that her mother specifically said not to go into was pulled out and into her lap. Sar’Mari clicks it open where a blaster pistol is awaiting. She slowly reaches in and grabs it, adjusting her grip to hold it tighter due to its weight. Sar’Mari blows a quick breath before brushing the box aside and standing up. She makes her way to the back of the ship.

“Now Mrs. Dara, what would you gain from killing me? Don’t you understand that something like this was bound to happen? I knew that one day you were going to attempt and fail to assassinate me the day your husband ultimately died-“

“He didn’t ‘just die!’ You murdered him!” Jaccha cuts Lom off. The Pyke snaps his fingers and the guards behind him come around and grab the woman.

“Get your slimy hands off me!”

“Now, now, no need for all the noise,” Pyke says nonchalantly. Sar’Mari slowly creeps to the back of the ship, the gun held tightly as she nears the opening. Her eye gleams with hatred seeing her mother being held against her will. There was an empty container on the side of the door so Sar’Mari hurriedly runs behind it and peeks out.

“Listen, whatever you’re gonna do, do it now, I don’t care, but don’t you dare put your hands on my daughter!” Jaccha spat at the alien. Lom cackles as if he heard the funniest joke.

“You Twi’leks are hilarious. But very stupid. Your species are only good at giving bodily pleasures.”

Sar’Mari gasped as multiple beams lit up and aimed at her chest. She knew for a fact at least one of them was aimed at her head. Her grip on the gun became shaky as a Pyke came up and snatched it out of her hands. She would’ve shot him already if she already knew and took the gun off safety before she tried to surprise them.

“Hey! Let me go!” Sar’Mari grunts as she’s yanked off the ship by her arms. The Pyke easily pulled her where she was now standing beside her mother who surrendered her own gun when more Pykes was called to surround the two.

“Oh, Jaccha. What kind of a mother are you? Not teaching your daughter how to properly eliminate someone.” Lom sighs, almost as if he was a disappointed parent. It made Sar’Mari sick to the stomach that this weird Alien was relishing in the fact that he captured somebody. They were just delivery people… who were trying to kill him—but what does he know? He doesn’t know that part that’s for sure….right?

“Hi there, you must be Sar’Mari Dara.” The Leader Pyke says in a fake sweet voice, trying to sound nice. Sar’Mari growled.

“Fuck you!”

“Sar’Mari!” Her mother says desperately. She wanted her daughter to not say anything, to let her do the talking to fix this mess. She didn’t want her daughter to say too much that might end up with her losing her only child, hell, she didn’t want her to be seen or known at all!

“There is no need for that, little one. Hmm,” The alien hummed, analyzing Sar’Mari from top to bottom. Sar’Mari squirmed at the looks she was getting from the Pyke and slowly started to panic, but she tried not to show it on her face.

“Mrs. Dara, it seems your husband was not wrong,” Lom states as he gets closer to the young girl. Jaccha yanks her arm in the other guard's hold but they tightly corrected their grip.

“What are you talking about?” She grunted. If eyes could burn, Lom Pyke would be in ashes right about now, but unfortunately, that is not able to happen. Unless some God strikes down a lighting bolt then hell yeah.

“I understand that our ‘anniversary’ on our agreement is coming up, and I want to celebrate his memory by going over the contract…” he trails off. The woman sneers at him but continues to listen.

“What about it? I assume there’s no point in keeping it…” She says, looking at the Pyke with a dangerous look in her eye. Sar’Mari watched the adults talk while she was sitting on her knees. The guards pushed her into that position from squirming too much. They had their guns aimed at her. She was in no position to make any threatening moves to save the day.

“Exactly. That is why your husband stated, if things go awry, I could keep his seed as my slave .”

“W-What!?” Jaccha splutters. She jerks forward because of her reaction and the Pykes had to pull her back.

“Your husband said and I quote,” one of the guards that stood behind the Leader Pyke held out a worn down piece of paper. He reads smugly, “If for any reason the agreement sours, I offer my seed to partake in giving services to the Pyke Family for the rest of her days lived. In doing so, you would declare safety for her and my wife.”

“My husband would never make a deal like that with you!” Jaccha snarled. “Our deal with you was to only be your delivery workers. There were no words said about my daughter becoming your slave!” Jaccha growled. Sar’Mari looked between her mother and Lom Pyke, her heart racing as she registered the words.

Lom Pyke cackles, snatching the paper from his men's hands, and wiggling it in the woman’s face. “It says it clear, black and white.” Jaccha shakes her head in lack of belief.

“I’m going to b-be a slave?” Sar’Mari murmurs, eyes filled with terror and anger as a random Pyke dressed in heavy armor approaches the captured girl with some sort of leather leash.

“Over my dead body!” Jaccha declared, her back arching away from the guards to get some sort of leverage to yank away from them.

“That can be arranged.”

“NOOO! LOM PYKE YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER!” Sar’Mari gasps as she has never heard her normally collected and rational mother scream so much.

“It should not be me you pour out your anger to. Your husband was the one who stated I take your little one if things go sour. He is the one who made and signed the agreement.”

“Lom!” Jaccha cries out as she sees the leash latched around her daughter’s neck and being dragged away. Sar’Mari yelps at the harsh pulling.

“Mom!” Sar’Mari calls out.

Is this how it ends? Am I going to slave away for these assholes? What’s gonna happen to my mother!? Why did Dad say that? How—

“I’d return that child to her mother if I was you, Pyke scum!”

Everyone stills at the new voice. Sar’Mari was yanking on the leather collar but froze as she looked at the new person. She gasps.

“Anakin Skywalker. What a strange surprise.” Lom says lowly. Sar’Mari looks towards the named Anakin and sees another guy pop up beside him.

“Ah, and Obi-wan Kenobi, we meet again,” Lom says as if he and the other man are long-time friends. Nia was shocked.

Jedi?

She never thought she would ever meet one, let alone see one. Then there are two of them. This day keeps getting better and better.

“I suppose it was overdue for another visit, yes?” The ginger-bearded man says as he unleashes his lightsaber. The dark-haired man beside him unsheathes his too, and a whole fight breaks out.

“Sar’Mari!” Jaccha pulled herself free from the grasp of the Pykes, just in time to dodge a stray blast bullet that was reflected off the blazing blue lightsaber from one of the fighters. The men that held her, didn’t have time to retain her again when they got pulled into the fight.

“Mom!” Sar’Mari fights to rip the leash off her neck. But it was no use as she was being hurriedly and roughly tugged further and further away from the fight and her screaming mother.

“Let me go!” She yells, pulling hard on the leather cord. But it was no use, the Pyke was too strong and Sar’Mari’s energy was depleting. She started to feel hopeless the closer she got to the building where the Pykes were first waiting.

Her eyes widened from a flashing light that came swiping down in front of her. She ends up on her butt, and in her hand was a scorched-off end of the leash. Then there was a thud, and she looked to see the Pyke that was dragging her knocked unconscious on the ground. Sar’Mari was left in awe but in fear, as she looked up at the savior who rescued her.

“Are you alright?”

It was Obi-Wan Kenobi, standing tall with his lightsaber gripped firmly in his hand. He had it pointed down, where the burnt part of the leash was. It was crazy, the fight was over quicker than it started.

Kenobi bends down and takes Sar’Mari from under the arm and hoists her to her feet. Sar’Mari balanced herself once she stood up and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding and looked around. All the Pykes were on the ground. They looked so still, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were dead. But that didn’t matter, because there was one Pyke Sar’Mari was more concerned about.

“W-Where’s Lom?” She asks, struggling to wrench the loosening leash from around her neck. The ginger-bearded man got close and untied the knot that the girl had missed in her rush to get the cord off of her.

“Sar’Mari!” Sar’Mari grunts as her face is squished in between her mother’s arms and chest. Sar’Mari melts in her mother’s hold sighing deeply as she relishes in her touch and smell. She knows now to be more grateful for her mother, especially for being as strong and leveled in situations like this…

“Amid the battle, he managed to escape. But no worries, he will not harm you again.” He assured, patting the girl on the back. Jaccha moves her body to be in front of Sar’Mari, shielding her from the Jedi. Sar’Mari holds on to her mother tighter, her heart still beating from the events that happened.

“He might be gone, but not those containers of illegal spices.” Jaccha’s hold on Sar’Mari got tighter when another voice entered the conversation.

“Now, Anakin. Remember. Your tone.” Kenobi pats the other Jedi on the shoulder then turns to the mother and daughter.

“But I must also inquire. What were you doing with the illegal shipment?” Kenobi asks Jaccha. The woman sighs before releasing Sar’Mari and turning to face the Jedi.

“I’m just a delivery worker. I was sent here to give those Pykes the spices and high tail it out of here.” She explains to the two men. Sar’Mari had to refrain from avoiding the Jedi’s eyes because one thing she learned; if you avoid eye contact you’re immediately a liar.

“But it seems Lom Pyke knew you,” Anakin, the name that Sar’Mari finally registers in her brain, trails off before looking right at her. “And your daughter……personally. ” There was implication in his tone. Sar’Mari prayed silently that her mother could talk their way out and get to go home.

“No. I was just his worker. Nothing more, nothing less.” Jaccha responded neutrally.

“Hmm, well, I know you want to leave this planet as badly as we do, you can be on your way now,” Kenobi spoke up, nodding at Jaccha. He then cast his gaze down at Sar’Mari. He squinted his eyes a little and it made Sar’Mari feel squeamish.

Why’s he lookin’ at me like that?…

“Very well. Thank you, for saving my daughter and I.” Jaccha bows slightly before taking Sar’Mari by the shoulder and guiding her away from the men and to the ship. As they went, Sar’Mari saw a few, if not numerous soldiers surrounding the Jedi. They had white armor, some having paint and markings all over it. She lifted an eyebrow, but she was already led into the ship before she got to observe more. She even missed another reading gaze from the ginger-bearded man.

==========

It was around nighttime when they arrived home. Sar’Mari was quick to leave the landing platform and go straight to her haven. She immediately went for her room but her mother grabbed her and brought her close again. She cradled her head and stroked her blonde strands.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Her mother repeats with a broken tone. It was like an instinct for Sar’Mari to grab a hold of the other woman.

“I should’ve never let you come with me.” Her mother wept, but the child shook her head.

“No, mom. I go everywhere you go. That was our deal. Remember?” Sar’Mari backs away from her mother’s hug to look her in the eyes.

“I know. But this was a dangerous mission.” Jaccha sighs, releasing Sar’Mari. The girl didn’t say anything back. Because in her mind, the words of Lom Lyke were bothering her.

“Did Dad really make that deal with him? For me to become a slave if something bad happens?” She asks, her eyes beginning to get watery. Jaccha wipes them before the tears have the chance to fall.

“It said it on the paper. But that doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to let them take you away from me.” Jaccha says soothingly. Sar’Mari sniffs at the answer, feeling another layer of security wrapped around her as her mother brings her back in for a hug.

“But why would dad do that? Didn't he love me?” SarMari’s voice was muffled in her mother’s jacket.

“Of course he did,” Jaccha reassured, though there was doubt in her mind. How could Beneli make this up? Give this child away as if she was nothing? Over credits? If she were to find out, it would be hell ready to burst open.

“C’mon, let’s get you in bed. Tomorrow we have another delivery to make, and we both need the energy,” Jaccha leads her daughter into her bedroom she turns on the light, which flickers profusely before it stops. Sar’Mari was hesitant to even step in the room, and Jaccha noticed.

“What’s wrong?” She asks, instantly going for the child’s hand. Sar’Mari rubbed her arm, feeling embarrassed at what she was about to ask.

“Can I sleep in the room with you?” She asked in a small voice. Jaccha smiles, coming close to once again bring her daughter in her arms.

“Of course you can.” She agreed.

It was easy to see that today’s events affected the girl frightfully, and the woman hoped she still didn’t break her promise her older sibling made her make.

She’s trying. She really is. But she would never regret having Sar’Mari in her life. She was a light that Jaccha never thought she’d need. She didn’t want to lose it…

Chapter Text

The Jedi Temple. Also known as, the Palace of The Jedi. It is a headquarters, but also a home to the Jedi Order. It is a dormitory, as well as a training and a bureaucratic facility for the Jedi to come together as one.

In this temple, high in the Jedi Council Chamber, kneeled two young Jedi, bowed before the Jedi Order’s Grand Master, Yoda.

“Whom you saved from the Pykes, this young girl, you want?” The Tridactyl asks, his eyes open and wide, reading and sensing the troubled aura of the younger man.

“That is correct. Anakin and I had only traveled to Oba Diah to confront the Pyke Syndicate regarding the disappearance of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and his attaché, Silman…who had died detrimental deaths..” Kenobi states with a tiny cough at the end, grief was quick to pass. Yoda closes his eyes in brief dismal before giving the other man the okay to continue.

“But after those events, I felt something in The Force which led me back to the planet.” The man then looked to Anakin who spoke for him.

“We decided to follow these feelings, despite my protest to come back to Coruscant,” He grunted, giving the side-eye to Kenobi, who wasn’t looking at him, but a smirk decorated his face, letting it be known that the petty jab was acknowledged but disregarded. Anakin scoffs.

“Anyway, it led us to the two females who we’ve mentioned earlier.” Yoda nods at this.

“She is the one, do you think?” The green-skinned man asked. Kenobi shakes his head.

“I do not think, Master Yoda. I know she is. She is a strange one, I will tell you that.”

“That sounds a little racist, don’t you think Obi-Wan?” Anakin's blithering did not affect the older man whatsoever.

“Because this child lacks an average Togruta’s Montrals and Lekku, I have never seen one with normal hair before.” Obi-Wan, smoothly replies, raising his eyebrow at the younger Jedi.

“She is mixed, this Togruta is?” Yoda was surprised to hear such information. And what he hears next is much more surprising.

“Yes. And her ‘mother’ is a Twi’lek. The daughter looks nothing similar to her.” Kenobi recalled his observations.

“Well maybe her father is human?” Anakin suggests, giving a little benefit of the doubt about the Twi’lek and that mixed girl.

“Twi’leks and Togrutas do not have hair , Anakin.” Kenobi once again points that out for the other man. Anakin turns to him.

“Maybe she’s not her daughter, maybe she is a niece? A kid of a friend?” Anakin assumed, trying to give out any little possibilities. Kenobi shakes his head.

“Whoever she may be, the Twi’lek is not fit to care for her in any way. That child could have been enslaved by the Pykes, or worse, dead, if we had not gotten there and intervened.” Obi-Wan stressed, looking back to Yoda who was submerged in thoughts of what to say to the young man.

“But I don’t get it. If it is true, how come we didn’t know about it? I mean, We kept and are still keeping track of every force-sensitive child that has ever existed. How come we didn’t sense this the day she was born?” Anakin asks, dumbfounded. This was when Yoda hummed, bringing the attention of Anakin and Obi-Wan.

“Troubling, this is. Explanation, I am not sure. Covered, the darkness has. But, retrieve the girl, if you must if The Force has led you to her. The darkness can sense a new spark, when it emerges, the same way, the light can.” Yoda disseminates. Kenobi gives his respects before standing. Anakin, who had already stood, scratches his head, but he says nothing as he follows the older Jedi out of the Council Chamber.

Once they exited the room and started walking down the hallway to the exit, Anakin tapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder.

“That’s nice and all, to have the blessing from Yoda, but how are we going to find two unidentifiable people in the city?”

“It is simple,” Kenobi responds calmly to which Anakin raises an eyebrow.

“Okay. Would you mind explaining how?”

“I already did my investigation before meeting with you and Master Yoda.” Kenobi supplies, whipping out a tablet from his pocket, and tapping profusely before giving it to Skywalker.

“How’d you have time to do all that? You just met them.” Anakin sighed, looking over the gathered resources his master had managed to collect.

“I have my ways,” Kenobi says nonchalantly. Anakin rolls his eyes.

“Jaccha Dara? That’s the mother’s name?” He then asks, scrolling and reading more. Kenobi nodded as he stroked his beard.

“Yes. And the supposed daughter’s name is Sar’Mari Dara. Unfortunately, there was not much data on her. The father is unknown but it is clear he is no human.”

“The Mother is a Twi’lek, the father is unknown, and the daughter is a mixed human and Togruta. Something doesn’t seem right.” Anakin hands the tablet back to Kenobi.

“Of course not. If Jaccha’s her mother, that means the girl’s father is a Togruta. But that is impossible seeing that the child has human hair . This means the Twi’lek is not her mother.” The ginger bearded man explained.

“Alright,” Skywalker sighs. “So where do we start?”

==========

Skako Minor was a temperate world. It was a home of its misty canyons, fungal forests, mountains, caverns, and caters. It was also home to the Poletecs; a strange species, primitive humanoids who inhabited villages and lived a simple and peaceful way of life. Sar’Mari liked them, because they were keen on staying out of any affairs the Republic was involved in, like this stupid clone war. The Poletecs said it was an outsider’s problem, and the girl couldn’t agree more.

“Alright, we’re here. You know the drill, helmet on.”

Upon arrival, Jaccha had to be sure everything was still up to par with the supplies they were delivering to the native inhabitants. Unlike Oba Diah, Skako Minor was a place she and Sar’Mari liked coming to visit, even if it was to swiftly drop off the shipment to the Poletecs and dip out as soon as possible. The natives there were friendly, despite the research Sar’Mari conveyed the first time they scored a job in bringing the resources to the striving village; it was told that the species was very hostile and that they worshiped flying reptiles who they’d use as transportation. She’d thought the first time she arrived on the planet, she and her mother would be killed. But thankfully, the Poletecs were patient enough to see that they came barreling with ‘gifts’. Ever since then, they have been like best friends; the payday was the fun part as well. They were incredibly generous with paying them the credits. At first, Jaccha thought the job was rigged given the fact that the Poletecs lived very…antique. Credits were not what they used for financial transactions, but thankfully the natives’ senator, Elitero, had that sorted out.

Sar’Mari personally liked Senator Elitero. He was very loyal to his people. He is careful and honest and knows how and when to pick his battles for his people. But Sar’Mari likes his daughter, Salishel, more. She was happy when she learned that the Senator and his daughter could speak the human language and not only their native tongue. Of course, it was mandatory to earn the language, but Sar’Mari was happy that she could communicate with someone her age. Salishel was very bubbly, which Sar’Mari kind of envied; living in the dark parts of Coruscant, there was not much to be happy or ‘bubbly’ about. If you were to score a nice amount of credits from pickpocketing or were able to find a decent meal that was thrown away in the back of a broken-down restaurant, then yeah, a smirk can suffice. But there was no true genuine happiness behind it all, it was just a way of survival.

“Thank you both so much for this delivery. We are forever in your debt.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Senator.” Jaccha tips her hat at the lanky man and turns to Sar’Mari who was talking with the senator’s daughter.

“It was always refreshing to see you, Sar’Mari Dara,” Salishel spoke happily. Sar’Mari grunts as she places another hefty container on the ground.

“Likewise. And, You don’t have to say my whole name every time we meet, ya know,” Sar’Mari laughs wholeheartedly. The other girl’s face was tinted pink, which contrasted beautifully with her purplish skin.

“My apologies, your name is quite interesting to say all the time,” Salishel replied, her blush never leaving her face.

“Well, you can just call me ‘Mari. Saying my full name is kinda…too formal.” The girl suggests, shrugging with a calm smile plastering her face.

“Oh, a nickname?” Salishel expresses enthusiastically. Sar’Mari nods before turning to unlock the latch of the box, opening it and revealing the supplies. Salishel started to feel sympathy for the two females.

“We’re sorry for burdening you with the shipment. When the Republic found out about those beings in Purkoll-“

“Eh, don’t get me wrong Salishel, but you know me; I’m not really interested in politics.” Sar’Mari awkwardly waves her hand dismissively. Little did she know, she should’ve indulged herself in learning about how politics worked between the Poletecs and the city of Purkoll on Skako Minor.

“Forgive me. It’s an instinctive thing for me to do. My father has started training me to learn politics for when I follow in his footsteps to become Senator.” Salishel voices gently.

“Sar’Mari,” the girl mentioned looking at her mother who’s jutting her head towards the ship and walking towards it. It was time to go.

“Heh, duty calls. And good luck at becoming a senator. ‘Till next time,” Sar’Mari saluted the teen Poletec and even winked her way before running to catch up to Jaccha. She misses the squeak and the blush that was produced by the younger teen.

==========

Pressed up against the cold but comforting glass, gazing at the million stars that dotted the black sky. The galaxy was beautiful and endless. It had a door that opened to whole new possibilities of discovering what is out there.

“I always wanted to own an Omicron-class shuttle. Just wait, my little girl. Once we get a better ship than this piece of crap, we’ll travel the galaxy together, just you and me.” Jaccha would always say when she and Sar’Mari first started getting work. She still says it to this day. Sar’Mari couldn’t stop smiling about it ever since. Her free time was spent helping her mother manage the ship. But at night, when there was nothing but the quiet, she would daydream about the next ‘adventure’ she and her mother would go on; anywhere is better than being on that dying part of Coruscant, where you have to look over your shoulder everywhere you go.

She didn’t realize she was too deep into her head until her mother tapped the arm of her chair, signaling for her to sit back and strap in, for she was preparing the ship to go into hyperspace. Sar’Mari was ready until a button on her left started blinking rapidly. She gasps.

“Sar’Mari?” Jaccha was too focused on inputting the next destination coordinates when she heard her daughter’s startled tone.

“Someone is hailing us. No one has ever done that before.” The girl breathes. The girl was suspicious because all their clients and employers they delivered supplies to and got work from gave them their comm link just in case they needed a restock. So why is someone hailing them through the ship’s communication device?

“Who is it? Can you identify the caller?” The woman asks, sitting up to look outside the front of the ship. With one swipe, Sar’Mari pulls up the log to display the name of the hailer. Her blood runs cold.

“It doesn’t say exactly who it is, but the ship is called a Corellian G9 Rigger-class light freighter?” Sar’Mari says in confusion. Now it was Jaccha’s turn to gasp.

“Wait a minute…that was the ship those Jedi rode in on Oba Diah.” The woman says, more so to herself than to the girl. What are they doing in this part of the galaxy? More importantly, what were they doing hailing them? Sar’Mari instinctively started playing with the collar of her ripped jean jacket.

“But we just met them yesterday…why are they calling us? How’d they even find us?” The girl then asks, now seeing the other ship coming into view. She looked at her mother, not making a move to accept the hail. Jaccha has the look of contemplation. Was she coming back for her? No…she can’t want her now…

“It’s been years,” The Twi’lek whispers to herself, looking down at the steering wheel she was gripping tightly. Sar’Mari saw this and wrenched the color of her jacket tighter.

“Mom?”

Jaccha shakes herself out of it, looking at her daughter .

“Answer it.” She says calmly. Sar’Mari on the other hand, swallowed thickly, her nerves on the gate. She slowly lays her shaking hand on the button, answering the call. She jumps back as a large hologram in the middle of the captain’s and co-captains seat forms, though it was staticky at first from not being used at all. Jaccha puts on a stone-cold face as she stands up in front of the holo.

“ Hello? Is someone hearing me? ” A fizzled Obi-Wan came into the picture, his eyes squinted looking around the vicinity of what the holo allowed. Jaccha scoffs discontented.

“Unfortunately, yes.” She says, displeased with the surprise call. “Can you please tell me why I’m seeing Jedi again? Two days in a row?”

“ Ah, Jaccha Dara. Just the person I wanted to see. ” The man replied as if he wasn’t the one who had hailed them first.

“Let’s make it quick. There is something important if you already know my name.” Jaccha remained stoically calm through this unpredicted call. On the inside, she was screaming to end it and hyperjump out of this part of the galaxy, leaving the Jedi men behind.

“ My apologies. You are a very busy woman, yes? ” Sar’Mari rolled her eyes. Why is he talking like he and Jaccha have been friends forever? Like mother like daughter, the mother was thinking the same thing.

“What is it that you want, Jedi? I'm not a conversationalist…” Jaccha grunted out. She was starting to get annoyed just by looking at the ginger-bearded man.

“ Ah, well let’s make this quick then, ”

Suddenly the hologram disappears and the ship shakes. Sar’Mari yelps.

“What was that?” She asks, breath quickening. With the hologram of the Jedi gone, the girl was starting to panic. Jaccha hisses as she quickly sat down in the chair and pressed a few buttons, moving the steering wheel. She then hits it with both of her fists and yells in frustration.

“They’ve locked onto us with a tractor beam.”

“A tractor beam? A ship like that has that!?” Sar’Mari screeches. Quickly, Jaccha flips a switch by the wheel which activates the upper ship’s camera, where a larger ship is displayed on the front screen.

“A dungeon ship.” Jaccha acknowledges, gritting her teeth, and realizing what was happening.

“Mommy,” a small voice sounded beside her, and a hand touched her wrist.

“Don’t be scared. Never be scared.” She says roughly. The ship shifts again, and the next thing they know, they are in hyperspace.

“They can do that!?” Another screech from Sar’Mari had Jaccha wondering if could she even save them this time. Save her. Her hands danced over the dashboard full of buttons, to try to dislodge the ship away from the tractor beam, but it was pointless, and it wasn’t a smart move to break away while in the middle of hyperspace. They had no choice but to wait to see where they were being taken.

Sar’Mari held her mother’s hand tight, to the point her knuckles turned white. Jaccha comforts her by shushing her quiet panicked whimpers and stroking through her blonde strands.

“It’ll be okay. You’re gonna be okay.” She soothes the girl. But one thing that stuck to Sar’Mari that was too scared to mention because of what was currently happening: Her mother never mentioned that she was gonna be okay too.

==========

She knew it. She knew it. She should’ve done something. She should’ve fought against them. But no, she was weak and she allowed those stupid Jedi to take her mother away.

“Mommyyyy!!”

“Do not cry! You will not cry!”

“Let me go! Why are you doing this!?”

“Your mother has broken numerous laws. She is not fit to care for you.”

“I don’t give a damn! Let me go!”

Her heart was aching. Hot tears trail down her cheeks, dripping off her pointy chin and onto the cold steel table she was leaning her forehead against.

“Jaccha Dara, you are under arrest for possession of drugs, as well of involvement with drug dealers, and child neglectment!”

She was the only mother I had. They had no right….

She felt heavy with guilt. But what could she have done? As soon as they landed back on Coruscant and their ship doors were broken open, her mother was apprehended and she was dragged away, far away from her. Then those Jedi. Those treacherous Jedi dragged her here. In this bland, cold , bright room. The transparent shield that kept her from escaping was laughing at her. It was taunting her, to try to run through it, knowing well death was waiting if she knew to pull that stupid stunt.

“Are you hungry?”

Sar’Mari was instantly on her feet. She throws her body in a corner when the shield to the holding room turns off and a strange woman walks in. She didn’t even hear the shield come down.

Be aware be aware

Sar’Mari watches as the woman comes in, dressed in an all-white robe and holding a medium-sized tray in her hands. Sar’Mari was quick to analyze her. The woman was a Mirilan. She could tell by the diamond-shaped tattoos that cascaded from the top of her forehead to the top of her nose, splitting off into separate paths until it reached the beginning of her chin. Not all Mirilans have the same tattoo, but they’re similar in their green or red skin.

“I hope you’ve come to like this cuisine.” The stranger says with light hope in her voice, setting the tray on the table. She then stands straight again, her hands folded in front of her, looking at Sar’Mari expectantly. The girl didn’t make a move to the table but stared at the plate with slight hunger. On the silver plate was steaming mashed vegetables with a thick steak smothered in gravy and on the side was sliced potatoes. The rumble of her stomach and saliva almost dripping out of her mouth makes Sar’Mari realize that she hasn’t eaten anything since the morning before those Jedi saved her and her mother from the Pykes.

“Do not be scared, this order is the most requested in the whole temple. You will like this.” The soft and convincing voice of the lady was what filled Sar’Mari with an ability to slightly trust that the mirialan wouldn’t poison her; she came closer to the table and sat on the opposite side where she could see the other woman. The stranger pushes the plate closer and gestures to the girl to eat. Sar’Mari picks up her knife and fork, but she stills, nervousness creeping in from the staring she was receiving from the woman still standing.

“My apologies for such an unpleasant act. I’ve never seen a species like you before. It is plain that you are a Togruta, but I do not know the other half; I was adamant before about giving you this meal, seeing that it is a mystery to what diet your body will tolerate.” Explains the Mirilan. Sar’Mari listens but says nothing, leaning forward to cut into the juicy steak. Her mouth is agape as steam flows from the meat. She stabs the piece with the fork and puts it in her mouth. The smoky flavor of the meat bursts all over her taste buds, but she reminds herself to stay neutral, being mindful of the woman in the room with her. She so badly wanted to scarf down the rest of the meal, but she didn’t want to seem like she was being starved. She didn’t want them to have another charge against her mother for what they tried to say was child neglect.

“May I ask for your name?”

The question freezes the girl midway through taking a spoonful of mashed vegetables to her mouth. She sends the stranger a side eye and continues eating.

“I’m sorry, that sounded too forward I suppose..” the lady laughs awkwardly. Sar’Mari ignores her in favor of focusing on her meal.

“My name is Nalina.” The woman finally introduced herself. Sar’Mari grumbles as she takes hold of a cup of water and downs half of it before scrapping off the last bits of her meal; she even uses her fingers to pick up tiny pieces of the food the silverware couldn’t reach.

“There is more in the commissary if you’re still hungry…” Nalina suggests, already moving forward to take the plate from the other girl. She then stands and takes the empty cup; she leaves the utensils behind since she’s going to return with a second plate for the mixed Togruta.

The shield came down, and Nalina was about to step foot out.

“Sar’Mari.” A voice behind her makes her turn around in mild surprise.

“My name is Sar’Mari.” The girl repeats louder, eyes cast down to the table to avoid the gaze of the other woman. Nalina smiles softly.

“What a beautiful name. It is nice to meet you, Sar’Mari.” Nalina says gently before turning and walking out, the door sliding shut as soon as she fully stepped over the threshold.

Sar’Mari was once again alone in the cold room. The fork clenched tightly in her hand, she gets anxiously worried that the other woman won’t come back. And it’s not because of the loneliness she felt, but because she might not return with the food she seemed to have promised to return with. It could just be a mental tactic, to trick Sar’Mari, to make her feel a false sense of security and submit, telling those people all they wanted to know about her and her mother’s work history. But, more importantly, and more scarily, they might want to know about her heritage. Yes, it’s clear Jaccha is not her mother biologically, but Sar’Mari never knew or was told about who her real parents are. But even if she knew, she wouldn’t care about them, Jaccha was her mother and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

But now that her mother was taken away from her, she has nobody now. Nobody had that warm mint smell her mother gave off every time they hugged. Even though that meal she recently had was delectable, it could never amount to the delicious cakes her mother scraped up from the elements thrown to the side by abandoned or abandoning restaurants.

“Mommy,” Sar’Mari whispers, eyes already glazed with tears. She once again lays her head back down on the table, going into the same position she was in earlier before the Mirialan lady entered. The grip she had on the fork she held slacked, and it clattered sharply on the table. She sniffs, emotions becoming too intense for her to handle. She was stronger than this. Her mother taught her to never cry, to always remain strong and neutral, and to keep her mind clear in case of situations like these where she needs to learn how to escape properly.

By the time she reaches up to wipe her tears, the door shield shuts down again. She prepared herself to see Nalina again, to eat that delicious steak, but her eyes hardened at who she seen instead.

Chapter Text

“Get away from me!”

“Sar’Mari, put the fork down before you hurt yourself.”

It was Obi-Wan Kenobi who had walked in instead of Nalina. Sar’Mari was ready for the second filling of the steak, but seeing the Jedi had spoiled her appetite, as well as raising her heart rate.

“Don’t come closer!” The girl threatens, waving the fork, which was laid on the table discarded in the middle of her vulnerable- never to do again -moment, around like a weapon. Unfortunately for her, it was rather clumsy as she does this, and the ginger bearded man sees that she never had any kind of training in weaponry….or cutlery…

“Sar’Mari, I have no intent on hurting you. Deep inside you know this.” Kenobi says calmly, turning to sit at the table Sar’Mari jumped from and backed into the corner like she’d done previously. Obi-Wan motioned his hand to the other seat.

“Come, sit,” he insists casually, his eyes filled with a fondness that Sar’Mari doesn’t trust. No matter how much she felt that it was genuine. She couldn’t take the chance. She did, however, lower the fork, but still had it tightly gripped in her hand.

“You don’t have to, but at least listen to what I have to say.” He spoke in a very friendly manner. Sar’Mari narrows her eyes, but nods his way, signaling him to talk.

“Thank you,” Kenobi smiled before his face fell serious. “I understand that everything for you happened so quickly; with your mother detained and there are no records of next of kin, you have no place to go.”

“Where am I?” Sar’Mari seethes at the man.

“Somewhere where it is safe for you.”

“Tell me! NOW!” She growls, raising her fork once again in a threatening gesture. Kenobi raises his hand in a calming manner.

“You are not back on level 1313 anymore, that is what matters, correct? You do not have to be hostile.” Sar’Mari marches closer, but Kenobi stays seated. He knew she was truly no threat.

“Hostile!? You took my mother away, and now you got me here in some prison , with no contact and random people coming in here whenever they want! You think I shouldn’t be hostile!?”

“But are you hurt?” The man throws back, which stuns Sar’Mari briefly before she bites her tongue from raining down all kinds of names she could think of calling the Jedi. She looks away with nothing to say.

“Exactly.” The Jedi says triumphantly. “Sar’Mari, if we wanted to hurt you, it would’ve been done by now. But us Jedi, are peaceful beings, fighting alongside the Republic for tranquility and freedom throughout the galaxy-“

“That peaceful talk shit will not work on me!” Sar’Mari says strongly, hitting the table. Kenobi sighs. He could feel a slight headache brewing. Force, it is hard to speak to this child, it was like talking to a solid stone wall. Or in this case, like a mini Anakin.

“I want to see my mother!” Sar’Mari demands, both of her hands smacked against the table, her eyes large and hard. Kenobi doesn’t falter one bit.

“I’m sorry, but you cannot see your mother. She is incarcerated, then she will be put on trial and then be sentenced. Her life will not be the same again.” He says with sympathy lacing his voice. Sar’Mari growls.

“Listen, I don’t care what I have to do to get her out, she did nothing wrong! You don’t know nothing about our lives to judge sitting on top of your oh-so-powerful pedestal!” She waves her hand angrily at him before turning away, crossing her arms. She could hear another sigh, but she didn’t give a damn.

“Sar’Mari, I know it is hard for you. Change is never easy. But in your case, it is very beneficial. I want to offer you a chance at a new life.” The girl turns to him with a lifted eyebrow and with a suspicious look in her eyes.

“What are you talking about?” She asks, feeling apprehensive about what the man is going on about.

“When I first met you, there was this aura around you that was different. It intrigued me, actually.“ he starts. That’s when it clicked for Sar’Mari. She remembered the look he had given her back on Oba Diah before her mother guided her away back to the safety of their ship. She didn’t understand why he was looking at her like that, but it made sense now. A little anyways.

“Okay?” She says weirdly. Kenobi smirks.

“I want you to become my Padawan.” He says with a smile, which Sar’Mari disregards with a stank look.

“What the hell is a Padawan?” She asks, turning around to face the older being. Kenobi leans forward, resting his elbows on the table and chin in his hands.

“A Padawan is an apprentice taken under a Jedi Master, like myself, and is taught rules, morals, and principles of life as well as the Jedi Order. But more valuably, the way of The Force.” Kenobi lifts an eyebrow when Sar’Mari lets out a snicker and shakes her head.

“The hell I look like to you?” She then asks, her expression morphing straight back to the look of anger. “You expect me to immediately say yes after what you, and not only you, but that other Jedi guy and the Republic did to me and my mother? Do I look stupid to you?!”

“Of course not. You look like someone willing to want a change in her life. You have potential, something I have never felt before. Something like this needs to be brought out, to shine amongst others who were also in your position.” Kenobi replies in a soft tone. Sar’Mari felt stupid for not being able to keep her hard act up with this man being so friendly with her. He’s so humble and calm, and whatever insults she threw at him bounced off like a river over stone. She didn’t like that, but at the same time she did, because she honestly didn’t know what he was bound to do if he took her throws seriously. It wasn’t like she was scared, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get hurt.

Sar’Mari sighed inaudibly, letting the words of the Jedi soak in. But a few in particular caught was brought back to her.

“What the hell are you saying exactly?” Sar’Mari asks in a confused and cautious tone. Kenobi sighs.

“Sar’Mari Dara, it is quite clear to me now, that you have The Force.”

The breath in her stills and her lungs felt like it was being squeezed. And Sar’Mari sees nothing but black after that.

==========

Waking up with a headache was not something the teen was expecting. And being under what seemed like a million lights over her was not something she expected either.

Her eyes were blurry but slowly started to clear up as she looked around at what she quickly figured out was a medbay.

“My head..” Sar’Mari groans, reaching up to rub her head, only to feel her arm being restricted to do so. An IV tube was connected to her hand.

“What…” Sar’Mari felt groggy and tried to sit up, but a hand touched her forehead which led her to lay back down.

“Take it easy,” the soft and familiar voice of Nalina was what calmed Sar’Mari’s mind before it could begin to race. The girl sighs in relief but looks away from seeing into the reading gaze of the older.

“You have hit your head pretty hard. That’s what the medical droid told me.” Nalina informs the other girl. Sar’Mari scoffs. Huh, so that’s what happened…

Sar’Mari says nothing as she looks to the side, looking off to the other empty beds. Nalina continues talking.

“I was on my way back with your food when I heard there was a medical emergency regarding you. I was worried.” Nalina’s eyes squinted in concern and worry. Sar’Mari rotates her head back to look at Nalina in surprise.

“Worried? About me?” Sar’Mari spoke eventually, just to ask this question. The Mirialan smiles gently.

“Of course. It hasn’t even been a day and you’re already in the ER.” The woman joked lightly, and she felt relief when the younger girl chuckled, though it was stiff from the pain in her head she was feeling. Then she could tell by the look on Sar’Mari’s face that she felt nothing but somberness.

“This is prison.” The teen croaked, her eyes already started to water up. She wanted to punch herself for allowing herself to be vulnerable in the presence of a total stronger in the medbay with her. But her presence was so comforting. It reminded her of her mother; Jaccha had a thing for making people feel like they could let loose and express what they were feeling at the moment. Nalina seemed to be the same age as her and probably procured this same trait from her own experiences in taking care of children and loving on other people. Who knows? Sar’Mari just hated the familiarity the Mirialan gave off.

“Technically this isn’t a prison, you are at The Jedi Temple.” The Mirialan corrects the teen. Sar’Mari winces as she rolls over on her side to look at Nalina more comfortably.

“The Jedi Temple?” She asks in disbelief.

There’s no way…

“Yes. The Jedi Temple; this is where all Masters, as well as Padawans, reside. We train, eat, sleep, and spend time with our friends and our friend’s Masters here. You’re currently in the medbay, and before, you were in our holding rooms. It is only temporary until we’ve prepared a dormitory for you to live in.” She explains steadily for the mixed girl. Sar’Mari shakes her head as she soaks in the information, still not believing that this is happening. There was no way they just took her mother away and handed out an offer to basically not go into the Republic custodies. Her life before this was terrible, living in the deep parts of Coruscant. But it was even worse being put into the corrupt foster care system that didn’t care where the children ended up, just as long as they got paid. And Sar’Mari knew this, and..maybe that’s why the Jedi offered her the opportunity. But it wasn’t just him lending out his home or..temple, just for her to lay her head at - this was a Jedi temple. Meaning that nobody but Jedi Knights and Masters lived here. Meaning, that the Jedi that was with her in the holding room was telling the truth about her having The Force.

“Here, drink some water,” Sar’Mari snapped out of it when she felt a cup press onto her lips. Instantly, she opens up her mouth and drinks the water hastily. It was cold and fresh, and it had the girl wanting more. Nalina smiles as she reaches over for the pitcher and pours another cup. Sar’Mari helps herself by taking the cup from the woman with the hand that wasn’t hooked up to wires and needles and slurping down the beverage just as quickly as before. Droplets of the liquid stream down from the corner of her mouth in her desperate effort to relish in the beverage.

“Slow down, friend. You might drown.” Nalina once again joked. Sar’Mari sighs in satisfaction as she sets the empty glass cup on the food table in front of her.

“I’ve never had fresh water before,” Sar’Mari sighs, licking the residue of the refreshing liquid from her lips. Nalina frowns at this new statement.

“What do you mean?” She couldn’t help but ask. That’s when Sar’Mari realized what had come out of her mouth. She almost outed herself to this woman. She had to be mindful of what she said around this lady. Although she could feel a slight trust building, it didn’t mean what she may slip up and say was going to be secured just between them. As she thought before, this could still be a tactic, a way to lower her guards, to make her feel a sense of security in hopes of her revealing everything she had been through with her mother her whole life. Nalina was probably chosen from the beginning to aid the Jedi in procuring this information from the teen, to build a heavier and stronger case against her mother Jaccha. This makes Sar’Mari feel like a fool. She allowed this lady to get closer to her, even if it was only a little. How disappointed her mother would be if she knew this.

“Nothing. I said nothing.” Sar’Mari looks to the window in front of her, ignoring the piercing but gentle gaze of the older woman. Jaccha would be angry with her.

Speaking off, does Jaccha know where Sar’Mari is currently being held up? Does she know her daughter resides at the Jedi Temple? Does she-

“I see our patient is awake.”

Sar’Mari stiffens at the voice before registering that it belonged to Anakin Skywalker. She grumbles before turning on her other side, facing away from the human and the Mirialan.

“Good morning, Master Skywalker.” The girl hears Nalina greet. But she says this with a sigh; as if, she is irritant because she was close to getting something valuable from the new presence but an interruption - Anakin - comes strolling in.

“Morning, Nalina, I see that your Master has released you from commissary duties?”

“Master Luminara does not know I had left early. I was here, with Sar’Mari since yesterday. I was returning with her plate when I heard of her fainting incident. I couldn’t help but to come here, just to be sure she was alright.” Nalina said though it sounded like guilt Sar’Mari recognized. Apparently, Nalina was not supposed to be here at all. She couldn’t tell any facial expressions to confirm that since she was turned away from the duo.

“I see.” That was all Anakin said. Sar’Mari scrunched in on herself, she felt he had something more to say.

“Well, I’m here now, you can return to your duties. I won’t tell Luminara about this.” Nalina chuckled despite the man’s voice sounding reprimanding. Some twisted humor, guessing?

“Yes, Master Skywalker.” Sar’Mari then feels a weight on her back. It was a hand.

“I will see you later today, yes?” Nalina asked, her thumb rubbing the girl’s back comfortingly. Sar’Mari does nothing but hum, and thankfully the woman took it as a yes. The sound of footsteps retreating and another pair shuffling towards the chair beside the bed takes place, and Sar’Mari wanted so badly to hop out of the medical bed and make a break for the door.

“I’ve heard you hit your head pretty hard yesterday.” The deep rumbling voice of Skywalker makes the girl jump a little, but she stays still after that, not responding to the man sitting beside her.

“I apologize for Obi-Wan; I know his face is not a pleasant sight. Was that the reason you fainted?” He asks with a hefty chuckle. Sar’Mari saw what Anakin was trying to do, he was trying to start a conversation with her, to loosen her up, but she wasn’t buying it. She did, however, roll over, and the first thing she saw was the door which was unfortunately closed.

“Don’t do anything you’re gonna regret. You know we’re trying to help you.” Anakin says, peeping at the way the girl was staring at the door. Sar’Mari sighs, placing her arm over her eyes to protect it from the blinding light above her. Her mouth stays screwed shut, not uttering a word to the Jedi. The silence laid a soft blanket over the two, and Sar’Mari waited for the Jedi to take the hint and leave, but he stayed rooted in the seat. He sits up eventually, but not to go.

“I heard about what Kenobi offered to you,” He initiates another starter, which the girl doesn’t respond to. He sighs.

“I think becoming his Padawan is the best chance you can have at a better life. I don’t know all that he sees in you, but I know for a fact that when Obi-Wan is determined about something, there’s no stopping him.” Anakin shoots out, looking over at the girl. He saw her fist balling up and her other hand wrinkling the sheets in her fist, but still, she said nothing. He sighs before taking the chair he’s sitting in and rotates it to face her directly and sitting back down.

“I know you don’t trust us-“

“Oh really? What gave me away?” A sudden but sarcastic sneer came from the girl as she removed her arm from her face to send a mean glare at Skywalker. Her nose and lip were scrunched up in annoyance, as well as an attempt to make herself appear as hard as stone, and Anakin didn’t take her looking at him like that as an offense, even though he was already ready to walk out the room. He remains patient because he understands the girl’s reasonings behind her feeble objective to seem intimidating.

“See? Your life is changing already. You’re not throwing any offensive slurs at me this time.” He decided to disregard her act by sending her a friendly smile. Sar’Mari narrows her eyes.

“That can be arranged…” She says lowly. Anakin crosses his arms and smirks. Huh, Obi-Wan was right, she was like a mini version of him. He did kind of see where Obi-Wan was becoming frustrated with the girl, however. No matter how convincing and reassuring the Jedi sounded to comfort the girl, Sar’Mari was not letting that soften her walls, and Anakin wanted to say he was proud. At least if something unfortunate were to happen, like the young soon-to-be Padawan getting kidnapped, the interrogator would not succeed in gaining trust and information from the child, like a snap of their fingers. But then again, the girl has only been here a day, so maybe this tough guy act would soon vanquish away, leaving a kind, loyal, and very determined young girl in its wake.

“Can’t you just go away already?”

Being brought back to the angry but scared golden brown eyes of Sar’Mari strikes an idea within the older man’s mind.

“Hey, let’s make a deal..” Anakin suggests, holding back the feeling of satisfaction when the girl’s eyebrows raise slightly while at the same time holding her cold look. She says nothing, which gives Skywalker the okay to talk.

“How about once you feel better, I’ll give you a tour of the Temple? That way, you wouldn’t feel like you’re trapped here.” He proposes, putting a hand on his hip to give off a chill and cool type of energy so the girl wouldn’t feel iffy about the offer. But instead of being convinced, the girl scoffs, replying, “What kind of a deal is that, You showing me every inch of this place? You think just because you’re trying to show trustworthiness or whatever, that’s gonna stop me from escaping from here?”

“Escape?” Anakin feigns a dumb look on his face, to seem disingenuous. “Last time I checked, we haven’t been keeping you here against your will in the first place. But just so you know, if you are planning to ‘escape’, the Republic authorities will be on you like a Sith lord to a Jedi.” He warns the girl. Sar’Mari’s mouth falls open in disbelief and sits up faster at what he just said.

“Liar! You are keeping me here prisoner! You won’t even let me see my mother!” She yells. Anakin shakes his head in amusement.

“First of all, you have free will to leave at any time. But regardless if you leave or not, you won’t be able to see your mother, that’s definite.” Anakin says with a firm voice as if he is daring Sar’Mari to attempt to try to get to her mother anyway.

After his last words, the two stared at each other with the intensity of molten lava. Sar’Mari felt helpless, more hopeless than anything. Everything was taken away from her faster than she could blink. First, her father, who she now feels confused and betrayed by because he practically gave her away to slavery to the Pyke syndicate, then her mother, who tried so hard to provide at least a decent life for the both of them after Sar’Mari's father was killed, and now Sar’Mari's freedom was ripped away; the Jedi in front of her claims she still has her freedom, but then say if she were to leave, the authorities will drag her straight into the system where she would be also dragged off to some family who’d only look at her like she’s some charity case. So did she really have a choice? And if she has this…Force , that these people are saying she has, maybe she could try to learn about this thing. But the gods know how hard this is going to be. Hopefully, as time passes by she’ll be able to see her mother…and use this force to create a plan to escape this hellhole. Go back to adventuring just like Jaccha promised they’d do one day. She blinks, breaking contact with the Jedi standing beside her. She slumps back down in defeat, replying in a rough voice,

“Fine…” she sighs, gravely eyeing Skywalker who now stood up with his arms crossed. His eyes were also steady and hard, but there was a hint of kindness and warmth, like he was trying to make Sar’Mari feel like she could become more comfortable around him, but she was nowhere feeling any type of security.

“I will…see this Temple of yours. And, become this ‘paddywon’ to that guy….” She waves her hand, resigned about his whole ordeal that she knows it would be hell to get out of. But she knows; she’s doing this for her mother, and she’s doing this for herself.

“It’s Padawan . And trust me, you’ll come to like us. Maybe even more than you’re trying to act like it now.” He states before making his way to the door. Before the door could slide close after the Jedi stepped over the threshold, he said almost excitedly, “I’ll be happy to introduce you to my own little Padawan. She’s full of surprises.” He chuckles, and just like that, the door closes, and he is gone, and Sar’Mari is alone to her own devices.

“This is ridiculous…” Sar’Mari says to herself, pitifully eyeing the IV line connected to her hand. Then her eyes widens as she didn’t realize she was also cuffed to the railing of her bed. She scoffs with a grim look.

Yeah, definitely not a prisoner…

Chapter Text

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Two days passed, and Sar’Mari was finally released from the medbay. There was almost an altercation between her and a medical droid when it took off the cuff that had the girl restrained on the bed. Sar’Mari panicked and instantly went for the medical tool table, to take it and bash it straight into the droid’s head. But quickly and swiftly, the girl was apprehended by the Jedi Knights who she didn’t know was standing guard outside the room when the noise erupted. Hey, it wasn’t her fault that the droid scared the batshit out of her. As soon as she awoke with the sunlight’s rays already glaring in her eyes, the robot was hovering right over her, shining its blue examination light up and down her body. She’s still in fight or flight mode, what’d you expect?

Now, here she was, back in the same holding room, sitting on the bench on the side of the room, leaning on her knees with one leg bouncing anxiously. Her hands were connected and fidgeting as she sat in silence with her head down, her heart slightly racing; she didn’t know if she was going to be punished for her actions in that medbay. She wasn’t terrified, but she truly felt nervous about what might happen next. She was all alone here, surrounded by strangers and no one to back her up or defend her, what was she to do?

Another wrecked thought didn’t get a chance to form when the room shield came down. Sar’Mari stops her fidgeting and sits up, her whole demeanor changes as Skywalker walks in. Behind him was another girl, to whom made the teen freeze.

It was like everything and everybody - just only Anakin - disappeared, and all she could see was the girl. Sar’Mari was left in shock and was agape. This girl was a Togruta! She has never seen another like her. But, she was different. This Togruta looked normal. Her Lekku and Montrals looked so majestic and mesmerizing; Sar’Mari’s Montrals were near non-existent, covered by her thick strands of blondness, her puffiness and curliness of her hair covered her tiny Lekku that didn’t even reach the beginning of her jaw. She had always asked Jaccha if she was normal, a fact being that she had never seen another of her kind before. Jaccha, not knowing at the time how to steer the curious girl away from the topic, because then she would’ve gotten curious about her heritage, decided to just show her the anatomy of an average Togruta. “You are a rare gem in the pile of rocks.” Jaccha has always said. After that, Sar’Mari had always felt like an outsider, a nasty hybrid, but in moments when the teen felt self-conscious about her appearance, those words from her mother always managed to bounce around in the front of her mind.

Oh, mom…

“Sar’Mari, this is my Padawan.” Seeing the man move to the side brought Sar’Mari back from her deep thoughts. The whole time she was thinking, she didn’t realize she was staring hard at the girl. She looked to be in her teens and was just a little taller than Sar’Mari. To a full height, Sar’Mari could reach the other’s sharp chin. Sar’Mari gulps as the Togruta approaches her, her open hand reaching out.

“Ahsoka Tano. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She introduces herself. Sar’Mari swore she felt her pants dampen, and it wasn’t because she was sweating. The taller girl’s voice was smooth, and silky but high at the same time. Sar’Mari’s knees grew weak. What made matters worse was when the nervous girl returned the handshake, and the soft skin of the Padawan made Sar’Mari want to go insane. But she quickly draws back into herself, reluctantly releasing from the handhold when she remembers the Jedi male in the room. It was no doubt he saw everything that was unraveling.

“Sar’Mari,” Sar’Mari spoke calmly, but she felt like that was all she could say at the moment because she knew if she were to add on anything else, she would make a complete fool out of herself.

“I know who you are. You grew very popular around here.” Laughed the older Togruta. Sar’Mari was surprisingly not shocked. This temple held a lot of people who she assumed were very close, so she was not surprised that word about her spread through the building like a forest fire. It still felt weird though, being the topic of so many unknown people. But that wasn’t important; Sar’Mari’s goal was to look collected and civil in front of Ahsoka.

“Well, I tend to become the center of attention.” She replies coolly but deadpans at the sound of a muffled snicker which turns into a cough from Skywalker. He looks at Sar’Mari from behind his hand, but Sar’Mari refrains from giving the man any attention in favor of focusing on the older teen.

“I can see why,” Ahsoka leans forward a little bit, eyes drifting up to look at the shorter girl’s spouted hair. Sar’Mari started to feel small under the gaze of Tano, resulting in her stepping back and away from the other girl.

“Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t mean to creep you out. I just…never seen a Togruta hybrid before…” She apologizes and explains with sincerity in her eyes. Sar’Mari looks away, her cheeks turning pink from blushing. With a slight quiver in her voice, she says, “It’s fine.” Ahsoka also steps back, understanding the boundaries that have just been set by the other female. She looks to Anakin in question, and he nods in understanding.

“Sar’Mari, unfortunately, I won’t be able to personally give you a tour of the temple, but Ahsoka is free of all duties today so, she will be the one to show you around.” He apprises the Togruta. Sar’Mari continues looking at the ground, her arms still crossed and her foot tapping the ground with surprising speed. She waited until she heard the Jedi whisper something to his Padawan before sauntering out of the room, leaving the two females alone. With a wave of her hand and a soft smile, Ashoka says, “Let’s get started, shall we?” Sar’Mari looks up with uncertainty in her eyes before cautiously moving to follow her.

==========

Sar’Mari could admit, this place was huge. It was so big, that she was surprised that the majority of Coruscant couldn’t fit in here. If physically possible, they would, and even then she felt like it wouldn’t be enough to fill up the place. This was her first time being in any type of real and seemingly official establishment. In all honestly, she never fully left Level 1313 to be in any professional place. It felt weird being at the Top Side. If only the circumstances were different.

“Oh! I see somebody is feeling better, looking better too.”

Sar’Mari’s eyes lit up at the sight of Nalina walking up to the duo. In her hands was a small pile of towels, but she put them all in one hand to give the younger girl a side hug once she got close. Sar’Mari froze a little at the contact, she wanted to return the hug, but she felt like it would’ve made her be seen as vulnerable. Jaccha would be disappointed.

“How are you feeling?” Nalina bent down a little to look into Sar’Mari’s eyes, even going as far as looking over her body to ensure she was okay.

“I’m okay. I..almost broke a droid.” The girl replies, nervously rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. Nalina gasps.

“What? Don’t tell me it was one of the medical droids.” Sar’Mari gaze casts down to the ground to avoid the other woman’s eyes. Nalina gasps. “Why?” The woman asks, worry etched into her face. Sar’Mari shrugs.

“Because it was annoying,” Sar’Mari responds nonchalantly. She even crosses her arms to seem careless about what she’d done.

“Oh, Sar’Mari.” Nalina sighs while shaking her head. Sar’Mari almost shrunk in on herself. The older woman sounded like a disappointed parent, but Jaccha would’ve been proud. That’s all that mattered.

“Oh, Ahsoka!” Nalina sounded delighted. “I see that you are back!”

“Only for a little while.” The Togruta says, putting a hand on her hip. “I’m just showing our new guest here the Temple.” With this, she nudged Sar’Mari’s side with her elbow gently, and the hybrid swore she felt warmth spread through the whole right side of her body. She looks down and away, thankful that the front of her hair swoops in front of her face, hiding the blush across her cheeks. Little did she know, Mirialan in front of her catches this, but says nothing about this observation. She looks back at Ahsoka.

“That is nice for you to do that. I also heard about Master Yoda. Did he ever come back?” Sar’Mari then lifts her head in confusion. She also looks to Ahsoka.

“He did, and, he’s okay,” Ahsoka answers. “He traveled to Dagobah, that’s all I know. Master Skywalker didn’t give me details of what happened yet, but I will ask him.” She assures the green-skinned woman.

“Who’s that?” Sar’Mari couldn’t help but ask. If she were to stay here, she needed to learn everything and everybody she could.

“Yoda is one of the first Grand Jedi Masters of the Jedi Order. He is also the Grand Master of the Jedi Council.” Ahsoka educated.

“So like…he’s the leader? Of all of you?” She asks, tucking her puffy blonde hair behind her ear. Her finger brushes against her tiny Lekku that sat against the backside of her ear, causing her to shiver from the contact. Ahsoka this time notices this but keeps quiet, but still answers the girl’s question.

“Think of him as a grandfather, and we’re like his grandchildren.” She simplified. Sar’Mari nods to herself and looks back down.

“Well, do not let me stop you from seeing this magnificent place. Will I see you later?” Nalina looks at Sar’Mari with a warm gaze. She goes to answer, but Ahsoka cuts in.

“Master Kenobi would want to see you after the tour.” The togruta tells the shorter teen. Sar’Mari rolls her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to see that man, who she now learned was the one who pushed the motion to arrest her mother. Son of a-

“Good day.” Nalina bows, giving the two girls a firm nod and a small smile before walking around them and going about her day. Sar’Mari glances back to watch the woman walk away. She wanted to follow her, but she had an objective: learn the ins and outs of this place and plan an escape.

“Let’s continue shall we?” Ahsoka with a smile, starts walking again. Sar’Mari says nothing back but moves to follow. The two girls were almost the same height and almost the same build, but Sar’Mari felt like she had to run to keep up with the other’s long strides. She moved so powerfully. Sar’Mari wonders how long the other togruta had been a ‘Padawan’ for.

“Are you nervous?” The question catches Sar’Mari off guard, having been too deep in her thoughts. She looks up with wide eyes.

“N-no,” She hastily responds, but then she realizes her mistake and mentally hits herself for stuttering. Ahsoka chuckles.

“I asked because I can feel your anxiousness,” Ahsoka says, and the way she says that makes Sar’Mari feel like the other girl knew almost everything about her.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about, Master Kenobi is a great teacher. You will learn the way of The Force in no time.” The Togruta solaced. The hybrid felt her hands getting sweaty and she balls them up to prevent them from shaking too much. She would rather be dead than be around that man. The man who dared to take her mother away, was the only family she had left and knew.

“Tell me about yourself.” Sar’Mari shakes her head and blinks up at Ahsoka, her eyebrow lifted and mouth slightly open.

“What?”

“I have a feeling we’re going to be around each other pretty often, so with that being said, we should get to know each other,” Ahsoka repeats, now looking at Sar’Mari with a soft smile and a reading gaze. Sar’Mari had to look away again from those beautiful blue eyes. Unlike the blandness of Sar’Mari’s brown eyes, Ahsoka’s seems more hydrated and more natural. It also was not a pain to look at, Sar’Mari didn’t mind staring into those blue orbs all day, but she wasn’t that bold in that area.

Sar’Mari immediately shook herself. This was not her at all. Being distracted by some girl. She knows what this was. It was because she’d never seen an actual togruta before, someone who has a completely average genetic look. She cannot slip up because her curiosity is mixing with her bodily and hearting needs. She needs to stay on task. Her mother was waiting for her. And Sar’Mari cannot disappoint her again…

==========

“Good morning, Sar’Mari. It is a pleasure to see you again.” The corner of Kenobi’s lips lifts slightly upon seeing his young and new Padawan. It wasn’t long after Anakin graduated to a full-fledged Jedi Knight that Kenobi, though he will never admit it, missed having a youngling following him around and having a nonstop flow of questions. He certainly didn’t miss the rebellious phase, but everything else, he missed and loved. Even today, he still deals with Anakin, but it’s not as often because the younger man has enough knowledge to do what needs to be done. Reckless, was an understatement, however. He was eager to see what traits this young girl had.

“Good morning, Master Kenobi.” Ahsoka bows There was a little squabble this morning, but I think she’s ready for her first lesson.” Ahsoka blithely nudges Sar’Mari who was purposely avoiding the older man’s eyes. She wasn’t trying to come off as mean towards the other togruta, for her actions were directed at the ginger-bearded Jedi.

“So I’ve heard. Sar’Mari, you have to be careful and considerate of droids, as well as people. Especially ones who are trying to help you.” Kenobi chastised. Sar’Mari scoffed and turned her body away from the both of them, crossing her arms and pouting.

“I see we certainly have a lot to cover for your training.” Kenobi decides, beckoning Ahsoka to come closer.

“How was she like when you went to retrieve her?” He asks once Ahsoka got within whispering range.

“She seemed anxious at first. My only conclusion is that she’s probably nervous about her first lesson, her whole journey of training actually.” She answers dutifully.

“Hmm,” Kenobi hums thoughtfully. “Are you sure that’s all you can come up with?”

“I wasn’t told much of her story to make a complete sense of it all, I only know what Master Skywalker tells me,” Ahsoka said, shrugging her shoulders, showing true cluelessness about the situation.

“I will be sure to explain everything once I am done with her for today. Thank you, Ahsoka.” He thanks the teen Padawan. Ashoka smiles and bows.

“It’s no problem, Master.” The togruta turns to leave the training room, and as she passes Sar’Mari, she places her hand on her arm.

“Good luck, although you may not need it..you’re very special.” She whispers. Sar’Mari felt her heart skip a beat from the heat of the other’s mouth. The words whispered were like warmth that spread throughout the girl’s whole body.

As Ahsoka exits, Sar’Mari is now left with Kenobi. Her hands fists back up, and her eyes hardened, staring down the man as if she could burn holes through his head. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t.

“Well, shall we begin?” He asks, lending out his hand for Sar’Mari to come to him to the center of the room. Sar’Mari doesn’t move, staying glued to where she is standing. Kenobi does not move either, his hand still reaching out.

“I understand that you are mad at me, but you cannot succumb to this feeling. It will not end well for you.” Kenobi warns the girl. Sar’Mari twists her lips at this, though her eyes soften only a little in acknowledgment of the man’s words.

“Say that to a person who took your only family away,” Sar’Mari snarled. As soon as she said this, Sar’Mari braced herself just in case the man in front of her finally lost his humbleness with her, but expectantly and appallingly, his composure was still the same.

How is he not mad?

“I apologize for the circumstances that have brought us together, however, you shouldn’t dwell on something that cannot be changed. I know you will always see your mother as an angel, but the crimes she committed are not so angelic.” Obi-Wan was sincere in his response. He wanted Sar’Mari to know that it wasn’t his choice to arrest Jaccha, his loyalty to the Republic, and most importantly, the Jedi Order, had driven him to complete his mission. Seeing the child’s endangerment because of her mother’s irrational actions, and the sense in The Force, Kenobi had to do what needed to be done.

“You hate the situation now, but you will see, my little Padawan,” Kenobi concluded, shuffling his pants to kneel on the floor. He then again lends his hand out towards the mixed togruta.

“Are you ready for your first lesson?” He then asks, making no further move or gesture. Sar’Mari growls under her breath but complies. She moves to the center of the room and kneels in front of the man Jedi. With her fisted hands on top of her legs, Sar’Mari looks Kenobi dead in the eyes.

“Good,” Kenobi praised. “Now, close your eyes, and breathe, and think about why The Force has chosen you worthy for it to be manifested in you.” Sar’Mari watches as Kenobi closes his eyes, his body going still quickly after. Then, he takes a deep breath, holds it after a few seconds, then releasing it. The girl watches then reluctantly, closed her eyes and did exactly what the man suggested after making sure he wouldn’t try any tricks once she couldn’t see. But her mind was a jumbled mess; the events of what happened three days ago was still so very fresh, she couldn’t understand how the Jedi in front of her expected her to just forget all about it and think about nothing. It’s like he doesn’t care. Tch, why would he? Jaccha was nothing but a criminal in his eyes. He was so inconsiderate of how Sar’Mari was going to feel about it all. He was lucky the girl doesn’t jump across the floor and strangle him. Sigh, maybe since she’s not going anywhere soon, she could try to figure out about this thing she got going on, which she been said she was going to do anyway.

So, why did The Force choose her? Why didn’t she feel it or see it earlier? Maybe if she did, she would’ve stopped her mother from being taken away, hell, she would’ve been able to make a much more of a beneficial and peaceful life for herself and her family. And maybe her father would’ve never been killed by the Pyke syndicate if she knew about this thing. But she didn’t. Why was that? Did Jaccha know? Stupid question. If she did, she would’ve told her already, and things would’ve been different. But like, how would it even go if Jaccha knew? Couldn’t she have taught her? But no, because that just went against her own question. If Jaccha knew, things would’ve been different! 

Well, guess it’s kind of good that Sar’Mari was here. Maybe she could give this a shot; learn what she could, because she literally knows nothing about this Force. All her life she believed that the Jedi was some type of martial artists who were good with those glowing sticks. But apparently there’s more to it than she thought. But she could definitely learn…and use this Force to her advantage…

Chapter Text

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It has been almost four months since Sar’Mari was taken away from her mother, learned that she inhabits The Force, and was taken under the wing by the Jedi Order, specifically Obi-Wan Kenobi to be trained. It is a very challenging experience for Sar’Mari. Learning how to let go and move forward was a constant lesson that was repeatedly being taught to the young girl. Her Master’s words would always flood the front of her brain when she started to feel angry when missing her mother.

“Having a negative emotion is a deadly persuader to the Dark Side. You do not want to succumb to such temptation. It will only lead you to more despair and more hatred.”

Whenever she heard that she would immediately dismiss it, going on about having someone as close as Jaccha being unrightfully taken wasn’t something she could let go of so easily. But as the four months flew by, she started to see that there had been times when Jaccha would inconsiderably throw the both of them into unforeseen situations. The Pykes was certainly an example, she just couldn’t see it then. Sar’Mari had still been upset about the fact that there were countless opportunities where they could’ve taken out the Leader Lom Pyke (Come to find out, during her training, someone by the name of Count Dooku had murdered the Pyke). Sar’Mari wanted to celebrate the moment Skywalker told her, guess he wanted to tell her to give her some type of disclosure since the incident on Oba Diah, and she had to remain humble to not seem joyous about the Pyke’s death.

But, Jaccha had been reckless throughout her life. It had gotten a little worse after Beneli, who was Jaccha’s husband, and Sar’Mari’s father was killed. Sar’Mari believed that Beneli’s death did something to Jaccha’s mental state since Jaccha and Beneli had been together since they were teens, proud fighters and supporters of their home world Ryloth. But the woman did always remain resourceful; Sar’Mari understood her mother had to go to certain degrees to secure a decent life for the both of them. She just wishes the circumstances were different. But it seemed The Force had other plans for her regardless. She hopes she gets to see her mother soon, though. No one has yet to tell her the status of her imprisonment.

“Come, Sar’Mari. Ahsoka and the younglings are waiting for you.”

A bag strap being put onto her shoulder snaps Sar’Mari out of her mind. She caught herself blanking out these last few days. She needs to stop before it becomes a problem. She just couldn’t help it. Something was bugging her, and it wasn’t about her mother. It was another presence that was lingering around. It made her think about Jaccha, but it wasn’t about Jaccha. It was familiar yet distant. It felt as if it was so close that Sar’Mari could touch it. Sigh, whatever.

“Why can’t I go on this trip by myself? I don’t like being surrounded by those kids.” Sar’Mari huffed at Kenobi as he secured another strap of the backpack onto the other girl’s arm.

“Now now Sar’Mari, no need to be into asociality.” Obi-Wan pats Sar’Mari’s shoulder in a manner of lightly checking her uprising grumpy attitude. “You are not the only one who’s surpassing their classes, there are others who’ve been granted an opportunity to move to the next level of training. The Gathering is a sacred experience , and it is best enjoyed when you’re with individuals of your age and level of skill. It also produces positive outcomes when it comes to social interaction.” Sar’Mari puffs out a small breath.

“I don’t like people, but I don’t mind being around them. But it’s this specific group of kids I don’t like.” Sar’Mari expresses with annoyance laced in her voice. Kenobi hums as he walks around to face her.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“Master, this group of kids that you assigned me to go on this trip with are not exactly…accepting of me.” A haughty chuckle from the male Jedi makes Sar’Mari roll her eyes…discreetly.

“Sar’Mari, I know you’re not telling me that you’re self-conscious of what others think of you.” Sar’Mari smacks her lips.

“Of course not, Master. But you can’t expect me to go on this trip with them and come back all joyful and peaceful. Something is gonna break out. And it’s gonna be me against them. I know it.” Sar’Mari hissed, trying hard to express to the older man how badly she didn’t trust to be with this certain group.

“Sar’Mari, you are bound to be a subject to prejudiced people, no matter your appearance.”

“Uggghh, I know that already, Master.” Sar’Mari groaned. “What I’m trying to say is, I won’t be able to focus on this trip if all I’m going to be around is their negativity. One of them is already hostile towards me!”

“Hostile how?” Kenobi asked firmly. If there’s any implication that his Padawan is being harmed then so help him-

“Nothing physical, it’s more verbal than anything,” Sar’Mari assured her Master. She didn’t want anything growing into something that wasn’t necessary.

Listening to his distressed Padawan, Kenobi sighs softly. He can’t fully relate to what his little one was going through regarding looks. Kenobi wasn’t exactly a pleasant person to look at either when he was younger, but he still got respect when he became a part of the Jedi Order. It pains him to see that things have changed and the new generation of younglings have less regard for the feelings of others. Even if it was their own. But Obi-Wan never caught Sar’Mari being a victim of the bullying, the others always acted the same when he was in the room. Ah, it makes sense now. Of course, they would only pretend to act good when he was present. Now he wonders how long this has been going on and why Sar’Mari has not told him sooner. Kenobi once again sighed as he stepped closer to the blonde teen.

“I know it is hard for you to overcome this obstacle, but you are a very unique being. You may not see worth in yourself, but I do, and the Force deems you of worth as well. You don’t need clarification from anyone to feel that.” He consoles the Togruta hybrid. Sar’Mari crosses her arms before bowing her head down, avoiding the man’s gaze.

“If it wasn’t for my biological mother and father, I wouldn’t be like this. ” The girl gestures to herself in disgust. Kenobi’s eyebrow wrinkles.

“Like what, Sar’Mari?” Sar’Mari sighs and then says solemnly, “This! No one has ever seen someone like me. I don’t even know what to call myself. I don’t even know if I should call myself a Togrutan or a human. I don’t know what I am,” as those words come out from the girl’s mouth, Kenobi shakes his head.

“I cannot begin to understand your thoughts or experience your experiences before and after our meeting, but I know your existence is special, just like everyone else. You are not a mistake. You are unique, and I could not have asked for a better Padawan.” Sar’Mari releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding when Obi-Wan touches her shoulder.

“You are truly a gem in a pile of rocks.” He added at the end of his speech. Sar’Mari’s eyes shoot up at him, tears beginning to brew. This alarms the male Jedi.

“What is it, did I say something wrong?” He asks worriedly. Sar’Mari kept looking at him, marveling with a morose expression.

“That’s what she used to say.” Her tone was poignant, her nose scrunching up as she sniffed, her tears now streaming down her orange-tan skinned face. Kenobi couldn’t help but reach up and wipe one stray from under her eye.

“Those words were from Jaccha, wasn’t it?” Kenobi got the confirmation when the girl’s shoulders slumped and shook from the light convulsion from the crying.

“S-She would always tell me that. She was always there when I would doubt myself. Now…now she’s not here anymore. I..I’m scared that I’m starting to forget her, Master Kenobi. Her voice…her face…her smell…” Covering her eyes, Sar’Mari began to cry. Kenobi was surprised. This was the first time that he had seen the young Padawan show her vulnerability. The only person he had seen her act so freely around was one of the Temple’s cooks, Nalina. But even then the girl seemed so closed off. He may need to talk to the Mirialan and gather intel about the child, to see how exactly she managed to get her to open up, even if it was a little.

“When can I see her? I know it hasn’t been that long, but it feels like it’s been forever to me…” Sar’Mari asks pleadingly. Kenobi tightens his mouth, unsure of what to say to his Padawan. He was surprised he had the will to resist the young one’s begging, big round, golden brown eyes. Kenobi did more research on Sar’Mari after she was assigned to him, per his request, to be trained, and because of her past and how she used to live, Obi-Wan tries to be lenient with her when she asks for things. However, there is still suspicion that if Sar’Mari is allowed to see her mother, it could spark a rebellion within the small family against the Republic, and most dangerously the Jedi Order. It won’t end well for them obviously, but to witness the events go down, that was a chance Kenobi was not willing to take. Even if it costs Sar’Mari hating him .

“…I will see if it is possible, little one.”

But Kenobi couldn’t find it in his heart to outright deny the girl.

Her rare smile was something the man had to work hard on to sustain for as long as possible. He never wanted to see her upset like this again.

“Thank you,” she says, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder, and looking at Kenobi with hope in her eyes. They were slightly red from the tears she shed, but other than that, she looked to be back to normal again.

“Of course, Sar’Mari. Now come, you are already late.” Kenobi turns and walks with Sar’Mari right on his heels. The man prays to the Force, to his predecessor, that his path with his Padawan will be easygoing. At least, right?

==========

Sar’Mari was taking a ship with Ahsoka and a small group of younglings to an icy planet called Ilum. It was a snow-covered planet, located in the Unknown Regions, the 7G sector. Sar’Mari heard the people who lived in the Unknown were known as the Chaos; it was known for its detrimental supernovae, black holes, gravity wells, and more unusual phenomena.

“There is no place more sacred to the Jedi,” Ahsoka said to her once they were all aboard. Sar’Mari wanted to ask why was something so sacred located in an area where it could be the death of them all, but the Togrutan female reassured her that nothing too bad happened out there and she was here to protect her if anything dangerous tried to occur. Sar’Mari felt warmth from hearing that, even though the words were not only directed to her but to the other group of children. However, as Ashoka’s hand stroked the teen’s arm a little too long when those words were said, the meaning behind it all told a different tale. Or maybe she was overthinking it. But it doesn’t hurt to at least imagine that it meant more if it did.

==========

“Welcome, to Ilum, you are.“

Master Yoda has always itched Sar’Mari’s mind. She always wondered how long he’d been a Jedi master, a grand one at that. She never had time to be around him to learn. But she was always mindful to give him her respects when she was in his presence.

“This is where you will all be tested, to be granted what is called a Kyber Crystal, which determines your place in the Jedi,” Ahsoka says, moving to stand in front of them with Master Yoda. Next to Sar’Mari was a human boy, named Caleb, two girls who were twin Tholothians, named Luna and Artemis, and a Nautolan boy named Lexx. Out of all of them, Sar’Mari showed that she’d rather be to herself. During group training, Sar’Mari was introduced to the others and was told they’d be trained together on occasion, but she was often found in a corner with her training lightsaber by herself. The only time the other teenagers were interested in talking with her was to know about how it felt being a hybrid human and togruta. She knew they were only curious, so she didn’t mind answering their questions, but deep inside it was infuriating because they were so ignorant in their inquiries.

“Does it feel weird not having Montrals?” Technically she has them, but they’re not as developed as they should be. Plus, her too puffy and curly hair covered them well. But even if she didn’t have them, how could she know if it felt weird not having them?

“Can you still feel vibrations and sense presences like a normal Togrutan?” This question felt like it was genuinely out of curiosity, and now in an attempt to make Sar’Mari feel weird. The girl remembered Jaccha telling her the perks of what the Montrals for an average Togrutan can do. And yes, she can feel vibrations and sense presences, but they were not as strong as they would’ve been if she was a full-blooded Togruta. Now that she’s being trained to use the Force, it heightened her dulled senses. She was thankful for that. Lexx’s question wasn’t so bad after all.

“Does your hair muffle your hearing?”

Now that, was a question that almost cost Sar’Mari a ‘timeout’ in the corner. Sar’Mari was sure that Caleb was near her when she answered Lexx’s question. The human boy Caleb heard the answer and was told the difference between a normal Togruta and Sar’Mari, saw this feature and still dared to ask. The ignorance of this boy was something Sar’Mari would never be able to comprehend. But at the same time she understood the confusion and the never-ending questions; being a hybrid consists of having features from one side mixing in with the other, having features that clash against one another. Whichever side was her human parent, their genes took over the known dominant genetic inheritance of her Togrutan side. But…she can admit, with her hair covering her underdeveloped Montrals and Lekku…it can be…muffled…sometimes to sense other presences….

Tch, Caleb was still an ass for asking.

“Depending on your hindrances, you will be set up against challenges that’ll break you through that. You will also be tempted heavily to not complete this task. But don’t worry; as long as you let the Force guide you, you will find your Crystal in no time, and you will be on your way to becoming a full-fledged Jedi.” The pep talk the Togrutan Jedi gives to the Padawans boosts their confidence. The twins jumped in excitement and held each other’s hands while Lexx gave a small smile. Caleb on the other hand, crosses his arms and wears the most punchable egotistical smirk ever. Caleb was very prideful, and Sar’Mari remembered Master Billaba expressing to Master Kenobi how ambitious and prideful the boy was and how difficult it had been to break her young Padawan out of that. But regardless of how the Togrutan hybrid feels towards the younger boy, she also hoped that his trial of acquiring his Kyber Crystal was successful, and hopefully, the trial that he had to face would break him out of those stupid habits.

Wow, Sar’Mari can admittedly say she has changed. Not a lot, but it’s progress. She still has anger about the whole ordeal and she has yet to visit her mother. From what she heard Master Kenobi say to Skywalker before, Jaccha has already been sentenced but isn’t allowed visitation. Something about her not having any relatives that are currently living to begin with? And then what put the icing on the cake was that since Sar’Mari wasn’t biologically hers, she had no right to visitation. And since they are so closely connected, they could be a threat to a breakout. Yes, Sar’Mari still somewhat feels like she is trapped. But she has nowhere to go and she knows well that the foster care system does not care where she’d end up. Being with the Jedi was her only safe option, thank the Force. Then having the Force as well, it was a smart move to stay with them anyway. But still, she was starting to see that breaking Jaccha out, even if it was possible to get out unscathed and not get imprisoned, wasn’t actually…worth it.

“Any questions, anyone has?” Yoda asks, his smile is soft and his eyes sincere as a synchronized ‘no Master’ replies. Sar’Mari felt giddy, her signature leg bouncing caught the attention of Ahsoka who sent a wink her way before turning to follow Yoda to a huge ice-covered wall. Sar’Mari’s breath stilled, but that changed when she saw the wall which was actually a door, broke away and slid up. The excess ice fell and water dripped and splashed as it gave way for the gate to be opened. As it did, all the teens peeked in and saw nothing but blackness waiting for them to walk in. Thankfully they brought their small lantern to see their way through.

“Now, there is one more thing that you all need to know.” The small group of Padawans turns to Ahsoka with their undivided attention, which the Togruta nods appreciably.

“Once you have found your Crystal, do not remain inside. As daylight ends, the door will freeze over again, and you will be trapped.” She warns. Sar’Mari shakes her head in response and a slight panic. Why do they always add something that could be detrimental as a last-minute warning? Should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy. Sar’Mari steps up and raises her hand. She didn’t have to, but seeing as how the other Padawans were too much into their bliss of excitement, Sar’Mari took the chance to make sure that death wasn’t waiting for them all. Ahsoka looks over at the other girl’s orange-tan hand waving. “Yes, Sar’Mari?”

“If we were to be trapped, for whatever reason, how long will it be?” Sar’Mari asked, wearily looking at the older teen.

“3 days. So please, be mindful of your time. Good luck.” Ahsoka winks again but at the same time has a look of worry. Sar’Mari felt her cheeks warm up, but she couldn’t contain her blush this time since her hair was wrapped in a ponytail and couldn’t swoop in front of her to hide it as it usually would.

“Be with you, the Force may.” Yoda finalizes as the teen group turns and makes their way inside after bowing a farewell. Sar’Mari was the last to go in. She looks back and sends a questionable look at the two Jedi before finally entering the cave.

A few moments passed, and the shorter Jedi tapped his staff against the ground softly. The teen beside him stands straight. She already knew what was going to be said. He has noticed, it’s obvious that he did.

“The dark side, attachments lead to. Not worth it, the risk is, yes?” He asked before looking up at Ahsoka who sighed disappointedly.

“Yes, Master. I just…I-I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. There’s something about her I can’t figure out. I haven’t felt this way with anyone before…” Ahsoka expresses sadly. She didn’t even try to pretend to not know what the older Jedi was talking about, or rather who. There have been these recent feelings that have been rising when it came to the young Togruta hybrid. Ahsoka is super loyal to the Jedi Order, there’s no doubt about it, and she’s trying to stay true and celibate and not grow attachments, but as days flew by and Sar’Mari is with them longer and longer, it has been difficult. She has to meditate on this and see what answer the Force leads her to.

“The need to be close to someone, I understand. But, always lurking, the darkness is.” Yoda says sternly before turning around and making his way to the other side of the entrance of the cave. He leaves Ahsoka standing there, to ponder her thoughts and to think about what was said.

“Oh, Force,” she groans.

It may be harder than she thought it would be.

==========

She should’ve brought gloves. The coat she’s wearing helps out a lot, but her hands are more sensitive to the cold than anything. Ahsoka told her to leave her pair behind, claiming that it was better to have a personal touch with her chosen Crystal, to feel the energy and the Force zooming through her veins. At the time Sar’Mari went along with it, taking in every word since the older was much more experienced. There were also fleeting touches along her arms and wrists that had Sar’Mari swooning. Now, she regrets it. She should’ve snuck them gloves with her.

Sar’Mari was the last one to meet the rest of the teen group in the center of the cave. Aside from the main entrance which gave them a little light, there was more than one doorway leading into the darkness. Currently, Sar’Mari was rubbing her head in annoyance at the Tholothian twins arguing.

“We should go this way,” Luna suggests first, pointing to the left doorway she was already turning and making her way to. Her sister gasps and grabs her arm pulling her back.

“No, this way is the better choice,” Artemis suggested back, pointing to the right side to another doorway behind them. Luna glares and groans in irritation.

“Why can’t we do things my way for once? It is always your way!“ Luna argued, ripping her arm out of her twin’s grip.

“Because my way is better! I am the smart one after all!” Artemis retorted. Luna gasps.

“Are not! The left one is the better option!”

“Uggghh!” Artemis grunted, her fists balled up. A crazy argument was about to blow if it wasn’t for Lexx stepping in between them.

“Why can’t we just go our own way?” He says calmly, his face void of any emotion that Sar’Mari wished she could be. Emotionless, not taking any sides, and suggesting a whole different approach. A scoff from beside her makes her raise her eyebrow. It was Caleb.

“You know how stupid that sounds? What if something bad happens and we’re not there to protect each other?” He asks, his voice deep and rough. Sar’Mari winces from the boy’s voice that bounces off the walls. The vibration made her hidden Montrals shake from the sudden shock, but thankfully her bundled-up hair hid that. She certainly didn’t feel like answering any stupid questions if the others took notice. She turns away to think. She hums in thought. An idea then pops up. She steps forward.

“You know what? Lexx’s way isn’t bad. We can just team up into smaller groups instead so we won’t be completely by ourselves.”

“And why should we listen to you? ” Caleb comes closer with his arms still crossed. Sar’Mari takes a step to the side to create the appropriate distance from the boy. One thing about the togruta hybrid: her personal space is her everything. She puts her hands up in nonchalance.

“Hey, you don’t have to, it was just a suggestion. Besides, we go wherever the Force leads us anyway, and at some point, we do have to go our own way. So why not team up until that point?” Sar’Mari is irritant as she speaks to the boy. She was fighting to restrain herself from punching the younger teenager. For some reason, the boy has been feeling hostile towards her from the beginning of their group training. While Artemis, Luna, and Lexx were more discreet with their mistrust and unpleasantness towards the girl in exchange for showing her respect and a little bit of care, Caleb was a whole different person. He had no problem telling and showing Sar’Mari that he did not like her. Why? Who knows? But that was not the Jedi way to treat others. Especially fellow Jedi. She felt like the reason behind their negative feelings was because of her exotic appearance. What, they never seen a togruta/human before?

…?

Okay, well no, but still, no need to treat someone so differently because of their very…questionable…anatomy. They are all equals…right?

“Well, I’m going my own way. I don’t need any of you slowpokes slowing me down.” Caleb states. Sar’Mari rolls her eyes.

“Do you, buddy.” And with that, she turns away from him and to the others.

“Okay. Close your eyes, feel the Force, and let it lead you to point to a doorway. Whichever you choose, is the one you go through.”

They all looked at each other with uncertainty until Lexx nodded and closed his eyes. The twins followed soon after. Sar’Mari wasn’t sure if Caleb was following along, but at least she got the majority of the group to listen. It didn’t take long, well, for the others. Sar’Mari on the other hand, had a little trouble deciphering which direction the feeling was pulling her to. She takes a deep breath and relaxes, placing her hands over her chest to calm her nervous heartbeat. If Sar’Mari from the past saw her present self, she would call her stupid and soft and weird for even being involved in this nonsense. Probably would even laugh as well.

“Yes! Me and Artemis got the same door!” Hearing the squeaky voice of Luna, Sar’Mari opens her eyes. The Tholothian twins were already standing at one of the doorways they had chosen. It was the one on the left.

“See, sister? Even the Force doesn’t want us separated.” Artemis nuzzles Luna’s cheek with her own, resulting in a giggle and a squeal. Sar’Mari huffs halfheartedly.

“Caleb and I have this one.” Sar’Mari hears Lexx truffling over to the doorway on the left side. Caleb trudged behind him. Oh, so Caleb did take the advice. Hm.

“Good. See? That wasn’t hard.” Sar’Mari attempted to make the others laugh. It only resulted in Lexx smiling. Heh, progress.

“Okay guys, get your Crystal and meet at this same spot. Don’t go wandering around because you heard what Padawan Tano said.” Artemis pointed out, looking at everyone, especially Caleb.

“Yeah, yeah,” The boy responds, waving his hand dismissively.

And just like that, they were all off. Well, except for Sar’Mari. She was the only one who couldn’t feel the way to go. There were five doorways in total, and there were three groups. The twins, Caleb and Lexx, and Sar’Mari herself. Yeah, guess even the Force didn’t want anyone teamed with her…wait, no! That’s not true! There must be a reason why…right?

“Okay, Sar’Mari. Let’s try this again.” Sar’Mari whispers to herself. Her eyes fall shut and she takes another deep breath. She holds it for a few seconds and releases it, listening to the silence.

Thatwaythatwaythemiddlethatwaygothatway

The girl gasps, her eyes shooting open. Did she hear that right? She isn’t going insane? She looks around just for good measure.

Themiddlethemiddlethemiddleone

“The middle one..” Sar’Mari repeats. She didn’t think twice before making a move towards the middle door. Yes. At least she knows she wasn’t as bad as she thought. She is getting stronger in The Force after all. She looked around before walking through.

==========

She could hear the water dripping from the melting ice above her. The water that looked too deep had her heart racing. The rocky floor was slippery, she hoped she wouldn’t fall in.

“Okay, sooo…if I was my Crystal where would I be?” Sar’Mari rubs her chin in thought.

“Let the Force guide you. You’ll know when you see your Crystal.” Ashoka’s voice echoed. Sar’Mari scoffed.

“Yeah, of course,” Sar’Mari responds as she continues to walk.

She turned the corner, entering another part of the cave, but this one was darker than the other one she was in. She stops, takes off her backpack, and grabs the portable lantern Ahsoka supplied for her. She turns it on and continues on her way, her bag now hanging off her shoulder.

She enters a large space. It was hollow, and each time the water dropped, it echoed profoundly. She sighs as she looks around.

“I need to find this thing before it’s too late.”

She keeps walking until she reaches another part of the cave, and this part is bigger than the last one! As Sar’Mari keeps walking, she notices something gleaming on top of an elevated floor. It was bright too. She gasps.

“A crystal!” She exclaims, setting down her backpack and her lantern once she gets close to the icy floor. But there it was, shining in all its glory, a Kyber Crystal. No, her Kyber Crystal. That’s hers! Got to be! It was sitting on top of a large pointed stone in the middle of the ice. Wait, did this mean….

“Don’t tell me I have to walk across this dang floor,” Sar’Mari groaned, taking her hand and slapping it onto her face in annoyance. “What if the freaking ice breaks?” Sar’Mari asks herself in mild panic. This looked dangerous. There was no way that it was expected of her to achieve her Crystal in a place like this. She could die. What if the ice cracks open and she falls through? Would anyone care? Would someone feel in the Force that something has happened to her? If something happened she would never be able to marry Ahsoka and have children and live on the Top Side of Coruscant living happily ever—

Okay, that last part was a little dramatic, but still, it doesn’t hurt to imagine! Would anyone come looking for her if she is not back in time with her Crystal?

“Maybe it isn’t safe….” Sar’Mari whispers in doubt, she then covers her mouth and looks around to make sure no one is peeking around and watching her. Someone could’ve heard what she said. They would probably report back to Ahsoka and Master Yoda of her failure if she didn’t get this crystal. It was because of her hard work and dedication that helped boost her way through the ranks of the Padawans. Heck, even being Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Padawan was enough to do what she wanted -well not everything- but she was already on top of so many things. Sar’Mari kept in mind when Obi-Wan said to not be prideful, but to be grateful because anything could shift at the drop of a coin. So over time, the young Padawan looked over the concept that not everything would be handed to her, she would have to work for it and earn it still. That was fine by her honestly; it was just like Level 1313, except it wasn’t life or death.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sar’Mari sighs heavily as she walks closer to the start of the ice. It was so clear you could see the water slosh around under it. Sar’Mari takes a slow step onto the cold floor. She whimpers as her foot slides so she hurries and places her other foot on the slippery surface. She yelps as she immediately flings her arms around to keep herself balanced.

“Wo-woah! Ah!” She shrieks. Eventually, she gained enough stability to where Sar’Mari was still standing, but in one spot. She had her arms out in front of her and her knees were turned inward. Force forbid someone just comes in at the wrong—

“What are you doing, weirdo?”

Oh no. It couldn’t be. No, maybe it was just her imagination. Yeah, that’s it.

“What, is your hair blocking your hearing? Hellooo!”

Yeah…it’s him.

“Ugh, Caleeeb!” Sar’Mari groans, trying to keep her attention on her footing on the ice floor.

“You know, this is pretty funny to watch.” The boy chuckles. Sar’Mari felt her blood pressure rising, but she slowly breathed in, knowing that if she gave her attention to the other’s deriding it would not end well. She knew she was right, she told Master Kenobi. Something was going to happen. It might not seem like her against all of the other teens, but Caleb was a certainty.

“What are you doing here?” Sar’Mari’s voice sounded hard while asking. She didn’t bother to hide her frustration and irritation towards the boy.

“I found my Crystal already, of course, because I’m the best—,” Sar’Mari scoffed, but was grateful that she had her back turned towards him. She didn’t have to see his ugly smirk. “—But nobody was at the center of the cave where we were supposed to meet, so I started to wander around. You were the first I’ve found.” Sar’Mari grumbles in annoyance. There was no way in this entire place that he only found her.

“Well, you’ve found me. You can leave now,” Sar’Mari says absentmindedly, now feeling triumph as she was stable enough to take a few steps; just some of those steps consisting of the girl having to slide across to keep steady footing.

“Believe me, you’d think I want to be around you? But you’re struggling is entertaining to me, so I’ll stay,” Caleb replied in an amused tone. “Huh?” He then says as his foot lifts slightly off the ground. It was like an invisible weight wrapped around his ankle before it yanked forward, sending the boy to the ground. He lands on his back with a loud ‘ouff!’ Sar’Mari chuckles as she brings her left hand back out in front of her. She just couldn’t help it, she had to do it.

“Think you’re so funny,” The boy snarls, he gets up and dusts the dirt off his coat, feeling slightly winded. Then an idea struck. He takes his hand and pushes it forward. Sar’Mari hollers as felt a weight on her back being pushed harshly forward. She loses her footing and she lands painfully on her hands and knees on the ice. She hisses as she feels the prickling cold of the frozen water.

“Are you kidding!?” She yells across the ice floor at the boy.

“Hey, you did it first, hybrid!” Caleb yells back after fixing himself out of his laughing fit. Sar’Mari felt stupid for giving Caleb a little bit of the benefit of the doubt; at least he could’ve waited until she was not fighting for her life over a fragile layer of ice that could be the cause of her death.

“Ugh! Can you just leave!? You’re distracting me!” Sar’Mari says gruffly, struggling but finally managing to get back on her feet. As she stood, her face was mere inches away from hitting a wall of stone. She gasps as she steps back instinctively, and she stands in shock as she realizes what just happened. She made it! She got to the thin mountain where her Crystal was!

“Yes!” Sar’Mari would’ve started jumping in happiness if she wasn’t at risk of falling flat on her face. Now, how to get to the top of this thing?

“Hey, if it wasn’t for me, you would’ve never made it over there!” Caleb’s grating voice echoes across the hollow cave. Sar’Mari rolls her eyes.

“Where’s Lexx? I thought you were supposed to be with him!” Sar’Mari asks, bringing her foot up on the first ledge of the tall and thin boulder. She leaned her weight on the first step to test its strength and concluded that it was stable enough to start climbing.

“Force if I know. We got separated after I got my Crystal.” Caleb responds crossing his arms. He watches the girl slowly climb the mountain in boredom. Sar’Mari grunts as she lifts herself and climbs past the first level.

“What do you mean ‘separated’? You two were supposed to stay together!” The Togruta human reminds the boy as she passes the second level. She blows a tired breath. How’s it possible to sweat in this place!?

“That was until he started whining about being afraid of the dark. I didn’t want to be around that wuss.” Sar’Mari sighed, closing her eyes as she felt a headache coming.

“So you didn’t get separated from him, you just abandoned him! You were supposed to be there for him as support! Like he was for you!” Sar’Mari stresses out as she gets closer to the top. The Crystal gleams brightly the higher she gets. Almost there….

Sar’Mari

Sar’Mari gasped and retracts her hand before she get a grip on a higher ledge and looked around. What was that?

“Well, he shouldn’t be a scaredy-cat. We’re Jedi, we’re supposed to be strong. Not weak and scared.” Caleb says stubbornly, his face in a pout. Sar’Mari didn’t hear that part because she was focused on another thing.

“Hello?” She calls out, looking around with searching eyes.

“What?” Caleb answers with a frown on his face. His eyes squint in suspicion when the Togruta doesn’t look in his direction.

“No, not you. You didn’t hear that?” Sar’Mari asks, adjusting her body against the mountain she continues looking around.

“The air must be thin up there; you’re starting to sound crazy because I didn’t hear anything. Can you hurry up so we can get out of here?” Caleb was already beginning to move at the entrance of the large cave.

“Depending on your hindrances, you will be set up against challenges that’ll break you through that. You will also be tempted heavily to not complete this task. But don’t worry; as long as you let the Force guide you,” Ashoka’s soft words come back to Sar’Mari’s mind. Yes, she’s right. Sar’Mari can’t get distracted. Maybe she was going crazy.

Sar’Mari, are you ready?

“Is someone else in here?” Sar’Mari asks herself in a whisper. She looks down and notices that she is much higher than she thought she’d be. But amongst this revelation, she realizes it was only her and Caleb in here. So…who is it that’s talking?

I can’t wait until I get that Omicron attack shuttle. We can get rid of that piece of junk and go explore the entire galaxy

“Mom?” Sar’Mari’s voice quavers in recognition. It was her mom. How is Jaccha here? Where is she?

“‘Mom’? What are you talking about? We’re the only ones in here. And isn’t your mom like…in jail?” Caleb asks meanly.

But Sar’Mari didn’t acknowledge the mild jab from the other teen in the room with her, for she was frantically looking about, searching for the owner of the voice she hadn’t heard in so long.

You are a true gem in a pile of rocks. Don’t you ever let anyone tell you otherwise

Sar’Mari grips her forehead, feeling a heavyweight of dizziness. She could feel nausea, creeping up her throat. Her vision getting cloudy. She was starting to feel lightheaded. It was like something was injected into her body to make her feel lousy. 

“No…no, you can’t be here. You’re in jail…” Sar’Mari says softly, shaking her head as her visions grow clear.

And her eyes grow wide as she looks beside her. Coincidentally, there was a stony ledge right beside the third level of the thin mountain Sar’Mari was just about to pass climbing to get to her Crystal. Who she sees sitting on the edge almost makes her lose her grip. Her throat tightens as she comes face to face with the familiar green-skinned face and green eyes staring at her with adoration and affection in her eyes.

“Just you and me, baby girl. Flying amongst the stars. Isn’t that what you want?”

There was Jaccha, in her signature brown leather jacket with her white T-shirt and jeans. She was slowly swinging her feet, her steel-toe boots occasionally hitting the mountain Sar’Mari was holding on to for dear life.

“Mommy..” Sar’Mari’s voice trembles. She was appalled at the fact that she was seeing her mother clear as day. How did she get here?

“What exactly are you doing, my Gem?” The Twi’lek asks, tilting her head and looking at Sar’Mari. The gleam in her eyes looked different, but the girl couldn’t put a finger on why it did.

“I’m getting my Kyber Crystal,” Sar’Mari explains, watching Jaccha peer up at the shining jewel at the top of the mountain.

“A Kyber Crystal? Isn’t that what Jedi use to make their glowy swords?” The woman asks suspiciously, to which Sar’Mari responds with a shameful nod.

“I-I know it looks stupid, but I-“

“Are you stealing it for money? Because if you are, you’ll be swimming in credits. Kyber crystals are very rare and are found in a place very sacred. We can make a good living with this,” Jaccha leans forward with her elbow to her knee and her hand grazing her chin in thought, studying the crystal above. But this strikes Sar’Mari with fear when she realizes the situation she’s in. Her mother hates the Jedi. If she finds out that Sar’Mari was achieving it for her own Lightsaber, she will be labeled a disappointment. But she didn’t want to lie to her mother. She knows that these types of crystals are worth thousands, probably millions, but she knows the risk of taking it and trading it for money is not worth it. The Jedi will know as soon as she tries to do anything that is against them. She will be labeled a disappointment to Master Kenobi too. She has to tell the truth to her mother. The moment is now.

“Hey, Hybrid! You’re right there! Just grab it and let’s go!” Caleb hollers from down below. Sar’Mari looks down and sees the boy now standing at the bottom of the hill looking up at her impatiently. She could hear the echo of his boot-tapping the ice.

“Don’t rush me! I’m trying not to die here!” She yells back and she lifts herself higher on the mountain.

“Hurry it up, and stop talking to yourself! You know I can hear you right?” Caleb says. At this, Sar’Mari freezes again, realizing what is happening this whole time. Jaccha isn’t real. Her real mother was in jail, and she didn’t even bother to ask the Jaccha beside her when or how she’d gotten out! Stupid! She should’ve known! Unknowingly, she misses an evil glint in the woman’s eyes gazing down at the human boy. It went away as soon as the young girl looked. Jaccha looks at her with pleading eyes.

“C’mon, Sar’Mari. Don’t you want to come with me? Far away from this miserable world and live with the stars?” Jaccha gestures her hands outwards, emphasizing the image of the Galaxy. Sar’Mari sighed quietly, looking wistfully at her mother.

“I do. I really do, Mom,” she answers truthfully, quickly readjusting her grip on the mountain.

“Then go for it. Take the Crystal and trade it in. We’ll be swimming in riches. Just you and me.” Jaccha promises. Sar’Mari smiled at the thought of just her and her mother, smiling and celebrating with sweet cakes and sparkly drinks, even though there would be some that she knew she couldn’t have yet.

“Sar’Mari, what’s taking so long?,” Sar’Mari went to look down to Caleb to give him a viable answer, but a hand lifting her face stopped her.

“Ignore him. Do it, my Gem,” Jaccha urged, eyes begging but hard. Sar’Mari heard the woman, but she was hyper-focused. Her hand felt so real. Could this be her?

If it is, then she is real. Sar’Mari knows that her mother always found ways into places she was not supposed to be in, but was always told by Jaccha that it was for the greater good. Sar’Mari believed her to some extent, given the fact that Jaccha had stolen things due to her greed. But most of the time, the crimes Jaccha committed were so she could build the life she and Sar’Mari deserved.

The least Sar’Mari could do to repay her mother was to take the crystal, sell it to someone who has money and who has a distaste for the Jedi, return for her, and live the life they both worked so hard for.

But, there was something that crossed Sar’Mari’s mind as she stared into the eyes of her mother.

“Mom,” Sar’Mari starts, watching as the woman smiles lightly in her direction.

“Yes, my Gem?” Her soft but firm voice responds. Sar’Mari cringes.

“How are you here?” She asks carefully, watching intensely for her mother’s actions. It didn’t surprise her when Jaccha leaned against the stone wall behind her, folding her hands behind her head, smirking knowingly.

“Don’t you know that I have my ways?” Sar’Mari sighed and grunted as she felt her muscles getting tighter from holding her weight against the mountain. She has yet to grab her Crystal. Something was holding her back. What was it?

“Sar’Mari, I’m going to leave if you don’t hurry up!” The human boy from below hollers. Sar’Mari shakes her head as she takes herself a foot higher. She went to lift her right foot before a hand grabbed at it. Sar’Mari looked down to see it was Jaccha who was holding her leg in an iron grip.

“Don’t you miss me?” She asked helplessly, but there was an unknown tint in how her voice sounded. That’s when Sar’Mari started to feel something weird in her stomach. Sar’Mari knows that it was now or never.

“Mom…I’m training under Master Kenobi,” Sar’Mari says with a quaking voice. She can’t believe she’s saying this. “I’m - I’m going to be a Jedi…” her heart felt like it was being crushed when Jaccha’s soft look shifted into a look of disappointment and anger.

“What!?” Jaccha seethes in disgust. Her hand around Sar’Mari’s ankle tightens. Sar’Mari yelped as she felt being pulled down.

“You know how we feel about the Jedi! They never cared!” Jaccha yells angrily. Sar’Mari hisses at the pressure wrapped around her leg. Her mom wasn’t that strong…was she? Has it been that long that Sar’Mari has forgotten simple things like this about her mother?

“But you d-don’t understand! I have the F-“

“No! You don’t understand! Those Jedi have never cared for the people living in the depths of Coruscant! Where were they when we were down there starving, scrounging around for food, and when we barely had any clothes on our backs!?” Jaccha growls. She tugs on Sar’mari’s ankle, making the girl slip down the mountain by a few inches. Sar’Mari shouts as her grip slips. Thankfully, one of her hands slips into one of the holes that the mountain had in it her way down, and she grabs a hold of it before she can fall. Her heart felt like it was about to explode as she was suddenly face to face with her mother Jaccha. But this time, her face looked different. It looked evil.

“How dare you turn your back on me?” Jaccha snarls in Sar’Mari’s face, and the young girl can’t do anything but whimper in response.

“After all I’ve done for you! I’ve raised you, and kept you clean, fed, and dressed! How dare you go against me!? How dare you side with the ones who took me away from you!?”

“Sar’Mari! What’s going on up there!?” Sar’Mari opened her mouth to answer, but her jaw was caught in the hard hold of her mother’s hand.

“Don’t you miss me? Don’t you miss our piece of crap ship? Huh? It was supposed to be me and you, flying amongst the stars and discovering planets together! Why would you do this to me!?” Jaccha asks gruffly, her voice sounding almost pleading-like.

“Mommy…” Sar’Mari whines, eyes watering up. Her cheeks smooshed and her lips puckered from the iron grip her mother’s hand had her face in. Jaccha growls. It was close to a rabid animal almost.

“Sar’Mari, snap out of it! It’s an illusion! That is not your mother!” Caleb yells. It took the boy a minute to realize what was happening with the Togruta teenager. At first, he thought she was going insane, that maybe the air at the top of the mountain was thin and she was losing her mind. But that was not the case, she was having a full-on conversation with someone. And it was someone close. Then as soon as he saw a green hand shoot out and grab Sar’Mari‘s ankle, causing her to yelp loudly and slide down the mountain, he immediately knew who it was. But the difference was, that the arm reaching out looked transparent, like a ghost. Caleb knew what it was. It was Sar’Mari‘s test. And by the looks of it, she was failing.

“C-Caleb!” Sar’Mari shrieks in fear. She could feel her pride embarrassingly water down when she called out to the boy for help. She was never going to live this down…he would joke on her about this weakness, this weakness that’s holding her back!

“Sar’Mari, I know you miss what we had! Or did you forget about me as soon as I was arrested?” Sar’Mari couldn’t help but look at Jaccha and whimpered when she met her accusing eyes. Sar’Mari cries.

“Mommy, no! I will never forget about you! The troopers took me away too!” Tears ran down like a waterfall over Sar’Mari’s reddening cheeks. Seeing this not affect Jaccha, Sar’Mari cries harder.

“And you didn’t even think to fight back!” Jaccha throws at the girl. Sar’Mari attempts to shake her mother's hurting grasp from around her face off, but the woman’s grip gets even tighter, resulting in Sar’Mari whining in pain.

“I did-I did!” Sar’Mari cried out.

“Sar’Mari!” Caleb appears in front of Sar’Mari, hanging on to the same holes the Togruta hybrid was slowly losing grip on. Sar’Mari breathes a shaking breath, as her face is released. Jaccha moves back towards the shadows. Sar’Mari cries.

“Caleb, I can’t do it…” Sar’Mari lets out brokenly.” Caleb looks at her in concern and confusion.

“Can’t do what?” He asks surprisingly worryingly. Sar’Mari catches this, but the thumping of her heart overrides her curiosity.

“Let my mother go! I can’t do it! “Sar’Mari admitted dismally. Caleb scoffs before hiking himself up a level higher than Sar’Mari, his face coming up to meet the Kyber Crystal, shining in its glory, unfazed by the scene unfolding around it.

“There’s no way after all this time of you one-upping me in training sessions and tests that you’re giving up now!” Caleb fulminated, adjusting his grip on the mountain where Sar’Mari’s Crystal started to glow brighter. With his hand and using the Force, Caleb lifts Sar’Mari higher to match his level. Sar’Mari squeaks in surprise, not expecting the sudden lift. But she relaxes when she is set back down against the mountain, now face to face with the human boy. Only the Crystal was shining between them. Jeez, he was strong in the Force, how did she manage to one-up him every time?

“Look, I don’t know your relationship with your mother, but you need to let her be in the past!” Caleb stresses out to the teen. Sar’Mari shakes her head stubbornly.

“No, you don’t understand! We came from the lower levels of Coruscant! There was no perfect life there! My mother did everything she could to make a decent life for both of us! And-And I failed to fight harder for her! I let those troopers take her away!” Sar’Mari raises her hand and shakily hovers over the Crystal.

“I owe her this, and more,” Sar’Mari whispers. Before she could grab it, a fair-skinned hand covered her hand with its own. Caleb’s grip was firm but gentle, surprisingly again.

“You don’t owe her anything! You are her daughter. You were her responsibility, she’s obligated to take care of you! Clearly, she has failed to do that from the beginning she’s gotten you!” Caleb expresses irritably. Sar’Mari was frozen after that, not expecting Caleb to act this way. It was so unlike him; he would always find ways of picking on Sar’Mari and making her feel as uncomfortable as possible, ridiculing her underdeveloped Lekku and Montrals hidden by her blond hair. He even goes as far as belittling her for not ‘choosing which side she had to be on’ with her being a hybrid. This was baffling to see a soft side from the boy. But, could this be an illusion as well? Sar’Mari even peeked down to the ice floor to take a glance to see if the true Caleb was down there. But he wasn’t, he was on the mountain with Sar’Mari, clutching her hand softly.

“Why are you being nice, all of a sudden? You’re never nice to me…” The Togruta mixed couldn’t help but ask. Caleb shakes his head, looking away and pouting.

“Because, I know how it feels, trying to be the best and everyone around you still wanting more from you, like you’re the one who owes them. Like I said before, I don’t know the relationship you have with your mother, but I know you don’t owe her anything. I know enough that she wouldn’t blame you just because you have the Force, you can’t help that you do. Master Kenobi sees worth in you enough to train you to become a Jedi. It’s not your fault.” Caleb concluded, looking back at Sar’Mari with understanding eyes. The corner of Sar’Mari’s lips lifted a little, a small smile forming before it dropped into a tiny frown.

“It was hard Caleb, surviving level 1313,” Sar’Mari starts, looking down in sadness. Caleb was shocked to hear this, never had gotten the chance to learn where the hybrid resided before now, and guilt started to eat at him for treating her with such disrespect. He doesn’t say anything, allowing Sar’Mari to continue.

“It was like survival of the fittest down there. Always looking behind my back, wondering when my next meal was going to come, wearing the same clothes for two weeks straight!” Sar’Mari sobs. “People were always breaking in to take our ship because they were desperate to reach Top Side; some were even born down there and never saw all of Coruscant. So they’d try to steal our ship because it was the only malfunctioning source that could get them up here.” Caleb listened painfully. He wanted Sar’Mari to stop, he didn’t want to listen to this painstaking story, but the way she was expressing herself shows that she never had anyone to whom she could let her guard down. Caleb wanted to take pride in knowing that he was someone the girl could let her emotions out to, but he couldn’t. He didn’t find this situation right to feel that way at all. He felt culpable, stupid even, for making Sar’Mari’s experiences worse than what they already was. But..he can make it better, like now.

“I never knew that,” Caleb admits to the girl. Sar’Mari’s sniffs were the only response. Caleb swallows thickly, feeling his own emotions trying to climb up to the surface. He lets go of Sar’Mari’s hand, thankfully watching as the girl lowers it back to the hole to hold on to for leverage. “Forgive me, Sar’Mari. Forgive me for treating you like a piece of crap. Master Billaba always told me to never be quick to judge someone, because you never know what that person's life is like or, was like. She also told me not to judge someone, no matter how mysterious or how exotic they are. We all have our trials and struggles, and I should’ve never treated you so badly. I should’ve been nicer.” Sar’Mari looks up at Caleb with red puffy eyes, taking in the apology the boy lets out. She could feel his feelings through the Force and it was known that what he said was sincere and honest. He truly felt bad. But Sar’Mari didn’t want pity just because of how she used to live.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” Sar’Mari mumbled, a tear or two streaming down her cheeks. “If I was you and I saw someone like me, I would have probably done the same thing. I mean, I wouldn’t be as crucial,” Sar’Mari side-eyes Caleb as he cringes. “But, I would’ve kept my distance and not bothered with them.” Caleb shakes his head slowly, his lips twitching as he gathers his words.

“It was just that..before, I was the best out of the whole class. And then you came - out of nowhere - and became the best, faster than I did. I was angry because I thought “How can someone like her, be better than me”? I failed to realize that being human does not mean that we’re superior. All of us under the Force, we are equal.”

“I was jealous,” Caleb continues to vent. “What made me not like you was when you mastered the Way of the Mynock before I did, and that’s the form my own master has perfected and has been teaching me. I’ve been here longer and I haven’t even improved that far ahead.” Sar’Mari listens as she looks down. Her eyes widen when she no longer sees Jaccha. She didn’t even realize the aching grip on her ankle had disappeared. She sighs in relief and looks back up at Caleb.

“You’ll get there soon, Caleb. I have faith in you, you can do it,” Sar’Mari encourages the boy, despite her voice little hoarse from crying. Tears still streamed down, but it was more out of joy this time. Caleb chuckles.

“Thanks. Just, remember what I said, you may not get the pleasure of seeing this side of me again,” Caleb says in a feign attempt to sound arrogant. Sar’Mari laughs softly. Her attention turns to the Crystal and her face shifts into a more serious look. Caleb notices and mirrors her expression.

“The Force chose you for a reason, Sar’Mari,” Caleb whispers as if a higher tone of his voice would crack the Crystal. He gleams at it in awe as Sar’Mari reaches up again. Her hand stops right on top of it, now hesitating. Sar’Mari sighs, her heart beating hard in her ears.

“The Force has given you another chance of life. It is paving your path. It is all happening for a reason.” Caleb follows Sar’Mari’s hand as she clutches the Crystal right in her palm. She pulls up gently, and the Crystal is now secure in her hand. Just from having it in her clutch, she could feel the energy wafting through her veins. Her eyes widen as the Crystal shines brighter than before. Its light was peeking through the fingers of her closed fist. Sar’Mari gasps as its blue light shifts to a light purple. She quickly opens her hand and is now gawking at a glittering purple Crystal, sparkling beautifully.

“Sar’Mari, that color is rare!” Caleb exclaims in shock. The only Jedi who achieved a purple Crystal was Master Windu, and ever since then, he’s been the only one with a rare colored lightsaber. Now he’s not alone…

“I-I-I uh…” Sar’Mari couldn’t speak she was so stunned. She was so used to seeing older Padawans who already acquired their lightsaber burning a bright green, blue, or yellow. But a purple? This was…this was so cool! This was AMAZING!

“YES! I got a purple! Whoo!-Woah!” Sar’Mari realizes her mistake in the middle of her celebration. She had let go of the mountain, and her legs had lost their grip, leaving her to pummel towards the ground.

“Sar’Mari!” Caleb screams, pushing his hand out in an attempt to catch in with the Force, but his strength is weak at the moment, realizing that he used the majority of his energy just to pull Sar’Mari higher on the mountain. Thankfully, Sar’Mari’s instincts kicked in, and she rotated her body where her front was facing the rapidly approaching ice floor. She pushes her hands out in time, the Force making her fall slow down. She nearly was floating by the time her feet could touch the ground. She lands steadily though, impressed that her balance on the ice has improved a little more. She looks up at the human boy still hanging on the moment.

“I’m okay!” She yells, putting up a thumbs up before looking at the Crystal in her other hand. She then steps to the side suddenly, where Caleb lands right in the place Sar’Mari was just standing in. Caleb huffs as he righted his balance on the slippery floor.

“Well, that’s was easy, huh?” Caleb asks facetiously, smiling at the sounding saccharine laugh Sar’Mari lets out, shaking her head at the human boy.

“Always sarcastic. At least you aren’t mean with it this time,” Sar’Mari chided playfully. Caleb shrugs. “Eh well, let’s just say you’ve been upgraded to the premium Caleb treatment. You most definitely deserve it,” Caleb’s face shifts to a look of guilt, but he still keeps that soft smirk in a way to keep the mood lighter. Sar’Mari turns towards Caleb and looks up at him.

“Thank you, Caleb. For everything. I…needed that actually…” Sar’Mari looks down at her Crystal held in the middle of her hands. Caleb pats her shoulder. “It was nothing. I think I know what your test was too,” Sar’Mari looks up inquisitively. “Huh?”

“Your test was letting go of the past, starting anew. All your life you’ve been used to how certain things work, but now your plate has been cleaned, and a new chapter has begun. If you’re willing to keep going, that is,” Sar’Mari responds with a shrug and a chuckle.

“Like you said, why stop now if I came so far?” Caleb smirks at that coming closer to lay his arm around Sar’Mari’s shoulders. The girl froze for a second, not expecting the boy to get so close, but then she sighed in relief. Besides Ahsoka, she has earned a new friend. A real friend. Caleb moves, leading Sar’Mari with him.

Chapter Text

Sar’Mari’s Theme

==========

Today was the day! Today was the day Sar’Mari got to show Obi-Wan and Anakin how much she’s improved with her lightsaber training.

A day after returning from Ilum, Sar’Mari opened up to Ahsoka about the troubling and emotional test she was put through while getting her Crystal, adding on the fact that she was shocked about becoming friends with Caleb who helped her through the heartbreaking illusion of her mother. Ahsoka had expected this, seeing Sar’Mari’s inner struggle when it came to the relationship with her mother. She has yet to see her, but it seems Sar’Mari is on the edge of just giving up on asking to see her mother Jaccha. Ahsoka felt guilty, even though it was Obi-Wan’s choice to keep the young hybrid away from the still rebellious Twi’lek. Yes, Obi-Wan has been keeping tabs on the woman to see if she has improved and to see if it was worth allowing Sar’Mari to visit her, but he had been recently notified while Sar’Mari was on Ilum of another one of her mother’s many attempts of escape.

She didn’t make it to the front gate.

But Kenobi’s decision was hesitant at first before the woman’s update, after seeing Sar’Mari’s training was beginning to grow shaky because of the lack of a familiar presence. He even began to make arrangements for Sar’Mari to visit her mother, putting together that maybe once she sees her, the young girl will regain that drive to get better in her training. But thanks to Ahsoka giving her report about the young Togruta’s experience in the large cave and the update of Jaccha, the orange-bearded Jedi’s conclusion about his hesitance was confirmed; Sar’Mari was not going to see her mother. Kenobi saw it would’ve been better this way. If Sar’Mari started to visit Jaccha, and it became a continuous cycle, it would become a challenge to ween the girl away so she could focus solely on her own life and training. As a Jedi, it is against the code to form or continue an attachment. It must be severed or simply not to be given a chance to form.

Sadly, but thankfully, Sar’Mari was beginning to stop asking when she got to see her mother and showing more dedication to her Jedi studies. Obi-Wan was relieved, although now and then he would catch his young Padawan baring a reminiscent look when she thought nobody was paying her attention. It pains the man to see his young Padawan go through a hurtful detachment, but if it meant her growing into a strong, steady-minded, wise, and intelligent being, then so be it. Sar’Mari will be grateful in the end.

Like right now, Sar’Mari was grateful, for her master, for Anakin, for Ahsoka , and she managed to complete her first segment of her lightsaber training and was now ready for her first real test. The only problem was, is her hilt she forgot to tighten the day before. Eh, it shouldn’t be a problem…right?

“Sar’Mari, please, didn’t you say you’ve been having problems with your hilt?”

Speak of the Sith…well, not literally, but it’s a coincidental thing. Sar’Mari was in the middle of performing Form III: Soresu, an all-known move Obi-Wan’s been teaching her when Ahsoka came up from behind. She stayed back, cautiously keeping her distance, she was not trying to die. The way Sar’Mari was handling her loosely hilted lightsaber, you would think you’d die too if you got too close. She could hear Sar’Mari scoff as she swung her lightsaber to the side.

“I can handle it.” Huffed Sar’Mari, performing a spin, bringing her lightsaber to her front and tilting it downwards, performing a stance as if she was deflecting an attack to the lower half of her body from her invisible enemy. “Plus, I wouldn’t have time to fix it. The test is starting soon and I have to be ready,” she finishes, ending her form before looking at Ahsoka with defiance in her eyes. Ahsoka raises her hands in a surrendering gesture.

“Hey, I am not trying to force you, but I highly recommend you get that fixed before you accidentally slice someone in half,” Ahsoka advises seriously. She couldn’t help a prideful smile when Sar’Mari let out a laugh.

“Just wait until I ‘accidentally slice’ those droid scum,” Sar’Mari vaunted, finally sheathing her lightsaber and crossing her arms. “They won’t even know what hit them and they’ll be already dead,” Ahsoka shakes her head fondly at the girl.

“Well, you need to pass this test and a few more before you can enter the battlefield.” Ahsoka reminds Sar’Mari, who rolls her eyes and groans.

“But, I’m ready! I’ve been doing so good! The only time I have left this temple was to retrieve my Kyber Krystal. Other than that, I have not stepped foot out of this place for anything else.” Sar’Mari kvetched. Ahsoka felt sad for her. You see, it didn’t take long for Ahsoka before she was sent to the battlefield alongside Anakin, but that was the difference between her and Sar’Mari. Ahsoka was raised with the Force and grew up training, Sar’Mari is just beginning at just fifteen. It will be a while before Sar’Mari is ready. But looking on the bright side, Sar’Mari has been elevating pretty quickly. Ahsoka was impressed with the girl’s test scores and increasing level of control of the Force, and she believed it was only a matter of time before Sar’Mari got to tag along to fight against the Separatists.

Ahsoka sighed as she walked closer to Sar’Mari, her arm lifting and pressing down on the girl’s blond curly puffy hair. Her hand goes searching until her fingers come across the small hidden horns of Sar’Mari’s Montrals and give them a tiny rub. She watches as Sar’Mari’s face goes slack, her eyes closing and sighing heavily. It felt good having her horns massaged. They tend to get easily irritated when her hair is constantly rubbing against them and suffocating them where they can’t get much air. Stupid human genes.

“You’re getting there, Sar’Mari. You’re almost there,” Ahsoka says, her tone soft and optimistic. Sar’Mari sighs again, the majority of her attention on the hand massaging her Montrals. She then opens her eyes, her big brown eyes settled on Ahsoka’s blue ones.

“Don’t you think I’m ready?” She asks softly, gazing longingly into the other Togruta’s eyes. Ahsoka smiles, replying just as softly. “Of course I do.”

“I do as well, little Padawan.”

The two girls turn to give their attention to Master Sinube, Master Jedi Investigator of the Coruscant’s criminal underworld. Sar’Mari lit up and straightened her posture, bowing at the waist.

“Master Sinube, Good morning,” Sar’Mari greets happily. The old Cosian returns the bow and lets out a slow but haughty laugh.

“Why, hello there, Sar’Mari. Your test is not until another hour.” Sar’Mari stands straight again. “I know, but I’m too excited. This is my first real test!” Master Sinube laughs again.

“Why yes, I could feel your enthusiasm through the door,” the Jedi expressed fondly. Sar’Mari looked up to the Jedi Cosian. She’d learned that Sinube was an investigator who could crack - or used to crack rather - crimes at an impressive rate, most better than the seasoned detectives in the Coruscant police. But what made her put the man on a pedestal, was when she learned that Sinube was dedicated to getting a breakthrough stopping drug cartels with the Pyke Syndicate. Yes, more crime families do the same thing, but the Pykes tended to do things differently when it came to dealing with illegal spice. Whenever a worker of theirs disobeys them or even tries to go against them - for example, Sar’Mari and Jaccha - the Pykes take matters into their own hands and take very gruesome disciplinary actions. Sar’Mari almost received a softer punishment (in Pyke's terms). She almost became a slave, dreading to assume which kind, if it wasn’t for Anakin and Obi-Wan coming in and saving her and her mother. Come to find out, Sinube had almost cracked the case when Sar’Mari got saved from Lom Pyke. Fortunately, Lom met his end, although it wasn’t by the hands of the Jedi, it was by the Sith Lord Count Dooku. But unfortunately, there are still some Pykes out there trying to reestablish their spice ‘empire’, but Lom Pyke was the root of all their wealth and power. Topping him is a ticket to failure…or probably death if other crime families caught wind of the attempt, just so they can remain on top…whoever’s family that is. But seeing that someone cared about stopping the poisonous crimes throughout the Galaxy, especially for the people of Coruscant, Sar’Mari felt important…

“Well, come in and prepare. I will inform all attending that we have an early observation,” Sinube said, stepping aside to allow Ahsoka and Sar’Mari to walk in.

Upon entering, Sar’Mari fought to hold back an excited squeal as she was led by Ahsoka to the center of the room. This is it! Today’s the day! She gets to show all the Jedi Masters that she is ready to go out there, to fight against the ones who want nothing but chaos and death across the Galaxy. And maybe, just maybe, when she climbs the ranks, she’ll have enough power to make the right changes for the people of Coruscant. To grant them a chance and give them a life she didn’t live before now. To relieve the people in the lower levels of pain and suffering she had to endure but was saved from. There was guilt that weighed her chest because Sar’Mari felt bad for leaving the people down there. But it wasn’t her fault, the Force saw fit to give her a better chance of life. Had she not chosen to take that route, she would’ve probably been back to where she started through the social services which are disappointedly corrupted.

But at least I would’ve still been with my mother, Sar’Mari had thought. But she realized her life would be nothing but a life of thievery, committed crimes, constantly having to run, and a life full of regrets. To make a better future, a few sacrifices had to be made. Jaccha had to be taken away so that Sar’Mari could see what her path had for her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Sar’Mari looks up at Ahsoka in question. Then she felt embarrassed; when did she have her head down? How did she get lost in her thoughts so fast?

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sar’Mari answers dutifully, her mind storing her current thoughts to be meditated on later today. Ahsoka looked at her, scanning her face for any lies the girl could be telling. She could sense a negative energy flowing from Sar’Mari. It wasn’t that heavy, but it was definitely making itself known.

“I hope you know that you’re going to be great. You are a unique astonishment and full of brave spirit,” Ahsoka cheered Sar’Mari on, leaning close to her before immediately turning to step beside her when the door opened, and Jedi Masters Plo Koon, Luminara, and of course, Obi-Wan came walking in.

“And beautiful , ” Ahsoka whispers to the girl covertly, huffing a small chuckle when she feels a bloom of bashfulness through the Force.

Once again, Sar’Mari regrets having her hair tied up when it usually helped with hiding her blushes, which she never had problems with until she met Ahsoka. To make matters worse, Obi-Wan caught this, but he had an unreadable expression on his face. But it changed into a friendly smile when Ahsoka left Sar’Mari’s side to greet him and sit beside him.  Anakin isn’t here, which is not surprising. But still, it would’ve been nice to see him here for support. A few more Masters came in, like Master Billaba and Master Windu. Sar’Mari smiles at him when the man sits in the front row. They are the only two with rare colored lightsabers, and Windu had participated in training Sar’Mari more on the Force than blade training. He told her that, just like him, she could control the Force of the light and the dark side and with some practice, would have the strength to not fall into the darkness. Of course, this leaves Sar’Mari petrified because what if she goes too far and falls into the dark side by mistake? But she remembers Master Windu’s words clear as day:

“You will never make the mistake of falling to something evil when your goal is for something good.”

What he said had helped her. But now and then, that ugly thought pops up.

“This is great. Now that everyone is here, we can begin!” Sinube merrily announces. All the thoughts and the flashbacks in Sar’Mari’s mind as she ignites her lightsaber disappear, and the fire lights up in her eyes as the Force bubble surrounds her and the robots enter her limited space.

==========

“What the hell was that?”

Underwhelmed was not even a word to describe Sar’Mari’s disappointment. The test she was just put through didn’t even last long, though she broke the record for completing the test at a faster rate. Those bots that supposedly have been a representation of what separatist droids are were literally like a casual day of playing nun-ball. This was so not fair.

“Sar’Mari, you did a great job. You passed the test,” Ahsoka congratulated the girl as they walked back to their shared dorm. A while ago, when Sar’Mari was being held in the holding room, she was told by Nalina, whom she doesn’t see as often anymore, that since the dormitories were limited, Sar’Mari had to be partnered up with somebody. With her trust issues being so damaged and low at the time, Sar’Mari would rather stay in the uncomfortable and back-aching holding cell than be put up with a total stranger who could easily harm her if they wanted to. But to her surprise and shock, Ahsoka volunteered to lend half of her space to the girl. The only thing was they had to share one bed because the room was only fit for one person. Sar’Mari with her growing crush on Ahsoka, made her ability to try to get over her even harder.

She still couldn’t get over the other’s arm that would swoop over and wrap around her waist during some of those nights.

“That test didn’t even feel like a test to me! That was an insult they threw, right to my face!” Sar’Mari ranted, having the urge to go right back in that room to give Sinube and the other Masters who were still in there a piece of her mind.

“Well, let’s look on the bright side. At least you’re one step closer to going on missions with Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka says, trying to lift Sar’Mari’s sour mood. Sar’Mari smacks her lips.

“Ahsoka, you have to admit, that test was too easy. Obi-Wan just doesn’t want me out there at all! You saw how he was looking at me in there! It was the look of doubt!”

“That’s not true. Obi-Wan believes that you are capable of fighting alongside him. It’s just that…you just started, Sar’Mari. It’d be different if you were raised here and learned of the Force from a young age.” Ahsoka says carefully, not wanting to accidentally set the Togruta hybrid off. Sar’Mari hears this and sighs heavily.

“But that test was too easy. That goes to show that I’ve improved way past that. What is it that I’m not ready for?” She asks helplessly.

Ahsoka didn’t say anything to answer that but instead walked ahead to open the door to their shared dormitory. Sar’Mari sulks in, going straight for the bed and plopping down on her side, tossing her lightsaber on the nightstand beside her. She haunches over, her arms over her knees and her head hanging low, baring a face of hurt and disappointment. Ahsoka felt her heartache at the sight. She goes and sits beside the younger girl.

“I’m sorry, Sar’Mari. I wish that I can help you. But it’s not up to me that decide you can go out there. You have to talk to Obi-Wan.” Sar’Mari sighs again.

“Obi-Wan wouldn’t listen. He treats me like I’m a fragile piece of glass. I can’t even go to the commissary by myself without him calling me on my comms asking where I am,” Sar’Mari vents, lifting her head and putting her hand under her chin. Ahsoka places her hand on the girl’s shoulder. She truly has no words to say that can comfort the younger teen. She’s never been in Sar’Mari’s place before. Ahsoka’s only heard a quarter of Sar’Mari’s past life and what she knows so far says enough that the hybrid knows how to handle herself. But she has no idea how to convince Obi-Wan that she is ready. Well, not for the big missions obviously, but more so on missions that consist of investigating small-time criminals in parts that she’s familiar with - like the lower parts of Coruscant. Ahsoka knows about Sar’Mari’s dedication to the people down there, and how the main reason why she’s working so hard to get better is so that she can help those people. But like she told Sar’Mari, it’s not up to her to grant her the ability to go out there, it was up to Obi-Wan himself.

But….

There is someone she could go to who can help the young girl learn what she will be put up against when the day comes that she goes with Kenobi.

“You’ve said the test was a waste, right?” Ahsoka suddenly asks. Sar’Mari looks up at her, her expression shifting from sadness to a look of suspicion. “Yes..?” it was more of a question than an answer. Sar’Mari could feel that the older teen had something up her sleeve, that by itself was given away by the mischievous smirk. Sar’Mari’s suspicion grows when Ahsoka doesn’t look her way, rubbing her chin and her eyes looking thoughtful.

“Meet me at the hangar tomorrow morning. I’m taking you somewhere,” Ahsoka eventually says, smiling even wider as her eyes land on Sar’Mari’s confused face.

“What for?” Sar’Mari asks, wary of the plan that’s unknown to her by the Togruta beside her.

“Trust me,” Ahsoka replies in a whisper, eyeing Sar’Mari deep in her big brown eyes. Sar’Mari sighs, resigning to the fact she wouldn’t know what the other has planned and will have to wait and see. But that wasn't the only thing she resigned to.

Has Ahsoka’s eyes always been this bright?

Sar’Mari looks down when she feels something brushing on her hand. It was Ahsoka’s hand, her thumb rubbing the top of her knuckles. Then, her hand starts to move, slowly coming up passing her wrist, then her elbow, up to her shoulder.

“You’ve been on my mind for a few days…” Ahsoka trails off, leaving room for Sar’Mari to possibly say something, which she does.

“Yeah, you too, for me…” Sar’Mari says lowly, relishing Ahsoka’s hand easing up to the back of her neck. She feels her fingers slinking between the white strands of her hair. She shudders as Ahsoka’s digit brushes against one of her small Montrals, vibrating each ridge the other’s fingers pass over.

“I can’t help it. But this is wrong…” Ahsoka’s tone was contrite, but her actions told a different story.

“It’s not anybody’s business on what we do, Ahsoka…” Sar’Mari says, reaching up and cupping Ahsoka’s soft and sharp cheek.

“I know but-“ Ahsoka sighs, “You know Jedi are not supposed to form attachments. It’s a distraction and a one-way ticket to be lured into the dark side…”

“Then we won’t let that happen,” Sar’Mari determined. “Ahsoka, you can’t isolate yourself from something you can’t help. As long as I have you, and you me, nothing bad will happen to either of us…” Sar’Mari encouraged. Sar’Mari knows the rules of The Order, and let’s just say she was quite pained by it. When Obi-Wan told her the rules, Sar’Mari felt as if another aspect of her life was torn away from her without her permission. Just like how her mom was taken away. She had so many things, so many people ripped from her life, there was no way Sar’Mari was going to allow this chance of her having a happy life being torn from her as well.

“You’re not disappointing the Force. If you did, bad things will be happening right now. And as you can see, nothing bad is happening,” Sar’Mari dramatically looks around to emphasize her point. Ahsoka lets out a tiny chuckle. But then her expression grows grim.

“You know, there was someone,” Ahsoka says in the quiet. Sar’Mari leans closer to give the other girl her full attention.

“His name was Lux. Lux Bonteri. His mother, Mina Bonteri, was a Separatist senator.”

“You liked a Separatist!?” Sar’Mari asked with horror in her voice. Ahsoka scoffs lightheartedly before continuing.

“I met him when I went with Senator Amidala to the Outer Rim, to planet Raxus Secundas. That’s where he lived at the time.”

Sar’Mari sat and listened to Ahsoka as she told the story of the potential relationship she would’ve had with the boy Bonteri. How they both understood that they were not that different from each other, despite being on opposing sides of the war. She then goes on about Mina Bonteri initiating a motion in the Separatist Senate to begin peace negotiations with the Republic Senate, where the majority voted for the war to end. But all chaos broke loose when Mina was assassinated, and Dooku orchestrated an attack on the Republic just to keep the war going. Mina’s death caused Lux to become an orphan, and he refused to believe that it was the Republic that had something to do with his mother’s death.

Lux then decided to confront Dooku about his mother’s assassination, believing that it was him who was behind it. So he allied himself with former separatist ally, Pre Vizsla, the leader of Mandalorian Death Watch. Sar’Mari couldn’t remember every detail that was told, but she could feel a faint longing Ahsoka had towards the human boy. Sar’Mari felt bad, like…she felt like a lousy attempt at a replacement. A hand under her chin lifting her face brought her out of the beginning of her cloudy thoughts.

“You’re different, Sar’Mari,” Ahsoka says as if she was reading her thoughts. She kept Sar’Mari’s face still so she didn’t look away. “You came from the lowest of the low. I know the circumstances of getting to the top were not in your favor, but you made it here. And you’re thriving and you’re elevating every day so that you can help the people of this world. Loyal, determined, fierce. Some people would say you are eccentric and distinctive. But I’d say you are extraordinary and beautiful.” Ahsoka recited to the hybrid.

Sar’Mari heard this many times, but each time it made her heart soar with more love for the other teen. She never had someone show her affection, the kind that she wanted outside of the motherly love she received from Jaccha. Well, except for Salishel, the daughter of Senator Élitero of Skako Minor. She was the one that Sar’Mari realized she didn’t mind wanting to develop a relationship with. But her mind wasn’t in the right place, and she probably caused Salishel more pain than good. There were a lot of times she dismissed the Poletec’s attempts and she didn’t even know. She would always catch the red blushes, the stutters, and the silky voice saying her name differently, with a purpose. But at the time, Sar’Mari didn’t believe anybody would want an abomination. A being that shouldn’t exist. A being with features that simply didn’t go together. She was a freak , an experiment she felt like. Sar’Mari used to think that whoever were her biological parents, didn’t care that they’d end up with some atrocity. That was probably why they gave her away to some random being. They didn’t want to deal with a responsibility like her. Now, she knows that there are more questionable species out there, but at least they were in the right category. Sar’Mari didn’t have a place to put herself in, and that’s what always bothered her. But she doesn’t think about her parent’s actions anymore, she just thinks about herself when it comes to looks.

“Sar’Mari…” Ahsoka speaks her name in concern. She was troubled by Sar’Mari’s facial expression as she gazed at Ahsoka. It was almost like she was seeing past her, but the Togruta realized Sar’Mari was in her thoughts once again. Sar’Mari tends to do that a lot Ahsoka noticed. But she never opened up about her thoughts as often, and when she did it was only the surface that she talked about, like her mother or level 1313. Ahsoka never got to dig deeper into the young girl’s mind. The thing was, she could, but she wouldn’t do that to her. That’s a whole crazy level of betrayal and invasion of privacy. But one thing was for sure, Ahsoka knew Sar’Mari always had problems with her appearance. She doesn’t know to what extent, but she is praying to the Force that Sar’Mari overcomes that problem. But Ahsoka feels hope. Especially with the plan she has for the hybrid. One that could boost her confidence in being a Jedi and promote her thoughts about the aspects of her character and appearance. She will see to it that she will be a great help to Sar’Mari’s problem.

“Let’s try to get some sleep, yeah? You have a big day tomorrow,” Ahsoka says randomly, bringing Sar’Mari back from the depths of her mind. Sar’Mari looks at her in confusion before nodding in consideration, now starting to feel tiredness seeping in. She moves to her small dresser and pulls out her sleep gown to change into. She did a quick wrap around her puffy hair so it won’t get tangled through the night.

As they both got ready for bed and situated themselves on their respective side, Sar’Mari caught a glimpse of Ahsoka tapping away on her holo screen as she pulled the blanket over the both of them.

“What are you doing?” Sar’Mari murmurs, watching as Ahsoka turns off her tablet and sets it on her nightstand. She then turns over and readjusts the blanket over both of them, pulling it slightly so she has enough room to smoothly pass by the middle of the bed. Sar’Mari’s back is now flushed against Ahsoka’s front. Sar’Mari could feel butterflies when Ahsoka’s arm wrapped over her waist.

“I’m getting ready to go to sleep,” Ahsoka replies, her tone feigning obliviously. Sar’Mari scoffs.

“I meant on the tablet,” Sar’Mari specifies. Ahsoka laughed and her left hand moved, fondling with the tie that held Sar’Mari’s hair together.

“I can’t tell you, it’s a surprise. Like I said, trust me,” Ahsoka repeats before her eyes slide shut. Sar’Mari followed along, though she was hesitant because now her mind was running with assumptions of what the surprise was. Then she thought about it. She can’t leave the temple due to Obi-Wan’s unknown reason of overprotection, how the hell will Ahsoka get her away from the Temple without the Master Jedi knowing?

“Trust me,” Ahsoka’s muffled voice behind Sar’Mari says. Sar’Mari sighs.

“Stay out of my head.”

“I could feel your anxiety. I don’t need to read your mind, beautiful.”

==========

Sar’Mari woke up a little grouchy this morning, especially since she woke up with a space beside her. Then she zooms out of bed when she realizes that she is supposed to be meeting Ahsoka at the hangar.

“You’re right on time.” Ahsoka had said when she saw Sar’Mari sprinting towards her, clumsily attaching her lightsaber to her belt loop.

“On time? But I was thirty minutes late..” Sar’Mari huffs as she boards a gunship behind Ahsoka.

“That’s what I meant,” Ahsoka quips playfully, stepping aside to let Sar’Mari take a seat first before helping her strap in.

“So where we-“

“You’ll see” Ahsoka swiftly cuts off Sar’Mari’s question and sits down in her seat beside her.

“Ahsoka-“

“Sar’Mari, trust me, you’ll be fine,” Ahsoka reaches over with one hand while using the other to strap herself to the seat and touches Sar’Mari’s arm.

“Well, it’s hard to trust anybody when all your life you’re taught to trust nobody,” Sar’Mari expressed miserably, though her tone was a little irritant. Ahsoka notices this and rubs her arm gently.

“As long as you’re with me, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you can trust me,” Ahsoka promised sternly, her eyes filled with determined fire. Sar’Mari felt her heart starting to race at her look. Gods, she was so hot-

Sar’Mari, you’re letting your mind go crazy again

“Ready for takeoff, Commander?” A clone trooper, who Sar’Mari didn’t know, asked Ahsoka. Ahsoka nods.

“Ready when you are, Lex.”

==========

“Alright, boys. Make sure you are in your position when Ahsoka comes with Obi-Wan’s new Padawan. Everything has to go the same as it did before.”

“Sir, why are we doing this again? Aren’t we gonna get in trouble doing this with a different Jedi’s Padawan?”

“Don’t worry, Jesse. I’ll handle Obi-Wan when the time comes. For now, we can just say that we’re merely providing another training lesson for her,” Anakin said with confidence. Yes, he might get an earful from Obi-Wan, but to him, it was worth it…and a little fun.

“Master, we’re here!”

Anakin turns towards the entrance of the military operations center to see his own Padawan running towards him. And in tow, was Sar’Mari being dragged behind her. Anakin smirked at the curiosity invading the hybrid’s eyes as she looked around the base. She had never been in a place like this before. Jeez, Obi-Wan needs to let her venture out more.

“You’re right on time, Ahsoka. The guys were just beginning to get into position.” The man informs his Padawan. Ahsoka smiles.

“Good.”

Sar’Mari stops ogling the giant building and catches the end of the conversation between Skywalker and Ahsoka. She looks at Anakin. “Um, Master Skywalker? Why am I here?” She asks cautiously.

“A little birdie told me that your first test didn’t go so well yesterday.”

“Oh did they now?” Sar’Mari asks, giving Ahsoka a side-eye. Ahsoka looks away, feigning interest to the ceiling. Sar’Mari shakes her head and sighs.

“It would’ve been nice if you were there too, ya know.” Sar’Mari walks up to Anakin with her arms crossed. Anakin shrugs.

“I would’ve been there if the test itself wasn’t a waste of talent. Ahsoka told me you passed in a matter of minutes. You’ve beaten my record of five,” Anakin says with a smirk, copying Sar’Mari’s posture and crossing his arms.

“Well, yeah, the droids weren’t a challenge. Once I got used to their patterns and rhythms they were easy to predict,” Sar’Mari explains, looking around at a group of clones gathering together. Some looked back at her while some whispered. Hmm…

“Well, today is going to be different. I have a test for you.” Anakin reveals, turning to walk to the group of clone troopers talking amongst themselves. She felt a nudge in the small of her back.

“Surprise,” Ahsoka whispers in her ear, mindful of the many bodies walking around, thankfully oblivious to the closeness of the girls' bodies.

“You put all of this together? For me?” Sar’Mari turns around to face Ahsoka.

“Yeah. I was once in your shoes, given the same test. It was just as easy as you said it was. But this test here will prove If you’re ready to go out there with us. You are more than what that other test did for you. I want you to be shown that you are more than that.” Ahsoka says endearingly, rubbing one of her fingers against Sar’Mari’s, an urge to want to hold the tan-speckled hand of the hybrid. Sar’Mari went to return the gesture, but Anakin called them both over.

“Are you ready?” He asks patiently, eyeing the closeness his Padawan and Sar’Mari’s bodies were. Ahsoka sees the way her Master is looking at them, so instead of panicking, she plays off the fact that she was practically caught being too close to the other girl by patting Sar’Mari’s back.

“She’s all yours, Master,” Ahsoka pushes Sar’Mari gently towards Skywalker as he walks to the middle of the troopers who were forming a circle around them. Anakin stops as he looks around. His eyebrow was raised.

“Where’s Rex? He was supposed to be here way before the rest of you,” He asks looking around. Sar’Mari looked around too, even though she had no idea who this ‘Rex’ was. Suddenly, she heard rapid footsteps coming from behind her, but she couldn’t see due to the soldiers blocking her view.

“Sorry, I’m late, General. I had a last-minute report to file.” A gruff but soothing voice says. It sounded similar to all the clones Sar’Mari heard whenever she passed by after greeting them at the Temple, but for some reason, this trooper’s voice sounded different…distant.

“It’s okay, Rex, I understand. Come, I want you to meet the new Padawan Obi-Wan took in,”

At this cue, the soldiers finally separated letting Anakin enter the circle first. Behind him came Rex, and the way he came walking through made Sar’Mari feel small. He was wearing his blue accented armor that was adorned with countless tally marks. Even his helmet had marks on it, and this made Sar’Mari wonder what position this clone had in Anakin’s Legion. The man had a very authoritative aura that surrounded him, but Sar’Mari stood firm in her place, looking at him with inquisitive eyes. But something happened, and it suddenly felt like it was only the two of them in the large military base. As Rex approached, his steps faltered, his helmet looking solely in Sar’Mari’s direction. His body stilled. Sar’Mari tilts her head at his actions, but her attention is taken from him to Anakin who comes and stands next to her.

“Sar’Mari, this is my Captain of the 501st Legion. Captain Rex,” Anakin introduced. Sar’Mari put her hands behind her back, nervously playing with her sweaty palms as she continued to be analyzed by the Captain. Captain Rex made no move for a handshake or anything, he just stared at the girl, and it was beginning to become unnervingly uncomfortable.

“Rex?” Anakin walked closer to the trooper, who finally shook his head as if he was coming from the deeper depths of his mind and looked at his general.

“Uh, sorry, General. I didn’t expect to see…her…” the trooper trails off. Sar’Mari scoffs and crosses her arms.

“What is that supposed to mean? What are you trying to say?” Sar’Mari demanded, her blood already starting to boil. She was getting tired of people’s criticizing looks and ignorant comments. The captain immediately took off his helmet, baring a winced expression and a reddening face.

“No, no, forgive me for coming off as offensive. It’s just…w-what is your name?” He then asks. Sar’Mari watched as the clone’s brows wrinkled together, his face looking nervous but startled. Sar’Mari unfolded her arms and returned her hands to her back.

“My name is…Sar’Mari,” the girl responds, taking a couple of steps back to give herself space between the other clone troopers and the captain before her.

Why is he acting like that?

“Captain, are you okay?” Anakin asked, placing his hand on his captain’s shoulder and shaking it slightly. Rex shakes his head from his stricken gaze on Sar’Mari.

“N-Nothing sir. I thought she was someone I knew,” he answers straightforwardly. He puts back on his helmet as Skywalker nods before turning to the rest of the soldiers.

“Alright, guys, let’s get started. Make sure blasters are set to stun,” Anakin reminds his troopers, getting back a ‘yes, sir!’ In response. Captain Rex, however, was still standing in the exact spot, looking over Sar’Mari once again.

“What?” Sar’Mari asks bluntly, having the urge to shrink away and hide under a rock. She didn’t understand what was going on with this clone. Rex didn’t say anything but walked away to his spot, though his steps were hesitant, almost as if he didn’t want to walk away from her. Sar’Mari shakes her head at this and looks to Anakin as he begins to speak.

“So, since your last test was a bummer, this test I’m giving you has a more realistic look and feel of what we go through on the battlefield all the time. Your objective is to deflect the stun blasts and hold out for as long as you can. Do not get hit. Understood?” Anakin folds his arms behind his back, looking at Sar’Mari expectantly.

“Yes, Master Skywalker,” Sar’Mari answers, unleashing her lightsaber, and setting into a defensive stance. She could hear some of the clone troopers gasp at the blazing color of her lightsaber, probably never seen such a rare color, given the fact that they knew Windu was the only one, but she paid it no mind as she focused.

“Now, this is the time to use the Force and feel when and where the blasts will come from. Do not rush and do not overthink. Let the Force guide you,” Anakin advises, officially moving out of the circle and allowing the troopers to fully enclose the Togruta hybrid. Sar’Mari nods and studies the movements of the clones who all aim at her. She takes a deep breath as she listens for the twitches of the fingers on the triggers.

Behindyoubehindyoubehindyoubehindyou

Sar’Mari swings around, deflecting a stun blast coming from behind her. The blast goes right back to the shooter, and the trooper falls back with a loud thud.

“Deflect the stun without harming my troopers,” Anakin chastised firmly, earning a wince from the girl.

“Yes, Master Skywalker.”

She spins around just in time to deflect another stun aimed at her head. The blast bounces off her lightsaber and towards the ceiling. Another one came from her left. Then another came from her right. Suddenly the soldiers close in on her a little. This leaves her startled.

“Have to be prepared for any scenarios. The enemy does not play fair,” Anakin speaks up from behind the clones. He probably saw Sar’Mari’s face change as the clones stepped closer.

She starts to lose her breath. Constant blasts coming from every direction. She couldn’t keep up.

She was losing energy.

She can’t keep up.

She can’t—

“Ah!” Sar’Mari gets hit by a stun blast in her back. All the strength she had dissipates from her body, she falls heavily on her front, and all she sees is darkness.

==========

“Is she okay?”

“Don’t worry, Ahsoka, she’ll be fine.”

Her vision was hazy as she opened her eyes. She didn’t remember moving to lay on her back, and the first person she sees is Ahsoka, and behind her was Anakin who then came and kneeled to meet Sar’Mari’s line of sight.

“See? She’s fine,” Anakin says to his Padawan. “Alright, up you go.”

Sar’Mari is hefted to her feet by the Master Jedi and she instantly stumbles backwards. One of the troopers catches her under her arms and steadies her on her feet. Sar’Mari muttered a weak ‘thank you’ before she was led back to the middle.

“How long was I out?” She asks, rubbing her head as she’s handed back her lightsaber.

“About an hour,” Ahsoka responds with an awkward smile. Sar’Mari’s eyes shoot up to the Togruta.

“An hour!?” She exclaims in disbelief. Anakin chuckles.

“Just remember that droids are unpredictable. You need to be ready for anything,” He says, his face shifting into a serious look. On this note, Sar’Mari thinks back to her first test from yesterday and realizes that it was going easy on her. It was nothing compared to this.

Fuck

“Move back to the center and try again,” Anakin orders, signaling to the troopers to surround the Togruta hybrid once more. Ahsoka backs away and Sar’Mari ignites her lightsaber once more. She stands in the form of Soresu and waits.

“Begin.”

Four stun blasts are shot at the same time, which Sar’Mari deflects with a swipe of her lightsaber, but doing that causes her to stagger back a bit. She turns and dodges another one, but one catches her in her stomach and she falls out again.

“Again,” Anakin orders when Sar’Mari is back on her feet once more. She didn’t even make it to defending herself against the third shot and she was already knocked out.

“Again.”

Sar’Mari gets hit in the back again.

“Again.”

Sar’Mari gets hit in her chest.

“Again.”

Sar’Mari gets hit in her leg.

“Again.”

Sar’Mari dodges one and deflects another, but as she swings around she sees the Captain who has two blasters raised and aimed at her and shoots both of them at the same time, the stuns engulfing Sar’Mari into a heavier state of unconsciousness.

==========

“Sar’Mari? Sar’Mari?”

“Relax, Ahsoka. She’ll be fine.”

“But Master, that was a little much, don’t you think?”

“I am doing it the same way I did it with you. This is just your first time seeing it from the outside looking in.”

Sar’Mari groans as she is raised into a sitting position. She feels Ahsoka’s hand on her back and her other one on her stomach.

“I-I can’t-“

“Yes you can,” Anakin cuts her off. “Get up and try again.”

Ahsoka lifts Sar’Mari to her feet and hands her her fallen lightsaber. Sar’Mari moans in pain as she takes back her weapon and stumbles back to the middle.

“I assume you’ve come to realize why I said the first test is a waste,” Anakin said gently, mindful of the trembling of Sar’Mari’s legs as she fought to stay on her feet. The man looks to his troopers as they get back into position now that the girl is up. He looks to the side and sees Rex who is standing off to the side. Anakin was about to tell him to join the circle until he noticed the shaking of the clone’s hands, his pistols clacking at the intensity. Anakin raised an eyebrow as he looked at his captain. He decides not to let his trooper engage. He considers asking the clone about this after this. Sar’Mari gets back into her stance with a new lit fire in her eyes. Anakin smirks. Huh, she has plenty of resilience.

But the man’s face grows serious and wary as he feels a shift in the Force from the hybrid. Sar’Mari growls lowly as a blast is shot from behind her. She jumps and flips over the blast and swings at the trooper who shot at her first.

“Sar’Mari,” Anakin calls her name out in warning. Sar’Mari huffs roughly as she swipes her lightsaber to the side, deflecting another blast before raising the blade and reigning down to strike the same trooper who shot at her. The trooper, Leaf, which Sar’Mari heard his name briefly when Ahsoka told her that he was the one who tagged her too hard, which he apologized sincerely for, yelped and jumped back to avoid getting his chest sliced open. Sar’Mari, seeing that she won’t get to him like she wanted to, jumps back into the middle just in time to hit another blaster stun out of the way. She jumps towards Jesse who shoots at her next, but this time he starts shooting more rapidly, like he was panicking.

Good, fear me, Sar’Mari thought as she stepped to the side when another stun came from behind her, almost hitting her in the neck. She looks to the side, keeping the trooper Jesse in her peripheral to see who shot at her this time. It was Rex, the weirdo clone. Sar’Mari growls which sounds more angry than irritated and she turns to make the Captain her only target. But as she went, her whole body bounced back after hitting an invisible weight in front of her, like she just ran into a wall. The winded effect was brief as she opened her eyes and shook her head to clear her vision. As it clears, she sees Anakin approaching her with his hand falling to the side. Oh, it must’ve been him who stopped her.

“Get. Up,” He says with an angry tone. Sar’Mari swallows thickly as she does what the man orders.

“Do you want to explain to me what just occurred right then?” Anakin asked though it sounded like a demand rather than a question, so Sar’Mari had no choice but to respond.

“I-I-I don’t know, Master Skywalker, I don’t know what came over—“

“This is a training session for a reason! My soldiers are not your enemies.”

“I know but-“

“You could’ve injured them!”

“Yes, I know-“

“You’re too aggressive!-“

“Master Skywalker, please!” Sar’Mari shouts, feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated. She still felt so very dazed from the last shot by Anakin’s Captain. Skywalker looks down at the girl, displeased at his words being cut short, but seeing her eyes fill with tears makes him calm down from his rising anger.

“I-I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt your troopers it’s just…I don’t know…” Sar’Mari resigned from trying to explain, and her head lowered in a bow, waiting for a further reprimand from Skywalker. But it never came. Anakin studies Sar’Mari’s face, trying to understand what made her react so harshly in the session. The other times she got knocked out, she tried again with no problem. But this time, she wasn’t defending herself, she was playing an offensive side. She looked desperate and scared. Like she was trying to survive. Like she was trying to get rid of all threats, even though these soldiers would never truly hurt her. She was acting like today was the last day to live. And that’s when it clicked for the man

“Was this how you had to fight down there?” The question makes Sar’Mari look up at the Master Jedi. She knew what he was talking about.

“Down there was like a never-ending nightmare...” was all she replied, biting her lip to keep herself from bursting into tears. The energy to contain it worsened when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly in comfort.

“But you do understand that you are at a safer place now, far from that. Right?” Anakin asks, his voice mildly tinted with a calming tone. Sar’Mari releases a shaky breath she didn’t know she was holding, her shoulders becoming lighter as if a big weight was lifted off after she realizes that she is at a safe place now.

“Yes…I know.” Sar’Mari admits weakly. Anakin sighs before looking to his Padawan for help. Ahsoka looks up at her master from behind the Togruta hybrid and shakes her head slowly. A wordless decision was made. Anakin sighs again.

“We’ll just have to try again next time,” Anakin decided regrettably. He felt this way because he knew the young girl could be more than what she was doing right now, but at the same time she had a different upbringing than Ahsoka had, and it’s easier to train her than the younger teen. Obi-Wan has his hands full.

“For now, I think you should return to the Temple and meditate on what happened today, and what you could do differently,” Anakin recommended, watching as the young hybrid’s shoulder slumps even lower in defeat. The Jedi wished there was something that he could say that made Sar’Mari feel better, but she also had to understand that not every road is smooth.

“Yes….Master Skywalker,” Sar’Mari sniffs and bows before the Jedi before turning around and starting to walk away. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to put space between herself and the others before she became emotionally vulnerable, she was not fond of others seeing her like this. Nalina was the only one who saw her and who she went to for comfort, but she hadn’t been seeing her lately. She’d seen Master Luminara more than her Padawans.

As Sar’Mari walked away, she failed to notice a particular clone trooper’s eyes following after her as she left the large building. To one who knows the layout like the back of his hand, Sar’Mari was heading to the commissary. The voice nagging in the back of his head was pushing him to follow her, to see more of her, to not let her out of his sight…but he was nervous. More scared than nervous actually. It’s been so long. Rex wonders if she knows of her presence. Well, guess it’s time to find out.

Chapter Text

==========

“Hey Rex, the guys wanted to know if you want to train them some more since Sar’Mari’s has been cut short for today.” Rex blinks and looks to Anakin who had approached. He cringes, he didn’t even notice the general walking up to him.

“No, General. Th- They have the day off to do what they want,” Rex says briefly, looking back to the door Sar’Mari had just walked through to get to the commissary.

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve all had a day to ourselves. Gives us time to figure some things out,” the Jedi said. But Rex read between the lines. His General was incognito with his inquiry. He wanted to know what was wrong with his Captain.

“If you’re wondering about me General, I’m fine. But…I’m curious…” Rex started, looking to the ground as his mind struggled to gather up questions that he needed to ask.

“Okay. What is it?” His General asks, walking to stand in front of him so the clone doesn’t have to turn around to face him, giving him privacy from the lingering eyes and ears.

“It’s about the girl,” Anakin’s brows raise at this. “Oh, so you do know her?” Rex shakes his head. “No, sir, I don’t. But, I was wondering where did she come from. I heard her mention coming from ‘down there’. What did she mean?” Anakin crosses his arms and breathes as he thinks of an answer that will satisfy the clone.

“Let’s just say that Sar’Mari didn’t have an easy life before me and Obi-Wan saved her.” Rex looked up from the ground and looked at Skywalker in utter fear. “Saved her? W-What do you mean?” Anakin squints his eyes at his Captain’s behavior but continues anyway. “It was the Force that led Obi-Wan and me back to Oba Diah. Remember the mission we had to do where we had to find out what happened to Sifo-Dyas?” Rex nods. “Well, we went there mainly to confront the Pyke Syndicate regarding him, but when we got there, we saw Sar’Mari and her mother being held captive. By the looks of it, you can say a deal went wrong between them and the Pykes were going to kill them both. Well, at least the mother, Sar’Mari was going to be taken as a work slave,” Anakin says with a tiny growl remembering the black leather leash tied around Sar’Mari’s neck. That was the main reason why he decided to not do the training lesson as a one-time thing. He will continue to help Sar’Mari because she has a lot of potential that needs to be brought out. But first, she had to get rid of the mental turmoil that was going on.

“What made her situation worse was that she was from Level 1313 as well,” Anakin adds once the small cloud of anger washes over.

Rex had to refrain from curling his lip up in anger. He grasps the fabric of his pants and squeezes. Anakin peeps it but says nothing. He learned that clones tend to be paternal towards small children, like Ahsoka when she was first assigned to Skywalker, and Waxer and Boil when they were watching over a little Twi’Lek when the 212th was sent to Ryloth to free the Twi’leks from the Separatists. Rex was not exempt from this instinct.

“Ya know, since she will be around us more, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her better,” Anakin proposes innuendo once again with his suggestion. Rex’s eyes fall to the ground in thought. The General was right. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to learn about the newcomer. It will be beneficial for all of them so that they can perform better during battle.

“Thank you, sir,” Rex stands and nods before making his way to the commissary.

==========

“Would you like another water?”

“Yeah.”

Sulking in the booth far in the corner of the restaurant, away from all the prying eyes and Question-filled faces sat Sar’Mari, who was downing a third large cup of water. She hummed contently as the waiter droid refilled her cup for the fourth time. She relished in the cold beverage, having not such refreshing potations in the lower levels of Coruscant. It was about the only drink she ever had since being with the Jedi. But the joy of indulging in such luxury didn’t sober up her somber mood. Her spirit was filled with despondency. She was disappointed, thwarted even, from failing the test. She really thought she had it. The test from yesterday was so easy, Sar’Mari finished it in a matter of minutes, four minutes and fifty seconds to be precise. Sigh, but it seems this test just proved to her that she was nowhere near ready.

She felt stupid and arrogant. She made herself believe that this Jedi stuff would be easy. But it is nowhere near. Sar’Mari felt angry, because how did she allow herself to fall into the trap of stupidity? Ugh, need some more water-

“Mind if I sit with you?”

Sar’Mari was midway through reaching over to the middle of the metal table to grab the pitcher of water the waiter droid left for her. Sar’Mari assumed in its mechanical mind, that it probably left the large jug with her so that it could avoid being called over so many times. She doesn’t see why, it wasn’t like the whole restaurant was filled up with people constantly calling on it. Ugh, whatever.

As she looks up, her face scrunches when she sees the clone trooper Rex standing at the side of the table. With his helmet held at the hip, he was looking at her, waiting patiently for her answer. Sar’Mari wasn’t expecting anyone, let alone a clone, to come to her. She expected Ahsoka at least, but it seems that maybe she was disappointed with her performance too and didn’t want to see her at the moment. Sar’Mari slowly sits back and bites her lip, looking around at the other empty tables before looking back up at the Captain. There’s a reason why he’s here or otherwise he would’ve sat somewhere else. She then sighs, motioning her hand lazily at the other seat across from her.

“Thank you,” Rex quips before placing his helmet on the table close to the wall where it was out of the way before sitting down himself. Sar’Mari looked at him with skepticism, and she continued this even when the waiter droid came.

“Your usual?” It asks, its entire body facing the clone trooper. The Captain nods before looking back at Sar’Mari, meeting her mistrustful gaze. The clone clears his throat and looks away, baring an awkward look, but Sar’Mari remains firmly in her look of incertitude. Rex let out another cough as he could feel the young girl’s gaze on him. She was staring hard as if she was trying to burn her way through his skull. This continues until the droid returns with a drink that catches Sar’Mari’s attention.

“Your drink, sir,” the droid hums, placing a reddish fizzy drink on top of a neatly folded cloth. The captain smiles and nods his head in thanks before lifting his drink. He swirls it around, and Sar’Mari leans forward watching as the small cloud of steam floats over the top of the tall glass. She tilts her head watching the captain down half of it before thumping the glass back on the napkin, letting out a deep sigh.

Rex looks up and catches Sar’Mari analyzing his drink, watching the tiny bubbles float past the ice to the top. He also tilts his head at her.

“It’s Bespin Fizz. Ya know I would let you try some, but it’s an alcoholic beverage,” The clone stated, tapping the glass Sar’Mari was watching intensely. Hearing his voice made her lift her head, slowly sitting back again when she saw the distance between her and the fizzy drink in the hands of the trooper. She scoffs.

“Getting hammered in the middle of the day? Not so very professional,” Sar’Mari teased sarcastically. She could care less about why the Captain was getting drunk at a time like this, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun. Her smile falters when he snickers.

“Ah, well, try dealing with a battalion like mine and see if ya don’t want to get ‘hammered’” he replies, downing the rest of the red drink. As he swallows the rest, he goes, “Besides, it is not that strong, it’d just make me tipsy. I can still perform quite the same, if not better.” Sar’Mari hums, looking the Captain up and down before looking around with a bored expression on her face. She never knew how to hold conversations.

“So, how old are you?”

The question was unexpected. There were only a few who genuinely wanted to know about her, like Ahsoka and Master Kenobi. Sar’Mari crosses her arms, looking meekly at the captain, deciding whether or not to tell him. But saying that eventually, he’ll know anyway, might as well answer him.

“Fifteen,” the girl responds with a voice of uncertainty. The clone hums, leaning forward to grab the pitcher of water to pour some into the tall glass. As he does this, he catches Sar’Mari’s body tense, her fingers digging into her skin from where her arms were crossed. Rex eyes this and retracts his hand, connecting the dots when he sees the girl’s body relax.

“May I have some of your water? The drink tends to leave a bitter aftertaste,” The trooper asks, mindful of the hesitance displayed in the child’s face. Eventually, she slumps a little, jutting her head towards the water jug. Rex smiles and nods, reaching back over to grab the pitcher. As he poured the water into his tall glass, he eyed Sar’Mari who tensed up once again at the continuous stream of the cold beverage filling up the glass. Once it reached the middle, she placed her hands on the table.

“That’s enough,” She says quickly, her fingers fumbling with the edge of the table. It was like she was holding herself back, and Rex was smart not to test the waters yet.

“Thank you,” Rex said, placing the pitcher in the middle of the table. Sar’Mari nodded her head as she reached over and pulled the jug to her side of the table.

“Mhm.” Was all she replied with, her eyes remaining on the table. Since she wasn’t looking, Rex felt a little freedom to feel a little angry. He was actually enraged.

Her life was that bad where she couldn’t even get clean water!?

“I’m sorry.”

Rex looks up from his fist on the table to Sar’Mari who is looking down still, baring a remorseful look. Rex's eyes soften and his brows rise a little.

“Sorry? For what?” He asks. Sar’Mari shrugged. “During training. I was too rough, I wasn’t trying to hurt your men.” She says, looking to the side ashamed. That was something Rex noticed about her. Sar’Mari never makes eye contact when she’s talking to someone. Why?

“Ah, don’t worry about it. They’ve been through worse. We did the same test with Commander Tano,” Rex says, taking a sip of the cooling water. Seeing this made Sar’Mari take the jug and pour herself another cup. She looks back up at the clone as she sets the pitcher back down, asking surprised, “Really? Did she pass?” Rex Smirks. “Eventually. The General didn’t stop until he was satisfied with her performance.” At this, Sar’Mari sighs, her face scrunching back into sadness.

“I didn’t even make it through half of it,” the teen says sullenly. But before she could sulk any further, Rex grabs her attention. “Hey, it was your first time. It is expected to not succeed on the first try. You’ll get it next time, I’m sure of it,” Rex encouraged, raising his glass, and signaling to the other teen to raise hers. Sar’Mari looked at the trooper a little bit before slowly copying his move, raising her cup. Rex smiles as he says, “The next time you will pass, it will be with flying colors, and this toast is your good luck charm.”

Sar’Mari bore a half-smile at the clink of the glasses, giving way to the other’s optimistic nature. It was unexpected to feel a warmth spread in her chest from this, and it made her feel uncomfortable, but it also made her feel motivated and a little inspired. No one has ever given her reassurance or encouragement before, besides Ahsoka, Kenobi, and Jaccha. But outside of them, nobody has ever even looked at her to spread positivity. It was more of a look of disgust and loath, and then they would distance themselves away because of her very rare appearance. Her hands and cheeks were speckled with tan splotches, her white pigments and stripes seemed unreal and seemed to be unfinished, like the patterns she was supposed to have were underdeveloped. And don’t even get her started in her Lekku and Montrals which have seemed to say ‘Yeah, no, you don’t need us.’ She has them, but her large puffy blond hair, which was something she was not supposed to have, kept them hidden away. They were practically nonexistent because they were also underdeveloped. Her human side had ears, which would’ve probably overlapped or caused problems for her Togruta side if the Lekku and Montrals were fully grown. They all provided her with a sense of hearing, and she was somewhat thankful that one side won over the other because she would’ve had a bad sensitivity problem if that were to happen.

It was just sad. Whoever were her parents didn’t care about how she would’ve ended up. Then dared to give her up, so careless to see how’d she be when she got older or the kind of life she was going to live for the next fifteen years.

Unbeknownst to Sar’Mari, Rex sat back and studied her from the other side of the booth. His eyes soften once again, examining Sar’Mari’s face. His smile slowly faded as he took in her features.

Look just like her

Rex took in the girl’s features. The roundness of her face gave her the soft look of a baby. Her eyes were a pretty honey brown and could be almost a hazel color if light reflected off of them just right. Then, her skin . It was easy to tell her primary was a nice comparison to a Mandalorian orange, but in certain parts of her body, like her hands and face, were blotches of tan, almost like…a complexion of human skin! And don’t even get him started on her hair. Rex can put her next to Ahsoka and immediately point out that Sar’Mari is a hybrid of a sort. It’s easy to tell that one of her halves is a Togruta, but the other half is in question, and it resulted in her . But…this..this still can’t be, after all these years?

“If your whole purpose of sitting here was just so you can just get a ‘close-up’ then you can just leave me alone.”

Rex shakes his head from the cloudy fog of memories at the sound of Sar’Mari’s voice. “What?” He asks. He didn’t catch what the girl had said.

“I said, leave me alone. You’re no different than the rest of them.” Sar’Mari sneers, smacking her hands against the table and standing up from the booth. Rex was left agape. He didn’t understand the switch of attitude from the girl. She was shy, but she was willing to talk, they were having a casual conversation. Why the sudden change?

“W- Wait, hold up Sar’Mari,” Rex calls out to the retreating girl. He grabs his helmet and jumps up from the booth and jogs after her. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to her, seeming that she was still not familiar with the whole base, so she couldn’t go anywhere to get away from the trooper. The only place she could go was back to where Anakin had trained her, and she did not want to be there right now, so she had no choice but to stop for Rex.

She says nothing as she turns around to the approaching man. Rex looks down at her with soft and gentle eyes. He had to catch himself from touching the girl’s shoulder, Understanding from her body language that she did not like physical contact, given the reasonable distance between the two. Rex felt a small swell of pride. Heh, at least if Rex was her enemy, Sar’Mari would know to always stay out of the vicinity to not get caught up.

Rex takes a breath, asking, “What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

Sar’Mari huffed at the question, shaking her head before replying, “You were staring at me like I was some sort of freak,” Rex cringed slightly from that. He didn’t mean to stare, it was just the young girl’s face bared the look of…someone…from long ago…

“I’m sorry,” Rex apologizes. “I didn’t mean to stare. Even though I never seen anyone like you before, forgive me for outright disrespecting you still.”

Sar’Mari looks down at the concrete floors of the commissary and bites her lip. She honestly felt awkward with the whole social interaction with the clone trooper. She didn’t understand why he out of all the troopers approached her wanting to genuinely know her. Although it was probably because it was for future events when Sar’Mari will eventually join him and the rest on the battlefield, it still didn’t connect with why he voluntarily came to her, especially since she has nothing to do with Anakin or the 501st Battalion. Plus, she was Obi-Wan’s Padawan, and speaking of, does Obi-Wan have a captain too? Why haven’t Sar’Mari met him yet? Ugh, was this another one of Obi-Wan’s ways of saying she wasn’t ready to go out there yet?

Rex was looking down at the girl in confusion. This was the second time she went blank. Does she do this often? Why?

Rex opens his mouth to say something else, but the double doors of the restaurant fling open, and walking in is Ahsoka. Rex sighed a breath of relief at the sight of the commander, feeling the weight of uneasiness lifting off, but felt a little disheartened because his chance of learning about the Togruta hybrid was now gone. He stands at attention when Ahsoka gets close enough.

“Commander,” Rex greets, earning a smile from the Togruta Jedi. “Captain,” Ahsoka returns the greeting before turning to Sar’Mari.

“I was looking for you. We have to hurry and get you back to the Temple before Obi-Wan notices. Master Skywalker is stalling him as we speak because he was on his way to our dorm to talk to you.” Ahsoka says hurriedly, already reaching forward and taking the hybrid’s arm. Ahsoka sends a nod to Rex before pulling Sar’Mari towards the entrance of the commissary. As they went, Sar’Mari couldn’t help but look behind her to glance at Rex, who was still standing in the same spot. Rex wanted to follow her, but his feet felt like lead.

He just…he still can’t believe it…after all these years…what will she say about this? Does she even know? Should Rex tell her ? If she doesn’t know then Rex has to tell her. Can’t leave her victim to the surprise! He only had one choice to make.

==========

On his way back to where his men were waiting, he told them right away that he was going to take a quick bathroom break and to let the General know if he didn’t make it back in time. Rex got a couple of of groans in response from a few of his men, stating they’d been waiting all day to train, whereas the other half of his men expressed that they didn’t mind a little more recess, some were still winded by the abrupt act of the Togruta hybrid.

“Well, how about you guys take a run around the base until I come back? Will that ease the itchin’?” Rex asks over his shoulder as he gets closer to the bathroom door. The troopers all but snapped around and continued with what they were doing, knowing how tiring and leg-aching the captain’s ’runs’ were.

Rex snickers. “Didn’t think so.”

Upon entering, the captain checked below each of the stalls to make sure that he was completely alone. Once he was sure of that, he entered the last stall in the restroom. He took one last look before walking in and locking the door. As he sits on the toilet he takes a long deep breath. He felt jittery, and his foot kept tapping the tile floor, and his fingers kept drumming on his helmet. He then slowly lifts his helmet and puts it on, pressing the button on the side of it to make sure the audio is on internal mode, so no outsiders that might come in hear him. He becomes more shaky as he lifts his arm where his comm device sits and with his other finger, he presses a button. Seconds felt like hours and the ringing felt like thorns sticking into his ears. But the thing was, he wasn’t worried about the person on the other side answering, he was more so worried about why he was calling.

His breath stalls when the ringing stops and static reaches his ears over his banging heart. He becomes more nervous when he hears familiar cloth shuffling until the creak of a chair can be heard.

“Rex?”

Just from the voice alone, Rex slowly started to relax, his heart slowing down from the velvety sound of the recipient’s voice.

“Hey, Mesh’la. It’s…been a while…” he speaks in a whisper, even though the exterior speakers in his helmet were turned off and no one who would enter the bathroom could hear him or the person on comms.

“Yes, it has. Although your call is always wanted, I was not expecting it for another four days.” The person says in a wondering tone.

“Yeah, well, let’s just say there has been a turn of events that can’t be ignored.” Rex was skittish in his response. A hum on the other line sent vibrations through his spine.

“What turn of events?” The voice asks, tone heavy with concern and worry that Rex was all too familiar with. If he wasn’t so nervous he would’ve been admired for such a caring gesture. He could feel his anxiety creeping in, but he fought to keep his head on straight.

“We should talk about this in person rather than over comms,” Rex states, before jolting slightly when the door to the restroom opens. He could feel his face starting to sweat, but he remained calm and still.

“Is it that bad?” The person asks, and by the shift of tone, Rex could tell that the person was beginning to grow anxious. And even though he made sure that the comm line was secure for personal conversations, such as this, he couldn’t take the chance of saying something too sensitive.

“Eh…possibly. Well- it- it is better to talk about this in person like I said,” Rex stutters, once again jumping at the sound of the toilet next to him flushing.

“Should I send a request to Skywalker to have you transported here? Or do you think you could manage on your own?” They ask, keeping their voice low, probably because the clones over there probably walked past. There was another reason why Rex was adamant about speaking in person. He doesn’t know what goes down on the other end, and he’d rather be there to watch out for the both of them.

“I can manage on my own, don’t worry, love. But, if the general asks for clarification, just, ya know, do what you do,” Rex decided, inaudibly sighing in relief when the door to the restroom closed again, a sign that he was once again alone in the stall.

“Of course…” they replied. And just like that, there was silence. Rex could hear the other’s breathing and just that alone made him fall in love all over again. He just wished the circumstances were different, but alas, he couldn’t get whatever he wanted. No matter how bad he did. His eyes blink when his HUD flashes simultaneously. He was being pinged by Skywalker. Damn!

Rex groans “Aw, kriff…” but he smirks when a soft chuckle reaches through to his ears.

“You better go. Skywalker tends to get impatient.”

“Now how you know it was him, woman?” Rex smirks as the stranger on the other end laughs more outward.

“I have known him for years, Captain. I know his routine,” the woman chuckles before sighing . “Oh, Rex…” the clone trooper stills again. “Yeah, Mesh’la ?”

“I cannot wait to see you again. I have missed you.” The woman says longingly, but her voice is heavily doused in a loving tone.

“No, that’s impossible, because I’ve missed you more,” Rex quips playfully before another flash of his HUD screen pops up. It was the General again.

“All right, love. I have to go. The earliest I can get to you is in the morning. Will you be busy tomorrow?”

“No, not in the morning at least. I do have some time for myself. I will see you then, Rex.”

At the sound of the door opening, Rex quickly ends the call. As he stands and opens the stall door, he’s met face-to-face with Skywalker.

“Hey, Rex. I was starting to worry about you. You okay?” Skywalker asks, his eyebrow quirked. The clone nods his head at the General.

“Yes, General. Just needed a bathroom break, that’s all,” Rex said.

“Okay well, let me know if you’re having any stomach problems. I will send you to sickbay if I have to,” The Jedi teases, making his way out of the restroom, holding the door for the clone trooper.

Rex chuckles. “Don’t worry about me, sir. I’ll be fine. I’m always fine.”

“Uh-huh, I know you had that drink while you were talking with Sar’Mari. Bespin Fizz was it? I know it never sits right with you. Or should I say in you?” Skywalker points out playfully, which makes the Captain stumble slightly in his walk. Rex sighs in defeat at his General’s hum of triumph.

But the clone swiftly brushes the embarrassment aside when his main objective comes back to the front of his mind.

“Um, General?” Skywalker peeks behind him and stops to face him. Rex stops before he accidentally stumbles into the taller man and removes his helmet to look him in the eye.

“I was wondering…can I get a clear day tomorrow? There’s somewhere I have to be and…I can’t miss it.”

“Sure,” Anakin accepts. “But, you will have to let me know where you’re going. Can’t have you up and leaving. We still have work to do.” Rex nods with a little smile.

“Of course, sir. Thank you, sir.”

And now, it begins…

Chapter Text

==========

Going back to the Temple felt like having a ball and chain locked around her ankle once more. She felt like a caged animal, with no rights, not even over herself, to do what she wanted. Sigh, well, at least she got to feel the breeze through her hair. Or was that her imagination? The doors to the gunship were closed.

“I’m sorry for rushing you earlier. My original plan was just to come and talk to you, but you have not been at the Temple for a while, and I didn’t want Obi-Wan to notice your absence.”

“Whatever.”

Ahsoka felt struck by the dismissive tone from Sar’Mari. She was not expecting that.

“Sar’Mari, I hope you know that you did beautiful today,”

“Yeah, okay. Says the person who has to take me back to the temple. You know, you’ve been attached to me for a few days now, what is this? Are you some sort of babysitter for them Ahsoka? Huh? Do you also not trust me? Did you do this stupid test for me as a way of telling me that I was stupid and I’m not ready to go out there?” The other teen’s mouth falls open at the accusation from Sar’Mari. She slowly closed her mouth and tilted her head at her, saying with a hint of a flirty tone, “First of all, I think we both know we are well past the babysitting title,” Sar’Mari looked away and lowered her head, her cheeks strongly heating up. But besides that, she says nothing.

“And no, Sar’Mari, I would never do something to you that would humiliate you. I had that test put together because I wanted you to see that you are more than that test that the Masters had done for you.” Ahsoka continues, her tone is soft and earnest. But Sar’Mari scoffs.

“But I did terrible in there. What was I thinking, believing that I was ready? I almost lost it! I could’ve killed them in there! I..I don’t know what came over me…”

“Survival instincts,” Ahsoka supplied. “I know down there you either had to run with the crowd or get run over. Or in your experience, it’s either kill or be killed,” Sar’Mari winces, and that gave away exactly what Ahsoka already knew.

“Listen to me, Sar’Mari. You did what you had to do down there to survive . I would’ve done the same thing if I was in your place,” Ahsoka reaches over and takes Sar’Mari’s hand. Their fingers immediately intertwined, so quickly it left the Togruta hybrid surprised. But she liked it.

“I will help you get through this. Because the weight that you have bearing on your shoulders is something no one of any size or species deserves to carry.” Ahsoka says, sealing the promise and sending a comforting wave through the Force, which relaxes Sar’Mari right away. It felt weird still, being able to manipulate the Force but, it felt nice. Knowing that the force chose her, made her feel wanted. And knowing that she’s wanted by another being? It made her feel…… like she belonged.

“Okay,” the girl eventually says, tightening her hold and the other girl’s hand. Their hands stayed in each other’s hold until they got to a reasonable amount of distance from the Temple.

==========

Her heart felt like it got locked up and could no longer pump blood through her body. Exiting the gunship and running alongside Ahsoka from the hangar to inside the Temple, just to almost bump into Obi-Wan who was making his way into the hangar. Just when she started to feel confident that she wouldn’t get caught.

“Sar’Mari, what a surprise. I didn’t expect to find you here in the hangar,” Obi-Wan was disingenuously polite, even though his arms were crossed and looking down at his young Padawan with reading eyes. Sar’Mari already knew the jig was up.

“Hello, uh, Master, I- I was just, um…” Sar’Mari fumbles her words, her eyes darting from left to right attempting to think of an excuse. But it got harder to think of one when the man in front of her hums disapprovingly. She was about to freak out if it wasn’t for Ahsoka who stepped up.

“She was in here, waiting for me to return from my training with Master Skywalker,” Ahsoka says smoothly, standing straight and moving slightly to the side to cover Sar’Mari away from Obi-Wan’s penetrating gaze. Hearing the excuse from Ahsoka, Kenobi still doesn’t seem convinced. He then puts both of his hands on his hips before bearing down a hard gaze on the other teen instead.

“Now Ahsoka, you may not be my Padawan, but even you know that I am not dumb,” Kenobi says disappointedly. “If Sar’Mari was simply waiting for you to come off the gunship, then why were you both wearing panicked looks and seemingly rushing to get inside the Temple? If I was gullible, I’d say you both were in an emergency looking for help and were looking for someone. If that is the case, then I can help you or… I can simply both take you to Master Yoda and you can explain to him your emergency.” Obi-Wan points out, already turning to lead them to the Grand Master Jedi. Sar’Mari squeaked fearfully and jumped in front of her Master.

“N- No! There is no emergency…” Sar’Mari whines. She didn’t want to make the situation worse by adding the freaking Grand Master into the mix. Obi-Wan turns back around and crosses his arms again. “Then you should come up with a better excuse on why you left the Temple without my permission?” Sar’Mari slumps at the question and looks down at the floor to avoid the man’s eyes, even though she can almost feel the heat of his gaze on top of her head.

“I’m sorry,” was all she could say. She was going to tell him the whole truth about why she left, but she was already in enough trouble. She was scared of finding out what punishments lay before her….she was really scared.

“It was my fault, Master Obi-Wan.”

Sar’Mari’s eyes widen and lifts her head at Ahsoka who once again steps up. She puts herself right in front of the Jedi, to keep his gaze from bearing down on the hybrid who was practically scrunched in on herself.

“I thought that maybe if she got some fresh air and a change of scenery, it’ll help her improve her training. I didn’t mean to overstep in any way,” Ahsoka apologizes, her face true and firm, making her words clear but respectful.

“I know about the training session that Anakin did,” Kenobi says flatly. Not only that Sar’Mari freeze up, but Ahsoka looked petrified. She thought Anakin wasn’t going to tell. She just lied to Obi-Wan’s face!

“Not only that you take my Padawan without coming to me first, you lie to me about the training. This does not look good on your behalf, Ahsoka.” The man says sternly. Now it was Ahsoka’s turn to not have any words to say. Now it was silent, and it would’ve been deafening if it wasn’t for the gunship’s motor still running.

“We will discuss this at a later date. For now, I will be taking Sar’Mari for the rest of the day. You are dismissed,” he tells Ahsoka as he turns and gestures to the hybrid to follow him. Sar’Mari looks to Ahsoka horrified. Ahsoka smiles softly and mouths, “It’s okay” before watching her disappear behind the door. Ahsoka knows that Obi-Wan will never lay a hand on Sar’Mari, but Sar’Mari doesn’t know that coming from her experience with the lower levels of Coruscant. It was easy to tell that Sar’Mari believes that a day is coming when she might do something exceedingly out of the male Jedi’s patience bar and receive physical punishment, but it will not be so. But, if that was possible, and if she had to, Ahsoka will do what she must to protect Sar’Mari…

She looks down when her comm goes off. It was Anakin.

“Master?” Ahsoka answers. “Snips. I need you back here tomorrow morning to be with the clones for the whole day. Rex is on a day’s leave and won’t be back until the day after.” Skywalker said. Ahsoka nods before answering, “Alright. Do you need me back now?”

“We need to go over some strategies for our next mission, so yeah, come back,” her Master commands before the comm link ends. Ahsoka stared at the device for a few seconds before sighing. As soon as she gets back, Ahsoka is going to ask her Master how he failed to convince Obi-Wan about the training for Sar’Mari because she feels like a complete fool for lying straight to Obi-Wan’s face. She then looks back at the door where Sar’Mari disappeared with Obi-Wan and sighs again, this time, with lamenting thoughts flooding her mind.

Ahsoka then began to wonder. Does he know? Does Obi-Wan know what is going on between her and Sar’Mari? Ahsoka remembers a lot of events where Obi-Wan mentioned things that she was so sure nobody would’ve ever known. It was nothing about herself, but it was just general knowledge. Most of it was about Anakin, but still. She hoped when she practically gave herself up to cover up Sar’Mari so she wouldn’t get punished, she didn’t seem too willing to sacrifice herself or seem to be overprotective, because she caught how Obi-Wan was looking at her. He always had these knowing eyes, and that’s what made her nervous. She’s still dedicated to the Jedi and the life they live, and she was honestly starting to see that building a relationship with the Togruta hybrid was nowhere near affecting her loyalty to the Order and the cause they’re striving to fight for. She still manages to keep her priorities straight, she’s willing to allow no distractions to detour her, and whenever she’s off-world doing missions…well, she couldn’t say that she doesn’t think about Sar’Mari when she’s handling business with her Master, but at least it wasn’t a distraction to where it hindered her from completing her objectives. So far, everything is fine.

Ahsoka was kind of starting to see how Skywalker was able to handle concealing his relationship with Padme, although he tried so hard to deny the fact that they were together, it was still obvious that he was mad in love with the woman. But she also understood why the Jedi master fought to have it hidden. The Order is strict and set in their ways. Their rules about forming attachments were written in stone and were bound to never change. If they catch word that Anakin was with someone and his Padawan was forming an attachment with someone, they both would have expelled written on their foreheads. But so far they haven’t noticed, and this is what gives Ahsoka hope. She just prays to the Force that as time goes on, the council will see that forming attachments isn’t so bad and that it won’t cause negative effects, just as long as everyone stays loyal and has organized priorities. Yeah, that doesn’t sound bad at all…

Now, onto going back to the base and chastising her Master for being a terrible liar…

==========

With each step she took, Sar’Mari’s heart pounded louder. No words were spoken by her Master as Obi-Wan continued walking. Sar’Mari fought the urge to stop following the man and ask him where she was being taken, but she didn’t want to make her situation worse than it already was.

Just stay quiet and comply…

They kept walking until they reached a door. Obi-Wan ordered her to stay on the outside as he entered. The door slides shut and Sar’Mari is left alone. She fidgets with her fingers as she looks to the side, where a large, wide bay window was opened, where the Galactic City skyline was shining through. Sar’Mari looked back at the door, listening for any noise or indication that her Master was going to come out. There was only silence, and when she was sure she was in the clear, Sar’Mari treads over to the bay window and hopped up onto the firmly cushioned pad that was there for anyone who passed by and wanted to sit and enjoy the view for a moment or two. As she settles, she crosses her legs and rests her elbows on top of her knees, gazing out at the City of Coruscant. It was sunset, and it was beautiful. It would’ve made her relax at the sight alone if it wasn’t for the dread feeling of the suspense waiting on Kenobi. She even looks back to see if he is going to come out yet, but before she turns away, she catches a tag beside the door. It was a door sign that displayed “ANALYSIS ROOM” in bold black letters. This piques the girl’s curiosity, but knowing her Master, Sar’Mari can only assume what Obi-Wan was doing was probably a part of a mission she knows nothing about and he just ‘picked her up’ on the way here. With this assumption, there was a ping of hurt that returned to Sar’Mari’s spirit. This once again reminds her that she’s nowhere near prepared to go on any missions or into the battlefield with her Master.

“Thank you again, I am forever grateful.”

Sar’Mari swiftly slides off the bay window and stands at the voice of Kenobi exiting the analysis room. Behind him was Jedi Master Luminara who closed the door after them both. In her hands was a beige folder that she casually handed over to the male Jedi.

“If only I was able to yield more results for you. Her lineage was quite efficient of hiding traces of origin,” The woman says in a low voice. She notices Sar’Mari right away and stops talking, her face shifting to a placid look.

“Hello, Little One,” she greets. Sar’Mari responds right away with a bow. “Master Luminara.” As she stands upright, Obi-Wan already has the folder in his hands. He was still facing the Mirialan. “Well, with things like this, we have to take what we can get,” Kenobi says, but the way he said it was like he was disappointed in whatever was in that folder. Luminara hums. “It is something, better than nothing, at least,” Luminara concluded, bowing her head as she walked around Kenobi. But before she could gain distance, Sar’Mari called out to her.

“Master Luminara?” The female Jedi Master turns to the young Padawan. “Yes, young one?” Sar’Mari catches Kenobi crossing his arms from her peripheral, but she focuses on the woman in front of her.

“I haven’t been seeing Nalina around lately, and I was hoping you could tell her I said hello…and that I miss her?” The girl asks hopefully. It had become rare to see the Mirialan Padawan since Sar’Mari started training, but seeing her master was even rare, so Sar’Mari had to take this chance now.

“I will be sure she knows, young Padawan,” and with that, the female Jedi turns to continue on her way.

“Well, shall we be on our way too?” Obi-Wan asks sarcastically, already turning and walking the opposite way. Sar’Mari’s heart leaped again in fear, remembering her possible awaiting punishment. She hated this feeling, the dread, the exaggerated assumptions. She has to say something.

“Master Kenobi, please,” Sar’Mari starts. “I know you are mad at me, but you have to understand. It sucks being stuck here all the time.” Sar’Mari sighed shakily when there was no response from the man, for Obi-Wan continued walking as if he didn’t hear the girl speaking to him. Sar’Mari knew she was in for it.

==========

Walking into the library, the Jedi Archives, the Togruta hybrid follows after her Master, still trying to plead her case.

“I clearly remember stating that we will discuss your actions at a later date, did I not?” Obi-Wan finally turns around, his face hard and stern, making Sar’Mari shut her mouth with an audible clack. She shrinks away from the man’s eyes and looks down.

“Yes Master,” she says meekly, waiting for her Master to turn around before looking up. Her eyes then started to wander, taking in the notice that they were in the library, right in the part where the largest source of information in the Galaxy was stored. Sar’Mari looks in mild awe at the brightly glowed holobooks and data tapes that filled shelves from the floor to the top of the large ceiling. Sar’Mari felt bad for whoever wanted to research information that was stored at the very top. Heights was never her thing, with the exemption of having to get her Kyber Crystal.

“Um, Master? What are, uh, we doing here?” The girl couldn’t help but ask. She looks just in time seeing Kenobi pulling out a holobook and setting it down on the table next to them. He then looks at Sar’Mari and motions his hand at a chair across from him, looking at the girl expectantly. Sar’Mari did nothing but zip over to the chair sitting down. She’s willing to do anything to please her Master in hopes there would be some kind of leniency to her punishment. What’s wrong with a little hope, right?

“What do you know about the world Mandalore?” The Jedi Master asks suddenly, his eyes glued to the pages of the holobook laid flat on the table. He turns pages occasionally as he waits for the answer from his Padawan.

“Um, Mandalore is located in the Outer Rim, and it’s the home of the Mandalorians who are a people of clan-based warrior class? That’s all I know,” Sar’Mari scratches the back of her neck in nervousness. She hasn’t been studying the subject of sectors in the Outer Rim like she was supposed to. Hopefully, her Master won’t ask any more questions about it, although she is wondering why he is.

Kenobi hums, pushing the holobook aside and placing the flat folder he was holding for a while right beside it.

“Do you know what Midi-Chlorian is?” He asks, his eyes staying glued on the folder while stroking his beard. His eyebrows were wrinkled softly as he waited for his Padawan’s answer. Sar’Mari hisses under her breath. Damn! If he asked like four weeks ago then sure, Sar’Mari can lay all the details on the table with a fine tooth comb of what Midi-Chlorian was, but with all the worrying and the climbing anxiety, all that information exited out the door.

“Um…is it something related to food?” She asks in a tiny voice. Obi-Wan hums again, but peeks at the girl before looking back at the folder.

“At least I now know a part of what your punishment will consist of,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone. Sar’Mari pinches herself under the table. Fuck, more studying. Well, at least it isn’t that bad…but then again Kenobi said ‘a part’. Ugh…

“Midi-Chlorians are microscopic, intelligent life-forms that live in the cells of all living beings. They are key to connecting the Living Force to the Cosmic Force,” Kenobi speaks, switching from the folder to the holobook and flipping a page. Sar’Mari tilts her head at the information.

“What’s the difference between the two?” She asks, genuinely intrigued by what her master is starting to spew out.

“The Cosmic Force is the wellspring from which the Living Force, the energy of all life, sprang into all living things, and into which all life was feeding upon death, becoming one with it. The Cosmic Force bound all things, through and transcending space and time, and was connected to destiny. Through the Cosmic Force, Midi-Chlorians were born in the Wellspring of Life.” Sar’Mari leans up from her chair. “What is the Wellspring of Life?” She then asked.

“It is a Force Planet, the homeworld of Midi-Chlorians. It is the very essence of our existence, which brings in the topic of the Living Force. The Living Force is the energy of all life. By springing from and feeding into the Cosmic Force, the Living Force created and grew the Force, an energy field that bound the galaxy together, and was the fundamental unity that underpinned all of creation by maintaining harmony between dualities such as life and death and light and dark, while also transcending them.” At this, Sar’Mari nods her head at the new insight. She did remember from a few weeks ago, Ahsoka saying that without Midi-Chlorians there would be no life, and without its connection to the force, there would be no Jedi, so with that being known it was the motivation for all living beings who are either force-sensitive or Jedi to honor its way of life. But even though Sar’Mari is grateful for relearning this information, she doesn’t understand why she’s being told about it at this very moment.

“During the days you were settling in with us, and when you had that incident in the holding room,” Obi-Wan drawls out, and Sar’Mari cringes at the memory of her waking up in the medical bay from fainting after hearing that she had the Force. “I requested for your blood to be taken and tested. I am only now getting the results back and it is clear that because of your unique genetic makeup, it is obvious why.”

Sar’Mari looks down at the folder Kenobi slides over to her. It is open, showing a front-facing photo of her and another photo where she’s facing the side. A faint memory came back to when Sar’Mari was requested to have her picture taken to be posted in the Jedi Archives. She kind of forgot the whole reason why, but now it made a little sense. Below the pictures, was a chart, showing a percentage of what she figured was her apparent heritage. There were two different colored squares on top of the chart. One was blue which was labeled ‘HUMAN’ with fifty-nine percent next to it and a green one labeled ‘TOGRUTA’ with forty-one percent beside it. Sar’Mari was calm, scratching her cheek as she took in the results of her blood test, which she didn’t know at all that was taken, but oh well. She always knew thanks to Jaccha that her other half contained human DNA, but she didn’t know that the majority of it won over her Togrutan side. That explained her hair and having human ears and her underdeveloped Montrals and Lekku. That also explains why her white markings were not as developed as they should’ve been. They started symmetrically from the inner corner on top of the eyebrows going to the end and curving where it meets the outer crease of her eyes. If there was a person on the outside looking in, they would say that she was wearing theatrical makeup. Yeah, that’s how bad it was. But she didn’t mind it when Ahsoka said how beautiful they were...after she’d kissed them from the beginning to the end with an entranced look in her blue eyes.

“Did you ever wonder about who your parents were?” Kenobi asked, finally taking a seat in front of the young Togruta hybrid, who was still looking down at the paper with hooded neutral eyes. She shakes her head, answering, “I only knew that one was officially Togrutan and the other one was a human. I never thought of finding out who they were.” At this, Obi-Wan’s eyebrow raises.

“You speak of them in a pretense that they are dead.” Obi-Wan assumed, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. Sar’Mari copied her Master after looking enough at the paper.

“They probably are, who knows? Jaccha told me I was given to her a day or two after I was born. From then on, I only learned the basics of my parents, like one was a Togrutan and the other was a human, but I never cared to dig deeper than that. They gave me up before I even had the chance to develop a stable immune system. They never cared for me, so why should I care for them?” Sar’Mari expresses a mild sense of grief and anger in her question, Kenobi noted. It was easy to tell that yes, Sar’Mari may not have cared for her parents, but there was still a sense of longing for connection. The Jedi Master always observed his Padawan and her body language when there was a conversation related to her life background, and she would immediately dismiss it as if she wasn’t trying to go down a path again, a path she mentally burned off. But even so, everyone would love some type of disclosure.

When a child, preferably a toddler, becomes a Jedi initiate, it is only sensible for them to be inducted at that age when the child is still too young to form a strong attachment to their families, thus, making it easy for the Master Jedi to train the soon-to-be Padawans and not having to go through the trials of weening the child. That was why the Jedi council, more specifically Yoda and Windu, was hesitant about Anakin being a part of the Jedi because of his connection with his mother. But the only reason why they voted against this hesitance, was because the prophecy said that Anakin was the Chosen One. But now, they all got hit with déjà vu when Sar’Mari came along with a similar situation. They even thought the prophecy was mistaken and she was the Chosen One instead. But they are still letting this knowledge guide them, having no doubt that the force would mislead them…

But even if Anakin’s situation wasn’t the case, Younglings were granted a chance before graduating to being a Padawan and dedicating their lives to being guardians of Peace and Justice in the galaxy, to learn of their parent’s lineage, what they do for a living, and if they were alive or not. The majority of them would reject the opportunity, stating that it is better to never know anything about their parents so there isn’t a chance for a connection to grow, while the rest didn’t mind learning as they believe it would help them build their character in the future. There are similarities in Sar’Mari’s case, like not knowing who her parents were, but she still lived a life clinging to a parental figure who was all she had in the Galaxy. From what he’s hearing from the young child, Obi-Wan knows that Sar’Mari probably was presented with an opportunity to learn who her parents were, but because of her grown resentment towards them, she didn’t care whether she knew of them or not, given the fact that they have seemed to have never cared for her to have given her up so easily, and so soon on top of that. As sad as it is to say, Obi-Wan believes that Sar’Mari is a product of an unfortunate mishap, and here she is, living a life as a consequence of her parent’s actions.

But…still…

“Listen, I know you have no care in the world to want to know even the slightest clue of your parent’s background, but I know you want some type of disclosure, to get rid of the bug in your ear?” Obi-Wan starts his pursuance. He wanted to let Sar’Mari know that it was okay to still want to know even if she had a heavy distaste towards her parents.

“What’s the point though?” Sar’Mari asks, feeling irked already by the turn of the conversation. Her nerves were on the gate. She was already going mentally haywire at what punishment her Master had for her, and here he was coming at her about her parents she was quite sure she expressed whom she didn’t want to talk about. Ever.

“Knowing of your parents can help give you some sort of foundation, a start to help you further build your character, to give you a boost of self-discovery.” Obi-Wan articulated. He wanted to be clear to Sar’Mari that she was at the age where she had to start to want to learn who she was, and not what others labeled her as or what her parents cursed her to be, per her words one time when Kenobi overheard a conversation between Sar’Mari and Ahsoka. Sar’Mari groans loudly, already giving up on debating with the man across from her. Her Master was master at persuasion like this, and she saw no hope in trying to brush it aside this time.

“Ugh, fine. What is it of my parents that you believe I need disclosure so badly?” Sar’Mari grumbled. Kenobi brushed aside the snippy question in favor of understanding that the girl was probably nervous under the layer of aggravation of learning information about her parents that she worked so hard to avoid. She did consider her Master’s thesis on why he wanted her to have some type of education regarding her parents, and it seems she was truly like glass, so see-through, because deep down…she wanted to know….

“Unfortunately, I could not pull much about your mother. But I can say that she is Togrutan, so at least you have more clarification regarding that. It makes sense that she is because a human female would not have been able to carry a fetus of a different species. The immune system would have identified you as a threat and would have tried to kill you, whereas an average Togruta’s immune system is more tolerant and capable of carrying a different species seed.” Obi-Wan explains, bringing back the holobook he pushed to the side. He turns it around and pushes it closer so Sar’Mari could see better.

“Your father, is very much human, obviously, and is Mandalorian,” Kenobi affirmed. “That’s why I asked how much you know of the world and its people.”

Sar’Mari’s mouth falls open slightly at the new piece of information. Mandalorian? Wow, so Sar’Mari’s father was a warrior? A fighter? Huh, could that have been a reason why she was given up? Did her father convince her mother that raising a baby would’ve been too risky and too committing because of the life he lived? But if that was the case, why didn’t her mother fight for her? Why didn’t her mother expressed to her father that Sar’Mari wouldn’t be too much trouble, that she was worth fighting for? Sar’Mari could’ve been on Mandalore right now, fighting alongside her father against all that would try to come up against them unjustly! And her mother, she would’ve been there with her too. Sar’Mari didn’t know much about Togrutan customs, but she knew her life would be filled with peace and love. Hmm, to be honest, you can never really know the real reasons behind people’s actions, and maybe Sar’Mari jumped too far over the gun before she got to understand. Maybe their life was hell, and they didn’t want Sar’Mari to share that hell with them, that’s why they gave her away. But what good was it giving her to Jaccha? It didn’t make any difference.

“Sar’Mari?” Sar’Mari looked up from the book and looked to her Master. Her vision rippled, which left her confused. She reached up to wipe her eyes and snatched her hand away when she felt moisture. It was…tears. Was she crying?

I’m crying…

“Sar’Mari, if you truly do not want to know about your father, then it’s okay, we don’t have to do this,” Kenobi was already reaching over to take the Holobook and the results of her blood test, but Sar’Mari slammed both her hands on both the book and the paper.

“No,” Sar’Mari gasps, yanking the items back to her, now looking down at the book with an awe look. It’s weird. There was a light feeling in her chest. This felt…foreign, something so unfamiliar. It was something like…relief…

“What more do you know?” Sar’Mari asks, flipping through the book about the history of Mandalore. “That was all I could gather I am afraid. But for a part of your punishment, you can do a report about the history of Mandalore. I have a close friend who lives there who can aid you in this.” Kenobi once again leaned back in the chair and watched his Padawan freeze. Fuck! She forgot about her punishment. Well, at least it isn’t that bad…

“You are also forbidden from leaving the Temple for a while,” Kenobi says finally. Sar’Mari slumps, closing the book and looking to her Master.

“Master, I understand I went against asking for your permission, but I already knew what the answer was. Ever since I was brought here, the only time I’ve been out was with Ahsoka today.” Sar’Mari expresses with annoyance. She placed her hands back on the table before taking a deep breath.

“You know how hard it is to see you leave the Temple when you have missions? Training has become hard because my own Master is not even present half of the time. I have yet to meet your commander in your battalion, I already met Master Skywalker’s Captain and you know what? I had fun! The test didn’t go how I wanted it to, but to be able to go out was enough for me! You haven’t been here to see my improvements, or what I’ve been working on to fix anything that may not be right! How can you say that I’m not ready when you don’t even know what I have going on?” Sar’Mari conveys in a whisper-shout. Her voice must’ve still been loud because a little bit across the room a few Padawans who seemed to be studying together turned around with concerned looks on their faces. Sar’Mari could tell they weren’t concerned about her, but the Master that she practically yelled at. She didn’t care about that, for she took the chance to fully express herself what she’s been feeling for a long time.

However, Kenobi seemed unaffected by this but did look at his young Padawan, commiserating about how the young child had been feeling. He honestly overlooked that because of his absence, Sar’Mari had no one to depend on. This war was really taking quality time from Jedi to properly train their students and prepare them for the cold hard Galaxy. And he guessed that’s why he was adamant about keeping Sar’Mari here. You see, Sar’Mari is special. Not in just her appearance, but her power in the Force. There was something Obi-Wan decided to keep from the girl, and that was her M-count results. She had over twenty thousand Midi-Chlorians. She only had exactly one thousand less than Anakin.

The reason behind such secrecy was that Obi-Wan was truly uncertain that if Sar’Mari were to know this knowledge, she would once again regain that drive to rebel even worse (like today, she really thought she wasn’t going to get caught?) and become overly confident and have the need to demand the independence she cannot have right now. Sar’Mari reminded the Jedi so much of Anakin. The eagerness, the determination, the never-ending fire, and compassion. She was still learning about morality but besides that, she was doing marvelous in all of those aspects. But then there was the impatience and undeniable lack of self-control and anger that also resembled the man’s old Padawan. Yes, Anakin told Obi-Wan exactly what happened during training. Sar’Mari was still hanging onto her trauma from Level 1313, which she cannot be blamed for because that level was right after the inhabitable levels, levels that are considered forbidden. Force knows how this little girl survived for fifteen years. Even though the young girl was consistently reminded that she was safe, she tended to relapse and go back to how she first was.

And there was a question that was like a bug in the Jedi’s ear. How could Jaccha allow this to happen? Now, Kenobi didn’t know the woman until after meeting her after rescuing her and Sar’Mari from the Pykes, so he couldn’t fully place his judgment on the imprisoned Twi’lek properly. But, there was no way a mother would allow their child to be raised in such a territory where if you gave one wrong look you would be killed, no hesitation. There had to be a specific reason why the woman kept her down there. It was almost like…she was hiding Sar’Mari. And something very traumatic must’ve happened to her for her to fight so wildly. Anakin mentioned that when Sar’Mari went ballistic, she was fighting offensively like it was her last day standing. And before she even began training, Obi-Wan witnessed moments where Sar’Mari would act on impulse and try to eliminate people before they could her. Heck, he was one of them she tried to take out during their first meeting. That fork was not it though, however.

And so with this being known, Obi-Wan does take into consideration that Sar’Mari had a rough life where she had to fight for survival and wasn’t granted as much independence as she wanted. And on top of that, the hybrid didn’t have proper guidance. Now, again, Obi-Wan couldn’t place proper judgment on Jaccha because Sar’Mari did demonstrate that she loved Jaccha more than the Galaxy combined, but Jaccha was also all Sar’Mari knew, and so maybe the girl was not able to properly register that most of her life was abuse and negligence. Hmm, Obi-Wan should try to be around more…

“Sar’Mari,” Obi-Wan starts, licking his lips, carefully trying to find words. Sar’Mari looked at him, already waiting to hear what he had to say.

“I know that you hate when I bring this up every time we have a conversation, but I know your life down there was not for a child before we met. And I guess that since I know this, I can admit that I can be a little protective-“

“A little?” Sar’Mari scoffs in disbelief. Obi-Wan sighs and looks at his Padawan. Sar’Mari lifts her hands in surrender in apology and gestures to her Master to continue.

“It is just that, seeing you come so far from our first interaction, I would say it gave me a little bit of nostalgia from when I used to train Anakin. And seeing him how he is now, I honestly hate to let him go. I know it is inevitable, as everything happens for a reason and that is how life goes. But you, you are different,” Sar’Mari tilts her head, confused by what her Master was trying to tell her.

“I believe the Force gave me another chance when we crossed paths. Your situation is a little similar to Anakin’s, but in your case, it was a little more…crucial, and I know to you, that is putting it lightly. I guess what I am trying to say is, I cannot let you go.” Obi-Wan confesses. Sar’Mari wrinkles her brows, lost at what her Master says.

“What do you mean?” She asks. Kenobi sighs. “Even if I get you to where I know you will prosper well in life, I do not see myself letting you go, as in, I want you in my life.”

“You see me as your daughter?” Sar’Mari asks bluntly. The male Jedi flinches lightly at this.

“Well, I never thought of it like that…” Obi-Wan admits. Sar’Mari smirks. “That’s what it is. I mean, I don’t know the full extent of why you’re feeling like this, considering that forming attachments, even between Master and Padawan is forbidden.” Sar’Mari reminds her Master. Kenobi was a goody two shoes when it came to following the Order. And with Sar’Mari seeing him stepping out even the slightest was weird. Kenobi thinks so too.

“I know and I follow the Order exactly how it was written. I cannot quite explain it, but there is this lingering feeling that I have been having. I do not know what it is, but it is driving me to not want to make a mistake. I have to perform everything I do perfectly.”

“But Master, you do realize that one day I’m going to grow up and that I’m going to get better in my Jedi training where I can go off on my own and aid my fellow Jedi with maintaining peace through the Galaxy. You’re going to have to let me go. But before you do that, you have to help me get better. You took me in for a reason. Not only because I have the Force but because you see more in me than I do in myself. There’s nothing to be afraid of, nothing is going to happen that will jeopardize our relationship.” Sar’Mari swears. Kenobi chuckles, feeling a little relieved that he wasn’t ridiculed and felt validated for feeling what he was feeling.

“I’d certainly hope nothing changes.” He replied. Sar’Mari smiles before closing the holobook that was forgotten during the conversation and brings it closer to her. “I guess I’ll be keeping this for my report,” she decided before reaching up and taking the beige folder holding her results. “Can I keep this too?” She asks, to which Kenobi nods. Ending the conversation, they both stand.

“Come to the commissary with me. It has been a while since I have dined with my Padawan.” Kenobi insisted, opening the door for the young Togruta to exit the library first. “Sure,” Sar’Mari answers. “I was just starting to get hungry. Oh, also, um, am I still ‘grounded’?” She asked with a sheepish look on her face. Kenobi shakes his head. “No, you are not. I went too far on that part. But you are still being punished by doing that report for leaving the Temple without my knowledge.” Obi-Wan reminds the girl. Sar’Mari bows her head and lifts it back up to smile at her Master. Whew, thank the stars. Sar’Mari felt stupid for dreading the most painful punishment of her life. She has to keep reminding herself that she is in the safest part of the Galaxy, and no harm nor danger will come amongst her as long as she’s here and she has her Master…and Ahsoka…

Well, time to get a head start on this report. Well, after a nice fill of that nice cold water and a full stomach of food of course.

==========

It was the next day. Waking up to the sun shining brightly over the Galactic skyline was a sight that is never to be taken advantage of, but it shifts to the heavy rainstorm of a particular Clone’s homeworld as the ship descended onto the platform right in front of the hangar of the Kamino facility. There was a boost of nostalgia Rex felt stepping off of the ramp of the ship and walking into the building. He had a soft smile as he looked around seeing shinies marching about and chatting lowly amongst themselves. Some saw the clone Captain walk by and immediately saluted him while others fawned over him, even expressing how much they wanted to be like him.

“With training and experience, you will get there,” he had encouraged. Although he loved to stay and chat with the newbies, that wasn’t the main reason why he was here. He dismissed himself and was about to turn the corner until-

“CT-7567. What a surprise to see you here.”

Rex had to refrain from groaning in annoyance before turning around and looking up at Lama Su, the Prime Minister. On reflex, Rex stands at attention.

“Good morning, Prime Minister. I have come because I have a meeting with the General. I was on my way to her office.” Rex informed the Kaminoan. It wasn’t like he wanted to because it wasn’t his business, but if it helped the interaction end faster, then so be it. Lama Su hums. “General Ti is currently in the embryo room. I can escort you there if you’d like,” Rex was quick to decline, although he was curious about the sudden hospitality from the Kaminoan politician. “I know the way, thank you. See you next time,” Rex ends the conversation, already walking away before the Long Neck could dismiss him. Lama Su brushed the mild disrespect from the clone aside, for a sinister smile is drawn, stretching across his face.

Everything is beginning to go to plan…

==========

Entering the embryo room always filled the clone with a sense of longing. Seeing new life being created was always a blessing to see, but knowing the fate that has been bound without choice tends to leave a sense of dismal. The dimly lit and large room would leave someone mesmerized if seeing it for the first time, but if only if they had a purpose that doesn’t have to do with financial gain and greed for power.

Rex approaches one of the tiny pods that held one of the tubies and reaches up to caress the glass. The tiny vibrations of his heart made Rex’s heart swell and he smiled, but that was washed away as he once again felt a pull of longing. He sighs as he remembers the echo of a cry, so long ago.

“Beautiful, are they not?” Rex chuckles lowly at the silky voice from behind him. As he slowly turns around, he looks slightly up and comes face to face with the Togruta that stole his heart from the very beginning.

“Mesh’la,” Rex laughs. He held his arms out which were quickly filled with the orange-skinned woman. Her laugh was warm as she indulged in the warmth of the trooper.

“It has been so long since I have seen your face,” Shaak-Ti, says longingly. Rex laughed again. “But we holo called yesterday.” As they released each other, Shaak shrugs a little through her robe. “But seeing your face in person and live is much more satisfying.”

Rex looks away as he blushes, but as soon as he remembers his whole purpose of coming, it washes away. Shaak-Ti notices. “Are you alright?”

“As much as I want to talk to you about something rather more casual, this can’t be ignored. Can we take this to your office? We need to be away from….wandering ears.” Rex whispers, jutting his head towards the Kaminoan scientists roaming around the embryo room. Shaak-Ti nods before turning, leading the way.

==========

Once they made it to her office, the Togruta looked outside the empty hall for any activity before closing the door.

“So? What is it that you wanted to talk to me about? From the call it seemed urgent,” The Jedi asked, gesturing at a chair for Rex to sit. Rex declines gently, now too nervous because if he moved to sit he would probably fall before getting to the chair.

“I think it’s best if you sit down, Cyar’ika,” Rex recommended, gesturing to her office chair. Shaak-Ti looks at Rex confused but listens, moving behind the desk and sitting down in the chair. She leans up to scoot closer to the desk.

“Rex, my love, you are beginning to worry me. What is it?” Shaak asked, her eyebrows knitted together and her mouth frowning in worry. Rex somehow manages to walk closer to the other’s desk and place his helmet on it before he drops it. His heart was racing. He wished this was a dream that he could just pinch himself to wake up from. But it felt too real to be a dream, unfortunately. Rex tightens his fists and decides to just rip off the Band-Aid.

“General Kenobi has a new Padawan,” Rex murmured.

That was not what he wanted to say. But he felt like his throat was constricting him from getting the actual words out and that was all he could muster up. It got worse when he saw the look on the love of his life’s face when he could feel her obliviousness across the desk.

“Yes, I have heard. Unfortunately, being on Kamino full-time takes away the joy of learning news like this. To hear of a new life being taken in. I will take it upon myself to meet them when I take a trip to Coruscant. But that is not all you have wanted to tell me,” The Togruta says knowingly. Rex suddenly felt his legs go weak, and he moved quickly to sit down. He plopped in the chair and leaned forward, burying his head in his hands. Shaak-Ti reaches over for the clone’s hand. Rex looks up when he hears movement and sadly smiles as he meets his lover halfway.

“You can talk to me, Rex,” Shaak encourages softly, rubbing over the man’s knuckles with her thumb. Rex swallowed thickly.

“It’s not General Kenobi having a new Padawan that has me so…out of order. It’s more of who his Padawan is…” Rex trails off, licking over his dry lips. His throat felt dry and he could feel his palms sweat, but that didn’t stop the Jedi Master across from him from enveloping his hand with both of hers. The action made the clone Captain’s racing heart slow down a bit and his mind clear, making it easier to gather his thoughts. He sighed in relief at the boost of comfort the woman across from him was sending. It gave him enough strength as he took a deep breath.

“ She’s here ,” Rex says in a low tone. He bites his lip to contain his tears. Shaak-Ti freezes and squints her eyes, slightly surprised at how the Captain is acting. This was only the second time she’d seen Rex cry like this, and that was about five years ago. When they had to…

Shaak leans back a little, her mind flashing with memories of women Rex had met over the years. None that made Rex so distraught and depressing right now pops into her head. Shaak-Ti looks back at the captain. “Who, Rex?”

Who could it be?

Rex looks up, his red puffy eyes and his seemingly endless stream of tears. It was so unlike Rex to cry like this. Again, the only time Shaak had seen him cry like this was when they had to….wait…

“ No… ” Shaak-Ti says, snatching her hands away from Rex’s, her eyes wide and full of fear and revelation. Her chair leaned back from the weight of her back pressing against it. Her nose scrunches, and her face shifts to look at Rex as if he has said the most offensive thing in the Galaxy.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Rex wheezes a cry, looking at Shaak-Ti with a pleading look at the same time, wanting her touch back, needing her feel to ground him. “But when I saw her…I knew right then and there that she was ours.”

“ You lie! ” Shaak-Ti snarled, getting up from her chair. Her movement was so abrupt, that the top of her robe fell off one of her shoulders, and her eyes hardened and her breathing ragged. Rex also stands up, meeting her halfway.

“I wish I was, Mesh’la. Force knows I wish! But I saw her, and I know it is her,” Rex says desperately, trying to get the woman to believe him. Shaak-Ti breathes a shaky breath, her chest moving rapidly as she does so. She puts her hand on her forehead and leans against the wall. She almost looked like she was about to faint. Rex steps up immediately, planting his hands under the Togrutan’s robe, gently touching her waist. “It’s okay, Cyar’ika, sit down for me, come on,” Rex gently coaxed the woman back to the chair. It was out of the norm seeing the master Jedi so shaken up, so out of order. But then again, everything that happened five years ago to now has been so out of order. They both just got better at hiding their secret, living normal lives like everything was okay…

“This is a dream, I know it is,” The Jedi croaked weakly, plopping back into the chair thanks to Rex’s guidance. She would’ve thanked him if it wasn’t for her mind reeling. Rex, out of the kindness of his heart, reached down and adjusted the woman’s robe, covering her shoulders and everything else that might seem inappropriate, just in case someone came by and needed to come in. “C’mon, Ti, pull yourself together, love. Anyone could walk up to the door any minute now,” and just to be sure, Rex quickly went over to the door to make sure it was locked, because the door was automatic, so even if someone were to casually pass by and were close enough, the door will swish open. Shaak-Ti had that feature customized to make the newbies and the older clones know that they were always welcome in her domain when they needed comfort or a break from being overstimulated. And maybe because, as she’s recently realized, to fill in the void of the role she could never have since she was so dedicated to the Order.

Shaak-Ti barely heard Rex, but did keep together her robe from falling loose. Of course, she had a dress underneath, but it still would’ve been inappropriate to reveal too much skin. And if someone were to, for any reason, peek in, it would’ve been a long and excruciating moment to make an excuse. It would’ve been worse with the Captain being here when he’s only supposed to be there professionally and not… like this.

“H- How is she here? How did they discover her?” Shaak-Ti asked weakly, her fingers wrenching onto her Lekku and tugging slightly. Then she buried her face into the cup of her hands as she waited. Rex swallows. “We came across her when the Generals were on a mission on Oba Diah. She was with Jaccha ,” Rex gritted. Saying that woman’s name was like drinking poison from a bottle. Shaak-Ti freezes from the information and her love’s angry expression.

“Rex, what happened? W- What was she doing there?” She asks helplessly, completely depending on Rex to tell her everything. Rex stroked his buzzed hair as he started to pace. “Jaccha was delivering illegal spices to the Pykes, and the deal must’ve gone wrong because she was about to be killed,” Rex speaks. “Luckily we got there on time because our daughter was being taken away to become a slave!” He finished, seething at the last word. He didn’t see much of her at that time because he was hyper-focused on making sure there were no more of the syndicate around to surprise him, but he remembered hearing those fear-filled cries. He was stunned by the little bit of nostalgia he was hit with, but he didn’t think much of it during the fight.

Shaak-Ti gasped as she listened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What?….

“No! That is impossible! Jaccha would never have my child in that kind of situation!” She expressed disbelief and anger. Rex moved back to the chair but didn’t sit back down. Instead, he leaned on the back with both of his hands “Well I guess we were both lied to because you know what makes the whole thing better? She lived on Level 1313! ” Rex voices sarcastically and loudly but looks back at the door waiting for any noises. When there was none, he turned back around. From day one when the child was born, Rex voiced his concern to Shaak, expressing doubt of the Twi’lek’s capability of raising a child. But Shaak-Ti was certain that the decision was appropriate and necessary. It was not like they had any other choice anyway. Jaccha was the only - at the time it seemed - capable and trustworthy person. And Rex trusted Shaak’s judgment on the Twi’lek advocating that Jaccha could handle big responsibilities. But with the distraught and broken expression from the Togruta across from him, Rex knew that he wasn’t the only one who had broken trust.

“No, no, no, no! You are wrong! ” She slams the desk heavily. Rex froze as the room shook slightly. It was only brief before it stopped.

Kriffin’ Force .

Rex was used to Jedi’s outbursts with the Force, he witnessed that with Anakin. But it was so unlike Shaak-Ti to have one…

“Ti, as much as I want to tell you that this is a whole lie, it isn’t!” Rex says sternly. “That is our daughter , I know it! What Togrutan you know that has hair ?” And that was when Shaak-Ti finally broke down in tears. She was full-on sobbing, with deep convulsing of her shoulders shaking. She stopped before a wail could be released.

“Th- This cannot be! She is not supposed to be here!” Shaak-Ti cried out. There was no way after all of these years of trying so hard to keep her child hidden, she came right back like the effort didn’t even matter.

“She has the Force, Shaak,” said Rex who had moved to squat down beside her chair. “I know it was obvious when I mentioned Obi-Wan, but our daughter is being trained to become a Jedi. After Jaccha was arrested, the Generals were gonna send our child to the Republic Children Services, but because she has the Force, General Kenobi took her in as his Padawan,” Rex stops talking when he sees Shaak-Ti’s unresponsiveness. She was leaning on her desk on her elbows, her head tucked into her hands. Rex felt his heart breaking; he tried so hard, hell, they both did! They tried so hard to keep her away from the eyes of the Republic. Her true origin will cause so much controversy and damage.

For one, Shaak-Ti’s reputation would be ruined; she was undoubtedly devoted to the Order. She was seen as the humblest but powerful, wisest, and caring Jedi. All of the clones look to her as their mother. Obviously not like Rex who had seen her more than that but, if the word comes to that she had bared a child, let alone by a clone, not only would the Order expel her, but the child would be taken away to…Force knows where? And Rex, oh Force, if the Kaminoans get wind of this, there goes his own life. Clones were troopers made for one purpose: to serve the Republic. Now, from what Rex knows, there had been some instances where clones would gain some type of individuality and become a deserter, abandoning their cause for a need to have their own life. In some cases, they wouldn’t have a chance to fully desert before the Long-Necks found them and decommissioned them as a lesson to the others who were starting to have that same mindset. Then there were others, like Cut Lawquane, who made it out and were never seen again. But still, he has to live a life he always wanted but in secrecy, or else he would be turned in and be court-martialed, then be disposed of.

Kriff.

“Shaak-Ti…how can I do this?” Rex asks helplessly, looking down at the ground. “The generals are always on joint missions, so I will be seeing her more often than not. How can I deal with seeing our ad’ika out there, involved in a war we tried so hard to keep her away from?” Upon hearing this, Shaak-Ti sits back in her chair once more. She could feel Rex’s anguish and fear, along with a few bits of anger, but mostly fear. She knew Rex had never experienced this type of situation. Heck, not even she was experienced. She closed her eyes, but she opened them quickly when she saw a pair of big round brown eyes and orange skin with tan blotches. She blew a shaky breath before breathing in deeply. Okay, she had her emotional moment, not it time to bring it back in. This is not of a Jedi.

“How long has she been training with Kenobi?” Shaak-Ti asks calmly, leaving Rex perplexed with how she ignored his question. But he answers anyway. “As far as I know, about 6 months.”

Goodness. She’s been here for a little while. Has nobody noticed anything familiar with her? Has anyone said anything? For the sake of safety, the Jedi Master never asked Jaccha for pictures of the girl when she was younger, but it is obvious that her child has features the Galaxy has never seen before. Two completely different species combined? Some would say an abomination or weird mutated creature experimentation. But Shaak-Ti knows her youngling grew up to be beautiful and unique.

“How does she look? Does she look…different?” She couldn’t help but ask anyway, unintentionally avoiding Rex’s questions and sad gaze and focusing on the wooden desk in front of her. Rex’s frown slowly shifted into a soft smile as he answered. “The Galactic Skyline is of no comparison to her beauty, Cyar’ika. She has your face. She looks just like you when you were a little younger,” Rex explained, memory going back to the head tilts and the scrunched-up faces Sar’Mari made at him from their first conversation.

“She got her hair from me,” Rex adds. “I have myself a mini blondie,” he chuckled hoarsely. The woman next to him chuckles wetly, her shoulders bouncing each time. And as she reaches up to wipe her tears from under her eyes, she looks back at Rex. There is a long silence that fills the air, a tear from Shaak slowly trails down as she blinks. Rex smiles sadly as he reaches up to wipe it away. The Togrutan reached up with her hand, keeping Rex’s on her cheek, and kept her eyes on him. As she looked at him, her dark grayish-blue orbs were earnest and pleading, Rex knew what she wanted. The trooper reached up with his other hand and placed it on the woman’s head, stroking her Montrals. Shaak-Ti sighs heavily as she closes her eyes to relish in the feeling of the Clone’s naked fingers rubbing past every ridge on her horns, getting pleasant vibrations in response. She then opens her eyes once again and looks at Rex; this time they are filled with desperation and yearning. Lust. They fell to his lips before looking back up, and before the Jedi Master could open her mouth to ask, Rex leaned in, already knowing what she wanted, and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Shaak-Ti returns this with a fever, releasing a long sigh that was swallowed by Rex’s groan. Rex took over immediately, taking his hand and wrapping his fingers softly around the woman’s neck, squeezing a little, causing the Togruta to moan softly in response.

Her hand then softly climbs up the captain’s arm and holds on to the clone’s wrist, the one wrapped around her neck, and squeezes, prompting Rex to do just that. As she got what she wanted, she tried to lean up, to bury herself more into Rex, wanting to feel his body heat, something just to feel. The top of her robe comes off, and so do the straps to her dress, and the clone’s armor starts to unlatch and hit the ground with quiet thuds. The chair the Jedi was sitting in gets sent back to the wall, causing the uncaring couple to tumble to the floor….

Chapter Text

______________

“Remember the time we got caught in one of the closets?”

The room was warm, and under the surprisingly large robe, lay the naked couple. Shaak-Ti felt somewhat content, her head slightly on the captain’s chest as to not accidentally stuff her horns in his face. That will be very uncomfortable.

“I remember,” the woman responds, laughing, embarrassed by the memory. “Thankfully it was just the ‘Domino Twins.’ That is what you called them, no?”

“Yeah. Curious rascals, I tell ya,” Rex scoffs lightheartedly. “The only reason we were caught was because they were also coming to the same closet to do the same thing,” Rex reminisced, remembering the shock and fearful reaction from Echo and the dramatic horror expression from Fives. Shaak-Ti hums thoughtfully.

“It is comforting, however, to know that clones find comfort within each other. Everyone deserves love,” She says as she leans up, brushing her lips on Rex’s who returns it gently. “Yeah, they were a rare couple, them two…I miss them…” He says pitifully. Shaak-Ti lays there in content silence as the clone goes into a few stories about the ARC trooper twins. She laughed here and there, acknowledging some facts and even sliding in her few words and moments of her experience with the troopers. As they continued to talk about them, a question flew by the Torguta’s head.

“Did they know about….her?” She asks her love. She already knew the answer from the tightness she felt around her lower back by the clone captain.

“They did. I didn’t wanna tell you about it because I didn’t want you to worry, but I couldn’t keep a secret like this to myself for long. They were the only two I trusted,” he answers dutifully. “I did it because I believed that if…something happened to me, they’d have the right to know. And if they ever crossed paths with our daughter, they’ll know her and protect her. Probably tell her about us, ya know? So she wouldn’t feel completely lost in this Galaxy…” Shaak-Ti leans back before planting her head back on Rex’s chest.

“How was she like when you have seen her?” The Togrutan asked lowly. Rex ground his teeth a little, fixing his next set of words.

“General Skywalker has set up a training course for her. Ya know, the one he did for Commander Tano? Yeah, well we did that, but before we started, I think I kind of spooked her,” at this, Shaak looks up from her position. “What do you mean, you scared her?” Rex looks away sheepishly. “I wouldn’t say I scared her, but when I first saw her, I completely froze. As I said, when I saw her the first time I knew that she was ours, but she doesn’t know that so, when she saw how I was acting, I could tell that I kind of made her feel put off.” Rex explains thoroughly. Shaak-Ti hums before lying back down.

“Did she pass?” She asked hopefully. Rex sighed heavily as he responded, “No, she didn’t. She was doing good in the beginning, but something happened….” He trails off, moving Shaak-Ti to the side so he can sit up. The woman follows him, sitting up so she can face him. She saw the troubled look on his face, and once again began to worry. “What happened?” Rex sighs again. “During the second segment of the training, it was like something snapped in her, Ti. She started to go haywire. At first, she was doing as she was told, but as we continued, she started to fight my troopers. I’ve never seen Jesse be so eager to stun somebody so quickly. He was scared, everyone was. Something bad would’ve happened if the General hadn’t stepped in. After the session, that’s when I learned that she used to live on Level 1313. Shaak, our ad’ika was living on Level 1313. I can’t even imagine what the hell she has been through. After the session, I went to talk to her. She never even had purified water before, hogging the pitcher in the commissary like it was the last one in the Galaxy.” He vented miserably. Shaak-Ti tightens her lip to refrain from getting emotional again. She already had her moment, now she had to reel back into the role she acquired and perfected over the years of being a Jedi.

“It is unfortunate that her previous life was dealt that hand,” Shaak-Ti speaks, looking down, messing with a loose thread of her robe. As she continued to do so, an idea brews “But, these unfortunate events could be an opportunity for us…” This was when Rex looked at her in suspicion. The clone loved the Jedi, Force knows he did, but sometimes it is scary when he sees the face Shaak-Ti tends to make when her mind starts to roll with alternatives and resolutions about certain problems. But he pushes this to the side, having hope that his love was not thinking what he believes she was thinking. “What is it?” He asks carefully. This was when the woman looked up at him with this look in her eye. And Rex cursed on the inside; he knew what she was about to say.

“No, no way, we can’t do that, Cyar’ika,” Rex said straightforwardly. Shaak-Ti puffs before saying, “We can spend time with her and learn her like she can with us without her knowing who we are to her,” She pleads. Rex shakes his head. “No, that is too risky, you know that. You are practically asking to be expelled. That’s like me going to the Long Necks and asking for termination. We can’t do that,” Rex counters in a gruff voice. Shaak-Ti sighs. Persuading Rex to an agreement was like trying to feed a Nexu from the wild.

“I know the risks. But…this is our chance,” the Jedi argued with her soft voice. “There is a reason she has returned to us at this specific time. Rex,” Shaak raises her hand and places it on Rex’s broad shoulder. She tightens her hold only a little, making Rex look at her. “She is our child,” the woman whispers almost brokenly. Rex looks away from the woman’s sad gaze. He couldn’t stand to see her with that pitiful face. “I know, Mesh’la. But what if the Republic finds out? The Jedi, the Kaminoans? Our daughter’s literal existence is a violation of everything we are supposed to be standing for. My purpose is to be a soldier in this war, that’s it. Your purpose is to be a peacekeeper to the entire Galaxy,” He says, looking up to gaze directly into the Togruta Jedi’s eyes. “One thing we have in common regarding our positions is that being parents is not an option.” Rex’s last statement was like a violation to the woman’s ears. Shaak-Ti wanted to badly to wring Rex’s neck to make him snap out of it, ‘be a man and bring my child to me!’, she wanted to say, but she understood the fear he felt of being exposed to something that was never meant to happen. Now, they both didn’t regret the consequence of what they’d done, but knowing that the effect of their actions could be the end of them all…yeah, it was a little scary. But Shaak-Ti was thinking like this:

“Rex…” Shaak-Ti says her lover’s name again, and Rex refrained from groaning in mild annoyance. But he could never feel genuine anger towards the love of his life…no matter how stubborn and disregarding she could be sometimes.

“This could be a chance for us to be something more. We may not be able to fully fulfill our roles, but we can at least be involved in her life now. We have already missed so much, Rex,” Shaak-Ti expresses sorrowfully. Rex felt guilty. He knew Shaak-Ti would eventually do things on her own, but she wouldn’t and couldn’t do it fully unless she had him by her side. They have always done things together, it was their agreement from the first time they met. Nothing moves until both of them are on one accord. Rex was thankful for the woman, for giving him a slice, even if it was tiny, of independence when it came to making decisions concerning what he wanted. However, that one time he decided to make a decision himself, they ended up with a baby. Although he doesn’t regret the child, he kind of wishes that Shaak-Ti stepped and took control when they were hugged up and alone.

Rex’s uptightness dissolves, and he faces Shaak-Ti with a worn look. Shaak-Ti would’ve smiled in triumph, but she knew at this moment she had to be serious, or else the clone beside her would take back the decision he was about to propose.

“Fine,” Rex says tiredly. “But we have to be easy and careful if we’re gonna do this. We have to make a plan, we can’t just swoop in because people will get suspicious, especially the Generals,” Rex stated, fully falling into the Shaak-Ti’s persuasion. However, he seems eager all of a sudden, looking at Shaak-Ti with bright eyes. The woman next to him felt relieved to see her love happy again, although it wasn’t as outward, but she felt an abundance through the Force.

“What is our plan?” Rex asks, looking at his love, waiting. Shaak-Ti smiles. “We can have her brought here,” Rex quirks a brow. “Here? Are you gonna-“ “No, Rex. Our discretion would be exposed if I had her transferred here with me. Obi-Wan took her in for a reason, I will not wedge myself into his calling regarding their relationship. As the first step, we can simply have her brought here to learn about Kamino and the troopers' born. She can learn about you ,” Shaak-Ti proposes, looking at Rex fondly. Her smile grows when she sees his hopeful expression. He then laughs nervously, running his hand over his buzzed head. “She can learn about me…” he repeats. Shaak-Ti leans in. “She will get to learn about her buir.” She whispers in his ear. Her voice went straight down the clone’s spine, right to his groin. Rex shivers before looking at the Jedi with a glint filled with lust.

“Oh yeah? Well then…who’s your buir?” He asks huskily. Shaak-Ti sits straighter and hums, tapping her chin, feigning an innocent thinking face, but lets out a loud laugh when Rex pounces on her, going in for round two. The two were filled with joy and excitement. Yes, it may be scary what they were going to do, but in this moment and the future, it felt worthy.

______________

It was early in the morning. Ahsoka had woken Sar’Mari up, easing her out of her grumpiness with being woken up early as usual with soft peppered kisses across her face, telling her to bathe and get dressed and meet her at the hangar. At that moment, the hybrid did what she was told, not listening to what the older Padawan was talking about since her mind was still in slumberland. But now, as she’s sitting on one of the containers with her small bag (Ahsoka told her to pack some essentials for some reason?) at the military operations center where she was transported to from the Temple, she was more than skeptical. She was anxious and worried. What was going on?

Her anxiety increases when she sees a transport ship descending from the sky. She eased off the container and adjusted the bag straps on her shoulder. As she walks closer, the ramp of the ship hisses as it opens, revealing somebody Sar’Mari was not expecting to see.

“Captain Rex?” Sar’Mari says with an unsure tone. It was Captain Rex, coming down the ramp with his helmet tucked under his arm. There was a certain look in his eye, but Sar’Mari couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

When Rex reached the end of the ramp, he had to hold himself back from gleaming at his little ad’ika. The hybrid’s hair wasn’t in the signature bun like usual. Instead, it was out, all in its curly puffy glory. The man could only assume the girl already had a day off today, but Kenobi decided to choose today to let her go to Kamino. Rex had no idea how Shaak-Ti got the General to agree to let Sar’Mari go, but he wasn’t really surprised; Shaak-Ti always had a way with words.

Rex couldn’t sleep last night. He was excited, giddy even, to show his daughter the world he came from, the world he was made in. He did feel a little somber, however, knowing that the Togruta hybrid didn’t know the full extent of everything that was happening. But as Shaak-Ti has said, at least they got to be involved in her life in some way.

“Early Morning, you sleep okay?” He asks. Sar’Mari tilted her head at the question but decided not to dig too deep into it. It was genuine, though she didn’t understand why he cared about her getting proper rest, but she answered dutifully. “It was fine, I guess. I was planning on sleeping in but Master Kenobi said there was something important happening today…” she replies, slightly exasperated. Rex almost winced. Jeez, he thought the General would have at least told her the day before so she would have been prepared.

“Oh. Well, today’s gonna be worth it. Ready to go?” Sar’Mari took a step back from the clone’s question.

“Well, where are we going?” She asks, tightening her hold on her bag. Rex smirks at the girl’s skepticism.

“Don’t worry, we’re going somewhere educational. I believe you’ll like it. I’ll tell you more on the ship,” Rex suggests, already turning around and making his way towards the ship.

“Hey.”

Rex stops at the top of the ship’s ramp. He didn’t hear footsteps follow him, so he turned around. He finds Sar’Mari standing in the same spot.

“How will I know you won’t kidnap me?” The girl asks. Rex scoffs amusingly. He was quite impressed with the girl’s suspicions. He was proud actually; at least he knew that Sar’Mari wouldn’t go with anyone without having some type of answer. Rex decided to humor her anyway.

“Well, for one, there’s a tracker on this ship. So even if I were to ‘Kidnap’ you, we would be caught before we make it out of Coruscant’s airspace. Two, it is most likely General Kenobi has a tracking device on you , so it is most likely he will be notified if we go outside the radius of the location you’re supposed to be. And third,” he steps down the ramp and gets closer to the young Padawan. Sar’Mari stood her ground as he got closer, although she felt the need to step back from him. But she didn’t, especially since there was something familiar about him. This aura he had, the Force signature surrounded him like a warm blanket. But for some reason, she couldn’t place it to save her life.

“I’m a soldier of the Republic,” the man continued once he got right in front of Sar’Mari. “Anything I do against the Senate or the Jedi would be considered treason. Trust me, you are well protected. The Jedi will do anything to keep you safe,” and so will I, but Rex didn’t say that. He was trying to be careful with whatever he said to the skittish girl. She was like a fragile piece of glass, mentally anyway. He didn’t want to scare her off before the plan he made with Shaak-Ti could take its course. He had to plan his steps carefully.

Sar’Mari stood there and studied the clone’s eyes. There was no lie she felt through the Force because it was true. She couldn’t really say she was protected, but, she can say that the part about them being tracked is accurate. It was obvious that when Ahsoka told Sar’Mari to pack essentials and be ready to go to the military operations center to wait for the ship, it was clear that she already knew about the events today, therefore not only Ahsoka but Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker are prepared in case things go awry. After that stunt the other day, it was clear Kenobi’s watchful eyes would be even more overbearing than they already were. Sar’Mari could say she was somewhat protected, but she wasn’t used to this much surveillance.

“Alright then,” Sar’Mari says slowly, body relaxing only slightly. The Captain smiles at her before motioning to follow him into the ship.

Settling into the pilot’s chair, Rex huffs a quiet laugh at Sar’Mari plopping into the co-pilot’s seat, dropping her bag on the floor, and releasing and long sigh. She leaned back, her eyes sliding close, but the clone next to her knew she was well aware of where he was and that she could feel every intent of anything he was going to do.

I would never hurt you, Rex thought. But he is scared. He’s scared of when Sar’Mari learns the truth. Now that, that will hurt her.

“Do not think of the negatives that could happen, focus on the positives. We will take care of what unfortunate circumstances that may occur.” Shaak-Ti’s words bounced around Rex’s head when he expressed his doubt about the plan to bond with Sar’Mari. Maybe he deserved to feel this way; because of his reckless behavior, his baby was sitting right next to him as a consequence of his actions. He doesn’t regret her though…no, he doesn’t.

“Where are we going?”

Rex comes out of his thoughts from the question by Sar’Mari. He shakes his head a little, leaning up in the chair to start up the ship. It thrums back to life.

“Ever heard of Kamino?”

_______________

Approaching the rainy planet, Sar’Mari’s face was practically glued to the window as she looked. It wasn’t that much to look at since the planet was pretty dark, but to be somewhere different other than Coruscant and the Temple, anything was a sight to see!

Kamino seemed to be an aquatic world, that fact was obvious by the heavy rain and the thunderstorms, and the oceans that seemed to go on for forever. From the navigation computer, Kamino was located in the Abrion Sector of a region called Wild Space, where there are still a vast number of planets undiscovered. Sar’Mari smiled against the glass.

All those worlds…waiting to be found…I’m gonna find them…

“I take it that you like what you see so far?”

Sar’Mari looked away from the glass to Rex who wasn’t looking her way, as he was paying attention to steering the ship through the rain. Sar’Mari turns back to the window.

“I’ve never been out here before. I didn’t know this sector existed. I take it Kamino likes its seclusion?” Sar’Mari asks, watching the rain brush past the window.

“The Kaminoans are a peculiar species. They like the isolation, and keep what they do secure and to themselves. They’ve done a good job with that…” The captain answers. Rex tried to keep his tone even, but just talking about the Long Necks had always left a dirt-filled taste in his mouth. Sar’Mari notices the tone but keeps her observation to herself.

“I was told to pack a bag. Am I…being transferred here…?” Sar’Mari asks apprehensively. Rex then looked her way. Oh no, she probably felt like she wasn’t wanted anymore.

“No, no. Of course not,” the man responded quickly. “Like I said before we left, this trip is strictly educational. You’ll be staying here for two rotations though, because it is a lot to learn. I was given orders to return you to General Kenobi if there was an emergency,” he finishes, leaning around the steering wheel and pressing the engine control buttons to start descending toward the approaching facility. Sar’Mari sat up straighter upon seeing the large buildings coming into view.

“Welcome to Tipoca City,” Rex announces, glancing at Sar’Mari’s way and taking in her face which was agape with awe and excitement, but it was mildly covered with neutrality. Rex frowns at this. It seems she wasn’t properly taught how to express herself freely. Either that or she just…never had a reason to express herself.

Don’t worry, you will be happy with us, the man thinks.

Landing on the platform of the Kamino facility, Rex smirks seeing troopers approach the ship. But they were not the only reason he was smiling. Standing far back at the entrance was Shaak-Ti. She had her hands folded in front of her. Even from this far view, Rex could see the anxiety roll of the Jedi in waves.

“Come, let’s get started, eh?” The captain says, grabbing his helmet from the floor. Sar’Mari jumps up from her chair and scoops up her bag from the floor, following closely behind Rex. Rex felt kind of awkward; one half wanted to hug the young girl behind him close and give her kisses all over for being brave for coming out here with him. But then the other half wanted to cower away, scared he was going to do something by accident, jeopardizing the whole mission and scaring Sar’Mari off. At this point, Rex didn’t care about the truth coming out and him being decommissioned for it, for the fear of the tearful and betrayed look on his daughter’s face would be the one to truly kill him.

“Ready, kid?” He asks the young Padawan, his hand hovering over the button to open the door. Sar’Mari nodded, sending Rex a small grimace, but her eyes held a little bit of excitement. Rex nods back, giving the girl a strong smirk as he presses the button. The ramp of the ship opens, revealing the troopers standing on either side in a straight line.

Shaak-Ti watches from the distance as she sees Rex and a young girl, who is confirmed to be her daughter, come down the ramp. It was excruciating waiting for Sar’Mari’s arrival. Shaak-Ti couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. It’s been so long, too long , and she wanted so badly to run towards them, to grab hold of Sar’Mari and engulf her in a tight embrace and tell her everything: her lineage, that she was her mother, that Rex was her father, all of the above, but in doing that, everything that they’ve sacrificed for the greater good would’ve been for nothing.

However, the plan that Shaak-Ti and Rex came up with seems to be a good one, using the education on clone production as a way to bond with Sar’Mari, and to be included in her life in some way.

Shaak-Ti straightens up as Rex approaches her, with Sar’Mari in tow. Shaak-Ti took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She knew that once Rex arrived with Sar’Mari, there was no turning back. This was it, the moment she had been both anticipating and dreading for years. She smoothed out her robe and tried to appear calm and collected. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she forced herself to remain composed.

“General,” Rex greeted, firmly standing in front of her. Shaak-Ti nodded in acknowledgment before darted down to Sar’Mari. Rex moved to the side so the young girl could be in view, his eyes flicking between the two of the most important females in his life. The Togruta hybrid looked up at the woman, her eyes wide with curiosity but her face held the look of neutrality.

Shaak-Ti wanted to say something, anything, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat. The silence was deafening, and Shaak-Ti could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on her. She knew that this was the moment that would change everything, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

Sar’Mari looks up at the Togruta but says nothing, her lips tight and brown eyes wide. Shaak-Ti studied her daughter’s expression, trying to read her emotions. The tight lips and wide eyes made her look wary, almost guarded. It was as if Sar’Mari was trying to keep her thoughts and feelings hidden, not wanting to reveal anything. The suddenly, Sar’Mari speaks.

“Are you a Jedi?” Shaak-Ti’s eyes widened slightly at the question.  It was blunt and to the point, and she was caught off guard by it.  She glanced at Rex, who gave her an encouraging look, before turning her attention back to Sar’Mari.

“Yes, I am a Jedi.” She replied, her voice steady despite the flutter of nerves in her chest. Sar’Mari gasped before bowing from the waist down.

“Master, forgive me for my ignorance. I did not know you were a Jedi,” the girl apologized. Shaak-Ti was surprised that Sar’Mari had figured it out so quickly. It was true, she was a Jedi General, and it was common for anyone really to address Jedi by their rank. She nodded slowly, impressed by her daughter’s observation skills.

“It is alright, you may rise, little Padawan.” She says, trying to hide her nervousness. Sar’Mari stands straight immediately, looking back up at the Jedi Master. She felt a wave of embarrassment; she had no idea she was standing before a whole Jedi Master. And…she was a Togruta! Like her! Well, almost like her…

Shaak-Ti took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. She knew that she needed to break the tension somehow, and welcoming Sar’Mari to Kamino seemed like a good place to start. “Welcome to Kamino.” She said, her voice firm and authoritative. She hoped that her tone would convey a sense of calm and reassurance. Sar’Mari nodded and smirked lightly. “Thank you, Master. I’ve never been here- are rather anywhere in the Abrion Sector before…..”

Shaak-Ti was surprised to hear Sar’Mari address her as “Master.” She hadn’t expected her daughter to be so formal, but it seemed like she had picked up some of the mannerisms and speech patterns from Obi-Wan, which was bound to happen as Padawans tend to take after their Masters. She smiled faintly, feeling a sense of pride at the way her daughter spoke. It was a stark reminder that Sar’Mari was her child, and she had a piece of her in her, even if it wasn’t obvious.

“I see. Well, I hope your time here will be pleasant.” She said, her tone gentle and welcoming. Sar’Mari gleamed a little, and Shaak-Ti couldn’t help but smile back, the creases around her eyes becoming more profound. Wow, Rex was right, she looks just like her…

“Captain Rex told me I would be staying here for two days. Said that my trip here would be for educational purposes?” Shaak-Ti nodded in response to Sar’Mari’s question, confirming that she was indeed staying on Kamino for two days. “Yes, this is correct. The captain and I have some…important matters to discuss with you, and we thought it would be best if you were here to witness it.” Sar’Mari nods.

“Cool.”

Shaak-Ti raised an eyebrow at Sar’Mari’s casual response. “Cool” wasn’t the response she had been expecting, and she wondered if her daughter was more laid-back than she had anticipated. She glanced at Rex, who was trying to hide a smirk. It seemed like he found her daughter’s attitude amusing. Her attention turns back to Sar’Mari who started to shuffle from one foot to the other.

“I’ve never got your name?…” Shaak-Ti was caught off guard by the question. It was such a simple thing, but it was one that she had almost forgotten to tell her daughter, so excited and eager to meet her daughter finally. “I am Jedi Master Shaak-Ti.” She said, a hint of warmth in her voice. She was ready to introduce herself properly, to let Sar’Mari know who she was. Sar’Mari nodded again, and eyes went wandering over Shaak-Ti’s form. The woman watches with soft eyes, for she too is taking in Sar’Mari’s appearance.

“You’re a Togruta…like me…” Sar’Mari spoke, looking back up and meeting the gray-bluish eyes of the Jedi woman. Shaak-Ti nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.  She was happy that Sar’Mari had noticed the similarities between them. “Yes, I am a Togruta. And you are a half of one, I see.” She said, her eyes drifting to Sar’Mari’s curly blonde hair and orange skin with tan blotches.

“Oh…yeah. I’ve learned just recently that my father is a human, and is supposedly Mandalorian. But I didn’t get much information about my mother though…” the girl said, looking off to the side with a look of indifference. Shaak-Ti felt a pang in her chest as Sar’Mari mentioned her father. It was painful to hear her daughter talk about her human father, knowing that she was her biological mother. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t anticipate this topic ever coming up, and it was difficult to hear Sar’Mari talk about it.

“I see…” Shaak-Ti said, her voice a bit strained. She then looked up at Rex, who shrugged in response. He didn’t have any paternal experience to deal with this, let alone with anything. Well, there was Ahsoka, but Rex had seen her as his sister more than a daughter, although he felt a pulling sensation to claim the young Togruta Jedi as his own on multiple occasions. But, that was only because she reminded him of the child he would’ve had by his side under different circumstances, if any. But she was here now, but under what cost?

“Yep…they’re the reason I look like…this,” Sar’Mari voiced with mild disgust in her tone. She tried to keep it polite, but she still felt a little bit of resentment towards her parents for not exactly thinking it out about the outcome of what she would be.

Shaak-Ti winced at the disgust in Sar’Mari’s tone. It was clear that her daughter wasn’t fond of the physical traits she inherited from herself and Rex. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of offense on her behalf. Her Togruta heritage was something she was proud of, and it pained her to hear Sar’Mari speak so negatively about it. She bit back a retort, reminding herself that Sar’Mari didn’t know the truth about her parentage. She had to be patient and understanding, as well as considerate because Shaak-Ti has truly never seen a togruta mixed being before. She knew the child would be born half-and-half, and she did look quite exotic and nothing she had ever seen before, but the child was even more beautiful than she was when she was small and once held in her arms.

“I’ve only seen pictures of fully grown Togrutans. You are the first I’ve seen in person,” Sar’Mari says, her eyes once again wandering over the woman’s form. Shaak-Ti chuckles at the child’s curiosity. Shaak-Ti softened slightly at Sar’Mari’s words. She had to admit, it was true. Sar’Mari hadn’t seen a full-grown Togrutan before, and it was understandable that it was heartwrenching to see she was comparing herself to average ones and feeling self-conscious.

If only you knew how special you truly are…

Shaak-Ti took a step closer to her daughter, her expression sympathetic. “I can only imagine your contentment on finally seeing one. But you are unique yourself. I have never seen a being like you before,” She said gently, her voice full of understanding.

“Master Kenobi did a DNA test on me, my mother is a full Togruta. I can imagine she would’ve looked like you…ya know since you’re a fully grown one,” Sar’Mari smiles a little. But then she felt embarrassed about talking too much. It just that, everything excited her; she got away from the Temple she was kept at for almost 8 months, under the watchful eye of Obi-Wan, and now she’s here on a whole new world discovering a fully formed Togruta, and not just that, she’s a Jedi Master too!

Shaak-Ti’s heart skipped a beat as Sar’Mari mentioned the DNA test. It was a reminder of how close Obi-Wan had gotten to the truth, and how they had narrowly avoided exposure. She quickly masked her surprise, forcing a neutral expression onto her face. She couldn’t let Sar’Mari know how close they had come to being discovered. She looked at Rex again, who was holding his helmet under his arm, tapping his fingers against the visor nervously. Shaak-Ti sent a comforting wave through the Force and smiled when Rex visibly calmed down. She turned and smiled faintly at her daughter’s comment about her appearance, feeling a mixture of sadness and pride.

“Yes, I imagine she would look very similar to me.” She said softly, her voice tinged with melancholy. Sar’Mari smirked before reaching up and scratching her hair which was about damp from the heavy rain. She adjusts her bag on her shoulder before asking, “I don’t want to seem disrespectful, but are we going to go inside or what? My hair gets tangled pretty bad when it’s wet…” Sar’Mari asks, pointing to her curly hair, where some strands were sticking to her face. Shaak-Ti was pulled out of her thoughts by Sar’Mari’s question. She had been so focused on their conversation that she had forgotten about the weather. This was not of a Jedi….

She glanced up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds and raindrops falling from above. “Ah, yes. We should head inside.” She said, gesturing towards the entrance of the building.

Shaak-Ti led the way into the building, stepping through the large doors and into the dry interior.  The temperature was much warmer inside, a stark contrast to the cool, damp air outside. She turned to face Sar’Mari, who was following closely behind her.

“Much better.” She said, watching the young girl in front of her shaking the water off her arms. Sar’Mari was about to respond, looking up at the Togruta Jedi, but her head swiveled around and her eyes grew big as she looked around the corridor they were standing in.

“Woah….so this is what the inside of a Kamino facility looks like!” Sar’Mari looks in awe at the passing group of troopers and cadets. She waves at them but gets no wave in response since they seem heavily invested in their drills. Shaak-Ti chuckled softly at Sar’Mari’s reaction. It was amusing to see her daughter’s awe and fascination with the clones.

“Indeed. This is a Kamino facility, where the clones are created and trained.” She said, watching as the troopers and cadets continued with their drills. They paid little attention to the newcomer and focused on their tasks at hand. Sar’Mari spins back around at the mention of clones from the Jedi Master.

“Wait…clones?” She asks. She then looks to Rex with her brow quirked. “You’re from here?” Rex chuckled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Shaak-Ti smiles too. “Yes, I’m a clone. We’re all clones here.” He gestured to the troopers around them, who were all identical to him. Sar’Mari huffs. “Huh, I guess this is educational after all.” She wondered why Rex didn’t tell her on their way here, but she just assumed she wasn’t meant to know it at that time. Things have gotten more interesting…

Shaak-Ti smiled at Sar’Mari’s reaction.  She had hoped that the trip to Kamino would teach her daughter something new and enlightening, and it seemed like it was working. “Indeed.  The clones are an important part of the Republic’s military efforts.” She said, her eyes drifting back to Rex. Rex nodded in agreement, a hint of pride in his expression. He had always been proud of his brothers and their contributions to the war effort. Shaak-Ti placed a hand on Sar’Mari’s shoulder, steering her away from the busy hallway and towards a more secluded area. “Come, we should talk in my office.”

______________

Seated in front of the wooden desk with Rex sitting at her side, Sar’Mari looks to Shaak-Ti, her bag in her lap waiting. There was a moment of silence in the room, with only the sound of their breathing filling the air. Shaak-Ti and Rex exchanged a look, silently communicating with each other. Shaak-Ti then breaks the silence, her voice soft and gentle. “I am thrilled to have you here, and it is an honor to be the one to teach you about the clone production here on Kamino.” She starts. Sar’Mari nodded, a smile fighting to be worn on her face, but she kept her expression straight, not knowing the direction this conversation would take.

“I have been assigned to protect and oversee the clone production and training,” she continues, her voice soft and gentle. “Yes,” Sar’Mari says back, letting the woman across from her know that every word was heard. Shaak-Ti nods before continuing. “But what you do not know is, what comes with being an overseer as well as a commanding officer and protector of this facility, I have grown quite a special connection with these clones. I care for them deeply, therefore, I will protect them if need be,” She confessed, her voice vulnerable and soft, to show Sar’Mari how serious and genuine she felt towards the clones. Sar’Mari nodded again before saying, “If you are worried about my behavior for the next two days considering the safety of the soldiers, don’t worry, I’ll be good.”

Shaak-Ti chuckled softly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sar’Mari’s genuine nature was somewhat endearing. “It is not about your behavior, my dear. It’s about your understanding of the clones, and their place in the galaxy.” She said, her expression becoming serious again. Sar’Mari leaned back in the chair, clearing her throat. “Oh…of course.”

She turns when she hears Rex clears his throat. “You see, kid, the clones are more than soldiers. They have their own thoughts feelings, and emotions.” He said, his voice deep and serious. Sar’Mari nods, taking in the information being said. Rex continued, his eyes locked on Sar’Mari. “They’re individuals, just like you and me. They have their own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.  They’re not just programmed machines, they’re living beings.” He said firmly, wanting to make sure that his words sunk in. Sar’Mari looks down and thinks over her words carefully. She knew that the troopers were clones and had no idea where they had originated from, but she never truly understood their purpose aside from fighting in the war. Was that all they knew?

“I understand,” Sar’Mari eventually says. “But like, no offense, what was the point of clones being made if you’re just gonna be sent out to the battlefield just to die? Why didn’t actual people enlist in the army? Doesn’t that make you guys feel like objects?” Rex sighed, his expression turning somber. He had heard this question before, many times. “I can’t speak for the reasons behind the creation of the clones aside from fighting for the Republic. That’s beyond my understanding.” He said honestly, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and resignation.

“But as for your other question…yes, it does make us feel like objects. We’re seen as expendable, as disposable soldiers. We’re told that we exist to serve the Republic, and to give our lives in its defense.” Sar’Mari scrunched her nose, and Shaak-Ti looked in interest despite the conversation taking place. Heh, the child has definitely gotten that from the Clone Captain.

“But you’re living beings, just like me and every other species in the galaxy,” Sar’Mari expressed with concern and a little bit of anger. Rex felt a swell of pride from that, to know that his daughter cared for the wellbeing of all people, even clones who were often seen as soulless beings. Rex nodded, his expression grim. “Yes, we are.  But the galaxy often seems to forget that. We’re seen as mere tools, rather than individuals with thoughts and feelings,” He clenched his fists, frustration evident in his voice. Sar’Mari sulks a little a that, looking at Rex with her big brown and round eyes. “I’m sorry,” She apologizes. She felt bad for how the clones were being treated. If only there was a way to make it better for them.

Rex’s expression softened, his anger replaced by a sense of understanding. “Don’t be.  You’re not responsible for the way the galaxy views us.” He said, his voice gentle. There was a moment of silence again, as Rex’s words hung in the air. Shaak-Ti watched the interaction, her heart heavy with the weight of the truth. She knew that the galaxy often mistreated the clones, but it still hurt to see them treated like expendable objects. The adults turn back to Sar’Mari as she begins to speak. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me mistreating the clones if that’s what you’re worried about. I will treat them just like an ordinary human being. I promise,” Sar’Mari swears, wearing a determined and soft look on her face. Shaak-Ti smiled faintly, her expression a mix of gratitude and sadness. “Thank you, Sar’Mari.  It means a lot to me to hear you say that,” She said softly. Sar’Mari smiles a little.

“I mean, I see how much the clones mean to you. And it would be very dark of me if I were to mistreat them out of the joy of seeing them in pain when they’re already going through so much.” Sar’Mari said, looking between the Captain and the Jedi Master. The parents felt proud of their daughter. Shaak-Ti didn’t get a clear observation of Sar’Mari’s character before coming to the Jedi, but Rex got a little taste of it, and he was proud to see how far the girl had come. Obi-Wan is teaching her well. He then felt himself feeling somber; it seemed even though his daughter was right there, he was still missing such precious milestones in her life.

Shaak-Ti perks at her daughter’s face, noticing a tiny smile, but there is a tired look that seems to become more evident with each passing second. Rex sees it too and glances the Jedi’s way, a quick silent communication conveying between the two. Shaak-Ti didn’t want this moment to end, but luckily she had two days to spend time with the girl, so it was best to hurry and get her settled in now.

“I have arranged for you a room in the guest quarters. It is just down the hall from here, unless, you prefer to have a room close by my own?” She asked hopefully. Sar’Mari hums lowly as a yawn slips through. “Honestly, any room works for me,” Sar’Mari says, moving to stand with her bag strap wrapped loosely around her fingers. Rex stands and starts moving to the door. Shaak-Ti stands motioning for the girl to follow her.

______________

Sar’Mari was instead placed in a room two doors down from the Jedi Shaak-Ti’s personal quarters. As soon as they walked in, Sar’Mari instantly tossed her bag onto the bed. It landed with a soft thud, bouncing once or twice before it settled in the center. Rex and Shaak-Ti watched as Sar’Mari stretched and yawned, both of them feeling a pang of sympathy for her exhaustion. Shaak-Ti smiled softly, speaking up first.

“Get some rest, young Padawan. We will let you sleep in peace.” Sar’Mari yawned again and rubbed one of her eyes tiredly, asking, “Alright, what are the plans for tomorrow?”

Shaak-Ti paused for a moment, thinking about the schedule for the next day. “Well, tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the Prime Minister, Lama Su, you will meet him tomorrow.” She said, her expression turning serious. Sar’Mari nodded. “Oh. Will I still get a tour of the facility?” She asks, another yawn breaking through. Shaak-Ti nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Yes, of course. I will make sure you get a tour after the meeting. I want you to see everything there is to see on Kamino.”

“Okay, well, I will see you in the morning,” at this, the thunder outside the window of Sar’Mari’s quarters rumbles. “Well, whenever the time would be to get up,” the hybrid corrected, wearing a sheepish smile. Shaak-Ti grins and Rex smirks at their daughter. Sar’Mari sits on the bed. “Goodnight, Master,” she says before looking at Rex. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, kid. Get some rest,” He said, his voice warm and friendly. Rex backed away for the door to close, but it was still open as Shaak-Ti was still standing there in the doorway, watching Sar’Mari with a wistful look in her eyes. Before the child could notice, Rex softly takes his love by the arm and pulls her away, allowing the automatic door to slide shut.

Once the door away closed, Rex fully turned his attention to Shaak-Ti whose breathing was shaky. Her eyes welled up, but no tears made it out, thankfully. They were in the guest corridor, where someone entering was rare since the whole section of the building was strictly for guests. No one was in the rooms besides the young girl they had just left to sleep. But still, anywhere that was not a secure and discreet room, was the wrong place to show vulnerability.

“Are you okay, Mesh’la?” Rex asks lowly, reaching up and wiping a tear that managed to escape anyway. Shaak-Ti shudders quietly.

“She is so beautiful,” Shaak-Ti croaked, closing her eyes as more tears shed. Rex smiled sadly and he wiped more of the salty liquid from his love’s face. “Shouldn’t be surprised. She gets her beauty from you, Cyar’ika,” Rex whispers lovingly, smiling wider when the orange-skinned woman laughs wetly at the compliment.

“If you allow yourself to grow your hair out, for once, you two will look like twins,” Shaak-Ti jabs playfully, looking at Rex from under her wet lashes. Rex smirked, relieved that the love of his life was starting to feel better. “I’m just saying, it’s a family trait it seems,” he said, his voice light and playful. Shaak-Ti rolled her eyes, reaching up to wipe the rest of her tears.

“A trait you seem to lack,” she shoots at him. Rex guffaws, but quickly covered his mouth from how loud it was. Shaak-Ti covers hers too as a laugh tried to escape. Rex jutts his towards the door leading to the outside corridor where they’d be away from the probably and hopefully slumbering girl. They swiftly made their exit.

Chapter Text

-

The next morning came quicker than expected, but to the Jedi Togruta, it felt like forever. It was stressful almost because she knew the events that were awaiting her.

Shaak-Ti woke up just as early as she could, even though it was hard to tell if it was day, considering Kamino was always raining. But she spent a few moments meditating, centering herself for the day ahead. Once she was done, the first thing she did was check on Sar’Mari, wanting to see if she was awake or not.

When Shaak-Ti entered Sar’Mari’s guest room, you can say she felt a little guilty. For one, she entered without her permission, and two, well, she didn’t think to wait due to haste to see her daughter again. Thankfully, she wasn’t caught since the girl was still asleep, her back facing the door. Shaak-Ti smiled softly as she saw Sar’Mari sleeping peacefully. She quietly walked over to the bed, took a seat on the edge of it, and just sat there, admiring her and Rex’s creation, the being made from their love. Sar’Mari’s face was lax, making her look like a little baby. Shaak-Ti swooned, clicking her tongue soothingly as she reached over to gently brush a strand of the curly hair that made its way out of Sar’Mari’s head cap during the nightly hour and tucked it back in, her touch gentle and tender. Sar’Mari’s brow wrinkles for a moment before relaxing again, the corner of her lips rising into a tiny smile before easing back into sleep. Shaak-Ti smiled at the response.

She then stopped suddenly, realizing what she was doing. She had already gone too far by coming into the room unannounced. This was a risk; she couldn’t be caught in her daughter’s room, her daughter who didn’t know was her daughter. Shaak-Ti withdrew her hand, her expression becoming a mix of sadness and conflict. She knew she was playing a dangerous game, keeping Sar’Mari in the dark about her true heritage. But she believed it was for the best, for the time being. With a heavy sigh, she stood up and silently left the room, pressing the button to let it slide close swiftly behind her.  She made a mental note to keep a better watch on herself and her impulses, she couldn’t afford to slip up and reveal the truth so carelessly. Before Shaak-Ti moved to the corridor next door, she instinctively rested her hand against her flat stomach, as memories of the days when it was full and contained the life of the child that was now sleeping on the other side of the door filled her mind. She then dropped her hand back to her side.

You are a Jedi, restrain yourself!

Shaak-Ti decided to let Sar’Mari sleep just a little longer since the ride from Coruscant to Kamino was a long trip. She had two days until Sar’Mari had to go back to the Temple, so she had enough time. The Togruta Jedi made her way to the corridor right next door. She then headed to the main common area where she could wait for Rex to wake up. She busied herself with some Jedi duties through her datapad as she sat, trying to keep her mind occupied and distracted from her lingering thoughts of Sar’Mari. She decided to move her thoughts towards the meeting that was approaching. She wanted to make a motion that once the war has ended, the clones will be heavily compensated for their efforts, like military benefits. Rex doesn’t know, and Shaak-Ti tends to keep it that way, wanting it to be a surprise once it hopefully passes. And maybe once everything was over, she could try then. They both could try, to be a family. Well, if Shaak-Ti still couldn’t be what she was forbidden to be, at least Rex and Sar’Mari would have more of a chance to have a normal life as a family.

Once again thinking about Sar’Mari, a heavy revelation pours in. Shaak-Ti didn’t understand why she didn’t notice it sooner but it was obvious. She gave away Sar’Mari 5 years ago, but from what she knows about the girl, Sar’Mari is 15, or so she says. That doesn’t make sense. Her daughter would be five years old. Unless….could it be a cloning thing? Since Rex was her father, could Sar’Mari be aging faster than her biological age? Could she have inherited the clone DNA from Rex since he too is a clone?

The realization hit Shaak-Ti like a wave, and she felt a mix of surprise and disbelief.  She had never considered the possibility of cloning being the reason for Sar’Mari’s accelerated aging. She had assumed that it was just a coincidence, that Sar’Mari was just a big girl. But even then, what average five-year-old do you see as tall and as big as Sar’Mari? Now that’s just impossible. The cloning theory is the only possible explanation. With this new revelation, everything made sense. It all fit together perfectly. Shaak-Ti leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. She couldn’t help but wonder what else about Sar’Mari was affected by her clone heritage. What else did she inherit from Rex, besides the accelerated growth and blonde hair, which raises another question: does Sar’Mari have her Montrals and Lekku? She has human ears, and she seemed to sense things just fine, so does she still, even if it is small, have the dominant gene that all Togrutas have? Would this further affect her in the future? Shaak-Ti knew she needed to speak with Rex about this, to see if he had any insight on this matter. But for now, she sat in silence, contemplating the revelation and trying to process the implications of it.

But Shaak-Ti felt like she couldn’t just sit and think about it, she needed to approach Rex about this and gain his insight. Thankfully and miraculously, Rex was given leave for a few days, thanks to her carefully planned words when it came to talking to Skywalker about his captain. She could tell the young man was suspicious, however, he didn’t mind since he had his own Padawan that could aid him as much as Rex could even if he was present, plus, there was no urgency for anything because everything had become settled. For now. So she had more than enough time.

She stood up from her seat, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. She knew that this conversation was going to be difficult, but she had to do it. She walked through the corridors of the facility, searching for Rex’s room. She found his quarters, a room that was off to its own, a little special treatment clones of high rank are granted when they visit their bland and sterile home. She more so listened for him because that man snores. She stood there and took a deep breath before knocking rhythmically on the door. It was a certain knock, a pattern they learned over the years of discretion.

Rex stirred in his sleep, groaning softly as he was roused from his slumber. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes, but he started to doze off again until another round of knocks jolted him awake. He realized that someone was at the door. He sat up, rubbing his face as he called out, “Come in.” Rex yawned as the door slid open, revealing Shaak-Ti standing in the doorway. He squinted at her for a moment, still half asleep.

“What time is it?” He asked groggily. Shaak-Ti chuckled softly at Rex’s disheveled appearance. “It is early. I need to talk to you about something.” She said, her tone serious yet gentle. Rex ran a hand through his buzz cut, finally starting to wake up properly. “Can’t it wait?” He grumbled, still not fully alert.

Shaak-Ti raised an eyebrow at his reluctance.

“No, it cannot wait. This is important.” She said firmly, her hands folded tightly in front of her robe. Rex sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get out of this conversation.

“Alright, fine. Come in then.” He said, scooting over to make room for her on the bed. Shaak-Ti entered the room, the door automatically sliding shut behind her. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Rex, facing him. There was a brief moment of silence before she spoke up again. “I have something to ask you about… Sar’Mari.” Rex immediately perked up at the mention of their daughter, his sleepiness vanishing in an instant. “What about her? Where is she?” He asked, concern lacing his voice. Shaak-Ti took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation ahead.

“Do not worry, she is fine. She is still asleep. However, I… have reason to believe that she might be aging at an accelerated rate.” She said carefully, watching Rex’s reaction. Rex’s eyes widened in surprise, and a hint of worry crept into his expression. “Accelerated rate?  What do you mean?” He asked, his voice tinged with concern. That was one of the things Rex was dreading about during the days before somewhat being reunited with Sar’Mari. He wondered because he was a clone, would anything of his affect his child. He had always wondered about the children of Cut Lawquane. Were they affected, besides their unique appearance?

“Rex,” the clone captain comes back to Shaak-Ti looking at him apprehensively. Rex shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mesh’la. What makes you think about this?” He asked, looking at his love. Shaak-Ti met his gaze, her expression serious. “I realized that it does not make sense for her to be fifteen years old, given the time we gave her away five years ago when she was still very new to the Galaxy….” She trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air. Rex nodded, remembering the reason why they had to give their daughter away was for the sake of keeping her safe and away from the republic and the Jedi order. Because with them having a child, her literal existence was a violation of everything that they stood for.

Shaak-Ti saw the realization dawn on Rex’s face, and she nodded in agreement. “Exactly.  If we had her five years ago, that would have made her around five now. But she is fifteen, and I do not understand how that is possible.” She paused, looking at Rex with a mix of confusion and concern.

“Unless…”

Rex was quiet for a moment, processing what Shaak-Ti had said.  He knew exactly what she was implying, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to voice it aloud.

“Unless she inherited my accelerated aging… from me being a clone,” He finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. Shaak-Ti nodded slowly, her heart heavy. “Yes… that is what I am thinking. And…I believe that may have affected some of her innate features,” She said, her hands gesturing to her horns and Lekku, and her voice filled with a mixture of concern and regret. She DID NOT regret Sar’Mari’s birth, Force knows. But she felt responsible; she wasn’t careful, neither of them were. And because of this reckless behavior, and the ignorance of what their daughter would inherit, Shaak-Ti felt guilty. Extremely guilty.

Rex ran a hand over his face, trying to process the information. He knew that clones were modified to grow and age faster than normal humans, but he had never thought about how it would affect his child . Like, look at Cut’s children; there was no indication that they were affected by their father’s DNA. And Cut never mentioned it when he spoke about his life. Or maybe he was just different. Or maybe because he cared about his children and not how they came out to be. “I don’t know what to say…” He admitted, his voice laced with disbelief.

Shaak-Ti placed a comforting hand on Rex’s shoulder, understanding the weight of the revelation. “I know it is a lot to take in, but I had to tell you. I have no clue why I have not noticed it before.” She said gently, her gaze softening as she looked at him. Rex looks up at her, his eyes filled with sadness and wonder.

“If that’s the case, why hasn’t she said anything? Does she believe she’s 15? Did Jaccha tell her, or what, she somehow convinced our daughter that she’s growing like she’s supposed to?” He asked angrily. Was Jaccha that evil and lazy that she couldn’t at least be truthful with the young girl in that aspect of her life? Shaak-Ti shakes her head and puts her hand on the clone’s shoulder.

“I believe if Jaccha would have told Sar’Mari the truth about her…heritage, she would have probably hung on to that and tried to search for you. That would be a situation none of us would have been prepared for,” Shaak-Ti said with a soft tone. Rex scoffs and shakes his head. “You’re still defending her, huh? Did you forget what Jaccha did to our daughter ? Where she made her live? The danger she threw her in?” Rex asks angrily. Shaak-Ti sighed and looked away.

“I am not defending her, I am merely stating a possibility of what would have happened if Sar’Mari was told about her heritage too soon. I can sense the capabilities that she possesses. She would have learned about us, maybe even going as far as searching for us, if Jaccha was careless. We need to give her at least a little credit for her discretion,” Shaak-Ti pleaded to her lover. Rex huffed but said nothing in response. His little girl was out there fighting for survival when Jaccha was capable of giving her the life she needed, but he’s the one that had to thank her. Tch, as if…

“You and I both know what Jaccha was capable of. Whether she kept that from Sar’Mari or not, it still does not excuse her from failing to give our daughter the life she deserves to live. That was the whole purpose of the ordeal 5 years ago…” Rex said, resentment and disappointment in his voice. Shaak-Ti sighs.

“I know. I have also trusted Jaccha to give our child the life she could not have with us, but as you can see, the Force had different plans and brought her back to us. Not under the circumstance that would have been better, but we still have her back.”

Rex soaks in Shaak-Ti’s words and leans over, his hand grazing his blonde buzz cut.

“Regardless,” Rex starts. “It doesn’t help the fact that there is a possibility that we are exposed. Sar’Mari mentioned a DNA test was taken from her. We need to find that test and see what exactly is the results. If anything is mentioned about anything about clones, we have to find a way to get rid of that specific information before someone gets their hands on it,” he says, his hand now on his chin as his brain works to formulate a plan. This morning was already starting to be stressful.

Shaak-Ti on the other hand, felt like her heart was going to burst. She felt incredibly stupid for not thinking of that before. Sar’Mari had her DNA tested and the results probably came back with all types of stuff. Maybe Obi-Wan did a basic one instead of a full sweep? One can only hope, and in order to find out…

“I can access the Jedi archives and see anything concerning Sar’Mari. If for any reason there is nothing pertaining to her, I know someone who can retrieve what I need,” Shaak-Ti proposed, already standing up and moving towards the door.

“Mesh’la,” Shaak-Ti stops immediately at the name. She turns to Rex who is standing, his hands and feet fidgeting. He balls his hands into fists.

“If they find out that I’m her father-“

“They will not,” Shaak-Ti cuts in, moving back over to stroke her hand on the clone’s shoulder. “The least they would find out is that her father is a clone, and he could be a deserter for all they know. There are millions out there, you all have the same DNA, it would be difficult for them to find an individual match,” Shaak-Ti soothes the captain. Rex was somewhat convinced, but then something else popped up.

“That may be true, but you don’t have DNA stretched to oblivion. What if they find out that you’re her mother?” He asked fearfully. He didn’t want to lose Shaak-Ti. He didn’t want to lose Sar’Mari. If it came to that point, he wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing himself to ensure his daughter and love’s safety.

“They have not said anything yet, the Force may be on our side on this. But we still do not want to take the chance, do we?” And with that, Shaak-Ti makes her way to the door. But before she leaves, she goes, “Get dressed, our daughter will wake up soon.”

-

Sar’Mari was amazed as Master Shaak-Ti brought her to a large dimly lit room. There were large cylinders that held little cylinders on the side, where they contained, who Sar’Mari now knows, the clones. She approached one of the tubes, her hand lying against the glass, where she could feel the heartbeat from one of them. She smiles as she peers over at the tube next to her, where another baby clone was sucking his thumb. She was in complete awe of it all.

“Cloning is a process where an organism is duplicated into one or many genetically identical individuals,” Shaak-Ti began explaining. Sar’Mari listens intently, her eyes never leaving the thousands of tubes containing new life, a new generation of clones.

“And as you can see, this is an embryo room, where the Kaminoans could see the process of the clones' development,” Shaak-Ti continues, watching with a slight smile as her daughter runs to different tubes to analyze the little lives inside. Rex, in his uniform, stood right next to her, watching their daughter with filial love in his eyes. But his face remained straight, not wanting to give any passing Long Necks any reason to stop and give attention to the three of them. Thankfully, they just continued with their day.

“So, like, how does aging work?” Sar’Mari asks, turning away from the small babies and to the Togruta Master. “Soldiers were made to fight in this war, but it’s been going on for three years now. So how is it even possible for you guys?” Rex chuckles a little at the innocence of the question. Rex didn’t know the complete story of Sar’Mari’s life before coming to the Jedi, but from what he knows so far, she’s been through hell. But she didn’t look like what she’d been through, so that was a good thing; she still somewhat had innocence. And Rex has made it his mission to make sure his daughter keeps the little innocence she has.

“Accelerated aging. Us clones grow twice as fast than the average human,” Rex supplies, causing Sar’Mari’s interest to pique.

“Really?” Rex nods. Sar’Mari turns to him now. “When were you born?” She asks. Rex gave Shaak-Ti a quick glance before answering. “32 BBY.” Sar’Mari’s eyes widened and her mouth started to stretch in a small almost triumphant smirk. “I am 2 years older than you,” She says matter-of-factly. Rex full-on looked over at Shaak-Ti who only glanced at him before looking back to Sar’Mari.

“Yes, you are 15, correct?” Sar’Mari nods with a wide smile. Shaak-Ti smiles back before looking at Rex again. She could practically feel the building heat from her lover. He was getting mad. Shaak-Ti made a mental note to visit her old friend and see why she lied so perfectly to convince Sar’Mari that she was 15 when that was nowhere near true.

Sar’Mari observed the two for a quick second, noting strange patterns on their faces, but she dismissed it, seeing it as not of a big deal as she said, “Since I’m older than you and a Jedi, does that mean I outrank you?” Rex looked back at the girl replying, “Not exactly, little one. See, General Kenobi hasn’t brought you to the battlefield yet, so you haven’t earned an official title that either outranks me or is under me. Besides, in my book, experience outranks everything,” Rex informs the girl. Sar’Mari sighed at that. “Well, I would say that I should go ahead and gain some, but Master Kenobi keeps saying I’m not ready.”

“However do you mean?” Shaak-Ti finally spoke up after watching her lover and their child converse. Sar’Mari’s shoulders almost sulk. “He just won’t let me go with him. He says my training is not where it needs to be where I’m able to go out there. But it’s hard to be taught when he’s barely at the Temple,” Sar’Mari articulated, lamented. It was true; with Obi-Wan having a great deal of absence, Sar’Mari is left with no Master to be trained. Ever since the conversation between her and Kenobi about this specific thing, Sar’Mari noticed that her Master tried to be around more. He would advise her on what needed to be improved and during the times when he was literally in the midst of a battle, he would provide her with more advice and tips over comms, but that was not enough seeing that Kenobi was just not there when he needed to be. Sar’Mari was seriously starting to doubt the reason why Obi-Wan took her in to be his Padawan in the first place, besides the fact that she accepted his offer to be trained anyway and if she denied it she would’ve been sent to the foster care center.

Shaak-Ti took in the words the hybrid across from her conveyed, and let it marinate for a little as she watched her daughter turn back around to observe the little clones moving around from the safety of their tubes. Shaak-Ti looked again at Rex before doing a 180, where her back was fully facing their distracted child but her face was in the general direction of the clone captain.

“Thoughts?” She asks, keeping her eyes on the roaming Kaminoan scientists while also watching as the man beside her chews on his bottom lip.

“None,” Rex says disappointedly. “Unless you can convince the General to let Sar’Mari come here more so you can watch her,” Rex's eyes widened at a thought that came past. “Maybe you can train her.”

“That is too risky,” Shaak-Ti whispers, reminding Rex to keep his voice to a minimum too. “The Council is too smart, they will eventually learn the similarities. I have yet to begin getting access to her DNA results, I have no knowledge of what they know about her.”

“I’m not saying take her under your wing,” Rex corrected himself quickly. “But I’m saying she can come here whenever General Kenobi gets called to the field. She needs help, Mesh’la,” Rex says softly, with a tremble in his voice. With Sar’Mari not getting the proper training she needs, she will be left vulnerable to the dangers of the Galaxy. Once again, Rex lacks skills in the paternity aspect, but he knows Shaak-Ti has gained some kind of experience in the maternal field when it comes to dealing with the cadets. At least with the Jedi situation, Rex knows Sar’Mari will be in good hands with the Jedi Togruta.

Shaak-Ti cogitated the suggestion from the clone captain, looking back and eyeing the girl who was still invested in observing the little clones. She went to turn back until she saw a Kaminoan scientist approach the unknowing girl. It was Nala Se.

Sar’Mari was in the middle of watching one of the babies with his thumb in his mouth when she felt a presence creep up behind her. She saw a shadow before she felt it and instinctively, she reached for her lightsaber that was attached to her belt loop, but then stopped because—

I’m not on Level 1313 anymore…

Sar’Mari corrects herself, taking a calming exhale before turning to look at the newcomer, but what she meets…is a stomach. Her head shoots up to meet the approached stranger. Her eyebrow quirks up upon seeing an unusual face. Of course, she had seen the Kaminoans already, but she had never seen them up close since being here. The being’s face was obviously alien, not anything she had seen before. This being had pale skin, large black eyes, white pupils, and a lonnggg neck which the head sat on top of. Sar’Mari was shook.

“I have never seen a being like you before.”

The Kaminoan was female, and the way she spoke was slow and draggy. Sar’Mari felt so small compared to the tall woman, uh, alien, erm, what?

“Um….thank you?” Sar’Mari said. Her hands go behind her back, her fingers nervously digging into her palms.

“What are you?” The woman asks. Sar’Mari would’ve scoffed at the ignorant-sounding question, but she held it back seeing that she was simply a guest on the Kaminoan’s home. She had to show respect to everyone she came across, per Master Kenobi’s words.

“Togruta and human,” Sar’Mari answers almost robotically. She was used to always having to say what she was when she came across an ignorant but curious person. She had to refrain from cringing at the way the Kaminoan’s eyes grew big. “A hybrid? How intriguing,” the Kaminoan leans down with her big black eyes. Sar’Mari leans back as the woman’s face comes closer. “It is uncommon to see interspecies, but I have never seen such a rare one like yourself. Who are your parents?” Sar’Mari almost kind of felt offended; the assumed scientist didn’t even ask for her name, just straight went into how fascinating she was. Sar’Mari was somewhat used to this ignorance, she had been victim to it her whole life, but geez, show some sort of decency.

“My name is Sar’Mari Dara,” Sar’Mari says instead, hoping that would make the woman rethink her approach and actually call her by her name and not just want to know about her genetic background. Plus, she didn’t want to get into the story of Jaccha. Too soon….

“How interesting,” the woman repeated rather absentmindedly rather than actually listening as she continued to look over Sar’Mari’s form. Sar’Mari was honestly about to run off but thankfully when she was about to turn and take off, she collided with a thick robe. She looked up and her face relaxed when she saw the robe belonging to Master Shaak-Ti. She sighs in relief.

Shaak-Ti had to swiftly get over the shock of feeling her daughter’s arms around her from the collision, and the way the little one looked up at her in relief. It was like…she saw Shaak-Ti as a refuge, as a safe haven from the danger that surrounds them in the Galaxy. But she had to shake that off and tried not to outright envelop her with her arms. She has just gotten here and it would not be right to do it.

Sar’Mari lets go and bows her head in apology before moving to stand behind her, away from Nala Se. She crossed her arms and held a neutral expression, almost as if she didn’t want to be seen looking vulnerable and spooked. But Rex who had already come up to stand beside the General noticed the wall the girl was trying to put up.

“Mistress Se, it is always good to see you,” Shaak-Ti says, effectively taking the Kaminoan’s attention away from the girl hiding behind her.

“Pleasant day, Master Jedi. I see you have brought a guest. How extraordinary she is,” Nala Se peeks behind the Togruta Jedi and looks at Sar’Mari again. This time the young girl shuffled behind Rex, which she didn’t mean to, it was just that the clone captain was the last resort. Rex saw how weirded out the girl was, having remembered how Sar’Mari felt when it came to how she looked, and so he took it seriously, by moving to block her fully from the scientist’s sight. He looked at the Kaminoan with hatred in his eyes, and Nala Se frowned slightly before standing to her full height.

“Yes, she is quite unique, but nonetheless, she is just a regular being, like all of us in this galaxy,” Shaak-Ti says pointedly but measured. She was holding back her true feelings from the offensive scene she’d seen before her, but Nala Se had easily heard the shift from the Togruta.

“Sar’Mari is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s new Padawan. I am giving her a tour of the facility and teaching her the origins of where the clones come from. She is eager to learn,” Shaak-Ti gestures to Sar’Mari to come from behind Rex, and because Sar’Mari didn’t want to seem rude, she stepped out and stood at the woman’s side, though it was reluctantly. Shaak-Ti felt a wave of despondence through the Force and instinctively laid her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Sar’Mari felt the weight of the woman’s hand and felt a sense of security, therefore, she took a breath and had the confidence to look up at ‘Nala Se’.

“I see. You are welcome to see the work we have done for many years, as our technology is the most incomprehensible to understand. Our clones are remarkably our greatest achievement, and our efforts have made the Galaxy more successful and secure than ever before,” Nala Se stated. Shaak-Ti nodded in agreement.

“Yes, the clones' war efforts have been most effective. And they are extraordinarily supple with their way of following orders,” Shaak-Ti says.

“As they were made to do, without question or defiance,” Nala Se supplied, almost egotistical.

“But,” Shaak-Ti started again. “They are all sentient beings and shall be cared for as all beings of the Galaxy would want to be treated. They have feelings and emotions, even if they were made for one purpose. They all have wills and their own mind to make their own choices of how they would want their life to go. We Jedi strive to be sure that all lives are treated fairly and receive what they deserve,” Shaak-Ti felt triumphant at the annoyed look from the Kaminoan across from her. Better yet, she felt even better when she felt a boost of pride and bashfulness through the Force from the clone captain standing at her side. Shaak-Ti will always go to the end of the Galaxy to protect and make sure everything is perfect for the ones she cares for, for the ones she loves .

“I see. I must stop our conversation here, as I must attend to the decanting of the new batch of clones. See you again, Master Jedi,” Nala Se bid her goodbye, but before leaving, she took one last look at Sar’Mari, who looked right back at her uncomfortably before she completely led the embryo room.

“Got a lot of nerve,” Rex grumbles looking back at the retreating scientist, his hands fisting into a ball. Shaak-Ti turns and places her hand on her love’s shoulder.

“Do not feed into foolishness or ignorance, for violence or evil thinking is never an answer. You are heavily valued and are appreciated for everything you do, Captain,” Shaak-Ti says soothingly, looking into the eyes of the clone captain. Rex looks back with a tiny gleam in his eyes. Sar’Mari catches it, looking between the adults, but says nothing.

“Come, let us finish the tour,” Shaak-Ti insisted. They all move along.

-

After the tour, the trio was now sitting in the commissary, where Rex and Shaak-Ti watched in awe and adoration as Sar’Mari indulged in the rolled meat burrito and a large cup of water she grew to love since being with the Jedi. The burrito was tasteless which was no surprise, but it was filling and Sar’Mari was hungry. She failed to notice the soft looks from the adults sitting across from her as she ate, but when she felt eyes on her for too long, she eventually looked up. Rex’s smirk and Shaak-Ti’s small smile made the girl feel self-conscious and she slowed her eating. She grabs a napkin.

“Forgive me for my manners. I have not eaten since I came here,” Sar’Mari says nervously as she wipes her mouth of the dipping sauce and the burrito residue. Shaak-Ti’s smile dropped.

“Do not apologize, that falls onto me. I have overlooked your needs and failed to make sure you have eaten when you first landed. Eat as much as you like during your stay, we have plenty.”

Sar’Mari looked away feeling timid and Shaak-Ti felt a small wave of bashfulness through the Force. She had to keep herself from purring comfortingly towards the young girl, not wanting the child to get the wrong idea. Or actually, grasp the concept that their relationship goes deeper than what she assumed it to be.

Sar’Mari nodded shyly as she continued to eat. As she took another bite, her mind went back to that scientist from earlier.

“That Kaminoan was rude,” she said suddenly, bringing the adults across from her out of their thoughts. “Yes, mistress Nala Se tends to forget that all living beings' emotional states are not like hers,” Shaak-Ti says, sighing softly. “But please take no offense, when it comes to anything or anyone unique, they tend to be forgetful of their manners in favor of quenching their curiosity.”

Sar’Mari shook her head. “I could care less of how she treated me, I’ve had that all my life,” she then looked up at Rex, who almost froze from the eye contact. “When you told me how clones were treated, I somewhat believed you. But, I couldn’t agree all the way because I assumed that not all beings treat clones like flesh droids- oh, uh…no offense with that last part,” Sar’Mari winced. Rex chuckles and shakes his head. “No, no, it’s fine, you can keep going.”

Sar’Mari nodded. “It’s just…how can one of the creators who provided the Galaxy with top-quality soldiers treat their creations so poorly? Like, don’t they know that no matter how you’re created, everyone has a soul?”

Rex wanted so badly to hop across the table and grab his daughter in a hug. But he keeps his excitement to himself, replying dutifully, “Well, this war has been going on for years. And seeing as the Republic is always in need of more troopers, the Kaminoans take pride in their work, which can be very difficult to fathom because they tend to think they are the superior species and that we need them,” Sar’Mari quirks a brow and looks to Rex in utter disbelief.

“All species think they are the superior species,” she says back, almost sounding offended by the Captain’s words. Rex felt a sense of pride at this. “So that last part doesn’t really count,” Sar’Mari continued. “It doesn’t matter what they do, it doesn’t give them the right to treat all of you as if you’re just accessories, or objects, or literally like flesh droids. You’re sentient beings, and should be treated with respect! Especially after everything you’ve been through to make the galaxy a better place!”

Once again, Rex wanted to scream from the rooftops. The day he and Shaak-Ti had to give their daughter away, he always wondered during his downtime or even training, what would his daughter be like? He never guessed she would have his hair or his eyes, he honestly thought she’d grow up to be a replica of her mother. She looks just like Shaak-Ti, but Sar’Mari has a part of Rex in her too. But when it came to characteristics, that was Shaak-Ti all over; the way her eyes gleamed out of curiosity, the way her nose scrunched up when she felt skeptical and unsure, like the time Rex talked to Sar’Mari for the first time and she did just that, and just now, those words that came out of her mouth was just exactly what Shaak-Ti would say. Well, it wasn’t as formal, but yet he could hear the determination, the protectiveness, the dedication to how she felt, the honor he felt coming off his daughter in waves. His expectations about Sar’Mari were nothing compared to what he sees now. He was proud to call Sar’Mari his daughter, even though she didn’t know it yet.

“My time on Kamino has allowed me to observe the treatment of the clones,” Shaak-Ti speaks up. “My job as you know already, is to oversee their production and training, as well as their well-being. Despite their mental and emotional treatment by the Kaminoans, I’m working hard to present to the Senate that Clones should be labeled as sentient beings and therefore deserve to be treated as such. I also strive to be there for them if they need emotional support and encouragement, but unfortunately, until the Senate approves my request, I can only do so much,” Sar’Mari looked down in defeat as she picked at the wraps of the meat burrito. But she stops as another orange hand covers her own.

“But that does not mean to quit,” Sar’Mari looks up at the Togruta Jedi with her round and big eyes. Shaak-Ti almost faltered her cover. Before she did, she says, “I admire your aversion to what troopers go through. They all would be grateful for your words. You are truly one of a kind, little Padawan.”

Once again, Sar’Mari blushed at the praise and tried to hide it by continuing to eat. They all fell into a comfortable silence until the comm on Rex’s wrist went off. It was General Skywalker.

“Excuse me for a minute,” Rex says to both the females before standing up, moving a little distance between himself and them before answering.

“General,” Rex answers.

“Rex!” Skywalker shouted. Rex immediately knew something was wrong. “Yes General, what is it?”

“You have to come back here now! There was a bomb at the Temple! It’s on lockdown now, but the guards will only let a few in and you’re one of the few! Get back here as soon as possible!” the man urged. He sounded pissed.

“Yes, sir! On my way!” Rex replies before the call ends. As soon as it did, Rex quickly made his way back to the table.

“There’s been a bomb at the Jedi Temple,” Rex announces as he grabs his helmet off the table. Shaak-Ti eyes widened. “A what?” Sar’Mari dropped her almost-finished burrito and looked up at Rex with horrified eyes.

“A bomb,” Rex repeated. “General Skywalker is calling me back to Coruscant. I have to-“ but before Rex could finish his sentence, Shaak-Ti’s comms go off. It was Obi-Wan. She answers with a quick, “Master Kenobi?”

Sar’Mari perks up hearing her Master’s name.

“I apologize if I was intruding,” the man spoke. “But there is a dire situation that has transpired at the Temple. There was an explosion, and we are currently doing a safety headcount of all Padawans. I will need Sar’Mari back to me as soon as possible.”

“I can take her,” Rex piped in. Shaak-Ti nods. “She will be there soon.”

As soon as the com ended, Sar’Mari jumped up from the table, panicked and food forgotten. “A bomb!? At the Jedi Temple!? Wha- What-“Before she could start her rambling, Shaak-Ti gets up and walks around the table, taking the girl’s hand. Sar’Mari looks up at her with her eyes wide and full of fear. “It is alright. The Captain will take you back to Master Kenobi and you will be safe with him.”

But that was not what Sar’Mari was worried about. Well, of course, the Jedi and the children at the Temple had her concerned, but she was mostly panicking because of Ahsoka. What if she was there when the Temple blew up? How did someone manage to sneak a bomb into the Temple? Who was hurt? Who managed to escape unscathed? So many questions that she needed answers to.

“If we leave right now, we’ll make it before midday,” Rex announced. Sar’Mari quickly let go of the other Togruta’s hand and took her plate and dumped it in the nearby trash. She starts to run. “I have to get my things!” She yells as she pushes through the doors of the commissary.

“Wait,” Shaak-Ti takes Rex by the arm as he also goes to leave. Shaak-Ti wanted to say something but her bottom lip was slightly trembling. Rex instantly takes her by her waist comfortingly. She had this look on her face, and Rex knew what she was trying to say. “It’s alright, mesh’la. She’s safe in my hands, then she’ll be safe in General Kenobi’s.”

“We just got her back,” Shaak-Ti whispers brokenly. “I do not want to lose her again, if there is danger-,” Rex shushes his love gently. “Don’t stress yourself. It’ll be fine. I’ll see that once everything is over if Sar’Mari can come back,” Rex said, releasing Shaak-Ti and putting his helmet on. Shaak-Ti tightens her hold.

“I love you,” she says softly, almost in a whisper. She knew it was a risk of someone hearing her say that, but she needed to say it.

“I love you,” Rex repeated, reaching with his hand to stroke the Jedi’s soft cheek, wiping away a tear that managed to escape with his thumb.

Chapter Text

To all readers, if you never heard of ElevenReader, get it now in the Apple Store (for androids, it should be be available in Google play store) ElevenReader is an automated system that can read documents, stories, all of that FOR YOU! I promise you, it’s not like those robotic and unfeeling type of voices. They actually read what you want with accurate precision! Trust! 

Since I have an iPhone, the instructions I will give out will be only for iPhone users. Once you download the app and set yourself up, Go online and search up any story that you want, for example this story or any story that you want to be read in Ao3, go to whatever specific chapter you want, and press the share button at the search bar. After, you should see the ElevenReader app in your suggested section. Press it, and it’ll import said chapter into a document where it will begin reading! Now, before you do that, make sure you choose the voice named Lily (my personal favorite choice!) 

OK enough of my chitter chatter, on with the story!

-

Sar’Mari Dara’s Visual

Sar’Mari’s Lightsaber

Sar’Mari’s Outfit (will eventually change!)

-

Everything happened so fast. First, she was taken to Kamino to learn about the origin of the clones, then she met another Togruta, this time a full-grown one who was more experienced in using the Force, then next thing she knew, she hears about some bomb blown at the Jedi Temple!

All she could think about was Ahsoka. And Obi-Wan, of course, Obi-Wan! And Master Sinube, Master Yoda, everyone!

The ramp comes down and Sar’Mari right away throws her bag into the ship before she climbs into the co-pilot seat. Rex was right behind her, plopping into the pilot’s chair as the door closed.

To say Sar’Mari was worried was an understatement. She was scared, she was hysterical, with her fingers tapping on the dash profusely and her foot tapping the floor of the ship, she was scared of what she would see when she went back to Coruscant. But she was more stressed about what may have happened to the few she started to grow close with.

As the ship lifted off, Rex couldn’t help but peek over at Sar’Mari a few times, watching her fingers drum on the control panel, her feet tapping rapidly on the floor. It made his heart wrench.

“Hey,” Rex calls out as they are about to jump to hyperspace. Sar’Mari looks over, but that doesn’t stop the tapping of her fingers and thumping of her feet. She did ease a little as Rex smiled comfortingly at her. “Don’t worry, Kid. It’s gonna be okay.” From his words, Sar’Mari did slow her pace, and that somewhat gives Rex confidence in knowing that his voice brought his daughter at least a little comfort. He wonders what else he can do for her…

-

Arriving in Coruscant, straight to the Jedi Temple, Sar’Mari was haste in her desperation to get inside. Rex was right behind her, his hand on the holster that held his blaster, as he looked at the smoke emanating from the hangar of the building.

“Sar’Mari careful. We don’t know what could be inside,” Rex yells after the girl. Sar’Mari heard him but didn’t stop and kept moving, pushing open the doors. The first person she sees is her Master. Obi-Wan was at the front, roaming around the other Padawans and Younglings, talking with them and guiding them to their Masters who eventually came to retrieve them. “Master!”

Obi-Wan turns around right away, hearing the familiar voice of his own Padawan running towards him.

“Sar’Mari,” Obi-Wan invoked, moving to meet his student in the middle. Sar’Mari ran straight for his middle, her arms wrapping around in a tight hug. The collision surprised the man, having to hold back a groan, forgotten of the strength his Padawan procured over the months of training since he had taken her under his wing. He was also not expecting a hug from someone who disliked physical contact. Sar’Mari expressed that numerous times, voicing that she had been through that all her life of people touching her, making her feel like an experiment or some weird object.

“Master,” Sar’Mari croaked, holding on to the robe of her teacher, tears falling from behind her eyelids. She sulks further as the man above eventually relaxes his arms, one hand resting on top of her head while the other one is secured around her shoulders.

“Oh, little one,” Kenobi sighs, feeling relieved that at least one of his lessons reached through to the child. Showing empathy and concern. His mind went back to the conversation they had in the Jedi Archives when Sar’Mari told him how Kenobi looked at her as a daughter, and he did feel a pull through the Force regarding that. He didn’t want to make any mistakes with her, not saying that he’d done that with Anakin, but something in the midst was telling him he must do good with the Togruta hybrid. Rescuing her was no regret or mistake. Sar’Mari saw him as a safe place. It made the Jedi feel warm to know he was wanted in that aspect.

Kenobi looked up to see Rex approaching. He catches a certain look in the captain’s eyes looking at Sar’Mari. It was almost a solemn look, but he corrected himself when he got closer. “Captain.”

“General,” Rex greeted, his hand brought up to salute him. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine. We are gathering all children to the safe part of the Temple now. Anakin has ordered you to strategize with Cody on securing the hangar. No one in, no one out. And as for us,” he gestures to himself and looks down at Sar’Mari who has yet to let go of him. “Are needed in the council room.”

Rex nodded as he took off his helmet, about to move to look for Cody, but his eyes fell on the hybrid girl who eventually released her Master, but she still was facing towards him and kept herself close to his side. Rex felt a weird singe in his body. He felt jealous, he wanted Sar’Mark to cling to him, he wanted his daughter to be stuck to his side, to forever look to him as a haven. But then Rex kind of felt guilty for feeling this way. Sar’Mari had no clue of the true relation between them, so his feelings were not valid unless he wanted the whole galaxy to know the truth, and it was not wise to do that.

“Captain,”

Rex was brought out of his thoughts and looked to Obi-Wan who was looking at him this whole time, to his horror. “She will be fine. I will be sure of it.” the man says assuringly. It was soft-sounding but knowing.

Rex was stunned but nodded anyway before moving on to look for the General’s Commander. What did he mean by that!? Does he know!? Shaak-Ti has yet to get Sar’Mari’s DNA results, does Obi-Wan know? It can’t be possible, the likelihood of discovering he’s the father of Sar’Mari is one in a million of thousands of clones. Oh no, if he learned that Sar’Mari’s father is a clone, that means the General already knows her mother too!

Okay Rex, calm down, get a hang of yourself! It might not even be that! You know how the Jedi are!

As the clone captain departed, Obi-Wan looked back down at Sar’Mari. “Let us go, shall we?”

-

In the council room, all the Jedi Masters were gathered together. Sar’Mari, as calm but still feeling troubled as ever, was at her place, kneeling beside Obi-Wan’s chair, her hand gripping the arm of it, her fingers worrying the hard material. Obi-Wan saw this and patted her hand comfortingly as he focused on Master Skywalker and Ahsoka who stood in the center.

When Sar’Mari had pushed through the doors, the first person her eyes laid upon was the other Togruta. Without thinking, she immediately runs into her arms.

“Ahsoka!” She had wept, her arms secured around the taller one’s shoulders, her tears coming back full force. Ahsoka returned the hug, her arms around her waist, but it didn’t last long because she whispered as discreetly as possible, “They’re watching,” so Sar’Mari had to compose herself very quickly, hoping she didn’t blow the cover of what she and Ahsoka had going on. But, she didn’t miss the looks from Master Yoda and Master Windu, especially her own Master. She hoped she didn’t give anything away.

“How could the Separatists infiltrate the Temple?” Master Skywalker asked, looking around at the other Masters who Sar’Mari could feel the distress, even though they hid it professionally with a look of calmness.

“Worst than that, it is,” Master Yoda replies. And this made Sar’Mari’s anxiety worse. What did he mean? And it seems like Ahsoka read her mind because she asks, “What could be worse, Master Yoda?” After that, there were no responses from anyone in the room. Sar’Mari almost whimpers from the lack of response. Do they truly not know what’s happening?

“Everything is on the table,” Master Windu piped in. “We have to look at the possibility that it could’ve been anyone in the Temple. Even a Jedi,” Sar’Mari inaudibly gasps at this. Who in their right mind would want to do this?! Especially a Jedi!?

“If a Jedi this is, gone to the Dark Side, they’re,” Yoda sighed heavily. Sar’Mari sighs right after him. Guess he’s right, but why would a Jedi turn to the Dark Side? Can’t they see they have a good life here, protecting the people of the Galaxy and being an honored hero? Or maybe Sar’Mari was looking too much from her perspective. She’d gone from living in the dark depths of Coruscant to finally living TopSide, having plenty of water and food, a comfortable place to sleep, and gaining experience and wisdom, she was safe. But not everyone has lived her life. Some have lived worse than her, as sad as it is to say. But still, besides the Separatists, who would want to do this?l

“I-I can’t believe a Jedi would attack a place this sacred,” Ahsoka said, looking shocked and sounding disappointed. Sar’Mari felt bad. If only she can help Ahsoka feel better…

“We’d like you two to lead this investigation. We can’t trust anyone who was here, even a Jedi,” Windu appointed to the duo in the center. “You and Ahsoka will provide an impartial point of view, free of assumptions.”

“We’ll do anything we can,” Anakin says, determination set into his face.

“Careful, you must be, Skywalker,” Yoda speaks up. “If willing to destroy the temple, the attacker is, to great lengths, they will go, to keep from being caught.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to go to even greater lengths to catch them,” Skywalker finalizes, Ahsoka nodding with him with her fierce look, which most definitely didn’t make the heat in Sar’Mari’s stomach brew. Okay, she needs to calm down.

“If I may,” Obi-Wan cuts in before the meeting is dismissed. Everyone looks at him, and since Sar’Mari feels self-conscious of some of their eyes on her, she also looks at her Master, wondering why he suddenly grabs everyone’s attention like that.

“What would you like to add to this discussion, Kenobi?” Master Windu asks, sitting back in his seat.

“I would like Sar’Mari to assist Anakin and Ahsoka in this investigation,” Obi-Wan suggested, making Sar’Mari freeze up all the way when all eyes landed on her.

“That is a big risk,” voiced Windu. “Even though she was on Kamino at the time of the explosion, she is attached to you as you were here during the time as well. Meaning that if you are a suspect of what happened here, she could be your aid in covering it up.”

“I understand your suspicion of my suggestion. But I insist,” Obi-Wan was persistent in getting Windu and the other Masters to allow Sar’Mari in on the case, to her shock and disbelief. She has no experience in the battlefield, yet, but she will be gaining some experience! With her efforts, she can help secure the Temple! And maybe, just maybe, if she does it perfectly, Obi-Wan will see she is ready to fight alongside him! As Master and Padawan!

“This is a perfect opportunity for her to start gaining experience. This will help her exercise her critical thinking skills,” says Kenobi, as if he just read the girl’s mind.

“If you believe that she is capable,” Windu says looking down at the girl kneeling beside her Master. Obi-Wan chuckled.

“I believe she is more than capable, Master Windu,” Master Kenobi says confidently.

“If she is to be included in this investigation, she must relinquish her current com link and be provided with a standard one with the necessary contacts. Just Anakin and Ahsoka. That should suffice enough. We cannot risk anything,” Master Mundi insisted gently as ever.

“If that is what it takes, then so be it,” Obi-Wan agrees, before looking down at Sar’Mari who still had her hand on the arm of her Master’s chair, looking nervous as ever.

Oh man, Sar’Mari wanted to keep in contact with her Master. She wanted to keep him updated on every successful thing she did! She wanted to hear the proudness in his voice! She wanted to show him that she was ready! Maybe her prayers have been answered after all!

“Let’s get to work,” Sar’Mari says with a smirk on her face, detaching her commlink from her wrist.

-

Walking into the hangar was like entering a nightmare. Well to Sar’Mari, this was a sight she’s gotten used to seeing down in Level 1313, but in a place where there is sanctuary and safety, the Jedi Temple. Who would do such a thing?…

“I can still hear the screams,” Sar’Mari hears Anakin say as she walks over to a pile of debris a forensics droid hovered over to scan. She walked around it before regrouping.

“Do you believe what they said, Master, that a Jedi could do this?” Ahsoka asks looking around. She glanced at Sar’Mari’s way solemnly, and Sar’Mari returned the look and grazed the older girl’s hand in a form of comfort. A sad smile appears on Ahsoka’s face.

“Not every Jedi agrees with this war, Ahsoka.” Master Skywalker answered, looking around with a stern look on his face. “There are many political idealists among us.”

“But a traitor?” Ahsoka asks, lament evident in her voice.

“I’m afraid one can eventually become the other. Remember Count Dooku and General Krell. That’s how they started too.” Skywalker reminds his Padawan as he goes his own way, leaving Sar’Mari and Ahsoka behind for now. Sar’Mari shakes her head and sighs.

“I understand the war can change how a person thinks or feels, but to know someone is feeling some type of way against us? Wanting to hurt us?” She spoke sadly. She kneels on her haunches as she observes the droid following them and scanning the new piled-up mess she came across.

“If I’m anything but honest, you’d be surprised with what or who you see in this war,” the older Togruta sighed. Sar’Mari sighed too, standing back up as Ahsoka made her way back to her Master.

-

“I thought I lost you.”

Later that night, back in their shared dormitory, Sar’Mari and Ahsoka were lying in bed, facing each other.

While they were investigating the hangar, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Sar’Mari came across an ISC droid named Russo, who was also investigating the crime scene. He was assigned to them by Master Windu to assist them on the case. Anakin decided to team up Sar’Mari and Ahsoka with the droid to interview the witnesses of the explosion, although the droid expressed doubt that there would be any success seeing as according to the rumors, people working in the Temple are feeling ill will towards the Jedi, and therefore, are hesitant helping them out. But luckily later in the medbay, one of the workers came up to Sar’Mari opening up about what they saw. At first, Sar’Mari was surprised, not expecting someone to come up to her without the intentions of curiosity and prejudiced remarks concerning her appearance, but she assumed that it was not the case since there were more pressing matters going on. A worker had talked with her, mentioning a Jackar Bowmani, who’s part of the maintenance crew in the hangar. Apparently, Jackar was working in the area where the blast came from and was the only one in that area right after the shift change.

Tomorrow, they were going to continue this investigation after they gave Master Skywalker a possible lead of Jackar. For now, they all had to rest, albeit disturbed by the events of today.

“I know,” Ahsoka whispers back, her hand reaching out to tuck a stray lock of blonde hair of Sar’Mari’s back into the hair cap she was wearing tonight.

“Where were you anyway since you weren’t here?” Sar’Mari asked, grabbing a chance to catch up with Ahsoka since she was away on Kamino and since she wasn’t able to have an actual conversation with the other teen, besides trying to find answers in the bombing investigation.

“Cato Neimodia,” Ahsoka answers, absentmindedly stroking Sar’Mari’s orange tan-blotched cheek. Her thumb kept stroking over a piece of the girl’s white facial markings. “We were defending the Headquarters of the Trade Federation during an invasion. It was a Separatist move made by the Confederacy, and we were in the middle of taking it back when we got the call from Master Yoda about a bomb going off at the Temple.”

Sar’Mari scrunched her nose, which was an expression Ahsoka was starting to find really attractive, but she kept that opinion to herself as Sar’Mari began to speak.

“I had just finished my tour of Kamino when the call came in. All I got from it was that the Temple was bombed. I didn’t know specifically where, but I thought you were here and I got scared. I thought you were-“

“Hey,” Ahsoka cuts in, taking Sar’Mari’s hand into her own. “I’m fine, I’m here, and I’m safe,” she brings Sar’Mari closer until their foreheads touch. From the contact alone, Sar’Mari felt a heat igniting within the core of her stomach.

“Besides, I have you to stay alive for,” she finishes softly, her lids becoming hooded as Sar’Mari lays her hand on the nape of her neck.

“You’re just saying that,” discerned Sar’Mari, who scrunched her face again. Ahsoka shakes her head. “No,” counters Ahsoka. “Sar’Mari, you’re the only one I truly feel who deserves my heart. You’re the only one who’s gotten me to see past the pressures of the Order, to see that having love isn’t so distracting as they are making it to be. I was raised in this Temple since I can remember, and even though I’m still heavily devoted to being a Jedi, you’ve made me realize that having an attachment doesn’t necessarily derail a Jedi from the path the Force has paved. If anything, it empowers me instead. You have helped me see, Sar’Mari.”

Sar’Mari as always was left with a lack of words to say. She would always swoon to anything Ahsoka said. She would blush and try to hide her face so the other girl wouldn’t see, but this time it was different. This time a thought she’d never thought to think of came across her mind. She did something she would’ve never thought she’d do.

She lurched forward and brings Ahsoka closer, smacking them straight into a kiss. Ahsoka squeaked at the action, eyes wide and shocked at the other girl’s sudden move. But as the kiss went on, Ahsoka eventually succumbs to the soft feel of Sar’Mari’s lips, her hand slowly dropping until she reached the hybrid’s back.

Sar’Mari winced a little from the impact of the kiss, but the pain easily slips away. She’s been through worse. Her hand goes up until she reached the older’s Lekku, and started to fondle with them. She never touched them before, knowing and respecting the culture of it being an intimate act in a relationship to do so. And although they were technically in a relationship, Sar’Mari still held back because neither one of them made the first step to do anything like this. But tonight did something to the hybrid. She really thought she lost Ahsoka. Her whole life, everything was taken from her. It became a sad routine, almost. Her father Beneli was taken from her by the Pykes, then her mother Jaccha was taken by the Republic authorities, so she will go to the ends of the Galaxy to keep Ahsoka from being taken away from her. She can’t let it happen. Not this time…

It was a tongue battle now, as they got deeper into the kiss. A small growl makes Sar’Mari open her eyes in surprise. It was Ahsoka. Can Togrutans make these noises? Sar’Mari was half of one, and she never made the noise Ahsoka made.

“Ahsoka-?” Sar’Mari tried to say something, trying to ask about it, forever wanting to quench her growing thirst for knowledge, but her words get swallowed by another kiss from Ahsoka. She gradually became assertive, her grip or Sar’Mari’s hips becoming tighter, pulling her flushed against her body. As Ahsoka pulls away, Sar’Mari gasps for air, but it was soon stalled when the older teen suddenly adjusted both of them, where she was now in between her legs, attacking her neck and collarbone. Sar’Mari moans, her hands coming down around Ahsoka’s back.

“Ahsoka,” Sar’Mari gasps. She was not expecting the teen Jedi-in-training to react like this just from a little kiss and how she so experienced already?

She felt her body eventually grow hot from the ministrations of Ahsoka, but she was holding in her noises because she didn’t want to be too loud, but Ahsoka lets out another growl, causing the girl under her to release an answering and pleading whine.

“I don’t wanna be too loud,” Sar’Mari says lowly, biting her lip as she felt Ahsoka’s hand creep up under her nightgown.

“Let me hear you,” Ahsoka demanded, her voice muffled as her face was tucked into Sar’Mari’s neck, kissing and sucking along up to her ear. Her hand under the younger girl’s gown kept sliding up until she could cup the softness and the roundness of Sar’Mari’s buttocks. The feeling alone made the girl start to pant heavily. Sar’Mari turns her head, effectively pushing Ahsoka’s face from out of the crease of her neck to bring her in a soft kiss. It was easy to tell who was more dominant. Ahsoka was determined to have Sar’Mari in submission, her hand fisting into the other’s gown.

And that’s how the night went. Biting, sucking, kissing, whispers of love and laughter. Sar’Mari never felt so opened and exposed before, and Ahsoka did it like it was so easy. Her tongue feels nice too….down there. Gosh, Sar’Mari never felt so childish explaining and experiencing these new emotions. But like…the way Ahsoka loved on her body…like she was a goddess to be worshipped. She was very possessive too—

-

“Sar’Mari?”

Sar’Mari jolted in her spot as her head snapped over to Ahsoka looking at her  with indifference. She was holding a datapad while looking at the hybrid with a raised eyebrow.

“Y-Yeah?” Sar’Mari coughed, shaking her head slightly to be rid of the images and the feelings from last night’s events.

“I asked if you could rewind the footage for me,” Ahsoka said with a slight raised voice as if she said it multiple times before now. Sar’Mari blushed and looked away immediately. “Y-Yeah, of course.”

Sar’Mari and Ahsoka, along with ISC droid Russo, was in the security room, scanning the recent footage of the explosion of the hangar. While Master Skywalker was interrogating the wife of the potential suspect Jackar, who goes by the name Letta Turmond, they were tasked on studying the recordings of the incident.

Sar’Mari stood by the control panel of the security room and was holding one of the buttons to rewind the footage requested by Ahsoka.

“Stop,” Ahsoka said raising her hand. Sar’Mari instantly released the button and moved to stand beside her again.

Ahsoka then moved as a schematic formed across the footage, pinpointing a specific location that grabbed both girls’ attention. Ahsoka hummed as she studied the video.

“Based on the trajectory of the debris, it seems the blast came from there,” Ahsoka pointed to blown ship in the footage. Sar’Mari’s eyebrows raised as she looks to Ahsoka with questioned-filled eyes.

“Why is there no bomb residue?” Sar’Mari had asked, leaning over to the other Padawan to gaze at the datapad.

“I was going to ask that question,” Russo said, causing Sar’Mari to jolt abruptly from the droid’s sudden appearance. It would’ve been funny to Ahsoka if they weren’t in a serious situation right now, but she did allow a smirk to paint across her face. Sar’Mari saw and pouted, but her face cleared when Master Skywalker who apparently was standing there the whole time, popped up like a Force Ghost and walking up to them.

“So you think whoever did this triggered a ship to explode?” He asked Ahsoka. Ahsoka nodded. “We think so,” she answers, sounding unsure. “Russo’s trying to use the shrapnel to study that now.”

“From what the witness told me, he said he saw Jackar in the area. Maybe Jackar planned to do this and just kept quiet about it?” Sar’Mari thought and asked the Jedi Master and his Padawan.

“Or…” Skywalker drawls out, crossing his arms and sighing heavily. “Maybe it actually was a Jedi,” Ahsoka finished, now sounding disappointed. Sar’Mari felt her heart plummet a little. She wanted so badly to hug Ahsoka, to hug all that sadness and worries away. This is so sad! If this wasn’t Jackar, what was wrong with this potential Jedi? What makes them feel so evil to want to do this? Clones, workers, and even a handful of Jedi was killed in this explosion! Whoever did this, they were going to pay!

Chapter Text

TW: Talks of past self-harm, mentions of past attempts of suicide, mild panic attack.

-

Nano-droids. They were freaking Nano-droids! They were the cause of the explosion. And Jackar’s bloodstream was full of them. He was the bomb himself. This has changed the game of this investigation…

Come to find out, when the group was back on the crime scene the next day, Russo had reported that during his analysis of the footage, he found out that certain pieces that came from the origin of the blast were covered in microscopic droids that were highly volatile - nano-droids. Later that day, Sar’Mari, Ahsoka, and Skywalker came back into the security room after Anakin requested that Russo go through the security footage some more, to see if Jackar went to other parts of the Temple. They came back to find out how Jackar got his hands on these nano-droids in the first place. According to his file that Russo’s small team of droids gathered together, Jackar was a munitions expert.

“Jackar was the foreman over all of the gunships, bombs, and weapons,” Skywalker read from Bowmani’s file. “His specialty was nano-weaponry!” Sar’Mari gasped as Ahsoka grumbled irritatingly, “We have to find this guy…”

-

“So you’ve found nothing so far?”

Back in the Council room, Skywalker, Ahsoka, and Sar’Mari were standing in the middle when Master Windu asked the question. Sar’Mari looked around and saw some Jedi were not physically present, including Master Kenobi, and Master Shaak Ti, who for some reason Sar’Mari didn’t notice were here until now but were still here through a holo-call. Sar’Mari smiles a little at seeing her Master, even sending a tiny wave his way. Obi-Wan saw this, and nodded at her, giving her a small and fond smile before his face shifted into a serious look as Ahsoka’s voice pans in.

“We have a clue we’re following,” she had said, her face serious and irritant. The case was really taking a toll on her.

“But we still don’t have answers,” Anakin concluded disappointingly. Windu looked down and slowly shook his head.

“It is imperative that the truth be found soon,” he says neutrally. “There are whispers that the Senate will have a meeting to decide whether the military police will need to become involved in the investigation.”

“They can’t do that!” Ahsoka said, almost lurching forward in surprise and shock, but Sar’Mari was quick to lay her hand on her shoulder to keep her grounded. This was when Windu leaned up in his chair, his hands coming together and with a furrowed look on his face Sar’Mari could recognize that the man was probably offended by the Togruta Padawan’s outburst.

“I can empathize with Ahsoka,” Sar’Mari quickly spoke up, looking around at the Jedi Masters who sat and looked at her intently. “This is a matter of the Jedi, this shouldn’t- uh- should not involve authorities of the outside,” Sar’Mari corrected herself. She learned thanks to Obi-Wan, that when she was in the presence of another Master, or even in the presence of the Jedi Council, she had to speak clearly and have to have class in the way she spoke. She would always be reminded that she was no longer living in the depths of Coruscant, where she had to act a certain way to survive. She was safe and cared for here.

“You are correct, little ‘Mari, but clones died in that explosion, maintenance clones working on the gunships, as well as civilians. The Senate tends to take notice of these things, no matter where they happen,” Windu said sternly but with a soft undertone. Sar’Mari was still surprised by the nickname Windu calls her, but over time Sar’Mari discovered that the man would only call her that during times when she felt conflicted with herself, which today she didn’t know why she felt like this. She had a bad feeling surfing through her body, and she couldn’t pinpoint why. But the nickname made her feel like she was wanted in the Jedi Order, and that it also came from all the times the man spent time training her on how to stay maintained within the Force of both Light and Dark, while also gaining wisdom and strength to not fully stray to the Dark side. Many members of the council were surprised when the hybrid achieved her Kyber Crystal, and when they saw what color was attuned to her spirit and ability in the Force, Master Windu instantly volunteered to help her with her training, seeing as it was rare for anyone to receive such power and what it meant and because he was the only one for the longest time. He said she was just like him in some ways….

Why does she feel so bothered today?

Sar’Mari’s attention was torn from her mind when Skywalker’s comms went off.

“ Master Skywalker, we have found Jackar ,” It was Russo Anakin who had answered. Sar’Mari leaned over with Ahsoka, looking up at the male Jedi.

“Lock down all exits so he can’t escape,” he said roughly, ending the call. Sar’Mari felt giddy, but she remained calm as the three of them bowed before the council before making their leave. She was nervous, and anxious to meet Jackar. She was also angry, she wanted to hurt him , hurt him for killing all those innocent people in the hangar. Thanks to his actions, even the Senate was trying to become involved in their investigation, when it was supposed to be a matter of just the Jedi.

“Do you think he will submit easily and confess his crime?” Sar’Mari asked as the trio traveled down the halls to get to Russo.

“We will have to hope he won’t make it hard on himself,” Ahsoka sighed looking at the floor as she walked.

“We will get answers,” Master Skywalker says with a determined but angry tone in his voice. Sar’Mari almost flinched at that. Now, she knows she tends to get angry and act out sometimes, but it’s scarier when it comes from Skywalker. One day she had asked Ahsoka how she dealt with having a Master like him, only to get a response of, “Once you get to know him, he’s not as bad as you’re making him out to be.” She knew the teen wasn’t being mean about it, but she was making it clear that Anakin wasn’t a bad man, he was just very passionate about the people and what he cares for. Sar’Mari can relate.

Damn it, what was bothering Sar’Mari today? What is this feeling?

“I think you should take the reins on this, Sar’Mari,” Skywalker said, bringing Sar’Mari’s attention to him. She becomes confused. “What do you mean?”

“I think you should be the one to question Bowmani for his crime,” Anakin answered with a smirk on his face. “You’ve been doing good so far, there shouldn’t be any reason why you shouldn’t, right?” At this, Sar’Mari smiled and bowed her head.

Yes! This was the moment she was waiting for! She was hoping when she’ll be able to be ‘the boss’ of this investigation. She can finally show not only Anakin and Ahsoka but the rest of the Jedi council and Master Kenobi that she is capable of completing the mission! She will get the answers out of Jackar, and she will be blessed with the opportunity to be with her Master, to fight alongside him, to protect the Republic, the Galaxy! The smile plastered on her face slowly dissipated as they approached…the morgue?

“Wait…why are we here?” Ahsoka asked before Sar’Mari could, but Anakin didn’t answer as the door swished open, revealing Russo. The three of the Jedi looked around in confusion before they settled on the ISC droid. “Where is he?” Skywalker asked, seeing no reason as to why they were at the morgue and not in one of the interrogation rooms.

“Well, part of him is here,” Russo answers him, turning around and leading them further into the room. Anakin groans loudly.

“I don’t think now is a good time to joke,” he carped as Russo took them to a random stainless steel metal table. Sar’Mari’s eyes almost bulged out of her head. Is that…is that a hand?

“This is all that remains of Jackar,” Russo answers the hybrid’s unspoken question, gesturing to the green pale hand on the table. Suddenly, it was like all the air was stolen out of Sar’Mari’s lungs.

“His hand?” Anakin asked, his irritated face was replaced with a look of disbelief, while Ahsoka looked horrified. Sar’Mari said nothing as she stared down.

“The rest of him exploded ,” Russo buzzed in, oblivious to the energy that had shifted in the room.

“Because he was so close to the bomb?” Ahsoka asked with a hopeful voice, almost as if she was hoping that Jackar being too close to the bomb was the case he….exploded, and not for the other reason…

Russo looks up at her, saying monotonously, “Because he was the bomb .”

He then picked up the scanner that was laid on the table. “The connection we were looking for to the explosion in the hangar,” he passed it to Skywalker. Sar’Mari instinctively leaned over Ahsoka’s shoulder to get a better look at the screen. Sar’Mari gasped as the screen lit up showing the x-ray of the bomber’s hand, which were filled with-

“The nano-droids,” Ahsoka gasped. “How did they get in his bloodstream?” Anakin reached up with his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh, this just keeps getting better and better.”

-

Later in the day, Sar’Mari found herself wandering around the Temple. Skywalker suggested to both her and Ahsoka that before the day ended, they were going to go to the home of Jackar and search the place to see if they could find the origins of where the nano-droids had come from. But until then, they were tasked with going around the Temple to question anyone who may have been close to Bowmani and find out why he sacrificed himself to blow up the Hangar. Was he bribed? Did someone threaten him? Why would he sacrifice himself? Did he…

But that was not the only thing that took over the girl’s mind. She felt off like one of her inner functions was being knocked out of place. Her hands were clutched together as she walked, her nails digging into her wrist. Was he…suicidal?

“I’m not good enough!”

Sar’Mari sucks in a breath at the sudden echo in her head.

She enters blindly into the commissary, which is filled with some Jedi here and there, followed by some clones from the Torrent and Ghost company. Sar’Mari had barely been around the clones from Master Kenobi’s platoon since she had always been stuck at the Temple, but she knew some from the calls she’d get from her Master and they would be in the vicinity where she could see them pass by. Boil and Waxer who seemed to always be together, Wooley, Crys, and a few more she knew but could never remember their names. They were here for the time being while the investigation was happening, to maintain security of the Temple. They will return to whatever they were doing once it was over.

“I’m worthless!”

“No,” Sar’Mari croaked to herself as she walked past the food bar to get to a table. A server droid who has grown used to seeing the hybrid, had a pitcher full of water ready for her, after learning that the girl was unnaturally addicted to the clear beverage. But seeing her walk right past did leave the droid in wonder, but it soon succumbed to the oncoming orders of its customers.

Sar’Mari plops down in the far corner in the farthest booth from everybody, putting her arms on the table and her head in her hands as she tries to calm her breathing.

“I’m just a mistake!”

“No,” Sar’Mari whimpers, shaking her head. She then sat back in the seat as she started to feel a little sweaty. She didn’t understand, she didn’t understand why her heart rate was increasing and why her fingers felt shaky. Her eyes dart around to the people currently in the commissary, thankful none were paying attention to her. The last thing she needed was someone walking up to her-

“Hey, Sar’Mari!”

It felt like her whole body froze. Feeling like this topped with whatever this heavy feeling was, was not helping.

Sar’Mari blinked rapidly to get her vision right, realizing she wasn’t exactly focused to pay attention to anyone. She goes to look up finally and sees someone she hasn’t talked to in a while. Well, the reason why was that Sar’Mari had kind of been avoiding him because she wasn’t good at interacting with kids her age.

“Caleb,” Sar’Mari says robotically. Her eyes roamed the boy’s body briefly before looking back up at him. She noticed that his attire was different; he wore vambraces along with fingerless gloves and had on thicker boots. He was also wearing a bigger robe when before he just wore a simple tunic. He already looked like he had seen some things…he’s been granted to go out with his Master to the battlefield…

Sar’Mari was older and was more trained than him, even though he was here long before her, and yet Master Kenobi was still claiming she wasn’t ready yet…

“I’m worthless!”

“What are you doing here?” Sar’Mari almost wheezed, trying to stay calm as the boy shifted to sit down in the seat across from her. No, no, she can’t even process what’s going on with her right now, she can’t even attempt to interact with anyone!

“Oh, I apologize. I didn’t know that I had to ask to come to a place that’s free for everyone to come to,” the boy says jokingly with a smirk on his face. Sar’Mari didn’t know whether to be thankful he hadn’t noticed her current behavior or annoyed that he was acting stupid right now while she was in this position.

“I came here to pick up a food delivery for Master Billaba and I saw you. You’ve been avoiding me too. What, is my premium Caleb treatment too much for you to handle?” Sar’Mari bites her lip and looks away, her foot tapping away at the floor as she remembers their conversation on the planet Ilum that started the beginning of their friendship. But since Sar’Mari has been avoiding the boy she wasn’t sure what place they were both in with each other.

“I have been avoiding you,” Sar’Mari admitted but said nothing more as she started to fidget more.

“I don’t deserve to live!”

“I know,” Caleb voiced in an obvious tone. “But why?” He asked. Sar’Mari looked at him like his head was put on backward. Can’t he see she has something going on? Why is he talking to her?

“I don’t talk to kids,” the lungs in Sar’Mari’s chest felt constricting, it felt like she had to force her words out. Why did she come to the commissary when she started to feel like this!?

“Okay, ouch,” Caleb said, sounding mildly offended. “You’re a kid,” he threw back at her. Sar’Mari shook her head. “I don’t talk to kids because they never talked to me. I don’t…I don’t know how to…” she articulated. She was hoping by her rough tone that she wasn’t upsetting the boy, it was not in her intentions, but she was not in the right head space to deal with this.

“But Ahsoka is a kid and you talk to her,” Caleb continues to push, leaving Sar’Mari to shake her head as her fingers clutch at her wrist. “Ahsoka’s different,” Sar’Mari’s voice quivered. Caleb scoffed. “How is she any different from the one and only Caleb Dume?” He asked smugly, a playful smirk on his face. Sar’Mari shook her head.

“I don’t know what I am!”

“Stop it,” Sar’Mari whimpers, shutting her eyes tight.

“Stop what?” She heard Caleb ask. Sar’Mari opens her eyes again. Did she say that out loud?

“Not you,” Sar’Mari squeezed out, her fingers digging into her arm harder. Caleb looks down at the girl’s hands before looking back up, his eyebrow quirked and face shifting to something else. “Are you okay? Is this a bad time to talk?” And Sar’Mari laughs. She laughed ; whatever god or maybe it was the Force itself, seemed to finally answer her unspoken prayer, to get the boy to see that YES, it was the WORSE time to talk!

“Maybe later, okay?” Sar’Mari stands up slowly from the booth, her legs feeling heavy and her body feeling draggy as she readies herself to leave the commissary. She needed to find a place to herself, she had no idea why she came to an area full of people that would just overwhelm her senses. But before she can get to the exit an arm wrapped around her bicep stops her. She goes to snatch away as she doesn’t like contact, but she realizes that she is too tired to do so, so she just stands there in the hold of Caleb.

“You know, coming here for my Master’s food wasn’t the only reason,” he trails off, and so Sar’Mari looks back at him with indifference in her eyes.

“Look, Caleb, if you’re trying to talk to me, I’m not-“

“I know who your father is.”

Thank the Force that Caleb was holding onto Sar’Mari anyway because when she heard that she almost fell from her legs that were beginning to shake. Caleb’s grip tightens as he notices this. “Want to sit down?” Sar’Mari couldn’t say anything, but her head did bob a nod, her legs becoming unsteady from the rush of emotions zooming through her body. It was like another thing after the next, and she didn’t know whether it helped if she screamed or if crying was better, or perhaps maybe both at the same time. She was just tired….

“Let me grab my Master’s food and I’ll tell you what I know- actually, I’ll just show you,” Caleb insisted as he brought Sar’Mari over with him to the food bar where the service droid handed him a carrier bag.

“Let’s go to my dorm, it’s safer there.”

-

Staring down at the paper lying on top of the opened beige folder, Sar’Mari’s eyes were wide and she looked distraught. She was silent as her eyes re-read the same line over and over again.

99.9% probability of Clone DNA present in the child.

Eventually, Caleb took Sar’Mari out of the commissary and back to his dorm, where the folder he wanted to give her had been. He did it obviously for privacy reasons and didn’t want anything unnecessary to happen. He was lucky enough to get it while Master Billaba wasn’t around.

“I know I said I knew who your father was, but it was more of what he was. A-And I know it’s not my place to tell you, but when I heard Master Kenobi and Master Billaba talking about it, I felt like Kenobi wouldn’t tell you, so I took the chance to do it myself,” Caleb had said when he noticed the dead silence from the Togruta hybrid. He also expressed that he cared for Sar’Mari, not to the point where he would have people thinking that he liked her more than a friend, but he knew how it felt not knowing anything and everybody keeping secrets and discretion. He didn’t want to leave the hybrid blind, especially when it had something to do with her life.

It’s been a total of 5 minutes before Sar’Mari moved, and that was only to lay the folder down on the table she was sitting at that Caleb had in his room when he did his Jedi studies. She kind of dropped the folder back onto the table rather than placing it down, the weakness in her hands had kept her from holding it. What she had felt earlier felt little compared to what she felt now. She felt numb, surprised, in disbelief, mad, upset, angry, and frustrated. She also felt mistrustful now. She trusted Master Kenobi to always tell her the truth. She remember the conversation she had with him in the Jedi archives where he insisted that she get to know who her parents were to start building her foundation of self-discovery but to know that he planned to keep this secret from her. Why would he do that?

“Where did you get this?” Sar’Mari asked, her finger fiddling with the edge of the folder, her tear-filled eyes looking at the human boy. Caleb felt so bad for her.

“It was a copy my Master took from the analysis room,” he simply answered, which confused Sar’Mari. What was Master Billaba doing with a copy of her DNA test?

“When did you get this?” Sar’Mari asks instead, personally making it one of her priorities to find out about Billaba’s seemingly secret acts.

“During your time at Kamino,” Caleb answered as he gulped down some blue milk from a carton he had tucked in his pocket. “Master Billaba was in the analysis room helping Master Luminara when Kenobi came in wanting to know if there was more on you than the basics I guess, so they did a full sweep which didn’t take long. The analysis droid that was in there was already testing your DNA. Guess it also wanted answers, you know how droids are.”

Sar’Mari just looked at the boy. She truly had no words to say. Her father…was a clone . A clone who’s possibly a soldier right now! A clone who’s probably been around her this whole time and has never said a thing! Can this day get any worse?

“But I wouldn’t think too deeply about it. Maybe your father is a deserter. I’ve heard some clones in the GAR tend to desert when they don’t wanna be in the military anymore,” Caleb spoke up. Sar’Mari shook her head and sighed. Well, there goes her theory. She closed the folder and stared numbly at the desk.

“Okay, I didn’t mean to say it like that, but I wouldn’t lose hope, Sar’Mari,” Caleb said as he stood from his place on his cot and sat at the table. “Maybe he’s still in the GAR. But I wouldn’t bet on finding him anytime soon considering there are thousands of them who could be your father-“ he goes to speak more but Sar’Mari deadpanned at him with a slight pout on her face. Caleb stopped and smiled sheepishly. “Okay, my bad again,” Sar’Mari sighs again as she sulks back in the chair.

“This is too much with what I’m already dealing with,” she said with an annoyed groan. She had gotten a call from Anakin not too long ago about preparing to leave soon as they were going to search the house of Jackar Bowmani, and she didn’t know if she could have her emotions in check by then. She was already feeling on edge about her feelings from earlier, now with these emotions on top of that, she didn’t know if she would last long. Caleb saw the look on her face and couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“I’m sorry that you had to hear it from me,” he says. “It wasn’t my place to tell you, but Master Kenobi didn’t seem like he was planning to say anything to you about it. But he seemed surprised himself when he found out. There were no cases where clones had children. You are the first ever to have a clone as a father.”

Suddenly Sar’Mari stood up, her face shifting to her signature neutral expression, and took the folder into her hand while her other one dug its fingers into her wrist. “I have to go meet up with Ahsoka and Master Skywalker,” she said briefly as she received another row of beeps from her com-link.

“You’re a freak!”

“I’m on my way, Master Skywalker,” Sar’Mari says into the comm, resisting the echo in her head. As she goes to leave, Caleb said, “Leave the folder. I have to put it back in Billaba’s office before she notices it’s gone,” so that’s what Sar’Mari did. She wanted to keep it because she wanted to bring it up to Master Kenobi and question his discretion, but she also understood from Caleb’s perspective. He’s lucky to get it while the chance was good. He was a good friend, and Sar’Mari was grateful. Caleb waved back as the girl walked out, but his face held a pitiful expression. He hoped he didn’t ruin the hybrid’s day. He was trying to become better…

Now, how to get this folder back to its rightful place unnoticed? Well, first of all, its rightful place is in Sar’Mari’s hands, but not according to Master Billaba and her seemingly secretive acts. Regardless, Caleb was not trying to get caught in the crossfire. Sooo, first things first……

-

“Sar’Mari, are you okay?”

Sar’Mari, Ahsoka, and Anakin had finally rejoined towards midday and were preparing to ship out to Bowmani’s home. Sar’Mari was in the middle of adjusting the hold of her hilt when Ahsoka asked the question.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” The girl droned, preoccupied with her lightsaber hovering in the air in front of her. Some parts to the hilt were separated and were floating around as the hybrid was trying to look for the issue as to why the hold on it was too loose. It’s been a problem for a while, but the hybrid never had a chance to fix it, and since the girls were still waiting on Anakin, she decided to use the time to find the problem. She could’ve used a screwdriver, but the hybrid felt like a simple tool wouldn’t get to the problem as easily as the Force that can seek through every little crook and cranny. She could feel every wire and metal of the inner workings of her lightsaber. It made her feel more connected, although sometimes she was still surprised that she could do stuff like this. Plus, knowing she could do something this powerful helped subdue that voice in the back of her head that’s been nagging at her all day.

The reply Ahsoka got sounded off and numb; at the beginning of their relationship, Sar’Mari would always have this monotone voice that made her sound like she was an unfeeling being, but over time, her tone improved and it had become easy to tell what feeling the girl portrayed. Now, it seemed she has been reverted to that point. What has caused this?

“Sar’Mari, you don’t have to lie to me,” Ahsoka said, moving to sit beside the girl as Sar’Mari started to bring one of the pieces to her lightsaber closer to put back in place. She started to see where the looseness of the hilt was coming from. The center where it held the Kyber Crystal wasn’t as secure as it needed to be. Sar’Mari was so glad she caught it before it was too late. If she’d continued to use the weapon over time, the power of the crystal would’ve exploded.

“I’m not lying,” Sar’Mari said dismissively as another piece was brought closer. If she could focus the piece could stop shaking.

“You have no idea how easy it is for me to see right through you,” Ahsoka says with a sigh as she watches the other girl bring the rest of the pieces together. Sar’Mari didn’t hear her, she watched with a small smile as she heard the satisfying clicking of the hilt coming back together. She held her hand out under it, letting her lightsaber drop into her palm. Then she stands, moving a few paces from the bench she was sitting on while waiting for Skywalker, before holding it out and igniting it. The purple blade shoots out and it seems to be even beaming brighter than before. Sar’Mari smiled wider as she spun it experimentally, hearing the powerful hum of the lightsaber as it passed by her ear while spinning it. She immediately noticed the change in the sturdiness of the handle; It didn’t feel loose, and it felt more secure in her grip like it wasn’t going to slip like the other times she felt when she used it in training. Perfect.

“Sar’Mari,” Ahsoka speaks again, this time popping up in front of Sar’Mari. Sar’Mari gasps pulling back as she disengages her lightsaber before the blade gets too close to the older Padawan’s face.

“Ahsoka, really!? I almost sliced you up!” Sar’Mari shrieked, hurrying to attach the weapon to her belt to keep it out of the way now. She looked at Ahsoka like she had grown another head.

“You could try, but believe me, I know how to disarm you,” she says with a coquette tone, suggesting something that didn’t say she could simply disarm Sar’Mari, but something carnal. Sar’Mari rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Ahsoka please, I’m in no mood for that, let alone talking about this,” Sar’Mari turns to sit back on the bench. She slouched to avoid Ahsoka’s piercing gaze. But she couldn’t avoid the other Togruta coming back over and sitting down, moving over until she was very close, where their sides and legs were touching.

“Something is bothering you. What is it?” She asks knowingly, leaving no room for excuses. Sar’Mari smacks her lips and sighs through her nose, and doesn’t answer. Ahsoka reached over and grabbed her chin gently, rotating her head until Sar’Mari was looking in her direction. Sar’Mari looked into the blue irises of the tone but deflected her gaze to the floor. Sar’Mari was caught between a rock and a hard place. There was something Sar’Mari never told Ahsoka, and she assumed she already knew from last night’s events where they…made love, but it seemed Ahsoka didn’t notice or maybe she did and decided to not say anything. Regardless, this was a tough topic for Sar’Mari to bring up. But seeing the pleading look from the Togruta beside her, made her feel guilty. Ahsoka loved Sar’Mari, in a way the hybrid knew she could never get from anyone else, and she has the nerve to still keep secrets. That wasn’t right. She needed to tell Ahsoka.

“Today I was triggered…” Sar’Mari started lowly. Ahsoka slowly released the girl’s chin when she saw she wasn’t going to move away and nodded for Sar’Mari to continue.

“Seeing Jackar- well, seeing a part of him…did something to me,” Ahsoka touched her hand. “Sar’Mari if this case is too much for you, I can tell the Council-“

“No!” Sar’Mari says right away, cutting Ahsoka off. “I need to be in this investigation. If I don’t complete this, Master Kenobi will deem me unready to go out there!” Ahsoka strokes Sar’Mari’s arms to soothe her down before her panicked rambling could start.

“Okay. Alright. But, talk to me,” Ashoka says. Sar’Mari sat up and swallowed thickly, her fingers tapping her knees as she tried to gather words to properly explain the turmoil her mind was experiencing all day.

“I know you saw them,” Sar’Mari muttered, still avoiding Ahsoka’s eyes and looking at the gray floors instead. “Saw what?” Sar’Mari sighed again. “Last night,” she specified. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes in thought before it widened as she made the connection of what the girl meant. Last night during their intimate session to remember, when Ahsoka was mapping out every section she could of the Togruta hybrid’s body, she came across the soft but harsh-looking scars that adorned the right side of the girl’s torso and inner thigh, as well as the slits that decorated her left wrist. They were a lighter orange and the skin was raised and healed, meaning it was acquired from long ago. She noticed every time she kissed and massaged those sections, Sar’Mari would tense up before another moan slipped through her lips, but Ahsoka knew those stalled breaths weren’t just from the treatment she was giving the hybrid, it was something more. Up until that point, Ahsoka had wondered why she would see Sar’Mari digging her fingers into her wrist at certain times. She didn’t know if it was one of those grounding methods Sar’Mari would use to center herself, or…worse. The Padawan assumed Sar’Mari had gotten those from scuffles or something from living down in the depths, not from herself. Now it all made sense, after seeing everything. But seeing those matching horizontal lines on the girl, Ahsoka knew it went deeper than she knew.

“Talk to me,” Ahsoka says again, but this time it was firmer than the commanding voice she’d use normally with Sar’Mari when she was asking her to do something. Sar’Mari’s breath got shaky as she exhaled. “I tried to kill myself once,” she lets out brokenly. Ahsoka releases a breath too at hearing these words, but she remains quiet, no matter how much she wants to grab the hybrid and shake her, to yell at her for wanting to do something that awful.

“Living down there was a nightmare that never ends,” Sar’Mari continued as a tear streamed down her face. “Do you know how it feels when you have to look over your shoulder every five seconds because you don’t know who is behind you? It was a mystery for me every day, wondering if I’m gonna get robbed, beaten, kidnapped, raped , killed, or maybe even all of the above,”

Ahsoka wrapped her arm around Sar’Mari’s side as she listened, even though she wanted her to stop. She barely started, but it already seemed so much to hear. But this was Sar’Mari’s life, and Ahsoka thought, that if she wanted to be a part of it, which she does badly, she had to listen, to better understand the hybrid.

“Life was already tough for me and my mother Jaccha. But then the problems started showing up at our door, coming at us about debts and broken promises. Threats of killing us started to become the norm for us, especially after we started getting scores in jobs that came with a bunch of credits.”

“None of this wouldn’t even happen if you were never born!”

“It got Jaccha to the point where she was blaming me for all of it,” she said shakily. “She used to tell me stories of how her life used to be before she took me in. She would say that she never regretted it, that she would do it all again, but then there were times when she expressed how much she wanted her old life back, but couldn’t have it because of me,” Ahsoka felt her body grow hot, and it wasn’t because of arousal. It was because of rage . That blasted woman! How dare she do that to Sar’Mari!? In the beginning, almost everything Sar’Mari had talked about was of her mother Jaccha, she idolized her! How could someone do such a thing to a child!?

“But before you would talk about her with so much love. I don’t understand,” Ahsoka asked in confusion. Sar’Mari chuckled humorlessly. “Because Jaccha was all I knew. I wasn’t allowed around the other kids, and even if I was, I wasn’t wanted, because of how I looked. So, all I had was her. I didn’t know anything, I didn’t know anyone, I was always by her side. There was no help,” Sar’Mari says with a grunt, almost as if it was a jab she was trying to make, but Ahsoka knew it wasn’t for her. “So, I had to stick with it. But it didn’t mean I liked what she did, she was all I knew. But, I mean, the majority of it all she was nice! She gave me things and cared for me like a mother should-“

“-But that didn’t give her the right to do the things she had done! Is- did- did she give you those scars!?” Ahsoka stuttered out, already assuming the worst. Sar’Mari instantly shook her head. “No, no! That was all me, I told you I tried to take myself out!” Sar’Mari hurried to calm Ahsoka down before she could stand from the bench. Luckily nobody was around and Skywalker bad yet to come. Geez, where is he anyway?

“Eventually her words got to me, and I thought well maybe she could get her life back if I was no longer in the picture,” Sar’Mari deliberated, not trusting herself to keep it together. This only caused the Togruta to huff loudly as she rewrapped her arms around the girl’s waist. Her hands were shaking and she didn’t know what to do with them, so she kept them on Sar’Mari to ground herself from the anger she was feeling. Seeing this pushed Sar’Mari to cry.

“So you tried to kill yourself,” Ahsoka said for Sar’Mari when the girl started to weep. Sar’Mari’s nod confirmed it, and Ahsoka squeezed her body against hers harder.

“I was the reason I made my mother’s life worse!” She cried out. Ahsoka was not having it.

“No,” she took Sar’Mari’s chin in her hand once again. “That’s not true. It’s not your fault, you were only two days old when you were given away, what could you have done?” And at this question, Sar’Mari sniffled and shook her head. “No. We would’ve had a normal life if I was just different!” Ahsoka grabs Sar’Mari’s face with both of her hands. “Sar’Mari, no.”

“I’m a monster!” Sar’Mari cries. “I’m a freak, I’m ugly, I look like an experiment gone wrong!” She continued. Ahsoka sniffled and she realized she also had tears running down her face as she listened to Sar’Mari. The hybrid’s shoulders shook as she convulsed from her cries. “I don’t know what I am.” She sobbed heavily. Ahsoka’s mind reels at what to say. She took her thumbs and wiped away the oncoming tears from the cheeks of the Togruta mixed and leaned forward a little. Sar’Mari opened her eyes finally, where more tears spilled out.

“You’re my love,” Ahsoka says, her voice cracking a littlest. Sar’Mari almost pulled back, mostly likely to deny the statement but Ahsoka refused to let her go, making her face her. “You’re my light,” she kept going. “You are the reason I wake up smiling every day. Your snoring is the most beautiful sound to wake up to,” Sar’Mari chuckled wetly, and Ahsoka kept going.

“My love for you is infinite. You inspire me every day I train and fight. When this war is over, I want to be coming home or this Temple rather, to you and you only. Sar’Mari,” Ahsoka leaned until their foreheads touched.

“I love you.”

Sar’Mari reached up and grabbed Ahsoka’s wrists, but didn’t move to remove them, just simply held on. She was caught off guard by what the other girl said. She loved her?

“You…” Sar’Mari trailed off, lost for words. No one had really told her that before, at least not meaningfully. Jaccha said it before, but hearing it from someone else? Someone who wasn’t family? Someone who loved her more than a friend…it did something.

“I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner,” Ahsoka says and she sniffs again, bringing Sar’Mari’s face closer to place a soft kiss on her head. Sar’Mari leans over and tucks her head under the older’s chin, wrapping her arms around her body. Ahsoka responded by also wrapping her arms around, her hand coming up to cradle the back of the younger’s head, mindful of her very sensitive and underdeveloped Montrals and Lekku that were hidden away by the sprouting blonde and wild curly hair. Ahsoka takes a brief sniff, humming gently of the citrus fruit-smelling shampoo Sar’Mari recently used the day before.

The two stayed like that for a while. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones in the room. Hiding behind one of the pillars where the sight of the two girls was well within their view, was Skywalker. He was there for a minute, right when he saw the hybrid burst into tears. His eyes narrowed when he saw his Padawan envelop the girl in her arms, and he was surprised when he saw her kissing her and tucking the girl under her chin.

This was not what he expected. His Padawan? Obi-Wan’s Padawan!? Anakin believed this was the most shocking thing he had ever seen in his life, and he had seen a lot of shocking things. He’d never thought he’d see Ahsoka open up like this, to love, knowing having attachments was forbidden, going heavily against the Order, knowing how devoted she was to being a Jedi. This seemed so unlikely for her to be like this, and it…it made the man happy. It actually brought him relief! He wasn’t alone! He finally had someone who was in the same predicament as him. He finally has someone who knows how it feels to love someone but having it forbidden and that it could cost them their whole life. Although jr was strange for his Padawan to have taste in someone like Sar’Mari who was…well, that. A togruta and human mixed? That was unheard of. Rare. Odd. Regardless, Anakin was happy for Ahsoka.

He must, no, he will, teach Ahsoka to be more discreet though. She can’t be this open with the girl like this. They’re in an open space, anyone could walk past and see that, hence him. He hurried to hide behind the first pillar he had seen when he saw the scene. At first, he wanted to intervene and ask what was going on and what they were doing exactly, but thankfully he hid away and listened. Despite him somewhat- kind of- not really- walking in on them, he learned something new about the new Padawan. Sar’Mari was very resilient, and determined, somewhat comedic, and Anakin knew this, but seeing this side of her was so foreign at the same time. He tends to forget that the young teen was never raised from a youngling in the safety of the temple. Her situation was somewhat like his; taken away from their mother because someone saw potential in them, and because the Force had a plan. The only difference was, that his mother wasn’t taken away to be in prison for involvement in drugs and child neglect, but other than that, everything else was pretty much the same. He feels for Sar’Mari.

“Hey guys, are we ready to go?” He had asked once the moment had calmed down and Sar’Mari had wiped her tears and looked decent enough where her vulnerability wasn’t exposed. When she looked up, Anakin saw she had no tears on her face and she looked completely normal, like she wasn’t bawling in the first place. This kind of concerned the male Jedi; it seemed that Sar’Mari could easily switch emotions, and pull her walls up as if they were never down. She had a lot of practice to hold her real emotions aside. That was sad…

“Ready, Master,” Ahsoka jumped up from the bench all preppy-like, Sar’Mari right behind her, smiling softly from the corner of her mouth. Anakin smiled and nodded at the young girls before he turned, leading them to the front of the building, where the transport ship had just arrived and was waiting for them.

“Let’s get this done,” He murmured as the three got in.

Chapter Text

-

“Ti, this is ridiculous!”

“I know, but I am entrusting you with her!”

“Shaak, you can’t just show up out of nowhere after eight years of no contact and expect open arms telling you welcome back! Especially coming back to ask for a favor? Something like this!? I don’t even consider this a favor!”

“I know, I understand, all the blame comes to me. But you are the only one I can trust with her!”

“You only say that because of how much I despise the Jedi. You know I won’t tell. I would never do that to you…”

“And that is why I know I can trust you with her.”

“Ti, you know kids was never my thing! I have not the slightest clue about caring for one!”

“But you must do this. If the Council knows of this, I will be exiled! This is my life on the line…”

“Oh, and you think that me taking care of a Jedi’s baby won’t be a threat to my life!?”

“They will never know; if you keep her well hidden, she will not be an existential threat to any of us..”

“Shaak Ti, listen to what you’re saying. Benali and I have a good life going on, I can’t stop this over a baby. You do know how much a baby changes things right? And not only just a baby, this is a baby made from a claimed celibate Jedi and a random clone trooper ! What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?”

“Me and Rex were reckless, yes, but this child was our produce of true love. But, because of her existence, our sacrifices made before her would’ve been for nothing if the Council and the Republic found out…”

“Shaak…”

“Rex will die if the Kaminoans find out! I will be thrown to the side for violating the Order! I cannot leave now, I still have so much to do! Being with the Order is the only way I can make a difference! I want my child to have a better life than what I can offer her right now…”

A cup clinks on a chipped wooden table, before it is filled with a brown liquid substance.

“Shaak, you’re really pinning me down here…”

“I will provide you with more than enough credits to raise her and keep her safe!”

The now empty glass slams on the table.

“No amount of money will cover up the damage you’ve already done by doing this. Besides, that’s too much of a risk. It’ll somehow be traced back to you and me, and they will find out about her…”

“Jaccha….”

Tired sigh

“You owe me. And don’t expect me to do a perfect job.”

“I am not expecting you to. I trust you enough to raise her right.”

“Mm.”

“Thank you, Jaccha. Thank you…I am forever in your debt.”

“Damn right, you are. Have..have you at least decided a name for her?”

“Yes. Her name…is Sar’Mari.”

-

“Because of their military efforts, the clones should be compensated for their work once the war is over. It is only right we give them what they deserve for all they have sacrificed.”

Shaak Ti was sitting in her office, on a holo-call with Mas Amedda, Vice Chancellor of the Republic. He was also the head of the Senate, which made the job for Shaak Ti harder, seeing as plenty of times she requested a one-on-one meeting with the Supreme Chancellor himself. Every time she tried, she came across Amedda, who was seemingly trying to derail her from her objective every call.

“ I understand your concerns for the clones’ welfare, but seeing as there are millions of them in the Galaxy, it will be challenging to make sure each individual is rewarded fairly ,” Amedda countered. Shaak Ti almost seethed. It was clear to see that the Chagrian male disliked clones with a passion, but because they are so heavily needed, of course, he couldn’t express as much as Shaak Ti knew he would about them. But it seemed he liked getting his rocks off at discouraging all attempts Shaak Ti was trying to make on the soldiers' behalf.

“Yes, I also understand that there are plentiful of them out there, but they are sentient beings, who deserve as much of a right as any of us. A right to live comfortably. They do not have representation in the Senate to fight for them, and that alone is very discriminatory, is it not?”

“Due to their accelerated aging, one can agree that representation of their own would be in vain.”

“Perhaps if they were represented by one whose age is not accelerated then, one who can vouch for them,” Shaak Ti says cautiously, knowing she found a solution to this problem. A grunt was heard, and the Master Jedi wanted to smile at the fact that she had gotten the man, but then-

“I will approach Chancellor Palpatine with this motion. You will be notified once the decision is reached. ”

And once again, Shaak Ti involuntarily falls victim to the game Amedda would throw at her, where they would practically go in circles with her finding a solution that would be easily and frustratingly disregarded by the Vice Chancellor. He was so heavily and unfortunately blessed with expressing how he felt without actually saying it, covering it with profound and professional words that sounded validated. The call ended with Shaak Ti slamming her fist on her desk, creating a loud boom. At this point, she didn’t care if the Chagrian heard her frustration at the last moment of the call before he hung up, he would know that she would get what she wanted. Shaak Ti wanted to do so much good for the Galaxy, especially the ones who were being sent off into a war they didn’t ask to be born to fight in. She wanted to do better for the clones, particularly one in specific, but in general terms, all of them.

She…she wanted to give Rex a better life. Give her daughter a chance to learn of her father, when the time is right of course, and to be able to freely bond with him and grow closer. Shaak Ti wanted to give both of them a chance, even if it was slight, but a chance of a peaceful and happy life.

The vibration coming from her comlink next to her hand was what brought her out of her hoarded mind. She swiped the com link up to see who it was. Her eyes widen slightly as she answers.

“Billaba.”

It was Depa Billaba who popped up as a holographic visual. Shaak Ti sat up straighter and fixed her robe knowing it had come apart a little from the small outburst she had.

“Master Billaba, it is always a pleasure to receive a call from you,” Shaak Ti started, readjusting her robe over her shoulder. Billaba nodded with a shaky smile. “ Likewise, Shaak Ti. ”

But Shaak Ti notices something odd. The other Jedi woman didn’t look as happy as she usually did when she would call. She looked nervous, terrified even, and she was fidgeting heavily with her hands, she just couldn’t get them to be still. This worries the Togruta.

“Although I appreciate our calls for casual talk, I sense something different with you. Something…heavy. Hopefully, it has nothing to do with the request I have asked of you,” Shaak Ti started slowly, observing. Her suspicions were confirmed when Billaba ran her fingers through her loose hair, that something was wrong. She even took notice that the other woman’s hair was out of her usual braids. She must be in her dormitory, that’s the only place she will allow herself to have her hair down.

“I will not drag this conversation too long, but something has come up, and you must know so you must prepare for a potential conflict ,” she said nervously. Shaak Ti noticed her tone was apprehensive, and that’s when the assumptions of what she’d dismissed throughout the days continuously returned.

“Billaba, what is the matter?” She asked, hoping- praying - it isn’t what she think it is. The avoidant of eye contact from Depa confirmed her fear.

“I was very attentive. I was attentive and vigilant about what you have asked me to do,” she started out and in that moment, Shaak Ti threw her hands up, along with the paperwork she was filing before her call with the Vice Chancellor. Papers go flying, floating around to the ground as the woman stands up from her chair, sending it back towards the wall. She leaned down slamming her fists on her desk until she was close to the holo of Billaba and hissed, her face scrunched in severe anger.

“You had one job!” She shouted, not caring about who may have heard her from the other side of her office door.

“I tried to be discreet! ” Billaba said desperately. “ It was challenging for me to distract Luminara, and then on top of that, Kenobi came in!”  Shaak Ti's angry demeanor dissipated at the mention of the male Jedi. “Kenobi? What…what did he want?” Billaba was seen scratching at her head again, she even started to pace, her body disappearing by the vicinity of the holo every few steps before she stepped back into view.

“The same of what you were looking for,” Billaba answered, her arms dropping to her sides. “Any evidence of the child’s test that could bring her closer to learning of her true origins.” Shaak Ti groans as she leans down to her desk, her forehead hitting the wooden surface.

“This cannot be,” she moans tiredly. She was past exhausted. Ever since she learned of Sar’Mari’s unplanned return, Shaak Ti has been feeling worn down, her brain going into overdrive as she tries to find ways to keep the truth between herself and Sar’Mari hidden. Shaak Ti kind of felt envy towards her lover, Rex. He was a clone, and even if they were to find out that the girl’s father was a clone, there were millions of them out there, some are deserters, though she will never mention anything about them as they had their own choices with how they wanted to live their life. But, it would be less likely for the Jedi or the Kaminoans to find which exact clone was Sar’Mari’s father. It felt harsh for Shaak Ti to think that way but it was true; identifying who Sar’Mari’s father was would be difficult and would take too much time. Her, however….

Shaak Ti looked back up to see Depa clutching her shaking hands. Shaak Ti couldn’t help but feel bad more than upset towards the other Jedi. “I apologize for my behavior. I am in no place to be upset. This is all my fault anyway….” Billaba froze from the other woman’s dampening words. Her hands dropped back to her sides and her face flashed with disbelief

“Do not say that, my friend,” she says softly. Shaak Ti shakes her head. “It is true,” she turns to bring her chair back to her desk. “It was inevitable that I would see my child again. The uncovering of everything I’m working endlessly on to keep hidden is about to be revealed. My time of my place in the Order and my place here on Kamino is running out.”

“I would not give doubt the chance to have victory so soon, Ti,” voiced Depa. Shaak Ti scoffed but said nothing more, so the other woman continued. “We could look at this as a good thing in a way.” Shaak Ti huffed flippantly. Depa and her words.

“Please tell me, what can possibly be the good to come from this?” Shaak Ti asked sarcastically feigning curiosity. Billaba smiled softly, casually disregarding the attitude. “At least the little one will know the truth, and maybe the Council will allow you to remain with them once they see the changes you will bring to the Galaxy. For the clones, as an example.”

“I doubt something like that will solidify my place within the Order. Amedda and assumingly Palpatine are fighting hard against me concerning that. And Sar’Mari…”

“Sar’Mari will see and understand why you had to give her away. I do not know much about the life she had with that woman, but she will also see the good her real mother is doing. From what I have seen, your daughter is very courageous, and resilient. She is compassionate as well, and is very easy to love .” Billaba says. Shaak Ti could feel a smile grow on her face as she listened to the observation about her child.

“She is very perceptive, however,” Depa continued. “She has this…wall, that is near impenetrable but at the same time, very fragile. I cannot seem to get a clear reading about her. But she reminds me a lot of you if you had hair,” she laughed softly. Shaak Ti looked down with a small blush, her fingers playing with a loose thread she never had stitched up.

“Rex says the same too, that she looks just like me when I was younger,” Shaak Ti tightens her lips as her vision gets watery. “Gods, Depa,” she whimpered, trying to keep her cries in. “She is of perfection , and she has yet to know that herself.”

“Do not allow this bump to destroy what can be fixed,” Depa spoke quickly but strongly. She hated when her friends, especially Shaak Ti got so down. While Shaak Ti was displeased with Rex telling the Domino twins about their daughter they promised to keep hidden, Depa helped the Togruta realize that no average being would be able to contain a secret as big as that and not tell anyone. She helped her understand that it was okay to tell someone, at least someone she knows she can trust. Billaba has always been one of Shaak Ti’s close friends, they’ve been friends since Shaak Ti's journey as Padawan. Luminara is close as well, but they are not as close, not close enough for the Togruta to tell her about Sar’Mari. Billaba became someone Shaak Ti could trust, hence why she asked Depa to destroy the evidence of Sar’Mari’s DNA results. But, it seemed the Force had other plans regardless of her own.   

Shaak Ti had asked Billaba to sneak into the analysis room to see if Kenobi did a full sweep test on Sar’Mari, to see if there was any information that gave away any connection between herself, Rex, and their daughter. And even if it was just the basics, the woman still wanted everything burned and deleted. She didn’t want to be careless with this, knowing it was wise to not undermine the capabilities of the Jedi Council. Sar’Mari’s return was unexpected and very much too soon, Shaak Ti was disappointed in herself for not being prepared.

Shaak Ti was under the impression that Jaccha had everything under control and that she was raising her daughter right, so the Jedi assumed that she didn’t have to prepare for a situation where she would come across her daughter, well, at least not in this kind of predicament. If anything, Shaak Ti thought Jaccha took Sar’Mari away to Ryloth, far from Coruscant and away from the main groups that would easily come across her. She just didn’t understand how it got so bad for Jaccha to the point where they stayed on Coruscant and became personal delivery workers for the Pyke Syndicate. What happened to Benali her husband? The last time the Jedi met the male Twi’lek, both he and Jaccha came to Coruscant to gather fellow Twi’leks and go back to Ryloth and fight for their freedom. Somewhat like Amedda, they didn’t like clones and wanted them off their homeworld.

And that’s when Shaak Ti felt guilty. Jaccha and Benali were preparing to return to Ryloth to continue their fight for freedom, but that was also the day Sar’Mari was just two days old and Shaak Ti couldn’t keep her hidden any longer at that point. She couldn’t keep Sar’Mari at the Kamino facility, not when Nala Se or Lama Su was around. She always had a feeling they knew about what she and Rex had done. And knowing their thirst for knowledge, Shaak Ti knew to get her daughter away from them. She would never allow them to get their hands on her baby, to do whatever Kaminoans did when discovering something extraordinary and unusual , per their words once upon a time.

“Ti?”

Shaak Ti almost jolted from her thoughts. She almost forgot Billaba was still on holo.

“I’m sorry,” Shaak Ti says, looking a little guilty for not paying attention. “What were you saying?”

“I said that you and Rex need to come together and figure out a plan on how to tell your daughter. We must assume that whoever took the folder from my office already knows, and most likely has shown Sar’Mari. You have to be prepared,” Billaba repeated. Shaak Ti sighed and put her hand on her temple, feeling a headache coming on. “You are right, I must. My apologies, my friend, for involving you in my situation. It was not my intent to bring you into my problems.”

“If I were in your place, I would be doing the same if it meant keeping my child and lover safe,” Depa expresses with understanding, something that Shaak Ti was grateful for.

The call then ended on a calm note, with Depa apprising the Togruta Jedi that she would continue searching for the lost folder before it fell into more of the wrong hands if it hadn’t already.

Shaak Ti felt exhausted. She couldn’t do much regarding her daughter until Billaba reported back about the missing folder. But until then, she could talk to Rex and let him know what’s going on, seeing that Sar’Mari is his daughter too. Shaak Ti owes him that much after everything they’ve been through.

“Oh, Force. Guide me right, and forgive me for my misdeeds…”

-

“Sar’Mari, are you sure you can do this?”

A few days later, the investigation was leaving Anakin, Ahsoka, and Sar’Mari exhausted. Sar’Mari was stressed out the most. From the day she learned that her father was a clone, she didn’t look at the troopers the same. Each one that passed her by, she would ask herself if they were the one. Sometimes, when they would look at her, Sar’Mari would think it was because they knew too, that they know her father was a clone, or maybe they'd think they were her father. She would then brush it aside and claim she was just going crazy and that the investigation was affecting her mental state, so she would brush it aside and think about it when she had time.

“As I’ve said just about 100 times, Ahsoka, yes ,”

But speaking of the investigation, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari, along with Skywalker, caught and detained Letta Turmond, wife of Jackar Bowmani, when they went to their home and searched for the residue of the nano-droids that were found in the bloodstream of Jackar. They discovered that it was Turmond who fed it to her husband through the food they saw on an abandoned plate on their dinner table. It made Sar’Mari weirdly relieved that Jackar didn’t intentionally commit suicide, he just didn’t know his wife would kill him. Sar’Mari was still upset that she was triggered by what she had thought Jackar did, and all the anger she felt towards him from when she thought it was him who intended to blow up the Temple, was now directed towards his wife. Jackar had no idea.

But since some Jedi weren’t the only ones that were killed in the explosion, after Anakin, Ahsoka, and Sar’Mari arrested Turmond, she was transferred to the Republic Military base right here on Coruscant because civilians and clones were also killed. The case became one of the matters of the Senate which not only made Sar’Mari pissed off, but it also made Ahsoka feel frustrated. Ahsoka expressed her displeasure about their involvement with Governor Tarkin, which wasn’t the smart thing to do, and that resulted in her being sent away after a reprimand from Skywalker about her attitude.

That night, all Sar’Mari was listening to was a heavy and angry rant from the older Togruta about it, which also resulted in a night of rough and dominating lovemaking from Ahsoka. Well, Sar’Mari wouldn’t say it was rough, she wasn’t hurt, she just wasn’t expecting such assertive behavior from the other teen. Sar’Mari didn’t expect such a turn of events, it was so unlike Ahsoka to do this, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Besides, Sar’Mari succumbed to the slow treatment of wet kisses right behind her earlobe and down her neck in the form of an apology from the older Padawan for being so rough. Although the act surprised her, she liked it anyway. She would do anything if it meant Ahsoka felt better again. She just has to hide the marks…

But right now, all Sar’Mari wanted to do was wring Ahsoka’s neck. It was the day after Turmond was transferred to the base when she requested to speak with one of the younger Jedi girls that she saw before she was arrested. Unfortunately, she didn’t specifically say who but it was either Ahsoka or Sar’Mari because they’re the only female young Jedi she was apprehended by. Anakin proposed that Sar’Mari take the lead with talking to the woman since she was supposed to be questioning Jackar, but couldn’t because…well, Jackar was dead. Of course, Sar’Mari took the opportunity to do it because she saw it as another chance to do her thing! She was so ready to show everybody, especially Obi-Wan, that she could be the Jedi she was destined to be, and that she could start going with her Master to the battlefield, protecting the innocence and doing right for the people of Coruscant, especially down there.

But someone was in her way of doing that.

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you, Sar’Mari, I know you can handle this, but, what if something goes wrong?” Ahsoka asks worriedly as they approach the cell of Turmond.

When Sar’Mari was preparing to be taken to the military base, Ahsoka immediately volunteered to go with her, much to Sar’Mari’s excitement but disdain. On one hand, Sar’Mari wanted Ahsoka anyway because she didn’t want to be alone, but on the other hand, Sar’Mari was upset because it was not the reason why Ahsoka volunteered.

“Your doubting is starting to irritate me, Ahsoka,” Sar’Mari grumbled as she nodded at a Coruscant guard who opened the door for the girls.

“I wouldn’t call it doubting,” Ahsoka sounded evasive with Sar’Mari’s comment, and that caused Sar’Mari to roll her eyes. They get closer to the woman’s cell.

“Well please enlighten me, because I’m getting the opposite of whatever you’re saying,” Sar’Mari says back, completely over Ahsoka at this point.

“Sar’Mari,” Sar’Mari’s arm was taken gently into the grip of Ahsoka, making her stop just before they turned the corner. Sar’Mari looked down at the girl’s hand and then looked up at the taller teen. Ahsoka removed her hand when she saw, knowing touch, no matter how light it was, can sometimes overstimulate the hybrid.

“I am not doubting you it’s just..” Ahsoka sighed heavily as she tried to find the words to explain. Sar’Mari stood there with a blank face, although on the inside she was begging Ahsoka to say something, anything, on why she was feeling the way she was.

“This is the first time you’re doing something that consisted of leaving the Temple. You are now involved in something that has to win in our favor. Letta took lives, innocent lives. What makes you think she won’t do the same to you once you’re in there with her?” Ahsoka asked anxiously. The only expression Sar’Mari could do was quirk her eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m hoping - wishing - she does something, so I have a reason to kill her myself,” Sar’Mari seethed, which didn’t surprise Ahsoka. If anything, it worried her even more. Thankfully, they temporarily relinquished their lightsaber (mostly because of Sar’Mari) so there wouldn’t be further altercations. But still, Ahsoka knows where Sar’Mari comes from, so just like Anakin, Ahsoka knows Sar’Mari deeply cares for the people she strived to protect, and all those lives lost in the explosion, Ahsoka knew the hybrid wanted to slaughter the woman. But she knew Sar’Mari’s need to make Obi-Wan proud was the only thing keeping her from doing that. Turmond was lucky.

“Just let me come in there with you,” Ahsoka suggests, placing her hand on the shorter’s shoulder as they stand in front of the door. Sar’Mari looked at her as if she was offended.

“If I wanted you to be up at my ass, I would’ve asked you that,” Sar’Mari deadpans, which made Ahsoka return the same expression. “But I didn’t. I asked you to come for support, not to supervise me, Ahsoka.”

“I'm not going to try to supervise you. But as I’ve said before, this is your first real mission. I don’t want to miss any moment of it,” Ahsoka said, her face shifting softly as her hand went up to caress Sar’Mari’s cheek. The hybrid closed her eyes briefly at the contact, her hand coming up to keep Ahsoka’s hand right where it was.

“Do you truly know how proud I am of you, Sar’Mari?” Ahsoka then asked, the energy between them shifting into something else. She smiles when Sar’Mari blushes and looks away.

“So I’ve been told. Numerous times,” Sar’Mari responds, rolling her eyes, feigning annoyance. Ahsoka chuckles. “But you react as if you’ve heard it for the first time every time.”

“Can’t we just go in now?” Sar’Mari releases Ahsoka’s hand to hide her smile, her moody attitude dissipating from her body. Ahsoka chuckled. “Yeah, let’s go. And remember, I’m here for you. Always.”

Sar’Mari gleamed up at the taller girl as the door opened, revealing Letta Turmond.

“Let’s do this,” Sar’Mari whispers to herself before walking in.

Chapter Text

-

“I was told that if I ever needed help, you were the two to contact.”

Inside the cell sat Sar’Mari, Ahsoka, and Letta Turmond, the one responsible for the Temple bombing. Sar’Mari and Ahsoka sat on the other side and were extremely close. Sar’Mari was itching to launch at the woman, but Ahsoka kept her simmering anger at bay, her hand discreetly caressing the small of her back. This calmed the hybrid somewhat, but she was still agitated at the woman. Letta sat at the other side at the corner of her cot, her knees to her chest. She looked so small and withdrawn, that Ahsoka had to dismiss Fox and his two troopers to give the lady room to breathe and talk. They did but with hesitance, having expressed their distaste for the woman after learning that their fellow brothers were killed in the explosion. Sar’Mari felt their pain for they were her uncles. All the clones were her uncles, technically speaking. It was a weird thing for the girl to think, but it was undeniable to disagree. She keeps that to herself though.

Sar’Mari taps her foot on the ground repeatedly, her mind grinding to form words of what to say to the woman. She felt Ahsoka’s fingers grip the back of her shirt as she moved to stand, but Sar’Mari grazed her fingers over her shoulder in reassurance as she turned to the woman.

“Our time is limited, Letta, so whatever you have to say, now is your chance,” Sar’Mari says, crossing her arms as she walks to stand in front of the human woman. Letta turns her head looking down at her legs.

“The idea of feeding Jackar the nano-droids was not mine,” Turmond said, her voice filled with guilt and remorse. At this, Sar’Mari scoffed, looking back at Ahsoka in disbelief before returning her gaze to the woman. “Why didn’t you say this before ? Why now?”

“Because my life is in danger ,” Letta said in a low voice. Sar’Mari’s eyebrows creased. “What?” Letta sighed as she turned to sit with her feet on the floor. “The people behind this will be able to get to me. Unless you know the truth.”

“Are you saying that this is a group that is behind this?” Sar’Mari turned as Ahsoka walked up beside her. Letta shakes her head. “Not a group. There are only two, and they are of the same species,” the woman answers Ahsoka’s question. She then turned to Sar’Mari again. “One of them spoke highly of you. You were their first suggestion for me to contact.” But this leaves Sar’Mari confused even more. “Why me? Why not just Ahsoka?”

“They told me to contact both of you, but you were the only one that stood out to me the most from what they have told me. You were not hard to find, you are…an unusual creature.”

If Sar’Mari wasn’t used to people saying stuff like that, and worse due to prejudiced people her whole life, she would have been offended. Thankfully now, the comment was nothing to her.

“So I’ve been told,” Sar’Mari says sarcastically, still having felt a tiny pang in her chest anyway. But once again, she brushed it aside as she asked, “So, what’s the truth?” Letta’s lips tightened before she stood up.

“They are both Jedi,” she reveals. Ahsoka gasped while Sar’Mari’s lip curled. How dare she lie and accuse a Jedi!? Letta saw her face and squirmed slightly from where she stood, but she continued speaking. “They showed me how to create the bomb, and how to put the nano-droids in,” Letta looks away and down from the hybrid’s piercing gaze, but her head shoots back up at hearing Sar’Mari suddenly laughing.

“Why would a Jedi do something like this?” She laughs humorously. Ahsoka placed her hand on the shorter girl’s shoulder, feeling her eagerness through the Force of how badly she wanted to punch the lady for such accusations. Letta crossed her arms, she looked tiny, and both female Jedi felt her guilt and mourning wafting off of her.

“There are some citizens of the Republic, like myself, who believe the Jedi Order is not what it used to be,” suddenly, Sar’Mari succumbed to the echos of her mother, Jaccha.

“The Jedi are a piece of shit. They don’t care for people like us living in the slums. Get that through your head, my Gem, they will always be who they are with a pedestal stuck up their asses. Do yourself a favor, and lose that hope that they’ll come and rescue you.”

Sar’Mari brushed her hair behind her ear, pushing the voice away from her ear, playing it off by rubbing her lobe. Ahsoka notices but says nothing. She did store it away in her mind to be brought up later, however.

“The Jedi have become warmongers, they’ve become military weapons. And they’re killing when they should be keeping the peace!” Letta vented. “The two of these Jedi agreed with us,” the woman said strongly, even pointing her finger in Sar’Mari’s face which broke her out of her trance. Seeing that Sar’Mari wasn’t exactly present at the moment and slowly coming back to reality, Ahsoka pushes her back and puts herself in front, keeping her away.

“The two of them wanted to make a statement. And, they were willing to attack your own ‘order’ to do it,” Letta finishes, turning away with her hand to her chin.

“Who?” Both women turned to Sar’Mari who stayed behind Ahsoka, her face worn with a new fire, a new determination. This was her part of the investigation. All those flashbacks and the echoes of her mother’s voice had to be pushed back for now. She had to focus.

She was still mad at Turmond for going through with the attack, but now with this new information, Sar’Mari couldn’t quite place her anger towards anyone. She can admit, that Letta was truthful about one thing if not anything, the Jedi were being used as if they were military assets. Because of the war, the Jedi were not portrayed as the peacekeepers they claimed to be. Because of this war, Sar’Mari didn’t have stable training, because her Master was always away, fighting and dedicating his life to stopping the madness across the Galaxy. She could only get it from Master Windu who was at the Temple more than the other Masters, and even Ahsoka when she was around, but she was always called away to assist Skywalker. Sar’Mari did come a long way, but there were still things she wanted to improve and learn.

“If you protect me, I will tell you,” Letta’s voice brings Sar’Mari back to the present. She moves around Ahsoka to stand on the other side of Turmond to show she still has her attention. Sar’Mari was supposed to be handling this part of the investigation after all.

So, there’s a possibility that not one, but two Jedi are in on this? Whoever they are, they threatened the woman really well to the point where she’s still willing to tell the truth, but not without getting protection. This was not good…

“It is obvious to me that I have been set up,” Ahsoka’s small growl was what shook Sar’Mari. It was unexpected.

“Letta, you have to tell me who is behind this,” Ahsoka demanded. Sar’Mari was perplexed by the other teen. She was pretty sure Master Skywalker said that she was going to take the role of interrogating Letta Turmond, and she’s pretty sure she told Ahsoka that she had this. But these last few days, Sar’Mari has been sensing something off about Ahsoka. This whole case has been making her enraged. To know someone had the guts, let alone Jedi , to blow up the hangar, carelessly killing civilian soldiers and their fellow brethren?

And then the funeral. It was so sad; it was challenging for Sar’Mari to offer Ahsoka comfort during the ceremony, especially when she was taught not to be emotionally available. She was used to stuff like this. The only difference is that this time she had to attend the event. Other times it was just as if seeing bodies was nothing. But Sar’Mari saw that this pushed the other Togruta further on a warpath almost, Ahsoka was determined to find who was truly behind this. Whoever they were, they were cowards! But again, Sar’Mari was in charge of this part of the interrogation, not Ahsoka.

“Ahsoka-“ Sar’Mari goes to tell her this, but Ahsoka waves her off. Sar’Mari scoffs and leans on her hips, crossing her arms. She wanted to say something, but she had to be careful, she didn’t want to be in the crossfire of Ahsoka’s anger. So, she turns to Letta as the woman opens her mouth to speak.

“Their names are-“ but she stops, almost frozen. The girls waited but when the woman continued being silent, it began to worry them.

“Letta?” Sar’Mari drops her arms and inches closer to the woman. Suddenly the air felt heavy and foul. Something isn’t right. And the girl could tell that Ahsoka feels it too. “Ahsoka-“

But suddenly, Letta moved, her hands going for her neck as she started to choke . This shakes Sar’Mari.

“Letta?” Sar’Mari called out, her eyes widening. She goes to step up but Ahsoka holds her hand out, keeping her away.

“Letta!” Ahsoka exclaimed, looking up as the woman was lifted in the air. Sar’Mari gasped and started to breathe heavily, her body felt immobile from not knowing what to do. Ahsoka lifted her hands even though she was at a loss to find out how to help the thrashing woman. It was easy for both girls to realize that whoever it was they had the Force, they were here somewhere, and they were killing this woman!

“Ahsoka get back!” Sar’Mari gestured her hands wildly for Ahsoka to come to her but Ahsoka didn’t move. “There’s gotta be a way to help her!” She said hysterically.

“You can’t!” Sar’Mari yells back. “I’ll go get the guards!” She decided before Ahsoka could say anything else. Sar’Mari sprints to the door. “Open the door!” She screamed. There was no response from the other side. Sar’Mari growled in desperation, lifting her hands and balling them into fists to start banging on the door this time. “Help, somebody!” Still, no one could be heard coming to the door. Sar’Mari continued banging against the closed door repeatedly, each hit more urgent and harder than the last. Between the yelling and the sound of choking, it caused Sar’Mari to panic. Why isn’t anyone coming!? They’re running out of-

But it was too late. A sickening crack was what froze Sar’Mari in place. Sar’Mari felt like all her breath was stolen as she slowly turned around at a heavy thump that was Letta’s body. All her life, all she saw was dead bodies, whether the cause was a murder, suicide, hit and run, you name it. Either way, it always left her with a sickening nauseating feeling pooling in her stomach. She froze at the door watching Ahsoka lean over the woman’s body.

“A-Ahsoka?” Sar’Mari murmurs weakly. Ahsoka turned to her mirroring the same confused and terrified expression. “Sar’Mari, I-I-“

Finally, the door opened, revealing Fox and his troopers. They rushed in blasters in hand. Sar’Mari backed away immediately, reflexes kicking in, making her raise her hands in surrender. There were too many times Jaccha and Sar’Mari were caught by authorities, Jaccha had always said to her to let them think she was weak and surrender. But they were not focused on her as Fox leaned over Ahsoka to Letta, while one trooper knelt down, checking for any signs of life.

“Commander, she’s dead,” the trooper confirmed gruffly. Sar’Mari’s breath became shaky as she slowly let down her hands. But her breathing stopped when the three soldiers started to raise their blasters at Ahsoka.

“I can’t say I blame you, Commander Tano,” Fox sighed. “But all the same. You’re under arrest,” he announces, raising his blaster pistol from behind Ahsoka. Sar’Mari from the corner of the cell, whimpers loudly, her body still unable to move seeing Ahsoka raise her hands.

“I...no, no,” the Togruta says, her face and mind still reeling from what just transpired. “I didn’t do it.”

“It’s true! She didn’t!” Sar’Mari finally opens her mouth to say, but Fox shakes his head. “Commander Dara we saw what we saw, you don’t have to be afraid of her,” Sar’Mari went to say something else, but Ahsoka was already being handcuffed and taken out of the cell. One of the guards comes up to Sar’Mari and takes her by the arm.

“Hey!” She protested, but the guard was stronger. “You’re General Kenobi’s kid eh? Let’s get you back to him.”

I’m not his kid, Sar’Mari said in her head, all the anger and betrayal feelings about her learning of her origins coming back, but she kept her mouth shut as the trooper took her out of the room.

-

The two girls sat in a cell together. Fox had notified Sar’Mari that Kenobi had been contacted and was on his way to retrieve her. But in Ahsoka’s case, she would remain here until further notice.

If the mood wasn’t so dampening and depressing, Sar’Mari would laugh at the familiarity of the time she was held in a cell similar to this at the Temple when she was taken there for the first time. But she sat there in silence, her mind replaying what happened in Letta’s cell. The way she just…died. It was brutal and swift, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari didn’t even get the chance to register what was happening. And with the way it happened, Ahsoka was in the crossfire of it all, and now she was a potential suspect in this. And what made the situation worse was that everybody knew how the girl felt towards Turmond, so to them it made sense Ahsoka could have done this, but they were wrong! They didn’t see what Sar’Mari saw. Ahsoka was framed!

“This is unbelievable,” the heavy voice of Ahsoka pulled Sar’Mari from her thoughts.

“I only tried to help her, why would they think I’d do something like this?” Sar’Mari’s frown deepened in pity for the older teen.

“Don’t worry, Ahsoka. Obi-Wan is coming. We can tell him what happened and he will take us back to the Temple, and we’ll tell the Council and figure out a way to clear your name,” Sar’Mari said reassuringly, her hand reaching over to hover over Ahsoka’s. She released a breath she didn’t know she was holding when Ahsoka met her halfway, her hand enveloping hers. The hybrid didn’t know if she wanted physical contact during this moment, but it was the opposite. Ahsoka needs it and possibly more.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her voice slightly quivering. One thing about Sar’Mari is, she doesn’t lie. Even though deep down inside she wanted to in order soothe the other girl, she couldn’t bring her heart to do it.

“Ahsoka, to be honest, even I don’t know, Sar’Mari says lowly, guilty that she was so honest to the vulnerable girl. “But there’s still hope. The Council will believe you, that I’m sure of,” and they better too, Sar’Mari finished in her mind. Ahsoka opened her mouth to say more but both of their attention were pulled to the door that slid open, revealing none other than Admiral Tarkin. They quickly released their hands.

Sar’Mari instantly looked behind him expecting her Master to come in after him. She grew confused when he didn’t walk through. Where was Obi-Wan?

Feeling the loss of Ahsoka’s hand, Sar’Mari looked to her as the Togruta stood to greet the Admiral.

“Admiral Tarkin, I don’t know what happened. I went in the room to talk to Letta, and she said she was afraid of a Jedi,” Ahsoka spoke. Sar’Mari stood to stand by her side. Tarkin glanced her way before he looked back at the other teen, his arms coming around his front. Sar’Mari’s gaze fell to his hands, where he held Letta’s hat. What the hell?

“You don’t have to tell me any more, Commander Tano,” Tarkin said, sounding weirdly calm. Sar’Mari started to feel weird. The man then throws the hat to the ground, which further confuses not only her but Ahsoka too.

“I don’t?” Ahsoka asks with uncertainty. The girls both look at the hand Tarkin raises. It was a recorder.

“No. There are recorders in every room,” he says as he turns on the recorder. The holo pops up, replaying the scene from Letta’s cell. From the angle, it only showed the woman being held in the air choking with Ahsoka in front of her with her hands raised towards her. Sar’Mari cursed within her mind. She knew there was a reason she told Ahsoka to back away! It looked like she was killing her!

“Curiously, the sound isn’t working on this one,” Tarkin finished, looking at the young girl with the eyes of someone who found somebody guilty.

“It seems the Jedi she was afraid of was you ,” he said, his void voice sounding accusing. Sar’Mari scoffed before she stepped up.

“That isn’t true!” She exclaimed. “I was there, I saw the whole thing, Ahsoka wouldn’t do anything like this!” Sar’Mari then turned to the guards who were standing in the room with them.

“Did you not hear me banging on the door?! You know you did!” She proclaimed with desperation in her voice. If there was even a small ounce that Ahsoka could have her name cleared, it could be from these troopers.

“That’s why we came, Commander-“ “I’m not a commander,” Sar’Mari cuts the soldier off with annoyance dripping in her voice.

“Lady Dara,” the trooper to the left spoke up, correcting his partner. “That was why we came. We heard you screaming for dear life. We had no choice but to assume Commander Tano had killed Turmond and was going to come for you next.”

“I didn’t kill that woman,” Ahsoka spoke up saying sternly. “Yeah, and she wouldn’t do anything harmful to me either,” Sar’Mari shook her head disappointedly at the guards before returning to her spot beside Ahsoka. Tarkin pocketed the recorder and looked to the Togruta with indifference.

“You two were the only Jedi there,” Tarkin said deliberately. “And from my understanding, Lady Dara here was heard at the door screaming for help. Troopers were saying she was practically hysterical when they got there, no?”

“Yes, but only because I was trying to get help for Letta! She was literally choking, and Ahsoka was only trying to help!” Sar’Mari stated, exasperated. She was starting to get irritated by this man and the troopers standing behind him.

“Nevertheless, I know Commander Tano here was upset when this woman was taken into custody by the military,” Tarkin accused, creeping closer to Ahsoka, almost backing her to the wall behind her. Sar’Mari went to move to push the man back, feeling a wave of protectiveness washing over her, but one of the troopers had got to her before she realized and pulled her back, holding her by her bicep. “Hey!”

“That means nothing!” Ahsoka argues back, her face turning away from the closeness of the Admiral, her body itching to get Sar’Mari back, not liking the way the trooper had pulled her away. The hybrid held back a whimper. She wanted to get Ahsoka away from the man, but the hurtful grip of the soldier kept her from doing so.

Stupid Coruscant guards…

“I beg to differ,” Tarkin said before turning around.

“It was someone else, Admiral. Someone I didn’t see,” Ahsoka tore her gaze from Sar’Mari and looked back at Tarkin, trying to persuade the man to see that she was innocent. She was just as confused as anyone else in this room!

“You know that this is difficult for me to believe,” Tarkin said arrogantly. Sar’Mari scowled, she wanted to smack that man.

“This is a secure facility. We do not have just anyone running about,” the man continues to speak. “And if there was someone else, why did you not sense them?” And as he said this, he got close again and cradled Ahsoka by her chin. Sar’Mari lurched forward. “Ahsoka,” she cried out to her weakly, tears threatening to fall. Ahsoka snatched her head away from the Admiral and sneered at him. There was a smug grin on his face, as if he learned something new, and walked away. It seemed he was done questioning Ahsoka for now, but as he went to leave, he stopped in front of Sar’Mari.

“My apologies Lady Dara that we had you put in the same cell with this criminal,” he spoke, defaming the Togruta standing behind him. “But unfortunately, all the other cells are taken up.”

Sar’Mari looked back at Ahsoka and saw the pitiful look on her face at the word Tarkin called her, and that made her growl when she looked at the man.

“I will not stand for this slander, Admiral. Ahsoka is not a criminal, you don’t know her like I do! She would never do this, she didn’t kill that woman!” The girl attempted to exonerate the other teen, her body moving towards the man, but the trooper holding her pulled her back. Tarkin smirked before his face shifted.

“And that is exactly why, Lady Dara. I don’t know her, meaning I can’t trust her or your words concerning her,” Tarkin steps closer. Sar’Mari refrained from stepping back. She didn’t like when people invaded her space, but she didn’t want the man to see that she was intimidated. “Are you sure she didn’t threaten you to stay silent about what she had done? I see the look of fear in your eyes,” he replied, his voice feigning false concern. Sar’Mari’s eyes widen, her sight beginning to fill with red. How dare he!?

“You son of a-“

“Sar’Mari!” Ahsoka’s voice cuts through. Sar’Mari’s mouth closed with an audible clack as she held back her next few words for the insufferable Admiral. Tarkin smirked again in satisfaction in contrast to Sar’Mari’s frown and glare. She grunts as she stumbles forward from the rough push from the guard, her body caught by the other Padawan. Sar’Mari looked up at Ahsoka before turning to watch Tarkin and the troopers make their exit with severe distaste in her mouth for them.

“Bastards,” she murmurs, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. She turns back to the older teen and looks up at her with a sad and pitiful look in her eyes. “Ahsoka I’m so sorry this is happening. If I can take you out of here right now, I would,” she sniffles, bringing Ahsoka’s hands to her lips to kiss her soft knuckles. She hears a small chuckle before those hands grasp hers, rubbing their thumbs across her depigmented skin.

“I know, love,” Ahsoka whispers, gazing at Sar’Mari with a sad smile. “I know.”

Neither of them knew what was going to happen next. The only painful thing to do now is wait, and the last they, especially Sar’Mari, wanted was for Tarkin to return. His whole aura spooks Sar’Mari, though she will not admit it. But the man was the least of her concerns, she needed to focus on how to help Ahsoka now, to find a way to clear her name and deem her innocent. She knows Ahsoka would never do a thing like this! Sar’Mari was literally there, so she knows! Someone was nearby, and they were definitely one of those Jedi Letta said that had turned, and they killed her before she could reveal the truth. Sar’Mari would get to the bottom of this, one way or another…

Chapter Text

-

“I said, my Padawan is in there. Now step aside.”

Anakin was furious. So furious, in fact, that he stormed into the military base alone—ignoring Obi-Wan’s offer to accompany him in retrieving both Ahsoka and his own Padawan. But Skywalker had reached his limit. He could no longer stand by and watch as his student was continually wronged. How dare they accuse Ahsoka of a crime like this? Did they not know who she was—who her Master was?

Apparently not, because Commander Fox remained obstinate, refusing to listen to the Jedi Master.

“General Skywalker, Admiral Tarkin has ordered that no one be allowed in there,” Fox repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. He tensed as he noticed Anakin’s fists clench at his sides.

“I don’t care what she’s accused of! Let. Me. In!” Anakin snapped, jabbing a finger toward the window that separated him from the interior. Fox instinctively stepped back, casting a glance toward the troopers stationed at the entrance. The two guards had already noticed the Jedi’s rising agitation, but now—seeing his aggression escalate—they activated their electro-staffs and moved toward him.

Anakin spotted their approach, but his eyes remained locked on Fox. His lip curled in frustration as the clone muttered, “Sorry, sir. The Admiral’s orders stand. This is a military operation under his jurisdiction.”

That was the final straw.

Anakin’s anger surged. He knew—without a shadow of a doubt—that Ahsoka would never commit such an act. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea of harming someone, let alone orchestrating a murder. Yes, everyone knew she didn’t like Turmond, but to kill her? That was unthinkable. Turmond’s role in the Temple bombing had stirred emotion, sure, but Ahsoka was no killer.

And now, Sar’Mari was being treated the same way. She wasn’t released either, despite the fact that the sole reason Anakin had come was to retrieve Ahsoka.

Anakin growled under his breath, then abruptly turned. The clones behind him recoiled, startled—one of them bracing as though he expecting an attack. But Skywalker wouldn’t do that… would he?

-

The two girls lay on the hard, padded cot—Ahsoka resting on her back, one hand behind her head for support, while Sar’Mari was tucked tightly against her chest. The cell was cold, and Sar’Mari, as always, was sensitive to the chill. She recalled how, even as a child, she struggled with cold temperatures. Once, she had asked her mother, Jaccha, why this was the case, but her mother had no clear answer.

Just a few weeks ago, after some quiet research in the Archives, Sar’Mari discovered that she had hypothyroidism. Her thyroid gland didn’t produce enough hormones needed to regulate body temperature and metabolism. Fortunately, metabolism had never been a problem for her, but the sensitivity to cold remained. She had shared this with Ahsoka one quiet night in their dorm, and ever since, Ahsoka made sure to hold her close at night, sharing her body heat with the hybrid girl.

And now, here they were—holding each other in the dim, confined space. Their eyes were closed, resting, after Ahsoka gently suggested they conserve their energy in case something unexpected occurred. Sar’Mari had initially resisted, insisting on staying awake to take the first watch, urging Ahsoka to sleep instead, since she would be the one facing whatever Tarkin had planned. But after some gentle—perhaps slightly firm—persuasion from Ahsoka, Sar’Mari eventually gave in, surrendering to sleep in the warm safety of Ahsoka’s arms.

Her ear rested against the left side of Ahsoka’s chest, lulled deeper into slumber by the steady, reassuring rhythm of the older girl’s heartbeat. The sound sent pleasant vibrations through her ears and along her underdeveloped lekku, which heightened her auditory sensitivity only by half. A soft hum escaped Sar’Mari’s lips as she shifted slightly, adjusting her position before settling once more into peaceful sleep.

Sar’Mari hummed contentedly as Ahsoka’s fingers slipped through her blonde curls, gently stroking the small, buried Montrals at her scalp. Each ridge Ahsoka traced sent a pleasant shiver through Sar’Mari’s head. She smiled reflexively at the sensation and nestled closer against Ahsoka’s side. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, blinking away the haze before gazing up at the girl of her dreams.

“I told you you needed sleep…” Ahsoka murmured with a soft smirk. Sar’Mari gave a tired smile, raising a hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

“Funny. I told you the same thing, and yet you’re still awake,” Sar’Mari teased through a yawn. She adjusted herself to snuggle closer, prompting Ahsoka to tighten her hold around her waist. Sar’Mari exhaled a content sigh as Ahsoka leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. But it wasn’t enough—not tonight. Not with everything going on. Sar’Mari needed more.

She reached up, cupping Ahsoka’s cheek and guiding their lips together in a soft kiss. Ahsoka’s hand moved from Sar’Mari’s waist to the back of her neck, gently keeping her there to deepen the kiss. Sar’Mari nearly whimpered in response. She felt so bad; she could only imagine what Ahsoka was going through—wrongfully accused of a murder she would never commit. Sar’Mari’s heart ached at the thought of losing her. She had already lost so much before Obi-Wan took her in as his Padawan. She wasn’t willing to lose the one person she had finally allowed herself to love.

When they pulled apart, lips parting with a quiet smack, Ahsoka looked into Sar’Mari’s eyes. Sar’Mari stared back, her gaze flickering between those beautiful blue irises. Ahsoka smiled gently and pressed one more quick kiss to her lips before releasing her and sitting up on the cot. With Sar’Mari still lying against her, she was lifted up slightly too and watched as Ahsoka stood and walked to the sink, coughing softly before splashing cold water onto her face.

But then, Ahsoka looked off the side, and her body tensed.

“Ahsoka?” Sar’Mari asked, concerned as she rose from the cot. The girl didn’t respond, her attention fixed on the cell’s energy shield.

“A keycard,” Ahsoka said, bending down.

Sar’Mari stepped up behind her and leaned over her shoulder. Sure enough, just beneath the control pad on a small table, a keycard lay in plain sight.

“This was definitely Anakin’s doing. I knew he wouldn’t let me down,” Ahsoka said, hope rising in her voice.

But something about it didn’t feel right.

“Ahsoka…” Sar’Mari placed a hand on her shoulder. Ahsoka glanced at her briefly, then returned her gaze to the keycard.

“Are you sure Skywalker had something to do with this? Because if he did, why wouldn’t he just wake us up and help us escape?”

“Maybe time wasn’t on his side. Maybe he had to act quickly. He knew I’d notice,” Ahsoka replied, quickly defending her master. Sar’Mari understood that loyalty. If Obi-Wan had done something similar—though she knew he never would, being more of a negotiator—she wouldn’t question him either.

Despite her uncertainty, she didn’t stop Ahsoka from using the Force to levitate the keycard over to the panel. With a single swipe, the shield deactivated, and they were free.

“I wonder what you have planned…” Ahsoka muttered, more to herself than to Sar’Mari, before taking the hybrid’s hand and leading her at a run around the corner.

-

As they turned the corner, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari stumbled upon a group of unconscious clone troopers scattered across the corridor. Sar’Mari gasped, her free hand instinctively gripping Ahsoka’s, which was already holding her other one.

“Oh no,” Ahsoka murmured. “This doesn’t look good.”

Sar’Mari nodded quickly, her voice tense. “I knew something felt off, Ahsoka. What happened to them?” She gestured toward the clones lying motionless on the floor.

Ahsoka didn’t answer. Instead, she gently tugged Sar’Mari forward, stepping carefully over the limbs of the downed troopers. Then they both spotted something ahead on the floor.

“My lightsabers,” Ahsoka whispered. She released Sar’Mari’s hand and crouched to pick them up, spotting her commlink beside them, its signal pulsing. She clipped her weapons to her belt and reattached the commlink to her vambrace.

Sar’Mari glanced around, her brows furrowed. Where was her lightsaber? She distinctly remembered both of them handing over their weapons and comms before going to question Turmond. Commander Fox had even placed them together in the same compartment. So why were only Ahsoka’s things returned?

“Hello?” Ahsoka spoke into the commlink. “Who is this? Why are you helping us?” Static was her only reply.

Sar’Mari bit her lip, anxiety bubbling in her chest. What in the stars was going on?

Suddenly, the door to the reception room slid open—and in stepped Fox. He jumped back in surprise, clearly not expecting to see them free from their cell.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded, his hand moving to the blaster at his hip.

Sar’Mari flinched on instinct, a reflex born from her past—years spent on the run with her mother before Obi-Wan had taken her in. Ahsoka’s hands shot up.

“It wasn’t me!” she said quickly.

And why would she say that? But it’s not like Fox was listening. He darted to a control panel and slammed his hand down on a button. A deafening alarm erupted through the facility.

Sar’Mari yelped from the sudden noise. But before she could fully react, Ahsoka grabbed her hand and took off running—leaving Sar’Mari no choice but to run after her.

-

Sar’Mari was yanked around the corner by Ahsoka, whose surprising strength made it feel effortless. They were running so fast that they nearly crashed into two droids coming down the corridor, but they both leapt over them just in time. Sar’Mari swore she heard one of the droids curse at them as they passed.

“Ahsoka!” Sar’Mari screamed, her voice tight with fear. The chaos reminded her too much of when she and her mother, Jaccha, had once fled the police droids back on Level 1313. She was grateful to be away from that life—even if it had meant being taken from her mother—but now it felt like it was all happening again.

“Keep running!” Ahsoka urged, her tone firm as she prepared to turn another corner. But before they could, three clone troopers appeared, blasters raised.

“No!” Sar’Mari shouted, eyes wide. They were aiming directly at Ahsoka. She felt Ahsoka’s grip on her hand tighten before the Togruta spun and sprinted away, dragging Sar’Mari with her.

“Commander Tano! Dara! Stop!” one of the troopers called after them. Sar’Mari looked back and saw them give chase—but Ahsoka was too fast. Sar’Mari struggled to keep up, but with Ahsoka gripping her hand tightly, she had no choice but to keep going.

Ahead, a blast door began to close. They instantly realized that a trooper must have triggered the lockdown to trap them—but they were faster.

“Faster!” Ahsoka shouted, ushering Sar’Mari ahead. The girl jumped through the narrowing gap, grunting as she landed on the other side. Her legs were burning, but she barely had a second to breathe before Ahsoka caught up, grabbed her hand again, and pulled her forward.

As they turned another corner, more doors ahead began to shut one after another. Sar’Mari’s heart dropped.

“Ahsoka, I’m scared!” she cried, her voice cracking from breathlessness. Ahsoka growled in frustration, then positioned Sar’Mari in front of her again.

“Jump!”

Sar’Mari whimpered but obeyed. Ahsoka was in full commander mode—something Sar’Mari had never seen before. She leapt through the first gap, and the two of them navigated the rapidly closing doors with a flurry of jumps and flips.

After the last door, Sar’Mari collapsed, gasping for air. Ahsoka bent over beside her, hands on her knees, also trying to breathe.

But their reprieve didn’t last long—especially not for Sar’Mari—when Commander Fox stepped into the corridor.

Instantly, Ahsoka seemed to regain her strength. She grabbed Sar’Mari’s hand and yanked her to her feet. Sar’Mari groaned and yelped as she was pulled along once again.

They rounded another corner—and stopped short. Three clones lay on the ground, motionless.

“Ahsoka,” Sar’Mari whispered, eyes wide with horror. “They’re… they’re de—”

“I know,” Ahsoka muttered grimly, cutting her off.

Suddenly, blaster bolts rained over their heads. They ducked instinctively, glancing back to see Fox firing as he ran after them. Ahsoka pulled Sar’Mari again, forcing her legs back into motion. Sar’Mari, still reeling from the sight of the fallen clones, felt her vision blur with tears.

She didn’t know them, and they never knew her—but in her heart, they were still family. Her father was a clone, which meant these men, as well as all of the other clones, were her uncles. As crazy as it sounded, it still left her horrified. The thought that one of those lifeless bodies could be her father sent her into a panic.

Sar’Mari was scared. And for the first time in her life, Sar’Mari prayed.

Force above… please…

⸻

Fox scowled as he found himself once again outmaneuvered, standing over the bodies of his fallen brothers. He pressed a button on his comm.

“The suspect has killed three clones. Code red! If you see the target—shoot to kill!”

“Belay that order, Commander Fox!”

Fox turned sharply to see General Skywalker and Captain Rex approaching. He growled in disbelief.

“She’s killed troopers!” he barked, gesturing to the bodies.

Rex cast a quick glance at the fallen clones but remained calm. “I know Commander Tano. She wouldn’t do this.”

Fox wasn’t interested. “Then who did? That thing running around with her?” He sneered with pure prejudice. “She’s probably just as crazy as Tano!

Rex’s face darkened. “Hey! You watch your mouth when you talk about my—” He stopped himself abruptly, biting his tongue. Damn, he almost slipped. No one was supposed to know he was Sar’Mari’s father—not even Skywalker, who was looking between them. He was just so caught off guard when he learned that his child was locked up with Ahsoka, and hearing Fox demeaning his daughter sent a flurry of anger through his bones.

Fox tilted his head, suspicious. But before he could press, Anakin stepped between them, hissing, “Quiet!”

He pushed the two apart and reached out through the Force, sensing Ahsoka nearby. His heart lifted slightly. “Ahsoka! It’s me—Anakin.”

Silence.

“I know you’re there,” he continued gently. “Stop running.”

After a tense pause, a familiar voice replied, “You can’t help me, Master. Someone’s setting me up!”

“I believe you, Ahsoka,” Anakin said firmly. Then, recalling Fox’s earlier comment, he asked, “Is Sar’Mari with you?”

There was silence for a little while.

“Yes, Master Skywalker! I’m here! I-I’m safe!” another voice called. Sar’Mari.

Rex stepped forward instinctively, overcome with emotion at hearing his little girl’s voice. He wanted nothing more than to run to her, to protect her and Ahsoka—but he didn’t know where they were.

“Please, Ahsoka,” Anakin pleaded. “I believe you, okay? You don’t have to run. I can help you!”

“But no one else will!” she shot back.

Anakin cursed softly under his breath as he felt both Ahsoka and Sar’Mari’s presence begin to fade. They were running again.

“Keep searching until we find them,” he ordered, then turned to Rex. “Call security. Have them search the entire base. Now!”

As the man ran off, Rex activated his comm.

“General Skywalker has issued an all-points bulletin on Commander Ahsoka Tano. She’s suspected of killing three clones and is considered armed…and dangerous. Be advised—she potentially has taken Sar’Mari Dara hostage. Detain Commander Tano and rescue Lady Dara.”

-

“The prisoner and the hostage were just spotted in the east wing! Cell block 1218-11!”

Sar’Mari’s arms trembled, ready to give out as she clung desperately to the overhead support beams. She and Ahsoka hung in silence, watching a small group of clone troopers storm past beneath them. The moment their footsteps faded, both girls dropped lightly to the floor.

Ahsoka immediately turned to grab Sar’Mari and run—but stopped when she saw Sar’Mari collapse to her knees.

“Sar’Mari?”

She knelt beside her, concern overtaking urgency. There hadn’t been time to ask about Sar’Mari’s condition—they had been fleeing non-stop. But now, in this moment of stillness, Sar’Mari finally broke.

“Ahsoka…” she whimpered, reaching out with a trembling hand.

Ahsoka embraced her without hesitation, arms tightening protectively around the hybrid girl, her hand coming up to cradle the back of her head as she began to cry, her body shaking.

“Why is this happening?” Sar’Mari choked out between sobs. “Why us? Why you ?”

Ahsoka had no answers. She was just as confused. Just as afraid. But she couldn’t show that—not now. Not when Sar’Mari needed her to be strong.

Sar’Mari didn’t deserve this. She was just a girl—someone who had survived the darkness of Coruscant’s underlevels. She still had a chance to get out of this unscathed. Ahsoka didn’t want her dragged into this chaos.

“Sar’Mari, you can still make it out,” Ahsoka said softly, helping her to her feet. “They’re not after you like they are me.”

Sar’Mari immediately shook her head, looking up at the other in disbelief.

“No. Ahsoka, I love you.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d said it. But somehow, every time felt like the first. Sar’Mari never said it directly, but it was easy to know the hybrid loved Ahsoka when she read between the lines deep enough. Ahsoka’s heart clenched at the intensity in her voice.

“What you go through, I go through,” Sar’Mari said with conviction. “We can do this. We’ll escape the base, make it back to the Temple, and find someone who can help us. Master Yoda. Maybe even Obi-Wan!”

A sad smile touched Ahsoka’s lips. Sar’Mari’s hope was bright—almost blinding. It was admirable. But it wasn’t comforting. Not when Ahsoka had already felt the shift in the Force. Not when she feared what they might find at the Temple.

She said nothing. Instead, she glanced down the hallway, alarms still wailing in the distance. Then she reached out and took Sar’Mari’s hand.

Sar’Mari gripped it tightly, the fear in her expression replaced with quiet determination.

Ahsoka met her eyes.

“Alright. Come on.”

-

They finally made it to the entrance—just after a small squad of Coruscant troopers exited. Sar’Mari trembled with trepidation. She was genuinely surprised her uncles—or perhaps one of them, who might be her father—hadn’t caught her and Ahsoka right then. But she was relieved they hadn’t. Judging by the way they tightly gripped their blasters and the hound leashes, she knew that if they had been spotted… it would’ve been over.

With her hand in Ahsoka’s, Sar’Mari followed her to one of the nearest clone statues at the entrance. Her other hand clutched Ahsoka’s bicep as they peered out from behind the stone, watching the squad walk away.

Ahsoka was consumed with guilt. Dragging Sar’Mari into this mess had never been her intention, and now she felt the heavy burden of responsibility—not just for herself, but for Sar’Mari too. Sar’Mari’s unwavering determination was admirable, but it made things harder. Ahsoka loved her—Force knew she did—but the thought of Sar’Mari getting hurt, or worse, killed, because of her was unbearable.

Suddenly, Sar’Mari gasped—and Ahsoka saw the reason instantly. With swift reflexes, she shoved Sar’Mari back behind the statue as a hound stopped to sniff the air. It turned in their direction, growling and barking—clearly picking up the scent of two girls who were not supposed to be where they were right now. Instinctively, and with the aid of the Force, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari leapt to the top of the clone statue, out of the hound’s sight. Luckily, the trooper holding its leash yanked it back, commanding it to move on.

“Come on, Grizzer. There’s nothing here.”

Sar’Mari exhaled a shaky breath. That had been close. But their luck ran out just as the entrance to the base opened, revealing Fox and his squad of troopers.

“There they are! Quick, stop Tano—before she reaches the ship and escapes with the hybrid!” Fox spotted movement atop the statue and immediately ordered both his squad and the nearby troopers to pursue.

If Sar’Mari hadn’t been terrified, she would’ve scoffed at the term “hybrid.” She’s used to it but damn, it gets to a point. But Ahsoka was already pulling her, forcing her to shove the thought away.

“Jump!” Ahsoka shouted.

They both dropped onto the tall memorial wall. Sar’Mari landed with a huff, took Ahsoka’s hand, and started running. She whimpered when she glanced down and saw the troopers pursuing them from below, but Ahsoka tugged her forward, spurring her to move faster toward the unattended ship ahead.

Then things got worse.

A volley of blaster bolts soared overhead. One grazed past Ahsoka’s arm; another nearly clipped the side of Sar’Mari’s head. Still, they ran.

They reached the end of the memorial wall and jumped to the ground. The ship was just ahead. But before they could reach it, a nearby cannon fired—striking the ship and engulfing it in flames. The explosion lit the area in a blinding flash. The ship went up in flames, and the shockwave hurled both girls backward. Sar’Mari hit the ground and rolled; Ahsoka landed hard on her front. She recovered quickly upon spotting the troopers drawing closer. She jumped to her feet and sprinted to Sar’Mari, bending down to grab her arm. Sar’Mari got to her feet shakily, glanced at Ahsoka’s concerned face and nodded her head to show she was okay, and they both bolted toward the industrial pipeline.

From a distance, Fox raised his comm. “All right, don’t lose her. We’re on our way.”

“What’s going on?” Anakin asked, striding into view as the troopers parted to let him through. Rex followed closely, though his eyes were elsewhere—searching for Ahsoka and Sar’Mari. Mostly Sar’Mari. His daughter. He needed to get them both to safety, but Fox began speaking before he could lose focus.

“We found her. She’s heading toward the industrial pipeline. She still has Lady Dara hostage.”

Rex winced. He wanted badly to correct that—Sar’Mari wasn’t a hostage. Sure, that’s what he said over the comms, but Ahsoka would never actually use Sar’Mari like that just to escape. Their bond ran deep—maybe even deeper than friendship, he wasn’t sure. But he knew they wouldn’t betray each other. If anything, Sar’Mari was running with Ahsoka.

“Set weapons to stun. I want her alive—I don’t want her or Sar’Mari getting hurt unnecessarily!” Anakin commanded before sprinting off. He made sure to include Sar’Mari—not only because he didn’t want her harmed, but also to avoid a lecture from Obi-Wan about his Padawan being injured. Speaking of, the Orange-bearded man had contacted him not long ago letting him know he was on his way to collect his Padawan from this mess. Rex took off right behind him.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari kept running. As they neared the stairs, stun blasts replaced the blaster fire. Ahsoka quickly detached her lightsabers and spun around, tossing the larger one to Sar’Mari without hesitation. Sar’Mari caught it, no questions asked, and ignited it. Together, they ran and deflected incoming bolts in sync. With momentum on their side, they slid down the stair railing, leaping over the final steps to land on the ground. Sar’Mari reacted on pure instinct—jumping up and pushing Ahsoka’s head down as she swept the saber across a row of incoming stun blasts.

Her test with Anakin at the military base before was paying off. Even if she’d failed the test then, it was saving their lives now.

“Thanks, love,” Ahsoka said breathlessly as they sprinted toward another set of stairs. Sar’Mari almost blushed from the name, but she had to remain focused, she couldn’t afford to lose it.

At the top, another volley came at them, but they deflected it with ease. Sar’Mari’s face twisted in a mix of fear and fury. She was moving faster than she’d ever trained for, adrenaline fueling every strike.

Whatever the reason, they were still standing—that was a win.

But that nagging voice at the back of her mind kept whispering that she wasn’t ready for the battlefield. Compared to what she was doing now, her training had been nothing.

-

Anakin, Rex, Fox, and a squad of troopers weren’t far behind, racing past a smoking ship recently hit by cannon fire. Anakin’s focus never wavered, but Rex faltered when he caught sight of the burning wreckage of the ship.

What if Sar’Mari had been too close? What if—

No. He couldn’t think like that. She had to be okay—she was still running with Ahsoka. But Force help him, if anything happened to his baby girl, he wouldn’t just blame himself—Shaak Ti would have his head on a silver platter.

Kriff. Shaak Ti didn’t even know what was happening right now. He hadn’t had a chance to contact her. Damn. He might as well start writing his will… unless he can save Sar’Mari.

Anakin looked up and spotted several gunships lifting off. He raised his comm to his mouth and barked, “Do not shoot to kill! Box them in—don’t let them escape! Oddball, report!”

He kept running as Oddball’s voice crackled through his earpiece.

“They’re moving west along the central viaduct. And by the looks of it, both of them are using their glow sticks—uh, I mean lightsabers, sir.”

Anakin nearly chuckled at the phrasing, but his focus remained unshaken.

He was going to reach them.

He was slightly glad though, that they were fighting together and not Sar’Mari being taken as hostage. He knew of their relationship, and it was nice to see Sar’Mari was willing to be there for Ahsoka till the end. And it was refreshing to know he was not alone when it came to being in a secret relationship that was in violation of the Order, Ahsoka was a pure example of showing that they could still be with the ones they love without being detoured from their chosen path. Skywalker just hoped they all get to still be together to make it to that point of bringing it up to the council…but one step at a time…

-

Ahsoka pulled Sar’Mari in front of her just in time to deflect a barrage of stunner bolts. As the assault continued, Sar’Mari glanced upward and spotted two gunships heading their way.

“Ahsoka, up!” Sar’Mari shouted, fear lacing her voice. She wondered if this would be her last day alive if those ships opened fire. Ahsoka looked up briefly, then refocused on shielding them both from the relentless attack.

“Just keep running! I’ve got you!” Ahsoka yelled back.

They reached the end of the walkway and leapt off one of the pipeline tanks. Sar’Mari spun like a torpedo to soften her landing, while Ahsoka hit the ground hard behind her.

“Come on!” Ahsoka shouted, grabbing Sar’Mari’s hand and pulling her forward.

As they ran, one of the gunships drew alongside them. The side door slid open, revealing more troopers with their blasters trained on the girls. Ahsoka hissed sharply, and both of them instinctively dropped in sync to dodge another heavy wave of stunner bolts.

Suddenly, a rocket launched from a trooper’s weapon. Sar’Mari gasped—then Ahsoka shoved her aside, both of them tumbling from the shockwave. Ahsoka caught the edge of a walkway railing, anchoring them both. Sar’Mari cried out in pain and surprise, losing her grip on one of Ahsoka’s lightsabers. It tumbled away, and from the look on Ahsoka’s face, she had lost the other one too.

They were now completely defenseless.

“Fuck! So much for ‘just capture them.’ Capture my ass!” Sar’Mari cursed in frustration. These damn Coruscant Guards…

As the troopers advanced, Ahsoka and Sar’Mari vaulted over the walkway onto the top of another water tank. Sar’Mari hissed another curse under her breath, realizing she had nothing to defend herself or Ahsoka. But then she saw Ahsoka using the Force to retrieve the saber she had dropped. It flew back into Ahsoka’s hand, and she reignited it.

“Don’t worry—I’ll protect you!” Ahsoka called out.

Sar’Mari shook her head. “No, I should be protecting you!”

Ahsoka stared at her, panting. “Do you really think now’s the time to debate this!?”

She had a point—touché. But still!

There was no time to respond. One of the gunships descended in front of them, blocking the path. A loudspeaker crackled: it was Oddball, the pilot.

“Not so fast, Commander!”

Sar’Mari gasped. “No! She’s innocent!” But her plea fell on deaf ears.

Ahsoka turned and grabbed Sar’Mari, pulling her back the way they came—only to freeze as a squad of troopers came down the stairs, blasters drawn. Sar’Mari whimpered, clutching Ahsoka’s hand tightly. Sensing her fear, Ahsoka gently shushed her, trying to soothe the rising panic she could feel radiating through the Force. But the sight of hounds joining the troopers only made Sar’Mari’s anxiety spike further.

Instinctively, they stood back to back, covering each other as they were surrounded.

Ahsoka glanced up the staircase. Standing there was Anakin—his face etched with worry and confusion. She quickly looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

Sar’Mari looked up too, and her eyes landed also in Skywalker before it drifted to Captain Rex. Strangely, something about him felt… familiar. A powerful instinct told her to forget about everything and run into his arms for safety. She didn’t understand why, she actually wanted to dig more into what she was feeling, but she pushed the feeling aside and focused on Ahsoka.

“Jump!” Ahsoka muttered quickly, yanking her arm before leaping into the air.

Thank the Force Sar’Mari caught the command in time. She jumped right after her, landing on a large pipeline.

“Ahsoka!” Anakin’s voice echoed behind them, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she began slicing into the pipe with her lightsaber.

Sar’Mari understood immediately and jumped in first, scanning the tunnel. When it looked clear, she called out to Ahsoka, who dropped in beside her, splashing into the sludgy water. Sar’Mari cringed as the murky liquid hit her skin.

But they didn’t have long.

Troopers began dropping into the pipe behind them, forcing the girls to run again.

The tunnel was a twisting maze. Desperate for a way out, they took random turns, hoping to stumble upon an exit. Sar’Mari started forming a plan: lose the troopers, lose Anakin, find a way back to the temple, and reach Master Yoda or Obi-Wan for help, just like she told Ahsoka. It wasn’t airtight, but it was something. Right? …Right?

Ahsoka led the way, signaling when to move or hide as troopers closed in. Sar’Mari was practically glued to her. Ahsoka felt awful—dragging Sar’Mari into this. She’d already been through so much. And now this?

Ahsoka clenched her jaw.

She felt like a total douche.

As they ran, evading the soldiers, Sar’Mari couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following them—like their pursuer already knew where they were heading. She didn’t know if Ahsoka felt it too, but she hoped they’d escape before whoever it was caught up.

Eventually, they reached the end of a tunnel—an opening. They sprinted toward the edge. As they did, Sar’Mari felt a rush—like whiplash. Everything hit her all at once.

This was… Level 1330.

Sar’Mari gasped at how familiar it felt to Level 1313. Just watching the descending ships stirred a sense of homesickness. She had vowed never to return to this place unless it was to help the people of the depths. She wasn’t there yet—so being here now was the last thing she wanted.

Ahsoka stared downward, her expression firm. This was her only escape route—but a choice had to be made. She knew Sar’Mari wanted to go with her. “What you go through, I go through,” Sar’Mari’s words echoed in her mind. Ahsoka was grateful for her loyalty, but also frustrated. It was reckless. Sar’Mari was willing to risk everything just to stay with her. And while that devotion warmed Ahsoka’s heart, it wasn’t fair. Sar’Mari deserved better.

Ahsoka had tried hard to protect her from this. And now? Look where they were. Look what position Ahsoka had put the hybrid in. There was no way she was dragging Sar’Mari back to the same depths she’d once been saved from.

“Ahsoka…” Sar’Mari called gently, her hand tightly gripping Ahsoka’s.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to respond, but a voice interrupted her.

“Ahsoka. Where are you going?”

It was Anakin.

Sar’Mari froze. She didn’t know it was Skywalker following them—but she had known someone was.

“You didn’t even try to come help me,” Ahsoka said, her voice sharp with betrayal. Sar’Mari recognized that hurt—too well.

“They wouldn’t let me talk to you!” Anakin replied, desperation creeping into his voice.

“You could have if you tried!” Ahsoka snapped, her face tight with emotion. Anakin sighed sharply, staring at her in disbelief.

“How would that look, Ahsoka? Huh? Forcing my way in would’ve made you look even more guilty!”

“I’m not guilty!” Ahsoka cried out, frustration in every word.

Sar’Mari watched helplessly. She couldn’t do anything—only stand there and witness the storm.

“You just have to prove your innocence,” Anakin said, his voice now calmer. “And the only way to do that is to go back.”

“I—I don’t know who to trust,” Ahsoka said quietly, her voice breaking.

Sar’Mari whimpered and took Ahsoka’s hand. “Ahsoka…”

Anakin saw, but said nothing.

“Listen,” he said, “I would never let anyone hurt you. But you need to come back and make your case to the Council.” Sar’Mari winced slightly when Ahsoka tightens the grip of her hand.

“No!” Ahsoka shouted. “I’m not going to take the fall for something I didn’t do!”

The two girls stepped slightly back toward the ledge as Anakin moved closer. His posture stiffened—his tone sharpened.

“I’m ordering you to put down your lightsaber and come with me. Now! Think about what you’re doing, Ahsoka! Think about how it looks—how it affects the people around you! They think you took Sar’Mari as a hostage!”

“That’s not true!” Sar’Mari yelled, finally stepping in. “We escaped together! Ahsoka would never do that to me!”

Ahsoka’s heart sank. Her actions were already affecting Sar’Mari’s reputation. Could people really believe she would take her hostage ? The idea alone was revolting.

This is bad… Ahsoka felt as if she was already ruining everything.

“Well, they think otherwise,” Anakin said flatly, before turning back to Ahsoka. “Ahsoka…”

The weight of it all snapped her back to the moment. She looked at her former Master with new resolve.

“General Skywalker! Where are you?” Rex’s voice rang out nearby.

“I do trust you,” Ahsoka said, her voice low. “But you and I both know—no one else will believe me.”

She turned to glance at a ship descending into the depths of Coruscant. Slowly, she turned back.

“Anakin… you have to trust me now.”

He stepped forward. “Ahsoka, I do trust you!”

But she raised her hand, stopping him.

“I know,” she said softly.

Then she turned to Sar’Mari, stepped closer, and took both of her hands. Sar’Mari gripped back tightly, tears threatening to fall. Ahsoka fought the urge to look away—she had to say this.

“Sar’Mari Dara, I love you,” Ahsoka said, strong and proud.

Sar’Mari couldn’t respond. Her throat tightened, choked by a sob fighting its way out.

“In the beginning, I was so focused—so determined to be the strongest Jedi. But then you entered my life. You’re the puzzle piece I didn’t even know was missing.”

She paused, her voice trembling.

“The Order taught us not to form attachments. That love leads to the Dark Side. But… they were wrong.”

Sar’Mari began to cry, dreading where this was heading. Ahsoka reached up and gently wiped away her tears.

“Because of you, I’ve learned that love doesn’t lead me astray—it strengthens me. You’ve made me want to grow into the person I’m meant to be.”

But Sar’Mari shook her head, unwilling to hear more.

“Ahsoka, please!” she begged. “There’s still time! Come back with us—we’ll fight for you! You know we’ve got you! You know I got you!

“I know, love,” Ahsoka whispered.

She lifted both hands, placing a soft kiss over the girl’s knuckles. Her lips remained there, as if she was saving the feel of them against her lips within her mind, so she’d never forget. Then she reaches up and cups Sar’Mari’s face. Her gaze lingered on those beautiful, chocolate-brown watery eyes and the unique white markings—ones Sar’Mari had always believed were incomplete. But to Ahsoka, they were rare, exotic, and absolutely breathtaking.

Then her eyes drift down to the girl’s perfectly full brown lips, a striking contrast against her orange skin, dappled with tan vitiligo patches. The condition suited her, making her look almost divine—like a goddess sculpted in sun and shadow.

Slowly, she pulls Sar’Mari closer—so close their breaths mingle in the narrow space between them. Ahsoka pauses, her gaze flicking between Sar’Mari’s eyes, silently asking for permission. Tears spill down Sar’Mari’s cheeks as she nods, a soft whimper escaping just before Ahsoka closes the distance. Their lips meet in a fierce, desperate kiss. Sar’Mari wishes it could last forever.

But they’re forced apart when the sounds of Rex and Fox echo through the tunnel.

Their lips part.

Ahsoka gently brushes her thumb along Sar’Mari’s cheek one last time before stepping toward the tunnel’s edge.

Realization dawns.

Sar’Mari’s eyes widen, but her feet are frozen, too heavy to move.

She was going to leave her…

“AHSOKA!!”

Chapter Text

==========

“AHSOKA!!”

She screams. She breaks through the paralysis. She rushes forward to leap after her, to pull her back.

“No, you can’t leave. You can’t leave me!”

But with a wave of her hand, Ahsoka lifts the hybrid with the Force and pushes her back. Sar’Mari stumbles—but lands in strong arms that catch her from behind, pulling her back.

“AHSOKA!!!” Her screams are raw and guttural. Her arms reach out in vain as Ahsoka disappears over the edge. Anakin and Fox rush forward, peering down. Anakin mutters a curse, and Fox lifts his comm to his mouth. Sar’Mari cries loudly—for the first time since Obi-Wan took her in, she truly weeps.

“It’s okay, Ad’ika. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here,” Rex whispers in her ear. It was him who had caught her. The unfamiliar word confuses her, but she doesn’t care. Nothing can soothe her.

Ahsoka is gone.

Her love is gone.

If only she had been faster…

She might’ve been with her.

Sar’Mari lets out another gut-wrenching cry—sharp, jagged, and torn straight from the hollow of her chest. Her arms reach forward, trembling, still reaching for the place where Ahsoka had been. As if by will alone, she could reverse time, catch her, hold her— make her stay.

But her hands grasp nothing. Just empty air.

Her vision blurs, tears distorting the world until it bends and twists around her. The tunnel feels too bright, too loud, too hot. The warmth isn’t comfort—it’s suffocation. It crawls across her skin like fire, smothering her from the inside out. The walls seem to close in with every breath she fails to take.

She left.

Ahsoka left .

Ahsoka left!

Even after that kiss—after everything they’d shared…what they did together…she still left.

The thought crushed her chest. Maybe she hadn’t meant as much as she thought. Maybe Ahsoka had only said what she needed to say in the moment.

Maybe Sar’Mari wasn’t enough.

Not enough to stay for.

Not enough to fight for.

She felt it now—that gnawing ache in her gut that made her doubt every memory, every moment between them. Her knees buckled slightly, and she leaned harder into Rex’s hold without even realizing it. Her body trembled, not from exhaustion, but from shame.

The edges of her sight flickered, darkening like ink spreading through water. Shapes around her warped and stretched, the tunnel’s harsh metal walls seeming to breathe and pulse with her quickening heartbeat.

A low humming thrummed in her ears, deep and hollow, growing louder with each ragged breath. Sounds distorted — voices mixed and echoed, twisting into whispers she couldn’t quite understand.

Her skin prickled, cold and hot at once, as phantom fingers brushed along her arms and neck. The warmth that had surrounded her twisted into something heavy, suffocating — as if the very air was thickening, pressing down on her chest.

In the depths of the blur, a shadowed figure flickered just beyond her sight, a silhouette too familiar to be ignored.

A whisper slithered into Sar’Mari’s ears, low and teasing—far too close for comfort.

“Oh, Gem… still so dramatic, aren’t you?”

The voice was unmistakable. It coiled around her like smoke, soft but stained with something venomous.

“Crying. Collapsing. All over a girl who barely looked back at you. And here I thought you were getting stronger.”

Sar’Mari’s breathing quickened. Her vision swam. She blinked—and there Jaccha stood. Not a ghost, not a memory. But a vivid, impossible presence.

The same worn leather jacket. The same heavy steel-toe boots. The same eyes that always saw too much.

“Did you forget about us?” Jaccha purred, her tone turning falsely tender. “You and me. Out there. Just the two of us. Our ship. The stars. No rules, no Republic. No Jedi.”

Her smile curved cruelly.

“We had plans, Gem. You promised we’d help the ones nobody cared about. The underworld. Your home. But now look at you—tucked under their wing like a bird who forgot she had claws.”

The warmth Sar’Mari felt wasn’t comforting anymore. It was suffocating. Her chest rose and fell too fast, the edges of her vision starting to flicker black.

“Sar’Mari!”

Skywalker’s voice sounds distant… even though he’s right next to her.

Fox staggered slightly where he stood, eyes darting upward to the trembling ceiling.

“The hell…?” he muttered, instinctively reaching for his blaster as dust shook loose from the metal beams.

He turned sharply towards the General.

“What was that?”

His voice was clipped, uneasy. Suspicion lined every word.

Rex glanced around too, alarm tightening his posture, but his arms remained firmly around Sar’Mari.

Anakin’s brow furrowed. He could feel it now—the tremor wasn’t from explosives or seismic activity. It was rippling outward… from her.

His eyes snapped to Sar’Mari. “It’s her,” he said lowly, barely above a breath. “She’s doing it.”

Fox looked at him like he’d just announced a bomb was strapped to her back. “You’re telling me she’s doing that—on purpose?”

“No,” Anakin snapped, stepping toward her. “Not on purpose. She’s in the middle of a full-blown panic. Her emotions are unstable, and the Force is reacting to it strongly.”

Fox’s hand hovered a little closer to his sidearm. “And we’re all just standing here waiting to see what she does next?”

Rex’s grip tightened protectively around the trembling girl. “Don’t,” he growled, voice low and warning.

“I didn’t say I’d shoot her,” Fox snapped back, “but you can’t tell me you’re not seeing this for what it is. If she loses control—”

“She already is,” Anakin cut in. “She doesn’t need suspicion right now. She needs grounding.”

He stepped in front of Sar’Mari, dropping to one knee, his hand smoothing over her curls. “Sar’Mari—look at me. You have to breathe. You’re okay, I need you to come back. Right now.”

Her vision distorts. Shadows creep in from the corners of her eyes.

“Love will only get you killed.”

“Sar’Mari,” Rex called out, supporting her head, trying to get her to focus.

She wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was distant—locked on something no one else could see.

Rex followed her line of sight, expecting danger. But there was nothing there. Just smoke. Lights. Descending ships.

“General?” Rex said urgently, glancing at Anakin.

“I think she’s really having a panic attack, sir,” Rex said, already confirming what was happening. He cradles her more firmly as her breathing turned shallow. “But… she’s seeing something. Someone.”

“She’s losing it,” Fox muttered behind them, arms crossed. “She needs to be brought in. Now.”

Rex’s eyes snapped toward him.

“You think this is a choice ?” he barked. “She’s collapsed in my arms and all you can think about is protocol?”

Fox stepped forward, stiff and cold.

“Protocol is what keeps people alive. You’re too close to see it, Rex. She’s not some innocent girl—she’s a trained Force user who aligned herself with a fugitive.”

“She’s not involved,” Rex snapped. “She’s a victim. She’s—”

He stopped, jaw tight, biting back the word that nearly slipped.

“She’s not your criminal.”

Sar’Mari’s body shook again. Her lips moved without words.

“She’s just a kid.”

Fox scoffed.

“She’s a Jedi . She’s not just a kid. She’s dangerous. You think she didn’t know what she was doing when she helped Commander Tano run? She’s not some lost little street womp rat—she was born in this war, just like the rest of us. And look what she’s becoming.”

“That’s enough,” Anakin cut in sharply, stepping between them. “We’re not turning this into a debate. Look at her—she’s in no condition to stand trial, let alone answer questions.”

“Then what?” Fox asked, frustrated. “You just let her walk?”

“We’re taking her back to the Temple,” Anakin said firmly. “Obi-Wan can decide from there.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Fox warned. “We both know what the Senate’s going to say about this.”

“Let me worry about the Senate. Stand down, soldier,” Anakin growled. He is not appreciating the disrespect right now.

Sar’Mari whimpered again, and Rex immediately turned his full attention back to her. Her body was tense, her lips moving—but no words came out.

Then, suddenly, the ground beneath them shook .

A low, rising vibration pulsed through the walls of the tunnel.

Fox’s hand went to his blaster.

Anakin looked around before looking back to Sar’Mari. He moved back into her line of sight.

“Sar’Mari, listen to me. You have to stop. You’re not in control.”

But she wasn’t looking at him.

She was looking through him.

Back at the ledge.

“All that crying, all that begging… and for what?” Jaccha hissed in her ears. “She left you. Just like everyone left us. Like your good for nothing parents left you…”

“You don’t… you don’t understand,” Sar’Mari choked, eyes glazed and full of terror.

“ I don’t understand? ” Jaccha laughed cruelly. “I was the only one who ever loved you. The only one that could love something like you. And this is how you repay me? Sobbing in some clone’s arms like a broken toy?”

Rex shifted, trying to get her to focus on him instead. But she was gone. Her eyes wide, haunted, locked on something only she could see.

Fox paced a little, his hands on his hip. He perked down at the girl with distaste

“She’s just as involved as Tano!” Fox tried again. “She ran with her—this proves it!”

“She’s breaking down in front of us, and you want to slap cuffs on her?” Rex snapped, voice cracking. “You think this is some act ?”

Fox stepped forward again, challenging.

“I think you’re compromised. You’re too close.”

Rex’s mouth opened—too fast.

“I—!”

He stopped himself. Swallowed hard. Looked back down at Sar’Mari’s pale face.

“She doesn’t need punishment. She needs help.”

That stunned Fox into silence.

Anakin blinked, but let it pass.

“Then let’s help her,” Anakin said. “Because if she doesn’t calm down, this tunnel’s coming down on all of us.”

Jaccha stepped closer in the hallucination, face now inches from Sar’Mari’s.

“You’re nothing without me, my little Gem. You were always weak. Always soft.” There was silence before Jaccha’s voice pans back in.

“Did you really think she’d stay?” she continued, her voice mocking and lilting. “That your little Jedi love would throw everything away for you ?”

A chuckle — dry, almost pitying.

“Please, Gem. You’re smarter than that.”

The vibration under their feet began to thicken. Rex’s arms held Sar’Mari steady, but she was barely aware of him now.

“You really forgot about us , didn’t you?” Jaccha asked, narrowing her eyes as she slowly stepped closer. “Our ship. Our plan. You and me — getting the hell off this rock, finding something better. We were going to go anywhere , Gem. Just the two of us.”

Her voice dipped lower, turning cold.

“You said you wanted to help the kids in the lower levels. Said they deserved better, even when they said you deserve nothing. Remember that little Mirialan girl? The one with the limp? The one that could stand the monstrosity that you are? Something your parents created, that should’ve never happened?”

A sneer tugged at the edge of her mouth.

“You looked her in the eye and promised you’d never be like them . Like the Jedi. But look at you now…”

The tunnel groaned again. Fox shouted something behind them, distant and furious, but Sar’Mari didn’t hear.

She only heard her mother.

“Crying in the arms of the people that will eventually throw you away. Collapsing over some foolish girl. You think these people are going to protect you, Gem? You think they care?” Jaccha laughed quietly, stepping even closer now, until Sar’Mari could almost feel her breath.

“They’ll chew you up and leave your body for the war to clean.”

Sar’Mari shook her head weakly, barely able to hold onto reality.

“But I was going to take you away from all this,” Jaccha added, her tone cutting now. “We had plans. Real ones. And you threw it all away. For what? For her ? For the Jedi ?”

“They’re going to lock you up, Gem,” Jaccha whispered, her voice suddenly still and low.

“They know you were involved with that girl in someway. And when they do… I won’t be there to save you.”

“Sar’Mari,” Anakin said softly, kneeling and brushing her hair back, “it’s not real. Whatever you’re seeing—it’s not real. You’re safe. You’re not alone.”

“Sir,” Rex asked again, more quiet this time, “could it be a vision?”

Anakin didn’t answer right away. His hand remained on her curls, steady and grounding.

“Possibly. But she’s in no state to be out here.”

“You think you can carry her?” he asked Rex.

Rex didn’t respond—he just stood. One arm beneath her knees. The other across her back.

He held her tightly. Carefully. Like she might vanish if he loosened his grip.

His mouth pressed into a hard line.

He was there the day she was born, but he missed her first steps and all the little moments in between. Still, he was here now—though he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

Sar’Mari dangled slightly from his arms, her body limp now. Her eyes slid closed from the exhaustion of screaming, hallucinating, breaking.

Jaccha’s voice dissolved into static in Sar’Mari’s ears, warped and distant now—like it was coming from underwater.

The shadows twisted around her, but her eyes had stopped tracking them. Her limbs had gone slack, the tremble in her fingers slowing until they stilled altogether. Her lips parted, a shuddering breath leaving her chest—long and weak.

Then nothing.

Her head fell gently against Rex’s chest.

And just like that… the vibration stopped.

The echo of the Force withdrew like a tide pulling away from a storm-torn shore.

The dust that had rained down from the ceiling stilled. The metal stopped groaning. The air seemed to exhale.

Rex’s arms stayed firm around her, but he adjusted his hold, cradling her head gently to his chest, his jaw clenched.

“She’s out,” he said quietly, though his voice barely carried.

Fox scanned the tunnel, tense and wary, blaster still in hand. “Well… that’s one way to shut her up.”

Rex didn’t look at him.

Anakin, however, shot him a warning glance sharp enough to draw blood.

“Stand down, Fox,” the General muttered, glancing briefly to sense Sar’Mari’s aura. “It’s not gone… just buried. Like a smoldering ember. But for now, it’s over.”

Fox scoffed but stepped back.

Rex adjusted his grip again, one arm beneath her knees, the other wrapped tightly around her back. Her curls were damp with sweat, her skin pale against his armor.

He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t.

He just held her like he had never gotten to before—and like he might never get to again.

“Let’s move,” Anakin said, his face scrunched with worry. His brows knit together, eyes scanning Sar’Mari’s unconscious form in Rex’s arms. The muscle in his cheek twitched slightly, and his lips were pressed into a tight, uneasy line. His voice was steady, but the tension in his expression betrayed the fear he was trying to suppress. “We’re heading to the Temple.”

Anakin walked ahead, Fox close behind. Rex remained in the center, his arms full of a girl that no one knew meant everything to him.

As they moved toward the surface, the troopers were waiting for them up top. It felt good coming up from that mast sewer. The air grew clearer, the noise more distant.

But the weight of what happened did not.

Anakin was till furious

Not only did he lose his Padawan, he had to represent Sar’Mari in some way to prove she had nothing to do with the escape of Ahsoka, that she had no part of any crime, that she was innocent. He’s hoping he can leave that work to Obi-Wan since technically, the child is his Padawan. He was also hoping he doesn’t receive a long boring lecture from his Master about what had happened with Sar’Mari.

And when they reached the surface—when the doors of the base parted and Obi-Wan stepped into view, his silhouette backlit by the harsh lights—

Anakin just let out a long breath through his nose.

“Here goes nothing…”

==========

Back at the Temple, the hallway outside the medical bay was too quiet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood with his arms folded, eyes locked on the girl lying unconscious behind the transparisteel window. Sar’Mari didn’t stir. She hadn’t since they brought her in, limp in Rex’s arms, barely breathing.

But the air still felt heavy with the weight of what she’d done. Not physically. Not tangibly. But in the Force.

The echoes remained.

Though Obi-Wan hadn’t witnessed the moment himself, the reports were clear. The tunnel walls had trembled. The floor had cracked. Dust rained down like hail from the ceiling. One trooper swore he’d felt the very metal scream.

And all of it— every ripple, every quake —had come from her.

She’d cried out for Ahsoka, screamed so loud it frayed her throat, and then the Force had answered. Not with precision, not with intent. But with unfiltered, explosive grief. The kind that didn’t just pass through a Jedi—it consumed them.

Obi-Wan pressed a hand to his beard, deep in thought.

He hadn’t seen the breakdown. But he didn’t need to. He could feel the aftermath in the tremble of her Force signature—raw, untethered. She was still lost somewhere in the echo.

And if he could feel that much, so could the Council.

The door hissed open behind him.

“You left the Temple without me.”

Obi-Wan’s voice was quiet, but firm. He didn’t turn.

“I remember quite clearly,” he added, “that we agreed to retrieve our Padawans together . I expected to find you on the transport when I returned.”

“I was waiting,” Anakin said, walking up beside him. “But the situation…changed.”

“Changed,” Obi-Wan repeated, arching a brow. “Or escalated?”

Anakin’s mouth pressed into a tight line.

“They weren’t going to let me speak with either of them. I thought maybe—if I just explained—they’d understand.”

Obi-Wan glanced sideways. “And they didn’t?”

“No,” Anakin muttered. “They didn’t.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “And so, naturally, you attempted to reason with the military officers in the calm, measured way I’ve taught you—”

“I barely raised my voice.”

“—right before everything went to chaos? Like the industrial pipeline almost collapsing?”

Anakin winced. “That wasn’t me.”

“No, it wasn’t. But your energy wasn’t helping.”

Anakin blinked, confused. “What?”

Obi-Wan turned fully now, his voice gentle but firm.

“Anakin… Sar’Mari is not like other Padawans. She’s not even like Ahsoka. She didn’t grow up in the Temple surrounded by serenity. She grew up on one of the few levels that should’ve been labeled inhabitable a long time ago. She was surviving—not living. She lived in fear. On the edge. In a world where raised voices, sudden movements, hostility —even unspoken—meant danger.”

Anakin fell quiet.

“She may be Force-sensitive,” Obi-Wan continued, “but trauma like that imprints deeply. She doesn’t just sense our emotions—she absorbs them. And when yours spike, when your anger surfaces, even if it’s not aimed at her… she feels it. And it triggers her.”

“I wasn’t angry at her , I was trying to diffuse the situation. I was trying to keep Ahsoka from leaving—”

“No,” Obi-Wan said, holding his gaze. “But the atmosphere around you was charged. You know what that can do to someone already on the brink.”

Anakin’s jaw worked silently, then relaxed. “You’re right.”

Obi-Wan offered a short nod, then turned back toward the medbay window.

“And what worries me now is what happens next. The Council already believes Ahsoka may have been involved in the Temple bombing. With her now vanished, her innocence is harder to defend. And Sar’Mari… she was right beside her when it happened.”

“She didn’t help Ahsoka escape,” Anakin insisted. “She didn’t even know what was happening. Ahsoka pushed her away—literally.”

“Nevertheless, she was with her,” Obi-Wan said. “And now, she’s the only one left behind to question.”

“She’s unconscious,” Anakin snapped. “What do they expect her to say?”

“They don’t expect her to say anything yet,” Obi-Wan said grimly. “But once she wakes up… you know how this works, Anakin. The Council will have questions. The Senate will demand answers.”

Anakin scoffed. “They’re looking for someone to blame.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said plainly. “And with Ahsoka gone, Sar’Mari has become their new suspect by association.”

Anakin shook his head, jaw clenched. “She’s just a kid.”

“She is also a Force-sensitive, trained by the Jedi, emotionally unstable, and—according to your report—capable of triggering seismic-level reactions in the Force.”

“That wasn’t intentional, ” Anakin fired back. “She was having a panic attack.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I believe you. But many others won’t care.”

He looked back toward the girl in the medbay. Her breathing had evened out now, her small frame buried beneath the sheets. Still, she looked haunted—even in sleep.

“And then there’s this,” Obi-Wan murmured. “This bond between her and Ahsoka.”

Anakin stiffened slightly.

“I can feel it in the Force,” Obi-Wan continued. “The way she clung to her presence, the devastation she experienced when Ahsoka left… That wasn’t grief from a friend.”

Anakin said nothing.

Obi-Wan’s tone was calm, but measured. “You know how the Code views attachment. If there was something more between them…”

“There wasn’t,” Anakin said too quickly. “They’re… close. That’s all.”

Obi-Wan arched a brow. “Close?”

“She lost someone she trusted. Someone who never judged her. Ahsoka was… different. She was home.”

“Then what she’s feeling now is heartbreak,” Obi-Wan said, gaze returning to the window. “And the Force doesn’t always behave kindly when heartbreak is involved.”

Another long silence stretched between them.

“She’s not responsible,” Anakin muttered.

“No. But she is vulnerable. And that makes her dangerous—to herself, and to those around her.”

Obi-Wan let out a soft, weary sigh.

“She may have officially beaten your record, by the way.”

Anakin blinked. “What?”

“For most trouble caused in the shortest time,” Obi-Wan added, straight-faced. “You used to hold that title with some pride, I believe. But after today…”

Despite everything, Anakin let out a short huff of air.

“I should be proud.”

“You shouldn’t,” Obi-Wan replied dryly. “But here we are.”

They stood side by side, quiet again.

“I’ll speak to the Council,” Obi-Wan finally said. “Try to delay any… premature conclusions. But we can’t keep this quiet for long.”

“What do you want me to do?” Anakin asked, eyes still on Sar’Mari.

“Be honest with her. Prepare her. She may be asked to recount what happened in painful detail. And if there was anything between her and Ahsoka—she must be careful.”

Anakin’s brow furrowed. “You think she’s going to be expelled?”

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan admitted. “But I do know how fear works in the Temple. And how quickly compassion is mistaken for corruption.”

He started to turn away, then paused.

“If she’s truly innocent, Anakin… we’ll need more than conviction to protect her.”

==========

The hum of the medbay was soft—too soft.

It was midday, and Captain Rex found himself standing just inside the doorway, after making sure the hallway was clear and no one would see him, his helmet tucked beneath his arm, gaze fixed on the still figure lying in the bed. Sar’Mari hadn’t moved since they carried her in. The machines monitoring her vitals beeped at a steady rhythm, a small comfort in the storm of uncertainty surrounding her.

She looked fragile beneath the crisp white sheets—too small, too pale. Her curls were damp with sweat, clinging to her cheeks, her lips parted just slightly as she breathed. There was tension in her jaw, even now, like she was fighting something in her sleep.

Nightmares. Visions. He didn’t know.

But he could guess.

He walked forward slowly and sat in the chair beside her bed, armor creaking softly with the motion. For a moment, he just sat there, watching her. Like if he looked long enough, maybe the Force would grant him clarity. Or maybe even the chance to take back everything that led to this moment.

He’d seen soldiers collapse in battle. Seen brothers die in his arms. But nothing had shaken him quite like watching Sar’Mari come apart—screaming, trembling, begging to be taken with Ahsoka. And then… the Force had exploded out of her like a dam bursting. Uncontrolled. Desperate. Raw.

And all of it from a place of heartbreak.

His jaw tightened.

He hated Jaccha.

Not because she hurt him. But because she failed her .

Shaak Ti had believed Jaccha was the only viable choice—the only one ruthless and resourceful enough to keep Sar’Mari hidden from the galaxy. But Rex had doubted her from the beginning. There was always something off. Too slick. Too hard. Too much survival and not enough soul. He had never trusted Jaccha—and nothing he’d seen since had changed that. If anything, it had only confirmed what he’d feared all along.

He didn’t know the full extent of what Jaccha had done with Sar’Mari over those five long years. But he knew enough to hate her for it. Knew that no child ends up like this unless something went very, very wrong.

He exhaled slowly and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. His hand hovered near Sar’Mari’s on the blanket—close, but not quite touching.

She didn’t know who he was to her.

Didn’t know the truth.

As far as he knew, she might’ve only been told her father was a clone—just a vague concept, a name without a face. He didn’t even know if she knew that much. Jaccha had never been the type to offer kindness, let alone honesty. She’d buried the truth just like everything else Sar’Mari should’ve been allowed to keep.

He wasn’t sure what the girl had been told. Only that it wasn’t enough.

And it sure as hell wasn’t right .