Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.10.6

Of course, everything that had been happening above the surface had been censored from the daily news reports underground. Other than the occasional shifts in the Force and updates from Anakin and Rex, Ahsoka was cut off from war information. Not that she minded, her day was a lot less stressful when she didn't have to worry about intergalactic warfare.

Not that she didn't have her own stresses. After multiple occasions of her having to act as an on-site medic, her reputation had spread. Almost once a week, now, she was getting some kind of call or request to help with medical issues. There was nothing she could do for things like viruses or infections, not without medicine, but with how many muggings happened down here there was plenty of stuff she could help with. Between the Force and the medical supplies she kept on hand, she was actually pretty effective. There had even been a time that Ahsoka was about to get mugged herself, but the perpetrator recognized her and left her alone. She had to admit, it was kind of nice.

That night, she was walking home from an early morning call. Someone had fallen off a ladder doing housework, and had called her come help. She thought she was done for the day, it was Sunday anyways, but she felt a familiar presence approaching, a Jedi. Master Windu. What is Windu doing in the Lower Levels? she thought, and she started walking down random streets, opting for the ones with no one already there. As she went, she dialed in on Windu's signature, trying to find clues about what was going on. The first thing she noticed was the Darkness in it.

This wasn't abnormal for him since Master Windu used Form VII, which made use of the opponents emotions to give the user an advantage. Not many people received approval to study Form VII, and those who did had a close eye kept on them. Ahsoka, and the Jedi, had gotten used to the slight Darkness in his aura to the point where no one even noticed it, usually.

Ever since her own brush with the Dark Side, though, Ahsoka was much more in tune with Windu's Darkness. It has piqued her interest the last time she saw him but she didn't say anything, due to the situation at hand. It was a careful streak, not always able to be sensed, laced in his signature. On most days, it was quite elegant and controlled.

This was different. It wasn't just a light stroke, like Ahsoka had felt before, but a churning pit at his center, not boiling over yet but definitely getting there. Something bad had happened, that much was for sure.

So what was it, and why did it warrant coming to her?

Ahsoka found an abandoned alley and decided to wait for Windu there. She sat on an old, rusty bench and set her bag at her feet. He would find her, if that's what he indeed was here for. Sure enough, three minutes later, a tall, cloaked figure turned the corner and approached her.

"We need to talk, Miss Tano," he began, not bothering to extend a greeting.

Ahsoka wasn't fazed. She merely raised an eye mark and commented, "At least I know it's you this time and not another Changeling."

As he drew close, Windu pulled his hood back and looked at her intensely, almost as if he was angry with her. The gold hint in his eye certainly suggested so, but Ahsoka still remained relaxed. He wasn't mad at her, she knew that. Instead, he pulled out something from the pocket of his robe. "How much have you been hearing about the war?"

"Almost nothing," she answered honestly. "I pick up things here and there, but not enough to be consistent about it."

Windu activated a small, handheld projector, and he showed Ahsoka the scene that had unfolded above Corellia a few days ago. It was just a still, but it was more than enough to get the message across.

Ahsoka stood up and took the projector, studying the layout of the battle. If it could be called a battle rather than a massacre. "Where was this?"