The repair store was exactly like it looked from the outside, dark and low-ceilinged.
They passed a small foyer and entered the main workshop. Large, greased mechanisms were littered all over the place. A shelf filled the far wall, stacked with toolboxes and random spare parts. The hulking mass of what used to be a starfighter lay half-disassembled in a corner.
y/n and Ahsoka's eyes narrowed as they saw the state of the place. It wasn't the mess and the dimness, it was the fact that everything was covered in a thin layer of dust, the metal tools were stained with brown rust, and the machines were slick with grime.
It was an obvious setup; clearly the shop hadn't been used in a long time.
A strip of neon lights lined the wall, but they seemed broken, too. The only illumination came from a small work light that glowed orange yellow. It stood on a small wheely cart in the centre of the shop, beside a circle on the floor that marked the mech floor where the major repairs took place.
The Wookie and the Sullustan dragged their broken speeder to the floor, and the first Sullustan retrieved the tools to inspect the dysfunctional machine.
All of a sudden, the yellow work light switched off. For half a second everything was black. And then, the glow of blaster bolts filled the air. The Jedi expected their ignited lightsabers would meet them.
Instead, their glowing blades didn't respond.
y/n dodged the first few blaster bolts, still trying in vain to activate his lightsaber. Ahsoka Force-pulled a sheet of thick scrap metal and was using it as a makeshift shield, and he did the same. Instinctively, they adopted a back-to-back stance.
The shots kept coming, with surprisingly good aim; their metal shields left glowing orange marks where the blaster bolts had hit. The sound of heavy footsteps and more blaster bolts, which originated from the walls, announced the arrival of more enemy forces.
The Jedi deflected the shots in a frenzy, feeling the mounting pressure of the ceaseless fire.
The room was briefly illuminated by a magnificent plume of red and orange fire, coming from a flamethrower. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any fuel in the garage, or explosions would have erupted everywhere.
Together, y/n and Ahsoka quickly disengaged and dropped to the floor to avoid the inferno. The hungry rush of fire continued for a few seconds, before disappearing, leaving a blanket of hot air above their heads. The blaster bolts stopped.
They found cover behind a dusty workbench piled high with schematics and cogs. In the darkness they could just make out each other's silhouette. She executed a few hand signs and he nodded, before they split up.
Sticking against the walls, they went in separate directions, working around the perimeter of the room to locate their attackers.
The darkness had become the Jedi's advantage. Their attackers couldn't see them, but they could sense their attackers.
There were shrieks of surprise and of pain as Ahsoka silently crept around the repair shop, dispatching the unsuspecting shooters on her side with hand-to-hand combat. Her skill was unmatched. They didn't know what knocked them out.
y/n stalked forwards, making his footsteps purposefully audible. A few nervous blaster bolts flew in his direction, but they all missed and he easily dodged any that came close. He could feel the presence of a dozen individuals lined up along the wall, and their growing fear as they heard the yelps of their allies being subdued by Ahsoka.
He reached the first one, a Rodian, whose eyes widened as he saw y/n approach. The Rodian lifted his blaster but it was already too late. y/n grabbed his opponent by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The blaster and the unconscious body thumped to the floor.
There was chaos within the enemy's ranks now. A few of them tried to run, exiting from wherever they had entered from.
y/n reached out with the Force and lifted them into the air. In the darkness, there was the sound of gasping and choking. He narrowed his eyes, debating, and after a second or two, dropped them unceremoniously back onto the ground. None of them were dead.
Orange yellow light filled the space again as Ahsoka located the work lamp and turned it on. The walls and much of the broken equipment were peppered with burns from the blaster bolts. About two dozen bodies were slumped on the ground, most injured but a few dead.
y/n whipped around as he heard running. One of the attackers that he had picked up had gotten to his feet and was trying to escape. Reaching out, he stopped and pushed the escapee down to the ground with the Force.
It was a Trandoshan, his tongue flickering in and out of his mouth with unease as the Jedi approached.
"Who do work for?" Ahsoka demanded.
"We were all hired mercenariesss," the Trandoshan replied.
"Pfft, bad ones, too," y/n scoffed.
The Trandoshan snarled at him, and he growled back as a joke, but obviously frightened, the mercenary didn't engage.
"We asked you who you work for," y/n repeated firmly.
"I don't know. Sssome Neimodian from the Trade Guild?"
"You mean Trade Federation?"
"Ah, yesss. That. Nuke Gutlay or sssome other."
Ahsoka and y/n looked at each other.
"So Nute Gunray organised this?" she frowned, turning away from the Trandoshan to converse with y/n. "What are the chances he and his cronies planned the agrirobot malfunctions? And then tried to stop us as soon as he discovered the Republic was interfering with his plan?"
"I mean, with a breakdown of Kasegna's agricultural activities, their economic and political situations are going to be rocky. It would be a perfect opportunity for the Trade Federation to step in and offer 'help'," y/n nodded. "Plus, we don't know if the Seppies are behind this."
Ahsoka turned to the Trandoshan again. "Where did your reinforcements come from?"
The mercenary eyed her with unease, his tongue flickering in and out. "I don't give information for free."
y/n gave a snort and looked ready to beat up their attacker, but didn't move to fight. The Trandoshan looked at him with narrowed eyes, and only then spotted the scar on the Jedi's face. The mercenary looked back at the Togruta, who was glaring at him with her arms crossed, her two lightsabers hanging from her belt like a direct threat.
"Fine. There'sss a hidden door jussst to my right."
The Jedi's gaze turned to the wall, and they could sense the presence of a passage behind it, as well as a hidden lever that would lead into the space. But now that they were looking for hidden doors, they sensed another opening, this one underneath the mech floor.
"Where's Gunray and his cronies now, by the way?" y/n questioned.
"They left onccce they gave the order to ssstage the ambush."
"What do you mean, 'left'?"
"I don't know. They disssappeared. Probably off-world by now."
"Had Gunray ever been down that secret door you came from?" y/n asked again.
The Trandoshan shook his head.
"What about any other entrance in this workshop?"
Again, a shake of the head.
Ahsoka moved towards the mech floor and crouched to observe it. She hesitantly pressed a circular groove in the centre of the floor and there was a slight, barely audible rumble as the space underneath her began to move.
The mech floor retracted, opening up into another passage below.
y/n turned to her and grinned, "After you. For real, this time."
He turned to the Trandoshan and frowned. "Sorry, but we have to keep you incapacitated for now. He looked around the scene of the fight, searching for something. Then, Force pulling a particular discarded blaster, he set it to stun and fired it at the mercenary. "Good night."
With a mocking two-finger salute, he bid the unconscious form farewell and approached the new passage, which Ahsoka had already entered.
The opening revealed a set of stairs, leading down into a larger room. Unlike the rest of the repair shop, the staircase and space below were well-maintained and made of durasteel. Strips of lighting line the floors and ceiling to prove a sharp, blue illumination.
Ahsoka was already absorbed in examining the room below. It was square and rather small, three walls filled with computers and control panels, the screens of which were active and running. In the centre lay a large holotable.
y/n stopped beside Ahsoka, and after observing all the controls, she slowly pressed one of the myriad buttons on the holotable. Strangely, there didn't seem to be any passcode required, or other further means of protection. Instead, a blue projection came to life.
It was a detailed 3D schematic of a ring-shaped machine, its exterior covered in a layer of highly reflective metal, grooves and ridges running across its surface. In the centre space of the torus shape was a cube, held in place by a web of steel that connected it back to the main body.
"It almost looks like Grievous' wheel bike," y/n said, half joking. "Or a space doughnut."
"You might be right about the space aspect," Ahsoka replied, scrutinising the schematic, and then looking around at the computers were still operating. "Alright, let's do some digging. You take the holotable."
He nodded, and they exchanged a smile before turning to focus on their own investigations. The Jedi worked without speaking for a while, each engrossed in the information they were finding.
Finally, Ahsoka exhaled and crossed her arms, making her way back to the holotable.
"Giant space doughnut controlling Kasegna's electronics," she reported with a hint of a smile.
y/n grinned, looking up, and rolled his shoulders. "This was certainly fascinating, but also extremely concerning. I wonder why the Trade Federation is only using it to disrupt the farming droids. There's a lot of worse things they could execute with the space doughnut," he added.
"Which is why we need to let Lu and the authorities know about this space doughnut as soon as possible."
What they had discovered was the existence of a small satellite orbiting Kasegna, with technology advanced enough to prevent it from being detected as anything else other than another piece of typical space garbage.
But the satellite, named the Orbital Slicer Supercomputer, possessed unbelievable abilities. With the help of three catalyst space capsules also orbiting around the planet, the OSS could 'lock' a planet in a 'net'. Everything exhibiting an electrical signal could be sliced, or hacked.
The OSS could edit the code of the farming droids without being detected, it could command the malfunction of a speeder, and it could turn off the power cell in a lightsaber.
The OSS could control all of Kasegna, having the power to manipulate every single electric message that was sent on the planet.
And the controls were in the room in which y/n and Ahsoka found themselves.
They quickly contacted Lu Law using the computers and gave her a summarised account of what they had discovered, as well as instructions to contact the Republic.
In a few minutes, Kasegna police had arrived to take the hired mercenaries and attempted murderers into custody. The Jedi remained in the repair shop, waiting for their backup to land.
It was a few standard hours before a team of highly trained Republican troops arrived. These clones were experts in computing and slicing, and worked diligently to shut down the OSS program. Meanwhile, two battalions were in the Kasegnan orbit, ready to pull the catalyst space capsules and the OSS itself out of its gravitational field, and to transport it back for research.
Soon the chaos was over. The clones and the Jedi exchanged a few words before the former left. Ahsoka and y/n suddenly found themselves exhausted. They looked one last time at the control room behind them, now fully shut down and wiped. The danger was over.
y/n pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it, smiling as the red blades came to life.
"It's officially over. Mission complete," he grinned, then nudged Ahsoka.
"Isn't it strange how we probably wouldn't have found this place if they hadn't ordered their mercenaries to interfere?" she mused.
"Sometimes the more you try to hide something, the easier you make it discoverable," he shrugged.
They paid one last visit to EnviroSystems, where an emotional Lu thanked them profusely and seemed genuinely disheartened at her lack of an appropriate gift for the two that had saved her company.
Ahsoka and y/n wandered the city streets, an unspoken agreement between them that they wouldn't return to Coruscant yet. There was nothing to do back there with their Masters busy, and Kasegna was a beautiful place.
They found themselves in a sprawling market selling everything from fresh produce to clothing to the latest electronics. Sights, sounds and smells filled the air. Wide grins on their faces, Ahsoka slipped her arm through y/n's proffered one and they browsed steadily through the stalls.
They were at a large tent looking at tanks and enclosures of exotic creatures that would serve as pets, when something caught y/n's eye.
"Stay here, alright? I'll be right back," he told Ahsoka, then disappeared into the bustling mass of people.
He had seen a stand selling trinkets and jewellery.
There was an assortment of shining rings and bracelets, beautifully crafted in glittering metals or perfectly sparkling crystals. His eyes passed over them briefly, lingering just long enough to appreciate the immense craftsmanship, before moving on to the next piece.
A pendant caught his attention. It was a rope of dark brown cord with a small circular wooden centrepiece. Beautifully delicate grooves and carvings covered the otherwise smooth and dark wood. He smiled as his fingertip traced over the motif of a heart in the centre.
It was simple but intricate, small and compact enough to be hidden or worn without being noticed, but still a beautiful gift.
Without a second thought he bought it, tucking it safely into a pouch in his belt, and returned back to the pet tent.
Ahsoka was waiting for him in the same spot, still smiling as she watched and played with the creatures, but with a brown paper bag clutched in her hand.
"What's that?" he asked as he approached.
She handed the bag over.
"Kasegnan honeyfruit cake," she smiled as he opened it and saw the two slices of pie-like pastry within. "You know, the cake that Sherill said that blessed-"
She didn't expect y/n to step across and kiss her on the mouth, openly in front of so many people. But no one knew them here. She kissed him back and then broke away, laughing, only to taste something sweet and crumbly on her tongue.
Grinning, he removed his fingers from the cakey pastry that he had put in her mouth. She chewed slowly and y/n bit off a piece himself.
"That was kriffing delicious," he said once they had devoured the rest of the goods.
"Even better than a space doughnut," Ahsoka joked, and they both laughed.
"Feel blessed by this cake?" he grinned and felt the tiny weight of the pendant in the pouch.
She grabbed a fistful of his tunic and pulled him against her with a smirk. "Yeah, of course. After all, the Force blessed us with each other." She kissed him again.
They were sitting in a streetside café when y/n's holodisk beeped. He looked at Ahsoka across their table, an eyebrow raised, before taking out the holodisk from his robes and accepting the call.
To their surprise, the glittering form of Chancellor Palpatine emerged.
"Ah, y/n my boy!" Palpatine greeted, a large smile plastered on his face. "Oh, hello there, Ahsoka. Well, bless my stars! You two have done the Republic a great service indeed."
The two Jedi dipped their heads at the Chancellor's words.
"The Kasegnans seem like good people, we're glad to have helped," y/n said.
"Oh no, there's much more to your achievement than just that," said the older man, his voice carrying a jubilant tone from his young protégé's success. "y/n, Ahsoka, the OSS was taken back to a top-secret research facility on Coruscant and investigated. Of course, we learnt all about its electric manipulation capabilities, in addition to what you have told us. However, it seems this model was merely in a testing and development phase."
Palpatine gave a frown and shook his head. "It is frightening to imagine the damage this machine could have caused, let alone a fully perfected and operating OSS! Imagine if it were orbiting over Coruscant!"
"Has the Republic managed to find those responsible for its launch?" Ahsoka asked.
"No, I'm sorry my dear," the Chancellor shook his head, looking troubled. "We cannot find evidence that it was a Trade Federation operation. After all, that was all hearsay, technically impossible to admit in the Senate or the court."
They were all silent for a few moments.
"But in good news, we have very talented and hard-working people developing a system that would prevent slicing and hacking from a future mechanism like this," Palpatine told them. "What you have done today is tremendous. You have saved the Republic from future harm."
"Of course, it's our duty," Ahsoka smiled.
The Chancellor smiled back and gave her a small bow of her own, then turned to y/n. "Farewell my boy, great things await you."
Then, his hologram disappeared.
y/n sat back in his chair and took a sip from his drink, regarding Ahsoka with a smile, who smirked back at him. His commlink beeped.
"I've become quite the celebrity today," he joked. Just a few minutes previously, the two had seen a public holocaster report that the agrirodroid malfunction had finally been resolved, thanks to the help of two Jedi. A secondary announcement reported that a new chemical agent had been developed, which would allow plants to germinate again after being sprayed with morticide.
y/n answered his commlink, and Aayla's voice came through.
"I'd like to congratulate you on your success, my apprentice," she said.
He smirked at Ahsoka and casually told his Master, "Oh, I had some help. Ahsoka's with me."
Aayla seemed slightly surprised by his remark. "Well, congratulations to you too, Ahsoka. The Republic owes you both a great deal."
y/n smiled. "Just following orders, Master. How's your work going?"
"The younglings were an excited bunch. Reminds me of fourteen-year-old you. I'm going to do some research in the library. When will you be back?"
He and Ahsoka communicated quickly with their eyes, before he answered, "We'll leave tonight, so we'll get back to Coruscant in the afternoon. Training session?"
"Sounds good, y/n. Well done, you two."
When the call had ended, they drained their cups and ordered another serving of honeyfruit cake, before leaving the café. The two began their journey out of the city, heading towards Catchment 22.
"That's impressive. The Chancellor himself called you before your Master did."
"We're good friends," y/n smiled. "The Chancellor is a great man."
They arrived at the edge of Sherill's fields when the sun had just begun to set. Everything was bathed in a warm, fiery orange glow, and the air had cooled so that the temperature was perfect. They stopped and observed the beautiful scene in silence, fingers gently intertwined.
"Sunrise in Coruscant, sunset on Kasegna," he murmured, his voice low.
Ahsoka smirked and reached across, running a hand through his h/c hair.
"How does it feel to not have luscious locks like mine?" he raised his eyebrows and gave her a small shove.
"I wouldn't think that rat tail qualifies as 'luscious locks'," she quipped back.
"It's not a rat tail!" he said defensively, touching the back of his head where his Padawan braid hung, partially tucked into the collar of his tunic. He also grew a small ponytail like the typical hairstyle that a Padawan sported, but he kept his so close cropped that it barely protruded from the rest of his hair.
"At least I don't have silka beads like you," he added. "Mine are one hundred percent organic."
Smirking, he grabbed her Padawan braid and yanked it off, sprinting away. Ahsoka was slightly shocked at his behaviour, and subconsciously touched her hand to the silka beads. To her relief, she realised that they were still hanging there.
He had just given them a pull as a joke, but there was something clutched in his hand as y/n ran from her. Rolling her eyes, she chased after him.
They pelted through the lush green fields, a vast portion of which were already budding again. It seemed that the newly developed chemicals had been efficiently distributed and were effective.
As soon as Ahsoka had gave chase, y/n had sprinted harder. Now that it was a footrace, both were determined to either evade or catch the other. But with a good head start, he stayed ahead of her until he stopped at the last row of crops before Sherill's house.
She caught up a few seconds later, giving him a harder punch on the shoulder than usual. They were both breathing hard.
"So, what was in your hand?" Ahsoka asked once their heartbeats had slowed.
"Turn around," he said.
She crossed her arms. "Why?"
y/n smirked. "Can't you follow an order, Commander Tano?"
"I only take orders from my superiors, and those who command my respect, Captain l/n," she retorted, flashing him a smirk, before turning away from him.
She felt his hands reach around her shoulders and something lightweight tap against her sternum. He fastened the cord, and then she turned around again, only then looking down at the object.
Her eyes fell upon the pendant, the smooth, carved wood, the silkiness of the cord, the pattern of the heart in the centre.
"I'm sorry, it's a bit cheesy," he began, suddenly very interested in his boots.
She broke into a large smile, her heart pounding, and stepped towards him to wrap him in a tight hug. His arms wrapped over her shoulders, holding her against him just as tightly.
"It's not cheesy. That was very thoughtful of you, n/n. I love it."
Ahsoka tucked it under the fabric of her collar to keep it out of sight, but she could feel its coolness reassuringly against her skin.
The two Jedi approached Sherill's house.
The woman greeted them warmly, wearing the same friendly smile. "I heard about what happened on the holocaster. I knew it was you two. Thank yous for all your efforts. Please, come inside. My family would be honoured to have yous for dinner."
She spoke cheerily and almost without pause, turning and leading the way inside as soon as she had finished speaking. The two didn't have any time to protest and followed.
Sherill's house wafted with delicious, heavy and exotic aromas. It was built of wood, stone and thick straw hatching on the roof. As the Jedi walked through into the dining area, they passed multiple rooms, and a few children's heads poked out to peek at them.
A few steaming dishes were already waiting. A middle-aged man pulled two more chairs to the massive wooden table, and within another minute the whole surface was filled with platters. Sherill called for everyone, and a troop of children filed out excitedly into the room, as well as eight more adults, presumably their parents.
y/n and Ahsoka were slightly embarrassed to have intruded, but everyone seemed delighted with their presence. It seemed that Sherill had already told everyone about their morning meeting and their appearance on the holonews.
The meal was as delicious as it looked and smelled, and the two Jedi were warmly welcomed by Sherill's family. The children in particular asked lots of questions. The feast seemed to last for hours, but eventually all the plates were cleared away.
"Anyone up for honeyfruit cake?" Sherill asked, then looked pointedly at y/n and Ahsoka.
All of the adults and children cheered, and slightly abashed, the Jedi agreed, too. It was just as tasty as the other few servings that they had tried earlier that day.
When dessert had been eaten and the long farewells bid, they finally left the house and stepped into the coolness of the evening. The dinner hadn't been too long, though it had been packed with much conversation; the night was still young.
They walked back towards their starfighter, and on the way passed a small stand. A boy was serving something to a small crowd of much younger children.
Curious, y/n and Ahsoka approached.
"Googar juice! Fresh googar juice! Celebrate the crops coming back with googar juice!"
They exchanged a knowing glance and a smile, and she went to buy them two cups.
"What took you so long?" y/n teased when she returned, handing him one.
"There was a line, if you couldn't see," she replied quickly, but he detected a hint of nervousness in her behaviour, though he didn't ask.
The juice, to their surprise, was salty not sweet, but beautifully cool and refreshing.
y/n took the last sip and felt something cold and hard against his lip. Looking into the cup, he saw something glittering silver. Ahsoka was purposefully facing away from him at that moment.
His face relaxed into a smile and he took the chain bracelet out from the bottom, drying it on his robes.
"You got the perfect fit," he murmured softly to Ahsoka. She turned, slightly embarrassed, but smiled when she saw the chain bracelet on his wrist. He let his sleeve fall to cover it and then reached for her hand.
"Of course. I just know you that well," she smirked as they headed back to their ship.
hope the gift giving wasn't too cheesy. thoughts? (i really want a chain bracelet btw LMAO)