❝𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅.❞ -- 𝑨𝒉𝒔𝒐𝒌𝒂 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒐
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When Astrid and Ahsoka arrived at Coruscant, the blue slated sky was filled with thick, grey smoke that plumed up above the area where the Jedi Temple had been bombed.
"Unbelievable," Ahsoka breathed from the co-pilot's seat at the sight of the smoking temple.
Astrid nodded her agreement. But hadn't she thought just a few years ago that it would be easy for someone to bomb the temple and senate from Coruscant's skylanes? Perhaps the Senate would be next. But then Astrid remembered that someone had bombed the temple from the inside, which busted Astrid's entire skylane bombing idea.
When their starship magnetized to the landing pad in front of the temple, Master Secura and a red and white armored clonetrooper-- a Coruscant Guard by the colors of his armor-- were waiting by the entrance of the Jedi Temple. Astrid made quick work of shutting down the engines and lowering the ramp, and soon enough she was bounding towards her former master.
"Thank you for coming, Astrid and Commander Tano," Master Secura greeted the two Jedi as they came to a stop before her.
"Of course," Ahsoka responded readily. "I just can't believe someone on the inside would do this! Where did the bombing occur?"
"In the hangar," Master Secura answered, her blue skinned face solemn. "Several of our clonetroopers and maintenance workers died from the explosion."
The clone trooper beside Master Secura suddenly cleared their throat, and the three Jedi looked at him expectantly. When the clonetrooper spoke, his voice sounded slightly mechanical through his white and red helmet. "We have already discovered the, uh, nature of the bomb."
Astrid frowned. "The nature of the bomb? What do you mean?"
The clonetrooper answered, "Volatile nano droids were placed in the bloodstream of a maintenance worker of the name Jackar Bowiman. We have his wife in custody now in the Republic Military Base."
"I would like to meet with her," Astrid said, and Master Secura nodded in approval.
"I am afraid I cannot assist you in any way, Astrid and Ahsoka, since I was in the temple when the bombing occurred," Master Secura told them forlornly, "but I wish you luck." She indicated to the clonetrooper and said, "This is Commander Fox. He will be here to assist you in any way."
Astrid smiled gratefully at the clonetrooper. "Thank you, Commander Fox. I look forward to working with you."
With his helmet on, Astrid couldn't see the clone's facial expression, but she thought she heard a smile in his voice as he replied, "Of course, general."
"I will take my leave now," Master Secura interrupted. "May the Force be with you all." She inclined her head to the three of them before she turned and headed up the temple steps.
Astrid turned to Ahsoka and suggested, "I will go and question Mrs. Bowmani at the military base, while you question everyone else who was in the hangar to see if one of them may have planted the nano droids inside Mr. Bowmani."
Ahsoka nodded, her face set with steely determination.
The young Padawan opened her mouth to speak before hesitating, and Astrid raised an expectant brow. "What is it, Ahsoka? You can speak openly with me."
Ahsoka winced before saying, "What if Mr. Bowmani planted the nano droids in himself? What if he was zealous enough to take his own life to accomplish this horrendous act?"
Astrid pursed her lips in thought before answering, "That is a possibility, and it is one we will explore if Mr. Bowmani's wife and any of the other maintenance crew don't turn up anything worthwhile."
Ahsoka dipped her head. "Okay, I will see you later."
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The military base was one singular grey metal building, and the interior was drab in comparison to the Jedi Temple. It was all grey, metal walls and flooring, and the lighting was dim florescent.
Astrid's boots thudded on the floor as she stalked down the hallway after Commander Fox, who led her through a series of security checkpoints, the last of which included her having to hand in her lightsaber. Astrid reluctantly handed her lightsaber over to the clone trooper shielded behind a glass wall.
Once the weapon was in the clonetrooper's hand, he pressed a button, and the metal door to Astrid's left slid open, revealing the next portion of the hallway. The hallway was lined with thick metal doors that led into the prison cells.
Astrid kept her face turned away from the prisoners inside the cells, and instead kept her eyes turned on Commander Fox's back. Eventually, he stopped before one of the prison doors, and Astrid waited as he tapped in a code into a machine set into the wall beside the door.
The metal door unlocked with a click, and Commander Fox swung open the door for Astrid, beckoning her forward with a hand. Astrid dipped her head before she stepped into the prison cell.
On the far side of the wall was a small statured woman with short, brown hair and dark eyes. She wore a purple hat upon her head and a purple dress to match. She would've looked like a normal, nice person if it wasn't for the angry look in her eyes and her stiff countenance.
"Who are you?" she barked from where she sat on the bench set against the metal wall. A pair of manacles encircled her wrists and ankles, and the chains clinked as she shifted just slightly.
Astrid folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto one hip before replying, "I am the one doing the questioning here, Mrs. Bowmani."
The woman mouth curled into a smirk as she retorted, "My name is Letta Turmond. I didn't take my husband's last name."
Astrid couldn't help but smile with approval. So, the woman had an edge to her, what with her going against societal expectations. Astrid's smile vanished, though, when she realized going against societal expectations may include helping with the bombing of the Jedi Temple, the headquarters of one of their society's most prestigious groups.
"Well, Letta--" Astrid began calmly, but the woman interrupted her, demanding, "Are you Ahsoka Tano?"
Astrid's face dipped into a frown. "No, my name is Astrid Katarn." Astrid paused before asking with narrowed eyes, "Why does that matter?"
"I will only speak with Ahsoka Tano," Letta replied simply before pointedly turning her face away from the Jedi.
"May I ask why exactly?" Astrid asked, a hint of impatience entering her voice. Her job had been to interrogate Letta Turmond, and she was already failing at it. Master Secura-- the entire Jedi Order-- relied on Astrid not failing on this job.
She couldn't afford Letta to be stubborn and tight-lipped at the moment.
Letta didn't glance at Astrid as she repeated casually, "I will only speak to Ahsoka Tano."
Astrid shifted her weight onto the other hip as she replied curtly, "Well, Ahsoka Tano is busy interrogating the maintenance workers who were present in the hangar when the bomb went off. So you won't be speaking with her, but rather with me."
There was a beat of tense silence before Letta began to laugh, slowly, tauntingly, and Astrid clenched her hands into fists. Letta finally looked at Astrid as she said, "I can tell you right now, Astrid Katarn, the maintenance workers won't be able to tell Ahsoka Tano a thing. I have all of the answers."
"So then tell me," Astrid growled. "Did you feed your husband the nano droids, or did he do it, himself?"
Letta's lips curled into a vicious smile as she seethed, "I fed him the nano droids, but someone told me to do it."
"Who?" Astrid demanded, taking a few steps forward, but Letta had gone tight-lipped again.
The woman shook her head before replying, "I will only talk to Ahsoka Tano. I will not say another word to you. I refuse."
Astrid growled and took a threatening step towards Letta before remembering herself and who she was. She was a Jedi. Jedi did not harm defenseless lifeforms, and they did not get angry and hateful when things didn't go their way.
Astrid took a deep, calming breath before nodding and saying with impressive calm, "Fine. I will bring Ahsoka Tano next time."
Letta eyed Astrid before remarking, "Oh no, you will not be present. I want Ahsoka Tano, and her only. Don't even bother to come to the military base with her."
Astrid narrowed her eyes at the woman before seething, "Fine."
Astrid turned angrily on her heel, and Commander Fox opened the door just in time as Astrid marched out of the prison cell. As Astrid strode down the hallway, she clenched and unclenched her fists as she took deep breaths, urging her boiling blood to cool and her racing heart to slow.
When she reached the security checkpoint, she said snappily to the guard, "My lightsaber," as she extended a hand.
The clone behind the wall of glass gave Astrid a curious once over before his eyes dipped behind her to where Astrid sensed Commander Fox standing. The clone nodded before handing Astrid her lightsaber, and she snatched it from his hand before clipping it back onto her belt.
She kept her hand at her hip as she walked through the rest of the security checkpoints, the cool metal of the lightsaber's hilt helping her calm herself.
When the two of them finally exited the military base and headed towards their waiting starship, Astrid said to Commander Fox, "Thank you for taking me to see Mrs. Turmond."
"Of course, general," Commander Fox replied evenly through his helmet.
He sat down in the pilot's seat as Astrid moved towards the co-pilot seat, and as the starship rose into the air, Astrid asked, "Could you attend Ahsoka Tano to the base tomorrow?"
Commander Fox nodded and replied, "As you wish, General Katarn."
Astrid gave him a grateful smile. She was beginning to feel embarrassed for her outburst in the military base. She hoped Commander Fox didn't think ill towards her.
When they arrived back to the Jedi Temple, Astrid bid Commander Fox goodbye, telling him she would see him in the morning, before she hurried inside the temple in search of Ahsoka. The mood inside the temple was somber.
Everyone's face was solemn and grave, and Astrid noted the slumped curve of many Jedi's shoulders as if they bore a weight too heavy to bear. The hallways were darkened, and the gold and white splendor of the temple seemed somehow muted.
Dread settled deep inside Astrid. She felt like something bad was about to happen... and soon. Astrid wondered absently how Obi Wan and Anakin were faring with Maul and Opress. She was still a little miffed that she wasn't able to help, but Astrid understood her job here at the temple was just as important.
She was determined to catch the person behind the bombing.
Astrid decided to check for Ahsoka at the hangar first, and sure enough she spotted the young Padawan standing in front of two clone troopers, conversing with the clones with an empathetic smile.
"Ahsoka," Astrid called out as she approached, and Ahsoka turned towards her at the sound of her name.
"Astrid, you're back early," Ahsoka remarked, brows drawing together in concern. "Is everything alright?"
Astrid began to nod before shaking her head. "No," she told Ahsoka. Astrid glanced at the clone troopers uncertainly before taking Ahsoka's arm and drawing her away from earshot of the clones. "Ahsoka," Astrid began quietly, "I spoke with Jackar Bowmani's wife, Letta Turmond."
"How did it go?" Ahsoka asked earnestly, her blue eyes wide with sincere hope.
Astrid's heart broke a little at the sight. In that moment, Ahsoka looked so young. She truly looked her sixteen years. Astrid wanted nothing more than the shield the young girl from Letta, a feeling of creeping dread crawling over her at the thought of the two meeting, but she had no choice.
This was the Jedi Order at stake, and they were at war.
"She will only speak to you," Astrid told her quietly. "The only thing she would bother telling me was that someone told her to put the nano droids in her husband's bloodstream."
"So the attacker could still be a Jedi," Ahsoka murmured, her gaze dipping to the ground. The Padawan rubbed her jaw with a hand, a gesture that eerily reminded Astrid of Obi Wan. At second thought, Astrid realized Ahsoka was practically Obi Wan's daughter and Anakin's sister.
Astrid couldn't help but feel a stab of envy at the thought. She hoped Ahsoka regarded her as a sister. Astrid pushed these thoughts out of her mind to focus on the more important issue at hand.
She answered, "Yes, this means a Jedi could be behind this."
Ahsoka let out a disappointed sigh before muttering, "I was hoping Letta would have been the one responsible, which would've put the blame off of any Jedi, but now it seems like that's impossible."
Astrid nodded.
"You can visit Letta tomorrow morning," Astrid told her. She cast a look at the clone troopers and maintenance workers milling around the hangar, and she added, "I don't think these clones or maintenance workers will be able to tell us anything we don't already know."
Ahsoka nodded in reluctant agreement. "Yeah, I was beginning to discover that myself."
The two of them studied the hangar in silence, seemingly caught in a limbo. "Well," Astrid started with a heavy sigh. "I don't think there is anything more we can do until you talk to Letta. Do you want to eat dinner with me?"
Ahsoka gave Astrid a bright smile, before nodding. "I would love that."
(Ahsoka was always so optimistic--)
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Astrid and Ahsoka both wanted to eat outside, and since the landing pads were the only place outside that was still in the Jedi Temple's grounds, they agreed to meet on one of the landing pads on the upper levels of the temple that was rarely used.
In the one hour before their dinner together, Astrid hurried out to a restaurant on the surface of Coruscant near the temple and grabbed food for the two of them. She wanted Ahsoka to have good food for just one night.
They'd both been eating wartime food for months--years-- now, which mostly consisted of beans, rice, crackers, and jerky. They deserved to pamper themselves tonight with good, real food.
Astrid arrived first at the top landing pad, and the wind whipped at her with such ferocity that Astrid was forced to braid her hair back so it wouldn't fly in her face.
There was a starship magnetized to the landing pad, which Astrid found strange since she wasn't aware of any Jedi having to leave any time soon, and, well, this landing pad was rarely used and even rarely observed by surveillance. That was part of the reason why Astrid and Ashoka had picked this landing pad-- so they wouldn't be noticed or disturbed.
Astrid sat down on the landing pad and began to lay out the food she'd bought with her own earned credits from the restaurant.
She'd just finished getting everything settled when Ahsoka walked out onto the bridge connecting the landing pad to the Jedi Temple, and Astrid waved a hand. Ahsoka's face immediately brightened at the sight of all of the lavish food, and she exclaimed, "Astrid! Did you buy this yourself?"
Astrid nodded, unable to contain her own grin. "I thought we deserved it after everything, after fighting this war for almost three years now."
Ahsoka huffed a laugh and replied, "We definitely deserve this." She began to pull off the lids of various containers of food, and steam wafted up into the air from the containers. Astrid hummed with content as she inhaled the scent of the delicious food.
"Too bad Anakin isn't here," Astrid remarked with a laugh at his expense. "He's too busy chasing Maul and Opress with Obi Wan." She tsked with a shake of her head. "And he thought his mission was better than ours."
Ahsoka laughed in agreement. "I'm sure he's already missing us," she teased before pausing and adding slyly, "Especially you."
Astrid's hand froze from where she had been moving it towards one of the food containers. Astrid looked up at Ahsoka with a frown and asked with feigned cluelessness, "What do you mean, Ahsoka? He likes us both." She waved a hand towards Ahsoka as she remarked, "I'm sure he even likes you more. You're his Padawan."
Ahsoka only raised a brow, a light smile touching her lips. "I am not clueless, Astrid, or even as purposefully ignorant as Obi Wan is. I saw you and Anakin together after we defeated the Separatist on that one planet where the Grey Jedi and Lurmen resided."
Astrid felt a heat wave of anxiety rush through her as a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She felt a little faint. "I-- I don't know what you're talking about," Astrid replied, trying to sound carefree, but her voice trembled slightly, and her voice sounded forceful.
Ahsoka's eyes widened as she quickly assured her, "You don't have to worry about me telling anyone, Astrid. Your secret is safe with me, even if you do decide to play clueless. I would never hurt Anakin. He's like an older brother to me."
Ahsoka paused, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks as she added, "And I would never hurt you either. I know I've only known you for a few months, but already you feel like the sister I've never had and always wanted."
Astrid wasn't sure if she should feel elated or worried, so she only stared at Ahsoka, waiting for the blow to fall, even after Ahsoka had told her she wouldn't say anything to anyone about her and Anakin.
Finally, Astrid managed to speak, "So you've known for months now, and you never said anything?"
Ahsoka nodded solemnly before replying, "Even if I didn't care about you and Anakin, I still would never have told anyone because I think the Jedi Code is wrong in regard to attachment. We need human attachment in order to survive."
She gestured in the air with a hand as she continued passionately, "Just look at the clones. Their squadrons are their family, and they stick by their family no matter what. It's how they've managed to survive so long in the Clone Wars. It's time the Jedi Order does the same."
Astrid quirked a smile as she replied, "I think I would like to join your Order, Ahsoka."
Ahsoka grinned back in response.
Astrid opened her mouth to say something when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, coming from the bridge connecting the landing pad to the temple. She turned her head and spotted Barriss Offee, a Padawan like Ahsoka, approaching the two.
She wore a black cloak with the hood pulled over her head, which made it hard to discern her features. But Astrid recognized her pale yellow-green skin tone and the black diamond shapes tattooed on her face underneath her eyes and across her nose to discern her as Barriss.
The Padawan's face was turned to the ground, so she didn't notice Astrid and Ahsoka sitting there on the landing pad until she looked up twelve feet away from them. Barriss nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise at the sight of them before she relaxed, an easy smile blossoming on her dark-colored lips.
"Hello, Ahsoka and General Katarn. I didn't see you there," she greeted them warmly in a slightly accented voice.
Ahsoka was beaming. Astrid figured the two Padawans were close friends.
"What are you doing here, Barriss?" Ahsoka asked, her blue eyes bright with warmth.
Barriss gave an uneasy laugh as she indicated to the starship and replied, "I'm about to do an errand for Master Luminara." She looked down and seemed to have noticed their food because her eyes filled with yearning. "Wow," she commented. "Real food. What's the occasion?"
Astrid leaned back on her hands as she replied, "Ahsoka and I were pulled back from the warfront to investigating the bombing. We figured we might as well enjoy some real food while we were here on Coruscant."
Barriss nodded in understanding, and she gave them a small smile as she said lightly, "I heard you two were investigating the bombing. It makes sense considering you weren't here when it happened." Barriss indicated to their food as she added, "And it also makes sense that you're eating real food while you're on Coruscant. The food they give us on the war front is abhorrible."
She sounded bitter at this last part, and Astrid couldn't help but laugh in agreement. Astrid remarked teasingly, "You would think the Republic would spare the Jedi and their troops some good food after all we're doing to maintain their-- or our-- democracy."
"You would think," Barriss muttered under her breath, her voice still filled with that same bitterness, and Astrid was a little surprised by the strength of the Padawan's resentment. Through the Force, Astrid could sense Barriss's dissension and antagonism oozing from her like poison.
Barriss stood there awkwardly in the ensuing silence as if unsure how to politely excuse herself so she could attend to Master Luminara's errand. As if sensing this, Ahsoka remarked, "I'll see you later, Barriss. It was nice seeing you!"
Barriss gave Ahsoka a warm smile, and she said as she brushed past them, "Yes, it was nice seeing you both. Have a nice dinner."
The Padawan climbed into the starship's single rider cockpit, and a moment later, the starship lifted soundlessly into the air before zipping away, leaving a gust of wind that whipped Astrid's stray hairs around her face.
Ahsoka stared after the starship with a small smile, and she turned to Astrid as she remarked, "I've known Barriss ever since I first got here when I was three years old. Other than you, Obi Wan, and Anakin, she's my best friend."
Astrid only smiled in response, feeling strangely uneasy, but she pushed away her unease, fully intending to enjoy this last, good meal.
(--and Ahsoka was always so naive).
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