Everyone had fallen into silence at the sight of the Togruta. Their minds were racing with a million questions as they stood shell-shocked. How was it possible?! They had witnessed the planet blowing up! They had mourned her death!

The first one to break out of their ghost-like trance was Rex. A bittersweet grin spread across his lips as he gave her a sloppy, two-fingered salute and said, "Commander." Ashley could tell the soldier was trying to stay strong, but hints of tears across his cheeks glimmered in the midday sun.

"I can't believe it," Obi-Wan muttered. "I suppose I should start listening to Anakin's crazy ideas more, then."

"I'm not even going to ask how you're still alive," Barriss laughed, running up and wrapping Ahsoka in a big hug. She pulled back and studied Ahsoka's face. "And not even a scratch? What are you now, invincible?"

"Something like that," Ahsoka chuckled. "Just when I thought I had lived my life, reality came and slapped me back awake and told me to get back to work."

"And for good reasons, too," Barriss added, referencing her role as the grandmaster of the Gray Jedi.

"So is it really true?" Luminara questioned, a look of disbelief evident in her normally straight face. "You're the Gifter?"

"It's a stupid name, but yep, that'd be me."

"I'll have you know that I picked that name!" Anakin exclaimed, punching her playfully in the arm.

"That would explain it then," Ahsoka taunted, sticking her tongue out at Anakin.

"Almost ten years later and you two still haven't changed," Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are we going to sit around all day long or is there actually something that needs solving?"

"There's no way to really sugar coat this," Ahsoka began, flicking her gaze over to the trees to avoid eye-contact. "Sidious built an army of Sith equipped with lightsabers and the Force, and now they're about to massacre the entire Jedi Order."

A heavy silence ensued as Ahsoka awkwardly rubbed her back lek.

"I'm sorry, I think you lost me," Luminara finally managed to cough out.

"The Sith-army part or the massacre part?" Ahsoka inquired jokingly, but a sharp jab to the side by Anakin's elbow caused her grin to fade from her face.

"Don't be insensitive," Anakin scolded through a whisper.

"Meetings with you have never been dull, but this truly takes it to new extremes," Barriss admitted, her olive-green skin turning an unusually pale shade.

Trying to lighten the mood, the Togruta finally chirped, "Just like old times, huh? Never would've thought all those years ago when we first met that this is where we'd end up. How about we take the night off and just chat?"

"Take the night off? Snips, I don't really think that's a good idea," Anakin disputed. "We can't waste time right now."

"No, I've made that mistake," she shook her head, pausing for a moment to gesture towards the fallen log. She outstretched her hand towards the forest, then, using the Force, she searched through the woods until she found a similar fallen tree. She pulled her fingers back into her palm, signaling for the trunk to come flying back to them. A polite smile spread across her face as she gestured towards the recently added seating. Sensing that this was going to be a long conversation, they agreed. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex sat together on one, while Obi-Wan, Luminara, and Barriss rested on the other.

"There's something special that separates us from the rest," she began, a small spark of fire igniting in her eyes as she recounted her journey to where she was now. Then, placing a hand over her heart, she continued, "Right here. We don't fight because of politics, or because it's expected of us. We fight because of our compassion. We stand up for the little guys, right? Not because it makes us look heroic at the end of the day, but because it plants a small seed of hope and inspiration into future generations. Then, after all those years, we'll be able to sit back and watch a strong nation rise together and make the galaxy a better place because of what we started. It's not about fame or power..." she paused as her muscles quivered in the excitement of the speech. "It's about the legacy we leave behind."

"It makes sense now," Luminara spoke up, her eyes twinkling in fondness. "Your motives, that is. I've always sensed something driving you, but not... normal? It's almost un-Jedi-like."

"Because I'm no Jedi," Ahsoka admitted. "I removed myself from the Order long ago."

The Togruta and Barriss shared a knowing look. Finally, the Mirialan asked, "May I?"

"Be my guest."

"This is a hard topic for me to talk about, but several years ago, I was... straying from the Light. There were many things that the Jedi did that made me question their morals. It seemed as though the very values that they were built upon were being discarded by ignorant leaders. However, before I fell to the Dark, Ahsoka saved me," Barriss flashed the Togruta a coy smile. If she was being honest, the Mirialan wasn't sure if she could even put the rest of the story into words. However, with an encouraging nod from Ahsoka, she turned back to the others and began formulating her thoughts again.

"Ahsoka showed me balance. She showed me the truth in all its glory. However, I still thought that the Jedi were wrong and that I was ashamed to be one," Barriss explained as she gauged everyone's reaction. She could sense her old master's concern in her last sentence. So, with a smile, she finished with, "But the Sith are too. Turns out, Ahsoka really is something different. She's a Gray Jedi, and that's something that I can stand behind."

"Gray Jedi?" Luminara inquired. "But the last of their line died out a long time ago... during... the War."

"Yeah, they're still salty about that," Ahsoka laughed, recalling her encounter with the deceased Gray Jedi and their explanation of their extinction. "But we haven't given up yet. I have been given the life-task of restoring the title and bringing together a new breed of warriors."

"Interesting," Obi-Wan hummed, deep in thought. "But what do you get out of protecting the Order? You could've easily just tipped us off and let us deal with our own problems."

"Because that's what we do," Ahsoka simply replied. "A massacre of the Light would lead to a Dark rule over the galaxy. All balance would be lost and the galaxy would be in shambles. Sometimes the Jedi won't be ready for the enemies they're going to face. That's when we step in. I suppose you could call us the cavalry."

"Where are you planning on finding people like this?" Rex finally spoke up.

"It starts with us," Ahsoka firmly stated, opening her arms and gesturing to everyone sitting around her. "But then it will simply be a search across the galaxy. We're the elites. There aren't too many of us."

"Elites," Anakin echoed with a grin. "I like the sound of that."

"You don't count Skyguy. We need people up here," she held up a hand to the height of her montrals. "And you're about right here." She bent down and held her other hand at her knee."

"Not true," Anakin argued defiantly. He stood up on top of the log and reached up on his tippy-toes. Then, stretching his arm as tall as he could go, he said, "I'm here."

"No fair!" Ahsoka cried out as she tried to do the same, but found that she was several inches shorter than Anakin.

"Yeah, elites," Obi-Wan snorted at the two child-like Force-users. "So are we going to just sit here and let the Sith kill off all the Jedi or...?"

"Right," Ahsoka mumbled, plopping back down onto the log. "We need more information before we can calculate our attack. Obi-Wan, Anakin mentioned something about Savareen?"

"Yes. We've found a bunker there that we assume is the enemy base."

"An enemy base," the Togruta reiterated with a click of her tongue. "That's not good. I hope these are the only ones."

"No telling," Rex shook his head. "I could return to Coruscant and gather some of my brothers."

"That won't be necessary," Ahsoka assured him. "This needs to be a calculated and minimalistic job. No need for heavy gunfire."

Rex gave her a puzzled look. "Then why am I here?"

"You're the mascot, duh," Anakin piped up, throwing the clone a lopsided grin. Ahsoka simply rolled her eyes at her old master.

"No. You fit into the plan. I'm not yet sure how... just a feeling."

"I'm not complaining," the captain shrugged. "It was getting a little restless back there, and there's no other way I'd spend my time than with my favorite commander."

"I'm glad you're happy to see me again, Rex," Anakin smirked.

"No, I'm pretty sure he meant me," she challenged. "Isn't that right, Rex?"

"It's obviously me," the Jedi shot back before the clone could respond. Slightly aggravated by their banter, Rex patiently bit his lip and watched the argument play out.

"After all those jokes you pull on the clones? Not by a long-shot, Skyguy."

"Let's let him decide then. Who's it gonna be, Rex?"

The clone mockingly scratched his chin as though he was in deep thought. "I guess time will tell."

"No!" Anakin and Ahsoka both whined.

"Just tell us," Ahsoka begged.

Rex simply shook his head, earning a grunt of annoyance from the Togruta and human.

The six shifted over towards the fire as the sun sank low into the horizon. Final rays of golden light rolled over the beautiful lands and forests of Takodana, but it was eventually chased away by the cold winds of the night. The Jedi, Gray Jedi, and clone finished their stories for the evening and bid the others goodnight, then retired to their respective ships. They would need a lot of rest and recuperation if they were going to be ready to begin their mission.

~

A sigh escaped from the content lips of Anakin Skywalker. Soft, gentle waves could be heard in the near distance and a few beams of warm sunshine were flooding into his ship from the windows. His sleep had been peaceful, long, and not plagued by horrifying nightmares for the first time in seemingly years.

The Jedi yawned and stretched his limbs in an attempt to get blood pumping through his veins. If he knew Ahsoka, she would be breaking down his door at any moment and demanding for him to get up and ready in the instant. In fact, he was extremely surprised that she hadn't made her morning visit yet.

Then it struck him.

At first, it was a simple tremor that ran down his spine and caused all of his hairs to stand up, but the energy eventually evolved into something so dark that his eyes were threatening to flash a Sith yellow. A small growl bubbled up in his throat as he twitched his muscles again, finding the exact same problem as before. There was something so twisted... so wretched in his bed that he could easily travel to Tatooine and wipe out an entire race of Tusken Raiders.

It was coarse.

It was rough.

It was irritating.

And it was getting EVERYWHERE.

"AHSOKA!!!!" He bellowed, jumping to his feet and charging towards the door. He could hear shrieks of laughter coming from a certain Togruta and Jedi Master, and it only fueled his rage even more.

"Don't let Anakin near you!" Ahsoka warned as she raced through the center of their 'camp' area, resulting in all of the gathered Jedi and the clone to jump back in bewilderment. The furious Jedi only sprinted faster, narrowing the gap between him and his former padawan.

"You can run, but you'll never be safe from me," he hissed as she made a bee-line towards her ship. At these incredibly frightening words, Ahsoka finally seemed to understand the danger she was in and dug her feet in even harder. His hands barely missed her cloak as she jumped into her transport and used the controls on her wrist to shut the door.

After bending over and breathing in relief, Ahsoka peeked her head out of a window and stuck her tongue out at Anakin.

I think you're forgetting about something, Anakin said their Force-bond. Ahsoka cocked her head to the side in confusion as she watched him edge away from the window and back over to the door. Realization hadn't struck her until it was too late.

All Force-users could open a door, locked or not.

Anakin ran in and swooped her up into his arms, then started sprinting back out.

"Alright, you've got me. What's your plan now, Skyguy?" Ahsoka taunted, looking up at him and smirking.

"You'll see soon enough," he grinned maliciously. A sense of dread washed over her as she looked up and saw where they were heading.

"ANAKIN JEFFERSON SKYWALKER! SET ME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR SO HELP ME GO-AHHHH!" She screeched as he promptly threw her into the freezing cold bay. The shock of the ice-cold water was so harsh that she could barely twitch a muscle for several moments. Then adrenaline kicked in and her body was brought back to life, resulting in the Togruta paddling rapidly towards the sky. She inhaled sharply as she finally broke the surface and met contact with the even more bone-chilling air.

"I SWEAR TO- *clack clack* -THE KRIFFING- *clack clack* FORCE ANAKIN," she screamed between bouts of chattering of her teeth. The Jedi didn't even have a single hint of remorse in his features. He just continued to laugh his butt off at her unfortunate circumstances.

Trying her best not to let the Hoth-like water shut her muscles down, Ahsoka struggled her way back to the shore and heaved herself back up onto the sand. She lied there for a moment, coughing and hacking the water out of her lungs.

"You alright, Snips?" Anakin asked as he stood over her, faking concern.

"Go rot on Mustafar," she hissed, staggering back up on her feet. However, the second she thought she had balanced herself, her legs collapsed underneath her and she fell back onto the ground in a heap.

"It's called karma," he whispered in her ear as he bent down and helped her up. It took everything Ahsoka had to restrain her from punching him in the face right then and there.

"I appreciate the morning entertainment," Barriss chuckled, looking up from her holopad and steaming caf. "I can assure you that nothing near this exciting ever happens in the Temple."

"I can second that," Luminara mumbled along. She too was sipping on a caf and sitting by the fire. Anakin and Ahsoka hobbled over to the heat source, then the Jedi sat his former padawan down on a stump so she could get warm. He shed off his top layer of robes and wrapped it around the Togruta, but her shivering never ceased.

"If we're going to carry through with this mission, I suggest we do it quickly," Rex spoke up as he neared the others. Amidst all the chaos, they hadn't noticed the clone slip away from everyone else to answer the calls he was getting. "I just received several transmissions from my brothers. People are on to us."

"Alright," Obi-Wan nodded. "I say we split up into two groups and recon. We need to know more about these bases before we go on a murdering spree."

Ahsoka snorted at Obi-Wan's last words, earning a backhanded slap across her rear lek from Anakin. "Don't even think about it," he threatened, referencing to their conversation about assassination yesterday. The Togruta rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

"Since Anakin, I, and Master Unduli have already been to Savareen, I believe it's the wisest if the three of us go together. Ahsoka, are you alright with taking Rex and Barriss to the other base?"

"Not particularly fond of Endor at the moment, but I'll make it work," she agreed, giving an excited glance to Barriss and the clone.

"Then it's settled. Remember, we need to be stealthy. Do we still regroup here?"

"I don't see why not," Luminara shrugged. "It's a good place to lie low. The locals seem to mind their own business enough."

The six shared a nod amongst each other, then wordlessly sorted into their respective groups and walked to the ships. They had decided to choose Anakin and Ahsoka's smaller ones so that way they could sneak around easier.

"Good luck!" Ahsoka called out to Anakin, waving him farewell. He returned the gesture, then disappeared into the ship.

"Commander?" Rex called out as she slid into the pilot's seat.

"It's Ahsoka, Rex."

"Well, Ahsoka?"

"What's up?" She asked, flipping up switches and turning on the engines. The thrusters fired up loudly and the lights on the control panel flickered to life.

"For the record, you're my favorite."

"I know," the Togruta smirked, then jumped up and launched a hug on the unsuspecting clone. At first he tensed up, but he eventually relaxed and let out a hearty laugh. "Because you're mine, too."

That chapter was honestly soooo much fun to write. But now that leaves me up at 12:47 a.m. with nothing to do but contemplate life and not feeling the slightest bit tired. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I get a whole extra chapter written before I fall asleep.

To all my readers that are actually reading this right after I've updated, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you in the morning!