Ashara laughed as Anakin threw a small fruit at her. She caught it easily, without even touching it. It just floated in the air.

"I wish I could do that", Anakin said. "You're so cool when you do that."

Ashara shrugged her tiny shoulders. "You'll be able to one day, Ani! I know you will."

Anakin grinned, and looked at a piece of fruit on the table. He stared at it really hard, and Ashara had to keep herself from laughing. He just looked really constipated.

"That's not how you do it, silly", she said. "Close your eyes and reach out, feel the area around the fruit. Then focus on the fruit and imagine it being lifted up."

Ashara watched as he did what she said, relaxing and looking much more peaceful than he has since she got there. She watched as the fruit lifted up for a few seconds. She grinned.

"You did it, Ani!" she cheered. Anakin opened his eyes a bit, and grinned when he saw the floating fruit. 

"I did it!" he cheered, pumping his fists into the air. The fruit fell back down onto the table.

"So you taught Anakin how to use the force?" Rex asked. Ashara nodded once. 

"I didn't know it was the force until a few years later, when Qui-Gon found me." Rex tilted his head in confusion, not recognizing the name. Ashara quickly spoke. "I'll explain who he is later."

Rex's comm-link beeped. He sighed. "Looks like it's time for a mission." Ashara nodded. 

"Go. I'll tell you more when you get back." Rex nodded, and left the Ghost, leaving Ashara alone to her thoughts. Her comm-link beeped however, and she answered it.

"What is it?" she asked gently.

"Greetings, Ashara Ki", she heard Yoda's voice on the other side. "Returned, you have."

"Master Yoda!" Ashara greeted back in surprise. "I have, yes."

"A meeting with you, the council would like", Yoda said. Ashara nodded, before realizing he couldn't see her.

"Yes, Master Yoda. I shall leave immediately." The communication link was ended, and Ashara sighed softly. She had hoped that the council would wait a little bit longer before asking her to meet with them. She knew it would happen, but she had hoped.

In the time it had taken for her to tell Rex her story, they had made it back to Coruscant. So Ashara merely had to leave the ship now, and make her way to the Jedi Temple. She did so quickly, not saying a word except to give directions to the clone who was driving her through the city.

She got to the temple, and made her way up to the council chambers. She waited outside, knowing that when they wished to speak with her, they would bring her in. She didn't have to wait long before she was greeted by a familiar dark skinned Jedi Master. 

"Master Windu", she greeted as respectfully as she could, trying to hide her disdain for him. Ever since she and Anakin arrived at the Jedi Temple, he had treated them like garbage, like they weren't worthy to be part of the Order, and it bugged her to no end. 

The Master Jedi gave no indication that he heard her, and instead just returned to his seat, whereas Ashara moved to the middle of the room. It was highly uncomfortable for her to be surrounded by all the Jedi masters, but she didn't allow her feelings of awkwardness to surface and take control. Instead she let her feelings of peace and tranquility take over.

Mace Windu was the first to speak. "Why did you leave the Jedi Order, Ashara?"

Ashara answered truthfully. "I was struggling with my emotions after losing the last two clones in my squad. I needed to take some time to gather my thoughts, and my emotions and gain control."

"Gained control, have you?" Yoda asked. Ashara nodded.

"There will be times when I know I will still slip up, and my emotions will get the best of me, but I know that I have better control than I did previously." Ashara hesitated on saying the next thing that came to her mind.

"Something more you have to say, hmm?" Yoda prompted. The togruta smiled, the Jedi Master always being able to tell when there was something else she wanted to say."

"Yes", she responded. "While I was away, I began thinking about maybe taking on my own padawan. I understand if you do not think I am ready, but as a Jedi Knight, it is part of my duty to help train the next generation of Jedi."

The Jedi Masters murmured in surprise, and shared glances, and Ashara waited patiently. A bit nervously, too, but she knew that whatever the council decided would be the best choice.

"We will need to discuss this further before we make any decisions", Windu finally said. "You are free to go."

Ashara nodded, and left the room. She let out a quiet sigh of relief at the fact that was over. She made her way to her quarters, knowing that it may be a while before Rex's mission is over. However, she didn't expect to be part of the rescue team to go and get him.

She stood next to Plo Koon inside a gunship, surrounded by fighters. One of the Jedi masters in a fighter spoke over the communication link.

"There have not been battles like these since the days of the Old Republic", he said.

"Indeed", Plo Koon said. "Good hunting." Ashara held onto the strap above her head tightly, knowing that the ride would soon become bumpy. She was right, as the enemy blockade sent out their own fighters to try and shoot them down.

She could barely hear Plo Koon speak to Master Tiin over the communication link through the blaster fire happening outside the ship. The ride got smoother as they got closer to the extraction point. The doors opened, and Ashara jumped out, her lightsabers at the ready to defend them as they got on the ship. Crab droids appeared, and she helped defend blaster shots as the others retreated.

When she was the last one left, she used the force to push back the crab droids and leaped up into the ship. They left very quickly, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention and get the rest out of there quickly. Ashara grabbed onto the nearest empty strap, only just realizing that it was next to Rex. She shot him a small smile, but she couldn't see his face due to his helmet. However, she could feel his emotions, and they worried her.

He seemed angry, and distraught. The clone next to him, Fives, also seemed to feel the same way, though more strongly. She frowned, wondering what happened that could affect the most level-headed clone she knew so badly. She would ask later, when they weren't surrounded by multiple people.

That time came much later, after they had returned to Coruscant, and a gunship gave them a lift to the Jedi Temple. Yoda greeted them, and gave his condolences about Master Piell, the Jedi they had been sent to rescue. Ashara didn't pay much attention instead worrying about Rex. He had been quiet the entire time. She hoped to find him quickly, after talking things with the old master. When all the Jedi started to go their separate ways, she turned to the clones piloting the gunship.

"Mind if I catch a ride back to the hangar?" she asked. The clone shook his head, and she climbed in. He took her back to the hangar of cruisers, and she quickly left Plo Koon's cruiser, and headed back to Anakin's, knowing Rex would be there. She first checked at the Ghost to see if he was there, which he wasn't, so she headed to her quarters instead. She was hurrying through the halls, not really paying much attention, so it was no surprise that when she turned the corner, she bumped into something. Well, someone. And she fell onto her rear end once again. She looked up, and burst out laughing at Rex's perplexed face.

"I really need to stop running into you", she said through her laughter. "Literally."

Rex chuckled, though it was half-heartedly, which only made Ashara worry about him more. He helped her up, and she looked up into his eyes, getting straight to the point.

"Are you okay?" she asked, all traces of laughter gone, turning serious. Rex paused, contemplating what he was feeling. His shoulders sagged, before he shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it here", he muttered. Ashara nodded in agreement before grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway to her quarters. Once she knew that they were completely alone, she turned to him.

"What happened?" she asked, worry evident on her face.

"Echo died", he blurted. "Got caught in a blast. There was nothing left but his helmet."

Ashara frowned, remembering that Fives and Echo were close. She didn't talk to them much, but she knew that Rex had taken a liking to them. They were both powerful ARC troopers. A lot of Rex's battle strategies that he used were ones that he and Echo had come up with together. Without thinking, she immediately pulled him into a hug. 

After a few moments of him just standing there awkwardly, that she realized what she was doing, and pulled away embarrassed. "Sorry", she muttered. "I should have asked first."

Rex didn't say or do anything for a few moments, a strange look on his face. Ashara didn't dare try and tell what he was feeling, for fear it was something bad. She started backing away a little bit, but didn't get far before he grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. She immediately hugged back, relishing the feeling of his arms around her shoulders. However, she stopped relishing it when she felt something wet dripping onto her lekku. She suddenly realized that he was crying and hugged him even tighter.

"Hey, it's okay", she whispered. "He's happier where he's at right now. I'm sure of it."

Rex sniffed, and nodded, not saying anything. They stayed in that position for several minutes, possibly an hour. Neither of them could tell, they were both enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms for the first time. 

"Do you want to hear about some more of my past?" Ashara asked hesitantly. "I understand if you don't want to, what with it being a fairly emotional day for you."

"No", Rex said. "I want to hear more. I want to know everything about you as soon as possible."

Ashara smiled, and pulled away from Rex, moving to sit on her bed. Rex sat next to her, closer than he ever had before. It startled Ashara, but she didn't let it show as she continued to tell him about how she and Anakin got out of slavery. She told him about Qui-Gon Jinn, and how she met him, and then she started into the story of the pod-race that Anakin partook in that gave them their freedom.