5 years later

https://youtu.be/8QpUGCXwOks

3rd person

Silence. Coruscant was not the kind of planet to know such a word. The roaring of speeders and the bustling crowds of people never ceased. Whether it was the myriad of shops and taverns or the underworld of crime lurking beneath the surface, every nook and cranny offered it own sound. Among this urban symphony, one unique sound stood above the rest.

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

Footsteps. They came from the rooftops of the senate district. 

"Tap."

"Tap."

"..."

Silence.

"SLAM!" A cloaked figure landed on a terrace after a large jump, rolling through the impact. Taking no time to rest, the figure continued their pace, weaving through or over every obstacle they encountered. 

(y/n) POV

'Breathe in, breath out.'  I thought. This phrase repeated incessantly in my head, drowning out any other thoughts. Each and every breath mattered, for if I missed a single one I would lose my current pace.

I could feel every inhalation. Each was as if my chest would suddenly burst open. Regardless, I ran. I jumped. I vaulted. I knew these rooftops like a smuggler knew his routes. Ahead of me was the all too familiar gap between Jeela's Salon and the hotel I still didn't know the name of. Six meters. No force required.

"Wooosh."

 I leapt across the space effortlessly, my cloak billowing all throughout the break in my footfalls. Once my feet reunited with solid ground, I continued. 

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

Suddenly, a massive rectangular shadow fell over me. Looming over me was the large wall of an abandoned industrial plant; hyperdrives were manufactured there at one point. My focus was on the pipe that hung over the side of the facility. Thirty meters, a sheer vertical climb. Easy. I was up in twenty seconds. Now for the descent on the other side. After quickly vaulting over a few metal boxes, I took the usual path. A few five meter jumps coupled with a roll to safely absorb the impact. Now for the straightaway. It was now or never.

I gradually accelerated, trying to keep my breathing as steady as possible. I moved my legs back and forth, rallying as much physical force as I could. My velocity doubled, then it tripled. I came into contact with multiple other gaps and chasms between rooftops, but my newfound speed completely invalidated them. They were cleared with ease. The rooftops steadily grew higher as I approached my destination: The Jedi Temple. 

It was as if I was scaling a staircase, only each step was the length of a light cruiser. As I ascended each step, my legs became increasingly fatigued. First it was the burning, aching sensation of muscle pain. Then that feeling was substituted for numbness and exhaustion. I particularly disliked the latter. It reminded me of my own vulnerability. 

"Aaagghhh!" 

I let out a distorted cry of pure agony. Ignoring the lack of feeling in my legs, I willed them to keep going. Only a hundred meters to go. Fifty. Ten. 

"Time!" I yelled, clicking a button on my wrist communicator. As I anxiously checked the four digits displayed on the screen, my legs finally gave out

'Twenty-eight minutes, eleven seconds. That's a new record!'  I exclaimed in my head gleefully as I collapsed on the ground outside the temple. 

Adi POV

I needed to clear my head. The rescue attempt had been successful, Master Eeth Koth was safe, but there were many losses we suffered towards that end. Most importantly, Grievous had evaded capture yet again. Pondering on the matter, I circled the temple outskirts as I usually did while reflecting. 

'It's my loss.' I reflected internally. 'He was right in front of me, and I let him go.'

I've long since mastered control of my emotions. It is the key to being a Jedi, after all. Regret, frustration, grief. I feel all of these things, but they hold no power over me. Nevertheless, I still can't help but utterly despise feeling weak. Oh well, back to training. 

Before I could turn towards the temple to make my way toward the training area, a peculiar sight caught my eye. At the temple district's edge, someone lay face down on the ground, unconscious. Making haste, I rushed over to check on them.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked while prodding them. The individual let out a groan before turning over, opening their eyes. Only then did I recognize their face, albeit they had aged noticeably since I had seen them last.

(y/n) POV

"(y/n)? (y/n) (l/n)?" Master Gallia inquired while standing over me. Rubbing my eyes, it took me a second to process what had happened. I must have passed out. Why did it have to be her that found me? 

"Yes Master Gallia." I answered after standing and bowing customarily. An awkward silence permeated throughout the air before Master Gallia cleared her throat to speak. 

"Young (l/n), what happened to you?" the Master asked, intrigued.

"I was only running, Master. I must have fainted from exhaustion." I responded.

"Running, what for?" she pressed further.

"Physical training, Master. I'm training my strength and stamina daily." I answered again. Now the gears started turning in the Jedi Master's head. She paused, deep in thought. I was less than shocked at her puzzled reaction To any normal Jedi the thought of training your physical body beyond basic lightsaber combat was bizarre. I, however, am not a normal Jedi. 

"Young (l/n), are you training your physical being to make up for your lack of force powers?" Master Gallia hit the nail on the head.

"Yes Master, it's something I have to do to overcome my shortcomings." I added in a bit of her own words just to spite her a little. Contrary to my expectations, she laughed. Master Gallia actually laughed. It was only a small chuckle, but surprising nonetheless. I think it surprised even her, because she cleared her throat afterward, composing herself.

"Young (l/n), are you aware that all other members of your youngling clan have found masters?" she interrogated.

"Yes Master." I returned, gritting my teeth slightly. I was well aware of this fact. In fact, Ahsoka had gotten assigned to the legendary Anakin Skywalker. Meanwhile, I was left out to dry.

"The Clone War has deeply changed how the Jedi handle apprenticeships. Younglings don't traditionally become padawans this early, but a new standard has been set in these difficult times." she explained.

"I'm aware, Master." I sighed.

"You are currently the oldest youngling." she stated in her usual emotionless demeanor. 

"Master, with all due respect, where exactly are you going with this?" I retorted with a fake smile. I was growing tired of this farce. She was probably going to say some variation of 'You should consider joining the service corps,'  or 'Maybe it's time you give up being a Jedi.' I've heard them all too many times to count. Enough of the redundant bullshit, get to the point. 

"Young (l/n), your tenacity is impressive. That said, a Jedi needs more than tenacity. There are certain qualities a Jedi must possess, and one of them is an affinity with the force. You would do well to give up this fruitless dream and not waste any more of your time." Master Gallia proclaimed bluntly. 

"No, Master." I rebutted simply, earning a sigh from the Jedi Council member.

"Youngling, I still remember that day you partook in The Gathering. I'm sure... I'm sure it left quite the impression on you." Master Gallia suggested, choosing her words carefully. She seemed... less cold?

"Yes Master, it did." I confirmed. That day changed everything. The failure to meet my own expectations... the undeniable truth that I was the weakest one, it broke something in me. That feeling of utter nothingness, of powerlessness, I will never feel it again. That day I began my training. If I couldn't use the force properly, I would train my physical body. After all, "The force made physical, a Jedi is." according to Master Yoda anyway. Regardless, I needed to do something, anything to vent my frustrations and anger. 

Oops, guess I spaced out. Master Gallia had already continued lecturing me. Great.

"There are some things that can't be changed, young (l/n). That is the nature of the force. If you continue trying to fight against it, you will only find disappointment. I do wish you well, whatever you choose." Master Gallia finished, indicating the end of our chat. 

"Thank you, Master. I'll consider your advice carefully." I acknowledged with a small bow as she walked toward the temple entrance.

"..."

"Fucking bitch." I muttered under my breath.

Ahsoka POV

I walked briskly through the long corridors of the Jedi temple. Anakin was going to kill me. How could I be so stupid? In the blink of an eye, it disappeared from the side of my waist. My lightsaber had been stolen, by a lowly thief no less. I had to get it back somehow, hopefully without Anakin finding out. The library would hopefully provide some information on the underworld and its many petty criminals. As I turned the corner, I couldn't help but catch a series of faint whispers.

"Look, that's the one."

"They call him 'The Weakest Jedi.'"

"What? He actually failed The Gathering?"

Directly ahead of me was the origin of the whispers, (y/n). I'm sure he heard it all. The judgement, the labels. He probably heard it every day. In any case, he didn't show it. 

"(y/n)! Wait up." I yelled, waving at him as he turned around. 

"Ahsoka! How are you?" he exclaimed with a smile. 

"Not so good." I admitted with a sigh. "My lightsaber was stolen." I confessed, this time with a whisper. 

"What?! Where?" he questioned, shocked. 

"Below the surface, in the underworld." 

"Have you told Anakin?" 

"No... he tells me over and over, 'your lightsaber is your life. Don't lose it. I'd prefer not to tell him.'" I answered honestly. 

"Okay... what's the plan then? Any leads?" he responded with a furrowed brow.

"I'm going to go to the library to try and get some info on criminals from the archives." I affirmed. 

"What a coincidence, I was about to head over there." he remarked with a chuckle.

Eventually we made our way through the large doors that preceded the Jedi Library. We were then greeted by Jedi Master Jocasta Nu, the chief librarian. 

"Ah, (y/n)! So good to see you. Here to study again?" The elderly woman exclaimed. Evidently (y/n) visited this place frequently. 

"Likewise, Master Nu. Actually, I was wondering if Master Sinube is here." he inquired as a fire ignited in his eyes. I think he'd gotten an idea. Master Nu nodded, pointing to the back of the library where all the desks were. Slumped over a desk, fast asleep, was an elderly member of the Cosian race. (y/n) wasted no time in rushing over to the frail-looking Jedi. He shook the Master rather roughly in an attempt to wake him, much to my surprise.

(y/n) POV

"Wakey wakey old man." I snickered. 

"What? Who?" the Master cried out, his eyes snapping open. Once his gaze focused on me, a familiar look of recognition spread across his aged face.

"Is napping all that you do these days, Master Sinube?" I asked jokingly.

"I was just resting my eyes." he replied with a chuckle. Master Sinube was a welcome departure from all the rules and trivialities of the Jedi order. He was just relaxing to be around. Anyhow, we had serious business to discuss, so I cleared my throat before introducing Ahsoka to Master Sinube.

"This is Jedi Master Tera Sinube. He's actually an expert on the crime underworld of Coruscant. The best there is, really. Nobody knows the streets better than him." I elucidated before giving Ahsoka the floor.

"My name is Ahsoka Tano. A thief stole my lightsaber, and I only got a quick look at him. I could tell he definitely came from one of the aquatic planets. You know, one of the water worlds?" Ahsoka explained, laying everything out.

"So you're saying there was something... fishy, about him?" the elder said while laughing to himself. Upon hearing this absolutely horrendous joke, Ahsoka shot me a look that said 'Really? This guy?' causing me to nod back without hesitation. Master Sinube might seem like an old crackpot, but he was anything but. Recovering from his self-inflicted fit of laughter, the old master got to sifting through the archives.

"Well, let's see if we can try and find out where he went. Shall we?" he said, gesturing towards the screen.

"We were near the slum district, G-17." Ahsoka informed the master. Master Sinube began muttering to himself and sifting through pages of data before an array of people appeared on the screen.

"Is it one of these fishes?" Master Sinube questioned Ahsoka. Her eyes instantly locked on to one of the individuals.

"That's him!" She exclaimed, pointing to the thief.

"Interesting indeed. According to the file his name is Bannamu, a petty thief. He hangs out in the slum district." the elder clarified.

"Thank you Master Sinube, your help has been invaluable. If there's anything I can do..." Ahsoka declared, interrupting the Jedi Master through the several attempts he made to say something. She wanted nothing more than to rush out and find the thief. To her, listening any further was a waste of time. Typical Ahsoka. Master Sinube wouldn't be shook off so easily though.

"Yes, there is. I haven't been on assignment in years. And if you don't slow down, you're not going to find what you're looking for. I'll come with you." Master Sinube asserted. Ahsoka looked so crestfallen it was hard to contain my laughter.

"Okay, gramps... it would be nice to have company." she muttered sourly.

"Splendid!" the old-timer cried jovially. "Well, (y/n), it seems my nap time will have to wait. Good luck with your studies." Master Sinube proclaimed to me. 

"Thanks for all your help, (y/n). I really appreciate it. I... we can take it from here." Ahsoka told me, looking exasperated at her new tagalong. The two waved to me as they made their way toward the library exit. I waved back.

Thinking back to the previous events of the day, I had an epiphany. I didn't have much time before my career as a Jedi was finished. Maybe the only way to save it at this point... was experience in the field. A showing of my prowess. Proving I had what it takes.

"Wait up!" I yelled as I scrambled to catch up to them.

"What is it, (y/n)?" Ahsoka asked, perplexed. I confidently responded.

"I'm coming with you."