I'm back sooner than I thought I would be, but hey, I'm back!

And, for once, this might actually be a decent-lengthed chapter.

Also, I apologize in advance for how much this jumps around. I just have a lot I have to cover right now and I'm trying to handle it the best I can.

"I've caught two heads, but I'm not an inch closer to the target than I was before," Ahsoka groaned, burying her face into her hands. If talking to yourself was a sign of going mental, she probably belonged in a psych ward by now.

"Think think think," Ahsoka demanded herself, pacing back and forth in her apartment. She stopped every few rounds to momentarily look out of her window and at the bustling Coruscant traffic, but she was up and moving again just as quickly as she stopped.

"I can't think," Ahsoka whispered, picking up her pace even more. By now, she wouldn't be surprised if she had worn a path through the floor that she had been constantly walking back and forth on for the past few days. "Everything's jumbled... scrambled... confused..."

The Togruta knew she sounded chaotically insane. And, to be fair, she probably was. Everything she was going through was doing a number on her mental health, but there was little she could do to combat that. Even a short vacation was impossible to even dream of at the moment. The longer she wasted trying to take down whatever was the demise of the Jedi, the more likely it was that they would crumble like she had seen in her vision.

"No no no no," Ahsoka chanted. She couldn't let that happen. She had seen the way that they all had depressed looks on their stone-cold faces, and she had heard how they growled her name as though it was poison. If they died, it was on her. And if she had all of that blood on her hands, she knew there was no way she'd be able to live with herself.

Going after any lead that she could possibly gain had proven to not work for her. Whatever this shaded organization was, it was smart enough to cover its tracks and stay five steps ahead of the Togruta at all times. She had to come at this from a different angle, but she just didn't know how. It sure as heck didn't help that her mind was as fried as a short-circuiting droid from all of the constant thoughts screaming in her head.

"You can do this." To be honest, she wasn't sure if she believed the words that were coming out of her mouth in attempted reassurance. She was deprived of sleep, and caffeine was no longer cutting it.

"I need..." Ahsoka cut off, stopping and sitting on her bed for what seemed like the first time in two days. What did she need? What could possibly help her in a time where not even her own mind functioned. Without being able to think properly, there was no way she was ever going to catch these people. And with the thought of not being able to catch the Jedi's killers came anxiety, and with the anxiety came an even lesser ability to think. For what seemed like the first time since she woke up from floating in the galaxy, she finally realized what she had to do.

"Clarity."

±

"If we're going to investigate this, we gotta have a cool codename. Y'know, instead of calling it... it."

"For God sakes, Anakin," Obi-Wan groaned, trying to ignore the young Jedi that had jogged ahead of him, then turned around so he could talk to him while walking backward. "This isn't some holomovie."

"Still," Anakin whined, falling into stride with Obi-Wan and turning back around, "I refuse to call our mystery person by the pronoun of all pronouns."

"Fine," Obi-Wan reluctantly agreed. "How about Ghost? Since it practically disappeared like a ghost when we tried to find it."

"Now you're the one stuck in a holomovie." Anakin shook his head. "Too corny, and not relevant enough. How about..."

Anakin wandered off as he pondered the perfect title for the mystery person. It couldn't sound too evil, since it appeared to be somewhat on their side. Suddenly an idea struck his mind and he spun around to Obi-Wan with a grin spread across his face. "What about the Gifter? Since it always calls the Separatists dumped on our doorstep gifts."

"We are not naming it the Gifter."

"It's settled," Anakin chimed happily. "The Gifter it is."

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan sighed, but he let Anakin have his choice. If it meant that the Jedi Master was happy, he was okay with it. Anakin had been down ever since Ahsoka's death, well, to be honest, they all had, and even the slightest smile from the Jedi was welcome.

"So, what is our next move on the Gifter?" Obi-Wan asked in attempts to appease Anakin.

"Nothing yet. We don't even have a single sliver of information about the Gifter, except the fact that it's really strong. We haven't seen this kind of power since..."

When Anakin struggled to finish the sentence, Obi-Wan did it for him. "Ahsoka."

"Yeah," Anakin bowed his head in sorrow. "Since Ahsoka."

"Could it be possible for others to be going through the same transition that Ahsoka did when she suddenly got all powerful? Perhaps that is how the Gifter is so strong with the Force," Obi-Wan suggested.

"An evolution," Anakin noted, "and Ahsoka was the first. That's a scary thought. Could you imagine how scary this galaxy would be to live in if there were Sith that could obtain the same strength Ahsoka had?"

"It's unlikely, but it is a possibility," Obi-Wan agreed, followed with a shudder. "They would be unstoppable."

"Yeah, we'd just have to throw them on a planet and them blow it up..." Anakin joked, but stopped short after realizing what he said. He bowed his head in shame and remained quiet for what was left of their walk to the Council room.

"Master Kenobi, Skywalker," Shaak greeted, which was odd, considering she was usually one of the members who stayed fairly quiet during meetings. Anakin looked around and quickly took note of the fact that both Yoda and Mace weren't present. "Some of our friends couldn't join us today because of questioning."

Anakin nodded in understanding as he remembered that today was their day to grill Count Dooku on information. So far, he had kept silent, but Anakin had a feeling that wouldn't be for long. Soon enough though, would come the Sith Lord's hearing, and if he didn't open up before then, he might be taking all his secrets to the grave.

"Well then, let's get started," Obi-Wan hummed, taking his respective seat and gesturing for Anakin to do the same. "Compliments of the one and only Anakin Skywalker, we now have a name to refer as our vigilante as. Would you care to have the honor of filling in everyone else?"

Without skipping a beat, nor with any shame, the Jedi Master proudly declared, "The Gifter."

Most of the Council Members maintained a straight face, which of course were laced with traces of annoyance, but a few of the more laid back Jedi let out a small chortle. Plo Koon took the initiative to ask in disbelief, "The Gifter?"

"I doubt anyone else could come up with a name that is relevant and better than mine," Anakin bravely stated, arms crossed and head tilted.

Some of the Masters shared glances amongst each other, most of which including a small smirk, but they quickly straightened out. "Shall we begin?"

±

It had been an extremely tiring flight, given that she didn't have her usual R6 to help guide her. However, with a little bit of grit and a caf, she made it okay.

Knowing that she didn't have time to stop and socialize with Caceryn, Ahsoka had chosen to land her... borrowed...ship closer than usual to the Gray Jedi Temple. And, seeing that it wasn't like anyone was going to be strolling around a meadow that was miles and miles away from the nearest civilization, it wasn't necessary for the Togruta to cloak her vessel.

The breath of fresh, pure air that Ahsoka inhaled was most definitely refreshing and welcome. Between the air in her ship, in Coruscant, and in the different Separatist bases, something natural and crisp was an indulgence for the Gray Jedi.

"I'm home," Ahsoka whispered to herself with a smile as she Force-jumped between the stepping stones that had been laid out in the sides of the mountains. She knew in the back of her mind that the deceased Gray Jedi were listening to her, and even though it might creep others out, it gave her a sense of security...and even possibly...

Belonging.

While their bonds might not be as strong right now, given that she had only encountered them a handful of times and on very limited occasions, Ahsoka had a feeling that the Gray Jedi were going to grow into being what she could call a family. She thought that she had that at the Jedi Temple, but the more she thought about it, the more it put a distaste in her mouth. Family doesn't lie to each other, and that was exactly what the Jedi had been doing this whole time. They never truly saw her for who she was, and what her potential could possibly amount to, but instead as more or less an expendable Padawan. Of course, there were those that Ahsoka made an exception for, but she could count them on one hand.

"Your return had been long-awaited," a voice from ahead of Ahsoka broke through the silence. The Togruta snapped herself out of her thoughts and brought her focus to her surroundings. She had managed to make it all the way to one of the bridges that connected a nearby mountain to the Temple, and right ahead of her was the one and only Aylile.

"Grandmaster," Ahsoka acknowledged with a grin, all the while picking her pace up a little bit.

"About that," Aylile said with a sigh, falling into step with Ahsoka as the two made their way across the bridge. "There's a reason to why we drew you here."

Ahsoka instantly picked up on what the Pantoran was trying to get at and stopped dead in her tracks. "Master, you of all people should know I can't right now. Right now, the Jedi need me. If I don't solve this massive problem, then I might as well say goodbye to every one of them!"

"Ahsoka," Aylile shook her head. "You can only keep saving them for so long. They're a lost cause now, and we were foolish to have not seen it before. The Gray Jedi need to be rebuilt, and it's you who has the honors to. The Jedi just don't have any morals anymore. They don't understand."

"Maybe it's time for me to make them," Ahsoka argued, her arms now defiantly crossed in front of her chest. "I can't turn my backs on them, especially not in a time like this. The Gray Jedi have been dormant for centuries upon centuries, so I don't think another couple weeks will hurt."

Aylile sighed in sorrow. "I thought you would get it. But you're just like them, Ahsoka. They've wired your brain in their twisted way. Now all that I can do is help to fix the damage."

Ahsoka turned and looked at her in pure disgust. "Fix me? Excuse me, but I believe that I am doing just fine. It wasn't your butt over on Exegol that laid everything down on the line to save innocent people, was it? That's right, it wasn't, because you're too dead to even leave this planet!"

The shock and hurt on the Grandmaster's face were almost enough for Ahsoka to take back her statement. To be honest, the Togruta was expecting Aylile to just go away and leave her without help, but the Pantoran seemed to just shrug her emotions off and continue talking. "I know what you're thinking, Ahsoka. I wouldn't leave you like that. I would never turn my back on you."

"Then why won't you just accept the fact that I am who I am? You only like parts of me, and that isn't good enough. I'd rather you leave me alone." At this point, it was taking Ahsoka everything she had not to completely blow up in Aylile's face. Who did she think she was? She couldn't just parade around and take control of Ahsoka's life, all the while declaring there was something wrong with her.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Ahsoka," Aylile interjected the Togruta's thoughts. "That's not what I meant. You're perfect. All I want to do is help you see the bigger picture, the one that the Jedi have shielded from you."

While she wasn't completely at peace with the Gray Jedi, Ahsoka eased up a bit and allowed her response to be softer. "What could be a bigger picture than saving thousands of lives?"

"Protecting millions."

"We don't trade lives for lives." Ahsoka shook her head. "That isn't how I work. Whether that's the Jedi or the Gray Jedi in me, I don't know. But that is one stipulation that I live by."

"Alright," Aylile conceded. "I understand. I will honor that. So, I'll make a deal with you."

"And that is?"

"I'll help you with extinguishing the threat on your friends, and you'll get started on rebuilding the Gray Jedi."

Ahsoka turned to look at the Pantoran in deep thought. Then, as a response, she nodded and continued her walk to the Temple. There was no doubt that the Togruta was biting off way more than she could chew, but she couldn't turn back now. Both things were matters that needed to be dealt with, and, unfortunately for her, she would do everything in her power to make sure that they were quickly and efficiently taken care of.

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"Hey R6," Anakin greeted as he walked up to the astromech. The droid quickly powered up from the dormant state it had been in since Ahsoka's death, clearly glad to see a familiar face. "We've got some questions to ask if you don't mind."

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, who nodded in approval. For now, the two of them had been put in charge of figuring out who stole Ahsoka's lightsabers and why. So, like they had brought up previously, they were going to figure out everything they could about Ahsoka's secret trips that she used to take. What better place to start than the very astromech that flew her there?

"I have an idea," Anakin suddenly declared, gesturing for Obi-Wan and R6 to follow him. "How about we just have R6 take us there? He should have the route saved in his memory."

R6 let out a protest and tried to zoom away, but Anakin used the Force to drag him back. The astromech let out a series of furious whistles and struggled against the Jedi Master's grip, but it was useless.

"Someone doesn't want to share their secrets," Obi-Wan noted with a small chuckle, allowing Anakin to deal with the feisty droid as they walked to a nearby hanger.

"Too dang stubborn," Anakin growled as he continued to fight against the determined droid and pull him to a nearby cruiser. "What is your deal, anyway?"

If astromechs could have facial expressions, R6 would be glaring daggers at Anakin. It continued to chirp and beep angrily, letting Anakin know that he would never get R6 to betray Ahsoka's wishes.

"Not stubborn," Obi-Wan corrected. "Loyal. I just wonder why Ahsoka wouldn't just erase his memory if she didn't want us to know anything."

"Maybe she was paranoid about forgetting it. This place is probably extremely important," Anakin suggested, then stepped inside the cruiser and lifted the astromech behind him. Obi-Wan filed in behind the two of them, all the while making sure that R6 didn't escape Anakin's grasp.

"We are your masters now," Anakin scolded the astromech. "As much as it hurts me to admit it, Ahsoka is dead. Now we need the information you store so we can figure out why someone might steal her lightsabers."

R6 looked at the Jedi, then down at the small, blinking light that Ahsoka had programmed onto her. Of course, she couldn't say anything out loud, but she gave an inward droid-style laugh. Master, she thought to herself, you sneaky little b*tch. You really have them all fooled.

So, as long as that light blinked on and off, she was to keep her astromech-lips sealed and not reveal anything about Dantooine. The second that the light shut off, she had permission to show the Jedi the secret route.

A plan hatched in the astromech's mind. R6 would give them what they want, most definitely.

R6 looked up at Anakin and Obi-Wan, and with an annoyed whistle, she stopped fighting against the Jedi's Force-hold and wheeled herself right up to the astromech station. Then, just as the Jedi were getting seated, she took control of the piloting mechanisms and quickly took off.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan scolded. "Get ahold of your former Padawan's droid."

"You seriously think anything I do will stop it? For Force sakes, Master, it's Ahsoka's droid. It has a kriffing mind of its own."

"Watch your language." At this point, Obi-Wan really didn't care anymore. He just wanted answers before he completely killed himself.

±

Ahsoka couldn't help but smile as she began to meditate for the first time since her arrival. It was just as she had planned: peaceful, secluded, and prominent with the Force.

She didn't recall a time in recent days where her mind had been so calm. It was as though every single thought she had suddenly slowed to the pace of a large, steady river, instead of the usual, sporadic and fast-paced stream it had been before.

This is exactly what I wanted, Ahsoka thought to herself, enjoying the fact that she could now do that without completely sending herself over the edge.

Clarity.

Ahsoka felt as though with this state, she could handle anything the galaxy, or better yet, the universe threw at her. It wouldn't be easy without having someone to help her, but she knew she wasn't alone. She had the Gray Jedi by her side, as well as...

The Togruta fondly looked down at the small band she had around her wrist. In the center of it was a small, blinking, green light. She traced over it with her thumb, then pressed a button that was right by the signal. As she pressed it, the light momentarily changed to a steady blue, then switched back to its original pattern.

At least someone knows I'm still alive, Ahsoka thought to herself with a gentle smile. Someone that I know I can trust my secrets with for life.

With that, the Togruta fell into a full meditation. She would get the answers she needed, and she would protect the ones that she loved.

Haha R6 knows what's up.