Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a typical afternoon at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for students and teachers in the training dojo. On one end of the room, there stood Barriss Offee and her master, Luminara Unduli. The two Mirialan Jedi were in the final throes of a sparring session that left the green-skinned near-humanoids soaking with sweat.

As they soon finished, they bowed to one another and took seats on the benches that adjoined the room’s walls.

Now they were spectators, and the next duel between a young, promising Jedi and their veteran maestro was sure to put on a show, for it was none other than Anakin Skywalker and his ruthless apprentice, Ahsoka Tano.

Barriss quenched her thirst with a drink of water and wiped the sweat reposing on her forehead as she got comfortable to watch Skywalker and Tano spar. Luminara, composed and regal as ever, simply sat and trained her gaze onto the Jedi before her.

As the lightsabers activated and the Tatooine native engaged the Togruta in a fierce dance that saw innumerable amounts of twirls, kicks, and even slight giggles as one of them got the upper-hand over the other, Barriss soon found herself as entertained as a Coruscanti teenager watching the latest holosoap.

She and her own master were not to be underestimated, whether it be on the battlefields of the Clone Wars or in the esoteric rooms of the Jedi Temple such as this dojo, where the elusive monks were free to hone their skills in the force in an environment erected entirely for them.

But this was different.

If Skywalker was indeed the Chosen One, then Tano was nothing short of his prodigy. A Chosen Second, perhaps.

With their intense saber skills and palpable, strong connection in the force, there was no doubt in Barriss’ mind that this was one master & padawan pair that would be enshrined in the Temple’s Archives on their ferocity alone.

After the sparring was completed, Tano and Skywalker did their own customary bows to one another and led the small congregation of teachers and students in exiting the dojo and out into one of the Jedi Temple’s seemingly-infinite hallways.

Their training for the day was over, and now they had other matters to attend to in this time of galactic civil unrest in which the Jedi had undertaken the role of soldiers defending the vulnerable Republic.

On their way out, Barriss hastened her pace and left Luminara’s side in the throng of Jedi to catch up to Ahsoka, who was exiting the dojo a few feet ahead at the side of her master. This left Luminara alone to engage freely in a riveting conversation with Master Halsey at the end of the flock.

Barriss caught her breath and exclaimed at Ahsoka once the two girls were only inches apart.

“Ahsoka! That was incredible! How do you find time to practice those forms?!”

Smiling at her peer, Ahsoka took the compliment and attempted to not come off too arrogant.

“I guess that’s one of the few benefits of having been deployed to so many wartorn planets – I’ve not lost my step,” remarked the Togruta. “Still, I’m sure I’ll take refuge in the library once all the fighting is done, and end up not knowing how to even block blasterfire.”

The two girls giggled, and now Anakin flashed a quick grin at them both while he walked in perfect lockstep with the congregation of Jedi headed to a communications room for an update on the logistics of the galaxy-splitting conflict the Republic and Jedi were entrenched in.

“Ahsoka, you and Barriss can take the rest of the evening off,” said Anakin. “The Masters and I are heading to a meeting to get briefed on the latest intelligence coming out of the Outer Rim. No padawans required. Have fun, but don’t get into any trouble.”

With another customary bow, Ahsoka dismissed herself from her master’s presence.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Master.”

Barriss took this as her cue to also say goodbye to her teacher, who was still a few feet away, chatting intensely while taking slower, calculated steps alongside Master Halsey.

Having seen the Masters heading into the conference room, there was an air of tangible excitement between the two adolescents.

Truth was, they seldom got an opportunity to socialize these days. Whereas when younglings they often had several classes together, the war effort had completely upended any sense of community in many of the cohorts of young Jedi learning the ways of the force.

Barriss had become apprentice to Luminara shortly before the onset of the Clone Wars, and Ahsoka was assigned to Anakin in the very initial stages of the conflict, and though both sets of Jedi had been paired up on a most memorable mission to Geonosis, their paths had not crossed since then. Worse, from where they stood at the moment, it did not appear that their paths would ever cross again in any significant window of time, any time soon.

The two felt a warmness and sense of homecoming being in the Temple again and in each other’s company.

“What do you say we head to the refectory and grab a bite to eat?” asked Ahsoka. “After all of that sparring, I can chow down on a whole nest of roasted porg.”

“After you,” replied Barriss.

--

Once in the dining hall and with meal trays in hand, the young Jedi took seats opposite each other on an empty table in the corner of the massive room. They were the only students in the refectory, save for a small huddle of aquatic younglings on the opposite end of the hall. Two Mon Calamari and a Quarren were fast at work on some glowing treats. A variety of food service workers labored all around them.

Slipping into conversation was easy for Barriss and Ahsoka, though this time, the velocity and intensity of their conversation made it seem as if they were in something of a race to see who can catch the other up to speed on the most recent topics before washing down their meals with their beverage of choice.

Upfront on Barriss’ mind was her conflicting feelings on the war that had seen her uprooted from the Temple, not in a way she could have ever anticipated when she was a youngling, but in a manner she anticipated would leave lasting trauma for herself, the Jedi, the clone troopers, and the galaxy as a whole, no matter what side emerged victorious in the end.

Ahsoka listened intently to her friend, though admittedly, felt a sense of guilt hearing about Barriss’ qualms, for though the Clone Wars were indeed a deadly affair that saw her in battles filled with droids, bounty hunters, and Sith underlings intending to kill her from every direction possible, leaving her utterly exasperated and begging for a resolution to the neverending nightmare, it was not without its few peaks alongside its many valleys.

After all, throughout the course of the war, she had formed a strong kinship with her fellow clone troopers, with Anakin, and with Obi-Wan. The war had also allowed her to forge deeper ties with allies in the Senate that she likewise would have probably not developed had the galaxy continued in peacetime.

Soon the conversations turned to their apprenticeships and respective masters.

“So, how’s it been with your master?” asked Barrriss. “Is he still as hard on you as ever? From what I just witnessed in the dojo, it seems to be paying off.”

“You know Anakin,” replied Ahsoka. “It’s rare that I get a day - or merely an evening like this one - off. He wants me to be prepared for every possible outcome.”

Indeed, Barriss had known Anakin. Not just as a faint acquaintance or from the infamy he had acquired from being the Hero With No Fear, tipping the war in the Republic’s favor with every victory he secured on the battlefield.

No, Barriss’ familiarity with Anakin traced further back than that. Not only had they crossed paths as younglings, but they spent considerable time together as padawans during the intense prelude to the Clone Wars; on a mission to the planet of Ansion to settle a local border dispute with Masters Luminara & Obi-Wan.

During that time, she had the opportunity to witness not just Anakin’s mastery of the force up close, but his peculiarities and often tense dynamic with his master.

Barriss had left Obi-Wan and Anakin then feeling thankful that her own relationship with Luminara was not one as volatile as theirs. She had also come away having developed a new curiosity on how humans came to be such passionate and emotional creatures; the polar opposite of the stoicism and balanced nature inherent in Mirialans.

Yet there was another impression of Anakin that Barriss had walked away with. One that she was not able to shake off despite her best efforts and strict adherence to the Jedi Code, even as she now spent her days aboard sterile Republic cruisers, zipping from planet to planet, bringing both relief and war to the galaxy’s grieving populaces.

“You remember how I told you about the time I spent with Anakin before the war?” asked Barriss.

“Briefly,” responded Ahsoka. “From when you were both padawans?”

“Yeah,” claimed Barriss. “Funny how that worked out. The needs of war emergency promotes the Chosen One to Jedi Knight and yours truly is still attached to the hip of one very overprotective Master Unduli. But at least I still have you.”

Ahsoka met Barriss with kind eyes that relayed a most compassionate sentiment. These sorts of things were never easy for Jedi to talk about, namely teenage Jedi.

“What about Padawan Skyguy, though?” asked Ahsoka. “I mean, with the way he came into the Order – the tragedy of Master Qui-Gon, the Naboo blockade, and even Chancellor Palpatine taking him under his wing – well, I’m afraid everyone knows who Master Skywalker is and where he’s been.”

The next words that came out of Barriss could not have ever come with enough proper warning to offset the shock that reverberated through the Togruta’s montrals and lekku.

“Ahsoka, do you think Anakin is cute?”

Chapter Text

At this question, Ahsoka dropped the spoon she was using to chow down on her soup and began shaking uncontrollably in the same hand holding the utensil.

Barriss reached out to grab her hand, gently assisting her in putting the spoon down and even assisting her with wiping her mouth with a cloth.

“I’m sorry,” spoke Barriss in a lower, more regretful tone. “I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just…”

Now more composed, Ahsoka watched Barriss take a hard swallow, pinch her eyes closed and sigh with intense effort.

“It’s OK,” verbalized Ahsoka, while now reaching out across the table to cup Barriss’ hands unto her own. “I’m OK. Please, tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Master Luminara says it’s just biology and not something to be ashamed of,” explained Barriss. “That every species experiences urges at this age. Of course, she doesn't know that Anakin in particular has been the object of my desire. But it is still something I have been struggling with; trying not to get too attached to the idea of him. I figured you’d have it harder, being his padawan and having to see his gorgeous face every day.”

“It is pretty beautiful,” interjected Ahsoka. “And don’t get me started on his eyes.”

“So you do find him cute!” squealed Barriss. “I knew it!”

Neither girl should have feigned as much shock or emotionality at this ‘reveal,’ for being two adolescents endowed with force sensitivity, the heightened need to want to perform well and impress whenever they shared space with Anakin was perceptible to even the most random of onlookers.

Even Master Ki-Adi-Mundi once cheekily suggested to the Council post-Geonosis that Skywalker and Unduli, with their padawans accompanying them, is a team they should consider calling on more often, not just for the overall benefit of each Jedi, but especially Barriss’.

The often-aloof Cerean told Master Unduli that perhaps it was owed to being in Skywalker’s presence that Barriss exceeded the high expectations placed on her by her master during the mission.

Thankfully, Ahsoka briefed the Council on that particular saga at a later time, without the Mirialan Jedi, and thus did not have to be subjected to such a shocking omission of her own role in assisting and saving Barriss from the perils of that orange dustball.

“So, let me guess,” spoke Ahsoka, now with a playful tone that saw her twirling her soup noodles as if she was making a potion. “It was when you were both padawans that my master used his charm on you? I confess – he had me from the first time I saw him. He didn’t even need to speak. He’s my Skyguy.”

At this, Ahsoka looked up at the refectory ceiling in a wistful daze and smile that saw her briefly daydreaming of nhow dreamy Anakin was and how much he meant to her.

“Oh, it’s not what he did or said,” remarked Barriss. “It was what I saw.”

Chapter Text

It began when during a mission to Ansion, Barriss and Anakin briefly separated from Masters Obi-Wan and Luminara to take a pause from their pressing mandates to bathe. Long days on foot on the warm world had left considerable wear and tear on their attire, and their complexions had darkened with splotches of dirt and oil.

This meant that it was not just their bodies who needed a wash in the rivers, but also their clothes. They picked a spot in the vast grasslands that had a tree, which worked as somewhat of a divider between them while they undressed and stripped down to nothing but their undergarments.

Once their clothing was off, the two padawans dipped into the shallow waters of the nearby river to bathe, each facing opposite sides of the stream. This was not something that they discussed or planned beforehand, but was rather a gesture of courtesy.

The tricky part, however, was that once they were done washing their clothes and bodies, they had to trek back to the tree to let their clothes dry and consequently put them on. The brief steps back to the tree saw the two Jedi trying their very best to not glance in the direction in which the other was in. Barriss succeeded at this, only seeing vague shapes that must have been Anakin.

After setting aside their clothes to dry, they each took a seat, now on opposing sides of the tree’s base, still avoiding looking at one another’s direction, for their bodies were still adorned solely by undergarments.

Through an unspoken sort of communication, they once again found synergy by settling into doing the same thing. Meditation, they found, was the best way to get use of this downtime that was required to let their clothes dry. For about fifteen minutes, they slipped into a trance, connecting with the force found in all living things immediately around them and in beings light years away.

Anakin was the one to break up their collective stupor.

“That should be enough time,” he remarked. “It’s time to get dressed and rejoin Masters Obi-Wan and Luminara.”

Taking her cue, Barriss slipped on her wardrobe, still facing the opposing direction from the sandy-haired boy she assumed was doing the same. Only, after quickly slipping on her humble fittings, did she notice that she did not hear any movement behind her. Worse, she sensed immense sorrow and even a hint of danger right behind her.

“Anakin?” she cried out in a thinly-veiled desperation. “Is everything alright?”

No response. Yet the current in the force that alarmed her was still there.

“Anakin?!” her voice called out with a crack.

Still no response.

“Are you decent?” she pleaded. “I’m going to turn around now.”

With her eyes still pinched close, Barriss found the strength to round her legs and torso to face Anakin in a mix of nerves, dread, and excitement.

What she now saw before her stunned her to the point of nearly immobilizing her.

A few meters ahead of the tree, nestled by the river stream, was a brown feline on all fours. Adorned with horns protruding from its nasal area, tail, and tusks dripping down from its mouth, Barriss recognized the creature from her past travels. A Boocatt.

She knew that they were native to Tatooine and had spread out through the Outer Rim. Though they posed a danger to rodents and other similar animals they preyed on, she was unsure if they were dangerous to humans and other near-human alien species.

Still, this critter was not what really had sent Barriss into shock. As her vision sharpened onto the entire picture ahead of her, she now saw Anakin in a way she had never seen him, nor any other male of any species.

Standing with his sight virtually uninterrupted by Barriss and instead focused squarely onto the Bocatt, Anakin was completely bare, save for a pair of black boxer briefs that fit snugly onto his pelvis. This was the first area of his body that arrested Barriss’ eyes, for she instantly locked onto the hefty bulge that jutted out from his boxers. So focused was her staring, that her oogling was functioning like a trained assassin setting their weapon on a moving target.

Next, her gaze shifted upwards to his torso, where a rigid set of six-pack abs and plum breasts met her gaze, still adorned by a few drops of the water they were washing in just moments prior.

Then, his bulbous biceps and lips were the next part of him utterly irresistible to her wandering eyes. Her sight continued to travel the entire distance of his body, continuously coming back to scan his breasts, where she began to conceptualize the touch and texture of his rosy nipples, and vividly envisioning what the large organ the pouch of his boxer briefs obscured must look like. She attempted to savor every moment of this ravishing portrait before her.

She had initially thought him as merely a remarkable oddity in the context of a padawan undergoing the same tutelage as her, but now as he stood before her in all of his glory, she found a new appreciation for his beauty and bashfulness.

Collecting herself, she knew she had to speak, even if Anakin had made no indication that he noticed her, much less how she was scoping him out.

“Anakin,” she began. “Are we safe? What’s the matter with this creature?”

His stare still focused squarely on the Bocatt, he at last spoke, all while she continued to take in the sight of him even more intensely.

“Bocatts,” he responded. “They are from Tatooine. Many of the children in the complex where I grew up retained them as pets. Watchdogs of the neighborhood, if you will. Two of them just like this one saved my mother and I from burglars countless times.”

At the mention of his mother, Barriss recoiled somewhat, shifting her awareness to the reality before her.

Now she understood what had caused him to freeze.

Though she felt for the inner turmoil that he was suffering as a result of the memories awoken by the creature, she was somewhat perversely thankful for it, as he had been so caught up in this moment that he did not possess the situational awareness to notice her total visual infatuation with him.

“Don’t worry,” he continued. “They are completely harmless unless provoked. But we must get going. See if you can go over the hill behind us and spot the masters’ rendezvous point.”

He lifted his tunic and robes from the tree’s base and began dressing as she took a quick turn on her heel to begin climbing the nearest cliff.

Her heart beating at a rhythm she swore would disrupt her entire cardiac system, she resumed her duties and the rest of the mission as if nothing short of the spectacular had occurred.

After all, Anakin was clearly unbothered by being seen in such a state.

But if it didn’t have any effect on him, it certainly did on her.

Her development aligned with this moment so neatly, that when she began to have her curiosity on the male anatomy intensify, and she discovered more about how her own body operated, and how she could pleasure herself, Anakin was the center from which her lust was anchored. And lust, she did.

Chapter Text

This was the unforgettable experience Barriss had shared with Anakin.

Before the war. Before she and Ahsoka had deepened their friendship on the battlefield, thanks to surviving incredible events and at last finding their place in the Order as the next generation of Jedi.

Today was the first time she had told Ahsoka – and anyone – of how she got to see a layer of Anakin deeper than that of his usual black tunic and robes.

As Barriss told the tale, with an oratory style that would rival a bourgeois holonews reporter from Chandrila, Ahsoka hung on to every word, often forgetting she had bits of food dripping from her utensils and waiting to enter into her mouth.

Thus her first words were muffled, caught up in and attempting to escape the rubble of unchewed food residing between her tongue and hard palate.

“I–how–why did you never tell me this?!” exclaimed the orange padawan. Her blue eyes now seemed bigger than usual, which was a sight remarkable to witness.

“I guess–well, there hasn’t exactly been a lot of downtime to gossip, what with us trying to repel Count Dooku and his evil minions from every corner of the galaxy,” quipped the Mirialan.

“You call this gossip?!” shouted Ahsoka.

The younglings at the far end of the hall turned in their direction of the padawans at this escalation of volume in the near-empty refectory, but soon had their attention redirected by a Rodian food service worker who was about to offer them the final servings of the evening.

With a satisfied grin on her face, Barriss began to stir the spoon she had dipped into some fruit yogurt in a most mischievous manner.

“Oh, like you haven’t thought about what your master looks like underneath it all,” said Barriss. “I remember you being among the most awed younglings whenever Master Drallig would have him be a guest demonstrator for sparring lessons. I knew then, mouth agape and clapping at every twirl that he made, that you had eyes for more than just his lightsaber forms.”

Ahsoka blushed, darkening the hue of orange skin in her cheeks.

“So much for the subtlety of a Naboo handmaiden,” remarked Ahsoka.

“Well, at least now you know you’re not alone,” said Barriss. “Don’t tell Master Luminara – but I’d love to get a second look at him sans attire.”

“Hmph. You may be in luck,” said Ahsoka, twitching the facial marking above her left eye to mimic a human moving their eyebrows.
“Go on…” said Barriss, now stirring the spoon in her yogurt intensely.

“Part of our return to the Temple consisted of us taking on additional duties,” explained Ahsoka. “Filling in gaps for more Jedi that get called away to support the war effort. My master is due at The Tower of First Knowledge at noon tomorrow to lead a class on some special meditative exercises he recently learned from a Shaman of the Whills.”

Completely and utterly puzzled, Barris’ words now came out at a much slower pace.

“Okay, and what does that have to do with us getting another peek at him?”

“The class requires him to change wardrobe,” Ahsoka continued. “The instructor does not wear their usual attire. Furthermore, leading to the tower’s chamber where the class is held, there is a locker room. I have personally seen Master Fisto entering and exiting that locker room whenever he instructs the class. He goes in wearing his usual garb, and comes out in a relic from the High Republic. Do you follow now?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Barriss’ yogurt play was now replaced by her hands cupped and resting on the table, followed by a most quizzical look on the Mirialan.

“But how are we going to get into the locker room?” opined Barriss. “And once we are in it, how will we stay out of his view? All while getting a good luck?”

“You sure are inquisitive, friend,” replied Ahsoka.

“If it is anything else like other locker rooms here at the Temple and in learning centres I’ve been in across the galaxy,” continued Ahsoka, “Then there has to be an instructors’ office. We can take refuge there.”

And so they ended their meal by making final preparations for how they were to enter The Tower of First Knowledge’s locker room without getting caught, and how they were to make a nook for themselves in the office they presumed to be there.

It was the most unexpected use of the espionage skills they had accrued through the duration of the war, but likely the funnest ever.

They finished dinner and made their way together to their respective dormitories. Dropping off Ahsoka, Barriss decided to depart by giving her some last words of affirmation about their ludicrous plan, their capacity to pull it off, and the Anakin of it all.

“See you here tomorrow morning then,” said Barriss. “I am sure our heartbeats will be thumping with the collective firepower of the entire Republic armada. But no backing out! Promise me.”

At this, Barriss stuck out her pinky finger for Ahsoka to curl onto her own in a symbolic gesture.

“I promise,” verbalized Ahsoka.

“The force will be with us. We’re Jedi… but we’re also girls,” lectured Barriss. “The spiritual can’t override the physical all the time. We’ll be together. And it’s Anakin. Ahsoka – you have no idea how lucky you are to have him as your master. If ever we were simple Republic civilians, I would start a fanclub for him and hope you’d run it with me.”

A hearty laugh and hug later, the two girls said their goodbyes and immersed themselves into their nighttime routines.

Now in the privacy of her room, head against the pillow and peering aimlessly at the ceiling above her, Ahsoka took a moment to reflect on all that Barriss had shared with her.

Her feelings were varied.

There was embarrassment – for Barriss had recognized her juvenile adoration for Anakin even from when they were younglings.

Then came some comfort – for Barriss shared in her lust for the Chosen One.

And lastly, excitement – for tomorrow was to bring all the thrilling hijinks of a high-stakes mission without the deathly risks that crossing enemy lines typically brings, and all for an end result that stirred her to the point of getting biffleflies in her stomach – and not the kind that appeared when she was daunted by confronting armies of battle droids.

She loved Anakin – admired him as a Jedi, a mentor, a friend, and a person who has overcome incredible demons to defend the Republic with zero qualms ever about his personal safety in the pursuit of defending his loved ones.

And tomorrow she would get to see more of him than she ever had. All of him – hopefully. All that she wants of him.

Chapter Text

Awakened by a new sense of purpose and with a new pep in their steps, the two girls began the following morning by executing their usual morning routines at the Temple.

There was morning meditation in their dormitories, breakfast outdoors in the gardens, and then a quick check-in with their masters.

Ahsoka’s follow-up with Anakin came via comm as she and Barriss were finishing their morning meals on benches in the Temple gardens.

Anakin appeared only via voice, sharing details from some of the duties he was personally handling currently, as well as giving his padawan her own mandate: she was to report to Jocasta Nu in the library and begin researching alternative uses of kyber crystals.

The Togruta had expected such an assignment, as time spent in the Temple during these war days often saw padawans buried in academics, as a half-measured attempt to replicate the education schedule of before.

“Sounds good, master,” spoke Ahsoka into her commlink. “And what about you? Will you still be teaching the lesson from the Whills Shaman at the Tower of First Knowledge later on today?”

“Indeed I will be,” replied Anakin. “I should be busy up there until about evening time. I’ll come by your dorm once the sun sets to see if we can reconvene for a bite on the town. I am sick of Temple food.”

“May the force be with you,” verbalized Ahsoka, and she shut off her commlink.

Turning to Barriss, the Togruta felt a sense of relief that her agenda for the day allowed enough flexibility for the two girls to carry out their snooping mission, but she remained worried that the same grace would not be extended to her friend.

Not needing to anticipate the answer to that dilemma for much longer, Luminara Unduli herself soon appeared in the gardens. Huddling between Shaak Ti and Oppo Rancisis, all three Jedi Masters were observing a medium-sized pink plant in an otherwise bare flower bed.

Luminara momentarily poked her head out from the small group and called out for Barriss to join them.

Taking a hard swallow, Barriss reached her right hand out to grasp Ahsoka's and whispered, “Here I go. Wish me luck.”

After the customary introductions, Luminara caught her padawan up to speed on what she and the other Masters were attending to.

“Barriss!” began Unduli in an excited register. “You are looking at the first-ever Yara plant on Coruscant! At last we have been able to replicate the conditions necessary for us to grow it here ourselves!”

“Very nice, master” said Barriss, in a sickly tone that made her sound as if she was about to faint from illness. Just why was her master sharing this with her?

“I want you to assist Masters Ti and Rancisis today in constructing the flower beds,” directed Luminara. “They will be an essential part of our efforts here at the Temple to curb seasonal illness in the younglings.”

At this, Barriss almost fainted indeed. Her agenda for the day was out here, in the exposed Coruscant skies, for considerable time - hours possibly. Under direct supervision from two Jedi Masters on the Council. This was not at all conducive to her and Ahsoka’s plans for the day. She had to think quickly to get out of this one.

“But master,” she protested. “I do not even know anything about this plant! I am behind on my Felucian botany project, and oh—I just don’t want to mess this up!”

Luminara’s expression now took on that of a mother utterly shattered when she attempts to plan something nice for an outright unappreciative child.

“But you’ve always done well with and enjoyed gardening,” the older Mirialan expressed.

This was getting to Barriss. Truth was, she enjoyed partaking in activities in the Temple and yearned for more opportunities to do so these days, where she could be away from the sounds of blasters and incoming battle droids.

“I know I have,” Barriss said solemnly. “But I don’t want to get behind on my academic work. It unbalances me. If I finish my Felucian botany project, I’ll come back and assist.”

Luminara did not respond to this, but merely looked at her apprentice with a confused and empathetic pair of eyes. She knew Barriss was being truthful about the emotional impact that not having a traditional padawan education has had on her. Academics were one of the remaining bygones from the pre-war studies she did not want to deprive Barriss of.

The other masters sensed this internal conflict in Unduli.

“If I may,” spoke Shaak Ti while resting a hand on Luminara’s left shoulder. “Padawan Offee is well within her right to deny this project to work on missing assignments–Master Rancisis and I will do just fine with the volunteers we have already selected.”

The tender Togruta always had a way of settling disputes and achieving compromise between opposing parties with a compassionate authority that everyone in the Jedi Order respected.

Relaxing her shoulders, Luminara at last spoke after a contemplative silence.

“Correct you are, Master Ti. Barriss, you may head to the library to resume work on your Felucian botany project. I shall join you there in the evening after I wrap up my day’s work in the Senate with Senator Organa.”

“Thank you, masters,” replied Barriss. With a bow, she exited the gardens and found Ahsoka standing in the anteroom of the nearest entry into the Temple’s deeper interior.

“You had me worried there,” admitted Ahsoka.

“Let’s just get to the library,” panted Barriss.

They were relieved to be out of Unduli's crosshairs for now and anticipated settling into the rhythm of Jocasta Nu for the next few moments before embarking on their naughty pursuit.

Quiet and orderly as ever, the two girls had about an hour in the library until they set out to infiltrate the Tower of First Knowledge and its locker room.

They began by reporting to Jocasta Nu, who set both of them up with parallel terminals from which they would be able to work on their respective projects.

A few moments into their study work, the elderly Jedi came over to inform the padawans that she would be taking a short respite from her tasks and that they would be in the supervision of a security droid. Thus Ahsoka motioned to Barriss to begin the next phase of their covert operation.

Within seconds, Barriss was frantically at work in the terminal, chipping away at different codes to gain access to the schematics for the Tower of First Knowledge. This was necessary for them to familiarize themselves with the vents necessary to sneak through to end up right atop the locker room office.

“How do you even know how to do all of this?!” asked Ahsoka in a hushed voice.

“The war has provided me with acquaintances the Order would otherwise frown upon,” explained Barriss. “Skills such as these are just some of the pleasantries I’ve had the joy of sharing with them. If you’re ever in a stitch, don’t overlook the cretins found in Coruscant’s lower levels, is all I’ll say.”

“Noted,” replied an impressed and slightly taken aback Ahsoka.

Soon she had obtained the desired document, and it was up to Ahsoka to head down the opposite corner of the library to retrieve a datapad to store the schematics on.

Brilliantly nondescript on the security droid’s scanners, Padawan Tano had no difficulty in acquiring the device and returning to the terminals, all before Jocasta Nu emerged from her break.

The two girls played along with their intended mandate for at least another half-hour, working diligently on their projects while the librarian monitored the ancient collection of the Jedi Order’s history, assisting Jedi of all ages as they entered and exited the building. Eventually, the time came for them to dismiss themselves.

“Master Nu,” called Ahsoka.

“Padawan Offee and I are going to head to our dormitories to record the voice portions of our projects. We do not wish to disturb the other students and teachers in the library.”

“Very well,” replied Jocasta.

And so with the datapad in tow, the two apprentices left the library and headed towards the Tower of First Knowledge with the stealth and adrenaline of a reconnaissance mission worthy of upending the very trajectory of the Clone Wars.

Chapter Text

Masters of the prowl, getting to the Tower of First Knowledge was anything but rigorous for Barriss and Ahsoka.

Their walk to the Tower had seen both girls sharing the responsibility of overlooking the schematics on the datapad, studying it to see what floor they would need to get off on and which vents to climb onto to arrive at their destination.

As they reached the lift that would take them to the upper levels of the tower, they passed on a car that would have seen them sharing space with the Caphex padawan, Dante, whom Barriss had formed something of a friendship with.

Everything crystallized for Ahsoka as the next available car opened and they stepped onto the lift with no other company.

“Look here,” said Tano. “Anakin will be giving his class on the right side of the seventy-fourth floor. The locker room is one floor below, on seventy-three. However, it’s on the left side of the tower. We will need to get off on floor seventy-four, then take the vent accessible from the comms room, to make it all the way down and arrive just on top of the locker room’s instructor office on floor seventy-three.”

Scanning the contents of the datapad to verify the information her friend had provided, Barriss nodded and pushed the button to take them to the seventy-fourth floor.

The next few minutes saw the two apprentices shifting their way through the intricate complex that was the Tower of First Knowledge, with their trained eyes scrutinizing the perimeter to potentially catch any sight of Anakin.

Eventually, they made their way to the comm room on the seventy-fourth floor, and got to work in finding the vent that would lead them down to floor seventy-three.

Like most communications rooms in the Jedi Temple, the vent was located near the centerpiece holoprojector the Jedi used to relay various forms of media and information in their meetings. Star maps, audiovisual recordings, and virtually any other data that could be stored and displayed was exhibited using these sedentary holoprojectors located in the corner of the room.

Unlatching the small vent, Ahsoka was the first to climb in. Though cramped, she could immediately verify the snug corridor that stretched in an eastward direction and would take them just above the locker room.

“All clear,” said the Togruta.

And so Barriss followed her friend into the vent.

A few crawls later, they were at the final vent of the corridor and what they assumed to be their destination. Only, once Ahsoka peeked from atop at what was below her, a setback materialized.

“Barriss?” called out Skywalker’s apprentice in a nervous voice.

“Yes?” replied Barriss, already sensing that things were quickly going to a turn for the harder, when they had thus far been relatively easy.

“This vent would not drop us down onto the office, but rather, into the very middle of the locker room,” explained Ahsoka. “It’s not that big of a jump. We can make it safely. Only, once we land, we better hope we’re able to catch our bearings quickly and dash to the office to stay out of view.”

“Alright then,” replied Barriss. “After you.”

There was no backing out now. Both girls were as determined as ever to see this through, no matter the risks or hiccups they encountered on the way.

Tano led the way again, setting aside the vent’s grille onto the sequential part of the tunnel following the newly-created gap. She proceeded to jump from the vent to land on the floor below with a slick agility a feline would envy.

Barriss followed with no hesitation a mere seconds later, still carrying the datapad they had brought with them from their library ruse.

Now the two girls found themselves enveloped in the middle row of three, long rows consisting of lockers on both sides.

Swinging her lekku around frantically, Ahsoka wasted no time in scoping out the area and finding what she presumed to be the instructor’s office, at the west end of the long row of lockers. They were the only ones in the room, and she hoped to keep it that way, at least until the next few minutes when she anticipated Anakin would arrive. By then, they would be completely incognito behind the instructor’s office.

“That must be it,” she said while pointing in the westernmost direction of the locker room.

“A mirror?” replied Barriss.

“A large, rectangular mirror,” explained Ahsoka. “The academy on Mandalore had a similar design for their physical education instructor's office door. Just follow me, you’ll see.”

Zipping through the procession of lockers, they swiftly made their way to the large mirror.

Barriss immediately got to work on the adjoining access console and was able to guess the code to latch it open on her first try. Ahsoka surmised that this was likely another one of the skills she had learned with her new compatriots down in the lower levels of the city.

The office that they now inhabited was most minimalist in design, adhering to the Jedi principles. All that they found was a desk with a datapad and lamp resting on it, a chair, and a pair of candles on a single drawer. Spacious was not the word anyone would use to describe such a room.

It was also devoid of any light, save for what came through the mirror, which the girls now saw acted as a window once inside of the office.

“I told you,” remarked Ahsoka. “We have a perfect view from here.”

The two huddled near the door, sitting in a cross-legged manner while peering out the door. Barriss set the datapad on the floor, leaving it resting next to her black boots. Their small statures assisted both of them in getting to sit and stare out into the rows of lockers on the other side of the door without having to continuously adjust their torsos or heads to get a clean view.

Now they waited. For the next five or so minutes, neither girl said much, save for bits of small talk relating to what they had eaten in the garden earlier. That proved counterproductive however, for their nerves were so high, that any discussions or thoughts about food only made their physical symptoms worsen.

Then they heard the familiar hiss of a vertical mechanical door open. They tensed up and looked at each other, swallowing hard while communicating with only their eyes. There would be no more talking for the next several moments.

Rounding the corner to the row of lockers directly ahead of them, he appeared.

Ahsoka instinctively grasped Barriss’ hand and left out a faint squeal. They began to watch him with a fierce intensity.

Still in his dark tunic and robes, Anakin had evidently been working up a sweat before entering the Tower of First Knowledge’s locker room.

As he dried his face and neck off with a washcloth, he let out a deep sigh. The view that the girls were being treated to was of his left profile, not accounting for the motions he made.

He began tinkering at the access console to open a locker he had settled in located no more than six meters from the instructor’s office.

As it swung open, he focused on another device that resided inside the locker, likely a holopad of some sort, and soon the room was infiltrated by the sounds of the Grand Army of the Republic broadcast. Some swanky tune composed by brass instruments and a female vocalist began blaring out.

Now the ambiance was as seductive as that of a club in the entertainment district.

“Way to set the mood, Skyguy,” whispered Ahsoka.

She & Barriss lightly giggled. Thanks to the loud music, they could now afford some commentary as they watched the scene before them.

Anakin took a seat in the thin bench that divided the stream of lockers ahead of and behind him. He took off his boots, stashed them away inside the locker, and continued to wipe the sweat off his forehead with the washcloth.

Next, he unbuckled his utility belt and stored that away too. Then, piece by piece, his tunic and robes began unraveling from his body until he was in nothing but black boxer briefs, like the last time Barriss had seen him.

Except there were great differences from them to now.

His hair, now a shaggy bob, had replaced the previous, shorter style that he completed with a trademark padawan braid. Also notably new was the mechanical arm on his right limb, the result of a nearly-fatal battle with Count Dooku in their first confrontation at the genesis of the war. His figure had gotten bulkier and more muscular too, prominent in every angle and crevice of his body.

The two padawans relished the sight before them.

Ahsoka had no spatial awareness at the moment to realize it, but once again, her mouth hung open as she saw her master in mere undergarments. It was a face she adopted more than she’d care to admit when she was in awe of him. And in awe she was.

“Friend, you really undersold it,” she whispered to Barriss.

The Togruta fixated on everything from his long legs to the treasure trail of hair that abruptly stopped above the waistband of his boxer briefs. She had never seen her master in any sort of undressed state, and now she yearned to see him like this more than she could ever bargain for. He was like a map she could never be bored of exploring.

“He’s gotten even more stunning,” remarked Barriss. Her blue eyes locked onto Skywalker with such a captivated adoration that they could have had stars illuminating them.

Putting away his robes and tunic while in mere boxer briefs that illustrated a large mass in between his legs, Anakin became not just a pleasant sight for the pupils spying on him, but also a subject of study.

Ahsoka’s gaze locked onto that clump between his legs and pondered on all that she did not possess, both as a non-human and a female, and all that her master did.

“I’ve never seen a male like this,” admitted Ahsoka in a voice that trailed off in a marvel.

It seemed to her, as if biology dictated that not only was Anakin different from her and Barriss, he was also bountiful in the number and quality of the features that they did not possess. She felt a bit lacking compared to him and his physique.

Her eyes zipping across all of the areas of his body that seized her focus – his bulge, abs, legs, and breasts – she now spoke in a stream of consciousness that verbalized her scattered, almost-scholarly thoughts comparing the female anatomy to the male.

“We have breasts, but they’re not strong like his,” she began. “We have legs, but they’re short and hairless. His go on for miles and are decorated by hair. We have privates, and well...”

She trailed off and paused her commentary to see Skywalker finish the assortment of his wardrobe in the locker and begin the next step in changing clothes.

With both mechanical and flesh fingertips on his hips, Anakin slipped off his boxer briefs and now stood completely nude before the apprentices.

“Whoa…” the two apprentices said in unison as their eyes instantaneously locked on the one area of his body they had yet to see completely in the bare.

Now Barriss joined Ahsoka in leaving her mouth open for any nearby flying insects to make their home in.

The girls stared intensely as Skywalker’s penis and testicles swayed and bounced out of the boxer shorts.

“It’s so…” began a wide-eyed Ahsoka.

“Big,” concluded a stupefied Barriss.

This astute observation succinctly summarized the length and girth of Anakin’s organ. The following comments captured the girls’ innate amusement with the features of the male reproductive system, namely Anakin’s.

“And look at the tip! It’s so pink!” said Ahsoka in a squeaky voice.

The giddiness in her voice was not without cause. This was thus far the part of him they were most transfixed by, for it was the one most divergent from the composition of their own anatomy.

“I… wonder what it tastes like,” admitted Barriss. Her yellow-green hue darkened in a tinge of embarrassment, though Ahsoka did not take notice, for she had not been looking at Barriss since Anakin had appeared.

“That pink is pretty appetizing,” replied Ahsoka. “It’s pretty, period.”

“Like a gorgeous treat,” said Barriss. “The type you buy two of; one to eat and one to keep unwrapped as a collectible because it’s so pretty.”

They shared a few chortles between them and then shifted their focus to the other part of Skywalker’s privates. He was still using the washcloth to dry sweat from his pelvic area and lifted his penis with his right hand to dry off his tight scrotum.

“Um!” exclaimed Ahsoka with her eyes bulging amidst their analytical glare.

“OK, I don’t even know what to say about that,” chimed in Barriss.

Ahsoka laughed a bit more loudly than the restrained giggles that the two padawans had been sharing up to this point.

“I think it’s kinda cute,” beamed Ahsoka. “I wonder if he’s ticklish there.”

Barriss chuckled softly and spoke what was on both girls’ minds.

“I wish I could reach out and touch him,” said Luminara’s apprentice. “Where would you start? I’d begin with his breasts.”

The Mirialan made a slight wave with her right hand as if she was attempting to pull a Jedi Mind Trick on a nonexistent suspect mere inches before her.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” replied a hypnotic Ahsoka. “But I think I’d have a new type of sparring session, one with me handling his weapon this time.”

Suddenly, with a loud bang, the open locker slammed shut, the music came to a stop, and Anakin turned his backside to the invisible padawans in the instructor’s office. He made a left turn and briefly disappeared.

A new object of fixation had been exposed; his podgy buttocks.

This time, it was Barriss who made a slight shrieking noise, followed by a few broken cackles. “Now you know your master has a built-in cushion for you!”

Nudging her friend lightly, Ahsoka called into focus the pressing matter before them.

“Quiet!” she exclaimed in a muzzled timbre. “He’s gone now! What if he comes in here?”

Barriss positioned herself to place her right ear to the door and was clued in on Skywalker’s whereabouts immediately through an intense focus of her hearing.

“No,” she remarked. “He’s in the shower. Come. Let’s open this door and get one last look before we head back up through the vents. The water will be the perfect cover for us.”

Following her friend's lead, Ahsoka pressed the control to open the door, using the force to stop it from making the standard noise doors such as this make when they lock onto the top hatch mechanism to remain open.

She escorted Barriss out, who exited the office with the datapad. Tano then focused her energy to telekinetically bring the door back down and have it lock into the mechanism below slowly so as to not make any clamor.

“This way,” motioned Barriss.

The two girls were now making their way through the long row of lockers in the most discreet pace that they could manage while not thumping onto the floors in a stomping run.

Barriss held her right palm up as they reached the final locker in the row and gestured for Ahsoka to join her in peering out from behind it. Their entire frames were shielded, save for the uppermost halves of their heads.

What they peered into now was a line of contiguous shower heads along the northern wall of the locker room. Anakin occupied the penultimate one, giving them a perfectly unobstructed view of him as he cleansed himself.

With his eyes closed and hands massaging the tufts of the curly hair atop his head, Anakin was lost in the hum and rhythm of a most relaxing shower.

The padawans wasted no time in reacquainting their sights on every one of his exposed body parts that had immobilized them into an ardor from which they could find no relief for.

Ahsoka risked fracturing the fragile space to whisper into Barriss’ ear and point ahead to the lower portion of Anakin’s figure.

“He’s getting… bigger,” she noted.

“I didn’t know that was possible,” a stunned Barris confirmed.

Indeed, as he scrubbed soap onto his stomach and thighs, his penis became erect, growing several more inches to the point that it developed a shadow of its own and a new stream of water from the shower head began dripping down the length of the organ.

“How–” began a dazed Ahsoka before being cut off by Barriss.

“I have to capture this,” remarked Luminara’s apprentice, shuffling around to bring the datapad she had been carrying into the open space from which they were peeking at Skywalker.

Fidgeting with a few settings on the machine and waiting until Anakin closed his eyes again to wash his face, Barriss then proceeded to point the holopad in the direction of Skywalker. A beep emitted from the device as well as a faint white light – the indicator that a hologram was in the process of being recorded.

Luck continued to be in their favor, as Anakin continued to face in their direction while he rubbed more soap onto the lower half of his build, still flashing a robust erection.

He shifted positions every few moments to get water on both his front and back sides, his lengthy penis swinging around with what seemed like a gravitational force of its own.

“Whoa,” the two apprentices once again said in unison.

“He could seriously pierce someone with that,” uttered Ahsoka in a voice that simultaneously communicated her amusement and attraction.

“We’ll have to figure that out some time later,” spoke Barriss with conviction. “It’s time for us to go. We got him on holo. Come on. Before he gets out of there.”

“OK,” replied Ahsoka in agreement.

Another beep came from the holopad, signaling that the recording had concluded.

She followed Barriss back towards the instructor’s office, heading towards the vent that they had dropped down from, which was squarely in the center of the row of lockers.

Suddenly, Ahsoka abruptly stopped her hasty steps.

“Wait,” said the Togruta without even looking Barriss in the eye. “I just need one more look. I may never see him in the flesh like this again.”

“Okay,” replied Barriss. “I’ll be up in the vent. Make it quick.”

Dashing to the edge of the row and stopping at the final locker with force-assisted precision, Ahsoka once again peered out and saw the man she loved in his barest form.

She did one final inspection of every freckle and spot of exposed skin being rinsed in water, once again freezing her survey when her eyes arrived at his privates.

Squinting her vision, she could now see a few drips of a white and translucent substance exiting from the tip of his penis.

This new feature of him, along with the rosy glans that shined even more brightly as it hit the water, made her feel a sensation she had not previously encountered, as her own privates were now pulsing and tingling at a rhythm that seemed to run in a parallel beat to Anakin’s wobbling penis.

She could also swear she felt a bit of a humidity in her own undergarments now, though she was confident she had not urinated.

Now it was really time to leave.

She made a quick sprint to the vent and then made a controlled leap that saw her jump into the shaft and land onto it with her appendages outstretched like an arachnid attaching itself to the walls.

Sealing the vent with the grille they had set aside within the tunnel, she and Barriss now headed back out of the Tower of First Knowledge.

And knowledge they had gained.

--

The rest of the afternoon saw the padawans make copies of the holorecording of Anakin.

Both girls got an individual copy onto their personal portable holoprojectors, so that the image would be available to view for them at any time they wanted.

The datapad from which they took the recording had the original file erased, for it was property of the Jedi Temple’s library and they did not wish to incriminate themselves in any sort of matter with Jocasta Nu and the Jedi Council, and much less, implicate Anakin in any sort of wrongdoing.

Soon they were back in the library, resuming work on their respective projects. It was hard to focus on what now seemed like trivial matters after having experienced such carnal sensations.

As the sun set on the sanctuary the Jedi called their Temple, the apprentices finished their studies and made their way to the dormitories.

It wasn’t long now until their masters reconvened with them.

“Thanks for joining me today,” Barriss said as she dropped off Ahsoka at her room.

“And thank you,” replied Ahsoka.

It was a difference between night and day from the last time that they had a conversation outside of Ahsoka’s room, an entire day prior.

Now they felt illuminated, and strangely, as if they had progressed as both apprentices and young women, all thanks to a little devious deed virtually everyone in the Order would condemn them for, but that they saw as an odd but important milestone.

“Have fun with your master,” said Ahsoka.

“And you with yours,” replied Barriss with a wink and devilish grin.

“Oh, you have no idea,” responded Ahsoka with an equally-wicked smile.

Bowing to one another, Barriss turned on her heel and left for her dormitory. Ahsoka entered the access codes to open the door to hers.

As she entered her minimal living space, she went to the small closet in the corner and retrieved her personal holoprojector device.

Lying on her modest bedspread, she computed the necessary functions and the image appeared again.

It was Anakin Skywalker, showering completely nude, as stunning as the millions of lights that adorned the skyline of Coruscant.

That snug and prickling sensation she felt in her privates when looking at the same picture live returned, and she impulsively lifted her right hand to reach downwards into the source of the tingles.

She did not know what the future held, specifically if things were set to become awkward the next time she saw her master in person.

The only thing she was certain of was how deep her feelings were for him, and how the gorgeous reality that was his physical self was sure to continue to send her into a tailspin where she lost any and all rationality in her yearning for his body.

He was her master, teacher, mentor, battle partner, and fellow Jedi, to be sure. But he was also her Skyguy – and that meant more.

Just then, she heard the familiar noise of a knock at the door and her master’s voice.

“Ahsoka! I’m here!” he called out.

Completely startled, Ahsoka shuffled around hastily, shutting off the hologram and frantically getting up to put the holoprojector away and back into the closet.

No matter what, he was her Skyguy.

She dusted herself off and cried out from behind her side of the door one singular phrase that was truest to her current state of affairs. If only he was aware that this was a double entendre, Anakin would be most amused.

“I’m coming!” she said.