Oh Force, she's so fucking fucked. Out of all the Jedi she could have been partnered with, out of all the Knights she could have been assigned… it just had to be the Force-damned Chosen One. She was so fucking screwed.
Thankfully, he's given her the day. They depart tomorrow morning instead of this evening at least., Before that happens though, Aayla makes a beeline straight for the only sanctuary she can run to in this moment. Keeping herself outwardly calm, projecting as much serenity and peace as she can into the Force while hiding her true self, Aayla eventually arrives outside of the right door.
Putting in the code, Aayla palms the door control and steps inside only to find the living quarters dark. And yet…
"Master… Master, I need you."
In the darkness, a shape moves… and eyes open. For just a moment, those eyes are Sith Yellow before they blink shut again and then open to reveal mundane brown once more. Her Master rises from his cross-legged meditation with an explosion of breath.
"Aayla… what's wrong?"
Quinlan Vos stands before her, the Kiffar Jedi Master frowning deeply as he takes her in. Now that she's alone, now that she's safe, Aayla lets a bit more of her anxiety and fear into the Force, knowing that her father- err, rather, that her former Master will take care of it for her.
And he does, drawing her negative emotions in and hiding it from the rest of the Temple without so much as batting an eye. As he's been doing for… quite some time now.
Aayla doesn't hesitate, striding forward and burying herself in his chest. Even if she can never voice it out loud, they both know that their relationship is not so simple as Jedi Master and former Padawan. Never mind that she's a Jedi Master in her own right now against all logic and rational thought. She will always be his daughter and he will always be her father.
Quinlan embraces her, holding her tightly to his chest just as a father should. He runs a hand down her back, stroking along her spine, even as Aayla shivers and shudders, releasing her fear into the Force for him to take care of in small fits and spurts.
Eventually though, she has to stop acting like she's an initiate and start acting like the full grown woman she is once more. Letting out an explosive breath, the Twi'lek pulls back so she can look her former Master in the eye.
"I… I've received my orders, Master. The 327th and I are being sent up the Hydian Way to reinforce Malastare."
The Kiffar's jaw clenches at that, his nostrils flaring. It's not a particularly 'safe' posting after all, but then nothing is these days. The galaxy is at war and every single day it gets a little darker. Funny how, for her and Quinlan… that darkness has been growing for a lot longer.
For Aayla, she Fell a long time ago truth be told. The Dark Side took her into its embrace when she let herself be consumed by rage over her murdered uncle. She should have been caught back then as a Padawan. Drummed out of the Order, either sent to the AgriCorps or locked away where she couldn't hurt anyone else.
But Quinlan hadn't been willing to let that happen. He hadn't been willing to let her go. Aayla was well aware that such an attachment was considered unhealthy by the Jedi. But it wasn't like she was in a position to take him to task… and she didn't want to go either. She was selfish like that.
In the end, she'd dragged Quinlan down into the Dark with her. Slowly but surely, bit by bit. When she was younger, Aayla had let him convince her that he was cleansing her negative emotions with the Light. He was so Good, so Bright and Shining… it just made sense to her.
But then she grew up. She got older. And her Master's Force Signature… darkened. It was far too late by the time she realized what she had done. Every time she released her Inner Darkness to try to keep it from consuming her, every time Master Vos 'took care of it' for her to keep the other Jedi from suspecting anything… he was Falling. Inch by inch. Year by year.
He told her that what really made him Fall was the death of Master Tholme. Quinlan's own Master had been a member of the Jedi Order for longer than either of them had been alive. He was an old man and a wise Jedi Master, well respected and beloved by much of the Jedi Order. He was a paragon, an example of everything a Jedi should work to emulate in their lives.
… And like many wise Jedi Masters, like many exemplars of the tenets of the Jedi Order, he had been cut down by the Clone Wars. Not on Geonosis like so many others, but instead on an early fight somewhere else in the galaxy. He'd been killed by Count Dooku's apprentice, Asajj Ventress, a Sith woman who had become more and more known to the Jedi over these past several months.
Master Tholme died and Master Vos finished Falling. But Aayla still knew better. Master Tholme's death was merely the last featherweight to land on the roof before the structure gave out completely. She was the one who made her father Fall for her. And even now, even though they were both Jedi Masters, she relied on his protection. She came running whenever something was wrong.
… Had she really grown up at all?
"Tch, Malastare… maybe I can get myself assigned to accompany you. We'll fight the Separatists off side by side, you and I."
Letting out a shuddering breath, Aayla shakes her head.
"I don't think they'll accept that, Master. They've already assigned another Jedi to accompany me on this mission."
Quinlan's eyes narrow.
"Who?"
"… Skywalker. The Chosen One."
Her Master stiffens up in horror.
"No…"
It was their greatest fear made manifest. Before Geonosis, there was only two Jedi in the entire Order who had faced down a Sith and lived to tell the tale. Only two Jedi who they feared might recognize the Darkness living within them both.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man who as a mere Padawan had managed to kill the first Sith seen in a thousand years… and his own Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, said to have survived assassination by the same Sith on Tatooine.
Yes, if anyone was going to recognize the Dark Side, Aayla and her Master had always figured it would be Kenobi and his Padawan. Especially as Anakin Skywalker had gotten older, stronger, and more trained and proven himself to be a naturally gifted Jedi.
That was why, as unfortunate as it was, Quinlan had distanced himself from Obi-Wan over the years. The two of them had been closer once upon a time, but where Aayla was concerned, the Kiffar Male was ready to make any necessary sacrifices to keep her from being discovered.
Although… it wasn't until Geonosis that Aayla came to truly believe Skywalker was the Chosen One. Seeing him fight in the arena alongside his Master, watching him hold off a hundred different blaster bolts where Jedi Masters and Knights alike had already been slain… it was illuminating. Eye opening.
Anakin Skywalker WAS the Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the Force. And that meant he would kill her and her Master the moment he uncovered them, just as he would kill the Sith once he discovered them as well.
"… Refuse the mission. You are a Jedi Master now; they can't just tell you where to go. If you demand to be sent elsewhere, they'll listen."
Aayla grimaces.
"That will be too suspicious, Master. We've only gotten as far as we have by staying under the radar. You yourself taught me how to do that. If I don't do as I'm told here, then they will focus their eyes on me… and you won't be able to hide me any longer."
Frankly, neither of them fully understood how Quinlan was hiding her even now. After all, he was as Fallen as she was at this point. There was no Light left in him. Both of them should have been caught by the rest of the Order months ago. Instead, they've continued to remain 'under the radar', seemingly managing to hide in plain sight and just… continuing to exist as a pair of Jedi who have undeniably Fallen to the Dark Side.
But this was different. And they both know it.
"You won't be able to hide from Skywalker on your own either. He was trained by Kenobi and… and Obi-Wan is the most quintessential Jedi I've ever known. Sure, he had some hangups early on in his time as a Padawan, and Master Jinn was extremely unconventional, but Kenobi rose to the occasion in spite of all of that. And Skywalker was his Padawan."
Yeah, Aayla knew all of that. She heard all of the stories that Quinlan did, read all of the same reports her Master got access to. And because they couldn't risk discovery, that was the most they got to glimpse of the pair. Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker… they were already somewhat famous in the Temple before Geonosis, but now they were starting to become famous in the broader galaxy as well.
The Perfect Jedi… and the Chosen One. If only the Council had kept them together. If only they'd assigned anyone else to work alongside Aayla.
"Well… you have overall command at least, right? Skywalker is still just a Knight. You're the Jedi Master in this scenario."
Aayla frowns as Quinlan's voice takes on a considering tone. Was he coming up with a plan after all?
"I mean… we're both technically Generals. But yes, as far as the Order is concerned, I have operational authority and Skywalker is expected to follow my lead. That won't help if he suspects me of having Fallen to the Dark Side, however. He won't just let that stand…"
But Quinlan shakes his head.
"Then you won't let him suspect you. Keep things separate. Stay on your ship, keep him at arm's length on his. Just long enough to get to Malastare. There's a reason that the Council is sending two Jedi Generals and your combined forces to Malastare and it's not going to be sitting back and stargazing. There will be fighting. There will be battles. And we know what sort of Jedi Knight the Chosen One is, don't we?"
… He's a warrior. Above all else, he's a warrior in the way so many Jedi simply aren't. It makes sense to be fair. This is the darkest the galaxy has been in a thousand years. Everything hangs on the precipice at this point, and in some ways it feels like most of it has already fallen into the abyss.
So of course the Chosen One was a warrior. Of course the Light Side would send a champion fighter to save them from the encroaching Dark. The problem is, Aayla and Quinlan are part of that encroaching Dark…
"Master, you can't possibly be implying what I think you're implying."
Quinlan gives her a distinct Look.
"I'm implying exactly what you think I'm implying, Aayla. What other choice do we have? If you do nothing, Skywalker will figure you out and kill you."
Aayla lets out a shuddering breath, her eyes wide, her lekku twitching.
"You… you're suggesting that I order Skywalker into the thick of whatever fighting happens on Malastare. You're suggesting I all but send him to his death. You want me to get the Chosen One killed."
Quinlan's jaw clenches as Aayla spells it out. The older Jedi growls, his hands going down to cling to hers. His forehead comes forward and presses against Aayla's and they remain like that for a moment, father and daughter.
"… It doesn't necessarily have to be to his death. Frankly, the Separatists might not even have any ordinance capable of killing someone like Skywalker. He's survived enough ridiculous close calls at this point to have earned the tentative title of 'unkillable'. But you do need to keep him distracted, Aayla. You need to keep him busy. This is the best way to do that. Keep him fighting, keep him pointed away from you…"
Like a lightsaber. Always keep the plasma pointed away. Earliest lesson you learned as a youngling. Only, Skywalker felt more like a lightsaber without the hilt. Directing him, pointing him at all… it felt risky beyond belief.
It might be her only shot though. Quinlan might be right about that. At the same time though…
"What right do I have, Master?"
Quinlan frowns, but Aayla continues on.
"If Skywalker is the Chosen One, and I believe he is, then what right do I have to risk him in such a way? I'm not just risking him… I'm risking the entire galaxy at that point. He's the one who will stop this madness. He's the one who will kill the Sith. He's the one who will bring balance to the Force."
Another growl leaves Quinlan's throat and he shakes his head.
"I don't… I don't care about all of that, Aayla. I don't care about the Sith, or the Force, or this fucking war. All I want… is for you to be safe."
She knew that. Of course she knew that. Frankly, Aayla should have stopped this ages ago. She should never have let this bond of parental love and affection between them form. Or at the very least, once she was old enough, Aayla should never have let it stay this strong.
… But it's much too late for that. Too late for both of them. Letting out a shuddering breath, Aayla forces a brave smile onto her face and shakes her head.
"Don't worry, Master. I'll be safe. Skywalker won't notice a thing."
Quinlan doesn't look remotely convinced by her words. But then that's quite fair given Aayla is lying through her teeth…