The righteous ones went first. Then the common rabble. Then the gods. All who remain to carry our legacy...are the worst of us.
Escalation! As the Clone War rages on, the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems grow weary of the constant bloodshed and shattered circuitry. Out of desperation, each side puts their best minds together to create and experiment with new, deadly weaponry, such as the Republic's Electro-Proton Bomb, and the Confederacy's dreaded space cruiser, The Malevolence.
Upon the desolate planet of Jakku, Strange signals, along with horrifying reports from the planet's few inhabitants reach the ears of the Republic. Fearing the Separatist's are creating yet another weapon of mass destruction, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine sends Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano to investigate the anomaly...
The blue aurora that is hyperspace engulfed the Venator-class cruiser as it speeded towards Jakku. On the bridge, Admiral Yularen stood front and center at the viewing port, hands clasped behind his back, staring into the hypnotic view outside.
"Navigation, what is our ETA?" he asked without moving.
"30 minutes, sir." The officer replied.
He thought for a moment. "Very well. Inform the Generals that we're nearing our destination" he ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The officer got up from his station and proceeded to the communications room.
"...I still think this is a load of Bantha-wash, Master" he said with irritation.
"Would you rather risk leaving the Separatists to their devices, Anakin?" Obi-Wan replied with a sigh, already tired of the conversation. He really didn't want to deal with his former Padawans' antics right now. As if by divine appointment, a clone Officer walked in from the bridge and gave them a crisp salute. A closer look at his uniform told them that this was the Navigation Officer. "Generals, we have 30 minutes until we exit hyperspace."
"Good. Prep the gunships to drop off the landing party, and ready our fighters and charge up the Resolute's shields and canons" said Obi-Wan.
"On it, Sir" he replied with another salute before turning on his heel and walking back to the bridge. Obi-Wan turned back to the holotable that was projecting an image of the planet Jakku, along with its two moons.
"I see you're being prepared." Anakin scowled with arms crossed, unamused.
"I'd rather us not be caught with our pants down by a Separatist blockade, my former Padawan." he shot back.
Anakin rolled his eyes, but then realized something, "You know, normally it's Admiral Yularen that reports stuff like this to us."
"Hm... Perhaps he knows what happens when we're in the same room together, and decided to steer clear" he suggested with a smile and a regal wave of his hand, palm face up, as if the suggestion was tangible and resting on it. It was an obvious reference to their near-constant banter.
Anakin, less civilized, snorted, "I suppose so. But to answer your question, Yes, because I can't see the Separatists being involved in something this strange. It doesn't even sound like a weapon at all. Just some crazy stories. It's too outlandish to be believable" He looked off to his right, scowl and all, as if there could be no retort. But knowing Obi-Wan, that never happens.
"Do you think we would have thought differently of the Malevolence before Master Plo-Koon discovered it?" he offered.
"Everyone knows that building a giant ion canon like that is theoretically possible."
For a moment, Obi-Wan looked at his pupil as if he'd grown a third eye, but quickly became amused. "Not everyone is a magnetic-ionization engineer, Anakin" He said.
Anakin huffs. "You know what I mean. It's within the spectrum of what we deem 'reasonable' for suspicion. But this?! Ugh! Come on, Obi-Wan! Tell me this isn't even a little far-fetched" he exclaimed, exasperated.
Calmly, yet stern, he replied, "We have our orders, Anakin. We are to investigate this anomaly, and report our findings to the Chancellor. We simply cannot afford to suffer such major loses among our ranks again...even if it requires us to act on slight paranoia."
He smirks and points a finger at him in triumph, "Ha! So you do think its crazy."
Obi-Wan looks back at the holotable, ignoring the gesture. He answered, but he didn't seem to pay attention to himself when he did, "I suppose." He replied, seemingly lost in thought. It would be almost concerning had it been anyone else, but Anakin knew his master well. He does this all the time he concluded.
Coming out of his self-induced trance, he stated, "However, I would like to think that we've encountered stranger."
Anakin quirked a brow, "Such as?"
He looked back to his former student, "Would you honestly think that anything would surpass Mortis?"
The energy in the room disappeared instantly. Everything seemed to slow down. Memories flooded into his mind. Bad memories. Anakin tensed up, and turned away, crossing his arms, "Don't remind me" he said, coldly.
Obi-Wan gave a sigh. He didn't mean to bring that up, necessarily. "You still haven't gotten over it, have you?"
"Kinda hard to" he replied, flatly.
"There was nothing we could have done, Anakin."
He spun on his heel to face him again, scowling more than ever, but Obi-Wan knew his anger wasn't directed at him. "I know. That's what always bothered me. We couldn't do anything" he answered, throwing his hands in the air.
Obi-Wan looked back at the holotable and stroked his beard, his signature move when he deep in thought, trying to come up with a reply to ease the tension. "At least they're no longer a threat."
Anakin gave a long sigh that carried a deep weightiness to it. He leaned himself on the holotable, placing his hands on top to support his weight, peering down into the hologram as if it held a hidden message. Then he looked back up at his master, scowl remaining, and spoke quietly, as if to himself. "...Do we know that?"
Obi-Wan tilted his head, his own brows furrowed in confusion. He removed his hand from his beard and cautiously asked, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying should we really believe that such powerful Force entities can be killed by simple carnal methods?" He replied flatly.
More beard stroking as he studied the far wall. "I wouldn't worry about it, Anakin. It's-"
"He puppeted my padawan! He killed her! She almost killed you! And their parent was in on it! How can I not worry?!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air again.
Obi-Wan raised a hand in his direction, signaling him to calm down. "She's alive now, Anakin. We're all alive. That's all that matters now." he said in a reassuring tone, continuing to try and calm Anakin down.
He let out a long breath. "I...guess." His tone was unconvincing, but Obi-Wan let it slide.
"As always" he retorted with teasing victory.
Anakin's mouth curled into a slight smirk. "Very funny."
But that smirk went away as fast as it came. It was Anakin's turn to let his thoughts carry him. A brief silence hung in the air, until he stated, "She still doesn't know."
It took a moment for that to register. Once it did, Obi-Wan actually became impressed "I'm surprised you were able to keep it secret."
I'm quite good at keeping secrets, Anakin mused. "I've just never had the guts to tell her. I don't want her to bear that burdan." He wasn't lying. He didn't want to know how she would react to the fact that she tried to kill both him and his master. How could she believe that she died only to be resurrected? Knowledge of the latter would make her laugh in disbelief. The former, however, would hurt her. A lot. She's not fragile by any means. But she still feels, and strongly at that. While adopting the some traits from Anakin, from his unorthadox tactics, to his tendency to disobey orders, Ahsoka, unlike her master, always carried an aura on innocence about her. She would always strive to do the right thing. She believed in mercy, like the Jedi. She never took enjoyment out of taking another life; unlike him, who thought of their deaths as justified. She's a far better Jedi than I am, that's for sure. Still, they deserved it...most of them.
Focus.
In the same way he wished he could forget about his past failures, like failing to save his mother, or slaughtering the group of Tuskan Raiders out of sheer hatred, he wanted to avoid having her deal with knowledge that seemed o' so similar. He knows what it's like to have regrets, and about how potentially crippling guilt can be. She's made mistakes before, but they got resolved in the end; they were behind her. This was different. It's not good to be compromised during wartime, he reasoned. But that wasn't why, and he knew it. He's protective of her. That's obvious enough-
"It's for the best." Obi-Wan stated, startling Skywalker out of his train of thought. I'm glad I have my mental shields up. "The Council specifically asked for that event to never be made known to her. Like Master Yoda said, those who use the Dark Side are forever tainted by its power, further opening a door to its corruption. It was a blessing for her to have lost her memory of using it. It had kept her door shut, in the end."
Of course that's all the Council cares about, he grumbled internally. He could seldom tolerate being in the presence them. Of course, he would never say that to their face-or anyone else's, for that matter-but there were times he came close. Their emotionless way of handling matters just got on his nerves. They don't care. That's one reason why he likes the Chancellor as much as he does. He cares. He gets things done.
Focus, shabit!
Forcing himself out of his musings this time, another worry of his came to the forefront. "...If she ever does find out, I hope she won't resent me for keeping it from her."
Obi-Wan knew that she wouldn't. Ahsoka wasn't the only one tainted by the Dark Side during that ordeal, after all. She had secrets to keep as well. Unbeknownst to Anakin, The council were much more admonishing towards Ahsoka and Obi-Wan in keeping Anakin's own memories of it all at bay. He knew she wouldn't blame him at all for keeping the truth hidden. If anything, he would get upset at her. "You're her master, Anakin. You should know that's not in her character" he decided to say.
"I hope you're right" he said, almost regretfully.
Silence stretched across the communications room, and Obi-Wan tried to drop the subject. They couldn't afford to be weighed down more than absolutely necessary. "We can discuss this later if you must. Right now we need to focus on the mission at hand."
"...Right. Where is she, anyway?"
"Probably doing the same thing as our dear Admiral." A smile creeped up on Obi-Wan's face. "Avoiding us." Anakin groaned in response.
"Although she's probably heading to the hanger now that our orders have been given. I shall keep things squared away up here in orbit, Anakin. You and Ahsoka lead the landing party down to the planet's surface" General Kenobi added.
I hate sand, he grumbled as he walked out of the room at a hurried pace "Well, better make sure she's on her way" he said to himself as he lifted up his wrist-com.
(Earlier)
Avoiding them she was, indeed. And she would be enjoying herself, too...if she could actually hit the targets.
"Ya' know, with all your training in Saber combat and the Force, I would've expected you to be a better shot" he said from behind.
With a huff, she dropped the DC-15 with a thud, onto the bench that separated the shooters stand from the rest of downrange. She spun on her heel, quickly turning to face the Captain with her arms crossed.
"Perhaps I'm just too civilized for a blaster, Rex" She stated with a scowl, annoyed by his tone, but also at her failure to hit the decently-sized, and unmoving, silhouettes. Ahsoka's never been one to "quit on a miss" as they say. No, she's determined to keep trying until she wins; something she learned from her master.
"Something Skywalker told you?" he asked, unamused. After serving the General for as long as he has, he's been nearly able to guess Anakin's remarks on a subject before he himself says them.
Ahsoka loosened up. "Actually," she began, "he got that from Obi-Wan. Says Lightsabers are an 'elegant weapon from a more civilized age'." she said, attempting to quote Obi-Wan in his own voice. Rex couldn't contain his laughter at that. Ahsoka joined in. Thankfully, no one else was in the firing range at the time to notice their disrespectful outburst.
Quickly composing himself, he replied, "Blasters may not be elegant, but they sure as kark are efficient, more so than any sword." He spoke proudly.
She quirked an eye marking, "Oh, really?" she asked challengingly, taking a step towards him in defiance.
"Of course." He replied, unwavering. "Not everyone is Force-sensitive or has the time to hone in their motor skills for acrobatic melee combat. Sabers require you to close the distance between you and your target, and they usually involve the severing of limbs or other parts of the body. Blasters can make a quick and clean cauterized hole at center mass before the target even knows what hit em'...and all that at a safe distance" he finished proudly.
"Hmph." Now she was unamused. Ahsoka was brought up in the art of the sword, and she took pride in it. Having someone, anyone, bash that art is not something she can let slide; even if it's from one of her good friends. "Coupled with the Force, a Lightsaber can be more potent than any blaster. They can cut through plasma resistant metals better," Ahsoka began, checking off each remark with a finger, "they can block other Lightsabers, and, best of all, they can redirect your blaster bolts like they were nothing" she ended triumphantly, her hands on her hips and head tilted upwards with a sly smile. If she was his height, she would be able to look down her nose at him.
He scowled. "Like I said, not everyone is Force sensitive" he said crossing his arms.
She took another step towards him and patted his left arm, "It's okay, Rexie" she said with mocking reassurance. "You're plenty sensitive for me" she smiled innocently.
He rolled his eyes, letting our a loud groan and mumbled something about annoying children. She chuckled. He then shifted his gaze down range. His face developed an evil grin. "I suppose, then, that those targets must have a extremely high midi-chlorian count."
Furrowing her eye markings in confusion, she turned to where he was looking and hesitantly asked, "Why?"
"'Cause it's more feasible to assume that than believe you missed them 10 times in a row." She turned back to him, lips pursed, which set him off laughing once again. She punched him on the arm she previously patted, but he only laughed more.
"I don't see why I should bother practicing with this thing." She said, jerked a thumb over her shoulder, referring back to the carbine on the bench. She then gestured to her belt, "I'm plenty effective with my Lightsabers."
He composed himself yet again and explained in a more serious tone, "I know your master says those swords are you life-and rightfully so-but if General Skywalker has shown me anything, it's that you won't always have them with you, and it's in those moments a blaster can come in real handy."
"...Master Kenobi told me of several times Anakin lost his Saber." She chuckled at the thought.
Rex was never told this, but it didn't surprise him. That sounds like the good General. But that brought up another question. "Skywalker never told you himself?" He had an idea of where that would lead.
"Was probably too embarrassed by it, to be honest." She said and they both gave a chuckle. Knew it he thought. "I can see that happenin'" he said. "Well, you've got a bit of time before we exit hyperspace. You should practice more, little un'" he encouragingly offered with a pat on her shoulder.
"Ugh, I'm not 'little' Rex!" she complained.
"Well, you're shorter than me, aren't ya?" He grinned.
"Well, you're younger than me" she fired back.
"From a certain point of view" he retorted, still grinning.
She rolled her eyes. "Great. You've been spending time with Obi-Wan, haven't you?"
Rex chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal. "Oh don't worry. I haven't been infected like Cody has."
"Whatever" Ahsoka turned back to the bench, and decided to change topics. "Have you read the briefing back on Coruscant?" she asked as she picked up the DC from the bench.
Rex sighed. "Yeah, it's all pretty bonkers if you ask me" he shook his head.
"I'll say. It doesn't even sound like a weapon. More like a freak of nature. Well, as far as 'nature' and 'droids' are able to mix. I don't know, I can't make sense of any of it" she shook her head as she took aim.
"It sounds like Seppies to me. The stories probably resulted from changing hands...well, that coupled with some blokes high on Spice." He stifled another laugh. However, she didn't hold back.
"That would make sense." she chuckled, all the while facing down range. She then went through the motions: stilling herself, holding her breath and squeezing the trigger, only for the gun to let out a faint click and wheeze. "Oh! Oops." Rex had given her a mostly drained gas clip to practice with. 'No sense in wasting a full one' Rex explained earlier. She looked over her should and asked, "got a spare clip, Rex?"
"...Ugh" She heard behind her. She looked over her shoulder and found covering his wincing face with his hand.
She quirked another brow and chuckled at the overly dramatic gesture. "What?" she gave a smile of genuine ignorance.
His hand remained on his face. "It's called a cartridge, ya' shiny" he said, annoyed.
"There's a difference?"
"Mhm" he removed his hand, tone unchanged.
"Does it have to be that big a deal, Rex?" She asked, noticing his frustration.
"Depends" he deadpanned. "Do you want every brother in the Grand Army to correct you every time you say 'clip'?"
She rolled her eyes and gave a huff. "Fine then, could you hand me another cartridge?"
He perked up at hearing the correct terminology. "Of course, Commander" he smiled.
Another eye roll. "Oh, so now you're gonna call me by my title." He shrugged.
A bit of practice later seemed to get Ahsoka straightened out.
"Not too bad, kid." He said, looking at the electronic scoreboard.
She had scored a 4.8, slightly below average for a clone.
"I dunno..." Ahsoka shook her head in apprehension. She turned back to the board, "I think the teacher's holding out on me" She gave a giggle and pointed to his name that was near the top of the list; a
9.1. He tilted his head in acknowledgement, but brushed it off. "Eh, just need more practice s'all-"
"Attention crew, we will be exiting hyperspace in 30 minutes. Boarding party, and all pilots, report to the hanger at once and await futher orders. Cruiser gunners report to your stations at once. Repeat-"
"Well, guess the fun's over" said Ahsoka over the loud speakers, shrugging her shoulders as she placed her carbine on the gun rack.
"Be glad you don't have to clean that thing" he pointed out, envious. Every clone was both trained and obligated to keep their weapons in working order. It was a pain at times. And she's just gonna leave it there? Ha! Leave it there my-
"I'll keep that in mind" she waved him off without a care. Rex abruptly put on his helmet and gave her a look that would scare off a gundark. Once cooled off, he caught up with her as they ran out towards the hanger.
"But who knows," he referred back to what she said before he mentioned weapon maintenance, "maybe you'll get a chance to blast some more tinnies" he suggested with optimism.
"Blast them? Ha! I hope not, because that would mean I'd have lost my Lightsabers first. And that only happens when things have gone really bad."
A/N: Expect loads of AU on from both universes. Things are gonna be similar/exact in a lot of areas, and completely different in others. Just assume canon as default unless/until the story tells you otherwise.