WHILE OTHERS FELL TO DARKNESS

By Lux's Sister

Disclaimer: I don't own the Clone Wars. I do own every character who is italicized in the "Cast of Characters" list.

EXPLANATION OF THE AU

This story is a sequel to "While Others Followed Orders" and "While Others Found Success." If you have not read those stories, please go read them now. I cannot stress this enough. This story will not make any sense unless you have read at least "While Others Found Success".

This AU has progressed to a point where it's quite hard for me to fully explain it without ruining the stories or omitting important details, so pretty much I'm just going to give a list of what you really need to know, and the cast of characters.

CAST OF CHARACTERS (italics indicate an OC)

Ahsoka Tano

Lux Bonteri

Saw Gerrera

Steela Gerrera

General Tandin

Mina Bonteri

Hutch

John Bonteri- Lux's father, rescued Ahsoka in a time of need.

Tor- John's vicious superior officer

Cooper- John's spineless coworker.

Sierra Bonteri- The youngest Bonteri child.

Hero Calvert- A rebel who witnessed King Dendup's attempt to murder Steela. She is the girl who yelled "Look!" at the end of "Tipping Points".

Oswald Ruby- a rebel who videotaped Dendup's crime.

Mary Perfect Sue

Velvet Sparkles Kitty Giggles Rainbow Sprinkles Gerrera- an awful Mary Sue who swears revenge on the rebels for kicking her out of their house.

#1- Mina Bonteri, her husband John, and Steela Gerrera are all still alive. This is due to a government program called the Lazarus Project. The aim of the project was to get the public on the conspirators' side after an unknown event. General Tandin has been blackmailed into participating in the project by donating a kidney to a severely ill Steela, but switched sides after he learned the rebels hold no ill will toward him.

#2- Steela's fall was not an accident. King Dendup pushed her off the cliff, instead of her pushing him to safety. This event was witnessed by a rebel named Hero, and it was caught on video by Oswald Ruby.

#4- While Steela was being held prisoner, the government used Mary Sues in an effort to break her spirit. Currently, three of the worst Mary Sues are closing in on our heroes' location.

#5- Due to her injuries, Steela was being treated with the healing herb nysillin. Since her escape, she has been cut off from the drug and is going through withdrawal.

And now, I present "While Others Fell To Darkness"

CHAPTER ONE – DO YOU WANNA BUY SOME DEATH STICKS?

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre,

The falcon cannot hear the falconer.

Things fall apart, the center cannot hold,

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."

-W.B Yeats, "The Second Coming".

JOHN

When you go through an entire loaf of bread before Steela manages to keep anything down, that's when you know you're in trouble.

Mina has embarked on a single-minded quest to get some meat onto Steela's bones, but nysillin withdrawal isn't exactly conducive to that sort of thing. The aforementioned bread has been turned into dry toast, and Steela can't even keep that down.

I don't know which is worse: this or Ahsoka. With Ahsoka, it was fear and pain and crying, it was feedings that made her screech from terror. But at least we could do something, no matter how little, to make her better.

With Steela, we can't even feed her.

The sound of retching from the bathroom proves the point.

I pop my head into the half-open door. "Steela?"

Steela coughs. "Yes?"

"You all right? Where's Mina?" To my shock she's all alone, no Mina in sight. I go to her side.

She takes a deep breath. "I don't know. She might be in the bathroom."

"I take it this attempt didn't work out either?"

"No." Steela gets to her feet and winces.

I catch her beneath the shoulders. "Stay off your feet, kiddo."

"Thanks for the reminder," she winces, allowing me to pick her up. She's so much taller than Ahsoka I have to guide her head when I carry her through the doorway.

"I can't believe Tandin's still letting us crash here." She says.

"The long weekend's over tomorrow," I say. "I have to work. You're coming home with the rest of us."

"You really don't have to do that John."

"We do. You can't be left alone while Tandin's at work. If he skips, it'll look suspicious. If you don't mind bunking up with Sierra, then it'll work out fine."

I lay her in bed, and she tucks herself in.

"Thanks," she groans.

"Not a problem. This isn't my first rodeo. At least you're talking."

Steela shivers. "Did I miss a blanket or something?"

My blood turns cold.

"Let me feel your forehead…"

The back of my hand burns.

My face must change, because Steela says "Warm, right?"

"I wish it wasn't. Do your feet still hurt?"

"They haven't stopped hurting since before you came."

I am absolutely alarmed.

"Since when?"

She thinks for a while. "When I left Hero's house to check up on my friends."

"That long?"

She nods.

"Steela, you should have told somebody!"

"They couldn't do anything." She argues. "You can't."

I rub my temples. "Okay. Sit tight, rest up, and I'll get you when it's time to go."

MINA

"Padme, calm down." I order. "You have to get a grip."

"Get a grip? Mina, my child is trapped like a rat, locked from a crime she didn't even commit!" Padme screeches.

"I understand and I too am worried, but you will not being able to help Ahsoka if you're panicking."

"Tell me right now that you wouldn't do the same if this was Lux or Sierra."

Honestly, she's got me there. If this was my child, I would be bulldozing buildings to get to them.

"What do I do?" Padme begs.

Suddenly the refresher door creaks open, and I hear the sound of retching.

"Padme, hang on for a second." I set the phone down just before John runs past me to see to Steela.

He can handle it. He's dealt with worse.

"Never mind. All right, so tell me what charges Ahsoka is under."

"They think she bombed the Jedi Temple and killed some others involved." Padme sobs.

"Bombed…the Jedi Temple?!"

"Mina, haven't you been watching the news?"

No, Padme. I have not been watching the news because I've been reunited with my son and daughter, and been caring for a very sick Steela Gerrera. Did I mention she too is alive?

But since I don't want to give Padme any more heart attacks than she's already having, I don't say that.

"Who is investigating this?"

Padme's voice is razor-bladed "Admiral Tarkin."

"Oh. I hate him."

"He's not listening to Anakin or me. It's like he's out to get her."

"It's because he is." I say. "If Tarkin latches onto something, he doesn't let go. And currently, he's got his teeth firmly into Ahsoka."

"She wants to talk to Lux. Is he there?"

"He just left this morning, en route for Coruscant." Note: I did not know about this until after Lux had already left and Sierra said "Mom, don't shoot the messenger, but Lux just went to Coruscant."

He is also not answering his phone, unless it comes from Saw's number. And that trick only worked once.

"I don't know what to do, Mina! She doesn't have a defense, and Tarkin's out to get her. The entire Senate wants someone to blame for this, they're going to kill an innocent girl!"

"They are not going to kill her." I snap. "If this goes south, we will stage a rescue and get her over here. She is going to make it through this."

"I don't think we can win this trial with what we have." Padme cries.

I weigh my words carefully. "You're right. You can't. You don't have any direct evidence for her case. But what you do have is a red-hot determination to save your daughter, and that's all you need."

"How will that work if we don't have any evidence?"

"Because if you don't have evidence, you'll make evidence."

"But isn't that illegal?"

"Padme, mothers have a book of priorities. Our children come first every time." I look over my shoulder to see John carrying Steela. Her feet must hurt again.

"I have to go talk to Ahsoka again. Please try to help me, Mina."

"I'll do what I can." However marginal that may be. "I'll call you later, Padme."

I hang up the phone and intercept John as he leaves Steela and Sierra's room.

"She has a fever." He mutters.

"I'll give her something to bring it down."

"Who was that on the phone?"

I sigh. "Ahsoka's in big trouble."

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I said, John."

LUX

If my parents find out where I am right now, I'm going to be boiled alive.

I told Sierra to tell Mom I'd gone to Coruscant. She probably assumes that I'm going to watch Ahsoka's trial.

Yeah, not really. I don't plan on just watching the trial. I plan to help sway the verdict.

She didn't do it. I know she didn't do it. Ahsoka would never do something rash as bomb the Temple. She loves the Temple! And she loves kids, like the younglings killed in the blast.

Hey, she loves kids. I bet she would be a really great mom to our kids…

When we were in rebel base camp, Hero yanked me aside and slapped me across the face. "Quit making goo-goo eyes at the Jedi and focus!" she snapped.

Darn Hero, I really wish you were here right now. I need you to slap me a couple of times. Especially as I walk into a seedy cantina.

This is why my parents are going to skin me alive if they ever find out. Their cardinal rule is pretty much no seedy cantinas. But seedy cantinas are also the best place to get information.

I walk up to the door and hand the bouncer my (fake) ID.

He narrows his eyes.

"You're George Washington?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Isn't George Washington a president?"

"My parents are history buffs."

The bouncer looks at the fake for a while.

"Kid, you aren't going to get anywhere with that name." he says. "And by law, I have to confiscate this, but I'm not going to call the cops."

I stalk away, heading for the next cantina. This time, I look for one with a droid bouncer, because I'm down to my last fake ID.

I figured that I'd want a backup identity in case "George Washington" fell through, so I came up with this one on the ship. Granted, this name is even dumber than the first one, but hopefully a droid won't detect it.

"Ferris Bueller?" it asks, looking at the fake.

"Yes, I'm Ferris Bueller."

The droid hands me back the fake. "Proceed."

I can't believe that actually worked.

I enter the cantina as smoothly as possible and sidle up to the bar.

I order a water, and turn to a girl sitting beside me.

"Hi. You watch the HoloNet? Do you by any chance-."

I was going to say "know anything about that bombing at the Temple", but I'm cut off by a splash of something acrid but sweet at the same time.

"I have a boyfriend, you perv!" the girl shrieks, slamming her empty drink glass on the bar and storming away.

Yeesh. Someone's had a few too many.

I use some napkins to wipe the girl's drink off my face and swivel to the person on my right. This one happens to be a guy.

"You know anything about the Temple bombing?" I ask.

The guy chuckles, and I spot a death stick lounging in the corner of his mouth.

"You wanna buy some death sticks?" he slurs.

I'm so discombobulated I briefly consider the purchase before my common sense slaps me in the face, saying You don't want to be on death sticks.

"No thank you. Do you know anything about the Temple bombing?"

"Wanna buy some death sticks?" the dealer repeats.

I groan, and plant my face into my hands. Maybe if I buy the stupid death sticks, then he'll actually speak to me.

"Sure. Why not?" I mutter, digging into my wallet for a few credits. "One, please."

The dealer pockets my money and hands me one death stick. I try again.

"You have to have heard something about the Jedi Temple bombing, right?" I ask.

"S'all over the news," the dealer slurs. "They caught the chick who did it, this real nice-looking Togruta girl. All the pretty ones are the killers, seems."

I bite my lip. "What kind of evidence did they have on her?"

The dealer shrugs. "They've got some video of her choking the victim. But dude, you obviously haven't seen this girl. Those eyes, those lips…"

Do. Not. Kill. Him. He's just a sleaze, not an actual threat. Shoulder Angel says.

He just dissed your girlfriend! Shoulder Devil yells.

For once in my life, I'm going to go with Devil.

I fix the dealer with a hard glare. "The reason I'm asking is because that is my best friend, and-."

Suddenly, someone screams "it's the cops!"

The dealer freezes for a fraction of a second, then jumps out of his chair and runs for his life. I follow suit. I'm getting a lot of practice running from cops as of late.

Okay, so maybe cantinas are a bust. Come on Lux, where else can you go?

I have an idea.

Oh no, you can't go in there without getting murdered!

But it looks like it's my only shot.

(A/N: And here goes the final story in the "While Others" series! Thank you to Dragonfan47, Kasai1214, Starwarshobbitfics, and StarwarsRulz, for your reviews for the last chapter of the last story. They really helped in getting this first chapter out.

On that note: Unlike the other stories, this one is not finished. So updates may be a little slower than before, but I will keep them as timely as possible. On that note: the number one thing that motivates me are reviews. Please leave one as you go, they make me happy and focused on the story, which means faster updates and longer chapters.

So, please leave your thoughts. How well am I handling the Fugitive Arc on top of the rebels' story?)