At the top of a large lookout tower high in the sky, a man stood with his arms crossed staring out over the horizon. As the man stared at the clouds below coasting through the sky his face turned stiff, sensing an overwhelming darkness sweeping across all he could sense.
'The galaxy has slipped into darkness, and I fear the darkness will be upon this place soon' he thought as he turned his gaze from the cloud below to the clear dark blue sky above. Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh.
"I still have a duty, let the darkness come" He said as he walked back from the edge and towards his small palace in the center of the of his lookout.
Meanwhile many light years away.
A Togrutan woman sat in a cell on a imperial cruiser that was en route to Coruscant. She sat cross legged deep in meditation, despite being cut off from the force by the force suppressor clinging tightly to her neck. She pondered how she met such a cruel twist of fate, hunted for two years and now imprisoned by the very soldiers she fought with during the clone wars. She once applauded the individuality amongst the clone troopers, now she wondered.
'How could've I been so wrong. Was it all just an illusion.' She thought silently trying to suppress the sorrow she felt every time she let her mind wander to that subject. Hearing boots walking through the hall she looked up from her cell. It was time for guard change, every hour on the hour. As the two troopers once guarding her cell marched off, the two new troopers stepped in. She was about to slipped back into meditation until she heard a knock on the reinforced glass door to her cell. Looking up she noticed the troopers were both standing facing her on the opposite side of the glass, motioning for her to come closer.
"Ahsoka Tano, Former Jedi commander in the Grand Army of the Republic, Now found guilty of Sedition and involved in a plot to assassinate Emperor Palpatine. My how the mighty have fallen" One trooper stated in a mocking tone. The voice coming out almost machine like through his helmet.
"Spoken like a true sheep" Ahsoka muttered standing up and walking towards the glass.
"And I hear his excellency has a grand execution awaiting you on Coruscant" The other trooper stated.
"My my, you two are just a fountain of information aren't you? Care to tell me something I don't know" Ahsoka quipped sarcastically shooting them both a glare.
"Actually there is something I've been wondering" The first trooper said as me made his way towards the door. Opening it both troopers walked in and stared at Ahsoka.
'Great just what I need today, another round of getting beaten with the blunt end of a rifle' Ahsoka thought. The trooper then held out his hand and the force suppressors on Ahsoka crushed and fell to the ground. Ahsoka gasped and stared at the troopers as she felt the force flooding back into her.
"If we are all supposed to be clones you never noticed that Rex here is taller than me" Assaj Ventress said removing her helmet and revealing herself.
"I thought you'd never come" Ahsoka said breathing a sigh of relief.
"You can't get rid of us that easily, but might I recommend catching up after we've escaped. I don't do prison barges" Ventress said motioning for the door as she put her helmet back on.
"Commander, brought these for you in case things decide to get ugly" Rex said pulling two light sabers out of his belt pouch.
"What would I do without you Rex" Ahsoka said she hid them under her shirt. "So we do have a way out of here right?" Ahsoka asked.
"Your a prisoner transfer from here to another cell block. Conveniently one right next the hangar. We hijack an imperial transport and get hell out of here" Assaj said we adjusting her suit. "How the hell do you guys where these thing, they're so uncomfortable" Assaj said.
"Maybe your just gaining weight" Rex joked as he put non force suppressant cuffs on Ahsoka.
"When we get out of here, you're a dead man" Assaj said scoping out the hallway for any troop activity.
"The sooner we get out of here the better" Ahsoka said stepping behind Ventress.
"Alright lets go" Ventress said as they walked into the hallway with Ahsoka in front with a disguised Rex and Ventress escorting her.
"Just play it calm and let me do the talking if approached" Rex whispered. As they walked down the hallway Ahsoka kept a clear note of everything, between the scurrying mouse droids to the squads of storm troopers patrolling the halls. Ahsoka grimaced, she still hadn't gotten used to calling them that. She had spent more time serving with them than fighting against them, Rex dealt with similar feelings but rarely mentioned it. And Ventress, made it a point to remind us constantly of our blindness to it. She looked forward and saw the entrance to the hanger with two stormtroopers posted in front.
"HALT" The left stormtrooper said stepping forward.
"Prisoner transfer to Star Destroyer Dolos, orders from Lord Vader himself" Rex stated plainly.
"I've received no such orders" The stormtrooper said as the other one slowly stepped forward.
"Lord Vader ordered this to be done discreetly" Rex said.
"You have authorization I assume?" The trooper asked.
"Vega, epsilon, gamma" Rex stated. The trooper stared at them for a moment.
"Incorrect, lower your weapons and come quietly" The trooper said as both raised their rifles.
"Damn" Rex muttered. Ventress then raised both her hands and the troopers rose in the air and immediately collided rendering them unconscious.
"Move!" Ventress yelled as she ran into the hanger igniting her lightsabers. Ahsoka and Rex followed suit as the hangar alarms went off.
"REX GET THAT IMPERIAL SHUTTLE MOBILE!" Ahsoka yelled as she made her way next to Ventress.
"I told him they would've updated their protocols since he was in the ranks but NO, he had to insist." Ventress said as the stormtroopers started running in from all entrances.
"Rex always was stubborn" Ahsoka grinned as she ignited her sabers. The stormtroopers began firing and the two started parrying, deflecting the bolts from the shuttle. The two held their ground for a few moments but began retreating closer to the shuttle. They then heard the engines flare up from behind them.
"'Bout kriffing time" Ventress said as she leaped on the ramp as it was taking off. Ahsoka turned to jump also but was knocked to the ground by a concussive grenade. She slowly got up to see Ventress extending her hand from the shuttle. She went to reach up but was knocked off balance as the shuttle took a rocket to the side.
"We can't take another hit like that!" Rex yelled from the cockpit as he prepped for lightspeed.
"Jump Ahsoka! I got ya" Ventress yelled. Ahsoka then leaped as high as she could while Ventress extended her arms and augmented her with the force. Ahsoka grabbed the ledge of the ship before pulling herself in.
"Thanks Ventress" Ahsoka said breathing heavily.
"You get caught again I'm leaving you there" Ventress said pulling Ahsoka up. They both ran into the cockpit. "Punch it Rex" Ventress looking through the view port at the star destroyers ahead of them.
"Trying, the NAVCOM was hit. I can't plot a course" Rex said frantically adjusting the controls.
Ahsoka closed her eyes and tuned herself to the force. Quickly opening her eyes she pushed forward and activated the hyperdrive.
"Ahsoka, we have no course plotted!" Ventress yelled as the stars in front of her turned to blue streaks.
'Oh shit' Rex thought as his eyes got wide.
As they shot into hyperspace.