Anakin Skywalker rubbed his eyes, slipping into the room with a stealth that he had practiced for the three years he'd been coming here. He shut the door as quietly as he could, proceeding to the bed on the other side of the room.
"Ani?" The voice was sweet, concern and love simply dripping from it. The woman sat up, her hand reaching to the nightstand- most likely to the concealed blaster that was holstered behind it.
"I'm here, Padme." He said, bringing his left arm- the real one- to rest on her shoulder. "Go back to sleep."
"What are you doing here?" She asked, turning on the lamp that hung from the wall beside her. "Ani, you're crying! What's happened?"
The man swallowed, touching his cheeks with his mechanical hand, leaving the fingertips of his black glove damp. He hadn't realized the tears had been there.
"It- it's nothing Padme. We can talk about this in the morning."
"In the morning?" She asked suspiciously. "What about the Jedi?"
Typically, the Jedi would have expected to see him in the morning, as he would feign sleeping in his quarters at the temple by sneaking in early in the dark hours of the morning- but this is far from a typical situation. He thought sadly.
"I'm not going back." He said softly, sitting down on the bed. "I-" He swallowed, shaking his head.
Padme's hands- impossibly soft, yet firm, came to rest on Anakin's own fleshly hand. "Please." She begged. "Talk to me, Ani."
He didn't want to. It was too soon- he hadn't even spoken to the council about it. Obi-wan had explained the entire situation, his voice low and broken. The only thing that Anakin dared to say to the council was-
It was...
"I left, Padme." He said, his voice weak and shaky. "I left, and I'm never going back. I- I can't." His words came out as suppressed sobs now. His shoulders shook with stress the tears came freely now.
"Ani..." Padme said, her hand reaching up to caress his cheek.
"She-" Anakin choked now, squeezing his eyes shut. "Ahsoka. She- she's gone." The last few words of his sentence came out in a whisper. "She's gone." He repeated, the realization striking him with the force of a blaster shot. "She's gone!" He sobbed, and Padme drew him closer, her own tears wetting his shoulder.
"She's gone!"
STAR WARS
"How am I supposed to move on after this?" The question was the only thing that Obi-wan could think about as he stood in the council chambers, surveying the surface of Coruscant with a grim expression.
"Master Kenobi?" Mace Windu's voice echoed behind him, and Obi-wan turned his head slightly to face him.
"Yes?"
"We were discussing the 501st legion's fate." He reminded the younger Jedi.
"Of course." Obi-wan replied, turning fully to face the Jedi council.
"Won't you sit?" Shaak Ti asked, gesturing to his empty seat. Her face was straight, but he could sense the concern and gentle comfort behind her voice alone.
"I'd-" he swallowed. "I'd rather not, Master Ti." If he sat, his shaking hands might be visible.
She was a good friend, and an even better Jedi. But being a Jedi came first, so she refrained from expressing herself further before the rest of the council.
"I don't believe it would be a good move to dissolve the 501st." Plo Koon inserted, and Obi-Wan shot him a grateful glance.
"No, that much I agree." Mace Windu said, polishing his palms. "They are an enormously successful battalion, and it would be cruel to separate them after... After Padawan Tano's demise."
Ki-adi Mundi nodded. "Yes, it would. Speaking of which- Captain Rex expressed his wish to leave the military."
Silence pervaded the chamber, and Mace's eyes narrowed.
"Come again?"
Ki-adi sighed. "He does not wish to support the war effort in the same way as before. There are no official channels for a Clone to resign from the navy- so he came to me."
Mace scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "And what exactly would he do? He's a Clone- he was bred to fight for the Republic."
"Even so." Plo Koon interjected. "He is sentient, no Jedi can refute that."
The dark-skinned Jedi shot him a look. "Again, what would he do? What other purpose can he serve? Does he believe that just because his Jedi general left the war, it means that he should as well?"
"Master Windu-" Obi-wan said, drawing the attention of the entirety of the council. "Anakin may have been Rex's general, but Ahsoka was his Jedi."
Silence reigned for a few moments after that, before Yoda interrupted it.
"True, Obi-wan's words are." He rested his eyes, before opening them again. "The temple, should the captain reside in. A place of healing and peace, it is."
"It's settled, then." Ki-adi Mundi said.
Mace sighed. "And the rest of the 501st?"
"I will take them under my command." Obi-wan said, softly caressing his beard in his hand. "Admiral Wulf Yularen is already the commander of the open circle fleet, and the 212th has already worked closely with them many times."
"So be it."
STAR WARS
Ahsoka groaned, her eyes drifting open and shut several times. The bright lights above her stung her eyes, and she squeezed them tightly.
Until the ship- which must have been where she was- shook as an explosion struck its frame. She stumbled to her feet, eyes wide. The medbay where she was, judging by the bacta tanks that surrounded her, was not familiar to her. It wasn't likely to be a ship that belonged to the CIS, simply because it had a medbay. CIS ships were, for the most part, manned only by droids. Any medical facility it would have would be private.
Also, she was recieving medical attention.
She wasn't in a bacta tank- so she must not have endured too dangerous an injury. Her modesty, however, was not well preserved. She was clothed only in her undergarments, something that she became aware of only just as a uniformed man entered the room- and he frantically shut it behind him.
"Good, you're awake." He said, looking her straight in the eyes. "Get dressed, there's some clothes in the footlocker next to you."
She did so quickly, thankful for the relative privacy the older man had given her. Along with the aforementioned clothes, the footlocker contained a short sword as well, which was not exactly a common sight in the modern galaxy.
Even so, she strapped its sheath to her side- it would be good to have a weapon in the absence of her lightsabers, which were nowhere to be seen.
As soon as she was dressed, Ahsoka turned to the man. "Where am I?" She asked, making sure he could see her hand on the hilt of the sword.
He smirked, obviously finding her threat amusing. "You're on the Endar Spire, a Republic vessel. I'm Ensign Trask Ulgo. I was instructed by the bridge crew to retrieve you. Thankfully, I don't have to drag you through the ship while the Sith are attacking."
Ahsoka blinked. "The Sith?!"
Trask seemed more confused by her response than she did his, as he articulated slowly. "You must have hit your head harder than we thought. We've been at war with the Sith for nearly two years."
Two years? How long have I been out? Where's Anakin, or Rex? She attempted to recall her previous location, but her last memory consisted of departing Coruscant with Anakin and Obi-wan to investigate an old Jedi distress signal.
What happened?
Trask quickly grew impatient. "We need to get going. Bastila's waiting for us on the bridge."
They left the medbay, passing several hurrying officers along the way, followed by several panicked marines.
Ahsoka caught Trask glancing at her as they continued to the bridge at a light run, and she would have ignored it- except for the fact that he continued to do it.
"See anything interesting?" She joked.
The soldier chuckled, before shaking his head. "It's nothing... Just that I could've sworn you were human."
Ahsoka blinked at that, before narrowing her eyes. "There a problem with that?" She growled.
"Of course not." The man said, softening his voice. "This is the Republic kid. And to be frank, we've been losing this war. If we let people be blatantly racist, we wouldn't have much of an army, now would we?"
"I suppose not." Ahsoka replied. Unfortunately, this being 'the Republic' was not enough to combat racism. Maybe in the military, but many human senators in the republic tended to form cliques that discluded any aliens.
Their conversation, as well as Ahsoka's introspection, were interrupted when they turned a corner, stumbling directly into a Sith boarding party- she knew they were Sith because both they and Trask raised their respective blasters.
Ahsoka closed the gap quickly, knowing her short sword would not be able to deflect any blaster bolts that careened her way. Instead, she covered Trask by becoming the most dangerous target.
She weaved past the first soldier, slashing through his neck with her sword- wielded in a reverse grip as she would her lightsaber- and leaping atop the second's shoulders, and simultaniously stabbing through the third and final Sith's clavicle.
All before Trask could loose a single shot towards them.
She lazily flourished her sword, before sheathing it.
"That was-" Trask shook his head. "You some sort of Jedi, or something?"
Ahsoka grinned. "Sure am."
He laughed at her levity, before adding: "No wonder Bastila wanted you on the bridge.
The two continued, no more speech neccesary. They faced another two patrols, before Trask grabbed Ahsoka and pulled her behind a wall. "Dark Jedi." He muttered.
Ahsoka remembered him mentioning the Sith, but she didn't think they would actually face a wielder of the Dark Side. The sound of clashing lightsabers filled the air, the vibrations echoing through her hollow montrals. Looking around the corner, she saw a lone female Jedi facing a bald man- a Dark Jedi, as Trask had called him. At least he wasn't a true Sith, like Dooku. She reached for her sword but Trask, letting out a fierce growl, tightened his grip on her arm.
"He's facing one of the Jedi who was with Bastila. Without your lightsaber you'll be useless in this fight."
He was right, not that Ahsoka liked it. Her fears, though, seemed immaterial as the Jedi feinted to the dark Jedi's right, before whirling on her heel and slashing through the man's chest. She and Trask left the safety of the corner, and the Jedi smiled softly at them.
Ahsoka smiled back.
Then, an explosion rocked the ship, and the section of hull plating gave way. The Jedi's eyes widened as the atmosphere quickly vented.
Time slowed as Ahsoka reached out- attempting to grasp the woman with the Force- but she could not. The Force was muted, evasive to her touch. She could not access its power.
The other Jedi, however apparently could. She reached out in the Force, sending Ahsoka and Trask careening through the quickly closing blast doors.
"No!" Ahsoka shreiked. Though her connection to the Force was muted, she could still feel it.
She still felt as the other Jedi's bright light flickered, and died.
"This is Carth Onasi! One of the corridors in your section just vented its atmosphere! Are you alright down there?"The voice had emanated from Trask's comm, but it was a moment before he could answer, as he was out of breath from the thin atmosphere. "This is Ensign Ulgo, Commander. We're alright, but one of Bastila's Jedi party got vacced." He winced at his own wording, before continuing. "I've got the VIP with me. Is Bastila still on the bridge?"
VIP?
"Bastila isn't on the spire, Ensign." He answered. "Get the VIP to the Starboard escape pods. I'll be waiting. Onasi out."
Trask swore. "We'd better get going. The Sith won't keep this tug afloat long, once they figure out Bastila's gone."
Ahsoka nodded. What's so special about this Bastila?
The soldier led her through another corridor, making a break for the Starboard section. Ahsoka took a moment to examine her surroundings. This was supposed to be a Republic vessel? It seemed so small, not to mention the fact that the ship had a layout that she was entirely unfamiliar with. Where were the Clone troopers, for another thing?
Exactly how long have I been out?
"You okay, kid?"
Ahsoka bit her lip. "Just fine, Ensign." She didn't like how her voice shook when she said that.
"You better be. There's bound to be quite the host of Sith in the Starboard section."
There's that word again.
"Where exactly did these guys come from, anyways?" She asked. "I mean, what happened after the Clone Wars?"
Trask's brow brow furrowed, and he gave her a confused look. "The Clone Wars?"
Ahsoka blinked in confusion. "Yeah... How long have I been out?"
He shook his head. "Kid, I've never heard of any Clone Wars. The last war we had- before the Sith attacked- was the Mandalorian War."
What?
Before Ahsoka could question him further, they reached the door to the Starboard section. Trask turned, unholstering his blaster and firing.
She whirled to see that he had fired on a bald man- one who swatted the bolt away with a blood red lightsaber.
Dark Jedi.
"Get going, kid. The escape pods aren't too far."
"What?" Ahsoka scoffed. "You want me to leave you here? Not gonna happen!"
"You don't have a choice!" Trask snapped. "Bastila needs your help, and you won't be able to handle this guy without a lightsaber."
"So what, you'll hold him off?"
Trask smirked, tapping a thermal detonator on his belt.
"So you're just going to kill yourself in the hopes that you can buy me enough time?!"
The red saber was walking towards them slowly at this point, and Trask gave her a stern look. "Bastila is the key, kid. She's the most important person in the whole Republic war effort. If she dies, we all do. Now go." He accentuated the point by shoving her away.
She hesitated, before nodding. "May the Force be with you, Trask Ulgo."
The door slammed shut behind her, an explosion sealing it. She cringed as she felt Trask's light dim, but continued on. She had a mission.
It was a few moments before she came across another door- the one between her and the escape pod bay, and when she opened it, she nearly stumbled directly into a Sith Soldier.
He seemed not to register what was happening at first, until he said;
"Wait!"
Ahsoka truck the Sith soldier with a kick- her foot snapping outwards from her hip- and cracking the soldier's visor. He went down silently, and she moved past, her sword whipping forward to slash the next soldier through the neck. The Sith grenadier before her reared back, frag grenade in hand as he frantically attempted to activate it. He failed, as Ahsoka impaled his wrist on her blade, severing the tendons that controlled his fingers.
He dropped the grenade, and Ahsoka caught it in her off-hand, before ripping her sword out of his hand and kicking him in the throat.
She stepped past him, examining the door the Sith were attempting to pry open, before she was suprised by the door hissing open.
"Good, you're-" The man before her, a human with dark hair and a well-kempt beard, frowned. "Where's Ensign Ulgo?"
Ahsoka paused, before answering. "You're Onasi?"
"Carth," He corrected. "Where's Trask?"
"He stayed behind." She said, reaching up to rub her shoulder.
"Of course." He muttered, before turning toward the escape pod bay that lay behind him. "Hurry up. We need to go, now. It's just us left."
"Right." Ahsoka said, stepping after him.
STAR WARS
Obi-wan took a deep breath, before reaching forward, and knocking on the door.
He had never been to the 200 Republica before, but it was certainly nice. Luxorious.
That, however was not the reason for his nervousness.
When the door opened, it revealed Padme Amidala, Naboo's human reprisentative in the senate.
"Obi-wan! It's been ages! What are you doing here?" The Senator smiled softly, but he could see the muted pain in her eyes.
"I'd heard Anakin was staying here." He said, taking her hand softly. "I would very much like to check up on him. Is he here?"
Padme bit her lip, before nodding. "He is. I can get him for you, but would you mind waiting in the den?"
"Of course, M'lady." Obi-wan said softly, following her to the den, and taking a seat on the couch.
He looked around, observing his surroundings. For a Senator's home in the most expensive housing on Coruscant, it was surprisungly spartan. The architecture was exquisite, and undoubtedly expensive, but it was only sparsely decorated, and what decor there was had been surprisingly simple.
Padme did not return, instead, Anakin came in her place. Dark rings encircled his eyes, and he didn't look like he'd slept in days.
He probably hadn't.
"Anakin." He said, voice low in concern. "I was worried about you. I didn't hear anything about you in days. When I did, I find out you've been on Coruscant this whole time."
Anakin simply looked at him wearily, collapsing on the opposite couch. "What are you doing here?"
Obi-wan blinked. What in the blazes was he talking about?
"I was looking for you, weren't you listening?"
"No," Anakin said, and Obi-wan wasn't sure if he was even answering his question. "I mean, why do you care?"
What?
"Anakin, you're my friend! Though you may no longer be my Padawan, or even a Jedi for that matter, I still care for you."
"Why?"
Obi-wan's frown deepened. "Anakin-"
"Why don't you just go back to the temple?" Anakin spat, standing again- but not without effort. "Just leave me alone! Go back to your precious Jedi."
Obi-wan sighed, standing up. "Anakin please. I just want to talk."
"Talk. All you ever want to do is talk. All the Jedi ever do is talk." The man before him clenched his fists. "Where has talking gotten us with the Seperatists? Where did it get us with the Son?"
Obi-wan stood still, eyes furrowing as he examined Anakin. "I understand you're upset! But you need to calm down. Please."
"Upset?!" Anakin shouted, his hands shaking- his whole frame shaking in rage. Anakin was no small man, and he towered over Obi-wan. "I'm beyond upset! This was all the Jedi's fault! The council's fault! It's your fault Ahsoka died!"
He didn't respond, and aside from Anakin's heavy breathing, the room was silent.
"Anakin!"
Padme was stood in the doorway to the lounge, shock splayed across her face. "How could you say that?!"
Obi-wan raised a hand, bowing his head. "No, Padme... He- he's right. Perhaps it is my fault."
Anakin had no response to this, eyes locked stubbornly on the floor.
"I'll take my leave, m'lady." Obi-wan said quietly. "Keep me aprised?"
"Of course."
STAR WARS
Ahsoka woke to a cold room- a very cold one.
"Rnnnnngh." She elicited, sitting up. The covers draped over her slid off, and as she shifted her legs to stand, she heard:
"Oh, good. You're awake."
Ahsoka immediately reached for her lightsabers- which were nowhere to be found. She looked up to see-
Carth Onasi.
Memories flooded her mind, and she sighed in resignation.
"I feel like my head just went through a spice refinery..." She said, standing now.
"You look like it too," He replied. "Took quite the blow to the head on the escape pod ride down here."
Ahsoka nodded, rubbing her face in her hands. "I don't remember... Where are we?"
"An old apartment, it was abandoned. You were knocked unconscious, but I was able to drag you here."
Ahsoka leveled a glare at him, also taking a moment to examine her apparent savior.
He was tall, older- though not as old as Obi-wan- and had a light, yet well kempt beard that Ahsoka thought would be sorely missed were he to shave it off.
Were she human, or of a lighter complexion, she would have blushed at that thought, but instead she coughed. "What planet, I mean."
Carth chuckled at that, his broad shoulders shaking lightly. "We're on Taris, at the moment." He paused before continuing. "That's roght, you were that transfer Bastila's party took over the medbay for, weren't you? I was under the impression you were human."
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "You're the second person to have said that to me." She stated, before shaking her head as if to ward off the thought.
"So, I'm assuming that since we're hiding out here, that we're not on the most friendly of planets." She joked gravely.
Carth nodded. "Right. Taris is under Sith quarantine. We're stuck here until we find a way to break the blockade, or the Republic comes to liberate us."
Ahsoka stepped over to the window, looking out at the city-scape.
"How long have I been out?" She wondered aloud.
"That, I can't really answer. Bastila's party requested your transfer, and you were still unconscious then."
Ahsoka bit her lip. "Last I remember, Taris was just... one big pile of rubble."
She turned back to Carth, who looked confused. "That's the first I've heard of it. Taris has been a pretty kriffed up place for a while, but I've never heard of it being called a pile of rubble."
It was Ahsoka's turn to be confused. Trask hadn't heard of the Clone Wars, and now this?
"What year is it?" She nearly whispered, looking at the man in worry.
He paused, concern etched across his face.
"20 years after the war with Exar Kun." He said softly.
Ahsoka gaped. The man likely thought she was a veteran of that war, misplaced by a hyperspace malfunction.
But the situation was far worse.
She stumbled to the couch, eyes wide and her body began to shake.
"Are you-"
She waved him off.
3000 years. She thought bitterly.
"Look, is it that bad? If you know when the war with Exar Kun was, there's bound to be people you knew that are still alive.
"Nobody I know is alive." She whispered. She was vaguely aware of Carth sitting beside her on the sofa.
"That's pessimistic-"
"You don't understand." She spat. whirling on the man. "No one I know is alive."
The room was silent, before she continued. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have told him, but at that moment, she needed to confide in someone.
"The war with Exar Kun, for me, was 3000 years ago."
The room was, once again, silent.
"That's-"
"Impossible," Ahsoka cut him off. " I know."
"But," Carth said, standing. "It does explain why Bastila's party was so desperately trying to escort you through Sith space. You could have valuable info on the war-"
"I don't," She said. "Coruscant is going to be sacked in about 300 years. Whatever detailed records there might have been about this time period would be scant, at best, and I'm not a historian." Should I really be telling him this?
Carth sighed, looking older than he probably was for a moment. "Well, whatever the case, it's obviously important. We could certainly use your help, regardless."
I've got my own war to fight. She thought bitterly. But I'm stranded here, with you.
"And anyways," he continued. "We need to focus on the task at hand. Bastila."
Ahsoka turned her head at that. "Right. What's so special about her?"
Carth gave her a look. "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that she isn't in the history textbooks."
She laughed, despite herself. Carth seemed to be taking the whole thing surprisingly well, as little as she knew about the man.
"Either way, she's the key to the Republic's war effort. Her battle meditation has helped win more battles than I care to count. Even though she seems... A bit stiff." The man's face scrunched up in slight distaste.
"That's a lot of responsibility." Ahsoka noted.
Carth nodded. "It is. Though, we wouldn't have made it off the Endar Spire alive without her help. Speaking of," he gestured at the shortsword that lay against the wall in the corner. "You know how to use that thing?"
She scrunched up her face at the thought. She really wished she had her lightsabers at the moment. "Well enough." She answered.
"Good." He replied. "Something tells me you're going to need it."
STAR WARS
"How can you deny it!" Obi-wan exclaimed. "Ahsoka disappeared from our shuttle! Where would she have gone?"
Mace sighed, spreading his hands across his lap. "Calm yourself, Master Kenobi."
The bearded man did so, taking a deep breath. "Rex can attest to it. He was in communication with us a mere moment before she disappeared. Stranger happenings have occured."
Mace and Saesee Tin exchanged glances, and Obi-wan tightened his lips. "It seems preposterous," Saesee replied. "Master Kenobi. Padawan Tano has always been... Rebellious."
"You believe she deserted?" Obi-wan asked. "Anakin would have known! He is a personal friend of the Chancellor, so I'm sure if he were in on it he would be more overt in his actions!"
"Master Ken-" Shaak Ti said, before Mace interrupted her.
"We are as confused on this issue, Obi-wan, as you are these are certainly-"
"Strange circumstances." Obi-an finished for him. "It's preposterous. You're saying that Anakin planned for us to have the same exact vision, for Ahsoka to disappear, and for us to investigate an ancient Jedi distress signal?"
The council was silent, until Shaak Ti finally spoke up again. "I believe this session, Master Windu, is finished."
"I concur." Plo Koon said.
STAR WARS
A/N
Welcome, one and all, to I The Mighty! Named after the band of the same name, this story will have chapters named after its respective albums and their songs. Any reviews would be appreciated, and questions are welcome. I understand that this story is not for everyone, and suspension of disbelief is going to be heavy as well.
Please enjoy, regardless, and...
Good Hunting Out There!