Obi-Wan got done talking to Padme, she wasn't having any of it.
But she was definitely worried about Anakin. Her force signature screamed it.
All he had to do was follow her.
When she left her apartment, Obi-Wan followed her. They were headed for her landing pad.
She weren't going to like this, but he had to get to Anakin.
If this was the only way it was happening, it was how it would happen.
Yoda was waiting near the hanger for the Mirialan Senator (rarely used because of the occupation of Mirial.)
Barriss landed her shuttle pod and got out. She walked past Yoda's position and dropped off the comm. "No session at this time, right?" Whispered Barriss.
Yoda picked it up saying "adjourned, they all are, alone, Sidious is."
"Good," said Barriss, she then added "The comms are rigged with life sensors, if we both die, so will Sidious. Any problems with that?"
Yoda absorbed the meaning of the last statement. "Misgivings, I have, but options, I don't see."
"Front door and rotunda aperture work for forward attack positions?" asked Barriss.
"Agreed," said Yoda.
Barriss walked off and Yoda re-entered the service ducts.
Asajj and Ahsoka waited in the cockpit.
"Ooop, altitude, velocity, not just a speeder," said Ahsoka as she tracked Obi-Wan's comm.
"Right," said Asajj as she watched the target box move across the HUD.
They waited for the ship to jump to hyperspace and then five minutes before they locked the navicomp onto Obi-Wans communicator and let the ship run into hyperspace.
Barriss's share had mostly gone on things that would increase the resilience and firepower of this ship. She had also been smart about what she bought (well, what she had them buy), because she had this crystal furnace from which they had all got their new sabre crystals, she also made the crystal components for blasters, so they could take deactivated turrets and reactivate them, they had also been able to make up shields and ablative armour from bits and pieces.
Over the year, they had turned the ship into a gunship with turrets that could cover assigned sectors in an automated defensive mode, prioritising and destroying targets, reprioritising as needed, they could also be focused on a single target if they felt the need to do so, even the rear mounted ones could point forwards, or the left ones shoot to the right.
There really isn't anything else to do when you're the only one who can't step off the ship.
The result was it was hard for fighters to assail it without someone who's force active at the helm, that can seriously kark up a star destroyer, but it didn't pack the punch of a star destroyer, and it certainly didn't have the endurance, they'd have trouble getting anywhere if they stayed in the fight for too long due to the power the turrets demanded, so prior to initiating an attack, they'd work out where they'd go for fuel when they escape and how much fuel they'd need to get there, and if they get too close to that, they'd start seeing alarms going off and that would prompt them to do one.
In some cases, they'd drop off a fuel cache a couple of light minutes away so they could stay in a fight longer.
"How did Obi-Wan react?" asked Asajj.
"About the same as me," said Ahsoka. She elaborated "This is Sky Guy here, how does he of all people pick up a karking Darth name?"
"He's prone to rage," said Asajj, "this is something that was apparent first time we fought."
"Yavin 4, right?" asked Ahsoka.
"Yeah," said Asajj, she then said "he's a ferocious one. Considerable difference from his master, Obi-Wan."
Ahsoka chuckled saying "Don't I know it. How often did they end up locked in an argument?"
"Wish I could have been the one to decapitate Count Dooku though," said Asajj, "that treacherous piece of shavit."
"Yeah, well what's vengeance good for?" asked Ahsoka.
"Certainly wouldn't have helped us work with Barriss all this year," said Asajj, "you know on that job we first worked together on, I kept seeing points at which I could jump her and thinking 'I really should hurt her, I shouldn't pass this opportunity up,' but that wasn't what we were being paid for, and then when we collected our reward, it was like, 'what's the point?'"
Barriss got in one of the repulsorpods and launched from its dock. She then floated around using force telekinesis to start all the pods floating around the Grand Convocation chamber.
They were set up to not do anything other than stay very still unless the operator was commanding it to go somewhere, so for now, she sent them all to about the middle of the chamber.
Barriss wasn't going to spend more than a few minutes grabbing pods and bringing them out, to do the whole chamber would take all week, and someone was bound to walk in on her doing it, possibly the senate arriving for a session some point next month.
She grabbed her data pad and sliced into the floating repulsorpods, setting most of them up to do one thing and the one she was in to do another. She then got on the comm. Sending "Yoda from Barriss, ready at FAP, you?"
"Ready, I am."
"Okay, initiating distraction," said Barriss as she hit the initiate command.
While the Repulsorpods started moving around, Barriss placed the modified grenade on the floor of her one, which would stay a few metres over her orbiting. It would ensure that should she die, then Sidious, who would be standing over her dead body, would be well within the lethal radius when the bomb no longer read her life signs.
The repulsorpods she didn't occupy were starting to move seemingly randomly, some going down and tapping the iris through which the podium rose.
This drew a curious Sidious and Mas Amedda to the podium.
Sidious ordered the two imperial guards off to sort it out as he continued to watch.
Yoda should be able to stop them getting out and possibly bringing reinforcements.
Barriss didn't need to peek over the side to see Sidious and Mas, there was s camera droid watching the aperture in the iris. She needed to keep over the side to make Sidious aware of her presence and get him to send Mas away, also into Yoda's ambush.
She did, and he did.
The podium rose with Sidious alone in it.
Barriss crossed her wrists, grabbing her sabres, but not drawing them yet. She orbited the space the Podium occupied when fully extended.
"Well, well, Barriss Offee. ... You are supposed to be dead, your execution was scheduled almost a year ago now,"
"Ah ... I KNEW I was supposed to do something, I completely forgot, I do apologise," replied Barriss.
"Well, that you're here, tells me you expect to kill me and, what now? Restore the republic? Do you think the senate will applaud you or condemn you for throwing the future of the galaxy into doubt?"
"Not immediately," said Barriss.
"So what do you hope to achieve?" asked Sidious.
"Freedom," said Barriss.
"Chaos," replied Sidious.
"Chaos has a better chance of achieving freedom than an evil order," said Barriss.
"Well then, if you're going to do it," said Sidious, as he pulled his sabre. "I suggest you make a start," at that point he telekinetically shoved Barriss back.
Barriss pulled her sabres as she was pushed back but then telekinetically pulled on Sidious, her feet landing on the edge of her repulsorpod as Sidious started on a trajectory over her. Both Sidious and Barriss lit their sabres and Barriss blocked Sidous's swipe.
He landed on his feet and Barriss followed him down and he blocked her swipes.
From that point, she worked him, keeping the pressure on him.
"Kark this thing is slow, they're half a karking hour ahead of us now," groused Asajj.
"Just hope Obi-Wan can do without us for that time," said Ahsoka, she then notes "Feels like Barriss is struggling a bit."
"Yeah," said Asajj, "hope Yoda has her back. ... Mind, that would be a bit ironic considering what he was like a year ago."
"I think he's over that phase now," said Ahsoka, "nothing like finding you've been epically lied to for shaking you out of your complacency."
Asajj laughed. "Question is, when they've killed Sidious, will he then kill Barriss?"
Ahsoka eventually said "Guess we're going to find out."
Yoda saw Barriss fly overhead, thrown by Sidious, but she orientated herself so her feet were pointing in her direction of travel, landing on the side of the podium, facing Sidious when he leapt towards her. At this point, Yoda light his sabre and aimed to skewer Sidious only for Sidious to throw him down.
His attack on Barriss failed and all three were on the floor of the office.
All three of them were in the fight now, Barriss using Vapaad, Yoda using Maki, Sidious just about holding the two of them off.
"We're coming up on Mustufar," said Asajj, "get ready for anything."
"Got that, all turrets autodefence," said Ahsoka as she watched the sensors for whatever they would find upon leaving hyperspace.
When they dropped out of hyperspace Ahsoka saw no weapons, imperial or-
"Bandit, bandit, vulture droids ... ... " Ahsoka was looking at the sensors. She eventually said "they're in sleep mode."
"How many are there?" asked Asajj.
"Three hundred and seven," said Ahsoka, "they're parked in a stable orbit."
"What's to stop them waking up? Shoot them." Said Asajj.
"Right o," said Ahsoka, she locked the computer on all the ones within range and fired. Single impacts were sufficient in their sleep mode, so it didn't use up much of their fuel.
"Obi-Wan's moving around a bit, he seems to be in a fight, going atmo," said Asajj.
Ahsoka tried to locate obi-wan, if he's in a fight ... ...
If he's in a fight, he'll be right up close to Anakin.
"There's the building," said Asajj.
They saw Obi Wan and Anakin emerge from it running along one of the shield emitters.
"Judy," announced Ahsoka, "just need them to separate a bit more, there's danger close and there's suicide close."
"What if Anakin kills Obi-Wan?" asked Asajj.
"Then Anakin's next," said Ahsoka, "Yoda's right, there is no Anakin, there is only Vader, Anakin I know wouldn't dice up younglings, what he's been up to is beyond karked."
Asajj nodded.
You don't slice up little younglings. Asajj couldn't believe she used to work for a pair of Sith. She liked killing when she was in the cloud of rage that had enveloped her, but that ... ... Would she have killed younglings?
Asajj kept the ship in its holding pattern, Ahsoka had all turrets locked onto Anakin, they just needed an opportunity.
Barriss found herself being spun too fast by Sidous's force telekinesis as he leapt up clear of her and Yoda. Yoda leapt after him, Sidious made one more move with Barriss, throwing her out to the wall of the Convocation chamber.
Yoda glanced at her, but he couldn't protect her without taking the pressure off of Sidious.
You don't stop for a man down
He had to hurt this guy.
Asajj and Ahsoka felt Barriss lose consciousness.
"Hope Yoda gets him," said Asajj.
Anakin and Obi separated sufficiently for Ahsoka's separation.
"Ooop. Firing."
Anakin must have sensed the shots coming because he leapt off the droid he was stood on, but was headed for Obi-Wan's platform, causing Ahsoka to check fire commenting "Shavit!"
She kept watching for an opportunity.
She could also sense Anakin's rage through the force.
"Anakin and I once came here specifically to rescue a couple of younglings," said Ahsoka.
Obi-Wan and Anakin leapt off the raft and continued to fight.
"Don't think Anakin's going to allow himself to separate again," said Ahsoka.
They kept watching as Obi-Wan and Anakin kept fighting on the hillside.
"What would make them separate?" asked Asajj.
Ahsoka thought and then said "do a slow flyby with the repulsors off, use thrusters."
Asajj looked confused for a moment, but went ahead with it, quickly seeing the answer.
All the dust kicked up by the thrusters included not just small particles that would hang in the air for ages, there were also sharp lumps from pulverised aerated lava, this would sting them both and force them to separate.
They hoped.
It worked.
"Firing," announced Ahsoka as she shot at Anakin, forcing him to leap about, trying to stay ahead of the turrets.
Anakin eventually saw where obi-wan was and leapt at him.
The leap was so poorly planned that he was wide open, so what Ahsoka couldn't do, Obi-Wan did. He sliced Anakin's arms and legs off.
Obi Wan then grabbed is comm. And sent "Ahsoka from Obi-wan, receiving, over?"
"Obi wan, Ahsoka, need a lift?"
"I'll walk, Padme needs a look, I'm afraid Anakin attacked her."
"Eh?" Asked Ahsoka. She then said "She's pregnant, and his girlfriend."
"And he's gone Sith, trust me, he's gone," said Asajj as she took them over to the facility sending to Obi-Wan "Obi-Wan from Asajj, moving now."
"Oh, Ahsoka, it is such a relief to see you," started C3PO.
"Yeah, where's Padme?" asked Ahsoka.
"Inside," said C3PO.
A medical droid was following Ahsoka but struggling to keep up. Ahsoka entered the ship and found Padme on the bed inside the ship.
"Padme?"
"Ahsoka," said Padme, sounding as tired as she looked.
"Obi-Wan told me what happened, I've brought a medical droid for you," said Ahsoka.
The medical droid started using medical sensors to examine Padme.
"What has happened to Ani?" asked Padme.
"He's no longer a threat," said Ahsoka, "Obi-Wan's killed him."
"I mean before," said Padme, "he was killing younglings, how could he do that?"
"I ... Cant' explain that," said Ahsoka,
"I can't explain what's going on with Padme," said the medical droid, "we need to get her to a proper hospital, soon."
"Alright, you stay with her, I'll get us moving." She then got on her comm. And sent "Obi-Wan from Ahsoka, Padme needs a hospital according to the medical droid, I'm going to get us moving."
"Have that, I'm going to be a few more minutes, so, go ahead and take off."
"All from Asajj, dibs on the star fighter."
Ahsoka chuckled, and sent "No contest, out," as she closed the door and got into the cockpit to take off.
It felt like Barriss was waking up, but she felt like she was a bit uncomfortable, but she was alive, so that should mean Sidious is dead.
Job done basically.
"Obi-Wan from Ahsoka, where we going, over?"
"Polis Massa," said Obi-Wan.