Path of the Fallen
Chapter VIII:
Knowledge
Coruscant Main Medical Centre, Senate District, 19 BBY plus two months and 24 days
Ahsoka wakes up in a daze, pain killers and medicine have been flowing through her body for Force knows how long and she can barely think straight. She doesn't know what time it is as she looks over and sees Riyo fast asleep a bed over from her. A beeping sound pervades Ahsoka's hearing and she groans as she shifts her head over to the other side of her. Seeing her comlink sitting on the bedside table Ahsoka tries to reach for it but her body is too sluggish and isn't responding right. The comlink's relentless beeping finally stops and it begins to play the message recording aloud.
"Sorry, can't answer right now, I'm probably saving my Master out of some mess he got us into, leave a message and I'll get back to you ASAP, don't count on it actually soon though, warzone and all," Ahsoka's prerecorded voice states.
"Ahsoka… I'm… so… sorry… I… I don't… I don't want… I… don't want to go…" Harai's whisper comes across the speakers and Ahsoka is stricken with fear. Harai has never sounded that way.
"R… Re… Rex…" Ahsoka gasps. Immediately the soldier bursts into the room and Ahsoka does her best to nod at the comlink. Rex grabs the device and replays the message, as he listens to the final part of the recording Rex looks at Ahsoka with her terror stricken eyes. Rex knows what she's feeling, Harai is like her Vode… and he sounds like he's dying.
"I'll find him Ahsoka, I promise," Rex growls as he charges out of the room and Plo Koon enters as the officer leaves. Plo's eyes track to Ahsoka and he smiles beneath his mask. Walking forward Plo sits down next to Ahsoka and puts a hand on her head.
"Sleep Ahsoka, I trust Rex to take care of whatever it is, plus you need to sleep it is late and you need rest. I feel your fear, I will not abandon you Ahsoka and neither will anyone here," Plo says as he takes Ahsoka's right hand in his and squeezes it. With that sentiment Ahsoka manages to get her feelings together and she falls fast asleep.
Ord Mantell, Planetary landfall, 19 BBY plus two months and 25 days
Anakin growls as he stares at Appo in the troop transport, Appo knows the General isn't angry with him, and that he's just angry at the situation. The shock troopers of the 501st stand at attention waiting for the lights on the gunship to change so that they could jump out and engage the droids.
Anakin is first out the doors as the gunship hovers over the ground. Activating his lightsaber and slicing through the swaths of droids directly before him Anakin is like a metal scrapper as he works his way through the squad of droids. The Clones start firing destroying more droids and slowly, ever so slowly, the Republic pushes the droids back.
The battle doesn't last long and soon Anakin, Appo, and the other members of the 501st are standing at the city center holding the Separatist leader hostage. Appo was in the middle of negotaiating a surrender from the Confederate General when Anakin's comlink beeped.
"This is Skywalker."
"Anakin I need you in space now! Separatist reinforcements are inbound, get your troops settled then join me up here to hold our position," Obi-Wan shouts.
"I knew this fight was too easy, I'll be there Obi-Wan."
Coruscant Slums, Unnamed Complex Apartment 4B, 19 BBY plus two months and 25 days
Rex, General Tiin, and General Kota all stand staring at Harai's body. The former Jedi General had bled out from two wounds, one in his side and another directly in his chest, there was no evidence of who had attacked the man, but the blaster marks and lightsaber burns throughout the apartment gave rise to the idea that the fight had been brutal and bloody.
"Who could do this?" Rex asks as he picks up Harai's shoto and starts patting down his body.
"What are you doing!" General Kota shouts as he watches Rex pull out a Barab Crystal, as well as pieces to a lightsaber.
"I'm taking his personal effects and looking for evidence of who attacked him… Ahsoka will want his things, as will Master Plo. War may have turned your customs to nothing, but Mandalorian customs always hold. Plus if I hadn't searched the body I wouldn't have found these," Rex responds as he stands up as he holds a fragment of armour. "This belongs to Katarn Battle Armour, it is worn by specialised Clone Commandos. That means that either Seppie Clankers stole the armour and attacked Harai… or someone on the Council ordered a hit squad to take him out. No matter what there are no bodies and therefore no way to know which."
"There might be… the Force still resonates here, we could figure out that way," General Kota says.
"And leave General Tiin just as undefended and unready for a possible attack as Harai obviously was?" Rex shouts at the other General.
"It is okay Captain, Harai knew the risks of delving so deeply into the Force, and so do I," General Tiin answers. Slowly the Jedi Master sits down with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. The Iktotchi's breathing evens out and Rex can't help but be mesmerised as the world and air stills around the room, everything almost as at peace as is possible. Neither General Kota or Rex know exactly how long they stand there waiting before General Tiin slowly begins to stand again.
"What did you find out?" General Kota asks.
"Commando Droids are loose here on Coruscant… They are responsible for Harai's death, and I might know how they got here too, as well as who's aiding them," General Tiin answers. Rex grins beneath his helmet, whoever did this is going to pay for hurting someone close to Ahsoka, they'll pay in blood.
Coruscant Main Medical Centre, Senate District, 19 BBY two months and 25 days
Plo stands and looks at the pair of girls, Riyo animatedly talking to Ahsoka who was still on bedrest, the senator doing her best to distract Ahsoka from what was happening. Plo could only suggest that Riyo was doing a wonderful job by how much Ahsoka was laughing, but he was worried still; in the Force Ahsoka was a mix of emotions, she'd listened to Skywalker's last message and was infuriated by the Council's decision to send him away, and Riyo had helped her come to terms. Now though with the threat of losing Harai, Rex seeming to be a storm of wrath like Hell's Furies, and the Council's continued meddling in her affairs Ahsoka was a mix of emotions that he couldn't even begin to decipher, and none of them were particularly good. Plo can feel Rex's impression in the Force, along Master Tiin's long before the pair press the entry button or enter the room.
Rex walks directly over to Ahsoka, and with his head lowered in sorrow, hands the young woman Harai's Shoto and the pieces for the lightsaber he'd been working on.
"I'm sorry Commander… I… I failed, but don't worry, I'll make sure whoever did this… they'll pay Ahsoka, I swear by my life they will pay," Rex hisses the last part as Riyo grips Ahsoka's arm tightly. The two Jedi in the room can feel Rex's dejection, anger, and unbridled rage but it is what they feel in Ahsoka which frightens Plo the most. The Togruta is fighting to keep her more dark emotions in check even as tears begin to fill her eyes. Slowly Ahsoka reaches out takes the cloth with the weapon and its pieces in her hand as she looks at Rex. Beside her Riyo tightens her grasp, trying to help anchor Ahsoka in the here and now, and at this moment Plo is happy that the Senator was here, Riyo was doing what no one else in the room could; she was keeping Ahsoka from losing it completely, that being said Plo had already begun to notice the warping metal on the walls and he could tell from the look in Ahsoka's eyes that she was losing to her demons.
"Ahsoka… Rex the and Jedi will find who did this, they'll pay for what they did to your friend Ahsoka. I'll rally the Senate behind it, no way will they escape… I promise," Riyo whispers into Ahsoka's ear, and just like that, with Riyo's hand over Ahsoka's and a few kind words the pressure of the room deflates. Ahsoka latches onto Riyo as she cries over her lost friend, and Plo simply feels the anger that Rex had become pain as he watches with sad eyes. Master Tiin shares a look with his fellow and the pair step out to give Riyo and Ahsoka some space, and to hopefully let Rex calm down.
"What did you find Master Tiin?" Plo asks as the door slides shut.
"Commando Droids stole Republic Trooper armour and then conducted a covert raid to kill Harai, I have a feeling they are also responsible for the attack on Senator Chuchi, and they are attempting to cover something up," Saesee responds.
"So what do we do?" Plo asks.
"We find Senator Dott, and we speak with him directly," Saesee responds.
Coruscant Senate Building, Senator Dott's Office, 19 BBY plus two months and 25 days
Senator Dott was outraged to say the least as he stood defiantly against the pair of Jedi and strike team of Clone Troopers from Plo's Legion.
"You dare to come here and accuse me!" Senator Dott shouts. "You will rue the day you decided to cross the Trade Federation!"
"And you will rue the day you caused the death of a Jedi!" Master Koon shouts. "You helped smuggle Confederate Commando Droids on to Coruscant, Commando Droids who then killed a Jedi Knight. You are an accessory to murder Senator; and you will be treated as such."
"I have done no such-" Senator Dott begins.
"Shut your fucking mouth," Wolffe shouts as he steps forward hand on his blaster. "You killed a friend of mine, and you have the gall to think you can get away with it?"
"I assure that I have not allowed any combat capable droids other than my personal escort. Any Droids consorting with the Confederacy then someone else must have brought them," Senator Dott shouts at the Commander.
"That is where you are wrong Senator," Master Kota growls as he stalks into the room followed by a contingent of his Militiamen. "I have the security holos of you and a small squad of BX series Commando Droids speaking not too long after you departed your ship last, plus we found the recordings of your personal guards pulling the dead BX series' bodies away from where we lost our Jedi. So you'd best get a lawyer, and if you're lucky they'll no more about how to keep you off the death penalty."
"This-"
"This is justice, just like the man whose death you caused would have wanted," Plo responds.
End Chapter VIII
A/N:
So too everyone still reading this signals the end of chapters in Act I. There'll be an Epilogue following this as a kind of actual end to Act I. I hope everyone is enjoying this and that you're happy with the direction it's going. Thanks as always to Serpentbane007 and Arty B. Good for their support. See you in the Epilogue then to Act II!
