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Chapter 3: Of Force Adepts and Crime Lords
=KoF=
Part 3
10 KM above
Chaleydonia City
Christophsis
"Master, you are insane!" Ahsoka's voice rang in Vader's helmet. The Sith Lord chortled in amusement.
They were in the back of an assault shuttle, which was heading for the capital of the world below them. At terminal velocity and accelerating with no intention of slowing down.
"Sir, are you sure about this?" Rex added his two credits.
"Absolutely." The Sith Lord grinned. It was too bad they couldn't see his smile because of his helmet. Then he slammed his armored fist on a conveniently placed large button and the ramp at the back of the shuttle slid open.
"Now, jump or I'll throw you out."
"Yep. You are insane." Ahsoka grumbled before being gently shoved out of the shuttle.
Rex shook his head and followed her before Anakin jumped out too. Below them, the shuttle continued to accelerate. It would keep on its course until it slammed in the shield covering a significant part of the city, unleashing a kiloton level of force. It would make a nice little distraction for their landing.
At the same time, more units from 501st Legion were descending through the clouds, escorted by whole fighter wings. They would land as close as possible to what little remained from Kenobi's army and rush to reinforce the survivors. Meanwhile Vader and his squad of hand picked clones were going to shut down the shield generator so the remaining CIS units could be taken out with air strikes.
That was the plan anyway. The fact that it called for a jump from nearly ten kilometers, then passing through the edge of a
multiple-kiloton level explosion, before landing in a city swarming with a killer robots wasn't something that Snips approved of. On the other hand, Vader hadn't had such fun in ages. Something that was clear to everyone in his strike team, because he was laughing like a maniac during their free-fall.
"Sir, I have to agree with the kid." Rex muttered while gliding through the air.
"Nah. I've never been more sane. Besides this is just pure fun!" Vader chuckled.
Below them, the shuttle slammed into the shield engulfing Chaleydonia. The city disappeared from sight, replaced by a eye-searing flash of light. Only their visors polarizing prevented the group of skydivers from being blinded. Even at that distance, the thermal pulse of the kinetic strike was enough to raise the temperature inside their armors enough to make them swim in sweat. Moments moments later, the formation in which they were descending was broken as the shock-wave hit. While it wasn't powerful enough to injure, not at this range anyway, it was still strong enough to send them in uncontrolled tumble through the air.
Anakin laughed in delight, before using the Force to stabilize their flight and guide his apprentice and soldier towards the correct part of the city. He looked down to see smoke rising from a rippling shield. As expected, the defensive field had held, leaving the city it protected without a scratch. The same however couldn't be said for the few enemy craft which were flying CAP overhead before the shuttle hit.
When they were less than a kilometer above the ground, Vader used the Force to activate the rocket pack strapped to his back. It kicked like an angry banta as it started slowing his descent. Ahsoka and the troopers followed his example all the while he guided them towards a nearby skyscraper, which had it's roof just above the edge of the shield.
=KoF=
"Master, I hate you!" Snips groused after getting rid of her now useless rocket pack.
"Don't be like that! This was awesome! We are definitely doing it again!" Vader grinned. He hadn't have such fun since forever!
"Sir, we are ready to move." Rex reported, interrupting their banter.
"Fine. Follow me. We have a shield generator to disable." With those words, Anakin led his strike team inside the skyscraper. They needed to be lower to the ground to use the grappling hooks and metal wire attached to their weapons as an express way to the city proper below.
=KoF=
Chaleydonia City
Christophsis
Obi-Wan Kenobi had a grim expression on his face. This wasn't how he imagined his end. The Jedi Master was cut off from his troops and alive only thanks to his reflexes and the will of the Force. He was trying really hard no to think about the fate of said soldiers. He could feel all but a handful die as the battle progressed from a mere disaster to a catastrophe.
The fact that he was atop one of the tri-droids besieging the tattered remnants of his army helped a bit too. He really, didn't have much time to think or curse himself for a fool. He should have abandoned the artillery and had his men scatter through out the city. That way a lot more of them would still be alive and they would pose some threat to the droid army doing its best to kill them all.
Instead, here he was – making his last stand in a desperate attempt to buy his clones a few more seconds of life.
The Force screamed in warning and Obi-Wan jumped down, barely evading a wall of crimson death as hundreds of B1s opened fire on the Tri-Droid he was standing on. The cheap blasters of the flimsy machines merely scorched the paint of the armored machine, unfortunately dealing it no real damage. That meant a simple thing, Kenobi had to deal with three of the towering engines of destruction as well as a whole division of B1s and Supper Battle droids. Those were the enemies in his immediate vicinity, with more down the highway the sore remnant of his troops were desperately trying to block.
It was all for nothing. A whole legion wiped out without a gain for the Republic. It made the Jedi Master angry. Oh, he had no problem dying to uphold justice or protect others. However, doing so for virtually nothing, even worse, taking thousands of clones with him, that was another matter.
Obi-Wan knew better. He knew where his anger led.
Yet, now, at the end of the line, Kenobi found out that he no longer cared. It wasn't like he was going to live for it to be an issue. Even if reinforcements arrived right now, he and his soldiers were done. Would be dead before friendly units could reach their position through the shield.
The Jedi snarled when he felt the closest thing to a friend he had among the clones die. His azure lightsaber slashed through an offending droid, his blade moving faster and easier than ever before. He felt power washing over him, strengthening his tired limbs, making each strike stronger. Faster.
Another clone died, and Obi-Wan shouted, putting all the pain, resentment and anger he felt at what was happening in that single action. And the Force itself responded. He could feel it warping around him, his lungs straining and then it passed through him. Kenobi's shout became one with the Force, the sound waves enhanced to impossible degree. The B1s in front of him simply shattered, their mangled parts flying as a shrapnel in a semi-circle. Even the closest Tri-Droid staggered for a moment.
For a second Obi-Wan froze, gasping for breath. He felt cold, as if he was in the middle of a blizzard. Then he was moving, pushing himself to the limit as the Force was screaming warning to him. He was a blur, deflecting and dodging blaster bolts from all directions, still alive only thanks to the endless hours spent practicing Soresu.
It wasn't enough. The two Tri-Droids between which he found himself concentrated their attention on him. He deflected a laser bolt, avoided another, the explosion staggering him. Kenobi acted on instinct when he trust his left palm up, pushing as much Force behind the motion as he could. A concussion missile slammed into his impromptu shield, detonating a meter from him. The explosion engulfed him with fire and shrapnel, burning his hand and petering his form with molten metal.
Obi-Wan screamed in pain and rolled forward, barely registering the danger he was sensing. The missile sent from the second towering machine blew up farther behind him, but this time there wasn't a barrier made of the Force to protect him. The shock-wave picked Kenobi up and threw him over the edge of the highway. All he could register was a wave of heat and pain, and then Obi-Wan knew no more.
=KoF=
Part 4
Chaleydonia City
Christophsis
"It's a trap. Not even the clankers are dumb enough to leave just a squad of B1s to guard the shield generator." Rex grumbled. He was looking through a shattered window on one of the skyscrapers overlooking their target.
"While I agree with you, Rex, you should remember that it's a big galaxy out there." Vader smirked. "In my experience, there is no limit to peoples and droids stupidity that I know of."
"And we are trying to save them all, why?" Rex grumbled. "What's the plan, sir?"
"Heavy weapons troopers and the sniper are on overwatch while we sneak closer. When we're in position, they'll provide us with covering fire. If we're lucky, that'll be sufficient to place the charges and leg it." The Sith said.
"If as usual we aren't lucky?" The sniper asked.
"Then it's the fun way – we fight our way in, place the charges and blow the kriffing thing sky high." Anakin smirked. Personally, he was all about plan B, but he had to be considerate this time – those were his apprentice and the fellows of his 501st – not just a bunch of random Stormtroopers, most of whom were flash cloned idiots. "Snips, you're staying close to me. I'm not going to lose my brand new Padawan on her first mission." Vader paused for a moment. "I order you not to die like imbeciles." He grinned at the Clones, who weren't reassured by his bloodthirsty expression.
"I'm happy to comply, sir." Rex perked up.
"Yes, sir!"
"Me too!"
The rest of the Clones chorused in unison.
"Good. Move on!"
A few minutes later, everyone was in position and the dumb clankers were none the wiser. Vader drew an Ion grenade from his pouch and smiled viciously. Last time around, he almost never used those toys – they were murder on his artificial arm.
This time, he was whole.
"Sir, what are you doing!" Snips hissed quietly when she saw him.
"This simply reeks of a trap. Either mines, concealed weapon emplacements or droids under our feet. I'm going to spring it." Anakin answered nonchalantly.
"What happened with sneak in and out without being noticed?" Ahsoka asked.
"No plan survives contact with the enemy. That's why we call the kriffing bastards the enemy in the first place. Among other things..." Vader trailed off darkly. He activated the grenade and threw it over the half-demolished wall they were using for cover.
"I don't think I like your plans, Master." Snips muttered, making Anakin smile. She hasn't seen yet one of his plans. Not really.
The grenade blew up sending a pulse of Ionized particles, which simply fused all the electronics of the cheaply built B1s. A moment later the ground began trembling as buried droids started shaking in their holes.
"What is that?!" Ahsoka exclaimed and gripped her lightsaber tightly.
"We just sprang the ambush. GO!" Vader cheerfully shouted and vaulted over the wall. He ignited his blade and thew another grenade at the far end of the platform containing the generator. The shield device was protected from such a paltry Ionic disruption, however the same couldn't be said about the droids buried around it.
A sniper shot, followed by heavy repeaters opening up announced the Clones joining the fun. A moment later, Rex and the rest of the team started shooting from their cover a hundred meters back.
Ten seconds later it was all over and Vader got to take apart just three droids. When the last one was cut in half, the Sith turned around in a search for another target only to see Ahsoka dispatching the last enemy with a little less vigor that he would like, but that was a problem for another time.
"That's it?!" The General exclaimed.
"What?! Do you want more droids?!" Snips snapped at him.
"Yeah." Vader muttered. He deactivated his blade and hanged it on his belt while rubbing the back of his head. "This was no fun – I expected more of a fight." Yet… This was how a properly ran engagement should run – hit the enemy fast and hard, take them out before they knew what was happening. It was a textbook assault, well if you had someone with his capabilities anyway.
It was too bad that usually the enemy wasn't so obliging to let you sneak up and set up at leisure.
"Snips, set the charges, we'll cover you." Anakin ordered and kicked the remains of a fried B1.
Vader wanted to get out of here and find out what happened with Kenobi. If anyone was going to kill his former master, that would be him – not anyone else! Besides, Anakin hadn't really decided what to do about Obi-Wan. He had heaps of reasons to hate the old man… yet there was a part of him that regretted cutting Kenobi down on the Death Star. A part that was perhaps even willing to give the man another chance.
Unless Obi-wan really got himself killed just to spite Vader – he wouldn't put it past the irritating old fossil… who wasn't that old nowadays. Hell, they were about the same age nowadays!
"Done!" Snips shouted.
"Good job! Lets make ourselves scarce."
Soon enough, they were behind some solid cover down street. Anakin nodded at his Padawan and Ahsoka blew up the charges.
A bright flash, followed by a heat and overpressure wave announced the Separatists losing the city. Moments later, fighters dived to strafe enemy columns and bombers wings circling above the city released their payloads.
In a few minutes, the airstrikes tore out the heart of multiple CIS divisions, halting them in their tracks. With the shields down, reinforcements were free to pour into the city en masse and were able to swarm or call bombardment on any remaining enemy strong point.
Two hours later, the battle for Chaleydonia was effectively over, though the Clone troopers would be dealing with hold outs and isolated groups of droids for the next week.
=KoF=
Interlude: On butterfly wings I
Operating room 09
GAR Field Hospital
Chaleydonia City
Christophsis
"Seal the room. Authentication C253KLB. Disable audio sensors." Vader ordered. The Medical Droids busy working on Obi-Wan's body beeped in agreement and went on cutting him open while communicating wirelessly.
The Sith Lord found a delicious irony in the situation. Granted, Kenobi wasn't burned as bad as he was in that future – just a bunch of first and second degree wounds from close explosions. There were a few fragments that had penetrated his armor, but that wasn't really important. The sharp stop when Obi-Wan had been thrown off that sky-way was the primary cause of the damage, which was severe – multiple broken bones, shattered ribs piercing the lungs and the worst of all – a broken spine. In three separate places.
It was a miracle that Kenobi lived long enough for SAR to find him once the shield was down and the enemy routed. At least that's what the medical crew told Anakin, though Vader had another theory – Obi-Wan was simply too stubborn to die from a kriffing fall.
"Done by a bunch of clankers. It's disappointing, my old master." Vader smiled as he watched the droids work. "Supremely ironic as well. Do you know how I longed for our places to be reversed? For twenty years I was sealed in that kriffing torture chamber resembling a live support suit and here we are today. Somehow I'm back when everything started and you, my master are the one being patched back together. I'm whole and you'll need a lot of gadgets to keep you moving."
Anakin laughed sadly. He never really imagined that he would be in this position. Whole and hale, while Obi-Wan was the one under the knife. Even now, Kenobi was lucky. His severed spine could be fixed by electronic bypass. His lungs were cut to ribbons by pieces of his ribs. Though they would recover in time, the Jedi would need to wear a breath mask for years, perhaps longer, if he was to do anything strenuous like playing with the Separatists again.
Other than that, Obi-Wan got off light and would even have just a few scars to give him more rugged look.
In the end, it was nothing like the wreck that remained of Anakin after Kenobi cut his limbs and left him to burn.
The laughter turned bitter. True, there was a part of him that was very satisfied by this outcome, of a vengeance that was finally served even if it wasn't by Vader's own hands. Yet… There was a part of Anakin that was simply bitter, almost queasy as he watched the machines cutting into his former master.
Kenobi was lucky that there was some anesthetics and that he was out for his operation. Anakin still could feel the phantom pain of his burns and cold machines cutting into his cooked flesh. He shuddered at the memory and averted his eyes for a moment.
"Vengeance!" Vader spat. As it turned out, while somewhat satisfying, it wasn't all it was cranked out to be. "The Force has a sense of irony, my master. Our roles are completely reversed this time around. I wonder what's next? Will the woman you love die because of you, like happened with my Padme in the future? Will that loss drive you insane? Satine, was it..." Vader grumbled to himself… and he remembered.
He remembered teasing Obi-Wan about the Duchess and having fun on his expense. He remembered how the old man felt in the force the few time he was around her and let his guard down.
Anakin remembered hearing that she had died when that Zabrak former apprentice of Sidious couped the Mandalorian government and took power. He remembered how despondent Obi-Wan was when he returned from a secret mission he had been dispatched to at the same time… And finally, Anakin was able to connect the dots, though it was a lifetime too late.
Then again, perhaps not.
For a moment, Anakin wondered how he could forget about Kenobi and Satine in the first place, then he shook his head. It wasn't like it really mattered. It hadn't happened yet. Not in this timeline or whatever.
"Kriff me. You and the Duchess. You loved her before she was murdered. You might have listened if I told you the truth." Anakin had a revelation. Seeing Obi-Wan in this state, made him look at the man with different eyes. Without worrying about hiding his relationship with Padme, he could think more clearly. After twenty years to ponder over his mistakes, in a moment when he simply couldn't blame Obi-Wan for everything, Anakin saw the man in a different light.
As his brother who in fact had been in the same situation.
Vader's mind rand through what he remembered happening. Then the though about what he believed was happening at the end of the war and how it may had differed from the way things had actually unfolded.
"Sidios, you kriffing bastard!" The Sith hissed and shook with fury. Oh, Vader knew he had been played, though it was just started to dawn on him how utterly his other master had manipulated him until he had nothing else but the other Sith left.
He wasn't going to let that happen. Not this time around. Anakin would keep Padme safe and they will have the life they deserved. Together. Happy. He vowed to make it so.
The Sith returned his attention to Kenobi and sighed.
"I never really knew. You and Satine." He chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "I'm almost sure that Palpatine manipulated Maul to launch that Coup. Kriff it, the hutt-spawn might have arranged it somehow. He did train Maul after all." Anakin sighed. "Take my advice, my former master. Once you're put back together, go to Mandalore and make sure that your girlfriend stays alive this time around. I doubt that the Force would give a second chance to any of us."
"Anakin, what in the Nine Corellian hells have you been rambling about?" A muffled mental noise sounded in Vader's head.
It froze the Sith for a moment until he traced it back to the Force bond he had with his former master. A bond that in this day and age while very weak was in fact existing.
"How the kriff are you conscious?!" Anakin asked incredulous.
"We were out of most meds for weeks. We had left a bit of painkillers for the most severe cases. I guess I apply. We didn't have proper anesthesia either and I guess what's left isn't good enough to keep me under."
Anakin just stood there and stared speechless. Obi-Wan's chest was opened and the droids had multiple appendages in each.
"I'm just glad that the local anesthesia is still working, because this isn't something I relish really experiencing."
"That's probably your severed spine."
"Damn."
"Don't worry, they'll fix it! The droids told me they could do it easily!" Anakin stammered, while wondering how the kriff he ended in this situation.
"Good to know. Now stop stalling. What's this about Padme and Satine DYING?! And time travel?"
"You want to speak about that now?!"
"The droids have their arms in my chest. While I'm awake. I prefer to think about time travel no matter how outlandish it is."
"I blame my luck and the Force."
"You have no right to complain of luck right now!"
"Don't I? I was in this same situation, with intact spine, third degree burns along most of my body! No limbs after you cut them and left me burn and then Sidious had his droids patch me up while I was awake and so I could feel EVERY KRIFFING THING!" Vader shouted.
"You'd better start from the start, my apprentice. At least time travel would explain some of the stunts you pulled off on Geonosis. I should know. I was the unfortunate sod who had to train you."
"Very funny. The beginning? Perhaps everything started on Naboo when you cut down Maul and left him for dead, though the slippery bastard survived. Perhaps it started when you decided to take me as a Padawan. Perhaps it started just before the battle of Geonosis when my mother was murdered by the Sand people after Yoda said I should ignore my visions. I don't know here to start, Obi-Wan."
Kenobi winced. "Let's try something else. What's that about Palpatine and Sidious?"
For a moment Anakin just stared at his former Master. A small part of him wanted to stage and accident. It was tempted even – doing so would remove a lot of possible complications. He could try lying or evading. Again. That didn't work too well for anyone but Sidious the last time around.
Or he could try something different… Like trusting the man who was his brother for more than a decade.
Vader wanted to simply reach with the Force and squash the problem. It would be so easy, so simple and no one would ever know.
Anakin was torn. He was satisfied – Kenobi had finally gotten his just deserts. Now there might be a chance to change that awful future he had to suffer once. Just… was trusting Obi-Wan a good idea? He had loathed the man for two decades.
Actually, scratch that – the cripple that was Vader in his suit was the one keeping old grudges alive. Anakin on the other hand… He was alive. Whole. And if he played his cards right this time – he would have a lifetime with Padme and his Empire too.
He took a deep breath. Raised his right hand and wondered.
Vader was ready to squeeze.
Anakin just sighed and drew his finger through his hair, relishing in the feeling.
"Well Obi-Wan, it's like that. The Sith Lord, you know about it right? The one who was behind the Naboo fiasco, the one controlling the Separatists through Dooku?"
"Of course." Kenobi sounded peeved.
"Well, he's Palpatine and in an about four years he would have given the order of what was called operation Knightfall – the destruction of the Jedi – the Grand revenge of the Sith. It began just moments after I fell to the Dark Side." Anakin paused and relished at the shock he felt coming from Obi-Wan. "Do you want to know more? You'll be here for some time. Perhaps I should just go out and arrange for some proper painkillers and anesthesia..."
"Don't you dare Anakin!" Obi-Wan's mental voice shouted. "Start explaining and better make it good!"
"Hey, I'm no longer a Jedi! You can't order me around any more!"
"Thank the Force for that. At least you aren't my responsibility any longer. Now! Sidious. Palpatine. The fall of the Jedi! Start explaining!"
"When the kriff would I learn to keep my mouth shut?!" Anakin wondered aloud. In the back of his mind, Vader once again suggested the permanent solution to the current predicament.