Chapter 9: Point of No Return
Nine months earlier...
The sun was setting on Coruscant, making the skyline look beautiful. The last rays of sunlight shined upon the main entrance of the Jedi Temple, forming long shadows behind the massive statues of the Jedi Order's founders.
Ahsoka Tano walked towards the long set of stairs, that led out of the Jedi Temple and its premises. Tears ran down the young woman's face, as she kept on walking, not looking back.
"Ahsoka! Ahsoka, please! Wait!" Anakin's voice echoed behind her. Ahsoka closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, as she stopped.
She had only moments ago walked away from the Jedi Council, as they had offered to take her back to the Order. She had refused that offer, and decided that she no longer belonged with the Jedi.
Recently a bombing in the Jedi Temple had sent the entire Order into chaos. The citizens of the Republic were getting angry at the Jedi, and blamed them for the attack, as well as the entire war, that had ravaged countless of worlds. The culprit was caught, but that launched a set of events, that had brought Ahsoka to the point of no return.
Having been framed for the Jedi Temple bomber's murder, Ahsoka was imprisoned. Knowing that she was innocent, she couldn't stand by and watch, as the Republic would bring her before a court, and declare her guilty. To avoid that, Ahsoka had escaped, and was determined to find that real culprit, and prove her innocence.
After being ambushed by the real murderer, Ahsoka had been captured again, and this time, was brought before the Jedi Council, before her trial by the Republic. The Jedi had completely abandoned her, not willing to take the risk of angering the Republic's populace even further. Having no other options, the Jedi Council had formally expelled Ahsoka from the Order, and handed her over to Republic officials.
It was only thanks to Anakin's efforts, that the real culprit was found, and she was found innocent. But the damage had already been done. Not only had the Jedi Council abandoned Ahsoka, but one of her best friends, Barriss Offee, was behind the murder, and her framing. She had lost both a good friend, as well as all of her confidence in the Jedi. Not able to trust them anymore, Ahsoka had decided to leave the Jedi Order, much to the dismay of her now former master; Anakin.
Ahsoka took a deep breath, turning around, to see the human man stop in front of her. She looked up, and stared into Anakin's eyes. Her heart ached, as she could clearly see the pain and dismay in her former master's eyes.
"Ahsoka.. you... you can't do this. The Jedi Order is you life... you can't just throw it all away!" Anakin said, desperately trying to change his Padawan's mind. Ahsoka sighed long, knowing that this was completely destroying the man she loved.
"I don't have a choice, Anakin... I can't be part of an order, that would abandon me.." She answered, to which her master bit his lip, and squeezed his hands.
"You're making a mistake, Ahsoka... please consider what you're doing.." Anakin said, which made his togruta apprentice sigh again, and rub her forehead.
"Maybe I am making a mistake... but I have to figure it out on my own. I need time... I need to clear my head, and make sense out of this all. And I need to do it without the Jedi... and without you..." Ahsoka replied quietly, holding back tears, even though her cheeks were already wet from sobbing.
She knew that leaving would be devastating for Anakin, but she felt like there was no other choice. Ahsoka knew, that even though she loved him, this would be best for both of them for the time being. Anakin looked at her for a few short moments, before closing his eyes, and sighing in defeat.
"I.. I understand. I know how hard staying with the Jedi can sometimes be... and I too have debated leaving many times before..." He stated very quietly, looking down at the ground. Ahsoka bit her lip, feeling a single tear roll down her wet cheeks.
"I know... and.. Ani?" She said, which got Anakin's attention. As he looked at her, Ahsoka gently touched his cheek, looking deeply into his blue eyes.
"Whatever happens... always remember, that what we had... was real..." She whispered, her thumb gently rubbing the human Jedi Knight's cheek. A single tear rolled out of Anakin's eye, as he silently stared into Ahsoka's eyes.
Before he could answer anything, opening his mouth, Ahsoka suddenly placed her finger on Anakin's lips, keeping him quiet. She shushed quietly, before gently pulling him closer. She softly pressed her lips against his, giving him a long, and gentle farewell kiss. Tears ran down her cheeks, as Anakin pressed himself tighter against her, returning the kiss.
After a moment, the secret lovers parted from each other. Another tear rolled down Anakin's cheek, as he silently stared at the young togruta before him. Ahsoka sighed, and touched his cheek again.
"I'm so sorry, Ani... goodbye.." She said, before slowly turning away from Anakin. Ahsoka took the first steps away from her former master, and quietly started to sob.
As she began to walk down the stairs, Anakin took a step after her, trying to reach out with his hand. The human Jedi Knight then clenched his teeth together, and stopped, giving up. He closed his eyes, and sighed audibly, before touching his forehead, and looking down at the ground. He had lost her, and there was nothing he could do about it anymore.
For the next several moments, Anakin silently watched, as his former Padawan walked down the hundreds of stairs, that led away from the Jedi Temple. The human man felt nauseous; he had no idea about how he could handle this situation. His worst fears had come true, and it was causing him to lose all hope in life.
After a moment, Anakin could hear footsteps behind him. He sensed the presence of his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and figured that he was coming to check up on his former Padawan. As Anakin looked down at his hand, holding Ahsoka's Padawan braids, Obi-Wan came to stand next to him.
"Anakin.. I know that this must be horrible for you. But believe me, that you don't want to give in to despair. We can help you counter the feelings, that are now overwhelming you..." The human Jedi Master explained. Anakin looked up, his heart beginning to pound. He shot an angry glance at his former master.
"Help me? What did the Jedi do to help Ahsoka, huh!? Even you did nothing to defend her! You all abandoned her, and now she's gone! Why should I waste my time by listening to you!?" He asked in an outraged voice. A sense of worry was clear in Obi-Wan's expression, as he placed his hand on his former Padawan's shoulder.
"Anakin... I know you're angry, but please.. do not give in to that anger. It will lead you to a dark place.. one that you might not return from..." The bearded human man said, to which Anakin scoffed quietly.
"First you push my Padawan to her breaking point, and cause her to leave our Order. And then you have the audacity to lecture me about it. Don't insult me, master... I've had enough.." He answered, after which he turned around, and started to head back into the Temple. Obi-Wan touched his shoulder again, getting his attention.
"Anakin, please... don't leave me out.. I can help you." He assured, to which his former Padawan frowned deeply. Anakin looked straight into Obi-Wan's eyes, his expression showing anger and hatred.
"I don't want your damn help! Just leave me alone.." The Jedi Knight answered, before walking away from his master. As Obi-Wan silently watched his apprentice go, sadness filling his face, Anakin suddenly turned back around, and glared at him.
"I will not forget this, Obi-Wan... I will never forget this..." He stated threateningly, before turning away again, and walking back inside the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan felt how his heart skipped a beat, as he heard his former Padawan's words. This all had taken a turn for the worst, and the Jedi Master and Council member was getting more worried. Through unfortunate events, his apprentice seemed to slowly turn more and more against the Jedi Order, and that was something that Obi-Wan feared more than anything.
Anakin was the strongest of them all, and they needed him. Having Ahsoka leave would surely bring animosity between him, and the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan could only pray that his former Padawan would one day forgive him, and the Council, and continue to work with them in their mission to destroy the Sith. As the prophecy has foretold, Anakin would be the one to bring an end to the Sith, and to that end, he would need to stay in the Order.
Letting out a long sigh, Obi-Wan glanced at Ahsoka, who was now walking along the hundreds of meters long stretch of walkway, that led further away from the Jedi Temple. The bearded Jedi Master stroked his chin, before turning around, and following his former apprentice back into the Temple.
Present day...
The volcanic planet Mustafar, located in the Outer Rim Territories, near the historic major trade route; the Hydian Way, had been a major source of rare minerals to the Techno Union commerce guild, who employed the planet's native species in the hundreds of mines built on the world.
Torn in the gravitational pull between the two gas giants Jestefad and Lefrani, Mustafar's climate had morphed into a barren rock, filled with highly active volcanoes and lava rivers. From these rivers, as well as from massive underground cave systems, the native mustafarians mined rare minerals and gems, which the Techno Union processed inside large facilities built on the planet. The Techno Union would transport hundreds of thousands of tons of minerals from Mustafar each year, making them huge profits in the Galactic market.
Through the thick clouds of volcanic ash, a Delta-7B Aethersprite -class light interceptor flew towards the numerous volcanoes on the planet surface. The ship was heading to a large mining facility, that was under the ownership of the Techno Union, and the rest of the Separatist Alliance. The Klegger Corp Mining Facility was the current headquarters, and safe haven for the Separatist Council, whom had been on the run for a little while now, as their rebellious separatist movement was slowly falling to pieces.
The Delta-7B fighter soon touched down on the landing pad of the mining facility. The interceptor was painted in a dark grey color, sporting Republic insignia on it. A grey and black colored R3-series astromech droid moved its dome head around, as the fighter's cockpit's dome opened, allowing the pilot to climb out of the craft.
As her black boots touched the metallic landing pad, the mirialan Barriss Offee; Darth Sidious' newest Sith apprentice, looked around the area she was in. The immense heat of the planet's surface was already making drops of sweat roll down Barriss' forehead, which caused her to put the dark hood of her outfit over her head, to cover herself from the heat and the ash, at least for a little.
The mirialan woman then looked back at the ship she had just arrived on, noticing the astromech droid attempting to move. Barriss lifted her hand up, signaling the droid to stop.
"Stay with the ship, R3... I'll be right back.." She said to the droid, which beeped in an affirmative response.
After that, Barriss set her eyes on the nearby mining facility again, letting out a quiet exhale. She knew what her mission was, and there was no turning back to her. Her Sith Master, Sidious, had sent her to assassinate the entire Separatist Council, in order for the Confederacy to surrender, and drop out of the war. This was only the first step in the Grand Plan, which Lord Sidious had been scheming for decades.
As a small burst of lava exploded on a nearby river, landing small droplets of it on the landing bad, Barriss began to walk towards the Klegger Corp Mining Facility's entrance. The Separatist Alliance leaders were no doubt expecting her, as Darth Sidious had informed them earlier, that his newest apprentice would come and protect them. This was of course a lie, to keep the Separatist Council contempt, which would only make Barriss' job easier, as she would catch them by complete surprise.
In the next moments, the mirialan Sith apprentice walked across a long bridge built over the massive lava rivers. She got to the main entrance, and walked through the door, which automatically opened for her. Barriss was now inside the mining facility, walking along the dark, dimly lighted corridors. Her destination was the main control room, where the Separatist Council was located in.
After walking for a few long moments, she arrived to the end of a long hallway, which led to another room. As she approached the door, Barriss could hear muffled voices talking in the next room. Her heartbeat increased, causing her to take a few deep breaths. After she had gotten ready, the mirialan exhaled long, and opened the door.
Walking through the doorway, Barriss entered the main control room. Her heart only began to pound more in her chest, increasing her anxiousness. The dozens of people in the room went silent, as they laid their eyes on the young mirialan woman.
The entirety of the Separatist Council was there, including the likes of Nute Gunray, who was the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. Other leaders such as Emir Wat Tambor of the Techno Union, and San Hill of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, were in attendance as well, which was perfect for Barriss. The neimoidian Viceroy humbly bowed his head, as he noticed the mirialan entering.
"Welcome, Lady Offee... Lord Sidious informed us of your impending arrival. If I may ask.. what is the meaning of you coming here to protect us?" Nute Gunray asked, to which Barriss let out a quiet hum.
"It's very simple actually... here.. let me show you..." She answered snidely, which caused many of the Separatist Council to raise their eyebrows in confusion.
After that, the mirialan woman silently moved her hand, and closed all the doors to the main control room with the help of the Force. As the people around her looked confused, not having idea about what was going on, a wide smirk appeared on Barriss' face.
She then used the Force to call her lightsaber hilt from her belt, which landed in her right hand. Her heartbeat had calmed down for now, as she was immersing herself in the Dark Side of the Force. Barriss took a deep breath, before igniting her weapon, and opening her eyes. She quickly looked at the members of the Separatist Council around her, who seemed slightly startled now. They had no idea what was about to happen...
...
A herd of banthas slowly moved across the vast sand dunes of Tatooine, letting out their distinct, slightly shooting howls. Banthas had not originated from Tatooine, but since they had been introduced to the desert planet thousands of years ago, they were now one of the most common animals found there. Though mostly used as a working animal, or to produce dairy products, thousands of banthas were not completely domesticated, and instead roamed the deserts of Tatooine wild.
As the bantha herd continued their roaming, several repulsorlift skiffs, as well as a large sail barge, moved past the docile animals, and further in to the Dune Sea. The Ubrikkian Industries luxury sail barge was the Khetanna; Jabba the Hutt's personal sail barge, which he used to traverse across Tatooine's deserts. The Hutt crime lord also often used his sail barge to take his prisoners to be executed at various dangerous locations on Tatooine. The Khetanna was heading towards one of those locations at the present moment.
On one of the Bantha-II cargo skiffs, the young togruta Ahsoka Tano, had her head laid low, as she looked down at the skiff's floor. Her hands were cuffed, and one of Jabba's weequay henchmen held a blaster pistol against the back of her head. Next to her, the young human man, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, calmly looked around, as the convoy approached a large depression in the sand dune. The human man had his hands cuffed as well, but he didn't seem worried in the slightest.
"Everything's gonna be fine, Snips... don't worry.." Anakin said to his former Padawan, who looked up at him.
"Excuse me for not being exactly optimistic, Anakin... we're about to be fed to a freaking sarlacc after all.." Ahsoka answered to him, which made the young man chuckle.
"It'll be fine, Ahsoka. Ventress will help us, and we can take out these criminals. I'll look forward to slicing Jabba open with my lightsaber..." He stated, which caused Ahsoka bite her lip, as she was getting a bit worried about him.
"Don't give in to your anger, Ani... you might not be a Jedi anymore, if we get out of here.. but you should always remember the things they have taught us..." She said, to which her former master sighed, and nodded.
"Yeah.. I know..." Anakin answered, before looking around the skiff again, and eyeing the three guards, that were escorting them. He also glanced at the skiff flying next to theirs, where Jedi Masters Quinlan Vos, and Aayla Secura were being held.
After a moment, the three Bantha-II skiffs, as well as Jabba's sail barge, arrived to the Great Pit of Carkoon; the home of Tatooine's only known sarlacc. No one knew exactly where the sarlaccs had originated from, but many of the Galaxy's scientists guessed that the creature species came from the Unknown Regions.
Sarlaccs were parasitic creatures at the early stages of their life. Small sarlacc larvae often travelled aboard cargo ships through space, from where they ended up all around the Galaxy. Sarlaccs would move under the surface of planets, digging through the dirt like worms. In time, as they grew bigger, they would burrow themselves to a fixed location, and allow prey to come to them, which they could then simply catch with their tendrils, and eat.
As the repulsorlift craft hovered around the sarlacc pit, Anakin turned to look at the sail barge. A moment later, Jabba's translator protocol droid walked on the top deck, and stopped near the railing.
"By the order of Jabba Desilijic Tiure, the head of the Desilijic Tiure crime family, and the de facto ruler of Tatooine, you are hereby sentenced to death by being devoured. Have you got any last words, before being fed to the sarlacc, Jedi?" The feminine programmed droid asked, talking through a loudspeaker. Anakin scoffed audibly, and took a step towards the edge of the skiff.
"Jabba! You know you won't get away with this! Save us all the trouble, and let us go. If you don't... I'll kill you myself!" He shouted at the sail barge, inside which the hutt crime lord was located, in a luxurious banquet room, where most of his court were watching this event as well.
Anakin could faintly hear the low-pitched laugh of Jabba, as well as the taunting laughs of his court members, including the highly annoying laugh of the kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious B. Crumb, who was Jabba's court jester. The human Jedi Knight frowned, anger filling him.
"You have decided to use your last words poorly, Jedi. Take him to the plank!" The protocol droid ordered, after which a nikto henchman grabbed Anakin's arm, and pushed him over to a small plank, that was placed right over the sarlacc's pit.
After stepping on the plank, Anakin had a final look at the surrounding area. He looked up to the sail barge's deck, and could see the former Separatist assassin Asajj Ventress, standing next to his faithful astromech droid R2-D2. The young human man smiled, and nodded at the two, signaling them to be ready. He then looked at the nearby cargo skiff, where his Jedi comrades were being held at. Anakin nodded at Quinlan and Aayla as well, who returned the nod, being ready for combat.
After that, he turned his head around, and looked at Ahsoka, who was standing nearby. She looked at him, her expression making it clear, just how worried she was. Anakin smiled comfortably, wanting to ease the girl's worries.
"I love you.." He said quietly to the togruta, whose eyes widened slightly after hearing that. Ahsoka then blushed slightly, and sighed.
"Don't let those be the last words you say to me, Ani..." She answered, to which her human lover chuckled, and shook his head.
"I won't..." Anakin assured, winking his eye at her. Ahsoka let out another sigh, this one filled with love, as she nodded at him.
The human Jedi Knight then turned back around, and walked over to the edge of the plank. He looked down at the sarlacc pit, seeing the terrifying creature open its large beak, and let out a distinct, slightly whining howl. The sarlacc's tendrils moved, trying to reach as far as they could, as the creature no doubt smelled that prey was nearby.
"Push him into the pit." The protocol droid ordered, after Jabba had shouted the order in Huttese.
The nikto thug behind Anakin then started poking him with a vibro-ax, attempting to push him into the sarlacc's pit. The human man smirked slightly, and stepped off the plank. As he fell, Anakin suddenly turned around, and grabbed the plank's edge, before pulling himself up, and leaping high into the air. As he did a flip in the air, R2 opened a latch on his body, and shot a lightsaber hilt out of it.
Anakin landed back on the cargo skiff, right behind the nikto thug, who turned around. The human Jedi smirked, and strongly kicked the henchman in the gut, making him fall back, and off the skiff, and right into the sarlacc pit. As his lightsaber landed in his hands, Anakin then turned around, and activated his weapon.
The weequay henchman holding Ahsoka by gunpoint threw her to the side, and attempted to aim his weapon at the attacking Jedi, who quickly cut the pistol's barrel in half. Anakin then used the Force to push the weequay off the skiff as well, making him fall into the sarlacc's maw as well. The last thug, another nikto, also attempted to attack Anakin, but was quickly cut down by the Jedi's lightsaber.
After that, Ahsoka got up from the skiff's floor, as R2 shot out another lightsaber hilt. She looked up, and saw that the hilt was flying right for her. She quickly jumped into the air, and did an athletic flip, as she grabbed the hilt from midair. Landing back on the skiff, she now had her old Jedi lightsaber in her hands.
Anakin whistled in a slight joking manner, as he then chuckled, and walked over to the young togruta. Ahsoka rolled her eyes slightly, knowing that her human lover liked what he had just seen. She activated her lightsaber, and quickly used it to cut the cuffs, that tied Anakin's hands together. He did the same to the cuffs holding Ahsoka's hands as well, setting the two of them free.
Afterwards, the human Jedi Knight quickly glanced at the skiff, where Quinlan and Aayla were being held on. Jabba's thugs on the skiff began to fire upon him and Ahsoka with their blaster rifles, while one of them used the vehicle's controls, to steer the skiff away from the two freed lightsaber wielding assailants. Anakin then glanced over at Ahsoka, and quickly tapped her shoulder, and got her attention.
"I'll free Quinlan and Aayla, you go take out that other cargo skiff, alright?" He asked, to which the young togruta nodded her head.
"You got it, master!" She answered, immediately after which her eyes widened, as she realized what she had just said. Anakin had heard it too, and was now looking at her, a sweet smirk on his face.
As Ahsoka bit her lip in slight embarrassment, her former Jedi Master chuckled, before leaping high in the air, and towards the cargo skiff with the two other Jedi. Ahsoka sighed quietly, after which she focused her attention to the other skiff nearby. The togruta girl took a deep breath, and also leaped through the air, using the Force to give her more leverage.
The nikto, weequay and rodian thugs fired relentlessly upon the leaping girl, causing Ahsoka to use her lightsaber skills to deflect the shots, as she descended towards the cargo skiff. She performed a strong leaping strike, as she came down, and cut one of the weequay thugs with her lightsaber. As the henchman fell on the floor dead, the rest of his group took a step back, continuing to fire upon Ahsoka. She deflected the shots, and proceeded to attack the thugs, and cut them down as well.
Anakin in the meanwhile made quick work of the henchmen on the other cargo skiff, killing them effectively. He then cut the handcuffs off his two Jedi colleagues, before signaling his astromech droid R2 again, who still stood on the sail barge's deck. As the droid shot out two more lightsaber hilts, the human Jedi Knight turned his attention to the two Jedi Masters in front of him.
"Ready to do some damage, masters?" He asked with a slight smirk, as the Jedi Masters grabbed their lightsaber hilts, that fell from the air. Master Vos chuckled, activating his green-bladed weapon.
"You even need to ask? Let's take them down.." The kiffar Jedi said, swinging his lightsaber around. As Aayla activated her weapon, both Anakin and Vos jumped up to the sail barge's main deck.
Over a dozen thugs working of Jabba made their way up to the top deck, their weapons at the ready to kill the Jedi. As Anakin and Vos began to cut the henchmen down, Asajj Ventress, who stood nearby, noticed another small group of thugs approaching the Jedi from the other direction.
The dathomiri woman hummed quietly to herself, before suddenly taking out her two lightsaber hilts. Ventress activated the weapons, red colored blades brandishing out of the hilts. She then quickly cut off the group, that tried to flank Anakin and Vos, and attacked them. The thugs got disoriented, as they had not expected Ventress to turn on them, which caused the group to be ineffective at fighting the dathomirian female, who effortlessly slaughtered them, utilizing her skills in the Jar'Kai style of lightsaber combat.
A lone rodian thug then ran towards her, firing the blaster pistol in his hands relentlessly. As Ventress deflected the shots with her lightsabers, the twi'lek Jedi Master Aayla Secura jumped up to the deck, landing behind the rodian. The female Jedi immediately grabbed the thug using the Force, and threw him over the railing, causing him to fall to the sandy ground, and roll into the sarlacc pit.
Ventress quickly glanced at Aayla, giving her an appreciative nod. The two of them had fought each other more than once during the war, and now fighting side by side must have felt weird for them both.
As the two groups of Jedi continued to battle Jabba's forces on the sail barge, Ahsoka took the controls of the now empty cargo skiff that she stood in, and steered the vehicle towards the Khetanna. The togruta girl piloted the skiff near the sail barge's hull, intending on having the vehicle be used for their escape, after her allies would be ready to leave.
She then looked up, and could see her secret lover Anakin ruthlessly cut down the hutt crime lord's thugs. Worry started to fill her again, as Ahsoka witnessed the brutality the human man utilized against his enemies. She understood how angry he was, but she also knew just how dangerous that anger could be. Ahsoka could only hope, that she could calm down the man she loved, and move him completely back to the light again. She didn't want him to be a Jedi, but she never wished him to turn away from their teachings either. The Jedi taught important things, and that was something that the young togruta could never deny.
...
A dark cave next to the water filled bottom of a sinkhole on Utapau laid eerily empty, as only water droplets from the rocky and moist ceiling fell to the ground. The silence was broken by a loud splash, as a human man swam to the surface of the sinkhole's watery bottom. The man gasped loudly, taking in a long breath of air.
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi grabbed the edge of the cave's stone floor, and pulled himself into the cave. The completely drenched man panted heavily, having been under the water for far too long. Obi-Wan coughed up some water, as he rolled further into the dark cave. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, and sat up.
He still had his lightsaber in his hands, deactivated to avoid being damaged by the water. While some Jedi lightsabers could work under water, most didn't, and this was the case with Obi-Wan's weapon. He sighed audibly, and stroked his wet beard, standing up a moment later.
The human Jedi Master then looked around, seeing that the dark cave only grew more darker, the longer it went. Obi-Wan exhaled long, scratching the back of his wet neck. Just as he was about to walk further into the cave, a low rumbling noise got his attention. He turned to look behind him, and could see the nearby water starting to tremble.
Suddenly, the water exploded in a huge splash, as the huge metallic body of General Grievous leaped from it. The cyborg roared loudly, as he jumped into the cave, activating his two lightsabers. Obi-Wan gasped, and quickly jumped back, as the Separatist general brought his blades down, and struck the rocky floor. The human man rolled back, and activated his own lightsaber as well, brandishing its blue blade.
Grievous then lunged at him again, savagely swinging his lightsabers at the Jedi Master. Obi-Wan did his best to either deflect or dodge the raging cyborg's attacks, while also looking for an opening that he could use to his advantage. As water dripped from their wet bodies, Grievous angrily kept attacking, striking his lightsabers at Obi-Wan like a crazed animal.
The glow of the lightsabers were the only light in the dark cave, which only increased the disorientation Obi-Wan was feeling, as the blades swung wildly around. After a few sets of attacks, Grievous struck his two blades against his human opponent's weapon, locking the three blades in a struggle of physical power.
"This cave will be your final resting place, Kenobi! After I flay you alive, I'll take your lightsaber, and use it to finish off Skywalker... unless he's already been executed by the Hutts!" Grievous taunted, chuckling while pushing his lightsabers down, and more against Obi-Wan, who was starting to be overwhelmed.
"You'll find that killing me won't be so easy, General. But failing to kill me, and now my former Padawan seems to be a habit for you..." The Jedi Master replied, smirking ever so slightly, even though he was getting exhausted from the fight.
General Grievous got even more infuriated by that, and begun to pound his lightsabers against Obi-Wan, who could only barely deflect each attack. The human man had to think of something quick, or else he'd end up being cut down. As Grievous struck his left lightsaber down, Obi-Wan made his move, and rolled to the side.
The Jedi Master quickly spun around, and attempted to slash Grievous, as he had moved in behind him. The cyborg general however suddenly turned around, and blocked the attack with one of his lightsabers. As Obi-Wan was distracted by holding his lightsaber against one of Grievous', the cyborg suddenly attempted to impale the human with his second weapon.
Obi-Wan gasped, and could barely dodge the lightsaber blade, as he leaned his body backwards just enough for it to miss. Immediately after that, he once again moved behind Grievous, trying his best to outmaneuver the big and slow cyborg. General Grievous then turned around again, and seemingly moved to slash his offhand lightsaber at his Jedi opponent.
Obi-Wan had expected this however, and swiftly swung his lightsaber down, and cut Grievous' weapon hilt in half. Down to only one lightsaber, the cyborg quickly initiated another attack, not willing to give Obi-Wan any advantage. The human Jedi Master however could easily dodge the attacks, that the kaleesh cyborg attempted to land on him. Grievous' skills with using only one lightsaber weren't anything to boast about, even if he was an expert fighter in more ways than one.
As the cyborg struck at Obi-Wan once again, the human man quickly blocked the strike, and proceeded to press on his own attack. With a swift and efficient thrust, Obi-Wan was able to get closer to Grievous, and suddenly impale him through his chest plate. The human Jedi Master's lightsaber blade went through the Separatist cyborg's chest, impaling the inner parts of his cybernetic body.
Grievous groaned in pain, as well as seething anger. Obi-Wan looked at his opponent, his eyes widening, as he realized that his attack wasn't killing the general. Before he could react further, Grievous let out an infuriated groan, and strongly hit Obi-Wan with his arm, sending the Jedi Master flying a couple of meters back.
As the human man fell on the rocky floor, Grievous groaned again, and pulled the Jedi's lightsaber out of his chest. The cyborg then threw the weapon away, and begun to walk towards the downed Obi-Wan. As he approached the Jedi Master, Grievous suddenly groaned again, and fell on one knee. Even though not fatal, the lightsaber had done some damage to the Separatist Supreme Commander.
Obi-Wan saw this as his opportunity, and quickly jumped up. He then lunged at Grievous, calling his lightsaber back to him with the Force. After the weapon landed in his hand, the Jedi Master activated it, and attacked the cyborg general. Grievous wasn't fast enough to block the attack, which allowed Obi-Wan to once again thrust his lightsaber through the cyborg's metallic chest, this time using much more power to do it.
Grievous let out a pained groan, staggering back, as Obi-Wan pushed his lightsaber's blade deeper. The pain caused the general to drop his own lightsaber to the ground, the hilt causing an echoing clank, as it fell on the rocky floor. Obi-Wan breathed heavily, as he stared at the cyborg, who also turned his gaze towards him. Letting out a quiet sigh, the Jedi Master looked slightly down.
"Rest in peace... Qymaen... May the Force be with you.." He said quietly, sadness apparent in his voice.
After a single second, Obi-Wan then pulled his blade out of Grievous' chest, before quickly swinging around, and slashing the cyborg's head off his shoulders. After the fatal sai cha move, the Separatist general's motionless body fell to the ground. Obi-Wan panted slightly, as he looked how his opponent's body laid on the ground, unmoving.
General Grievous, at long last, was dead.
Obi-Wan then deactivated his lightsaber, before falling on his knees. The exhausted Jedi Master panted, feeling extremely weak, and lightheaded. After so many years, the Separatist Supreme Commander was dead. The deadliest "Jedi Killer" in over a century, had long last been defeated.
Obi-Wan sighed deeply, letting his lightsaber fall on the ground, as he covered his face, and calmed his breathing. He felt relief, as well as sorrow. He had wanted to destroy Grievous for so long, but now that he had finally done it, he felt sadness, and slight regret. A Jedi would always avoid killing, even when their opponent was as vile and destructive as Grievous. Mercy and compassion were the keystones of the Jedi way of life, and not following them was always hard for the strongest, and purest of Jedi in the Order.
Obi-Wan also felt sorrow, for he knew what Grievous' history was. Born as Qymaen jai Sheelal, Grievous was raised in the traditional ways of a kaleesh warrior, on the planet of Kalee. Losing everything in the destructive Huk War, the young Qymaen had taken the title and name of "Grievous", to forever remember the pain the war had brought him, as well as the love that he had lost.
Years later, the Separatists had caused Grievous to be mortally wounded in a staged accident, in order to make him their slave. The kaleesh warrior's body was rebuilt, morphing him into a cruel, savage cyborg. Hate and anger filling his heart, Grievous found new purpose in destroying the Jedi, and bringing pain to everyone who opposed him, or his new master, Count Dooku.
It was for these reasons, that Obi-Wan regretted killing his longtime rival. He knew it had to be done, but it still didn't feel much better. After a moment, the Jedi Master took a deep breath, and stood up. He took his own, as well as the other lightsabers from the ground, and Grievous' body, and placed them on his waist.
"I will give take these to the graves and memorials of those Jedi, that you stole them from... they can finally rest in peace.." Obi-Wan said quietly, staring at the headless body of Grievous.
As he noticed the cyborg's head nearby, he pondered on whether he should take it with him, as evidence of Grievous' defeat. Before he could decide, the distinct hooting howls of a varactyl got the Jedi's attention.
Obi-Wan turned around, and could see his faithful steed and companion Boga, running at him from the depths of the cave. Joy filled his heart, as he smiled, and greeted the female varactyl with a gentle pat.
"Good girl, Boga!" He said with a slight laugh, as he petted the large varactyl, who responded with happy howls. After that, Obi-Wan quickly gazed at Grievous' head again. Shaking his head, as shivers were sent down his spine, he made his way on top of Boga's back.
"That would be too uncivilized..." He said to himself, after which he noticed the blaster pistol, that was attached to the cyborg's waist. Humming quietly, the Jedi Master pulled the pistol to him with the Force, knowing that it was highly modified and customized.
"Still uncivilized, but this will do.." Obi-Wan noted with a slight smirk, knowing that the custom blaster pistol of Grievous, as well as his stolen Jedi lightsabers, would be evidence enough of his destruction.
After that, he took Boga's reigns, and steered the varactyl to face the cave's inner parts. The Jedi Master then patted his trusty steed, to which Boga let out a happy purr.
"Come on, Boga.. we still have a battle to win." He said to the varactyl, who responded with an acknowledging howl.
After that, Obi-Wan kicked his feet against Boga's sides, which made the varactyl move quickly into the dark depths of the cave. As she had found him by herself, Obi-Wan was certain, that Boga would find a way out of the cave system, and back to the cities of Utapau, where the battle was still raging. Even though the Separatist army had lost its Supreme Commander, they still were not defeated.
...
Loud screams of fear and agony filled the rather small control room of the Klegger Corp Mining Facility, as Barriss Offee savagely massacred the members of the Separatist Council, as well as their aides and bodyguards. The young mirialan woman cut down the numerous Separatist leaders with her Sith lightsaber, not showing any mercy.
As she used her lightsaber to brutally slice open one of the neimoidian delegates, Barriss then spotted the InterGalactic Banking Clan chairman San Hill nearby. The large muun fell on his knees, begging for his life. The Sith apprentice didn't care, and killed the terrified banker with one savage strike.
A single OOM-series security droid shot its blaster rifle at the mirialan woman then, positioning itself in front of the Commerce Guild President, the gossam female Shu Mai, and her aide, Cat Miin. Barriss effortlessly destroyed the meager droid, and proceeded to attack the two gossams. Cat Miin attempted to flee, but was quickly cut down by the mirialan, who then turned her attention to Shu Mai, who was beheaded before she had the time to even react.
After that, not many of the Separatist Council were left, as most of them now lied dead on the floor. The Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser, along with his geonosian aide, as well as the koorivar Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance Passel Argente, and his chief aide Denaria Kee, were all attempting to flee the control room, banging their hands against the sealed doors.
Barriss smiled devilishly, and quickly made her way to the group of four. Her first victim was the koorivar female, Denaria Kee, who tried to shield herself with her arms. This was useless, naturally, as the mirialan Sith apprentice simply slew the representative of the Corporate Alliance, cutting a deep slice all across her upper body. Next, out of pure desperation, the geonosian aide of Poggle the Lesser attempted to attack her with his bare hands. Barriss quickly slashed the geonosian's upper body, after which she skillfully performed the sai cha move, decapitating her target.
She then lunged at Magistrate Argente, and impaled him through his back. The koorivar male groaned in pain, before collapsing dead on the floor. The Archduke of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser, then turned around, and attempted to plead for his life in the geonosian language. Barriss frowned deeply, and looked upon the sad fragile old man with disgust. She still remembered the horrors she went through, when the geonosian "brain worms" had taken over her mind, nearly three years ago. Without hesitation, the mirialan woman cut the Archduke into pieces, brutally chopping his head and arms off.
Barriss then took a deep breath, her eyes glowing reddish-yellow, as she was fully immersed in the Dark Side of the Force. She then turned, and focused on the last people alive in the room. The neimoidian delegate and closest advisor to Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, stood nearby, and slowly stepped back. The man's entire body was shaking from fear.
"No.. please! Stop!" The scared neimoidian man pleaded, as Barriss approached him.
The mirialan Sith apprentice ruthlessly punched Haako in the face with her fist, making the neimoidian fall back, and lean against a holographic display table. As Haako attempted to regain his footing, Barriss swiftly drove her red-bladed lightsaber through the man's chest, also pushing him tighter against the table. Haako gasped audibly, as the mirialan woman pulled her lightsaber out of his body. The neimoidian then collapsed on the floor, still leaning against the table, as he died.
Grinning like a crazed murderer, Barriss then turned her attention to the other end of the room, where the skakoan Foreman of the Techno Union, Wat Tambor, stood near the doorway to the nearby conference room, where the Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray had fled to.
The Sith apprentice then quickly leaped over the hologram projector table, and made her way to the skakoan, who slowly rolled back, using his pressure suit's controls to fine tune his air intake, among other things. Like all skakoans, Tambor would die without his pressure suit, as the pressure of the planets other than his homeworld, would cause his body to literally explode, or cause it to be crushed.
"Wait! I'll give you anything! Anything you want! There must be something you desire!" Tambor pleaded, bargaining for his life. Barriss rolled her eyes, and shook her head.
"Shut up.." She replied, as she suddenly slashed the skakoan "emir's" chest, causing critical damage to his pressure suit.
As pressurized air hissed out of the suit, Barriss witnessed how the skakoan man helplessly attempted to fine tune his suit to keep himself alive. Tambor instead died painfully, as his entire body was crushed by the air pressure. The mirialan Sith apprentice didn't care to look upon the dying skakoan however, and she simply used the Force to throw his broken body aside.
After that, Barriss looked at the room in front of her. The Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray, had his back against the windowed walls of the conference room, while a neimoidian guard was positioned in front of him. As the mirialan entered the room, the neimodian guardsman opened fire, blasting away with his E-5 blaster rifle. Barriss smiled, and simply deflected the shots, which bounced back. One of the deflected shots hit the neimoidian guard's face, which killed him instantly.
Left alone in the room, Gunray backed away, leaning against the wall more, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Barriss approached him, swinging her lightsaber around. She smiled devilishly, as she moved in to kill the last Separatist leader alive.
"No! Please! Why are you doing this!? The war is over.. Lord Sidious promised us peace!" The neimoidian viceroy begged, which caused Barriss to chuckle.
"This was part of my master's plan all along, Viceroy... you have fulfilled your purpose.." She replied, to which the neimoidian in front of her gasped quietly.
"But... but we've done everything that was asked of us! How can you betray us like this, after using us for so long?" Gunray asked, fearing for his life. The mirialan woman shrugged her shoulders, a smug smile on her face.
"You were simply pawns for us, Viceroy. You've fulfilled your duties, and now we have to tie up loose ends.." Barriss explained, which only caused the neimoidian to look even more desperate.
"No.. please, don't! I'll do anything!" Gunray pleaded, to which Barriss chuckled at.
"Oh, I'm sure you would... but I have no need for you in any way.." She answered, rejecting everything that the fearful viceroy could offer her.
After that, Barriss used the Force to pull the scared neimoidian to her. She drove her lightsaber through Gunray's body, impaling him. Immediately afterwards, the mirialan Sith apprentice then pushed the neimoidian viceroy away from her, using the Force. Gunray's body smashed through the nearby window, after which it fell to the massive lava rivers down below. Barriss could feel the intense heat coming through, as the window was smashed open.
The mirialan woman took a deep breath, and deactivated her lightsaber. She opened her eyes after a moment, which glowed in an even deeper color of reddish-yellow. She was completely immersed in the Dark Side, and it filled her with so much power. Barriss placed her lightsaber hilt back on her waist, and took a moment to just stand still silently, and take in all the intense feelings, that filled her head.
After a few long moments, she then headed back to the main control room, where the dozens of victims of her massacre lied dead on the floor. Barriss knew that her next objective was to inform her Sith Master of the successful mission. The young woman was eager to hear the satisfaction and pleasure in her master's voice, as she would tell him, that the Separatist Council had been eliminated. This was only the beginning of something great, and Barriss knew, that she would be part of it all, and that filled her with a sense of pride.
...
A nikto thug yelled orders in Huttese, motioning three of his comrades nearby to move out of the cramped banquet room of Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, the Khetanna. As the four henchmen ran towards a corridor, that had the stairway leading to the top deck of the sail barge, two lightsaber wielding assailants cut them off.
Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and his newfound ally, former Separatist and Dark Acolyte Asajj Ventress, quickly killed the thugs with their lightsabers. After the armed henchmen had been dealt with, the duo entered the banquet room, where Jabba and his court were trapped in.
The hutt crime lord's court members were all in panic, trying to cram themselves together in a small pack, as the two Force users approached the center of the room. Jabba, being as large as he was, could not move from his pedestal, and instead looked around nervously.
As Anakin approached the hutt crime lord, the small and pesky kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious B. Crumb jumped from behind Jabba, and attacked the human Jedi, latching onto his face. Groaning in annoyance, Anakin grabbed the annoying little pest, and threw him towards Ventress, who finished the kowakian monkey-lizard off, by cutting the sentient, but somewhat primitive creature in half. After witnessing his court jester die, Jabba opened his big mouth.
"Choba! Jedi poodoo! Chamra'kan ama ni chobra den!" Jabba shouted in anger, though fear was also apparent in his voice. Anakin frowned, and swung his lightsaber around, tightly holding on to it.
"Shut you fat mouth, Jabba! This is for all the people, whose lives you've ruined!" The young man proclaimed, raising his lightsaber, and readying to execute the crime lord.
Before he could kill Jabba, Anakin was suddenly yanked back by Ventress, who pushed him back. As he was pushed down, Anakin could hear a distinct beeping sound.
"Look out!" The dathomirian woman shouted, bringing the human Jedi Knight on the ground.
A second later, an explosion shook the entire room, and filled it with smoke, fire and debris. After a moment, Anakin and Ventress coughed heavily, sitting up from the floor. They could notice that most of the members of Jabba's court had died in the blast, with only a few people staggering towards the exit. Jabba himself looked to be slightly wounded, still trapped on his seating pedestal.
As he stood up, and also helped Ventress on her feet, Anakin could see the twi'lek advisor of Jabba, Bib Fortuna, stagger towards the two of them, blood pouring out of his mouth. Before the twi'lek man got any closer, he was suddenly shot in the back. As Fortuna fell dead on the floor, an armed figure walked through the thick smoke, approaching the two Force users.
As the smoke cleared, Anakin and Ventress could now see the duros bounty hunter Cad Bane, walk towards them, with his pistols at the ready. The human man quickly figured out, that the explosion was Bane's handiwork, which made the duros bounty hunter seem even crazier than usual, as he too had been lightly wounded by the grenade explosion. The duros man swiped some dirt off his dustcoat, and hat, as he quickly glanced at his hutt employer.
"Consider this my resignation from you service, Jabba... it's high time for me get out of here.." Bane said, his voice eerily indifferent. Jabba shouted in anger, chastising the duros bounty hunter for killing most of his court, as well as his closest advisor. Bane didn't seem to pay attention, and instead stared at Anakin and Ventress.
"Trust me, Skywalker.. I would love to shoot you full of holes... but I have places to be. So long.." The duros bounty hunter said, giving a small salute to the two. As Bane turned around to leave, Anakin frowned, and went after him.
"Oh, no you don't!" He said loudly, charging at the duros man.
Without even looking back, Bane threw a small explosive device to the ceiling of the banquet room. As he activated the small rocket boosters on his boots, Bane then detonated the mine. The explosion, though small, managed to damage the ceiling enough, to make it collapse on top of the Jedi Knight.
As Anakin looked up, and saw the debris falling towards him, he was yanked back again, though this time by the use of the Force. Ventress pulled him back, saving him from the collapsing ceiling. Lying on the floor again, Anakin looked up, and could see his former rival offer her hand.
"That's the second time I've saved you in the past two minutes! You'll owe me after this, Skywalker.." She said, rolling her eyes, as she helped her human ally up.
After that, Anakin turned his attention back to Bane, who flew out of the room's window, using his rocket boosters. Groaning in frustration, the Jedi Knight shook his head, and picked up his lightsaber hilt from the floor.
As fire spread in the destroyed banquet room, Anakin and Ventress noticed, that Jabba was now completely trapped under some debris, and was unable to move. The hutt crime lord cursed loudly, attempting to move the debris out of his way. Anakin sighed, as he had wanted to kill the hutt for so long, but now realized, that Jabba was going to die either way.
Ventress then touched his shoulder, motioning him to come with her, as the fire spread further in the room. She and Anakin then left the crumbling banquet room, and headed up the stairwell, back up to the top.
They'd need to finish off Jabba's remaining thugs quickly, and make their escape, as the sail barge would more than likely be destroyed in the following moments. The banquet room was directly above the barge's engines, which would most certainly explode, as soon as the fire spread to them. And the amount of fuel kept in the Khetanna's fuel pods could result in a huge explosion, one that would blow the entire sail barge sky high, and everyone aboard it.
...
Kriza Willsaam looked down on the marbled floor of the grand staircase in front of the Unifar Temple, in Onderon's capital city of Iziz. The young human woman had her hands cuffed, and was being held by the large cyborg bodyguard of the Hapan Queen Mother; Draco S'Krill. The human cyborg grunted quietly, as he took a stronger hold on the young Jedi Padawan.
As flocks of birds flew over her, Kriza then looked up, and could see hundreds, if not thousands of onderonians, having been gathered around the marketplace in front of the Unifar Temple. They had all come to see, what was to happen to their prime minister, Lux Bonteri, who had been captured in the battle earlier.
Ta'a Chume, the Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium, known to few as Kayla Ni'Korish, stood next to the knelt down Prime Minister of Onderon, looking upon the thousands of people in the area. The beautiful hapan female held her hand up, looking strong and determined. Several camera droids also floated near the scene, recording every second of what was happening.
"People of Onderon, hear me! I am Ta'a Chume, the Queen Mother of the Hapes Cluster! You might be thinking, why have I attacked your beautiful world? Why have I ravaged the Republic forces protecting Onderon?" The Queen Mother spoke, her green eyes gazing upon the rather scared looking onderonians.
"The Republic has failed you, my dear subjects! The Republic failed all of us! The corrupt leaders of this decadent government has only brought death and suffering to its people! I will end the years of warfare, that have ravaged so many worlds... and I will punish those who are responsible!" She continued, her voice loud and strong. The people of Onderon looked at each other, their expressions scared, and slightly confused.
"But fear not, my new subjects! None of you will ever be harmed under my rule, so long as you stay calm, and let us take care of you. But the people currently in charge of you... they have caused this!" Ta'a Chume declared, after which she stepped nearer to Lux, and knelt down slightly.
"Your Prime Minister Lux Bonteri is so easily manipulated, that he has changed his alignment more than once during the Clone Wars. He and his family were loyal Republic citizens at first, just like all of you. But then they were manipulated by Count Dooku, and joined the Separatist, after which they handed your planet to the droid army, and usurped the throne from King Dendup!" She said loudly, which was now met with some booing. The Queen Mother knew, that most onderonians had not yet forgotten, how the planet had been handed over to the Confederacy without a fight.
"After his mother was murdered, Lux here flip flopped, and joined a resistance movement. That very resistance movement liberated Onderon from the Separatists, and brought your planet back to the Republic. While most of you are happy for his efforts to reinstate the dethroned king... I see a problem with it all.." She explained, falling silent for a few seconds, before continuing.
"After King Dendup died, rather than holding an election to decide the next ruler of Onderon, he instead changed your planet's laws completely, and instated himself as the new Prime Minister of Onderon, and therefore rule your planet. And what has Lux Bonteri done with his power?" Ta'a Chume continued, standing up and spreading her arms again.
"He turned your beautiful planet into a Republic staging ground! He sold you out to get power from the corrupt Supreme Chancellor! And don't kid yourselves; Prime Minister Bonteri has already risen up in the eyes of Palpatine, and his lackeys!" She proclaimed, her breathing becoming slightly heavier.
"He would have turned the entire moon of Dxun into a Republic stronghold! He brought war here, more than once! He, and others like him are the reason why I have arrived, and why I have destroyed every Republic fleet and army, that has stood before me!" The Queen Mother shouted, grabbing her lightsaber hilt from her belt. The hapan female then held her weapon high, and looked straight at the camera droids.
"And know that this... is only the beginning!" Ta'a Chume proclaimed, activating her lightsaber. As the yellowish-orange blade brandished from the hilt, the Queen Mother slowly brought the blade down, and nearly touched Lux's neck, who was kneeling down. The young man was breathing heavily, and clenching his teeth together.
"I'll take good care of your people, Lux... you can rest easy. Say hello to your parents from me.." She said quietly, after which Lux closed his eyes, and sighed long, holding his head down, as he accepted his grim fate.
The Queen Mother then raised her hands again, holding her lightsaber tightly. Kriza looked away, and closed her eyes, not wanting to see any more death. After a moment, Ta'a Chume brought her blade down, and beheaded the young Prime Minister of Onderon, as the camera droids recorded the whole moment.
Loud gasps were heard in the audience of the thousands of onderonians, after which the marketplace fell silent. The entire area was eerily quiet, as the head of Lux Bonteri rolled down the dozens of stairs. His headless body collapsed on the floor, no blood coming out, as lightsabers usually cauterized the wounds they cut.
Kriza opened her eyes after a moment, and looked towards Ta'a Chume again, who stood over the dead body of her latest victim. The woman took a deep breath, deactivating her lightsaber, she then looked at the cameras, as well as the people of Onderon.
"Change begins right here... right now.." She announced, before placing her lightsaber back to her waist, and walking over to her squads of soldiers. The Queen Mother then glanced at her cyborg servant, as well as Kriza.
"Take Kriza inside the palace. The rest of you.. scatter the rabble... and then clean up this mess.." She ordered, after which her men saluted her, and did as she asked.
As the squads of Hapan soldiers walked down the stairs, and proceeded to scatter the thousands of people out of the marketplace, Draco S'Krill grabbed Kriza's hand tighter, and began to escort her back to the Unifar Temple, where the Queen Mother was heading to as well.
In the following moments the area in front of the former royal palace was cleared of people, and the camera droids flew away as well, heading for their controllers. The entire event had been recorded, and it was now only a matter of time, before it would be broadcasted all around the Galaxy.
Luxentius Bonteri was dead, and the government he had worked so hard to reform, laid in ruins now. Onderon had fallen into Hapan hands, and the Republic would face stiff resistance, if they'd ever decide to attempt to retake the planet. The Queen Mother would likely not even give them then chance, however, as she was determined to move further into Republic territory, and seize their strongholds and planets.
Coruscant was in her sights, and she would stop at nothing in order to reach the galactic capital. There were still a dozen more people, who Ta'a Chume was hell bent on "punishing". Chancellor Palpatine was one of them, and the young, yet powerful Queen Mother would not stop, until she stood over the corpse of the Republic's decadent leader.
...
A weequay henchmen of Jabba the Hutt shot his blaster rifle wildly, before being cut down by a green lightsaber blade. The kiffar Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, killed the last of the hutt crime lord's thugs on the deck of the Khetanna. As the fire from the banquet room spread to the top deck, making the sails catch fire, Vos bit his lip, and glanced at Aayla, who stood near a railing.
The sound of rocket boosters got the kiffar Jedi Master's attention, and he turned around to see Cad Bane flying over the deck. The duros bounty hunter suddenly plunged down, and began to shoot at Quinlan, who deflected the shots with his lightsaber. Bane landed on the deck, and quickly aimed his wrist launcher at the kiffar man. Suddenly, fire spit out of the launcher, which caused Quinlan to jump back, as he avoided the flames.
Some of the fire managed to latch onto the kiffar man's robes, however, which made him back further off, and focus on putting it out. Bane then turned his attention to Aayla, who had just spotted him. Before the twi'lek Jedi Master could advance towards the duros bounty hunter, Bane opened fire with his two pistols.
Aayla did her best to deflect all the shots, but the sheer rapidness of the bolts fired from Bane's pistols soon overwhelmed her. As she went to deflect one shot, the duros bounty hunter quickly fired another bolt, which went to the opposite side of the twi'lek's body. The shot hit Aayla in her shoulder, which caused her to groan in pain, and stagger back. As she hit the railing behind her, Aayla went over it, and fell off the Khetanna's deck. Quinlan witnessed that, and his eyes widened.
"Aayla! No!" The kiffar man exclaimed, thinking that his former Padawan had just fell to her death.
Enraged, Quinlan lunged at Bane, raising his lightsaber high in the air, posed for the kill. The duros bounty hunter reacted quickly, and activated his rocket booster boots, and took off from the deck. As Bane fired upon him relentlessly, Quinlan was forced to back down slightly, or otherwise he'd face the same fate as Aayla.
At the same time, Anakin and Ventress arrived to the top deck, escaping from the burning banquet room. The human Jedi Knight immediately noticed Bane, who was shooting at his Jedi Master colleague. The duros man noticed Anakin approaching him, which made him use his second pistol to shoot at the human man, who deflected all the shots with his lightsaber.
After deflecting the shots, Anakin frowned, and grabbed Bane by using the Force. The duros bounty hunter realized that he was being grabbed, and attempted to fly out of Anakin's reach, his rocket boots pushing him with more power. The Jedi Knight was stronger however, and managed to pull Bane down, smashing him on the floor of the deck.
As both Quinlan and Anakin ran towards the downed duros bounty hunter, Bane quickly threw another small mine at them. The resulting explosion forced the two Jedi to back away, which allowed the duros man to activate his rocket boots again, and attempt to fly away.
Ventress now proceeded to bend her legs, before jumping high in the air, and grabbing Bane's body, adding too much weight for the bounty hunter's rocket boots to carry. The two of them soon plummeted to the floor, hitting it hard. Ventress and Bane landed right next to the cannon, that was placed on the deck of the Khetanna.
As the two got up, Bane quickly kicked the dathomirian woman down, having stood up faster than her. He then climbed onto the deck gun, and quickly aimed it at the sail barge's hull. Anakin and Quinlan ran towards the gun, as well as Bane, who in slight desperation pulled the cannon's trigger, and shot a powerful blast at the barge's deck.
The resulting explosion shook the entire ship, and caused both Anakin and Quinlan to lose their footing. The cannon blast seemed to cause a chain reaction, as many smaller explosions went out on the Khetanna. The sail barge was being destroyed in a quick fashion.
Cad Bane then jumped off the deck gun, seeing how his human Jedi Knight nemesis was on his feet again, and was running at him with an enraged look. The duros bounty hunter activated his rocket boots yet again, and lifted off. As he attempted to fly away, Anakin jumped up, and just barely managed to slash his lightsaber at the duros man's feet.
The lightsaber blade cut one of Bane's rocket boosters, making it malfunction. As the human man landed back on the burning deck, the duros bounty hunter flew high in the air, his rocket boots now causing him to lose control, and fly wildly all over the place. Bane flew away from the Khetanna, waving his arms wildly, as he couldn't control his plummet. After a moment, he smashed into a nearby sand dune, his wild flying coming to an abrupt end.
Back on the sail barge's deck, Anakin and Ventress quickly looked around, before running to the railing, and looking down, seeing Ahsoka standing on one of the cargo skiffs. As they jumped down, landing on the skiff, Quinlan made his way to the railing as well. The kiffar man however did not jump down, and instead leaned on the railing, and looked around, trying to locate his former Padawan.
"Aayla? Aayla, where are you?" The middle aged man called out, not wanting to believe that his beloved apprentice had met her end.
On the cargo skiff, as Ventress walked over to the vehicle's controls, Anakin and Ahsoka noticed, that Master Vos was not jumping joining them. The human Jedi Knight frowned, and waved to his colleague.
"Vos! Get over here!" He shouted at the kiffar Jedi Master, who instead still attempted the locate Aayla Secure. Anakin only now noticed as well, that the twi'lek female was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a larger explosion shook the Khetanna, making Quinlan grab the railing tightly. The kiffar man then turned around, and could see that the fire was all around him. Another sound of an explosion was heard, and the Jedi Master realized, that he was out of time. As another explosion happened, a tear of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Oh, that can't be good..." Quinlan said to himself, as a chain of explosions began to rip the sail barge apart.
Anakin's eyes widened, as the hull of the Khetanna exploded open. Ventress clenched her teeth together, and quickly grabbed the cargo skiff's controls. She then steered the vehicle away from the blast, and slammed down the accelerator. Anakin gasped, and tried to jump off the vehicle, but Ahsoka grabbed his arm.
"No!" The human man exclaimed, as the sail barge proceeded to be destroyed.
In the following moment, the Khetanna exploded in a bright, and massive ball of fire, thousands of pieces of debris flying all around the Great Pit of Carkoon. Master Vos was completely engulfed by the fire, his body disappearing in the flames.
As the shockwave reached the Bantha-II skiff, Anakin and Ahsoka were pushed to the floor. Ventress held onto the controls tighter, and piloted the vehicle further away from the scene of destruction. After a moment, the human Jedi Knight slowly stood up, his expression filled with shock.
"Quinlan... Aayla... we have to go back! They might still be alive!" Anakin said, standing up and looking at Ventress, who raised her eyebrow.
"Are you crazy? Did you see how the barge exploded!? There's nothing left there, Skywalker!" The dathomiri woman responded with a frown. As Anakin bit his lip, and looked back at the site of destruction, Ahsoka walked next to him, and touched his shoulder.
"Ani.. we can't stay here. Jabba's followers will be after us now... we have to get off this planet.." She said quietly, moving her other hand to the human's cheek, who sighed deeply, and looked down.
"I.. I know... but I just can't leave them behind. They would not do that to me..." Anakin replied, now looking into Ahsoka's eyes, who sighed, and nodded. Ventress sighed as well, and kept piloting the skiff away from the Khetanna's wreck.
"Look... they might still be alive, but we can't stay here. The entire planet will be looking for us, now that Jabba's dead. And I'm not going to be imprisoned by some other hutt, so I'll take the first ship off Tatooine. If you want to stay, that's your choice.. but I won't help you, unless you come with me..." The woman said, steering the cargo skiff past a large dune.
Anakin looked at Ahsoka again, and sighed long, nodding. His togruta lover bit her lip, and hugged him, her fingers going through his hair. After a moment, he parted from her, and glanced at Ventress.
"Alright.. we'll do it your way, Ventress. What should we do next?" He asked, as he and the young togruta next to him leaned on the nearby railing. Ventress bit her lip, and looked at the scenery for a moment, before answering.
"Well, I'm gonna take us to Mos Ila. We should be able to find a spacer there, that'll take us off Tatooine." She explained, steering the skiff to the left, as she knew which direction the city of Mos Ila was located in. Anakin hummed quietly, and nodded, as he looked at the sandy dunes.
"Okay... we'll follow your lead, Ventress.." He replied quietly, after which he glanced at Ahsoka, and placed his arm around her. His former Padawan sighed, and leaned against him, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
"Just sit back... we'll be there shortly." Ventress said, increasing the cargo skiff's speed, as they made their way to the open sand dunes of Tatooine.
As the trio flew aboard the Bantha-II skiff, Anakin could not get his mind off of what had just happened. He had no idea whether Quinlan and Aayla were alive or not, and it bothered him immensely. He had promised Ahsoka, that he would leave the Jedi Order, after getting off Tatooine, but a sense of uncertainty and slight fear made the young man uncomfortable.
He had no idea if this would be the right decision, as the war was still raging. The Jedi still needed him, but his love for his former apprentice was stronger, than the feeling of responsibility, that he had for the Jedi Order. Anakin didn't want to break his oath for the Jedi, but neither did he ever want to be apart from Ahsoka again. As he sighed quietly again, his togruta lover gently took his hand, and began to rub her thumb on it.
"We'll be alright, my love... nothing will separate us anymore.." Ahsoka whispered to him. Anakin looked at her, and sighed slightly, leaning his head against hers, while holding her hand tighter.
"You're right... I'll never let you go again.. ever..." He answered, his mind filled with determination, that he would never want to be apart from his love ever again.
As they held each other close, Ventress steered the Bantha-II cargo skiff past another sandy hill. The group stayed quiet, as they made their way towards the spaceport city Mos Ila, which was located dozens of kilometers away.
Anakin had in a way secured his freedom, from both imprisonment, as well as the Jedi Order, but he wondered whether the price he had paid for it was too much. He sighed audibly, as he knew that only time would tell, whether leaving the Jedi life behind him would be the best decision he's ever made, or the greatest mistake of his life.