There it was…the house…
It was such a peaceful place. It was almost dumbfounding to even have any memories of war or pain. It's as though for a moment, Ahsoka Tano's painful experiences had momentarily silenced themselves like they had never been implanted in her mind in the first place...
Those echoes of the past still maintained their chime.
"Ahsoka…? Ahsoka…?"
"…Anakin…"
No…peace was not with Ahsoka and no matter where she may go or what she may do, she would not forget. She placed her fist on her chest and took a deep breath. Now more than ever, she needed to pay close attention to the significance of this place as she was guided by the ever so conflicting soul of Takeo Masaki. It was now his guidance that she deserved to follow at this moment in momentary solace, surrounded by the ever so delightful sight of flowers, green grass, and a wide array of green landscape that appeared suitable for farm land.
"Takeo Masaki…please show me the path…" She firmly requested to the transparent blue figure that stood before her.
From the entity, picture of Takeo standing there, Ahsoka received no response nor acknowledgment of her being there as if it had been pre-disposed to walk silently.
As such, she was only prompted to follow the figure as it walked at its own will and pace. Ahsoka wanted to call out his name again but she realised that it was no use.
She followed him...
She followed him, passing through the well cared for small garden that stood at the house's front yard while admiring the heavy scent of pollen floating in the air. In addition to the color that was scattered all about, there was a distinctive sense of awe that filled her mind. Ahsoka treaded carefully as she lead herself up the wooden steps onto the small front porch.
Minding the pace of the figure, and carefully following along its timing, she passed through the door as it was opened. For a moment, she wanted to say thank you but remembered that the Takeo Masaki she was seeing was just a mere ghost bound by memory, logged by steps that had already been walked.
As she continued and saw that the inside was just as simply constructed as the exterior, she wondered and questioned why a house, this house, would be the central point shifting around both Takeo Masaki's curiosity and Edward Richtofen's goal.
Ahsoka could accept that she was not going to get the answers she was looking for anytime soon. She didn't have to feel too mind-boggled nor stressed for the time being…revelations would manifest itself when she'd least expect it to and coincidentally, so did happiness.
Alongside Takeo, when she opened the door to a room down the hallway, she smiled just as he seemed to smile as she acted as a mirror copying his every move. It was rather strange but she didn't mind nor did she fumble out of focus. She only stared at the little kids, four boys and one girl. They looked like they were having the time of their lives, imagining some sort of scenario with the use of some toys. Amongst the rockets, teddy bears, monkeys and…zombie toys…? There were dolls of soldiers, four to be precise, used for the main performance of epic proportions that they were acting out together.
She hadn't realized it in the beginning but when she walked into the room, this time with Takeo's figure remaining at the door, she noticed something rather odd about these children when she sat down beside them. They almost looked exactly like the four she had the privilege to recently welcome into the rebellion and strangely enough, so did the toys in a way...
Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen.
These kids were them. She had to be certain of this.
She had to remain cautious however. Not every epiphany shown by the Force was an epiphany that should have been delivered as fact, but she would still remember it long enough before she would forget to further question Richtofen's quest and what game he was playing at. She could worry about all this just as soon she could return from the room with the children.
"Hold on for just a damn minute! You can't be in here!"
The children continued to play. They payed little to no attention to the door creaking open. They didn't even hear the croaky and yet sharp voice that cut through the peaceful air. Only Ahsoka payed absolute attention to it and instinctively drew her sabers to point it at her possible foe.
"Fucking hell you are one jumpy girl. What's with the rush to cut someone in half?! Sheesh! I am sorry, but you cannot be in here. In fact, they are not supposed to be there either. You're not even supposed to see me at this instant! It's too early! Now GO! BUG OFF! SHOO! SHOO!"
Superstition and surprise seemed to run high, coursing through Ahsoka's mind as she stared at this conspicuous looking old man. Ahsoka was only given a mere millisecond before she could even have a chance to take in the man's physique, only to be met with the gratuitous sound of pounding on a metal door. She looked around and was back aboard the Ghost, on Kanan's meditation mat.
Standing back up and sighing despairingly while stretching her arms out, she wished that she could have stayed with the children in the house for just a little longer. Maybe she could have done some investigating while for once, being in the company of a land that almost matched the complexity to that of Naboo's. A command deck and command ship were getting stale…
That knocking was getting redundantly tiresome...
Despite those small pet peeves, her mind drifted away slowly for a moment at the intriguing image of a red scarf.
"Come in please!"
She had her arms lay out across her chest and her hands latched on to the tips of her elbows. A chill coursed down her spine as she began to realize and re-claim her sense of reality.
When she saw the two heavily armed men holding their unique weaponry, Ahsoka kept a generally subtle posture while admiring and respecting the eagerness that was burning fiercely in the eyes of Tank Dempsey and Nikolai Belinski. She did her best not to make exaggerated compliments like she would have done when she was younger…she chuckled and blinked at the thought.
"Commander Tano…we were having a little talk with Kanan Jarrus and his feeling towards launching a rescue mission for Takeo…" Dempsey said, addressing his dry eagerness through his voice.
"Yes…?" Ahsoka continued to listen as her arms remained stamped across her chest.
"Jarrus was most disapproving of the mission and Takeo is a man that I myself do not completely understand." Nikolai sighed. "But we humbly request that you allow us to embark on this important moment of sacrifice."
"Kanan says that all we really need left is your approval and a fool proof plan." Dempsey mentioned. "What do you say about that huh? Get Takeo back on his feet and back in the fight? How about it commander?"
Ahsoka truly wished for the rescue of her new addition to the rebellion. Deep within her heart, she possessed the strong desire to assist her comrades for the trials ahead. With the short time that the four have been enrolled into the rebellion, their effectiveness and strong ability to survive in the field had proven to be fruitful and quite acceptable. She did not consider make them out to be only tools however.
She had the utmost committing care...she would not allow for any of them to get hurt. Answers and questions still remained but Ahsoka Tano's persisting patience and concerns would continue to sparkle.
"Gentlemen…" Ahsoka firmly began in a professional and preserved matter. "Corporal Tank Dempsey and Sergeant Nikolai Belinski, report to the Liberator for further briefing. Takeo Masaki will be saved. Dismissed."
"Thank you Commander Tano." Dempsey saluted as his face lit up with a stiff grin.
Ahsoka kept her dissident smile for as long as the two soldiers were inside the room. Once the two departed just as instructed, Ahsoka's smile faded away just as her facial muscles loosened up upon the timing of thinking to herself just a little bit more...
A red scarf. The old man.
Upheld by the stillness of time and the confinement within his cell, Takeo was left in solitude in order to attain the piece in mind needed in his imprisonment. The dishonor was all his in the humiliation of capture and the reprimanding of his weapons. Everything Takeo had done needed to be absolutely flawless and foolproof. Takeo's only fear was for humiliation in the presence of the Emperor.
He had hoped that when the day had come for him to return to Japan, that the Emperor and his country would welcome him with open arms and solemn gratitude for all the fighting he had done in his relentless march to secure a better future. He did however not forget the courageous crew he had the honor in allying himself with. As optimistic Takeo wished to be, the situation seemed less than desirable and the chance of rescue seemed rather faint.
Time however, had a specific way to show its appreciation for one's own patience in times with little hope hanging on for dear life.
"ON YOUR FEET REBEL."
The men dressed in the most hideous and clunky armor Takeo had ever seen were pointing their weapons straight at him, prompting him to stay still. As he was escorted out of his prison cell, Takeo could not bear the impending chill on the thought of having to wear such cheap armor.
The armor was much like the Clone Captain he had met, but Rex's armor had more distinctive value when compared to the blandness of the Stormtrooper's armor. In Takeo's eyes, there was no honor for wearing such armor, nor was there any sort of unique authenticity that would tell the story of a soldier's personal struggle on the battlefield.
"…Why did you STOP?! KEEP WALKING! Are you even listening to me?!"
Takeo would show these "soldiers" just how futile their own existence was. He would show them his honor, strength, and will. These Stormtroopers may have sounded as if their egos were delicate, and their forceful and dissatisfying attempt of intimidation through orders was a giveaway to their trembling inexperience.
"SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!"
Without exposing himself to an uproar in the ship, Takeo resorted to go about this more quietly so he would not have to lose to the overwhelming masses. Before the three troopers were able to pull the trigger, they found themselves stunned by Takeo's swift speed and intense strikes. As they stood disoriented, Takeo ceased the opportunity to take them down one by one as he only required one technique.
The troopers went tumbling down in the cell, not having the slightest weariness to realise that they have all gotten a dose of the warrior's most precise swirling aerial kick. Any ordinary trainee's goal for perfecting such a move was to strengthen their legs so that when they needed to take out many opponents at once, their muscles would not cramp up and their limbs could not falter in their motion.
It had been a long time since Takeo's days of training…but he was still proud to once again see the application proving so successful, even in a galaxy that that would not have been reached if not for Richtofen's bidding. As he slammed the cell door shut, he left the trapped Stormtroopers to perhaps re-consider their own employments. They could have been slain by the might of Takeo, but Takeo chose life for those faceless men.
He could only hope that his own mercy was not to be wasted…as well as his desperate need for an honorable death in the heat of battle if possible. But for any samurai to die with honor, he would need his special instrument in his hands to slay those who would dare oppose him.
"Mmmm…Where is my katana…?" Takeo questioned this as he glanced down at the discarded blasters from the troopers, picking one up and inspecting it with the utmost care. "Such unconventional means of weaponry may just be what I need to survive on this day…but I would prefer a blade above all."
Under the attention of Commanders Ahsoka Tano and Jun Sato, the loyalists that had themselves ready for their next move on the Empire, standing at attention on the command deck of the Liberator. They stood firm before a hologram projection that cast the image of an Imperial Star Destroyer. To accompany the image of the ship was Takeo Masaki's face and a Detention identification number.
Even through the bright blue hologram, the fury of Takeo's will and strength seemed to still strike the young loyalists with motivation despite the superstition that still hung heavily amongst them about their new four allies.
Given the circumstances, knowing what the Empire could do to a person when they had finally been caught, the young loyalists only hoped that Takeo Masaki could walk away unscathed to fight another day with them. They couldn't fathom the thought of his ever short lasting experiences in their galaxy ending with gruesome torture. And for what…?
So that the Empire would expect them to cower out and drop everything regarding their cause?
No…It was not going to happen. Never.
That is why they were there. The crew of the Ghost, the young soldiers, and the fresh new fighters of the rebellion. They would bring Takeo Masaki home…but that's not all…
"Doctor Edward Richtofen, you may proceed with the presentation."
What the rebels coherently understood was the typical search and rescue mission that would be carried out by the Ghost crew, co-operatively with the three. They knew where to go to save their comrade but what they truly desperately needed was the information that only Richtofen could clarify, information dug up by Ahsoka Tano herself.
"Thank you Commander Sato. Now we will tackle the matter at hand yes? Also I will try to be quick enough so that we can Takeo sooner rather than later ya? Ya."
Richtofen took a mere moment to gulp down all of the nerve-wracking pressure that came from this presentation alone. Stage fright was a battle that Richtofen had conquered many years ago but it was just the information he had that was making him tremble. Standing before the rebellion, taking full charge of the rebels hologram hardware, Richtofen felt somewhat unsure of the plan that had to be set in motion and if the task he had originally taken up was still possible to complete.
"Calm down Edward…Maxis…just need to follow the plan…" He muttered. "Just need to stay on- AH. Oh sorry…sorry ah…"
With Richtofen appearing rather dumbfounded and phased, his eyes wandered about the room as he struggle to maintain his oh so fulfilling concentration that was needed. Amongst the many sights as far as he could perceive, Richtofen caught a glimpse of the calmly standing Commanders that stood at his attention. Richtofen felt sense of warmth washing over him, making his mind feel fuzzy and eased up.
Unlike his own subordinates, which was relatively understandable, Jun Sato and Ahsoka Tano stared with eagerness while remaining quite well tempered, trying to offer more encouragement rather than discouragement. It was ever so delightful to receive such looks of affection.
"TODAY DOC! TODAY!"
Richtofen nearly jumped just hearing the loud American soldier continuously persisting in his contempt he had for him.
…The good feeling was good while it lasted however…
"CORPORAL." Ahsoka exclaimed in a scolding matter.
"Sorry Commander…" Dempsey sighed as he frowned and looked down at the floor. "Richtofen…?" He leaned back against the wall and kept his distance in his sight.
"Ah yes…" Richtofen shot himself back into focus and raised his voice as he cleared his throat. "So…If I may accurately address the situation, address the ongoing commotions between Group 935 and our mission…?"
Assumingly taking command of the hologram's functionalities Richtofen brought the rebellion to his attention as he showed a replicated 3D model of the "Der Riese" factory, courtesy of Ahsoka's Intel.
"What needed to happen, happened." Richtofen leaned further on the holo-device, mesmerized by the projection as it browsed through the machinery invented at the facility. "Group 935 and I had made excellent progress in furthering our efforts to create the very machines needed to be the most powerful and unstoppable force."
Hearing himself speak, Richtofen found himself to gain a boost of energy that had a rather drastic effect on his tone. He wanted to be careful not to sound too charismatic or excited, as if telling them he was proud of the dangerous machines he had a hand in creating…or was that his other self…?
Richtofen digressed.
"This facility was the main heart of Group 935's activities. They labored countless hours just to perfect such genius. The only true problem for these continued activities was that the very fabric of time and space was beginning to tear due to the unprecedented teleportation tests. That is why I needed a way to break history, to change things back home."
This was something that did not needed to be shown through a bright blue picture with sophisticated technology. They only required to see the real thing in his hands.
"BEHOLD. The Summoning Key. The most powerful artifact in this or ANY either dimension…! Or that's what was advertised anyway…"
The young loyalists and the Ghost crew seemed profoundly mesmerized at the sight of the sphere that was held in Richtofen's hand. Like the others before, the only question they could really ask was where it came from and what purpose it served.
"There is not much I can state here in the now but know this mein friends…this artifact…is our savior in my hands. Its power is beyond your comprehension but I will make sure that it is put for good use, for the sake of all histories. It was so very hard to locate this artifact. Now, any questions before I continue? Anyone?"
Dempsey and Nikolai were too angry to even ask anything and the all of the rebels, be it the Ghost crew or the loyalists, didn't even know where to start on the subject of Group 935. Ezra Bridger however alongside his master, began to feel cold chills rushing throughout his bloodstream. He and Kanan's particular concern was those symbols on the Summoning Key. It was almost as if those blue symbols were glowing, which caused them to become allured to the sight of it.
"Um…Excuse me?! Um…Doctor?!"
Including Richtofen, everyone turned their line of sight towards Ezra as he spoke up. "Yes Bridger?"
"I was just wondering and I was thinking…what are those symbols?"
"Ah yes the symbols young Ezra." Richtofen remarked with a genuine grin. "They are of the Apothicon transcript. That is all."
Ezra felt rather disappointed and still a bit astonished of the vague information Richtofen was feeding them. He noticed his master shared the same concern. Both of their expressions only perpetuated their strong sense of astonishment.
"Can you translate this Apothicon language?" Commander Sato questioned.
"Uh…" Richtofen silently scratched his head as he gasped. "My memory is slipping again…But…the language on the key is not the most important thing to stress on Commander. What I will stress is that this key is a vessel to save our eternal souls, more specifically, us four. I already dealt with… me...but the next objective we are leaning towards is saving the test subjects, starting with Dempsey."
Agent Kallus held a rather brittle faith for his troopers to yield triumphant, especially when it came to holding insurgents under their will and authority. Kallus was prepared to be met with disappointment. Every time a rebel was captured, he always stood by anxiously awaiting that one message from his Stormtroopers.
All he could do was stand a-foot on the Star Destroyers Bridge to oversee the progress and functionality on the ship, patiently waiting for prisoner transfer to begin for the traitor they kept aboard their ship. Unlike the other officers scattered about the ship, Kallus could feel a new challenge that was soon going to reveal itself in the time of Takeo's imprisonment.
"Stormtrooper TK-571 to Agent Kallus! Stormtrooper TK-571 to Agent Kallus-! ARCK!"
With the sounds of muffled blaster fire, the vigorous breath coming from the struggling Stormtroopers, and the screeching sound of a blade, Kallus brought through the transmission's clearance and spoke clearly through the communique booth.
"Report."
As he waited for the trooper's response, no one spoke through. Kallus' tone of voice was matching his patience, and he found himself to have raised his voice to a vigorous and frustrated level.
"Stormtrooper TK-571, REPORT."
Kallus' exempting scream that carried its sound throughout the Bridge distilled a sense of panic in all of the officers and workers who were present. From the communique panel, the device screeched with a loud ear-wrenching uproar that caused everyone to falter and scramble as they covered their ears. What came next was the demand-filled, sneering voice of their prisoner they were hoping to try for his betrayal and disservice towards the Empire.
"Bring Takeo a real challenge! Come forward man of Security Bureau! You! Man who hides behind his dogs! Come forward and we shall determine who is the TRUE warrior!"
As the transmission cut out with the echo of a sharp blade, Kallus' grin shaped into a sly smirk. Finally, he would be able to confront a new challenge. He took the helmet that had been tucked under his arm and allowed it to slide onto his head smoothly. With a Bo-Rifle in hand and full embrace of his resilience, Kallus marched passed his long-time colleague, Admiral Konstantine.
"The rebels will be here soon for another rescue. I highly advise caution Agent Kallus. Captain Masaki's-"
"I am fully aware of Captain Takeo Masaki's capabilities Admiral." Kallus exclaimed as he averted his gaze towards the Bridge's exit. "His overconfidence and arrogance will be his downfall."
With one last passive nod, Agent Kallus turned the Admiral one last time before departing once again to confront the Samurai warrior that summoned the Imperial Agent for this confrontation.