Ahsoka was accosted on her arrival at the Jedi outpost by a clone escort of ten, each of them only too eager to call a security breach and shove the barrels of their blasters uncomfortably close to Majum's helmeted face. After successfully deflating that debacle with no compelling assistance from Liiqua, she was next forced to scurry around the tower to locate the off-duty AT-TE operators. Evidently none of them had driven in over a year. She was about ready to just throw the tanks off the southern cliffs when it was discovered that three out of the six were leg-locked due to prolonged inactivity. Hanging her head in frustration, she felt the double-tap of Liiqua's forefinger against her shoulder.
"...Ahsoka. I would not trust him on this, but the Nikto says he can fix one of your vehicles." She folded her arms.
Ahsoka perked up. She first looked to Liiqua, who exuded obvious disapproval in her stance, then to Majum where he stood under the shadow of a crouching AT-TE, carefully appraising the large joints.
"Sabotage is not out of the question for his kind," Liiqua continued, "But I leave this decision to you. These are your troops on the line out here. Choose wisely, and I remind you to be cautious, however you choose."
"Thank you, Director Liiqua." She sent her appreciation for Liiqua's respect through the Force, knowing with a twinge of sadness that it would never be received. "Please tell Majum that he can go ahead with the repairs. I'll have the men ready to go by the time he's finished."
Liiqua nodded and left to deliver the message. To any ordinary person, she'd have appeared ideally militant, accepting a contentious decision with perfect impartiality. Her feelings betrayed her with a turbulent flip in the Force. Ahsoka knew she couldn't quell a lifetime of Vinnesta's dishonesty with a day's worth of words, but even so, she couldn't ignore the presence of her left-hand lightsaber attached firmly on her belt. Were it not for Majum, it wouldn't be there. Were it not for Majum, she might not here in the outpost at all. By the end of the hour, four old AT-TEs marched south under Ahsoka's command.
The clones whooped and cheered when the walkers crested like durasteel angels over the canyon peaks. Medical supplies were spread thin by now; the 501st had no intention of joining the fight on the ground when they left the tower, and the 212th hadn't been back at camp since morning. As a result, the troops had to make do with the scant supplies included in their kit. The delay in Ahsoka's arrival caused a fair amount of anxiety, to make things worse, so it fell upon Cody and Rex to maintain an air of order and patience. The job was near impossible with Anakin's brooding and Obi-Wan's gory state in plain view. It seemed a lifetime before the rescue team finally turned up. While his men gleefully cleared the cliffs' base to give the tanks room to land, Anakin sent his gratitude up by comm. But inside the centermost tank of the line, Ahsoka suddenly found herself unable to answer – she was absolutely petrified as her craft slowly descended into a great sopping wound in the Force.
"Ahsoka?" Anakin repeated.
At last her voice returned to her, welling up with panic. "Master… what- Master, WHAT is going on down there?! It's horrible!" cried Ahsoka through her comm. "I-it feels like– It feels like –!"
It feels like I just killed forty people, Anakin finished privately. A loathsome feeling of shame dug into him with razor-sharp nails. "Don't worry about that now. Everything's fine. Just get down to the bottom and help me load up the troops."
"But–!"
"Listen, I'll explain everything later!" Or something. "Just stay calm and focus on the mission, okay?"
Ahsoka didn't respond. She dropped her wrist into her lap where she sat secured into her seat by the AT-TE's overhead constraints. Her eyes bore into the floor underneath. The vast desert sun waned red on the horizon. Upon making level ground at the canyon's base, each tank knelt low and projected out a long metal bridge. They scraped loudly in unison against the hard, sandy floor, opening into the vehicles' wide frontal hatches. The clones inside disengaged their constraints as soon as the doors were lifted. It took a fair amount of Liiqua's gentle prodding to rouse Ahsoka from the droning sensation of anguish outside, but eventually the pair made it out to witness the aftermath of the battle. Liiqua surveyed the scene with fortified steel nerves. Majum stayed in place at the back of the tank. Ahsoka wandered between the mass of clone armor-white, looking lost and very, very small.
Anakin couldn't bring himself to approach. Her shock and mourning were too fresh amidst the stale murk of the dark side, and if she traced this mayhem back to him, well… Anakin chose not to pursue that line of thought any further. Concerning the actual body count, he knew that Ahsoka had definitely seen worse in the past. He couldn't even count the number of battles they'd walked out of together at various levels of morbidity, but up until now he'd managed to avoid exposing his Padawan to the worst parts of the Force he was so well acquainted with. It was one thing to screw up in front of Obi-Wan. But Ahsoka was his chance to at least pretend to be a better Jedi. Anakin lamented. She shouldn't have to see the Force this way. She deserved a guiltless, wholesome mentor.
"Master!" He heard her gasp in that same, fearful tone. His shoulders hunched involuntarily. Somehow, it wasn't such a relief when he glimpsed her running toward Obi-Wan, instead. Two clones in haggard armor braced themselves stiffly against either side of him while eight more of the 212th stood vigilant in the immediate area. Obi-Wan slumped limply between his soldiers on unfeeling feet. Ahsoka came to a timid halt in front of them, treading backward at the same pace that the clones moved ahead. Compassion gushed into the Force then, trying desperately to fill the bleeding chasm before her.
"Oh, Force this is bad," she grieved.
To everyone's amazement, Obi-Wan reacted. Sluggishly, and with all the coordination of a blind nerf, he extricated himself from the clones just enough to extend a wobbling arm out and clasp Ahsoka's left shoulder. "…Ahsoka," he wheezed in a belated, yet chipper tone, "So good to see you." She stared speechlessly, unable to truly believe the degree to which someone's place in the Force could be so utterly ruined. There weren't words to express her total stupefaction with the hellish pit she'd dropped into, and so she resigned to gape pleadingly between the clones supporting Obi-Wan's weight. Clips shook his head in despair.
"Why don't you go help the troops inside, Commander," he suggested wearily.
Rex was first to spot the concussion missile as it soared in from the south at breakneck speed. Dropping the macrobinoculars from his visor, he shouted warning over the commotion: "MISSILE INCOMING!" The hope newly brought into the otherwise decimated battlefield was dashed in an instant. Anakin too was plucked violently from his reflection. "EVACUATE!" he ordered, sweeping an arm to the east in an urgent motion to guide the troops out of range. The clones began at a sprint from the field's center, but before any of them could make clear, the concussion missile screamed from above and impacted the canyon wall in a colossal ball of fire. The cliffs cracked and shook, sending another wave of rocks down over the battlefield.
Off to the side, Ahsoka marginally lifted her forearm where it covered her face. She squinted against the blustering winds of sand and debris cast off from the explosion. "What was THAT?!"
Obi-Wan coughed dryly into his fist. "–Sand Wraiths," he reported, "Quite persistent, aren't they?"
Something about his complete lack of surprise led Ahsoka to suspect that these elusive Sand Wraiths she'd been hearing about for so long had in fact become rather friendly with the 212th. She coordinated with the clones surrounding Obi-Wan and sequestered the group behind the nearest rock. The clones – those remaining who were yet able – drew their weapons and took defensive position around the downed vehicles and boulders.
"Sorry sir," said the clone to Obi-Wan's right, lowering him to the ground simultaneous with Clips, "Looks like you'll have to hold on a while longer."
"Now– Wait just a–" he started. He cut himself off with another fit of bloodstained coughing.
"Don't worry, Master Obi-Wan. I've been waiting to fight these guys." Ahsoka crouched readily at the rock's edge and ignited her lightsabers while the clones extracted their guns.
"–I said wait!" Obi-Wan managed to choke out before clutching his ribs in both arms. Ahsoka halted at the very moment she would have raced out ahead.
"Master, please lie still! The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get you medical support. They'll be here any minute!" she argued.
"It's–" he tried again, hacking another handful of blood into the crook of his elbow. Clips' hand found his shoulder, though he couldn't say why. The bout continued until Obi-Wan was out of breath and wincing in pain. Ahsoka couldn't find him in the Force. It was all she could do to disengage her weapons and sit anxious at his side. In the midst of her patience, a second missile blasted into the canyon wall near to the site of the first. The clones jostled. It wouldn't be long before the cliff caved in, or until the enemy corrected their aim a little bit lower. Obi-Wan understood. His aching grip on reality was slipping fast, but he would spend his last moments to do what must be done.
"A-Ahsoka." He called weakly through staggered breaths. Her attention locked onto him alone and made silent the sounds of boulders crashing all around. "…I need you to do me a favor." Another pause. "…Tell Anakin to order the troops into the tanks."
"The tanks? But they're being shot at! They'll be blown apart!"
Obi-Wan shook his head, succumbing to the burning sensation turning his insides to rust. "The Sand Wraiths have no armor-piercing missiles. The troops will be safe." With a second's hesitation, Ahsoka tensed and nodded once. "…Another thing. Anakin will soon be ordering a rush attack on the enemy's approach," he continued, melting into the rock a ways with eyes closed, "Once he's learned we're boxed in, that is."
"You want me to stop him?" She leaned forward on her knees as if to will her Master back to health.
"Yes," he said, after a time.
"I- I mean, I'll do my best, but I don't know if he'll listen…"
That earned a doleful chuckle out of Obi-Wan's fading form. "Oh yes he will. But in any case… Do let Commander Cody know that I'm placing him in charge of the 212th. Anakin is to obey him, from this point forward."
Ahsoka's eyes widened. "You're giving him authority over Master Anakin? But he's a Jedi!"
Obi-Wan didn't respond.
"Master? Hey! What do you mean?!" She held his tarnished vambrace and shook it to no avail. "From this point forward?! Master!"
"You'd better go deliver that message, Commander Tano," said the nameless clone to her right. "It's what the General... Would want."