The air was still in the warehouse. Nothing moved. No sound could be heard. The TIE Defender stood in the centre, the three man team waiting around it, listening.

The Ahsoka's comm light up again.

"If you want Agent Kallus back, I suggest you face me yourself Ahsoka Tano. We have much to discuss." Thrawn spoke in a commanding voice. Miara visibly shuddered at the sound of the admiral's voice. It was slow and methodical, the sort of voice used by a person who rarely, if ever, lost their patience.

And that meant he was dangerous to Ahsoka.

Still, she had come to Lothal to rescue Kallus. And that was what she would do.

"Rex, Miara, get the Defender out of here, I'll go get Kallus."

Rex and Miara shared a look of concern between them.

"You know it's a trap, right commander?" Rex asked. He wouldn't stop her, not that he ever could when she set her mind to something. He just wanted peace of mind.

"I'm counting on it Rex." Ahsoka replied, before sprinting back out the door they came in.

Rex and Miara watched her leave, before returning to the task at hand. Vaulting up the Defender's architecture, they entered into the cockpit. It was surprisingly spacious for a fighter, yet could only fit one or two.

Miara went to work immediately, hands flowing over the various pieces of console in front of her.

"I'm guessing Thrawn had jammed comms." Rex spoke, remembering that they had been unable to reach Kanan earlier.

"Which is why I'm trying to patch this ships comm link into our own. Hopefully Thrawn isn't watching his own channels as close as he is ours." Miara replied, activating the comm link and synching it with the rebels. If she could contact the Ghost, inform them of the change of plans, then she could arrange for extraction for the others.

"Huh, good idea." Rex smiled approvingly.

Miara smirked back. She liked the old clone.

Miara turned her attention back to the comm link. First she had to contact Kanan.

"Spectre One do you read me?"


Grand Admiral Thrawn stood in his office, behind his desk, looking out at the fields of Lothal. The direction he was facing was void of any conflict. The peaceful backdrop would have fooled most people.

But not Thrawn. He knew what was at stake.

The Admiral turned to face his captive. Restrained in a chair opposite of him was Agent Kallus. The rebel spy had regained consciousness only minutes ago, and was no doubt looking for an escape route.

He would find none, of course. Thrawn had posted his best guards by the door, just in case.

And then he had summoned Ahsoka Tano to his office. He was sure she would find him without directions. She was once a Jedi after all.

Still, at this moment, he had bigger concerns.

"Tell me Agent Kallus, what do you know of your newfound friend?"

Kallus tried in vain to wriggle out of his restraints. Thrawn almost found it amusing.

The Chiss tried again. "Do you know who she is?"

Kallus looked up, a sneer on his face. In his eyes, Thrawn could see hate for him. A sense of malice that he had not expected form the ISB agent.

"I assume she is a Jedi." Kallus responded. He wasn't giving away any information. Just trying to humour the Grand Admiral, Thrawn could tell.

"Oh no my friend, she is not Jedi. In fact, the Jedi order of old expelled her for treason."

That caused Kallus to halt. If she had been expelled by the Jedi, why was she helping them now? Surely she would be more likely to side with the empire.

"Do you not wonder how she was able to defeat Lord Vader, Agent Kallus?" Thrawn continued, coming to stand behind the restrained Kallus. By now, Kallus was growing more and more uncomfortable. Thrawn was up to something… but what?

"Before Lord Vader, he was Anakin Skywalker, a powerful Jedi. And Ahsoka Tano was his apprentice."

Kallus had heard of Skywalker, a legend of sorts from the days of the republic. Knowing now that Vader had been Skywalker changed little. What did, was knowing the truth about Tano's relationship to Vader. If he had taught her, they were bound to be close.

It also explained how she was able to beat him.

"So tell me Agent Kallus. If she was so willing to kill the person who raised her, what will she do to you when she discovers you inadvertently led her friends into my trap?" Thrawn moved back around his desk, settling into his seat, staring directly at Kallus. His red eyes bore a hole through Kallus, right into his soul.

Kallus analysed Thrawn's words. He had betrayed the rebels. Possibly led them to their doom. He didn't want to, it was an accident.

It then clicked in his head. Thrawn had said that he had leaked the plans for the Defender to the rebellion himself.

That had been a lie. Instead, the Chiss Admiral had tricked Kallus into revealing the plans.

That meant that Kallus was the one responsible in the eyes of imperial command.

He would most likely be executed.

Kallus was resigned to his death when he started impersonating Fulcrum. But this way was not the way he wanted to go out, his name and honour tarnished. While Thrawn had no real evidence that Kallus was Fulcrum, he did now possess information that pointed to Kallus revealing imperial secrets to the rebellion.

Kallus' hate for the Grand Admiral grew. If he was going to go out, he would do so with his head held high. Escape was unlikely now.

Gathering all his courage, Kallus looked Thrawn in the eye, and spoke with venom.

"What do you thing she will do to you?"

Thrawn's eyes widened in shock at Kallus' statement, clearly not expecting it.

If Kallus was not mistaken, a brief glimpse of fear was seen in the Chiss' red eyes.

Kallus smirked.

He had managed to break Thrawn's usually solid composure.

If nothing else, that was a personal victory for Kallus.


The situation was bleak, Kanan could tell, even without the use of his eyes. His team, consisting of himself, Ezra, Sabine and Zeb were supposed to distract the majority of the imperial troops, allowing Ahsoka and the others to steal the Defender with minimal resistance.

It had gone well to begin with. Sabine had destroyed a column of unmanned walkers, limiting any advantage the imperials had. As such, they'd been forced into a fight in close quarters. Members of both sides traded shots, individuals ducking and weaving between various bits of cover, attempting to gain the advantage.

The rebels were holding their own well against the swarm of imperial Stormtroopers. But Kanan could sense something was wrong. The force was unbalanced. What limited bond her shared with Ahsoka, one that had emerged after many meditation sessions together, was clouded. She wasn't in peril, but something had definitely gone wrong.

"We should have heard from Ahsoka by now!" Zeb was clearly thinking the same thing, despite his lack of force sensitivity. The Lasat was surprisingly perceptive, when he wanted to be.

"Just keep shooting Zeb!" Sabine shouted, moving between a pair of crates whilst throwing a thermal detonator towards a trio of Stormtroopers. The explosive detonated seconds later, sending the troopers flying in different directions.

It was unlike Ahsoka to break protocol the way she was. If the mission had changed, she usually inform them immediately.

That being said, Ahsoka had changed dramatically since Malachor. She had become darker and more reserved, prone to outbursts of emotion.

So it was a surprise to him when she had asked for his advice, rather than the other way round. The meditation sessions had been an attempt to help Ahsoka balance herself once more. They had shared experiences with one another, Kanan allowing her to see memories of his master, Depa Billaba. In exchange, Kanan had viewed Ahsoka's memories of Anakin Skywalker, before he became Vader.

It was clear to Kanan why Ahsoka was suffering. She and her master had been close, and his betrayal had hurt her tenfold.

"Fulcrum do you read me, this is Spectre One." Kanan tried the comms, but received nothing but static back.

Something was disrupting communications, Kanan realized as he deflected a series of blaster bolts back at a Stormtrooper. In that moment, Kanan came to a horrific deduction.

"It's a trap! Thrawn knew we were coming!"

Either Kallus had set them up, which wouldn't surprise Kanan, or Thrawn had somehow busted him. Either way, the mission was compromised.

"We can't just leave the others Kanan!" Ezra called out, clearly sensing Kanan's intent. He didn't want to leave them anymore than Ezra did.

"Ahsoka will find a way out, she always does." Kanan replied over the sound of blaster fire.

Ezra's face contorted with various emotions, clearly contemplating every possible alternative.

Suddenly, a loud clanging sound could be heard. It was similar to the sound created by imperial walkers, only louder, and deeper too. The creaking of metal followed. Something was moving on their location.

Zeb saw the monstrous machine seconds later.

"Karabast! AT-AT!"


Ahsoka moved swiftly, yet cautiously, through the various hallways of the Lothal imperial complex. She had no clue where Thrawn and Kallus were, so she was following the force as it sang to her. As she reached the end of one corridor, the force would tell her to go left, then at the end of another, right.

She knew she had deviated from the mission, allowing her past recklessness take control of the situation, but she didn't care right now. Rex and Miara could handle whatever was thrown at them, as could Kanan and the others

That was the difference between her and someone like Thrawn or Palpatine. She trusted her allies completely, and knew they wouldn't let her down.

As Ahsoka turned another corner, the force sang a warning to her. Down the hallway stood two imperial Deathtroopers. They were actively guarding a doorway deeper into the imperial complex. The force told her she had reached her destination. Beyond that door, lay Kallus and Thrawn.

Ahsoka wasted no time, igniting her lightsabers and charging the Deathtroopers. Both troopers were clearly caught off guard by her charge, as they began wildly firing in her direction. Ahsoka deflected one blast back at the troopers, knocking one of them down and out, whilst swinging her saber horizontally at the other.

The second deathtrooper fell to the saber cut in his abdomen, collapsing to the floor without a sound. Ahsoka calmed her battle instincts, turning to the doorway and keying in open. To her surprise, the door was unlocked.

Ahsoka figured that she shouldn't be surprised. Thrawn wanted her to come to him after all.

And she would grant him his request.

As she passed through the doorway, Ahsoka found herself in a short corridor, with another doorway at the far end. Moving forward, she keyed the second door open, and entered into the room.

Before her, restrained in a chair and facing away from her, was Kallus. And behind him…

"Ahsoka Tano. I'm so glad we could meet at last."

Thrawn was a tall man. He radiated confidence, clear in his intent. His pristine uniform shone even in the darkest of places. He may not have been a force sensitive like Ahsoka, but there was a strange powerful and commanding aura about him.

Ahsoka believed she would have got along well with the man before her, if he had not been a high ranking member of the empire.

"Grand Admiral Thrawn I presume? I wish I could stop and chat, but I'm on a bit of a schedule." Ahsoka snipped at the Chiss, trying to get a rise out of him.

The Admiral merely smiled lightly back. "But we have much to discuss Ms Tano. I have never had the privilege to meet a Jedi of your capacity before." Thrawn replied. Ahsoka could tell he was trying to strike a nerve of hers. Clearly he had done his research on her.

"Former Jedi actually." She responded, as she rose her hand to demonstrate. All she had to do was knock the Chiss back, allowing her time to free Kallus and escape.

A simple force push should do it.

But it was then that Ahsoka realized she couldn't touch the force. Something was blocking her connection to it. How was that possible?

Her eyes darted around the room. Clearly something in Thrawn's office was blocking her, but what.

Her montrals then picked up movement in the far side of the room. She may not currently been connected to the force, but her Togrutan anatomy still provided her with advantages that others lacked. The passive echolocation had saved her life numerous times, as well as revealed the secrets of the battlefield to her many times.

And now, her montrals were picking up a light patter patter sound, almost like footsteps.

From behind Thrawn's desk, a small creature emerged.

At first glance, it appeared to be a small lizard like animal, one that would probably be kept by people who like exotic pets.

On deeper analysis, the creature had a strange fur like coating to it, something that was uncommon among most reptiles.

"Fascinating creatures, the Ysalamir. They possess a natural ability to negate the force, blocking out the central power of Jedi and Sith alike. Remarkable really, to possess such natural defence against such a power." Thrawn spoke, bending down to scoop the lizard up, before placing it on his shoulders.

Ahsoka deduced that the Ysalamir, as Thrawn had called it, was responsible for her disconnection to the force. And while she could still charge Thrawn down without the use of the force, she would most likely get either herself or Kallus hurt in the process.

So she relented, and extinguished her sabers.

"Ok Thrawn. I'm listening." Ahsoka replied, not moving from her spot. She still held her saber hilts in her hand, in case Thrawn decided to attack. But something told her he would not.

"It is not I that wishes to speak with you Ahsoka Tano." Thrawn replied, before tapping a key on the console on his desk.

The room darkened as the hologram flared to life, appearing beside Thrawn.

The hologram quickly took shape. A tall man, covered completely in a black cloak, only showing wrinkled hands, and a deformed face.

When Ahsoka recognized the person before her, she stepped back once in horror.

"Ahsoka Tano, we meet again, at long last." The figure croaked menacingly. Beside the hologram, Thrawn smirked.

Author's thoughts

Oh what a surprise, another cliffhanger. Bet its getting annoying now huh?

So lot more Thrawn in this chapter, hope he was still in character, especially when he interacted with Ahsoka. What I wouldn't give to see those two interact in rebels for real.

Also, it appears our other rebel friends might be in a bit of a pickle. Wonder how they are going to get out of this .

Nearing the end now, only three chapters left.

As usual, comment and speculate at will.

Speaking of which:

FossilQueen1984: I'm glad you liked the cliffhanger, hopefully this one is decent too. Practice makes perfect in terms of the writing for the romance. I've taken inspiration from others before, so hopefully I'm prepared. :D

Random Person 94: What will happen next? Guess you'll have to wait and see. I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to clap your hands, even if I couldn't see it.