Zeres

Eonin JP-1

The air was heavy with electrical pulses. Anakin felt as if he were on some sort of water craft undulating up and down with the waves. The sensation was mildly hypnotizing. However, in this circumstance, it made him more wary. The Jedi kicked out a leg only to have it go through the air. I must be hanging from somewhere. He thought as his mind gradually cleared away the muggy sensation of forced sleep. He was faintly aware that his arms were raised above him and secured. Eventually, he was able to open his eyes enough to see his feet dangling a foot so off the floor. Great. This is a familiar situation. He thought humorlessly. The thick, drowsy feeling abated and Anakin's eyes were wide and alert. He was indeed hanging from a steel contraption in the ceiling that secured him with a large electrical current. Where's Obi-Wan? He wondered. As if reading his mind, a voice startled him.

"Anakin, where are we?" The familiar voice was behind him. The younger Jedi arched his head back and caught sight of Kenobi's gingery hair and his dirt covered robes.

"That's what I'd like to know. What happened?" Anakin squirmed a bit, trying to place a foot on the ground beneath him. He was too high up to reach.

"We fell in that pit near the mountain and were electrocuted." Obi-Wan supplied the last known memory.

"My lightsaber is gone."

"So are our comlinks."

"We have to get out of here and find the others." Anakin thrashed in increasing anger and anxiety. A small shock rode down his spine and he grimaced in pain.

"Don't move too much. I've already tried that." Obi-Wan said.

"At least this way we were taken to them." Anakin growled, insinuating the black starship and Sheathipede shuttle they had chased hours earlier.

"If we stay calm someone will eventually come to us and we can devise a plan to escape."

"No one escapes Eonin." A hard, cold voice interrupted that was neither of them. Both Jedi flinched.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Anakin demanded. He spied a small camera at one corner of the room. The voice seemed to be emanating from a speaker on it.

"You speak directly to the Warden, Jedi. And welcome to, as I previously mentioned, Eonin. I apologize for this rude introduction, but trust me, it's better we meet this way." As the cold voice spoke, they could hear that it was a male on the other side. A very sinister undertone rumbled just under the words. Anakin went to demand where the others were, but held his tongue this one time. Perhaps the others were not in the same predicament. The last thing he wanted was to give their captors that information and compromise Ahsoka and the clones.

"Why are we here? Surely we can talk this out." Obi-Wan tried in a convincing voice. The cold voice gave a curt laugh.

"No, Jedi. There is no way out of this. After all, it is evident you did not blindly wander to this extreme arm of the galaxy. So, you must know something. And that I cannot let pass through unpunished. It is the same to your little friends-" Anakin's mind darkened in a second and curled his hands into fists. Don't let him see. Don't let him know. Obi-Wan kept composed despite how much it hurt. "They will suffer the consequences." The voice was quiet for a moment. Very faintly, both Jedi could hear something or someone else speaking near the microphone. "We'll be in touch." With that, the voice ended. And did not return.

"Obi-Wan-"

"Not now, Anakin." Obi-Wan snapped. He waited as Anakin bit back anger. "They can hear us speaking. It's not safe." He nodded and closed his eyes. They have Ahsoka and the others already. His fingers were tightly curled into fists. Stay calm. Do as Obi-Wan says. This is already a bad situation and we don't need it to get worse. He knew Obi-Wan could probably feel the anger emitting from him, but right now he did not care. The moment I have a chance…His thoughts danced on opportunity. We're stuck in this electro-current. And as far as I know it looks like no one is going to enter this room. The air was now heavy with anger, fear, and thicker with uncertainty. Our hope lies with Ahsoka now. I just hope she can pull through for us. For all of us.

Zeres

Eonin 0-0

It had been hours since Rex was taken away. Ahsoka had actually began to sweat as she paced around the cell. Motormouth sat in the center of it to avoid being run over by her. As she paced, her arms and legs trembled in fear. Slavery…Slavery…. Cole's heartless voice echoed in her mind ceaselessly. What kind of slavery? Labor slave? Her mind frayed down several different paths. It doesn't matter what kind! Slavery is evil no matter what kind. Motormouth got to his feet. Ahsoka nearly bumped into him. She veered away, never looking anywhere but the ground.

"Ahsoka." He said softly, reaching for her.

"No." She shivered, avoiding him.

"Ahsoka, please look at me." He gently held her arms. Her eyes gradually made their way up to his. The clone was tired, hungry, and uncertain. And yet, he kept his composure and strength which glowed from behind his eyes.

"This is not the end." He whispered to her, "we can endure and persist. And we will escape this hell." His voice dropped lower so no one but them could hear. Cole's sardonic and ridiculing nature would cause Motormouth to lose Ahsoka. She nodded. Her soft face was pulled in a worried and somber expression.

"I'm afraid for the rest of them." She mouthed. Abruptly, she slipped her arms tightly around him and pressed her face into his chest. Motormouth tensed in surprise and a small blush appeared on his cheeks.

"I know." He muttered and rested his hands on her arms. A loud shifting sound frightened them both. They glanced to see Cody finally stirring awake.

"Cody!" Ahsoka called out urgently and yanked away from the clone. The other commander struggled to sit up and move.

"Commander are you all right?" Motormouth joined her at the force field as they watched him. After a few minutes Cody had moved to sit up and was looking at them. His helmet covered his face.

"What is this place? Where are we? Where did Rex go?" The questions came out faster than either expected.

"Well, we're not sure- wait how did you know Rex was here? You were asleep." Ahsoka answered. Cody shook his head.

"Damn it's cold in here." He commented. "No, I wasn't asleep…I know what happened before this…" He took moments between sentences. Ahsoka and Motormouth were pressed against the force field, eager to know what he knew. "It was a surgery…. I think at least. All I know is that I woke up while they were around me and I was on a table. There was a fight and they gave me a paralyzer instead of continuing sedation. They blindfolded me too so I couldn't see." Cody was slumped in the corner against the ray shield and the wall.

"Surgery?" Ahsoka whispered to herself.

"Is that all you know?" Motormouth pressed, hoping for something helpful enough to free them. Cody nodded.

"That is all I know from the point of capture to now. Now where is Rex? I heard his voice earlier!" A cold sense of dread washed over the Togruta as she took a step back. Her commander watched her solemnly, but did not move to touch her this time.

"Rex has been moved. We don't know exactly where to but I swear we'll get him back." He assured. Cole suddenly piped up and gave a scoff.

"Those who go into Mogens's lair never come out and are never heard from again. It's like being sucked into a black hole." His acidic voice droned. Ahsoka covered the sides of her face and leaned against the back wall. Shut up…She clenched her jaw.

"Who is that?" Cody barked, twisting around to look.

"Someone who is been here longer than you to know that escape from here is fruitless." Cole's voice came again, this time less hostility.

"That's sergeant Cole, our little ray of sunshine." Motormouth said sarcastically. Cody crawled up the wall to stand.

"I guess you haven't been a soldier for very long, soldier." Cody sassed the other clone. Ahsoka gripped her head.

"Perhaps not, but I have been here longer than you. And I'm telling you, it's not worth the fight. You'll only die tired. The slave driver is a sick minded pervert that goes through slaves quicker than his meals. And a fiery clone like your friend Rex is going to have his spirit crushed. I'd say just wait and see, but you'll never see him aga-" What had been simmering under a dark cloud had finally erupted, and the detention cells were now flooded with the sound of an infuriated, screaming voice,

"Shut up! Just shut up! Shut up, shut up! It doesn't matter how many times you say we will not escape this hell! We will escape this hell because we have the will to go on unlike you! You're the one who will remain behind and rot while the rest of us seek liberation!" Ahsoka's montrals had turned a raspberry red in anger as her eyes flashed fiercely with a raging fire behind them. The entire detention area was now even quieter than it was before she had screamed. Cole had gone completely silent as Cody and Motormouth stood agape staring at the young Padawan. Ahsoka trembled and retreated to the back of the cell.

"I'm sorry I screamed…" She mouthed, not a sound escaped her lips. Her back hit the cold concrete and she put her face in hands. That was not the Jedi way…We are not supposed to explode like that. No matter the situation we must stand strong and stand tall. Motormouth cautiously approached her took her into her arms to comfort her. Ahsoka accepted his invitation without hesitation and held him tightly; glad he was here with her.

"You have quite a powerful voice in you commander, if you don't mind me saying so." He whispered as softly as possible. Ahsoka nodded into his chest.

"I should not have done that. That is not what Jedi do."

"I understand." He said. "But Cody and I don't blame you. You beat us to what we were bound to do." Ahsoka didn't speak. She listened to the steady beat of her commander's heart, letting it flood her mind and soothe her. As long as she had his heartbeat, she could hold it together.

"We will get out. I know we will." She murmured.

…

The pair had slumped to the floor. Motormouth leaned against the wall and Ahsoka leaned against him for comfort and warmth now that the fire had left her. Cody was facing them still shoved into the front corner of the cell. None of them heard Cole speak since Ahsoka unleashed her fury on him. They doubted it would keep him quiet for long. Motormouth let Ahsoka hold onto one of his arms, her head laying against it and finding comfort with him close. Neither had spoken a word in a long time. But this type of silence was almost calming.

The silence did not last long. The doors to the detention area opened and everyone tensed in apprehension. Clanking footsteps made their way down the corridor. A familiar sight appeared before them as the two reprogrammed battle droids parked in front of Ahsoka and Motormouth's cell. The one with bleach white markings deactivated it. The dark red marked droid pointed a gun at them.

"You-clone-get up." It ordered. Ahsoka shifted her gaze to the clone. Slowly, he got to his feet.

"You don't have to do this." Ahsoka whispered to him.

"Hurry up." The female droid snapped.

"It will be all right Ahsoka…Like I said, endure and persist. Trust me." He reassured, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I trust you…" She trailed. Grudgingly, she released his hand as he approached the droids. The red marked one grabbed his arm and forcibly led him back out as the other reactivated the cell. The azure wall holding her back again.

"You're up soon. Don't get cold feet." The female droid hissed. Ahsoka lunged at the ray shield and watched as the trio disappeared behind the door, shutting in finality. A dreading sensation crept into the back of Ahsoka's mind as she sank to the floor. He's gone…he's gone…he'll be back though…She shivered and fear mounted up inside her again. She couldn't feel the warmth of his being or the steady beat of his heart.

"Commander Tano… are you all right?" Cody asked. She didn't hear it. Her mind blocked out everything as the floor spun beneath her. He'll be back. This is not the end.