A/N: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I've been pretty busy for the last few months. Hope you enjoy the chapter! This one was fun to write. I just updated Chapter Four of The Reviewer's Files, too.
As usual, HundredSunsets is the beta for this story; go find her on Archive Of Our Own and read her stories because she's awesome.
Also, everyone who guessed that "The Storm Is Growing Deadly" in the last chapter was a RWBY reference was right. I love that show.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its related franchises. All credit for the canon characters and canon occurrences in this story goes to the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm, and Disney.
Chapter 21: A Fatal Misunderstanding
Nubia
"The files should be downloading onto your datapad right now, Master Jedi. Will that be all?"
"Yes, thank you. I hope I haven't been too much of an intrusion."
"Not at all. The Trans-Galactic Stronsing Trade Corporation is always glad to cooperate with the Jedi Order. Enjoy your day!"
"Thank you."
The cheery voice of the clerk disappeared with a click, leaving Shaak Ti alone in the quiet of her shuttle.
After double-checking the authenticity of the file, she took a deep breath and opened it. In a matter of seconds, she might finally be ascertaining the whereabouts of Ahsoka Tano.
The file was Riyo Chuchi's purchase history with the corporation.
It seemed that she'd only bought one item from them. A set of low-level freighter's clearance codes—good for getting a freighter anywhere they needed to go in the Core Worlds or the Mid Rim. They were also easily traceable. In fact, Shaak had the software on her own datapad to find out if the codes had been used anywhere.
Tapping on her datapad, she opened up the records and searched for Chuchi's codes. Within a few moments, the results were flashing on the screen.
Shaak raised an eyebrow. Why were Senator Chuchi and Ahsoka Tano on Corellia?
Corellia
"It shouldn't take much longer."
Ahsoka Tano and Riyo Chuchi. Two of the galaxy's most talented individuals.
"Let's hope so."
Deep into a perilous mission in the middle of an enemy stronghold. Playing a dangerous game with a cunning enemy. The stakes had never been any higher.
And they were hiding in a broom closet. Anakin would love this.
"How long does it take for two Senate Guards to start a fire in an armory?" Ahsoka muttered. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated with her montrals, waiting.
Riyo, crouched behind her, shifted slightly. "Maybe we should've—"
Suddenly, a heavy, muted rumble echoed through the walls. Then as it faded, a shrill, blaring siren pierced the station.
Ahsoka smiled. "There it is."
"They did it."
She tightened her grip on her blaster. "Now we've got to do our part."
A few moments later, she felt what she'd been hoping for: a door sliding open down the hall, followed by the sound of a lone pair of running feet. She tensed, concentrating hard, and just as the sound was at its loudest, her montrals saw what her eyes couldn't: a Togruta running by them. Success.
She didn't move until the sounds had faded away completely, and then she sprang up and nodded to Riyo. "Let's go." She cracked open the door, scanning the hallway. It was empty.
"Coast's clear," she said, throwing the door open.
The entrance to the radio tower—and Sangos's quarters—was just down the hall. Ahsoka didn't waste any time getting to it.
"Let's hope she didn't change the password," she muttered to Riyo as she bent down to the keypad and punched in '2187.'
The door slid open, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"So far, so good," Riyo said as they started up the stairs.
Inside, the radio tower was empty. Ahsoka made a beeline for the transmitter, pulling out her datapad.
"See if you can figure out a way to lock that door," she said to Riyo.
"Got it." Riyo disappeared down the stairs, and Ahsoka turned her attention to finding the network for Anakin's cruiser. All while the siren continued to wail.
A few minutes later, Riyo came back up the stairs and nodded to Ahsoka.
"You did it?"
"I reset the lock. They'll have to break down the door if they want to get in."
"Great."
Riyo settled into a crouch at the other side of the room, lining her pistol up with the door. A few more tense minutes passed as Ahsoka worked her way through the system. The transmitter was an old one, and balkier than a sleepy bantha. But after a half-dozen attempts at establishing the connection, she finally got through.
"I've got them," she whispered to Riyo, turning on the microphone.
A voice crackled over the speaker.
"Unidentified transmitter, identify yourself."
Ahsoka's heart leapt. She recognized that voice—it was Tower, one of the ensigns on the bridge of the Dynasty who'd been part of the 501st since the legion's inception. Best of all, he knew her. She couldn't have asked for someone better.
"Tower?" she said urgently. "This is Ahsoka Tano!"
"What?" Tower's voice was pure shock. "C-Commander?! Is that you?"
"It's me! Is Anakin there? I need to talk to him immediately."
"Of course. Give me a moment." A few seconds passed where Ahsoka heard faint shouting, and then suddenly, a new, deeper voice was in her ears.
"Ahsoka?"
"Anakin."
"It is you!" Ahsoka could hear Anakin's sigh of relief through the speaker. "Thank the Force. I was getting worried."
"You're still worrying about me?" Ahsoka teased, instinctively falling back into the banter with Anakin that was so easy for her.
"Hey, it's not my fault that you can be so reckless sometimes," Anakin shot back.
Ahsoka smirked. "Reckless? You're the one who sent me on this mission!"
"Well, when you put it that way…" Suddenly, Anakin's tone changed. "Listen," he said, "There's something you have to know about the Jedi Order. They're—"
The fire alarm stopped.
Ahsoka lifted her head, her dread filling the space the sound had just vacated. She looked at Riyo, whose eyes were wide with trepidation. They hadn't planned for that to stop so soon.
"—you? …Ahsoka? Ahsoka? Can you hear me? AHSOKA?"
Her attention snapped back to the transmitter. "Sorry, I missed that. I don't have much time, okay? So listen carefully."
"I'm listening," Anakin said immediately.
"I've got everything that the Chancellor needs to know about the Separatist cell on Corellia. There really is a cell, and it's big. I'm sending everything I've got on it to you right now." She plugged her datapad into the transmitter and started the upload.
"I see it. It's downloading right now. Where are you?" Anakin asked.
"I don't know. Somewhere in Coronet City. But that's not important. I'll get out of this."
"Is Senator Chuchi with you?"
"She—" Ahsoka faltered and looked across the room at Riyo. "Yeah, she is."
The transmitter let out a beep. The upload was done.
"You've got everything?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes. What is this? It—"
A heavy thud sounded from down the stairs, like something had been thrown against the door.
Riyo looked at Ahsoka with an expression that clearly said we have to go. Ahsoka agreed.
"I've really got to go, Anakin," she said. "But I'll be okay. Don't worry."
"All right. May the Force be with you, Snips."
"As with you, Skyguy."
Ahsoka shut off the transmitter and extracted her datapad. Then pulled out her pistol and shot the transmitter for good measure.
"Outside!" she said. There was an observation deck around the tower with a ladder disappearing over the edge. Hopefully, that was their ticket out. As she threw open the door outside, they were greeted by a blast of cold air and wet mist.
"Let's go!" Ahsoka said, lowering herself onto the ladder.
"Hold on. What do we do about Jorys and Edose?" Riyo asked. "Are we going to leave them there?"
Ahsoka stopped. "Oh. Hell."
Riyo threw a worried look over her shoulder. "On second thought, let's have this discussion somewhere safer."
"Good idea." Ahsoka practically flew down the ladder, with Riyo just seconds behind her, and when they reached the bottom, they didn't stop there, instead running into the sheltering darkness of the night. It wasn't until the radio tower was completely obscured by fog that they stopped.
"This isn't how it was supposed to go," Ahsoka said, gnashing her teeth in frustration. "I should've—"
Riyo stopped her. "We can't worry about that now. We've got figure out something else."
"You're right." Ahsoka took a deep breath and looked around. "I guess our only way out is back down into the building, no matter what. So if we can find the bay doors above the armory and get in through there, that'll be our best shot at finding Jorys and Edose."
"Right."
"Let's hope we don't fall off the roof."
"Very funny."
They stayed quiet for a few seconds, catching their breath and staring at each other in the gloomy night. All Ahsoka could see was the outline of Riyo's body and the tiniest reflection of light in her irises.
Then, as she opened her mouth to say they should get moving again, a blinding pain exploded across the back of her head. And everything disappeared.
Felucia, ten minutes before
Normally, Anakin would say that Felucia was beautiful. From space, its surface was a glorious splash of colors, and there were few places like the bridge of the Dynasty to view it. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood for poetics right now.
"No luck trying to land at Seeres, then?" he asked, glancing at Obi-Wan, who stood next to him.
"None whatsoever. They had ground-to-air missiles that kept most of the fleet from even getting close to the surface. Severe losses were sustained."
"Damn it." Anakin sighed. "Well, at least we've kept their blockade runners from getting through to the surface."
"It's a tough job, though, to besiege an entire planet. It can provide for itself quite sufficiently."
"True."
"I believe that Master Tiin should be with us any minute," Obi-Wan said.
"I thought he was going to Mygeeto."
"He is. He's only stopping to discuss the situation in this theatre with us."
"Well, that'll be lovely. I wonder if he'll ask me if I've seen Ahsoka, by any chance."
"Anakin."
"What? He'd do that. The Council has no shame."
"Well… I'm not denying that he wouldn't ask. I'm only trying to suggest that you be a little more… confident in the Council."
"Confident?" Anakin gawked at Obi-Wan. "This, coming from you, who just a week ago told the Council that you'd quit unless they stopped trying to destroy Ahsoka?"
"And I still feel the same way. But at the same time, we must respect them. Without them, it would be much more difficult to win this war."
"Fair." Anakin scowled. "Doesn't mean I have to like them, though. And I think that some serious changes are due once the war ends."
"As do I."
"I should—should—Uh—" Anakin turned around as he heard a commotion behind him. Something was going on in the command pit.
"What's going on down there?" he called out.
"General Skywalker!" Tower, one of the ensigns, yelled. "You're not gonna believe this, but I've got Tano on the line!"
"You WHAT—" Anakin bolted across the bridge and jumped into the command pit, grabbing the offered headset from Tower and jamming it onto his ears. "Ahsoka?"
The voice that filled his ears relieved a fear that'd been living in him ever since he'd sent left Coruscant.
"Anakin."
"It is you!" Anakin laughed—an action that felt like it was too rare lately.. "Thank the Force. I was getting worried."
"You're still worrying about me?"
Anakin smirked. "Hey, it's not my fault that you can be so reckless sometimes."
"Reckless? You're the one who sent me on this mission!"
"Well, when you put it that way…" Then Anakin paused, his mind jumping to the Council. "Listen," he said, urgency filling his tone, "There's something you have to know about the Jedi Order. From what I've heard, they're dead-set on finding you. They sent Shaak Ti after Senator Chuchi because they thought she was with you. I've had my suspicions, but I honestly don't know. Is she with you?"
There was no reply.
"Ahsoka?" Anakin asked, tapping his headphones. "Ahsoka, can you hear me?" When again there was silence, worry spiked in him. "AHSOKA?"
To his immense relief, her voice came back. "Sorry, I missed that. I don't have much time, okay? So listen carefully."
Anakin pressed the headphones closer to his ears. "I'm listening." He glanced around wildly—where was Obi-Wan—but thankfully, Tower was a step ahead of him and recording the conversation.
"I've got everything that the Chancellor needs to know about the Separatist cell on Corellia. There really is a cell, and it's big. I'm sending everything I've got on it to you right now."
Anakin gestured frantically at Tower, the ensign who'd alerted him. In reply, Tower nodded and pointed at his screen. Anakin leaned over and saw a data file downloading.
"I see it," he said. "It's downloading right now. Where are you?"
"I don't know. Somewhere in Coronet City. But that's not important. I'll get out of this."
"Is Senator Chuchi with you?"
"She… Yeah, she is." A second later, she added, "You've got everything?"
"Yes." One file lingered long enough for Anakin to glimpse of a row of battle droids. He frowned. "What is this? It looks like a full-blown garrison."
Ahsoka's reply didn't make him feel any better. "I've really got to go, Anakin," she said. "But I'll be okay. Don't worry."
"All right." Anakin would have to trust that. "May the Force be with you, Snips."
"As with you, Skyguy."
There was a click, and then static. Anakin pulled off his headphones and looked at Tower. "You've got everything?"
"I believe so, General. It's a big file."
"Send that to the Chancellor now."
"Excuse the interruption, but what exactly are we sending to the Chancellor?"
Anakin bit back a curse at the new voice and looked up to see Saesee Tiin leaning over the edge of the command pit, looking at Anakin with suspicion.
"I—uh—" Anakin scrambled for an answer
Obi-Wan came up behind Tiin (so that was where he'd gone), out of his line of sight, and raised a finger to his lips while flicking his eyes to the other Jedi.
Anakin got the message and straightened up. "Master Tiin. Good to see you," he said, forcing a smile.
Tiin nodded. "Indeed, it is a pleasant occasion. Good to see you back from Mossak. Now, would it pain you greatly to tell me what you were discussing before I came in just now? Something that is being sent to the chancellor surely must be important enough for the Council to know, too."
It would pain me quite a bit, you pompous blowhard.
Of course, Anakin didn't say that, but he didn't bother to hide his displeasure in the Force. "Well, Master Tiin, it was indeed an important matter. There is an agent of the Republic on Corellia in a deep cover mission—"
"A deep cover mission? On Corellia?"
"Yes. And… they… have just sent me a file containing intel on a Separatist cell there. In Coronet City. Which is on Corellia."
"Yes?" Saesee Tiin arched an eyebrow. "This… cell… on Corellia… Would you care to tell me why you received the intel, despite the fact that you are in orbit above Felucia, which is certainly not Corellia or even near it?"
"The Force works in mysterious ways," Anakin said, not even bothering to hide his visible annoyance.
Tiin curled his lip. "Well, Knight Skywalker, that information must be made known to the Jedi immediately. It is our right to know. If there is truly a Separatist cell of some significance on Corellia, then we will take care of it."
"What if I said that you had no right to know about this?" Skywalker asked.
"I'd say that you were committing treason," Tiin responded.
"You—" Anakin stepped forward, glaring at Tiin. Tiin stared back impassively.
A tense standoff began, with neither Jedi willing to make the next move. Finally, Obi-Wan broke the tension.
"I'll turn on the holoprojector and patch us through to the council, then," he said, sounding more defeated than anything else.
Coruscant
"And you have complete confidence in your report?"
"This is as accurate as it can get, Master Windu," Shaak said, addressing the council through the holoprojector on her ship. "I traced Senator Chuchi's trail to Corellia—specifically a landing bay in Coronet City—with complete reliability. I would wager my life on the fact Tano's trail at the very least runs through Corellia, if it does not end there."
The Council, hastily assembled by Shaak's announcement that she'd followed Ahsoka's trail, was still struggling to process this news.
"So it is Corellia." Windu looked around. "This is... odd."
Agen Kolar piped up. "We still don't know why Senator Chuchi went with her."
"Well—" And here Shaak spoke up. This idea was just that—an idea, but the impressions she'd gotten from her search were enough to make it seem very realistic. "I think the answer to that may be more obvious than it seems."
Silence reigned in the room. Then Windu said, "Attachment?"
"Yes."
More silence.
Yoda tapped his stick on the floor. "A Jedi, Tano is not. Forbid her, we cannot."
"Of course," Shaak said. "I was only attempting to answer one of our questions."
"It does explain quite a bit," Ki-Adi Mundi said. "And that specifically isn't our concern unless it becomes problematic. But there's one thing that still hasn't been answered, even now that we know where she is."
His one-word question summed up the mood quite nicely.
"Why?"
Why had Ahsoka Tano escaped and, when she could've gone anywhere, gone to Corellia?
"Not seeing the whole picture, we are," Yoda declared. "Go to Corellia, one of us must."
"I will go," Shaak said. "I'm closer than any of us, and I am prepared to make the jump to hyperspace right now. I'm above Nubia as it is."
Windu nodded. "Excellent. Anything else to say, Master Ti?"
"I—"
Abruptly, the hologram in Kenobi's previously empty chair flickered to life. But it wasn't Kenobi that appeared. It was Skywalker, looking beyond angry.
Windu half-rose out of his chair. "Knight Skywalker—!"
"I'm not here to cause trouble," Skywalker snapped. Then he looked around, making his hologram shake. "Is this a Council meeting? What's this all about?"
"It is of no importance. Why have you taken over Master Kenobi's channel? This is a confidential frequency, and—"
"He's right here," Skywalker snapped, and indeed Kenobi was, because he was poking his head into the projection.
"I have given Anakin permission to use this frequency, because this matter is quite important, but it also does not concern me," Kenobi said, looking quite discontented, before ducking back out.
"I'll end this soon," Skywalker continued. "I'm just here to deliver some information at the demands of Master Tiin."
"I don't understand," Windu said.
"You will in a second." There was a beep, and then the computer in Obi-Wan's chair ejected a small datastick.
"That's got the intel that I just received from a Republic agent in deep cover on Corellia. And that should satisfy Master Tiin completely. I was going to deliver this to the Chancellor, but he insisted that I inform you all instead."
Shaak stared at Skywalker's hologram. Time seemed to slow down.
"Did you say… Corellia?" Windu asked.
"Yup."
Now Windu was struggling to keep the urgency out of his voice. "Do you know what this intel from the agent is?"
"See for yourself," Skywalker said bluntly.
Shaak could feel something in the Force now—something that was whispering that this was not a coincidence. And then Mace Windu did something unlike anything she'd ever seen him do before. He shut off Skywalker's holoprojector.
Immediately after, Windu pulled the datastick into his hand with the Force and plugged it into his datapad. An indeterminable time passed in utter silence as he read the file. At first, there was no reaction from him, but as the minutes wore on, his expression slowly grew more and more disbelieving, until finally, he put his datapad aside and looked up.
"This is an emergency," he said grimly. "The worst is happening as we speak."
Shaak leaned forward. "You don't mean…?" she began.
At the same time, Plo Koon said, "No. You cannot be saying..."
"See for yourselves." Windu tapped at his datapad, and then Shaak's own datapad buzzed. She picked it up, unlocked it, and opened the new file that greeted her.
The first image was jarring. It was a dim photo, but the items in the picture were clear. Battle droids. Hundreds of them.
The second picture was a row of B2 Super Battle Droids, and as she clicked through pictures, she realized that these weren't all pictures of the same group of droids—these were all different pictures, showing thousands droids, and likely much more.
The next picture was a crate of DC-11 blasters, followed by a picture of a shipping manifest for that crate, with the destination clearly marked as Felucia.
She began scrolling through the pictures faster and faster, and each one revealed a more and more dire situation. Large-scale weapons smuggling. Sensitive intel being stolen. There was a powerful Separatist cell right under their noses in one of the Republic's most important population centers. But that wasn't what was most alarming. What made Shaak truly realize the gravity of the situation was when she saw the geotag for all the pictures.
Coronet City.
No.
"Leave for Corellia immediately, Master Ti," Windu said, his voice betraying the slightest bit of unsteadiness. "We're ordering a complete freeze on all travel in and out of the planet, and we're sending five regiments to assist you. They should arrive at the planet not more than a few hours after you do. You will be commanding them. Do not attempt to make a move until you have sufficient forces. You are to capture Ahsoka Tano, by any means necessary. She must be found alive."
So there it is. Act Two is almost over! Stuff's gonna go down in the next chapter. I'll see you guys at the next chapter, and don't forget to leave a review, because we all know that I love those. Thanks so much for reading. Air Force Muffin out.