The Journey

by ResistTheEmpire

The Jedi Council has received an anonymous report of a force user on the planet of Delphon and decide to send Obi-Wan, Anakin, and his padawan, Ahsoka, to find this force user, who turns out to be a boy around the age of 15 and is trying to find a meaningful purpose to honor his parents. Co-Authored with Darth Echo starting in Chapter 3.

25. The Escape? Part I

Chapter 25

Arthur: Yeah! Another chapter!

Resist: Before the disclaimer, We have another notice for you readers. By reading this chapter in one sitting, your eyes may explode and roll back into your head. If that doesn't happen they will at least go cross eyed in so many different directions you'll won't know where you are or remember simple information like what your name is.

Echo: *snaps fingers back into place* I don't want to hear any complaints.

Resist: *also snapping fingers* Echo and I don't own Star Wars that belongs to Disney. We do own our OCs though.

Arthur: Ugh my eyes! *continuously rubs them*

Resist: Told you

Green: Wait, how do you guys 'own' us? Aren't we just actors?

Resist: You think your actors? You don't remember Smoke's blue spirit? You don't see him around anymore after he was killed do you?

Green: Oh. My. God.

Echo: *smirks* So the next time you ask for anything or pounce on Resist *gives Arthur a dirty look* We can change the "script" any time.

Resist: Well ladies and gents, please enjoy this mega chapter. You will understand why as you read towards the end why it had to be huge. We just didn't want to split this chapter up.

The armored clone walked through the halls, trying his best to ignore the discomfort in his side. His wounds were just about done healing, but still required a bandage, which made his armor snug. Green maintained a straight and calm posture, gliding across the floor in military fashion. He was excited to be out of that kriffing medical center after what seemed like years. His first stop? Mend things with his wife.

Arthur walked the halls of the temple after returning from his dinner date with Meela. He had a great time just being with her and sort of accidently slept in and was now on his way to train with Pac and hopefully not be late, when he spotted someone familiar, "Green!" he shouted, waving a hand.

The ARC stopped and turned around crisply, not sure if he really heard anything. His mind was so scrambled with what he was planning on saying. Seeing Arthur, a smile instantly spread across his face. Nodding back, the clone stood at attention, as per protocol. "Hey, kid," he greeted, taking off his helmet.

Arthur gave the experienced clone a smirk, "How's it going old man?" he asked, trying to hold back a laugh. Green rolled his eyes while smiling, taking his helmet off. "Going well," he said, "How's the weather down there?"

Arthur just shook his head, "What brings you to the temple? Though I think I know why already" he added, slightly mumbling the second part. Green snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm here to see Oni. Do you know where she might be right now? She ignored my calls." Arthur shrugged his shoulders, "My best guess is in the council room or in her quarters. I wish I could stay and help you search, but I got an appointment with Pac to keep" he informed him. Arthur figured he knew about his training to become a Mandalorian, and if he didn't, he would find out soon by his reply.

"Keep an eye on that Mando for me," Green stated with humor, "If she's anything like her clanmates, she's bound to be trouble." He replaced his bucket and gestured in the opposite direction Arthur was facing. "Oni still lives that way, correct?" he asked. Arthur nodded in response, "Don't worry I'm watching that Mando closely," he then paused, "Only cause she's teaching me the Mandalorian way of life and combat" he whispered, before also turning to leave.

"And Oni isn't?" Green stopped to ask out of curiosity. He knew of his wife's struggle with balancing both of her cultural beliefs, but thought that she would be a more suitable mentor in this case. "Well I asked her about teaching and training me on Bespin, after...certain things….went down and at the time, I wasn't Oni's padawan and she was always busy with other things and didn't really have the time to teach me about such things." he replied back to the clone commando.

"Ah," the man responded, thinking he knew what Arthur was implying. "Well, maybe she can give you a few tips here and there now that things are...somewhat back to normal?" he asked with forced hope. Arthur raised a brow at the clone, and then whispered to him, "You know I'm doing this to become a Mando right? To honor Smoke, who also thought highly of Mando culture"

Green's brows raised. "Does Oni know this?" He wasn't against a Jedi leaving on their own accord, afterall, Kao had debated over it many times. "She knows. She figured it out before I went for my last lesson" he answered, "My Jedi career isn't exactly all 'flying colors' if you know what I mean. You were there for the whole Republic weapons fiasco and you and I didn't always get along either" he reminded him.

Green smiled, "No one ever gets along perfectly, Arthur." Arthur just shook his head, "Yeah but all those events put together almost got me kicked out of the order and after Smoke d-died, and failing to bring in the guy that killed him, I wanted a way to honor him and he was big on Mandalorian culture."

With a nod in understanding, the Mandalorian-influenced man sighed. "You'll make him proud, I'm sure," the commander said, "Smoke had plans to join a clan should he ever be retired from military service. Though, I'm not sure that will ever be an option for my brothers. Their accelerated aging wouldn't give them that much time to have a life away from war."

Arthur nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I kinda figured that. I feel for you and your brother clones. It's one thing about serving with the Jedi I don't like, but I can't really fight it," he said, "Not like anyone would listen to me anyway,"he mumbled. Green snorted. "Unfortunately," he dragged out slowly and sarcastically, "I don't have to worry about accelerated aging."

Arthur gave a raised eyebrow to the clone commander, "Wait a sec. You don't have accelerated aging? How come?" he asked curiously. The marshal chuckled, "I don't know if you've already noticed, Arthur, but I'm not really a normal clone as it is." Laughing one more time, he replied: "I was one of the experiment batchers when the Kaminoans first started cloning the army. Because of the chemicals and hormone injections they used, only myself and Alpha-C survived past the infant stage. Our genes weren't altered with age increasing genes, so we were given regular hormonal injections to speed up our growth. I stopped getting mine about two years ago after I completed my ARC training."

Arthur hung on every word that came out of Green, interested in what he was sharing with him. Arthur then checked the time and paled a little, "I'd like to stay and chat, but I'm already late and Pac is going to kill me, so I gotta run." Arthur then gave a small smirk and a shoulder shrug, "Maybe she'll give me a quick death if I'm not too late"

"Tell her to give you a good right hook for me," Green called out humorously. He turned and made his way towards Oni's quarters, intent on making things right.

Green stood in front of a pair of doors, trying to come up with an apology and trying to find whatever words would come to him, 'fek it' he thought to himself and knocked, after nothing came to his mind. He decided to just wing it and say whatever words came to him in the moment.

A few moments passed by before the doors opened, revealing a fresh-looking Master Kao. She had minutes ago exited a meditative state and had been getting ready to leave anyways. Some clean air would do her good, as her meager living space was getting cramped. Looking into those emerald green eyes, Oni froze, completely shocked. Since she had severed their bond, she could not feel his presence. Until now.

Green put his hands up in front of her, "Before you explode," he said quickly, making it almost impossible for Oni to understand what he said, "I want to apologize for everything that has gotten between us lately. I don't expect you to act like everything is going to go back to normal right away" he calmly told her, trying to keep his cool.

Kao raised a brow. She knew that the circumstances had put pressure on them both, but did not fully recognize the man before her. He was different in a way. Tired. Frustrated. Things he usually kept bottled up. "Come sit down," Oni offered, stepping out of the way for him to enter.

Green cautiously stepped forward, keeping his eyes on his wife, though now he didn't feel as close to her now than he did when he first proposed and she said yes to him. He walked to her bed, and sat down, waiting for her.

"I didn't think you'd speak to me again," the woman said, hanging up her Jedi robe, knowing that she wasn't going to get that fresh air now. She kept her large shawl and scarf on, sitting on the bed next to Green. Oni looked down at her hands, feeling the temptation to lower the barrier between their Force signatures and let him back in.

As she stared at her hands, another pair came into view and grabbed them. Green then looked directly at her, "Our fight and separation, only made me want to speak and be next to you more," he admitted to her, holding nothing back, "Our fight dug deep into me more than any injury I have ever had. You are my rock, and if I lost you…." he stopped, still holding on to her hands, not wanting to let go of her. He now looked down at their hands, and not her face.

Kao gave them a firm and reassuring squeeze. Affectionately, she scooted closer to him and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "I missed you," she said, "With everything going on, it was hard being here knowing how much pain you were in back at the hospital. You're my foundation, Green. I couldn't go on if I lost you either."

Green rested his head on hers, "Then let that barrier you have between us go" he said soothingly, moving a hand to her back, rubbing it slowly. Oni took a deep breath and sighed, closing her eyes. Knowing the flow of emotions would send her in recoil, the Jedi Master braced herself as she unfolded the bridge between them and deactivated the shield around her signature. Thoughts and emotions boiling over the last few weeks suddenly rushed to her, and she felt immense guilt and remorse for what she had put her marshal through.

Green didn't let go of her, he only held onto her more tightly, knowing she was feeling those previously blocked feelings all at once, and he knew it was overwhelming, "Better?" he asked after a couple seconds passed with them just holding each other. Sighing contently, the Jedi Master nodded. "Feels good to be able to pick through that stubborn mind of yours," Oni said, smirking up at Green.

Green gave a small smirk of his own back to Oni, "You shouldn't have too much trouble after finally picking through Arthur's, who we all know is more stubborn than me" he said, giving her a slightly bigger smirk when he finished.

"He learned from the best," came Kao's retort, laced with sarcasm. She snuggled up to Green and revelled in their bond. Things might go a lot smoother from now on, she hoped. Green then remembered a question that was on his mind about the kid, "You're ok with him getting lessons about being a Mando from Pac?" he asked.

Oni pondered the question for a moment. "I am, but," she paused to come up with the right words, "I don't like the concept behind it. He shouldn't be planning on leaving the Order to become a Mandalorian. Sure, it's always smart to have a backup for any situation, but don't cut yourself short too early."

Green frowned slightly, "He blames himself for Smoke and does the lessons with Pac to honor him and probably to also make up for allowing Smoke's killer to escape after Smoke told him to bring him in before he died" Green said, remembering what Arthur told him and what he read from the kid's report when he was still in the hospital recovering from his own injuries that were given to him by Spar.

"Smoke would want him to complete his training and become a Jedi," Oni said sincerely. She knew how found the man was of Arthur, and his opinion of the Jedi. Green nodded his head, "I know that, but Arthur looks like he is going the opposite way with this. He told me that he isn't looked highly upon in the Order and wanted a backup in case the Council finally had it with him," Green stated, though he figured she already knew this.

"I understand that," Oni said. "I was in the same boat when I was his age. And it's my fault for at times treating him like he is failing. I just didn't want to let him fall like my brother did." Green rubbed her back soothingly, "It isn't your fault. He also dug his hole as well you know. It wasn't your fault that he stole those republic weapons and hid them on Delphon" he said, trying to defend his wife and show her it wasn't her fault.

"That was before he came under my wing," Oni agreed, "But I need him to see his potential. Just because the Council doesn't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there." Green nodded his head in agreement, "Ok, but I too am to blame as well. I started that fight on the ship when I challenged him about fighting you" he said slightly ashamed, about remembering when he and the kid that was growing on him weren't on best of terms.

"You guys did butt heads quite a bit," Oni said with a chuckle, "Annoying at the time but a fond memory to look back on. I'm sure Arthur looks up to you now." Green nodded, "We have grown alot since then," he stated, agreeing with her.

"Maybe we should talk to him?" The Jedi Master bit her lip in thought. "If Arthur is feeling left behind as you say, maybe us talking him through it can give him motivation to move forward."

"There's only one way to find out for sure," said Green casually. He adjusted his position slightly to get more comfortable and continued to rub his wife's back soothingly. "It might be best if you went alone first though," he suggested, "Arthur looks up to you more than anybody and if anyone can get through to him, it's you" Green continued, explaining the reasoning behind his suggestion.

"Yeah, and I don't fully trust you around him yet," Oni said with a smug grin. She sat up straight and looked Green in the eyes. "I'm not sure what to say." Green's only answer to her was a shrugging of his shoulders, "You'll know when the time comes. I'm not good with these types of things," Green quietly said back to her.

"I don't know," Kao shrugged, "I thought our wedding vows were pretty good." Green chuckled, "Yeah, but you are better at handling this kid. Besides you guys still need to mend your relationship, so this might help that as well" he pointed out to her.

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to him." Oni sighed, "You're still as persuasive as ever, aren't you?" She eyed him out and slightly scooted away, frustrated for losing to her husband once again. Green put his arm around her waist and pulled her back close to him, "You don't have to go now," he whined, "The kid is at his Mando lesson"

"And I had a dinner planned," Oni said, "Maybe I can drag you along." Green smirked, "Well you don't have to drag me. I'll come willingly 'master'" he chuckled. Oni squinted her eyes, "Don't ever call me that again."

Scene Change

Arthur ran up the stairs of the apartment building as fast as possible until he reached the top floor and then got to the doors he needed and knocked really fast, nervous that Pac would murder him if he was even later than what he was.

Pac emerged calmly, allowing her pupil to come into the apartment. She seemed without emotion, but had an aura of mystery to her, as if her mind was working hard to concoct something. Arthur walked quickly into the room and turned to face her, "I'm sorry I'm late" he quickly said a couple times over.

"Being late on the battlefield could end up getting someone killed."

There it was. Pac wasn't angry for his tardiness, but critical. She intended to teach him how to live and die in combat. No in between. "I understand" Arthur said, head down, he didn't feel like making any excuses for his tardiness. He then waited for Pac to start the next lesson he would learn.

"I want to see what you've been able to store in that head of yours," Jhia stated, moving onto a training mat. Arthur followed her over to the mat and took his stance and prepared for what was to come. He remembered their last lesson and planted himself the way she taught him.

Jhia didn't even examine his posture or stance, but kept steady eye contact with him. "Advance," she ordered him. Arthur took a deep breath, while deciding on a course of action. Pac wasn't standing too far away from him and he got an idea. Instead of rushing straight at her, he immediately went into a roll and swept her legs out from under her, causing her to land on her back and Arthur put a hand on her chest, pinning her, or so he thought anyway.

"Impressed?" he asked her, keeping his hand on her chest.

Jhia frowned at him and hooked an arm around his neck, pulling him onto the ground and pressing his face against the mat. "You never let your guard down," the bounty hunter hissed, keeping a firm grip on him. She had him in a headlock and rested on top of him on her side.

"Yeah...I know…." Arthur tried to say, but with his face being pressed into the mat, it sounded more muffled. "Do you always lay on your side looking pretty when you headlock people?" he questioned, his voice still coming out muffled from the mat. Arthur rolled to his left, putting Pac on her back again, and he landed a few hits into her solar plexus.

Hardened to her core from years of combat training and experience, Pac easily endured the hits and let go of Arthur. Using her right foot, she landed square in his chest and launched him off of her. Sitting up, the bounty hunter dusted off her shoulders and watched Arthur on the floor across from her. "Better," was all she said.

Arthur sat up, still sitting on the mat, he put his hand to the side of his face and cracked his neck with a loud pop, and then grabbed his neck immediately after and rubbed it some. "Yeah thanks" he said frustrated that he lost again. He could care less about the pain he received, he just wanted to make it a little bit challenging for her, cause he didn't want her to lose interest in training him if he failed or lost too easily all the time.

"You're not going to become a Mandalorian overnight, you know," Jhia stated casually, getting off the mat. Arthur sighed, still rubbing his neck some, before running a hand through his short, jet black hair, "Yeah I know, but I want to make it somewhat of a challenge for you and not fall on my fekking arse and lose every minute, if our fights even last a minute" he mumbled the last part.

Jhia chuckled, "No offense, kid, but it'll take you years to become a challenge for me. Remember, I have the same Mandalorian training that Oni Kao has and it is not something to take lightly." She strode to the kitchen to grab something to drink. While pouring a good alcoholic beverage for herself, she grabbed an exotic juice for Arthur. Handing him the glass, she gestured for him to sit on the bar stool under the kitchen island.

Arthur got up and heard his body crack in several places, causing him to wince slightly. He sat on the stool and looked at the juice, "What is that?" he asked curiously, tapping the glass the juice was in.

"Uh," Pac dragged on, looking at the jug she had poured it from, "I'm gonna assume this is in Rodian. I think it's non-poisonous." Arthur shrugged his shoulders, "Good enough for me" he said and with one motion picked up the glass and chugged the contents. He put the glass back down and coughed some, "Well I don't feel any different" he said sarcastically.

"I hope it's not poisonous," Pac's eyes widened as she put the juice back. Arthur just raised a brow at her, "How do you not know what's in your own fridge?" Arthur asked sarcastically, twirling the empty glass in mid air with the force.

"Well," Pac started, "The Shan clan is notorious for having drinking parties and well, I think I bought this when I was drunk." Arthur chuckled, "You could still kick my butt drunk" Arthur said, "I might be able to last a couple extra seconds, only because you'd stumble some and not be at a hundred percent" he chuckled, now inspecting the inside of the glass.

"That's actually what would happen," Jhia said flatly, "Just ask your Master: that's how most fights end up in our-well, her clan."

Arthur raised a brow at her, "I'm sensing some hostility between you two, and I don't have to be a Jedi or have the force to sense that," Arthur casually spoke, not sure if it was a good idea to carry on the subject or not. He then put the glass down and gave her his full and undivided attention.

"She has every reason to hate me," Pac said casually, "I betrayed the clan and now I'm an outcast. Though, I'm not the only one." Arthur raised a brow at her again, which he seemed to be doing quite often, "Who else?" he asked her calmly.

"Orus and his older brother left the clan," Pac scoffed, "Though he was never really a part of it, but was just helping me out. When the conflict broke out in the family in a power struggle, a lot of us left, betraying Oni and the ones who remained loyal to her."

Arthur caught the scoff she made when mentioning Beskar, "Yeah I had a few jobs with Beskar. I don't miss working with him," he said before pausing, "So your clan had a power struggle and you took the other side or did you just leave altogether?" he asked.

"I saw more benefit in leaving at the time," Pac's face became more firm, "But now I see that I probably should have stayed. If by taking the other side you mean fighting my brothers and sisters, then yes, I did. People died, too."

Arthur kept calm on the outside, but inside he was a little nervous on continuing this obviously touchy subject, "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to" he calmly replied, giving her the opportunity to stop if she wanted to.

"It's been years," Jhia said calmly, "And war is a fundamental part of her clan's culture, so it's nothing to mourn over." Arthur nodded in response, but decided to still ask a different question letting the subject go for now, "Any other lessons today boss?" he asked with a little humor mixed in, but not much.

Thinking for a moment, Pac shook her head. "I think that's all for this week. I believe your trip with Oni is coming up in the next few days? I'll be seeing you when you get back, then."

Arthur got up from his seat and made for the exit, "Thanks for teaching me again" he said before making to leave. "It's been a pleasure," Jhia said, taking his cup to wash it. "I'll see you next time, Arthur. Say hello to your Master for me, will you?"

Arthur nodded, "Will do teach" he said and then left and made his way back to the Temple to find his master. But first he stopped at his dorm. Setting his lightsaber down on his bed, he grasped onto Smoke's dog tags and inspected them. The young man got lost in his thoughts, wondering if the path of a Jedi was truly right for him, or if these lessons with Pac would open a whole new future ahead of him. Remembering his desired talk with his Master, Arthur took off, leaving his blade behind.

By this time, Oni and Green had returned from their evening dinner. Settling back down into Oni's quarters, Green turned to his wife, who was currently curled up in his arms. "So, does this mean you'll move back into our apartment?" the commander asked sweetly, planting a kiss on the woman's forehead. Kao chuckled lightly, "They're letting you keep it?" Green sighed, "Yeah, well not really but with my allowance increase due to my injury, I can still afford it."

Oni shook her head in amusement, "I'm saying yes, but if you get in trouble, it's on you." Before they could continue their conversation, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Oni said, her husband nodding in agreement. If it was one of her fellow Masters or anyone for that matters, things would look odd and suspicious if he answered the door.

Arthur awaited patiently outside the door of his master's quarters hoping she was in. The doors then opened revealing one Master Kao, "Master, Pac asked me to deliver you a message. She wanted me to tell you 'hello'" he said to her bowing.

Oni raised a brow, "She said hello to me?" The woman looked flabbergasted and turned to Green, who was getting off the bed. "I don't know whether to be slightly scared or not." The ARC laughed, as he was more relaxed knowing it was Arthur at the door. He approached the two casually.

Arthur kept his head slightly bowed, but looked up to his master, "She knows that she made a mistake and she wishes to hopefully win back your trust, if you will allow her Master" he continued, sounding somewhat hopeful that Kao would give Pac the chance.

Both Green and Oni gave puzzled looks. "Arthur was she drunk tonight?" Kao asked, "From my memory of Pac, she doesn't usually admit when she's wrong unless she's black out drunk."

Arthur, still with his head bowed slightly, shook it, "She took me down in ten seconds in our sparring match, so no she wasn't drunk, or I would have lasted at least twenty seconds" he joked, but still kept his voice calm.

Green chuckled, "I guess Mandos do feel emotions." Oni sharply elbowed him in the abdomen while smiling at Arthur. "Ow," he said flatly. Kao ignored this and responded to her Padawan. "Well, I hope she is changing. It would be nice to have an old friend here on Coruscant that isn't a Jedi."

"She seems to be changing. I have learned a lot from our lessons," Arthur finally tilted his head up and a small crack was heard, causing Arthur to flinch and grab his neck. Oni raised a brow to this before continuing. "My Mandalorian side still shows some resentment for her splintering off to a group just as bad as Death Watch," she said.

Green snorted, "Some." He received another elbow to the gut. Arthur rubbed his neck a little more, before putting his hand down, "I can't make you forgive her. The decision is yours to make Master" Arthur said humbly. "I know," Kao said, calming down a bit, "I will in time, but the key word there is time." She looked back at Green, who smiled at her encouragingly. Turning back to her apprentice, Oni grinned. "Are you ready for the trip?"

Arthur gave a nod, "I'm all packed and ready to go. I just have to talk to Meela before we head out" he answered her. "Ah, well it's not until tomorrow," Green responded, "So you have some time. I'd speak to her now if I were you. It's getting late."

Arthur nodded in response to the ARC commander and then started to make his way in the direction of Meela's room. Arthur looked over his right shoulder back at his master, "Goodnight Master" he said. "Night Arthur," Kao said as she and Green went back into her quarters.

(Five minutes later)

Meela was getting ready to go to sleep when she heard the knock on her door. Pulling on a t-shirt and some sweatpants, she strode across her room and punched in the code. A smile spread across her face as soon as she saw Arthur.

"Hey Beautiful" Arthur said, taking in her appearance, "How's it going?" he said, putting his elbow on her door frame, trying to look like he knew what he was doing. Meela's smile transformed into a curious smirk. "What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Trying to spend time with my girlfriend" Arthur responded back putting an arm around Meela's waist, pulling her close. The Togruta gave a fake unamused look. "I know that," she said with a smile, putting her hands on Arthur's chest, "But what's with the sudden confident flirting, huh?"

Arthur returned the smile, "Not sure. I was going back to my room and I just had a change of mind that I needed to come spend time with the most important person in my life," he said, as he put his lips on her cheek for a few seconds, before pulling back some.

Meela grinned, "Okay, you have twenty minutes." The young woman pushed away from Arthur and sat down on her bed, taking off her headpiece. Arthur sat down next to Meela on her bed, but after he sat down, he pulled Meela over and spun her some, so she was now on his lap and looking at him. Arthur found her eyes, and was mesmerized by them.

Meela smiled stupidly at this and wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck after setting her headpiece down. "So you're leaving the day after tomorrow huh?" she asked with a somewhat sad look. Arthur nodded in response, "Yeah" he said back with sadness present, "I'd take you with me if I could," he said soothingly to her.

"Fisto might let me go," Meela started, "with him being good friends with your Master and all, but I probably shouldn't miss training." The Togruta adjusted her lekku and looked Arthur in the eyes. "How did training with Pac go?"

Arthur just gave out a chuckle, "It went as it usually does. I learn a lot of hand to hand combat training, and then she tells me to use what she taught me and then I fall on my back as she pins me down" he moved his hands from her waist down to her thighs, giving a little squeeze, and then back up to her waist, changing between the two every so often.

"Ah," Meela expressed casually, "So she is turning you Mandalorian then?" There was a hint of disdain coming from the Togruta's words, as she wanted to strictly follow the path of a Jedi, and saw no point in making plans outside of the Order.

Arthur moved her a little bit closer to him, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer as well, "I may be learning things outside the order, but that doesn't mean I want to leave or that I will, which I don't. Mandalorian and Jedi culture can exist together. Master Kao does pretty well with making that work" he said. He then leaned in so that he could now whisper into her montral, "I would never leave you. I love you too much" he said to her, allowing his face to hover near her montral.

Meela giggled, "And I love you." But her face fell once more into concern, "It's just...if the Council were to discover your secret training, they may take it the wrong way. Especially since Pac was one of Spar's men, they already have a lot against you."

Arthur slowly brought a hand up to the side of her face and slowly brought her face to look at his, "Hey don't worry about that. Everything will be fine. They know I visit her at her apartment and they dare not try anything to spy on her because she is too good and would spot anything they would try" Arthur then pulled her face to his and met her lips with his own.

The Togruta reciprocated for a moment. "I do worry, Arthur. With your Master stepping over the Council's toes, you are too. And they might try to use you against Pac. Yes, she would find out, but that would only put you in danger. Oni is a perfect example of compromising between two worlds, but…" Meela sighed deeply, collecting her words. "I'm not in any way trying to put you down," she said, placing a hand on either side of Arthur's face, touching his forehead with her own, "I'm just worried about you and your future. Things have really changed over the past three years."

Arthur nodded, "I know. Things finally seem to be looking up for me in the order" He then looked her dead in the eyes, "Stop worrying for now will you?" he asked as he closed the distance again and poured all the passion he could into the kiss. Meela let herself relax and embrace Arthur in the moment. Arthur continued the kiss for a little longer and then pulled away slightly, "Better?" he asked.

"Shut up," Meela said playfully, pushing Arthur away. "So what are we going to do tomorrow before you leave? I have training until five." Arthur smiled, "Tomorrow is training with Master Kao and then after that I am free" he answered her. "Ooo," the Togruta smiled devilishly, "Then maybe we should sneak out until curfew." Arthur smiled as well, "Maybe we should" he smirked at her.

"Where should we go?" Meela asked flirtatiously. Arthur gave a puzzling look and was in deep thought, "Not sure. How 'bout we just play it as we go?" he asked her, still with his arms around her. "Just running around Coruscant then?" Meela pecked his cheek, "How romantic."

"Well I haven't got any complaints yet" Arthur said with a smirk in her direction. He then pulled her in for one more kiss, but he quickly lost himself and pulled her in closer, so they were flush against each other. After several seconds, Arthur moved from her lips down to her neck, and explored to find her weak spot.

Reaching the area directly under her right head tail, Arthur earned a moan from Meela, who immediately pushed on his shoulder. "C'mon, babe," she said, giggling, "If we don't leave now we may never."

Arthur ceased his attack on her neck, but only put his mouth next to her montral, "I'm fine with it," he whispered in her ear and then kissed down her montral slowly. Meela smiled, which grew into a smirk, "Then you can wait until after our date." She pushed him back more forcefully, giving him a flirtatious look.

"Fine," Arthur grunted playfully, "Let us hit the streets" he said and he grabbed her by the hand and led her out the door to go on their run around Coruscant. Because of the diversity of its population, the streets were always crowded with individuals going to work, shopping, and doing every day to day things. That also meant that security detail was at maximum operation 24/7.

Meela spotted a couple clone police and pulled on Arthur's arm to halt them. "Green's men are in charge of policing now that your Master is on Coruscant permanently," she said, pointing towards the unmarked clones carrying riot shields and batons. "Not that they would rat us out...but, don't you know quite a few of them?"

Arthur took a look at the unmarked clones, then looked back to Meela, "Yeah, but let's stay on the safe side" and he pushed on Meela some to steer her and himself down an alley that would bypass the clones with the riot shields. "Agreed," the Togruta said as they moved past people, having to shove their way at times. "And we have to look out for fellow Jedi, of course." Meela took a cautionary glance to scan the area. The crowd was enough to hide them, unless someone was really looking or if they happened to bump into someone. "I know Master Fisto and Master Tano often spend their free time going to this tea shop a few streets down."

"Then I suggest the other way then," Arthur said, pointing in the opposite direction of where the tea shop was. "Besides, I don't really want to be looking over my shoulder on our date, when I'd like to be looking at the person who's in front of me," he smirked at her.

"I'd like that, too," Meela said with a smile, "And it'll keep us out of trouble...for now." The Togruta laughed lightly and looked around whilst also holding onto Arthur's arm. She pulled her shawl around herself and looked around at all of the possible shops. Most were stand-in-line and go fast food lanes with nowhere to sit.

Arthur looked at the lines of people grabbing food, "Well we could grab the fast food lanes and then take it back to your room or mine" he suggested, waiting for a line to die down. "Hmmm," Meela said, thinking it over, "Not sure if we can hide our food boxes sneaking back into the Temple. I can check my data pad and find a place like the one we're looking for." Arthur gave a nod in response, "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, before looking around again at the pact lines of people trying to grab food, "Lead the way Beautiful" he said to her.

The Togruta pulled her datapad out and started searching for places. "Sit down restaurant," she whispered as she scrolled through names of places in their district. Arthur looked over her shoulder reading the names of the places as well, "Any that jump out at you?" he asked as he continued to read the list of names as she scrolled through them. "There's a couple that are within a reasonable price range. I ain't gonna pay fifty credits for a bowl of slop I'll tell you that." She pointed to a cafe shop a street over. "This looks nice." Arthur looked to where she was pointing and nodded his head, "Looks like a good place to me. After you princess" he said, bowing to her.

Meela rolled her eyes playfully and lead him towards the shop, putting her data pad away. As they neared the shop, Arthur peeked inside the windows, "Looks homie" he said, taking in the scenery inside as they approached the entrance. "Kinda contrasts the outdoors," the Togruta said, looking from the windows to the busy, dirty sidewalks, "But I like it."

(Jedi Temple library)

As Oni sat in front of a computer, finalizing a security report for Green to pick through, she felt a familiar presence approach her. Turning about, the woman was met with the kind face of her fellow Togrutan council member. "Ah, Shaak, it's nice to see you."

Bowing her head lightly, Master Ti smiled, "And you, Oni. How are things?" She had a sympathetic look to her, to which Kao realized Ti could probably sense the core of her troubles: Arthur and Green. "I've fared better, to be truthful," was her answer. The Togruta nodded and took a seat next to Kao, placing a hand on her arm comfortingly. "I heard the marshal is recovering from his injuries rather well?"

Oni smiled, "Yes. He won't be combat ready for another month or so, but casual police work has done him justice." Shaak blinked a couple times before continuing, removing her hand. "And how did he take the news?" she asked in a hushed voice. Kao's face immediately went blank, and her gaze returned to the file to make it look as if she was working.

"I haven't told him yet."

"Oni."

Giving her old friend a blazed glare, the Talravinian woman grunted. "He's far too stressed right now to hear this. I don't know how he'll take it." Ti narrowed her eyes at Kao and looked around to make sure no one could hear, "You wouldn't tell a man who, over the past three years, has become your best friend let alone your husband?"

Kao nodded, "No, I wouldn't. Not in this situation."

"He's going to find out when the time comes," Shaak scoffed, "And if he doesn't learn it from you, he'll definitely learn it when he's being sent to Kamino for reconditioning under classified circumstances." Oni's eyes went wide, "You think they'd just snatch him up in the middle of the night?" Half of her was sarcastic, yet the other half pulled from truth. There were rumors of clones going missing overnight after significant injuries. Even one of her own men, who had lost the use of his legs after an IED incident on Lothal, was said to have passed away overnight from a drug-induced cardiac arrest. She never really questioned it until it became more of a common-tale as the war progressed.

"They might," Ti sighed, "Especially since he's an ARC trooper and a super commando, they're not going to let it slide. For the GAR, the slightest slip up is a death sentence."

Oni growled, her eyes ablaze with gold. She completed the file and sent it to Green's office in the GAR headquarters. Turning back to the Togruta, Kao gritted her teeth. "The Kaminoans have put too much effort into him to just kill him," she fought, "I would think they would find a way to pardon him or clear his record. What happened on Hoth doesn't seem like too big of a mistake to fix."

Master Ti smiled solemnly, "I applaud your optimism, Oni, but I think there's only one way you can do this without getting yourself into more trouble or getting your husband killed." She scooted closer to Kao and grabbed her hands lightly. "Is there any way you can bring him on the vacation with you?" she asked.

Oni looked about, "I'm not sure, but if the Jedi Council approved it, it would buy us more time to figure a way around it. And by the time we're back, he should be well enough to return to the battlefield and take their eyes off his mistake." She earned a nod from her friend, who stood up, "Let's move this conversation somewhere else." Oni raised a brow and looked around.

Two standard-armor clones stood at the far side of the library in front of the holocron vault, facing their direction. Kao sensed an odd feeling from it as well and stood up. Clones were commonplace in the Temple nowadays, but for them to be in library was odd. "I wouldn't want one of his companions hearing this and spreading the news," Ti said, taking Oni's arm and they casually continued walking. Oni swallowed hard, the reality of the secret she held dawning on her. The darkness of the GAR played with her mind. Suddenly, she felt violated, as if she had been used. What were they really fighting for if not sticking to their ideals?

The Council had long ago discovered the origin of the clone army and the intentions behind its creation. Kao should have stopped there, but her thoughts continued. How did Sifo-Dyas know that they would need an army? Why did he enlist the help of the Sith? How could she have never questioned these things? Oni knew fully now the things they did to the clones to prepare them for battle, and that they assigned them secret codes only known to GAR intel.

Shaak Ti must have read her mind, for she stopped abruptly in the middle of a hall and shook Kao from her trance. "Prying like that is what is going to get Green killed," she scolded, but then looked down and added softly, "The safest thing for you to do right now is speak with Master Yoda and get Green to pack his things. I hope for his sake that the next few months will save his life." Oni nodded, tears brimming her eyes as she did so. "I just need the strength to tell him that-"

It was a horrible, sickening tidal wave through the Force that sent both Masters reeling backwards. It was dark and sinister and Oni had never felt pain like this since the day her son died.

(Scene Change)

Arthur and Meela both walked out of the small corner shop and were starting to head back to the Temple and into their rooms at a decent time so that they weren't missed too much. Both decided on a quicker pace, which would get them to the Temple quicker, however it didn't allow them to scan their surroundings as good as they did the first time.

Arthur and Meela were busy making time and conversation with each other to notice the group of six clones with riot shields to their left approaching them till it was too late. "Commander Perry?!" one clone shouted.

Arthur and Meela both froze and looked in the direction of the voice and saw the group of clones approaching them. "What are you and your friend doing out this late and passed Jedi Temple curfew?" the clone questioned.

Arthur was taken by surprise, but tried to come up with something at least somewhat believable, "My friend and I were out in town and apparently, we lost track of time" Arthur explained, taking a glance at his watch and acting surprised at the time. Meela nodded with a forced smile, though she felt as though they were being rammed by a brick wall. The clones have never questioned them about curfew before. They never bothered with it until now. Why?

"We'll make sure to hurry back, sergeant," the Togruta said noting the rank of the one who spoke. That was another odd thing, for five clones led by a sergeant to be out on duty together. Sure, they may want additional numbers when faced against Jedi, but it seems too small of an infraction for such numbers.

Arthur, how do they know we're Jedi? You'd think they would address you if you knew them. Arthur gave a quick look towards Meela, but made sure to keep it quick and hardly noticeable, I'm not sure, and the way they are speaking to us is strange. Lets get back to the Temple and find Master Kao, he suggested to her.

Meela gave one last look at the clones and noticed the batons in their hands, charged and ready to go. The two Padawans pulled each other along, glancing back every now and then. Meela almost gasped when she saw another group of clones walking in their direction. She saw that they did not have batons like the last group, but blasters. That, and they had the markings of SWAT on their helmets. "Arthur, we need to hide," she said, pointing in the direction of the clones, who hadn't seen them yet.

Arthur pulled her down an alley way connected to the road they were currently walking and then down another alley, still trying to head towards the Temple, to seek out Master Kao about what was going on. As they made it to another main street, Arthur slowed down some, thinking that he and Meela went down enough alleyways to loose any clones that were trying to follow them. He then heard several slight clicking noises that he was all too familiar with, "Oh shhhh, Meela duck now!" he yelled.

(Outside the Jedi Archives)

Oni and Shaak Ti looked to each other, eyes wide in grief. "What do we do?" Kao called out in disbelief. Jedi were now running about, and screams could be heard. The two women snapped their eyes down the hall and immediately drew their lightsabers. "We must get to the Younglings," the Togruta yelled as she ran down the hall. Kao stopped for a moment to think. Everything felt dark and numbed her senses. Something was blocking her from seeing through the Force and all of her bonds were shut down. She couldn't contact Arthur and she could not feel Green's presence. Both absences alarmed her and she pushed off, her legs burning as she fought to catch up with Master Ti. As they sprinted towards the unknown, they were joined by others as well who were just as confused and scared.

By the time they had made it to the floors above the main hall, the blaster fire and screaming had increased and echoed throughout the temple. Oni and her fellow Jedi believed the Temple to be under attack by Separatist forces, but the familiar sound of a DC-15A clicked just around the corner.

(Scene Change)

Arthur tackled Meela to the ground, behind some cover, just before multiple shots flew in their direction just above their heads. Arthur covered her body with his for several seconds, protecting her from the fray. Arthur checked to make sure they were in suitable cover before getting off of her. He went to pull out his blade, but his hand tapped his side several times before realization dawned on him that he left it in Meela's room, "Tell me you have your blade?" he asked her hopefully.

"No," she said in fear with wide eyes, "That's why I was so surprised they knew we were Jedi." Arthur was no not sure what to do, "Ok, we need to act fast, before they realize we don't have our lightsabers to defend ourselves," he said, looking around to find a way to get out of their current predicament.

"Why do they want us? We should turn ourselves in," Meela said, "They probably just mistook us or got something messed up. That's what happened with the Duchess of Mandalore, right?" She knew she wasn't thinking logically and was merely panicked. The clones would have announced their arrest and used stun rounds.

"Um, they don't want us alive, or else they would have went by the rules" Arthur reasoned, "We need to escape pronto and find Master Kao. If anyone knows what's going on or can at least give us a fighting chance, it's her" he said, ducking behind his cover, after shots whizzed passed him as he tried to gather information about what was happening around them. When Arthur peeked over their cover, all he mostly saw was panicked civilians and clones advancing on their position. He ducked down one more time, shots still whizzing centimeters away from hitting their target, and looked at Meela, "We need to move. Any ideas how?"

"Get on one of those," Meela said, gesturing towards the speeders flying over the alleyway. "We can lose them in the traffic for a short period of time." The Togruta ducked out of instinct when she heard the clones reloading their ammo in preparation for a smoke out.

Arthur nodded and looked up waiting for a speeder to come by. Arthur looked out into the distance and found a speeder heading in their direction. Arthur tapped Meela on the shoulder, "That's our ride" Arthur pointed out to her.

"Okay," she said, "Let's go." The two mustered up the energy from the Force it would take to make the leap. Just as the XP-38 passed over them, they leapt from the ground, able to keep up with the vehicle. As they landed, the clones called out, calling off the hunt for the sake of the civilians in the speeder.

Arthur hung on tight for a ways, but decided to climb up to the civilians. He climbed up the right side of the speeder and knocked on the dome that covered the civilians, "Land this speeder or suffer the consequences" he said, trying to fake a robbery. "Arthur," Meela scolded, "What are you doing?"

Arthur glanced her way, not able to look at her because he knew she wouldn't like the plan, "Trying to get us a ride to the Temple" he whispered slightly so that the civilians didn't overhear them. "Yeah, but we shouldn't use fear," Meela continued, "It's not the Jedi way nor do I think an honorable Mandalorian would do so to an innocent civilian."

Arthur looked into the civilians driving the XP-38, "Please, we actually aren't here to rob you, we are Jedi from the Temple, and need your assistance. We need to uhhh borrow your speeder to get to the Temple," he tried to reason with them. Meela pulled herself up to give the two, a Twi'lek female and a Zabrak male, a reassuring smile. "Please," she added for good measure. The male narrowed his gaze at the two, looking ready to kick them off his speeder, but the female gave him a pleading look to help the two Padawans. Meela didn't know if it was because of a prior support of the Jedi or if she could sense their distress, as it was biologically possible for Twi'leks to do so.

Arthur looked at the Zabrak male, "Please we need your help, we are desperate, or else we wouldn't have jumped onto your speeder in the first place," Arthur tried to reason further with them. The male Zabrak's glare seemed to dwindle some, either from Arthur's pleading or from the Twi'lek female's reasoning in the car, but Arthur felt them slowing down and descending.

Meela gave out a long held sigh in relief. Now they needed to find a couple disguises until they could get to Master Kao and find out what's going on. But, as she looked up, she suddenly saw the most terrifying thing that made her heart skip a beat. A poster board gleamed with the breaking news: the Jedi Temple in flames. The Togruta saved this in her memory to bring up to Arthur later.

The Zabrak male finally descended the entire way and stopped the speeder and he and the Twi'lek female got out of the speeder, "Thank you, both of you. This means a lot. We would explain our horrible situation to the two of you, but d I possibly borrow your jacket also?" Arthur asked, showing some credits in his hand to the man. The man hesitantly gave Arthur his jacket, which also had a hood, and Arthur handed the Zabrak the credits and put on the jacket.

"There's a store right over there where I can buy a cloak," Meela said, pointing to a small shop just aways down. "And we can watch the HoloNet at that bar over there," she gestured to the aforementioned building. If they could get more information on what was going on, they may be able to get to Oni that much quicker.

(Main Hall of the Jedi Temple)

Master Kao watched in horror as the squad of clone troopers rounded the corner and began firing at them. Every Jedi ignited their blade and fought back, some falling to the hail of blaster fire almost immediately. The Talravinian woman easily reflected their fire, having done so against droids for three years and knowing the clone's techniques. However, the Dark Side was clogging her senses and draining her of power. There was almost a dead silence across the galaxy, yet it felt disturbing, as if the screams of many had been suffocated.

"We must make our way back to the dorms," Ti called out to her as she almost took a shot if the trooper had aimed an inch to the right. Oni barely heard her over the commotion and cries of her fallen Jedi brethren, but she nodded in agreement. She did not want to leave her fellow Masters and Knights behind, but the clones were encroaching on them and would most likely win. The two Councilmen retreated slowly at first, backing away step by step, but as soon as they reached the intersection back through the library, they ran as fast as they could.

Stopping just outside the library doors, the women kept their blades out, concentration written on their faces. Kao turned to the Togruta, giving a silent nod that confirmed the two clones were still in the library, though she could not tell where. Using her agility to her advantage, Oni made the first move going into the library, looking out only to see that the clones were not standing by the holocron vault any longer. Shaak began creeping towards the next column of the library, moving as slowly and quietly as possible.

Kao halted in her search when she heard whispers. They came from the opposite side of the library Ti was heading in, but she investigated anyways. As she came closer and closer to the voices, her enhanced hearing picked up every word.

"You can trust us, sir," one voice came. Oni could recognize the gruff Jango voice anywhere. But the next voice she heard threw her off balance.

"Good, sergeant. We'll drag those cowards in and take 'em out. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Jedi to hunt down and bring to Palpatine personally."

Green was here.

(Minuko's Bar)

Arthur sat fidgeting in his seat, he wanted to get rolling and get to the Temple as quick as possible. The more time they wasted, the more time it allowed for the clones, or whoever was behind their odd behavior, more time to get to Oni. He didn't feel their bond break or anything that drastic so as far as he knew, she was still alive and somewhere in the Temple. He twiddled his thumbs, and he had sweat running down his forehead, mostly from running and the adrenaline rush, but nerves as well played a part.

Meela sat down next to Arthur, pulling the cloak around herself. "The Temple is in flames," she said as they watched the screen, waiting for the news to come on. "I saw it on the poster boards," her voice came out calm. They had to act normal and separate, and speak as though strangers to avoid attention.

Arthur made an attempt to get out of his seat, but stopped and sat back down, waiting for the news, "Really?" Arthur asked, sounding surprised, "I never thought I'd see the day when that happened" he said, looking at her every so often.

"I thought it was another bombing," Meela gritted her teeth, though held no emotion in her voice, "But from the images I could see the 501st going through the front entrance and the spires barely visible in all the smoke."

Arthur cringed slightly, "Guess that's a good thing then. Maybe they can help clear out this mess" he said, though he knew very well that it was the other way around. He gave Meela a look that said, 'lets leave now. We need to get up there'. Meela shook her head, "They've probably taken care of the Jedi as you said." She gave him a warning look. It's suicide, Arthur; and we don't even have our lightsabers. With a moment of thought, she spoke again. Maybe your Master got out in time?

Arthur shook his head very slightly, barely even noticeable, Probably not. She won't leave until she gets others out first, which is why she needs someone to help get her out and to watch her back, while she gets the others out, including Younglings. Arthur couldn't imagine what she was going through, but his thoughts were interrupted by the news coming on over the HoloNet.

Meela was thinking through it all. Her eyes widened. Wasn't she with Green? He's a clone. Arthur's eyes also widened some, That can't be good. She definitely isn't going to leave then until she finds him. The Togruta stood up. And if clones are hunting down the Jedi, we don't want her to find Green, or the other way around. Arthur stood as well, Then we need to get going, before things get any worse than what they are.

(Temple Library)

Without thinking, the woman deactivated her blade in shock of hearing her husband's voice. The sound immediately caught the marshal's attention.

"Probably a stray Padawan," the 501st sergeant said, gripping his DC-15. Green used his arm to lower the weapon, staring off in the direction of the noise. "No, kid," he said quietly, "That was not a Padawan." He could sense Kao's presence. While the Dark Side clouded her senses, it did nothing to prevent him, a non-Force user, from feeling their bond. The commander signaled for the two clones to stay on guard and complete their task. He gripped his right hand pistol and switched the safety off.

Oni heard the click and panicked. Is he going to….shoot me? Her heart collapsed, knowing he recognized her signature and could read his thoughts of bringing her down. Who was this man? She did the only thing she knew and ran towards Shaak Ti, using her Force abilities to practically teleport to the other side of the library. Her motion caused a wind to rustle through the large room, challenged only by the echo of the commander's footsteps.

Green grunted at her cowardice but kept his pace slow, not wanting to provoke her and start a duel. He'd find her eventually, even if that meant waiting until she tripped up or another clone found her. Palpatine had specific orders to keep her alive, possibly due to her shaky stance with the Jedi and her connections within the Senate and elsewhere. The clone marshal ran his index finger along the trigger, his adrenaline pumping and instincts taking over. His bred need to follow orders completely was overshadowing any emotions towards Oni or thoughts of treason. The green of his eye brightened and his pupils dilated as he sensed his wife was still in the library.

Oni skidded to a halt next to the Togrutan Jedi, halfway scaring her to death. When the human grabbed her forcefully without explanation, she put away her blade and ran with her towards the Holocron vault. The clones couldn't get in there and it did lead to other parts of the Temple, as they found out when Cad Bane and his accomplices broke into the vault.

(Scene Change)

Arthur hoped in the driver's seat of the XP-38 speeder and waited for Meela to hope in as well before taking off in a blaze. He had only one thing in his mind; getting to the Temple as quick as possible to save his master and others before the clones got to them all. He sped through the streets, swerving to miss the occasional pedestrians. The Togruta dug her nails into the armrest at first, but then her eyes locked onto the poster boards as they flew past. Images of the Jedi Temple burning and Jedi running out chased by clone troopers played over and over as a newscaster spoke in a foreign language about the whole event.

Pictures of various Jedi with the word "wanted" printed over them popped onto the screen. Oni Kao was not among the list of Jedi Councilmen, which Meela frowned at. Had she already been killed? Or was she pardoned from whatever was happening. Just then, another newscaster began reading off a datapad.

"The Jedi Order has been accused of conspiring to take over the Senate and for the attempted assassination of Chancellor Palpatine. The attempt was carried out by four Jedi: Mace Windu, Saesee Tinn, Kit Fisto, and Agen Kolar. All four have been confirmed dead."

Meela gasped at the news of her Master's passing. He had also been the Jedi that oversaw the training of her Youngling clan. She placed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying.

Arthur heard the news, but continued to speed towards the Temple and focus on his driving. He was making good time till he had to immediately put on the breaks, "Ahh kriff," he swore, looking at the massive traffic jam ahead of him, "We aren't going to make it to the temple this way. We can go to Oni's apartment and stash the speeder there and then go in on foot" he suggested, putting the speeder in reverse, then taking off down another side road.

"Maybe she's there!" Meela exclaimed in optimism, "She wasn't on the poster board, though. You can still feel her part of the bond, right?"

Arthur shook his head, "My bond with her is barely even noticeable, it comes and goes in spurts," Arthur then saw another small traffic jam but noticed a side road to the left, and stepped on the breaks, then gave the speeder some throttle and skidded perfectly around the corner and continued towards Oni's apartment.

(Jedi Temple dorms)

It was hard for Oni to go to the dorms only to find Younglings and Padawans cowering in fear in random rooms. Shaak Ti and Kao went door to door, not bothering with knocking, but using the emergency code to unlock the doors. There were not that many survivors to find, but it was well worth the effort. The clones had not yet made it to the back hangar, and thus the two Jedi Masters led the young ones there.

A couple were Younglings that Oni had trained during her time on Coruscant as Master of the Order. She was glad to see Gungi, a young Wookiee she had befriended over the past couple of years. He had hugged her tightly, a common habit of his species, and stuck by her side whilst the other Younglings ran off with Ti.

Together, Oni and Gungi searched the remaining rooms. They couldn't sense any more Force signatures, but wanted to make sure. Kao suddenly came across Arthur's room and her heart sunk. "I'm going to check this one real quick," the Master said. She knew that Arthur was out with Meela and hoped that they were able to escape the clones and leave Coruscant immediately. But as she entered the quarters, she almost panicked. Right there, on Arthur's bed, was his lightsaber.

"Fierfek," the woman breathed out. She summoned the hilt and ran out of the room, grabbing Gungi as well. The young Wookiee let out a series of grunts and growls: "Where are we going, Master Kao?"

"We're leaving the Temple and going to a safe house," she barely answered, letting him run on his own. Seeing Arthur's blade caused her to forget fighting the clones and switch her focus to getting to her Padawan as soon as possible. But that wasn't the only reason she was running. Not far behind, the sound of rustling armor grew louder. Fortunately, the two were able to reach an elevator before the clones even rounded the corner. "We're going to be okay," Kao whispered to Gungi, staring off into space. He looked towards her and whined, scared.

As predicted, the clones had not yet taken over the hangar, but they were close. Shaak Ti was overseeing the last speeder out of the Temple. When she turned and saw the Talravinian running towards her, she smiled solemnly. "I have one more transport left, is there anyone else we need to wait for?"

Oni shook her head, gesturing towards Gungi, "No, he and I didn't come across any more survivors. Take him and leave."

"What about you?" Shaak asked, confusion written on her face. Kao sighed, "I have to go find my Padawan." Master Ti grew serious, "We will help you then." Her fellow Councilman glowered. "No, you will drop me off somewhere inconspicuous and then leave Coruscant." Gungi held onto Master Kao's arm, not wanting her to be stuck on the planet. She smiled down at him and then knelt down. "Have strength young one. We'll meet again and when we do, I'll make sure your training is complete." He did not look comforted enough. Oni placed a hand on his shoulder, "If you can, find transport to Talravin and find Clan Shan. When you tell them that you are one of my students, they will protect you."

Shaak Ti ushered them both towards the speeder. "We must go now," she said, "They're on the elevator." Oni stood up, only to receive a tight embrace once more from the Wookiee. She returned the gesture and then pushed him towards the vehicle, both hopping on. And just as they took off, the doors of the elevator opened and that familiar green paintjob appeared.

(Traffic Jam)

Arthur continued speeding down main and side roads finding his way to his Master's apartment building. He just wanted to find her was all, if he was meant to die on this planet then so be it, he just wanted to reunite with his Master and try to get her off this rock. He felt she and Meela came first to getting off the planet before his own safety.

He pulled a uturn on a main road and crossed several lanes of oncoming cars, that he barely missed and then backtracked to another side road, he lost count how many side roads he took, and before getting back on a main road that should take them all the way to Master Kao's apartment if there was no more traffic jams.

Arthur tried blocking out the news on the speeder's HoloNet, but his curiosity got the better of him, listening to any mention of Master Kao's name. He hoped and prayed that she was still going to be alive when he found her.

(Apartment Complex)

Luckily there was an alleyway next to the apartment complex Green had been living in for the past three years during his stays on Coruscant. Shaak Ti pulled the speeder to the side of the building and bid her friend a farewell before taking off once more. Kao watched them leave and prayed that the Force would guide them to safety. A tear strolled down her face as the speeder disappeared and she spun on her heel to go into the apartment building.

"Don't move."

Oni was face to face with the barrel of a pistol. Just beyond it, Green's heaving form was backlit from the lights and poster boards just outside the alley. "Green," Oni whispered, only for the gun to inch closer to her forehead. "I said, don't move."

Kao remained still as her eyes widened in fear. Why was he doing this? How could he do this?

Green grunted, "I have to shoot you." Kao gulped and whimpered, "How can you say that? Green...I….we…"

The marshal's hand began to shake. His moral compass was flying in all directions, and the ARC side of him was pushing back against the Chancellor's orders. "If I don't, then someone will or I'll have to take you to the Chancellor." Oni realized his meaning. If she was kept alive, then the Republic would surely interrogate her. And based on what they have brought upon the Order, torture would be involved. "But you can't let me go?" she asked.

"No, cyar'ika, I can't," he said, voice cracking and sweat dripping down his forehead. "They'll find you eventually and I don't want you to suffer at the hands of someone else. They won't make it painless for you." Kao shook her head, "Don't do this to us, Green. You're going to shoot your wife on your anniversary?" The clone commander groaned, cracking his neck as the different emotions went throughout his body.

His finger reached up and turned the safety off. "Please, forgive me for this."

"I will," Oni said, "And I hope you'll forgive me for this." Green frowned, "What?" The small distraction gave the Jedi Master enough time to grab the pistol and twist it out of Green's hand. Grabbing his arm with her left hand, Oni used her right elbow to jab the commander in the face. "Oni," he called out, straining against her hold on his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said before she turned about and yanked Green's arm. A sickening crack echoed through the alley as she broke his arm. The ARC howled in pain, falling to the ground. Kao reached down and grabbed both of his pistols and knife, leaving him with nothing as he squirmed on the ground in pain. Because his arm was broken, he couldn't activate his comlink and call for help. He looked up at the woman, a hateful glare in his green eyes.

Oni glanced back at her husband, barely seeing the man she knew and loved. Pressing her lips together, she turned and ran for the apartment. There were a few things she needed to grab. If she was going to get off this planet, she needed a disguise and credits. As she entered the apartment, she was suddenly overwhelmed by all of the memories it held. Playing card games with her troopers on the dining room table, her and Green sleeping in the bedroom, and retreating here after long battles all came back to her.

Kao raced to the bedroom and started rummaging through the closet and the dresser. Grabbing a good-sized satchel from the closet shelf, she began shoving in clothes and whatever medical supplies she could find in the bathroom. Not wanting the blades to be visible, Oni stashed hers and Arthur's in the satchel.

The woman quickly changed into civilian clothing and put on an old shawl. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and then reached under the bed, grabbing a flat metal case out from underneath. Inside was a variety of weapons that she had collected being a Mandalorian. She wouldn't be able to take anything large, but her standard hand pistol small enough to hide under her shirt in the lip of her pants and a combat knife in her boots was good enough for her.

Oni left behind Green's weapons, knowing they could be tracked with the modifications he had Sgt. Tag perform.

Taking a deep breath, Kao grabbed her pack and whatever credits she could find in the safe.

(Scene Change)

Arthur knew they were close to Oni's apartment building and so not wanting to attract any more attention to himself and Meela, slowed down and parked the speeder. He undid his straps and then looked over to Meela, "We walk from here. No need to attract unwanted attention to ourselves, since we are close to the Temple now, we are bound to pick up a lot of clone eyes if we are speeding through on a speeder" he told her, speaking what was on his mind.

"Okay," Meela whispered. She really hoped Master Kao was still alive and/or in one piece. Because of her experience and knowledge, Oni was their best bet to get off the planet and find somewhere to go.

Arthur continued walking towards her apartment, while staying vigilant, looking in all directions and scanning his surroundings as he crept closer. He knew this area, since he would sometimes have his lessons with Master Kao in her apartment like he did for his lessons with Pac, so that he was away from other Jedi and so he could act more natural than feeling like someone was always watching him.

Meela looked around, for both clones and possible allies. When her eyes locked onto a woman that looked similar to Master Kao, she stopped. Taking a better look, Meela gasped, "Arthur!"

Arthur stopped and spun in her direction, and out of the corner of his eye, could see why she called out his name. Arthur could see through that disguise and motioned for Meela to backtrack a bit and then cross the street and then make their way up to the figure cautiously, still keeping his guard up just in case. As they moved about to cross the street, Arthur kept his eyes on Master Kao, who hadn't seemed to notice them yet. As they approached from behind the figure, Arthur's face changed to a smile, something that his face wasn't a custom to wearing too often.

Suddenly the figure whipped about and pulled the two down an alleyway. Just ahead, a group of clone police pass by, totally unaware of their presence.

Kao turned to her Padawan, embracing him. "Don't ever sneak up on me again," she said, almost laughing. Arthur embraced her back, not wanting to let go, for fear of possibly losing her again. "Master, what's going on? Meela and I were just almost murdered by a couple groups of clones with Tenth Star Corps markings…." he started, informing her of how he and Meela got to where they were now.

"They're killing us, Arthur," Oni said with a strained yet whispered voice, "I don't know why they're doing it, but it must be a bigger plot. Even Green tried to execute me." She pulled away and looked her Padawan in the eye, pain and hurt within her gaze.

Arthur was in shock, but his adrenaline was pumping so fast, that it alone kept him going and his head clear, well mostly clear. "Did you have time to tell him about..?" Arthur asked her. Kao gave a half smile and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore...the GAR won't exist after tonight I can guarantee that. I can sense a great plot to overthrow the Republic...and our extinction is just the beginning of it."

"Well it won't be ours" Arthur replied back. His adrenaline, the only thing he was running on, was still pumping, keeping his emotions in check, but it didn't take a Master Jedi to see his pain, hurt, confusion, and anger that was inside him, "We need to get off this rock" he told her, hoping she would have a plan.

"I know," Oni said, reaching a hand into the pocket of her pants where she stashed the credits, "We need to get to the Underworld as quickly as possible. There, we can lose the police and find transport to a world not under the Republic's protection." She paused, "I'll be heading to my home planet, where the Republic has promised to not interfere with."

Arthur shook his head, "Not sure where I will go. My home planet has nothing for me anymore and to be honest, I don't any place is going to be really that safe" he said, thinking out his thoughts.

Oni shook her head, "Delphon is not safe. It's been under Republic guard since the last time we were there. You'd be snatched up in a heartbeat. The same goes for you, Meela. Your homeworld is likely to be closely monitored as well." The Jedi Master sighed, "I'm not asking you both to give up any plans you may have had, but my planet and my village is always open to you."

Arthur looked up at his master, "Master, can I take you up on that offer?" he asked, also seeing if Meela thought of the idea about traveling to Master Kao's homeworld to start over. The Togruta smiled and shrugged, "I wouldn't have anywhere else to go." Oni grinned, "Very well, then we should hurry. I know a few people in the Underworld, old friends, who can take us to Talravin and leave a paper trail to throw off anyone who might think about following us. The Republic would be foolish to track me there, as it is mainly wilderness and now occupied by one of the galaxies most powerful Mandalorian factions. We'll be safe there."

Arthur then remembered something very important, "You wouldn't happen to have your second lightsaber with you, would you?" he asked her, "I kinda left mine in the Temple, and it would be foolish to go back and get it" he spoke to her in a slightly mumbled tone, feeling embarrassed about leaving his blade in his dorm room.

Oni's eyes brightened up and she immediately opened her satchel. After looking around for security purposes, she pulled out her Padawan's blade. Handing it to him, she said: "I came across it when evacuating the dorms. I'm sorry, but I didn't find Meela's." She pulled out one of her own. "I hope this will do until we can get you a new one," Kao said, handing it to the Togruta, who smiled in relief.

Arthur twirled the handle in his hands, before placing it on his side, "So how do we get to the Underworld?" he asked Master Kao, he had never been down there before.

"That's the problem," Kao said with a deep sigh, "The police have likely locked getting in and out of the Underworld. But, there may be an advantage still. The Tenth Star Corps still runs security from what I know and while Green tried to shoot me, there's a few clones that know me that may not."

Arthur shook his head, "The clones that shot at Meela and I were Tenth Star Corp, and I knew some of them. Lt. Ace and Patch were two of them," stated Arthur. Oni frowned, "Patch? That man has barely shot two magazines worth because of all the men he's had to stitch up. I'd never think of him to be eager to fight. He's the last to volunteer such a suicidal mission to face a Jedi." Her anger seeped out somewhat. Anger over what was going on. She thought it had merely been some sort of unearthed hatred towards her that led Green to corner her, but now that she knew even the kind-hearted medic was in on it, something terribly wrong had to have occurred.

"All of the clones are in on it," Meela said, crossing her arms, "I don't think that was Green who you were facing. They've all become emotionless zombies." Arthur couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew it was true. He lightly grabbed at the dog tags around his neck, wondering if he should even hold onto them anymore. "It's not just the Tenth Star Corps that rounding up Jedi. The 501st was seen on the news heading into the Temple as well" Arthur stated, further supporting what Meela had already said.

"It's galaxy-wide," Oni murmured. "When Shaak Ti and I were in the library looking for survivors, Green and two clones of the 501st were sending a beacon to all Jedi to return to Coruscant. They're trying to kill us all so we must assume that every clone is in on it. But, whatever is making them do this, there must be few who will not follow through with it. Like us Jedi, not everyone does what they're told."

Arthur nodded at that, being one of the Jedi that didn't do as he was told. "We better start heading towards the Underworld then if we have any hope of making it off this planet before the clones get any stronger than what they already are" he stated, looking between his master and girlfriend. Meela gave him a reassuring smile, while Oni looked at him gravely. "We have to plan this out carefully. Use whatever remains of your senses to keep a constant guard on your surroundings. You have only two eyes each but the police will have eyes everywhere. Keep your hoods on, heads low, and weapons out of sight. Stick close to buildings, but also use the crowds to your advantage. Don't stop to talk to anyone."

Arthur nodded and he and Meela followed Master Kao, who began to walk in the direction of Coruscant's Underworld. Arthur's first plan in any situation up to this point, was to wing it and hope for the best and make it up as he went, but he had a plan this time and didn't like what was to come, but he knew that he had to be the one to do it.

Oni put on the act of an everyday Coruscanti headed to work. In her raggy clothes, it looked as though she were headed to some shipyard, of which is exactly where she was headed. They needed transport down to the depths of Coruscant and the various ports would be able to do that. If she and the Padawans could sneak onto a freighter, they'd be good to go until they reached security measures down there.

Arthur kept his head on a swivel, checking all around him as they approached a shipyard. They needed transport and where else would you find some quick and easy transportation? He followed his Master as they stuck to buildings and shadows as they combed the shipyard. As they were about to round a corner, the familiar clicking noise was heard. Arthur froze in his tracks and turned in the direction of the noise.

"That's far enough" came the gritty voice of Lt. Grayson, who casually stepped out from his cover and trained his blaster on the three Jedi in front of him, "Have orders to take you alive General, but the other two well, sadly they are to meet the same fate as most of the Jedi have suffered already" he said, calm and collected, keeping his blaster up and pointed at the group, "I don't want to take you in by force General," said Grayson casually, using one hand to pull out a pair of cuffs for Oni.

Lt. Ace then suddenly appeared on the group's right as well, blaster raised and slowly taking a few steps closer, "Just do as he says General" came a slightly saddened voice of Ace, sounding like he was against what he was doing, but he had no choice in the matter.

"You were my brothers," Oni spat through gritted teeth, "First Green, and now you. You both know I can't surrender." She stood firm, ready to defend the Padawans at all costs. She would not abandon them.

Lt. Ace held up a flat palm in the air and 4 other clones came out of the darkness around the trio with readied blasters pointed at them. "General give up. There is no need to prolong the inevitable. Don't make this harder than it has to be" spoke Grayson, taking a few steps towards the group.

Kao did not budge, starring her former troops down with a deathly glare. She had a variety of weapons on her person besides her lightsaber, and calculated multiple ways of getting the three of them out of here. Brother or not, if these men would dare put themselves between her and Arthur, they would pay the ultimate price. The woman gave out a warning growl, clenching her fists as the clones grew closer. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she murmured, slicing through Lt. Ace's visor with her fiery eyes. Putting aside her training as a Jedi, she'd try fear to see if it would convince them.

Ace seemed hesitant, seeing the determination in the woman he had come to admire so much over the past three years. However, orders were orders, and she was a traitor to the Republic. If even Green had commanded her capture, it was mandatory. Kao could sense this from all of her men and knew what she had to do.

Lt. Ace had staggered and fell down after the swing from Kao. The others then opened up, sending blaster fire at the trio. Arthur deflected shots back at his former allies. He couldn't believe this was happening but he wanted to keep Master Kao and Meela safe, so he aimed to kill with the deflected shots, dropping two of them before he and Meela formed a circle with their backs toward each other and Master Kao.

Oni was torn. Here she was, fighting the men she had sworn to protect. She could not look them in the eye as she broke formation and began cutting them down. Her Mandalorian instincts took over and she fought hard. Friends. Allies. Brothers. Only a few were spared from her wrath.

Arthur then followed her example and cut down some of the others. He came face to face with Lt. Ace, a clone Arthur had learned to respect tremendously, second only to Smoke. Ace had joined the ranks not long after Arthur, and the two trained and taught each other the ropes of the 66th Battalion. Arthur instead of cutting the man down, hit him hard with the butt end of his lightsaber in the visor, knocking the already dazed clone out for good.

Oni finished cutting down a rookie, a tear falling down her cheek as she did so. They had been scared as soon as she ignited her blade. Their aim was sloppy and hasty, for they all knew they would not make it out alive against three Jedi, let alone their general who knew their training all too well. It hurt. She felt the darkness swelling inside of her as death wrapped around her and constricted her. Looking over to the fallen lieutenant and sighed. Another glance found that the other lieutenant had fled the scene along with about five others, possibly some who did not want to kill or be killed.

Meela hid her blade under her robes. "They still shot at us," she murmured, "Even your most loyal soldiers shot at you." Oni gave her a look of pain, "Loyalty doesn't matter anymore." Arthur had a frown on his face at the phrase his master just spoke, but he looked off into the distance of where they needed to go, "We need to move" he pointed out, "There is bound to be more on their way, possibly even bigger in number and enough this time that three Jedi wouldn't stand a chance" he reasoned, pointing to an unused transport that they could use to get to their escape route.

Oni nodded, "There's going to be security measures we have to pass." She analyzed the area, "Like that guard tower over there." Arthur nodded in understanding, "I have a plan to deal with the guards. I'll let you know what it is when we get there" he told her, giving her a face that said 'trust me'. Kao wanted to question it. She knew exactly what her Padawan meant but decided not to hold him back. He needed to start making decisions of his own and she did trust him.

(Small Time Skip)

The way to Coruscant's underworld was busy with a good amount of clones guarding possible escape routes to take off the planet. The trio disembarked from their transport and Arthur, wanting to lure out the guards, ignited his blade, getting their attention. Meela's eyes went wide and she called out, "Arthur?!"

Kao immediately grabbed the Togruta and silenced her with a hand over her mouth, pulling the young woman to hide behind a nearby crate pile. "He's giving us a distraction," she said quietly while listening to Arthur's actions. Meela squirmed in her grasp, pulling herself free with a simple twist of the Jedi Master's forearm. "We can't just leave him," she argued profusively, determination in her eyes, "We must fight back."

"That would be suicide," Oni said through gritted teeth, "We should go now." Meela shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes narrowed at the older woman. "You're abandoning your Padawan."

"I'm letting him make his own choice, Meela," Oni said neutrally, "And I'm giving you a choice. Come with me like Arthur would want you to, or stay here and most likely be killed." The Togruta's face changed minimally, and she barely seemed convinced. Her whole body shook with a rush of adrenaline at the thought of losing Arthur and the fear that was tugging at her. "I will make sure you have your opportunity to avenge him," Kao said, firmly now, as she stood up straight, motioning towards her blade which now occupied Meela's hand. "I will complete your training once we reach Talravin."

Meela's face twisted into a solemn frown. Arthur? She called out to him through the Force.

Arthur continued walking towards the clones, who were now gathering in strength and advancing toward him, neither side taking the first move to strike the other. Arthur noticed the clones leaving the guard tower and joining the ones on the ground. He smirked and stopped in his tracks at hearing Meela's voice, Meela, I want you to go with Master Kao. We all know that all three of us weren't going to make it. Someone needs to stay behind to make sure the other two get off this rock. Go with Master Kao, she will complete your training, something you always wanted. Please go, I can't do this knowing that you two didn't make it. I need you two to escape and finish living your lives. This is where mine ends. I also need you to do one more thing for me, Arthur said back to her. He took a pause before finishing, I need you to move on from me. I am not going to make it out of this and even if I did, the chances we find each other again are quite small. I love you, he replied before focusing on the clones.

The clones had now surrounded him, leaving him with no avenue of escape. "Green wants this man so he can get to Kao" one trooper said. Arthur just let a small smile appear before he charged forward, bobbing and weaving blaster fire and taking the fight to the surrounding clones, causing them to shoot each other occasionally. Master? Please get her out of here alive and yourself as well. I'm sorry I won't be able to complete our training. I'm sorry, he sent to Master Kao, as he sliced his lightsaber at a clones legs, causing him to fall down before he ducked behind another as shots came flying through the air.

Oni sucked in a breath harshly before letting it out. She gave a quick nod of her head and began to usher the frozen and bleak Meela away. Arthur's distraction had worked. There was no security measures patrolling a nearby loading dock, as everyone had their attention on Arthur. In their robed disguises, Oni and Meela were able to sneak aboard the craft and await their descent into freedom.

Until we meet again, my Padawan.

Arthur cut through another clone, Stay safe. Arthur then felt pain course through his shoulder and then his leg and he dropped to his knees.

"Green still needs him alive" one clone with markings answered. Arthur looked over to see Grayson showing his head again. Arthur gave a smile before blacking out on the ground.

Resist: Well there is the end of this epic story.

Arthur: WHAT?! THE END?! YOU CALL THAT AN END?!

Resist: Yeah, I think we covered everything we wanted to right? *looks towards Echo*

Echo: Yeah *playing with Dark Sith magic* I'm good, how about you?

Green: You guys are seriously going to leave it at that? Like….what the fek?

Resist: *mischievously smiling* No are you kidding? You would have to be a soulless person to end it here. *checks to make sure he has a soul, then smiles when he sees he still has one*

Arthur: So there is another chapter coming?

Resist: Nope

Green: *raises hand* Um, Echo doesn't have a soul. She's a fekking Darth Lord for crying out loud.

Echo: Oh you know it *pinches Green's cheek* I enjoy being soulless and half-dead on the inside. It helps me destroy Arthur's love life faster than a Hutt can swallow a whole nuna.

Resist: Well we thank you all for sticking through to the end. So before the "Will there be a sequel?" reviews come in. Yes, we are planning a sequel for these characters. We enjoy writing their stories too much to end it here. As for the questions like 'Where did Oni and Meela go? Or 'How does Arthur escape?' Well…..I'm not answering those, so you will just have to wait.

Echo: If you are interested in Green's POV after the night of Order 66, I will be writing a story called "Gone", which should be up on my page soon. It's not the sequel, but leads up to it ;). If I can't mess up Arthur's love life, I gotta mess up someone else's.

Green: Hey!

Resist: *shrugs shoulders at Green* What goes around comes around. Echo and I will also co-author another story involving your favorite characters that takes place after "Gone" so there is still plenty of chapters to come for these characters. With that we thank you all for reading and please keep checking Echo's page for the next story.