Hey folks, Grubkiller here.
This is part 26 of my story, 'Fall of the Republic'.
When you're done, please feel free to leave your thoughts done in the review section.
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Coruscant, the works, secret hideout for Darth Sidious.
A squadron of Republic gunships, painted in all black, were taking Master Yoda and a spec ops unit of black-armored clone shadow troopers to the industrial district on Coruscant. They approached the building and circled around it.
"This is it. We've tracked Palpatine to this building," One trooper informed as he waved a scanner in the direction of the building in front of them. "What are your orders sir?"
Yoda studied the building with interest. But something felt wrong.
"Prepare yourselves," he said.
The clones all aimed their weapons at the building, and the gunships continued to fly around the building's outside.
Suddenly, several bangs echoed through the air. That's when several rockets were fired out of the building.
"Taking Evasive action!" The pilot shouted over the comm.
The gunships all tried to bank hard away from the missiles. But two of them were hit and began to spin out of the air. One crashed into the ground, while another one hit the side of the building and scraped against the side before hitting the ground.
More missiles were fired, but Yoda lifted his hand and all of the missiles suddenly froze in place. The clones watched with fascination as Yoda sent every missile straight back at the origins of the blasts. The missiles were flung at the building and exploded, causing the enemy fire to die down.
"Get inside we must," Yoda ordered.
"Pilot," the lead shadow trooper called out. "Blow open that hanger door".
The gunship turned to face the building before it fired a pair of missiles. They slammed into the side of the building and blew a hole open that was big enough for the gunships to land.
The clones off loaded and poured into the hanger. The black ops clones moved through the corridor. Yoda hobbled forward on his cane. That's when they all stacked up a door.
Commander Dury, the lead clone, ran up to it and ran his hand down the door. He tried to look for a door panel, but couldn't find one. He turned to the troopers.
He then pointed to his men. "Rivera, Lowe, breach that door," he ordered.
"Commencing door breach maneuver," one of them said. They both placed an explosive on the door and stepped back. The explosives detonated. The locking mechanism was off line, and the clones rushed through the door and into a dark room. Yoda followed.
Everyone filed into the room and fanned out before training their weapons on a shadowy hooded figure, who stood over a pedestal that had a hologram of a red sphere emitting from it.
The figure turned to the clones and the short Jedi in the room.
"It appears we have ... company," the figure said to no one in particular.
That's when several red lights blinked on line. As they moved closer to the figure, they heard servos whining and metal clanking. The troopers tensed up when they saw several commando droids rush out of the shadows, led by some red cloaked guards, who were armed with cylinders. That's when they activated them and showed that they were dual bladed red lightsabers.
"Take them," Dury ordered, and the clones rushed in and began firing, their blue bolts illuminating the room. Several droids went down. That's when the figure raised his hands and shot blue electricity out of them. Several clones screamed as they were enveloped and shocked by this new attack, and killed or knocked out by it.
Before the rest could move forward, they were attacked by the red guards. The clone troopers were hit hard by these new attackers, and chopped to pieces.
"We need back up over here, now!" Dury ordered. That's when several more clones rushed into the room. But six of them were special. They were clone assassins. They were trained specifically to deal with lightsaber and force yielders.
"I'm gonna evicerate you," one of them said before a cortosis blade extended from each of his wrists. The guards and clone assassins attacked each other, cutting each other down with their blades.
Yoda walked passed the carnage and up to a wounded clone that the shadow figure shocked earlier and placed his hand on his head, before shaking his own. Returned to the figure, who was still interested in the red holographic sphere.
"We meet at last, Darth Sidious," Yoda said as he hobbled over on his cane.
Darth Sidious deactivated the hologram of the red sphere and put it away in his cloak.
"You cannot stop what is to come," Sidious said before he ran off, out the carnage filled room.
Yoda chased after him.
He wasn't going to allow him to escape.
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Murkhana City, Murkhana. Republic occupation zone.
Murkhana. A planet owned by the Corporate Alliance.
A company that provided the CIS with droids, weapons, and even deadly chemical weapons that worked on old clone armor (and the new armor if it wasn't sealed properly).
Republic and Separatist forces were bogged down in trench warfare for months.
The frontline hadn't moved since the siege began.
During the Coruscant revolution, the CIS almost broke through during their last great offensive.
They even used their chemical weapons to dislodge the Republic.
But they didn't succeed. The Republic Navy came in and used the Hammer of Dawn on the CIS forts that made up the city's impregnable defenses.
Unfortunately, the CIS were also using chemical weapons from the beginning of the siege. The forts that the Republic destroyed actually stored the chemical stockpiles that the CIS controlled. It caused chemical residue to get everywhere. People died if they didn't have the proper breathing equipment.
Many didn't.
At the base that Ahsoka and the others landed at, there were refugees.
It's been a few hours since the Republic reinforcements from the 501st landed on Murkhana.
"Alright. I want this convoy to get moving. Ahsoka. I want you and Torrent Company to go and provide security. Go there, look for survivors and distribute the food, medicine and masks as best as you can," Belth Allusis said.
"Yes master," Ahsoka said as she headed for the convoy.
Appo, Jesse, Hardcase, Tup, and Kix were already at the front of the convoy to meet her.
She could even see Boomer and Kano's teams nearby.
"Alright boys. Time for us to get this convoy moving. Appo, call of the drivers and tell them to get moving in three minutes," Ahsoka ordered as she hopped onto an RTT viechle towards the center of the convoy.
"Yes ma'am," Appo said before he began giving hand signals to all of the drivers.
Moments later, the convoy got moving. RTTs (Republic troop transports) were packed the brim with supplies. AT-RTs marched forward, with TX-130 hover tanks.
They moved forward along a ridge that overlooked the city. This part of the city was a suburb that looks like it was untouched by the war.
"Finally. A place that hasn't been bombed yet," Tup said.
"Don't temp fate trooper," Appo said.
An alarm started beeping.
"Alright lads, we're coming up on a contaminated area. Seal your suits and put a mask on if you don't have one," the pilot of the RTT said.
Ahsoka put on a breathing mask and goggles, while her troopers sealed their suits, as they started to pass through a contaminated area.
"Hey, won't the chemicals affect the food supplies we have?" Tup asked.
"No. Those crates are sealed tight. No way those chemicals are getting through," Jesse said.
"Hey everyone. Listen to the news," the pilot said.
The Clones leaned over to listen.
"You're listening to the Grand Army of the Republic broadcast, the voice of the outer rim. The Chancellor spoke today at a press conference, confirming that the CIS has agreed to the terms of the peace treaty. The War will be officially over by 1000 hours GST," the host of the show said.
"You hear that? Ha HA! The war's over," Hardcase shouted.
Everyone cheered.
Ahsoka smiled as her men cheered.
"Three years. My God it's finally over," Kix said.
"Looks like Skywalker's mission to Aspho Fields payed off after all. He's still looking out for us," Jesse said. (Read my story, Clones of War: Aspho Fields, for more info).
Ahsoka smiled at that comment.
"Yeah. Getting the Navy to blast those clankers right back into the stone age," Hardcase laughed.
Suddenly, they heard an explosion. "AH Shit!" The pilot exclaimed, before the RTT ground to a halt, nearly throwing the passengers out of their seats.
Ahsoka could hear more explosions outside.
"Gunner! What do you see out there?" Ahsoka asked.
"We're taking fire from the city," the gunner said before he opened fire with the transports roof turret.
Ahsoka turned towards everyone in the passenger bay.
"I want everyone ready to bang out in ten," she said as she grabbed her sabers from her belt.
The clones grabbed their weapons and got ready for action.
Appo prepared to hit a button on the transport's hatch.
He looked at Ahsoka as explosions and blaster fire went off outside.
She nodded.
Appo slammed his fist against the button and the hatch opened.
Ahsoka, wearing a breathing mask and goggles, jumped out and was immediately met by enemy blaster fire coming from the city.
She placed her sabers in front of her body and began deflecting every blaster bolt that came her way.
Her troopers spilled out of the transport, and took cover.
Apparently, the forward vehicle was blasted.
So was the rear vehicle.
The convoy was boxed in.
Separatist fire was pouring down on the ridge. Republic troopers, hover tanks, and walkers fired back.
"Damn! Will somebody tell 'em that they surrendered?" One clone shouted.
"What the hell!? Why are they still fighting?" Tup asked.
"If we were in their position ... wouldn't we?" Jesse asked.
"But don't they know that they gave up, and that we can destroy them?" Kix asked.
"They must think that it's propaganda," Jesse said as they all returned fire.
"It better not be!" Hardcase shouted as he brought his rotary gun to bare.
"Cut the chatter and return fire," Ahsoka ordered as she continued to swing her blades and expertly deflect the oncoming firepower. "Master Allusis' been informed. He's gonna try and raise their CO, and get 'em to stop firing".
As the fighting continued, hundreds of battle droids could be seen marching up the slope that led up to the ridge.
Several more Republic viechles exploded.
It was starting to get desperate.
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Outside of the Works.
Outside of Sidious' hideout, two rows of AT-TE's were marching towards the tower. Explosions were rocking the building, as the Republic fired their main guns into the building, targeting muzzle flashes that dotted the face of the building.
Smoke and fire poured out of the holes that the tanks created.
The 6 AT-TE's were surrounded by clones, who were being led by a dark-skinned Jedi with a purple lightsaber. Mace Windu expertly deflected any laser bolt that flew his way, while gracefully deflecting them back into the troopers that fired them.
"Keep up the pressure! If we pull this off, them we can ensure peace for the Republic, once and for all," Windu shouted.
One of the clone officers turned back to face the troopers, before he looked at the building and pointed his arm towards it.
"FORWARD MEN!"
The Republic forces continued to advance.
But just as they were about to breech the building's outer defenses, a mysterious figure wearing a dark cloak jumped out of no where. He landed in front of the two AT-TE columns. he then raised his hands and used the power of the force to make two fallen columns to fly into the front windows of the two front tanks. The tanks were gutted and then collapsed to the ground.
On closer inspection, Mace saw a small scar underneath the figure's cloak.
"Skywalker," he said. He turned to his men. "Press the attack on the complex. I'll deal with him," he said to his nodding troopers before he charged.
Vader saw Windu coming and prepared for a duel. Anakin's blue blade activated with a snap-hiss before clashing with Mace Windu's. Both men stared at each other as their purple and blue blades were locked lightly.
"What are you doing here?"
"Pursuing a traitor to the Republic. Letting him live is too dangerous." Windu said before he withdrew his blade and took a couple free swipes at Anakin, who merely blocked the jabs, which caused white sparks of energy to fly everywhere.
They circled each other. The battle still raged around them, as clones ran passed them to attack the Works.
"Letting you kill Palpatine in cold blood was against our Jedi beliefs..." Vader said, causing Windu to give him a puzzled, boadering on amused, look, "I couldn't allow it," Vader said before he raised his blade over his head and lunged at Windu.
They were both caught in a another saber-lock.
"Anakin," Windu said as he pushed his blade down as hard as he could, forcing Anakin to lean back. As Windu got closer into Anakin's face, with their blades between them, he tried to speak again. "...Come to your senses".
But Vader wasn't having any of it. He channeled the power of the force through his arms and pushed back against Windu, breaking the saber lock and sending Windu flying back onto the floor several feet away.
As Windu struggled to get back up, he felt an invisible energy take hold of him. He was lifted into the air, and Anakin walked closer. He then used the force to make him fly about 50 more feet away. He hit the ground and tumbled back end over end until he was face down in the metal ground.
A few seconds after Windu landed, he got back up... just in time to see Vader walking towards him and assuming a fighting stance.
Mace Windu looked at Anakin with a stern look and raised his purple blade in front of himself. Storm clouds were gathering behind him, releasing several streaks of lighting in the background.
"So be it".
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The Works, Sidious' hideout.
Sidious ran out of the building onto a skinny catwalk that connected to a different building. The industrialization in the area caused the sky to glow a menacing crimson color, with dark clouds that also glowed red.
Behind Sidious, Master Yoda was hot on his heels.
In order to rid himself of the Jedi pest that followed him, Sidious turned around and back up towards an array of antennae that jutted out from the center of the catwalk.
He summoned a lightsaber from his sleeve, and ignited it. He assumed a threatening, and menacing, stance and pointed his blade down at the Jedi Master that followed him, while raising his other hand, ready to use it to summon the power of the force in his fingertips.
Yoda pulled his robe back slightly, and used the force to summon his shoto lightsaber into his hand. He activated it and waved it around himself before pointing it at Sidious.
The two combatants stared each other down, not moving for several heartbeats. But then, Yoda shot up from the ground and somersaulted in the air several times, throwing off Sidious' concentration. But when he jumped up again, this time when he came back down, he began to class with the powerful Lord of the Sith.
Yoda jumped and spun around, striking at Sidious with his sword. Being much taller, Sidious was forced to keep low in order to keep the short Jedi master from getting underneath his defenses. But then, Yoda would jump up and attack from above, forcing Sidious to change the direction from which he had to defend himself. This made Yoda unpredictable, and forced Sidious to stay on the defensive. He then began to walk back along the catwalk, and slowly move around the antennae, while parrying Yoda's rapid strikes.
Yoda began to somersault over the Sith lord, throwing off Sidious. When Yoda landed, he summoned a powerful force push that sent Darth Sidious sliding back about twenty feet away. Yoda was about to take full advantage of this opening and charge at Sidious. But then, a voice called out from behind him.
"General Yoda!"
The clones rushed in and aimed their weapons at the Sith Lord, waiting for the signal to apprehend him.
Other clones took up positions on the adjacent catwalks to surround Sidious.
Sidious lashed out with his saber, trying to probe the Jedi's defenses. But Yoda parried the Dark Lord's thrusts. When Sidious was forced to stop attacking, Yoda used this opportunity to use the force and push the sith lord back. Sidious slid back across the catwalk.
That's when Dury and a couple clones rushed in and moved in to apprehend Sidious.
Yoda raised his hand. "NO!"
The Dark Lord raised his hands, and Dury, along with several clones, floated off of the ground. They began to groan and cough as Sidious choked the life out of him. He then shot arcs of force lightning from his fingertips, hitting the clones. One arc hit Yoda, who tried to block with his saber, but the force of the blast forced the saber out of his hands.
Sidious then threw them away like a rag dolls. Most of the clones plummeted to their deaths, but three clones, Dury, Rivera, and Lowe, landed on the catwalk behind Yoda, still unconscious as far as he could tell.
That's when the clones all opened fire on Sidious. But he expertly deflected their rounds, some shooting back into the clones that fired them, causing them to fall over the railings and plunge to their deaths. Yoda looked back at them.
But then another arc of lightning was aimed at him. Instead of summoning his saber to defend himself, he raised his hands and began to contain the lightning within balls of energy that formed in his hands.
Both Sidious and Yoda inched closer to each other. Lightning was still shooting out of the Sith Lord's hands, and Yoda continued to contain the incredible amounts of energy within the palms of his hands.
Sidious leaned over and stood right above yoda, hoping that by getting closer, he would blast him off of the catwalk, just like the clones earlier. But suddenly, Yoda pushed back with all of his might, and the energy became too much for Sidious. Their closeness caused a burst of energy that sent both opponents apart. Yoda hit the railing, but Sidious flipped back over the railing and fell.
When the lightning stopped firing, thunder began to clap in the distance.
Yoda rushed up to the side that Sidious fell over and looked down to see where he went. he didn't see anything on the catwalk below. And the only thing he saw below that was the smog that was emitted from the factories on this part of Coruscant.
It was quiet. The only sound the Jedi could hear was the gentle gust of wind that flew around the catwalks out here.
Then suddenly, he heard a saber ignite, and out the corner of his eye, he saw a a red lightsaber blade plunging through the cat walk from underneath. He then heard a menacing chuckle. It was Sidious, who was using his red blade to slice through the supports beneath the catwalk.
The section that Yoda and the unconscious clones occupied began to wobble and creak.
'Not good this is'.
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Outside of the Works.
Back down on the surface, as clones continued to fight a vicious battle for control of Sidious' hideout, Mace and Anakin continued to fight back and forth to gain the underhand in this fight.
Despite what the fight looked like, Windu was actually taking it easy on Anakin, trying to reason with him.
As they were locked into another saber lock, Windu tried again.
"He's manipulating you, making you betray the Jedi Order. Can't you see that?"
"All I saw was a Jedi trying to assassinate a politician, and a good man. You're the one that's betraying the Republic!"
Anakin then kicked Windu away, breaking the saber lock. He then began to viciously attack Windu, using every piece of knowledge that he could scrounge up concerning Form V of lightsaber combat, trying to break Windu's strong, yet passive, defenses.
As Windu parried Anakin's strikes, he continued to try and get inside Anakin's head.
"You have been tainted by the Dark Side."
"No!"
"And you have failed the Jedi Order."
"NO!" Anakin said as he used the force to push Mace back.
The dark skinned Jedi fell onto his back and slid across the ground. He looked up just in time to see Anakin standing over him, ready to deliver the killing blow. One that would not happen as far as Windu was concerned. He sound his legs at Anakin's ankles, knocking him onto his back.
Mace turned away and looked off in the distance. He could see a green lightsaber and a red one clashing on top of a series of catwalks that jutted out of the building.
He began to weigh his options. 'If I can help Yoda kill Palpatine, we can break his hold over Skywalker'.
As he was thinking this, he could see Anakin charging at him out of the corner of his eye. Without even turning, Windu raised his hand and used the force to push Anakin away from him, stating him away like a bug.
He then began to force dash in the direction of Yoda and Sidious.
'Your rain of evil ends now, Sidious.'
But before Windu could get to far, he was frozen in place by an invisible force. He then flew back, and saw that he was heading straight towards Anakin, who had his blade thrust forward, ready to skewer him.
Not allowing that to happen, Mace clapped his hands and used the force to push Anakin back away from him.
Windu then landed on the ground, ready to resume the fight.
"Alright Skywalker, if you want to become a more powerful force weirder, then watch closely," Windu said before he lunged back into battle against the fallen Jedi.
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The Works, Sidious' hideout, Coruscant.
Darth Sidious jumped on another catwalk, while Yoda struggled to maintain his balance. He looked around for his saber, summoned it with the force, and then turned back to jump onto the section of catwalk that Sidious occupied.
He assumed a fighting stance and pointed his blade at Sidious. But then he heard a metallic creaking sound behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw the other catwalk start to give way. As it lowered, the three unconscious clones began to slide off of the catwalk.
Yoda turned around and deactivated his lightsaber. He raised both hands and began to summon the power of the force, concentrating on the three clones. Just as they began to slip off of the section of catwalk, they began to levitate in the air.
Sidious cracked a demonic smile and inched closer to Yoda.
"Save them, Jedi," he said mockingly. "Can you save them?" He asked before he fired an arc of lightning at Yoda.
Yoda reactivated his saber and used it to block the lightning. Because of this, he nearly dropped the three unconscious bodies. The catwalk broke free and nearly fell to the surface below.
But it didn't.
Instead, it floated in the air with the three clones still on it. But then he lost his grip, nearly dropping all of them. But then he just focused on the three clones, who floated in mid air, while the catwalk section fell to the surface below, and smashed into hundreds of pieces.
The catwalk that Yoda and Sidious were on began to wobble as well, causing Yoda to stagger. Sidious fired another arc of lightning at Yoda, who raised his saber to block it, making his green sword crackle with blue energy. He was now struggling to save the clones, defend himself, and keep himself from falling.
The catwalk wobbled again, causing Yoda and Sidious to both stagger. Sidious frowned and fired another arc of lightning. Yoda blocked it again, and nearly dropped all three clones.
The catwalk wobbled again, and creaked under the strain of the extra weight.
Sidious staggered, but then he caught himself on the railing. "Why not let them go? Let them die. It's what they were born to do after all, and you can stop all that I will do," the Sith Lord said, tempting the much older Jedi.
He then fired another arc of lightning at Yoda, which Yoda blocked. But this was when the catwalk section began to swing from side to side, causing Yoda to stagger again.
"No," Yoda said as he regained his balance, and pointed his saber at Sidious. "The future is not yours, yet".
Sidious clenched his teeth in frustration.
Yoda continued speaking. "Tempted I will not be. Sacrifice all I am ready to do," Yoda said before he deactivated his lightsaber, grabbed a hold of the railing, and focused all of his efforts on saving the three clones. Sidious took advantage of Yoda lowering his guard and fired an arc of lightning that engulfed the Jedi master in terrible pain.
But he kept focusing on the clones, despite the pain. He eventually floated them over to another catwalk. He lowered them to safety.
Sidious continued to cackle and fire lightning. But that's when the catwalk shuddered beneath again, and this time it finally gave way. It fell and swung precariously over the sheer drop. Sidious and Yoda scrambled to grab a hold of something. They saved themselves and hang from the vertically hanging catwalk.
That's when explosions began to go off in the distance, obtaining Yoda and Sidious' attention. Republic forces were attacking the works, battling the Separatist droids that protected the building. Gunships flew towards the building, while infantry and tanks advanced on foot. Red laser were fired from the building and down onto the Republic forces that advanced in the distance.
Sidious growled and began to climb up the catwalk.
But Yoda wasn't done with him yet. He climbed onto the catwalk so that his feet were on the catwalk. Then he reached for his lightsaber and activated. He then reached back and then launched his saber like a boomerang. It spun like a propellor and flew over Sidious. It then struck where the catwalk was hanging from. The catwalk began to break free, and Sidious began to slide down the falling catwalk. Yoda let go of the catwalk and went into free fall. Sidious soon followed. They both began to fall to the surface.
As they began to free fall head-first towards the surface, they met face to face and began to continue their fight. They struggled and swiped at each other, trying to subdue the other.
Sidious was cackling the entire way down.
He then fired another bolt of lightning at Yoda, who used his hands to absorb it. And since they were too close, the build up of energy burst, and sent both fighters in different directions.
Yoda continued to fall, but he prepared to land. All the while, he could only think about how he failed to stop Sidious.
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CIS positions, Murkhana City, Murkhana.
"Major. I am giving you my honest word," Jedi General Belth Allusis said over the com-link.
As Battle droids continued to march, mortar bombs continued to fall on the ridge. The Republic convoy was fighting back. But it wouldn't last long.
"Nice try Jedi sleemo, but Deschenko would never surrender!" The CIS officer said defiantly.
"The situation's changed. Call your CO. Call your HQ. Stop this madness, or it will never stop," Allusis said.
Ridge overlooking Murkhana City.
Ahsoka and her men continued to fight off the droids.
They fell in droves. But her men were running low on ammo. And the viechles were still taking heavy fire.
Mortars continued to crash down on the convoy.
When Ahsoka was about to be overrun, she force jumped away from the ridge, just as droids began to climb over the threshold of the cliff.
The last of the convoy's viechles were still firing on the advancing droids.
Appo and his men were taking cover in viechles, on top of viechles, or behind them.
He saw one clone get hit in the helmet. Normally, he'd have been fine, as it was just a graze.
However, his filter system was damaged. The deadly chemical residue that was scattered across the ground was entering his body with every breath.
"NOOO!" He yelled out before he started coughing. He coughed and gagged so hard that he doubled over and started rolling around on the ground as he choked to death.
The terrified face behind Appo's helmet disappeared as the newly promoted Clone Lieutenant growled in anger.
"Fix Bayonets and drive them down the slope!" He ordered.
Every clone pressed a button on their different DC-15 rifles, activating a small laser blade.
"Attack!" Appo ordered, and every clone that was in cover, charged at the wave of battle droids.
Blue laser bolts pierced through the chest plates of the B1 units.
Ahsoka used her blades to chop up any droids that got to close. Limbs were chopped off and heads went flying.
More and more droids continued up the slope.
But the clones all joined Ahsoka. They lined up along the ridge and fired down on the advancing droids.
Mortars continued to fall down on the ridge.
Half of the viechles in the convoy were destroyed.
That's when several AT-TEs stomped past the burning wreckages and held their position behind Ahsoka's men.
Master Allusis was with them, wearing a mask and goggles like Ahsoka to protect him from the harmful chemicals.
Torrent Company cheered as more of their brothers joined the fight.
They fired down on the CIS defenders in the city.
Fire was continually exchanged.
"Nice of you to join us master," Ahsoka said.
"And good to see that you've held out this long. Nice work," he said.
"So what now?" She asked as they both continued to deflect laser bolts.
When Ahsoka asked that question, enemy fire coming from the city ceased, and every droid shut down and went to standby mode.
They sat their like statues with their heads pointed down.
Blue laser bolts knocked down several more droids until Allusis held up his fist and barked orders.
"Cease Fire! Cut it out! Cease fire!" He shouted. The clones did as he said.
They all watched the sea of statues on the slope. And the only thing they heard was the gust of the wind.
"Sir. I have the Separatist's CO on the line. He wants to surrender his forces," a clone with a set of communications gear said.
Everyone was surprised.
Then, Appo zoomed in with his visor, to scan the area. He could see a humanoid figure holding a white sheet. The universal surrender sign.
"It's over. It's finally over," Ahsoka said as Clones moved in the secure the area, and set up a base.
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The Works, Darth Sidious' secret hideout, Coruscant.
Palpatine and the Grand Inquisitor were overlooking the battle that was taking place around the base of the works. As the building was being overrun by clones, more Sith troopers and droids continued to search for Yoda.
A Spaarti-clone stormtrooper rushed up to the the two darksiders to report on the situation.
"My lord, the Grand Army is hitting us hard. They'll overrun the works! We have to retrea-guh!-AACK" The Stormtrooper commander tried to say before he was lifted up into the air by an invisible force, which began to choke him.
The Inquisitor was choking him with the force, much to Palpatine's delight. The trooper's neck twisted, collapsed, and cracked until he died. "You will do no such thing. Keep them out of the building for as long as possible. Destroy anything that the Republic might use!" The Grand Inquisitor ordered.
"Yes Sir!" They all said at the same time before rushing to their positions.
Palpatine leaned in to speak to the Inquisitor. "Prepare my shuttle for immediate takeoff. And then take another one to the Mustafar system. Find Lord Vader and bring him to the Byss system." he ordered.
"Yes, Master," the Grand Inquisitor said. He walked away to fulfill Palpatine's orders, while Palpatine watched the battle continue to unfold around his former hideout.
'It's time to leave'.
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Coruscant, the Works, outside Sidious' hideout.
Mace continued to fight Anakin. It was at this point that Anakin realized that he had his work cut out for him. Mace Windu, being a master of form VII lightsaber combat, Vaapad, and his use of the Shadderpoint technique allowed Mace to do more than just hold his own against the so-called Chosen One.
But he kept fighting, because he knew that if he hesitated for even a second, he would die. Failure was not an option, because failure meant that he would never be able to save his wife from all that he feared.
But before he could resume the fight, a loud buzzing noise could be heard, and the clouds of industrial smoke and water vapor, that emitted from the pipelines and factories around them, began to glow brightly, almost blindingly. That's when a trio of gunships flew out of no where and trained their weapons on Anakin.
They both then saw clone shadow troopers from Republic Special Forces rappelling down from their open hatches, or coming from other facilities that surrounded the duel. The clones began to man several different spots to train their weapons on the Fallen Jedi that threatened Mace Windu. Mace jumped back and placed himself in front of the clones.
"Anakin, drop your weapon and stand down!" A familiar voice ordered over a loud speaker.
He knew who it was. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"It's over, Skywalker," Mace said.
Anakin, without saying a word, merely pointed his sword at the clones. Then he assumed a defensive stance.
"OPEN FIIIRRRRRE!" The lead clone shouted to his men.
With unmatched discipline and calmness, the clones cut loose with everything they had. Blue lasers, that clashed with the black and gray environment, flew in Anakin's direction. He began to deflect every shot that was being fired at him. The clones fired repeating blasters, sniper blasts, and rockets. But everything just seemed to bounce off of the invisible barrier that surrounded Anakin. Several clones screamed as they were taken down by their own firepower.
The rockets were all redirected by Anakin's force abilities and up at the gunships. The gunships all took evasive action, but one missile flew passed two gunships and struck the third one in the wing. It was cleaved off, causing the gunship to lose stability before crashing down into the pipelines below
The two remaining gunships began circling his position, their side-mounted door guns chattering.
"Keep her steady pilot," one clone said while firing the gun. A few clone passengers on board pointed their rifles out the side hatch in order to assist their comrade. Anakin was now being attacked from three directions. He began to turned swiftly and expertly swing his blade in such a way didn't allow a single laser blast to get passed his defenses.
He then summoned a powerful force push in the direction of the clone shadow troopers on the ground, who were still firing on Anakin from all around. They all grunted as the invisible blast caused them to hit the deck.
Obi-Wan jumped dow from on of the gunships and stood next to Mace. He saw Anakin trying to fight off the gunships that were still attacking him. He saw him lift his hands, and he used the force to hold both gunships in place, while they still fired at him, more desperately now.
One blaster bolts hit Anakin in his mechanical wrist. He shouted in pain and lowered his sword as he grabbed his hand. The distraction forced him to let go of both gunships. Anakin screamed and held his hand. He tried to recover, but Obi-Wan summoned a powerful force push that sent Anakin flying into one of the large pipelines behind him. He hit one and dropped to the deck.
He struggled to get back up, and looked up just in time to see Obi-Wan pick up Anakin's blade with the force and activate it, giving him a second blade.
Mace Windu stood beside him, while the clones got back up and inched forward, surrounding Anakin from the different spires.
Anakin growled.
But Obi-Wan just looked at him. He lowered one blade, but pointed the other at Anakin.
"Anakin... please, come back to the light. Face up to what you've done. We can help you".
Anakin looked around and saw that he was in a precarious situation. But failure here would mean failure for everything his master had spent years plotting. It might also mean that he'd never be able to see his wife, or his children again.
He bared his teeth and snarled. "It's too late for that now. You're too late. You only want to help yourselves".
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You know that's not true."
"Arrest him," Mace ordered.
The lead shadow trooper, while aiming his rifle at the fallen Jedi, gave a hand signal to his men. They all nodded, and advanced.
Anakin took a defensive stance, even with a damaged hand and no blade, he was still a deadly foe.
As The Jedi and the clones continued to advance, something extremely unexpected happened.
A pair of missiles flew out of no where and slammed into the two remaining gunships. They both exploded in a ball of fire before their burning, skeletal remains plummeted to the pipes below.
Everyone looked up to see where they came from.
Nothing.
That's when they saw something shimmering in the distance, and a shuttle suddenly materialized out of no where. It was soon followed by four star-fighters that started firing before they even de-cloaked. The clones all turned to face the fighters. They opened fire, their blue lasers flying up towards the oncoming fighters. They strafed the deck of the facility, killing several more clones. They then flew off and tried to circle back. But the shadow trooper's came prepared.
A trio of clone gunners grabbed tubes off of their back and unfolded them into rocket launchers. They aimed at the fighters in the sky.
"Take 'em down!" One clone trooper ordered.
The clone gunners fired their launchers, and three rockets flew up at the fighters. Two of the fighters were shot down, but the third rocket missed. The two remaining fighters doubled back and began to strafe the area again. But the clones were out of rockets, so they settled with using small arms fire.
That's when the unknown shuttle landed and unloaded a squad of black armored troopers. They charged at the Shadow Troopers, and an all out brawl ensued. Clone and Unknown troopers shot, beat, and slashed each other.
Obi-Wan and Windu looked around at the chaos. They were confused. But then they refocused on Anakin, who was about to board the shuttle. They charged, ready to apprehend Anakin and destroy the unknown shuttle.
Noticing the danger the two Jedi posed, Anakin turned back to face them. "We'll meet again, my old friend," Anakin said before he used his flesh hand to summon a force push that sent the Jedi flying backwards. Obi-Wan dropped Anakin's lightsaber, which Anakin summoned with the force before placing it back on his belt. Then he used his hand to focus on the battle debris around him. With all of his might, he lifted as much burning debris as possible, and launched it at his enemies.
Obi-Wan and Mace recovered and used the force to stop the wall of flaming metal bits that Anakin summoned. The Shadow Troopers, who stood triumphantly over the corpses of the unknown troopers, stared in awe at the wall of debris that the jedi held back.
"Incredible," one clone said as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Quiet rookie," the lead clone ordered.
They all watched the two Jedi masters do what they were doing. They then released their grip, causing the debris wall to fall onto the ground.
Obi-Wan and Mace looked up just in time to see the shuttle Anakin was boarding take off and fly away.
Obi-Wan shook his head, realizing that they've failed.
"Who are you?" Vader asked, as a medical droid worked on his damaged prosthetic.
"I am the Grand Inquisitor. Lord Sidious sent me to collect you," he said.
"Where are you taking me? Will Padme be there?" Vader asked.
"I am taking you to our Master's secret base. All of your questions will be-AACK," The inquisitor began to answer before Vader raised his metal hand to summon the force, and lifted him up and began to choke him, all while he used his flesh hand to summon his lightsaber, the blue blade coming to life with a snap-hiss. The black armored troopers that were in the passenger bay with them activated their weapons and trained them on Vader.
"You will answer my questions right now if you know what's good for you," Vader threatened.
"GAH! If you kill me before we get to our destination, then none of your questions will be answered, and you'll be killed," the inquisitor shot back, while still being choked.
Vader looked at him for a few seconds. But then he let him go. The inquisitor dropped to the deck with a clang, and the troops lowered their blasters. "Fine. Take us to our destination," Vader ordered.
The inquisitor breathed in heavily, and coughed several times. Then he got up and turned to one of the troopers. "Tell the pilot to set coarse for the Byss system."
The trooper nodded and disappeared into the cockpit.
The inquisitor turned to face Vader, who sat back down and continued to have his severed mechanical limb worked on.
'Interesting,' he thought to himself.
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Ahsoka Tano's personal quarters, Republic military base, Murkhana City spaceport.
"They what? Please tell me that you're okay!" A holo-screen image of Lux said to Ahsoka, who was talking to him in her quarters.
Ahsoka was telling him about the misunderstanding between the Republic and the Separatist garrison on Murkhana.
Needless to say he was terrified that his girlfriend had just finished dodging laser bolts in the middle of a cloud of deadly chemicals.
"I fine Lux. They thought that the Hammer strikes were just edited propaganda videos. So they ignored us," Ahsoka said.
"And they thought we were still at War?" Lux asked. He leaned his head back in deep thought, shaking his head back and forth.
"Misunderstanding of the century. Anyway, we're still passing out food and medicine, helping to get the power back on, and we're taking dow enemy insurgents. But sense the Droid army's been shut down by the Raxus Government, that won't be too hard" Ahsoka said. "So anyway, tell me about the peace talks. How are they going".
"Pretty good considering how we threatened to destroy their cities. They've agreed to an occupation, but they wanted as much representation in the senate as possible, along with limited autonomy. They're good terms considering how Palpatine wanted to punish them originally, until Dalyell softened the terms," Lux said. "The negotiations are pretty much almost over".
"Well at least the fighting's almost over, for the most part," Ahsoka said.
Lux nodded
"So when will you be back?" He asked.
Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. If I want to leave I'd have to ask for permission. But I don't know if they'll give it to me when we're setting up an occupation force," Ahsoka said.
Lux thought about it for a few seconds before coming up with a suggestion. "Why don't you just volunteer to be our escort back to Coruscant?"
Ahsoka's eyes flared to life as soon as she registered what Lux just said.
"That might be a good idea. Nice work Luxie," Ahsoka said.
"I try," Lux said.
They smiled at each other.
Their moment was interrupted when Ahsoka's com-link started chirping.
"Well I'm gonna go and put in my request," Ahsoka said.
"Very well. I won't keep you from your job milady. Just be careful is all I ask," Lux said all formally. "I love you 'Soka".
Ahsoka smiled before she kissed the screen Lux was on. "Love you too".
They smiled at each other before the transmission was cut.
Ahsoka went to go get permission from Master Allusis to leave, before she grabbed her old droid (R7-A7), a V-wing, and a hyperspace ring, and flew into hyperspace in the direction of the Raxus system, where the end of the war was taking place.
Though, it remained to be seen whether the end would be written in stone or in sand.
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Coruscant.
Back at the works, Republic forces began to secure the building.
The building was surrounded and taken over by the Republic. But unfortunately, the defenders fought to the last man, meaning the Republic had to fight for every room, hallway, and floor. Everything they found that could've been useful was destroyed. Information, technology, computers, all gone. Sidious wanted to cover his tracks, and he did that and more.
Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi went into the building, walking passed the definite signs of battle that scarred this building's interior. But there was no sign of Master Yoda except for a short lightsaber hilt. There was no sign of the traitor either.
"General! Two unidentified shuttles are heading for orbit," One of the Shadow Troopers said.
"Blast! He got away," Windu exclaimed. "Alright everyone, spread out and secure the building. Interrogate the prisoners and find out where Master Yoda is!"
Everyone nodded and did as they were told.
That's when a small green creature jumped down from the ceiling.
"Master Yoda! What happened?" Windu asked as the other Jedi gathered around him.
"Into exile Sidious has gone. Failed we have," Yoda said.
Everyone watched as the shuttles continued its ascent.
That's when they disappeared. They were stealth ships.
"Well so much for ordering our fighters to pursue," Obi-Wan said.
No one said anything. There was nothing to say.
Because she was right.
The Sith Lord was long gone, and would only reveal himself when he wanted to.
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Bonteri estate, Raxus Secundus.
High up in the mountains outside of the Confederate Capital, stood a large gray mansion, which towered above a steep cliff. It had a large landing pad situated beneath it, with a Consular class corvette parked on it.
In the back of the mansion, was a wide open yard. Trees with autumn colored leaves lined the perimeter of the grassy yard, which was all well maintained, even with the absence of its late owners.
Lux Bonteri, the sole heir to all of House Bonteri's properties,sat on the stone railing of a flight of stairs. He wanted to get away from the Senators that he allowed into his home for the duration of the peace talks. Now, he was out here, looking out of the yard, thinking to himself.
'This is where it all began, and where it all ended,' Lux thought to himself, referring to Dooku's Separatist movement, which actually began on this planet. Hundreds of planets, like Lux's, seceded from the Republic and declared war two years later. Now, most of those worlds were surrendering to the Republic.
All on the same planet.
It all seemed surreal. His Mother voted for secession, and now he was helping the Republic bring an end to that very same movement. It was ironic. But being betrayed really had an effect on changing perspectives.
He heard heard light footsteps tapping down the steps behind him. He decided ignore it, opting to look out over his property.
Someone cleared their throat behind him. "Enjoying the view, Mr. Bonteri?"
Lux turned around to see who was behind him. He was surprised to see that it was Ahsoka.
She had her hands clasped behind her back, and she wiggled her hips gently in an anticipative manner. She smiled.
Lux got up from the stone railing railing and placed his hands on Ahsoka's shoulder before looking into her eyes. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her Lekku. He then pressed his cheek against where he kissed and began to stroke her montrals.
Ahsoka moaned, in a non-aroused way, and buried her face into Lux's neck, before he snaked her hands up his back and pulled him close. Lux then cupped her face with his hands and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. After a few seconds, he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against her's.
They stood there for a few minutes, getting lost in each other's eyes, and forgetting about the world around them... which was fine by them.
A single tear rolled down his cheek. Ahsoka cupped his face with her hands and whipped the tear away with a thumb.
"Luxie. What's wrong? You weren't this tearful when we last spoke."
"I know. It's just that..." he said. Ahsoka nodded to get him to spit it out. "...It's over. The treaty's been signed. And the cease fire is tomorrow at noon, Galactic Standard Time".
He rested his hands on her hips. Ahsoka leaned in and planted another kiss on his nose.
"That's great news Luxie," she said. She looked up behind them and saw that the other Senators were celebrating. One of them was looking at them and smiling. "Come on, let's go for a walk".
She held his hand in her own and led him down the stairs.
The garden was the exact same that it when they first met many months ago. The trees and grass were the same color. The were walking on the same stone path that cut through the yard, and led to the same gazebo. Ahsoka was wearing the same form fitting outfit. Even Lux had the same outfit and hair style that day.
They sat down next to each other, on the same bench where they discussed their differences and beliefs, and began to slowly foster a relationship that blossomed into the romance that they had today.
Ahsoka scooted in as close as she could to Lux. She coiled her arms around Lux's arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. He used his free arm to clasp his hand with one of hers, and he rested his head between the tips of her montrals. Lux began to fell Ahsoka's Lekku purring. The vibration was soothing, and it made him want to drift off to sleep.
"I can't believe it's over. It all feels so... so surreal," Lux said as he looked out over the yard. "A lot of things feel the same". He said as he got up and leaned against one of the pillars, and he began to stare at the house.
Ahsoka got up and placed her hands on Lux's arm, before she pressed her bust up against his forearm. "Like what?" She asked as she began to swoon over him.
"Hmpf. The hatred between our two peoples, the turmoil on different planets across the galaxy, the corruption, the heartbreaking moments..." he said.
Ahsoka lowered her head a little at that last one. She began to think of Anakin's passing. But then she shooed those sad thoughts out of her head and walked in front of Lux. She pushed him against the pillar, and planted a kiss on his cheek before pressing her bust against his gray outfit, and sliding her hands up his torso and over his shoulders. "I can think of some things that have changed... definitely for the better," she cooed before she leaned up against him.
"Like what?" Lux asked as he looked down at her and slowly ran his hands up and down the sides of her waist.
"Our relationship," she said, her eyes sparkling with happy, loving emotions.
Lux smiled.
"How right you are my darling," he said as he looked down at her beautiful face.
After a few seconds of swooning, Ahsoka stood on the tips of her toes to kiss Lux's mouth. Her hands slid up behind his neck and held the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Lux closed his eyes and rested his hands on Ahsoka's hips as she sucked on his bottom lip with gentle finesse. He slid his hands lower, gently gliding his hands over her voluptuous rump. Ahsoka moaned and pulled Lux deeper into the kiss by his collar. The kiss became more wet as she opened her mouth and began to envelope his lips with her own.
A few minutes later, they broke the kiss and looked into each others eyes. Lux began to rub his hands up and down the sides of her waist again, and Ahsoka rested her head on is shoulder.
"So, my darling... would you like to go for a little walk around the property for a while?" Lux asked her.
"Mmm. Sure. Just promise me that you'll give me a personal tour of the building," Ahsoka requested.
"Of coarse my sweet little 'Soka. And I'll be sure to save the best part of the house for last," he said.
"Oh..." she said, as she scratched her fingertips against the front of his torso. "...And what part is that?"
Lux smirked before he answered.
"The master bedroom".
Ahsoka looked up at Lux as her eyebrows flared up, and her face lit up. They both began to giggle before they pressed their foreheads together.
"Mmmmh ... I'm looking forward to it, Mr. Bonteri."
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Well, that's part 26 folks.
Hope you enjoyed. Make sure to leave your thoughts in the review section.
This is Grubkiller, over and out.