It was a brisk evening on Coruscant, and high above the surface of Level 5127, a family of four was preparing the dinner table.
"Luke!" Padme called out to her son, who was presently playing with his toy holocron in the living room. "Come on, sweetie, help your sister set the table. Your father will be home any minute now." She heard a groan come from the living room.
A young Leia had finished laying out the plates when she turned to her mother, her hands on her hips as she pouted. "Dad's really late again." She was wearing a pure white dress, and her lengthy hair had been put up in a pair of buns on either side of her head. She simply refused to cut her hair unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I know," Padme replied. "Your father's had important Jedi business these past few days." By then, she heard the loud footsteps of her son entering the dining room.
Luke had a glum look on his face, when he suddenly perked up. It was as if a lightbulb went off in the back of his mind, and he outstretched his hands to the silverware Leia was about to lay out. His fingers twitched as he closed his eyes, focusing with all his might to try and move the objects with his mind. He still had much to learn about the Force, however, as his brainpower was not the only factor contributing to the motion of objects. He felt an object move, and opened his eyes in time to see a butter knife fly out of Leia's hand and crash against the chest of C-3PO, who was just entering the room alongside R2-D2.
Though the droid had no bone structure, the twitching of his head conveyed both surprise and frustration. "Why, how rude, Master Luke." R2-D2 beeped happily alongside him, causing him give the astromech a stern talking-to.
Padme turned her head toward the kids while she opened the plasma oven. "Luke, we've talked about this."
Luke tilted his head to the ground, and crossed his arms as he pouted. "I knowww. No using the Force in the dining room."
Padme could not help but smile at how humorous children could be. She was just pulling out her favorite five-blossom bread when she heard a beep at the door. Her smile grew wider as she set the bread on the table, and turned to see her husband coming down a spiral staircase to meet them.
"Daddy!" Luke and Leia screamed in unison as they ran to their father, who promptly picked them up in his arms while he stepped toward his wife.
"How have my favorite kids been doing today?" Anakin asked the young twins.
"Luke threw a knife at 3PO," Leia was quick to tattle.
Luke had a horrified look on his face. "Well… well Leia's boyfriend is coming over tomorrow!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Leia snapped.
Anakin smirked as his eyes went to his wife. "Can you believe this? Five years old, and Leia's already got a boyfriend? Kids these days really move fast."
Leia scoffed at the notion, though she appeared more embarrassed than anything.
Padme embraced her husband, the kids between them as she looked into Anakin's eyes. "We're all happy to see you after a long day," she said, and lifted her head to Anakin's. Their lips touched.
"Ewww!" Luke and Leia exclaimed, their heads tilting away from their parents as they tried to avoid looking at such a public display of affection.
Anakin pulled away from his wife long enough to let out a gentle chuckle at his kids' reactions, when he heard the buzzer go off at the side door to their apartment. He set his children down and walked out of the dining room to see who it was.
"Oh no!" Luke abruptly shouted. "Jedi hunters are here for dad!"
"Those don't exist," Leia attempted to browbeat him, when their mother spoke up.
"It's probably just one of his colleagues," Padme said to the kids. She then looked to the table, and noticed the silverware was still not set out. "3PO, could you please set the table while I check on my husband?"
"Why, of course, madam, it would be my pleasure," 3PO responded as he waddled over to the silverware and began organizing the utensils. R2-D2 tried to beat him to the silverware just to annoy him, but was slapped away by 3PO's arm. Luke and Leia would have helped them, but learning who was at the door seemed more important, and they raced after their mother.
The kids rounded a corner just in time to see their father opening the door, and watched as Master Kenobi stepped inside. Behind him came Ahsoka Tano, their father's former apprentice, now Jedi Knight.
"Uncle Obi-Wan!" Luke chanted as he pounced on the man.
Obi-Wan nearly stumbled backward when he caught the young boy in his arms, but nonetheless smiled at Luke as he moved toward the couch within the family's atrium, which led to the balcony. "And how's the young Skywalker doing today?" Obi-Wan asked the boy as he sat him down on the couch, and plopped down beside him.
"I've nearly opened my holocron," Luke said, his eyes wide with pride while he sat on his hands and feet. "Wanna see?"
"I would love to," Obi-Wan nodded. He then turned to Anakin while Luke went to grab his toy. "I must again apologize, Anakin. I did not realize you were just sitting down to dinner."
"It's no problem at all, Master," Anakin replied as he leaned against one of the atrium's pillars. He then turned to Ahsoka, who was sitting on her knees while engaging Leia in conversation. "Did you both come here for business?" Anakin asked the pair, though his eyes were on Ahsoka.
His former padawan titled her gaze to him with a look of surprise. "What? Oh no, I'm just here for the kids." Before Ahsoka could say anything more, Leia tackled her.
Anakin laughed as the pair rolled along on the carpet, with Leia eventually landing on top of the woman. She then proceeded to spider tickle Ahsoka's sides until the woman finally pushed her off.
"Actually…" Obi-Wan spoke up, drawing Anakin's attention back toward him. "Shortly after you left, a situation did arise."
Anakin cocked an eyebrow. "What sort of situation?"
"A peculiar one," Obi-Wan answered. "A Republic Scout Fleet in Wild Space, just beyond the Polis Massa System, reported a rather unique encounter. They had been trying to make contact with a deep space outpost in the region, only to receive no answer. When they arrived at the outpost's coordinates, they found it destroyed."
"Space stations go up in smoke all the time," Anakin replied. "Probably just another gang of pirates."
"Yes, that's what I would've chalked it up to, if not for what the fleet reported after," Obi-Wan said, a grim look on his face as he brushed a hand against his beard. "Some sort of creature was out there, beyond the range of their weapons. It was the size of a ship, yet completely organic by their accounts."
"There's dozens of species that match a description like that," Anakin pointed out.
"True, but none that can fire missiles," Obi-Wan said.
"Missiles?!"
"Well, not in the sense we know of. They appeared organic in nature, and the fleet was forced to take evasive action. By the time they brought their vessels about, the creature had warped into lightspeed."
"That's… eerie," Anakin remarked with shrug.
"Indeed," Obi-Wan admitted. "But, with any luck, this mystery will prove to be just a wild bantha chase." By then, Luke had returned with his toy.
"Uncle Obi! Watch! Watch!" Luke said with a cheery voice before sitting on the floor, his feet touching one another as he placed his hands together in front of him. He then looked to the object, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he tried to lift it into the air. Yet, despite his overexertion, the holocron was raised off the ground and began to hover in midair. Its corners started to shift, and the object nearly opened, when Luke let go of the breath he had been holding and fell forward. The holocron crashed to the ground, resealing its edges as it came down. Luke's face was bright red.
"Try to breathe," Obi-Wan said to him. "And remember, the Force resides in all things. It is not your mind doing the work but you feeling the Force around you that allows such manipulation to be possible."
"Right, thanks Uncle," Luke replied when he turned his gaze back to the man.
"Not to worry," Obi-Wan smiled. "We'll make a Jedi out of you yet."
Leia tilted her head away from Ahsoka when she overheard the others' conversation. "Hey! I wanna be a Jedi too!"
Anakin looked to his daughter. "Your time will come, sweetie." He then tilted his head toward his fellow Jedi. "You both are welcome to join us for dinner, if you'd like." It was then that Padme stepped toward him, and he wrapped an arm around her as she came to stand beside him.
Obi-Wan put up a sympathetic hand. "I appreciate the gesture, Anakin, but I must report back to the Council." He stood up, ready to leave, when he felt Luke tug at his leg.
"Come on, Uncle Obi! Pleeeaaassseee stay," Luke uttered, his eyes wide like a child's always were when they pleaded for something.
Obi-Wan looked to the child, cocked an eyebrow, and sighed. "Oh, alright, I suppose I can stay for a short while."
"Yay!" Luke exclaimed as he jumped into the air, and proceeded to do his version of a happy dance in the middle of the atrium.
Leia then began to tug at Ahsoka's arm. "You're staying too, right?!"
Ahsoka laughed as she pushed Leia off her, and stood up. "Of course I am. Would you like me to sit by you?"
"Yes please!" Leia beamed.
The group was about to enter the dining room when 3PO stepped in their way. "Pardon me, Master Anakin," he said as he walked toward the man. "But it appears someone has used your private landing pad."
"Can you not see our guests?" Anakin gestured to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.
"Of course," 3PO replied. "I am referring to another vessel that has just landed."
Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, her curiosity peaked as she looked to her former master. "Who else would you have given your passcode to?"
Anakin's eyes widened when he realized the answer, and heard a beep at the side door a moment later. "Come in!" Anakin found himself saying as he turned, and heard the door creak open.
Standing at the entrance was a pair of men. One was still decked out in his clone armor, with his shoulder pads giving away his position as a medic amongst the 501st. Beside him stood another, dressed in scavenger gear, with his blonde hair cut nearly to the point of making him bald.
Ahsoka's jaw dropped. "Rex…"
The former commander waved to everyone. "I apologize if I'm interrupting your evening, but I just thought…"
Anakin grinned ear to ear before putting a hand up. "Are you kidding me?! It's been years since anyone's heard from you. Get in here, old friend."
Rex was about to approach, when he suddenly coughed into his gloved hand and gestured toward his comrade. "I'm sure most of you are familiar with Kix, the 501st's best medic."
The clone stepped forward, and awkwardly waved to the group before addressing Anakin. "It's good to see you Gener… I mean, Master Skywalker."
Anakin crossed his arms. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Kix. We really did try to get you back, but the Separatists made an emergency jump before we could rescue you."
"It's alright," Kix replied. "I know they wanted me because I knew their secret. Order 66, I mean. For the longest time, my mind wandered while I was in hibernation, thinking of what could happen to everyone if I failed to escape." He then looked from one Jedi to the next, and then to the kids. "As it turns out, you all did pretty well without me."
Luke pointed to the medic. "Hey, you look a lot like another I've seen in holovids."
Kix was not too familiar with children, and so said the most obvious thing he could think of. "Well, we are clones, all sharing the same face and whatnot."
"Yeah, but this guy was amazing. Footage of him on Umbara, and everything. He was so cool!" Luke continued to say, his excitement overflowing as he reminisced over the impressive footage he had once seen. "His name was Fo… Four? No, Fives!"
Kix nodded his head, but grimaced at the memory of his fallen brother. "Yep, that was him, alright. Impressive as always."
Obi-Wan noticed the uncomfortable look in Kix's eyes, and thought it best to change the subject. "I'm sure we would all love to hear about your adventures out there."
"Absolutely," Anakin seconded. "You both are welcome to join us for dinner, if you'd like."
"That would be much appreciated, Master Skywalker," Rex said with a smile. He was about to join the others, and noticed Kix was already being jumped on by the kids, when he saw a curious look in Ahsoka's eyes.
The woman then turned to Anakin. "Actually, I'd like to borrow Rex for a minute."
Anakin looked between the two of them, then shrugged his shoulders before turning toward the dining room with the others.
That left Ahsoka and Rex to themselves, who stared into one another's eyes with a feeling of comfort. Then, Rex spoke. "I know it's been a long ti—"
"Can we talk on the balcony?" Ahsoka said as she moved toward the large platform just beyond the pillars of the atrium, where a beautiful view of Galactic City laid. She stood out on the balcony, her hands on its railing, when she heard Rex step to her side.
"Something on your mind?" Rex asked.
"I just…" Ahsoka began to say, her head down. "We've all missed you, especially Jesse, though he'd never admit it. You've always been there for your brothers, for Anakin, and for me. It's been different these past few years without you." She then lifted her head and turned. "I know you wanted to find Kix, but was that really it? What will you do now?"
Rex had a surprised look on his face, then put a hand to his neck while he thought about what she said. "I know I told everyone I wanted to find Kix, and that was true." He then gestured toward the dining room everyone was heading to. "And look, I found him," he smiled. "Took the Bad Batch and I three years, but we found him!"
Ahsoka cocked an eyebrow. "So what've you been doing the past two?"
Rex tilted his head, then looked out to the lights of the city. "Kix was only part of my reason for leaving. The other was… for something more personal." He then looked down to his hands. "If there was one thing that kept me up at night, it was the thought of how a real life was stripped from me, at birth no less. Even if I survived the war, I could never have a full life." He shook his head, and closed his eyes. "Servitude wasn't enough. We also had to be ready for war in ten years, and thanks to our accelerated aging, that was possible... but it was cruel nonetheless." He opened his eyes, and sighed. "Fifty years for a human is only half their life, but for my brothers and I, that was all we'd had." He looked out on the city, and saw thousands of speeders racing past one another in an effort to arrive at their destination faster. "How could I settle down, have a family, or even make good pay in a stable job, if I was doomed to die off in a few decades?"
Ahsoka noticed his use of past tense. "Knowing all this, what did you do?"
Rex turned to her, a faint grin on his face, then looked back out on the skyline. "Cloners, on the world of Arkania. While there, I found a cure."
"Your accelerated aging's gone?!" Ahsoka questioned, her body filling with joy for her friend.
Rex smiled. "Yeah, it's gone, though there was a side effect."
"What's that?"
"There was a complication with my genome, and because of it, I'm now aging a little slower than most people. A bit strange, but I see it as making up for lost time," he explained.
Ahsoka looked to the ground, and a lightbulb went off in her head. "That's why so many clones have been asking for time off lately. You told the whole army, didn't you?"
"About a week ago, when I first bumped into Cody's fleet," Rex stated, proud he could do something right by his brothers.
"That truly is amazing, Rex," Ahsoka said.
The man blushed. "I did what any of them would've done, had they been in my position." He then turned to Ahsoka. "But enough about me. How've you been doing?"
"Honestly?" Ahsoka replied, a smile on her face as she thought of another dear to her heart. "I've never been better."
Rex noticed her gaze shift away from him for a moment, and looked down to her left hand. "Is that…" he began to say, surprise on his face as he felt himself overflow with joy for his friend. "Is that a ring?"
Ahsoka held up her hand. "Well," she smirked, "a lot can happen in five years, Rex."
The man nodded, a light chuckle exiting his lips as he thought of how much time had passed since he had seen his Jedi friends, and even those he called brothers. "I'm happy for you, Ahsoka."
"And I'm happy you can live a full life, Rex," Ahsoka beamed in response.
The pair stared into one another's eyes, and both smiled. Then, to their surprise, Rex began laughing. "It's been a crazy eight years, hasn't it? So much has changed, but... we're both still standing, even after everything that's happened. I mean—"
He never finished his sentence, because he found Ahsoka's arms wrapping around him as she collided with his body, her head resting beside his as she shut her eyes. Rex heard the woman sniffling, and glanced over to see her fighting back tears. "I've missed my best friend," she said, her arms squeezing tighter around Rex while they stood there.
Though initially shocked, Rex found himself slowly putting his arms around her back in an effort to comfort her. "I've missed you too." The pair stood there a moment more, amidst a gentle breeze blowing across the cityscape. Then, Ahsoka pulled away, and began wiping away her tears. "You alright?" Rex asked sympathetically.
"Yeah," Ahsoka smiled as a hand went to her eyes, and smothered the last of her tears. "Yeah, I'm alright. It's just good to have you back."
Rex nodded his head. "Thank you, Ahsoka." It was then the pair heard Anakin's voice call out to them.
"Hey, you two, the food's going to get cold!"
"We'll be there in a minute!" Ahsoka replied. "You can start without us."
The pair then looked to each other, smiled, and turned their gaze to the skies beyond the apartment. They stood there a minute longer, watching the star set on another day. A day of joy, for all time.
#
"Wait! That's not how the story goes!" a young girl stammered to her grandfather, who was reclining in his chair. "Anakin did become Darth Vader, and he did destroy the Jedi. Not even Obi-Wan or Ahsoka could save him."
The grandfather, whose white beard and hair appeared to stretch out in all directions, beamed a bright smile. "Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is." He then leaned forward so his grandkids could hear him better. "You may very well be right. In fact, that's the most famous telling of history." The old man then sighed a moment later. "In truth, we don't know exactly what happened. All we really know is: a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the bravest of heroes battled the most evil of villains in the greatest star wars this universe has ever seen."
THE END
#
Words from the Author
(Spoilers ahead, but hopefully you've read the story so no biggy)
When writing a story like this, I believe many authors come to know the end before the beginning, the vision before the journey. I knew after watching the Star Wars: The Clone Wars finale that I wanted to see triumph, to see success that brings together all the elements of Star Wars into a single story. This is the best I could do, and I find myself very proud of the work that has gone into such a story. Likewise, I hope those of you who have seen this through to the end have found yourselves satisfied, as that is the best feeling I can think of when it comes to finishing a story.
I would like to quickly answer a few questions some of you had while reading the story, as they were all good questions to ask. The first question asked was about potentially leaving Maul alive to write a sequel. I am not the biggest fan of writing sequels, but that logic stems primarily from novel writing. To me, when I write a piece of literature, I want to put it all out there. Yes, we all have terrific ideas for sequels, but if there's one thing I've come to learn from my first year of university, it's that if you have an idea, don't save it for later. With Maul, I thought the idea of making the battle on Coruscant as chaotic as possible was truly delicious to write about, which I believe has led to some of the story's greatest moments.
Yes, the pilot in green armor is the same one Ahsoka saved on Mandalore, who I've come to name Gaz in this story. I just felt it proper to have him save her after she saved him.
Someone asked where Yoda was during the climax of the story, and while I gave an explanation within a later chapter, my personal explanation is he would have taken away from the tension, as Maul was an obstacle for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to overcome, not him.
Lastly, several comments arose about the Confederacy, and what happened to them. Curiously enough, those comments were all left on chapter 18, and I recall covering such a topic on chapter 17, though perhaps my explanation about the end of the war was not as clear as it should have been. Essentially, the conversation between Sidious and Anakin after Windu is dealt with occurs similarly to Revenge of the Sith, with Sidious instructing Anakin to deal with the Separatist leaders on Mustafar after destroying the Jedi in the temple. Anakin already knew where the Separatist leaders were, and they were promptly captured after the Siege of Coruscant.
Finally, I'd like to conclude with some references many of you may picked up on, and even commented about, which made me feel good, but some of which may have gone over the heads of others. Firstly, Rex's remark, "I can do this all day," is a reference to Captain America from Avengers. Sergeant Aang is a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is a phenomenal show I finished while writing this story. Clones Kano and Boomer are references to a pair of 501st clones from the game Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes, which released way back in 2009. I loved the game as a kid, and felt they deserved a place within this story.
There are a ton of quotes pulled from every corner of Star Wars media in this tale. I even pulled scenes from the Clone Wars show, as well as Revenge of the Sith, just to try and add another layer of believability to it. I think one of my more subtle touches was the chapter title, "Brothers All." It is the translation of the Mando'a phrase, "Vode An," which is the theme music to 2005's Star Wars: Republic Commando game.
I loved writing this story, and I hope many of you enjoyed reading it. The only thing I can think of that would have made this story better is had it been animated…
Recently I have been collecting assets of various Star Wars characters in this story for Source: FilmMaker. I am no professional animator, but have posted several short films on a certain video site, including a Star Wars related one. Again, thank you all for reading, and have a great day.