Chapter 43
Droids burst to life from the ground all around them. They were surrounded before any of them even had a chance to react. Anakin swore. He ignited his lightsaber and slashed through the nearest droid. These droids were much tougher than regular battle droids. Their reactions were also much faster. Anakin had to use the Force to give him some extra speed in order to avoid the onslaught. Blasters fired around him and he spotted Ahsoka leaping down to his side from her vantage point.
"I thought you said it was all clear." He teased as they fought back to back.
"It was." She replied shortly.
"Did you hit some tripwires again?"
"No." Ahsoka turned briefly to glare at him, not noticing the droids behind her aiming for her head. Anakin shoved his Padawan out of the way, knocking them both to the floor. He hissed as pain flared through his upper arm. The blaster had just grazed him.
"Anakin!" He heard Obi-Wan calling him.
"I'm alright." Anakin called back. "Come on." He said to Ahsoka. "And try not to turn your back on any more droids."
"Yes, Master." She said sheepishly. They rejoined the fray. It was a minute later that Anakin noticed the droids carrying off a struggling figure. Leaping forwards, he saw that it was Tarkin. Obi-Wan was closer but distracted trying to provide cover for an injured Clone. He continued moving forwards and slashed through one of the droids. Tarkin was dropped to the floor quite heavily. Anakin made no attempt to break his fall and turned his attention to the remaining droid. Artoo appeared from the ship with the reprogrammed battle droids.
"What took you so long?" Anakin yelled at the little astromech. Artoo beeped rudely as the battle droids joined the fray. "Get the ship ready to take off." He ordered. Artoo gave another rude reply before getting back on board the ship.
"Everybody on!" Obi-Wan shouted above the noise of battle. Reinforcements were arriving for the droids. They needed to leave quickly before they were unable to. The Clones and officers made their way towards the ship while the Jedi provided cover. It was slow going and they lost two Clones in the retreat.
Finally everyone was aboard. Artoo had already fired up the engines and the shield so the droid's fire didn't blow up the ship before they could get airbourne. Anakin slipped into the pilot seat while Obi-Wan sat beside him. He flipped some switches and got the ship in the air. Immediately they had enemy ships on their tail.
"Strap in." Anakin warned. He spun the ship around in a tight circle. Obi-Wan cursed to his right as they were thrown sideways. Anakin snickered. "Feel free to shoot them down." He said.
"I'm on it." Ahsoka replied from somewhere behind him. Thankfully, his Padawan's shooting eased the danger somewhat but that was about the time they emerged into Separatists air space. Now they had an entire enemy fleet to deal with. Anakin dodged some incoming fire as more enemy fighters joined the attack. Ahsoka kept up the return fire but they were only one ship. There were at least thirty enemy ships coming straight for them. He flew directly between two ships, forcing a third to crash straight into one while Ahsoka took out the third.
"Artoo, full power to rear deflector shields." Anakin called. He pushed some power to the engines and blasted past the incoming ships. At least half of them didn't have the maneuverability to turn quickly enough to give a decent chase. The rest were much smaller and easily kept up. The ship rocked violently as they were hit several times. The shields held just about but they wouldn't for much longer. A few more spins and acrobatic maneuvers lost a couple more of the enemy fighters as they crashed into each other. Ahsoka shot down a few more.
Then they got hit once more and the ship rocked again. There was a loud bang. Ahsoka called in that the back end of the ship was on fire. Glancing at the screen, Anakin saw that they had lost the hyperdrive. They weren't getting home.
"Obi-Wan, you need to call the Temple. We're going to need reinforcements. I'll have to set back down on the planet." Obi-Wan nodded and set about sending the transmission. Anakin flew back closer to the planet. If he had to set down, he'd rather do so as far away from the Citadel as possible. He flew through the thick smoke that hung over the planet in an attempt to lose their pursuers. Eventually they landed on Lola Sayu. Anakin surveyed the volcanic landscape uneasily.
"Plo Koon is on his way." Obi-Wan reported.
"Great. I'll see what I can do for the ship in case we need to make a quick getaway." Anakin replied.
"Ok. I'll check on the officers and then I'll be right back." Anakin watched him leave and then set about fixing what he could. They hyperdrive was unfixable with the tools he had available. Still, there were some things that needed to be done and he soon lost himself in the familiar feel of fixing things. He felt Obi-Wan coming back in but the older man didn't disturb him, instead simply watching. When he reached a stopping point, Anakin looked up.
"Any luck?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Some. We won't be getting the hyperdrive up and running. The ship could probably take off and fly though."
"It might need to." Ahsoka said, coming running in. "The droids have found us." Anakin cursed.
"How soon did Master Plo say he would be here?" He asked. Obi-Wan shrugged.
"As soon as he could."
"Fantastic." Anakin groaned. He stood up, grabbing his lightsaber from his belt. The three Jedi made their way to the planet's surface. Piell was waiting, facing a line of approaching droids.
The fighting began once more. They were drastically outnumbered and the only thing they had going their way was the lack of air support for the droids. Anakin suspected they had come from a nearby outpost. There was no way droids made it this far on foot from the Citadel. Still, all that meant is the droids could expect reinforcements reasonably soon. They would have to hope theirs would get there first.
This time the officers stayed on the ship while the Jedi and the Clones fought. Anakin stood back to back with Obi-Wan this time. They fought smoothly and easily together. Ahsoka was nearby, occasionally jumping in to slash through a droid they had missed. Anakin could do the same in return. Each of them watching the other's backs. A proper team. Having fought and trained together so long, they could tell what the others were thinking.
As he turned to help Ahsoka, Obi-Wan flipped over him and took out a super battle droid that had been aiming at Anakin's head. Anakin had to use the Force to pull Ahsoka out of the way of one of the new yellowish droids that caught her off guard. She landed heavily by his feet.
"Thanks, Master. The landing was rough though."
"Well, according to you crashes are rough, landings are not. So I guess you crashed. I'd promise to be more careful next time but we both know that would be a lie." He smirked. She rolled her eyes at him, getting back to her feet.
"Yet you'll complain if I return the favour."
"Of course. I'm the Master. I expect you to be careful with me."
"You never were with me." Obi-Wan put in as he dispatched more droids.
"Of course I was. You didn't die did you?"
"So as long as I don't die, that's your standard of careful?" Obi-Wan asked in amusement.
"I'll be sure to remember that." Ahsoka snickered. Their attention was drawn more fully back to the fighting as Magnet went down with a cry. The Clones had been separated from Piell who was now fighting alone. Between the three of them, the trio attempted to shield Piell who was still weaker than normal after his stay in the Citadel.
Thankfully it wasn't long before several gunships landed nearby and soon the droids were destroyed. Piell went back to their ship to fetch the officers and they all boarded the gunships. Plo Koon was waiting for them on a cruiser. Apparently there was a fleet nearby but they had only sent one ship for the retrieval in the hope that they could avoid a costly battle.
It seemed they were lucky. They got away and began the journey back to Coruscant. The Jedi sent a transmission to the Temple and gave their full report.
"Done well, you have." Yoda told them.
"Did you get the coordinates for the Nexus Route?" Saesee Tiin asked.
"I have half. My captain has memorised the other half in case one of us cracked." Piell reported.
"Have Tarkin give you the codes as soon as possible." Mace instructed.
"Yes, Master." Piell inclined his head. The transmission ended. They made their way down to where the officers were staying. "Captain Tarkin, do you have the coordinates?" Piell asked him.
"Yes, Sir." Tarkin nodded.
"Well, let's have them then." Plo said.
"I'm afraid I will only give my part to the Chancellor himself." Tarkin told them smugly.
"We are the ones who need the coordinates. We organise the troops." Anakin pointed out.
"Chancellor Palpatine is who I answer to. Nobody else." Tarkin replied with a smile. Anakin scowled furiously. Obi-Wan held his arm and the Jedi left.
"Why don't we just let him give his half to the Chancellor, I will speak to the Council and then they can sort it out." Piell suggested. Anakin didn't say that if the Chancellor got hold of those coordinates then they might as well have just given them to the Separatists.
"Because we can start making use of them now." Obi-Wan pointed out. Anakin considered. The rest of the officers were at dinner.
"We will have to wait until we get to Coruscant." Piell stated, unwilling to force his Captain to tell them. Anakin waited until Piell and Koon had gone before going back into the room. He ignored Tarkin's questions and looked directly at him.
"You will tell us the coordinates for the Nexus Route." Anakin stated, pushing the Force into his words. He'd never really used mind tricks, considering them violating but for some things he was willing to make an exception.
"I will not." Tarkin exploded. "How dare you use…"
"You will tell us the coordinates." Anakin repeated, more forcefully this time. Tarkin's face slackened. He listed off the coordinates in a dazed fashion. "You will not remember this." Anakin stated. He put as much Force into those words as possible.
"I will not remember." Tarkin repeated. Then Anakin put him to sleep. He turned around to see Obi-Wan watching him.
"That could have gone very badly." He said in a slightly displeased tone.
"We got what we wanted." Anakin shrugged.
"And what if you hadn't? You didn't do it successfully the first time. What happened if you failed and Tarkin reported to the Senate that you tried to use mind tricks on him?" Obi-Wan frowned.
"I...had you here to help me?" Anakin offered. Obi-Wan gave a small smile before returning to his stern expression. Anakin sighed. That face meant he was in for a lecture.
"Come on. We need to report these coordinates to the Council." Was what Obi-Wan said instead. Anakin winced. The Council were unlikely to be happy about how he obtained the information. Still, they made their way to the bridge where Plo and Piell were giving their report. Anakin told them what he had learnt. The Jedi clearly disapproved and made sure to let him know how careless he had been but they were happy with his results. Thankfully, discussion turned to the moving of troops with the new information. Anakin let out a sigh of relief.
He was less happy to find out he, Ahsoka and Plo were being assigned to Felucia while Obi-Wan and Piell would return to Coruscant. The transmission ended.
"I'll go and get the boys ready." Ahsoka said eagerly.
"We should regroup with the main fleet within the hour." Plo informed Anakin and Obi-Wan. "From there, we shall take the Resolute and the main part of the fleet." This time he looked just at Anakin. He nodded.
"Is Admiral Yularen expecting us?"
"Yes."
"Right. I shall go and get myself ready." Anakin said. Plo nodded. He left and went to the quarters that had been assigned to himself. There wasn't anything actually there because he hadn't brought anything with him but he could at least get some food. As he didn't use this ship, there were none of his favoured ingredients. In fact, there was nothing but basic ration bars. Anakin sighed. While ration bars would indeed give sufficient nutrients to survive, they tasted horrible. Someone really needed to find a way to make them better. Maybe Dex could work something out? It was an idea. Dex loved a project and a challenge.
"Ani?"
"In here." Obi-Wan came into the kitchen area. He noticed what Anakin was looking at.
"Nothing worth eating?"
"Nope. I forget that not all cruisers carry proper food in the quarters. It really should be compulsory to carry food that tastes better than wet cardboard." Anakin complained.
"Do I want to know how you know what wet cardboard tastes like?" Obi-Wan asked with a smirk.
"Probably not." Anakin grinned. They hugged and Anakin kissed him firmly. They broke apart and moved to the bunk, sitting down together, leaning back against the headboard. "At least I'm heading to the Resolute. I know there will be proper food on there."
"I get to be stuck on here." Obi-Wan pouted.
"Poor you." Anakin replied, failing to keep the mocking out of his voice. Obi-Wan nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. He snickered. They stayed on the bed, teasing and mocking and occasionally kissing until Anakin got a call from Ahsoka saying they were at the main fleet. Grudgingly they both got up and headed down to the hangar. Ahsoka and Plo were waiting for them. They got on board the gunship that would take them to the Resolute. Yularen and Rex were waiting for them.
They had a briefing while they got underway. It was only a short trip to Felucia so they were soon getting ready to land. It had been decided that Plo would remain further back to secure their base and escape route should things go wrong. Anakin and Ahsoka would push far into Seapartist territory in an effort to make them retreat. Rex and the rest of the Clones were pleased to be on the front foot for a change. Recently there had been a lot of defending for them to do, or sneaking around, rather than taking the fight to the enemy.
Anakin and Ahsoka rested for the night before beginning their assault. The first little while was free of droids but it didn't take long to find them. It looked like they were expected though as the droids were not at all surprised to see them. Anakin let Ahsoka take point for a while as he just concentrated on slashing through droids. They seemed never ending so he just let himself get lost in the fight. Part of him was always tuned in to Ahsoka, making sure she was alright.
They fought for several hours. Every now and then Anakin would look back and he realised they were making good progress. During a lull in the fighting, he looked at a map. He saw they would be approaching an outpost within the next day or so. While they had time, they stopped for a quick bite to eat and a nap. He and Ahsoka took turns to sleep while the other one stood on guard with some of the Clones.
Morning dawned bright but cool. Anakin watched as light filtered down through the thick foliage around them. Gently, he woke Ahsoka and the rest of the group. They needed to get a move on. As they drew closer to the outpost, the fighting got more intense. Anakin summoned Plo about halfway through the day to provide some backup. He arrived not long after the outpost was in sight.
"They have reinforcements." He stated, looking through his binoculars. They studied the outpost. "I'll take the left flank, Skywalker, you take the front gate. Ahsoka, you scale the back wall and we shall meet in the middle." Plo instructed.
"Yes, Master." Ahsoka nodded.
"Scouts, find me a way down there." Anakin told his scouting team. "Be careful, Ahsoka." He added as she was about to leave.
"You taught me well. I can handle anything." She retorted. He raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Well then, I expect no mistakes at all." Anakin told her calmly. "And cockiness leads to mistakes."
"Yes, Master." She said. Then she left with her group of Clones. Anakin watched her anxiously. Once she was out of sight, he turned his attention back to his own job. The scouts returned and led his group down towards the front gate. They set up in position and waited.
"Skywalker, Ahsoka, are you in position?" Came Plo's voice.
"In position." Ahsoka replied.
"Ready and waiting." Anakin told him. Plo called for the artillery to open fire. The tanks started firing on the outpost. Soon the front gate opened and spider droids came straight towards them. "Steady men." Anakin told them and the Clones got ready to shoot. Once the droids were close enough, he leapt forwards, igniting his lightsaber. Two spider droids were destroyed before the rest could react. Then the Clones began firing. He sent the signal for the other two to join the attack.
As he was slashing through the command droid in the middle of the courtyard, he felt a ripple in the Force and Ahsoka's signature dulled. She was unconscious. Anakin looked around and saw her Clones but not Ahsoka.
"The fortress is secure. Where is Commander Tano?" He asked Booster.
"She was covering our flank as we scaled the wall." He reported.
"Everybody fan out, I want a perimeter sweep now." Anakin called. The Clones immediately began moving out. He turned to Plo.
"Something happened. Ahsoka is unconscious. I can feel it."
"That is worrying." Plo said.
"I'm going to take a look at her last known location." Anakin said. Plo nodded.
"I'll keep an eye on things here." Anakin set off. He jumped over the back wall easily. There were faint marks on the wall like something had shot it. Surely the Clones wouldn't have. Anakin looked at the ground. Thankfully, Felucia was actually good for tracking. Marks around indicated that Ahsoka had been dragged away. Footprints indicated that whatever took her had three digits with claws at the end. Not too large. Oh Anakin hoped it was not what he thought it was. He searched his memory for anything Obi-Wan mentioned that could help. It only confirmed his suspicions.
"Ahsoka has been captured." He reported to Plo. "I suspect it's Trandoshan hunters."
"That is...not good." Worry was clear in Plo's voice.
"She has likely been taken to Trandosha, or Wasskah, the moon. I know Trandoshan's do their hunts there." He said. He had been acquaintances with Skarsuk for a long time. Anakin knew quite a bit about Trandoshans. In some cases, rather more than he cared to know. He made his way back over the wall to the base.
"Our forces on Kashyyyk are closest." Plo said thoughtfully. "I shall see if they can send some help." Anakin reported to the Council while Plo contacted Aayla Secura who was in command at Kashyyyk. The Council and Aayla said the same thing. She had no forces that could be spared for now. Anakin then requested permission to go himself. He had promised Ahsoka he would always come for her. He would not break that promise now.
"Yes, Anakin. You take a small group of Clones and try to rescue Ahsoka. Master Plo, you are to return to Coruscant." Obi-Wan said.
"Yes, Master." Anakin replied, hiding his smirk. He left to get Rex to round up a squad. They took a smaller ship, leaving Plo to take the Resolute back to Coruscant. Anakin decided to try the moon first. He felt Ahsoka wake up through the Force. Anakin reached through their bond to send some assurance that he was on his way.
The trip seemed to take forever. When they finally arrived, it was easy to spot the floating ship being used as a base. They got into gunships to fly down. As they approached, Anakin narrowed his eyes and grabbed some binoculars. There was fighting going on on the deck. He spotted Ahsoka.
"Get us down there." He ordered.
"Yes, Sir." Replied the pilot. Anakin leapt from the ship, not willing to wait any longer. He landed next to Ahsoka right in time to deflect a shot aimed at her leg.
"Master!" She exclaimed in delight. "What took you so long?"
"Ah, I figured you'd have everything under control." He smirked. Ahsoka rolled her eyes. With Anakin and the Clones arriving, the battle swung in their favour. One minute Ahsoka was at his side, the next she was being thrown up into the air by a Wookie that Anakin could have sworn she called 'Chewie'. He did a double take before deciding he had bigger things to worry about at that second. Once all the Trandoshans were dead or captured he looked up at the ledge to which Ahsoka had jumped. As he was about to leap up himself, she appeared. She jumped down to meet them.
"Well done, Snips." Anakin said, pulling her into a hug. "Glad to see you're still in one piece. Who are your friends?" Ahsoka smiled.
"They are Jedi younglings who got captured on a training mission. This is Jinx." She indicated the young Twi'lek male. "This is O-Mer." She now indicated the Cerean male. "And that's Chewbacca." Ahsoka pointed to the Wookie. Anakin raised an eyebrow. He had heard that name before. He was the Wookie that travelled with the smuggler who had taken Obi-Wan and Luke to the Death Star. Anakin wondered if it was the same Wookie. He didn't know how common Chewbacca was as a Wookie name.
"Well, I'm glad you are all alive. Are any of you hurt?" He asked. They all shook their heads. Jink and O-Mer seemed to be looking at him with no small amount of awe and shock. "We can drop Chewbacca off on Kashyyyk on our way back to Coruscant." He said. The Wookie grunted which Anakin translated to thanks.
"I'm definitely in need of a shower." Ahsoka said. Anakin laughed.
"I wasn't going to say anything but yeah...you need one." She mock glared at him. "Come on everyone, let's get back to the ship so you can clean up and get something to eat. I'm Anakin Skywalker, by the way." He realised he had never introduced himself. Jinx and O-Mer began muttering excitedly between themselves. They flew back to the main ship and got ready to depart for Kashyyyk. When Ahsoka had showered, she joined Anakin in the canteen. He was talking to the younglings, who weren't really true younglings anymore. They were all old enough to be Padawan learners now. When Ahsoka sat down, they told him the story of what had happened to them.
"Ahsoka saved our lives." Jinx said earnestly.
"I'm very proud of you, Ahsoka." Anakin said.
"All because of your training, Master." She replied earnestly. "I survived because of your training. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my Padawan. But you also survived because of your own skills." Anakin assured her. The rest of the trip was spent chatting easily. They all said goodbye to Chewbacca as he was returned to his home planet. Jinx and O-Mer seemed quite nervous around him at first but soon enough they opened up.
When they arrived at the Temple hangar, Windu, Yoda, Plo and Obi-Wan were all waiting for them. It was a very welcome sight and it took a lot of effort not to just pull Obi-Wan into a hug.
"It's good to see you well, little 'Soka." Plo said, coming over to them. Anakin took Jink and O-Mer over to Yoda.