Chapter 39 - Assassin Droids
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD
Author's Note: And to the first Guest who reviewed the prior chapter: Oh, yeah, there will be sequel! I started writing it, but it'll probably be a bit before I start releasing it, because I want to do a different fanfic first where Palpatine raises Anakin. ;) And Anakin and Ahsoka's siblinghood is second only to Anakin and Obi-Wan's... so I do hope to get more time with just the two of them. ^-^
And to the second Guest (pretty sure they're different people. Lol): Thank you so much! That comment just made my week! =) I try to write fanfics which are better than what happened for real.
~ Amina Gila
Not even two seconds later, Anakin's commlink goes off. He answers it immediately. "General!" Rex's voice exclaims, tight with agitation, "Two assassin droids have been spotted. My men chased them, but they managed to get into the lift before we could stop them. They are likely headed towards you."
"I got this," Anakin promises, "Have your men remain on the lookout for further activity and find out how the droids got past the security."
"Yes, sir!" The line goes dead, and Anakin is racing towards the lift, Ahsoka right behind him. He pushes the button to open the doors on their floor, hoping desperately that they haven't already gotten to the top floor with the bedrooms.
His lightsaber is in his hand as the doors begin to open, blade ignited and positioned defensively. The two snap-hisses behind him tell him that Ahsoka's lightsabers are ready as well. The first assassin droid starts firing the second the lift is opened. Anakin leaps towards it, swinging towards its firing arms, but it dodges out of the way, climbing up onto the ceiling.
Cursing, Anakin uses the Force to open the double doors leading onto a patio. If they're going to be fighting, he really doesn't want to do it inside and risk damaging the interior design too much. Ahsoka is defending herself against the second assassin droid. She's successfully severed one of its arms. Anakin leaps across the room, Force shoving the first droid and sending it flying out through the doors.
He follows, flipping over the railing down to the ground and using the Force to catch himself. The droid rushes towards him immediately, trying to get around him and back towards the mansion. Dodging a bolt, Anakin throws it backwards again, jumping towards it and stabbing his lightsaber through its legs and then higher, cutting off its firing mechanisms.
Anakin steps back, just as the Force screams a warning. He has one second to instinctively spring away when the upper half of the assassin droid blows up, sending out a shockwave mingled with metal shards. Anakin is thrown back against the wall of the mansion hard enough to knock out his breath.
Shaking his head to clear the ringing, he pulls himself back to his feet. In place of the droid, there is only a black crater. The explosive inside it was powerful, and clearly designed to kill Jedi. If he hadn't reacted as fast as he did, he knows he would have been seriously injured and possibly even killed. He only has minor scrapes and bruises – nothing potentially fatal.
Only seconds later, the mutilated body of the second assassin droid comes sailing through the air towards the ground, exploding before it even lands. This time, he's far enough away to avoid being affected. He waits until some clones come to investigate. After instructing them to clean up the mess, he heads back inside to find Ahsoka and get an update from Rex.
"Rex, what's the status?" asks Anakin, spotting the clone captain inside the mansion.
"They were smuggled inside the ship which returned tonight, sir," Rex replies.
Anakin shakes his head, running a hand though his hair. "Well… make sure there aren't any more in the area. They seem to have been built specifically for Jedi."
Rex purses his lips, "Sidious I presume?"
Anakin nods stiffly. "Or one of his new apprentices. We need to be extra cautious for the time being. Call Dooku and Obi-Wan to let them know what happened."
"Yes, sir," Rex agrees.
With one final glance around the room, Anakin enters the lift pushing the buttons to take him to the kitchen floor. Just as he'd suspected, Ahsoka is waiting there, looking around at the damage with a frown. After surveying it for a moment, he turns his attention to his Padawan.
"I think we won't be encountering anymore surprises tonight," he remarks with a smirk.
"Let's hope not." She looks him up and down before her lips twitch up in amusement. "Well, I think we've just broken Dooku's first rule."
Anakin stares at her in confusion before realizing that he wasn't wearing his hood when he ended up outside. "I'll take it up with him in the morning," he answers, waving it off, "Now, I'm tired, and I think it would do us both good to get some rest. Rex will be telling the others, so we can deal with it later." He belatedly realizes that he referred to Obi-Wan by name when talking to Rex and resists the urge to facepalm. It was bound to happen anyways. Being overly tired leads to inevitable sloppiness.
**b**
"Possession is not unheard of, but it's not common either," Dooku muses, "Over time, the techniques have been lost to the Sith – or so Sidious told me. While the Dark Side can be used to implant persuasions in a person's mind, it is not easy with trained Force sensitives, especially Jedi."
Anakin relaxes only minutely. "And is it possible that he does know how?" he questions stiffly.
"It is possible," Dooku concedes, "But he would have been forced to uncover it in ancient Sith archives, probably on Korriban. He could have gotten access to Sith holocrons thought to no longer exist."
"Did he ever go there – to Korriban I mean?" asks Obi-Wan, leaning forward, arms resting on the table.
Dooku hums quietly – he seems to be trying to remember. Finally, he nods hesitantly. "Once or twice, but he didn't bring back anything to the best of my knowledge."
"So, you don't think Sidious – when you still knew him – was aware how to possess someone?" Anakin clarifies.
"That is correct," Dooku confirms.
A tense silence fills the room. "What if – what if he learned later on?" wonders Ahsoka hesitantly. It's clear that she doesn't want to express the thought – probably the same one everyone is sharing. It raises a multitude of questions, ones they have no way of answering.
"Is there a way to know if Sidious has been to Korriban since he fled the Senate?" Anakin frowns, mind whirring.
They need to find the Sith Lord and soon. The attack last night only proves that he is willing to resort to almost any means to eliminate them. If he wants them dead, they can either defend themselves or launch an offensive. The latter option is definitely better, even if Obi-Wan would disagree. If they ferret out Sidious, they won't need to be as concerned with their own wellbeing. Besides, they are the only ones who are actually capable of restoring order to the galaxy.
"Not without going there," Dooku replies, sitting back in his chair.
Yes. Anakin had expected as much. "Then we should go there. At the very least, we might get other clues or some much needed information which could help us in the long-run."
Obi-Wan doesn't look nearly so confident. "I have little desire to go to a planet so strong in the Dark Side," he admits, "But if it will help us, then we can go after Dooku and I return from Mandalore."
"We need to be leaving very soon to get there when the Duchess expects us," Dooku interjects.
"Rex said he'd come when it was time," murmurs Ahsoka, unconcerned.
"Should we go to Korriban when you get back then?" inquires Anakin, turning his gaze towards the Count.
"It would probably be wise, but it would be best to talk it over once we get back," he replies.
"Alright, then that's settled," comments Obi-Wan, eyes focusing on Anakin, an inscrutable look on his face. "Be careful while we're gone." His lips quirk into a smirk. "I wouldn't want to come back and find that disaster has laid hold of the mansion while we're gone."
"If something happens, it won't be anything I can't handle," retorts Anakin, waving away his concerns, a feeling of warmth worming through him despite himself. Obi-Wan may not openly say that he's worried about Anakin, but he is. After everything that's happened, they still have each other, and he hopes that won't change. Ever.
"I'll be here too," pipes up Ahsoka cheerfully, "And so will Rex. We'll be fine."
Obi-Wan huffs a quiet laugh. "I know you will be."
A heavy, though not uncomfortable, silence blankets the room for a few minutes, broken only when the door opens and Rex steps inside. "General Kenobi, the ship is ready. Cody, Waxer, and Boil are waiting for you."
Anakin glances at him. After he'd accidently called Obi-Wan his name, Dooku agreed that it probably didn't matter if the clones use their real names when they're inside the mansion. Outside, only their Sith names can be used. It's guesswork to decide who even knows where they are. None of them have heard any rumors from the Republic about their whereabouts, though there's a lot of hype over whether or not the Senate should have accepted Dooku's assistance.
"We're coming," Obi-Wan replies.
"And here we part ways for a while," Dooku adds, giving Anakin a long look. Together, they rise from their chairs, turning towards the door to follow Rex.
"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin calls after Obi-Wan, who stops to look at him before walking out the door.
Anakin leads Ahsoka to a window to watch them depart below. In minutes, the ship is exiting the planet. With their absence, the mansion seems unusually quiet. Perhaps, it's simply the tension weighing him down, Anakin doesn't know.
He will never admit to being nervous, but he is. Ahsoka's vision – which she repeated in detail to everyone in the morning – is disturbing him greatly. He's the Chosen One. He can't be possessed by a Sith. And now, Obi-Wan isn't here either. He shouldn't need his former master to be there, but he's jumpy right now and on edge. He feels safer when Obi-Wan is there, even if its only psychological. One week. It'll only be one week or less. He'll be fine. Ahsoka's here. Rex is here. Nothing will happen. It's just paranoia.
If only he could convince himself of it, but the Force is calm – peaceful almost. There is no danger. Not right now. Sighing, Anakin shakes himself out of his thoughts, turning a crooked smile towards Ahsoka. "Well, Snips, we've got plenty of time on our hands. Want to go spar?"
Her face immediately brightens. "Sure!" He chuckles quietly and heads towards the training room. If nothing else, he can eliminate some of his tension and regain control over his emotions.