Chapter 42 - Assault
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD
Author's Note: Well, the final stretch has begun! Eight more chapters to go, excluding the epilogue and bonus chapter at the end. ;)
~ Amina Gila
Ahsoka is on her way to the clones' barracks when the alarm goes off. She hadn't been expecting it, and the sudden noise makes her jump. Sucking in a quick, moderately calming breath, she glances around to see what the current situation is just as her commlink beeps.
"Assault ships incoming," Rex's voice crackles through, "They didn't ask for clearance, so they aren't ours. We're under attack."
With a muttered curse, Ahsoka whirls, sprinting back towards the mansion where she knows the others probably are waiting. When she gets there, they're gathered in the courtyard. Dooku's face is impassive, but she can see some tension in his shoulders. Anakin and Obi-Wan are both in their armor – and why they're wearing it is anybody's guess. If they're under attack by Sidious, he already knows they're both here.
"We don't know if they're here to kill or capture us," Anakin comments grimly, and Ahsoka represses a shudder. This is fine. She's fought in the war for long enough to handle a bunch of droids, because surely, they're sending droids to face them. She's not at all afraid of the homicidal, probably mentally unstable Sith Lord behind the plan. No. Not at all. She's a Jedi. But none of her mental reassurances can stave off the spike of fear which races down her spine.
"Unless we have reason to suspect otherwise, assume the worst," replies Obi-Wan, the dry sarcasm in his tone somehow being conveyed over the vocoder. He crosses his arms, head turning to scan the area.
For her part, Ahsoka shifts back and forth, desperately hoping to get some word – anything – from the clone lookout. Now, they wait. The ships aren't landing nearby, probably so they can't be destroyed. They have no way of knowing the extent of the attack, but a report should soon be coming in from the clone scouts.
It's been about ten minutes before their commlinks buzz. "General, there's droids on all sides," Rex sounds stressed, much more so than usual, "They're closing in rapidly. Grievous and an unidentified commander are with them."
Anakin curses, ignoring the look – probably of reprimand – that Obi-Wan gives him. "What's our best option?" Obi-Wan demands, turning towards Dooku. "Do we stay and fight or evacuate while there's time."
Dooku sets his jaw. "We cannot flee from the fight, or they will follow us. We have the advantage for now. We know the terrain, so we should have a better chance of controlling the outcome. I have called for reinforcements, but for now, we have ourselves, the clones, and our own security droids."
"We're splitting up," Anakin interjects, "Each of us should be in charge of one of the sides of the battle. If we can herd them away or back, we'll have a better chance of success."
"I agree," states Obi-Wan. Ahsoka shifts, hands inching towards her lightsabers, "We must protect ourselves and the clones at all costs. They're all we have against Sidious."
"Skywalker, you take that side," orders Dooku, "I'll remain here and meet the forward advance. Kenobi, go to that side." He pauses, motioning. "Tano, take the other."
"Okay," she replies, "I'll take the clones under Fives." Without waiting for a reply, she races away, calling into her comm for the clones to join her. If they move fast enough, she knows exactly where the best strategic location will be for them to hold the defense line.
**b**
Blaster fire echoes all around her, but Ahsoka ignores it, listening to the Force's warnings as she hacks droids to pieces right and left. They aren't falling back. For now, they're holding the line steady with minimal casualties. She counts it as a success. Anakin really did wonders with the droids they had shipped in for defensive purposes. They're so many times better than their counterparts, even if they still tend to make goofy statements at times.
"Grievous!" exclaims one of the clones from behind her, and Ahsoka turns, seeing that the droid general is indeed making his way towards her. Well, this is bad. The others are all busy, so she'll have to deal with him alone. On the plus side, she doesn't see any more incoming droids from this side, so maybe the hundred or so left are all.
The stamp of Grievous' feet comes to a halt when he's about two hundred feet from her. He ignites two blue lightsabers, standing to his full height and laughing maniacally as he stalks closer. She raises her own lightsabers defensively in front of her, standing in position and awaiting his approach. She's fought him before, so she knows his style. He's not a good fighter, but with his four flailing arms, he's hard to defend against.
She knows well that defense is the best strategy with him, but that's something she's never been good at doing. Maybe she can't defeat him, but she can hold him off until someone else can help. "Fives, see if any of the others are free to come help me tame Grievous," she calls, intentionally loudly, trying to aggravate him. From experience, she knows that if the droid general is mad, he'll be sloppier.
"Right away, Commander," the clone replies.
Grievous snarls, anger lashing out into the Force. His eyes narrow threateningly behind the mask contraption on his face. He moves several paces closer before stopping. His arms split in two, and he withdraws and ignites two more lightsabers, both with green blades. She tenses as he moves closer. Her blue eyes narrow as she springs towards him, their lightsabers clashing.
She leaps backwards, ducking a swing towards her head and stabbing at the general's arm. A blue blade blocks her, and then she's dodging sideways to avoid being impaled. Ahsoka resolutely throws herself forward, stabbing towards Grievous, trying to hit him somewhere, anywhere. He steps back to avoid her blows.
Snarling, he begins spinning the four lightsabers so fast they look like a blur and stalks forward. Wariness creeps into Ahsoka as she slowly backs away. Then, he attacks her, slashing at her right and left. Everywhere she looks, another blade is swinging towards her to end her life. Clenching her jaw, Ahsoka ducks a green blade which would have taken off her left arm, before swinging to meet the two blue ones aiming for her head.
They remain in that position, neither able to break the saberlock. Cackling, Grievous raises a leg grabbing her neck in its claw-like mechanical foot before throwing her hard over his head. She tumbles across the ground, hitting it hard enough for all the air to be knocked out of her body. Laughing maniacally, Grievous storms towards her prone body, raising his lightsabers for a killing blow.
Ahsoka rapidly rolls over as the blades are imbedded in the ground where she was just laying and represses a shudder. Reaching out her hands, she calls her sabers back to her, igniting them simultaneously with a hiss. Their lightsabers crash together once more, and she vaguely wonders how much longer she can hold out against him without assistance, especially since the clones are unwilling to shoot lest they mistakenly hit her.
She shoves his lightsabers away, spinning to the side before leaping into the air and landing on his shoulders for a millisecond before she's jumping as far from him as she can get. Grievous spins around and starts marching towards her again, but she still has the time to throw a sudden Force shove at him. It catches him right in the chest, and he's sent sliding across the ground, all four lightsabers cutting deep into the earth as he goes. With a final, pointless ferocious growl, he comes to a stop many yards away.
It's not over, she reminds herself, bracing for further action. Ahsoka senses a dark presence approaching, drawing her gaze away from Grievous. Turning, she sees a black-robed figure stalking towards her at a rapid pace. Pausing, he throws back his hood to reveal a red and black colored Zabrak. Maul. He draws and ignites a double-bladed, red lightsaber with a flourish, yellow eyes narrowing.
She swallows nervously. The situation is getting out of control. She can defend herself for a while against Grievous and probably Maul too, but together? Not even a fully trained Jedi Master could do that. Clearly, escape is not an option either. They could easily outrun her, leaving her at a significant disadvantage. Her instincts scream at her to run, because she knows she'll never win.
Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Dooku are fighting elsewhere; the dumbest thing to do would be to lead Grievous and Mail right towards them, and by default, their secured compound. But… there is another way. Hoping she's not making a mistake, Ahsoka reaches out towards Anakin through their bond. "Master!" she shouts, desperation leaking through her shields. "I could use your help right about now!"
The Zabrak lunges towards her, and she parries his blow, striking towards his chest. He spins his saber with ease, stopping her. Mentally groaning, Ahsoka presses her attack, knowing even as she does, that they are evenly matched. She gets the sinking impression that he's not trying to kill her. For whatever reason, he wants to capture her instead.
Their lightsabers clash together, becoming a furious dance of red and green. Neither of them is able to gain the upper hand. A surge of alarm races through her as Grievous deactivates his lightsabers, clipping them all back in place before he charges towards her. The situation must have been discussed ahead of time, because Maul skillfully stops her from scoring a hit on the droid general. He grabs her by the neck, lifting her in the air as Maul rips her lightsabers away.
Grievous cackles as Maul takes ahold of her, lightsaber right in front of her neck. If she struggles – or even moves too much – she'll be killed, and Ahsoka really, really doesn't want to know what Anakin will do if that happens. "Go find Skywalker," orders Maul in a clipped tone, "Let him know we have something he wants."
Final Note: This is self-promotion again... because I'm not satisfied with the lack of attention some of our other fanfics are getting. xD
Feel free to check out these one-shots!
The Meaning of Destiny - After his death on the Second Death Star, Anakin Skywalker regrets much of what he did, but there are no second chances. He has to live with the consequences of his actions, but perhaps, he can change things in another timeline through time travel. This time, there can be no mistakes.
Closer Than Brothers - On a sleepless night after Obi-Wan Kenobi fakes his death to go on an undercover mission, Anakin Skywalker reflects on their relationship to Ahsoka Tano.
Ignorance is Bliss - On the way to Alderaan, Obi-Wan Kenobi reflects on what he told Luke Skywalker about his father, and his reasoning for doing so.
~ Amina Gila
