Chapter 4 - Battles on Tatooine

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: Yeah, I know this is a bit late. xP In which more of Ahsoka's past comes to light. ;)

~ Amina Gila

The suns are sinking below the horizon and the shadows lengthening. The sky is mostly red, painfully reminding Anakin even more of the last sunset he'd seen here. It doesn't help that there's been a cold, dark presence here the entire time. Anakin stops in his tracks as the shadows over it finally clear. He's here. The Jedi is not even surprised.

Artoo beeps behind him, sensing his master's concerns.

"It's Dooku. He's here." Anakin pauses in concentration, reaching farther into the Force. "Ahsoka's here too. We're going to have to do this differently." The Jedi turns, crouching in front of the droid. "You'll have to take Rotta from here."

Artoo beeps reluctantly, worried. It's dangerous.

"I know, I know," Anakin reassures it. "When Dooku comes here, you'll hide out of sight and sneak past him with Rotta. Go straight to the palace. I'll follow." Yes, he knows how dangerous it is. The last time he fought Dooku alone, he was electrocuted and lost his arm. But he knows how the Sith fights now. He'll hold him off; that's all that matters.

Minutes later, Anakin heads up to the top of the sand dune, Artoo safely hidden out of sight behind it. He'll figure something out. There very well might be a trap set farther up ahead, and Anakin can only hope he won't have to fight Dooku and Ahsoka at once. Ahsoka is relatively easy to fight, but Dooku? Not so much, and together, they could make a very good team.

The sky slowly transforms into its darker blue nighttime color, leaving only the horizon a faint pink. The moons are out, shining brightly when Anakin senses a rapidly approaching presence. A speeder zooms up and comes to a halt a short distance away. Dooku gets off, approaching the Jedi Knight. Anakin activates his blue lightsaber, returning Dooku's gaze with a cold stare.

"Surrender the Huttlet or die, Skywalker," the Sith Lord threatens.

Does he seriously think Anakin is going to listen to threats? He's an idiot. Dooku raises a hand when he finishes speaking, and a stream of blue-white lightning shooting out at Anakin. He instantly moves to block it with his lightsaber, positioning it in front of himself defensively once the onslaught ceases.

Dooku finally lets up when he realizes that he's not getting anywhere, drawing his own red blade. He lunges forwards and Anakin moves to parry his first blow, returning it with one of his own. The Count steps back and slashes at him again. Anakin jumps out of the way, Dooku's blade cutting pointlessly through the air thrice before Anakin lunges at him again.

"Your training has come a long way," the Sith remarks as their lightsabers clash a few more times. The blade slashes down towards his legs but he parries it easily, lightsaber clashing once more before Dooku finally takes a couple steps back.

"Now I remember. This was your home planet, wasn't it?" he remarks, "I sense your strong feelings." Anakin lowers his gaze, trying to force back the memories assaulting him, trying not to remember the last time he was here. The moons were out in a similar place when he'd gotten to the Tusken's hut, he remembers. And when he got inside... the images have haunted him relentlessly ever since that day. "Feelings of pain, loss," the Sith continues, snapping Anakin back to the present.

He's trying to throw him off balance, to distract him. Not happening. Anakin's anger is rising as the memories of the following days start resurfacing. How so many Jedi had been killed, how the war had started, how he'd lost his arm. Now, Anakin needs to distract Dooku so Artoo can get by with Rotta. And he has the perfect idea how to do it.

Dooku starts swinging at Anakin again while he's distracted, only to be met with a Force shove, sending him skidding backwards. Anakin remembers on Ansion when Luminara was manipulating sand particles, and well, that's what he's about to do. He's not as skilled as that, but he's the child of the Force. Nothing is impossible for him. A swirl of sand lifts itself from atop the hill, hurling towards Dooku.

"Go!" Anakin yells, hoping it seemed to the Count like he was talking to empty air, or maybe even the sand. Artoo doesn't make a sound, thankfully, but the glinting of the moon off his dome catches Anakin's attention. The droid speeds by. All the while, Dooku is distracted blocking the currents being thrown at him, successfully being blinded.

Anakin continues a moment longer, finally letting up when he's fairly certain the droid is safely out of sight, only for the storm to be hurled straight back at him. Anakin looks up, gathering the Force to him in an attempt to block it, but not fast enough. He's thrown backwards down the sandy slope, blasted many feet away.

Anakin spots his lightsaber close by, reaching out to grab it just as Dooku jumps at him. The Jedi flips over onto his back, lightsaber raising in time to meet what would have been a killing blow. Anakin shoves the Sith back, scrambling to his feet. On second thought, maybe continuing to carry a backpack that's fall of rocks wasn't such a good idea. It's seriously beginning to throw him off balance. He starts moving forwards to turn around, but he's out of breath from being thrown so far without a moment to recover. The movement is slowed, enough for Dooku to slash his lightsaber across the backpack.

Anakin stumbles, falling again while diving aside to keep from letting the blade cut into him. "You've failed, Jedi," Dooku sneers, "I have just killed Jabba's son." He's always too confident.

The Jedi Knight smirks, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, fearlessly looking up at the figure towering over him. "You've fallen for my little trick, Count." Anakin reaches up, pulling one of the straps off the backpack and throwing it out at him, letting the rocks spill out. "It's nothing but rocks," he informs cheerfully. "The huttlet is with my droid, safely at Jabba's palace." At least he's fairly certain Artoo already got there. If not, he will be soon enough.

"I expected such treachery from a Jedi," Dooku growls, a murderous look flashing through his eyes. Sure, he did. Then why was he so quick to gloat about his supposed victory? Anakin knows better than to comment, though. "I assure you my apprentice will be able to stop your little droid," Dooku retorts.

Maybe. Artoo can fly, but Ahsoka cannot. "Perhaps. He's more than an ordinary little droid."

The Count lunges at him again and Anakin jumps up, parrying the blow. The Sith is fighting more furiously now, clearly drawing on his anger over his own stupidity. The two move together in a furious dance of swirling ruby and sapphire blades. It slightly surprised Anakin how much his own skill has grown since the start of the war. Before, Dooku was far better, but now, it almost seems more like they're a perfect match in skill.

When the lightsabers clash into a saberlock, Anakin kicks him down the hill. He doesn't know if Artoo has reached the palace yet, but he needs to hurry and get there. Spinning around, he darts to the abandoned speeder. Just in case, he needs to hurry and get there. For a moment, a thought surfaces in his mind that Ahsoka is probably going to be in a lot of trouble for failing this mission. He pushes it aside, firing up the speeder and zipping away across the desert.

**w**

Ahsoka hears something approaching from afar as she stands along the route, remaining on the lookout. It's about time. She was beginning to get very tired of waiting. From around a nearby sand dune, Skywalker's astromech droid rolls into view... with the Huttlet strapped onto him. Seriously? This should be easy. She dashes forwards, only for the droid to levitate itself into the air, beeping worriedly. The droid glides over the side of the sand dune. Smart, but that doesn't make him unbeatable.

Ahsoka jumps at it, only for the droid to do a sudden dive downwards and sideways. She flies right overhead, landing on the ground many feet below. Fine. If jumping at him won't help, she'll grab him with the Force. Easy as ever.

Suddenly, the faint sound she'd been hearing for a while becomes more distinct. It's the speeder Dooku had left on, which means he must be coming back. Looking up, the astromech is making for the sand dune again. Ahsoka reaches out, the Force wrapping around it and dragging it back. The huttlet wails, but Ahsoka ignores him. He'll be safely at home soon enough.

"Master?" she calls, hearing the speeder come to a stop at the side of the done. She doesn't bother stopping to look and see who it is... until the distinct snap-hiss of a lightsaber echoes over the dark desert.

"What's that?" Skywalker asks cheerfully. How did he get here, and where is her master? "You want me to be your new master?"

Ahsoka glares at him, reaching with one hand for her lightsaber while attempting to keep hold of the droid with the other. "Kill him!" she yells to the three MagnaGaurds above, turning back towards the astromech. They slide down the hill and advance, purple electricity crackling over both ends of their electrostaffs. Skywalker is moving before they even reach him, though. He jumps over them, cutting one in half, then spins to block the blows from the other two.

Ahsoka refocuses her attention. The droid – and Rotta – are a couple feet out of her reach, though he's clearly putting as much power against it as he can. She's not even going to ask what happened to Dooku and how he managed to lose his speeder. Apparently, he won't be getting here for a while. Closer, closer, closer – Ahsoka reaches out, freezing mid-motion as danger screams through the Force behind her. She ducks and rolls aside, looking up to see a sapphire lightsaber slicing through where she was a moment ago. Her lightsabers are out in a flash, igniting to parry the next blow.

"Artoo, get to the palace!" Skywalker yells up to the droid, which hastily flies away. Ahsoka can only watch angrily as it flies over the edge out of sight. She kicks Skywalker back, breaking into a run towards the side of the sand dune. Maybe she'll still be able to stop the droid, yet. Until an invisible force picks her up, throwing her into the wall.

Stars dance in Ahsoka's vision, and she vaguely registers she's lying on the ground, having landed headfirst in a pile of sand. She blinks a few times, struggling to stake the dizziness. The moon and stars lighting the area, casting their pale white glow over the sandy surface, seem to be spinning overhead. Ahsoka groans, realizing they aren't stopping. And what was she even doing anymore? Oh, right. Trying to stop Skywalker from getting – the huttlet! He's probably already gone. She scrambles up, nearly faceplanting again and attempting to ignore the annoying sand particles sticking to her montrals. It's making them itch, but scratching would make it worse.

She glances around, somehow managing to make out the destroyed droids and their long-since abandoned electrostaffs. And her lightsabers are lying nearby, but she doesn't see the Astromech droid or the Jedi nearby. Reaching out, Ahsoka steadies herself with one hand against the rocky cliff, shaking her head and struggling to regain her sense of balance. She can't even stand straight right now.

She closes her eyes, taking a few deep calming breaths, letting the Force flow through her. A sudden presence washes over her, making her raise her head. Dooku is approaching the edge, staring down at her with a very displeased expression. Uh oh. She almost doesn't want to go up there, but she knows there's no choice. She scrambles up the side, climbing over the edge of the cliff.

"Your performance is most disgraceful, Ahsoka," Dooku chides as she carefully inspects the sand at her feet. And what can she say to that? It's quite literally the truth. If she had grabbed that droid first thing, she probably could have made it to the palace before Skywalker caught up. What is wrong with her? "Get to the ship. We must leave the planet before they discover us," he orders in a tone Ahsoka knows means she will definitely be hearing about this for a long, long time.

The Togruta shuffles past her master, wanting to disappear. She hurries to the cockpit as soon as they board the ship, blasting off the surface of the planet. She doesn't even need to feel the Force to sense his displeasure, though he doesn't say anything until after they've already made the jump to hyperspace.

"I will go contact Lord Sidious," Dooku decides, leaving the room. Ahsoka nods, remaining alone in the cockpit, shifting uneasily in her seat. She can only hope Sidious won't be too upset. May the Force help her if she is. She might get electrocuted. Maybe. Dooku usually doesn't hurt her. Usually.

Random pieces from the conversation in the next room float through the doorway, and Ahsoka finds herself straining to hear as much as possible in spite of herself. She at least wants to have a warning in the worst case. "It is unfortunate Master. The Jedi armies will now have their supply routes to the Outer Rim," Dooku is saying, "Our fight has become far more difficult."

"Allow the Jedi their small victory my friend," Sidious rasps, "For the engines of this war turn in our favor..." Ahsoka instantly lets out a sigh of relief. He doesn't seem angry. It must have been one of his plans that will work both ways.

"Yes, Master," Dooku's voice comes through the door, followed by the sound of the call disconnecting.

When he reenters the room, his expression has returned to the one of extreme displeasure. "Ahsoka, I am most disappointed in you. I trained you better than this. This is a major setback for the Separatists, caused by a mistake from your own clumsiness."

"It won't happen again, Master," she mumbles, lowering her head. She's not even sure what she was thinking. It should have been much harder than that to be defeated.

"I hear that every time," he replies sounding very unimpressed, "Lord Sidious will not continue to tolerate your failures forever. As soon as we arrive at Serenno, it's time for some training exercises."

That, Ahsoka already expected. As much as she hates to admit it, she needs to. She is still young, but really, she should be progressing faster than this.

**w**

Anakin comes to a stop outside Jabba's palace, Artoo rolling up behind him, still carrying Rotta. Anakin does not want to be here. He wants to get out and away, as far as possible. This was the very reason he didn't want this mission in the first place. As he approaches the door, it slides open and several guards hurry out, pointing their blasters at the Jedi Knight. A protocol droid stands in between them.

"We are here with Jabba's son," Anakin informs them.

"Your weapons, please," requests the protocol droid. His eyes narrow, but several other guards surround him, blasters aimed. It seems like he doesn't have much of a choice, then. Anakin reluctantly passes his lightsaber to the droid. It's somewhat of a consolation that if he needs it, he'll be able to get it back at a moment's notice anyway.

The protocol droid steps back inside, and Anakin follows. They enter the large room where the giant slug sits, waiting. "This is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, and your son is with him," the droid reports.

Anakin nods, turning to Artoo and gently picking up Rotta, turning to Jabba and holding out the Huttlet. He reaches out, taking his son with far more care than Anakin thought him capable of. Well, maybe the disgusting slug has somewhat care for people, then, even if it's just his own. Hardly a redeeming quality, though.

Anakin steps back, fully intent on leaving. His part of the mission is over, but Jabba's voice stops him before he can turn.

"You are to be executed immediately."

Wait, what? There goes that hope. Anakin suspected he would try something like this, the other reason he didn't like the thought of trying to make a deal of any sorts with the traitorous slugs. Anakin reaches out, ripping his lightsaber away from the protocol droid, standing defensively in the center of the room. The guards aim their blasters. Artoo beeps indignantly, realizing what's happening.

Before a single shot can be fired, the globe on the right of the protocol droid flashes a glowing white. "Your Uncle Ziro is contacting us," announces the droid. Maybe that's going to give everyone a distraction so Anakin can escape. He starts moving back, pausing again when the hologram flickers to life. Padme? How did she get involved in this, and what is she doing with a Hutt?

"Greetings, honorable Jabba," she begins. She's using the tone of the Senator she is, and she's portraying the outward appearance of calm, but Anakin can sense her worry. "I am Senator Amidala of the Galactic Congress. I have discovered a plot against you by one of your own. Your uncle will admit he conspired with Count Dooku to kidnap your son and frame the Jedi for the crime."

The hologram switches to a mostly purple Hutt, save the several yellow stripes running across it. Jabba's expression turns murderous. "It was Count Dooku!" protests Ziro frantically.

"Ziro will be dealt with by the Hutt family most severely," Jabba snarls and the protocol droid repeats. The hologram switches back to Padme.

"Perhaps now you will allow the Republic to use your trade routes and hostilities can come to an end?" she proposes.

"I agree. A treaty is in order," Jabba replies.

Anakin steps forwards, deactivating his lightsaber. Maybe it's a good thing Padme got involved after all, though that was very risky of her. At least everything worked out in the end. "You will not regret this Jabba," he promises.

"The clone armies may move through my territories," he confirms.

"Senator," Anakin calls, smiling when she turns around to face him. "You have my undying gratitude." If she had contacted a few minutes later, he might have been dead. And even if he wasn't, there would be no way for the Republic to make an agreement with the Hutts by that time.

"No, Master Skywalker, it is I and the Republic who owe you thanks," she replies smoothly, lips curving into a smile. Anakin wishes the situation was different so they could actually be around each other, be a family, but it is what it is, and nothing will be changing any time soon. There is a momentary pause as they look at each other, the instant finally broken when the hologram flickers off.

"I would be most appreciative if you would bring Dooku to justice for his crimes against the Hutts," Jabba relates.

"You can count on it," Anakin promises. "It would be my pleasure."

Minutes later, he's leaving the palace again, Artoo following. He's greeted by the familiar sight of thousands of stars twinkling brightly, painfully reminding him of the last two days he'd seen them. The day his mother died, and the day before... before he'd left, when he was outside with Qui-Gon and –

Anakin's thoughts are interrupted when he spots a gunship descending from the sky. It lands a short distance away. Obi-Wan and Yoda, followed by two long lines of clones disembark and approach.

**w**

"The Sith assassin used to be a Jedi," remarks Obi-Wan suddenly. They're in the cockpit of the cruiser, watching the blue and white streaks of hyperspace moving past as they head back to Coruscant.

"What?!" Anakin exclaims in surprise. She used to be a Jedi? Of all things, he wasn't expecting to hear that.

"Apparently Master Plo used to know her very well when she was younger," he replies.

"Did he?" Anakin inquires, curiosity perked.

"He found her eleven years ago, on the planet Shili," Obi-Wan relates. "She was brought to the Temple and trained as a Jedi for the next five years, until the gathering. She was eight at the time. The group was attacked by some pirates, and she was kidnapped. He tried to find her later but wasn't able to."

"If she was kidnapped by pirates... how did Dooku end up with her?" The Jedi Knight muses. He remembers the second time they'd fought back on Teth, and how he'd noticed she wasn't fully lost to the Dark Side yet. "There's still light in her. I can sense it."

"I did notice that too," his master concedes after a pause, "But she already has much darkness in her. Her eyes started turning yellow when I was fighting her on Teth."

Did they? She must have been using the Dark Side far more strongly than when she was fighting Anakin. Considering the circumstances, it's not that surprising. Ahsoka clearly does still have light left in her, but the question is, is it enough to save her? The longer she's with Dooku, the further she's going to Fall. "Do you think there's a way to save her?" Anakin finally asks the question that's been on his mind for so long.

"As Master Yoda has always said 'once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will'," he quotes. "She's definitely more than just 'started' down the path to the Dark Side. Before she officially became Dooku's assassin it may have been possible, but now... Perhaps there is something we could do for her, but not right now."

Anakin frowns. Yes, he's been told it's impossible to turn back. Maybe it is, but what if they're not totally Dark yet? Ahsoka is hardly a Sith, and no matter how hard he tries, that's something he's always going to believe. He can't call her evil, even though she does use the Dark Side. Besides, if Dooku wasn't there to force her to fight against the Republic, Anakin highly doubts she would be.

"I want to help her, if we have a chance," Anakin decides at last. "It's not fair to leave her there like that."

"There's little we can do unless we run into her again," Obi-Wan considers, "But even so, we must very cautious. She is still a Sith and could have ulterior motives for whatever she does."

He nods. "I know." He'd felt the conflict in her, how she's trying not to let herself slip over the edge too far. He wants to help her, but Obi-Wan is right. For now, they have to wait.