Chapter 4

"As many a being is wont to do after an argument with their spouse, he drove aimlessly along the speederway. For Anakin specifically, the most helpful thing would have been to take his mind off his troubles by keeping his hands busy, tinkering with droid circuitry or a malfunctioning mechanical device. Short of those options, the relaxing monotony of the Naboo countryside was the next best thing.

It gave him the chance to think, both fondly and regretfully, as he wound his way through the dark labyrinth of memory in contrast to the road's straightness. While he travelled in three dimensions, he also travelled back in time: reliving some of the countless adventures he had had, significant decisions made and not made, friends or acquaintances gained and lost.

"Maybe she was right to quit the Order," he said aloud as his thoughts dwelt on one particular friend. "And maybe I should've too…"

This time, he was alert despite his distractedness. The instant Skywalker spotted the black repulsorvan behind him, he was ready for another chase. The Executor would get away, he swore to himself. As Yoda likes to say: do or do not, there is no 'try'.

With his determination redoubled, he might have been right about succeeding in the attempt. The problem was, there was to be no chase. More like an ambush.

He saw that in the distance ahead, perhaps a kilometre away, a second vehicle was stopped. Hovering horizontally across the roadway, it blocked his path in an outrageously illegal and unsafe manner. The occupiers evidently did not pay much respect to legality, he further observed, given the presence of a masked figure peering out from the 'van's sunroof. Because that person, incredibly, was pointing a plasma launcher at him.

"I don't believe this!" snarled the Jedi. "How do Rebel scum get their hands on firepower like that?"

In the seconds that followed, Skywalker scrolled through the options in his mind. A median-leaping manoeuvre like what he tried before seemed plausible; though the enemy might be aware of his proclivity to use that move and counteract it. Maybe, he mused, I can feint a barrier jump but go over the shooter's head. He might not expect that… and vape the 'van behind me, if we're lucky!

Anakin was about to embark on his plan of action when another surprise intruded. For without any explanation, his 'speeder began to splutter. A set of power indicators turned orange on his display, threatening to change to red as their next form of dissent.

"You're kriffing kidding me!" he cried. "They have electrojamming tech now?!"

His engine was losing throttle, fast. He would not have sufficient power to do anything fancy. He would have to do something dangerous.

The instant the Force warned him that the enemy gunner was about to fire, he jerked the yoke sharply to the right. Just as in the previous encounter his pursuer had gone offroad, now he did the same. His dying engine ensured that he did not maintain too high a speed when the surface below changed, and the Executor avoided tipping over. Nevertheless it took all his upper body strength to hold the yoke steady against the unevenness of the repulsors.

Several hundred metres from the road, it was apparent his engine was done. He reluctantly made the decision to abandon ship and make his way on foot. After all, he had his trusty lightsaber to defend himself against the enemy. And, lest he forget, the Force too: and a powerful ally it was, in his hands. The hands of the most accomplished Jedi ever.

He was deep in the Wexend Woods when he heard the first voices.

"Over there!"

"Shoot him! Or something."

They were muffled by masks, but he recognised their species' telltale delivery. Padmé had mentioned classified intel about Neimoidian terrorists: here they were, the very same, on Anakin's tail.

And, he noted with dismay, they appeared fairly well-trained. For they remained in compact maniples, each of which fired at him in a sequence of synchronised shots. Master Skywalker almost learned the lesson the hard way, confronting their advance while attempting to deflect their energy bolts with his lightsaber. The commandos concentrated their fire intelligently, in the way they should when attacking a Jedi Knight. He found himself under such strain, at such risk of allowing a deadly bolt through his defences, that he could do no other than break off his charge and dive for cover behind a rocky outcrop.

"Stangnation!" he swore, breathing heavily from the exertion. "They're not as incompetent as I expected. They remind me of the Clone Troopers we used to lead."

As if in confirmation of the assessment, a concussion grenade flew through the air toward him. Rather than risk storming his position, they were attempting to flush him out or incapacitate him where he hid. He used the Force to fling the explosive away from him, and heard it detonate in the distance… only to watch with horror as another seven devices hurled through the air at him, with military co-ordination.

He sprinted from his hiding place, confident that surprise and Jedi speed would be enough. He managed to evade a salvo of blaster bolts that tracked his path; nevertheless, his heart raced at how close they were coming in their efforts.

As he ran, Anakin sensed the Rebels spreading out into three teams as they chased him. They were splitting up strategically, while each one could also remain compact enough to send concentrated fire his way. Despite the danger posed by their tactics, he decided he needed to pick them off somehow – before they hit their target eventually, according to the law of averages. Even a Jedi could only dodge such plentiful fire for a limited time.

In a sudden redirection, he circled around the outside of the left tip of their trident formation. On the approach, the reassuring snap-hiss sound of his lightsaber igniting gave warning of his intentions.

"Fire in bursts!" cried a nameless voice. "Get past his laser sword!"

They underestimated his power, because the men kept firing in place until he cut them down. Several close calls left burn marks on his clothes, and gave rise to a smell of charred flesh he had not endured in years – but he was uninjured and victorious. Until the other companies came at him with greater numbers.

"One down, two to go," commented the Jedi to himself, as he turned and fled again.

It was not exactly elegant, his hit-and-run strategy. It required more running than hitting, which was not Anakin's style. As an active General in the Wars, he might have been embarrassed to enact such a thing; however, as a semi-retired Jedi on his own, pursued by more enemies than he could get a firm numerical grasp on, it only seemed fair.

Unfortunately, after his initial success, Skywalker could not strike again. As with the vehicular encounters, these troops seemed to learn from his moves and work out how to neutralise them thereafter. It would take greater ingenuity on his part to come up with new tactics, he grasped with a groan. And being out of practice certainly would not help with that.

After a period of flight through the forest, he decided on his next trick. He ambushed the vanguard squad of terrorists and drew on the Force to use against them… except each time he sought to hit them with telekinesis, he was distracted by a terrifyingly accurate barrage of firepower which broke his concentration. The discovery made him sick to his stomach.

It was almost as if the Neimoidians knew… what? As if they were Force-sensitive enough to notice when he was tapping into it, as if they had somehow received remedial Jedi training? Or alternatively, remembering these Rebels' possession of sophisticated technology, could they be using some hitherto-unknown device to monitor his Force usage? A remote midi-chlorian detector, perhaps?

Confused and scared in a way he had not been since the Clone Wars, Skywalker found himself confronted by an escarpment ahead. The Rebels had driven him into a sort of trap, whether by luck or by design. He could climb the rocky incline, but that would place him in a precarious position exposed to their fire. It was a risk, yet better than staying put.

In a split second he made the decision to act. Calling upon the Force, he leapt up the rock face as far as he could to get the most advantageous start. Once he found purchase, he began to climb as fast as possible, at an unsustainable pace that most Jedi would not have been able to reach. It was terrifying and exhilarating simultaneously; more so as blaster bolts struck the hill on all sides, spraying him with stony debris and pieces of vegetation.

Anakin was nearly at the top when the Force screamed a warning. Danger, huge danger, was its import. He ignored it, more out of an inability to react rather than arrogance. Not that the Force would judge his motives. He simply had to complete the climb before-

The plasma launcher fired. The Neimoidians must have detached it from their 'speeder and transported it through the woods as they chased him. A powerful projectile slammed into the mountain face, smashing it into pieces. One of which an insignificant human male was clinging onto, as they fell together in a parody of an affectionate embrace.

The world around him went black.

Caught beneath the rubble, he temporarily saved himself by erecting a protective pocket around his body with the Force. However, he could not begin to speculate how long he might manage to stay alive; both physically and psychologically, there must be a limit on his endurance in such an untenable state. The knowledge submerged him in the blackness of sorrow as well as the absence of light.

What a stupid way to go. I was so mad at the Jedi, and my anger made me unable to tap into the Force properly. I was full of emotion, when I should be at peace. My life was good, I should have been happy as Padmé said. I've made such dumb mistakes… I wish I could re-live them and make better decisions.

Only now, helpless under a tonne of rocks, did he see the truth. It came too late. Self-awareness always did. There would be no re-living of his life, only the conclusion of the one he had.

He lost track of time. Half an hour could have passed, or the lifespan of a star.

Eventually, he knew he was not dead yet because he felt the earth quake. Naboo did not suffer from significant volcanic activity, though it did experience some manifestations connected to the extraction of subterranean plasma. However, no such industry was operational nearby, as far as he was aware. Unless it was a natural phenomenon…?

It became clear nothing natural was at work when the weight upon him began to lighten, almost imperceptibly at first, then more noticeably. Casting his awareness outward, he sensed with amazement the presence of a Force-user out there. Searching for him? That conclusion seemed accurate, whether it was friend or foe, coming to either help or finish him. He attempted to touch the person, and fancied he was successful in signalling his position.

The rumbling grew nearer… and the pressure on him was released. The rocks he was buried under began to quiver, then floated into the air and were cast aside with a loud crash. Once Master Skywalker was able to move again, he raised himself onto his hands and knees. They, and much of his body, were bruised and sore, yet the damage was rendered more tolerable by the relief of rescue. And subsequently, the joy of whom to credit for it.

He saw a masked humanoid female, slim and lithe through its jet-black jumpsuit. The two lightsabers at the figure's waist were familiar: for they had been a gift from him, following some tinkering that had improved them, turning the previously green and yellow blades blue. However, he had not seen her for five standard years.

"Happy to see me, Skyguy?"

Despite his injuries, Anakin could not help breaking into a lopsided grin. "That's a name I haven't heard in a while. Nice to see you, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka Tano lifted her mask to speak more clearly, revealing her face and head montrals. "It's nice to save you again. I was always doing that, remember."

"It's a Jedi tradition for Padawans to save Masters. I'd save Obi-Wan, you'd save me."

"You did also save me when I was buried under the debris and sand on Geonosis, though. Fair's fair." She extended a hand to help him up. "Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," he answered with more confidence than he felt. "Cuts, bumps and bruises; pretty standard after getting buried under a mountain. A Jedi Master laughs at such minor obstacles."

"Same cocky Anakin," laughed the Togruta. "My intel said you're not a Master anymore. Are you?"

"Yes. No… It's complicated," he evaded. "I'm part-time. Semi-autonomous. Freelance. A consultant. I help out when they need me." The human bit his tongue, cognisant of how insecure he sounded.

She placed his arm around her shoulders to support him, eliciting a grunt of pain. "Your 'speeder's back down by the road, looking untouched, though we should check it for boobytraps. I'll help you there."

"Thanks," he replied with relief. The thought struck him to ask how she knew, indeed how she had found him. However, given his physical state he was reluctant to be confrontational, and remained conversational instead.

"How about you, Snips? What have you been doing since… since we last met? I've missed you."

"Republic Intelligence," answered Ahsoka. "And I know."

His old friend resumed after a pause. "I was keeping tabs on a group of Neimoidian 'musicians', if you'd believe it. They were traveling to a festival with large amounts of equipment; I guess now we know they were hiding weapons among their stuff."

"Yeah, they had some very illegal firepower," Skywalker contributed as eyewitness experience. "Quick-firing military-grade rifles, concussion 'nades, and at least one plasma launcher – which brought the hilltop down onto my unlucky backside."

"Interesting. In spite of their professionalism, they left you for dead under the rubble." She chuckled. "Rebels are sloppy fools."

Anakin ruefully rubbed his ribs. "They didn't seem so sloppy to me. They were pretty well-organized, and effective."

"No offense, former Master, but if you're part-time I imagine you haven't been practising enough. It's easy for a Jedi to get rusty without regular work."

He covered his embarrassment by picking up on the term she had used. "Hang on – 'Rebels', you said? Someone told me we don't use that term."

"Depends who 'we' is. Depends on your point of view."

The enigmatic nature of her words made him remain silent for a while as they walked. Once they could see his abandoned 'speeder in the distance, he piped up again. "I've got a med-kit in the back. Would you mind giving me a hand with some bandages, Snips? Like old times."

"Sure. Just like old times."

While she tended to him, they had a while to talk. Anakin found that most of what he would have liked to say to her, both positive and negative, during their long separation, did not really matter anymore. He was content to catch up with a long-lost friend, in a relaxed manner befitting two civilians.

"You know, Ahsoka, it's crazy to think it's been five years. How've you been since leaving the Order? What's Republic Intelligence like?"

"Not bad," she replied succinctly. "In some ways it's like being a Jedi, only without so many stupid strictures. And without having to put up with those idiots on the Council." She made a face. "No offense, Master Skywalker."

"It's okay. I have the rank of Master but I'm not on the Council. So I don't care, you can criticize them as much as you want."

"Nah, I don't really want to. All that stuff is water under the bridge." Ahsoka frowned again. "More worrying is the fact you're a Jedi Master, but you let a bunch of Rebels get the better of you. Have standards slipped that much since the Wars?"

"Well, I try to stay in shape, but my main activity these days is podracing. I own a pro team, Skybold Racing. You might have heard of us…?"

"Sorry, not my sport. Never been a fan of driving around in circles. I only watch borgleball, mainly Senatorial B.C. games."

"Oh right. I hear they're a really good team."

"The best in the galaxy. Like you used to be."

"Ouch," flinched Anakin under a particularly stinging application of bacta salve. He used the pain as an excuse to drop the thread of the conversation at the uncomfortable place she had taken it.

"Something strange is happening, Snips," he said to change the subject. "While I was doing exercises this morning, I slipped and cracked my head on the floor. Since then, I can't remember some things, while remembering others that don't seem to have happened at all."

"Maybe it's a timeflow problem," suggested the Togruta with a shrug. "Whatever you were doing with your powers, you reached through a sort of hole in the time-Force continuum by accident. I'm sure I've heard of Jedi coming across those."

"Multiple universes, huh? That's… that's crazy, but it makes a weird sort of sense. I've heard quantum theories about multiverses sprout up from time to time. Though until now, they usually sounded ridiculous."

Anakin was struck by his former apprentice's idea, and seized hold of it with interest. "I'm thinking, so I know I'm here. This is real. You're real. We're on Naboo. Padmé's alive, and we have a daughter who's Force-sensitive, training to be a Jedi Knight. Masters Windu and Fisto survived the Wars, although part of me thought they were killed in action… See, it's like there's a shadowy alternate reality lurking somewhere, either in my mind or-" he waved an arm – "Out there."

Noooooo! called the strange voice from earlier. It was slightly stronger this time, or perhaps clearer, carrying across the woodlands.

"Did you hear that, Snips?"

"Hear what?"

"That noise. It's a mammal called a nokono. They growl when on the prowl."

Ahsoka laughed at the rhyme. "Really? Where did you learn that? A children's book?"

The Jedi Master rolled his eyes upward, trying to remember. "I think Uncle Sheev told me."

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"Because it's not true."

Skywalker's jaw dropped. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there's no such animal."

The former Jedi Tano screwed up her face in thought. Clearly she did not like what she was hearing, as the stripes up and down her montrals were almost mimicked by the wrinkles forming across her face.

"Has Palpatine done, or said, anything else of note recently? In your presence."

"What-?" He cut himself off with a blush, recognising how unhelpful his response was. They had been apart for so long, yet he still felt as if he should be her superior. Though he had an inkling that she might have overtaken him in some ways, as an Intelligence operative.

"I can't say what 'anything of note' would be. But-" Anakin continued in haste to prevent her from cutting him off – "He was there when I hit my head. Do you think something might have happened while we were together? Somehow he picked up that word… from another reality?"

"You know what? Maybe." The Togruta flexed her head-tails. "Let's go ask him. He might remember what you were up to when you had your accident."

"All right," he agreed. "We're not too far from Moenia, and his place is close by in the hills." Skywalker grunted as he levered himself to his feet, feeling pain in one arm. "Think you can take the yoke, Snips?"

"I remember how you were with your vehicles," she chuckled. "A bit too attached. Possessive, like a territorial animal who'll growl on the prowl. Are you sure you want me to drive?"

"I have faith in you. In fact, I never lost it."

"That's nice, Master."

They rode for what felt like standard hours, but was not. At any rate it was time during which Jedi Skywalker found some peace in the lap of unconsciousness.