Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars the Clone Wars, only the OC.
In the caves underneath Mon Cala city, the remaining SCUBA troopers and Calamari assembled, waiting patiently for the order to move. Meanwhile, Prince Char, Captain Ackbar Kit Fisto, Anakin and Padme sat in a meeting of their own with members of the Jedi Council. They were soon joined by Ahsoka returning from patrol who offered Char a friendly, reassuring smile as she arrived.
"We've lost contact with all Clone troopers and Mon Cala soldiers. The Quarren ambushed us, they were ready to attack long before the peace talks came to an end." Fisto was telling Master Windu and Master Yoda, who were present via holocall.
"Desperate, the situation is." Yoda mused. "Re... force your... posi... we..." The call was suddenly disturbed as Yoda's voice cut out repeatedly, his image flickering as well.
"Master? Repeat, are you sending reinforcements?" Kit pressed, trying to at least get the point across before they lost the call altogether. Ahsoka and Char exchanged concerned looks.
"You're breaking up-..." Mace managed to get out before the call was terminated and the holograph shut off. Anakin and Padme looked to each other, both of them knowing that this was likely the Quarren-Separatist alliance's doing.
"Are they coming?" Char wondered.
"We don't know." Kit answered.
"But they know our situation," Ackbar interjected, "they must know to send help."
"Yeah, but it may take them a while to get here." Anakin added. "We're gonna have to get ourselves to the surface and get off this rock."
"I will not leave my people to die." Char stated, swimming over to the Jedi.
"With all due respect, your highness, if we stay, we all die." Anakin slowly told him. He didn't like this either, but they had little choice.
"We must reach the surface and see if our ship is still there." Padme said. But Ackbar stopped her.
"The Prince will decide our course of action."
"I think it is best we try to escape using our ship." Char relented, quickly opting to defer to the experience the Republic leaders had.
"As you wish your highness. Follow me." Anakin responded. With that, they all moved out.
While the Republic force on Mon Cala set about putting their plan into motion, the Jedi Council decided to seek out an army other than the Republic for assistance, due to the fact that they had no other Clone army readily outfitted for aquatic warfare.
At Master Yoda's discretion, they decided to call on the Gungans of Naboo.
Quarren-droid patrols were regular, criss-crossing the water and making things difficult for anyone trying to make an escape.
"That's a lot of enemy troops between us and the surface." Padme observed.
"It's no problem. I just hope you're a fast swimmer." Anakin replied, turning to her with a grin.
"Says the boy from a desert planet." Padme shot back, smiling herself. Ahsoka watched their interaction like she had countless ones before. She had to wonder about the relationship her master had with the senator. They seemed to be very good friends... but were quite close, she had to admit.
"Are you certain your ship is still there?" Senator Tills inquired. They hadn't made contact with the vessel in some time, due to trying to avoid a localized, traceable signal that the Separatists might locate. The answer to her question was a rocky one.
"There's only one way to find out." Anakin replied.
Aboard the Republic Consular-class cruiser on the surface, the entire bridge crew lay dead on the ground, cauterized burn marks across their chests, or where arms are meant to be, indicating the death was caused by a lightsaber. Heads, legs, arms, half of bodies laid everywhere, indicating this was a slaughter, a massacre. A lone figured stood in the middle of the bridge, dropping the body of the last of the bridge crew as a red crossguard Lightsaber was held in the figure's hand.
The figure then walked away while deactivating the Lightsaber.
Kit Fisto had managed to procure some of the Quarren turbo sleds from a passing prisoner transport. Ahsoka was the first to man one, taking with her Prince Char and Senator Tills. Together they rocketed towards the surface, Anakin, Padme and Ackbar on another sled not far behind. They ascended through the murky depths... but their actions had not gone unnoticed.
In Tamson's headquarters, a Quarren called in reporting the reappearance of the Jedi and the Prince. Their location was being tracked and Tamson could see they were heading to the surface. With minimal Separatist forces in the area, it seemed like they would make a clean getaway.
But Tamson had a nasty surprise in store for them.
Count Dooku had contacted him previously about the arrival of a special agent and already the commander had him go and prepare for his plan.
"Predictable." The Karkarodon stated. "Let them get within sight of their ship. I want them to watch their hope sink to the bottom of the sea." He ordered with a toothy, sadistic grin.
Sunlight from above finally appeared, casting the mighty shadow of the Consular cruiser across he face of the deep.
"There's the ship." Padme pointed.
"Still in one piece." Anakin mused with a grin. So far so good. They jetted towards the surface, drawing closer and closer as the shape of the cruiser grew bigger.
Tamson watched the red blip approach the surface.
"Spring the trap!" He commanded into a wrist comm.
All of a sudden, the cruiser detonated in a firey explosion, blown to pieces as the central reactors in the engine bay overloaded and detonated. The Republic stopped, frozen in horror as gigantic pieces of debris crashed into the water and started to sink right on top of them. Splitting up to avoid the incoming debris, all six of them were horrified.
"Oh no..." Anakin groaned.
"They destroyed it! They knew we were coming!" Ackbar stated. The Jedi driving the turbo sleds quickly executed evasive maneuvers, but Ahsoka's was suddenly crushed by debris as was Anakin's moments later. Stuck floating in the water, they looked up to where their hope had once been, only to see more debris coming down and other pieces floating in the water.
Then they saw a smaller, darker shape breach the ocean's surface. The Republic lingered for a moment longer, their curiosity getting the better of them.
Suddenly the shape shot forward and rammed into Anakin, a hand wrapping around his throat and slamming him against a piece of fallen debris.
It was Darth Khan.
"Hello Skywalker. Did you miss me? Because I sure missed you." Khan growled as he used the Force to blast back the others before focusing on Anakin. "For a whole damn month I laid in a bed, wounded, near death because of you!"
Khan was clad in an armoured suit fitting for being underwater, but still wearing his mask which had been upgraded to withstand water pressure and work underwater as well.
Khan punched Skywalker in the stomach then gave him a headbutt before he looked to the prince and shot for him. Ahsoka was between them in an instant, Lightsabers activated as Khan activated his own red Lightsaber and clashed with Ahsoka.
"Everyone grab the debris! It'll carry us to the sea floor faster than he can move!" Anakin quickly ordered. The five did as asked and were soon descending at a rapid rate as the heavy debris plummeted towards the bottom. Jayden made to pursue, but all too soon, his quarry had vanished into the inky blackness of the ocean's abyss. And having used the debris for cover, the water was too disturbed for his sensors to function properly.
"Run all you like, Jedi..." Jayden growled darkly as he deactivated his Lightsaber.
Returning to the Separatist hub, Jayden swam past droids going about their duty and Quarren who stopped and stared as he moved. His dark shape was like a creeping shadow, an ominous appearance and maybe even akin to a dark portent of what was to come. And he came off this sinister, dark, foreboding atmosphere that made the Quarren not even want to try and go near him.
He didn't want them to.
Arriving in Tamson's hub, Jayden approached the Karkarodon and Representative Ri.
"Commander Tamson." Jayden greeted in his usual cold tone when dealing with this kind of stuff.
"Lord Khan." Tamson bowed. "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance. I've heard so much about you and the names you have been called. The Dark One, the Jedi killer, the Killer of Killers."
"The Republic continue to be nuisances." Jayden said, getting to business. "I know what that feels like very well. Do NOT underestimate them, especially Anakin Skywalker. For now, we plan another attack when they pop up, and they will..."
Back in hiding and separated from the others, Lee Char floated with Ahsoka while Kit and a pair of Clones kept watch on the flurry of Separatist activity going on in the city.
Suffice to say, Char was feeling very defeated.
"There must be something more I can do." The Prince muttered, desperate to do something.
"I know it's hard, but you have to be patient." Ahsoka told him.
"But you saw my people," Char continued, turning to her, "I failed them."
"No. Remember Captain Ackbar's words; you are the hope of your people." Ahsoka reminded him. "As long as you live, they will endure."
"I need an army. We have to fight back, but... now that the Darth Khan is here," Char continued, "I know who he is, Padawan Tano. He's unstoppable. I want to get up and fight, but as long as he's here..." Ahsoka wasn't too happy about bringing up Jayden, especially since she'd been doing alright pushing him from her mind. But now that Char was on the subject, she might as well try to quell his worries.
"I've encountered him too. Many times. And in my experience, there is always a way to stop him." Ahsoka said.
"But the stories I've heard of him! They call him a ghost, a demon, a monster, an unstoppable being!"
"He can be stopped, trust me." Ahsoka assured him. "I wouldn't be alive if he couldn't." Actually, she wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Jayden's lust for her. "But you don't need a sword to be powerful. Some leaders' strength is inspiring greatness in others." She gently encouraged, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"But my people don't even know I'm alive. And if they see Khan around, then..." Char trailed off. The Sith Lord was notorious and the Prince had heard all the stories, even made up ones that people see as truth. Now that he'd seen him first hand, he had to wonder what could be done. Khan's presence alone would likely be enough to kill his people's hope altogether. "How can I inspire my people if they think I'm dead?"
To that, Ahsoka did not have an answer.
Back in the Separatist hub, the planning was going well until alarms started blaring. Jayden and Tamson turned to find the source on a holomap as a droid swam over.
"What's happening? Report!" Tamson demanded.
"We've lost all radar and sonar scanning, sir." The droid reported.
"Reestablish the connections." Was Tamson's command.
"We cannot, sir."
"Why not?!"
"The building that housed the radar is gone." The droid answered, showing them the now collapsed structure on the holomap. Tampons was quick to blame the Republic and, with his lengthy training in warfare and tactics, Jayden quickly put together their plan.
"They've blinded us. I knew they would be planning a counterattack." Jayden said with narrowed eyes.
"Agreed." Tamson growled, shoving the droid aside as he swam ahead. "We must prepare for an attack!" He announced.
"But there was nothing on the scope prior to the attack." Nossor challenged, not seeing the same corellation Jayden and Tamson did.
"That is precisely why we must assume an attack is imminent!" The Karkarodon thundered. Jayden had to admit.. the logic was sound. "Guards, lord Khan, come with me!" Tamson ordered, shoving Nossor out of his way. The trio moved to obey.
"Where are you going?" The Quarren representative demanded.
"To find that meddling Prince and his Jedi friends." Tamson curtly replied, swimming off with a pair of Quarren and The Wraith right behind him.
The Separatists followed the droid reports until they arrived at the scene of the collapsed tower, finding Anakin, Padme, Ackbar and Tills fighting off the aqua droids that were swarming them. They were soon surrounded by Hydroid Medusaes as well.
"There's a few of our targets. But no Prince." Jayden observed.
"He will be found, Lord Khan." Tamson assured him. "For now, we must focus on what we do have."
But as they made to advance, the situation changed.
Bursts of powerful electrical energy caused the Hydroid Medusaes to shudder and break formation, the sudden bombs clearly wounding them. Looking up, Jayden and Tamson saw a new army swim down to the depths, one comprised of one species that certainly was not Republic SCUBA troopers.
"Gungans." Jayden stated. "It appears the Republic called for help from the nearest planet with a suitable army that can move underwater."
Jayden was content to remain on the sidelines and watch the fighting. When he feels like it, he will involve himself...
"Ahsoka! Escape with the Prince, I'll hold them off!" Fisto commanded. Jayden heard this and sensed the time for him to engage was near and he made to move to a better position.
Using a grapple fired from a device on her arm, Ahsoka managed to pull her and Char out of the whirlpool as Fisto was surrounded by aqua droids.
"We need to go deeper. Is the seabed safe?" Ahsoka asked.
"There are more caves, they should work." Char answered.
However, their way was blocked when Jayden appeared, red Lightsaber drawn and activated. Ahsoka grabbed hes and activated them as she glared at Jayden.
"Khan." She growled.
"Ahsoka." Jayden greeted back, though was very confused on why she seemed to glare at him with hate, like he was the worst thing she could've met in the Universe. That... kinda hurt. "Make this easier for yourself and hand over the Prince."
"Not happening." Ahsoka firmly replied, twirling her lightsabers. "You want the Prince? You have to go through me."
"I'd rather we didn't do this, my dear-" Jayden started to say.
"Just shut up and fight me already!" Ahsoka retorted.
Jayden growled before he used the Force to charge forward, as did Ahsoka and their Lightsabers clashed. Jayden used the Force to make his movements as normal as walking n the surface ground. He fought defensively, parrying and blocking Ahsoka as she laid into him with acrobatic strikes.
This was one of the first times they'd fought like this.
Part of Jayden wanted to believe she was doing this out of her duty to protect the Prince. But whenever they clashed, his sabers grinding against her sabers, Jayden could see disgust in her narrowed eyes.
She despised him.
That fact made Jayden a little sloppy, and Ahsoka took advantage of his slow attacks to knock him back with the Force. Jayden tumbled through the water, but regained his direction and senses before shooting towards her. Ahsoka dodged at the last minute, rolling under his attack She fired a tether at his exposed body and hooked him, using his momentum and her Force abilities to swing Jayden around and propell him into a nearby cliffside. Jayden crashed through rock and debris, losing his senses momentarily.
Jayden shook his head and looked to see Ahsoka and Char were already on the move, so Jayden pushed off the cliff and used the Force to increase his speed, blurring after them. Sensing him approach, Ahsoka quickly put together a plan.
"Your highness! Your spear!" She directed.
"What about it?" Char wondered.
"Adjust the intensity to the lowest setting, then aim for his mask! We can blind him and get away." She explained, not giving a single thought to Jayden's own well-being. Char thought her idea good and did as told, lining up Jayden in his sights. Unlike Tamson, he didn't move a lot when he swam and that gave the Prince a very clear shot.
One moment, Jayden was barrelling in on Ahsoka and the Prince. The next, he couldn't see a damn thing, a blaster bolt striking his mask right in the visor, luckily it was reinforced to withstand but the fact of the matter is, it managed to knock him back and look away as he made sure his vision was fine.
By the time he looked around again, Ahsoka and Char were nowhere to be found. Jayden growled to himself in anger before he swam off to return to base.
Now alone, Ahsoka and a devastated Char collected themselves.
"Now you and I are the only ones left." The Prince sighed, shrugging off the hand she placed on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Lee Char." She told him. And she meant it. This wasn't how she wanted things to go either.
"I know what I must do. I know my people need me. I just don't know how to win this war." He added, swimming off.
"Look, I know you're scared." Ahsoka assured him, swimming alongside. "But you can't let your fear control you." She'd heard the same phrase uttered many a time by dozens of Jedi Masters.
It was a lesson she herself still needed to learn.
"Aren't you scared?" Char wondered.
"I used to be. All the time." She answered. "Until I realized that if you make decisions out of fear you're more likely to be wrong."
"I will unify Mon Cala again." Char determined. "I promise." Ahsoka nodded, smiling a little seeing Char getting his strength back. The droning of a Hydroid Medusa, however, forced them to move along.
The battle might've been lost, but the war for Mon Cala was far from over...
And that's it for this chapter.