Chapter 12: All for One

Xur twirled his two lightsabers in each hand, sending ill-intent laser fire back towards their pirate pursuers. He did his best to keep steady atop their stolen tank, which was jerking around like a bat out of Hell. Petro hunkered behind him, covered by a lip in the tank's armor, looking back at the tank chasing them in the distance.

For a moment they had thought they'd be home free, but that was quickly thrown out the window once the pirate tanks and speeders had finally caught up to them. Xur had never seen vehicles of this model pushed so hard in his life.

The zabrak linked his two orange blades by the hilt butts, forming a dual-blade, and spun it quick enough that no bolt could get through.

That was until another jolt threw him off balance.

He grunted in annoyance after he finally regained his balance. "Petro! Go tell Ahsoka to quit driving like a drunken bounty hunter!"

Petro looked to Kitune, who shrugged, and the two of them crawled to the hatch. Once it was opened, Petro popped his head down below. "Uhhh…Master Eon says to stop driving like a drunken bounty hunter!"

Ahsoka grit her teeth as she struggled to keep the tank moving and out of incoming fire, and Xur's comment didn't help her mood. "Tell Master Eon to block more laser bolts!"

Petro flicked his head to Kitune, and the two of them returned to the top of the tank, ready to assist Xur. "Ahsoka said to block more laser bolts!" Kitune shouted over the rushing wind.

Xur shook his head as his blades spun in front of him. "Tell her to kiss my-," he was cut off by a direct hit from one of the smaller laser bolts, and a well-timed dodge from Ahsoka avoided the main gun. The zabrak bit his tongue. "Nevermind, tell Ahsoka she's doing just fine!"

Once Xur was back on his feet and defending the tank, he turned back to Petro. "Contact Ganodi and make sure she's ready to get us the hell out of here!"

"Right!" Petro remembered, pulling out his comm-link. "Ganodi, come in please! Ganodi!"

When no response came in, Kitune shrieked. "Where could she be?!"

Petro grit his teeth and tried again. "Ganodi! Huang! Come in!"

At last, a signal came through. "I'm here! I was in the back."

Petro rolled his eyes as he jumped down the hatch and back inside the tank. "Great! That's great, but we're all going to die if you don't have the engines running!"

"Where are you?" Ganodi asked.

Ahsoka, who was still at work driving the tank, flicked her head, and Petro brought the comm-link closer to her. "Ganodi, it's Ahsoka."

Ganodi let out a shriek of relief. "Padawan Tano! We rescued you!"

"Almost, but we need you to get us home. Are you ready?"

"Just tell me what I need to do."

Ahsoka attempted to multitask, and activated the nearby navi-computer to transmit. "Ok, fire up the engines and meet us at these coordinates."

"We'll be right there!"

With that, Ahsoka nodded and returned her attention to driving the tank. "One of you make sure Xur hasn't gotten himself killed, would you?" Judging by their Force Bond, she could be fairly certain he was still alive, although she was still learning the ropes.

Xur was fine, in fact, he was getting arrogant enough to start throwing out insults towards their pursuers just to entertain himself. "I've seen pacifist lurmen who are better shots than you!" He knew they couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better regardless.

Suddenly, the Crucible made a flyby overhead, and circled back above to make a pickup. While the zabrak was happy to see them, he had no idea how they were supposed to be extracted. If they stopped moving, the pirates would run them down without hesitation, and one of the younglings would likely be killed in the firefight. Not an option.

The ship came within distance and lowered the long loading ramp, and the younglings began to emerge from within the tank.

This rescue just kept getting sloppier and sloppier.

Ganodi and Huang came out on the ramp and reached down, so Xur returned his attention to keeping the laser bolts from getting past him. Soon, Ahsoka was out with him, assisting with the defense…which left an odd hole of logic in his mind.

"Who's driving the tank?!" Xur shouted over the wind.

Ahsoka grunted as she deflected laser bolts alongside him. "I had to improvise!"

"With what?!" Xur asked, but the tank was rocked by another direct hit from the main gun chasing them. Suddenly, the tank was drifting to the left with no sign of stopping.

"The steering must've come loose!" Ahsoka figured, and Petro wasted no time jumping back down into the tank to readjust. He had the situation soon under control, but Xur looked back…and spotted a perilous cliff approaching.

To avoid flying off the edge, the tank veered to the right, now running across the cliff's edge, but the Crucible had to make a hard bank to reach them again. Xur grunted in annoyance at the situation, taking it out on the laser bolts that deflected off his spinning dual-saber.

"They're coming back!" Kitune announced as the Crucible came around, and Xur and Ahsoka kept the defense strong.

With the ship realigned, the younglings prepared to jump, but the pirates decided to cut off their way of escape, firing a shell into one of the ship's main engines. The Crucible sparked and crackled as its engines were enveloped in a ball of flame, and soon the entire ship would go with it.

"Get down from there!" Xur shouted to the younglings, who let go of Ganodi and the boarding ramp before they were taken with the ship.

Ahsoka, realizing that the ship was lost, activated her wrist-comm. "R2, get out of there now!"

The next minute went by in a blur, as the ship succumbed to the force of gravity and careened into the ground below. Their tank was caught up in the crash, and it flipped violently, tossing Xur through the air into an exhausted heap in the dirt. His ears rang, and before he knew it, the pirates had him pinned with two pointed blasters, and his lightsabers nowhere near him.

"Nice try little Jedi," one of them taunted. "But it looks like you're coming with us."


The cold embrace of handcuffs was around his wrists once again, but Xur felt at ease. His personal hobby during his free time since he was a little boy was discovering innovative ways to break out, and these…amateur.

Breaking out of the cuffs wasn't the problem; not having his lightsaber was the problem. Making a run for it in an open-arid planet was possibly the worst idea with blasters pointed at your head, and Xur had no intention of dying. Besides, leaving Ahsoka behind wouldn't exactly look good to her.

So, he played their game, cooped up next to Ahsoka atop the tank that had chased them down, on their way back to Hondo's base.

That was until Separatist warships appeared in the distance.

One of the pirates brought the tank to a halt and jumped out to a nearby ridge, pulling out his scopes to have a look. "What the-?!" he started. "Droids?! It's an invasion!"

Xur tried not to laugh, but couldn't help himself. "Serves you bastards right," he whispered to Ahsoka, who unfortunately didn't share his enthusiasm.

"Grievous," she snarled, but kept her voice down. Her eyes then panned to his wrists behind his back. "Let me guess, you're-."

"Yeah," Xur chuckled. "A little force shock overloads the electronic ones, and the discharge pops the lock wide open. Easy. Should've got the Force inhibitor ones if you want to hold me."

She elbowed him slightly. "You should teach me how to break a few."

"Hm, well if we send Grievous back to Hell maybe I will."

The pirate lookout grunted, and Xur and Ahsoka returned to silence. "This isn't good…those scrappin' droids are lootin' the place. They're dismantlin' our ships!"

While Xur wanted nothing more than to beat the living hell out of the pirates, Ahsoka was calm and smart enough to see another way. "The fact that Grievous is here with his entire fleet, that means that Master Kenobi must've been overrun. This entire system is now in Separatist controlled space."

Kitune shook her head. "What should we do? There's nowhere to run…"

Xur readied the insults just to cheer himself up, but he sensed Ahsoka was on to something, and decided to keep quiet…for now.

"You're not running anywhere skug," the pirate spat. "You're still my prisoner! Maybe I can trade you to the Separatists in exchange for my freedom."

Xur shook his head. "You'd have a better chance playing a fair game of Corellian-Five poker on Nal Hutta."

"Grievous didn't come here to make deals," Ahsoka agreed. "He already controls the planet and the system. If you hand us over to him, he'll kill us and then you. We have a common enemy in Grievous…together we can get out of this."

Xur didn't like it one bit, but they were short on options, and Ahsoka had a better plan than anything he could come up with.

"You must have another ship somewhere, you are pirates," she continued.

"Hondo's got a private fleet," the pirate admitted. "But only he knows where the ships are."

"Then we'll have to rescue him," Ahsoka suggested, but Xur grumbled in mild disagreement. "I know Grievous, and my friend here is as scary as they get. With our help, you stand a better chance."

There was a moment of silence between the two, and Xur could feel them weighing in on the situation…not like Ahsoka had much choice. Eventually, the pirate slowly made his way to where Ahsoka sat and pointed his gun down at her. She turned and closed her eyes, while Xur slipped his wrist out of the broken lock, ready to retaliate.

The gun fired…and she was free.

"You've got yourself a deal, Jedi," the pirate agreed.

Xur scoffed. "Great…now that we're all friends," he then rose to his feet, bundling the broken cuffs into his hand, and tossed them at the pirate. "You can have those back now."

The pirate was stuck with a stunned look on his face as he caught them, and Xur could only smile as he helped Ahsoka to her feet.


Infiltrating the pirate stronghold was easier than anticipated, granted with the help of a distraction from R2. While the younglings struggled to keep quiet and focused, their small size made it easy to sneak around and avoid any prying eyes from the guard droids.

Ahsoka took point once they had reached the detention block, cutting down the droids in front of their destination and forcing the door open.

There Hondo was, suspended in a restraint field, his hope ebbed away. As soon as he spotted the togruta however, his smile quickly returned. "Jedi…and here I thought you made your escape."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No…there were complications. Now we have to put our differences aside and be friends…or we're all going to die here."

Hondo narrowed his eyes, spotting Xur follow up behind her, leaning up against the doorway with his arms crossed as the younglings filed in. "Hm…very diplomatic…I assume your horned-headed friend feels the same way?"

When Xur didn't answer right away, Ahsoka shot him a glace insisting cooperation. He sighed, "We'll see."

Hondo chuckled. "Ahhh…I knew you didn't come to rescue Hondo…how do you say it…out of the goodness of your heart. No, no, no, no…you need something from me."

Kitune spoke up. "A ship to be specific."

"Ah, yes! A ship, a ship," Hondo exaggerated, which made Xur roll his eyes. "But where would we find one of those? My new friend General Grievous has…destroyed my ships."

Petro shook his head. "We know you have one, a whole pirate fleet!"

Suddenly, Hondo dropped his helpless façade and narrowed his eyes at the two pirates in the back of the cell. "And one of my old friends apparently has been talking too much!" The two of them shrugged their shoulders, wondering what else they should've done. Hondo threw his head back. "Ah…what does it matter? We'll never reach the vault anyway. Grievous army is way too big!"

"Don't give up," Petro insisted. "We can fight!"

Hondo didn't seem convinced, and Xur was feeling a bit wary, but Huang stepped in (still intact). "If I may, sir. I've instructed younglings for over 1,000 generations…and these are among the best I have ever seen."

Hondo scoffed in disbelief. "Well then…show me your swords tiny Jedi! Show Hondo you are ready to fight!"

The younglings did not hesitate, igniting each of their sabers to present to Hondo. Ahsoka could sense Xur's insecurity, and when she looked his way, he flicked his head towards outside the cell. Knowing he wanted a moment, the two of them stepped outside and out of earshot.

Xur sighed, pinching his nose in worry. "We're not actually considering letting him go free, are we?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "We don't have a choice. Without Hondo we won't escape this planet."

"I'm not talking about that," Xur clarified, slashing his hand through the air. "He beat you…chained you up like a pet, humiliated you, and probably was about to sell you off to the highest bidder…and we're just going to let the bastard go?"

"Taking revenge for my sake is not your responsibility," Ahsoka made clear. "Nor is taking revenge in the first place."

Xur shook his head in disagreement. "To hell with that! He'll never learn…he never has!"

Ahsoka knew he was right, but the morality that she had attained as a Jedi overrode the logic he was presenting. She calmed herself, trying to appeal to the zabrak's reason, rather than appease his aggression.

"I understand that you want what's best for me…and I appreciate that…but we can't just fall into an endless cycle. Someone has to break it…and that someone happens to be us."

Xur still didn't like it, but nonetheless conceded. "If you say so."

With concerns quelled for now, Ahsoka and Xur returned to the cell just in time to see Kitune cut him down from the restraint field. The two even shared a moment with each other, and Xur felt repulsed just by looking at it.

As the younglings began to just about pile on top of each other in joy, Hondo used that time to approach Ahsoka, likely for a word.

"I hope I haven't done anything permanent to our relationship, no?" he asked, his eyes panning back to a looming Xur with his arms crossed.

"Just get us a ship and I'll think about it," Xur huffed. "And lose the show business. I know you don't actually care about any of them."

Hondo shook his head and sighed, which caught them both by surprise. "I may be a pirate…but I do not like taking children into battle. It was necessary."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "That didn't seem to bother you when you attacked us."

The pirate's demeanor suddenly perked up. "Ha ha! Well…today is a new day! And lucky for you today, I like children. Now, let's free the rest of my men."


The escape was efficient and quick, and the younglings performed perfectly. After cutting down dozens of dim-witted battle droids, they were able to seize another tank, while Hondo and his men picked up a platoon of speeders in front. For a moment, Xur and Ahsoka thought they were about to escape without a hitch.

Then the canyon they were rocketing through began to collapse, and they had been separated from the pirates. On top of that, Grievous had caught up…and he had boarded their tank.

The cyborg ignited two sabers and attempted to swipe at some of the younglings, but Xur was quick to engage in saber locks to hold him at bay. Grievous was incredibly strong, and it took copious amounts of focus and Force energy just to keep up. Ahsoka did her best to help him carry the burden, but the cyborg's superiority was obvious.

R2 was locked into the pilot port, and Huang shrieked. "R2, do something!"

The astromech responded with a few beeps and whistles, which only panicked Huang further. "I don't know! We need to shake Grievous off! Get aggressive!"

Almost on cue, the tank violently wobbled and eventually ran up the side of the canyon and over the edge, tumbling to a grinding halt against the rocky surface. Xur flew through the air, throwing up a Force barrier to help cushion the blow, but still felt each bit of sand grind up against his robes as he rolled. The trials of the past few days weighed down on his legs as he attempted to stand, and with not enough time to focus, he tapped into the Dark Side to restore his strength.

Once his ears stopped ringing and he had located Ahsoka, the sound of metal clicks came next, and he grit his teeth. Out of the dust came General Grievous…gunning right for the younglings assembled together.

Xur trudged forward, and his protectionist instinct fueled his movement as he stood in between them and the cyborg…with Ahsoka to back him up. His new gloves grasped ahold of one of his hilts, and he bared his teeth in primal fashion…like a father protecting their child.

Grievous let out a horrific laugh. "So many lightsabers to add to my collection!"

The zabrak narrowed his vision, the Dark Side flowing through him, and he ignited his blade. "Go to Hell," he said, pointing the crimson hue his way. "I'll send you there myself!"

Ahsoka seemed worried, but her mind was set on protecting the younglings, so she elected to leave Xur be for now. Even so, their Bond strengthened, and she could feel the corruptive energies of the Dark Side tempt her with their power. It took strength to resist, but she was plenty strong enough.

Suddenly, the sound of ship engines boomed behind them, and the zabrak turned to spot Kitune standing atop a loading ramp. "Hurry, come on!" she shouted.

"Run," Ahsoka turned back to the younglings. "All of you run!"

They wasted no time, and Xur pushed on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Go, protect them! I'll hold him off."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No. You came here because we had a bond. We finish this together."

Xur couldn't argue with that, and grasped ahold of his second saber as Grievous approached. "Together it is then."

Grievous' arms unclipped into four with sabers in each hand, and Ahsoka and Xur prepared themselves in their respective combat forms. Trying to get ahold of their bond, their thoughts relatively flowed in sync, and early strategies played out in each of their heads.

Xur took action, lunging forward and utilizing the Vaapad fighting style Master Windu had ingrained into his mind since he was merely a child. Red and blue sabers clashed as Xur relished in the aggression of combat, quickening his movement, parries, and strikes. The acrobatically adept Ahsoka used Grievous' increased attention on Xur to flip in behind the cyborg, forcing him to duel on two fronts with his four arms.

Growling in frustration, Grievous took Xur by surprise, kicking the zabrak in the chest, and the increased robotic strength sent him tumbling away from the duel. With only Ahsoka left, Grievous went on an overwhelming offensive, his sabers threatening to slice each and every one of her limbs off after even the slightest mistake. Her defense held true for a moment, until Grievous broke through and grabbed ahold of her with his robotic foot, spiking her body into the rocky ground.

The cyborg chuckled with a sense of victory until Xur Force leapt on top of him, barely moving in time to stop him. The zabrak and Grievous then engaged in multiple attacks and parries, Xur being enveloped in what looked like a crimson ball of energy as his lightsabers moved around him. Instinct took hold, and Xur let the Dark Side own the duel…the Force flowing malevolently around him.

Both combatants had become so enamored in each other that it took Xur's bond with Ahsoka to even notice that she had returned to her feet. An idea flickered in both of their minds, and the togruta situated herself behind the duel.

With a violent shove, Xur pushed off Grievous and backflipped next to Ahsoka.

"Now!" they both said simultaneously. In a great heave, the Force boomed loudly, and their combined might sent Grievous tumbling backwards hundreds of feet from their Force push.

Their job complete, they ran for the boarding ramp of the ship, the younglings cheering for their brief victory.

They had escaped.


The fresh Venator-class cruiser that Hondo had taken them to bustled with movement from gunships and clone troopers as the younglings conversed with Ahsoka and Huang. Hondo, on the other hand, was selling his pitch to Obi-Wan, with Xur right behind.

"…and there's the cost of the fuel I had to use…lot of fuel. The general wear and tear on my men…equipment…some of them died…I think. Believe me, Kenobi…staging a rescue is not an inexpensive proposition!" he listed off.

Obi-Wan scratched his chin. "So, you mean to tell me you were staging a rescue, not attempting to hijack a Jedi starship?"

Hondo shook his head. "You're welcome! Ah! The thanklessness, what an accusation!" he tried to ignore Obi-Wan's comment. "I am gone, I will send you my bill!" He attempted to walk away, but ran into Xur in the process. However, instead of hostility, the zabrak offered his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Hondo," he said with a smile. The pirate smiled back and shook.

"Ah! See? We're friends after all."

Xur kept his smile, and Hondo's hand in his grasp. "Yes…unless of course you attack another Jedi cruiser…then not so much…understand?"

The pirate narrowed his eyes. "Uhhh," and then he yelped as Xur squeezed his hand in his grip. "Why yes! Of course…no more attacks!"

"Hm," Xur thought, until nodding and releasing his hand. "Good. Now get the hell out of here, please." The pirate then scurried off into his ship, out of sight.

When the zabrak turned, he was met with a look from Obi-Wan. "Xur…," he said.

"What?" he asked defensively.

The Jedi Master then decided to drop it, and Xur followed him to where the younglings had assembled. "Ahsoka," he greeted her. "It's good to see you're all safe."

The togruta nodded. "Yes Master, we had quite the eventful mission."

"You might say a little too eventful," Xur threw in, and Obi-Wan seemed to be intrigued by his reserve.

"The most since the time when Master Yoda went to find his lightsaber crystal," Huang added. The younglings suddenly bubbled with excitement, hoping to hear how the Grand Master of the Jedi Order had accomplished their same task.

"I'm afraid that story will have to wait," Obi-Wan interrupted. "For now, be proud. You have survived an ordeal few your age could," he then ignited his own brilliant, blue blade. "Welcome home…young Jedi."

Placing his blade in the middle, everyone followed suite until a bright illumination of colors glowed…and the Gathering had come to an end.


"So, Master Yoda fooled you into partaking in the Gathering, then you were attacked by pirates, and to wrap it all up you had to duel General Grievous?" Mace Windu summarized what his former Padawan had finished retelling as they paced through the halls of the Jedi Temple. "I don't believe it."

Xur scoffed. "You're telling me. All I wanted to do was finish my research and head home. Instead I had to rescue Skywalker's Padawan and teach younglings how to fight a war."

Mace shook his head with a slight smile, remembering the years he had spent training the young adult. "Never a dull moment with you Eon."

The zabrak nodded as they both stopped near one of the large windows that looked out into the cityscape of Coruscant. "Indeed," he agreed. After a few moments, he spoke up again. "You didn't just want a mission debriefing, did you?"

Mace shook his head. "No…actually, I was going to let you in on a Council discussion that we've been having recently."

Xur's eyes widened. It wasn't like his master to discuss council matters with him, let alone outside the Council Chambers. "Go on," he urged.

His former master paced his eyes around the room, and spotted no one in their immediate vicinity. "Public opinion towards the war effort has dwindled within the Republic, so we've decided to hatch a plan that will hopefully bring the war to a quicker end. The high-ranking officers of the Republic have dubbed it Operation Countdown, and have already launched preliminary campaigns to establish Outer Rim holdings."

Xur nodded, processing the information. "Ok, where do I come in?"

"You and I will be dispatched to Dromund Kaas in the coming days. Then the Republic will besiege Separatist Outer Rim holdings until they capitulate."

The zabrak cocked his head. "I thought we had already conquered that sector when we took Korriban?"

"Yes," Mace confirmed. "But there have been some complications. We'll give you the full details in time, but the plan is still under development. Just wanted to give you a heads up."

Xur was slightly disappointed in the lack of information, but he figured it was probably for the best. "Sure thing. Just like old times."

"Indeed," Mace Windu agreed. "Indeed…until then, take care of yourself," he urged, holding out his hand. His old apprentice shook it without hesitation.

"Will do…Master," he added before Mace nodded and made his way towards the Council Chambers, likely for another meeting. Xur was now alone, left with his thoughts and the Coruscant sun lowering over the horizon.

One day, this war was going to end…and after that…he wasn't sure.

"Been looking all over for you," a female voice interrupted his thoughts, and with their Force Bond, it was more literal than before.

"The younglings holding up?" Xur asked.

Ahsoka nodded as she crossed her arms, peering into the same sight he was. "They're doing great, all things considered," she then chuckled. "Petro's enamored by you."

Xur shrugged arrogantly. "Of course, he is…I mean, who isn't?"

The togruta rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I have a Force Bond with you."

"Yeah…," he sighed. "Now I'm stuck with a fiery female togruta for the rest of my life. How do you think I feel?"

"Some boys would like that kind of thing."

"Uh-huh, and they're all dead."

Ahsoka groaned. "You're impossible."

Xur shook his head and chuckled before the two of them dropped the banter, preferring to enjoy the sight in front of them. It had been a long time since the two just shared a moment together. They had always been caught up in the tide of this war…never a time to just take in the world around them.

That got Xur thinking. "I wanted to thank you, actually," he admitted. "For helping me see another way."

"You're welcome," she replied. "And thanks for rescuing me."

"For the third time," Xur added.

"Second time," she corrected. "We were both captured on Mon Calamari…doesn't count…and if we're keeping score it's 2-4 in my favor."

Knowing she was right, he scoffed. "I am lucky to have you, aren't I?"

"I guess this Force Bond isn't such a bad thing after all?"

"No…I think we'll do just fine."


That wraps up the Gathering arc, which ended up being almost a story of its own. I hope you guys enjoyed my adaptation! As for what's next, I will be overhauling the final chapter essentially from top to bottom. If you enjoyed, please follow/fav and leave a review! Thanks for reading!