Chapter 16.
POV: Third Person
Anakin and Ahsoka stood in a training room in complete darkness. It was a part of their training in becoming a fully-fledged grey Jedi. In order for them to be successful in acquiring a Holocron, they would have to learn how to Shadow Walk. Alike the Dathomir witches, they would learn how to harness the force around them to manipulate their physical body, allowing them to walk past assailants or any possible threat to acquire the Holocron. Essentially the Jedi would be blind to their presence, as long as they masked their force signatures. If all else fails however, the choice of professing allegiance to the Jedi would suffice.
Tendrils of black force energy, enveloped Anakin and Ahsoka as they stood in the center of the room.
"You must begin by masking your force signatures," Farrah's voice tended in guidance as Anakin, closed his eyes, the tendril slowly beginning to fall away from him.
Ahsoka took his lead and began to connect deep into the force, the dark energy almost dissipating from around them.
"Harness, the force, use it, make your physical bodies merge with the force energy remaining," Rahvin instructed, his voice thick with words of a Dark Sider.
The force surrounding the pair of former Jedi was overwhelming as they radiated in pure energy, the sweet hymn of the force resounding in the training room.
"Let the force guide you, feel the vibrations it sings and use it to your advantage. Become unknown to the galaxy in this time and place. Become a shadow, become a part of the grey," Chirrut's thick accented voice echoed in the air.
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POV: Anakin Skywalker
Ahsoka and I now fly upon our ship whose coordinates to this planet are unknown and will not lock into the navigation computer. Farrah gave our lightsabers back and told us that when we needed to come back, just send a message out into the force and we would arrive back by the light of the force. It seems absurd but after the past couple of days, I truly believe that anything is possible. Regardless, if this is what it will take to regain Ahsoka's sanity, I will do it.
A Jedi Holocron. It seems all too easy. It must be more than just a simple Jedi Holocron. I recall Obi wan talking to me on multiple occasions about a Holocron owned and passed down from a Jedi over four millenniums ago. The Tedryn Holocron he called it, so old that the last name doesn't exist. Obi wan always rambled on about it containing thousand-year-old-secrets and the oldest Jedi teachings, entailing the very beginnings of the Jedi and Sith conflicts. If any Holocron is going to have the knowledge we seek, it will be that Holocron. The only problem is that the Tedryn Holocron is guarded by four Jedi at all times.
"Ahsoka," I called out, searching the small ship, Artooie rolling up beside me as I stood up from the cockpit, "take over will you, Artoo?"
He beeped affirmatively as I walked into the hull of the ship. I watched from the railing above as she practiced her lightsaber katas below.
I watched in amazement as her fluid motions connected with ease to the next, flowing perfectly.
She paused, deactivating her blades and disappearing into Force, reappearing next to me.
"Tada!" she exclaimed.
"I'm never going to get used to that," I laughed, hugging her.
I could sense her presence deep within the Force, powerful, unlike anything I had felt in any other Jedi before the grey knights trained us briefly in their ways. I could sense tendrils of her sanity slowly beginning to repair themselves, but it wasn't enough.
"Are you ready to betray our once allies?"
She smiled up to me, "you know I am".
I kissed the dip between her montrals, checking my chrono. We were almost out of hyperspace.
I walked to my fighter and began prepping the engine as did Ahsoka, R7 rolling sadly over to her, bleeping sadly.
"I'm sorry you can't come with me, but we need you and R2 to pilot us out once we escape and get onboard".
I looked back at my chrono, ten minutes and we'd be out of hyperspace. I ran a systems check and diagnostic on the navigation computer, the familiar clicks and beeps filling my ears. All clear. I increased the auxiliary power to the engines and closed the canopy, pulling on my HUD. It's been a while since I needed one of these.
I glanced over at Ahsoka, she was doing the same, her voice coming loud and clear through the internal comms, "I haven't used one of these since I was a youngling".
"Same here, Snips. Remember once R2 and R7 get us into the upper atmosphere communications will be jammed and should hopefully keep the Republic busy for a while as we fly for the temple. When the communications tower tries to connect scramble frequencies and magnetic signature, boosting power to forward shield and head for the starboard hangar, I'll go to the port and we'll meet in the middle at the archives".
POV: Obi wan Kenobi
A sense of unease settled in my stomach as I paced around the council chambers. The meeting had ended a while ago but something urged me to stay. It's been over two weeks since Anakin and Ahsoka had gone missing. It was all an abrupt coincidence as Master Yoda had taken a meditative retreat, leaving the temple in the hands of Master Windu and myself. In the meantime, however, it still plagues me. Surely, Anakin would've said something sooner and usually, it appears in council meeting before something like a diplomatic mission is given the all clear. The Dark Side clouds everything, more than ever, it doesn't allow any Jedi to see clearly it seems. Maybe Yoda's judgment needs to be reanalysed, perhaps that is why he is on retreat. A rash decision and two Jedi missing, all too coincidental.
With Mace's departure to check the outpost on Rhyloth earlier today, the temple was now under my watch as the older Masters taught the younglings. I thumbed at my holoprojector on my belt. If anyone was in need of the Jedi temple, they would be redirected to my comm frequency. I watched the sky intently, looking to the force for answers as two small ships broke the atmosphere. It wasn't an unfamiliar occurrence as I watched them approach from a distance. They separated and strayed from each other as a squadron of fighters tore up behind them. I looked closer, Jedi Star Fighters?
The holoprojector flashed to life as I answered the call, "This is Kenobi, what is going on out there?"
A familiar clone trooper's voice came to my ears, "General Kenobi, we have two rogue Jedi class starfighters, closing in on the temple, communications have been jammed, please advise".
I watched as the two fighters dive for the Senate building, an overwhelming amount of force energy washed over my body as they pulled up at the last second, two x-wing fighters crashing into the roof. Anakin…
"Scan those ships, who are they?"
A feeling on dread made my heart drop into my stomach. I reached out into the force, searching for the bond to Anakin, nothing… I still can't reach him after two weeks of trying.
"Confirmed, it's Skywalker and Tano's' fighters".
"Open fire".