POV: Anakin Skywalker
The Coruscanti sky grew dark and began to illuminate with the artificial cascade of the tall hourglass buildings. A sense of peace settling upon Ahsoka and I as the many security reinforcements raced towards the Jedi Temple. We stood amongst the shadows, a great shift in the force beckoning us to embrace the change and see upward into the face of the near future. We strode out together, our hands entwined, the Senate building ensued in pure chaos as the body of the former chancellor was discovered, weapons of destruction within his frail, cold hands.
Stepping outside into the fuzzy, warming embrace of the force, Ahsoka smiled and her mood brightened, her force presence intoxicating my lungs as I beamed back at her; my teeth baring in a stupid cheek-pulling grin.
In the wake of the destruction of the Coruscant Jedi Temple and the grey order rising, the dark side had no place to hide. We would resurrect the grey.
'Time to return, 'Soka', I sighed, mentally venting my frustrations into the void of the force.
'Yes, it's time', she replied, her voice caressing the insides of my head.
Maneuvering the skies, diving in and out of the madness, the glint of Senator Amidala's penthouse passed by my eye as I sped past it, Ahsoka right behind me in the wake of my fighter.
The temple shone magnificently as I landed in what little was left of the port hangar bay, a smouldering, hollow shell, ripped into dust. The entire right side of the temple in a collapsed, ominous slide of debris. Less than half of the temple remained.
I could sense Jedi still alive from the blast, but hundreds were hanging in the balance.
Ships had vanished from the hangar. Looks like some made it out and evacuated. Did Obi wan issue a warning? I couldn't sense him in the building at all but he was alive.
Ahsoka hissed in pain beside me and I halted my step, stretching out for her hand.
"There's someone here…" she whispered with her eyes closed.
My breath left me as I felt the force signatures being cut down, my hand lunging for my lightsabre, "hide your force presence now, I sense the presence of darkness".
I studied her face as I tried to pull her into a debris-filled corridor, her eyes shooting open, "Ganodi!" her voice breaking as she took off down the hall, shadow walking or rather running to the main entrance hall of the former temple.
I followed her lead, submerging myself into the lingering embrace of the dark side, I could sense the younglings… some of them. Attachment is for the Jedi.
Ahsoka cried aloud as she ignited her blades revealing her position to the assailant. A high-pitched shrill causing the fragile structure to shudder as she lunged out of my view. I could not see her as I raced up behind her, turning the corner to see the fallen bodies of former friends.
Katooni, Petro and Zatt. That was all that remained as they raced down the corridor I just came from. Revealing myself from the shadows, I encapsulated the younglings in a force barrier. Much to their protests and screams of disbelief as I reinforced Ahsoka.
Using the force, I ripped the mask off the crimson bladed assailant, revealing none other than the disgraced Barriss Offee. Her eyes a distorted yellow as she brought her blades down upon Ahsoka's.
"I killed him!" Ahsoka screamed causing Barriss to wince in pain, the force strong within her voice as she tore down Barriss' fortitude, "none of your training will help you now, not ever!"
Slicing for her torso, and skimming the green-stomached monster, that used to be a Jedi Knight. She hissed in agony. As much as Ahsoka was winning she would not be able to kill her. Despite everything.
"Ahsoka!" I called as I pinned Barriss to the wall.
"Let her go!" Ahsoka spat at me, determined in her rage to destroy her.
I looked her dead in the eye as she fiercely fought my gaze, throwing her ignited blade at the defenceless body. Barriss wailed in discomfort as her arm fell to the ground. I remained strong until Ahsoka unexpectedly threw her other blade at me, forcing me to let Barriss go as I leapt out of the way.
She stalked up to Barriss and I followed wary of the surroundings, more than a dozen bodies laid lifeless around us, all missing heads or with a cauterized hole in their chest.
"He told me that the grey jedi were dead," Barriss huffed out, clutching her arm, tears rolling down her face. "How could you kill him!? H-he taught me all I knew, an acolyte! Where's Kyra?!". She cried hysterically at Ahsoka's feet, each time she tried to escape was pointless as Ahsoka stepped upon her knees, a crunch weakening the joints with a shrill of pain.
Ahsoka stared at her, ripping into her defenceless mind, shattering everything she once knew. Using the force to rip apart someone else's mind was as good as death.
"Please send me to be with him!" she pleaded.
Ahsoka took the crimson blades and dismantled them dropping them at her feet before walking away, sending me a wave of sadness. She couldn't do it. I ignited my sabre and plunged it deep.
"Goodbye, Barriss".
Ahsoka powered away from me as I deactivated my lightsabre, she huddled the younglings close to her, calming them significantly.
Maybe she knew, maybe she knew about the inkling of emotions I still have for Padme.
Her head shot in my direction as she forcefully yelled into my ears, 'of course I know!'.
Not letting her attention lift from the younglings that had lost three of their best friends, that were killed by her former best friend. Petro stood and watched as Zatt and Katooni sort Ahsoka's counsel; he was conflicted inside. He didn't know whether he could trust Ahsoka and I.
"Petro," my voice was low and soft, "what's truly troubling you?"
He took a step back, "the masters abandoned us… not just when we needed them the most, but weeks in advance. It's like they knew, and were scared".
Typical Jedi. A phrase that had only ever crossed my mind once before when they had abandoned Ahsoka to the sith pit of the senate.
"Except for Master Kenobi, he stayed even when he told everyone to evacuate. He didn't say what was going to happen, he couldn't say. I think he knew more than anyone what was going to happen, because it was you; wasn't it? You and Ahsoka, you caused all this." His voice was sad, it wasn't filled with anger, just sadness and a sense of understanding, and I sensed, gratitude.
I was taken aback by his words, words so wise from such young, impressionable youth. I just nodded slowly. Out of all the jedi of the recent years that I had seen, it was him that was the least like them all.
"What's going to happen now?"
It's a question that hung in the air of the three younglings. Out of the other three, one had become a padawan to Kit Fisto; Ganodi.
We scanned the temple for any other survivors that hadn't already left the building, but it was as good as dead. Someone else had come through and executed the survivors before we got here and it wasn't Barriss. The blade work was different. This one was merciless and filled with rage. No clean cuts, just massacre. The place was beginning to fill with storm troopers and we had to take our leave, squishing the younglings into our fighters we took off for Padme's penthouse, assumingly Obi wan would be with her.
Afterall the younglings had no where else to go. The temple was unsafe and what would the storm troopers do with them? They all held the same rank. The senate without its leader and just the few remaining senators that chose to stay on the planet after the explosion. The skies were a mess.
Maul was surely on his way to get his revenge on the Sith for abandoning him and his brother and bring the death of Count Dooku and Grievous' due, bodily end. Perhaps he would even take the temporary title of the Lord of the Sith. The Grey will reign and soon myself and Ahsoka will be able to return to the galaxy without fear of being branded as terrorists but the galaxies saviours. Along with the others back in the furthest reaches of the outer rim.
Landing on Padme's speeder port, we all got out and were welcomed inside by none other than C3PO.
Obi wan was pacing furiously in the main living area, stopping in his tracks as he saw the younglings running toward him. He welcomed them with open arms, tears pricking at his eyes as he pushed the younglings behind him, igniting his lightsabre.
"What are you doing?" Petro yelled defensively.
"Anakin, Ahsoka, in the name of the republic you are under arrest for treason and terrorism," his voice was shaking as he slowly stepped towards us.
Myself and Ahsoka jumped onto the dining table, lightsabres on our belts, before we sat in a meditative stance.
"Help me understand, Anakin! What has the force shown you?" He yelled in desperation, pointing his blade at my neck, "Ahsoka!" he flicked his gaze to her, his face crumpling in a heap, deactivating his lightsabre.
POV: Ahsoka Tano
I stood with the younglings as Anakin explained everything to Obi wan. He was no longer a Jedi. The Jedi had disbanded along with the Masters of the Jedi Temple. Abandoned, like I was.
"Where did we go so wrong?" I heard Obi wan question as waves of frustration and a plague of confusion clouded around him.
But that's not what hurt the most. What hurt the most was when Anakin contacted Obi wan and asked him to take care of Padme. That's when I saw it. Deep inside Anakin he had come to realise that he still loved her… After everything we've been through together, he still wonders about the 'what if he stayed' with her. He no longer dwells in the light, he has come to see the grey of the world as I was taught alongside him and it has changed us.
The force finally felt clear again, it was slowly becoming clearer and stronger on Coruscant ever since the death of Palpatine. All my memories returning without being hastily killed by the healing aura that was placed over me by Farrah Imwe.
It felt good to see Barriss in pain. I've never hated someone so much, but yet I couldn't kill her. I wanted to leave her to die a slow painful death. But that couldn't be allowed to happen in the case someone came across her. And now, she was gone. I thought that I would feel better now that she is dead but I don't.
Anakin has fulfilled his promise to me; to heal me, and he has. But what now. I sense that he wants to stay here, close to Padme, but I can't, I won't let myself be destroyed seeing her so close to him; seeing him inflame the smouldering embers he still has for her. And he knows, he knows that he has saved me and can be at peace on that behalf. But can he keep me?
My heart stopped in my chest as my eyes absorbed the sight of Padme and her beauty. Her lower torso engorged with two small life forms inside.
I studied Anakin as he stared at her. Those were his kids inside of her. He had a chance to be a father in a world free of conflict. Something that I could not give him with this immediacy.
Now is your chance, Anakin.
I slipped out without anyone noticing, or at least I thought I did. The cool Coruscanti dusk hitting my montrals as I strode towards my fighter.
"I'm coming with you," Katooni's voice was determined as I opened the canopy of my fighter.
I motioned for her to get in, swallowing the lump in my throat. Dropping my commlink on the ground and crushing it with my boot, before activating the self-destruct sequence in Anakin's fighter. Fortunately, Artoo was inside with C3PO.
Ripping of my silka braid from my headpiece I dropped it to the ground next to the destroyed commlink.
If you still love me, you will come after me, no matter what the cost.