Chapter 12 - Mission to Kamino

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: In which Ahsoka is sent to Kamino, and Anakin and Obi-Wan are defending it. ;)

~ Amina Gila

"Ahsoka, you have a very important mission," Dooku's voice rings through the room. "You will go with Grievous to Kamino to help him stop the production of the clones." Something about how serious he sounds gives Ahsoka the feeling he has something else to say, something that's far more important. She doesn't say anything, waiting for him to continue his instructions.

"You must retrieve the clone's DNA. And..." he pauses again for a moment before continuing, "I understand that Skywalker is likely to be there. I want him eliminated."

Eliminated?! Ahsoka's head snaps up to meet her master's gaze. He's perfectly serious. He wants her to kill Anakin? How could he even think she could? It doesn't make sense but the thought itself sickens her, never mind she knows full well she'd never be able to do it willingly. She should... but it doesn't really matter now, does it? Everything is so confusing. Truth is, she's hardly certain what's right anymore, but she can guarantee that killing one of the only actual Jedi in the Order is not right. Not like she'd be able to, anyway. He's too strong. And why is Dooku asking this of her, anyway? She already knows that Sidious has an interest in Anakin... All Dooku's assassins know, or at least have a good idea.

"I thought Lord Sidious wanted him alive?" Ahsoka blurts out finally before she can stop herself, still struggling to come to terms with this. If only they could get Sidious out of the picture. Then Dooku wouldn't have a hard time properly restoring the galaxy to a peaceful state.

The Sith Lord fixes her with a look. "Indeed. And that is why he must die."

Ahsoka blinks in confusion, wanting to ask more questions, but deciding better of it. He probably won't be happy. Finally, she nods, however reluctant she actually is. Her vision and conversation with Asajj over a month ago flit through her mind, again reminding her. She needs to be incredibly careful whatever she does. "Yes, Master."

"Remember. The galaxy will suffer the consequences if you fail."

"I understand, Master." Not really. A shiver runs down her spine. This is serious, and she knows there's much more going on than he'll ever tell her. It was a warning, yet one she has no idea how to heed.

It's not long before Ahsoka makes it to Kamino along with the underwater attack team. It was surprisingly easy. It's ironic. She was working with Grievous last time she ran into Anakin, too.

"I have the exact locations of both the clone DNA room and the clone trooper barracks," Ahsoka informs the cyborg over the hologram to his starship. Thankfully. At least she isn't stuck with him. Ahsoka has no desire to be any nearer to that haughty clanker of a general any longer than she needs to be. After all, she hasn't exactly forgotten how he nearly abandoned her the last time she ran into Anakin. All the Separatists are like that. It's sad she can practically trust two Jedi more than her own forces.

"Both shall be annihilated under my hand," Grievous growls, and then coughs, brandishing his metal fist.

Ahsoka suppresses an eye roll. "Our hands," she retorts, eyes narrowing. "Count Dooku gave both of us this job."

"But of course, assassin," he hastily acknowledges, clenching his fist again. Why does he keep doing that? Maybe it makes him feel strong or something stupid like that. Ahsoka doesn't know or care, but it's dumb. And why must he be so haughty? "I look forward to meeting you again." Good to know, but the feeling is not mutual. She'd like to have a galaxy between them, thanks for the offer, Grievous.

Ahsoka nods curtly as the hologram finally flickers off and she turns to the nearby waiting battle droids. "Are the aqua droids prepared for phase two of the plan?"

"Yes, mistress," it confirms, dutifully bobbing its head up and down. At least they stopped calling her 'sir' but 'mistress' is arguably worse. Why not just something simple like "ma'am"?

She lets out a sigh to relief, turning and crossing the room to look out the viewport at the murky greenish water surrounding them on all sides. Soon enough, it will be time for the attack to commence. She doesn't know why, but for whatever reason, watching the scenery is giving her the distinct feeling that something is about to change dramatically, for better or for worse.

**w**

"Masters Kenobi and Skywalker," Shaak Ti greets Anakin and Obi-Wan as they approach her and the head of the facility with Rex and Cody close behind them. They've managed to intercept a transmission between Ahsoka and Grievous about the upcoming attack, so they're already here and getting prepared. Anakin expects the Separatists will be here anytime now. He's surprised they're about to be running into Ahsoka again. Assuming they do, that is. The battle is likely to be in space, so the chances of actually encountering her aren't high. At least not beyond wildly shooting at each other in fighters.

"Welcome to Kamino," the Kaminoan acknowledges them.

"I wish our arrival wasn't under such circumstances," Obi-Wan declares, stepping forwards, "We believe Grievous is planning a Separatist attack on Kamino."

"But the Republic blockade is far too strong," protests the Kaminoan, eyes widening surprise and concern, "They would not dare."

If only. "We need to hurry and prepare for the upcoming battle," Anakin interjects, "Grievous is already on his way."

The Separatist fleet exits hyperspace above the planet momentarily, open firing on the Republic ships. An alarm starts blaring, signaling the battle is about to begin. That's when the familiar presence hits him. Ahsoka. This – this is the moment he's been waiting for. Hopefully. Last time, it was more of a mad scramble than anything, and Anakin didn't want to get into it much with Gallia there. Regardless, the opportunity may present itself later, but now he needs to prevent her and Grievous from getting down to the surface.

Anakin races to his fighter, swinging himself over the edge and firing it up in a matter of seconds. He blasts out of the hanger bay in the lead, a large group of clones flying close behind. Typical for Kamino, heavy rain pours down around the fighters as they exit the atmosphere towards where the space battle has already begun.

"Good to see you, General," one of the clones – Broadside – comments as they head towards the Star Destroyers where constant laser fire is being exchanged. Ships on both sides are already being destroyed. "Ready to have some fun?"

"You know me, Broadside. I'd rather be here than stuck in a command center," Anakin replies cheerfully, flying forwards. Their fighters fly past one of the large ships as the battle begins to rage in earnest.

After several minutes of intense fighting, with ships blowing up on both sides, and the flaming debris falling down towards the surface of the planet, Anakin heads on towards one of the other large ships. This seems far too easy, but all the better for them. Most battle aren't this fast paced. "I'm going to press the attack, Master," Anakin informs Obi-Wan over the comm.

"No, Anakin, wait. It's too easy," his former master argues, "Not even Grievous would attack so recklessly." He has a point; it doesn't make sense, but Anakin won't argue with their luck.

"Master, the battle's up here in space, not down there," Anakin insists, moving the fighter sideways to avoid a nearby explosion. Debris flies everywhere, some of the largest pieces plunging down towards the surface of the planet.

"The debris from the destroyed Separatist ships is the key," he replies as Anakin continues shooting at the ships, sending more of them crashing towards the surface.

"What are you thinking?" Shaak Ti asks in the background.

"I think I'd like to go for a swim," Obi-Wan responds before his end of the comm goes silent. Leave it to him to do something like that. Anakin returns his focus to the space battle once more. As the battle continues, explosions ring out all around him. The Separatist ships are being destroyed way too quickly, almost as though they came here to be. Now that is suspicious. They must be up to something. A distraction perhaps? Because there's no way they sent the whole fleet there to be destroyed.

"Nothing as of yet," Obi-Wan reports at last.

"Only you could be worried about the ships I already shot down," Anakin teases.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaims suddenly, sounding worried, "Aqua droids! It looks as though they're assembling assault craft. Anakin, I was right!" That doesn't sound good. The communication cuts off there and all Anakin hears is strange static noises before the connection breaks entirely. It sounds like he's in trouble, as usual. Time for him to head back to the surface to drag his former master out of whatever chaos he's stirred up this time.

Anakin weaves his way between the exploding ships. If something is happening to Obi-Wan, he has to get back to the planet and out of the fight, but he can't just pull out and leave his troops behind. Suddenly, his comm flares to life again. "Anakin, the city is under attack! I need you down here now!" Obi-Wan calls urgently.

"I'm on my way!" Anakin replies, dodging another ship as he continues his downward dive. As the fighter lowers through the atmosphere again, Anakin spots huge aqua droids atop the facility, dropping in explosives and super battle droids. His ship glides to a stop on the chaotic landing platform, and he jumps out. Obi-Wan is under the nearby overhang, deflecting blaster shots back at the advancing droids.

Several clones stand behind him, shooting them down as they approach. Anakin hurries to his side, lightsaber igniting. There are so many droids here, but Anakin gets the impression this is not the main target. At all. He expects Ahsoka and/or Grievous are already down here on the surface to do what their real mission here is.

"There aren't enough droids here to capture the city," Obi-Wan soon reaches the same conclusion as his former padawan. "They're trying to distract us. Go protect the DNA chamber. I'll deal with Grievous."

"Got it," Anakin calls, deflecting a few more shots back at the droids before taking off. Hopefully, Obi-Wan will be alright here alone.

**w**

With the Republic forces sufficiently distracted trying to defend the rest of the facility, Grievous and Ahsoka break inside in a location she can only hope isn't too well protected. She needs to get there and back. Fast. A red glow from the ceiling lights illuminates the dimly lit hallway as Ahsoka makes her way towards the battle now raging in one of the halls of the facility.

Battle droids march towards the few clone defenders, with Grievous close behind them.

"Keep firing! No mercy!" shouts the cyborg. Ahsoka gives him an odd look. Seriously, since when did battle droids know what mercy means anyway? He seems to have about as much a brain as they do, maybe less.

One of the clones gets shot down, and the other two back mostly behind the walls and continue shooting. A number of the battle droids go down, but there are far too many of them for the clones to fight off. She'll have to wait here until the battle is finished before continuing her journey. The next clone gets shot down after taking the next several rows of droids with him. The battle doesn't take long, all things considered. When the last of the clones steps out to start shooting at the droids, Ahsoka lifts him with the Force, throwing him against the wall. He slumps to the floor, unconscious.

"Your skills are impressive," Grievous rasps as he approaches her, "Perhaps a match for my own, assassin."

This time, Ahsoka does roll her eyes at him. "Count Dooku may have taught you how to swing a lightsaber, General, but that hardly makes you my equal."

"And yet I am the General in charge of the assault," he retorts, sounding offended as marches over closer, towering over her.

She's tempted to remind him that his half the mission is a distraction but holds her tongue on that little fact. The memory of almost getting sucked into space thanks to that stupid cyborg flits through her memory again. She'd best not antagonize the idiot too much. "I'm not a general," Ahsoka shoots back finally, "I'm an assassin, and my part of the mission is far more important than yours." So much more.

"Remember, assassin, you are to recover the clone DNA," he growls.

Ahsoka raises an eyemarking at him. That's exactly what she just said! "I remember that quite fine. Keep playing with your droids," she smirks, as he takes a step back in probably greater offence. "I'll handle breaking into the DNA room."

As she turns to walk away, he grabs her arm. "Shall I provide you with a droid escort?" Seriously?!

"No thanks. I can handle myself just fine, thank you." But he, on the other hand, is a completely different story. He needs all the droids he's got. And a million times more.

Ahsoka bolts down the now empty hall, using the Force to guide her while weaving her way down the maze-like halls. The main lights are off, so instead of the brilliant white light that's usually used, the facility is only lit with a faint red light. It's a miracle anyone remembers their way around here, she decides. The facility is gigantic.

Finally, she slips mostly unnoticed into the brightly lit room where the DNA is being held. A large structure rises all the way to the ceiling, containing all the DNA used.

She ascends the steps, pushing the buttons on the controls until she finds the vial where the clone DNA is being kept. This is almost too easy. Now she needs to get it out of here. And as for the other part of the mission, maybe if she gets out with this quickly, she'll never have to worry about completing it. She can tell Dooku she never got the chance.

Just as Ahsoka is about to turn around and head for the doorway, a sudden presence washes over her. Anakin.

"I was beginning to think my presence would go unnoticed," she quips, spinning around. He's standing in the doorway, lightsaber already ignited. Great. Exactly what she was hoping to avoid.

"You weren't planning on leaving without saying hello, were you, Snips?" he retorts. She slips the vial to her belt, drawing and igniting her own lightsabers. This isn't going to be easy. Dooku ordered her to kill him, but she can't do it. Maybe she could try to get out with the clone DNA like she was hoping. At least it would be better to accomplish part of the mission. If she could get past him...

"As a matter of fact, I had hoped so, Skyguy," she shoots back, jumping at him. Their lightsabers clash as he sprints forwards, blocking the blow. She flips over his head, sending a Force-shove at him. He stumbles backwards, and she whirls around and darts out the door.

Anakin follows her, of course. Ahsoka spins around barely in time to avoid being beheaded. She stumbles back a step before swinging at him again. He parries the blow, and the duel continues raging. As usual, Ahsoka is on the defensive in minutes. She needs to get out of here. She'll never be able to defeat him. She may have been learning, but she clearly wasn't the only one. Every time they fight, his powers seem greater. It would be disastrous if Sidious managed to get his hands on him. Maybe that's why Dooku wants Anakin dead; he actually does care for the good of the galaxy, but that doesn't mean Ahsoka is any more anxious to hurt someone like Anakin simply because of what he's capable of. That would be wrong.

As their fight continues traveling down the hall, the three blades finally clash into a saberlock. "You don't have to do this," he says, eyes riveted on Ahsoka. He sounds so certain, so determined, but it's pointless. There's so much of the world he doesn't see.

"I don't have a choice," she insists, pushing harder against his lightsaber. She needs to hurry and get out of here before he manages to get the DNA vial away from her. At least that way she'll have fulfilled part of this mission. She'll never be able to do the other. She could never kill Anakin. Even if she had the chance, she'd never be able to. Maybe it's because he's the only one who ever saw something in her, something beyond being a slave like everyone else has always seen. Something he considers worth saving, though she can't begin to understand why.

"No," he retorts, "You do. You always have a choice."

And do what? Ahsoka could hardly go back and tell Dooku she refuses to complete his mission but surrendering to the Republic would be suicide. She doesn't want to die. It's a question between Sidious and Dooku, and there's not even a choice as to which Ahsoka would rather deal with. She shakes her head in firm denial. "I don't."

Pulling back, she strikes at him again. Their lightsabers clash a couple more times before she kicks him backwards. He slams into the wall and falls to the floor, momentarily stunned. His lightsaber slips from his hands and skids across the floor out of his reach.

She freezes, lightsabers clasped tightly in her hands. Her Master's words ring through my head. 'I want him eliminated. The galaxy will suffer the consequences if you fail'. No, no, no, no. She can't do it. She just can't. Ahsoka takes a step closer, hands tightening over her lightsabers. Anakin glances up at her. There's something in his expression, like he already knew this was going to happen. She doesn't take the time to ponder the weirdness.

He reaches out, lightsaber flying back to him as Ahsoka finally swings her blades down. She can't help but feel a strange sense of relief when they clash. As least he's still alive, but Dooku will not be happy. At least he'll never have to find out that she intentionally failed.

Jumping over Anakin's head, Ahsoka bolts down the hall towards the exit. She can hear him close behind as she picks up speed. As she races out the door into the hanger bay, she senses the chaos still surrounding the area almost before seeing it. Clones are still destroying the last of the droids. Danger ripples through the Force, and she dodges out of the way as an enormous arm of a destroyed aqua droid comes crashing down towards her. The sky is covered with dark clouds, not surprising considering the murky ocean spreading across the surface.

Anakin jumps over the wreckage, landing right behind her. She whirls around, blocking the blow from his lightsaber barely in time. Their blades clash furiously as the duel travels across the platform. She can see the determination in his eyes. He's not going to let her get away with the DNA vial.

A sudden Force-kick catches Ahsoka off guard and she stumbles back, barely managing to maintain her balance, nearly dropping her lightsabers. Anakin raises a hand, Force-pulling away the vial. It lands in his hand as Ahsoka leaps to her feet.

No, no, no. He cannot escape with it. Getting that – it was the purpose of the entire mission. Maybe, maybe Dooku would excuse her inability to kill Anakin, but the rest of the mission? Certainly not. Her vision burns in the back of her mind. For all she knows, it could have been a warning about this mission. If she fails, she could die.

Ahsoka charge at him, attacking full force. She uses the Dark Side to fuel her moves as she attacks him with renewed fury. She manages to slowly push him back towards the entrance of the building, before kicking him back again. He throws the vial back towards the clones, and she reach out with the Force, intending to pull it to her, but one of the clones steps in the way, grabbing it instead. From behind him, a bunch of other clones begin jumping down.

Ahsoka looks up, scanning the area. Clones are surrounding her now, and there's no escape route. As more of them move closer, surrounding her, she forces myself to maintain an outward appearance of calm even though she's feeling anything but.

"If you're expecting me to surrender, it's not going to happen," Ahsoka informs Anakin, shifting into her fighting stance.

"Actually, I wasn't intending to give you a choice," he shoots back. He turns to the clones. "Set to stun." All at once, the clones open fire on her.

She has to move as fast as she can with both lightsabers to keep up. She's surrounded on all sides. This is a fight she can't win, unless she gets out. She looks around for any avenue of escape. Maybe if she can reach a higher area, they wouldn't be able to reach her as easily. She'd have a better view of the area and could probably spot out an escape route.

Struggling to keep up with the constant stream of blaster bolts they're shooting at her, Ahsoka finally takes off running, jumping up onto a nearby piece of debris of the aqua droid. She pauses to continue swinging her lightsabers to deflect the stun bolts. Anakin circles around to another side. She's so caught up with the clones that she doesn't even notice Anakin until he jumps up right behind her.

Ahsoka hears his lightsaber hiss to life behind her and turns, swinging one of her blades at his automatically, only to realize a moment too late how stupid a mistake it was. A well-aimed stun bolt hits her from behind and the world spins into darkness.