Chapter 29 - A Failed Escape

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 the battle at the Temple ends... in a bad way... :')

~ Amina Gila

Anakin and Ahsoka move quickly as they weave their way through the long halls of the Temple. The droids and clones are all over the place still battling Jedi, though dead bodies are lying everywhere already. He tries not to look, tries not to let his horror consume his focus. Whatever they do, they need to find Obi-Wan before it's too late. He does his best to ignore that his leg is throbbing where it was shot earlier, having not been attended to, of course.

Anakin pauses at the sound of blaster shots coming from right around the corner. It only takes him a moment to decide. He runs into the hall. A group of battle droids are shooting at a group of six younglings. They're attempting to use training sabers to deflect the blasts away, fighting instead of running like they ought to be.

He activates his lightsaber lunging forwards and cutting down the battle droids before they have the chance to notice him. "Come on, you need to get out of here," Anakin informs them. He glances back down the hallway, even though he doesn't sense anything heading their way immediately. The last thing they need is a group of over-enthusiastic younglings wandering around when they're way too glad to fight their first battle.

"What?!" protests the back-haired human boy. He seems to be the leader of the bunch. "We can't run away like children! We can help!" The Wookie growls his agreement.

"Petro, we are children," points out one of the girls, a Tholothian, the same species as Gallia.

Anakin glances back again, and Ahsoka moves to stand in the center of the hall, standing guard for any approaching enemy forces. He flicks off his lightsaber and steps closer to the group. "Look, we all have our own duties now. Yours is to escape. Getting killed when you don't have to isn't heroic, it's stupid."

Petro scowls but doesn't argue.

"Now," Ahsoka asks glancing back at them, "Were you supposed to be leaving alone or was someone coming with you?"

"They may as well come with me." Anakin turns at the familiar voice to see a worried Barriss hurrying up. Depa's new padawan, Caleb Dume, is standing at her side. She's holding another youngling in her arms – the same species as Yoda and Yaddle, the only other one of their species known.

Ahsoka freezes and stares at the child like she's not quite sure she's seeing it right. "What ..." she trails off, seemingly unable to form a coherent sentence.

"His name is Grogu," offers Anakin.

"How even can we get out of here?" asks the Rodian youngling, looking up at Barriss.

"There's some passageways beneath the Tempe," Barriss tells them. "Come on, hurry. We have to go." It's obvious she doesn't want to which Anakin isn't surprised about. Luminara is still here, probably fighting to help hold off the attackers.

The group hurries away down the hall. Anakin and Ahsoka watch for a moment to ensure that they're safely out of sight around the corner before they turn and take off running again.

It doesn't take long for Anakin to realize that Obi-Wan must be in the Archives. What is he doing in there? Actually, it probably makes sense. There is information in there they don't need to fall into the wrong hands.

As they run into the area, they see that the place is completely deserted other than the sound of clashing lightsabers still going on in the room that only the Council has access to. There's a large hole cut in the door and both inside and out is strewn with pieces of destroyed droids.

On the far side of the room, they see Grievous and Obi-Wan fighting each other. The cyborg cackles madly about nothing as he lunges at Obi-Wan again, spinning three lightsabers. They run into the room, Anakin catching sight of Shaak Ti's motionless body lying a short distance inside. He's instantly hit with the enormity of the situation again. The life as he knew it is being completely destroyed, and the worst part, is that there's no way to fight back. So many people he's known are dying. Over the time, he's realized that most of the Jedi never accepted him despite everything he's done for them, but others, including Shaak Ti, had always been nice to him. She'd been one of the only Council members who ever seemed to genuinely care for him, who he respected.

Anakin is shaken out of his thoughts when Grievous grabs Obi-Wan with his clawed foot and throws him towards Anakin and Ahsoka, who instantly reach out to catch him with the Force. Grievous uses their momentary distraction to stab his remaining lightsabers through the wall and jump through, taking off back into the outside of the Temple.

"Master, are you alright?" Anakin asks with concern as he runs forwards, helping Obi-Wan to his feet. All the fears he's been trying to suppress since the battle broke out come back in a rush. He'd known he was doing what needed to be done but risking one of the only people he cares about like that is impossibly hard.

"I'm fine," assures Obi-Wan. "We need to cover for the younglings to escape."

Anakin nods, but he's still not quite sure about this. "Maybe we should rest here for a few minutes. It'll hardly do any good if we go down there only to get killed."

"I hate to say so, but I agree," Ahsoka interjects, stepping forwards. She's holding her lightsabers, though they aren't ignited.

"We can't wait," the Jedi Master argues. "They're gaining on us every moment."

"Are you sure there's not something we can do, other than simply retreating?" Anakin asks at last.

"What could we do?" Ahsoka asks. "It's not like we can negotiate with Dooku." The hatred in her voice as she says the name has reached a whole new level, not like he's surprised. Personally, there's nothing Anakin wants more right now than to see the Sith Lord dead. This – this was his purpose, and maybe he'll be able to fulfill it.

"I don't know." He pauses for a moment. "That would never work anyway." By every passing moment, the deaths in the Temple are growing, leaving the Force cloaked with a deep, oppressive darkness.

Minutes later, the three of them are heading for the front lines where the remaining masters in that area are still trying to slow the droids and clones down so the younglings and younger padawans can escape. There are only several masters and knights left in the area, and all of them are at least somewhat injured.

Anakin almost immediately loses track of everything around him, throwing himself full force into the fight, lightsaber spinning. Blaster bolts are flying all around him. Much of the nearby floor and walls are singed and damaged from the fight. Finally, the surviving Jedi start gathering together in a group, and Anakin finds himself being oddly reminded of Geonosis. They're surrounded on all sides with no way of escape, but that doesn't mean any of them are going down easily. Even if this time there will be no clones coming to the rescue. Most of the others have split off into different areas, and he's lost track of them.

The droids and clones continue shooting at the small group, and one by one, the remaining Jedi start to go down. A sudden burning pain tears through his left shoulder. Ignoring it, he forces himself to continue fighting. He steals a nearby blaster to help him out, but there's only so much it can do.

He's not sure how long it's been, but the last of the Jedi other than himself, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka in the area eventually goes down. It's the three of them now here, against everyone. No one will be coming to their rescue. He refuses to think about who'll go next. If there are any other Jedi around – he's certain there are – none are in the immediate vicinity.

**w**

Ahsoka struggles to keep up with deflecting the non-stop barrage of blaster bolts being fired at her, trying to ignore her injuries. The one on her left arm from earlier wasn't too deep, so it's not bothering her too much anymore, though the constant motion is threatening to make it break open. The last thing she needs is for it to start bleeding.

Another shot catches her in the arm sending of one her blades skittering from her hands. She continues to deflect the shots with her remaining lightsaber, sending a Force-shove at the nearby group of droids. They're sent flying backwards into the ones behind them, but more instantly move forwards to take their place. A sense of dread curls through Ahsoka as she struggles to keep up with deflecting the blaster bolts to kill or destroy her opponents. Both her arms are aching, and she's slowing down. Never mind however many other slight injuries she's gotten through the course of the battle.

The past two days of hardly eating and not sleeping is starting to catch up with her. Her energy feels like it's dwindling down to nothing, having been drained out over the past few hours of constant fighting. A sense of numbness rises up in her as she realizes that she'll be next. The thought of death has never really scared Ahsoka, but glaring her in the face like this... It feels so wrong.

She won't deny now that she's afraid of death, but her biggest regret is that Anakin will be here to see it. Now she finds herself wishing she'd had the time to tell her brother how grateful she is to have him. There were so many things she should have told him, that they should have spoken of, but never did.

Suddenly, the barrage of blaster bolts abruptly dies. What?

She looks around, confused, before her gaze lands on an altogether too familiar figure standing a short distance away. Dooku.

Her breath catches, and she lowers her lightsaber towards the floor, grabbing the one she's dropped a few minutes back. Dooku betrayed her. He abandoned her. He could have come to rescue her when she was captured, but he didn't. It's ironic how she's upset at him for that, despite that she doesn't mind how it worked out. Still, if not for Anakin's care, she'd be locked up in the Temple if not dead. No one would have cared for her like Anakin did, but Dooku wants to kill him too, anyway. Never mind he was the one who destroyed the Jedi and turned the clones into mindless slaves.

Anakin turns, moving in front of Ahsoka defensively, glaring daggers at the Sith Lord. Ahsoka scans Anakin over quickly, checking for injuries. He's been shot at least twice and grazed a few more, but he's still standing, albeit very unsteadily.

"You survived," Dooku observes at last.

"Surprised?" Anakin hisses, eyes narrowing.

Ahsoka deactivates her lightsabers, realizing an attack isn't about to start. Unless Anakin starts it, because he looks two seconds from attacking the Sith Lord even though he can hardly stand on his own two feet right now. She steps around Anakin and a few feet forwards. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting upon seeing her former master again, but the surge of betrayal was definitely not one of them. "Why?" she asks at last. "After everything I did for you, why did you abandon me?"

"It would have been an unnecessary risk to rescue you from the Temple," Dooku replies coolly.

"You had time, yet you left me to my own fate!" she snaps.

"I'm surprised that this is your top concern as of now," he remarks with enough casualness to make her want to punch him.

"Like you care what I'm concerned about," Ahsoka shoots back, eyes narrowed. She doesn't know why she cares so much. She'd always known she didn't really mean anything to him, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Even for as angry as she was at him, she still cared for him, somewhere deep inside. It wasn't only that he was her master. He was... something like the parent figure she's always been lacking.

"Take them to the detention block," Dooku orders, turning to the clones. "Have their injuries treated."

Ahsoka can't resist shooting a final murderous glare over her shoulder at him as the clones lead them away after confiscating their lightsabers. What does he want with them, anyway? Why is he taking them alive when he had all the other Jedi killed? Is he hoping they're going to tell him some information, such as about the Jedi who escaped? If he really thinks he's going to get that out of any of them, he's delusional. Not to mention that they have no idea where those Jedi went anyway. That... is probably a good thing, because Ahsoka knows how easy it is to get information from people, even if it's something Dooku very rarely does and certainly doesn't enjoy.

She does her best not to look at the bodies littering the halls as they're led down to the Temple's own prison cells. The irony. They're going to be imprisoned in the very building that was once their home. If that's supposed to be some sort of dark humor, Ahsoka is not amused.

If only there was a way that they could do something to escape, but one glance around shows that any resistance would be fruitless. There are too many clones around them, and when they're all injured and weaponless, if they tried anything, at least one of them would probably end up dead. It's not a risk she has any desire to take right now. Not unless they actually have a fighting chance. She can't help but be struck with the same feeling of helplessness she once felt months ago when she held prisoner at the Temple. The situation now is similar in a lot of ways – she has no idea what's going to happen to her, or Anakin and Obi-Wan. And she highly doubts that Dooku spared their lives for a pleasant reason. Herself she could understand, and maybe Obi-Wan – he did want to turn him, if possible, after all – but not Anakin.

It isn't long before they reach the lower levels of the Temple and are each locked in separate cells. There are Force dampeners in the cells, and the sudden inability to properly reach the Force is driving Ahsoka up the wall. She won't even be able to talk to Anakin and Obi-Wan mentally, and while they could probably yell across the hall to each other, everyone would definitely hear them.

As soon as the clones are gone after treating her injuries – which she finds a very minor concern right now – she sinks to the floor, leaning back against the wall. She can hardly believe that the life she's been getting used to over the past couple of months is gone. A situation like this is what they'd been working to prevent. More than likely, Dooku is planning to establish a Sith Empire like Sidious would have done if she hadn't killed him. No doubt he'd be a better Emperor, but it still feels like she got absolutely nowhere. She wishes she could talk to the others right now.

Ahsoka can still feel the darkness in the Force anyway, and it's driving her crazy that she really can't do anything to calm herself. So many people have died. It's going to linger for a very, very long time. She hates feeling so helpless. There's nothing she can do, and the rest of the Jedi who are still alive in the Temple are probably being killed right now. Hopefully at least some of them made it to safety. She tries not to think about how many were away from Coruscant who definitely wouldn't have stood a chance.

She's not sure how long it's been, but she feels as restless as she did last night, except there's a crushing depression added to that. She hasn't slept in a long while, and eventually, exhaustion begins to overtake her.

**w**

Anakin leans against the wall, struggling to ignore the lack of the Force. His head is pounding, and he feels horrible overall. Force-dampeners have always hurt him worse than other Force-sensitives since he's so strong. He feels so much all the time, and while it is relieving to not have to, it hurts.

He's exhausted, but he doesn't want to sleep. He can't. What does Dooku want with them? He doesn't know, but it's obviously nothing good.

He remembers Ahsoka's warning about how Sidious was trying to turn him, and now he can't help but realize it's certainly possible. The anger and hatred for Dooku boiling in him is almost scary, but after knowing Ahsoka, he's slowly starting to realize that the Dark Side is also part of the Force. It can't be shunned. It can only be accepted. He can't quite understand it. It's against everything he's been taught, yet he knows there are many things the Jedi refused to see, and even things which they haven't told him.

But really, he's beginning to wonder how he'd even allowed Ahsoka to get stuck in one of these things overnight.

Anakin is tempted to start pacing but decides better of it. He was injured during the battle and walking really hurts right now. It's going to irritate his wounds even more, and make it take longer to heal.

With a lack of anything else to focus on, his mind wanders back to everyone else. Is Padme still here on Coruscant? Hopefully, she left the planet like she was supposed to. Anakin can't help but doubt it. Given what's likely about to happen, she wouldn't want to leave, but she should know how dangerous it would be to stay. Anakin can only hope she took her safety seriously for once. And he knows Dooku would kill her if he thought she would be a threat, like he did all the Jedi. Anakin does his best to force those thoughts from mind. He couldn't imagine a world without her.

And Rex and Fives. What happened to them? Did they manage to leave the planet safely? They should have, provided they listened to his orders. He knew they wouldn't want to leave him, but there wasn't a choice. And the rest of the 501st. Did they come back to the surface and join the battle at the Temple? He feels sick at the thought of the men he'd led into battle so many times helping in the annihilation of the Jedi.

How did all this happen? Just a week ago, everything was perfect – mostly. Except that Sidious was still alive. Then Ahsoka killed him, and everything fell apart.

Anakin doesn't blame her for any of it, of course. If she knew what would have happened, she probably would have dealt with things differently. Why did the Council have to send them to talk to Palpatine? If they hadn't, they could have arranged things differently to take down both Sith at once. It really doesn't make him feel any better about it that the Jedi could have prevented their own fall if not for one stupid decision. At least it wasn't Anakin's fault, but he still can't help feeling somewhat responsible. He's glad Sidious is dead, but it doesn't seem like it changed the future the Sith were planning.

The life as he's always known is gone, ripped away by the now-Sith Master.

His left hand reaches up to touch where flesh meets metal on his right arm. He'll never forget the day Dooku did that to him. He'll never admit how long it still hurt, either. At times, it haunts him even now. No one really knows, and it's not something he's about to talk about. He can still function, even if it has been very much impaired and difficult at times. It doesn't really matter.

Anakin can feel the Dark Side calling to him stronger than ever before. He's never felt it this clearly since that night on Tatooine. He knows it's calling to Ahsoka, too. He needs to stay strong, somehow. For her. And for Obi-Wan because he can't let his master down like that. He can't.

Anakin doesn't know what Dooku wants with them, but if he thinks about it, it's not hard to know. He remembers how Obi-Wan told him that Dooku has given him the offer to join him, which he'd flatly refused. And of course, Ahsoka used to be the Sith's assassin. It's certainly not impossible for him to be hoping they could be useful to him somehow. But that doesn't really answer what he wants with Anakin. That's something that remains to be seen.

It's not as though Anakin knows any more than Obi-Wan. He couldn't give Dooku anything that Obi-Wan couldn't. Then why...? Somehow, he doesn't think Dooku is planning to turn him. That doesn't feel right, and nor has he even implied an interest in Anakin. That was all Sidious.

Unless Dooku is planning to kill him in a more... dramatic fashion. He banishes the thought as quickly as it comes, not wanting to dwell on it.

He doesn't want to die. He fears death, and maybe he shouldn't, but he undeniably does.

He can't die, not yet, not until his purpose is fulfilled. He can't... right? He doesn't know. Not really.

He shouldn't dwell on it, but he has nothing else to focus on. Part of his mind idly wonders if Dooku is trying to drive them all crazy, but he can't imagine the Sith could gain anything from it, so he banishes the thought. They're stuck waiting, for Force knows how long, and for Force knows what.

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