She had less than 20 minutes to come up with a plan.
Ahsoka paced circles around the dorsal deck, her lekku twitching with agitation. Her master was unavailable, off with Artoo pulling a quick and dirty refit on the Redeemer that would allow the two of them to fly it on their own. Master Obi-Wan was in a completely different fleet, waiting for them to break the blockade so he and Master Windu could begin their ground assault. Rex was busy overseeing the relocation of troopers and supplies offloaded from the Redeemer.
She needed to talk to someone, but no one who could help her was around.
"How am I supposed to do this?" Ahsoka muttered to herself. It was impossible. She had no command experience, no idea what she was doing. What if she screwed up? If she failed, they'd never get aid to the Twi'leks and her master would die.
Maybe Admiral Yularen would know what to do? He wasn't the most pleasant person, but he was a skilled tactician. Surely he would at least have some ideas…
But no, the admiral was busy helping Rex with the relocation.
If only there was some way of knowing how the battle would work out, what ideas would work or not… Ahsoka froze mid-step.
The time travellers.
Anakin and Obi-Wan wanted her to stay away from them, but neither of her masters was there and she needed to talk to someone. And aside from that absolutely terrifying meditation session where she'd ended up in Vader's head, neither the crippled Sith nor his son had caused any problems that she knew of.
Ahsoka spun on her heel, making her way to the med bay as fast as she could. Luke was too young, hadn't been born yet, but Vader… Whoever he really was, he had to be at least her master's age in this time. Surely he would remember something about how the Battle of Ryloth had occurred.
Some of the clones looked at her oddly as she headed for the med bay like her life depended on it. Which it very well might. All their lives might depend on what Vader knew. Ahsoka could sense the confusion and worry rolling off her men in waves.
She heard voices as she approached the med bay. A human wouldn't have, not through the heavily armoured walls of the Resolute, but Togrutas were more sensitive; Ahsoka felt the voices ringing through her montrals. One was familiar—Kix. The other was a horrible broken, rasping thing, thick with exhaustion and regret.
That must be Vader.
"No," Kix said adamantly. Ahsoka could almost see him folding his arms. "Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"I don't want you performing even the mildest of activity until you've had at least a week to recover from surgery."
"It will take at least a week to construct prosthetics to these specifications. I will be adequately recovered from my lung surgery by then."
"From your lung surgery, yes. Not from the four other surgeries I have you scheduled for to repair your stomach, intestines, lacrimal glands, and kidneys."
Vader sighed. "And if I promise to stay in bed, even if given limbs?"
"All due respect, Sir, I wouldn't trust that promise as far as I could throw you."
"Why not? I have been nothing but cooperative."
"Because I heard what you said to General Skywalker, and unlike him, I took a moment to think about it. You said you were a general in the GAR and that you'd fought in this battle before. Well, in case you've forgotten, there are only three generals involved with the Battle of Ryloth, and General Windu doesn't have blue eyes."
Ahsoka froze, her hand on the med bay door. Vader was a general in the GAR? He was a Jedi? And he'd fought in the Battle of Ryloth before…
Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no…
Vader made an incoherent noise. Ahsoka struggled to bring her horror at the newfound revelation under control as Kix continued.
"I don't know whether you're General Skywalker or General Kenobi, and quite frankly, unless I need to do a DNA test to find a tissue donor, I don't care. But I know that either way, the instant you get your legs back, you'll take off at light speed and end up neck deep in shenanakins."
"It's pronounced shenanigans."
"Not in this fleet it's not."
Ahsoka's hands felt numb; her pulse and breathing were quick and unsteady. But she had to go in. She'd come here to ask about the Battle of Ryloth and she had to know… Even if… Even if Vader was someone she'd rather not think about.
What if it had been her fault?
She pushed open the door and strode in before she could change her mind. Vader and Kix both looked at her in surprise. Luke… was noticeably absent. Ahsoka frowned.
"Weren't there two of you?"
Kix threw his hands up, sighing the loudest, most exasperated sigh Ahsoka had ever heard. "Luke escaped," he huffed, scowling at Vader out of the corner of his eye. "Apparently he went to get lunch and ended up getting picked up by Blue Squadron and dragged along on your mission. Like father, like son, I guess."
Vader looked sheepish, which was a very strange expression on his scarred face. Ahsoka felt ice crawling up her back.
"The Shiny who flew like my Master… Oh dear… I- I'm so sorry." She wilted, staring at her feet. Another thing that had gone wrong with her command that morning… Just great… "Luke was shot down defending the bridge of the Resolute from a suicide bomber."
"I am aware." Vader didn't sound angry. Ahsoka risked a glance upwards and saw him leaning back against the head of his hospital bed, eyes closed. He radiated exasperation and resignation in the Force, which was admittedly a welcome change from his usual cold, suffocating aura of regret. "Luke is alive; he is currently stranded on Ryloth and likely getting into even more trouble. Rest assured I will be having a talk with my son when Kenobi retrieves him."
"I… uh… I'm glad he's alive. He saved a lot of my men."
"He saved almost all of them. I remember how poorly that mission went in my time." Vader gifted Ahsoka with a wan smile. "It was not an easy mission, and you still had much to learn."
"Yeah… I know…"
Something prodded gently against her mind. Vader was reaching out to her with the Force, ever so tentatively offering comfort through a ragged and fragile bond. A bond Ahsoka hadn't realised was there—and apparently, neither had her master. She was alarmed, at first, but… it didn't seem like Vader was trying to hurt her with it.
Her confidence was still shaky, but Vader's mental touch was… steadying, somehow, despite how terrifying the man could be.
"I… Actually, I have a question for you," Ahsoka stammered out. Vader's non-existent eyebrows rose.
"About?"
"The battle." Even though he didn't seem angry, Ahsoka couldn't help but fidget like a nervous youngling under Vader's pale gaze. "You… I heard you fought in this battle before. I was just wondering…"
"How you dealt with the blockade last time?"
Ahsoka nodded mutely. Vader's face softened into a kind—if rather twisted—smile.
"That, I cannot tell you. Your master left this in your hands because he knows you can handle it. But if I tell you what to do, you will never gain the confidence and trust in yourself that you will when you come up with the winning strategy on your own. Have faith in yourself, Padawan Tano, and take heart in the fact that, thanks to my son's efforts, you have more ships to work with than you otherwise would have."
That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. "Please?"
"No." Vader chuckled, deep and crackling. "I know it's not what you want to hear, young one, but this is what you need. You did quite well last time."
There was a sense of finality in the Force; Ahsoka would be getting no more out of him. Sighing, she turned to leave. She had planning to do, and Vader and Kix were clearly in the middle of an argument about when Vader would be allowed to be fitted for prosthetic limbs.
Something clicked into place, though, just before she reached the door. Oh. Oh. That was not a welcome revelation, not at all. She didn't want to think about that happening to… But the Force sang with the truth of it. Pausing on her way, Ahsoka looked back over her shoulder.
"You know, when we first picked you guys up, I thought Luke looked familiar. I didn't know where I'd seen him before, but now that I think about it… He looks a lot like you, Skyguy."
This time, it was Vader's turn to freeze. Pain radiated from him in the Force, sorrow and longing and regret. He turned his face away; his shoulders shook with barely contained sobs.
"I do not deserve that name," he whispered, so quietly even Ahsoka could barely hear. She didn't know what to make of that.
"When were you planning on telling us?" she asked gently. Vader hesitated, still refusing to face her.
"I… I do not know."
"Well, you better think about it. I can't keep this a secret from Master Anakin and Master Obi-Wan forever."
"I am aware. I will not ask that of you. Just… allow me some time to decide how."
"You've got it, Skyguy."
She wanted to know more, but there was no time. Ahsoka left the med bay and headed for the bridge. She had to come up with something, now.
A pang of guilt cut through her at leaving Vader so suddenly, though, to fall back into stewing in his regrets. What had happened to him, to turn her master into… that?
She'd have to find out later.
Ahsoka was barely aware of her surroundings as her feet carried her to the bridge. Half-formed thoughts and ideas spun in her head. Two star destroyers and their full compliments of fighters, plus the fighters from the ruined Redeemer—that was what she had to work with. The blockade had more ships, but they were smaller and more lightly armoured than the star destroyers.
Armour…
The armour of a star destroyer was heaviest on the ventral side. If they rerouted all shields to that area, they were almost invulnerable from underneath. But how could she use that…?
"Commander?"
Oh. She was at the bridge already. Ahsoka swallowed thickly and stared across the holo table at the clone officers. Rex smiled softly in reassurance, but the others were unreadable. She took a deep breath.
"I… I have a plan." Ahsoka wasn't entirely sure when it had crystallised, but she suddenly knew what they had to do. Warmth came through the Force; Vader was reading her surface thoughts. The fact that he seemed to approve of her idea lent Ahsoka confidence.
"As soon as we come out of hyperspace, we turn the Resolute and the Defender up on their port sides and present the blockade with our ventral surface. Redirect all shielding to the ventral sides so that the blockade's blasters and torpedoes can't deal any significant damage." Another deep breath. "This will allow us to muster fighters safely on the dorsal sides and send them out to harry the blockade and pick up General Skywalker's escape pod."
Rex nodded, but Appo and Sarge looked hesitant. "That's a very risky strategy, Commander," Sarge said slowly, "Perhaps we should think about this a bit more."
Anakin's presence grew faint as the clone sergeant spoke, travelling to the edge of Ahsoka's range as he commenced his manoeuvre with the ruined Redeemer. She gripped the edge of the holo table, her knuckles going white.
"We don't have time to think about this more, Sarge. Master Skywalker needs us to have his back. This plan will work, I'm sure of it." She wasn't, not really, but she had to convince the clones that she was. If she was nervous, they would be nervous, and their focus would suffer.
Vader's presence in the Force warmed more, a sense of pride and nostalgia washing through their fledgling bond.
Appo bit his lip. "Commander, we should really examine the other options. The risk of the Defender and the Resolute colliding during that manoeuvre…"
"Is a risk we'll have to take." Admiral Yularen strode into the bridge and stood at Ahsoka's side. "Apologies for my lateness, gentlemen; rest assured, I heard everything on my approach."
For the first time, the admiral's words elicited a sigh of relief from Ahsoka rather than making her want to roll her eyes. If he agreed with her, everyone else would fall into line.
He glanced down at her, and for the first time in their acquaintance, Ahsoka swore she saw him smile. "And where will you be during the battle, Commander Tano?"
"I'll be leading a squadron of fighter-bombers to harass the blockade and find Master Skywalker." She met his eyes steadily, a hum in the Force telling her that was the right choice. Admiral Yularen nodded.
"Very good. I'll coordinate the movements of the destroyers. You go gather your men."
Ahsoka, nodded, smiling, and flashed a sloppy salute before bolting for the hangar. She could do this. She had to do this. And she had, in one way, done it before; as horrible as he looked, Vader wouldn't exist if she had failed to save her master in this battle.
"Blue Squadron, to me! Jinx, Hawk, round up Red Squadron and Gold Squadron! Skyguy's about to need us!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
Near-identical voices echoed alongside running feet. Three squadrons; Ahsoka would have three squadrons from the Resolute under her command, plus whoever was coming from the Defender. She tried to remember who was over there as she got her Aethersprite ready for takeoff. Black squadron, Shadow Squadron, and… was it Dragon Squadron? Ahsoka thought the third squadron on the Defender might be Dragon.
That should be enough, right? Even without a crazy flyer like Luke…
It would have to be.
Ahsoka could feel it in the Force when they came out of hyperspace. She sensed the moment that her master got in his escape pod and jettisoned, launching himself and Artoo away from the Redeemer. She could feel the panic and winking out of lights in the Force as the Redeemer crashed into the leading Lucrehulk-class battleship, killing the living crew quickly as their damaged ship abruptly lost atmospheric pressure.
That last one made her wince. Mass deaths were awful things to feel, a painful itching in the Force.
There was no time to think about it, though, no time to feel. Droid fighters were rising up before them as Ahsoka led her forces over the sides of the Defender and the Resolute, filling her viewscreen with flickering red lights. With targets. And behind them all, almost concealed from view, she saw a flicker of silver and blue from the jettisoned escape pod.
"Hang in there, Master," she muttered, "We're coming."
Her shoulders were tense as she entered battle, her steering stiff and jerky as she spun through the sky, shooting as many droid fighters as she could. Ahsoka didn't have the confidence to try any of the things she'd seen Luke or her master do, those fancy manoeuvres that looked like something you'd see from an in-atmosphere aerobatics show. She'd only been trained on the basics, on clone formations.
Relax, whispered a voice in her mind. She wasn't sure if it was Anakin or Vader; she wasn't sure if there was a difference in this situation. Let the Force guide you, as it does with a sabre in your hand. The ship is an extension of your body.
The ship… an extension of her body, like her sabre? Ahsoka didn't understand and she let the voice know it, sending a wave of uncertainty towards whoever was speaking to her. They responded with confidence, with a wordless assurance that they thought she could do it.
She sighed. Well, here goes nothing.
There was a droid fighter coming up behind Jinx; the clone didn't seem to be able to shake it. Ahsoka dropped speed and let the gravity of the planet below pull her into a tail slide, dropping into position to shoot the nose of the droid fighter just as it got in range to fire. The wrecked ship spiralled off into space, tibanna gas leaking from it in a cloud.
"Thanks Commander," Jinx's voice buzzed over the comms. "That was a close one."
"Don't worry about it. We'll probably all have a bunch more close ones before this is through."
She could do this. She wasn't Skyguy or his crazy time-travelling spawn, but she could do this. Closing her eyes, Ahsoka reached out through the Force.
Inside spin. Slow roll. Immelman. Inverted spin. Point roll. Inside/outside horizontal eight. Inside loop. Another tail slide. Inside snap roll. Outside snap roll. With each manoeuvre, the mass of droid fighters got thinner and thinner, until Ahsoka realised with a start that there were none left. Lost in the Force, she had no idea how much time had passed; it felt like hardly any at all, but it also felt like hours and hours.
Ahsoka shook her head, bringing herself back to the present moment. There was still work to do. "Bombers, do a quick run over the battleships, then retreat and let the star destroyers finish the job. Fighters on escort. Swoop, Kickback, to me; we've got an escape pod to bring in. Three tow cables outta do it."
"Yes sir!"
The escape pod spun slowly amidst the wreckage of the battlefield, encircled by broken droid fighters and bits of the Redeemer, glittering like a jewel in the sunlight. The rotation was perfect; Ahsoka saw the window as she approached, saw her master waving at her as she approached, Artoo flashing red and green lights at his side. She adjusted speed to match, hovering above the pod and shooting out a tow cable. Swoop and Kickback joined her a moment later, the three cables stabilising the pod so it could be towed in.
For the first time in hours, the tension left her shoulders. She'd done it. She'd done it. Ahsoka giggled; she couldn't help it. Thankfully none of the clones could hear her.
I can do it. I can take command when it matters.
I always knew you could, Snips. Anakin's voice sang back to her in the Force; she could almost feel him patting her head between her montrals.
Taking a few deep breaths, Ahsoka schooled her voice to some semblance of Jedi dignity before comming the Resolute. "Blue Leader here. We have General Skywalker. Prepare the hangar for a tow cable drop."
"Affirmative, Commander." Rex's voice was music to her montrals. "We'll be ready when you get here. Good job."