AN: Hello There! I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Sorry for the long wait, it takes time to do things right. Please favorite, review, and feel free to send me suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy it!
Imperial Fuel Refinery Station
Kuat System
Emergency klaxons wailed throughout Imperial Fuel Refinery KS-27. The entire station had gone dark. The only light was provided by emergency lamps, which were too widely spaced and dim to truly make up for the loss of power. The poor visibility was doing little to slow down the five figures that were running through one of the station's large refining areas. Despite the lighting, the runners were able to navigate the maze of pipes, tanks, and machinery. Above them, boots clanged on durasteel as the station's few stormtroopers searched for them from them from the catwalks. Suddenly, the lead figure signaled the others, and the group angled to the right. For a split second, each figure entered the light of one of the emergency lamps, and their features were revealed. In the lead was a tall Togruta female. Her lekku and montrals were patterned in blue and white, and her skin was orange, with white markings on her face. She wore light armor on her chest, forearms, and legs. Following close behind was a human male with bright green eyes and brown hair pulled into a tail behind his head. He wore a light green tunic, with dark green armor covering his right arm and shoulder. Following him was a heavy-built human in pieces of Phase 2 Clone Trooper armor, a young human female in wildly colorful Mandalorian armor, and a tall, purple-haired Lasat. The group ran a little farther, and then quickly gathered under one of the larger pieces of machinery.
Whispering to avoid being heard by the searching stormtroopers, Ahsoka spoke to the group. "Alright, we've been able to avoid being seen so far, but don't be complacent, the last thing we need in here is a firefight." The others looked around gravely at the pipes, pumps, and tanks that were all filled with highly explosive tibanna gas. "Rex, Kanan, Zeb, you will go and grab as many tibanna canisters as you can from the storage area. Be quick about it though, we only have fifteen minutes until power is restored and the storage areas are ray-shielded again. If the schematics are correct, the closest storage area should be through that door, left down the corridor, and then to your right." The three of them nodded and got ready to move out from under the machinery.
"May I ask why you singled me out?", Sabine asked.
"Of course.", Ahsoka said, turning to face the Mandalorian girl. "You're our explosives expert, aren't you?"
"I prefer the term "Explosives Artist". ", Sabine said playfully.
"Fair enough.", Ahsoka said, smiling. "You and I are going to make sure that the Empire won't be using this station ever again." Ahsoka didn't need to see Sabine's face to know that behind the Mandalorian's helmet, a smile was forming.
They had planted 10 bombs when Ahsoka began feeling uneasy. Motioning to Sabine, Ahsoka moved under the next tank. Sabine met her there seconds later. After taking a second to plant another explosive on the durasteel container, she walked up to Ahsoka. "What's up?", the younger girl asked quietly.
"Have you noticed anything unusual?", Ahsoka asked as she used the Force to probe the area. She found nothing. That was good, wasn't it?
"Not really, but this quiet is a little unnerving.", Sabine said, glancing around. Her helmet had a night-vision mode, allowing her full visibility in otherwise lightless environments. Ahsoka's own people had a unique advantage in low light environments. Their montrals allowed them to use a form of echolocation. Ahsoka had no need of this, however, as the Force told her all she needed to know about her surroundings.
Suddenly Ahsoka realized the source of both her and Sabine's unease. "The stormtroopers are gone!", she said. Creeping to the edge of the tank, Ahsoka stole a glance up to the system of catwalks where, just minutes earlier, stormtroopers had been searching for them. The catwalks, as far as she could tell, were deserted. Turning to Sabine she said, "We need to move, if the troopers aren't here, it probably means they've found the others." The two started running back through the machinery, now focusing on speed rather than stealth. "Contact the others.", Ahsoka said to Sabine. Sabine activated her wrist comm, and was rewarded with a loud blast of static. "Haar'chak!", Sabine cursed in Mando'a. "The signal is being jammed!" Ahsoka didn't blame Sabine for the outburst. This mission had gone from simple to sour in an extremely small amount of time. As they ran, Ahsoka continued to use the Force to search their surroundings, but she sensed no threat. They had almost made it to the door out of the refining area when Ahsoka felt it. From behind her, fear, anger, and hate radiated. Through the Force Ahsoka felt the threat approaching, and then her reflexes took over. Time seemed to slow as she began a spin that would bring her to face the threat. Her lightsabers flew into her hands and their bright white ignited with a hissing hum. She bought her blades up as she completed her 180 spin, blocking the crimson lightsaber blade that would have cleaved her in half. A quick counterattack and Force push from Ahsoka sent her attacker flying backward. Instead of slamming into a piece of equipment, her opponent used the momentum from her Force push to flip upwards onto a nearby set of pipes. Without taking her eyes off of her opponent Ahsoka turned her head slightly towards Sabine, who was behind her.
"Go help the others, I'll handle this.", she said calmly. Sabine hesitated, but then nodded, and ran out into the corridor. As Sabine left, the power came back on, and Ahsoka was able to get a good look at her attacker. It was a human male. On his chest, arms and legs, he wore dark Inquisitor armor with red highlights. In his hand, he held the specialized lightsaber of an Inquisitor. Unlike other Inquisitors that Ahsoka had encountered, this jedi hunter wore no helmet. Instead, he wore a simple, black, plasteel mask that covered his face from his nose down. A black hood hid the rest of his face in shadows. Even with the bright lights of the station back on, all Ahsoka could see was the Inquisitor's eyes. They glowed maliciously with the molten yellow-orange hue of one who used and embraced the Dark Side. She settled herself in the Force, and prepared for the coming fight. The Inquisitor ignited the second blade of his lightsaber and launched himself towards her. Ahsoka blocked his initial strike and responded with a quick set of jabs and slashes. She used her dual blades strategically, often attacking from two different angles in an attempt to overwhelm her opponent. The Inquisitor blocked and evaded all of her attacks and quickly went on the offensive. He only activated his blade spinner to change the angle of his attacks and Ahsoka felt slight admiration. She saw the spinning blades as a crutch. A truly skilled duelist did not need such a thing to defeat an enemy. This Inquisitor handled his weapon with both strength and finesse, and was proving to be a challenging opponent. The Inquisitor went into a complex series of attacks and suddenly Ahsoka found herself being forced back to the door. Dodging a slash that would have severed her head, Ahsoka quickly backpedaled through the door, and into the corridor beyond. Her enemy was right behind her. Ahsoka went on the offensive again, pouring all her focus into her movements. The effort was rewarded when she managed to give the Inquisitor a shallow gouge in his right arm. He grunted in pain. Her opponent's retaliation came in the form of a powerful force push, sending Ahsoka flying. She slammed into a bulkhead 20 meters away. Dazed, Ahsoka staggered to her feet.
" Surrender now, Tano!" the Inquisitor said with a deep and malicious voice as he walked towards her. "You cannot defeat me." Ahsoka simply reignited her sabers. The Inquisitor suddenly extended his hand, making a pinching motion. Ahsoka immediately felt pressure on her windpipe. Struggling to breath, Ahsoka dropped her sabers and clawed at her throat. Slowly, she was lifted off the ground. The Inquisitor approached slowly, savoring his victory. He jerked his head, dodging the blaster bolt that had come from behind him. Without releasing his hold on Ahsoka, the Inquisitor turned to face the attacker. It was Sabine. She stood 30 meters away, pistols raised, and was now sending several more blaster bolts towards the Inquisitor. He deflected them easily. Ahsoka used Sabine's distraction to her advantage. Using the Force, she picked up a nearby crate and slammed it into the Inquisitor, causing him to stumble, hiss in pain and lose focus. Ahsoka felt the pressure on her throat disappear. She had only barely steadied her breathing when she heard Sabine yelp in pain. The Inquisitor had thrown the crate that had hit him at Sabine. It had hit the Mandalorian hard, leaving her stunned and possibly unconscious on the floor. He turned to Ahsoka, his eyes burning with hate. Ahsoka called her lightsabers to her hand and attacked. Suddenly, the entire station shook, and the Inquisitor was off-balance. Ahsoka Force shoved him into the wall, knocking him out. She ran to Sabine, who was getting back on her feet. The station shook again.
"Did you trigger the bombs?", Ahsoka asked.
"Yes, so we might want to make ourselves scarce.", Sabine replied. They both started running towards the hangar, leaving behind the limp figure of the Inquisitor.
As the station continued to shake. The eyes of the unconscious figure snapped open, and the Inquisitor quickly made his way to the airlock where he had docked his ship. As soon as he had disconnected from the station, he pushed the TIE Advanced's engines to critical. Seconds later, the entire station erupted in an enormous fireball. A beep from the navicomputer notified him that his jump coordinates were ready. The fighter jumped into hyperspace moments before it was incinerated by the flames. Visibly relaxing, the Inquisitor released the controls and activated his communications systems.
Inquisitorius Headquarters
Coruscant
In one of the many rooms of the Inquisitorius Headquarters, a battle was raging. Two crimson blades slashed and stabbed through attackers. Wielding the double-bladed lightsaber was the Seventh Sister. Her body was drenched with sweat and her breathing was heavy. No matter how many enemies she killed, more kept coming. She was enjoying the challenge after being out of the field so long. The door to the room slid open and a stormtrooper stepped inside and stood at attention. Irritated at the interruption, the Seventh Sister slashed through three more attackers before yelling, "Pause!". All movement in the room stopped. Her attackers, holographic rebel troopers were all frozen in place. Deactivating her lightsaber, the Seventh sister walked across the simulation room to where the stormtrooper stood.
"What is it?", she asked, not bothering to mask her irritation.
"There is an incoming transmission from the Twelfth Brother.", the trooper replied, doing his best to hide his fear. The Seventh Sister immediately hit the control to power down the simulation room. She walked out without another word to the trooper and headed straight for the communications center. When she reached the communications center she locked the door behind her. Punching in her clearance code, she unlocked the console and activated the holoprojector. Her former pupil was in the cockpit of his starfighter.
"Report.", the Seventh Sister said, wasting no time with any sort of pleasantries.
" Ahsoka Tano has proven to be a challenging adversary." , the Twelfth Brother replied. "I was unable to capture her, and her accomplices succeeded in destroying the refueling station."
"Stay in the Kuat System. The loss of the station will hurt and hinder patrols in that area. The rebels could use that to their advantage very soon."
"Understood.", he said, ending the transmission. The Seventh Sister grinned slightly to herself. The Twelfth Brother was completely different from the pathetic 15-year old that he used to be. In the 8 months it had taken to train him, he had quickly gained control of the power within him and showed real potential."Maybe too much potential.", she thought. She would have to make sure that her former student didn't get too ambitious too soon. Shutting down the console, she left the communications room. She continued to think about the hunt for Ahsoka Tano. The former Jedi had far too much intel, knowledge, and commanding experience. However, by taking her out of the equation, the other Jedi and possibly their entire cell would suffer. She smiled slightly again. The Jedi would fall, and when they did, the rebels would all do the same.