Author's Note: For those of you who don't know, I highly recommend you check out CoyoteN7's story Star Wars Eons: Inquisition. Why? Because he and I did a crossover! Go check it out to see our favourite super-soldier going head to head with his main man, Xur Eon! Not to worry, Xur will also be making an appearance here at some point down the road.
-Chapter 82: Back to Back-
Location: Parnassos - 20 BBY
"The strongest bonds can move the heaviest of mountains."
Ahsoka was beyond worried now. She'd been alone for several minutes and there was still no sign of Wraith. He was gone without a trace and she didn't know where. She'd lost count of how many laps of the room she'd done in a desperate search for some evidence of his presence of where he'd gone too.
And then another blinding flash filled the room, forcing Ahsoka to look away.
When she turned back, she could see someone else here with her. They faced away from her, but she could plainly see the dark of their attire, taking the form of a black robe that concealed most of them. But through the Force, she could sense a familiar heat. Something metallic hit the ground and the black hood was pulled back to reveal a smooth metal helmet. "Oh please tell me this is it." A familiar voice stated aloud. Ahsoka swallowed and made to speak.
"Wraith?" She cautiously addressed them. Whirling about, the being faced her and Ahsoka soon found herself staring into some familiar crimson optics.
"Ahsoka! Thank the kriffing Force!" Wraith cried, tearing off the black robe as he dashed towards her.
"Wait!" She cried, holding out her hands and causing him to slow down. "How... How do I know you're really him?" She wondered, wondering why he would be wearing a black robe when he clearly left clad in a chromium-plated jacket. "Tell me something only Wraith would know." For a split second he did nothing. And then,
"You went commando on the Bravado." He said. Ahsoka's shoulders slumped and she sighed, shaking her head at the embarrassing memory.
"You're not gonna forget about that anytime soon, are you?" She wondered.
"Sorry... it was rather memorable." Wraith apologized. "Wait, wait... I've got a better idea." He continued, pulling off his helmet. Ahsoka reconginzed the same amber eyes and auburn hair, as well as the twin scars that were unique to him. "You told me you love me." He stated. Ahsoka slowly nodded, remembering that too.
"Yeah... I did." She agreed. This was definitely Wraith alright.
"Do you... still?" He hesitantly wondered. "I-I just want to make sure now that you've had some time away from me you might think your words rash and-"
"Wraith," Ahsoka commanded, bringing his rambling to a halt. Pulling off her own helmet, Ahsoka reached up and held his cheek, "stop talking." She whispered, then kissed him. Wraith dropped his helmet and reciprocated, his arms encircling her as he finally held Ahsoka close to him. It had felt like a lifetime since the last time he did so. They parted breathlessly, Wraith happily smiling.
"I'm so happy I'm home."
"Parnassos is home?" Ahsoka wondered with a smirk.
"My home is wherever you are." He kindly replied, causing Ahsoka to blush a little. Then his eyes lit up, "Speaking of you..." he trailed off, untangling from her and reaching for his belt where he withdrew twin power cells, "here, try these." Ahsoka beamed as she recognized them, grabbing her lightsabers and using the Force to slide them in.
"A perfect fit!" She happily announced, putting her lightsabers back together and then igniting them to the sound of a satisfying snap his and twin blades materialized. "I can't say as I've ever been happier to see green and yellow again." She commented, grinning from lekku to lekku. Wraith smiled proudly as Ahsoka put her now-working lightsabers away. She then looked to him with a question on her mind, "What happened? What caused you to... vanish?" She asked.
"I grabbed this stone that was on the pedestal. I think that's what caused this." Wraith explained, remembering how this had all come to pass.
"Do you still have it?" Ahsoka asked.
"No... not any more." Wraith told her. "It vanished from my grip just now." Ahsoka appeared disappointed, likely because their reason for coming here no longer existed.
"So wierd." She muttered, reaching out with her senses. "I can still feel some sort of Force signature though."
"Possibly ambient power?" Wraith suggested. "Who knows how long that thing had been in here for, this room is probably full of ambience left over from it." Ahsoka nodded slowly.
"I guess you're right. I don't really sense it much... just you." She mused, looking up with a smile. Wraith returned it. "Where did you go?" She then asked. Wraith sighed.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." He remarked, piquing her curiosity. "How long have I been gone for?"
"Uh... five minutes? Maybe ten..." Ahsoka replied, not too certain. Wraith looked surprised.
"Impossible." He breathed, shocked by her statement. "I've witnessed entire lifetimes..." He whispered under his breath. Ahsoka caught his comment and raised a brow marking, wondering what he was talking about.
"What...?" She started to wonder, before being cut ff by a distant screech.
Both she and Wraith went into high alert mode, Wraith quickly throwing his helmet back on and scanned the area, picking up dozens of thermal signatures coming from an area outside of the chamber they were in.
His radioactivity counters were also spiking.
"Why do I get the feeling that stone somehow triggered this?" Ahsoka wondered aloud as she collected her own helmet.
"I think we have to go. Now!" Wraith stated, seeing cracks beginning to form in the walls.
"What do we do? Where can we go?" Ahsoka asked, unable to sense any immediate exit they could use. Looking around, Wraith spied a circular shape that had been carved into one side of the chamber, not unlike the one door they'd uncovered to get in here.
He didn't know where it led, but it was their best bet right now.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, putting his hands on her shoulders. Ahsoka nodded. "Stay close to me." Leading her over to the carving, Wraith planted two explosive discs and then turned to shield her. The ensuing explosion managed to break down the wall, revealing another tunnel behind it. "Come on! Come on!" Wraith exclaimed as he took Ahsoka by the hand and led the way out, both of them sprinting down the tunnel as the walls of the chamber caved in behind them, followed closely by an unnatural screeching as something filled it. Wraith tossed a few explosive disks behind them as they kept running, the sound of skittering, scratching claws not far behind them. His disks detonated shortly after, filling the tunnel with fire and flame and noise as whatever creatures were in pursuit of them were caught in the blast, screeching and howling as they were burned alive. Wraith and Ahsoka continued to move at a sprint, determined to outrun whatever was behind them.
They had just found each other, they weren't going to lose each other again!
This tunnel was longer than the one under Calliope's reactor four, with more twists and turns that led the couple on quite the runabout. But a light ahead signalled the end of it all and the duo barreled towards it. They soon emerged back into sand and rock, the high wall of a cliff before them. At first, they didn't know where they were, until Ahsoka found a clue.
"Hey! That's the bridge up top!" She exclaimed, pointing up. Wraith saw it too and quickly determined their location.
"Then we're in the canyon beneath it." The screeching in the tunnel grew louder as their pursuers drew closer. Wraith tossed four more explosive discs towards the tunnel entrance, waiting until the scrambling shadows within the tunnel got close enough before detonating them. A wall of flame cut off their assailants, the screams of incinerated ones echoing loudly in the canyon. But the explosion did not hold them back for long and the horde soon burst through the flames, trampling over one another to try and reach their prey as Wraith and Ahsoka got a good look at them.
They were like overgrown rats with skin stretched thinly over ungainly limbs that glowing an iridescent green. Their teeth and claws were long, sharpened to a very fine point, and their eyes were black and pupilless. Clearly they'd been mutated by the radiation and, having been so close to the reactor, Wraith and Ahsoka could only assume they'd been feeding off the radiation to some degree.
"Gross!" Ahsoka exclaimed, wrinkling up her nose in disgust. "I think I've had enough of Parnassos and it creatures for one day!"
"Ditto!" Wraith agreed, closing up his mouthguard. Thinking of a quick name for them, Wraith watched as the 'ratghouls' started to circle them. An interesting move, but he supposed that's what forced evolution would do to an irradiated species. "Back to back! Don't let any get between us!" He stated, igniting Tyth.
"On it!" Ahsoka affirmed, igniting her own blades as well. Wraith had another thought as well, one he was loathe to suggest but ultimately decided it could prove fruitful.
"Ahsoka! Use the Force to look into my mind, you'll see what I'm thinking and we can better coordinate against these things!" He told her. Wraith had never prompted her to go inside his head before and, while she did question his motives, Ahsoka agreed to do so. Wraith could feel her touch probing his mind. It wasn't exactly a pleasant mental sensation, but it was enough to sync their thoughts together and pair them up perfectly for the coming battle.
The creatures had a tendency to attack in groups while the rest of the swarm gathered, a possible maneuver meant to exhaust prey over time. An effective ploy against the right kind of big, dumb animals that might inhabit Parnassos, but utterly ineffective against the likes of Wraith and Ahsoka.
Two veterans of combat, Wraith and Ahsoka easily handled every one of the mutant rodents to come their way. The burning, waving flames of Tyth soon engulfed the shredded corpses, others simply charred and shorn into pieces as Ahsoka's lightsabers cut them down with ease. Super-soldier and Jedi fought back to back, swirling, spinning, striking and moving with an elegant sense of flowing motion. They were always on the move, either to cut down rats or to somersault over each other and change positions in order to better confuse their adversaries. Wraith's savage power, combined with Ahsoka's Jedi expertise, made them a formidable duo and the ratghouls could not get close to either of them.
Ahsoka fought with her mind just as much as her sabers, actively listening for Wraith's callouts and suggestions through their temporary mind-link. She trusted his tactical knowhow and it proved very effective, enabling both of them to fight even more fluidly.
But that wasn't the only thing she noticed...
Ahsoka felt quite powerful fighting alongside Wraith, as though her own power was enhanced so long as they were working together on a common goal. She couldn't remember the last time they had been so in sync like this and it really was a remarkable feeling. The power that came with it was really quite amazing and unique, something she wondered was unlocked only when they worked together like this.
Wraith also felt quite powerful fighting alongside Ahsoka. It was like some unknown power suddenly flooded his veins and made him stronger and more vigorous than he ever had been before. Working towards a single shared objective together, driven by the same desires, able to see and know each other's moves before executing them, they were like a well-oiled machine that was absolutely thriving in the heat of battle. They were the power-couple he'd always dreamed of them being, and now their efforts were starting to prove that a reality!
The fight wore on as the ratghouls continued their relentless assault, literally throwing themselves at their prey in hopes of scoring a blow. But each and every time, they were simply cut down, their remains strewn about the ground as Wraith and Ahsoka fought for their lives. Using the Force, Ahsoka cleared out a large swath of rats with a powerful shove, giving her the opportunity necessary to call out 'Switch!' through their bond and trade places with Wraith, him backflipping over her while she slid around to his side and cut through half a dozen rats. They continued to fight, fending off the creatures with everything they could give. 'High left!' Wraith called and Ahsoka neatly cut through a leaping ratghoul with ease.
Both of them were so focused on their current circumstances, little did they realize that they were being watched.
On a distant cliff, Anakin watched Ahsoka and Wraith battle the mutant rats together through his scopes. After chasing away the locals that had assaulted them earlier that day, the ground trap had closed up and seemingly vanished. Remembering his last words to Ahsoka about the source of the radiation as well as their original intent to move further north, Anakin decided to do the same, believing Ahsoka would do the same.
He wasn't wrong, but the sight he was currently viewing... didn't sit well with him.
Their teamwork was... surprisingly exceptional. There were only a few times where he and Ahsoka had ever worked together so fluidly like that... and that worried him. His grunt of consternation drew Rex's attention.
"What is it General?" The Clone captain inquired. Anakin slowly lowered his scope with a grim look on his face.
"I've... never seen such synergy before. I can feel it through the Force... it's like they're connected on some level." He said, speaking slowly as the hard-to-accept words formed in his mind. Though his helmet concealed his face, Rex raised an eyebrow.
"That... doesn't exactly sound good, sir." He responded, speaking only to what he knew. He didn't have the Force and to him, all Jedi seemed able to attack and move faster than the peak reflexes of Clones. For his General to notice something specifically awry was enough for him to worry as well.
"No. It doesn't." Anakin agreed with a frown, raising his scopes again to observe the battle. "See if you can raise her on comms. If not, try to signal her. We'll move to that plateau down below and see if we can't rendezvous with her somehow." He then ordered.
Spinning 'round and 'round, Ahsoka carved through an entire line of pouncing ratghoul, their carcasses marred with glowing cuts as they fell in sections to the ground.
Slamming Tyth into the ground, Wraith generated a wall of flame that incinerated several ratghoul while a couple more caught on fire, the rest steering clear of the flames and trying to go around. 'Switch!' he mentally called and Ahsoka backflipped over his head as Wraith turned on a swivel and struck with Tyth burning brightly. Ahsoka landed with practiced grace and ease, her twin blades bisecting a pair of ratghouls simultaneously. As she did, her wrist comm crackled to life.
"Commander Tano, this is Captain Rex. We've spotted you and are moving towards your position. If you can, meet us on the plateau above. If not, we'll come to you." A familiar voice relayed. For a brief second, the Togruta wondered why they hadn't tried calling her before, but brushed it off since she was satisfied her ticket out of here was on the way.
Not that tag-teaming with Wraith hadn't been fun... they needed to go on adventures like this more often. Too bad the war had a tendency to get in the way.
"Wraith! Anakin and Rex are set arrive on the plateau above us!" She announced, using the Force to throw a ratghoul back.
"Then let's get you to them!" Wraith determined, shoving his blade through another ratghoul before glancing over his shoulder. "Can you clear us some space?" He asked. Ahsoka nodded and quickly snapped out her arms, telekinetic power blasting the rats well away from them. Stowing Tyth, Wraith quickly wrapped an arm around Ahsoka. "Hold on," he instructed, raising his other arm and firing his grapple skyward towards the cliff. Ahsoka clung to him as the tether tightened and then started to retract, yanking them up off the ground and toward the cliffside. The ratghouls tried to give chase only to fail when their prey was now several dozen feet above them. They started trying to scramble up the wall, using their claws and even their teeth to try and gain some traction. They piled on top of one another, desperate to give chase. But it would be a long time before that happened.
Wraith and Ahsoka were well out of harms way and paused for a moment as they were suspended against the wall. "You didn't happen to bring a pair of climbing claws, did you?" Wraith asked. The Togruta shook her head.
"Sorry, fresh out."
"All good. Climb on my back." He instructed. Ahsoka did so, maneuvering around him until she was properly perched behind him. Once she was solidly in place, Wraith retracted his grapple and started to climb, ignoring the clamour of the ratghouls below. Thanks to the craggy nature of the cliff, the climb was not a long one and Wraith pulled themselves up meter by meter, Ahsoka along for the ride and taking a much-needed breather as Wraith did all the work.
"I sure hope those things can't climb." She mused, looking down to where nearly the entire horde had assembled in an effort to climb the cliff.
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough." Wraith mused. Ahsoka uneasily agreed with him and was grateful when Wraith finally pulled them up and over the top, revealing a distant Anakin and the 501st.
"Glad to see they're not dead." Ahsoka mused as she hopped off of Wraith.
"Easy for you to say." Wraith remarked. Ahsoka responded with a simple headshake and an eye roll before jogging towards her master and allies.
"Ahsoka!" Anakin called as he ran to meet her.
"Master!" Ahsoka happily greeted, relieved to see he was well.
"Thank the Force, you had me worried Padawan." Anakin teasingly chided as they met.
"Me? You worried me! I thought you all might be dead or something!" Ahsoka responded in turn.
"We were just fine, but you..." Anakin trailed off as he looked up and saw Wraith begin to slowly advance towards them. "You." He stated firmly as Rex and the other Clones joined him.
"Arms up!" Rex ordered, every Clone priming their blaster and taking aim at Wraith. The super-soldier's shoulders slumped as he realized the Clones weren't about to give him a break and he stopped where he was.
"Seriously?" He deadpanned. "I just brought your commander back in one piece."
"All of you stand down!" Ahsoka ordered, quickly stepping between them and Wraith.
"Why?" Anakin flatly demanded.
"Because he's not in the mood to kill anyone. We just handled an army of mutant rats that were trying to kill us." Ahsoka replied, coming to Wraith's defense. Anakin offered Wraith only a simple glare, as if to say 'oh really?'
"I'm running on empty." The super-soldier concurred. "Trust me, I'd like nothing more than a drink after all that." Anakin had no idea his words meant so much more.
"In any case, did you happen to find the source of the energy spike?" Anakin inquired.
"Whatever it was, it's now buried under all that." Ahsoka dejectedly stated, turning and pointing to the remains of Nobelchyr and Calliope station.
"I'm assuming that's your doing?" Anakin wondered as he eyed Wraith with crossed arms. The super-soldier shrugged.
"What? There were rabid mutants trying to kill us." He remarked rather smugly. Anakin just rolled his eyes. "More importantly, as you can see from the desolate Nobelchyr behind us, there's a lot more to Parnassos than meets the eye."
"I was already gonna throw out the reports the instant I got the chance to... but what is all this?" Anakin wondered aloud.
"A disaster, Master," Ahsoka informed him, "possibly one of the worst disasters in galactic history."
"Is it safe?"
"We were just in there." The Togruta admitted rather sheepishly.
"You what?! Ahsoka! That's the source of the radiation!" Anakin exclaimed, clearly both agitated and concerned.
"The half-lives of the particles were significantly less than typical nuclear fuels, time effectively eliminating any lethality that might've come with the radiation." Wraith explained, coming to Ahsoka's defense this time. "The only danger is near the exposed reactor core in Calliope Station. Seriously, don't go there. Or do, I'm not picky. I'd love to see you with glowing green hair. It might actually improve your overall look..." He continued. Anakin sighed.
"Was it safe?"
"I was in that town for an hour or two and I'm just fine." Ahsoka confirmed.
"Though your skin does have a very nice glow to it... or is that the radioactivity too...?" Wraith jokingly wondered aloud. "Tell me, do you use skin cream or moisturizer?"
"Alright already!" Anakin cut in as Ahsoka chuckled. "Look, I'm just glad you're safe. I've had enough of this rock."
"Master, you have to follow me and check out these records. The company that filed the report, ConStar, they lied about everything! The truth is in there, come on!" Ahsoka urged him, hoping that now with her Master around, they might be able to bring the mining company to justice.
"Okay, but only for a bit. Our suits need to take a break from all this and I bet yours does too." Anakin relented. But before they went on, his gaze landed on Wraith, "As for you," he started.
"Say no more, I'm done here too." Wraith stated, arms raised as he started to backpeddle. "Goodbye and good riddance Skywalker, Clones. Ahsoka, a pleasure as always my dear, we must do this again sometime though preferably with lunch involved." He continued, bidding farewell but adding an extra bow when regarding Ahsoka. With that, he turned and took off at a sprint into the wastelands of Parnassos. Rex and the Clones lowered their weapons, seeing no more threats as Anakin crossed his arms and sighed.
"Part of me preferred things when he didn't talk as much." He mused.
"Some of us would prefer that about you too, Skyguy." Ahsoka joked.
"Ha ha, very funny." Anakin smirked, rolling his eyes.
The Republic forces entered Nobelchyr and Ahsoka led them straight to the office where she and Wraith had uncovered the hundred year-old voice logs, casting a glance and a smile at the nearby storage closet when no one was looking.
Wraith continued his run deep into the purple sands of Parnassos, trying to put some distance between him and the radioactivity so he could get a proper signal through to his shuttle for a pickup. However, as soon as he was by himself, well away from the Jedi's senses, Wraith reached into a pocket on his belt and pulled out the red shard. He examined it for a moment, not daring to clench it in his hand or concentrate on a point in time.
He had some research to do...
Author's Note: And that concludes this little arc! I know this one was shorter but, come on, the last one was almost 21,500 words long! You'll pardon me if the next chapter takes a little longer, but for those of you wondering what's next, I have but one word...
UMBARA
