Chapter 12 + 1
Anakin and Ahsoka had slept in the same room last night. It was the only thing they could do considering that the Bad Batch occupied the downstairs bunks and Obi wan and Rex had their rooms upstairs. Maul stayed in the medical room for observation. Ahsoka felt bad leaving Anakin to sleep on the couch and Anakin felt the same so they had shared her bed. They slept as they used to do in mission's past. Pillow down the middle and backs to each other. In a weird way, this did not settle kindly with Ahsoka or Anakin and somewhere in the middle of the night the pillows had ended up on the floor and they awoke facing each other.
Without missing a beat, Anakin gave his usual, "mornin' Snips".
Ahsoka was taken aback by this and her heart fluttered momentarily. She hadn't slept well but it would do. She took herself to the makeshift communications centre in the dining room, activating her holoprojector and scanning the planet and atmosphere for anomalies by piggybacking onto the Alderaan military channels. It was simple enough to manage and allowed her enough time to make a cup of caffe and freshen up to the awakening troopers downstairs who no doubt would already be awake.
Ahsoka pressed the button to call the medical droid to the kitchen and receive an update on Maul but was interrupted by an incoming call. Ahsoka furrowed her eye markings, squinting her eyes to read the locator digits of the incoming transmission, Onderon. Ahsoka answered the call and waited for the hologram to appear before speaking. She swallowed breathing in the image.
"Lux," she stated firmly, "what can I do for you?"
"Ahsoka, I'm glad to see that you are well, are you alone at the moment?" he smiled hesitantly.
Ahsoka nodded, pulling a nearby chair under her knees before they gave way on her.
"I'm sorry to catch you off guard but I must inform you that General Gerrera and the Militia demand your presence back on Onderon. I've tried to stall them long enough…"
Ahsoka brought her hand to her forehead, 'could you not have told them that the Lady Tano was on extended leave?' That is what she wanted to say. This had been the last thing on her mind amongst the chaos of her old and new life colliding.
"You tell Saw that if he wants me back to call me himself," Ahsoka affirmed his tardiness, "Can Pierre file an extended leave under royal protection duties on my behalf?"
Lux nodded, scribbling a note. Lux's tone changed, "Is everything alright, are you in danger?"
Ahsoka forced a smile, "Lux, I'll be back soon I just have a few things to sort out fir-"
Before she could finish Lux interrupted, "I miss you… to be perfectly honest I want you back here away from Jedi business. You said you wanted to leave that life beh-"
Anakin walked into frame and Lux paused in his sentence changing his tone once again, "I'll get Pierre onto it right away. Stay safe".
Lux ended the transmission.
Ahsoka crumpled into a pile of relief as Anakin smirked chuffing to himself.
"What was that all about?" he half laughed walking into the kitchen.
"Two words. Saw Gerrera," Ahsoka stood up.
Anakin laughed heartily to himself, handing Ahsoka her preferred mug of caffe with two sugars. She sat back down and analysed the results of the planet scans and nothing unusual was flagged. Obi wan, Rex and the Bad Batch exited the elevator all entered the room at the same time leaving no time to spare in the hunt for The Son and his accomplices.
Obi wan lead his strike team into the Mandalorian system and much to his dismay he had to swallow the sickness that threatened to escape him. Mandalore had fallen to the Deathwatch and Satine had been killed by Maul and Savage Oppress. They were never able to retrieve the body as Anakin and Ahsoka had swept in to extract him. The remainder of the true Deathwatch had fled to Concordia and remained in control of the small moon with Bo Katan as the Leader of the tribe.
The ship began the landing sequence and Obi wan sent a coded transmission through to ensure they wouldn't get shot down. He stood anxiously at the top of the landing ramp as it slowly began to lower.
Obi wan couldn't stop the sickening feeling in his stomach from rising to his throat and he descended onto the snow-clad ground. He was met by Bo-Katan who had aged beyond her years. Obi wan acknowledge the fondness of Satine in her features and this only made his chest feel worse than the lightsaber running through his abdomen.
They made their way to the Mandalorian camp and were settled quickly into the hut of the Bo Katan who quickly demanded business by nightfall from the Bad Batch. She provided details that they had last located The Son to the Western Side of the city however it was too deeply dense in the monopoly of metal that made up the extensive tunnels systems used by the original Mandalorian's. The Bad Batch agreed that they would be able to get closer and extract intel however it was agreed that it would take a full assault team to extract them if they were caught. It would require weaponry that the remaining Deathwatch possessed.
Rex remained in the atmosphere at the helm of the ship on communications with the Bad Batch as they descended into the tunnel systems. Obi wan had agreed to descend into the tunnels, lightsaber in hand as he felt a strong pull leading him deeper into the maze. Tech lead the way as Hunter protected the rear.
The sickening feeling in Obi wan's stomach only grew as they fell deeper into the Mandalorian den. They had passed a few patrols but had slipped by undetected as Tech monitored their movements through motion detection and thermo-temperature signatures. Tech stopped in his tracks signally to the small infiltration group to cease their movements and hide in the alley as he analysed a new signature on his device. Tech signalled to Obi wan who corresponded with him and decided it would be worth following and leaving the Bad Batch to finish their infiltration and recon to find The Son and the clam leaders.
It was an unusual signature that Tech had detected and remained stationary toward the far west of the main sections. It was nearby to what looked like a functional medical wing from the initial scans but looked different and tech couldn't help but admit that the scan indicated something similar to what Echo was, highly cybernetically augmented.
Obi wan approached carefully on foot and was met with an intersection guarded by a high-security panel that would have required Tech to unlock. Obi wan could not help but feel the faint detection of a familiar presence in the force as he checked for any nearby patrols. Obi wan sent a signal for Rex to meet at the rendezvous point and the Bad Batch would have to do the same as his lightsaber began to cut into the metal. Obi wan could hear voices approaching as he cautiously entered with haste a silhouette in a wheelchair facing the far corner was all that remained in the room.
Obi wan swallowed and put his lightsaber back on his belt as he stated his name and position in the new republic asking the person to come with him.
The figure in the wheelchair slowly triggered the steering with their hand and turned around, their head drooping to the left and tears in their eyes.
Words barely formed in their mouth as Obi wan took in the small remains of the person in front of him. A Cybernetic torso and dystrophy affected human legs that could not support any weight. The soft blue eyes met his, defeat in her eyes as she approached Obi wan in the wheelchair. Under Obi wan's protection, they made their escape.
Ahsoka remained in contact with Rex from her home on Alderaan that had quickly become reminiscent of her life once before. Combat gear and interstellar communications setup from the highest point they could find with the best outlook to space. She began on her third cup of caffe and waited in angst as the Bad Batch and Obi wan began their infiltration. She held onto the empty cup and waited for them to escape the atmosphere and jump into hyperspace back to Alderaan. The events on Mandalore had forced them to seek medical attention that could not be given to Concordia as they prepared for invasion.
Ahsoka offered assurance that she would petition help from the Onderon Militia now that they have acquired the evidence and Bo Katan was grateful to say the least but doubtful as she faced the reality of telling her brothers and sisters to once again fight for their lives.
Ahsoka huffed and sighed deeply switching off from communications and joining Anakin on the terrace. She found him deep in a meditative trance that quickly turned into a panicked hysteria. Anakin hissed and dabbed at his eyes as he became aware of Ahsoka's presence.
"At least send me a nudge before coming up behind me," Anakin yelled at her as he rose from his position storming away from her.
Ahsoka immediately reacted and offered to trip him up with the force, making him land sideways in the shrubbery.
Anakin offered no resistance and allowed himself to roll onto the pavement. Tears fell freely from his eyes. He began to sob uncontrollably and Ahsoka felt him remove his presence from her and sunk back into his hiatus state.
"I keep having visions 'Soka," Anakin barely whispered, "it's an old Jedi temple on Lothal and it keeps calling me. But all I see from it is death to the galaxy all over again… I feel the pain of force wielders dying, I feel the dark side growing stronger again… was this all for nothing…?"
Ahsoka held his hands in hers and tried to offer guidance. She suggested trying to summon himself back to the temple but cried out that he has tried and there is no one there. Just like that, they were gone without a trace. Ahsoka tried to hold it together and hoped that Maul would wake from his force induced coma soon. She brought Anakin back inside and offered to put him in a force-induced sleep and he graciously accepted. She watched over him as he fell into a deep sleep. She observed his pale complexion dissipate and redness return to his cheeks as the dark rings around his eyes began to fade. It only made Ahsoka worry about what he has foreseen and who will he confide in if it would not be for her.
