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Next Mission

Damian sighed, pinching the inside corners of his eyes, images flashing through his head. After a moment, he lowered his hand, picking up the glass of water from the counter and putting the pills in his mouth, taking a drink. He sensed Ahsoka's worried look before she wrapped her arms around him.

"Is it getting worse?" Ahsoka asked.

"More annoying," Damian said. "Not really worse. I'm sure it'll settle."

"I hope so," Ahsoka said. "Bad enough Ezra and Kanan are still fighting about Kanan not trusting him."

"Yeah, well, that's what he gets," Damian said.

"For what, trying to look after his padawan in the way he thinks is best?" Ahsoka asked.

"For letting Ezra go anywhere near Maul without expending all other possibilities first," Damian said. "He didn't think it through, you were the one who almost had to pay the price. Then, when I was trying to keep you and Sabine from paying the price, he and Ezra were refusing to listen to me and let me save you both. This is their punishment. They're going to learn to trust the people around them to help, even if I have to beat it into their skulls."

"I was fine, Damian," Ahsoka said. "Even with them not listening, I wasn't in danger because you were there."

"And what if I wasn't there anymore and he pulled this kind of stupid shit?" Damian asked, turning to her.

Ahsoka frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

Damian sighed. "I've been having visions. Frequently. Now I'm starting to have them every time I close my eyes. Except, no mater what, I can't see past one thing. There's a painting of the three Mortis Gods, and a doorway. I know I go into the doorway, but I can't see past it."

Ahsoka was silent for a moment before nodding, cupping his cheek. "It's going to be fine."

"How do you know?" Damian asked.

"Do you remember that secret mission I told you I got from future you?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes," Damian frowned.

"That's it," Ahsoka said. "That doorway is the alternate dimension you save my life from. You can't see beyond it because it exists outside of time."

Damian was silent before sighing. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Don't worry about it," Ahsoka said. "If you can settle your mind, your visions will probably settle too, right?"

Damian sighed, nodding. "Yeah. Probably."

"So then you just need to stop thinking for a bit," Ahsoka said. "Come on. Let's go spend some time with our daughter. I'm sure Riyo and Barriss would enjoy a break."

Damian smiled and nodded, following Ahsoka out of the Wraith. As they walked in, Shaak Ti was feeding Alina a bottle. She looked up at them and smiled instantly, Shia and Zera both doing the same.

"Let me guess," Damian sighed. "Barriss and Riyo wanted to go have sex."

"Good guess," Zera smiled.

Damian shook his head, glancing at Alina.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Shaak Ti said. "Though, I have concerns about whether or not it's for the best for her to grow up around your...unique family."

"Oh I'm sure it's a terrible idea," Damian chuckled. "But we did okay with Jek and Shaeeah, so I'm sure she'll be fine."

Shaak Ti smiled and shook her head just as Maris Brood walked in with a clean set of clothes for Alina, since Damian could see the vomit on Alina's. He liked Maris. She had been practically attached to Shaak Ti at the hip since Damian had met them after waking up a couple days ago, and she seemed nice enough. However, he hadn't talked to her much, so he couldn't really tell.

He glanced at the door as it opened again and Hera walked in, giving him an apologetic look. "What's up?"

"I'm really sorry," Hera said. "I know you need time to rest, and I wouldn't be asking if it were up to me. Command asked you to come with us on a secret mission by name, but they haven't even told me what the mission is yet."

Damian sighed, nodding. "Alright. I'll be right there."

Hera nodded and left, Ahsoka instantly giving Damian a concerned look. He smiled and kissed her.

"I'll be alright," Damian said. "Who knows. Maybe I can even get Sabine and Ezra together."

"I doubt that very much," Ahsoka smiled, kissing him again. "Be safe."

"I will," Damian promised. "Take care of Alina. Don't let Master Shaak Ti steal her."

"I promise," Ahsoka smiled.

He left, heading back to the Wraith first to grab his gear and his PROXY droid, then to the Ghost, finding everyone waiting. He joined them on the ship, and they left their base, flying away from the planet as everyone else headed to the cockpit. Damian sat in the common room and closed his eyes, focusing for a long moment, allowing the Force to flow through him before calling out inside his head for the Mother. After a moment, he opened his eyes and stared at the shining silhouette before him. She had regal features, pure white skin, light grey robes, and was radiating power.

"Hello, Damian Shan," the Mother said.

"Mother," Damian said, inclining his head in a bow. "I wanted to ask you if there were a way to stop the visions. Not entirely, but to choose to see them or not. It...It feels like my head is splitting apart."

"That is my fault," the Mother said. "I took control of your body to purify the anomaly you were facing, who had been corrupted and possessed by a powerful Dark Side user, but you were not able to withstand my power yet. The effects will fade in time. However, in the mean time, yes, there is a way to suppress the effects for the time being." She reached out, pressing a finger to his forehead, the tip of her finger shining as the technique played through his mind. "The effects should fade within two months."

"Thank you, Mother," Damian said.

The Mother nodded and shone before fading. Damian closed his eyes again, using the technique she had showed him to suppress the visions, his headache going with them. He sighed in relief, smiling slightly before opening his eyes, finding Kanan and Ezra staring at him in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"You were...glowing," Ezra said. "And you looked like you were talking to yourself."

"Oh," Damian said. "It's not important. Did you find out what the mission is?"

"Yeah," Kanan said. "We're heading to Geonosis to find a team Senator Organa sent to investigate the disappearance of all life on Geonosis."

"I see," Damian nodded. "Good thing Ahsoka didn't come. She hates that place after the war. I can't imagine Rex is thrilled."

"He's not," Kanan said. "He's also not thrilled about who we're going to rescue. A man named Saw Gerrera."

Damian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Terrific."

"You know him?" Ezra asked.

"I know of him," Damian said. "He's an extremist. A madman with no remorse for anything. He sees no difference between an enemy, and the civilians that live under their rule. If he's on the team, it's going to be a horrible mission, just from dealing with him."

"Oh come on," Ezra snorted. "He can't be that bad."

"His solution to a hostage crisis is to kill the hostage," Damian said. "He's not a good person. Even for how desperate we are."

Ezra and Kanan exchanged uneasy glances before Damian sighed.

"It'll be fine," Damian said. "After all, there aren't any civilians left on Geonosis, right?"

"None that we know of," Kanan said.

Damian nodded as Rex walked in.

"How you feeling kid?" Rex asked.

"Better," Damian said. "I found a way to suppress the headaches."

"Headaches?" Kanan asked.

"Result of overworking myself against the Sith Stalker," Damian said. "It's handled."

Rex nodded and they all headed into the cockpit.

"The construction modules and debris we saw last time...it's all...gone," Hera said as she and the others all stared out at Geonosis.

"How much debris?" Damian asked. "And how many modules?"

"A lot," Kanan said. "More than I've ever seen in one place."

Damian nodded. "Well, obviously the Empire didn't want people seeing that they were building something. Can't imagine what."

"Probably some kind of ship," Ezra said.

"Maybe," Damian said, glancing at Sabine, who was trying to contact Saw. "Anything, Sabine?"

"Well, I'm picking up a power source on the surface, right where Command said it would be," Sabine frowned. "But I can't raise Saw on any channel, there's just static."

"Geonosians live underground," Kanan said. "It's possible Saw and his people can't hear our transmission."

"Let's get down there and find out," Hera said.

She piloted the Ghost down to the planet, only to enter a sandstorm. One extremely rough ride later, the ship touched down and Damian sighed.

"I had to set her down, but we're in the neighborhood," Hera said.

"According to Command, Saw's group entered a structure two clicks north of our current position," Rex said.

"Plesae tell me you brought speeders," Damian said.

"Sorry," Kanan said. "Not this time."

Damian sighed. "Figures."

"Maybe they took shelter there," Ezra said.

"It's possible," Kanan said. "Sabine, what about the power source you found?"

"Different location," Sabine said. "It's close, but thanks to the storm, I can't get a precise reading about where or what it is."

Hera stood from her seat, looking around the room. "Keep working on it. Until we know more about the situation, we'll split up into two groups. Rex, Kanan, Ezra, Damian, and Chopper, check out the location of Saw's last transmission."

"What about me?" Zeb asked.

"You're staying here with us," Hera said. "In case the Empire comes along."

Zeb chuckled. "So I can bust some buckets."

Hera nodded and everyone turned to leave, only for Sabine to catch Ezra's arm as he was passing her.

"Be careful," Sabine said. "Okay?"

"I will," Ezra nodded, then walked out of the cockpit, finding Damian giving him a knowing smirk when he caught up to the others. "What?"

"Progress?" Damian asked.

Ezra blushed and cleared his throat. "We have more important things to worry about."

"I doubt it," Damian said. "Most likely, Saw Gerrera and his team are lost in the Geonosian tunnels and can't get a transmission out. Or there could have been a cave in. Nothing major. Now, you and Sabine on the other hand."

"Damian, Ezra's right," Kanan said. "We have more important things to worry about."

Damian rolled his eyes. "You are seriously no fun, Kanan. Fine."

"Thanks, Kanan," Ezra said. "I...appreciate it."

Kanan nodded and they followed Damian and Rex off the Ghost, both wearing their helmets and Damian also wearing a grey poncho with a hood that he held up using the Force. As Kanan and Ezra reached them, Damian handed them a rope with two loops in it. They both pulled their loop on and Damian began to walk, taking the lead as he could use the Force to see. As they walked, Chopper complained about being blind, and Ezra told him to quit complaining because no one else could see either.

"There's a temple up ahead," Rex reported, shining a flashlight through the sand at a massive door before them. "And probably an entrance to the underground passages."

They passed into the doorway and out of the storm and all of them dropped the rope, Rex and Ezra shutting off their flashlights as they all looked around.

"Saw!" Rex called out. "Saw Gerrera!"

"Hello?" Ezra tried. "Anyone here? Saw?"

"Spread out and try to see if you can find the entrance to the underground," Rex said.

"I can't believe it," Ezra said, pulling his Scout Trooper helmet off. "Did the bugs build this?"

"Oh yes," Rex said. "They're more clever than you would think, and creative. That doesn't mean they aren't dangerous as well."

"From what I heard from Ahsoka, the Geonosians aren't the only bugs on this planet that are dangerous," Damian said. "I believe the term Brain Worm came up."

"Yeah, probably," Rex said. "Nasty things. Ahsoka and Barriss both had a pretty nasty run-in with them."

"So, Rex, how do you know Saw Gerrera?" Kanan asked.

"Oh we go way back," Rex said. "I trained him and his sister Steela during the Clone War. They were part of a plan to help localized militias fight for themselves against the Separatists. She didn't make it, but he carried on. Even started his own rebel cell after the Empire took over."

"Hey!" Ezra called out, everyone turning to a pile of rubble he was shining his flashlight under. "I think I found something. Looks like some kind of passage down there."

"This is the entrance tot he tunnels," Rex said, staring at the debris. "Looks like it was deliberately sealed."

"Well, not sealed enough," Ezra said. "This must be where Saw and his team went in." He looked at Chopper as he scanned the tunnel. "Chopper's still not picking up signals of any kind."

"Let's go take a look," Kanan said.

"Hold on," Damian said, setting his hand on the debris and letting the visions back in, seeing bugs, all of them terrified, trying to seal the tunnel. He shut the images out again. "The bugs sealed it. They were terrified of something."

"The bugs sealed their own tunnels?" Rex asked. "They didn't even do that when we were winning the war and going after the Queen. What could scare them that badly?"

"I'm going with the Empire," Damian guessed. "I'll take the lead."

Everyone nodded and Damian dropped into the passageway, drawing his blaster as he began down into the tunnel.

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