YES! FINALLY! FINALS ARE OVER! Hallelujah!

I hope you enjoyed last chapter. Since it's now SUMMER, I'll be posting more frequently, I hope.

Warning - spoilers for the book Ahsoka here, so if you haven't read it, see where I wrote 'spoilers for Ahsoka.' If you really don't care about spoilers, go ahead and read. I did my best to minimize the spoilers, but there still may be some there.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. it is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm. Also, the book Ahsoka was written by E.K. Johnston.

(published 6.21.18)

Chapter Twelve: Raada Rescue

18 BBY

~spoilers for Ahsoka

Ahsoka had trained farmers before, back on Felucia, but the Imperials were not pirates. At least Hondo had some honor.

There were blaster bolts embedded in every single farmer's chest. Some had their eyes wide open in surprise, while the others had their eyes closed, like they had known this was coming.

You did this to them, a voice whispered. You massacred these people.

"Shut up," she muttered, biting her lip. Great. She was talking to herself now. Now that Miara was hopefully going to Selda's, Ahsoka had finally gotten some time to think. What was she going into? Was she really the one who had caused this mess, or was it just the Empire's brutality? Hopefully the latter.

The Imperial complex was gray, like the gray creature that Hedala Fardi had described. The gray creature that Ahsoka was sure knew she was already here. They obviously had used a lightsaber, but it definitely wasn't a Sith… who was it?

Enough, Ahsoka! Just rescue your friend, that's all you need to do.

Easier said than done.

The crystals called to her. In the heat of the battle, she had realized that the creature's lightsaber was singing.

Even weaponless, Ahsoka advanced closer and closer. Disrupting his balance, she thrust out her hand, power surging through her body. The creature attempted to dismantle it into two blades, but it was spinning too rapidly. Almost there. Ahsoka heard a crack and the song grew louder.

The creature's red-rimmed eyes looked down at her helplessly. "What have you done?"

Ahsoka braced herself as the lightsaber exploded in a blast of fury, power surging backwards.

Her eyes were dotted with rainbow spots as she urged herself to get up. She had few scratches and a bad burn on her leg, but nothing that she couldn't handle. On the other hand, the gray creature's face was… gone. Ahsoka could hardly bring herself to look at the scarred and burned entity. His severed blades rang out in the Force.

Ahsoka reached out to find the crystals. She fiddled with her belt and pulled out pieces of half-finished handles. She then looked for pieces of the creature's lightsaber wreckage and smiled when she found what she needed. They'll be uncomfortable, but it will have to do for the time being.

She sat in the grimy street and the lightsabers began to construct.

Now, stormtroopers were closing in, recovering from the shock of the duel. Ahsoka breathed in once and out once. Her new sabers were the perfect weight in her hands and felt right, although wires and edges poked at her palm. She ignited them, hoping that they wouldn't falter or fail suddenly.

Ahsoka saw a bright white.

A-wings, maybe seven or eight, dove in and fired at the Imperial compound. These were Bail's reinforcements.

Ahsoka ran with Kaeden, Miara, and Selda across the burning fields. Imperial fighters clashed with the A-wings, being further firepower upon the fields.

"I want to learn to do that!" Miara smiled.

"In a couple years, maybe," Ahsoka said, urging them to keep moving.

As they approached the hills, a couple ships descended from the sky. From the window, a man waved to them. Captain Antilles and his Tantive IV.

Over one hundred people, lead by Ahsoka's friend Vartan, were waiting to board the shuttles.

"I need to act as ground cover for now!" She yelled over the mess of engines and lasers. Antilles nodded and brought the citizens aboard. She again ignited the lightsabers and deflected blaster bolts towards the stormtroopers and tanks. She went flying to intercept a tank, cutting through the hatch and slicing the controls with her white blades.

Joining the last line of farmers, she leaped onto the Tantive, breathing a sigh of relief. The Empire wasn't following them. They were safe.

Kaeden gave her a weak smile before the girl was escorted to get further medical attention.

"Commander Tano," Antilles said, making her wince a bit. "I suggest you should get some medical attention. You have a nasty scratch on your arm." Ahsoka raised her eyebrow and indeed, a gash covered the length of her arm. It was there the whole time and she hadn't realized it. She nodded faintly and allowed a worker to bring her to a medical station.

Ahsoka fell asleep the moment her back hit the cot.

~spoilers for Ahsoka over~

"Er, Commander Tano?"

That was a clone's voice…

"Rex?" she said groggily.

"No, Commander, it's Wolffe," said the clone.

Ahsoka nodded. "So Rex got you guys?"

"Yeah, we're here," Wolffe laughed, his cybernetic eye twitching, which Ahsoka still found unnerving. "Gregor and Rex are still out on a supply run. These ships need fuel on an unnatural basis."

Ahsoka shrugged off her blanket and found a long bandage covering the cut on her arm. She (forcefully) got out of bed and pulled on her boots, which must have been taken off by someone while she was sleeping. She also found her lightsabers, which still needed to be finished off, lying on the bedside stand.

"I can't believe there's already a Rebellion," she muttered.

"It's good. It's hard, but it's for a good cause."

"Thanks, Wolffe," she smiled. "I'll see you around." The clone, whose hair was a bit graying, nodded in return and decided to leave.

Ahsoka tidied up and took a deep breath. The Force is with me. Anakin is alive. Obi-Wan is alive. Padmé is alive. I'm alive.

It was time to meet with Senator Organa.

Lady Timora, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy and the Emperor's second-in-command, strode through the black-and-gray hallways of her Super Star Destroyer. Yes. Her Super Star Destroyer. Trembling before her, the officers and troopers cleared a path for Timora.

It wasn't fun, but it was better than the Jedi.

She emerged into the hangar bay from her shuttle, stormtroopers lining her path. As soon as she stepped out… something sang to her and her head whipped around.

Master? she thought hesitantly. Sidious did not respond.

Her masked eyes settled on a stormtrooper and the Force rang in her mind. This stormtrooper? He definitely didn't feel Force-sensitive.

"You! Trooper!" she yelled, her voice undetectable through her black visage. Timora felt the trooper's surprise as other men looked around, wondering if their Commander was calling to them. "Yes, you, trooper. Come with me." He stepped forward hesitantly and Timora felt the Force sing out once again.

The trooper followed her onto the bridge.

"What is your name, trooper?" she questioned.

"My - my name, sir?" Before he could be the subject of a notorious Force-choke, he responded. "Of course, sir. They call me Rif, sir."

Rif.

501st.

Torrent Company.

Resolute.

Clones.

Fett.

Skywalker.

Ahsoka.

Rif!

"Rif, you are a clone, aren't you?" Rhea asked. Yes - Rhea. Rhea was still alive somewhere in the ruins of Timora's soul.

"Yes, I am," Rif said. "Er, with all due respect, sir… I heard that they'll be getting rid of all the clones. In the Imperial Navy, I mean."

"Not all of them," she said, narrowing her eyes under her mask. "Not you, trooper."

"Sir?" Rif said, fear projecting from his voice. This was the Rif that Rhea remembered. That stuck-up clone.

"Trooper…" she countered, getting even closer to him, giving him all the more reason to rear back in terror. She wanted to yell to him, Rif! It's Rhea! The old commander! "You are excused."

"Ah… thank you, sir?" It was more like a question.

Timora took a deep breath. "And Rif - where are Delv and Trigger?" As the clone jolted back in surprise, she continued to her chambers.

Rhea was still there - Rif had showed her that - and she had to get that di'kutla Rhea out.

So, Rhea is still battling with Timora! I hope you enjoyed the Ahsoka/Rhea centered chapter. I wrote this chapter, like, three months ago and I've been writing new chapters so much that I forgot to post. Now that it's SUMMER, I'll be posting every week instead of every two weeks, if I have enough chapters pre-written. But I have 23 chapters written already and I've posted 12, so I think I'm okay with that.

You may be wondering why 'Gregor and Rex are out on a supply run.' Basically, in this story, they didn't go retire on Seelos but instead decided to join the Rebellion first. Because of Anakin, Rex wants to help make a better galaxy instead of 'retiring.' Hope that clears stuff up because I'm gonna get a billion reviews like, "But Rex joins the Rebellion in season two!"

di'kutla - Mando'a; useless, stupid, worthless

Next week, we're starting a pretty big arc in the story. Stay tuned! Make sure to read, follow, favorite, and review. It really warms my heart when I see that people are enjoying my story. Wow. Okay, that was a lot to take in, so...

May the Force be with you and God bless!

-HH