Chapter 16
I wrote this chapter at 2 am when I was in an unforgiving mood. Case in point, I decided to inflict pain.
review:
mastercheif1229: Thank you! Your review made my day when I read it. I hope this new chapter makes you happy :)
The entirety of Saw's rebel group had been preparing for days. Cornan's plan had been implemented in the overall idea.
Everything was being put into place, for today was the day of the attack on the factory. Scouts had been sent to the factory to make sure everything was ready for them there. They had to go and place the explosives soon.
There was a lot of fuss going on at the base. Ahsoka stood by on the sidelines, watching. She was not aiding in the preparations. It held no value to her. That, and the fact that the Force felt uneasy, were key in her decision to keep at the sidelines. She would help with the aftermath, but not with the attack itself. It was against her role and nature within this Imperial Era to do so. She wanted to help people. Right now, this wasn't her way to do it.
Ahsoka felt like she had to be on guard. She trusted the Force and that it told her to be cautious. She hadn't told anyone about this feeling yet, but she would seek Lorey out soon.
Saw was definitely out of the question in regard to voicing her doubts. Ahsoka just knew he would not accept her explanation. But she wasn't running away either. They were going through with this. She just had to be ready for when something did go wrong.
Besides, she was still needed. Having been a Jedi in the Clone Wars and all, she knew a lot about strategy and that was needed to make this go over as smooth as possible.
Deep in thought, Ahsoka didn't notice Lorey approach her.
"You seem distracted," the other girl spoke up, snapping Ahsoka out of her trance. She turned to Lorey.
"Just thinking," she replied.
Lorey looked at her skeptically. Ahsoka sighed softly, not because she was annoyed but because she had so much on her mind.
"The Force feels uneasy. And I know that doesn't mean much to you but let me explain it real quick; I feel like something's about to happen. And I don't know if it's good or bad, but it for sure is something. I'm going to figure out what it is, but I don't know how yet."
Lorey nodded. "Well, I trust you to know what to do and inform us, of course," she said with a smile.
Ahsoka gave a reassuring nod and a smile as well.
"I better go meditate now. Maybe it'll give me some clarity. Call me when the final briefing starts, please?" Ahsoka said. And with that she walked away to find a quiet place in all the fuss. It was quite a feat, but she managed in the end. She sat down and let herself sink into the Force, looking for answers.
And man, did she get a lot of information, but not a concrete answer to her current problem. She felt and saw so many things. All had to do with a memory, or maybe even the future. You could call it a vision, but that was not what Ahsoka would call this dump of information.
There was nothing she could pull from this. but what was obvious was the subject it all surrounded. The Force sang with insinuation towards Anakin. But why? Ahsoka couldn't put her fingers on it. Did he do something? Was he involved in something that had to do with her? Was he taking over her mind again?
So many questions; no answer. The suspension was killing her, but Ahsoka did not let go of her meditation until she was pulled from it by Lorey. The girl stood over her.
"Everything's in place. They're all coming together now. Let's go."
Ahsoka got up and silently followed Lorey. The other girl looked at her expectantly. Ahsoka wished she could answer that questioning look, but there was nothing she could say. She simply shook her head, signaling that she still had no answers.
They continued walking and entered the briefing room. They were the last people to join. Ahsoka took her place along the HoloTable, where a holo of the factory was on display. How they got it, Ahsoka wouldn't know, but she didn't really care either.
Saw started talking. "We've finished all the preparations for today. Everything is set. I want to thank our new friends in their aid. And now we're going to see how successful we'll be."
Saw pressed a button on the HoloTable and the image of the factory zoomed in.
"I have appointed several people to place the necessary explosives where needed. This will happen during the warning message when everyone is distracted. The rest who volunteered to join in on this mission will be near factory grounds to stand guard and help out where needed. Everyone has been briefed individually on what they need to do. Are there any more questions at this point?"
Everybody shook their head. This operation had been so thoughtfully planned out; they all knew what they had to do. Ahsoka watched from her spot, feeling melancholic. She thought back to the Clone Wars, when they were discussing strategies. Whether it was with the Jedi masters in the war room, or with the Clones on the Resolute. It felt just like this, and it hurt to think about it. Ahsoka turned away to clear the images of the past from her head.
"Alright, now that we're all in agreement. Let's move out."
And with that everyone started leaving. It was time to take down a factory.
=O=
Ahsoka walked around the city in her robe, which she'd pulled around herself tightly. She was surveilling the area and waiting for Saw's message to come through. She was near the factory and was watching it closely. The Force was flaring around her right now, telling her that the thing she thought was going to happen, would happen soon.
Ahsoka pushed the thought away. It was probably just the attack. Nothing important. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling the Force gave her. She continued to look at the factory.
Several yards away, Ahsoka spotted more of the rebel group. They were all here. She knew the message could come in any second now. It would also be shown just outside the factory, for the troopers there. Comms had been placed by people everywhere outside and smuggled inside, so everyone in- and outside of the factory could see the message.
A blue holo flickered on then, and Ahsoka fixed her gaze on it. This was it. She divided her attention between the entrance/exit and the holo.
"Workers from this factory," Saw's voice sounded, "my name is Saw Gerrera. I'm here to tell you that this factory is going down in the name of freedom. Explosives are at the ready. We appreciate your sacrifice." And the holo stopped.
This was not what she'd expected the message to say. Her eyes widened at that last statement. Sacrifice? He couldn't-
A loud bang sounded and Ahsoka jumped up. The entire backside of the factory exploded. It instantly started toppling down. Ahsoka watched in horror as she felt screams through the Force. It couldn't be. He couldn't have done this.
Ahsoka was filled with rage and pain. She rushed forward to go save the lifeforces she still felt that were now trapped inside, but her arm got grabbed before she could reach the building. She spun around wildly, ready to just punch the person stopping her from trying to save innocent people. But when her eyes met Lorey's she stopped.
"It's no use Ahsoka. We'll be too late. You would sacrifice your life and you wouldn't be able to succeed in saving anyone. It would be in vain," Lorey said remorseful.
Ahsoka wanted to voice her protests. She'd been a Jedi; she could do it! But with every second the factory broke apart more and more. All entrances were now cut off by ruble and/or fire. Lifeforces continued to be snuffed out and it felt like a headache to Ahsoka.
They both stared up at the factory as it collapsed in on itself completely. Lorey's hold on Ahsoka's arm moving towards her hand. They both squeezed the other. Ahsoka dove in the Force to feel how many were left in there. Very faint presences filled her mind, but it was obvious they were lost.
Ahsoka let Lorey go, turned on her heels and walked away towards the rendezvous point – which was away from the factory so they wouldn't get caught by the reinforcement that were certainly already on their way.
Once Ahsoka reached the site, she started to pace, knowing Saw would show up here soon. She would be waiting for him. There were things she had to say to Saw. And possibly some bones to break. Others who'd gotten there as well were staring at her raging form, unsure of what to make of the furious Force-user but Ahsoka couldn't care less.
=O=
Saw arrived not long after. And before he'd even gotten off his transport Ahsoka was in his face, holding her lightsaber dangerously close to his neck.
"We had a deal," she started dangerously, making it obvious she was a serious threat right now. Blasters were immediately pointed at her, but Ahsoka didn't care. Saw just stared at her, impassively.
"You agreed to give them a chance. And you killed them all. Did it bring you joy, huh? Are you happy now?" Ahsoka snarled.
"It was necessary. We couldn't give them a chance to locate the explosives. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. This is the way we do things here on Onderon. If you don't agree, then leave," Saw said with an equal amount of venom in his voice.
Ahsoka didn't back down. "You're playing a dangerous game here Saw. Sooner or later you're going to have to pay for it."
And with that Ahsoka pushed him back, using the Force to strengthen the blow, and started walking away. Back to her transport to take them back to the base. They were leaving. She would not spend a minute longer with any of these people on this planet. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Saw stumble from her forceful push.
=O=
With the ongoing tension between the two rebel groups, nobody noticed the lonely trooper – who'd apparently stumbled upon their little rendezvous – make a call to headquarters on the planet for reinforcements coming from off-world. The rebels had hit again, hard this time. Something really had to be done about them.
The Empire needed to send in the big guns to deal with these guerilla fighters.
=O=
Ahsoka and the others from her team had made it back to base, where Ahsoka had started gathering their stuff angrily. Nobody dared to get in her way. Until Saw showed up later on.
He stepped up in front of her, blocking her path. "As much as you want to go now, Ahsoka, I can't let you leave. Not now that I know you will block our operations here. So you leave us alone from now on, and we'll let you leave in peace."
Ahsoka couldn't believe what she was hearing. The nerve of some people!
"You think you can make demands to me? I could cut you in half in less than a second, same with all the others here and I wouldn't bat an eye about it," she snarled.
He smirked at her, and oh did that just do the trick in making her go from angry to furious.
"That's not a very Jedi-like thought, is it? Besides, I think the Empire would pick up on your murder spree rather quickly. I don't think you would want that," Saw snapped back with ease.
"I've taken on two Inquisitors by now. Neither live to tell the tale. I fought off a battalion of clone troopers to escape the purge. I think I'll manage. But don't worry. I don't want to stay a minute longer on your planet with your people. Have your operations your way. But don't come looking when the people turn against you. Not the Empire, but the people you swore to protect here," Ahsoka said with determination.
Saw was about to say something back when an alarm sounded. Someone rushed to the scanners to check what it was.
At the same time the Force started screaming all around Ahsoka. A darkness filled her mind, but that wasn't new. She was angry right now, of course she felt darkness. Darkness was everywhere since the rise of the Empire.
"Saw, I think we have a problem," the person at the scanners spoke up. Saw made his way to join him in front of the scanners. "We have a Star Destroyer in orbit. It just dropped out of hyperspace. It's sending ships out as we speak. And I don't think they're here for a celebration."
Everyone in the room fell silent with worry. A Star Destroyer. Imperial reinforcements. They'd come for the rebels.
But Ahsoka wasn't thinking about that right now because the darkness kept growing. She felt rage, pain, cold. She tried to push it away. There was no way she could give in to the darkness right now. But it didn't budge. In fact, she had no control over it. It just kept on pushing, taking up every bit of space in her mind.
And then it dawned on Ahsoka.
This darkness wasn't her.
An Imperial Star Destroyer dropping out of hyperspace at the same time the Force flared up. The familiar feeling. The description Obi-Wan had given her when they'd met all those months ago on Tatooine.
It's him.
"He's here," Ahsoka spoke up through the silence. Everyone turned to stare at her with questioning looks.
"Who?" Saw asked.
She stared at all of them with somber expressions. They weren't going to win this.
"Darth Vader. I can feel him. He's on his way to the surface as we speak."
That had everyone just gaping at her. Some gasps were heard. Because everyone had heard whispers of Darth Vader. That's all they really were, whispers. Because the people who actually encountered him didn't live long enough to tell the tale.
Saw immediately jumped into action. He shouted out commands to everyone. People started locking down the base. Then Saw turned back to her.
"Whatever just happened, we all need each other's help right now. I need you to come with me back to the city. We need to get everyone who's still there out and ready to fight."
Ahsoka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he preparing to fight?
Was he crazy?!
"Saw... you can't win this fight. I promise you. You have to flee, hide until he's gone," Ahsoka pleaded. Despite what just transpired, she couldn't watch these people die at Vader's hand.
"We have to do something! I won't just let them die like that! I have to protect these people!" Saw almost shouted. He was clearly overwhelmed.
Ahsoka wanted to make a comment about how he should think about the regular civilians like that as well but decided against it. Not the appropriate situation for that right now.
"Then comm them. Have them meet us at the southern border of the city. We'll meet them there with two shuttles. Yours and ours. We let them get away first. If we're too late I might be able to hold him off. It's the only way to maybe get out of this alive," Ahsoka said. Every word was spoken with authority.
"What is your plan, then? If he's so powerful, how will you last against him?" Saw asked.
"I can't explain it to you. Just trust me, I want to live as well. I do have to ask, though-" Ahsoka said the last part while turning to Lorey- "I need you to fly our shuttle. Please. I need a getaway as well. I know it's risky, but I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Lorey nodded immediately. The rest of the team was quick to join in. "We'll join you Ahsoka. We won't leave you alone with a monster," Jax said.
Ahsoka just nodded. No time to argue for their safety. But then Saw chimed in.
"I'm joining you. I want to make sure my people are safe before I leave."
Ahsoka gave him a nod as well. At least there was some ounce of humanity left in him.
"We better get going then. We have no time to lose."
=O=
Saw commed the remaining rebels in the city to rendezvous at the south border of the city right away.
It took them way too long to get there, for Ahsoka's liking. They were on the clock here. She did have a plan for Vader, but if they could get away without her encountering him, she'd choose that option.
They eventually landed and lead everyone in the shuttle. But so many of them had questions that they had no time answering. It was a completely chaotic situation, and Ahsoka grew more anxious with the minute.
She felt him approaching. They were headed their way. The Empire must be aware of their location.
"Enough questions," Ahsoka ordered, "the Empire is approaching. You have to leave now and get to a safe place if you want to live. Take off now!" she shouted the last part. Gunships and TIEs had entered their line of vision. They were out of time. He was with them.
The pilot scrambled to get the shuttle in the air. The Imperial fighters still too far out to get a clean shot in. Stormtroopers were exiting the gunships and advancing.
Ahsoka had taken the liberty of covering herself completely in a large cloak back on the shuttle ride here, so she was unrecognizable. This way she could use the Force briefly to push those stormtroopers back and let them fall on the ground. They were aware of a Jedi anyway. Just not her name.
Ahsoka turned to the remaining people. Her friends and Saw.
"Get on the shuttle. Start it up and lift it in the air. The moment I'll jump back up and land on the ramp you take off, got it?" Ahsoka said. A new TIE landed. She knew he was in there. This was it.
Lorey nodded and they all rushed into the ship. Ahsoka pulled her hood further over her head and took her stance, tall and stoic.
And there he stood, right across from her.
Darth Vader.
Anakin Skywalker.
Her former master, best friend, brother.
And Ahsoka's breath caught in her throat.
10 days without the Clone Wars. I am not okay. That's all. Until next week.
