After fifteen minutes of walking along war torn streets, trying her best not to internally gag at the strange sense of despair still lingering in the Force, Ahsoka felt about ready to tear Maul's arms off. She'd never felt this aggravated toward someone who wasn't even speaking to her, but everything about his presence irked her. His nauseating presence in the Force pressed on her, like it wanted to swallow her own essence whole. And she could still feel his damn yellow eyes staring at the back of her head. Ahsoka grit her teeth, trying to avoid her irrational urge to swing around and wallop Maul right in his stupid face and retreated into the walls of her mind. Really, she just wanted to mentally focus on anything else to make the rest of this walk more bearable.
Not that there was anything positive to focus on to begin with. She couldn't admire the glittering spires and towers Sundari was famous for, as all there was to look at was a dead city of debris and shattered lives. The inhabitants had long since been evacuated in yet another upending of their lives, a story far from unique in this blasted war. And Ahsoka didn't need to be reminded about the guilt she still felt over the people she had played a part in uprooting. Mentally striking that off the list, she also knew she couldn't retreat into the usual warm embrace of the Force either.
Ordinarily an extension of her senses that was as normal to her as breathing, Ahsoka had always marveled at the Force's ability to make her whole world come alive with vibrant color and feeling. There was something beautiful in sensing the life force of all living things, the ways they all thrummed and intertwined with one another. It was like a complex tapestry of shared experiences and struggles. Even in her darkest days of self-doubt after she had left the Order, the sensations of life she felt around her had been her crutch. But now, that warm blanket of life felt diseased. She wasn't sure if it was due to the death that had permeated in the background of the Force ever since the war had started, Darth Sidious preparing to strike, or both.
Ahsoka also had no desire to linger too long on Rex. She was dreading revealing her bizarre arrangement to her old friend. Ahsoka knew Rex was loyal to a fault. After all, she was plenty aware he had believed in her innocence after she was falsely accused of killing his brothers and bombing the Jedi Temple. Even if he hadn't been able to outwardly support her or even outright stated it, his actions since her return had spoken volumes. The quiet support, the old rapport they had fallen back into so easily. While they had never been as close as her and Anakin had been, she had still missed him dearly after her departure. And here she was, set to show up right in front of him with their enemy. A man who had slaughtered his brothers no less. Would be this too much? The straw that finally broke Rex's stalwart loyalty? Ahsoka bit her lip as she narrowly avoided stepping on broken glass, no longer wanting to dwell on that line of thinking.
Really, Ahsoka's one bit of solace in all her depressed musings that she had told herself she was going to avoid, but apparently sucked at not indulging in, was the warmth of her bond with her old Master. That tie in the Force had once been a shining beacon in her mind, a sign of her closeness with the man who had become like an older brother to her. She had sadly let it atrophy after her departure from the Order, now nothing more than a symbol of pain over what she had left behind. But it had never fully faded, always lingering in the back of her mind. Perhaps a sign of Anakin's strength in the Force, their ties to each other, or both. She had no longer been able to sense Anakin's mood through their bond, nor could she sense him as strongly as she once had. But it had always reassured her he was still alive, no matter how far apart they had become. Ever since their reunion, that old Force bond had felt just that bit stronger. Anakin was still a blazing light in the Force, and that brought Ahsoka hope that all was not yet lost.
Ahsoka was abruptly shaken from her thoughts as the shadow of the hospital came into view. Once state of the art, she tried to ignore the ache in her chest at the sight of the broken windows and complete lack of life in the building. Her one solace was that all the patients and staff had been safely evacuated. Slowing her pace as they got closer to the building, Ahsoka held up a hand behind her to signal Maul to stop. His brow furrowed in confusion as she did so, but he complied with little word. She had expected more of his complaining at being ordered about, but she'd take any precious second she could where he wasn't flapping his gums. Raising her arm, she pressed the button on her wrist comm. "Rex, are you there?" she asked.
"Yeah, Commander. I'm here. Before you, apparently. You gonna leave me hanging?" he replied, the mirth in his voice welcome despite the circumstances. Ahsoka gave a small smile.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Rexter. I'm right outside. Where are you?"
"In the foyer. Figured that would be an easy spot for the both of us to find."
"I like the way you think, Rex. I'll be right inside." Ahsoka lifted her head and shifted her gaze to Maul. "I need you to stay out here for a minute. He'll react better if I go in alone." Maul huffed and rolled his eyes in response.
"You test my patience. Hurry up and go meet the clone. The faster you do, the faster we can leave this place," he replied petulantly. Walking beneath the awning of the entrance, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Fighting the urge to also roll her eyes, Ahsoka turned her back on Maul and walked through the ajar double doors and into the austere building. Glancing around her, Ahsoka was impressed at the Mandalorians' sense of both functionality and beauty. Glittering glass floors paired with stark white walls gave the space a distinct sense of the building's function but gave it a bit of flair, nonetheless. In the middle of the room, the ceiling formed a beautiful glass dome, sadly shattered by the shelling that had inflicted the city. Careful to avoid the shattered glass all over the floor, Ahsoka was relieved to see Rex leaning on a wall across the room. Noticing her presence at the same time, the two began walking toward each other. As soon as they met in the middle, Rex removed his helmet.
"So, you going to tell me what this is about?" he asked.
"Before I do, you have to promise me you're not going to freak out. You're one of my oldest friends, Rex. I need your help with this," Ahsoka pleaded. She knew she sounded strange, and it reflected in how Rex's brow crinkled in confusion.
"Why would I freak out, Commander? Did you eat a loth-cat whole or something?" he asked. She couldn't help but crack a small at that, but it faded as quickly as it came on.
"If only. No, Rex. I'm afraid this is going to make me look absolutely insane. But I'm asking you to please listen and then judge. Please," she begged. Rex sighed and nodded, despite the apprehension Ahsoka could sense in the Force. "Alright. I'll be right back," she said. Sprinting across the foyer, she poked her head out of the entrance upon arrival. "Alright, you can come in. No funny stuff."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Maul sneered. He straightened himself upright and walked into the foyer. Immediately, Rex put his helmet back on and drew his twin pistols.
"What is he doing here?" he demanded. Maul flashed his ugly teeth at Rex in a grin, as if the thought of a clone threatening to shoot him was little more than an amusing thought. Ahsoka rushed to stand in the way before either of them did something stupid, her hands up in front of her.
"Rex, wait. You promised you wouldn't freak out." Rex stilled for a moment before reluctantly lowering his pistols, albeit not holstering them.
"Explain," he said in a terse voice. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ahsoka plowed on with her admittedly insane sounding explanation.
"He knows who Darth Sidious is, Rex. He's the Chancellor. Maul has resources, can give us the means to fight him. Please, Rex. I can't do this without you."
Rex's shoulders tensed at this revelation, though what exactly he was thinking Ahsoka couldn't tell. Perhaps it was disbelief, shock over his whole existence having been a lie, maybe both. Anything in between. With a strained voice, he replied. "Even if that's true, why turn to him of all people, Ahsoka? What about the Jedi Council? General Skywalker? They're far more trustworthy than him," Rex spat, gesturing his arm in Maul's direction.
"There's no time, Rex. Something is coming. I can feel it in the Force. Sidious is about to strike, and we need to act now. We don't have the time to deal with the politicking and debates of the Council," she replied but then hesitated. "And… Anakin. Anakin may be in danger from Sidious." Rex stilled at this.
"What do you mean?"
"You know Anakin is close with the Chancellor, Rex. I'm worried he might be trying to sway Anakin or kill him if he refuses. I… I can't let that happen to him. I won't. We need to act now. And I need someone I can trust", she said. Closing the gap between them, Ahsoka placed a hand on Rex's shoulder. "I'm only asking for your help, Rex. If you say no, I'll understand. I know what he's done, that this all sounds utterly crazy. But I want someone I can trust with me, and you're the only one here I can turn to."
Lowering his head, Rex appeared to be deep in thought. She wished she could see his face beneath his helmet, but she'd have to make do with the way his tense body relaxed ever so slightly beneath her hand. After another silent moment Rex lifted his head and nodded. "Alright. I don't like this one bit, but I trust you. Him, on the other, hand is a different story," Rex stated, gesturing his head in Maul's direction.
"Trust is not required, clone. Now if you two are quite finished, we had best be going," Maul huffed in impatience, turning to leave. Ahsoka also turned to leave when it suddenly felt as if something had struck her in the chest. Stumbling in her steps, she pressed a hand to her head. Anakin. Something was very wrong. The Force howled as the light in her bond with Anakin withered. There were faint voices she could barely make out, both here and somewhere else. Ahsoka was dimly aware of a hand on her shoulders, Rex off to her side in concern, anything he said sounding like it was underwater. Maul stock still in front of them, his eyes wide with an uncharacteristic fear. Clearly sensing the same disturbance she was. The garbled voices of a faraway place drowned out all else, sounding vaguely like Anakin, Windu, and the Chancellor. A single clear and desperate cry of "What have I done?" And then the bond flooded with a darkness she could scarcely describe, like it had consumed Anakin's soul. Right before the link slammed shut.
"Anakin," she whispered, blinking back tears. She still wasn't totally clear what had happened, but she didn't need to be. She could feel the darkness in the Force continuing to grow. Either Anakin was dead or fallen. The outcome of both was the same.
"Ahsoka, what was that?" Rex asked frantically.
"Anakin. Something terrible has happened," she replied, still somewhat out of it.
"Then you felt it too," Maul said, sounding almost haunted. Ahsoka merely nodded. Off to her side, Rex had suddenly tensed.
"Hold on, I'm getting a comm call." The next few seconds passed in a blur. In one, Rex had briefly stepped off to the side to hear some message she couldn't in his helmet. The next, it felt like her world was shattering all over again when a pair of twin pistols were suddenly trained on her.
*pokes head out of corner* Hello, there. Been a while. Writing this took way longer than it should have. I was experiencing the worst writer's block imaginable. But it's done. I don't know if I'm fully satisfied with it, but I just wanted to get it out. And yes, the chapter title is a direct reference to the episode of the same name. I felt like it was still an appropriate title for what occurs at the end, despite the different circumstances. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster than this one, but I do have the next college semester starting up here, so I'll be limited in the amount of time I can write. Cheers, everyone!