"I don't understand!", Obi Wan called out while deflecting some laser bolts with his saber. "Why wouldn't they just destroy the base from orbit?"
"I don't know!", Wedge Antilles panted, who was putting holes in as many stormtrooper helmets as possible. "Maybe they want to use the building, or search it for information.", he suggested. "Unlikely.", Obi Wan only replied.
Antilles dodged behind a column to avoid the crossfire, while he was letting his weapon cool. "They have enough resources without the base.", Obi Wan explained. "I wish I had gone with the pilots.", Antilles mumbled.
"I fly better than I shoot." "You don't shoot bad.", Obi Wan countered. A few Stormtroopers died by their own bolts, deflected by Obi Wan's saber. "I somehow miss the clone wars.", he sighed.
"One could negotiate with the separatists." Antilles chuckled slightly. "I guess you never thought you'd say that." Obi Wan didn't reply as he dodged a series of blasts that left burned marks in the wall behind him.
"Wait here, continue fighting with the others.", Obi Wan suddenly instructed. "Hey! Where are you going?", Antilles demanded, but Obi Wan was already gone. He had spotted them besides the battlefield, pressed towards a provisional barrier.
Some imperials, clearly people of authorities and no clones. He figured they were the ones executing the Emperor's orders. Surely they knew his plans for Dantooine.
If Obi Wan succeeded at listening to their meeting, he would be able to brace the rebels for whatever was coming. He was well aware that the rebels could have been eradicated in heartbeat.
Obi Wan had a suspicion that what Sidious was planning instead was even more horrible. He advanced over the battlefield quickly. Knowing what the imperials were up to could be the only chance to survive their assault.
Briefly, Yoda's voice appeared in Obi Wan's head. "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence, never for attack." But Obi Wan pushed the memory of his early teachings away.
He used the force to pull a lone Stormtrooper, who had been guarding the officials, towards him and greeted him with his lightsaber.
Ahsoka stood stiffly, her hands folded on her back. Forcefully, she kept herself from looking at Padmé. Ahsoka could feel her emotions. If she had to look into her eyes, Ahsoka wouldn't be able to keep her calm.
Ahsoka felt the same way. Even though the twins weren't her own children, she had grown to adore them in the time they had spent together. She tried to keep her expression unchanged while her hands cramped to fists behind her back.
If the Emperor would harm them, or Padmé, or kill Anakin, she would choke him to death with her own hands. Suddenly, the blue disc of a seismic explosion could be seen from the far, through the giant circular window.
Ahsoka sent a quick prayer to the force. Don't you dare let him die now, she thought. Not after you already put him through so much. You chose him for something, didn't you?, she demanded silently, not expecting a reply from a power without conscience.
Anakin knew that this one wasn't experienced. Yes, there was a dark force presence, one that had embraced darkness. But there was insecurity as well. Anakin narrowed his eyes.
This was who Sidious had replaced him with. For a second, just a heartbeat, Anakin let some of his mind barriers slip, and observed how the sith apprentice stoped in flight. The TIE was just hovering without movement.
"Leave your men with the rebels.", Anakin said silently, creating a direct bridge to the mind of the sith. "Take me on, one by one.", Anakin demanded.
Nothing happened for a few heartbeats. Anakin just stared at the black window of the TIE while he felt the anger rise in his opponent.
"Prove to your master, that you are worthy of his. Soon, or he will dispose of you like everyone else did.", with this, Anakin rebuilt his mind shields, praying that Sidious hadn't felt his presence yet.
This did it. Angrily, the sith turned around, towards the deathstar. "Stay and deal with the other TIES.", Anakin ordered through the com. "I'll take care of the leader." Anakin engaged the thrust of his fighter, and speeded towards the sith.
Anakin dug around his memory, recalling all the weaponry the TIE was armed with. Before he was certain, a second seismic charge was flying towards Anakin's fighter. Anakin dodged the deadly bomb with ease, and didn't pay attention to where it was headed.
Anakin enjoyed the feeling of even more anger boiling up in the sith. This one truly wasn't experienced. He had no control over his emotions.
Now, he had to be swift. Anakin powered up all of his thrusters, and shot in direction of the deathstar. Like he had hoped, the sith fired an inconspicuous rocket. If it hit Anakin's hull, he would be done for.
But if he managed to redirect the homing missile, he had a chance to destroy the TIE. The missile was more than strong enough to break through its hull. Anakin was still deciding how to proceed as the missile locked its target.
He resumed chasing for the death star, his instrument screaming to warn him of the missile and the approaching TIE. Anakin was well aware the TIE's thrusters were far superior to his. He had no chance to race him.
Anakin pulled up and stirred to fly over the TIE, pulled down behind him, and hoped for the best. And really, he heard the explosion behind him. But, when he turned, he had to notice that the sith had managed to dodge the missile.
Instead of the center, the rocket only hit one of the TIE's wings. Anakin watched as the sith struggled to keep his fighter still, and waited curiously for whatever the sith was going to do next.
The first one of the officials who saw Obi Wan, called out, pointed at him and pulled out a simple blaster. Obi Wan deflected the first bolt before he reached the imperials and disarmed them easily. He held his saber to the throat of the one closest.
"Why are you here?", he demanded angrily. The imperial whimpered. "Why an invasion?", Obi Wan repeated. "The Emperor's orders.", another one winced. "But why? Don't act like you wouldn't have the power to destroy the base in a heartbeat."
"We do not question his command.", the first one, whose face grew paler and paler, voiced. Obi Wan snorted in disgust and beheaded the first one. In a split second he moved his saber to the next windpipe. "Are you sure he didn't say?", he growled menacingly.
"He keeps his plans to himself.", the threatened ensured. Obi Wan narrowed his eyes and moved his saber a bit closer. "Please, don't.", he begged. Obi Wan sliced and immediately proceeded to the last one.
"I know they were lying.", he snarled. The imperial's eyes widened. "Be smarter than them.", Obi Wan added. "Something about public executions. He wanted to make a big show out of this, the heroic defeat of the rebellion.", the imperial finally stammered.
"Seriously? He is risking victory for propaganda?", Obi Wan asked dumbfounded. His opposite raised an eyebrow. "Risking?" Obi Wan snorted before killing the very last of the imperials.
He deactivated his weapon again, and turned back to the rebel base. The whole assault was only a show to the empire. Once the jedi arrived, the stormtroopers would suffer heavy casualties, moving the Emperor to send gunships after all.
Obi Wan let out a call of frustration before sprinting back to the base. The Emperor had left them without options. Either the rebels were eradicated by the invasion, or, if they managed to gain an advantage, they would be bombed from above.
The sith surprised Anakin. He had expected him to continue fighting grimly, to die rather than to disappoint Sidious. But instead, the sith was racing back towards the deathstar. Anakin didn't waste time wondering why and speeded after him.
After about half the way, the sith deployed two seismic charges, but Anakin easily dodged them. As long as these didn't adhere to anything, they weren't triggered. He felt his opponent's anger and frustration rising more and more, sometimes even edging despair.
Anakin couldn't help the slight grin spreading on his lips while he caught up to the sith. This had been easier than expected. Anakin would only have to fight his way up to Padmé and the twins, and then finally put an end to Sidious.
It only took a couple more failed tries to attack Anakin, before the sith gave up and only flew. Anakin caught up to him leaving almost no space between them. At this speed, it didn't take long before the two had reached the not nearly completed deathstar.
The hangar's ray shield opened to let the sith enter, and Anakin slipped through with him. He had made it inside. He couldn't care less about the rest of the rebel convoy, which had probably already been annihilated by the TIEs.
They had fulfilled their purpose of helping Anakin to get onto the station. He could finish this without them bothering him. With one leap, Anakin jumped out of the X-Wing, just like the sith left the TIE.
It was an Iktotchi girl, probably even younger than Ahsoka. She threw a hateful glance at Anakin before triggering the alert. In the next moment, Anakin was busy deflecting laser bolts.
All eyes were set on Sidious as the alarm started. The old sith smirked disgustingly. "My treacherous apprentice has made his way here. Ahsoka, go and kill him. Maul, you know what to do." Ahsoka stared at Maul, who bowed deeply and sprinted out of the throne room.
She bowed briefly as well, and followed the Zabrak. She had no idea where he was headed, and had to decide what to do quickly. Either she chased and stopped him, or she went to help out Anakin with Safye and the clones.
Bitterly, she chose the first. Anakin could handle himself. Maul was headed in a completely different direction, than the fight. While running after him, Ahsoka suddenly realised where he was going. The twins were in that area.
Immediately she started to go faster, to catch up to Maul before he would get there. If she was right and that really was where he was going, she didn't have much time to catch up before he would get there. His metal legs made him surprisingly fast.
When she reached him, she was a little too late already. Maul had gathered three medical droids, each of them holding one of the three children. One of them was about to enter an escape pod. Ahsoka leaped forward targeting the two other droids.
She sliced both heads off at once. Maul swirled around, his eyes locking on her. He kicked the one remaining droid into the pod, and manually ejected it by slamming the button.
Ahsoka was glad she had at least managed to retrieve the twins, who were both crying horribly, not being able to crawl out of the metal arms that were still holding them. After this was all over, she would make sure the third child would be found.
Maul snarled menacingly, before his lightsaber was lit. "I knew it, scum." Ahsoka raised her lightsabers without replying, then she began blocking the first of Maul's attacks.
Ahsoka and Maul had left only a minute when Sidious suddenly cackled. Padmé wondered why, maybe he could feel what was happening in the rest of the station, it was only when their eyes met that she realised what must have happened.
Sidious was the only force sensitive left in the room. Ahsoka wasn't there to shield Padmé's mind from him anymore. "So, the togrutan child is an imposter, and my assumptions about Lord Vader were correct."
Dumbfounded, Padmé stared at him. He knew. Now Ahsoka would be attacked at sight. Padmé had destroyed one of the most meaningful advantages, she and Anakin had had. "Senator, you disappoint me. I had expected better from my old friend.", Sidious said.
"It's all a sham.", Obi Wan panted after he had basically fallen through the council doors. Mothma turned to him with a raised brow. "I really couldn't imagine how our situation could get even worse, Master Jedi.", she stated, before dismissing him by turning around again.
"There is no way we can survive this battle. Should the jedi help to gain an advantage, the empire will send their gunships in delay. The invasion is only propaganda." Mothma faced him again, her expression finally matching his own. "What?", she demanded.
"Fleeing is the only way to survive this, and once the jedi have entered the atmosphere they will be trapped by the blockade just like us." "It's too late for them.", Ackbar declared, pointing at the holo map in the middle of the room.
Obi Wan only stared at the blinking dots, indicating the jedi fighter's position, descending towards the planet surface. In this very moment, most of the jedi who were still willing to fight were speeding towards their certain death.
Obi Wan didn't say anything to the leaders before he left the council room again. As long as there was a small chance that Anakin would be able to stop the bombing in time, Obi Wan would continue fighting the invasion.
Before Anakin had managed to rid the hangar of stormtroopers for the moment, the Iktotchi sith had fled. Grimly, Anakin observed how new masses of troopers flooded the hangar with a dark expression. He didn't have time for this.
He couldn't afford to be held up with this vermin while Padmé was held hostage by Sidious. Like back on Atzerri, he raised about twenty of the troopers at once, and snapped their necks immediately. "It's a jedi! Go, go, go!", one of the clones yelled.
Anakin leaped into the crowd of troopers and ignited his crimson blade. He cut himself a path through them, not bothered by the ones that were still shooting at him once he had gotten through. He had familiarised himself with the deathstar plans.
He knew exactly where he was headed, the throne room. That was where Sidious had to be, Anakin doubted that he ever left that seat. He had enough lackeys to do the dirty work for him.
Anakin stabbed every clone daring to block his path, proceeding slower than he could bear. After a couple of minutes, he saw the first royal guards marching towards him. He smirked coolly. Sidious was acknowledging the threat he presented.
Anakin had expected him to keep close to his guards, he was surprised to find any of the cowards personal protection in the field. He had to admit that the guards where no compare to the stormtroopers. They actually blocked a few of his attacks before they died.
Anakin marched on silently. The way wasn't long anymore, soon the old man would have finally paid for what he had done. Soon, he would have paid for all the lies and all the pain, Vader had to suffer throughout the last two years.