"AHSOKA!"
Panic filled Rex. Pure panic. Fear, anger, hatred. All the emotions people were supposed to avoid.
That was what Rex was feeling, as he watched his oldest friend suddenly pulled under the murky water by something. What he wasn't sure, only that it was going to die!
'Don't you dare hurt her whatever you are! Take me instead!'
Around Rex, the other two clones and even Hondo seemed horrified. The old pirate's eyes had bugled dramatically, and was reaching his hands under the water, desperately trying to grip onto anything that belonged to the Togruta warrior.
Snapping out of his shock, Rex joined the Weequay, his armoured hands reaching deep into the murky water.
All he could feel was cold, as well as small pieces of something, no doubt trash that had been discarded.
But he couldn't find Ahsoka.
"Come on Commander, where the hell are you?" Wolffe yelled out in vain, kicking into the water with his feet, trying to evidently fight something that he couldn't see.
Just then, a tentacle emerged from the water, and shot at Wolffe, knocking him back.
The clone commander grunted as he hit the side of the wall, before speaking.
"What the kriff is that?"
No one responded, not having an answer. Right now, they had more concerning issues to deal with.
Rex doubled the speed at which he was searching, praying for something to go right. All he had to do was find a hand to grab onto. Surely Ahsoka knew he would be coming for her?
The seconds passed by, and they felt like hours for Rex as he and the others searched. The longer they did so, the less likely it was they would have a happy ending.
"Come on Ahsoka! Where are you?" Rex yelled out, grief in his voice.
He would not lose her! Never would he lose her!
Suddenly, and pained roar erupted throughout the garbage dump, echoing off the walls. The sound clearly came from whatever this monster was, but why?
Then, Rex saw a sight he would never forget, and one he was eternally grateful for.
A white beam of light burst through the water, a severed tentacle coming to float on the top of the water shortly afterwards.
"There she is!" Hondo yelled out, reaching down with Rex to where the lightsaber had emerged from the water.
Reaching deep into the water, Rex's hands found something to hold onto, and together with Hondo, they pulled.
Seconds later, Ahsoka emerged, spluttering and coughing up water she had swallowed. It didn't occur to Rex at the time that he and Hondo had gripped onto her montrals, a sensitive spot for Togruta, and pulled her out that way.
Clearly, Ahsoka was in no position to complain, not that she would of anyway.
Pulling Ahsoka out of the water, Rex backed off from where she had been found, bringing her close to the edge of the garbage dump.
Just then, the water rumbled, and a massive beats emerged.
It possessed many tentacles, all flailing with reckless abandon towards those who had disturbed it. A singular eye focused on the group, its pupil dilating in what looked like hunger.
"Hey, ugly!"
Rex spun his head to look at the origin of the insult, as did the creature.
Wolffe stood tall, an old republic flamethrower in his hands. He had carried it through the station, insisting they would need it at some point, despite the limited ammunition he possessed for it.
"That's our commander you tried to eat!" Wolffe boomed out, before unleashing a stream of fire at the monster.
The flames engulfed the beast, sending it flailing around in agony. From the side, both Hondo and Gregor began to fire their blasters at the monster, the shots piercing the beast.
Under the combined might of the Wolffe's flamethrower, and the other's blasters, the monster released one final roar, before it slumped into the water dead.
After it was clear the threat had passed, Rex turned his attention to his Togrutan friend, who was still trying to cough up the water she had taken in.
As the woman retched up the remaining sewage water, her eye's locked onto Rex's beneath his helmet.
"Thanks Rex."
Beneath the helmet, Rex smiled. Of course she would make out like it was nothing.
"Anytime commander."
Regaining her strength, with some support from Rex, Ahsoka rose to her feet in the water.
"Gregor, have you found a way out yet?"
The old clone commando had moved back to the control panel he had discovered, and after a few more presses, a door opened.
Gregor turned back to the others, gesturing for the door.
"Yes! We can escape this disgusting place!" Hondo boasted first, practically charging for the door, the other's following behind.
Rex didn't bother to point out that Hondo had forgone his issues with the stench of the garbage dump when Ahsoka was in trouble.
Having no way to clean themselves off, Ahsoka's team was left in a rather disgusting state as they moved through a series of hallways.
'I smell worse than Tarkin!' Ahsoka thought to herself snidely, not that she had ever purposefully smelled the human before. 'Now that was a disgusting thought.'
Passing through another doorway, the team found themselves in a storage bay full of crates of various sizes, but with no signs of any sort of imperial patrol.
"I don't like this. It's too quiet." Wolffe muttered to the team as they advanced slowly through the large room.
Privately, Ahsoka agreed. The whole thing sang ambush to her.
Despite her trepidation, they pushed forward. At the far end of the room, Ahsoka spied another door. That was their way out, and hopefully would lead them to the hanger bay they were aimed at.
Moving slowly forward, Ahsoka suddenly stopped. Something had disturbed the quiet room, she felt it in her montrals. It was times like these she was glad for her passive echolocation native to her species.
Glancing to her right, Ahsoka spied a collection of large crates. Whatever had caused the disruption to her montrals had come from behind there.
Listening carefully, Ahsoka tried to determine what it was.
Then, another sound echoed throughout the room, one that everyone could hear.
TING, TING, TING.
"What was that?" Hondo enquired aloud, his gaze shifting around the room in what many would call panic.
TING, TING, TING.
This time round the sound came from the other side of the room, behind yet another pile of crates.
Something deep in the back of Ahsoka's mind told her that she should recognize the sound, and she did, she just couldn't place it at that moment.
TING, TING, TING.
TING, TING, TING.
TING! TING! TING!
The sound increased in both volume and number, surrounding the team on all sides.
Reaching down, Ahsoka grasped her lightsaber hilts. Something was coming for them, but what.
"I recognize that sound." Rex spoke this time, concern and what appeared to be fear in his voice. If Rex was worried, then Ahsoka knew that they were in trouble.
Then, it emerged, coming from behind a crate ahead of them. A small spherical shaped ball, armed with various instruments, including a buzz saw.
And then another emerged from behind it, and another, and another…
"KRIFF! Buzz droids?!" Rex yelled first, firing his blaster pistol directly at the first droid that had emerged. The shot landed successfully, destroying the droid with a shot through the central eye.
The other buzz droids recognized the threat, and began to emit a loud pitch screeching sound, before charging at the group.
Chaos erupted in that instance. From every corner of the room, behind every crate, and even falling from the roof, buzz droids swarmed in, their mechanical instruments clearly desiring blood.
Igniting her blades, Ahsoka swung them upwards, cleaving a pair of buzz droids in half as they fell. The clones formed a circle around their commander, with Hondo assisting them, firing in all directions, eliminating buzz droids.
The team found themselves surrounded, buzz droids approaching from all sides.
"There's too many of them!" Gregor called out, his rotary cannon endlessly firing in a precise pattern, covering one side of the conflict.
"Move to the door! Go!" Ahsoka commanded aloud, reaching out with the force to push the droids back and give the team an opening. There was no way they were going to be able to handle this many buzz droids and not get ripped apart. They had to run!
Clearly, Hondo had the same idea, as he broke off into sprint yelling in fear.
"Every man for himself!"
Mentally groaning at Hondo's antics, Ahsoka pivoted to find a buzz droid latch itself onto her leg, its buzz saw attempting to cut through her boots.
"Get off!" The Togruta growled at the machine, slicing the droid in half with her lightsaber, before kicking out with her foot to smash another approaching buzz droid.
Turning back around, Ahsoka spotted Hondo reaching the door they needed to get to, firing back at the approaching swarm of droids.
"Hold on Hondo!" Ahsoka called out as she broke into a sprint, dashing to his position to assist him, cutting down various buzz droids on the way.
As she ran, she passed by Wolffe and Rex, who stood back to back, firing their blasters at the droids as they swarmed in. Being veterans of the clone wars, the two old commanders seemed both at ease and eerily calm at fighting the mechanical horrors. They worked effectively together, keeping the buzz droids at a safe distance, despite the limitless numbers of them.
Spinning her blades in deadly arcs as she ran, Ahsoka was soon by Hondo's side, covering him from any droids that got to close. To their right, Ahsoka spotted Gregor working to get the door open in desperation, abandoning any hopes out outgunning the droids.
"How did you rope me into this crazy mission again Ahsoka?" Hondo called out over the battle, blasting another pair of buzz droids that were approaching. Choosing not to reply, Ahsoka cleaved another droid that had closed the gap in half.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one droid make a beeline for Gregor, its instruments flailing with murderous intent. Abandoned her position, Ahsoka lunged with her blade, destroying the droid before it could land on Gregor and cause him harm. As she did this, Gregor inputted a series of commands into the control interface he was working on, and the door opened.
"Everyone fall back!" Ahsoka called out to her team, watching as Gregor moved to the other side of the door, finding another panel from which to lock the door.
Hondo backed through slowly, firing at the horde of droids that approached with frightening speed.
As Ahsoka made it through the door, she turned to look back into the room full of buzz droids just as a white figure burst past her. She briefly recognized the helmet belonging to Wolffe…
But that meant…
Ahsoka glanced back into the room in fear. If Wolffe had broken from his position that meant…
Her heart slumped in that moment. Rex was still there, backing towards the door slowly. Too slowly. By the time he reached the door the buzz droids would have too, and he wasn't going to be able to take on that many droids.
"REX! FALL BACK NOW!" Ahsoka screamed in genuine fear.
But Rex continued to move back slowly, firing his pistols faster than she had ever seen him do before. Buzz droid after buzz droid fell to his shots, but they were just too many.
"REX!" Ahsoka yelled again. She wanted to rush out and pull him back. But she couldn't. She couldn't sacrifice the mission for one person.
Rex was going to die, she could see it now in her head.
In the back of her mind, she heard Sidious chuckle in glee.
Blinking back tears, Ahsoka prepared for the worst.
Except that someone else had acted first.
A white blur, highlighted with lines of grey pushed past her, charging towards Rex.
Wolffe reached the clone captain, his brother, and wrapped his arms around Rex's waist, before pulling with all his might.
Wolffe spun Rex around, sending him careening into Ahsoka's arms and through the doorway. Catching her old friend and helping him to his feet, Ahsoka's gaze turned back to Wolffe, who was now in Rex's place.
Plo Koon's old clone commander turned to run back to the door. For a brief second, Ahsoka was hopeful.
But that hope didn't last long. A swarm of droids latched onto Wolffe's legs, pulling him down to the floor and dragging him backwards into the ensuing horde of machines.
Buzz saws rotated and cut through the old clone's armour, piercing skin and bone with ease.
Through the carnage, Ahsoka could hear Wolffe's agonizing screams as he was ripped to shreds by the buzz droids.
"WOLFFE! NO WOLFFE!" Rex yelled, trying to push past Ahsoka and get to his friend.
But there was nothing they could do. Ahsoka knew that, so she restrained Rex just in time. The doors to the room full of buzz droids slammed shut thanks to Gregor, who collapsed onto the floor in despair after it was done. Even Hondo looked horrified by what had just happened.
The worst thing was that thanks to her advanced hearing, courtesy of her Togrutan biology, Ahsoka could still hear Wolffe's screams through the now closed door.
They continued for a few more moments, before mercifully, they fell silent.
Sighing to herself, Ahsoka released Re, who stepped back in horror, staring aimlessly at the now closed door, before his helmet drooped down in a sign of sorrow.
Of all the ways for someone to go out, that had been the worst that Ahsoka had ever seen.
But they couldn't mourn right now. They had a mission to complete.
Walking up to Rex, Ahsoka wrapped her arms around him, comforting him on the loss of his brother.
"I know Rex, but we have to keep moving, honour his sacrifice."
Rex's helmeted head remained drooped for a few moments, before it rose up with what appeared to be determination.
Stepping back from the embrace, Rex gripped his blaster pistols tightly.
"I'm gonna kill every last imperial bastard on this station!" The clone captain snarled, before turning to lead the way down the next corridor, Gregor following beside him.
Sighing to herself, Ahsoka moved to follow, Hondo beside her, who had remained entirely silent in the aftermath of what had just happened.
As they walked, one thing came to Ahsoka's mind.
'No one else!'
Author's thoughts
So, this chapter no doubt produced some tears. Sorry about that. Please don't kill me. :(
In Memorium: CC-3636 'Wolffe'
Oh man, of all the ways to go, Wolffe got the worst.
I was adament when I started this fic that at least one of the clones dies. They are expendable after all. (not really, that's a morbid in universe joke)
Wolffe is one of my favourite clones, second only to Fives. He is grumpy. He hates pretty much everyone (not Plo Koon), and he just wants to do his job.
But he is loyal, and smart, and one of the few to clearly listen to Rex's warnings about the chip in his head, unlike many others. (cough cough Cody)
All of those make him a tragic, yet brilliant character. He is one of the few clones that stand out to me as being truly unique, and for that, he earned his place in this fic.
But I still killed him off, and I am sorry. No doubt this is the most shocking death so far. If you want to pull out of the story because of it, I won't blame you.
But before you do, let me say this one thing. In the original outline for this chapter, it was Rex that died here. I only changed it last minute.
So yeah, sorry Wolffe. You will be missed.
I hope you all liked the chapter despite the fatality. It was a tough one to write.
Next time round, the team regroups to push forward, and Ahsoka and Rex run into a familiar face.
As normal, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
willunknown: Maul and the cave on Dagobah will be the first one shot. No need to worry. :)
Mysterious Guest number one: Glad you enjoyed the fight between Kallus and the Royal Guard. I felt like Kallus needed to have a badass moment for himself in this story.
SWGoji2001: Don't worry about your absense, I understand. Still, welcome back. :)
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters, as well as the character deaths. They were fun to write, but it was even more fun to see the reaction to them.
I'm also glad I was able to keep you on your toes in regards to who would die. That ws the whole point of all the close calls.
As for your comment regarding the lack of deaths on the bridge scene, I understand. I too felt like there should have been more, but I decided against it. I want each death to be impactful, so having them go one at a time seemed like the best way to do it.
ItsJustABook: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, it was fun to write. And don't worry, I don't listen to other peoples's opinions regarding the movies. We each like different things. :)
Chiara Polairix Edelstein: Ryder, I'm sorry buddy. I felt bad for doing that to him. Please don't hate me.
But hey, at least you enjoyed Kallus scene. :)
Cranky Paws: Ryder's sudden death was supposed to be a shock with no time to mourn. I felt bad for doing it, but hey.
I'm glad you felt the tension during the bridge scene, wondering who would be the one to go. The scene clearly worked as I had intended.
Your death predicitions are interesting. I will say things are foreshadowed in certain ways in this story. Only time will tell what happens to everyone.
SLE's fave guest: Not everyone likes Ryder. I understand that. I'm glad you liked the suddeness of it though. This is a war after all. People do die.
Ezra's POV felt natural, since he recruited Ryder, thus he was the one to feel his death the most.
Ahsoka most certainly isn't going to die by monster in trash compactor. What sort of death is that for her?
Mogor: Poor Ryder indeed. At least he didn't suffer.
I think you are the first person I have ever seen that doesn't like Hondo. But hey, I get it. Everyone else seems to love cad Bane but I can't stand him!
Information/Update about the future time
Now, since we are edging ever closer to the end of this story, and the AU as a whole, I figured I should take some time to talk abotu my upcoming projects.
As I have been saying for a while now, after this story concludes I will be doing a one-shot series based in this AU universe as a whole, taking random moments and characters that I didn't include in the main stories, as well as fleshing out other characters. I will give more information about them closer to the end of this story, but right now I have something else I wish to talk about.
I mentioned in a reply to a review a few chapters back that I had a 'Top Secret Star Wars' project in the works. As it stands, this project is still very much in its infancy, and to be fair I don't know if I am going to go through with it. Thus, I have decided to ask you all what your opinion is about it, and whether or not you would want such a thing.
Without giving too much away, the project would essentially be a standalone story in a new AU, focusing on Anakin and Ahsoka, and following a scenario where they are both the same age. The story would follow the two as they go through their lives as Jedi togther. The story would essentially be a massive 'happy-go-lucky' fluffy adventure with the two of them, rather than a drama like the story I am currently writing.
The reasoning behind this sort of story is that in the AU I am currently writing I pretty much destroyed the Anakin and Ahsoka relationship that exists, and thus as compensation I feel that I should do a new story to repair it.
That all being said, I am still unsure on whether or not to write it for various reasons:
1. I don't know if you lot would want another story with Ahsoka as the main character, as opposed to someone else.
2. I'm not the biggest fan of Anakin to be fair. Far too many times have I read a story about him as Vader killing Ahsoka (just the other day I did by accident and it set my depression off again). Therefore, I don't know if I will be able to keep it up.
3. I have no real idea of what direction to take the idea, other than a few brief outlines and ideas. I don't just want to remake the prequels and contnet around that, but am unsure how well a completely new AU would be taken, ignoring the main plot of Star Wars as a whole.
So as you can see, I am in a bit fo a pickle with this project. If you guys would like the see something along these lines then let me know. If not, then tell me.
Also, if you have any ideas yourself for me, feel free to let me know. (or better yet, have a go at writing it yourself if you wish, I'd love to see what you can do)