Time seemed to slow. The room grew silent, as if it was waiting for something itself, as if the room had feelings.
Ahsoka could only watch, her breath shallow and low at the spectacle unfolding before her.
The Eighth Brother pivoted on his heel, lunging his saber towards his master's back.
And Ahsoka could only watch.
She watched as the crimson blade of the Inquisitor neared the Sith Lord's back. All the while, Sidious malicious gaze remained on her, his golden eyes glowing with menace.
Surely he had to know what was happening.
Ahsoka watched, and waited. If this went to plan, then the Emperor would be about to die. Die at the hands of his Inquisitor.
Once again, Ahsoka found herself questioning what the Terrelian was truly up to. None of his actions, none of his behaviour made sense.
The red blade neared, time still appearing slow to Ahsoka.
And then, a look of unsurprised disgust crossed Sidious face.
The Sith Master released the suspended allies of Ahsoka, dropping them to the floor, before rotating his saber behind him, deflecting the Inquisitor's attack without even looking.
"Treason then Inquisitor? So be it!" Sidious snarled, before turning to unleash a stream of lightning at the Eighth Brother, who quickly brought his saber up to absorb the attack.
Ahsoka could only watch, confused, frozen on her spot.
What exactly should she be doing in this situation?
Infighting amongst darkside users was a common occurrence, if legends were to be believed.
But Ahsoka had never been witness to such events before.
Who should she be helping?
Crimson blades danced around the room for a few moments, clashing against one another before Ahsoka regained her senses and made her own move.
The Terrelian had been right earlier it seemed. They did share a common goal.
Charging forwards with her own sabers ignited, Ahsoka delving into the force and unleashed a flurry of strikes in the form of a spin, aimed directly at Sidious.
The Sith Master noticed this, reigniting his second blade and deflecting the blows, before evading backwards out of reach of the now renegade Inquisitor.
"What's the matter Sidious? No feeling so confident now?" The Eighth Brother's voice quipped sarcastically.
In response, the Sith Master cackled aloud, crouching into a ready position.
Ahsoka watched as the Inquisitor responded in his usual acrobatic style, initiated the rotation feature on his saber, before charging at Sidious.
The whirlwind of red that followed was nothing but a blur. Sidious moved overly fast, faster than he had been when he had previously been duelling Ahsoka. It occurred to the Togruta that perhaps the Sith Lord had only been toying with her. Testing her.
Training her.
That thought caused a shiver to go down her spine.
The two darksiders traded more blows, and when it became clear that Sidious was more than a match for the Eighth Brother, Ahsoka moved to intervene, her white blades moving with the intention of supporting the Terrelian.
That was until the Inquisitor evaded back from Sidious, turning to clash with Ahsoka in the process, surprising the Togruta.
"Back off Tano! He's mine!"
Ahsoka had little choice but to trade blows with the Inquisitor, before being forced backwards, out of reach.
Through the force she could feel his anger. It was an out of control sort of rage, mixed with what seemed to be zealousness. As if he knew something they didn't. As if he had outsmarted them all.
"But, I thought…" Ahsoka commented towards the Terrelian. She had honestly thought he was going to help her, not fight both of them.
"You thought wrong Togruta. You and Sidious are one and the same! Two people who think themselves better than everyone in the galaxy. Two people who believe they have the right to dictate everything in this universe. You are as much my enemy as he is. And now, you have fallen into my trap!"
Ahsoka's eyes widened in confusion. What exactly did the Inquisitor mean?
"You seem confident Inquisitor. Please, do tell us of your so called deception." Sidious croaked from the side, moving around the room.
Ahsoka quickly analysed the situation. The three combatants stood away from one another, forming a triangle, with them acting as the points. If any moved, the others would follow, and an all-out brawl would commence.
They were stuck in a standoff position. The only question was who would move first.
"Your empire wronged me on Malachor Sidious, and you abandoned me to die on that rock Tano. From that day forward, I swore to destroy all of you through any means necessary. I knew however that alone I was no match for either of you. So I had to engineer a situation where you would destroy each other for me!"
Ahsoka listened as the Inquisitor recounted his scheme. It was deceptive to say the least and clearly well planned out.
"However, in order to achieve this goal, I needed access to imperial resources. I knew you would not let me come back to the fold out of the 'kindness of your heart', so I gifted you the holocron from Malachor as compensation, and you foolishly accepted the deal. From within, I planned and waited, biding my time until I found the perfect opportunity to get the two of you together in one room, ripe for the slaughter."
His tone was crazy, and somewhat smug, as if he was proud of his plan. But it did leave Ahsoka with questions.
"I don't understand. How is this you're doing?" Ahsoka inquired, gesturing around the room, indicating the struggle that was ongoing.
The Terrelian began to laugh aloud, his modulated laugh behind his helmet sounding demented, as if possessed by some sort of evil spirit.
"For someone who runs the rebel intelligence network, you miss the obvious Tano. How do you think your rebel friends acquired the information regarding this station, as well as the information regarding the schedule of the 'Meeting of the Moffs' huh? Pure luck?"
Ahsoka allowed the Inquisitor's statement to settle in. From what Cassian had told her, the data disc that contained the information regarding the battle station had come from a source who had been anonymous at the time.
Now however, it was all beginning to make sense.
"It was you! You gave the information to Cassian and K2. The information that allowed us the launch this attack!" Ahsoka spoke quietly, shock in her voice.
She knew the Inquisitor was manipulative, but from what he had revealed, it was as if he had been behind everything that had occurred the past few weeks.
In a way, he had been manipulating even the Emperor.
Risking a glance his way, Ahsoka saw a steady look in the Sith Lord's golden eyes. He wasn't surprised or shocked. It was as if he understood.
"If you refer to your rebel friend and his reprogrammed droid, then yes. I revealed the location of this station, as well as the weak spot you seek to exploit. And in doing so, I twisted the events of today, ensuring that both you and Sidious would meet, and that I would have the opportunity to destroy you both today."
The Inquisitor halted a moment, before turning his helmeted face towards Sidious.
"So you see, 'my master'. It was I that allowed the rebel alliance to know the location of this battle station! And it was I that orchestrated everything that has occurred today. And it is I who will destroy you both, before reshaping this empire of yours in my image. So tell me master, what have you to say? Any final words?"
Silence filled the throne room for a moment, as both Ahsoka and Sidious absorbed all the revealed information.
Anxiety began to set into Ahsoka's skin, waiting for a reply from the Emperor. She watched his face, expecting a snarl to erupt, and anger to boil out of control, before the Sith Lord would unleash a hurricane of deadly strikes upon the Terrelian.
Sidious still did not react, and more seconds passed by. The Inquisitor seemed energetic, bouncing around on the heel of his feet.
And then Sidious reacted, but not in the way Ahsoka expected.
Rather than attack, a dark smile crossed Sidious face.
And then the Sith Lord spoke.
"I knew Inquisitor."
Facing off against four Imperial Royal Guard at once was not as easy as Ezra had been expecting. Hell, they weren't even force sensitive, and thus had a major disadvantage compared to the pair of Jedi they were fighting.
But still, the Royal Guards remained steadfast, working together to fend of the Jedi. Ezra's emerald blade moved upwards, clashing with the crackling energy of one of the guard's force pikes, before being forced back by the swing of another.
Deflecting the attack from the second guard, Ezra was forced into a back pedal, his blade meeting his opponent's pikes in quick precise strikes.
The hallway they were in did not leave much room for moving around, and thus Ezra was forced to keep moving, ensuring that he was not boxed against any of the walls in such a narrow space.
Locking his blade with a pike again, Ezra glanced behind the two Royal Guard advancing on him to spot Vos, also stuck facing off against his own pair of Royal Guard.
Ezra had not known the man long, and had not really had the time to analyse his fighting style with a suicide mission and all, but from what he had glanced so far, it appeared that Vos' style was more measured than his, while at the same time having the sort of brutality behind it that one would expect from a darksider like Maul.
Vos wasn't attacking with anger or hate, that much was clear, but more of an amalgam of the two. His strikes were precise and fluent, but hard-hitting, aiming to cause his opponent to destabilise in combat.
And it was working. Vos shifted his blade down low, blocking an attempted strike from one Royal Guard, before quickly bringing it up to launch a counter offensive against the second guard. Vos' green blade smashed with tamed brutality against the Royal Guard' pike, the force of the blow sending the crimson armoured guard sprawling to the floor.
This had been the third time it had happened to the same Royal Guard, and each time he had only been saved thanks to the intervention of his friend distracting Vos with his own assault.
It was clear that Vos was toying with the guards for some reason. Hopefully he had a plan.
Ezra's momentarily distraction then proved detrimental. One of the Royal Guards attacking him closed the gap, swinging his pike towards the young Jedi, forcing him to block high with his saber. In the process, the Guard flicked out his leg, tripping Ezra over onto his back, completely at the mercy of the Royal Guard.
However, Ezra still held his lightsaber. As the Royal Guard attempted to bring his pike down into Ezra's chest cavity, the young Jedi rolled to the side, swinging his saber in a horizontal motion at the Guards legs.
The emerald blade made contact, slicing through the armour on the guards shins with ease, removing feet from leg. The Royal Guard released a pained cry as he fell forward, unable to stop himself.
As he fell, Ezra brought his saber up in a sweeping motion, slicing again with his saber, this time across the chest of the falling Royal Guard.
The blow ended his life instantly, as his crimson armoured body slumped to the metal floor with a resounding thud.
That just left Ezra with one guard, who seemed to break into a fury at his comrade's demise.
The Royal Guard seemingly went berserk, his pike beginning to swing in random vicious arcs, no control or guidance behind them.
Despite the lack of control, the blows were still dangerous, and Ezra found himself unable to launch any sort of counter-offensive. If he did, he would be caught out by this maniacal barrage of swings.
Instead, he would have to be patient and wait for an opening. Sooner or later, the guard would tire himself out.
Glancing behind the guard he was fighting, Ezra witnessed Vos knock the same guard as before down to the ground for the fourth time. In the process, he could have sworn her saw an amused smirk flash across Vos' face.
This time round however, the guard on the floor was back to his feet instantly, and charged at Vos with reckless abandon as he duelled the second guard, his back turned to the first.
Ezra nearly called out in concern for the Jedi Master, but Vos acted first, launching himself upwards and over the top of the guard that had been charging him from behind.
Due to his anger, the guard was unable to stop his charge as Vos vaulted over him, and thus continued forwards into his friend, piercing his ally through the chest with his own force pike.
As this happened, Vos darted forward, impaling the second guard from behind, ending his life in the process.
Vos had used his enemies against one another, and scored two kills for one.
That just left Ezra with his guard, who, in his berserker state, lunged his pike towards Ezra's head, hoping to impale his skull.
Ducking, Ezra managed to evade the lethal blow in time to witness the guards pike slam into the wall, wedging itself in the process, and providing Ezra with his opening.
Rising back to a standing position, Ezra swung his lightsaber across the back of the Royal Guard, killing him instantly, before extinguishing the saber and moving to join Vos.
"Good work there kid. Jarrus has taught you well." Vos spoke, enthusiasm in his voice despite the gruelling fight.
"Thanks. Not so bad yourself." Ezra replied, his trademark cheek coming through his tone, to which Vos chuckled at.
"Come on, we've got to catch up to the others. I get the feeling they are walking into a trap." Vos then spoke, before turning to follow the route that Rex and the others had gone.
Wasting no time debating how Vos had known where to go in the first place, Ezra moved to follow, hoping his friends hadn't run into any trouble themselves.
Kallus' first shot rang true, hitting one of the imperial deathtroopers square in the helmet, the blast no doubt killing the trooper instantly. Kallus was able to get off two more shots before the imperials figured out where he was and promptly returned fire on his position, forcing him back behind his crate.
Then, Zeb chose to make his appearance known, spinning round the corner of his crate and beginning his cannon fire. Blaster shots rained down upon the imperial troopers, cutting several in half from the shear velocity of the firepower, and forcing others to dart for cover.
As they did so, Kallus rounded the corner of his crate again, laying down suppressive fire upon the troopers searching for cover, and eliminating two more in the process.
In the space of a few seconds, half the squad of imperial deathtroopers had been eliminated, and the rest seemed to be in a state of panic.
Then the reinforcements arrived. A second squad of deathtroopers flooded the room through the same doorway, firing upon both Kallus and Zeb as they entered, forcing the duo to retreat.
"Karabast! Kallus, drop the catwalk!" Zeb yelled out over the sounds of combat. Roars emerged from all directions as Custos and her pack joined in the fray, firing their blasters at the approaching imperial threat.
"Cover your ears then!" Kallus called back, before fingering the key for the detonator he possesses.
The catwalk erupted with a bright flash, before it, and several beams of metal from the roof came crashing down upon the deathtroopers, crushing the majority of the reinforcements. Out of the group that had just arrived, only three remained, now also searching for cover.
But there was none. In the time it had taken the rebels to prepare their own defences, they had also ensured that any imperial forces would not have anywhere to take cover for themselves, forcing them to fight in the open.
The lack of cover proved detrimental, as Zeb and Kallus, backed up by Custos and her pack picked off the remaining troopers one by one.
As their numbers dwindled, one deathtrooper attempted a bold, yet foolish strategy.
He charged directly at Custos, a large blade in his hand.
Kallus knew that engaging a Wookiee in hand to hand was one of the stupidest things you could do, and he had to admit that he cringed at what occurred.
When the deathtrooper was within striking distance, he lunged with the blade, hoping to gut Custos. But the large Wookiee warrior merely batted aside the knife, before discarding her blaster and bringing her large fists down upon the troopers head, knocking him to the floor.
The trooper tried to crawl away, only to be picked up by Custos. The Wookiee held both arms of the deathtrooper, roared, and pulled.
The resulting crack of bones as the trooper's arms were pulled out of their sockets echoed across the hanger bay, supplemented by the screams of agony from the trooper himself, before he mercifully fell silent and was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.
Regaining her full height, Custos roared in success, before her pack joined her.
And then more blaster fire erupted into the room, this time from the level above them.
Darting for cover, Kallus found himself side by side with a Wookiee, who growled under his breath before opening fire.
Kallus, not having time to respond, copied, trying to take out the imperial forces that had flanked them.
He made out the armour of the troopers. Yet more of the special black clad elite of the empire.
However, this time around they possessed the high ground advantage, and neither Kallus nor Zeb could easily take them out.
"We might be in trouble here mate!" Zeb called out under the crossfire, his cannon still blaring as he scored a lucky kill on a trooper who had left himself too exposed.
"We can do this Garazeb!" Kallus called back, more to comfort himself than Zeb. If this kept up they would be destroyed, and the Ghost would have nowhere to land.
But they possessed no way of eliminating their high ground attackers.
The situation became grimmer and grimmer by the moment. A pair of Wookiees took blaster bolts to the chests, knocking them down and out, and no one had time to check if they had survived.
And try as they may, he rebels could not score any more hits themselves. The Deathtroopers had too many advantages.
"Well Kallus, if there is anyone I'd rather go out alongside, it's you." Zeb called out morbidly. Kallus found he agreed. They may not have started out as friends, but in time they had found common ground, and a mutual friendship.
Bracing himself, Kallus span the corner of his crate and opened fire again.
And then a new sound reverberated around the hanger bay, one that Kallus couldn't have been more grateful for in his life.
From behind the team of rebels, the Ghost appeared, flying through the shield door of the hanger bay majestically. The cannons on the front of the freighter opened fired, the blasts striking the squad of troopers that had the high ground, ripping them apart with quick succession, and securing the hanger bay for the rebels.
Moments later, the deathtroopers had been eliminated, and the Ghost hovered around the hanger bay, before settling down not far from Kallus and Zeb, who took off in a sprint towards their ship.
As they reached the back ramp it lowered, and Hera was the first to greet them, surprising Kallus. He'd guess that meant that Chopper was piloting instead.
"Sorry we're late. Had to take a bit of a detour to avoid any imperial fighter patrols. You two look like you had fun without us though." Hera spoke, joy and humour in her voice. However Kallus could also sense it was laced with an undertone of worry, as well as relief at seeing them alive.
"Oh yeah Hera, great fun being shot at by the imperial elite! Ghost all repaired?" Zeb replied, moving over to clasp the Twi-lek on the shoulder in a sign of respect.
"She's good to go. We just have to wait for the others now." Hera replied.
Off to the side, Custos and her pack began to approach, clearly ready to escape the station.
Kallus then asked a question that he knew was taboo.
"How long can we wait for the others?"
He didn't want to leave them behind. But their goal was to destroy the station, no matter the cost. If that meant leaving some behind so the others could live, Kallus would accept that. He was no stranger to loss after all.
Hera's reply was instantaneous.
"Indefinitely. No one gets left behind."
Kallus found himself nodding and smiling in agreement.
The number of imperial Stormtroopers was increasing as they proceeded further down the long winding hallway.
Rex could only assume that meant they were getting closer to their target.
He'd say they were fighting with renewed zeal to protect their station, but from experience, there was no such thing as zeal in the imperial infantry.
After all, they weren't clones.
Angling around the corner they had come to, Rex fired his twin blaster pistols, taking down a pair of troopers in their way. Without the added support of the Jedi and Maul, his team had been forced to rely on more traditional methods of combat. Shifting between cover, firing shots when there was a break in enemy fire, only to return to cover when the enemy fired back.
It was different with a Jedi around. Most of the fire was directed their way, and subsequently deflected back. This left a large opening for those without lightsabers to fire at the imperials.
Still, Rex had been doing this a long time. He didn't need a Jedi to help him win. He just would have preferred one by his side.
"Ha ha, look at them run! Cowards!" Cham Syndulla's voice boomed out as the remaining imperial troopers began to back off, rounding another corner and out of site.
"It's not over yet General Syndulla. Push forward!" Rex replied, taking the lead, Gregor by his side.
Speeding round the corner, Rex managed to get another shot off on a retreating trooper, scoring a hit in his back and downing him.
The other troopers then began to fire back, taking position behind makeshift cover they had set up.
"Gotta give them credit, wouldn't have expected bucketheads to set up cover for themselves." Sabine yelled aloud as Rex dove back around the corner he had just rounded, firing a few shots back to cover his retreat.
"We've got to be close now. No other area of the station has been so heavily defended." Tristan added, poking his head round the corner to analyse the situation, before evading a volley of blaster fire.
Rex had to agree. If his assumption was right, the door currently being guarded by the troopers would be the route they needed, hence the unexpected defences.
"Sabine, thermal detonator if you would." Rex ordered, gesturing round the corner.
Beneath her helmet, Sabine began to smile wildly.
"Thought you'd never ask Captain."
With that, Sabine primed an explosive device, and threw down towards the troopers.
Rex heard the panicked yells from the troopers, as well as the calls of "EXPLOSIVE!" before the bomb detonated, shaking the hallway they were in.
Turning back round the corner, Rex saw that two pieces of cover had been obliterated, as well as the troopers behind them. Only one piece remained, as did two troopers.
"Nice work Sabine. You go another?"
Sabine shook her head this time. "Afraid not Rex. Need the others for the kyber crystal!"
"Kriff." Muttered Rex as he darted back to avoid hostile fire. The troopers were entrenched well. It would take a while, and some well-placed shots to break through.
"Hey, did you miss us?"
Rex had to smile as the voice of Ezra Bridger came to his senses, the young Jedi running up to Sabine's side.
Behind the boy, Vos glanced at Rex, seemingly understanding the situation, before beginning to raise is hands.
"I've got the cover captain. You take them out."
Rex nodded in understanding.
"Copy that General."
Vos flinched briefly at the honorific, still clearly uncomfortable with the idea of working with clone troopers.
Nevertheless, he shook the discomfort off quickly and closed his eyes, delving deep into the force.
For a few precious seconds, nothing seemed to happen.
Then, the blaster fire stopped, and the confused voices of the imperial Stormtroopers flooded round the corner.
"Why did you knock the cover over? We're exposed now!"
"It wasn't me! You must have done it!"
"How could it have been me, I was busy shooting at the rebel scum!"
A small smirk was present on Vos' face, a clear sign for Rex to proceed. Stepping round the corner, Rex fired his twin pistols once each, blaster bolts landing on their mark, downing the pair of troopers who had previously been behind cover, cover that was now laying on the floor thanks to Vos.
"Nice work Captain. Now let's proceed onwards. Our goal is just ahead." Vos spoke with enthusiasm, slapping the clone captain's shoulder as he passed by, heading down the corridor that had been previously guarded.
Rex nodded, a smile coming to his face beneath the helmet. He was glad that Vos was finally warming up to him, despite the history between clone and Jedi. Rex couldn't fault him for it. Once upon a time Kanan had been similar, and years before that, even Ahsoka had reacted with anger at Order 66.
Rex had seen first-hand that day the extent of Ahsoka's anger, and what it could do. That was why he was so concerned about her going to face Sidious.
But, as always, he trusted her. She knew her limits. If anyone stood a chance, it was his commander.
"Wait, I sense something. Something dark!" Ezra suddenly froze on the spot as he joined Vos, his head turning to the Jedi Master as he spoke.
"I do too Padawan. I've been following it, and have a bad feeling about this." Vos replied, his tone worried.
"It reminds me of Malachor. I don't know why though." Ezra replied, shrinking in on himself as if in pain.
Vos didn't reply, instead, he continued onwards, approaching the door that had been guarded.
If something was eating away at the Jedi, Rex knew he had to be concerned.
From the report he had received, it would only be a matter of minutes until the Chimaera's engines and hyperdrive were back up to operational standards.
That meant that they could flee. Thrawn could take his ship and run, escape. He could seek help for Pryce, who was stable, but still in a coma.
He could begin his campaign against Operation Cinder, with the help of Yularen, and work towards safeguarding the people of the galaxy from malignant threats, just as he sought to do for his own people.
But even if he did, there was no guarantee that the rebels would be victorious in their campaign. It could all fall apart at the last minute.
So for now, he and the Chimaera had to stay, until the last possible minute at least. Only then, when he was certain of the rebel victory, would he flee.
Besides, he had another reason for remaining. Sure, he could head off to stop Rax and Versio, but he was just one man with one ship. He needed allies, people who thought like he did.
And he also had to ensure that Rax and Versio did not receive any additional support. And as of this moment, there was one person who he knew could absolutely not be allowed the team up with Rax and Versio. If they did, then stopping Operation Cinder would become next to impossible.
The door to Thrawn's office then opened, and Yularen strode in, datapad in hand. He moved over to Thrawn's desk, taking a seat opposite the Chiss, and setting the datapad down in front of Thrawn, who reached across to read over it.
"I believe I have found some possible candidates for our plan Grand Admiral. Their dossiers are on that datapad." Yularen spoke clearly, his tone assured.
Thrawn nodded before focusing his eyes on the datapad. The screen showed a series of folders, each marked with a name of an imperial officer. Contained within each folder was a dossier on the individual, highlighting everything from their successes to their failures, as well as descriptions of personality and psyche.
Thrawn had asked Yularen to assemble him a list of individuals who he believed might support them. Being in command of the ISB had its benefits. Yularen knew practically everything about everyone, and thus Thrawn trusted him to pick out possible allies for them.
"Excellent Colonel Yularen, these will be most helpful for us. Is there anyone on here I should pay special attention too?" Thrawn spoke, his tone respectful, despite the treason they were planning.
Yularen nodded before speaking. "If I may make one recommendation Grand Admiral. Many of the individuals on that datapad are ambitious, but lack the intuition of people such as yourself. They would get the job done, but they would lose much in the process. What you need is someone who can defy expectations. Someone who will bend the rules a little."
Thrawn looked down at the datapad again, reading off the names in his head.
'Firmus Piett. Kendal Ozzel. Lorth Needa.'
There were many names, but it appeared that Yularen had an opinion.
"I assume the person you speak off is on this list?" Thrawn inquired, putting the pad down for a second to meet the eyes of Yularen.
"She is Grand Admiral. I'd strongly suggest you look at Rae Sloane's file. She has had past dealings with the Jedi Kanan Jarrus, but she is adaptable and willing to do the right thing. I think she will support us in this."
"I will look at her file first then Colonel, but now there is something else I need to talk to you about, and what I am about to say must never be repeated to anyone. It is a secret we must take to our graves." Thrawn shifted the discussion, his tone serious and grim.
From Yularen's reaction, he was shocked, but understood. Instead of replying, Yularen made a gesture of acknowledgement with his hands, signalling Thrawn to continue.
"Regardless of whether or not we can muster forces loyal to us to destroy Operation Cinder, we must also insure that any high ranking imperial leaders who would support Rax and Versio not be given the opportunity to do so. As it stands, we are in a position to ensure one such individual does not survive this day to assist them."
Yularen took on a sceptical look, not that that was a surprise to Thrawn. What he was about to suggest was beyond treason.
"Therefore, we must stop them from leaving this battle station alive." Thrawn continued, his expression grim yet determined, with a dark edge on it.
Yularen seemed unsure before replying. "Who are you on about Grand Admiral?"
Thrawn rose from his chair, turning his back on Yularen to admire the sculpture he had behind him. The Chiss waited a few moments, collecting his thoughts and forming what he wanted to say in his mind.
Then, he spoke.
"If this individual is allowed to escape with their lives, they will no doubt assist Rax and Versio, and in doing so rally more support for their cause, rendering anything we can do to stop Operation Cinder futile. Therefore, we must stop them no, before they get the chance."
Yularen chose to interrupt to inquire again.
"Grand Admiral, who are you talking about?"
Thrawn turned back round, his glowing red eyes locking onto Yularen's.
"We must insure that Grand Moff Tarkin does not leave the Death Star alive."
Author's thoughts
Look's like Thrawn is up to something. Whatever could it be? :)
And Eighth Bro, really buddy. Of course Sidious knew what you were up to, you moron!
I hope you all enjoyed this long chapter. As expected the next few ones are quite long. In fact all the remaining chapters are probably going to be quite long. Makes sense really.
Now, whilst I don't really have much to say regarding this chapter, there is something I want to address.
In a review on the last chapter one person pointed out that I may have made Ahsoka slightly too overpowered when it comes to fighting Sidious, and that she should not be able to stand up against him for long. And I agree.
It was one of my biggest concerns when writing this confrontation. There is absolutely no way in hell that Ahsoka can beat Sidious conventionly. As it stands, the only real person who could is Mace Windu, and he is long dead.
That being said, I do need Ahsoka to fight Sidious toe to toe, so I can't have him be too OP, even though he is. Ultimately however, my reasoning for why she is faring ok against Sidious at the moment boils down to the fact that he wants her as his apprentice, and thus is going easy on her. He isn't even trying and he is still kicking her butt.
In comparison, when he is fighting against the others, he is going for the kill. But against Ahsoka, he is withstraining himself... for now!
Furthermore, whilst I haven't really visited it yet, (I will in a one-shot), Ahsoka was in possession of the Sith holocron for a while, and has no doubt learnt some tricks from it.
So yes, I am fully aware that Ahsoka may seem somewhat OP in this, but that is not my intention whatsoever. The only feasible way she could defeat Sidious is with some sort of divine intervention of the force, something that is out of her control. Essentially, she needs all the coins to fall in her favour, and right now Sidious is in complete control. The last thing I want to do is make Ahsoka stronger that Sidious, or even on par with him.
That being said, please let me know if you think I have made her too OP yourselves. I am open to criticism, and would in fact appreciate it.
And thank you to the reviewer who pointed out the issue. I am glad you did. :)
And now, back to the rest of this section.
Next time around, Sidious deals with a traitor, and the second team find their target.
As normal, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Maliwan: Looks like the Eighth Bro might be in a bit of trouble doesn't it. Glad you liked Sidious besting everyone.
Mysterious guest number one: You will have to wait and see if the Eighth Bro survives. But fall for Ahsoka... I'm afraid not. In this AU, he deplores her.
Mysterious guest number two: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was a tricky one to write for many reasons. And I couldn't not have Obi-Wan say that famous line. :)
TerminatorJedi1995: Glad you enjoyed the duels. Palpy is far too strong for anyone to handle alone. Even as a team they don't even make a dent in him. I'm glad you like my Sidious. He's ridiculously hard to write, as he needs to be OP as hell.
Kanan did indeed get his badass moment in the previous chapter. Shame Sidious had to ruin it!
Eighth Bro has made his choice. Only time will tell what becomes of him. I really did want to include 'Its Treason Then' in the dialogue, but I altered it slightly so it was somewhat different, but recognizable.
Also, to clarify, incase I didn't make it clear, Sidious retrieved the kyber crystal of Vader's saber from Malachor, not the saber itself. The saber was destroyed by Ahsoka back in the first story. Sidious merely took the crystal and intergrated it with a saber hilt for himself to use.
Mogor: Oh Palpatine is fully aware of the Eighth Brother's deception. Poor Terrelian doesn't know what he's in for. :)
Travis Middleton: I'm really glad you enjoyed the duel. It is hard to write Sidious in any form of duel, as he needs to be overpowering, but I can't have him murder everyone instantly, otherwise there is no tension.
The chapter was inspired by the throne room scene in ROTJ. One of my favourite scenes in all of Star Wars.
Hope you like the next few chapters. The fight had only just begun.
jamese765: Cliffhangers are good for you! They keep you invested. :)
SLE's fave guest: Honestly it was complete coincidance that Palpy showed up in the chapter when he did in the trailer. I did not plan for that whatsoever.
Glad you liked my Palpatine charactisation. I was trying to combine both era variations of him.
And cookies, whilst good, are overrated. Shortbread is where it's at. :)
Poor Eighth Bro... he's just trying to get revenge. :(
Chiara Polairix Edelstein: Glad you enjoyed the chapter, as well as the fights that went on.
Hey, if your listening to music whilst reading this, then you go for it. When writing for Thrawn, I frequently listen to his theme from rebels on repeat.
GarynFett: As I have said above, I really appreciate your review on last chapter, and the issues your raised. I was expecting someone to, and was glad you did, as it gave me the opportunity to address them. It was never my intention to make Ahsoka seem overpowered, especially in comparison to Sidious. No way in hell could she stand up against him going full on. Hopefully my explanation above helps to bring across the type of situation I had invisioned with this confrontation. I understand that not everyone is going to like or agree with how I tell this story, and I expect some criticism. In fact I welcome it. It helps me become a better writer. So thank you again, and I fully understand if you decide to no longer read this story. It's not for everyone. :)
LukeDude: I'm glad you enjoyed the first part of the confrontation. It was a long time coming, and hopefully I can deliver.
Eighth Bro finally went fully 'Starscream'. You can guess what is coming next from Megatron... I mean Sidious. ;)
I chose not to focus on Maul and Obi-Wan fighting the guards because that wasn't the focal point of this chapter. Ahsoka vs. Sidious was, as well as the Eighth Bro being owned by Kanan on the side.
Now, for your questions:
1. Vos and Ezra are a bit preoccupied right now, and they are nearing the synthetic crystal, which is probably distrupting their senses ever further. Moreoever, Kanan likely blocked out his bond with Ezra to spare him any darkside emotions that might radiate off of Sidious and through the bond.
2. You will have to wait and see what happens in regards to Vader's kyber crystal being involved. :)
3. Obi-Wan does possess both Anakin and Qui-Gon's lightsaber, but they are back on Tatooine at his home.
4. Suffice to say, there is political strife going on at Yavin Four. It will be visited in a one shot. :)
5. I have seen the season four mid-season trailer. Looking good in my eyes. Nice to see Ian McDiarmid back as Sidious, even though he will only appear in a vision of some kind. (Calling it now. No way he will show up in the flesh)
6. Still not seen 'The Last Jedi'. Been busy and no one will go with me. I'll get round to it eventually. :)
FossilQueen1984: No I am not kidding around. Things are so super serious from this point on. Brace yourself.
And yeah, the Eighth Bro may have just inadvertently saved the Jedi. Oh well. :)
Cranky Paws: Sorry for scaring you, but it was Sidious' fault. He wanted to do it. I can't say no to him. He'll kill me!
ccommando173: Let's hope that Ahsoka can resist the darkside long enough.