Chapter 7

THE BATTLE OF CORUSCANT, PART I

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda landed the shuttle in the Jedi Temple hangar. Not one Jedi in the Temple had any idea where they had went, and why. Yoda hobbled out, supported by his gimer stick, with Obi-Wan behind him. Nobody was there waiting for them, as they both walked back to the Council chambers. Both took their respective seats, and Yoda sighed.

"What is it, Master Yoda?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Awaiting us, a new home is." Yoda responded cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Stass Allie questioned.

"Found the ancient Jedi homeworld of Tython, I have." Yoda responded. Eerie silence broke the room.

"Tython was thought to be only a legend." Mace Windu stated calmly. Yoda nodded.

"Real, the planet is. Strong with the Force, it is." Yoda paused. "A vision dealing with this, I had. Go to Tython, the Jedi Order must." Windu shuffled in his seat, and several other Masters began to ponder this.

"But not now." Obi-Wan stated. "First, we must deal with the war." The Masters nodded in agreement. "But there is another matter that has been causing problems for myself." Windu looked suspiciously at Obi-Wan. He sighed.

"It concerns Dooku's assassin." Obi-Wan stated, looking at Master Yoda. Yoda did not say anything, or move. "And her identity."

The man crumpled to the floor, as a woman rushed over to his side. He murmured his last dying breaths. "Take care of our child..." The woman looked at the imposing figure standing, dealing with a man a few years older than the woman. The man smiled, and the woman looked determined to kill him. Before she could do anything, her and the older man were blown away, along with the body. She picked up the body, and rushed away.

The imposing figure smiled at this vision of the future. He would rule the galaxy. Nothing could stop him from doing this.

"What do you mean?" Windu questioned. Yoda let out a loud sigh.

"Reach the ears of young Skywalker, this must not." Yoda stated. Several other Masters begin to wonder what this was about.

"I know who she really is. She is Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's former padawan." Obi-Wan stated very monotone, hiding the fact that he was deeply worried about Anakin, if he found out. Plo Koon, in holographic form, begin to move uncomfortably. Shaak Ti took a deep breath. Obi-Wan knew that those two Masters had also cared about Ahsoka, Plo being the one who found her, and Shaak being another member of their species, which was rare with Force sensitivity. Mace Windu just sat in silence.

"Then it is better if Skywalker doesn't learn of this. It could only cause him to turn as well. We need to find her, before she causes any more problems." Windu stated matter-of-factly. Obi-Wan was surprised at his statement. But he knew what Windu meant by find her. He meant kill her. And Obi-Wan couldn't bear for him, nor anyone to do that. Plo and Shaak must have noticed that too, as Plo's hologram flickered off, and Shaak didn't move.

This is not going to end well. Obi-Wan thought.

Vagorum looked through the small window in her quarters, off to the vastness of space. Aboard the Invisible Hand, she wondered about the Jedi. They betrayed her, but somewhere inside of her, she wondered if this was right. Should she stay with Dooku? Had she made the right decision? Vagorum shook these thoughts out of her head, and left the room. General Grievous was at the bridge.

"We are leaving for Coruscant soon, my lord." Grievous stated to Dooku, standing next to him. Vagorum moved to her position to the right of Dooku. None of them said anything, as the stars around the Invisible Hand left the viewscreen, and in came the blue tube of hyperspace.

After many minutes of silence in the Jedi Council, Mace Windu decided to speak up.

"I am sorry I did not inform you earlier, but General Grievous has escaped from prison." Windu stated. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. Not again, he thought. "After receiving your information about what happened to Former Padawan Tano,"Windu emphazised that statement. "I believe she is behind his escape."

"Anyway, this Council meeting is adjourned." Windu stated, before moving up and leaving the room. After many of the Masters filed out, it was only Shaak Ti and Obi-Wan left. Shaak couldn't stand it anymore. After seeing Ahsoka falsely accused, then being turned to the Dark Side, she began to cry. Obi-Wan moved over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be fine." Obi-Wan stated. Shaak shook her head.

"No, it's not. This is our fault." she stated, stopping her tears. "We made the wrong decision. The Council abandoned her. And the Sith took advantage of her broken self." Obi-Wan sighed. He slowly nodded, admitting that this was why.

"I am going to find her." Shaak stated. "And turn her back." Before she could stand up, Obi-Wan pushed her back down.

"As much as I want to bring her back, that's not a smart idea, Master Ti." Obi-Wan gulped. "How do you think she'll react? After, I admit, we abandoned her, why do you think she will choose to return?"

"Because I know she will, Obi-Wan." Shaak said, ignoring the formalities. "I know Ahsoka is still in there, and I'm not letting my ni-" Shaak stopped abruptly, and Obi-Wan realized what she was about to say.

"My niece." Shaak stated, before she hung her head in shame. Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around her. "She... she's my niece."

Yoda was not completely out of the room, and overheard the entire conversation. He heard sobbing, and returned, but did not enter. Yoda knew that that would only cause things to get worse. Ahsoka and Shaak were related, and Yoda was not surprised to hear this. He sighed, before slowly making his way to the meditation quarters. This was a lot to think about, and this was only going to get worse from here.

There Yoda saw it. A simple stone temple in the forest. It seemed familiar, but Yoda could not seem to understand its purpose. And then Satele once again appeared before him.

"My friend Yoda, this is where the Empire will fall." Satele stated.

"Empire?" Yoda questioned.

"The Empire is what will bring you to Tython. This temple must be kept safe." Satele replied. "One Jedi will discover it, and they will unleash someone powerful enough to defeat the Emperor."

"Who?" Yoda asked.

"I am afraid that is for you to find out." Satele responded, before the vision faded away. Yoda sat in silence, and knew that Satele was the one who would guide him. Grand Master Yoda is going to save the Jedi Order.

As if out of nowhere, dozens of Separatist ships appeared out of hyperspace. Almost immediately after, many Jedi who had just completed a mission were called back to defend the capital of the Republic. Then, a magnificent space battle ensued. Ships falling, new ships appearing. There, it was led by Grievous, Dooku and Vagorum. The Jedi Council ordered Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to defend the planet. Obi-Wan, after hearing Vagorum was there, reluctantly agreed. He knew that this was going to be a bad experience for Anakin if he found out.

Their two ships twisted and turned through the battle, until unexpected buzz droids began to attack Obi-Wan's ship.

"Get out of here, there's nothing more you can do!" Obi-Wan ordered.

"I'm not leaving without you, Master." Anakin replied. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Anakin began to hit his ship against Obi-Wan's, destroying many buzz droids in the process. Artoo began to zap them off, until there was none left.

"Grievous' flagship, dead ahead." Anakin said, as the Invisible Hand came into view. "The one crawling with Vulture droids." Obi-Wan and Anakin managed to slide into the main hangar, and jumped out of their ships. Several droids were there, and they did nothing to stop two blue lightsabers from reducing them back to scrap.

"I sense Count Dooku." Anakin stated. Obi-Wan smiled.

"I sense a trap. Which means-" Obi-Wan stopped.

"Spring the trap." Anakin completed.

Vagorum had sensed both Jedi entering the Invisible Hand, and awaited their arrival. Dooku had ordered her to stay unless things went wrong. When Anakin and Obi-Wan both had appeared, helping the Chancellor, Dooku came out.

"Ah, my friends. Your swords please, we don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor now, do we?" Dooku stated sarcastically. Obi-Wan and Anakin both ignited their sabers.

"We take him together." Obi-Wan whispered.

"I was just about to say that." Anakin responded, before Dooku leaped down from the balcony.

"Get help, you're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord." the Chancellor suggested.

"Sith Lords are our specialty." Obi-Wan reassured.

"I've been looking forward to this." Dooku stated, before they clashed their blades.

"My powers have doubled since the last time we met." Anakin responded.

"Good. Twice the pride, double the fall." Dooku said, before lunging at the two of them. Obi-Wan quickly tires after being forced around the room madly. Dooku kicks him back towards a balcony. Obi-Wan stands up, and jumps back to where Dooku and Anakin are fighting. Anakin turns back for only a second, and sees a second figure at the entrance. Obi-Wan notices it too, and Dooku smiles.

"Welcome to our party, Vagorum." Dooku states, before Vagorum pounces down on Obi-Wan who prevents her lightsaber from impaling him by mere inches. She ignites her second blade, and Obi-Wan kicks her upwards. Anakin looks at this, before returning to Dooku. The Chancellor is watching all of this unfold, and knows that eventually, Anakin will be forced to kill both Dooku and Vagorum. And that will seal his fate.

Vagorum is sent flying back to the balcony, and the combatants switch. Obi-Wan begins to deal with Dooku, but Dooku overpowers him and sends him tumbling backwards, and then follows. Anakin clashes with Vagorum, and senses something familiar about her. She has a mask, so Anakin cannot see her face.

"You can't possibly expect to defeat me, Skywalker." Vagorum taunted, causing Anakin to get even angrier. He angrily swings at her face, but she easily blocks it. Vagorum flips over him, and he turns around and hits her mask. His eyes go wide when the mask falls off of her face.

Dooku and Obi-Wan stop their fighting to look over at Anakin and Vagorum. Dooku smiles.

"You see, now Skywalker isn't going to fight. He is going to die." Dooku announced to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan winces.

"This is only going to get worse for you, my friend." Dooku said. Obi-Wan flips over the railing on the balcony to be standing right next to Anakin.

"Wh-Why..." Anakin chokes out. Vagorum only smiles. "Ah-Ahsoka... why..."

"That name means nothing to me." Vagorum replies, pointing a red blade at Anakin's face. Dooku watches from down below, smiling at what is happening. Palpatine is trying to stay hidden, but can't hold that this is a perfect moment.

"You and the Jedi betrayed me." Vagorum says, not even a hint that Ahsoka is still in there. "And you are going to pay for that." She slashes at Anakin, who blocks it, trying to regain himself. Dooku flips onto the balcony, and puts a hand on Vagorum's shoulder.

"THIS IS YOU!" Anakin screams, before wildly swinging at Dooku. Vagorum begins to attack Obi-Wan.

"You never did anything, Kenobi. You let the Council get rid of me. And you are going to pay as well!" Vagorum exclaims, before Obi-Wan blocks her blades.

"Ahsoka, you were so promising as a Jedi. You were going to be so strong in the future. The Council made the wrong decision, I admit. But that doesn't mean you should attack them." Obi-Wan calmly responds, raising Vagorum's temper. She does anything to kill Obi-Wan, but fails. Obi-Wan sighs.

In THE BATTLE OF CORUSCANT, PART II, some more things happen. The conclusion of Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Dooku and Vagorum. Anakin has some questions for Obi-Wan and Sidious schemes.

Also, the person in the stone temple gets some more clues to their identity, and clues for the mystery person who has the vision.