1 month = 55000K on a bunny that ate my brain...
It's good to be done!
I should call this chapter: "How many people can I kill off at once" *makes a face* it's another massive chapter - enjoy!
Three Days Later
"Everything's still quiet, General Skywalker," Fives reported with Cody, the two of them snapping to attention.
Like Rex, they'd discarded their armor at the Jedi's suggestion for more civilian clothing, but still wore their favored weapons strapped to their hips. Lux, having noted this, had made a point of spending as little time as possible in the line of sight of the clones. Ahsoka had, after the night at the fire, spent more time with the clones, making it difficult, if impossible for the junior Senator to have a moment alone with her.
Rex had reported this to Anakin with an amused and smug expression; the Commander had made her allegiances clear.
Anakin grinned and waved one hand at the report and turned towards the edge of the patio. Padmé had the twins outside today and the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky; another perfect day at Varykino.
"At ease; there's no need for being so formal, Fives. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and I don't mind an informal report."
"In fact we prefer it," piped up the young woman with a grin. "It makes me feel guilty I'm enjoying myself when you boys are still thinking like you're on duty."
"Snips."
She grinned and rolled back to her stomach, lounging on the sand in the sun next to Padmé and the ever present Moté. Luke and Leia lay on a perfectly shaded towel nearby, the handmaiden reaching over when Leia would have rolled off it to ensure she didn't get dirty. The tree that cast the shadows lent some coolness to the scene, the water of the lake lapping the shore nearby.
Obi-Wan had taken pity on Lux and was showing the teenager how to swim around the bend; far enough away that Ahsoka couldn't see to tease him.
Anakin turned back to the troopers; Padmé had mentioned swimming today and so they were all dressed down appropriately with their lightsabers nearby in case of Emergency. "We weren't expecting trouble right away, but it's been over a week since people knew where we were going initially. I expect if anything's going to happen it should be sometime in the coming couple of weeks."
"As we were thinking, sir," Cody assured him, his gaze straying to the beach, lingering for a moment and then snapping back to Anakin. "Perhaps we should increase our rotations and… and… uh," he blinked, as if trying to focus and collect his train of thought.
Anakin arched his eyebrows and turned to see what had derailed the normally unflappable Commander's train of thought.
Padmé had decided to forego a bathing suit, still feeling somewhat self conscious after being so soon out of the maternity ward, but Ahsoka and Moté hadn't had any kind of reluctance in donning traditional swimwear. Very brief, very revealing swimwear.
Mostly naked women, however, were not on the clone trooper's regular diet of visuals.
Anakin managed not to laugh and instead stepped into the Commander's line of sight. Both Fives and Cody seemed to snap back to themselves, the latter's cheekbones blooming with embarrassment. Anakin, wisely, chose not to mention it. "I think we're fine for today Commander. Why don't you and Fives join us? Rex is in the command center; he'll let us know if there are any incoming ships."
Fives and Cody exchanged looks.
"With all due respect sir," Cody informed him stiffly, looking deliberately away from the beach area despite Anakin being in the way. "I think I'll relieve Rex in the command center."
"You sure? The water's warm today; not something to be missed."
"The Bonteri boy's not too fond of us, General," Fives admitted reluctantly. "I don't think he'd appreciate our presence."
"Then he can go monitor incoming traffic," Anakin shot back with a sigh. "If you don't want to, we understand, but duty isn't all you're here for. You're supposed to be getting some down time too."
"Respectfully, General," Cody admitted, "we're a little uneasy without something to do."
"He means getting shot at." Fives interjected dryly.
"Or expecting to?"
"Yes sir."
"Ah. Well, if you'd like, I can have Mister Bonteri take pot shots at you after lunch."
Fives laughed and even Cody smiled. "That won't be necessary, sir. We prefer a target we can shoot back at – and one that won't get us court-martialed if we hit."
"Not even if you'd be doing Ahsoka a favor?"
Both men looked back towards the beach and this time Fives' cheeks went red and he hurriedly dropped his gaze. Anakin didn't need to turn to know both women were on their feet and headed towards the water. He could hear their voices moving away even as Padmé raised hers, assuring them they could have fun since she needed the practice with the twins.
"Never mind. If you don't want to join us, it's fine. Consider this the last order I'm going to give until we have proof of an impending attack: relax and enjoy yourselves!"
"Yes, sir!"
Fives and Cody, knowing they were dismissed, turned to head away as Anakin turned back to his wife and children just as Moté and Ahsoka dove into the water. Taking the few strides down the steps to the sandy beach, he settled next to Padmé on the blanket he'd earlier spread for her. He caught her hand, squeezing her fingers, as he sat beside her.
"You should try the water," he admonished gently. "The water is great."
"We've been over this, Ani; I'm don't-"
"No one cares you're carrying a few extra pounds," he cut her off with a half smile, lifting her hand to his lips to brush his fingers across her fingers. "I certainly don't. You look beautiful. Radiant even."
"You're also prejudice," she admonished teasingly.
"Me?" he feigned innocence and made her laugh. "A Jedi? Prejudiced? I would never-"
"Sir."
Glancing up with a frown, Anakin shaded his face to see the clone standing partially down the steps. "What is it Rex?"
"Communications, sir; they've been jammed."
"Jammed?" Anakin arched his eyebrows. "I wasn't aware we had any communications to send."
"It's standard procedure to check our signal strength regularly, sir," Rex assured him. "I recommend we get everyone inside; we haven't had any contacts yet, but that could change real qui-"
"Ambush!"
Anakin was on his feet, lightsaber in hand before Ahsoka's cry had finished, a bolt from one of Rex's blaster's sliding past his head to slam into an aquatic droid that had appeared from beneath the tranquil surface of the lake. Moté, propelled by Ahsoka's Force push, landed on the beach and rolled, sprinting towards her mistress.
"Get inside," Anakin snapped to Padmé, stepping down to block her with his body as his lightsaber snapped left and then right, deflecting blaster bolts away from his family. "Snips!"
"I know, I know!" she turned in the water, kicking out. "Blasted tinnies are coming up from be- urk!"
She disappeared under the surface which was suddenly roiling with activity.
"Ahsoka!"
"Ahsoka!"
Anakin's cry was echoed by two others as droids began to march in rank and file onto the beach. Fully on the defensive with Rex blasting the bots from over his shoulder, Anakin 's lightsaber blazed a blue line of determination before the clone as Moté and Padmé collected the twins and went running for the villa. Fives and Cody appeared, flanking the women and covering their retreat.
A silver cylinder suddenly went spinning over Anakin's shoulder to land almost exactly where Ahsoka had disappeared beneath the surface moments before. He spared a glance at Rex, who nodded grimly, both blasters once again in hand as droid after droid fell to the marksman and Jedi.
Yet they couldn't make head way; wave after wave of droid fell upon the beach, impeding them from getting to Ahsoka and Anakin nearly cried out with relief when Obi-Wan dropped to the sand next to the droids, his lightsaber flashing in a flurry of light.
Taking the opportunity, Rex dropped his blasters and sprinted for the water, taking two long strides in the water before fully plunging into the lake. He disappeared with a mighty splash, but Anakin had no time to reflect on it as he joined Obi-Wan in pushing the droids back.
"Where's your charge?"
"He thought he'd be useful," Obi-Wan responded, slicing another droid in two. "He's back at the villa trying to break through the jamming signal."
"He can do that?"
"He's game to try, at any rate," Obi-Wan reached out, pushing the droid back into the water. "Hold them here."
"Where will you be?"
"Back at the villa," He flashed a faint smile. "I trust you'll join me when Ahsoka's been retrieved?"
"Count on it."
A bubble of activity roiled across the surface, the greenish-yellow blade of Ahsoka's shoto piercing the water to be followed by the green or her primary. Droid parts flew as Anakin finished off the last of those on the beach and then stretched out with his hands, reaching towards the last place he'd seen Ahsoka's lightsabers. Slipping into the Force, he pulled on the two familiar life sources he could feel.
Rex and Ahsoka came hurtling out of the water, the Togruta clutched firmly within Rex's grasp as Anakin brought them in over the beach and down. They landed unceremoniously as Anakin was forced to turn his attention back to the renewed droid attack. It didn't stop him from calling back over his shoulder.
"Rex?"
"She's not breathing, sir!"
"Then breath for her," Anakin snapped, ducking to avoid a bolt and returning one with a twist of his wrist. "We're going to need her help!"
"What do I do?"
"Didn't you do rescue breathing in basic?" Anakin parried another bolt, lunging in to snap his lightsaber through a droid on the left who'd gotten too close but didn't wait for Rex's response. "Put your mouth on hers and breathe normally then pump her chest."
"Sir?"
"It's that or let her die, Rex!"
The sound of blaster fire and an explosion somewhere near the villa was followed by the whine of a crashing ship and blocked out whatever Rex replied. Anakin backed away grimly, towards where his Captain was working on his Padawan. There was silence behind him except for the sound of Rex breathing and counting under his breath. Anakin stepped into the next attack, counting silently with Rex, willing Ahsoka to breathe even as he cleared another swath through the droids.
Still, no matter how many he destroyed, more kept coming. It was a losing battle and one he'd soon have to abandon.
The sound of coughing and retching suddenly sounded behind him but Anakin was too occupied in shielding the three of them to chance a look. He settled for a question instead. "Snips?"
"Here, Master," her voice was weak and hoarse, but there. "Thanks Rex."
"You'd do the same for me."
Anakin spun, catching a glimpse of Rex helping Ahsoka to her feet, the Togruta recovering quickly from her extended dip in the lake. He could feel her calling on the Force for strength; she'd become quite powerful over the years in his tutelage and it was in the forefront as she recovered faster from her near drowning experience than Anakin had thought possible.
"Here; you'll want these."
Rex's comment made Anakin raise his eyebrows but he didn't have time to contemplate its meaning as he slashed ferociously into the next wave, sprinting forward a few feet to wreak havoc and then retreating to deflect blaster bolts.
"Thanks; that's two I owe you."
The ignition of both Ahsoka's blade as she joined him - a spinning ball of death as she came in from the side - answered whatever questions might have lingered. Her actions allowed Rex to dive in behind her and retrieve the blasters he'd discarded bare minutes ago in his haste to drag her from the water.
Just as Rex fired off the first shots, a flash of panic and pain lanced through Anakin, as if he'd been run through by a lightsaber; and he well remembered the feel. It took him a moment to realize where the uninhibited and raw force wave had come from; the twins.
"General Skywalker!"
Ahsoka slid in, working in almost perfect harmony with Rex as he watched her back. The heavily emotional call distracted Anakin as Ahsoka's blade flashed up to catch a bolt headed for one shoulder. "Go, Master," she urged.
"You sure, Snips?"
"We've got this." The look she flashed him was cocky despite the fact she was a little paler than normal beneath her sienna skin. "Trust me; these tinnies will be nothing but slag in no time, right Rex?"
"General Skywalker!"
The call drowned out Rex's reply, but his grin was enough for Anakin. He didn't have to be told twice. Nodding to them both, he called on the force and back flipped to the terrace above. Landing, he rolled and spun on the ball of his foot to take off running. The familiar looking crew-cut clone waved at him from one of the entry ways.
"Fives!"
"It's Grievous sir!"
A chill skated down Anakin's spine as he neared, his tone harsher than intended. "Where?"
"The main hall; General Kenobi's engaged him."
"But?"
"It's the twins, sir; he has Luke and Leia."
His worst nightmare come to pass. "And Padmé?"
"Cody's got her," Fives reported, striding with Anakin at a quick clip as they rounded the villa's exterior and headed for the main hall. "Moté took the brunt of the blow meant for her; she's dead."
"Take me to her."
Fives led the way around to the entry where Padmé and Moté had been running with the twins. Moté's lifeless body was crumpled against one wall, a hole in her chest equally the size and shape of Grievous' foot. Next to her lay Padmé, unconscious, cradled against Cody's chest and locked securely in his arms. Anakin dropped to his knees next to his wife. "Padmé?"
"She's alive, sir."
He reached out one trembling hand, fearing the worst despite their assurances and gently cupped Padmé's face, but she didn't stir. Her cheek was warm under his fingertips and he exhaled a ragged breath; she was alive but unconscious. Thank the Force.
"The handmaiden jumped in to take the blow," Cody informed him shortly. "If she hadn't, the Senator would be dead."
Better her than Padmé. Anakin didn't voice the callous thought as the sound of a duel rang through the air, muted by the privacy setting within the villa. Lifting his gaze to Cody, he gently brushed his thumb over his wife's cheek and inwardly winced. He hated doing this to her; putting her in this kind of danger. "Take her inside to the caretaker's office; there's a med droid you can activate to look after her."
"Yes, sir."
Anakin helped Cody to his feet, wishing he could be the one to go, but knew he couldn't. Obi-Wan needed him; their children needed him. He could feel them screaming through the Force, a pull he was unable to resist. "Stay with Padmé, Cody; guard her. They don't just want our children, they want her dead too."
"Yes, sir. Nothing will get through me."
"I know." Anakin exhaled shakily as Cody walked off with his wife. Pushing her condition to the back of his mind, he turned back to the villa. Ducking under the destroyed main entry, the double lightsaber strikes a hallmark of the droid General, he looked about grimly. Droid pieces were scattered everywhere, a testament to the fact that Grievous hadn't come alone nor unprepared and his friends were giving a good showing.
Glancing at Fives, Anakin left his lightsaber off for the moment. "Go help Rex and Ahsoka; they're back on the beach. Once it's clear I want you all in position for Gamma execution."
"Gamma, sir; are you sure?"
"Gamma." Anakin confirmed grimly. "We'll lure him onto the patio and strike there."
"What about the twins, General?"
"They'll be free of him before you execute; if they're not, do it anyway."
"That doesn't seem wise."
"That's an order Fives."
The trooper snapped immediately to attention before making to leave so he had ample time to help Rex and Ahsoka and prepare for plan Gamma. "Yes, sir."
"And Fives?"
The clone paused as he was about to turn back the way he'd come, cocking his helmetless head in query.
"No unnecessary risks."
The clone flashed him a grin. "Copy that, sir. See you on the terrace."
Anakin turned back, taking a deep breath, and stepped through the broken entry and around the corner, stepping through the sound dampening field within the villa as he did to be immediately assaulted by sounds.
The crying, screaming of his children.
The clash of lightsabers.
The sound of blaster fire and metallic shrieking.
Obi-Wan had engaged General Grievous and, as Anakin rounded the final corner to give himself an unobstructed line of sight, his old Master parried a series of lightning fast blows, disarming Grievous of one lightsaber. That left the General with two on one side against Obi-Wan and the bassinette holding both screaming babies in the other.
"Dare you risk hitting the children, General Kenobi?" Grievous' taunt was well aimed as he came after Obi-Wan, putting him on the defensive and forcing the Jedi to pull his strikes short and duck away whenever the General would close. The bassinette was used as an improvised weapon, twirling enough to keep the children safely within without harm, but fast enough to put them in jeopardy should Obi-Wan accidentally strike it.
"Let them go, Grievous."
The tableau suddenly shifted, Grievous reversing the thrust at Obi-Wan and aiming for the bassinette.
"No!"
Both Anakin and Obi-Wan lunged at the same time as the lightsaber descended with gruesome intent, their blades arcing in to intercept the deadly swing. With perfect and near critical timing, Grievous shut off the blade at exactly the right length to allow his full swing. His wrist turned, both blades slapping outwards to catch Anakin's and Obi-Wan's and throwing them backwards.
"Drop your weapons," the droid General instructed without preamble, leveling the blades on the bassinette. "Or I kill the children."
Anakin immediately did as instructed, his lightsaber hitting the ground and held his now empty hands wide.
"Now you, Kenobi."
Obi-Wan backed out of Grievous' range, shutting down his blade but not dropping it.
Anakin shook his head. "Please, Master; you know he'll do it."
Taking another step back, Obi-Wan did as instructed, dropping the blade to the ground. Grievous, his way out the front entry blocked by both Anakin and Obi-Wan, eased back, towards the doors that would take him to the terrace. Anakin shuffled forward, Obi-Wan following his lead, keeping Grievous in sight as they moved through the house and then, finally out into the sunlight.
The shining sun seemed to be incongruous with the scene being played out on the stone terrace, Anakin sliding to the side, knowing that if Rex was in position, he'd need a clear line of sight.
"Your children will be well cared for, Skywalker," the General assured him with a sinister laugh, keeping one blade across the bassinette and the other in hand as he moved towards the center of the terrace. The sound of an engine sounded somewhere above, breaking through the atmosphere as Grievous laughed. "Perhaps someday you may even meet them again; on the battlefield!"
"Never," Anakin snapped. "Gamma execute!"
Several things happened at once.
A bolt sliced through the air near his head, tracking over Anakin's shoulder and slamming into the arm joint of the droid General's injured plating, fusing it together into immobility.
Ahsoka, never a part of the plan to begin with, dove in from the side, just left of Anakin, and deliberately engaged the droid General's dual sabers, slashing left and up, down and back, pushing them away from the bassinette.
Fives sprinted in from the other side, diving around the determined Jedi and scooping the bassinette from the droid General's grip. One hand slapped a sticky explosive to the underside of the General's leg even as he danced out of reach of the grasping claws, forced to duck and roll to avoid being side swiped. Curled about the bassinette to avoid damaging the children, Fives rolled back to his feet behind Ahsoka's shielding presence - and seemed to stumble, knocking her back and away, before sprawling prone.
Another shot, this one from up and above, lanced in as Fives connected with Ahsoka, catching him in the shoulder, driving down through his unprotected torso and out. He was dead before he hit the ground, taking a hit that had been meant for her.
"Fives!"
"Rex - sniper!"
Ahsoka spun as Fives jostled her, letting out a cry as a blaster bolt slammed into the back of her calf. Throwing herself backwards, her hands moved independently. One blocked Grievous' attack as he tried to take advantage of the sudden turn, the other reached down and out as she called on the Force.
The bassinette that Fives had been carrying never hit the ground as Ahsoka sent it careening towards Anakin and Obi-Wan. Both Jedi had already having reached out to grasp it even as Ahsoka's blade leapt back to life and she blocked Grievous' next strike. Her leg wouldn't hold her weight and she went down on one knee with a cry.
"Ahsoka!"
Anakin caught the bassinette, unable to help his Padawan as his lightsaber was inside the villa; too far away for him to be of use.
Obi-Wan leapt in, lightsaber-less, and called on the Force as he did so, using it to send the droid General careening back and away from the injured Padawan. Even as he did so, another shot rang out from behind Anakin, slamming into the balustrade above and dropping one of the assassin droids just as another pair of blaster bolts went off.
One slammed into the ground, just shy of Ahsoka's bare foot, the other blocked as she tilted one blade over her shoulder, deflecting it harmlessly wide even as the other released her paired blade. "Master Kenobi!"
Obi-Wan stretched out his hand, seeing her intent, and caught the hilt, drawing it around in a spin and activating it in the same motion to finish off the nearest droids before turning back to Grievous.
The droid General pulled a third saber from his waist and flicked it on. "This respite won't last, Jedi," he sneered. "Your order is doomed!"
"Go, Anakin," Obi-Wan snapped, moving in to meet Grievous head on, "get them out of here!"
Anakin looked down at the bassinette in his arms and then to the battle that was quickly turning deadly on the terrace. The first slash looked deadly even as a blaster bolt tore in from the side, but Anakin had no time to watch as Grievous jumped back into the fray.
"Those children will be mine, Skywalker! Kenobi can't hold me forever!"
Sending a silent apology towards his Padawan and old Master, Anakin retreated into the villa, taking the twins with him out of immediate harm's way.
He crossed the room quickly, barely able to hear the fight outside as he stepped through the privacy field, the echo of a blaster shot sounding loudly within the villa from where Cody had been instructed to take Padmé. Calling first his and then Obi-Wan's lightsabers to him, Anakin hooked his to his belt and kept his old Master's in hand as he headed for the care taker's quarters.
"Cody?"
"Here, sir," called the clone, another shot sounding and Anakin heard the sound of a metal body hitting the ground.
"I'm coming in; don't shoot."
"That was the last of them, sir."
Cody held his fire as Anakin ducked through the hallway and into the narrow corridor that was littered with scrapped droids. He looked about before looking back to the Commander. "Firing squad?"
"A shiny wouldn't have had an issue with this lot, sir. Like shooting Nerfs in a net."
"Close enough," Anakin agreed, not bothering to correct the saying. "How's Padmé?"
"Still unconscious sir; the droid is working on her now."
Cody let him pass and Anakin slipped into the small room to find his wife lying prone on the only bed in the place. A medical droid was applying an injection and paid him no mind as he settled onto the edge of the bed, the bassinette still in hand. Setting it at the foot of the bed, he checked on the twins, relieved to find then mostly calm. They still whimpered, staring up at him with near identical expressions of fear, but their Force signatures had calmed.
He reached in to gently run his fingers over their faces before turning back to his wife.
"How is she?"
The droid, now addressed, turned its attention his way. "Unconscious, sir. She has suffered a severe blow to the head but I believe she will recover given time and rest."
One of the twins whimpered and let out a cry, and Anakin turned back, feeling the tension in the room climbing. He needed to get back to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka before Grievous injured one of them worse or, Force forbid - if he got lucky - killed one. But his wife lay prone and helpless and her only shield was the unarmored clone Commander. Good as he was, Cody was still human and fallible.
"I don't want to leave you," he told her, torn, as he bent to brush his lips over Padmé's, "but I've got to get back out there. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan need me."
"Sir, if you'd rather stay here, I can assist the Commander and General."
Anakin closed his eyes. He wanted to say yes, to agree to it; to leave the care of Grievous to his Padawan and the clones and stay with his family. He felt the draw, the allure; to do something selfish because he was worried, possibly distracted. How much help could he possibly be?
Yet, even as he thought it, he knew the truth. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka needed him. He could feel it. The knowledge that this was part of the trials the Council had no doubt expected - and expected him to rise above - didn't help. He was torn.
"Sir?"
Anakin pushed away from Padmé, feeling the distance like a physical thing before he turned back to the Commander. "Take good care of them Cody; we'll come get you when Grievous is toast."
"They'll be safe with me, General," Cody assured him. "Give that overgrown clanker hell."
"That's where I intend to send him," Anakin assured the clone. "In as many pieces as possible."
Cody lifted his blaster with a cold smile. "More than he deserves, sir. Don't worry about your family, General; I won't let any of those clankers near them."
"I know. Call if you need help."
"Yes sir."
Taking one last long look at his wife and children before slipping by the clone and into the hallway, Anakin took stock of the situation. More droids were just entering the kill zone and he activated his lightsaber, going through them swiftly to reach the end. Cody's blaster fire picked up as he left the corridor, eliminating the rest of the droids.
The wave after wave of metallic enemies was worrying but Anakin forced himself not to focus on it, and instead reached for his old Master and Ahsoka. Sprinting through the destroyed interior of the villa, he emerged onto the patio as Grievous was spinning to land a blow on Ahsoka with one outstretched foot.
Her empty left hand came about as she seemed to forget she wasn't wielding her second blade just as the staff of one of Grievous' bodyguards descended at the same time.
"Ahsoka!"
The cry came from the side and a speeding body rushed in as a blaster bolt ripped through the air above her head. It slammed into the metallic appendage even as Lux bowled Ahsoka over, knocking her clear. The foot landed wrong, barely missing the teenager's head even as there was a dull cracking sound, the as the metallic foot connected with Lux's collar bone.
He let out a cry as the bodyguard's staff connected on the downswing, taking the full brunt of the electrical energy as it shot through his body and short circuited his nervous system. Before Obi-Wan, Anakin or Ahsoka could intervene, another blaster shot rang out somewhere from the side, the bolt slamming into the boy's prone body and he lay still.
Ahsoka rolled to a stop, pushing back to her feet only to go down on one knee as her injured leg reached the end of its endurance. "Lux!"
Rex dropped down from his vantage point, crouching next to her even as Anakin vaulted her near prone form, both his and Obi-Wan's lightsabers in hand. The bodyguard attacking Lux was slag in moments, the dual blades sweeping in from opposing sides and slicing it three times before it brought it staff back to bear. Lux's smoking form didn't move as Anakin landed atop him, braced defensively on either side of the boy's body.
"Master!"
"Get back to Cody, Snips; you can't do any more good here."
"No, Master!" She tried to stand again. "I can't leave Lux; what if he's alive?"
Anakin spun, destroying another bodyguard who'd stepped in to take the other's place and, even as he did so, sent the boy's body skidding across the terrace towards her.
Ahsoka caught him, but Anakin was suddenly too busy wading and ducking through three more bodyguards and two snipers as he struggled to hold them back and gain enough ground to get to Obi-Wan. The fury was increasing and Ahsoka, if he wasn't careful, wouldn't live through it. Rex took another couple of shots, downing another pair of the commando droids, his stance over the injured Padawan fiercely, grimly protective.
Immersed as he was in the Force, Anakin didn't miss the surge of sorry that came from Ahsoka; it was all the answer he needed as to the Bonteri boy's fate.
"He's dead, Ahsoka," Anakin called to her before she had to voice it. "Leave him!"
"But he-"
"Get her out of here, Rex!"
"Master!"
"That's an order, Captain," Anakin snapped, blocking and deflecting a series of bolts from droids with a showy, but economical, dual spin of the blades on either side of his body. The bolts shot back along their lines as Anakin immersed himself even further in the Force and the bolts connecting with solid pings to the bodies of the commando droids. He ducked and kicked out at the next bodyguard, Obi-Wan battling Grievous on the other side of the terrace.
"Yes, sir!"
"But-"
"Now, Ahsoka; go help Cody protect Padmé."
Ahsoka struggled to disobey, but Rex's grip as he dropped the long rifle he'd been using and wrapped one strong arm about her middle, the other hand pulling one of his blasters from his holster, was obviously implacable.
Force or not, Rex was obeying that order.
Anakin waited only long enough to watch Rex get Ahsoka under the cover of the villa - with much protesting to the point of sweeping her off her feet with one arms- and taking out droids left and right with his one blaster as Ahsoka clung to him, deflecting others with her single blade. They were safely within and headed for Cody in bare steps, the force of Lux's heroic lunge to save Ahsoka having propelled her far enough away to have saved her.
It was one way to end her unwanted betrothal but not, Anakin knew, the way she'd wanted.
He could watch no more as he was forced to give his full attention to the happenings on the patio just as Obi-Wan disarmed another of Grievous' sabers, leaving him with two. Leaping into the fray with a yell, Anakin brought both blades spinning in only to have them caught by the droids leaping down form the support craft, all bearing the staves that could parry lightsabers.
Beyond the droids, Obi-Wan ducked under one of Grievous' more powerful attack swings, caught the next and parried before going on the offensive with a counter attack that surprised the General and drove him backwards, towards Anakin. Anakin, caught in the middle of a series of bodyguard and commando droids, worked each side independently, using his sabers to the best of his abilities.
Except his skill with dual blades wasn't as polished as that of his Padawan.
The bite of metal sliding into his flesh had him flinching away, spinning as a blade got through his defenses. With a his, he whipped around, Obi-Wan's blade cleaving the commando droid in half as Anakin jumped and struck out on both sides with his feet. Nearly doing the splits, he sent the droids flying before the blades came down to parry the next pair. His next spin sent him further from the villa as the droids closed ranks, cutting him and Obi-Wan off.
"Obi-Wan - the villa!"
"Then go, Anakin!" snapped his old mentor, ducking under next slash at his head and decapitating one of Grievous' bodyguards on the backswing as he lunged, parried and countered, finally taking the last of Grievous' dual blades.. "I've got this."
He spun to do just that, trusting Obi-Wan even as he sliced through two more commando droids and parried the strike of a bodyguard. Droids were everywhere, forcing Anakin to move forward slowly, the slice along his shoulders seeping and leaking down his back; it wasn't deep, but he'd feel it later.
A high pitched beeping sounded from the side and he whipped his blade out, catching one of the staves again before bringing the second lightsaber to bear. The bodyguard didn't have a chance as Anakin slashed it to pieces. It took him a moment to realize that his comlink was working - obviously Lux had succeeded in breaking through the jamming before jumping in to save Ahsoka - and he flipped it on.
"Skywalker," he snapped, calling on the Force and drawing two more droids his way to decimate them with the twins blades. "I'm a little busy here."
"General," Rex's voice held no apology, "We're surrounded, sir. They've got us boxed in!"
"Retreat if you can, Rex. I'm on my way."
Even as Anakin moved towards the villa, there was a flurry of activity behind him and then a scream that was more of a death cry, drawing him around in a whirl that removed two more droids as immediate threats.
Obi-Wan was down on one knee, panting, his hands on a pair of lightsabers - one of those Ahsoka's, the other one of Grievous' trophies - that were sticking clear through the metallic monster's chest.
Even as Anakin watched, Grievous moved, sliding forward on the blades as he reached for Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan scrambled backwards, the lightsabers starting to slide downwards as Grievous moved, the blades in the locked position to prevent them turning off. The older Jedi hit a pile of battle droids, scrambled over them and came back to his feet with a blaster in hand.
"Anakin!"
Sensing what his old Master needed, Anakin stretched out towards Grievous and squeezed about the droid General's middle, much like he'd often done with people's necks to get them to talk. It wasn't a Jedi trait and Obi-Wan had often cautioned him against using it, but it was necessary now and Anakin put his considerable will into that grip. He couldn't hold it long as he was forced to defend himself and was sent spinning away in a flurry of light and droid pieces as he whirled the blades to deflect and redirect the attacks. A wave of Force Energy sent the droids slamming back, destroyed, only to be replaced by others.
His attack on Grievous had been short but, unknown to Anakin, effective.
Even as he whipped and ducked to avoid the next attack, Anakin heard the deep pulse of a blaster shot from Obi-Wan's direction. The detonation of the explosive Fives had left on the droid General's body was instantaneous as Obi-Wan's blaster shot slammed into it unerringly. Anakin's Force grip had weakened the surrounding plates, the armor shattering and melting under the sudden explosive pressure.
The sticky bomb had its effect, sending the full force of the explosive into the armor and, as it dissolved under the heat and pressure, straight into the soft interior of Grievous' insides. The stench of burning flesh was palpable as what was left of the biological creature Grievous had once been succumbed to the explosion.
Grievous screamed, the shriek sounding almost otherworldly as it started deep and then echoed, reverberating into a high pitched shriek that had Anakin and Obi-Wan slapping their hands over their ears. The attacking droids froze as Grievous appeared to immolate from within, as if they were tied to his life force – or whatever qualified as it. It was agonizingly long seconds before the sound abated
Anakin took the opportunity to leap upwards and land, lightsabers at the ready, in front of Obi-Wan.
As Anakin's feet touched the ground, Obi-Wan reached out to touch his arm, drawing the lightsaber low as he pulled himself to his feet. "It's over, Anakin."
All around the terrace, the droids appeared to be shutting down, tied directly into a link with Grievous and Anakin lowered the blades but didn't extinguish them, holding Obi-Wan's his way without taking his eyes off the droids. When one of the bodyguard droids appeared to resist the command, Anakin stepped in and enforced it. Without looking at Obi-Wan, he cut a swath to the
"General, sir... the droids; they're shutting down!"
"I copy that Rex; Grievous is history."
"Congratulations, General!"
"Obi-Wan gets the credit. How's Ahsoka."
"Here, Master," was her subdued response. "Just coming towards the caretaker's office now. I... Cody? What are you-"
The sudden echo of a blaster shot, a curse and a general cacophony of sound followed by a denial from his Padawan as she screamed for Rex greeted Anakin's ears.
"Ahsoka? Ahsoka!"
Without stopping to look at Obi-Wan, Anakin sprinted ahead, the sound of blaster fire and then a cry from one of the clones, followed closely by Ahsoka's vehement denial sounded over his comlink.
"Rex," snapped Anakin, "What's going on in there?" There was no answer to his question as Anakin entered the villa, the sound of blaster fire suddenly loud and then, just as suddenly, gone. "Rex, come in!"
The crying of the twins and a sudden jackknife of emotion spurred him forward. He'd never been so grateful to hear the hum of a lightsaber as he was a moment later when he tore into the droid littered corridor that led to where he'd left his family.
"Ahsoka?"
"Here... Master."
Anakin skidded to a stop in the doorway to the room, taking in the tableau before him.
Ahsoka stood on trembling legs before the bed, a vibroknife that wasn't activated in her gut. Blood dripped down her limbs, her hands shaking as she held the lightsaber. Cody's decapitated corpse lay before her, a neat blaster hole in his chest showing that Rex had gotten at least one shot in.
Stepping over the corpse of the Commander and not really understanding what was happening, Anakin closed his hands about Ahsoka's, easing her to the ground and pulling the shirt off the dead trooper even as he sent reassuring waves through the Force to the twins. He bundled it, gently packing it about Ahsoka's wound to keep the vibroknife in place. He didn't dare pull it out and risk further harm without a medic close at hand; it might kill her. Even as he was thinking, the twins quieted, responding to his mental reassurance.
A quick look at the medical droid who'd been tending Padmé showed it was junked and full of blaster holes. Useless - and healing wasn't his specialty. Barriss Offee would have come in handy at that moment.
"What happened?"
"Cody was talking to someone when we came down the corridor as the droids shut themselves off." Ahsoka replied, licking her lips as she forced herself to speak, her words almost dazed. "I thought he was talking to Padmé. Rex... Rex pushed me out of the way and took the shot meant for me when Cody suddenly came into the doorway; as if he knew what was going to happen."
"Where is Rex?"
"Cody shot him, a couple of times, before he got close," Ahsoka coughed, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, her words pained but not because of her injury. "He's under the bed; I don't know if he's alive or dead."
"I'll check on him; don't move. We need to get you to a medic." Anakin reached under the low platform, feeling for the warmth that would tell him his faithful Captain was still alive. To keep her mind off what he was doing, he urged her onwards. "What happened next, Ahsoka?"
"When I came after Rex, Cody was kicking Rex aside and reaching for the twins. I put myself between them, pushed Rex under the bed and I asked what he thought he was doing." her brow furrowed as if it was fuzzy; as if she couldn't recall clearly. Or was recalling a dream-like sequence... which was what she was describing. "Cody stabbed me and I killed him. I couldn't... There wasn't..."
"You did the right thing, Snips," Anakin assured her, mentally exhaling a sigh of relief when his hand came in contact with warm flesh. Bending further down, he slid both hands under the bed and grasped the shirt Rex had been wearing in place of his armor. Hauling the unconscious Captain out, Anakin winced; the man looked as if he'd been five rounds with a Wookiee - and lost. "He's alive."
Her eyes snapped open as Anakin dragged Rex further out and angled him next to her. With a smile at his Padawan, he checked on her bandage and flipped on his comlink. "Obi-Wan."
"Yes, Anakin?"
"Ahsoka and Rex have been hurt pretty badly; we need a medical evacuation. Can you get to the transmitter?"
"I'm already here." Obi-Wan assured him. "The Council has been informed of Grievous' death; they'll pass the news along to the Senate and the Chancellor."
"Good."
"Master."
Glancing down, Anakin found Ahsoka had reached out to touch Rex and the clone Captain was starting to come around. Anakin spared a look at his wife, who hadn't moved through the ordeal, and found that Luke and Leia had completely calmed; in fact, since he'd started taking care of Ahsoka, talking with her, they'd stopped crying. As if they recognized his voice as much as the Force effort he'd sent their way.
He was forced to focus on Rex and leaned down to help him up on one elbow next to Ahsoka. "You look like you were on the wrong end of a Talz fight, Rex; what happened?"
"Orders, sir," Rex's voice was hoarse but clear, his right hand covering two neat holes in his left shoulder; close to where he'd once been shot and nearly lost to them before. Cody's aim had been good, but not perfect and Rex would recover - hopefully. "The Commander had been given instructions, flashed you might say, to take your children and eliminate anyone who got in the way as soon as Grievous was dead."
"Then why'd he aim for Ahsoka?"
"A precursor to a treason order, sir," Rex coughed and spat blood to the side, unable to see Ahsoka through the eye that was swollen shut on her side. His lips bled as he spoke and his face looked as if it was too sizes too large for his skull. "They need your children to execute it."
"Were you given the same order?"
Rex shook his head. "I heard him speaking as we came down the hall and recognized the voice," his gaze slid deliberately to Ahsoka's legs before looking back to Anakin. "I couldn't let him do it, sir."
Anakin was silent for a long moment as he considered Rex's words. When he spoke, he chose his words carefully. "Are any other Jedi at risk?"
"Not so long as your children are with you and your wife is alive."
"Are you sure, Rex?" Anakin pressed, knowing the clone was already drifting back towards his former unconscious state, but needing the answer. "One hundred percent positive?"
Rex opened him mouth, paused and then shook his head, his eyes closing with the effort as he sank back prone.
Anakin exhaled, flipping on his comlink once again. "Obi-Wan; get back on the air with the Council. Tell them… tell them the clones might turn on the Jedi."
"What? Impossible!"
"Cody turned on Rex when he tried to protect Ahsoka; she's hurt pretty bad. They both are. What's the eta on that transport?"
"Coming in now; how is Cody?"
"Dead. Count yourself lucky Ahsoka got to him before I did. Have it land on the terrace; we don't have time to take them to the main landing port."
"Copy that; do you need assistance getting them out of there?"
"As much as you can find; I can't leave them on their own, Obi-Wan. Bring the medics who land to me and make sure they have stretchers."
"I'll let you know once they're down," Obi-Wan acknowledged, signing off.
Bending down, Anakin checked on Ahsoka to find that her bleeding had slowed, but the knife in her gut was worrying. She'd shifted Rex slightly, so his head was in her lap, using the undamaged side of his head to help keep her make shift bandage in place. Rex was unconscious again, unaware of her actions and one of her hands lay across his forehead, a protective gesture if Anakin had ever seen one; and one of mutual comfort.
"How're you doing, Snips?"
"Not so good," she admitted, her voice weak even as she managed a smile for him even though it was pained and sad. "Why'd he do that, Master?"
Staring at her Anakin glanced down to Rex and then back to Ahsoka. "Fives, Lux or Rex?"
"Any of them; all of them." Tears were shining in her eyes. "I'm no more important than anyone else."
Anakin sighed, reaching to place one hand on her shoulder and, looking into her luminescent gaze, couldn't find a smile. It was too serious a topic; too close to home. Fives and Lux had done what he would have gladly done in their place to save her; what she would have done to save them. It wasn't a hard concept, just one she'd never fully grasped. Losing her friends had never gotten easier and for that, despite the pain she was in, Anakin was grateful.
"They did what I would for Padmé or my children, Ahsoka; what I would do for you or for Obi-Wan. What you would have done for any one of them or us. The people who are most important to us are worth the sacrifice, any sacrifice, even – or perhaps most especially – the ultimate one. It's not because someone is more important than someone else; it's because to us they're more important than ourselves."
Her eyes closed and she tilted her head back, her breathing shallow, but didn't respond. Didn't need to; Anakin could tell by her sallow complexion she hadn't the energy. Even her Force signature held a resignation and acceptance that was more born of a lack of energy than anything else. She was accepting his words because she had no other option and, if he wasn't mistaken, clinging to the fact Rex hadn't died where Fives and Lux had.
Seeing her so reduced was painful when she was normally such a vibrant personality.
Turning from her, he checked on the twins and found they'd fallen asleep in their bassinette. For all the pain Ahsoka was radiating through the Force, they seemed to respond to his voice more than the stimuli and while they slept, restlessly, they calmed as he brushed each with a gentle touch, his gaze travelling to his wife.
Padmé was still unconscious; a concern but not yet a pressing one. Better that she was out for this; Lux's death would hit her hard despite his heroics.
"Anakin?"
"Here, Obi-Wan," Anakin moved away from the pile of injured and stuck his head out the door to find Obi-Wan and the two medical personnel that had come to his call, Nabooian locals, each carrying a repulsor stretcher. Anakin ducked back inside to crouch by Ahsoka, reaching out to grasp her shoulder once more. "Ahsoka."
She stirred, her eyes fluttering open, glazed and confused. "Mas... Master?"
"Obi-Wan's here with help, Ahsoka,"
"Take Rex first," she urged. "I couldn't... I won't..."
Anakin smiled at her, knowing how she felt and what she couldn't put into words. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if three people died today on her behalf. Crouching next to the clone, he motioned Obi-Wan to hand him the first of the stretchers. Setting it on the floor, he carefully shifted Rex to the stretcher, activating the repulsors and lifting him free and clear. Handing him off to the stretcher bearer for removal, Anakin turned his attention to Ahsoka and lifted her gently onto the already hovering stretcher.
"Don't lie down, Snips," he advised, "it might make that worse."
"Yes, Master," she agreed, her voice smaller than he'd ever heard it.
"Hey," tilting her chin up, he looked into her cloudy eyes, feeling her slipping away; her injury was apparently worse than he'd thought. "Stay with me. Rex will be impossible to live with if his heroics on the tail end of Fives and Lux don't work."
She flinched, but her gaze snapped to his, as if truly seeing him again. "Below the belt, Skyguy."
"Just be there when I come to visit you in the med center. I don't need another body to bury today, okay?" Ahsoka nodded, sitting cross legged on the stretcher, and allowed the bearer to take her out. "See to it they're put in the same bacta ward," Anakin told the tech as he followed them into the hall. "Some place they can see each other."
"Yes sir."
"And if they're stubborn, tell Rex he's been ordered on bed rest, they both have, until a real doctor clears them for light duty."
"Yes sir."
"Anakin."
He stopped as Obi-Wan placed a hand on his shoulder, allowing the technicians to take Rex and Ahsoka away at a faster clip. He watched until they turned the corner before turning back to Obi-Wan and reentering the room. Passing his old Master, he went straight to the bed to check on Padmé; her condition remained unchanged but her breathing was deeper, more even.
Glancing at his friend, Anakin raised his eyebrows. "Healing trance?"
"I thought it was warranted."
"Thanks, Obi-Wan. How'd you get them here so fast anyway? Shouldn't it have been hours?"
"No; the Council suggested that a cruiser in orbit would be a good idea; one manned by Nabooian personnel for they'd have a greater stake in keeping their Senator alive."
"And I wasn't informed because...?"
"You had more," Obi-Wan's gaze darted to the sleeping twins and their mother, "pressing matters on your mind at the time. It was a precaution, Anakin; nothing more."
"A good one; thank you, Obi-Wan."
"We should get Padmé to the landing platform, Anakin; there's another transport coming down to bring us back to the ship until we hear one way or the other as to the end of the war."
Anakin exhaled, slid his arms under his wife, and gently pulled her into his arms. She was a dead weight but even in the healing trance, her body curled towards his. He pressed his lips to her brow, clutching her close, and for the first time since the battle truly accepted just how close he'd come to losing her.
"Can you collect Luke and Leia, Obi-Wan?"
"I've got them. Let's get out of here; I've had just about all the relaxation I can handle for today."
Anakin found he couldn't agree more.
Later they would have to return and do justice to Moté, Lux and Fives and bury them appropriately. Later they would have to come back and set things to rights.
For now they would wait to see how the fabric of the Galaxy shifted with the destruction of General Grievous. For now they would heal, regroup and regain their strength. For now, the Galaxy could turn without them.