I do not own Star Wars, if I did I'd be rich and would be overloaded by the unimaginable power that owning the SW universe would give me… ah the possibilities.

Okay, show of hands who has seen the trailer for the next movie. If your hand is not up you may want to check it out. The modern world of high definition and special effects will contribute most certainly but the major question is what is with the new lightsaber? I mean we've seen double bladed ones, regular ones, the rather impressive one the Inquisitor from Rebels has, the curved style used by Dooku and Ventress, now we have lightsaber blades emerging from a medieval style sword? I dunno what they are up to but at least it is interesting.

(ONDERON/ ORBIT /TARKIN POV)

My personal cruiser hung in place above the planet. After being deceived by Senator Chuchi, which gave my little escapees a head start, I had beat them to their destination. Now with all sensors and scanners primed for the cargo freighter's arrival I had time to review my instructions regarding the situation.

The Supreme Chancellor had taken a personal interest in these two former Jedi. Apparently with the Jedi illusion destroyed in their eyes it opened an opportunity to use their talents with the Force to serve the Republic and, by extension, himself.

I had my own theories of course regarding the entire scenario but had no desire to voice them. So instead, when the cargo freighter arrived in the system, I ordered the vessel halted by tractor beam and to submit to inspection on the grounds of suspected Separatist infiltrators.

"Make sure you investigate every inch of it." I reminded Captain Rex as he left the bridge to lead the boarding party, "There could be any number of hiding places."

He saluted briefly before the door slid shut behind him.

I cupped my chin with a hand. That clone was the best choice to find her due to his experience working alongside Miss Tano. Some had remarked on his sessions in training her in the ways of the military while Skywalker trained her as a Jedi.

Two professional mentors raising the same student, regardless her skills were exceptional. Though the fact she was a Togruta had gifted her with above human standard strength, speed, stamina and endurance which she had demonstrated remarkably when she was on the run.

Before I started to evaluate Miss Offee the bridge communication officer called to me.

"What is it?" I paced over.

He looked slightly unhappy at being the bearer of bad news, "The ship was attacked by pirates on its journey, hence the late arrival. The cargo hold was completely emptied and the crew restrained. After ransacking, the pirates left and set the freighter back on course. The search is already concluded."

I found myself developing both immense frustration and a growing sense of admiration for the two former Jedi, "Have the boarding party release the crew then return to the ship. Set a course for Coruscant. This hunt is not over yet."

"Yes, Admiral."

(PIRATE SHIP/BRIDGE/AHSOKA POV)

"So, you want to tell me why you pay me to rob a ship and carry you off in a container?" Hondo peered down at me from his command chair, "I don't suppose this is a way of framing me for kidnapping Jedi… again."

I offered him a relaxed grin, "No, you just do what you were paid to do and don't ask questions."

He looked more than a little suspicious, "Maybe I just take you prisoner, again, and offer you to the Republic for a handsome reward."

"I doubt you'd get much." Barriss frowned, "We're not Jedi anymore."

"What do you mean?" he looked quickly between us, "You're not even Jedi? Then what is going on here?"

I rolled my eyes impatiently, "No questions remember? That was the deal."

"Like my mother used to say," he leered, "Deals are like rules. Made to be broken."

He sniffed and wiped dramatically at a fake tear, "Ah, mama was so wise when it came to business."

Barriss and I exchanged looks. Even I was starting to question our plan.

Indirectly hiring Hondo to ambush the freighter in order to disembark without being seen had seemed like a good idea, at the time. But the pirate was not the most trustworthy individual.

"We paid you and you got these supplies." I folded my arms, "In exchange you give us passage and don't ask questions. The less you know, the less you have to worry about."

He squinted at me in an attempt to read my expression, "Ah, I get it. This is some big elaborate undercover secret spy mission thing for the Jedi. You need to get somewhere without official travel so you hire Hondo. Is that it?"

"Sure, why not." Barriss shrugged, "Just don't tell anyone."

He lifted a hand to his mouth and pretended to zip it shut.

(CORUSCANT/CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE/TARKIN POV)

The Supreme Chancellor was not amused.

I was not amused.

He was not amused that I was not amused.

In the space of my absence pursuing the former Jedi there had been a massive assault on Coruscant by a Separatist armada. During the battle Count Dooku had been defeated by Skywalker and Kenobi along with rescuing the Chancellor. Many ships had been called in from all over the galaxy but I had not been informed. The hunt must have been more important.

"You knew where they were and you lost them?" he asked cuttingly.

In time this game of cat and mouse would come back to haunt me unless it was brought to a swift end with me as the victor.

"They organised the pirate ambush. It is too much of a coincidence otherwise." I resisted the urge to sigh, "The nature of this mission is too secret to divert resources to track them."

Palpatine steepled his fingers, "Allow them freedom for a brief time, my friend. Events have been set in motion to ensure success. For now we must continue focusing on the war. I am assigning you to work alongside Aayla Secura to deal with an imminent Separatist attack on Felucia."

"By your command." I bowed my head slightly. When I looked up I noticed a change in his expression, one that may not have been real in the first place.

The Chancellor was amused.

(FELUCIA/ AHSOKA POV)

Hondo had dropped us off on the surface not too far from where we were due to meet with our transport to Onderon. If all went as planned then we would be guests of Senator Bonteri within a few hours.

"Ahsoka." Barriss looked around carefully as we clambered up a hill, "Isn't there a Separatist base set up nearby?"

I actually had forgotten that. An early invasion by the droids had secured them a solid foothold on the planet while the Republic attempted to land troops in available sections. The results were less than favourable until Aayla Secura joined up with the members of the 501st and managed to gain some ground.

"We should be okay. All the organic plants should hide us from their scanners."

"Did you consider the native wildlife?"

"Which ones?"

She pointed to the top of the hill, "That one."

I looked up to see a fully grown Acklay emerging over the ridge and striding towards us.

(FELUCIA ORBIT/ LIBERATOR/BRIDGE/ TARKIN POV)

To my slight annoyance I discovered that instead of taking command of the space forces, I was instead supposed to co-operate with the Twi'lek Jedi. Her skills and abilities were of course held in regard since the Battle of Geonosis at the beginning of the war; though personally I found her constant disagreement with my strategies rather irksome.

"We cannot allow the Separatist forces to expand." I gestured at the hologram of the battlefield, "If we encircle their base we can limit their operations and move to wipe them out."

She shook her head, "Our troops are not able to maintain positions for long. Between the wildlife and droid ambushes our movement is severely restricted. Unless you want to drop troops from gunships that are fully exposed to getting shot down we have to stick with the ground advances."

"That option will take a considerable amount of time." I folded my arms behind my back, "During which the Separatists could have landed a large number of reinforcements within their lines."

The Jedi quickly conversed with Commander Bly about enemy strength and our own numbers. The droid army currently outnumbered us in bulk strength but using the environment along with high ground we held the advantage but only to defend certain areas. Any approach on the main enemy base was liable to fail.

"Admiral Tarkin, General Secura." A clone looked up from his console, "We've detected an inbound ship. Not one of ours, not a Sep either, looks like a transport vessel."

I exchanged a look with the Jedi and she frowned slightly, "Where is it heading?" she asked.

"Trajectory puts it less than a klick from a Separatist outpost."

"Then it clearly isn't going to resupply our forces." I turned to the communication officer, "Attempt to contact the ship."

A quick request for identification was met with an answer about picking up plants for medical purposes. Information was provided about the plant and its locations on Felucia. Both checked out according to Republic databases.

"Inform the vessel they are entering a restricted area and must abandon their course." I ordered, "Divert them to the hanger bay until we can verify."

This time silence was the response and the ship accelerated for the planet surface.

"Target the vessel." I glanced at Secura but didn't wait for her to countermand my order, "Fire."

(FELUCIA/SURFACE/ AHSOKA POV)

The six-legged creature hissed and snapped its jaws as it scuttled down the hill towards us.

We hastily ignited our lightsabers and the sudden appearance of the weapons caused the Acklay to pause and assess what its prey was holding. Prior to fleeing Coruscant, Tarkin had returned her singular blue lightsaber to Barriss. It, along with the two stolen from Ventress, had been secured in a Republic facility as evidence. For someone of his rank to remove a piece of evidence from a closed case was a simple matter. I on the other hand had lost my shoto escaping from the prison and my lightsaber when the clones captured me. When I was pardoned the weapons were returned, though I did not inform the Jedi Order especially as I planned to leave.

"Do you think it'll attack?" I asked quietly.

"Acklays are constantly hungry." Barriss whispered in reply, "Perhaps we're inside its hunting territory. Back away down the hill and we'll see what it does."

"We need to get past it to the rendezvous point." I checked my chronometer. The transport would be arriving any minute.

"Let's find another way." She had already started edging down the slope. I reluctantly did likewise.

The creature moved forward a bit then paced back and forth hissing and snapping at us but made no attempt to pursue. Once we reached the bottom of the hill it turned and scuttled away. Animal screams suddenly erupted, it sounded like the Acklay had found some other prey.

"Ahsoka," Barriss hissed warningly.

I turned, lightsabers raised defensively. Emerging from behind plants and rocks all around us were commando droids and destroyer droids, all with their weapons trained on us. They formed a semi-circle around us with the only way out back up the hill to where the acklay was hissing triumphantly.

"Drop your weapons." One of the commando droids ordered.

Our senses, heightened by the power of the Force, alerted us to an imminent danger and we flung ourselves flat on the ground.

A second later the flaming wreckage of a ship crashed down on the droids, decimating over half of them by either crushing them or being caught in the shockwave of impact. Springing to our feet we quickly cut down the rest before their system could react to the sudden development.

"That was our transport." I stared anxiously at the smouldering heap of metal, "The Separatists must have shot it down."

"Maybe the Republic did." Barriss offered quietly.

I looked up at the sky and found myself wondering if that was true. Would a Republic officer shoot down an unarmed transport rather than intercept it?

"We had better keep moving." Barriss gripped my shoulder, "Someone will investigate the wreckage."

But we didn't move as at that moment the Force drove a cold and fearful spike through me. Whenever that happened it meant something very bad had just happened, or was about to.

"I sensed it too." My friend deactivated her lightsaber and gestured towards the wreckage, "Should we check for survivors?"

Walking quickly, trying to fight the dread coursing through my veins, I stepped through a hole in the side and looked back, "There's a way… Barriss, move!" I spotted a Republic AT-TE walker on a nearby hill with its cannon aimed directly at her.

She vanished as a fireball erupted around her.

(FELUCIA ORBIT/ LIBERATOR/ BRIDGE/TARKIN POV)

I stared down at the hologram highlighting Secura's advance with a company of troopers towards the Separatist base. If all went well she would be able to push closer to their anti-air guns positioned on the outskirts of the facility.

"Sir, incoming transmission." The communication officer turned with a confused expression, "It's the Supreme Chancellor. Priority message, non-restricted."

Pressing the accept button I watched as the pixels rose up to form the image of our leader, "Yes… sir?"

He looked terrible. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks gaunt and it looked like he had aged twenty years since I last saw him.

But his eyes still had that gleam in them and he almost reverently stated, "Execute Order 66."

All heads swivelled to the hologram and even remained staring as it vanished, leaving stunned silence in its wake.

"You heard him." I snapped briskly, "Carry out your orders."

Rapid conversation broke out as the crew contacted all our ground forces on Felucia to confirm their updated orders.

Kill all Jedi.

(FELUCIA SURFACE/AHSOKA POV)

Time seemed to halt its passage as I stared at the scorched section of ground that once was my best friend, enemy, confidant, and the closest I had to a sister.

"Barriss…" I whispered numbly, feeling as though my lips moved without my control.

The walker's crew must have detected me for the cannon swivelled in my direction. I could only stare at the barrel, waiting for the coming oblivion.

Out of nowhere a large boulder crashed into the side of the walker with enough force to knock it onto its side despite the six legs.

"Ahsoka!" Barriss waved frantically from the treeline, "Come on!"

I woke from my trance and sprinted across the ground while deflecting bolts from the troopers spilling from the toppled walker. I joined Barriss and together we ran with Force enhanced speed to distance ourselves from the clones before realising we were approaching a cliff edge. After stopping I grabbed her in a tight embrace, "I thought they killed you."

"Almost did." She replied with her arms wrapped around my shoulders, "Thanks for the warning."

The moment of emotion wasn't over but the Force drew our attention down to where a column of Republic walkers and troopers were marching through the trees, with Aayla Secura at the head.

"She must be heading for the Separatist base." Barriss and I let go of the other and knelt down to look.

The Twi'lek Jedi paused in her walk and the troopers raised their rifles. As we started to look for droids the clones opened fire. But their target was not droids, nor was it a native animal.

It was Aayla.

Six shots burned into her back before she could even ignite her lightsaber. She crumpled to the ground and still the clones kept firing while they closed ranks around her body. Smoke rose as the lasers burned into her flesh. After ten seconds of rapid firing, which seemed to last an eternity, Commander Bly halted his men. The body was unceremoniously scooped up and loaded into a walker. The column set off, we remained frozen in place.

"They killed her," I was finding it hard to breathe; "They just shot her in the back. Executed her without warning. What's going on, Barriss? Barriss?"

I looked up to find her standing with a small thin circular device in her hand, "What is that?"

"Our future, Ahsoka. A future where the Jedi Council no longer sends devoted followers to do its bidding then cast them aside. A future where the lies of the Jedi do not fester and corrupt the minds of the young recruits. A future where those gifted with the Force shall be raised as part of the Republic, and not a faction exempt from the law."

She knelt down so our faces were only inches apart, "I have made my choice, Ahsoka. You and I can help bring peace to the galaxy. Help shape it to be a better place for our kind. Together." Her hand grasped mine, "The freedom the Jedi never gave us. The power the Sith wield. All of it can be ours."

"What have you done?" I asked forcefully, "What is going on?"

Barriss stood up, "Do you trust me, Ahsoka? Do you trust that I want what is best for us?"

Standing I looked her in the eye and saw my answer, "Yes."

"Do you trust Anakin?"

"Yes."

A smile grew on her face, "Krell foresaw events that would take place after the war. I too have glimpsed the future and have made plans to ensure our survival." She pressed a button on the device.

(FELUCIA ORBIT/LIBERATOR/BRIDGE/TARKIN POV)

I watched a broadcast of the emergency Senate meeting called to inform the Republic of recent events.

General Grievous had been defeated and the Separatist council officially surrendered.

Moments after Grievous had been slain four members of the Jedi Order attempted to assassinate the Chancellor to assume control of the Republic. The Chancellor survived, though with obvious injuries. The Jedi were killed.

A brigade of clone troopers swarmed the Jedi Temple and attempted to arrest the traitors. The Jedi fought back and so were cut down.

The broadcast merely highlighted events rather than the full details so it quickly moved back to Palpatine's speech about how the Republic would be reorganised into an empire with himself as emperor.

Internally I could feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Ever since Palpatine had recruited me many years ago I had always felt he had a grand scheme in mind that would benefit us both immensely. Those suspicions had been increased when Count Dooku met with me several times on the pretence of bringing my home world, Eridau, into the Separatists before the war began. He spoke cryptically but did assure me that we both were working towards the same goal.

My train of thought was interrupted by my personal comlink beeping. I left the bridge and accepted the call in a private room. A hologram of the newly crowned Emperor appeared.

"Admiral, on the surface of Felucia you will find two Force gifted former Jedi. Bring them to me. The co-ordinates are being transmitted."

I opened my mouth to ask for clarification when the Emperor turned to look at someone outside the transmitter's range, "Master Yoda. You survived."

The hologram faded and I was left standing there with no identification on the former Jedi… wait a minute. Two former Jedi both hiding at the same place while I was stationed in orbit? This was not a coincidence.

Contacting the bridge I ordered a transport ready and waiting for me in the hanger.

(FELUCIA SURFACE/AHSOKA POV)

When Barriss pressed that button I expected something to happen instantly. After a minute I asked, "So, what happens now?"

"You and I will go back to the Republic. We will serve it as the Jedi always meant to; only we shall be without the desire for political power. Our masters will teach us the ways of the Force, the light and the dark will bring total understanding."

Something in her voice, fear or excitement, unsettled me. "We may not be Jedi but that doesn't mean I want to be Sith."

"You won't." she replied quickly, "With no Jedi there will be no Sith. Only those with the Force united as one race."

A rumble in the air drew our attention and I looked up to see a Republic gunship descending towards us, "Barriss?"

"It's okay, Ahsoka." She waved up at the gunship, "This is our ride."

My sense of unease rose considerably when the doors opened to reveal Admiral Tarkin standing inside it, "Him?"

"He is on our side Ahsoka." She assured me, "The three of us will be working together."

The human reached out with a hand and assisted Barriss onto the gunship. They both held out a hand to me.

"If it's any help," Tarkin lifted a brow at my hesitation, "Skywalker has already joined us."

Anakin was with them. Barriss was with them. Two people I trusted deeply.

I accepted their hands and was lifted into the gunship, "So what happens now?"

Tarkin smiled, "Now we begin."

Here it ends. Ahsoka, Barriss and Anakin shall be part of the glorious Galactic Empire acting as enforcers of the Emperor's will.

There is one more chapter to this story, then I will publish a sequel in the same day in a more usual style (normal text and no point of views). So I hope you will tune in for that. Star Wars forever!