Ahsoka stood next to Scout's bed. The girl had awoken and gotten so hysterical she had to be sedated and restrained.
"Scout, your safe. It's Ahsoka Tano, remember me?"
"Your Master betrayed us!"
"I know!" Ahsoka said firmly. "But he killed the Emperor and he came back. And hating him won't do anything but trap you in the same darkness he was lost in. You are safe."
"They tortured me. They experimented on me."
"I know." Ahsoka said, sympathetically. "According to the file, they wanted to see if they could permanently increase your Force connection."
Scout blinked. "It worked. I was so scared and sick and mad I nearly smashed the droid with one Force push. But it didn't hold and ….I was feeling weird. My thoughts were slipping all over the place and I couldn't concentrate on one." Her voice was grieved. "They grafted something into me..." the woman pulled her light medical shift up to reveal a scar. "I've been feeling the Force stronger. But it's not consistent. Then for a long time now, they just left me..." Her voice trailed off. "I wonder if that's when the Emperor died."
"Very likely." Ahsoka observed.
"Well. The good news is, we got here first." Lando said, hands on his hips with his cloak spread behind him.
"Now let's hope we're far enough in the lead." Padmé worried.
The comlink chimed. "Starlight Triumph. We have transports here to help as well as two fighter wings and a mon cal cruiser." Bail Organa's voice came over the encrypted channel.
"Good. We've got a whole civilization to move and not a lot of time."
The noghri had to hear it from Anakin. Leia went with him and with Kabarakh's aid, explained the situation and their plan to the noghri.
"What of our dukhas?"
"Where will we go?"
"We do not accept charity!" One clan matriarch insisted.
Anakin stepped forward. "This is not charity. This is correcting a wrong. I trusted the Emperor and the Emperor abused your trust and mine. Yet the Empire is coming to make an example of you."
"You think this will leave you in debt to us." Leia said, "but in reality, those of us out there, our galactic civilization, is the one indebted. Your people just helped us prevent the rise of a new Emperor. What's more, you didn't deserve to be caught up in this war."
"Either war." Anakin interjected. "The entire Clone Wars, the war that devastated your environment, was a trick, a manipulation by Palpatine to destroy the Jedi and the Republic from within." His blue eyes swept the crowd. "The Republic and Jedi failed to stop it because we didn't know he was the enemy. Let us help correct that failure. When the Empire has been and gone, the world will remain, waiting for you."
"But what of our dukhas?"
"We plan to hide them for the moment." Anakin's gaze lifted to the sight of air speeders coming in. "We'll hide them in a canyon where they can't be seen or detected from the air. If we are unable to bring your people back immediately or repair the environmental damage, we can bring them to you. We can't bring them now, there isn't time to get large enough ships here."
"Please." Leia insisted. "We have to hurry. They could be here any time."
The noghri were confused and uncertain. But they agreed. Younglings and the oldest noghri were first to board the transports. The few middle year noghri at home gathered around the dukhas, carefully analyzing and advising the best way to safely move them. Finally it took three speeders with tow cables in a giant makeshift harness flying in tandem to get each one to the canyon.
Luke and Ahsoka were up there with Rogue Squadron. They had just gotten the last dukha stowed, and there were only a few transports left when the Empire showed up. The star destroyer Chimera roared out of hyperspace with three other star destroyers.
Luke and Ahsoka had both taken to X-Wings. Anakin and Leia bolted to the Y-Wings they'd flown down in. Kabarakh joined Leia in hers and another noghri quickly volunteered to join Anakin. The fellow was thrilled to join him, and Anakin winced at his enthusiasm. They lifted off as a pair of TIE fighters streaked through the air toward them.
"TIE bombers, two got through"
Anakin was evading his pursuer, while the noghri blasted away behind him. TIE Fighters, X-Wings, Y-Wings and 2 B-Wings mixed it up between the planet and the capital ships. Anakin felt a thrill of joy. If he had to fight, this was the kind he preferred. No emotional conflicts, no doubts or fears, just flying very fast and with great skill.
The X-Wings formed a corridor, shielding the last transports. The tailing one didn't quite make it, it took a hit and went spinning out of control. The pilot however, recognizing his doom, gave the ship a few nudges in direction. Escape pods launched. One of the Star Destroyers recognized it's danger too late as the transport rammed it, causing it to veer off course and be rocked with explosions.
"Impressive." Anakin said, wincing at the deaths.
The mon calamari cruiser was taking on the Chimera and Anakin glared at Thrawn's ship. He sent his fighter on a jagged course toward it, through the enemy ships as well as friendly fire. "Get ready to shoot on the way out." He told his gunner who was blasting at a persistent TIE interceptor on their tail.
Eyes narrowing he aimed a proton torpedo spread at the bridge deflector's weak point. It went up with a satisfying explosion of gas and electronic flame, quickly snuffed in the vacuum. But the damage was done. The Chimera was without forward deflectors.
The ship's tractors activated, it picked up the pace of it's weapon fire, aiming along one side of Lando's ship and drawing the defenseless side to replace their shield. Yells came over the com as Anakin snarled, "No, you don't!"
An X-Wing joined him. Ahsoka. The two of them veered in opposite directions, circled and charged in toward the deflectors. Anakin was out of proton torpedoes but his laser and ion cannon were deadly accurate.
"Rebel cruiser, stand down and recall your forces or be destroyed." Pellaon ordered.
"Dream on."
Another three star destroyers shot in system.
"Oh poodoo." Ahsoka snarled.
"Transports are clear." Someone said, countering the negative news.
"I was kind of hoping..." Lando started.
Anakin and Ahsoka didn't need to look at each other. They kept firing, blowing the tractors so the Triumph could pull away and help deal with the other three ships."
"Everyone have functional hyperdrives?" Lando yelled.
Anakin slammed his fighter down, veering up under the destroyer hull and hit the landing bay at full speed. The noghri was taken aback. Whirling through the service bays Anakin wiped out the hanger bay and sent service techs scattering. Then he raced out again. Ahsoka was just racing out of the neighboring ships hanger, leaving it in similar chaos. Finally the two Jedi aces raced for the new ships. Perhaps someone had noticed. They tried to prevent their entrance but failed. Roaring out they found the enemy waiting and probably would've taken them out. But Luke and the Millenium Falcon pounded them out of the way.
The final star destroyer they didn't even try it on, just circled and pounded at the gun emplacements. Finally the two left these to the others and hurried back to where Lando was still going nose to nose with Chimera. It was not going well, being already damaged.
Anakin and Ahsoka sent their ships soaring through the laser blasts and wiped out gun emplacements that couldn't hope to match their speed.
"All craft, prepare for light speed. They may have more coming." Lando called.
Anakin reached out, sensing his wife and Obi-Wan on the ship. "How's your hyperdrive?" He asked.
"Damaged but functional. It's getting passed him that's the problem." The Triumph was backed against the planet's atmosphere and was swarming with enemy fighters.
"Snips, what say we peek in the bridge?"
"On your wing!"
Anakin accelerated toward the ship, fingers on the trigger. But he held fire, held fire, the Chimera's shield was back up but fluctuating. He'd need to aim carefully.
Obi-Wan's voice calmly sounded over the com. "Actually Admiral Thrawn, Captain Pellaon, I believe it's our turn to ask you to surrender."
He heard Pellaon's indignant snort over the com. "You must be joking."
"Perhaps it's merely Jedi arrogance, Captain." Thrawn replied so they could hear him.
"Or perhaps it's knowing how I deal with people who aggravate me. Just because I tendered my resignation doesn't mean I've lost my will to fight." Anakin said aloud as he whipped around the bridge tower, skidded sideways and opened fire. Pellaeon, with the com still open let out a startled cry of "Vader?" You should know better than to mess with the Jedi, Captain Pelleaon." Ahsoka called, simultaneously, she hit the bridge deflector shield generator with proton torpedoes. Anakin's first shot bounced off shield but the second went through, scorching the bridge viewport. The third shot had it cracking.
"Ahsoka, are you holding a grudge because he made you wear a uniform when you were on his ship way back when?"
"Maybe."
"Jedi do not hold grudges."
"Oh? And what do you call what your doing?"
"Setting a bad example!"
Anakin slid out of range and a streak of gas blew out of the bridge. It started to tilt and sway as it depressurized. Ahsoka's X-Wing lifted straight up, just missing the billowing plume.
Anakin could sense the chaos, people fleeing the bridge. He identified Thrawn's force signature easily, being the only non human on the bridge. He read a distinct flicker of surprise. They had not discovered his escape.
"Can we capture them?" Someone asked over the com.
Anakin reached into the Force, sensed Obi-Wan and Ahsoka doing the same.
"No time. They have backup coming."
They all took advantage of the chaos they'd caused to leap to hyperspace.
They dropped some of the noghri clans on a safe world, others they took back to the Alliance base. There was plenty of land on the continent for them to share space.
As they left the ship, Padmé clenched Anakin's hand as if she would never let go. "I don't like the tone of his voice when Bail said he needed to meet with us."
Leia crossed her arms, troubled. "I didn't like it either. It felt ominous."
Obi-Wan was in the lead when they met up with Bail on the path into the base. The senator led them into a conference room. They sat but he paced back and forth, hands behind his back. Finally he admitted, "Fey'lya and his ilk have filed charges." He looked at Anakin. "We've forced them to back off for the most part, except..."
"Anakin." Padmé whispered.
He nodded. "They're moving to violate the parole, saying it's clear the Jedi can't control him."
Padmé's fingers bit into Anakin's hand.
"That's not true. We all agreed. We couldn't have done it without him!"
Ahsoka leaned forward. "And we proved he was telling the truth!"
Bail nodded. "Fey'lya had gone dormant. He's in disgrace. But his backers are still vocal. They want him on Coruscant to stand trial."
"On trumped up charges with the verdict and sentence pre-decided!" Leia said angrily. Her answer made Bail blink in surprise.
"We can't afford to antagonize them further." Anakin said slowly.
Obi-Wan's hand landed on his shoulder. "We'll go. We'll all go. Together. I have something I need to say to the advisory council."
They all looked at him at this. There was something in his voice and eyes that said he had a plan.
"We'll need a lawyer. At least for advice." Padmé's grip would've made Anakin's hand go numb had it not been a prosthetic.
"Anyone know one we can trust?" Ahsoka asked, doubtful.
Luke's eyes darted from side to side. "Nawara Ven."
They all looked at him.
"Of Rogue Squadron?" Leia asked.
He nodded.
"Would he? Risky career move, either as a lawyer or Alliance pilot."
"I can ask."
"I guess it's him or no-one." Leia said slowly.
"We'd best be on our way then."
"I'll call him enroute." Luke said, but we should meet up with him first.
"You want me to defend..." Nawara's lekku twitched in shock.
"I can't order you. But we'd appreciate the help." Luke said.
"I...guess I should meet with him first."
"Not a problem."
Nawara kept twitching. "I would not do this for just anyone. Not even consider it, Commander."
"I...know. I don't ask lightly."
Their arrival was before the advisory council was to see Anakin was a tense one. It started with military guards trying to take him into custody. It was anything but a good idea. One reached for the lightsaber on his belt only to freeze at the look he gave them. The weapons pointed at him didn't phase him. But he'd been through too much lately to be magnanimous toward this political maneuvering.
"General Kenobi, we've been given orders to take Anakin Skywalker into custody."
"Lest you forget, he is in our custody, General Madine. Mine specifically." Obi-Wan said calmly.
Padmé was on one side, holding Anakin's hand. Ahsoka was on his other and Luke slightly in front. Leia stood on the other side of Padmé.
"General, we have our orders."
"Anakin is still a Jedi and a member of the Order. If you seek to restore the Republic you'll find a Jedi can only be tried by his peers, only if he is expelled can he be tried by the courts."
Madine was frozen at this, eyes narrowing. "He destroyed the Jedi."
"And was already tried, convicted and granted parole." Obi-Wan stated flatly. "If you want to revoke that we have a right to challenge your reasons."
Madine sighed in frustration. "General, I'm just following orders."
"A great many atrocities begin that way."
Now Madine frowned. "This is hardly an atrocity. We are only taking him into custody."
"And where do you plan to put him?"
"In the security wing. There will be a meeting tomorrow."
Obi-Wan gave Anakin a sidelong glance. Anakin said nothing, just waited, trusting Obi-Wan's judgement.
"In that case, I'll take him." His voice was flat. "And I will remain with him. He is still in my custody."
"I get the idea you don't trust the Republic, General Kenobi." Madine's gaze swept the group.
"I don't trust politicians. I seem to recall the Jedi being destroyed by such and many honestly believed the lies. I for one will not risk a precedent being set that the Jedi are to be trifled with for someone's political ambition."
"We'll need that lightsaber. It wasn't authorized. And we'll need to debrief all of you."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "A Jedi does not give up his lightsaber to just anyone."
Anakin nodded slightly and handed it to Obi-Wan. Padmé was gripping Anakin's hand tightly. He glanced back at her. "Hey, I'll be all right. I bet I get treated better than I did on the Chimera."
She smiled through tears. "I won't let them get away with this."
Anakin just nodded.
"En route I suggest we talk to you councilor."
Nawara Ven was waiting for them in a room in the security area. "Greetings."
"Thank you for this Nawara."
"I can't guarantee anything. I need to hear your version of recent events. All of yours, but especially..." He fumbled over what to call him.
"Anakin." Anakin cocked his head at the reaction. The twilek nodded, looking slightly relieved. "Then let us get on with it."
to be continued