Thanks for the reviews! I am sorry about the italics problem, it will be cleared up soon.
Ahsoka navigated the speeder bike through the tangle of trees and plants that made up the landscape around the factory.
When the separatist building was in sight, Ahsoka leaped off the bike and braced herself for what was to come.
If the droids don't kill me, my Master will, she thought. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Ahsoka couldn't back out now. Shouldering a pack of charges, she crept closer to the two battle droids that were guarding an air vent in the wall.
There's my way in.
"Too bad we got stuck with the most boring post in the droid army," the first one complained.
"At least there aren't any Jedi around here," the second one said.
Ahsoka used the Force to slam both droids into the wall, reducing them to scrap. The sound of metal against metal echoed around the clearing.
Ahsoka winced and glanced around quickly. To her relief, no droids were close enough to have heard it.
But I won't get lucky twice...
Ahsoka pulled the grate off the opening and slithered inside. Immediately, the sound of machinery reached her and she felt a steady blast of air against her. It was so cramped she could barely crawl.
Rex and my Master would never fit in here.
Every few meters, there was an opening and Ahsoka could see into each room. Some had large canisters labelled 'Fondorian Extract.' Ahsoka knew from her studies at the Jedi Temple that Fondorian Extract was a type of gas used mostly for heating homes, but she was guessing that this and the liquid of Gavern had something to do with that weapon disabling pulse they had experienced earlier.
Most of the other rooms had nothing that interested her, but the sound of non-droid voices coming from ahead made Ahsoka stop and peer cautiously into the next room.
A twitchy Neimoidian was speaking. "My Lord, we cannot possibly deliver the capsules of the Virdix to all the separatist systems. There isn't enough Virdix in all of Gavern to-"
Virdix, Ahsoka thought, that must be the name of the substance in Gavern's soil.
The hologram he was speaking to interrupted, and Ahsoka had to strain to hear what the voice was saying.
"I am sure you will be able to... consequences... we cannot allow... republic... victory..."
The speaker's voice was soft and menacing. It didn't sound like Dooku to Ahsoka. In fact, Ahsoka thought it sounded rather like Chancellor Palpatine.
That's ridiculous, Ahsoka scolded herself.
The Neimoidian's green skin paled. "Y-yes, my lord." He turned to the tactical droid standing beside him. "Tell the droids to begin loading the Virdix onto the transport." To the shadowy hologram, he said, "There are more shipments of the Virdix ready to be mixed with the Fondorian extract from Fondor's underground steam tubes."
"Good," said the figure. "Contact me when you are off-planet..." the transmission cut out.
Ahsoka sucked in a breath. They were using more and more of the Virdix in the weapon, and had plans to deliver the weapon across the galaxy.
My Master needs to hear this. Her finger hovered over her comlink as she remembered that she was slightly in trouble.
She had a new idea.
Ahsoka waited until the Neimoidian left with the tactical droid, then leaped out of the vent and stole after them.
Staying in the shadows, Ahsoka followed them to the hangar. Several battle droids were carrying boxes onto a small Trade Federation freighter.
"Don't drop that," a battle droid warned. "If that Virdix gets mixed with the Fondorian Extract before hits its target..."
For once, Ahsoka was glad for her studies in the Jedi Temple. She crept to the ship and slid underneath to where she knew the fuel tanks were located and pulled the charges out of her pack, latching as many as she could to the exposed fuel tanks.
Ahsoka programmed the charges to explode when she pressed a button on her comm, and slid out from under the ship.
OK. Get out of here without being seen, then blow up the ship. If I'm lucky, the blast will be big enough to send this place sky-high.
"Hey!" A battle droid yelled. "Who are you?"
"Jedi!" shouted three others.
Ahsoka leaped out of the way just as several blaster bolts slammed into the wall where her head had been. She pulled out her lightsaber and hit the activator button so hard she was slightly surprised it didn't shatter. Nothing happened. She ducked again and rolled out of the droids' line of fire.
An ear-piercing alarm went off throughout the building as Ahsoka raced for the door. It slid open and she skidded through it, expecting to see the outdoors. Instead, she found herself in another corridor. And just her luck- it was crowded with battle droids.
"This is hardly a fair fight!" Ahsoka yelled. She Force-pushed the droids twenty feet backwards.
Behind her, more droids entered the corridor.
"Blast her!"
The droids all raised their weapons.
There was no way Ahsoka could fight that many droids without her lightsaber. She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.
The droids weren't buying it.
Ahsoka closed her eyes and made a decision.
"Fire!" screeched the commander.
Fire.
Ahsoka raised her comm and detonated the charges. The ship exploded. The factory went up in flames.
I have discovered cliffhangers. Don't kill me!