Chapter 4 - Crashing

Author's Note: In which everything spirals. :)

~ Amina Gila


Sneaking into the Senate building itself is simple, but there's far more at stake than that. This is no easy mission. Ahsoka has to keep out of sight while trying to listen as best she can. It's... grating. Exhausting. Frankly, downright maddening.

There's a lot of chaos going on – they're trying to determine the cause and extent of the damage. No one is allowed into the explosion area at present. And people are afraid of what will happen next, though Ahsoka senses the danger is more elusive than that now.

She can't find anything concrete right now, not judging from the sheer chaos everywhere. Rightfully, the Senate will take time to settle out and decide anything, but personally, she's worried about more than just the Senate. She doesn't know if they can trust something else won't happen, like Anakin said.

But the tensions are running very, very tight. For some unfathomable reason – Ahsoka hasn't been able to get a straight answer, unless she outright asks someone, and she's trying to stay unnoticed. All she can tell is that for some entirely unfathomable reason, people are blaming... Windu? Or something? Maybe she heard something entirely out of context.

"We need to be careful," Ahsoka tells Anakin, stepping to the side to comm him. "They are blaming the Jedi for this. It doesn't look good. We have to do something about it. Is there... some way of countering the inhibitor chips?"

"I'll see what I can find out," Anakin responds, "There must be something."

"I'll keep looking," Ahsoka adds, "It's hectic here right now. I don't think anyone will notice me."

"Get closer to the Chancellor," Anakin requests, "That's why you came there."

"I'm not getting distracted," she replies, a bit sullenly. "I just got hung up. I'll keep moving. But I'm not sure which part of the building is available or not. It's... yeah. It could get ugly very fast."

"Stay alert," Anakin tells her, "I'll see what I can do."

Could be worse, she tries telling herself, but that does very little to calm the anxiety clawing deep within her gut. Something is very, very wrong. The disturbance in the Force is rapidly growing, and...

Literally anything could happen right now.

**w**

He does not like this, but there's no other choice. Ahsoka is right about that. He's been there so much that everyone would know who he is. That's not true about her. She has the benefit of being unknown.

If Anakin were there, he'd no doubt have already been recognized. Obi-Wan always found it funny how Anakin somehow attracts attention everywhere he goes. Like that's something he can help. It's not that he doesn't know how to hide; it's just that he inevitably ends up the center of attention everywhere he goes.

Ahsoka thinks it's the strength of his presence. Anakin has no idea.

There is an Order to counter the others. It's true for all of them, on some level, no doubt a counter measure in case something goes awry. The hardest part is that the order has to be verified by the Senate. And Anakin understands absolutely nothing about the process.

They need proof of what was happening, don't they?

Not as if that's hard to find – they were fighting the Acolyte in front of countless cameras. There's got to be something. Anakin sends a call through to Artoo, asking him to get on it. It won't take him very long.

Not as if waiting is easy, though.

Obi-Wan is out there. Somewhere. He's... there, and Anakin has to find him somehow. He doesn't know how, but he has to get through to him and bring him back. Anakin has no idea how to go about that. Obi-Wan is stubborn. He never listens.

And... Anakin doesn't even understand why he's doing this.

He doesn't know what to do to stop it.

The wait is agonizing, and he's relieved when Ahsoka finally calls him again. "The disturbance in the Force is growing stronger," she warns.

"I know," he replies, "I feel it, too. I don't like it."

"I'm afraid something's going to happen. I'm on my way to the Chancellor's office now, but he's been avoiding me. I can't tell if it's intentional. I don't like it."

"You and me both." Anakin doesn't understand what's happening, either. He hasn't spent much time with Palpatine since the war broke out, and it's... not impossible to think that things have changed that Anakin never knew about. Or that something else is... happening. Happened. It's pointless to theorize, but he can't help being worried.

"If the chance is so high," Rex interjects, stepping forwards, "I think we need to act. If that order is given out, none of us will be able to stop it."

The Force whispers its agreement. They need to act. "Yes," Anakin agrees, "Ahsoka, go talk to the Chancellor. Rex and I will handle the rest. And Artoo, of course."

"What will you do?" Ahsoka asks.

"We have to get to the communication tower," he explains, "We can't let that message go off-planet."

"You'll jam the communications?" she asks.

"Yes." And whatever decision the Senate reaches on their own about this, the clones will... have to do whatever they believe is best. "But be careful. The danger is... growing." It is around Ahsoka, too, and Anakin doesn't like it.

"I'll call you every five minutes with updates, remember?" she replies, before the call disconnects.

And now, they have a communications tower to take. Hopefully, they can do it without causing a scene.

And from here, they know what they have to do. That doesn't make it any less terrifying, though. They don't speak, and Anakin does his best not to think about how likely it is that they'll encounter Obi-Wan or... or worse as they try to end this. Or about how easy it would be for him to lose Rex or even Ahsoka here.

The ride isn't long, but Anakin senses the danger the moment they arrive. It's near the Senate, no doubt the one that will be used to give out the transmission across the galaxy. Somehow, Anakin isn't even surprised when they run into Fox, and... a number of Coruscanti Guard.

"I'll deal with them," Rex offers. "You keep moving."

He doesn't want to do this. He doesn't want to leave Rex, but it's... not a choice he gets to make right now. Holding back any of the retorts he desperately wants to make, Anakin moves around to the back, finding a more discrete, less visible way in.

For a moment, he actually thinks he'll be able to get to the console without being stopped, but the sudden storm of rain he senses in the Force now isn't something he could miss anywhere.

He rounds the next corner, to come face to face with the Acolyte, now in repaired armor. Obi-Wan.

The most this means is... confirmation he's in the right place, but not the kind he needs.

**w**

Ahsoka keeps close to the wall, moving as a silent shadow. She cloaks herself in the Force automatically, trying to stay hidden, projecting a 'don't notice me' on repeat. She's good at stealth, at least, and there's a certain thrill to it.

Usually, it's easy, and almost amusing, because droids are very dumb. Here, trying to avoid clones and cameras, is much harder.

The vents are an ideal place. They're the best place, actually, and she takes those most of the way. Granted, sneaking around in the Senate will probably make her look even worse, but she'll worry about that later.

Sneaking into the Chancellor's office is probably not the best of ideas, but he should understand it, right? If he's really such good friends with Anakin? Ahsoka hasn't spent nearly enough time around the Chancellor to know herself.

All she does know is that someone being friends with Anakin says absolutely nothing about them as a person. He befriends some of the strangest people.

That includes Tarkin, not that they were exactly friends, but still. The Admiral was being so nasty that all she wanted to do was punch him in the face. She's fairly certain all the clones around entirely seconded that sentiment. Echo and Fives certainly did, from the sheer level of annoyance screaming off them into the Force.

Ahsoka forcibly files that away for later complaining. But the Chancellor has never... seemed evil, or even unkind, considering he's one of the very few people who seemed to genuinely want to spend time with her master.

So, yeah, she just hopes sneaking into his office is a good idea.

So, she does sneak inside, doing her best to stay out of sight, just in case.

Because something is wrong. Ahsoka feels a strange chill running through her, and she doesn't like it. The Force is curling around her, protecting her. Ahsoka is crouching by the doorway, out of sight, starting to wonder if she's just overthinking this and being incredibly dramatic about it, when something ripples. And that's when she hears it.

"Execute Order –"

Ahsoka lashes out, frantically, crushing the comm.

That was Palpatine. She knows that. It was him. And he was about to –

She skids into the last room of his office – it's ridiculously big and all – where he is, already drawing her lightsabers, unable to help expecting something to jump out at her.

And Force, there is something about the look on his face that just freezes her. It looks too dark, too menacing, too terrifying to be the kind person she's always seen him as.

"You shouldn't have done that, child," he says, standing.

Ahsoka rebalances herself, reaching out with her senses, just to double-check if the room is clear or if someone is about to attack her. She doesn't sense anything other than what she sees, though something more is happening. "You shouldn't have done that, either," she throws back, knowing full well that being very snippy right now is a very bad idea, but unable to find it in herself to care.

"I know what you were doing," Ahsoka continues, anger she didn't even know she had bubbling up inside her. "About the clones, the inhibitor chips, all of it. How could you do that to them? How could you control them? How could you stand for this?" She couldn't help wondering before, when they heard about the chips, that the Chancellor must know about them in order for him to activate them. Anakin hadn't wanted to believe it – understandably – and neither had she, but now, seeing him, knowing what he was about to do, or at least what she thinks he was about to do, she can't stay quiet.

Something in the room is shifting, and she takes a physical step back at the sudden darkness. "This will be your undoing," Palpatine replies, warning, and she can only stare in shock as he pulls out a... lightsaber?

**w**

Seeing the Jedi again is... somehow more familiar than he remembered from before. It's like... seeing him has awoken something inside him that the Acolyte didn't fully realize was missing. But there is something... something.

"Let me through," the Jedi demands. "People will die. You know I can't let that happen."

The Jedi will die, and the Jedi deserve to be destroyed. He doesn't know why there's a faint, quiet, distant part of him that thinks he should give in to that, but it makes him angry. "The Jedi will die," he corrects.

A flux of pain washes off the Jedi. "So will others."

"Other traitors, who will stand in the way of peace."

"My family," the Jedi retorts with a sudden anger. It's... strange to see, and the Acolyte doesn't know why he finds that anger so unusual. "The clones."

"Soldiers who were made to die."

The Acolyte senses his flare of anger. "They were made for so much more than that."

No, they weren't, but the Jedi doesn't need to know that. Dooku said the clones were designed specifically to kill the Jedi, were meant to be weapons of the Sith. The ingeniousness of it was frankly impressive. And it will work. He was sent here to make sure no Jedi can stop the transmission from getting through, and that's what he'll do. Dooku told him the mission comes first.

For some reason, that feels very familiar.

It's like, somehow, even though he doesn't remember any of it, this has happened before. As if once, he thought this person was important enough to question... something. Orders he had in the past, whatever that past was.

"Let me through," the Jedi demands again, hands clenched around his lightsaber.

As if he actually thinks the Acolyte would have some reason to listen to that demand? He ignores the tiny inclination inside of him to – to cave to that, to question if he really should... "Is this how you usually take down Separatists? By talking?" he asks, dryly.

There's a strange flux of pain and anger around him, before the Jedi lashes out, shoving him back.

The Acolyte catches his balance quickly – something about the Jedi makes him think he'll have to fight extra hard, if this is something he's going to win. But he... he wants to capture him, somehow. He needs to know why he's important. "You'll have to do better than that," he chides, as the Jedi attempts to pass him in that moment of distraction.

He swings for his head, and the Jedi hastily blocks it, their blades clashing.

It feels familiar, like it's happened a million times before, but the violence of it is wrong. It's –

He can't focus on anything else other than the fight, though. The duel is fast and furious, even if the Jedi isn't fighting as aggressively as it feels like he ought to be. Like he doesn't want to injure him.

"Reigning in your anger will only make you lose," the Acolyte says.

The Jedi shoves him back again with the Force, something almost... desperate in his eyes. He can't describe the strange... way it makes him feel. Not that it matters. He has to finish the mission, so he attacks him again, anyway.

Except then the Jedi twists his lightsaber to the side, sending the Acolyte's flying from his hand.

It feels familiar, somehow, but he moves instantly, tackling the Jedi to the ground, narrowing avoiding his lightsaber. They roll across the floor of the tower, as the Acolyte tries to reach for his lightsaber again.

Because apparently, having a physical fight with the Jedi is not the best of ideas. His metal arm gives him a major advantage.

He's also infinitely stubborn, and the Acolyte doesn't see it coming fast enough to duck it when he hits him over the head, and everything goes dark.

**w**

Anakin pushes himself up with a quiet groan, scrambling back to the console. He's jammed things enough times himself, and seen the boys do it even more, that he knows how to do it in seconds. The Force is whispering of a constant sense of danger.

The clones will not take it well. Anakin certainly wouldn't. They were made to fight for the Republic, and it's all they've ever known. Learning that they were made to destroy it? That would destroy them.

He'll have to come back for Obi-Wan later, once this is over. Now isn't the time to think about it, when all the Jedi's lives are on the line. Still, he... just wishes he knew what happened. In some ways, he still acts so much like himself, but it's like he doesn't recognize Anakin, and it doesn't make sense.

Later, though. He can deal with that later. Now, he needs to jam the signal.

It works, and not a moment too soon, because there was already a transmission about to come through that he stops. Had he been one moment slower, it could have happened, and he doesn't know what that means for what's going on with Ahsoka.

He doesn't want to distract her, but she has not, in fact, been calling him with updates as frequently as she said she would. And most of the danger he can sense right now, is centered around her.

Anakin reaches into the Force, just to check on Rex, and breathes a sigh of relief when he senses that, however exhausted, the captain at least is alive. He's not injured, either, at least not seriously.

He waits only another moment before finally giving in and calling her. "Ahsoka, where are you?" Anakin calls into his comm.

"Running." She's panting, but still manages to sound extremely irked. "As fast as I can. Also, did you know that Palpatine was a Sith?"

"What?!" he all but yells. He – what?! Anakin doesn't want to think about the implications of that, not that he even has the mental capacity to do so right now.

How are both Obi-Wan and Palpatine Sith?!

That doesn't... it doesn't make any sense, and nor should it be possible. Anakin knew them. He... but then again, nothing in the galaxy makes sense anymore, does it?

"I'll call back," Ahsoka calls, still breathless. She really shouldn't be talking right now if she's fighting, especially not a Sith Lord, who she's fighting alone.

"I'll come over," he tells her, instantly, because there's no way she'll be able to do this on her own. But he can't leave the tower either. Especially not with Obi-Wan here. As soon as he wakes up, he'll...

"Handle the tower," she replies, "Help's already coming."

Probably, Windu's already on his way, and Anakin can only hope that it will be fast enough. Because really, if he leaves the tower and the message gets out, none of them are going to survive. Every single Jedi could die, and –

How could Palpatine ever be willing to do that?

**w**

Running as fast as she can through the Chancellor's office was not what Ahsoka had in mind when she came here. But she realized in only a few minutes that she was no match for a Sith of that skill.

How he was a Sith in the first place and no one noticed until right now, she has no idea, but at least everything makes a tiny bit more sense now. Of course, he's been setting this all up. For some reason, she's more annoyed than surprised about that. The shock she'll process later, when it sets in, probably.

Right now, all she can do is try to stay alive, but the Sith is quickly catching up. She spins around to cross her lightsabers in front of her when he unleashes another blast of Force-lightning on her. It crackles up the blades, some of the sparks coming far too close for comfort, but she stubbornly stands her ground.

But still, she doesn't know how much longer she'll be able to hold it. Not if –

There's a sudden noise behind her, and the lightning just as suddenly dies, as Windu steps into the room, igniting his own blade.

Ahsoka can't remember the last time she was so relieved to sense his presence.

"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor," Windu says, steely.

"You are interfering with direct matters of the Senate," he retorts, "This is treason."

"And mind-controlling the Republic's army isn't?" Ahsoka retaliates, "You're the one destroying the Republic!"

"The Senate will decide your fate," Windu snaps.

"The Senate has already chosen yours," Palpatine replies, and Windu lunges at him, before they can keep talking. Ahsoka instantly jumps back into the battle, and now that Windu is fighting alongside her, it's far easier.

She's not nearly a match for either of them, though, so it feels like she spends most of the time getting shoved out of the way, and ducking Palpatine's lightsaber. Windu is able to fight him off fine on his own, and for a moment, she actually thinks maybe he's gaining the upper hand.

She needs to know what's going on with the Senate too, because if Palpatine's not lying, they're going to have a massive problem on their hands. Yes, they can jam the transmissions to the clones for a time, but how long?

Backing away from the still fighting duo, Ahsoka calls the comm she left with Artoo. She needs to know what's going on.

"What's happening, Artoo?" she asks.

He beeps and whistles in response – she can't tell everything he's saying, but she can make out enough to get the gist of it.

He showed the Senate the evidence, and tides are rapidly turning towards the Jedi again. Most of them believe it's a Separatist conspiracy.

There are still some crazy rumors out there, of course, claiming that the Jedi are working with Dooku, of all outlandish things. Because supposedly, the fact that he was a highly respected Jedi might mean that all the rest of the Jedi were willing to... orchestrate this? It's one of the most infuriating things she's heard, and it floods her with a blinding sense of icy rage. Dooku hurt her master. It's like everyone forgot that. He's killed Jedi. She can only thank the Force those idiots are the small minority.

"Good work," she praises. "We better go get Anakin. Either him or Rex have probably gotten themselves into some stupid mess without us."

**w**

Now that all is said and done, and he can finally breathe again, Anakin turns to Obi-Wan, who's finally stirring. The dangers have subsided, he can feel, but there's still more at stake.

Now, somehow, and he's still not entirely certain as to how, he has to get through to Obi-Wan. That... is not going to be easy. He doesn't even know what happened to his former master to make him so blindly loyal to the Sith. He's... changed, and he doesn't seem to remember them.

Anakin has no idea how that's possible. He doesn't look like he was injured too severely, but that doesn't say much.

Still, Anakin approaches him cautiously, unwilling to let his guard down. That would be stupid. Obi-Wan did try to kill him, and... yeah.

He doesn't want to think about any of that right now. It hurts far too much.

But then again, it was Anakin who let the Sith capture him and keep him, even if he can already hear Rex and Ahsoka's voices in his mind, firmly denying it. They don't think he could've stopped it, but the guilt doesn't recede.

The Acolyte is a Dark Sider, no doubt, but it's... a little different with him then Anakin has felt with Dooku. It's like... he's being clouded with it, too.

"Obi-Wan?" he asks, cautiously.

His master twitches, though Anakin can't see his face through his mask to know his expression. Not as though he's entirely certain he wants to right now, not yet. Not when everything is so full of unknowns.

Anakin has missed him. So much. He can't even put words to the gaping hole that's been tearing him apart for so long, that's become a constant part of his existence, just like his mother's death. And... he has no idea if Obi-Wan has felt it too or not.

He can't help how tense he is, though, as Obi-Wan finally pushes himself upright.

"Obi-Wan?" he repeats, uncertainly.

For a long moment, the mask stares back at him, but it's... probably a plus he hasn't immediately attacked. "That name," he says, finally, in that painfully familiar voice, "Why do you keep repeating it?"

His hands clench, uncertainty twisting inside him. "That's who you are."

The long pause of silence is nearly intolerable. "We knew each other?"

"You... don't remember?" How could Obi-Wan not even remember him? Or – or any of this, really. What happened?

"This was the fault of the Jedi," he replies, sharply.

"What?" What happened? What is he... talking about?! What... Anakin can't help feeling like he doesn't know him anymore. To be fair, it's the truth.

"What I forgot, was because of them."

That... doesn't make any sense. Is this what he's been told? "You were lost in the battle. Everyone thought you were –" Anakin cuts himself off, unable to finish. "The Separatists took you. They must have done this."

"I was a Jedi?" he sounds disbelieving. To be fair, if Anakin was in the reverse of this, he wouldn't believe it, either.

"You were my master," Anakin tells him. He doesn't know how to feel about any of this. It's just so... sudden. So confusing. He doesn't understand how this could've happened but pondering that won't fix it. Maybe that's the worst part: not knowing if Obi-Wan will ever remember him. "Were you... injured?" he asks finally, uncertainly. He just needs to know what caused this.

"No," he replies, after a moment reaching up to take his mask off. If anything, seeing those now yellow eyes staring at him makes it even harder. Why did any of this have to happen this way? "From what I recall."

Maybe the Sith did... something else. "It might be reversible. They must have done something to your mind," he says, even if it's little more than a wild guess. He just... wants to believe there's something they can do. But what, he has no idea.

"No," he denies, firmly.

Anakin frowns at the strange sense he picks up from the Force. It's... not a lie, but it's not entirely true, either. Clearly, whatever happened, is far more detailed than he realizes.

What that means, he's not sure, but it's like the Dark Side is covering it, blocking part of it off. He doesn't fully understand how. He doesn't know how to ask, either. He slowly crouches in front of him, and they just sit there, looking at each other.

Obi-Wan is... here again. Even if he doesn't remember. Anakin is grateful for that, at least. They're together again, even if it... doesn't feel like they are.

"I believe they did something with the Dark Side." Dooku, probably, and it makes him angry, that the Sith could've done this to Obi-Wan, to make him turn on the Jedi completely against his will, without him even knowing he didn't want it. "I might be able to break it, if I... tried." He'd have to reach for his mind, though, and he doesn't know if Obi-Wan would want that.

"How?" he asks, not quite sharply.

"It's... like a dark veil," Anakin explains slowly. "I think. I'm not sure. I think I could break it."

He senses suspicion. Not that he can entirely blame Obi-Wan for that, either, considering everything that's happened. He doesn't know what this means for the future. He didn't even know they had a chance at a future yesterday. It's... too much to process in such a short time.

"Can you?" he asks, and it sounds more skeptical than anything, but Anakin takes it as an agreement, anyway.

He reaches out, carefully, gently, with a tendril of light, towards the strange, dark haze.

Anakin has healed people before. Sort of. He did it with Ahsoka on Mortis, though that's something he'd much prefer never to think about again. What he's doing now is similar to that. The Dark is persisting, but it breaks at the edges when he reaches it and tears it down altogether.

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