Crash and Niner relaxed as Republic reinforcements took over the battle, allowing them to rest back at the makeshift base that had been set up high in the platforms the Wookiees called home. They'd had precious little time to rest since their arrival on Kashyyyk, and they treated every minute of downtime like it would be their last. And, realistically, it could be.
Niner held his white helmet in his lap, trying to polish it as best he could with a small red cloth. Crash shook his head and chuckled melodiously. "It ain't gonna get any cleaner," he said bluntly. "You've been rubbing at those scuffs for hours."
The other soldier gave him a spiteful glare. "They actually happen to be fading a bit, thank you very much."
"A bit," Crash repeated, laughing. "Mine's got dents and scratches and dirt and all sorts of other crap all over it, and I ain't worried. They're battle scars. Shows exactly what the tinnies are dealing with." He leaned back against a metal supply crate, his reflection blurred in the dull shine of its surface, and breathed in the warm, salty air. "I wonder what Commander Draik's doing right now."
"Probably Jedi stuff," Niner said with a shrug, scrubbing at a particularly difficult dirt smudge near the top of his helmet.
He was wrong, of course. What Carter was doing at that moment was definitely not 'Jedi Stuff,' but what was worse was that the nonchalant attitude of both clones made what was to come even harder to bear.
Carter smiled slightly to himself as he ran his fingertips gently down Ahsoka's bare red-orange skin, tracing the small scars that lined her back. She'd been reluctant to expose them to him the night previous, feeling that they were deformities that undermined her appearance. Carter believed it only enhanced her existing beauty. Her imperfections were exactly what made her perfect to him.
There were marks where blaster bolts and lightsaber blades had grazed her skin, creating a twisted maze of dark and light. The light of the rising sun could be barely seen through the window, giving their bodies a glowing appearance.
And that was how he felt inside. Glowing. There was a smile on his face that refused to leave. His cheeks were actually beginning to hurt because of it.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she yawned. "Whatcha smiling at?" she asked.
"You," he said bluntly, smirking as he kissed her gently on the forehead. "Morning."
"Morning," she replied tiredly. "Holy Force, I get to wake up to you now." Ahsoka smiled at her revelation.
"When we're not on duty," he reminded her. "Speaking of which, what's going on with the war? Do you know if they found Grevious?"
She shook her head. "Carter, I just got married. I haven't had the time to catch up on the war. I haven't even seen Master Skywalker recently, and he's stuck here on Coruscant."
He shrugged. "Just wondering. I could turn on the vid." Carter began to untangle himself from Ahsoka and the sheets of the bed, shivering as he left the warmth and comfort of the two. He grabbed a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, pulling them on quickly, and moved to power up the holographic news reports.
"-direct from Pau City, Utapau," the reporter on-screen said professionally. "We've received word that General Kenobi has made contact with General Grievous. Republic reinforcements are moving in as we speak."
"Kenobi found Grievous!" he called to Ahsoka from the living room.
"He better not get away this time," she grumbled.
"You make it sound personal," Carter remarked.
"It is! He's gotten away from me before. Slippery coward."
Carter's eyebrows knotted together in a frown, and he returned to the bed, where she was still half sitting under the sheets. He gently placed an arm and leg on either side of her and hovered over her, searching her sapphire blue eyes.
"Relax," he said. "You don't need to be worrying about the war right now."
"I'm a Jedi," she replied almost instantaneously. "Of course I need to be worrying about the war!"
"You're a newlywed," Carter countered. "You need to let your mind stray from Jedi business for a moment."
"It was a stretch getting married," she reminded him. "Last night, I let my mind stray from Jedi business. For you. This morning, I'm a Jedi again. It's who I am, Carter. You can't ask me to detach myself from something I'm a part of."
He sighed, dropping his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips before capturing them in a deep kiss. Ahsoka responded warmly, just as nearly any new bride would do, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He flicked his tongue against her lips, and she parted them easily. His hands wandered, free of guilt now that their marriage had granted them new rights. But his lust was short-lived, because he found solace in her perfect blue eyes, giving her a glance that could convey more than any words could have done. One hand cupped her cheek, a thumb stroking the skin gently. The other removed the sheets that separated them and found her waist, as he pulled their bodies together. She sighed, gripping his shoulders tighter.
Tighter.
Tighter.
Carter winced. He wasn't doing much to cause that much excitement in her. But she was pressing his skin down to the bone of his shoulder blades, and it hurt.
"Ow, Ahsoka!" he pulled his lips away for a moment, still cradling her body in his arms. He glanced into her eyes, and frowned. They seemed distant. She wasn't reacting to his actions anymore.
He moved his hand from her cheek to in front of her face and snapped his fingers. "Hey! 'Soka!"
She blinked. "Carter?"
"You wouldn't be in bed with anyone else, would you?" He chuckled. "What was that?"
"Master Skywalker." Ahsoka shook his head, pulling away from Carter so she sat against the headboard of the bed. She took his hand from her waist and interlocked their fingers. "He's hurting. I can feel it."
"Ahsoka, he's not even on the front lines..."
"No! Not physically. I can feel it in my heart. He's hurting. Bad."
"Can you tell why?"
She closed her eyes, her nose twitching as she concentrated. "Regret," she finally said. "He did something. And he regrets it. Carter, this hurts. His heart is breaking."
Suddenly, Ahsoka stood, unintentionally unveiling herself completely before Carter. He gripped the side of the bed to keep himself in check. The feeling passed quickly, as she clothed herself and pulled on her boots.
"Where are you going?"
She was at the door, but she turned to face him. "To see him."
"Ahsoka, we just-"
"We just got married," she finished for him. "I know. But we're still Jedi. He needs me." She started to walk out the doorway, but made sure to make one last point before it closed behind her.
"Besides, you'd do the same for Kento!"
Anakin flexed his fingers as he stared contemplatively at the Coruscant skyline. It was done. He served Palpatine now. The death of Mace Windu served as a sign that he could never go back.
Darth Vader.
It terrified even him. Anakin Skywalker was a hero. Darth Vader was not. He needed to become the face of terror. He needed to sever relationships. In choosing Padme, he had chosen death for his friends. Obi-wan, the older brother he'd never had. Ahsoka, the little sister he'd always wanted. Rex, his comrade over the years, needed to become a heartless servant of the new Empire.
A knock at the door shook him from his thoughts. He felt her presence even before he'd opened the door. Their bond was that strong.
In fact, he was sure that it was the bond that led her to him.
He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, leaving it inactivated, and felt his heart grow heavier. His thumb slid over the button that would make the blade spring to life as he contemplated the action he'd been ordered to take. She knocked again.
Anakin would look her in the eyes when he did it.. She deserved at least that much. He moved to the door and let it open. Her sapphire eyes looked up at him inquisitively, and his resolve crumpled. He hooked his lightsaber back on his belt.
"Master?"
"I'm not in the mood to talk right now."
"If you weren't, you wouldn't have opened the door."
"If I didn't open it, you'd still be knocking, Sni- Ahsoka." He couldn't bear to use her nickname.
She smiled. "You know me well, Master."
"How was the wedding?" She froze for a moment. "Carter told me," he chuckled. "He actually asked my permission to marry you, you know."
He watched a grin slowly spread across her face at this bit of news. "He did?" she asked, pleasantly surprised. "The wedding was great."
"And the wedding night?" Anakin gave her a joking wink.
"He was- I mean, it was- incredible," she said, blushing. "I'll leave out the details."
"Please do."
"I didn't come here to talk about my personal affairs, Skyguy. Or my sex life."
He sighed. "I know. You came because you think there's something wrong."
"I came because I know there's something wrong."
Anakin glanced down at his shoes. He couldn't make eye contact. "The order's... changing. It's not about helping the oppressed. It's about appeasing the politicians. I feel like their views on the Force limit our potential. There are so many things the Jedi don't understand. Things that... other groups have mastered."
What he didn't say to her she had picked up by reading between the lines and drawing upon their Force bond. "Other groups," Ahsoka repeated, gritting her teeth. She stood. "Other. Groups? You're talking about the Sith, aren't you?"
"Ahsoka, they aren't what the Jedi make them out to be. They use the Force as the gift that was given to them! They don't let themselves be slaves to the Force, they control it, force it to obey their will."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing," she said, shaking her head. Her fists were clenched, and a vase on a table behind her began to shake with her fury.
"The Code, Ahsoka! The Code is wrong. It's designed to keep you and Carter apart! To keep me and Padme apart! You can't say you want to live by that!"
"You and Padme?" Ahsoka shook her head again. "Okay, maybe I don't agree with all the ideals of the Jedi. But the Sith are evil, Master! What happened to the boy from Tatooine who wanted to free the slaves?"
"He grew up. He realized that some dreams are impossible to achieve."
Ahsoka glared at him. "He turned to the dark side."
"There is no dark side. The Force is one big gray area. I'm going to do right by the galaxy with my new powers. I want you to be a part of it. Be my apprentice again. You know how good of a team we make, Snips! Think of all the planets we'll free. Think of the wars we'll end! The peace we'll bring!"
The vase behind Ahsoka shattered. "You want me to follow in your footsteps? You want me to be your apprentice?" Through the Force, she upturned the caffa table that sat between them. "No! You aren't the Jedi I met on Christophsis. You're not the one who taught me to do right by others, no matter the cost. You aren't my Master anymore. You say the Order's changed. You're wrong. You're the one who's changed!"
Anakin stepped toward her, clenching his fists. "Then we have nothing more to talk about. I don't want to hurt you Ahsoka. Stay away from me. From the temple. From the Jedi. I'm praying I never have to see you again. Because if I do, I'll have to follow through on the order I disobeyed today."
"Don't want to hurt me," Ahsoka repeated with a dry laugh. "Too late. You already have."
She stormed out the door, slamming it behind her, and Anakin felt their bond sever abruptly and permanently.
Crash and Niner sat with the rest of their squad and watched with sinking hearts the hooded figure of Chancellor Palpatine over the comlink. "Today," he was saying, "you men will save the galaxy! You will be heroes! You will end this war!"
The troops around them nodded and thrust their fists in the air. Crash and Niner's shoulders drooped in defeat.
"Execute Order 66."