Well, here's another chapter. I'm not too proud of myself on this one since I feel I haven't really given it my all on this, and that I've rushed it. I hope its ok though. I was getting bored and didn't want to cram in the stuff I had planned for all of this, so the next part will come soon, when I have more time to think about how I'm going to set it out. Anyway, hope you still enjoy. Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter and have stuck with me. It means alot guys, and I love you all for it. :) Special thanks to Spade - Omega 7 who took his time to read all the chapters of my story and review them. You rock man! )
Chapter 12. A grand entrance, Skywalker style.
"Why is it… every time we fly… you find some spectacular way of crashing the ship?" Ahsoka yelled over the deafening bleep of the alarm in the bridge of the Twilight.
Literally instantly after Anakin and Ahsoka had exited hyperspace they had been battered with a hail of powerful blaster fire, courtesy of Death Watch who reallydidn't want any visitors to Mandalore at the present moment.
Anakin was wrestling with the controls, his face a mask of intense concentration as he struggled to keep the ship in line for the crash. They were only mere seconds away from entering the atmosphere. The last thing they needed was to enter it wrong and tussle around like an unused rag doll, before finally plummeting into the ground, most likely pulverizing them upon impact and transforming them into tinned Jedi.
"I. Don't. Know!" Anakin ground out through gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving the planet below them, red sparks already emitting at the sides of the windshield, the atmosphere now ready to engulf them in a blanket of flames. "I guess I'm just so popular. With my reputation and all." He added smugly.
Anakin. Always tying to lighten even the darkest situations with some compliment… which was mainly centred around the modest Knight himself. Ahsoka couldn't help but show a small smirk at his humour. Then reality kicked back in, and her intense blue orbs locked onto the planet below them, which was rapidly increasing in size.
"Why does this always have to happen to us?" She thought aggrieved.
By now the baby blue sky had appeared before them, and from below, the ship was clearly visible to those witnessing the two Jedi's grand entrance that had become somewhat of a regularity to them both. Up ahead was a long strip of free land with no inhabitants. Anakin wrestled with the ship once more to keep it steady, his face now contorting into one of worry as he tried to keep the dying ship in line with the stretch of land. The grey came closer to them; almost rushing, before finally they made impact.
The force of the landing threw both of them forwards, Ahsoka instinctively stretching her arms out to catch herself on the control panel, before her head was swiftly thrown back into the seat. The scraping of the ship against the ground they now skid on rippled through the entire ship, right through to Ahsoka's bones. She tried to stop her teeth from chattering together from the ride, as well as desperately trying to ignore the shrill screeching of the steel against the extra steel ground below that rung relentlessly in her ears.
After a few extra seconds and meters of the intense crash landing, the ship finally skidded to a halt, its front smashing into the wall, once again lurching the two Jedi forward as they both reached out to catch themselves once more. Both slowly sat back as they watched the dust settle around them. They shared an amused look with each other before the light hearted moment was suddenly interrupted by the shouts of many men, all sounding very familiar to both Jedi.
"Death Watch," They both gasped, as they quickly un strapped themselves from their entrapped forms, before navigating their way out through the barrage of debris the crash had created, out to the back of the ship, to which they darted out of, rushing towards some bushes near by.
The two Jedi dived into the green jungle, quickly crouching down and peeking through the small gaps the leaves presented to them.
Six members of Death Watch sprinted towards the ship, the one leading halting the group behind. He was clad in the same armour as the rest of the team, but he wore a grey cloak over his right shoulder, the Death Watch insignia in the centre, along with an insignia of an unknown flying creature covered in brown feathers, a type of mistletoe circling it; differencing him from among the other five.
"Why is that guy wearing a cape with the crest of the Duchess' guard?" Ahsoka asked under her breath.
"I don't know," Anakin answered in a hushed tone, as he continued to intensely watch the six members mumble questions and estimates about who could have been on the ship and where they went.. "My guess is that Duchess Satine no longer rules."
Anakin saw, from the corner of his eye, Ahsoka's facial expression turn from serious to surprised. "But why would she do that?" Ahsoka questioned, mostly to herself. "The duchess, as far as I've heard, is a fine ruler."
"That I've heard to," Anakin said, equally just as puzzled, though the pieces seemed to be forming and fixing together in his mind like jigsaw pieces. "I don't think she willingly designated her throne to someone else. I think she was forcefully dethroned."
"Which explains Death Watches presence on Mandalore," Ahsoka concluded, turning her gaze that had settled on her master earlier back to the team of scouts who were now inspecting the inside of the battered shuttle.
"And perhaps why Obi-Wan hasn't responded," Anakin added, the anger at what Death Watch could be doing to him now bubbling within.
Ahsoka quickly turned her head back to him, her lekku's swinging over her shoulders."Where do you suppose master Kenobi is?" She asked. Worry laced her voice the concerns she had for the legendary Jedi Master. Anakin frowned.
"Lets go find out," He decided, beginning to walk in a crouched manner past Ahsoka. "If we blend in, we may just find out where they're keeping Obi-Wan… and what's going on here."
Ahsoka nodded and began to follow her mentor, reaching the end of the wall they had been going across behind the bushes and leaping down it, quickly immersing themselves into the crowd, becoming one with them. Both Jedi approached a stool full of light coloured robes. Both of the Jedi noticed the man supposedly working there wasn't watching. He was too busy conversing with another man behind, offering him money for something of the likes that looked illegal. The two Jedi stealthily snatched two white robes from the stool and covered themselves with it, pulling the hoods up over their heads, concealing their faces from prying eyes.
After a few minutes of walking, Anakin spotted a group of people who all stood near a dark alley way, their faces forlorn, however, the group were leaning their heads near each other and speaking in hushed tones. Anakin turned his head to Ahsoka who was also watching them with keen interest. She turned her head up to him to confirm an approach. Anakin nodded curtly, acknowledging the request.
The group which consisted of a few men and women, a total of five, continued to speak, though one by one they started to tilt their heads up and down in an attempt to look inconspicuous as they surveyed them with a critical eye.
Anakin slowly raised his head, allowing the group to see his face. Startled gasps escaped their mouths as they recognized the heroic Knight before them.
"Its Anakin Skywalker! The Hero with no Fear!" They hushed excitedly, smiles gracing their forlorn features, brightening their faces spectacularly. Anakin smirked at their delightfulness.
"Ladies… gentlemen," He dipped his head in kind greetings to them all to which they returned. Ahsoka, who stood just behind her master, mirrored his actions. "Do you mind telling us why you are separated from the rest of the crowd and speaking in hushed tones?"
The group worriedly looked at each other, hoping someone would answer the Jedi Knight's question. One man dressed in a light grey flight suit turned his head to Anakin and gave a worried look that sparkled in his cerulean eyes.
"We're trying to plan an attack that will overthrow the new duke: Vizsla," The man answered, his voice turning harsh as he said "Vizsla,".
Anakin, to say, was certainly surprised, blinking in astonishment. Ahsoka was the same as Anakin, blinking in astonishment too. "That explains Death Watches presence then," Anakin said, reaching up to scratch the side of his head in thought. "How long has Vizsla ruled?"
"About two days now," The man responded. Anakin gave a quizzical look.
"Did you know of a Jedi's presence here during the armada Vizsla led Death Watch on?"
"Yeah," A brunette woman dressed in a tight fitting grey unisuit answered in an almost high, squeaky voice that matched really with a blonde girl who twirled her hair and chewed on pink bubble gum. "General Kenobi. The Negotiator!" She cheered, giving a heroic fist pump for emphasis.
Anakin smirked in amusement to her liking of the famous general. "He always seems so popular with the ladies.. If only he'd notice the undivided attention they give him."
"Where is he?" Anakin pressed, sounding rather excited now about finding is former master and best friend.
"Last we saw him he was in the palace. He hasn't come out since; and since Vizsla has been leading the armada, I can only guess he's got to General Kenobi from the inside,"
"What has that good for nothing piece of Bantha Fodder done to my master? Whatever it is, he will pay dearly for it!"
Anakin was seething on the inside. Obi-Wan's last appearance at the palace, Vizsla now being in control of Mandalore and his desire to extract his revenge for how Obi-Wan always foiled his plots against Satine. It all made sense. Anakin soon came out of his seething thoughts and stared at the group, who were all watching him and Ahsoka.
"Thank you for your information," Anakin began, dipping his head again respectfully, his eyes swimming with gratefulness. "We may see you again in case we have anything else we need to ask from you." He and Ahsoka began to turn their backs to them and walk away…
"Wait!" A hand grabbed his broad shoulder, halting his steps. He turned his head around to stare at the same man who spoke to him before. "We wish to help you!" He blurted out desperately, his cerulean eyes glistening with hope.
Anakin looked into the man's eyes with a great kindness and admiration. "That is very brave of you, sir," He replied softly, gently brushing the other man's hand from his shoulder. "But I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Its too dangerous, and you could get hurt or killed."
"But we wish to fight!" Another man dressed in a similar outfit stepped forwards, his masculine figure standing out amongst the other thinner but lean built people. "We know Duchess Satine would never give up on her quest for peace just as easy as she made it seem to the others! We know Vizsla must have done something! That's why Kenobi isn't doing anything now! That's why we haven't seen Satine! It also explains Death Watches presence and surveillance upon the city!"
Anakin was silent for a few minutes, thinking of everything the man had just said. He turned to Ahsoka, who had a look that told him she had already made a decision. He smiled, knowing instantly which choice she had made. The young Knight sighed.
"Alright," He conceded. "You may help us, but not full on fighting; we need undercover work… Spec Ops. If you can help us with information on the palace or security, it would be a great assent to us in our rescue of General Kenobi and Satine,"
"We can start a rebellion!" A woman with long, fiery red hair proclaimed excitedly. "We can take back what is rightfully ours!"
Anakin nodded. "Alright. Let us know what you have gained and we will go and do some surveillance ourselves. Meet us back here within three hours, and we'll discuss how we are going to carry this operation out."
With that, Anakin and Ahsoka stalked off, heading towards the bustling city, looking for anything on Death Watch operations.
Three hours later…
The Jedi team returned after many hours of surveying the Death Watch patrols around the city. They had a tight formation, always on guard and surveying every street. They even covered the underground tunnels to the palace, due to Vizsla discovering that during the time he spent on battle plans. However, there was an upside.
They didn't always survey the underground. They left at normally midnight. Also the men were reckless, normally getting drunk after their shift to the point where they would either brawl with each other until they hit the other unconsciousness, or simply pass out from the flow of alcohol through their system.
The master, padawan team returned to the same place they met the group of soon-to-be rebels earlier that day; near the dark alley way. They both slinked their way through the alley, silent as their shadows were against the walls.
"Hey," Anakin whispered into the darkness. "Anyone there?"
"Hello…" Ahsoka called out in a hushed tone, her tongue rolling around the "O" of the word.
The ginger haired woman from before stuck her head out from a door near by, her blue eyes shining out in the darkness as she stared at them quizzically. It took a few seconds before she recognized them.
"Come on!" She whispered excitedly, her hand swishing back and forth from them to her, beckoning them to come forward. Anakin and Ahsoka obeyed and followed her inside to what was a dimly lit room surrounded by crates. The small group individually sat down on the crates, some of them with their hands behind their backs steadying on the crate as they leaned back casually. Others leant forwards, elbows on knees, and chin cupped in hands, looking nervous about being caught.
Anakin stepped forwards towards the table in the middle, his sapphire eyes scanning the maps the group had presented in the dim candle light.
"Right, well myself and Ahsoka found only one entrance to the palace: the underground tunnels. Its guarded, yes, however, at midnight it is lightly watched. Many of the men's shifts have ended then, and they normally get drunk on fire whiskey, leaving them very easy to get past. We can get through there," Anakin declared in a confident tone.
The others nodded in agreement.
"You can see the plots of where we know of current Death Watch patrols," The blonde haired man pointed out, gesturing his hand to the map. Anakin turned his attention once again to the maps, his sapphire eyes staring intently at the X's that marked the spots.
They had scattered themselves from all sides: patrolling the corners of the city, the entrance and exits, main streets, and finally - where most of the forces resided - at the palace.
Anakin's eyes sparked with a roaring fire. He was ready to break Obi-Wan out of the hell he'd been thrown into.
"The teams are on patrol every hour. We need to blend in if we are going to be able to get to the underground tunnels," One of the group said. This woman looked barely older than eighteen, with black hair and piercing emerald eyes.
"Alright," Anakin said, looking at each of them individually. "We'll leave an hour before the guys in the tunnels leave. That way once we arrive they should already be off duty and getting drunk for the night."
There were murmurs of agreement amongst the group.
"May we know your names?" Ahsoka asked casually.
The blonde stepped forwards.
"My name is Ducard. I started the group of five here,"
"And you?" Anakin asked the red head.
"Halle," She said shortly, but admiringly, flashing Anakin a grin.
"Mas," Another red head said, though this time, he was a man. Lanky and slim.
"Garen," A dark skinned man called out from one of the far crates, his chin barely lifting from his hands to meet their gaze.
"And I am Cari," The dark haired girl said. "I am the youngest in the group."
Anakin nodded. "Pleasure to meet you all. We'll enter the tunnels at midnight. We need you to create a distraction and once we are in, recruit whoever you can. Those who are still loyal to Satine are our best choice." The others nodded in agreement.
Midnight…
The group had made it past each of the patrols, perfectly disguising themselves and merging with the crowd. Through the eyes of Death Watch they were undetectable.
Upon reaching the tunnel, Anakin sent the group out to go find others. They each in turn nodded and disappeared into the night.
"I wish to stay with you," Anakin turned his head to face Garen, the bulky one. The man hadn't moved an inch from where Anakin had last seen him standing beside Ducard.
"I can't let you," Anakin stated coolly, giving him a symphetic smile of kind apologies.
But Garen just crossed his arms over his broad chest defiantly. "You need me. I'm a good fist fighter for if we encounter any quarrels."
Anakin shook his head amusedly. "Fine," He said, chuckling. "You know, you'd be a good soldier in the Grand Army of the Republic."
A wide grin spread across Garen's face. "You really think so?" Anakin smirked. "I know so,"
The two Jedi and Garen entered the tunnel, their figures transforming into nothing but pitch black.
Man I hope this wasn't too boring for all of you. I would have put what happens next in it, but I just got so bored. I need time to think about the action in the next chapter. I hope this was a good chapter for you all. I shall write again ASAP. Just to let you know, the person who happily stated that they could start a rebellion is a hint to... well... A SEQUEL! Yeah! Its not gonna end too quickly everyone! Remember to read and review, please; you got any ideas for action or anything, post them in a review and I'll see what I can do to merge it into the story. ;) Cheerio! :D