From Darkness, I Rise

by Kurenaino

The Jedi are thrust into a war that threatens to tear the galaxy apart, and prospects are bleak when the fearsome Sith Negotiator begins to win key victories against the Republic. Sequel to From Grace, I Fall. Also, more Sith!Obi keeps the sadness away. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

51. The General

Chapter 51: The General

"Can you see anything, Snips?"

Ahsoka zoomed in with the macrobinoculars on the droid army that occupied Ryloth's capital, frowned, and with a sigh, she handed the device to Anakin. "If he's in there, I don't see him."

"Oh, he's in there..." Skywalker said softly. "When Master Vos returns from recon, we'll know exactly where he is and we can finally end this."

Republic victory was close at hand on Ryloth, though to Anakin, the victory had seemed almost too easy. Anakin was tasked with leading the assault in breaking the Separatist blockade, which he found marginally more difficult without Qui-Gon monitoring and guiding his actions. Luminara and Quinlan had done a respectable job, but Skywalker and Jinn worked as one, and there was just no substitute for that strong of a connection. Anakin was by far the best pilot the Republic had, and even then, the Separatist's held fast, seeming to learn their lesson from the Battle of Christophsis. Efforts to break through were met with droid bombers that made suicide runs on the Republic fleet, and faced with overwhelming odds, Skywalker had turned back to the Resolute to call in for reenforcements. It's what Qui-Gon would have done.

It turned out to be the wise and prudent move, since Chancellor Palpatine was swift to dispatch a young and able captain by the name of Tarkin and his fleet to help break the siege, and his ruthless methods proved to be exactly the support that Skywalker needed to formulate an assault strong and swift enough to break through and get troops down planet-side. Tasking Captain Tarkin with breaking the Separatist hold around the planet, Anakin went with his fellow Jedi to liberate the Twi'leks.

After that, the combined might of the 501st and the Jedi that traveled with them made short work of the sea of droids that stood between them and the capital city of Lessu. Anakin had always been a force to be reckoned with, moving supernaturally fast, easily deflecting the shots fired at him, cutting down droids by the hundreds, but on that particular field of battle, it was Ahsoka Tano that had distinguished herself. Instead of cutting a wide path through hundreds of droids like Anakin favored, Ahsoka specifically targeted the command droids on the field, and when they fell, the droids that were linked to them became barely effective. The result was a close battlefield friendship between Skywalker and Tano, with Anakin cutting a path for Ahsoka to have easy access to the commanding units, and upon their fall, the two Padawans made short work of the droids that mindlessly acted without direction to guide them.

The other Jedi quickly adopted the tactic that Anakin and Ahsoka had developed, and in short order, the Separatist forces under the command of T-series Tactical droid were in retreat. The Republic quickly secured the entire southern hemisphere of Ryloth after that, and with momentum on their side, the Jedi pushed toward the cities of Lessu and Nabat, where the Separatists were said to have occupied and enslaved the native Twi'leks. It stopped being easy after that.

Upon arrival, Nabat was a ghost town, the entire city evacuated or worse, and despite their best efforts, the Jedi could find no trace of the Twi'leks or the Separatists. The city was close to Lessu, and it made for an ideal camp, but both the clones and the Jedi that led them felt as though they had failed. Barriss was especially effected, and spent a good deal of time to herself. Hundreds of innocent Twi'leks were gone in an instant, and the Jedi had been unable to save them. Regardless of the outcome, she felt that they had lost.

But Anakin would not be deterred. Nearby Lessu was teeming with droid activity, and they may have failed the people of Nabat, but they hadn't lost yet. There were thousands of people in the capital that would meet with a similar fate if the Republic didn't interfere, and Anakin was determined to succeed in this. What was even better was that the commander of the Separatist presence was Emir Wat Tambor, the foreman of the TechnoUnion and member of the Separatist Council. His capture would deal a major blow to the Separatists, and Anakin was intent on success. What's more, he had heard the Skakoan was arrogant and stubborn, and based on the state of abandoned Nabat, he seemed to employ something of a scorched earth policy when it came to conducting warfare, and this was something that Anakin had planned to use to trap him.

"So," Ahsoka said, sitting back behind the rocks that covered their lookout, "do we have a plan?"

"Not yet..." Anakin sighed, looking down on the city of Lessu. A great canyon surrounded the city like a moat, and large proton cannons had been erected along the city walls. Arriving by air simply wasn't an option, and the only way in or out of the city was a plasma bridge that spanned the length of the canyon and could be turned on or off at any time from a control center within the city. It was a major problem. "We need a way to cross that bridge. If we can get control of it, than our men can enter the city and the Separatists will have nowhere to go."

"Alright, but how."

"I'm still thinking of that, Snips," Anakin sighed, bringing the macrobinoculars to his eyes and surveying the scene.

"Could we starve them out?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Snips, they're droids. What on earth would we be starving them of? And besides, that would do more harm to the people in the city than to the Separatists. A siege could last indefinitely."

"...Master Qui-Gon would have a plan."

"Yeah, I know he would." He took a deep breath and lowered the macrobinoculars, feeling the Force flow within him, and Skywalker felt himself calm, all his doubt washed away in a breath of warmth and clarity. "On second thought, Snips, you might be on to something." He tapped the comlink on his wrist, the device projecting an image of a clone commander, and Anakin quickly demanded, "Get me Captain Tarkin." The clone saluted and disappeared from view, and a moment later, an irritated looking officer in a flight suit appeared. Anakin smiled. "Hello, Tarkin."

"Commander Skywalker, with all due respect, I happen to be busy breaking the Separatist fleet. I should like to return to it."

"How's that been going?"

Tarkin sighed. "The presence of the Munificent-class star frigates is a nuisance. They are well defended, faster than our ships of similar size, and they release vulture droids upon destruction. Quite frankly, it's a mess."

Anakin winced. He should have remained up there. "Do you have a plan."

Tarkin gave a derisive snort. "I always have a plan. We are sending the clones on attack runs against the frigates and sending them in teams of three to destroy the vultures when they are released. The Star Destroyers are being positioned to catch the bulk of the fleet between them so we may open fire. Our shields should be able to handle being caught in the crossfire for a time."

Anakin nodded. It's what he would have done as well. "Listen, there should be a Droid Control Ship up there." He made a circle with his arms. "Big circle looking thing with a round controlling body."

Tarkin gave the Jedi a deadpan look. "I know what a Droid Control Ship is. Sir."

"Right, well, I need it destroyed."

The young commander rolled his eyes. "Skywalker, what do you suppose I have been doing up here? We have been unable to get close to it until recently, and I was just on my way to my ship to lead the attack run when you called."

"Oh." Anakin flashed him a sheepish grin. "Well, sorry about that. You're just more competent than some of the other officers I've had to work with."

"I know."

"You be careful up there. It's not easy taking one of those things down."

"I don't know," Tarkin said dryly, a faint smile on his lips. "I think if a nine year old can do it, I certainly can." The com cut, leaving Anakin bright red in his embarrassment. Ahsoka laughed loudly.

"That should help make the fight in the city easier..." Skywalker mumbled.

"Isn't there a Super Tactical droid leading them? The droids can receive their commands from that thing."

"I said easier, Snips! Easier! I didn't say we win automatically." Skywalker leaned up over the rock and looked back at the city. "None of that matters if we can't cross that bridge, though."

"Maybe I can help." Both Padawans looked over to see Quinlan approach, his face smeared with dirt and dust, but otherwise well. Ahsoka smiled brightly.

"Did you learn anything, Master?"

"Yeah," the Kiffar said, brushing himself off, a cloud of dust coming off his tunic. "Seems like the first batch of clones sent here were eaten. Kenobi's rancor was here."

"Is he here now?" Anakin asked, but he could feel that he wasn't. Kenobi hadn't set foot on Ryloth.

"Not that I can tell. But it doesn't matter, because the rancor is gone. All that's left is Tambor and his droids, but the whole thing feels wrong." Quinlan pointed out to the city. "We've seen what Tambor does. He's taken everything of value on this planet and it transporting it away. Lessu isn't safe. If we manage to get inside the city, he's going to bomb it just to show the galaxy how much a Republic victory costs."

"Force, what a shithead!" Ahsoka cried, and her Kiffar Master grinned brightly at her.

"We don't need to worry about the city being bombed," Anakin said swiftly. "Commander Tarken has control of the skies, he won't let anything past him."

"You sure do have a lot of faith in this guy..." Tano said cautiously, and the other Padawan shrugged.

"I just got this feeling about him. Besides, we don't need to worry about the bombings unless we're in the city, and we have no way to do that without crossing that bridge. Their cannons are taking out everything that flies close."

"Well..." Quinlan mused, pointing down at the bridge and the transport that was slowly crossing it. "Tambor's raking in everything this planet has to offer. They run scans of the transports before they enter the city, but I think we can use them to get close enough to run the remaining distance before the bridge is deactivated."

Ahsoka grinned. "That can work."

"Yeah, it can," Anakin nodded, agreeing. "It's risky, but it could work." Quinlan stood, groaning as he did so.

"I'm going to leave that to you kids. Someone needs to fill in Luminara and lead the troops into the city, and well..." He laughed, patting Anakin on the back. "The clones just don't listen to Padawans."

"...yes they do!" Anakin said after he took a moment to process what Quinlan had said. "Rex and I get along great, the entire 501st listens to me without question!"

"They do it to make you feel better, Skyguy," Ahsoka said, grinning when Skywalker rolled his eyes. "We won't let you down, Master."

"You don't need to tell me that, I know you won't." The Kiffar turned and walked away, waving to them as he disappeared down the hill, and Anakin snatched up the macrobinoculars and held them to his eyes, observing the many paths and crevices in the mountains surrounding Lessu.

After a moment, he pointed to one of the nearby cliff faces, a train of droids and transports running slowly over a narrow path cut in the side of the stone. "And there's our opportunity," Anakin said, pointing as he handed the macrobinoculars to his Togruta companion. "We need to hurry. Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready, Skyguy." With a grin, the two Jedi were off, running side by side over the steep ridges that made up the jagged, rocky mountains of Ryloth. The ground evened out and they slid to a stop, looking over the edge down into the chasm beneath them, the narrow pathways and the droid transports directly beneath them. Without a word to each other, they dropped off the edge, landing silently on the ground behind the convoy, and using the Force, they quickly lifted the two droids bringing up the rear into the air and dropped them off the side of the path, their metallic voices screaming and their bodies clanking on the stones as they fell.

The transports stopped as the droids were alerted to trouble, and blasters raised, they came around to see what the trouble was. When they found their two comrades gone, they began a brief and frantic search for the assailants, but the investigation abruptly ended when they saw the bodies of the other droids smashed on a pathway far below. The mystery was solved. They just fell. Shaking their elongated heads, the droids returned to their post, the convoy slowly beginning to move once again, and Anakin and Ahsoka climbed out from underneath the transports. Walking silently behind, Anakin used the Force to open the cargo hold, the sound of the door unlatching drowned out by the clanking of the droids and the hissing thrum of the ship's repulsors. Ahsoka deftly jumped up inside the craft while Anakin held the door open, and when he felt Ahsoka's presence beside his, he let go of the Force, the door now held by the Togruta, and he slipped in as well, the Padawans closing the hatch together. All they had to do now was wait.

They sat in silence until they felt the craft stop, the clanging of droids outside as they walked around the transport, and Anakin closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force, felt that they were on the bridge, and nudged Ahsoka. With a nod, they crouched, lightsabers in hand and ready to be activated, and when the transport's doors opened, the two Jedi dashed out, lightsabers igniting in a blaze as they ran as fast as they could, cutting through the droids they passed by, but it wasn't enough to stop them from issuing the command to deactivate the bridge. Centering himself, Anakin reached out through the Force to push Ahsoka as she jumped, and the additional boost was enough for the Togruta to make it to the other side. The bridge flickered off just as Anakin jumped, but it was too far to make. Closing his eyes, he reached out, and felt his Togruta friend reach out at the same time, and together, they used the Force to bring Anakin to safety.

"Nice catch," Anakin said, the Togruta grinning as she deflected the shower of blaster fire that came down upon them. Droids marched to the entrance of the city in force, far too many for the two Jedi to handle on their own, and Anakin calmed himself and focused. "You get control of the bridge, I'll get Tambor," Skywalker growled, and the other Padawan scooted closer to him, tightening up their defenses.

"And how do you suppose to accomplish that, Skyguy? There's an army between him and us."

"Which is why it's so important to get that bridge under our control, so we can get reenforcements! Go, I'll cover you." With a quick nod, her green saber raised, Ahsoka dashed off toward the control tower, deftly leaping over obstacles and destroying droids with ease, her attention on progressing since Anakin shielded her from the blaster fire. Anakin felt a tremor in the Force before he heard a deep, distant rumbling, and moments later, the B1 Battle Droids that filled the courtyard suddenly dropped to the ground deactivated, leaving the droid army greatly diminished, though the more advanced units still stood. Anakin grinned as he watched Ahsoka disappear into the control tower. Tarkin had succeeded in destroying the Control Ship. All that remained was getting to Tambor before he could escape.

When the plasma bridge hummed to life, the Republic army charged, clones and their Jedi commanders swiftly running toward the city, and Anakin took off in search of Wat Tambor, his blue lightsaber easily destroying droids as he rushed past, and Skywalker could feel that the battle had been won. When he found Tambor, the Separatist commander was screaming at a ship as it flew away from the landing pad on which he stood, focusing his wrath on the shuttle and not the Jedi that casually strolled to where he stood. Tambor turned around slowly when he heard Anakin clear his throat, the Skakoan's regulated breathing hitching when he stared at the point of a blue lightsaber.

Putting his hands in the air, Tambor quietly asked, "Can we discuss terms of surrender?"

Anakin grinned. "Of course. They're unconditional."

---

Wat Tambor was successfully delivered to the hands of Republic officials personally by Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Padawan that had led the Battle of Ryloth to an astounding victory for the Republic. The Council had been called to session, and young Skywalker summoned, but Anakin had ignored them, choosing instead to retreat from the limelight to sit in quiet meditation in contemplation of the events of the battle. There were times during the battle he had felt almost one with the Force, could feel the rushing of its power around him, could breathe in the warm, calming air as it held him in its embrace. His Master had always said he had great potential, and when he was young, he was called a vergence, though he seriously doubted that to be the case. If he truly was, he should, by rights, be stronger than he felt.

But he was strong, he did recognize that. Frightfully so, when he put his mind to it, as it was shown on Ryloth. There were thousands of droids, and not a single one of them could touch him when he centered himself and truly focused, and with a partner by his side, he was unmatched, at least with the droids. But it wasn't enough. No matter how hard they fought, how many droids they destroyed, they kept coming, and even the most powerful of Jedi couldn't stand against an army that was infinitely large. Clones kept dying, and they could only be grown so fast, so how long would it be before sheer numbers simply overwhelmed them?

Anakin was pulled out of his meditation when he felt his Master enter the room, a bright, spot in the calm waters of the Force, and Anakin leapt to his feet and rushed to him, the Padawan bouncing on the balls of his feet before his Master.

"The Council summoned you, you know..." the Master said tiredly. "It doesn't do to ignore them."

"The Council is in session, Master, so aren't you ignoring them as well by not being there?"

Qui-Gon groaned and ran a hand over his face. "That's a technicality. And besides, I'm a Master. You have to listen."

Anakin sighed. "So...that's where we're headed?"

"I'm afraid so." Skywalker groaned as he walked beside his Master, the older man moving slowly as if he were reluctant to go. "I heard about your success on Ryloth," Qui-Gon said softly. "Though, it was from the rumors, so I'm sure it was greatly exaggerated."

"As they usually are." Anakin looked up at the Master. "Why, what are they saying?"

"That you destroyed another Droid Control Ship, defeated the remainder of the droid army, flew across a chasm to get to Lessu, and captured Wat Tambor." Qui-Gon pointed at the Padawan's chest. "And all by yourself, no less."

Anakin flushed and brought his hood up over his head. "Only one of those things is true..."

"Oh? I didn't know you could fly, Anakin." Skywalker tried to choke back a laugh when they passed a group of Knights that were staring at the pair. "Ahsoka told me what actually happened. I'm certain she exaggerated her own part in the story, but I think I understand the truth of it. The capture of Wat Tambor is especially impressive. And I hear you actually pulled back from an attack to call in reenforcements?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, but smiled with good humor. "Force help me, Master, you act like I'm completely unreasonable."

"You have been known to be impulsive, my Padawan. But you are learning quickly. The battlefield seems to suit you." They stepped into the elevator, the doors closing with a hiss and the platform began to swiftly rise.

"I think we've talked enough about me..." Anakin mumbled. "How was Mandalore?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "Tiring. But insightful. Obi-Wan was there." He could feel Skywalker tense next to him. "I wasn't harmed, Anakin. You can relax."

"...did you learn anything?"

Qui-Gon folded his arms. "A fair bit. Quinlan was right about being able to reason with him. He's extremely dangerous, but he seems to think that death is a waste."

"That's good, right?"

"Qui-Gon shook his head. "No, Anakin. I don't think it is." The doors slid open, and the two Jedi stepped out of the elevator, and made their way into the Council chamber in silence. The two bowed when they entered, and Qui-Gon took his seat. Most of the Masters in attendance were not truly there, represented instead by their blue holograms, calling in from their place in the war.

"You're late," Mace Windu said, his voice strong and intimidating, and while he still had the medical droid at his side to attend him, he looked much recovered from last time.

"I'm sorry, Master," Anakin said, bowing his head and repentant. "I felt the need to meditate after all the attention upon my return." Mace looked at him for a moment and then nodded, and Anakin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you have a report from Mandalore?" Windu asked, his gaze shifting to Qui-Gon, and the Jedi nodded.

"Mandalore's problems are an isolated incident involving a splinter group called Death Watch, and they have been resolved. I have arrested Senator Tal Merrik as a conspirator against Satine's rule, but the matter is settled. He has been given to the Republic for justice."

"Death Watch?" Mace asked, leaning forward in his seat. "Are those the warriors responsible for attacking our ships?"

"They are. And I don't think they will be a problem in the future."

"Something you are not sharing, there is," Yoda said softly, and Qui-Gon sighed.

"Obi-Wan was there." The Council began buzzing, and Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. "I didn't mention it because there's no point discussing him any further."

"Did you learn anything new?"

"Yes." Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "Don't touch his things." The Master closed his eyes, and it was clear the Council wouldn't be getting anything else out of Qui-Gon. With a sigh, Mace turned his attention back to Anakin.

"What are your feelings on the war."

Anakin looked back to his Master, the older Jedi leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, and the Padawan looked back at the Master that addressed him. "I think it's endless. We keep making clones, they keep making droids, we gain ground, we lose it, but there's no sign of it ending so long as we're militarized."

"You've been personally responsible for a great number of Republic victories already."

"No, they aren't my victories. Master Qui-Gon helps focus my actions, and my troops support me. They aren't my victories."

A small smile came to Windu's face. "And if you had command? What would you be doing?"

Anakin crossed his arms, biting his lip as he thought. "I would take measures to stop the war as quickly as possible instead of meeting the Separatists on the battlefields of their choosing. Make no mistake, we should be saving planets like Ryloth, but I think if we're going to win, we need to be more focused instead of spreading ourselves thin like we have been."

"A lot of worlds will suffer if we recall the Jedi like that," Mace said, his voice low and warning, but Anakin shook his head and stood his ground.

"A lot more will suffer if we allow this war to drag on. We can rebuild afterwards. We can save worlds when we are certain they won't just fall back to the Separatists or become battlegrounds again. We need to launch an offensive where it will hurt."

"And where is that?" Windu asked slowly leaning back and wincing when his back rested against the chair.

"Well..." Anakin mused, looking up at the ceiling as he thought and pulling on the braid that fell over his shoulder. "Capturing their leaders is a good start. We have Wat Tambor in custody, and without leadership in the TechnoUnion, I think it will effect their ability to continue to supply the Separatist war machine."

"So you aim to capture their leaders?"

Anakin shook his head. "No, not me. The solution is only temporary anyway. All of them can and will be replaced if they are gone too long. The only ones that are instrumental to the Confederacy are General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"It's a dangerous task to capture those three," Shaak Ti said, her blue hologram shifting as she looked at the Padawan.

"Which is why that's not what I'm suggesting. They are the problem, but if we take away their ability to conduct war, than they will have to deal with us in another way." Anakin grinned. "I say we destroy their droid foundries. All of them."

"An ambitious plan, this is," Yoda said, nodding. "But work, it may. Know where they are, do you?"

"No, Master, not all of them. But we do know where some of them are, and we should be able to figure out the rest. We know there's a massive foundry on Geonosis, and we have Wat Tambor in custody, and his unions are making the droids for the Separatists. We can just look up where the subsidiaries of the TechnoUnion have their base of operations, and Tambor can tell us where the rest of them are when we interrogate him." Anakin shrugged. "We won't get all of them, but if we can destroy several, then we can significantly hinder their ability to replace their lost troops."

"Obi-Wan and I visited Eos on our mission," Quinlan said. "There was a droid foundry there that was capable of producing over five million droids in a year. Skywalker's right, if we can destroy those things, then we've killed droids before they even get made. If nothing else, it will force them to start moving cautiously."

"A General, you have become, Skywalker," Yoda said softly, his wrinkled face smiling. "Kneel."

Anakin did so, his chest tensing when he felt his Master sit up straight, his presence strained for a moment with shock. Yoda got off his seat and stood before him, his hand extending to Qui-Gon, who dutifully rose to stand beside the Grandmaster. "Anakin Skywalker. Courageous, you are. Victory in this war, you have achieved, by trusting the Force, your allies. Much to learn, you have, as do we all. Great, your achievements have been, and stand in place of the Trials, they do. Confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight, the Council does."

He couldn't keep his hands from shaking and had to look at the ground when Qui-Gon's blue saber activated and cut the braid from his head, and he could feel his Master's presence in the Force filled with pride, and Anakin could barely keep his emotions from his face. It was admittedly not a very Jedi thing to do, but he couldn't help it.

"Thank you, Masters," Skywalker said softly, barely audibly, running his hand quickly over his eyes as he stood and looked at the Jedi in the room. Yoda shuffled back to his seat, but Qui-Gon stayed at his side, handing him his cut braid and laying a large hand on his shoulder.

"An important task, you have," Yoda said when he was settled. "Act on your plan, you will. Work with others, you must, to accomplish this." He closed his eyes, his long ears lowering. "But more important things, the Force will ask of you. A vergence in the Force, you are, Skywalker, but another one, there is."

Anakin sucked in a sharp breath and knew exactly what the Master would say. The Force pulled him to it as if it was always inside him, a thing that he had long ago forgotten, but always knew. "Obi–Wan."

Yoda nodded. "Connected, you are, in many ways. Opposite, and the same. Both vergences, you are. You, of the light. He, of the dark. Trained by the same Master, you were. Coincidence, this is not. Meant to oppose him, you were."

Anakin laughed nervously. "I only just became a knight. How am I supposed to do this when Masters have failed?"

"Ready for knighthood, Obi-Wan was not. But ready, you are. Against the darkness, you will stand, Skywalker, but not alone. The strength of the Jedi, you have, in our unity."

Anakin took a deep breath and looked around, observing the Masters that sat before him, feeling the comforting presence of Qui-Gon Jinn at his side, and he nodded. He could do this.