Chapter XXX
Ahsoka crosses her blades into an X just as she had in her dream as Titus brings his blade down and rests it in the X's upper half - just like in Ahsoka's dream. Ahsoka glances down at Titus's legs, trying to remember which one isn't artificial. The left. Ahsoka kicks her wounded leg out and hits Titus's left knee with a hard blow. It's not enough to shatter his knee, his strength and pain tolerance is far too great, but it does force him to lose his footing and stumble backwards.
Titus regains his footing and counters Ahsoka's two blades that she swings at his right side. With a one strong twirl of his lightsabers, Ahsoka loses her grip on their crossed blades. With the opposite blade, Titus makes a hard thrash at Ahsoka's head.
Ahsoka bends over backwards, dodging the kill strike. Her lightsabers retract as she plants her hands down and uses her momentum to flip back into a handstand before landing on her feet, and opens her lightsabers again.
"Impressive." Titus mutters.
"There is no sense in fighting me, Titus. I taught you in the arts of Jar'Kai, I know your every move."
Titus swings his blades over his head taking a swipe at Ahsoka's legs. Ahsoka counters the blow before stepping out of the way of a jab to her middle. Ahsoka is suddenly hurtled backwards and slams into the wall again as Titus calls onto the Force.
"You may have taught me the basics, Ahsoka Tano, but it was I who perfected them, mastered them, and modified them to be my own."
Ahsoka gets back on her feet before leaping to kick Titus again from above. It was a foolish move, and one she should have known better. The attack worked before, but Titus knows what to expect from it and therefore will no how to counter it. He grabs Ahsoka mid air, with a firm grasp on her ankle and calf, then he spins around and throws her across the Council Chamber. She collides into a stone pillar aside a doorway out of the room before crumpling to the floor.
Ahsoka's body hurts. There isn't a single part of her that doesn't. She can feel a sharp pain in her ribcage, likely a cracked rib - or two. She can feel her heart beating in her skull and her ears are ringing. Her arms shake as she gets herself back on her feet, her right elbow and knee pop as she gets up. Through her hazy vision, she sees Titus standing in the center of the chamber, watching her struggle.
Ahsoka wipes the blood away from the corner of her mouth.
Titus shakes his head, "I admire your bravery, your continuous will to fight is admirable, but you must realize by now, this fight is not one you will win."
Ahsoka tries to walk forward, but her body forces her to stop and fall onto one knee.
"I will not kill you yet. No. Not before you watch as I kill your friends." Titus says as he turns around and walks off towards the door into the Grand Corridor.
Ahsoka shakes her head. She can't let Titus reach them. Her protective instincts take over her body, the pain eases, the adrenaline spikes, and she releases it. It's a dead sprint towards Titus, she's not even a heartbeat away from him when she opens her lightsabers.
Titus looks over his shoulder right as Ahsoka brings her blade up and slices across his red optics. The adrenaline in Ahsoka starts to ease as Titus grabs at his eyes while screaming in pain. His optics crumple in his hands as he rips them from his skin.
When he turns around, Ahsoka is astonished by how much of his face is revealed.
A large scar runs across his face, the same scar her Master gave him years ago. His sunken eyes, almost coated completely white and bloodshot. The skin around them, black from Ahsoka's strike and the loss of his optics.
He breathes heavily through the mask.
"I do not need my eyes to see." Titus says through his breaths, "I have spent years training myself to use all my senses, and to let the Force be my vision."
Ahsoka quickly and as quietly as she can manage, bounds for an exit. She gets over halfway across the room when she hears Titus's lightsabers open up behind her. With a glance over her shoulder, she watches him hurtle his red blades in her direction. Ahsoka throws herself forward, performing a tuck and roll as the lightsaber passes over her, just inches from slicing through her. The double-bladed lightsaber crashes into the wall, sending sparks flying and making deep cuts in the stone.
Ahsoka swiftly gets back on her feet before jumping to safety through the exit. Once past the doorway, she looks to her right to see a control panel for the door. She hits the lockdown switch. Two old steel doors, the main door and the blast door, come screeching down overhead to seal the threshold between Titus and Ahsoka's temporary safety.
Ahsoka opens up one of her white blades and slices it across the doors control panel. It won't stop Titus, but it will at least slow him down for now. With the panel destroyed, Ahsoka retracts her lightsaber before toppeling down on the ground of what appears to be a training room. She forces herself not pass out from exhaustion.
As she regains her composure and strength, she grabs her comlink.
"Callan?" She asks - her heart still racing - "Are you there? Are you alright?"
"We're fine, Ahsoka." Callans voice comes through, "We've concealed ourselves in the jungle. The freighter we figured would be too obvious of a place to go."
"Well, actually, that's just where I'm going to tell you all to go."
The com goes silent.
Suddenly Shila's voice comes through, and tone is stern. "We are not leaving you."
"Don't worry, your not. I have another plan for the freighter."
"Being?"
"I need you to activate the ship's distress beacon, open on all channel frequencies."
Once again, the com is silent.
"But anyone within three hundred parsecs will receive it. Even the Empire."
Ahsoka is well aware of what she is asking. "I'm counting on it. For now, the Empire will be our ally."
The large shadow of the Chimaera looms over Koda Station, the entirety of Seventh Fleet dwarfs the spaceport. After recording the projected hyperspace route of the enemy fleet, Captain Pellaeon found the path crossed the port and anticipated it as the Rebels rendezvou point.
Lieutenant Dalmer led a search party to Koda Station under Pellaeon's orders. Dalmer's report came back saying that there was no sign of the Rebels on the station. However, many patrons reported seeing an Imperial freighter keeping its distance from the station as it cruised by before making a jump to hyperspace.
The door to the bridge opens and Thrawn walks across the threshold, his nonchalaunt mannerisms paralyze the bridge crew in a fear, yet at the same time, they admire him.
"Grand Admiral on deck!" a technician in the crew pit calls.
Thrawn waves his hand and quietly says, "Carry on."
The Grand Admiral gets across the catwalk before Lieutenant Dalmer approaches him and gives a solute. Thrawn returns it.
"Grand Admiral, our scanners have detected a distress beacon three quarters of a parsec away. We traced the signal, and found it is in fact coming from the stolen Imperial freighter."
"It's coordinates?"
Dalmer slowly shakes his head, "Unknown, Sir. It's coordinates are not found in the Imperial database."
Thrawn hums a deep tone in his throat before walking back down the catwalk towards the Security Foyer. They approach the holotable sitting along the right wall. Thrawn turns to face Dalmer and gestures towards the table.
"Would you please pull up a star map showing the location of the freighter, Lieutenant?"
Dalmer nods, "Yes, Grand Admiral."
The Lieutenant links the distress signal to the holotable and activates the projection screen. A star map appears before the two with a flashing red dot to the far left of the map indicating the freighters signature. Thrawn's red eyes scan the image as he takes mental notes.
"The signal is coming from here." Lieutenant Dalmer points to the flashing orb, "There doesn't appear to be any planetary system, it can be assumed the ship had a malfunction and the Rebels are now floating dead in space."
Thrawn narrows his eyebrows and shakes his head before cooly saying, "Unlikely. This is a map of the Pacanth Reach, there are four known systems along the Reach. However, this sector sits on the edge between the Outer Rim and Wild Space, which remains uncharted."
"Sir?" Lieutenant Dalmer can't see where Thrawn is getting at.
Thrawn adjusts the hologram to get a closer look at the area surrounding the freighters signal.
"What do you notice in this image, Lieutenant?"
"The freighter, Sir."
Thrawn shakes his head as Dalmer swallows a lump of air in his throat. "There is more than just the freighter. Notice the stars." The two stare at seemingly large grouping of stars orbiting the freighter. "The star formations are gathered close to the freighter, gravity is pulling them towards it."
"Impossible, there is no freighter in existence that has a mass great enough to pull stars towards it."
"Very good, Lieutenant. What we are seeing here, is a planetary system invisible and undetected by the Imperial database. The perfect system for a rebellion to conceal themselves from the Empire."
"That explains the freighters position." Captain Pellaeon's voice comes from behind them as he approaches the table. "However, what of the distress signal? Emergency procedures for all Imperial craft can only be initiated manually."
Thrawn agrees with the Captain, "Correct."
"Then there must be a traitor in their mist." Dalmer inquires.
Pellaeon continues, "A traitor who posses the basic knowledge of Imperial craft."
"In the reports gathered of the freighters theft from the Thakwaa airfield," Thrawn recalls, "one of the alleged thieves was an Imperial amor specialist. A specialist who would have such knowledge."
"Then we have our traitor?"
Thrawn traces his jawline with his fingers, "Possibly. But I am not convinced, if this individual is in fact a traitor. He or she would have made their move to betray their Rebellion before the battle in the Thakwaa System."
"It's a trap then?" Lieutenant Dalmer asks hesitantly.
"It cannot be dismissed. But that is yet to be seen."
Captain Pellaeon shakes his head, "Grand Admiral, I am not one to question your orders often, but you want to approach these Rebels knowing this possibility?"
Thrawn stares Pellaeon down with his red eyes, "We cannot afford to delay any more time. The Emperor is growing impatient and frustrated by our lack of progress. Something I will not further have."
Pellaeon nods, "Yes, Grand Admiral."
Thrawn turns his head towards Dalmer without taking his stare off the star map, "Lieutenant, project a course towards the distress signal and alert the fleet to make the projected jump under my orders."
"Yes, Grand Admiral." Lieutenant Dalmer solutes before falling out to relay the order.
Pellaeon turns to walk away when he is stopped by Thrawn. "And, Captain Pellaeon? When was the last time the fleet initiated a full planetary bombardment?"
Pellaeon thinks, "At least four cycles ago, Sir."
A faint and cruel smile creeps across Thrawn's pale blue face.
"Prepare all batteries and use the spaceport as target practice on your mark."
Pellaeon's eyes go wide, "Sir?...There are people on that station, it will-"
"Kill them all." Thrawn finishes for Pellaeon, "Yes, I am aware. I am also aware based on Lieutenant Dalmer's report, that the station is filled with just low life belligerents. Petty criminals, pirates, and smugglers; all persecuted by the Empire. Commence the practice exercise, I want to sharpen the artilleries skill and training."
Pellaeon slowly nods, a sense of dread churning at the bottom of his stomach.
"Yes, Grand Admiral."
Pellaeon walks away to reveal the Grand Inquisitor standing behind him, on the other side of the Security Foyer. Thrawn stares at him before the Inquisitor nods and quietly leaves the room.
The bombardment only took five minutes before Koda Station was left in bits of charred debris floating around space. The Seventh Fleet now drops out of hyperspace over a vibrant green planet with blue rivers, Panatha, Thrawn's judgement was right. Thrawn watches out the Chimaera's viewport as the fleet approaches the planet.
Thrawn cunningly smiles as he opens his mouth to give his first order, when he is interrupted by an officer on the com scanners.
"Grand Admiral," he says, "an Imperial vessel is coming out of hyperspace in Sector Eleven."
Thrawn watches off the Chimaera's bow as an Star Dreadnaught, easily the size of over eleven Star Destroyers, drops out of hyperspace.
The com officer continues, "Grand Admiral, scanners identify the dreadnaught as-"
"The Executor," Thrawn dismally says, "Lord Vader has arrived."