Sleep had barely graced Ahsoka with its presence on the flight back to Coruscant, leading to her feeling both tired and concerned, something that was never a good combination. It was bad enough that she had to hunt down Fives, who had apparently gone rogue and attempted to assassinated the Chancellor. Now she had to do all of that whilst being drowsy.
Ahsoka could already feel a headache coming on.
"We're about to come out of hyperspace. It'll be a short flight down to the Temple in a transport upon arrival, though I sense you have other plans?" Obi-Wan's voice interrupted Ahsoka's inner musings, drawing her eyes to his own. The familiar shade of blue radiated only calm and serenity, as well as compassion. All traits of a perfect Jedi Master.
"I've got new orders from the Chancellor. Apparently Fives has gone rogue and is on the run in the underworld. Anakin and Rex are after him but the Chancellor wants me to look for him as well, considering the circumstances and all." Ahsoka replied quietly, her eyes surveying the bridge of the Venator, watching for anyone listening in on her and Obi-Wan's discussion.
"Gone rogue? This is most concerning indeed. We will drop you off near an entrance to the underworld Ahsoka. Hopefully you'll find him in time." Obi-Wan replied, hand coming to lightly stroke his beard, a gesture Anakin frequently playfully mocked him for. Ahsoka had always thought it was somewhat weird. Why did humans stroke their own hair in such a way?
"That's the plan. Considering my own experience on the run the Chancellor is hopeful I will be able to locate him before he does any damage to anyone, or himself for that matter."
Obi-Wan nodded in response to Ahsoka, eyes moving through the bridge in deep contemplation.
"We'll drop you off as I said Ahsoka. Will we see you at the Temple later on?" Obi-Wan questioned, eyes coming back to lock onto hers.
Ahsoka didn't want to outright refuse, but she really didn't want to return to the Temple if she didn't have to. That place had been her home once, until they cast her out. As far as she was concerned she had no right to return.
But she had promised the Chancellor she would be present for the meeting between him and the Council.
"I'll be accompanying the Chancellor. He's going to schedule a meeting to discuss what we found on Hypori. No doubt I'll be welcomed back with open arms." Ahsoka answered, allowing her tone to turn sarcastic towards the end. Hopefully Obi-Wan wouldn't take too much offense to it. He wasn't in the wrong.
Judging from the smirk that briefly covered Obi-wan's face, he wasn't offended, and for that Ahsoka was grateful.
The underworld was not a particularly nice place to visit, especially in comparison to the surface of Coruscant and its shining spires, each housing a vast conglomerate of species and individuals, all of whom lived in luxury.
The underworld however was much different. Gone was the tall towers coated in pristine materials, instead replaced by dark damp architecture that was illuminated only by various neon signs that signified endless bars and seedy clubs that the people of below frequented.
Ahsoka had been down to these levels many times before, usually on Jedi duty with Anakin or Plo Koon. Never had she ventured down out of her own free will. Perhaps that had been the Jedi in her, forcing her to stay with the elite above, rather than the ones who lived below. They were people too, and frankly they had a much harder challenge in life than any politician or Jedi Master she knew. They had to survive on the very basics, limited supplies and little room to move. They couldn't even see the sun.
Frankly Ahsoka felt sorry for them. If she could help them, she would. Maybe one day she'd come down to these levels again when she was free and just help the people she could see with whatever problems they had, show them that someone out there cared about them.
But right now, despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't. She had to find Fives before someone got hurt.
Stepping out of the train she had caught, Ahsoka reached deep into the Force, trying to find some trace of the Clone. He might not have been sensitive to the Force, being a Clone and all, but she still knew the differences between them, and how to sense them. Each Clone was different, and Fives was among the most unique. He was always happy and joyful, ready for a challenge no matter how dangerous.
And he was always compassionate too. That was how she could tell the difference. Fives more that the others cared about his brothers, about his Generals.
About the Republic. Fives would do anything in his power to protect his friends, to save them from harm.
And if for some reason he couldn't then Fives would get angry. Fives would ask questions. Fives would dwell on every little detail until…
All of a sudden there was a pinprick at the edge of her mind. The feeling of terror and dread. The feeling of someone running from something they didn't fully understand.
The feeling of Fives!
Content that she had some sort of lead, Ahsoka turned on her heels and began to follow the Force, trusting that it would guide her to Fives.
From what she had sensed it was clear that he was looking to escape from Coruscant for some reason.
She had to find out why.
Fives ran. That was all he could do. Run, and escape. Evade those hunting him. Hide from the truth… whatever the truth was?
The Chancellor had something to do with this, he was certain. The old man had all but confirmed it himself, a sinister smile on his face the entire time. Could it be that the Chancellor of the Republic was some sort of spy for the Separatists?
And why was he targeting the Jedi through some sort of diabolical weapon implanted into every one of his brothers.
Whatever was in the chip, whatever it made Tup do had to be studied. Fives had to escape and find out the truth, even if it meant he was branded a war criminal for life.
From where he was hidden within a dark alley in the seedy underworld of Coruscant, Fives glanced ahead. three troopers moved, each clad in white and red armour, looking for him. At the front of them he spotted Fox, blasters in hand, ready to strike.
There was no way he could take them on head to head, but he couldn't stay hidden in a dark alleyway forever. Sooner or later General Skywalker, or some other Jedi would find him. And then he would have no escape.
He had to move, and move quickly.
Waiting until he was sure that Fox and his men were out of sight, Fives moved, dashing from one shadow to another, blending with the dark drab background of the underworld. Those that did notice him were simple civilians, mostly drunk or tired from a long day at whatever job they did. None of them would report him to the authorities.
Moving into another alleyway, Fives caught his breath briefly before moving on. He had a plan, which was something. Having been down to this level of the underworld before, sometimes on patrol, other times on shore leave, Fives knew that there was a docking bay nearby. He would have to steal a ship, but hopefully he could find something space worthy. Even if it only got him to some other hidden place on Coruscant it would do. As long as he was as far away from the Chancellor as possible he could perhaps begin to do some research into whatever this chip was.
Moving from the alleyway he was in once again, Fives broke into a sprint, heading towards where he knew he needed to go.
Several moments later, as well as one more brief evasion of several Clones, Fives found what he was looking for. Beyond the large open hangar door before him was a ship, one that was small enough to be discrete. It was run down yes, not unlike General Skywalker's old freighter, but it would do the job.
Allowing a smile to come to his face for the first time in hours, Fives began to approach the ship.
That was until the hangar bay door slammed shut before him, and a figure emerged from the shadows behind him. The figure was not especially tall, a few inches shorter than him, and was dressed in what looked like a weird amalgamation of Clone and Mandalorian armour. A helmet covered their face, obscuring their identity, but Fives could tell this individual was clearly not human, not with the Lekku that dangled down from beneath the helmet.
Was the Chancellor hiring bounty hunters to find him now?
"Fives? What's going on?" The figure spoke softly, voice distorted by the helmet, but hauntingly familiar to the Clone. The 'bounty hunter' was clearly female, and from the way she spoke she appeared to be a friend to him.
That said, Fives was beyond trusting anyone at the moment, not with both the Chancellor's men and his own unit pursuing him.
'And now a mysterious bounty hunter. Just great!' Fives thought to himself.
"Stay away from me whoever you are! I just want to get through this door and you aren't going to get in my way." Fives finally replied, hostility in his tone. Hopefully this person would back off. He didn't want to hurt anyone.
The armoured figure took two steps towards him, hands outward, palms up. A sign that she meant no harm, at least that's what Fives wanted to believe. He was most likely very wrong.
The figure did not respond to his demands, instead her hands began to move from their palm up position to her head, grasping the helmet gently, before pulling it over her head and revealing her features to him. Fives had to stop himself from crying out in joy.
"Commander Tano?" He asked quietly instead, moving towards her, his hands grasping hers, squeezing tightly, making sure she was real.
"It's me Fives, but I'm not your Commander anymore. The Chancellor told me you were on the run. What's going on Fives?" His old Commander replied, her face soft yet flooded with worry. Worry for him and his predicament. He supposed it made sense. She too had been in this position not too long ago, and he and done nothing to help her.
Yet now here she was, ready to help him when he didn't deserve it.
"I… I don't honestly know Commander. One minute I'm fighting with the General and the boys, then the next thing I know Tup has killed a Jedi and I'm somehow wrapped up in a conspiracy with seemingly everyone out for my head!"
Fives half expected Ahsoka to laugh at him, to tell him he was being ridiculous and that he should just go back to his bunk in the barracks and sleep it all off.
Instead, a sad smile came to her face, one that made Fives relax. His Commander had always had that effect on both him and the others, far more so that Rex or Skywalker ever did.
"I know what you mean Fives. Tell me what you've found out so far." Ahsoka responded, pulling Fives into the shadows behind her, hiding them both from sight.
Fives closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself. She would either think he was crazy…
Or she might possibly help him. Surely she had no love for the Chancellor and the Clones after they had abandoned her, right? He sure as hell knew he wouldn't in her position.
"Ok. There's this chip in our heads. All of the Clones have it. Rex, Cody, Wolffe, you name it. The Kaminoans said it was some sort of aggression restraining chip, meant to keep us in check so we don't go berserk in the field. Apparently it makes us follow orders better or something." Fives began, watching Ahsoka's face as he described what he could. His eyes studied her as he spoke, seeing every inch of information he was giving being received and thought through.
At last… someone was listing to him!
"I don't know what happened, by somehow the chip in Tup's head degraded so badly that it made him execute a Jedi General in the field, at least that was the excuse I heard. I reckon that the chips have some sort of hidden purpose outside of controlling our behaviour, and that it's got something to do with the Jedi. It could be a weapon or something, designed specifically to eliminate the Jedi!"
That was as much as he had, or at least as much as he could speculate. He didn't want to bring the Chancellor into this, not yet, not until he was completely and utterly sure of every last detail. It would only spell disaster if he falsely accused the old man. He only needed to look at the Togruta before him to see what happened to those who were falsely accused.
Hopefully she believed him, believed that there was something wrong with everything he had been told so far. Surely she would see that, especially considering her own struggles as of late.
Watching Ahsoka's face, Fives waited in trepidation for a reaction. Her expression remained stoney, betraying no outward emotion, but her eyes were a different story. Deep within the blue hue Fives could see her thinking, analysing everything he had told her, coming to her own conclusion on it.
Hopefully it would be one that didn't view him as the problem, as everyone else had.
Several agonizing second later, Ahsoka finally responded, her head nodding slowly.
"It wouldn't be the first weapon to destroy the Jedi that I've heard of that's for sure, and it definitely seems suspicious. I know you Fives. You wouldn't lie about something like this."
"You… you believe me?" Fives questioned back with a tone of quiet disbelief. He felt for certain that she wouldn't believe him. After all why should she? Like the rest he had abandoned her when she was on the run, doing next to nothing to help clear her name, unlike General Skywalker. Why would she help him now?
"It's hard for me to say if you are right without all the evidence Fives, and we can't make any accusations without such proof. You need to get as far away from here as you possibly can and lay low for a while. When the heat had died down then you can begin your research."
Fives struggled to keep the sob that had built in his throat from escaping, joy flooding through him as he understood Ahsoka's words. She was telling him to run, to keep on running. To find somewhere safe to hide.
And to find out the truth. Fives was no detective. He hated paperwork and regulations, constantly mocking his old friend Echo for his love of them.
But if Commander Tano believed in him when no one else would, then he would do it for her.
He would do it for the Jedi.
He would do it for his brothers.
Before he could thank the Togruta for her trust she moved, raising a single hand towards the closed hangar bay door, before grasping it with the Force and opening it. The sight of a ship ready and waiting for him to take was one of pure relief.
"Thank you Commander! You won't regret this, I promise you!" Fives spoke, instinctively pulling the Togruta into his arms, hugging her as if it was the last time he would ever see her. He hoped it wouldn't be.
Releasing his former Commander and friend, Fives made to head towards the waiting ship when he felt Ahsoka grab his hand, balling it up into a fist in the process.
"Commander?" Fives questioning, looking at Ahsoka with confusion on his face. First she was willing to let him go, now she was stopping him?
"Anakin and Rex are close, I can feel them. The Chancellor sent me here to capture you. We need to make it look like you overpowered me. No worries though, I forgive you."
"Forgive me for what?" Fives asked, now more confused than ever. What was she up to?
A smirk covered Ahsoka's face before she yanked on his now balled up fist, angling it directly towards her own cheek. Fives couldn't stop his hand from crashing into the Togruta's face, a sickening crack of knuckle against cheek causing him to flinch in horror as he realised what had just happened. Before him the Togruta tumbled to the floor, one hand cradling her face, the other supporting her fall.
"Kriff! Commander! Why did you…" Fives demanded, moving over to her to help her up.
Rather than accept the help however, Ahsoka pushed him away, mouthing one word to him in the process, the smirk ever present despite the pain she was currently in.
'Run.'
And so Fives ran.
Ahsoka had felt relief many times when a ship took off. Usually that was because she was on it, and normally fleeing from either an ongoing battle with no hopes of winning, or leaving after a battle had been finished to return to the Temple for some rest.
This time however it was different. She felt relief simply watching as the small cargo freighter took off carrying Fives with it, hopefully keeping him safe from harm, for the time being. Whatever he had discovered was bad, that she could tell. She was too close to both the Chancellor and the Jedi to really be able to help to him, despite how much she wanted to. Hopefully he would find someone somewhere willing to listen and help. If there was one thing Fives was good at it was making friends.
Besides, right now she had other issues to deal with, such as the pair of figures that had just rounded an alleyway corner, spotting her lying on the floor, clutching her cheek. Hopefully neither of them would be angry at Fives for 'assaulting' her. He was only 'defending' himself after all.
And hopefully Fives didn't feel too guilty about giving her a nasty bruise on her face.
"Wait?! Ahsoka? What are you doing here? And what happened to your face?!" Anakin's tone was instantly concerned upon seeing her, and then full of rage at the sight of her face. Clearly the bruise was already visible. Admittedly it was now stinging a bit, but nothing she hadn't had before.
Feigning a struggle to push herself up, something which led to Anakin instantly arriving at her side to help her, Ahsoka replied, keeping her tone professional. She was here on assignment after all.
"The Chancellor sent me to find Fives, and I did. But he overpowered me. Must have knocked me out cold. By the time I awoke he was gone."
It wasn't a complete lie, and hopefully Anakin wouldn't see through it, or worse sense she was lying. Hopefully he was too distracted by the fact that she was hurt to pry.
Rex on the other hand…
"Fives attacked you Commander?! He wouldn't do something like that. Ever!"
Accepting Anakin's help Ahsoka stood back up, her eyes locking onto the visor of Rex's helmet.
"Yeah, well I didn't think the Clones would ever chase me down and stun me but they did Captain. I tried to stop Fives but he wouldn't listen. He overpowered me, simple as that. Now he's gone and I doubt we'll find him anytime soon. I need to report this to the Chancellor right away. Could you give me a lift back up to the surface?" Ahsoka replied, directing the last of her statements at Anakin, who nodded in compliance, a myriad of emotions both on his face and coursing through his signature in the Force.
Frankly, Ahsoka felt much the same as he did.
"He escaped? This is most unfortunate Agent Tano. Clone Trooper Fives could become a serious threat to us if he has indeed gone mad. I can't say I am pleased with this result." The voice of the Chancellor was stern and commanding, and almost made Ahsoka shrink in on herself in shame for failing, even if it had been her own choice.
But she wouldn't wilt in the face of a reprimand. That was something her younger more innocent self would have done when she was being punished by a Jedi Master during her time as an initiate. She wasn't that person anymore. She was a hardened Commander of the Clone Wars, and personal agent of the Chancellor. She would stand tall and take whatever punishment he saw fit.
"I apologise profusely Chancellor. I didn't expect Fives to ambush me in such a way. I thought I could talk him out of it, convince him to come home. But it's like you said he was too far gone to even consider coming in peacefully." Ahsoka responded, hands clasped behind her back, back up straight, hoping she was appearing as a professional.
The Chancellor moved away from where he had been staring out the window of his office, overlooking the endless skyscrapers of Coruscant and replied.
"I appreciate your attempt at ending this peacefully, and I don't blame you for his escape. After all you had just returned from a dangerous mission yourself. No doubt you are tired if the reports you sent me are anything to go by. I will handle this problem from now on. Return to your home and relax for the rest of the night. Get some sleep. Our meeting with the Jedi Council is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, assuming you are still willing to attend?"
"Of course Your Excellency. It'll be my pleasure to attend." Ahsoka answered, bowing her head in a sign acceptance, seeing a small smile come onto the older man's face in response.
"Good my dear. Thank you. Now go get some rest my friend. I'll contact you in the morning."
"Thank you Chancellor."
With the debrief over for now, Ahsoka reached down and picked up her helmet that was currently resting on a chair, before bowing again to the Chancellor, and turning to leave his office.
Right now, she needed some sleep, and it was times like these that she was glad she had a very comfy bed to rest in.
Author's thoughts
Well... there we go. Looks like Fives lives to fight another day. Surprised? I bet you were all expecting me to kill him hey?
In changed this arc for a specific reason. In a way, both Fives and Ahsoka can relate to one another as they have both been on the run to defend themselves. Ahsoka knows first hand what it's like when everyone turns on you and thus she has some sympathy for Fives. She trusts him enough to make his own decisions and helps him get away because of it. Simply put, she does what she wished someone would have done for her.
That said, I also played it out so that Fives doesn't reveal that the Chancellor is behind it, as that might just shake Ahsoka's trust in both individuals. As it stands, she remains blissfully ignorant over what happened between Palpy and Fives, for better or for worse.
So yeah, Fives lives... for now. I doubt Palpy will give up that easily.
Anyway, next time round we have Palpy and Ahsoka's visit to the Jedi Temple, where they run into a rather peculiar pair of individuals who just might suit someones needs in the future.
Once again, thanks to my beta reader 'ArrinSynders' for the help. Sorry for making you wait so long between chapters.
Oh, and before I sign off, a few of you asked me for my opinion on the Episode IX trailer and title. So, here it is:
I'll admit, the title doesn't really roll of the tongue like the others do, but that's a minor issue really.
As for the trailer itself... its a trailer... it does what it needs to. I know a lot of people will use it to speculate lots of stuff, but for me trailers have never really worked. They just show some of the stuff to come, and that it. Am I looking forward to EpIX? Sure, but I'm not going to assume or judge based on a trailer, if that makes any sense.
That said... I don't like the Palpatine laugh at the end. They should not have revealed that at all as it ruins a major plot twist later on. The surprise in the cinema would have been far superior, but hey, guess they wanted to excite some people with it.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Juxshoa: Hey, glad you liked the chapter. Hopefully this one was worth the wait.
Bea: Thanks very much, and don't worry about not reviewing. I don't mind. Still, welcome anyways. :)
I'm glad you are enjoying the fusion of canon and legends. I know people love legends but I personally like canon more. That said when I can I like to add snippets of legends stuff in for a more dynamic story.
If you enjoyed Ahsoka and Thrawn in the previous chapters then you will like what I have planned up ahead for them both.
As for the identity of the Miraluka... I've left it open to interpretation. It could be either of those two characters. Again, another legends/canon fusion for the fans. :)
SWGoji2001: Yeah I know it wasn't much between Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, but I felt like that better suits their characters really. We rarely ever see them interacting in canon anyways. To be fair the focus is more on Anakin and Ahsoka, especially as this story progresses.
Ahsoka did indeed go after Fives. Hope you enjoyed the resolution.
Your guess to the identity of the Miraluka is a good one. It could very well be Prosset Dibs, but it could also be another character from legends. It's open to interpretation for now until I decide.
Mysterious Guest one: Ahsoka will get to rest one day, no worries there. I know because I have recently been writing a scene with her resting in it. XD
Looks like Fives is ok for now. Hopefully it stays that way.
Travis Middleton: I knew you'd enjoy the villain perspective section. They are always fun to write, and rest assured plenty more will be coming from Dooku and Sidious.
The individual Dooku is researching could very well be something to do with the future Inquisitors. Does it match up to anyone we know at all is the question?
jojobinks01: Fives lives! XD
Hope your happy.
1saaa: Oops... sorry. I'll try not to in the future. To be fair I uploaded just before I went to sleep myself. Always great to wake up and find comments waiting for me to read. Makes my morning. :)
Season 6 of Clone Wars was kinda meh in my opinion. The end of season 5 seemed like a natural place to end it,, so more after that just felt out of place in a way.
Your hypothesis on what Sidious is planning for Ahsoka is an interesting one. Circumstances would have to be especially dire for Ahsoka to be the one that turns to the darkside. Then again, we know how could Sidious is at manipulating such circumstances into fruition. Guess you'll have to wait and see what happens. I will say though that I knew exactly what was going to happen from the moment I started planning this story, so it's not going to change anytime soon.