The descent down the ladder took longer than Anakin would have liked, but he was not surprised. If what Windu had told them was true, the Sith Shrine was located deep below the surface of Coruscant. That meant they would have to pass through several hundred levels of the city on nothing but a ladder alone!
Even with his Jedi stamina, and benefits given to him through the Force, Anakin was beginning to tire. However, as the person who had gone first, he had to keep moving. If he stopped, everyone else stopped.
Pushing aside the growing discomfort in his limbs, Anakin continued to descend, repeating the same motions over and over and over again. Surely it couldn't be much further now? They had been descending for what felt like forever.
"Maybe next time the Order builds a Temple over a Sith Shrine, they'll think to install a turbolift for easier access for emergencies such as this! I'm gonna need a nap by the time we get to the bottom!" The voice of Bil Valen echoed from above Anakin, drawing a small chuckle from him in the process, agreeing with Bil's words.
"You think you've got problems! I'm almost too big to fit in the damn shaft!" Masana's voice echoed in response, her tone one of clear annoyance and discomfort. No doubt the Dowutin was struggling more than the rest. That was just one more reason for Anakin to hurry up.
"Trust the Force Knight Tide. Once we reach the bottom there will be plenty of room to stretch your limbs."
"That might be true Master Windu, but we are still gonna have to climb back out this way again. I'm really not looking forward to that!" Masana replied again, aggravation in her tone at Windu's words, her signature in the Force bubbling with annoyance.
"I had not thought of that. This mission just gets better and better." Bil spoke again, groaning at the idea of having to ascend the ladder once the mission was complete. Once again, Anakin found himself agreeing with the Jedi Knight. Going back up would be twice as bad as coming down.
Redoubling his effects, Anakin pushed onward, using his lengthy limbs to skip the occasional rung on the ladder, hoping to speed things up for everyone. The sooner they were off the ladder, the better.
The descent continued on, and Anakin's limbs began to ache more and more. Each rung of the ladder became more of a challenge than the last, the strain of the exercise beginning to drain him of his energy.
It was then that something occurred to Anakin. Why was this simple task of climbing down a ladder seemingly so exhausting? He had gone through endless battlefields without feeling tired before, and he knew for a fact that Windu had as well. Ahsoka too for that matter.
So why was now so different? Why was he so exhausted by simply climbing down a ladder.
"Hey.. Ahsoka, can you hear me?" Anakin called above him, able to spot the Togruta above Rex, who had followed after Anakin.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Do you sense something off with the Force?"
"... now that you mention it, yeah I do! What is that?"
Ahsoka's reply was all the proof Anakin needed to confirm his suspicions. He knew why everyone was feeling so exhausted climbing down a simple ladder, and it had nothing to do with the exercise itself.
"I think that's the Sith Shrine we are feeling! Might explain why we are all getting so exhausted!" Anakin called above him again, voicing his hypothesis to his companions. If it was the Shrine they were feeling, then surely they had to be close.
"That would be a logical assumption, Knight Skywalker. Keep pressing on." Windu replied, his tone impressed by Anakin's logic.
"Right away Master Windu. Hopefully we are close."
"Hopefully." Came a response from above, this time from Rex.
It took another fifteen minutes before some form of hope finally appeared for Anakin. The Jedi Knight had glanced down briefly to check his footing, only to see what looked like a light at the bottom of the ladder, as well as an opening. The light was different from the ones' inside the ladder's tunnel, pulsating a gentle white in comparison to the dull red of the tunnel.
"I think I see the bottom!" Anakin called above him, hoping that the news would fill the team with hope as it did him.
"Thank the Force. I was getting bored of the same location over and over again." Prosset Dibs was the one that responded, sarcasm in his tone.
"Oh… you're bored with your surrounding Dibs? You don't even have eyes!"
"Yes Masana… I am aware. It was a joke. Keep going Skywalker. I need my feet back on solid ground!"
Taking that as a cue to hurry up, Anakin again redoubled his efforts, climbing down as fast as his limbs would let him. As he descended further and further, the ever present ache the Sith Shrine had been causing seemed to grow stronger. Was this how the other Jedi had felt before they had collapsed? Was the same about to happen to all of them?
Pushing that thought aside, Anakin continued, descending the ladder until finally… the ladder ran out.
What was left below him was a short drop, one that he could easily use the Force to cushion his fall. He would have to catch Rex of course, but he didn't mind doing that.
Releasing his grip on the ladder, Anakin allowed gravity to do it's work for a brief moment before manipulating the Force below him, slowing him into a gentle descent, one that ended with his boots gently touching the ground below him.
Wasting no time with his surroundings, Anakin glanced back up from where he had emerged, spotting a circular hole in what appeared to be the ceiling.
Rex's white boots emerged from the ladder next, the Clone gasping in surprise as he found out there was no more ladder to climb.
"Let go Rex… I'll catch you."
"You'd better General!"
Despite his obvious trepidation, Rex released his own grip on the ladder, falling towards Anakin, who in turn reached his hands out, grasping hold of his loyal Clone Captain, and gently setting Rex beside him.
"See? Told you so."
"Don't get cocky General." Rex responded with humour in his voice, hands coming up to dust off his armor in the process.
"Make way!" A sudden cry emerged from above the duo, reminding Anakin who was next to descend. Stepping back, Anakin watched, and reached out slightly with the Force on protective instinct, as Ahsoka fell towards them, slowing herself down, but not to the same extent that Anakin had done.
Anakin watched as the armoured Togruta landed in a roll, using the momentum of the roll to push herself back to her feet, before turning to face Anakin and Rex, smugness rolling off of her, both through body language and the Force.
"Showoff." Anakin bantered, rolling his eyes at the overly dramatic nature of his former Padawan.
"Hey, I learned from the best."
Another figure landed next to Anakin in that moment, pulling him away from his banter with Ahsoka.
"This place echoes with ghosts of the past. The dark side is strong here." Prosset Dibs said, turning away from his companions and beginning to survey the area. Anakin could only assume the Miraluka was using the Force to 'see' in the traditional sense.
"Certainly seems like it, General. Look at the horizon!" Rex spoke, moving away from the group himself, analyzing what he could see.
Taking the moment to partake whilst recovering his strength from the fall, Anakin too observed the area around them.
The ladder had led down to what seemed to be a large cavern, one that spanned a large distance beyond them. They had entered on what appeared to be a raised platform, one that stood above old run down buildings, many of which looked like abandoned factories.
"How long has all of this been down here?" Ahsoka inquired from beside him, her own eyes surveying the area around them from beneath her helmet.
"Several millennia, Agent Tano. Coruscant was not always the shining metropolis you see today. The Age of the Old Republic left many ruins, even here." Windu's voice answered, the Council Member seemingly appearing out of thin air next to the group.
"It's not all gone away Master Windu. There are still areas like this on Coruscant today in the lower levels." Ahsoka replied, as if she was challenging Windu's words. Anakin found himself nodding in agreement. The people on the lower levels had been all but forgotten by the topside. When this war was over, Anakin hoped that there wouldn't be any internal schism or conflict because of the neglect.
"Look out below!" Another voice, Masana's, echoed from above as the Dowutin fell to the ground, landing with surprising grace for someone her size.
Unlike Masana however, the next to fall landed with significantly less comfort.
"Ah kriff!"
Bil Valen fell with a thud, slowing himself down enough as to not break any bones on impact, but not enough to stop a resounding crash from echoing in the cavern around them. The grey skinned Jedi landed rough, rolling several times from the momentum before coming to a halt face down. Anakin already felt sorry for the Knight as he groaned on the floor, pushing himself with an embarrassed look on his face
Masana however clearly felt no sympathy.
"Ha! That one is on you Bil! I bet you were too busy picturing Master Ti in the nude again weren't you, what with that crush you've got on her?"
"What?! No I don't! I just wasn't expecting the ground to appear that fast!"
"Sure sure…. I totally believe you Valen!"
"Shut up Masana!"
"Make me buddy!"
A modulated chuckle, one coming from behind Ahsoka's helmet, drew Anakin's attention away from the arguing friends. Clearly the Togruta was as amused by their banter as he was.
"Generals! Is that what I think it is?!"
Rex's voice was full of concern and dread, something that was unusual for the Clone, and something that immediately drew Anakin's attention. If Rex was worried about something, then it was important.
"What's wrong Rex?" Anakin replied, moving over to join his Captain, who was busy surveying the landscape around them. The large open cavern seemed to go on endlessly, the abandoned buildings filling Anakin with the same sense of dread that Rex was clearly feeling.
"That Sir? Is that…?" Rex spoke again, raising one of his hands and pointing to something amongst the buildings beyond them.
It took a few moments for Anakin to see what Rex was referring to, but when he did he felt his blood chill.
The endless dark and decrepit factories stretched on and on, illuminated only by what appeared to be old street lights that suspiciously still seemed to have power, but there, in the middle of them was an anomaly. Said anomaly looked like a small pyramid sticking up from beneath the factories, one that pulsated a dark ominous red in the sea of black and grey.
Anakin had never seen Sith architecture in person, but every single instinct in his body was telling him that the anomaly was what he feared it was.
The Sith Shrine.
"Huh? It's smaller than I expected it to be." Bil spoke as he and Masana moved to join Anakin and Rex, their own eyes surveying the landscape.
"That's because that is only the top of the Shrine. The rest is located below this level. We must access the Shrine via the abandoned factories surrounding it, if the legends are true that is." Master Windu detailed, tone professional and unfazed by the sight before them. If Anakin didn't know any better he'd say this wasn't Windu's first time exploring a Sith ruin.
"Then perhaps it is best if we split up and search for the correct factory? We can cover more ground that way." Prosset suggested, surveying the area around them with the use of the Force.
"A sound strategy Master Dibs. We shall divide into teams of two. Knight Valen, you will accompany me. Knight Tide… with Skywalker. Master Dibs, you shall accompany Agent Tano. Search the area and see if you can find an entrance to the Shrine. If you do, do not enter until the rest of us arrive. Am I clear?" Windu responded, dividing the teams and planning the mission before anyone could comment or complain.
The teams Windu had divided them into were certainly odd, and not what Anakin would have chosen. Would it not make more sense to keep him and Ahsoka together? Or Masana and Bil?
Or perhaps the reason Windu had split them up was for that very reason alone… to keep them from working together. Was he worried that they would get distracted by being together?
"Sounds like a plan Master Windu. Stay on the comms." Ahsoka was the first of the group to reply, bowing at the Council member in the process, showing a level of respect to him that Anakin found peculiar. It was as if she had done so in a slightly mocking way.
"Likewise Agent Tano. May the Force be with us all." Windu replied, before gesturing for Bil to follow, who's shoulders slumped before he moved to follow.
Anakin watched as Windu and Bil found a path that led down into the abandoned factory district below, the both of them proceeding down the path and out of sight in the process.
Content that they would be able to look after themselves, Anakin turned his attention to the only unassigned member of the team. Why Windu hadn't given Rex orders to join a specific team was beyond him. Maybe he felt like he didn't have any jurisdiction over the Clone Captain of the 501st. After all, they weren't Windu's battalion.
In a way, Anakin was glad. That meant he could assign Rex to the mission he believed was most important.
"Rex. I want you to go with Ahsoka. Keep each other safe."
"Consider it done." Came Rex's reply almost immediately. Anakin was grateful for the Captain's constant support, both on and off the battlefield. He was a true friend.
"Hey! Don't you trust me and Master Dibs to take care of ourselves?" Ahsoka's response was one of fake offense, something that got a smile out of Anakin.
"Knowing you and your influence Snips, Master Dibs will either go crazy from working with you…. or become as crazy as you!"
"Ha! All I learned, I learned from you Skyguy!"
"Skyguy?! Ha! Oh that's gold!" Masana's voice boomed out, the Dowutin breaking down into a series of chuckles at the mention of Ahsoka's nickname for her former Master.
"I must say it is a rather unorthodox name. Fitting though." Dibs commented next, with a smirk on his face.
"I'd say it's embarrassing as all hell! I like you Tano! You are awesome!" Masana continued, finally recovering from her laughing fit.
"Thanks Masana. Nice to be wanted for once."
Anakin was used to splitting up with Ahsoka on missions. Usually they worked the best when they were together, flawlessly using each other's strengths and weaknesses to supplement and enhance their own. They would combine their strength, and cover each other when the time came. They were, in an odd way, a lot like a well put together starfighter. Each component worked together in tandem with the others to ensure progress. The 501st too had slipped into place beside them with ease, becoming part of the 'starfighter' that was their General and Commander.
But still, despite how much he wished he was still by Ahsoka's side, especially in a place as dark and full of trepidation as this, Anakin knew that Ahsoka could look out for herself.
And even if she didn't, Rex would watch her back just as he always did. As long as they were together, they would be fine.
And hopefully they wouldn't drive Master Dibs too crazy.
Hearing the sound of metal creaking, followed by a strained grunt, Anakin turned his focus back to his current companion, and the way she was lifting a large steel girder that had obstructed the path they had been taking with nothing but her brute force strength.
Anakin watched as Masana Tide lifted the girder in her claws, suspending it on her back before she dumped it on the floor with little ceremony, the resulting clang echoing around the factory they were currently in.
The duo had entered the factory on a hunch, following something that the large Dowutin had sensed through the Force. The darkside had clouded much of Anakin's senses since entering, so he was more than willing to follow Masana's lead on this.
Huffing to herself in what seemed like joy, Masana turned back to the next obstacle in their way, a large rusted door.
"Well, at least we can just…" Anakin began to speak, his hand grasping hold of his lightsaber hilt, fully intending to cut a hole in the door to make passage for them until Masana acted first.
The Dowutin woman launched her leg out, her large foot crashing into the rusted door, knocking it clean off its hinges with ease.
"Or we could do that I guess." Anakin concluded, slightly horrified at just how 'Obi-Wan' like he sounded in that moment. Was this how his Master felt when on a mission with him?
"Yeah…sorry… guess it would have been easier to use the Force or something." Masana spoke after taking a deep breath, turning back to face Anakin, who shrugged in response.
"It's no worry. I know what it's like to need to take your anger out on something."
"I appreciate the concern. Shall we?" Masana replied, gesturing to the opening she had just made with one claw.
"We shall." Anakin answered, moving through the opening and entering into what looked like a large warehouse.
There was little inside that seemed important, and as far as he could see there was nothing that would suggest an entrance to the Sith Shrine that they were looking for.
Still, Masana seemed to think this run down factory was important, and so far it was the only lead they had.
Moving forward, Anakin felt Masana move up beside him, her own eyes surveying the area intently. From what Anakin could see, various archaic machines lay strewn around, gathering dust and rust from the years they had been left undisturbed by the people of Coruscant above.
Glancing at one of the machines, Anakin spotted what seemed to resemble a broken blaster rifle, one of a variant he had never seen before. Had this been a weapons factory?
"So…. 'Skyguy'?" Masana spoke suddenly, her tone teasing in nature as she used Ahsoka's nickname for him, eliciting a groan from him in the process.
"Please don't call me that." Anakin replied, tone exasperated. Anyone other than Ahsoka calling him that name just sounded weird.
"Heh.. sorry… couldn't resist. If it's any consolation, when I was in the Temple creche as a youngling, my nickname was 'Pointy Chin'. Kind of annoying really, even if it was true." Masana replied, pointing to the two large horns she had sprouting from her chin.
"Were you bullied as a youngling?" Anakin couldn't help but ask as he stepped over a large fallen container, one that had various components spilling out of it, components that were then crushed underneath Masana's large foot.
"Just a bit. No one really tried anything though. Being a Dowutin has it's advantages after all." Masana replied, a smirk coming to her face as she recalled her past briefly.
"Well as long as no one tormented you or anything." Anakin spoke again, memories of his own upbringing in the Temple coming to his mind. He had been bullied by some… younglings who had likely just been jealous of his immediate jump to Padawan status under Obi-Wan's tutelage. He had tried to pay them no mind… but if there was one thing Anakin despised in the galaxy as much as slavers, it was bullies. He had no time for them… and frankly he had given more than a few their 'just desserts'.
Obi-Wan hadn't been pleased of course, but he didn't understand, and Anakin didn't blame him at all.
"So, what do you think of that 'Chosen One' prophecy thing? You believe it?" Masana questioned, her tone serious all of a sudden, eyes moving over to Anakin's.
"Not at all." Anakin replied, partly lying, partly not. Anakin knew he was powerful, there was no doubt about that. What little he remembered of Mortis had proved that.
But at the same time, he wasn't sure exactly what his role in the prophecy was! Was he really destined to destroy the Sith?
"Not to offend you, but neither do I. If the whole 'Chosen One' stuff was true then surely they wouldn't hesitate to destroy the Sith with ease! So either the prophecy is a lie, or you are really slacking on the job!"
Anakin couldn't help but laugh at the way Masana replied, something that was echoed by the Dowutin briefly.
"Well Master Kenobi always did say I was lazy at times." Anakin replied, smirking at Masana in response.
"Reminds me of my Master. He was a stickler for the rules too. Bit aggressive though. Reckless too. I hear you met him before his death." Masana continued, her tone turning solemn at the mention of her deceased Master.
"Who was he?" Anakin inquired as they continued to move forward. Anakin had met a lot of Jedi during his time at the Temple, several of which had died. He was sure that whoever had been Masana's Master was a Jedi to respect greatly.
"You of all people won't like the answer Skywalker." Masana replied, dodging the question with a sense of unease about her. Anakin watched as the Dowutin woman kicked a large metal container, knocking it over to clear them a path.
"I won't judge you based on your Master if that's what you are worried about." Anakin spoke, hoping he came across as friendly and welcoming.
Masana seemed to hesitate for a second, as if doubting Anakin's words, before she finally replied, her head turned away from Anakin, concealing her expression from him.
"My Master was Pong Krell."
Anakin felt a chill run down his spine at the mention of the name of the Jedi who had tutored Masana. Pong Krell was not a kind name around the Temple at any point. He had been the literal definition of a brute, and after what he had done at Umbara to his men, Anakin had no kindness to give him, and nothing nice to say about him either. If Dogma hadn't executed Krell, Anakin would have himself.
Still, despite his hatred of Krell, a hatred he knew was shared by Ahsoka, Anakin knew that you couldn't judge a Padawan based on who their Master was. Padawans were not responsible or to blame for their Masters actions and failures. It was the Master's duty to teach their student and be responsible for guiding them, not the other way around.
From what Anakin has seen of Masana so far, she was nothing like the brutality that was Pong Krell.
"I take it you are surprised?" Masana's voice broke Anakin's train of thought, despair evident in her tone.
"I am." Anakin replied, unsure how to continue the conversation. The last thing he wanted to do was offend his new friend by insulting her former Master, even if he had been one of the worst people in existence.
"Do you hate me for his actions, because I wouldn't blame you if you did. Everyone else seems to." Masana continued, her tone growing much quieter than Anakin expected.
"Of course not!" Anakin answered quickly, moving over to Masana, gently laying a hand on her elbow. The Dowutin towered above him and he could never hope to reach her height, let alone rest a hand comfortably on her shoulder as a sign of comfort. Hopefully she understood the gesture nonetheless.
"Why not?" Masana questioned, turning her head to face Anakin, confusion in her now wide eyes.
"Why would I hate you for it? You're not responsible for Master Krell's betrayal, and anyone who blames you for his treachery is a poor Jedi, and frankly a horrendous person too. You can't blame a Padawan for a Master's failings. If you could, Ahsoka would be in trouble pretty much every day of her life for the stuff I do wrong!" Anakin replied, hoping that adding some humour to his explanation would ease the sudden tension that had appeared around them.
His attempt worked, as the Dowutin laughed aloud, the smirk that had been present on her face earlier returning.
"You know… when Krell did what he did on Umbara, pretty much all of my friends left me. The Clone Legion I was with demanded to be reassigned when they found out I was Krell's Padawan. Even the Admiral of the Venator I was aboard wanted nothing to do with me. I came back to the Temple to find that I was pretty much ostracized by everyone, except for a select few." Masana began to detail, the smirk leaving her lips, but her face remaining neutral.
"Such as Bil?" Anakin asked, referring to the Jedi Knight who was currently working alongside Master Windu. Clearly he and Masana were friends if their earlier interactions were anything to go by.
"Yeah. Bil was there for me, as were his friends. Pretty much everyone else shunned me though, not that I blame them. After a mission that went a bit wrong with Bil torturing a Seppie POW, I took to spending some time with the younglings. They were too young to judge me for my Master's actions, which was nice. Plus it was a good change from the havoc of the Clone War too. Peaceful, ya'know?"
Anakin could understand Masana's reasoning. The war had been ongoing for a considerable amount of time, and everyone was getting fed up with it. There was no way of knowing who was going to win, and neither side seemed to be making any headway either.
If Anakin was a betting man, he'd say the war would go on for a while longer yet. That was of course unless someone managed to eliminate Grievous or Dooku, but that seemed to be a harder task than anyone expected it to be.
"Well…" Anakin began, hoping that his words would offer comfort to Masana, " I know what it's like to be an outsider too. If you ever need anything, feel free to talk to me too."
Masana's eyes widened again in surprise, as if she hadn't been expecting an offer of friendship and companionship to be extended towards her. In a way, Anakin felt sorry for her. Masana was a nice enough person. Why wouldn't anyone want to be friends with her?
The Dowutin seemed to debate internally for a few seconds, before she broke out into a smile again and spoke. "Thanks, and same to you…. 'Skyguy'."
"Watch it 'Pointy Chin'. I can still revoke the offer." Anakin replied, jesting alongside Masana, who chuckled in response.
It was then that Anakin felt two things. One was a sudden shift in the Force. A dark presence flooded his mind briefly, one that was tormented and bordering on insanity.
As fast as the presence appeared, it vanished back into the darkness, leaving Anakin once again with nothing more than the pulsating darkness of the Sith Shrine echoing in his mind.
"Oh kriff!"
Masana's exclamation, followed by the way she suddenly jolted backwards in surprise was enough to draw Anakin's attention to the second thing he had felt.
The ground beneath them began to move, slowly rising upwards, as if something was coming up from beneath them.
Vaulting to the side next to Masana, where the ground remained unmoving, Anakin saw that his prediction was in fact true! Something was emerging from the ground beneath them!
On instinct, Anakin reached for his lightsaber, igniting the blade and illuminating the area before them in a bright blue light. Beside him, Masana began to crouch into a battle position familiar to her species, but made no move to equip her own lightsaber, which hung off her waist.
As the ground continued to shift before them, something began to push up with significant force, breaking through the rusted floor of the factory.
Suddenly, what looked like a large limb erupted from the ground, crashing down to the ground in the process before it pushed itself up once more, more of its body emerging from the ground beneath them.
Taking a cautious step back, Anakin surveyed this new creature that had emerged before them. Its limbs were long and gangly, and in a way resembled bones made of rock. It towered above them both easily, dwarfing even Masana with it's sheer height.
The stone creature rose to its full height, a large skull-like shape that Anakin assumed was the head surveying the area, before it released a roar of rage, its 'face' coming to focus on the two Jedi before it.
"I think we might be in trouble here." Anakin quipped, unsure what to do next.
"You don't say!" Masana sniped back, her lightsaber suddenly flashing to life in her clawed hand, bathing her in a bright green glow.
The stone creature roared again, as if accepting the challenge before it. Slowly it began to move to the side, strafing Anakin and Masana, forcing them to move as well in tandem with the creature. Anakin didn't want to attack this creature unless he really had to, and even then he would prefer to know what he was up against before he charged headlong in.
The creature made another series of sounds, ones that reminded Anakin of a growling beast that had cornered its prey and was toying with it.
"What do we do?" Masana asked, rotating her saber in her hand a few times, creating vicious green arcs of plasma in the process. Whether or not she was just limbering up for a fight, or trying to intimidate the creature away was unknown to Anakin. Right now he didn't have time to figure that out. They needed an escape route instead.
Glancing around slowly, trusting Masana to keep her eyes on the stone creature, Anakin spotted a way out. A small uncovered doorway lay on the opposite side of the room they were currently in, one that hopefully led back outside.
"There's a path over there Masana. I say we move slowly and steadily. Hopefully this thing will see that we mean it no harm if we go in peace. No need for a fight today."
"Sounds like a plan. Slow and steady wins the race after all." Masana replied, gesturing to Anakin to lead the way.
Moving slowly and cautiously, as to not anger the creature, Anakin began to back towards the doorway, Masana following him in the process.
As they began to get further away from the stone creature, it tilted its head in confusion, before it's posture seemed to relax, a low rumble emerging from its throat.
"That's it. We're not here to hurt you. Go back to sleep." Anakin spoke softly, more to himself than the creature, as it likely didn't understand him.
The creature made another low rumble in its throat before it nodded it's head, turning away from Anakin and Masana and settling back down on the floor, its long limbs curling up into a ball, one that resulted in large bone shaped spines pointing upwards as it returned to its dormant state.
Backing through the doorway, Anakin allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief, before he glanced up at Masana's face, a small smile on his lips.
"Close one huh?" Anakin said, glad to have avoided a fight with something three times their size.
"Tell me about it." Masana replied, extinguishing her saber and placing the hilt back to her waist. "Guess that's what I sensed in the Force. One hell of a misjudgement on my part."
"Happens to the best of us." Anakin replied, turning around to survey the new room they were in, which resembled an office of some kind.
"So…. where to next then?" Masana inquired, moving though the office slowly and steadily, as if worried what else they might wake up.
"Well, I guess we better…." Anakin began before once again he was interrupted, this time by a series of beeps from his comm link.
Without hesitation, Anakin moved his hands to open the line. Perhaps one of the other teams had found something?
"Skywalker here."
"General Skywalker! It's Captain Rex!"
The panic in Rex's voice set Anakin off immediately. Something was very wrong if one of the bravest people he knew sounded scared!
"Rex?! What is it?"
"Sir! We've been attacked by someone with a red lightsaber! I think it's a Sith Lord!"
Hundreds of thoughts flooded Anakin's mind in an instant. If there was a Sith Lord down here… then who could it be? Was it Dooku… or someone else?
Or was it perhaps the other Sith Lord that they were hunting for?! The rumoured 'Darth Sidious'?
"Sir! There's more!" Rex's voice echoed across the comm link again, the fear and worry still in his voice. Something was very very wrong!
"Rex?" Anakin asked, dread flooding him.
"Sir… we think the Sith has taken Ahsoka! We can't find her anywhere!"
Author's thoughts
Dun dun duunnnnnnnn! Cliffhanger! And no... I'm not sorry for it! XD
Actually... I am a bit sorry for it really... so... sorry I guess. Hopefully you lot aren't too mad, but I needed to end the chapter. and sometimes a good cliffhanger is the best way to do it. Hate me if you wish. I'm sure someone will for it. :)
Anyways, this chapter was a lot of fun to write for many different reasons, but the biggest one was the whole Anakin and Masana conversation. I wanted to give Anakin a new friend, and I felt that Masana was in many ways a perfect person for that role. I mean, Ahsoka has already got new friends in Caleb and the Temple Guard, so it's about time Anakin got one. Plus, out of all of the Inquisitors in canon, it always seemed like the Ninth Sister was the one Inquisitor that Vader sort of kinda of liked in a way. I mean, she got away with making comments about his mental state to his face! Not many people can do that and live to tell the tale. Perhaps, in a twisted way, she kind of reminds Vader of a certain snippy Togruta? (or maybe I'm overthinking it again)
Whilst we are speaking about Masana, I guess I should probably mention the big twist with her background and who her Master was hey? Her being Pong Krell's Padawan is something I've made up. We know nothing about Krell or Masana outside of what we have seen so far, and thus I thought it would be cool to have them have a relationship of some kind. I'm aware that Masana is in canon likely older than Krell, but for the sake of this AU, just image that Masana is young for a Dowutin. Plus, by having Krell as her Master, it sets up a future interesting relationship with a certain Clone Captain, does it not? XD
As for that big beast that Anakin and Masana encountered, it's design was taken from concept art done by Filoni and his team back when they had a Sith Shrine arc planned for the Clone wars. I wanted to bring them across for fun reasons. I hope you liked the creature. You can find the concept art online. XD
So yeah, I think that's about all I have to say in regards to this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, despite the very annoying cliffhanger I've left it on. I wonder who the Sith Lord could be? XD
Thanks again to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his help. He was annoyed by the cliffhanger too, so you guys aren't alone! XD
Next time round, Rex fills in Anakin on what happened, and the team find themselves face to face with a riddle to solve.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Mysterious Guest One: Thanks. I'm glad you are enjoying it, and I'm glad you felt both this and my Rebels AU were worth a binge read. Makes it all worth while, especially considering that Rebels AU finished a few years back. (minus the one shots)
Yeah, I know my opinion on Rex is controversial. I've already been told that I'm 'not a true Star Wars fan' because of it, but whatever. My personal experiences are what shaped my opinion. I'm not angry at Rex for going through with Order 66. That was never his or his brother's fault. I just had an issue with the fact that he didn't take his chip out, which was solely a problem created by the path the writers took, and it would be wrong and hypocritical of my to complain about that.
End of the day, it all worked out, but then you are right to point out the fact that she wouldn't have known without him resisting briefly. Doesn't matter at the end of the day though. My opinion means nothing so best to just ignore it and me. I'm less angry now though, and I still like Rex.
Thanks for understanding though, and thanks again for the kind words. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Dream Plane: I did wonder if anyone who would ask that, so thanks for being the one to. For the sake of the story, and to not waste time by having them venture into the Shrine pointlessly, it is the Sith Shrine that is causing it. Unrealistic if them to place all their bets on it I realize, but that's the way the story goes sometimes. Hope that's ok?
Tamara: Thanks. I appreciate that. :)
Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: Thanks very much. I appreciate the kind words. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, even with the cliffhanger! XD
60FPS: The little teasing details of things to come are always great fun to put in and see the response to, so I'm glad you like them. There will be more of them in the coming chapters. What they mean however will be revealed later on. Can't give everything away at once after all. XD
tf330129: Still going as best I can. :)
1saaa: Hope you haven't thrown the chair in rage because of the cliffhanger. At least you've got some stuff to speculate on now though huh? That's a good thing at least! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)
RyanSquad: Ahsoka would defend Palpy from any potential assassins at this point. Let's hope a certain Windu doesn't get any funny ideas anytime soon... like trying to arrest him for treason or something? XD
DrCyrusBortel: Hey, I really appreciated and enjoyed reading through all of your comments that you made on the story thus far. I'm glad that you think the story has potential and that you've been enjoying it so far (hopefully you have at least, don't want to presume).
I too have noticed an improvement in my writing style, so hooray that someone else has too. Improving is always a good thing.
And I'm glad you've enjoyed the world building that I've tried to include as well. Having the characters go to interesting unique places is great fun to write, as well as a challenge for me. There is more of that sort of stuff to come as well. Just gotta get through this dark arc first! XD
Thanks again for all the comments. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. XD