The Force was a mystical power, one that could never really be understood by anyone. Those that did claim to understand it were lying. They saw a force that shaped life, and something that resided within only those who had enough 'potential',
General Grievous however, had proved them wrong! The Force was nothing more than a tool. It could be shaped. It could be controlled!
And it could be implanted into someone, just as it had been implanted into him.
Grievous couldn't help but laugh aloud, unconcerned about who was in the room with him. This was a monumental day for everyone. He had tried such procedures before of course. When his new body had been constructed, Count Dooku had infused him with a sample of the Jedi Sifo-Dyas' blood in a vain hope of granting him Force sensitivity. It hadn't worked at the time of course, but Grievous hadn't needed it to. There were other ways to defeat a Jedi, even without the Force under his command.
Now however, thanks to Dooku's 'acquisition' of intelligence from his Master, Grievous had opted to try again, and this time… this time it had been successful.
The data on how the Ysalamir negated the Force, combined with the secrets from within the Sith Holocron had revealed the process to extract the Force from a user, and implant it on another. It was an ancient Sith technique, and one Dooku had been unsure would work.
But it had… and now Grievous was more powerful than any Jedi in their pathetic Order!
Moving his clawed hand around, he threw the piece of equipment he had pulled with the Force up in the air, before holding his hand out once again to catch it, this time with the Force.
Grievous didn't know how he was doing it, but he was, regardless of the lack of training. He knew it took years to master the Force the way people like Count Dooku had, but somehow, he already seemed to have a mastery of it. Had he perhaps inherited more than just Depa Billaba's Force sensitivity? Had he inherited her entire skill set with the transfusion?
Rotating his claw slightly, Grievous focused on the power he could feel running through him. His body might be cybernetic, but he had never felt more alive. The Force sang to him, encouraging him, offering him it's power!
And he accepted it. All of it! The Force was now his to command.
Turning to the Neimoidian, who was watching with awe, Grievous spoke.
"You have done well Doctor. This is a great day for the Separatist Alliance."
"And a great day for science General! Just think of what we could do with such a tool at our disposal!"
Grievous had to refrain from rolling his eyes, or sighing aloud. The doctor was good, no doubt about that, but his devotion to science first and foremost could be a problem, especially considering what part of his current orders were.
Speaking of which…
The hand that had been suspending the equipment on the air closed, said piece of equipment falling to the floor with a clang as a result as Grievous moved towards a nearby holoterminal. Punching in the communication code he knew off the top of his head, Grievous bowed.
Seconds later the hologram of Count Dooku flashed into existence before him.
"General Grievous, I take it your operation was a success?" The elderly man spoke, his tone patient, but expectant.
Rising from his knee, Grievous reached into the Force around him once again. In his mind he pictured his lightsabers, claimed from the foes he had defeated, and began to lift them from within his cape.
Four lightsaber hilts emerged without a hand laid on them, floating up in front of the General as a demonstration of his power.
Count Dooku's response was immediate.
"Remarkable. I was unsure this would succeed General, but against all odds we have been victorious. However, the ability to lift simple objects with the Force is not a true demonstration of power. Find a suitable target to practise your manipulation on, and then report to Serenno as planned."
"Yes Count Dooku."
Ahsoka watched with trepidation as the hologram of Count Dooku faded away without even addressing the captive Jedi. The Count's attention had been solely on his droid General.
All things considered however, that shouldn't have been a surprise. General Grievous had just become a far more dangerous threat to everyone in the galaxy. If he was allowed to leave this lab alive, a lot of innocent lives would be lost.
A lot of Jedi lives would be lost. Despite her disdain for the Council, she didn't want other Jedi to pay the price.
She had to stop Grievous now! But how?
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Artoo.
The white and blue astromech had shifted position, moving from behind a set of crates to behind the long rows of glass containers that housed the deceased Ysalamir. Ahsoka could see where he was heading. A terminal, in the far corner. From there he could no doubt deactivate the ray shields around them.
The only problem was that the terminal was completely exposed. If Artoo moved towards it, he would definitely be seen.
An idea came to mind. Rex had clearly been delayed, but she knew he would come. However, if she could distract Grievous…
Smirking beneath her helmet, Ahsoka channeled all of her inner 'snippiness', as Anakin liked to call it, and spoke.
"Sooo…. General…. Now that you can use the Force, are you gonna apply for a Master in the Jedi Order? I'd offer to teach you myself, but you know… I kind of left. Oohh… maybe Obi-Wan is willing to teach you! What do you say Obi-Wan?"
Through the Force, Ahsoka felt Obi-Wan's confusion at her snarky attitude. He clearly hadn't seen Artoo, but he still trusted her.
"I don't know Ahsoka. There is an age limit to taking a person into the Order."
"Oh well that's perfect then. Grievous is a man-child at the best of times!"
"Very true my dear. And I wouldn't have to worry about feeding him either. Do you even eat anything General? Or drink?"
"How do you go to the refresher… assuming you do, that is?" Cody chimed in from beside Obi-Wan, earning a smirk from the Jedi Master in the process. The only person who wasn't joining in was Caleb, who had a horrified look on his face. No doubt he was still struggling with feeling his Master's Force signature under General Grievous' command. Ahsoka knew she was. Feeling what was once Depa Billaba's signature, corrupted and twisted, was just unnerving. It wasn't like she had even turned to the dark side of the Force either! Her powers, her sensitivity, had simply been stolen!
"So… you up for it then Grievous?" Ahsoka continued on, the smirk still present on her face as she taunted Grievous. Behind him she could see Artoo slowly approaching the terminal, preparing to plug in. They only needed a few more moments of distraction before…
"Such a shame, I expected better from the two of you." Grievous spoke suddenly before he spun on his heels, reaching out with one clawed hand and grasping hold of Artoo with the Force.
The astromech screamed as he was thrown across the room, smashing through several glass containers in the process before he came to rest out of sight, but no doubt heavily damaged.
Rage flooded Ahsoka! How dare he do that to Artoo!
Turning his attention back to his captives, Grievous chuckled as he continued.
"Ironic, isn't it? A group of Jedi relying on an astromech to save them! How pathetic."
"Why don't you say that to our faces then General Clanker!" Cody spat from behind his ray shield, drawing the General's attention solely to him.
Ahsoka felt the sudden shift in the Force, and knew what was about to come next. She had to refrain from screaming aloud.
"As you wish, Clone scum!"
The ray shield around Cody vanished seconds later, and Cody reacted. The Commander of the 212th let loose a trio of blasts from his rifle, aimed for the cyborg General.
Grievous however simply side stepped them, predicting their destination through his newly acquired Force powers before holding one clawed hand up before him, grasping hold of Cody and lifting him off the ground.
"CODY!"
"LET HIM GO!"
"NO!"
Ahsoka almost couldn't tell the difference between her voice, Obi-Wan's and Caleb's as they all cried out in alarm for Cody. The Commander was suspended in the air, choking as his airways were constricted by the General's manipulation of the Force.
"Poor Clone Trooper. So loyal to the Republic, to the Jedi, to Kenobi. If only he knew the truth of what he really was. If only they all knew." Grievous snarled as he raised his hand up, before bringing it down harshly, slamming Cody to the ground, and then lifting him back up again.
Ahsoka didn't understand what Grievous meant with his words, but right now she didn't care! If he hurt Cody anymore than he already had…
"Let him go General! It's me you want, I can tell. Release Cody and I will surrender to you!" Obi-Wan spoke as calmly as he could. His outward expression was used to hide the dread he was feeling on the inside. Ahsoka could feel it in the Force.
"Let him go? Why would I do that Kenobi? If anything, you should be thanking me for what I am about to do!" Grievous replied as he brought Cody down onto the floor again, another sickening crunch echoing around the room.
"Dammit Grievous, stop!" Ahsoka cried out in anger, knowing full well it was in vain. Grievous wouldn't listen to her… but if she could distract him just a few more seconds…
'Come one Rex! Where are you! Cody needs you now!'
"Stop? I will never stop Tano! Not until the Republic is defeated, the Clones are obliterated, and the Jedi are rendered extinct! And this…" Grievous replied, gesturing with his free hand to Cody as he suspended him in the air in a choke-hold once again. "This shall be how I start!"
Ahsoka watched with horror as Grievous' hand clenched tighter suddenly, a nausea inducing snap following seconds later as Cody's neck twisted in an unnatural way, his body going limp.
Ahsoka felt nothing but despair as she watched Grievous release Cody's body, letting it fall to the floor without any consideration. Through the Force she felt Obi-Wan's despair, Caleb's shock…
And Grievous' glee.
She was going to murder him for this!
"CODY!" Obi-Wan's grief gave way to verbal despair as she heard the agony in the Jedi Master's voice. Had he been around members of the Jedi Council, no doubt they would be currently reprimanding Obi-Wan on his outburst of emotion, and encouraging him to celebrate Cody's joining of the Force.
But Ahsoka wasn't a member of the Jedi Council. She was a normal person who had just watched one of her friends die.
Reaching into the Force, she sent her own waves of sorrow, as well as comfort over to Obi-Wan.
The Jedi Master calmed instantly, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath before opening them again, his gaze locked solely on Grievous.
"You will regret that Grievous."
The cyborg General merely laughed at Obi-Wan's comment before turning his back to the Jedi.
"Doctor, we have all we need. Destroy the research in this facility and prepare to evacuate."
"Destroy the research?! Surely you jest! I have worked too hard for all of this to be rendered obs…"
"Do not test my patience Doctor, lest you end up like the Clone. These orders come from Count Dooku himself. Do I make myself clear?"
"I… yes General… crystal clear."
Grievous huffed before turning back to face the Jedi. Once again, Ahsoka was sure he'd be smirking if he could. His signature in the Force certainly suggested so. It was one of dark humour laced with hatred. Vastly different from what she was used to feeling Depa Billaba's signature as.
"As for the rest of you…" Grievous began as he moved towards the ray shield Ahsoka was contained in, golden eyes full of glee. "I believe I shall kill you next Tano. That should break Kenobi even more, wouldn't you say?"
The sadistic look of joy in Grievous' golden reptilian eyes made Ahsoka want to punch him in the face. Once again she cursed the ray shield separating them from each other.
How anyone could ever get such enjoyment out of killing people she would never know. It took a special kind of deranged person to enjoy murder!
However, as she opened her mouth to reply, the sound of a blaster discharging from across the room interrupted her.
Moments later, with a shower of sparks from above her, the ray shield around her vanished.
Grievous spun on his heels to see who had taken the shot, and Ahsoka chose that moment to strike.
Igniting her lightsaber, she lunged forward, hoping to impale the droid General and end it here and now.
Unfortunately, she had no such luck. Whether it was down to his new found Force sensitivity or something else, Grievous was able to counter, evading out of the way of the lightsaber and igniting four of his own to defend himself. The four blades began to rotate in the sawblade fashion that Grievous clearly favoured.
Another two blaster shots echoed across the room, removing the ray shields from around Obi-Wan and Caleb in response, who instantly moved up to join Ahsoka, their own lightsabers ignited and ready for a fight.
"Surrender General." Obi-Wan quipped from beside Ahsoka, his tone struggling to keep the grief out of it.
"Never!" Grievous snarled before he advanced, rotating his blades in deadly sweeping arcs. A cascade of blue and green sabers came barrelling down upon the three Force users, crashing against their own lightsabers in the process in an attempt to overwhelm them.
Ahsoka knew Obi-Wan would be able to hold Grievous off almost indefinitely, and from experience she too knew how to deal with him.
Caleb however was only a mere Padawan. Sure, he was skilled, and he had improved since she had last fought by his side, but he still wasn't ready for someone of Grievous' skill set, much less when said cyborg was now a fully fledged Force user.
Tilting her golden blade to deflect a series of fast strikes from Grievous, Ahsoka moved her body to defend Caleb before speaking.
"Caleb! Go find Depa's lightsaber, now!"
"What?! Why!"
"I'm in the mood for some Jar'Kai!" Ahsoka replied as she reached into the Force at the same time as Obi-Wan, combining their powers to unleash a sharp push in Grievous direction.
The General roared as he was sent careening across the room, smashing through various Ysalamiri containers in the process before coming to rest on the ground.
"Accursed Jedi!" Grievous snarled as he vaulted back up to his feet, twirling his blades before him in preparation.
The sound of blasters discharging behind her, followed by a cry of pain distracted Ahsoka momentarily enough for her to catch a glimpse of the Neimoidian scientist attempting to blast both Rex and Ridge, who had originally saved them.
Unfortunately for him, the Clones far outclassed him, and had taken him down with ease.
That just left Grievous. Speaking of which…
Ahsoka turned back just in time to witness Grievous jump into the air, the Force swimming around him. It didn't take a genius to figure out he had used the Force to enhance his jump. She had done that plenty of times.
The General barrelled down from above, landing before Obi-Wan, swinging his four sabers towards the Jedi Master in the process in hopes of catching him by surprise.
Obi-Wan, ever the expert in defensive fighting, countered with ease, locking his saber with all four of Grievous.
Ahsoka chose that moment to strike. She swung her golden blade for the General's unprotected legs, fully intending on removing them.
Grievous clearly sensed the incoming threat and pulled back from Obi-Wan instantly, one of his green sabers moving to deflect Ahsoka's strike even as he tried to put some distance between himself and the now advancing Obi-Wan.
"Ahsoka!" Caleb cried from across the chamber, drawing Ahsoka's attention away from the duel once again. The Padawan's hand reared back and hurled forward, Depa Billaba's lightsaber flying through the air.
Ahsoka caught it with ease, ignited the green blade, and instantly fell into the Jai'Kai opening stance she hadn't used for months.
Despite not using it however, it felt like coming back home, and every lesson she had ever learnt from Anakin came flowing back in seconds.
Twirling both sabers in her hands she moved to join Obi-Wan in his offensive.
Blue, green and gold twirled through the air towards Grievous as the cyborg General defended himself from the onslaught. He might now possess the Force, but his fighting style still hadn't changed. If they kept this up, slowly but surely they would overwhelm him.
Her hope proved fruitful seconds later when Obi-Wan was able to bypass the General's central line of defense and sever one hand from his body.
Grievous snarled in response and jumped backwards out of range of the lightsabers of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Clearly the General needed a rest.
"It seems I still have much to learn." Grievous commented as he glanced at his severed hand, the metal molten from the lightsaber scoring.
"Shame you won't have time to learn." Ahsoka replied with a sneer behind her helmet.
"We will see."
At Grievous' words, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan advanced in unison.
Grievous' first blade met Obi-Wan's, entering into a saber lock as he pivoted the other blade to clash against both of Ahsoka's.
They pushed against one another, trying to gain ground before Grievous spoke again.
"Till we meet again, Kenobi!"
Ahsoka suddenly found herself hit with a harsh Force push unleashed by Grievous. Much like she and Obi-Wan had done to Grievous earlier, Grievous had done the exact same to herself and Kenobi.
Grunting from the impact, Ahsoka rolled off the table she had landed on in time to see Grievous charge towards the exit, barrelling past Rex and Ridge in the process, knocking them both down to the floor.
Luckily, they pushed themselves up off the floor seconds later. Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief that they were ok.
"Do we go after him?" Ahsoka called out, hoping Obi-Wan would answer.
"No point. We'd never catch him. We need to get out of here." The Jedi Master responded from where he had landed next to Depa's unconscious form. Caleb was busy checking his Master for life-signs and breathed a sigh of relief when he found some.
"No point?! Master!" Ahsoka cried in response, annoyance building up inside of her. "If we let him go…"
"He will continue to run riot across the galaxy, I know Ahsoka! But our mission was to destroy this facility and escape. They'll be another shot at Grievous."
Ahsoka knew that Obi-Wan was right, even if she didn't like it. The Chancellor had ordered her to bring the data on the facility back to him, not destroy General Grievous.
If that was what Palpatine had asked of her, that was what she would do.
"Commander? Are you alright?" The voice of Ridge, who came sprinting over to help her, hit her montrals. Despite being knocked over himself moments earlier, the Clone Trooper seemed no worse for wear.
"I'm good Ridge, thanks." Ahsoka replied as she accepted the offered hand up off the ground, her eyes surveying the room. If they needed the intel, they needed Artoo.
"Ridge. Find Artoo. Grievous threw him over there." Ahsoka ordered as she pointed in the general direction Grievous had sent the poor astromech. Hopefully he wasn't too badly damaged.
If he was, Anakin would kill her.
"Copy that Commander." Ridge responded as he darted off to find the errant astromech. Ahsoka knew she could trust him to find Artoo.
Turning her attention to the other new arrival in the room however broke Ahsoka's heart.
Rex stood, his shoulders slumped in despair, his presence in the Force full of grief as he stared at Cody's body.
Ahsoka didn't hesitate to move towards Rex, coming to stand by his side.
He had seen dead brothers before of course, as well as dead friends. It was nothing new to him.
But this was Cody. Rex's oldest friend. This would be like her seeing Rex or Anakin dead. There was nothing she could say to make it right, as much as she wanted to.
"Rex…" She tried anyways, gently laying a hand on his wrist in hopes of comforting him.
Thankfully, Rex didn't pull away. At the same time however, he still didn't say anything. Instead he continued to stare endlessly at Cody, as if he was waiting for him to jump back to his feet alive and well.
Ahsoka knew that was never going to happen. Cody was gone, and there was nothing they could do about it now.
Ahsoka reiterated her earlier thought. The next time she saw General Grievous, she was going to murder him without remorse.
"Rex." She tried again, choosing to speak her mind. "Rex I know, alright, but we can't stay here. We need to leave."
"How?" Rex spoke for the first time, his voice croaky, concealing the despair he was feeling as best he could.
"Grievous." Was all she could say. There was no point lying to Rex, but she would spare him the details. He didn't need to know exactly what happened.
"I'm going to murder that clanker."
"You and me both."
The last statement, surprisingly, came from Obi-Wan, who was now standing beside them both. His expression was nearly unreadable, but Ahsoka could tell he was angry at the loss.
The fact that he was fully supporting the idea of murder however was a surprise to Ahsoka. Clearly Cody had meant a great deal to him.
"We can't leave him here." Ahsoka said, knowing Rex would agree with her words.
"Agreed. I will carry him." Obi-Wan replied first, moving to gently pick up the body so that Rex wouldn't have too. Even in his own despair, Obi-Wan was still putting his men first, and that included Rex.
"Commander! I've got him." The voice of Ridge drew Ahsoka's attention away from the mourning. The Clone was moving towards her with a battered looking Artoo by his side. Thankfully, the astromech was still operational, despite the dents and dings he now possessed.
"Good work Ridge. Artoo… did you manage to extract any data before Grievous showed up?" Ahsoka inquired. This was the make or break moment. If Artoo hadn't gotten any data, the mission was a failure.
Artoo released a few slow beeps at first as his dome shifted to look at Cody's body before replying with a positive. He had something.
"Excellent. Then our work here is done. Ridge, call Appo and the others and tell them to retreat."
"Yes Commander." The Clone replied as he did so, before moving to help Caleb lift up Depa, who was conscious, but unable to walk unsupported.
By now Obi-Wan too had lifted Cody up, nodding his head that he was ready to Ahsoka in the process.
Without waiting for orders, Rex took point, no doubt to distract himself. Ridge and Caleb followed with Depa, with Obi-Wan bringing up the rear.
Ahsoka sighed under her breath at the outcome of the mission before moving to follow.
That was until something caught her eye.
A pair of injectors, fully intact and housing the same cream coloured liquid as before.
Ahsoka realized what they were in seconds. Active and intact samples of 'Project Nullify'. Exactly what Palpatine had asked her to bring back for study. Ahsoka thanked the Force for the turn of luck. Perhaps today wasn't a complete tragedy.
Moving towards the samples, Ahsoka picked them up and pocketed them both before turning around and coming face to face with Artoo, who was looking at her with a titled dome.
"Evidence for study. We might be able to create a countermeasure or vaccine or something from it. Chancellor's orders."
Artoo beeped twice that he understood before leading the way out.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ahsoka moved to follow.
She had had enough of this facility.
Author's thoughts
... welp... been a while since I've have to do one of these, but...
In Memorium: CC-2224 - Commander Cody
Cody... poor poor Cody. Damn you Grievous for taking yet another person close to Obi-Wan away from him.
Cody is one of the best, no question about that. He's also the only major Clone Trooper that wasn't new when the Clone Wars first aired, He was a movie character first, and the vessel of which we see Order 66 through for the very first time. While that might make him go down in history as a backstabbing traitor, he is still a pivotal character to the story overall, especially in regards to Obi-Wan. His canon fate remains unknown as of this time, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him reappear in the near future, considering his former General's own TV series just got confirmed.
All in all... Cody will be missed. On the bright side, at least he can't Order 66 anyone. Silver linings, you know? :)
Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, despite the death of Cody. I wanted Grievous to demonstrate his power somehow, and whilst it might have made more sense for him to kill Obi-Wan or even Depa, I chose Cody as I believed that would have the bigger impact on the likes of Obi-Wan and Rex down the line. Plus Obi-Wan has a nasty tendency to lose people close to him. Figured I'd keep that trope running.
Not much else to say really. I'm really pleased that the vast majority of you enjoyed the Grievous plot twist from last chapter. I was extremely worried about it being hated! So thank you all for the support. XD
Next chapter will conclude this story arc, and then we are into Revenge of the Sith! XD
Once again, thanks to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his hard work.
Next time round, the aftermath of the mission to Mygeeto plays out, people find out about Cody and Grievous, and Rex discovers Yularen's role in Ahsoka's trial!
As usual, comment and speculate at will, speaking of which:
Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: Poorly is one word to describe it that's for sure. Still, I'm glad you liked the plot development.
DoctorDan: That's fair. I knew it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Thanks for being honest. :)
A Lover of Nature: I'm glad you liked the twist, even if you disagree with the nature of the Force as described. Honestly, that's just how I'm having Grievous perceive the Force as a character. Different characters perceive it in different ways after all. Just look at Rebels Thrawn as an example.
You are right in mentioning there being side effects, and there will be, just not ones you might anticipate down the line. Grievous and Dooku have essentially just become the new Maul and Savage... and look how that turned out! XD
Australian Dealer: Hooray... I was able to surprise you with a hopefully good plot twist! XD
I hope you didn't find him too OP in this chapter. I wanted to show how powerful Grievous had become, but still force him to retreat from Obi-Wan. Grievous might have power, but he doesn't have the training like Obi-Wan, Ahsoka or even Caleb do. In a prolonged Force fight, Grievous would still lose... unless he too receives some training. XD
As for what I better not do... hopefully you aren't too mad about it. Rex is ok... physically. Mentally however... :'(
Darth Zyn: Poor Depa indeed... as for if she will get her powers back... you'll have to wait and see I guess. XD
You are welcome for the chapter, and I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Hopefully this one was good as well, despite the sadness included in it.
Grievous' fate will be explored in time. After all, ROTS is right round the corner! XD
Boatandaman: Second time I've somehow predicted a future plot line in Star Wars in my fanfics! First it was Ahsoka and Maul teaming up in my Rebels AU... now this! I should quit whilst I'm ahead really. XD
ROTS is indeed right around the bend. I hope you like how it all comes together. XD
Dovahkiin795: I mean... Kylo Ren reading Rey's mind in 'Force Awakens', Maul reading Jesse's in 'Phantom Apprentice' and Maul reading Hera's in 'Holocrons of Fate' begs to differ, but hey. XD
NessaRoseFangirl: I'm really glad you liked the twist! I was so worried everyone would hate it honestly, so I'm pleased to see I haven't wasted my time! XD
Hope you liked this chapter just as much.
the Mandalorian terminator: Yay! I'm pleased you enjoyed the answers and reveals I've been building too. It was great to finally get them out in the open!
Grievous' power will be unleashed in time! XD
Mysterious Guest One: I'm pleased you enjoyed the twist. It was fun to create and finally explain!
And that's an interesting set of points you bring up as well. The Jedi made a lot of mistakes when training Anakin. Obi-Wan did the best with what he had, and he did a good job ultimately, or else Anakin would never have succeeded in training someone like Ahsoka. It was the collective distrust of the majority of the Council that slowed Anakin's development. Perhaps they were trying to hinder him... who knows.
That said, Sidious did much the same with his own apprentices, so Vader was no better off as a Sith than he was a Jedi. XD
1saaa: Awesome? Yay! I'm glad I was able to surprise you with the twist!
Hopefully you like how it plays into ROTS when we get there and you don't end up too disappointed. The end of this damn story is so near now, I can taste it! XD
tf330129: Doing my best! XD
loldelegate: That's fine. We've all got our own preferences. I used Midi-Chlorians mainly for scientific reasons, as I needed the explanation to make sense for the twist to work.
Glad you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless. XD
Thristan: Depa's not dead... not yet at least. Cody meanwhile...
RyanSquad: Honestly... that's exactly why I had Anakin get injured! I wanted to keep that running joke running! XD
Wait... you are going to Order 65 me?! But... if you do that... you won't ever find out how the story ends! XD
Hopefully the wait for the chapter 1 cliffhanger will be worth it. It's been a long time coming! XD