CHAPTER 9: BENDU

The Vergence Scatter

The World Between Worlds was now unusually crowded, not just with the members of the Council of the Cosmic Force, but dozens of other sentients for whom time had no meaning. All had come to Bendu's call for action. They scurried and soared about, visually inspecting the event horizons of every portal within walking or flying distance.

"BENDUUUUU," howled Zoltan, a black-furred Loth-Wolf in Vitnir's pack.

Five Loth-Wolves ran up to Zoltan's portal, staring into the eerie green light.

Bendu levitated into the air and floated as quickly as he could across the chasm, dropping down next to the Loth-Wolves. "What is it?" He asked breathlessly.

Wagging his tail, Zoltan danced around excitedly on all fours, prodding the event horizon of the portal with his paw. "I see something suspicious."

"A change to the timeline?" Bendu asked, stooping down to see the scene up close. Four nightsisters, one of whom was bald, sat around a cauldron chanting. Green mist floated into the air, illuminating the cave.

"Those are only nightsisters," Vitnir snarled, barking angrily as she gently bit Zoltan's ear.

Rolling his eyes, Bendu turned around, floating to check the portals in the more distant future.

"No—Wait!" Zoltan whimpered. "The bald one is Assaj Ventress!"

"And?" Bendu sighed, floating back up to the Loth-Wolves.

"Assaj Ventress died!"

"In the future," Bendu scoffed. "Look! The other nightsisters are still there so this is before General Grievous—What are you doing looking in these portals Zoltan? Ahsoka used Bothan Consciousness transfer to enter the portal on the ninth day of the first month of the sixteenth year of great resynchronization! There wouldn't be any changes to the timeline before then."

Vitnir growled uneasily as she turned her back to Zoltan and walked up to Bendu's side.

Bendu floated down to eye-level with her.

"Morai did perish before Ahsoka's entrance," she whispered worriedly, then looked back over her shoulder to Zoltan.

"True," Bendu hummed to himself, deep in thought. That means Ahsoka either traveled deeper into the past than we had realized, or another presence has done so because of Ahsoka's actions… "In any case, Zoltan, focus your searches on the portals after Ahsoka's essence transfer. Go!"

Zoltan and four of the Loth-Wolves scampered away towards the future as fast as they could, running as if they feared Bendu might smite them with lightning.

Vitnir lingered behind. "Bendu, I fear that our strategy for finding changes in the timeline might take too long."

"Too long?" Bendu mused. "While we are here my friend, time is inconsequential."

Vitnir's ears fell flat against her head. "Not if something is travelling through portals, assassinating us one at a time."

"That is a distinct possibility, but look, Morai is still here," he added hopefully, pointing towards Morai and Veryk who were wandering on a pathway a level above them.

A shrill voice echoed into Bendu's mind, that of a Gackle Bat named Lynexia. {"Bendu, you are definitely gonna wanna see this!"}

Bendu rolled his eyes, "apologies, my friend, duty calls. If it is yet another Nightsister, I am going to be very angry."

"Mind your feelings," Vitnir cautioned. "Especially in this place. One never can predict the effects of our actions on the Force."

Humming to himself, Bendu floated through the darkness, ascending to the platform above the one the Loth-Wolves were on. He stretched out his hands and feet the moment he landed next to the tiny Gackle Bat. "All right, what is it?"

{"Do you know the story of Fives?"} Lynexia asked.

"Yes of course. He was the Clone who discovered he was engineered for a dark purpose. In attempting to expose the threat to the Jedi, he was shot by the Coruscant Guard."

{"Yes, that's what is supposed to happen. Get a look at this!"}

o.o.o.o.o.o

CC-4678 "Nites"

Coruscant

19.2 BBY (16:2:3 GrS)

One month after Ahsoka's trial...

"I have eyes on Lazarus and Chosen One," Score said, referring to Ahsoka by the code name the Supreme Chancellor had assigned. The Clone's helmet-mounted electrobinoculars were fixed on one of the warehouse doors.

Nites honed his sniper rifle on Anakin, Ahsoka, Captain Rex, and Fives.

Fives, ARC-27/5555, was in binders, his mouth opening and closing as he stammered something to the Jedi and Torrent Company's Captain.

"Imperator leader," Nites said quietly. "I have them in my scope. What does Imperator Actual want?"

Through Nites's helmet comm, the voices of Captain Kagi and Sheev Palaptine murmured incoherently, too quiet and staticy for the Covert Ops Clone to hear.

"Take out Fives now. Leave Lazarus and Chosen one," Kagi ordered.

"Sir, I have a shot on Lazarus," Nites retorted, gritting his teeth as he zoomed in on Ahsoka's head through the scope of his suppressed Valken-38, one loaded with the same invisible blaster gas as his normal DC-19 carbine. The rifle had been chosen for Covert Ops due to its fairly common nature in the Galactic Underworld while also being familiar enough for Clones to use with minimal cross-training given the 38x model's use as a marksman rifle by the GAR.

"That's a negative Imperator 3," Kagi's voice responded solemnly. "Chosen One will hunt you to the ends of the Galaxy. The priority is keeping Operation Knightfall under wraps. Guard One was subverted, so it's up to you now."

"All right," Nites sighed, aiming his rifle at the handcuffed Clone between Ahsoka and Anakin.

Exhaling as he lined up the sights on Fives's head, on the head of one of his brothers, he pulled the trigger.

The only thing Nites felt was the recoil against his shoulder.

o.o.o.o.o

Ahsoka Tano

"Anakin," Ahsoka protested, "we need to listen to Fives!"

All this trouble to get Fox to not go in ready to kill by convincing him that Fives was confused and not entirely right in the head, and now Anakin was being his usual stubborn self.

Snorting, Anakin shook his head as he continued holding Fives' by the elbow, leading him along. Two rows of Coruscant Guard troopers walked behind. "Fives, calm down, we're taking you back to get your head examined."

"Sir, they'll—they'll never let me live that long!" Fives stammered, trying to collect his thoughts. "The Chancellor is behind the whole—"

—Ahsoka felt a warm rain on her skin. Sensing Fives's Force presence disappear, the Togruta turned to him, screaming.

Fives's head was gone. A splatter of steaming blood, brain matter, and tissue rained down on Ahsoka, Anakin, Rex, and the Coruscant Guard troops.

"NOOOOO!" Anakin screamed, a primal sound of rage and anguish.

Rex stared mutely in horror as he watched his brother's headless body fall. To him it was undoubtedly like watching Echo get blown up at the Citadel all over again.

"SNIPER!" Fox yelled, tackling Ahsoka.

The Guard Troopers snapped up their weapons and took cover, glow-rods attached to carbine barrels sweeping in all directions. "Generals! Get down!"

Palpatine. He planned for this too. Ahsoka sobbed as she dropped into a prone position. How can I possibly convince the Jedi of Order 66 without proof? She clenched her fist in anger and anguish, staring up at the dark skyline, trying vainly to sense where the shooter was.

o.o.o.o.o.o

Bendu

The Vergence Scatter

In spite of everything Bendu had ever witnessed, that scene was difficult to watch. And most disturbing.

"Good work Lynexia, our first concrete change to the timeline, even if it amounted to a similar outcome."

Lynexia screeched in an appreciative tone.

Where to now? Bendu looked around. A group of Webweavers were scuttling along a very steep pathway to his left, climbing almost upside down to the most divergent portals on that end.

{"Bendu, I think I've figured out where Ahsoka went wrong,"} Veryk's posh Core world accent spoke in his mind. {"Meet Morai and me sixty-seven days after Ahsoka's arrival."}

That's just up ahead, Bendu realized, before hovering along once again deeper into the future.

The two tiny critters, Morai and Veryk, came into view in the distance, standing in front of a portal looking into a dimly-lit room. It did not take Bendu long to see what was happening.

Within the portal, Palpatine sat at a security terminal, scowling to himself. On the viewscreen was an image of Yoda, sleeping peacefully.

"How much do you know, my little green friend?" Palpatine asked bitterly. He pressed a key, flipping the image to Ahsoka's room. The Togruta was frantically flipping through a medical textbook on the human brain. "And how much do you know, my little enigma? The one who cheated death," he spat vehemently.

Morai warbled worriedly, then spoke into Bendu's mind in the voice of the Daughter. {"We have to have to involve others for Ahsoka's plan to work."}

"Do we want Ahsoka's plan to work?" Bendu asked rhetorically, then immediately realized it was a stupid question.

Squawking angrily, Morai fluttered in front of Bendu's face.

Veryk's voice came into his mind. {"That's cold! Morai is going to—"}

"—I know, I know," Bendu reassured. "All right Morai, what is the plan?"

Morai flew upwards, soaring to yet another level above them, this one bent like a U.

Bendu lifted off the ground, gently levitating into the—

—Angry Savrit Cat screeches hissed from below. {"WAIT! I CAN'T FLY!"}

"All right," Bendu snorted, reaching one of his giant hands down, allowing the tiny Savrit Cat to settle down in the center of his palm. Soaring upwards again, Bendu caught up with Morai in front of a portal he would have never thought to check—one representing space near the Unknown Regions.

A Clone named Kix—CT-6116 was captured. The Clone Medic was in Separatist custody, aboard the Obrexta III.

Bendu hmm'd to himself, realizing what the Convor was getting at. "Kix knew about Order 66…"

{"Indeed,"} the Daughter's voice said. {"Bendu is quite knowledgeable about the shatterpoints surrounding Order 66."}

"We need to involve others," Bendu said aloud, a plan formulating in his mind. "Veryk? You can communicate with Bothans, can you not?" He knew the answer to the question, but wanted to hear it for reassurance.

{"Of course. Some of them practically worship me!"}

"Good," Bendu muttered, smiling to himself as he sensed a major shatterpoint in Sidious's plans. "I see! I have an idea for getting an entire Republic fleet to rescue Kix. It is practically fool-proof and does not violate rule three of time-travel… But it involves several Bothans, including one Jedi."

{"Several Bothans?"} Veryk snorted. {"What Republic fleet has several Bothans?"}

{"I see you are not well-researched on the events of this time period,"} Morai hooted softly. {"Pity really. The Clone Wars are quite a fascinating epoch of Galactic history."}

Veryk scurried about, then stood on his hind legs to be at eye level with Morai. {"I don't see what's fascinating about lightsaber-holding mouth-breathers on Coruscant leading armies of stooges… And if you think droids have no personality, I'll venture you have never talked to a Clone! No, I am more of a digging beetles out of the ground and smashing clams on my belly type of man. But, I'll gladly take a mission involving Bothans. Now those are some beings I can relate to."}

"I am glad we are in agreement," Bendu smiled. "Take Morai with you. Even if the Jedi, Kev Rel'skar, does not believe you, he will certainly recognize the sign of the Daughter. I must warn you though Veryk, do not break protocol. Do not tell the Jedi about our Council.