Chapter 81 – The Last Battle
Author's Note: Welp, there are only twenty chapters left, including this one. ^-^ As excited as I am to get to the end so y'all can read it, it'll be sad to finish posting this fic. xP
To Pjo crossovers: Maybe. ;)
To Vcg: Thanks. :)
Thank y'all so much for reviewing! :D:D:D 💖💖💖
~ Amina Gila
There's another Imperial traitor leaking information to the Rebellion. No one knows who, but they can only be grateful. It's been six months since Malachor now, six months in which they've been working tirelessly.
They're making progress, keeping the Empire busy on more than one front. Their forces are spreading more and more thinly across the galaxy as they try to keep up with the attacks from Crimson Dawn and the rest of Maul's criminal buddies, and it makes it easier for the Rebellion when they stage their own attacks. So, yes, they are making progress against the Imperials much more quickly now.
Of course, the Empire is responding with equal force. Grand Admiral Thrawn – vaguely, Marr remembers Anakin fought with him once during the Clone Wars – has been deployed to the general area their specific group of rebels is fighting in, though. And that is not a good thing, if it continues.
He already mostly squashed the movement on Ryloth, and most of Cham's fighters have had to disappear into hiding. The Ghost Crew had been there, and they barely got out alive.
All they can do is keep throwing everything they have at the Empire, and that means they need more fresh weapon supplies.
"You're sure you don't need help?" Hera asks, she and Sabine stopping at the top of the ramp.
"I can't imagine what you two could help with that all of us couldn't handle," Anastasia chirps.
"Here's one thing," Marr retaliates, "What if we need a fast pickup?"
"Good thing some people have jetpacks then," she retorts.
"Hey, not everyone is gonna have one," Sabine calls, "What'll you do then?"
"We'll figure it out on the fly!"
Marr rolls his eyes. "Brilliant planning."
"I'm sure everything will go horribly wrong," Kanan deadpans.
"You two are very optimistic," Hera says, dryly.
"Come on, what did you expect?" Anastasia asks, lightly.
"We'll be fine," Ezra cuts in, and Marr can only marvel at how the teenager is the only one with a brain here. Then again, that seemed true for him when he was growing up too, "We got a Clone Wars veteran with us."
"That would be two," Marr supplies.
"Don't you mean three or does your little brother here not count?" Anastasia asks, looking from him to Kanan.
Kanan looks on the verge of rolling his eyes. "I hardly fought for more than a couple months. They were in it almost from the start."
"I hate to interrupt, but we have a mission to do," Rex interjects.
"Are you ready?" Ezra asks cheerfully, starting forwards.
They head into the building, as Rex does a recon on the weapons. It's full of munitions, and there's more proton bombs here than they may even be able to take.
"We need to be careful," Marr warns, taking the lead as they walk into the darkened facility. He doesn't sense anyone here, but something's not quite right.
"The droids used to protect their armories with ray shields," Rex concurs.
"What's a ray shield?" Ezra inquires.
"You're telling me you're fighting a war and you don't know what that is?" Anastasia asks, almost incredulously.
"In case you didn't notice, they have gone out of style," Kanan shoots back.
"An energy-shield," Marr answers, ignoring the two. "It's impenetrable."
"Why doesn't the Empire use them – " Ezra begins, and with a familiar quiet hiss, a whitish shield forms all around them.
Great.
How did he get so distracted he didn't even see this coming?!
"This is a ray shield," Rex declares, sounding decidedly unhappy.
"Aren't those battle droids?!" Ezra exclaims, as sure enough, a group of battle droids walk down the hall, blasters raised, surrounding them. What?! Marr hasn't seen those in years, but the sight of them makes him feel like a teen again. He grew up around those things, but they've been absent from his life for as long as...
Okay then. Everyone from his past life is coming together, and this is one part he is not happy about.
BD beeps furiously in confusion, climbing up Marr's back and perching near his shoulder.
"I thought they were all shut down!" Ezra continues.
"Well, these weren't," grumbles Zeb.
"You have been captured by the Separatist Alliance," the droids announce in their tinny voices, and Marr ignores the voice in the back of his own mind wondering if they took a wrong turn through time. "Prepare to blast the Republic invaders!"
BD beeps in confusion, probably at just what those droids think they're talking about.
"Republic invaders?!" Ezra exclaims, looking between them in confusion.
"That's insulting," Anastasia says, flatly.
"Belay that order," another droid's voice orders.
"Roger, roger."
"Wait, who's Roger?!" Ezra demands.
Marr chokes on a laugh. "It's how droids talk to each other. We had to deal with that for years." He doesn't understand, though. All Separatists droids were shut down right after the formation of the Empire. How are these still operating?
"We have new orders," reports one of the droids, "Incapacitate and capture. Activating stunner!"
Marr doesn't have more than a split second to register what they're about to do – not that there's much he could do to stop it – before electricity crackles into him, and everything blacks out.
"Marr!"
He blinks, opening his eyes to see Ezra leaning over him. The others are all already sitting up. He's going to blame his exhaustion with constant battle planning for why it knocked him out so long, and he thinks it's only the tactical droid interrupting that spares him from whatever Anastasia was about to say. It's beyond jarring to be in a position like this again. Marr wasn't captured by the Separatists very often, but being here in a room full of droids is not easy. It's bringing up a lot of the far more negative side of his childhood that he prefers not to dwell on. He can still distinctly remember losing so many friends throughout the war, to the point that their faces and names almost began to blur together.
"After Clone Order 66, the whole droid army was given a shutdown command," Rex speaks up, glaring at the tactical droid as it paces back and forth in front of them, "How are you even operating?"
"The Jedi betrayal ended the war for most of the galaxy, but here on Agamar, I assumed it was a Republic trick and prevented the shutdown command," the droid replies.
"Well, it doesn't matter how it ended. The war is over," Rex growls. Marr can feel his raging emotions, and he thinks half his anger is a front of keep himself from panicking. He is not taking this well, not as if that's a surprise. "Let us go."
"Negative," the droid says, stubbornly, "I calculate that this will be my only opportunity to end the Clone Wars as I planned, with a victory for the Separatist Alliance."
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but you can't win a war that's already ended. We aren't fighting for the Republic anymore," Marr retorts.
"And I never did," Anastasia adds, sounding vaguely disgusted, "I'm Mandalorian. I would never fight for the Republic."
"Then you shall remain here as a hostage for them to rescue in the battle," the droid replies simply.
"What battle?" Rex demands.
"I want you to fight," it responds, "To prove once and for all whose tactical strategy was superior."
"Well, you can count me out," Zeb snarls, "I'm not playing some stupid war game."
"That is correct, Lasat. Your species were not in the Clone Wars, so you and the Mandalorians will be the hostages your allies must save. The 'Jedi Rescue' is a recurring scenario based on 132 battles I have reviewed." Seriously? The droid is going to make them fight just in the hopes that it can win? Really, droid programming. He can't believe this is happening.
And nor does he see any way out of the situation without getting someone killed. He could use the Force, but the droids are stationed all around the room, and they'll open fire the moment he makes a move. He can't believe he has to worry about this again. Actually, he can't believe how easy it is to fall back into those old habits, checking for droid positions and any possible exits. It's different than fighting people.
"Jedi, is this your padawan?" the droid presses.
"Most of the time," Kanan replies, shooting Ezra a look.
"Good. A complete set of Republic opponents will make this authentic."
"No, it won't, because we're not fighting!" Rex snaps.
"If you will not fight, you will be terminated," the droid replies, leaning forward over him.
"You know, none of us find that threatening," Marr can't resist saying. Okay, he really is beginning to feel like a teen again.
"Yeah, you're just a droid," Anastasia scoffs.
BD beeps, sounding hurt.
"Then you can hope your Jedi will be able to save you, Mandalorian," the tactical droid replies.
"Fine, I'll fight your Clone War!" Ezra snaps.
"What?!" Rex yelps.
"Ezra, no!" Kanan exclaims.
"Look, there's no way out of this," Marr cuts in, "We've done this so many times over. I know it may not be... easy –" for emotional reasons, more than anything else, "– but it will be fastest."
"I don't see why this is even a debate," Anastasia replies.
"We'll do it," Ezra declares, turning to the droid, "But if we win, our friends go free, and we take all the proton bombs in the hangar."
"I accept your terms," the droid says, surprisingly.
"Didn't know they could be so reasonable," Marr mumbles, under his breath. He doesn't like being kept out of this, but it will work for them in the end. He has a feeling it will be... important somehow. He knows better than to ignore those feelings.
All he can do is watch as Kanan, Ezra, Rex, and BD are escorted out of the room. They should be able to handle themselves, but that doesn't mean he isn't worried. He doesn't know if it's better or worse that he's able to see the fight from here.
Lines of battle droids attack them first, and they cut and shoot through them all easily.
"Looks like my friends are doing pretty good," Zeb says, smirking, "You might as well surrender now."
"I am not programmed to comprehend your humor," the droid replies.
"I'm not joking."
"I always wanted to see a Clone Wars rematch," Anastasia supplies.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Marr grumbles.
"Your Republic friends have taken the bait," the droid declares. "Send the destroyers." Marr winces. This is bad. He hasn't fought destroyers in a long time, but he lost many friends to them, and Ezra has never encountered one. He doesn't know how to fight them.
Kanan and Rex know how to do it, though, and it looks like Ezra's getting the hang of it pretty quickly. They run out of sight from the viewport, and before long Marr can hear the sound of blaster shots approaching.
Finally, the three race into view again, from the end of the hall. "Well, looks like we win," Rex declares, stalking forwards.
"I disagree, Captain," the droid replies, gesturing to the few battle droids right behind, still pointing blasters at Marr, Anastasia, and Zeb. What, is he still planning to use them as an excuse for why he won? Why is he not even surprised –
Rex's finger moves for the trigger.
"No, don't!" Ezra interjects, pulling his arm aside right before he can shoot, "We didn't win. These droids are so old, they malfunctioned. If they hadn't, we'd be goners."
"The boy is correct," the droid replies, "The droid army would have prevailed. So technically, victory is ours."
Really, why does this matter so much? Although in truth, Marr isn't sure why a part of him also cares so much for how this ends. The Clone Wars ended a long time ago, and no one won. Winning this battle won't change that everyone lost everything.
That's probably why Rex feels so upset right now, though. Because in some ways, it almost feels like it does. Maybe in a strange, twisted way, that's why the tactical droid is so determined, as well. They won't find peace with it until they find a way to move on. None of them have let go of the past. It's shaped too much of their lives. It's impossible.
"No, it's not!" shouts Ezra, "I never really thought about it. I never asked. I know the Jedi were wiped out. The clones were decommissioned, and the droid army was just shut down. The Clone War ended, but why? If none of you won, who did?"
Something ripples through the Force that same moment, and Marr frowns, turning to the window. With the scopes on his helmet, he can make out approaching ships.
"The Empire," Zeb offers.
"That's right!" Ezra agrees. What's he getting at? "How did you know?"
"Because they're here?" he replies, "And they're about to win again."
"Yeah, so we better wrap this up pretty quickly," Marr agrees. However that will go down. It's strange to think that in a final Clone Wars battle – if it can really be called that – both sides are just going to walk away from each other again, much like what happened the first time, because they had a new enemy. And now that he's thinking about, and everything Ezra was saying...
"I've got a new calculation for you," Ezra decides, "What are the chances your droid army can defeat the Empire?"
"My resources are depleted," the droid replies, "However, the droid army is not currently at war with the Galactic Empire."
Droids. They're exhausting, but Marr couldn't expect anything else.
These things don't bring good memories, and he's honestly surprised by how easy it is for them to talk the droids into helping them escape with the proton bombs, but the Empire did attack the droids first. The Empire would destroy everything here, of course, if they didn't. It wasn't much of a choice.
It's strange, to be fighting alongside droids of all kinds, regular battle droids and destroyers, while the tactical droid helps with giving directions and orders behind them.
But it works.
They formed a strange sort of truce, and now, Marr finds himself wondering why the Separatists and Republic couldn't have tried that so long ago. He knows the answers, of course. Sidious and his apprentice. The same story will repeat itself with the Empire and the Alliance unless they can stop Sidious this time around.
He won't fail. He won't fail the galaxy or his family. They will find peace, somehow. Somewhere. It's not impossible. He can see it now, and it leaves him feeling far lighter than he has in a while.
"We have survived the battle," the tactical droid reports, over the communicator between their two ships. Marr can still hardly believe this is happening. They're working with the droids. The same droids who have haunted so many of his nightmares for years. But in the end, that's not their fault. Not really. "It was not a victory, but a successful strategy nonetheless."
"No, it was a victory," Rex counters, and all heads snap to him, "We all just won the Clone Wars, and you ended it, Ezra. A galaxy of Senators couldn't do that. An army of Jedi, clones, and droids couldn't find the middle ground, but you did." He smiles, reaching over to lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Rex, all I did was point out that none of you were meant to win," Ezra objects, "You couldn't."
"And we needed to hear it," Rex says, firmly.
"Agreed," Kanan concurs.
"It's a very good point, Ezra," Marr adds, "There's still former Separatists and Republic supporters who are in-fighting with each other, and you found the middle ground like no one else did. And... you gave me an idea."
"What?" Kanan asks, interestedly.
"I am satisfied if you are," the droid cuts in, "Now, based upon this battle, I calculate that you have less than a 1% chance of staging a successful rebellion against the Empire, so this is where we must part ways."
"Wait!" Marr protests, moving forwards, "I have a few things you might want to add to your calculation." He cannot believe he's doing this. "We don't have to defeat the Empire. We just need to find common ground with them the same way all of us just did with each other. The only ones we need to actually defeat are those at the top. And we have far more resources now than it looks like here. Far more expanded armies, and unexpected allies. If you assisted us, we could all win again. Together."
"I will need more data to complete this calculation," the tactical droid objects.
Anastasia snorts, and Zeb elbows her.
"You can get it," Marr replies. "But we could truly use your help, and I think you'll find the galaxy out there isn't so friendly towards droids anymore."
"And we might be able to help you find some more of your kind," Kanan speaks up.
"According to my calculations, this deal will work in our favor," the droid decides.
Marr breathes out a quiet sigh of relief. It worked. The droids are, by far, the most unexpected ally, but their help will still be invaluable. Hopefully, they'll be able to collect more currently deactivated droids. Their help could prove to be valuable in the future.
"I can't imagine fighting that many droids all the time," Ezra comments.
"Well, if you think that was bad, let me tell you about the First Battle of Geonosis," Rex says, dryly.
"Sometimes, I almost forget you were there," Marr comments. "Obi-Wan told me and Cody the story once. He was nearly eaten."
"I want to hear this story," Anastasia demands with much too gleeful enthusiasm.
**w**
"Thrawn's presence is becoming more problematic," Ahsoka declares, crossing her arms. "I don't know enough about him to defeat him."
"No one really does," Marr replies. Truthfully, this is making him more and more uneasy. He never took this into account before. "Anakin worked with him briefly during the Clone Wars. It was a mission that... went very badly, but I wasn't there. I don't know the details, and even if I did, I don't think it would help very much."
"Not much," Ahsoka agrees, "He's so dangerous because he's clever. We can see as much from Ryloth."
It's evident enough from what just happened on Lothal too. Kanan and Ezra had been back there to scout out an Imperial factory, investigating the reports of some new weapon that the Empire was manufacturing. Thrawn suspected rebels were infiltrating immediately, though, and had the place locked down. They'd managed to escape, but barely. It was only with the help of a new Fulcrum – Agent Kallus. Marr never would have expected that. Having someone that high up among the Empire helping them, could be extremely useful. The information Kanan and Ezra got was no less disturbing, though. Thrawn is planning the manufacture of TIE Defenders instead of the normal TIE Fighters. If that actually goes through, it's going to be a disaster for the Rebellion.
"Yes," Marr replies, "I'm afraid the only person I know who's brilliant enough to outsmart him is Anakin, and that's out of the question." Even if they get Vader's help eventually, it would never be anything that major. At least he doubts it. He doubts there's much of anything Vader can do that Sidious wouldn't eventually figure out. Sidious is not the type of Sith Master to push to the limit of his patience, either. He figured out that much from Maul.
"We'll have to work it out ourselves," Ahsoka answers, though there's an obvious edge to her voice. They both know how serious this is. It could easily mean the end of everything they've been planning.
"If Thrawn figures out we're up to something more large-scale..." Marr trails off. It's a great risk, and it could result in untold damage and perhaps the loss of the one chance at removing Sidious and finding freedom, of the one chance he has of bringing his family back together. It's not something he dwells on. It won't happen unless it is meant to.
"That aside, I met someone here," she says suddenly. "Someone I thought you should meet."
"Someone," Marr repeats, confused. Who else could be on this planet? It was supposed to be uninhabited, save the spiders, which are kept out by the sensors around the base.
"He reminds me a little of you," she adds, teasingly.
Marr casts her a wary look. She's amused about something, and he doesn't know what. It reminds him again, of years ago, when they were young. They may have spent many years apart, but sometimes, it feels like none of it matters. He can only hope mending his relationship with Anakin will be that simple. Seeing what condition he's in, he doubts it. "Why? Does he wear shiny armor?" he asks dryly.
"He's not Mandalorian so he doesn't excel at starting wars."
"Hey!"
"It's true!" she protests. "You just single-handedly started a war between the Empire and Crimson Dawn."
"Well, not all wars are bad," he grumbles.
"Not when everyone on both sides are criminals who will need to be dealt with otherwise," she agrees. "I'm not sure how much our friend will concur with that, though."
"Who is this friend?" he asks, warily.
"Come see," she answers mysteriously, heading for the edge of the base. She takes one of the sensors with her to keep away the spiders as they start walking.
"Are you sure your friend hasn't been eaten by now?" Marr queries dubiously.
"I think he's a little big for that."
"A little big?" he repeats incredulously. "Those spiders are a little big."
Ahsoka only smirks infuriatingly. "Here he is – right down there."
Alright. Sure. He does sense something, but he doesn't see anything except – take that back. He does see something. And Ahsoka is right, it is big. The being radiates strongly in the Force in a way that reminds Marr much of the Ones on Mortis – he could never forget how they felt. He Fell there, and so much happened there. He saw Ahsoka die there, and... it was Anakin who helped come him back. He needs to repay that kindness. The creature blends in perfectly with the rocks around him, unless it's standing.
"Hello?" Marr tries cautiously, approaching the creature. It's both Light and Dark, much like the Father, and maybe he knows what Ahsoka means. This being is gray, like Marr himself. "Who are you?"
"I am the Bendu," it replies, "The one in the middle."
"You are a balance point," Marr realizes, "Where the Jedi are Light and the Sith are Dark, you are in between – just as I am."
"Yes," Bendu says, approaching him. He's huge, towering many feet above Marr, and he could almost be intimidating, except he doesn't feel threatening in the Force. "So few are those who seek balance. What are you called?"
A very odd way of asking someone's name, but he doesn't comment. This is a Force being, after all. "Marr Vizsla," he answers, "Former Jedi Padawan."
"You are balanced, and yet you carry conflict with you, Marr Vizsla former Jedi Padawan."
Wait, he's going to call him all of that? If he'd had a warning, he would have just left out the last part. Fine. It's not worth mentioning. "The galaxy is... not in a good position right now," he offers.
"Hmm," he murmurs, "Always chaos there will be in the galaxy. That is the way of things."
Not helpful. "I know, but I... I lost my family. I want to find them again. I want to put it back together."
"You wish to rebuild that which has already been broken?" he asks. "Time flows forwards. That which is gone is in the past. Such is the way of things."
He's not saying there's no way to put it back together, is he? "What else can I do?"
"That which is gone cannot be rebuilt. But perhaps, you can form something new."
It's mildly comforting to hear from a Force being, even if Marr is still worried about Thrawn. And what Bendu is saying isn't a guarantee of success, but he knows he can't ask for that. Part of him wants too, anyway, though. "Is there anything else you can tell me about this?"
"What is in the future remains unknown until it comes to pass," he answers, cryptically.
He nods, slowly. "I should be going then."
His mind drifts back to Bendu's words as they're walking away. He can't rebuild his family like it used to be. It hurts, but he already knew that. He needs to stop trying to see Anakin for the person he was. He's not the Theseus that Anakin knew before, either. Marr has to see him for who he is now, and... try to take it from there. Somehow.
Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2
You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)
And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA
Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6
NEW: We've just opened a SW Anakin-clones fic request form as well. :) (delete the spaces): forms . gle / SC5gBdwhXpTNJidr7