Chapter 91 - In the Name of the Rebellion

Author's Note: Things... do not go as planned. ;)

PS. In case anyone is interested, we've started posting a fic that actually is Ahsoka/OC which is called Mosaic. :D

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~ Amina Gila


Bo-Katan knows what's about to happen, from what Marr briefly mentioned of his visions, and from how the Star Destroyers seem to be getting into position over the planet. She yells out orders to the others, to get up there as fast as they can. They have to take all of these down, as fast as they can. And they will make the Empire regret ever setting foot on Mandalore.

Most of them take off in their jetpacks, while the others go to get fighters. They'll need more firepower for this. They don't have enough. She has never fought the Empire head-on like this before, and doesn't really know what to expect, but Marr and Vizma have. There is a chance of aerial bombardment, and if so, they need to stop the Star Destroyers before they approach the planet. It would cause mass chaos and death.

Whoever of Saxon's people still alive down there are probably the first who'll be hit, and... they have it coming. They betrayed Mandalore, after all. They're traitors.

They don't make it all the way up there before the Star Destroyer right over them opens fire. The laser blasts rain down around her, and she dodges out of the way purely on instinct. Vizma, unsurprisingly, is fastest in ducking them. For a moment, Bo glances down, as the blasts tear into the surface.

It's too clouded by smoke, and the raining laser bolts to make out the damage, but she's instantly hit with the sinking feeling that the Empire means to destroy everything. The whole planet.

They're fools if they really think they can kill every single Mandalorian in such a manner, but she knows how much could be lost. The entire planet could be left in ruins, if they aren't fast enough.

Korkie tries to duck the next barrage of laser blasts, but he isn't fast enough, and one of them strikes him, sending him spiraling out of control.

"Korkie!" Vizma yells.

He's struggling to get his jetpack back under control, but he's still moving, so that means he couldn't have been that seriously injured.

"We must focus," Bo reminds her.

Vizma nods slightly, though Bo can practically see the fear radiating off her. Korkie can't help them fight anymore, and if he loses control completely and crashes, he could easily be killed. With the laser fire raining down on that area of the planet, he might be anyway.

Finally, they approach the cruiser. Bo and Vizma pull out explosives, throwing them onto the first of the laser canons, flying out of the way as they explode. The ship shakes only slightly from the force of it – it's going to take far more to actually destroy it. They need to move fast.

From way up here, she can see many of the other ships shooting down at the surface, too, but the others are already attacking them. And more Mandalorians are coming to join.

It was like Marr said – when the others see them fighting, they'll come. Especially when it's their very own planet that's threatened like this.

Stormtroopers start flying out, drawing blasters, and Bo spins around, shooting at them. The first few go down with ease, and she dives at the next few, firing non-stop, and taking a flame-thrower to a couple of them.

They're better trained than she thought, though. They're trained to deal with Mandalorians, at least the two she's fighting right now are. She kicks one of them back, dodging as another shoots at her. Spinning, she pulls a vibroblade out of her armor, stabbing it into one of their chests, right as two more fly up behind her. A blaster shot strikes her armor again, burning into her arm in an area not covered by the armor, but she's long accustomed to moving past it.

Vizma is having a slightly easier time, thanks to Marr's lightsaber, as she slashes through the stormtroopers. It's the numbers that's the problem in the end – not their skill.

Bo lands on top of the cruiser, throwing a few more bombs around, letting them explode, before she's promptly swamped again. The ship isn't firing on the surface anymore, but that's only for a time. They still need to destroy it completely.

Mandalorian fighters streak through the air, circling around and shooting at the ship, one of them blasting straight through the bridge. The ship jolts suddenly, violently, and then, keeps careening to the side, thrown completely out of orbit. It's going to crash.

One down, many more to go. Stormtroopers and Imperial ships start pouring out of it, though, and she loses herself in the constant fury of the battle, as they try to fight them off.

People are dying everywhere – Mandalorians and Imperial alike, but the death doesn't faze her. All that matters is that they win. Still, she pauses for a brief moment, throwing a glance at Vizma. She's doing alright for now, and Bo breathes a quiet sigh of relief, even if her concern doesn't fade.

Vizma is more than capable of handling herself, but seeing the sheer numbers the Imperials are throwing at them...

No, they will win, for their planet, or they will die trying. That is what matters most.

It's right then that Bo spots a few very familiar figures flying towards them.

"Saxon," Vizma hisses, whipping towards him.

"We're here to help you," he argues, as she takes aim.

"Right after you willingly used a weapon intended for Mandalorian armor?" Bo snaps. She doesn't know what could get more traitorous than that.

"That was before they started bombing us!" he yells back, over the commotion of the battle, "They were helping Mandalore before!"

Still, he's so carried away with the gains he got under the Empire, it's purely infuriating and disgusting.

"Whatever, if you're on our side, prove it!" Vizma growls, spinning and diving at the next wave of flying stormtroopers.

Saxon, almost surprisingly, starts shooting them too, and Bo soon loses track of him in the chaos. The stormtroopers just keep on coming, but it's becoming more and more obvious who's side is going to win here. None of the Star Destroyers are firing on the planet's surface anymore; they're focused on trying to fight off the Mandalorians attacking them. But that says little for the extent of the damage there's going to be down below.

It's nothing they can't rebuild, but she knows the losses are... extreme. It was coming anyway, though. If the Star Destroyers were able to get here so quickly, then they were likely already prepared to do so. Was the Empire planning this all along or did they pick up wind of Marr's plan? Did some Mandalorian turn traitor on them?

It's likely, but there's so many questions and none that she'll probably ever get an answer to. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Not as long as they make the Empire pay.

While they route them from Mandalore, Marr is dealing with the Emperor himself on Coruscant. When Palpatine dies, he'll know he fell to Mandalore, and she's never been more satisfied about that. (Marr will succeed. She doesn't have the time to let herself worry about what if he won't. He has to; he'll come back. He will.)

Something seems to change among the stormtroopers as they keep pressing their attacks, and then, some of the Star Destroyers still above the planet begin to pull back, before they disappear into hyperspace, leaving only the remainder of the troops on the ground and in the air behind.

They're going to win.

It's only a matter of when, now. The battle has been raging for hours, and Bo doesn't let herself slow as she keeps on fighting. Vizma is somewhere close – she's used to long hours of fighting too now, but she can tell that she's starting to slow as well.

It's a good thing that, before they know it, the Empire will be thoroughly defeated here. They may try to come back, but not if the Empire falls today. An 'if' she refuses to consider right now.

In the end, the battle is the easy part. It's what comes after that's hard. (It's waiting and knowing that there's others battles which she can't help fight that's hard.)

There are only a few fights here and there still, when Bo finally lands back on the ground near the destroyed Imperial base, to see the full extent of the damage.

It's... Everything right in the area is burning or destroyed. The bombarded ground and nearby buildings are badly damaged – or totally leveled – and there's bodies everywhere. It only bothers her with how many Mandalorians are among them. But they died with honor, and they will never be forgotten.

"Mom!" Vizma calls, landing a short distance away.

"What is it?" she asks, making her way over to her, then stilling.

She knew the cost of this was great, but...

Ursa is dead, oddly enough not lying far away from Saxon's body.

"Sabine never even got to see her again," Vizma murmurs, a pained look in her eyes.

"She made the Duchess knowing what it could do," Bo points out. "If not for that, she would still be here with us."

Vizma looks up, frowning. "It was a mistake that she's been trying to make right for years."

"I know. Something her mother would now be proud of. She died for Mandalore, and Sabine still fights for it, for her." There is nothing more she can offer her.

Vizma nods, slowly moving in between the bodies, seemingly... a little dazed. It's unsurprising. Bo is not pleased with the damage either, and Vizma takes things a lot harder. "Korkie!" she calls suddenly, and takes off, dropping next to him.

"Vizma," he coughs, shifting, as she reaches down, laying a hand on his arm. Bo hurries over immediately. He's injured, but he'll definitely survive, and that's something.

"We won," Korkie murmurs.

"Yes," Bo agrees, "We did."

And it's then,that she suddenly senses it. Something is wrong. Something is – No.

She sensed something of this nature once before, on the other side of the galaxy, when Marr told her later that he was captured and being tortured, but now... Something is happening. Something –

She looks to Vizma, to see her suddenly stiffen, face paling. "Dad," she breathes, as a wave of dread washes through Bo.

**w**

"I have been expecting you," Sidious says, cackling. It's a dark, sharp sound that grates on him, and that, and the way the Dark Side burns around the Sith, sends a shiver down Marr's spine. He's faced worse, though. He fought Dooku when he was only sixteen. He fought Maul at seventeen. He's in his thirties now, and he's far more powerful and skilled. His knowledge of the Dark Side is... extreme. It will help him, and he has no qualms about acting on it.

"That's good," Ahsoka snips back, the first to speak, "I would be rather unimpressed with your skills if you didn't."

"At an end, your rule is," Master Yoda adds, moving to the front.

The Sith cackles again. "I knew you survived, my little green friend. I have only grown in the Dark Side, and your powers fade away."

"You can't win," Marr replies boldly. He was afraid before, and this is unnerving, but he's not afraid anymore. He's a vessel of the Force now. It's ironic how, only after embracing the Dark Side in its entirety, that he understands what the Jedi mean when they speak of becoming one with the Force, of finding peace while fighting. "All things end, Darth Sidious. Even you. You will die, and your Empire will crumble. Perhaps not today, but one day."

"Destroy them," Sidious commands, motioning to the Inquisitors and his guards.

Marr does his best not to think of how his mother is here. There's so many Rebels here, and it's quite likely she will die, but he doesn't let the fear stop him. Instead, he lets it fill and fuel him, because if not for Sidious, she would never have Fallen.

He wants this. He's waited for it.

The First Sister goes after Obi-Wan – Marr should not be so surprised about that – and the other Inquisitor attacks Ahsoka. Yoda jumps at Sidious and is met by a blast of lightning for his efforts, and Marr goes after the Emperor's very unneeded guards. They need to take the fight somewhere else because more will be arriving by the moment. They need a... closed space in which they can fight easily and give Sidious less room to run, while still being able to fight him properly.

Marr trades a few rapid blows with the Red Guards, reaching into the Force to let it guide him. He twists one of their blades to the side and draws his blaster, shooting the Guard.

Sidious is the one they need to be going after, and he takes down a few more before taking off after the said Sith, who's currently clashing rapid blades with Yoda.

Marr shoots at him first, only because that's a good way to distract him, and Sidious gracefully dodges the shots, flipping away. He's moving with grace and speed that he looks incapable of holding. Appearances are deceiving, though.

Marr fires at him again, and Sidious dodges it, unleashing a blast of Force lightning straight at him. He doesn't have the Darksaber out, but that's fine. He lifts his hands instantly, forming a Force barrier to deflect it away. This isn't something he's really been able to practice, but he knows how to do it. The intensity of the lightning striking him only increases, but he holds stubbornly against it, deflecting it right back at the Sith Master.

The moment is broken when Yoda leaps for him again. Sidious spins to block his blade, and Marr dives forwards, clashing the Darksaber against the red blade for the first time. This is the moment he's been waiting for, preparing for, for years now, and he will not fail. At least not if it's the will of the Force.

This is the man who's been enslaving Vader, and just thinking about that is enough to feed Marr's anger and the Dark Side, as he attacks him. He knows that Sidious will draw on that, though, so he tries instead to focus on the years of training he had in Vaapad. It's more useful than he ever dreamed it could be, now.

Sidious moves fast and furious, his red blade spinning in a constant blur between Marr and Yoda. He doesn't seem to be tiring, but there's no way he isn't drawing on the Force to keep himself moving. Sidious is... older, no matter how strong he is in the Force. Marr has more endurance. Yoda, though... He is the oldest of all. He's fighting fast, but Marr doesn't think it's quite as well as he once did – and there was already a time in the past that Yoda lost to Sidious.

The sound of blaster shots rings out in the hallway, right as a Force-shove catches him, throwing him across the room. He scrambles to his feet immediately, pausing to glance at the doorway. The Mandalorians are finally here, and Anastasia blasts into the room, shooting at Sidious. He shouldn't be surprised that's how she decided to make her entrance.

Sidious hurls Yoda back, blasting lightning at her. She tries to fly out of the way, but it isn't fast enough, hitting her and throwing her across the room. A blinding wave of fury hits Marr, and he lunges forwards, swinging for the Emperor's head.

Something detaches from the wall, flying at him as Sidious sidesteps his attack. He dodges it, but another piece of debris slams into his helmet, throwing him slightly off-balance. Sidious wants to fight with the Force? Fine.

Marr reaches out, delving into the Force deeper than he has in years, maybe ever. He's strong in the Force. He always has been, and he's not afraid to fight with it as he may once have been. He catches the next few objects the Sith tries throwing at him and spins them around, sending them back at the Sith in question before throwing his overly fancy throne at him. He can't help feeling smug at the sight.

Sidious throws his throne aside easily, and its then that Marr starts to realize what it is the Sith Master is so good at it. He's been intentionally avoiding using his lightsaber as much as he can, focusing on the Force and lightning more than anything.

It makes sense. Sidious has to have a weakness of some kind. Everyone does, and the Sith is clearly so good at manipulation. If only it were easier to overwhelm him, but he was right – he was prepared. The rebels are being overwhelmed here, though Anastasia's arrival certainly is helping.

More and more stormtroopers keep coming to try helping, and the Mandalorians are holding them off, but their numbers are... limited. All of this is counting on them being able to take out Sidious soon. After that, they can deal with the fallout.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan are still busy with the Inquisitors, though. Taking out Sidious is up to Marr and Yoda alone, and unless something changes, he doesn't know if they'll be able to do it fast enough.

Sidious lashes out with the Force, throwing him and Yoda back, before flipping across the room, snapping the necks of a bunch of the Mandalorians near the doorway in a single move. He's heading for the door, and –

Is he seriously planning to run?! That's... not something Marr expected from him, but they can't let him get away. It should be obvious, though – Sidious is a coward. If he weren't, he would have done his own dirty work himself. They came here for him, though, and Marr will not let that be in vain. He reaches up, wrenching down a good portion of the duracrete ceiling in front of Sidious. Except, the Sith ducks beneath it, and with a hiss of rage, Marr takes after.

He fires a grappling line around him, watching with no small measure of satisfaction as the yellow energy cord wraps around the Sith before he can duck out of the way. He shoots for his head in the same move, but the Sith dodges it, whipping out his lightsaber and slashing himself free, before lunging at him again.

It's then that Marr notices something – a presence he's actually been sensing for a while, but it's coming closer now. Fast.

Vader's here, and Marr still has no idea whose side he's on. He would prefer not to dwell on it, either, because it could easily become unpleasant, but it's important. If... if Vader does side with Sidious, even now, they will have to fight him, too, and Marr doesn't know if anyone here is strong enough. Especially not when they're already being overwhelmed.

"Your insignificant rebellion dies today, Mandalorian," Sidious hisses, shoving him back, unleashing another blast of lightning on him.

Marr deflects it away easily.

He hears the sudden sound of a respirator, looking up as Vader steps into view.

For a moment, everyone stills. Something about Anakin has always had that effect, but it's even truer now. He is... intimidating like this, and something about his presence feels slightly... lighter, perhaps. Marr doesn't know.

The silence is broken when Sidious cackles. "Destroy them, Lord Vader," he commands.

Maybe Marr expected it, but that doesn't stop his instant swell of disappointment – and fear. This is bad. It's – it's worse than bad, because all of them could die here. He doesn't believe Vader would willingly kill him, Ahsoka, or Obi-Wan – he forces away the memory of when he nearly did – but there's nothing 'willing' about the way Vader serves Sidious. Not truly.

Obi-Wan appears almost out of nowhere, swinging for Vader. Their blades clash, and Marr spins back into motion again. He can't let himself get carried away with emotion. For now, he needs to kill Sidious. They're out of time, and hopelessly overwhelmed by now. Hopefully the droids have at least been able to deal with all the Imperials on the outside. If not... He won't think about the 'if not'. It won't matter seeing that he won't even be around to see it.

Yoda goes for Sidious again, and Marr is about to lunge forwards when his mother jumps in the way, blocking him. "You said you wanted to end this," Marr hisses, shoving her back.

She nearly takes off his head, and he parries the blow. "I gave you that chance, and you turned it down," she retorts.

"That chance is all around you," he growls. He doesn't understand what's wrong with her. Yes, she totally lost herself to the Dark Side, but half of her actions don't even seem to make sense sometimes.

"You will fail," she retorts.

"Yeah, thanks for your help," he snaps, throwing her back with the Force. They don't have time for this. "Do you really want our deaths on your conscience, or did you lose that, too?" It's a nasty thing to say, one that reminds him of how Obi-Wan speaks to Vader, but in the tenseness and hurt of the moment, he doesn't find it in himself to care.

He throws a quick glance around the room, taking in the other duels. Ahsoka slashes through the Fourth Sister's lightsaber, throwing her against the wall hard enough to stun her, then turns to help Yoda, lunging for Sidious. Obi-Wan is steadily backing away from Vader as they fight, the blows they're throwing at each other looking much too lethal for Marr's liking.

He doesn't have time to do anything about it, though. It would be so much easier if Vader would help them, but – Just this once, he hopes he'll be distracted enough with Obi-Wan to not notice if they get close to killing Sidious.

He doesn't know if that will even happen. They're so close to losing, even if he refuses to let himself think about it. The Mandalorians are already having a hard time holding off all the stormtroopers in the hall, and he doesn't know if it'll be enough for long. All he can do is hope, because there's far more in here than they can handle already.

"I will do what I must," Athea insists, stubbornly.

"Which is what?!" he yells back, blocking her blow when she swings at him again. Talking while fighting is stupid, and he knows it, but – "You claim to want Sidious dead, but everything you do shows the exact opposite."

"Now is not the time, nor place," she argues.

"Mother, it's not too late to stop this madness," Marr asserts. It feels pointless, but at least he should try one last time, "You're the one who taught me how to do the impossible. We shared a bond even through the close eye of the Jedi Council. You must remember that."

She answers him with another blow, slashing at him repeatedly with both ends of her lightsaber. It's swift and brutal, with every bit of the force she fights her opponents with and has ever since she Fell. It's different, but the moves, the tricks, all of it – they're everything he remembers from Athea Shan, and fighting her always hurts.

This was his mother, but she was willing to throw it all away, to throw their bond aside when it could have saved everyone. Anakin trusted her, but she Fell, and she...

She let her own darkness consume her. He doesn't understand why. Vader wasn't like this – he's like a black hole in the Force, and yet, he's so light. Anakin's heart is still there, glowing, but Athea isn't – the First Sister is black in and out. Empty, like the light in her was sucked out and what's left is an empty core. A shell.

And Marr has absolutely no idea what happened to his mother, because she was always strict, but she was so caring with him. So cheerful. Playful, even. He never once doubted her love for him.

But now... he doesn't see any of it anymore. And he doesn't understand why, seeing that the first thing she did after she Fell was to save Caleb's life. Ever after that, something about her has been... different.

But if she's going to stand in their way, that means – He needs to do what he has to, and he doesn't know if he can. He looks up at her mask for a fleeting moment, wishing he could see her face, and –

He lets his guard down, just for a split second too long. Her lightsaber swings for his, but he's a moment too slow in blocking it. A blinding agony sears through his stomach, and he staggers back, a strangled sound escaping him.

That was his mother.

She just...

The next thing Marr registers is landing on the floor, his vision swimming. Pain is whiting out his senses, but panic builds in him despite it. He brought everyone here to kill Sidious. He was their leader. He can't die here, leave them all to die alone defeated because he brought them here in the first place.

(He can't leave Vader with Sidious forever.)

He needs to... something. Just not die. Though he knew it was possible, so what else did he expect?

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