Aboard the RSD Kestrel, in hyperspace
The doors to the turbolift cluster opened with a hiss, and Lir Sey'les emerged onto the bridge. She tried to ignore all of the concerned stares coming up from the crewpits, but her fur swirled with nervousness all the same. Halfway to her destination, her senses told her that everyone knew.
Everyone knows I sent an unauthorized message to Coruscant, but that doesn't matter.
Morai flew circles around Captain Jural, who looked absolutely livid as Sey'les came to attention.
"Captain, I have something urgent to report."
With gloved hands, Jural tapped the remote for a holoprojector on her thigh, then waved it dramatically. "I daresay."
Sey'les winced, recognizing the device as one she had used more than a day prior to send a message from Ponemah Terminal to Coruscant—shortly after being cleared from sickbay. "Ahsoka Tano is alive. I was wrong… She was in great pain and then lost consciousness, but now she's… uh… back?"
{"Really?"} Morai asked excitedly, landing on the terminal next to Jural. {"Are you certain?"}
"Yes, I am certain. Sorry if I—"
"Changing the topic won't save you! They found your noseprints all over this!" Jural snarled in disgust, waving the remote in front of Sey'les's face.
Sey'les frowned. I didn't think I had my face that close to it… "Captain, we need to tell Commodore Los'ean—"
"That you put us all in grave danger? That you make decisions like this without consulting anyone?!"
"Veryk told me to," Sey'les said defiantly.
{"Veryk told you to?"} Morai asked with suspicion. {"He knows Sidious has Ahsoka Tano under surveillance… Why would he?"}
"I—I don't usually question the will of the Prophets, Morai," Sey'les stammered lamely, fur beginning to flatten as she sensed dozens of eyes on her. "But Ahsoka is awake again. It's only a matter of time till she gets up to speed, thanks to my actions."
{"Sidious will get up to speed too… Oh dear, what has Veryk done?!"}
"You don't take orders from Veryk or Morai!" Jural yelled. "Kriff it! Get her out of my sight before I break her nose!"
"Yes, sir," said one of the security troopers, gripping Sey'les by the elbow. "You are coming with us."
"Fine," Sey'les sighed as if she had a choice. She followed a trio of troopers off the bridge, thankful, they didn't feel the need to cuff her.
This whole thing Veryk told her to do without explanation now did seem quite stupid in hindsight. The other Prophets, including Halfdan and Morai, made it quite clear that the Jedi could not be warned directly, or there would be dire consequences. Sey'les quickly pushed those thoughts aside, though. For all she knew, Veryk had seen a future where telling Ahsoka would save the whole galaxy.
o.o.o.o.o
Veryk
The Vergence Scatter
Through the mists that now filled the World Between Worlds, Veryk's eyes glowed a hot white, reflecting off the event horizon of a portal leading to the Jedi Temple's medbay. Dooku and Shiptar had been removed to the hospital's secure wing two doors down, and the ward's only residents were now Ahsoka Tano, Jazal, and Rael Averross.
The purple Savrit Cat's ears perked up, anticipating the exact moment that was coming.
"You told Ahsoka," an accusing voice snarled from behind him.
{"Not now, Halfdan,"} Veryk replied brusquely.
"You revealed our existence to the Jedi and the Sith."
{"No, I didn't,"} Veryk said, still focused completely on Ahsoka Tano, who was now stirring in bed. He was more than a little annoyed that Sey'les decided to implicate him in her message to Ahsoka—originally, he had planned on only Sey'les taking the fall from this and for later events to fully exonerate her in the eyes of the Council of the Cosmic Force. That could not be changed now. {"At most, I revealed myself, you, and Morai. Out of the three of us, only Morai and I have any significance in the mythology of the lesser beings."}
Halfdan moved so close that Veryk could feel the Loth-wolf's breath on the back of his neck. "You revealed time travel! You revealed that Ahsoka traveled through time to a Sith Lord! THE SITH LORD WHO KILLED MY MATE!"
{"I am sorry for your loss,"} Veryk consoled, sensing where Halfdan was going with this. {"Her death pains me too, but you cannot blame me—"}
"With time travel, the cause can precede the event!" Halfdan snarled, clearly predicting Veryk's defense that Vitnir had died before Sey'les had told Ahsoka Tano and, by extension, Sidious.
{"With this change,"} Veryk insisted, {"I will make sure the Jedi win. Sidious will pose no threat."}
"I will tell Bendu. I will tell him everything, and if you ultimately played a role in Vitnir's death..."
Veryk's eyes stopped glowing. He turned around and put a consoling paw on the highest part of one of Halfdan's front legs he could reach—which wasn't even to the knee. {"Whether or not revealing this to Sidious now caused Vitnir's death when a future Sidious emerged decades later, keeping it a secret from Sidious will not save her… I have come to realize we can't bring her back."}
Halfdan's yellow eyes narrowed, and his snout bore a dangerous snarl. "What do you mean?"
{"She died here. This means she died in all of time. Whatever we do, we can't possibly bring her back. Now, my apologies. I really must go."} At that, Veryk stepped toward the event horizon.
"No! We need to talk about this! You can't just—SON OF A BITCH!"
o.o.o.o.o
Sheev Palpatine
Coruscant
Ten minutes earlier…
A blue glow reflected off the Sith Lord's face as he stood in a secret annex to the Supreme Chancellor's office filled with large security screens. What was being broadcast to the screens, and a large reason why this room was a secret to all but his closest inner circle, were scenes from the interior of the Jedi Temple.
"Staircase is clear," whispered the voice of CC-1010, better known as "Fox."
Onscreen, twenty Clones began quickly and proficiently jogging up the stairwell, blasters held at the low ready.
The revelation of a time-traveling Ahsoka Tano changed everything. The future was becoming ever murkier, and Sidious no longer believed he had the whole afternoon to wait for Anakin's arrival at the Galaxies Opera House. Tano was not dead, but she was weakened, and it was absolutely crucial to eliminate her from the picture as a potential threat.
The official story the Republic at large would hear is that the Supreme Chancellor sent two squads of Clones into the Jedi Temple, which was holding Dooku against the will of the Senate. The Jedi resisted, and a firefight broke out in the temple's medical wing, which unfortunately resulted in the death of the Count before he could stand trial.
Ever defiant, the Jedi attempted a coup in retaliation for the incident. The entire Jedi Order had grown so dangerous that it had to be put down, with the exception of a few members—such as Anakin Skywalker and Iskat Akaris, who had seen the errors of their ways.
The reality would be that twenty troopers had been sent into the Temple hospital through a secret entrance under orders to remove Dooku. After they reached Ahsoka's bed, they would receive a message telling them to "Execute Order 66." The twenty Clones would go on a rampage, shooting every Force-sensitive in sight. It was absolutely crucial for Ahsoka Tano to be one of the victims, but it would be ideal if Dooku died as well. The Jedi would respond by immediately moving against Sidious and thereby playing directly into his hands.
"Hold up!" Fox said, prompting all the Clones on the security screen to freeze in place. Just outside the stairwell exit, an astromech rolled by carrying a tray of tools, followed by Master Rig Nema.
For just a moment, Sidious feared that the Jedi doctor might actually sense the Clones—but that was nearly impossible. The Sith Shrine was now exuding more darkside clouding than it ever had before. Most Jedi on Coruscant were literally blind to the Force, even if they didn't know it.
"Ready on your go, Chancellor," Fox said.
A smirk formed in the corner of the Sith Lord's mouth. He glanced over to the screen on the left, which was the interior of the High Council Chamber itself. Bail Organa, Polo Se'lab, Mon Mothma, and the very obviously pregnant Padmé Amidala were standing before the High Council, arguing exactly the same thing Sidious himself had been arguing.
"I must say, I don't find your arguments convincing," Bail Organa retorted to Mace Windu. "Dooku has not been a Jedi for more than a decade. You accepted his resignation after the Serenno Incident, seven years before the Great Resynchronization. This means he is no longer under Jedi jurisdiction."
"He must be turned over to the Senate," Padmé added, spinning in place to glance at every member of the High Council. Her eyebrow furrowed in concern as she noticed Obi-Wan's eyes were darting between her and Anakin. Hastily, she removed her hand, which had been clutching her swollen belly, as if doing so would shift the room's focus.
"Ironic," Sidious sighed with a genuine smile. "So deliciously ironic… That Bail Organa and I agree on an issue!"
"What was that, sir?" Fox asked disconcertedly.
The Sith Lord glanced at the screen to the far right. Ahsoka Tano was now sitting in bed with a miniature holoprojector in her hand. Even with this resolution and from this distance, it was obvious that the hologram on display was the Bothan Lir Sey'les.
"No!" Sidious gasped.
"Is that an abort order?!" Fox whispered incredulously.
"No! Get in there, now!"
o.o.o.o.o
AHSOKA TANO
"A message for you, Knight Tano," a protocol droid with a female voice uttered, dropping a flat disc-shaped handheld projector on Ahsoka's bedside table.
Ahsoka stared at the droid, feeling groggy, helpless, and wondering how in the hell they were all still alive. Dooku was in Republic custody, spouting off about Order 66. No. Dooku was not just in Republic custody but Jedi custody. The only explanation she could think of was Palpatine needed a crisis, one he could easily manufacture.
She stared at the disc, blinking incredulously as the droid trotted away without further explanation. The moment she switched the holoprojector on, Ahsoka gasped.
Projected from the disk sitting on her lap was a recognizable ashy-furred Bothan—decades younger but recognizable, even in a Republic Navy uniform.
"So, Ahsoka Tano, I know all about it. You've been up to some shady shit, trying to fix the timeline. I know you're from the future. I know we know each other in—"
"Is that Lir Sey'les I hear?!" Jazal asked.
Ahsoka paused the projector. Rael Averross and Jazal were staring at her.
How does Jazal know Lir Sey'les? How does—damn.
"Uh, no, that's not Lir Sey'les," Ahsoka croaked, surprised again by how raspy her voice sounded. "I mean—Who's Lir Sey'les?"
As a Miraluka, Jazal lacked eyes and could not actually see or sense a hologram. The human Rael Averross was a different matter.
"That's Sey'les alright," Rael scoffed, folding his arms. "Now, how in the blazes did you get acquainted with that furball?"
Quick on her feet, Ahsoka decided to call them out on disrespect. Neither of them were referring to her as Counsellor Tano, prison therapist, anymore. "It's Counsellor Tano to you, Master Averross."
"Oh, you've gotta be kiddin' me! After 79's—After—"
Whatever Rael was going to say next was obscured by clattering plastoid boots and loud voices filtered through helmet vocoders.
"HANDS UP!"
"NOBODY MOVE!"
"HEY—YOU THERE—BLASTED CLANKER! HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"
Jaws agape, Jazal and Rael turned to face the door. Ahsoka turned too—surprised that she had not sensed anyone coming.
After a few seconds of further shouting and a loud demand to open the door, the doors to the burn ward opened with a metallic hiss.
A 2-1B medical droid was briefly visible in the doorway, before they were brusquely shoved out of the way and replaced by a Clone officer wearing red-painted armor inverted from the typical Coruscant Guard scheme, whom Ahsoka immediately recognized as Commander Fox. Two more Clones filed in behind him, screaming and waving blasters at Jazal and Rael Averross.
"DOOKU! WHERE IS HE?!"
"Dooku?" Jazal asked in astonishment.
"First name 'Count.' Last name 'Dooku.' What have you Jedi done with him?!" one of the Clones demanded, keeping his carbine fixed on her as Fox studied the room clinically.
If comments such as that weren't enough to convince Ahsoka that these Coruscant Guard Troopers were not the brightest men from Kamino, the fact they were waving blaster rifles at unarmed beings sitting in hospital beds certainly was.
Realization dawned on her. These idiots were pawns, led by a Commander who would follow almost any order without question, so long as they came from the proper authority. These weren't True Believers, but a carefully-staged accident waiting to happen.
Sidious must be planning on getting them killed in the Jedi Temple. That sure would justify Order 66.
She opened her mouth, with a memorized phrase from her course on conflict de-escalation on the tip of her tongue.
But a flash of light so bright it blinded her, followed by a boom so loud it shook the transparisteel windowpanes behind, left her screaming. She was still covering the sides of her forward lekku, which oozed as she inadvertently popped a blister, when a cat-shaped shadow appeared against the light.
Two tiny paws gripped her cheeks, holding her head still. One sensation, followed by a pressure inside her head, dominated other thoughts and impulses.
SLEEP.
o.o.o.o.o
SHEEV PALPATINE
Sidious recoiled, gasping as tears welled up in his eyes. The entire annex was engulfed in a bright solid white light from the viewscreen. Surprised shouts and crackling static burst from the speakers, at a volume so high that the water in Sidious's glass rippled. Then a second sonic boom cut through the air, causing one of the speakers to overload and cough out sparks.
Some great tension in the Force released itself just as the viewscreen, which had been almost as bright as Coruscant's sun, returned to normal.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THERE?!" Sidious shrieked into the comm, squinting as he tried to focus his eyes. When his eyes finally adjusted to the relative darkness, he gasped.
Commander Fox and his squad of Coruscant Guardsmen now lay on the floor, presumably knocked out. Two of the Jedi patients, Jazal and Rael Averross, also were lying back in their beds—clearly not dead as their chests were rising and falling with each breath.
And Ahsoka Tano's bed was empty.
"What? Wha—What!?" Sidious stammered, shaking his head at a complete loss for words.
A banging began on the door behind him.
"Excellency, is everything alright in there?"
Sidious began a reply, but all that came out was a horrified wheeze. He let out a cough before finally managing to croak, "Yes, I am quite alright!"
In the background, Rig Nema emerged through the door, medical droid in tow. "What the—Get Temple Security!" She turned back into the doorway she had just emerged from. "No time for questions—Get security now!"
Jazal stirred at Rig Nema's shouts and sat up in bed. "Master Nema?"
"What happened in here?" she asked urgently, stepping up to Jazal's bedside.
The Miraluka pointed to the unconscious Clones on the floor. "They burst in here, demanding to know where Count Dooku is. There was a—I don't know. They must have stunned me!"
"Perhaps," Nema agreed, then turned around, noticing Tano's empty bed. "Ahsoka?! Did they take Ahsoka?"
"I don't… remember," Jazal said slowly.
"Damn it! Where is security?!" Rig yelled to no one in particular. Igniting her lightsaber, she kicked Commander Fox on the thigh, causing the Clone to awaken with a yelp. "Where is Ahsoka?"
Fox jolted, scooting back to the wall to escape the blade ignited above his chest. "I—ugh! GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!"
"Where is Ahsoka Tano?"
"Look, lady," Fox said in a strained voice, "I don't know who you are talking about."
"That patient! The Togruta female!" Nema gasped incredulously, pointing the tip of her saber back to Tano's empty bed. "Where is she?!"
"That is a question we would all like to know the answer to," Sidious murmured to himself as Fox again denied knowing anything.
A hypothesis was beginning to form in his mind that Ahsoka Tano had been pulled back to the future, or perhaps to a different point in space or time… by an accomplice.