Chapter 155: Tipping Points
Disobedience is a demand for change.
Recap: War in the Inner Rim! Rebel leader Steela Gerrera has joined forces with General Tandin after boldly rescuing Onderon's former king from execution, evading a trap set by Separatist ally King Rash and the droid General Kalani. Amid growing public support and rising unrest, Ahsoka and Twilight continue to monitor the rebels' efforts as they rally around Ramsis Dendup to restore his reign as the rightful king and finally put an end to the Separatist occupation of Onderon.
Due to the upcoming battle, there was unrest in the capital city of Onderon. A group of droids were standing guard over a section of a market. Walking among the people was a hooded figure who was Ahsoka. The droid saw her as a transport came into his view. He bent down to continue seeing the girl by her feet as she was shown putting something on the ground and disappearing just as the transport left.
"I'm picking up an electromagnetic field," said one of the droids.
"Roger, roger. It's coming from there," stated another.
The other two droids then shoved their comrade forward as he stumbled. He looked at them as they gestured for him to keep going and would support... from a distance. The droid sighed as he leaned down and looked to touch the thing left behind by the Jedi. Soon a hologram came up as it was of Dendup.
"My fellow subjects, I appear not as your king but as a servant of Onderon. We are in the midst of a great struggle. The Confederacy has used the recent attacks as an opportunity to tighten their hold on Onderon. They have accused me of leading these so-called terrorists. It is a lie they have engineered to further restrict your independence and use deadly force against our people. The truth is, I have never met them before now. I have come to know them as the true sons of Onderon. They are unwilling to surrender our freedom to those who conspire to take it from us. Our destiny is tied to them and this planet. We must all rise together to protect it."
The recording ended as the nearby people all began to make some noise. The droids all backed up as a few were now eyeing them.
"Uh-oh."
"Why are they looking at us that way?" said one of the droids.
Soon one of the people appeared behind a droid and placed a fruit on its head.
"Hey!" shouted the droid as he couldn't see and accidentally knocked one of his comrades.
"What the... Blast him!" said the other droid as they fired a few shots before the rest of the people began to throw stuff at them and even attempt to take them down.
Some shots hit a Fambaa nearby, and he felt the shots in his behind. He then began to sit down as the droid turned and saw it.
"Uh-oh," said the droid before he was sat on by the creature.
As the people were rioting, Ahsoka was shown climbing some buildings and jumping to a roof where Lux was waiting for her on a Ruping. The boy grabbed her hand and helped her as she held on, and the two took to the skies.
The pair soon arrived at where the others were in the mountains.
"The people are turning against the droids. There's rioting in the streets now," stated Lux.
"That's a beautiful thing," said Saw, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"We need to keep the battle to the outskirts of the city," stated Steela.
"Less structures and people," said Lux.
"But less clankers. Their main force is in Iziz. We should join the fight down there and take it straight to King Rash."
"We all want victory, but not at the cost of innocent lives. If we fight door to door, no one is safe," said Steela to her brother's proclamation.
"This is war, Steela."
"She's right," said Dendup as he was shown approaching the kids.
"I agree. The more you draw the droids from the city to the highlands, the safer the people will be," stated Twilight as she added her two cents in for the rebels.
"My men await your command, my lord," said Commander Tandin.
"I believe there is a new contender," stated Dendup as he looked at Steela. "You will lead our forces. Including the Royal Army. Steela is now the commanding general."
"A great choice," chimed in Ahsoka.
"As you wish, my lord," said Commander Tandin, as he had no problem with that.
"You and your rebels renewed my faith in myself. Now, I'm putting my faith in you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," stated Steela. "Let's ride."
The rebels were preparing to get their forces ready for the incoming attack. Steela looked over to her side and saw Ahsoka and Lux getting their ride ready as the Padawan got on board and talked to the creature. Steela approached the boy and planted a firm kiss on him as it caught him off guard.
"Just in case," said the girl with a smile.
She soon got on her ride and took off as Lux was doing the same. He looked behind him as Ahsoka gave him a smile and lightly punched his shoulder for scoring one with the girl. However, a second later, as he turned to face forward, her expression changed to a sad one. It didn't go unnoticed by Twilight, who was on her separate ride and took off after the others.
Meanwhile, at the palace, King Rash and his allies discussed the rebels and their tactics.
"We are losing the public. If they turn against us, I fear the outcome," said King Rash as he walked from the balcony they were looking out of to the throne.
"Fear will bring them back," stated Kalani as they saw smoke from the city due to the riots.
"We must eliminate Dendup, General Tandin, and the terrorists before the people commit to their efforts," stated King Rash to the droid as he sat down.
"General Tandin is weak. His army will not withstand the power of the Confederacy. Neither will the terrorists." said the droid as a commando droid approached him.
"General, our scouts have located the main rebel forces in the mountains to the east."
"With the rioting in the city, how can we spare the troops to attack the rebels in the mountains?" questioned King Rash.
"Do not underestimate our means. If the rebel army falls, the citizens will lose their courage. Then order will be restored." said the droid.
The doors opened as in came Sunset. The girl smiled as some rumbling was also heard. Everyone turned back to the balcony as some gunships appeared before them.
"Your target lies in the mountains to the east. The army will follow. Leave no survivors." instructed Kalani to the gunships.
"Better than waiting here," said Sunset as she jumped onto the roof of one of the gunships. The girl wanted to go where the action would be as she was hoping to run into the Padawan. "Let's ride!"
"By your command!" said the gunships as they began to take off to where the rebels were.
The mountains were shown as Steela landed and got off her creature.
"The droid army is almost here. Everyone, get ready."
Down below them, Tandin was leading the ground forces as the droids were closing in up ahead. The droids were marching ahead as in the jungle next to them were some rebels hiding.
"Ready!" said Tandin.
"Saw, begin your attack," stated Steela to her older brother.
The rebel took flight with his group as they soared above the army. Then began to drop bombs as that started the guns firing from both sides. The rebels on the ground began to engage as a few charged on Dalgos and jousted at any droids they ran past. From the mountaintops, several other rebels were firing and operating cannons.
From what it looked like, the rebels were overpowering their foes as they began to cheer. However, several of the gunships that were sent out appeared as they began to take out some of Saw's squad to take out the rebels' aerial offense. The gunships fired and took out several rebels on the mountaintops and the guns they were operating.
"Where did that come from?" asked Lux as they saw the cliff next to them erupt.
"There!" said Ahsoka as she pointed at the ships passing by.
They began to fire at the gunships, but their shots didn't do anything. Twilight pulled out a small binocular and lifted it up to her eyes. The girl's new device from her home planet began to work. The small device captured an image of the gunship and then turned it into a schematic while giving bits of info about its structure.
"Uh-oh," said the princess as she read what was given.
"What?" said Ahsoka to her friend.
"Those gunships are heavy armament and ray shielded," relayed the Jedi Knight, which was why their shots didn't do anything.
"Any ideas?" asked Steela as they continued to fire.
"Yeah. Run!" stated Ahsoka as they all booked it.
With the introduction of the Separatists' new toy, the tide of the battle had shifted drastically. Now the rebels were struggling and suffering heavy losses as they were being overrun every second.
"I take it the rebels have Dooku's full attention," said Obi-wan as Ahsoka and Twilight were crouched behind some pillars and contacting their allies.
"It's a full-scale war! They need our help! Please talk to the Council." stated Ahsoka.
"Even Master Windu would be wary at this point. The Council will not engage or involve the Republic in an internal affair," said Kenobi as they had to stick to their plan of letting the rebels fight their own battles.
"The Separatists have a new gun with a powerful ray shield. Nothing's getting past it."
"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. But there's nothing we can do. Our orders were to let them figure it out on their own." stated Storm as he hated to say that, but that this was their whole purpose when they first arrived.
"Do not stay there if their failure is certain. Evacuate who you and Twilight can and return to Coruscant immediately. Do you understand?" stated Obi-wan.
"Yes, Master," said Twilight with a confident response as Ahsoka made a small face which Anakin noticed from standing to the side as the transmission ended.
"We need to help them," stated Anakin.
"We will do what we can to relocate the survivors," said Kenobi.
"Before they lose their planet."
"We can't."
"What difference does it make now? The Separatists know we're involved."
"I don't disagree with you, Anakin. But to send in Republic gunships defeats our purpose. We must stay true to our intentions. Learn our lessons." stated the Jedi Master to his apprentice, trying to get him to understand the lesson they were trying to instill in the rebels.
"It doesn't have to look like we're the ones helping."
"What do you mean?" asked Storm.
"What if another party was involved?" suggested Anakin.
"Another party? Who in the galaxy would be running around
with an extra batch of missiles?" asked Obi-wan to his student.
"Hondo," answered Anakin.
"OH, HELL NO!" shouted Storm, as he didn't like hearing the pirate's name.
Back with the girls...
"Is the Republic going to help us?" asked Steela.
"No," answered Twilight.
"What's it going to take?" asked Lux.
"King Rash rules Onderon. Unless that changes, the Republic can't do anything," stated Ahsoka.
"They're pulling back. Cover them!" ordered Steela to Lux as they continued to fire with the girls observing behind them.
"At this rate, the clankers aren't gonna need reinforcements," said Saw, and he and Tandin were on a Dalga and pulling back with the rest of the ground forces.
"We have to regroup at the Nest!" said Tandin as they picked up speed with all the other ground forces following their example.
Meanwhile, two fighter ships were shown emerging from hyperspace. The fighters ejected from their hyperspace rings and began to descend to the planet of Florrum. The two ships were shown heading to a base as on the ground was Hondo speaking with some of his men when the ships landed and got their attention. The pilots inside got out, and it was revealed to be Storm and Anakin, as the former couldn't believe they would ask a pirate for a favor. To add insult to injury, it was Hondo, of all people.
"Skywalker, Storm, my old friends. You come alone?" asked the space pirate, putting on a welcoming tone.
"Let's just cut the shit right now and say we're here for one thing and one thing only!" stated Storm, not in the mood for any tricks or games.
"For your service," stated Anakin.
"Oh! Business? Good, good, good. That, I understand." said Hondo.
"I need you to make a delivery for us."
"And that is all I am to you, Jedi? A delivery boy?" said the pirate, a bit hurt that he was being labeled as such.
"Alright, you know what. I'm just gonna go wait in the ship while you finish this up," said Storm as he began to head back to his fighter and let Anakin deal with this.
"I know that if I need arms shipped illegally, you're the man I need to go to," stated the Jedi Knight.
"Illegally? Now why would a Jedi need to deliver arms illegally?" asked Hondo, curious about that fact.
"How about I pay you well enough that you just deliver the missile for me and don't ask any questions?" said Anakin with a sly smile.
"Well, as long as you're not paying me in credits, I'm sure l could accommodate your wishes, Master Jedi," said Hondo as he was looking to do business.
Storm watched from inside his fighter's seat as he saw the handshake from Anakin and Hondo in the distance. The boy scoffed at his friend for coming up with this idea. He then looked at his necklace; as he touched it, the Jedi was reminded of Twilight and his conversation with Master Yoda about learning to let everything go. Especially the princess herself. Storm was also thinking back to the exercise that Luna had him do of trying to get the necklace back from her and the words she spoke.
(Flashback)
"Three minutes. You have three minutes to try and take your precious pendant from me. If you want to prove you have what it takes to get to the level and become one step closer to realizing your destiny under my guidance, you will take this pendant back. If you fail, I will destroy this thing." stated Luna with a stern expression on her face.
"I had high expectations for you. Until now," stated Luna as Storm gasped at what he was hearing. "You have the power to become a powerful Jedi, but you're mediocre. Meanwhile, the Dark Side of the Force is getting restless, and destruction is creeping closer. A pity. Maybe I chose wrong after all."
"What are you saying?" said Storm at what Luna spoke of.
"Don't get me wrong, I love and respect you, Storm. But based on your recent behavior and actions, I wonder why I chose you. How can you succeed me when you're too busy being distracted by someone else?!" yelled Luna as she had had enough of Storm's relationship with the princess.
"I thought you could be great; I thought you could be better. You would succeed as my heir and take my place when the time came for me to step down from the Council. But I could see I was wrong. You're not worthy of being my successor. As it turns out, it was a waste of time. As such, I cannot acknowledge you!"
"Fear and indecision are luxuries that a Jedi Master cannot afford," said Luna as she shared some wisdom for all to hear. "Someone who understands that will always act with vision and purpose. You must've been told this countless times, but you choke when your training's being tested. You said you would make me acknowledge you, but the more I see, the more convinced I become that you will ultimately fail!" stated Luna.
(End of Flashback)
Storm opened his eyes as he sighed. The boy knew his Master was right. Here he was, a powerful Jedi, yet he couldn't do incredible things like Luna, Celestia, Windu, or even Yoda. And while he remained the same, evil forces got stronger. Nightmare Moon bested him, Discord beat him to a pulp, Chrysalis nearly drained him, and Sombra overpowered him. Even Sunset managed to defeat him once. He'd thought he'd gotten stronger all this time, but that was far from the case. He was still in the same position he once was when he began. And all because... of his attachment to Twilight. Maybe Yoda and Luna were right. Maybe... he needed to forget Twilight and let go.
With the rebels, they could retreat back to their base as they were devising their next plan of attack.
"The highlands may slow down the droids, but they won't stop the gunships," stated Saw.
"We have to move," said Steela.
"Any word from Master Skywalker?" asked Lux to the Jedi.
"Not yet," answered Ahsoka.
"We're not giving up yet. Stagger our defenses to the camp. Secure the approach. Stay in small teams. Make use of our training." said Steela as she gave orders to the rest of the crew.
"You really are the best leader among us. Couldn't be more proud of you, my sister," said Saw with a smile.
"I learned from the best, big brother," responded Steela as she put her hand on her sibling's shoulder.
"Let's go, General," said Saw to Tandin as they left to mobilize their troops.
"You have to help us," stated Lux to the girls.
"We'll do all we can to protect you. But we can't fight this war for you," stated Twilight as she reminded the rebels of their roles as observers and nothing more.
"We wouldn't have made it this far without you," said Steela.
"We only wish we could do more," said Ahsoka as she turned to the entrance as a ship caught her attention. "Wait, looks like we have company."
A ship was shown entering its base, and all the rebels scrambled as it landed. The doors opened and out came some pirates who were unloading some crates.
"Don't shoot!" shouted Ahsoka as she saw the pirates.
Soon Hondo exited his ship as he saw the rebels.
"Well! You could be my new favorite spice," said the space pirate as he saw Steela.
"Yeah, I don't think so," responded the girl at the pirate.
"Careful, pirate," stated Lux, pointing his weapon at him.
"Hondo, what are you doing here?" asked Ahsoka, as she and Twilight were less than pleased to see him given their past encounters.
"No, no, no, no. You should thank me, child. I have brought you a gift from Skywalker and Kenobi." said Hondo as he had his men uncover some of the crates. "The latest from Sienar."
"Rocket launchers?" questioned Twilight.
"Shoulder fire. Very expensive."
"Paid for?" asked Ahsoka.
"Very handsome... Oh!" said Hondo as shots were fired and zoomed past his ship.
Some commando droids came over the ridge as they were gunning down any rebels in sight. The rebels fired back as the droids flipped over their shots before shooting them dead.
"Oh, my, look at the time. Well, my work here is done," said Hondo as he was looking to leave and not get involved.
The rebels were now rushing to deal with the droids.
"Oh, princess!" said Hondo as Twilight stopped to look at the pirate from the entrance of his ship as it was taking off. "Here!"
The space pirate tossed something to her, and she caught it. Twilight looked into her hand as she gasped. The object that Hondo had thrown at her was Storm's necklace. The same necklace she gave to him for his birthday. The girl was about to ask Hondo how he got it, but his ship was already leaving to avoid getting involved with business that wasn't his. Twilight merely clutched the necklace before putting it around her neck for safekeeping.
"Ugh! They must have seen Hondo's ship," said Steela as they finished taking care of the droids.
"It was only a patrol," stated Ahsoka.
"We have to get these down to the others. Load them up," said Lux, handing the girls some rocket launchers.
"I hope they work," said Steela as they walked.
"There's only one way to find out," responded Ahsoka.
The group soon descended the mountain as Saw, Tandin, and the rest of their men were under heavy fire from the gunships that they couldn't fully focus on the ground forces marching forward lest they get shot.
"We've tried everything, but we're target practice for those gunships!" said Saw as he saw his friends arrive.
"Now it's their turn," said Lux, handing the rocket launchers to the men.
"Thank the Jedi," said Steela as she gave her brother one, who had an expression like a kid receiving candy. "Saw!"
He didn't hear his sister's call to not rush out as he wanted to test the weapon out. He saw a gunship coming as he bent down and aimed. The rocket was launched as it pierced the ship's defense and hit it. Causing damage and spinning out of control as it landed on top of some droids marching forward.
"I love this!" exclaimed Saw.
The nearby men cheered as they now had a way to deal with those sky demons.
"Distribute the rocket launchers and take out those gunships," said Steela before she received a call on her comlink.
"Steela, they're attacking the Nest! They're after the King!" said a rebel at the base.
"Come on!" shouted Steela as she didn't waste time and hopped onto her creature and took off before anybody could say anything.
"She sure leads by example," said Twilight, rather impressed by the girl.
"What good will that do us if she gets herself killed?" said Lux as they all began to get on their respective rides to follow her.
At the base, gunships had arrived and were mowing down any rebels. Sunset smiled as she jumped down and landed. The girl stood up and turned on her lightsaber as she reflected back the shots from some rebels as they were slain. The Sith girl continued to walk as she passed by a watchtower with some rebels shooting at the ships; she merely flicked her lightsaber at one of its base legs as the tower tipped over and crashed, leaving a cloud of dust behind her as she smiled.
"Steela, hurry! Steela, come in!" shouted one of the rebels as two commando droids jumped down in front of her from a ship and shot her in the arm. She grunted and fell to her knees while holding her arm.
"Where is the false king?" asked one of the droids.
"I'll never tell you!" responded the girl defiantly.
The droids were about to pull the trigger.
"Hold on!" said Sunset as she made her presence known.
The two droids stood to the side, allowing their mistress to approach the injured rebel. Sunset was now standing in front of the rebel with an evil smile. The rebel had slight fear, as she could tell Sunset was someone to be scared of.
"Don't worry, you won't have to," said Sunset with an evil smile.
The girl thrust her hand forward as she grabbed the rebel's forehead. She screamed as the girl was using her personal skill and tapping into the rebel's mind. Seconds later, she released her hand from the rebel as she panted from what the Sith Lord just did.
"Thanks for that," said Sunset, as she peered into the rebel's mind and memories and knew exactly where the former king was. Sunset got up and turned to walk as she passed by the two commando droids. "Kill her."
The droids turned and, without hesitation, shot the rebel dead.
"Find the king!" said the commando droid in charge as he ordered the gunship they were on to begin firing.
They spotted Dendup as he ran into the inner sanctum just as the shots were fired. Dendup and his bodyguards were trapped as the gunship kept raining down from above. At that moment, Steela was shown and fired her rocket launcher. However, the gunship noticed her and moved out of the way before firing at her.
"Help has arrived!" said one of the guards as they began to run out of the base to escape without the gunship aiming at them.
The two commando droids saw them and began to chase them down while firing. Steela jumped off her ride and landed safely on the ground; the ship was distracted by the retreating flying creature it allowed Steela to get behind and fire a clean shot that took out the ship and went crashing down. She turned and saw Dendup and his bodyguards being chased down as she began to run and fire. At that point, Ahsoka and Lux appeared as they began to handle some of the regular droids that accompanied the commandos.
Ahsoka avoided the droids' fire and cut them down with her lightsaber. Soon the Padawan was thrown to the ground as she tumbled.
"I was wondering how long it would take till we saw each other again?"
Ahsoka grunted and got to her hands and knees; the girl saw Sunset leaning against a pillar, cool, calm and collected as she played with her lightsaber in her hand.
"Tell me, where's your Master, little Padawan? Where's Storm? I know he's the one that trained the rebels with your teacher."
"How do you know I'm not the one who taught them?" said Ahsoka, turning on her main lightsaber.
"Ha! Ha! Please, don't make me laugh." scoffed Sunset as she got up and walked forward. "I'm not a fool, Padawan. I recognize his handiwork when I see it. But none of it will matter; once the former king has been slain, the Separatists will control this system and be one step closer to winning."
"That's not gonna happen," said Ahsoka.
"So naive, little Padawan," said Sunset as Ahsoka turned on her other lightsaber and took her stance. Sunset merely chuckled before turning hers on. "If you're repping two lightsabers, you know, you little bitch!"
Ahsoka lunged forward from that comment as Sunset blocked her lightsabers with her mere one.
"Slow," taunted Sunset.
Ahsoka went for a swing as Sunset ducked and immediately spun to the left to avoid an overhead strike. She then went for one of her own as she caught the Padawan in an awkward position and was being pushed down by the Sith.
"Sloppy," stated the bacon-colored hair teen.
Sunset went to strike down as Ahsoka rolled around her attack. She then stood up and swung her lightsabers as Sunset timed her defense perfectly and not only countered the Padawan but was able to deliver a kick to her face as she stumbled back. The Sith flipped over Ahsoka and turned where she, swung her weapon left and right with power as she made the Padawan take steps back.
Ahsoka tried her hardest to use all the fighting skills that Anakin taught her, but it did not affect her as she blocked them easily. Sunset was now using her more advanced swordsmanship skills to outmatch Ahsoka. The Sith girl stopped Ahsoka's lightsabers from above and guided them down so that she could deliver a roundhouse kick, which caused her to stumble back.
Sunset ran as she slid on her knees to avoid a swing from Ahsoka before popping up to her feet and spinning. She blocked an attack from the girl, guided it away, and stepped to the side to avoid a thrust as she made her elbow contact with the girl's face. Ahsoka stumbled back as Sunset approached her while twirling her lightsaber; the Padawan recovered and swung, but Sunset changed how she held her lightsaber and was holding it backward.
It provided useful as when Ahsoka went to swing both her blades, Sunset swung her right arm as she angled her blade so that it blocked them and swatted them away due to her having more momentum. The slight second when Ahsoka felt her blades being swatted allowed Sunset to use that momentum to twist her body and leap into the air. The girl did a rotation in midair as her foot was coming down on Ahsoka; the girl saw it at the last second when it made contact with her, and she fell to the ground.
Ahsoka grunted as she got to her hands and knees. Sunset turned off her lightsaber and began to slowly approach the girl.
"I've faced better Padawans than you, Ahsoka."
The girl went for a lunge as Sunset spun out of the way. The Sith spun to where her back was directly against Ahsoka's. Sunset reached her arm back around as she wrapped it around the Padawan's neck and, with one movement, flipped the girl over so that she landed on the ground facefirst.
Ahsoka struggled to get up as when she tried to make a move, Sunset quickly brought her hand and chopped her in her chest. A loud sound was heard, as it got Ahsoka to gasp. She fell to her knees and clutched her chest. The Padawan felt the pain from the chop that Sunset delivered. The best way to describe how loud and effective the chop was, it was like a gunshot went off.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" taunted Sunset as she stood before the kneeling Padawan. The Sith used her powers to clutch her neck as she brought her fist close to her chest. "Did you know that there's a technique that you can use to cause internal damage, all by being one inch away?"
Sunset's fist was exactly one inch from Ahsoka's chest. The girl told the Padawan about a move that could generate power with speed and technique. The technique was so powerful that if made contact, it could cause internal damage, cause the heart to explode, crack your sternum.
"Deadly, isn't it?" said Sunset before quickly retracting her hand and delivering another chop to Ahsoka's chest as she felt the sound of skin slapping across her.
Sunset released her as the Padawan clutched her chest to ease the pain from the chops. The Sith bent to a knee as she eyed the Jedi.
"Now then, let's see what's in your mind?" said Sunset as she latched her hand on Ahsoka's head.
The Padawan could feel the Sith probing her mind as she and Sunset's eyes turned white.
"Relax, it's painless," said the Sith as she could sense Ahsoka trying to fight it.
The Padawan tried to resist Sunset's power as soon her memories began to flash in the Sith's mind. Sunset was now seeing all of her memories. From Ahsoka being born in her home village, the incident with her mother and the sabertooth feline when she was a year old, and how that was the day she discovered she had Jedi powers. To all the adventures she had with her friends up to this point. Sunset removed her hand as both had their eyes return to normal. Ahsoka looked at Sunset, who stood up and looked down at the girl.
"My, my. You really do take after your teacher?" snickered Sunset. "What would he say knowing that his Padawan loves someone?"
Ahsoka gasped when she heard Sunset say that.
"I don't need to probe your mind to know that. He's not bad looking. Too bad you'll never get to tell him how you feel." snickered Sunset. "You had your shot, but you were too late. Now he loves someone else. I know what you're feeling. Jealousy, pain, rage, heartbreak."
Ahsoka held a defiant look as she tried not to let Sunset get inside her head. The truth was, Sunset was right. All she said about seeing her feelings were true.
"Any last words?" said Sunset as she turned on her lightsaber. "No? Good." The Sith raised her blade, looking to strike down the helpless Padawan, still in pain from the chops she received to her chest.
Sunset's blade came down and was stopped. Just seconds before Sunset's lightsaber made contact with Ahsoka, a purple blade managed to stop it. Twilight made it to stop her rival from killing her friend. Twilight managed to push Sunset back as she thrust her hand out; compared to Ahsoka's, Twilight's power made Sunset skid back a bit as she stopped. The Sith Lord looked back as the princess stood before her friend with a scowl.
"Now this... is a challenge," smiled Sunset, finally having a worthy opponent.
"You good?" asked Twilight to Ahsoka while keeping her eyes on Sunset.
"Y-Yeah," responded the Padawan as she stood up and grunted.
"Leave Sunset to me. You go help the others," stated Twilight.
"Be careful," said the Padawan as she left to help the others.
Twilight looked at her archrival as she took a stance. Sunset just smiled.
"Tell me, princess. Why did you have to steal my boytoy?"
"Storm doesn't belong to you," responded Twilight defiantly.
"Well, he doesn't belong to you either. But enough of him, you and me. We have a score to settle!" declared Sunset as she pointed her lightsaber at the Jedi Knight. "I know you'll give me a better fight than your friend could."
"Try me!" shouted Twilight.
The two girls held their lightsabers to their sides and began to walk clockwise while staring at each other. They came to a stop before they broke into a sprint. The girls ran with their lightsabers behind them as they raced against each other. Soon both jumped off a huge rock before leaping into the air as they made their blades clash. They each zoomed past each other and landed before breaking into another sprint. The two were now heading into a cave as they bounced off the walls before rolling and clashing their blades against each other as they growled at each other.
Back with the rebels, Dendup had run until he reached the edge of a cliff. Behind him, the commando droids were taking out his bodyguards. From behind them was Steela as she took a shot and took out the last commando droid just as it shot the final bodyguard dead.
"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" asked Steela.
"Thanks to you."
"Fire!" shouted Saw, ordering the men to fire at the incoming gunships.
The rockets were launched as they took out the ships but one.
"Last one's mine," declared Saw as he propped up the rocket launcher on his shoulder and aimed. He pulled the trigger and shot the rocket as it made contact with the ship.
However, the ship began to spin out of control as Steela saw it was heading right for them.
"Get down!" shouted the girl as she pushed Dendup to his knees as they avoided the ship.
It crashed behind them, causing Ahsoka and Lux to be thrown forward when it landed. However, the crash resulted in a shockwave as the cliff Steela and Dendup were standing on began to crack. The girl pushed the former King forward as it broke off, and she jumped. She barely made it as she was hanging off the edge.
"Look!" shouted one of the rebels as they turned back to see their leader.
Back in the cave, Sunset and Twilight were engaged in a heated fight. The Sith attempted to end her rival as she rotated her blade from left to right; Twilight blocked them by switching which hand held her lightsaber before jumping over a low sweep from Sunset. The princess went for a kick to her midsection as Sunset moved to the side and swung as Twilight leaned back while doing the kick to avoid her head being chopped off. She turned as Sunset guided Twilight's momentum to angle their weapons down so she could kick the girl in the face.
Twilight recovered from the kick as she rotated fully through to land on her feet and immediately delivered a jumping knee to Sunset's face. Sunset stumbled back as she held her mouth. Twilight growled while also wiping the side of her mouth.
"You're starting to piss me off, princess!" yelled Sunset.
"Good!" yelled Twilight.
Each growled at the bane of their existence. They each threw their lightsabers forward as they clashed and bounced off each other. The two rushed forward; they went for a flying punch and delivered a hard punch to the other's face as they turned. They fell hard on the ground as they struggled to get up.
Sunset growled before thrusting her hand and shooting her Force lightning from her fingertips. Twilight made her hand glow with magic as she thrust it out. The two attacks met in the middle as the entire cave lit up. The Jedi and Sith Lord put everything they had into their attacks to gain the upper hand. Soon it got too much and pushed both back into the cave walls.
The pair slumped from hitting hard as they scrambled to get their lightsabers. Twilight turned hers on and lunged forward to stab Sunset. The bacon-haired teen did a side flip over the girl and landed to immediately thrust her hands out. Twilight was sent flying, breaking through one of the walls and tumbling along the floor. At that point, the ship that Saw shot down crashed.
Sunset lunged high into the air as she was shown to bring her lightsaber down to stab Twilight. The princess moved her head to the right and then to the left before getting her left leg out from under Sunset and kicked in the face. She then began to kick her head using only her left leg from left to right before Sunset caught it and rolled it forward, causing Twilight to roll backward and to her feet. Sunset was shown going for a swipe as Twilight immediately acted on her instincts and leaped over the red blade to roll through and turn to face her opponent.
Twilight panted while looking at her foe. Sunset kept her scowl when she overheard something.
"Hang on!" said Lux as he was shown reaching his hand out to save Steela.
"Steela!" shouted Saw as he noticed his little sister hanging for dear life and rushed to help her to avoid her falling.
Lux was extending himself out to grab Steela's hand but went too far as he slid and began to tumble. Soon he was suspended as Ahsoka was shown putting her hands out to catch the boy from falling off the cliff. She brought him up and set him down.
"I'll handle this," said the Padawan as she carefully slid down to see Steela. She put her hands out and began to use the Force to lift Steela into the air and toward her. "I got you."
Sunset smiled before turning back to Twilight.
"You know what the difference is between me and you, Twilight. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish my goals. I'm willing to take out anybody who stands in my way."
The Sith then stuck her hand out as the cannon from the crashed gunship behind Ahsoka was still activated. She used the Force to aim the cannon at the Padawan.
"No!" shouted Twilight as she saw what Sunset was doing.
She ran forward, only for Sunset to momentarily use her other hand to push her to the ground. The girl then touched her wrist as the cannon fired. It pierced through Ahsoka as the Padawan felt the shot go through her shoulder as she gasped. She was now falling back, but the bigger thing was that when Ahsoka was shot, it broke her concentration, and Steela, who was still being lifted up, began to fall. She let out a scream as Ahsoka fell to the ground. Lux looked behind and aimed his weapon at the cannon to fully take it out.
Once recovering, both Lux and Ahsoka rushed over to the edge, and what they saw made them gasp. There at the bottom of the cliff was Steela's body, motionless as the girl had fallen to her death.
"No... no," muttered Twilight as she looked down from where she was and saw her friend dead.
"Oops, my bad," snickered Sunset as she enjoyed what she just did.
The Sith looked at the Jedi Knight as she was still stunned to see her friend was gone.
"That's the problem with playing the hero, princess. How do you choose the ones to save?"
"I'll kill you... I'll kill you..." muttered Twilight as she stood up and looked at Sunset. "I'm gonna kill you, Sunset!" yelled the princess at the top of her lungs as she was going to make her pay for what she did.
Sunset just smiled as Twilight raced forward. The princess swung wildly as Sunset blocked and evaded fluidly while moving around the Jedi Knight.
"Come on, princess. Let me feel that anger!" taunted Sunset as she stuck her hand out. She got a hold of Twilight before flinging her back through the opening they made in the cave.
Twilight got to a knee as she rolled through from being flung. Sunset was coming at her as she spun with her lightsaber in front of her like a drill. The girl moved out of the way and got to her feet quickly before coming in with a blocked side attack. Sunset made a quick spin attack before executing a high kick as Twilight jumped and spun back. The two twirl their blades in hand before engaging and holding their weapons in place.
Their faces were close as they tried to outmuscle each other. Sunset swatted their blades to the left and reeled back quickly for an overhead strike. Twilight, however, countered quickly by holding her lightsaber in her left hand, which was her most dominant and allowed her to block perfectly when her back was turned. Sunset was not expecting her to defend from that angle as Twilight used the power of her legs to squat up. The princess then continued to rotate to the left to allow herself to get Sunset's lightsaber over her and have hers on top.
The Jedi Knight then delivered a shoulder check to Sunset to get her to stumble. She then ran and cartwheeled before flipping into the air and bouncing off of her shoulders to skid to a halt. Sunset raced toward her as she did a leaping swipe, to which Twilight ducked and leaned back to avoid Sunset's next quick attack. The girl leaned back so far that her left foot touched the back of Sunset's head and stumbled forward.
Twilight then kipped up and turned as Sunset attempted a stab, to which she moved to the side and grabbed her wrist. The Sith attempted to break free from her grasp as Twilight used her right foot and stomped on Sunset's wrist to plant it on the ground before rotating her body in a half circle and having her other foot catch Sunset's head.
Sunset fell back as Twilight quickly leaped on top of her. The Jedi was about to stab her rival before Sunset kicked her exposed midsection and got her to stumble back. Sunset then got up to grab Twilight and put her in a chock hold. The Sith girl put her hand on Twilight's head as she attempted to peek at her memories; Twilight quickly reeled her head back to break Sunset's grip. The Sith quickly grabbed the princess and flung her away.
Twilight tumbled through the cave floor as she grunted. She was getting to her feet as Sunset rushed forward quickly, looking to bring her lightsaber down. However, a shield activated as it put a barrier that made Sunset's lightsaber bounce off. The Sith attempted several more times but found that the shield kept her from getting to the girl. Twilight got to her feet; she was thankful that one of the base's shields came online and stopped Sunset from killing her.
"Not bad. You're improving," said Sunset as she turned off her lightsaber to address her rival from the other side of the shield. "You're not as gifted as Celestia's last apprentice, but not bad."
"You've been keeping count," responded Twilight.
"I'm surprised she didn't tell you. Celestia was never good at keeping secrets."
"And you know her so well, huh?" said Twilight as she took offense to Sunset, claiming she knew how her Master operated and acted.
Sunset merely laughed at Twilight's question.
"She was weak. She betrayed her Padawan. I should have known she was keeping me down and denying me what was rightfully mine."
"You?" said Twilight.
Sunset stopped pacing back and forth and stared deep into Twilight's eyes.
"I was her apprentice."
At that moment, silence filled the room. Twilight made a small gasp as she heard what Sunset confessed.
"No... no, that's... impossible," stated the princess in disbelief.
"Don't believe me. Ask her yourself. See if she tells the truth." growled Sunset. "A word of caution, princess. Celestia will betray you just as she turned her back on me!"
"No. No!" stated Twilight, not wanting to fall for one of Sunset's mind games. "I won't let you manipulate me." said the girl as she turned and began walking.
"So sure, are you?" shouted Sunset as that got Twilight to stop. "When choosing herself or her Padawan, she chose self-interest. She'll sell you out too!"
"Well, I can handle myself!" said Twilight turning to the girl and getting closer.
"Can you afford to take that chance?" asked Sunset. "Celestia is nothing but a self-centered, backstabbing son of a bitch! All she cares about is herself! When I needed her the most, she wasn't there. She didn't stick by her apprentice; I looked up to her. She was everything I wanted to be; I idolized her! And in the end, she let me down. And in the end, she too will let you down."
"Don't you dare speak about my Master that way! You have no right to shout blasphemy at her!" yelled Twilight as she got close to Sunset, almost hoping the shield would be down, so she strangled her for badmouthing her teacher. "She's the greatest mentor I could ever ask for, and I will not let you continue disrespecting her!"
"The look on her face when she saw what I'd become. It was at that moment she showed her true colors. She turned. She exposed her true nature and left me for dead." said Sunset. "It's why when I finally get my hands on her, I will exact years upon years of vengeance. Celestia took my soul away, and when I kill her, I'll get it back."
"As long as I'm standing, I will not let you hurt her. I will stand by her side, no matter what!" declared Twilight, as she would not throw away her undying loyalty to the woman who was not only her mentor but also like a second mother to her.
"Funny..." said Sunset as she turned and began to walk, "I thought the same thing once."
With that, Sunset disappeared as Twilight turned and ran in the opposite direction to meet up with the others. As Sunset walked, her conversation with Twilight played in her mind. The girl looked at her hand for a moment.
"Equis, eh?" said Sunset.
The girl may have only seen a few memories when she had Twilight in a chokehold and peeked into her head, but she learned something. The Sith turned the corner of the cave as she touched her wrist to call for a pickup.
Back at the palace, word had gotten to King Rash that the rebels had defeated the droid forces they sent out.
"Your gunships have failed. I need more reinforcements!" stated King Rash.
"Really? General Kalani, what is your assessment of the situation?" asked Count Dooku as he appeared via hologram.
"They have managed to penetrate our shields and are using the cover of the highlands against our forces. To defeat them will take time," stated the droid to the Sith lord.
"A prolonged war does not interest me, General. Their rebellion grows with every small victory," said Dooku.
"Then we are lost," said Kalani.
"Salvage the remaining arms and withdraw the army. Bring them to Agamar," ordered Dooku.
"What about..." said King Rash as he stood up for Kalani to shoot him dead as he had outlived his usefulness for the Separatists.
Back in the mountains, Twilight emerged from the cave and saw her friends. They gathered around Steela's dead body as Saw held his little sister.
"It was my fault. I shot that gunship down. And it crashed into her position." said Saw as he was blaming himself for killing his own sibling.
"Saw, it's not your fault. She knew what the risks were," responded Lux as he caressed Steela's cheek; the boy was sad that the girl he liked was gone. "We all knew what it would take to free Onderon."
Everyone put their head down and took a moment of silence to honor their fallen comrade and leader.
Sometime later, the capital city of Onderon was gathered as a public memorial was being held for Steela on the palace's steps. People filled the streets as they chatted among themselves. Saw, Lux, Ahsoka, whose shoulder was bandaged up, and Twilight came up the stairs. The boy saw his sister covered up as he let out a sigh.
Off to the side were Anakin, Obi-wan, and Storm as they had received the news of what went down. They attended the memorial out of respect for the girls and the friendship they had formed with Steela.
"This has been quite a journey for our Padawan," said Obi-wan quietly.
"Steela will be a powerful spirit in their lives," said Anakin.
"Her death wasn't in vain. Because of her sacrifice, the people are finally safe," stated Storm.
"Yes. For all of us," said Kenobi as he looked a few meters to his left and saw Ahsoka and Twilight standing next to Lux and Saw.
"I'm sorry for your loss," said Ahsoka.
"Thanks. But it's over now. Let's just leave it at that." said Saw, as he didn't want to dwell on the loss of his little sister. He then left as that, left the others by themselves.
"Steela would be glad. Her sacrifice gave Onderon its freedom," stated Lux.
"But at what cost?" asked the Padawan.
"It's like you once said. Many lives get caught between
the Republic and the Separatists."
"I did say that once," smiled Ahsoka, seemly taking pride in that.
"Then, after watching the heroics and selflessness of the Jedi, I do believe the Republic is the right side to be on."
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight to Lux.
"Dendup has appointed me the new Senator of Onderon. I will follow in my mother's footsteps. And I will bring us back to the Republic." stated Lux as he assured the girls of his promise.
"We know you will," smiled Twilight. "Well, at least you still have that crush of yours."
The Jedi Knight whispered that last part to Ahsoka as she lightly jabbed her for saying that. Twilight smiled before walking over to Storm as the boy saw her.
"Hey.
"Hey. How you holding up?" asked Storm.
"I've been through worst," said Twilight before sighing. "When does it end? When does all the innocent bloodshed that Sunset and her allies have caused end?"
The storm could see that Twilight's mind was trying to find the solution to this problem. How many more lives must be lost like Steela before victory could be obtained?
"It ends when we finish the war," stated the boy, grabbing Twilight's hand and interlocking their fingers.
The princess felt his grip as she looked at her partner. His touch and warmth reassured her that things would someday be clear.
"Right," smiled Twilight as she stared at the boy. "Oh, by the way, I got your gift." She pulled out the necklace and showed it.
"Suprised Hondo delivered it and didn't steal it for himself."
"Why'd you ask him to deliver this to me?" said Twilight as she handed it back to her partner.
"Figured I'd remind you that I was there with you in spirit," stated Storm.
"Well, it worked. Thanks," said Twilight as she got closer and wrapped her arm around him; the pair smiled and listened to what King Dendup said.
"Remember this day! The day Onderon became free again!" proclaimed Dendup as the people cheered.
Author's Note: And so we've reached the end of this arc. However, the freedom of Onderon came at a price. And the seeds of how Saw would later become without his sister to temper him. One of the biggest things of the chapter being the confrontation between Sunset and Twilight and now things being revealed. Sunset admits to the princess of being Celestia's former apprentice and warning her that she'll betray Twilight just like she did. Not to mention, seeing Sunset's ability and knowing of Twilight's homeworld during that small skirmish. On the other side, Storm deeply thinking about the issues he brought up with Yoda and Luna. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.
Also to all the Star Wars Fans, May the 4th be with you.