WOOO We got it out within a few days!
I'm so sorry about the wait, but this is a good chapter and it definitely needed the edits.
LittleSpark18: Thank you! And don't worry, we've figured out a better editing process, so I should be able to get more prepared content ready. And she's feeling much better now, thank you!
CraftClaw: I just did my research! I mean, how hard is it to do a quick CPR google search. It took me less than ten minutes.
Guest: Thank you! It was just a quick stomach bug.
Guest: Thank you! I hope the couple of days helped you recover from Fives Effect lol.
A little less focus on the couple here, but a lot of story and character stuff. I really like parts of this chapter.
(also please ignore any number discrepancies I wrote this before really figuring out how many younglings there were.)
There's no Mando'a this chapter! Sorry!
TW: Blood and bodily fluids
"Are you quite sure about this, Commander?" Tech asked as Ahsoka opened their shuttle's door.
All of the shuttles had managed to land without much issue. Ahsoka had let Tech take the controls and he had easily scrambled the Venator's sensors, allowing them to approach the planet. It was raining now, not unexpectedly.
"I told you, Tech." Ahsoka said. "I can sense Force sensitives here. They need our help."
"I agree with Commander Tano." Echo said. "Who knows what the Empire will do to those kids."
Wrecker gave a nod and clenched his fists around his blaster. He'd been wearing a concerned look ever since he'd learned the younglings were in danger.
"Will your powers be able to locate them?" Tech asked, his brow furrowed.
Ahsoka hesitated.
"Probably." She said.
"Probably." Tech repeated. "Not a reassuring assessment."
"We can't just leave 'em, Tech!" Wrecker protested.
"I did not say that we should." Tech said. "I am merely suggesting that we consider other options."
"We might not have the time." Ahsoka said. "I'm confident I can find them."
"Then what is the plan?" Tech asked.
Ahsoka hesitated.
"Us and a few medics head out. The rest of the medics will prepare for any injured and any clones that we are able to retrieve."
Tech raised an eyebrow.
"That is not practical." He said. "We may-"
"We are not leaving any men behind." Ahsoka said firmly. "We'll find the younglings and bring them back here. Blasters on stun. Gear up and let's go."
She was glad to see relieved expressions on the others' faces. Tech's practicality was beginning to make her doubt her resolve.
A sense of calm washed over her as she stepped out into the rain. The Force was accommodating here. It would help her find Master Ti and the others.
As the thought came to her, she knew where to go. It was as if a path had lit up on the ground in front of her. She gave the pilots and most of the medics the order to stay and signalled her men to follow.
"How far?" Jesse asked as they started out.
"I don't know." Ahsoka said. "It's a small planet, though, and we landed close enough to the compound that they couldn't have gotten far."
She was starting to doubt herself after ten minutes of clambering over mossy boulders. More and more beings were coming into her field of sensing. They were running out of time.
An alarm rang through the Force and Ahsoka whirled around to catch a blaster bolt on her electrostaff. She peered through the jungle as her men came alert. White shapes moved in between the trees. Clones. Around a dozen, if she was sensing correctly.
Less disturbing, but just as unwelcome were the tan shapes that moved with them. Were those battle droids? She didn't have time to think about it further; a hail of blaster fire came upon them. Ahsoka waited for her men to dive behind a large craggy rock before following suit.
"Commander, what do we do?" Tup asked.
She could almost see his wide-eyed expression despite the helmet.
"We fight back." Tech said, raising his pistols. "Unfortunately, we are outnumbered. It is strategically unwise to use non-lethal force in situations such as these."
"We can't!" Kix protested. "Those are brothers!"
"That are quite intent on killing us." Tech replied.
"It's not their fault!" Tup snapped. "They can't help it!"
"Regardless." Tech said. "They are impossible to reason with."
Ahsoka felt like screaming. At this moment she had few choices. All had too large a risk of injury: either her men's or the innocent clones'. Could she do what she did with Rex and sever the chip's hold over them?
Even as she tested in the Force, she knew there were too many. Rex had been so difficult by himself. The dozen clones here would be near impossible.
But she could not cut these men down. They were innocent. They deserved death as much as her men did.
And even if she could incapacitate them, could she leave them to be collected by the Empire?
"Commander?" Kix asked, cutting into Ahsoka's thoughts. "What do we do?"
Ahsoka pulled out her electrostaffs, weapons that could not kill easily.
"I'll take care of them." She said. "Keep heading due east. I'll catch up to you when I can."
"Begging your pardon, sir," Tup said. "We're not leaving you."
Ahsoka closed her eyes. Once again they questioned her decisions regarding them.
"Let us make our own choices." Jesse said quietly.
Ahsoka blinked at him. She remembered yelling the same words, or very nearly the same words, at Anakin during her apprenticeship. Anakin had been restricting her, making choices for her, in the name of protecting her. She had been so frustrated. She had known she could have made the right choice. She trusted herself. Why couldn't Anakin?
She understood. Though it made her nearly panic with the fear that it would mean their deaths, she would have to trust her men.
She nodded. Jesse, Kix, and Tup visibly relaxed.
"Okay, then." She said. "Tech, Wrecker, stay on kill but only focus the clankers. The rest of you switch to stun. We're not killing any brothers today."
Tech's eyes narrowed behind his goggles.
"Tech, are you going to follow my orders?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes." Tech finally said. "But I will defend myself if necessary, Commander."
"Of course." Ahsoka said, though she prayed it didn't come to that. "But please, be careful."
The shots still rattled against the stone. Her men tensed, ready to go.
"I'm first." Ahsoka told them. "I'll draw their fire. Follow me on a count of one."
She received nods. Ahsoka breathed in, letting the Force wrap around her limbs. It would guide her. She whirled around the stone and batted away three bolts in succession.
"Is that a Jedi?" She heard a battle droid call.
"No, it doesn't have a lightsaber." Another responded.
The clones advanced with the droids.
"Enemies located in sector 36-peth." One said into a comm.
His voice was flat and emotionless. It broke Ahsoka's heart to hear battle droids sound more human than the clones.
Ahsoka darted to the left and the spray of bolts followed her. The sound of stun bolts sounded nearby. And then-
"Let's go!" Wrecker shouted.
Ahsoka turned just in time to see Wrecker barrel forward and plow into the group of clones and droids.
Kriff, Ahsoka thought as Wrecker tore apart droids and tossed clones at trees, We should have just started with him.
With Wrecker's powerful distraction, the enemy group was out of commission in minutes. Soon her men stood in a circle full of droid parts and unconscious men.
"That was too easy!" Wrecker complained.
Ahsoka nodded to Kix and he began checking each of the clones.
"They're alive. Commander, what are we going to do with them?" Kix asked after he finished.
"Call the medics back at the shuttles." Ahsoka ordered. "Have them come and retrieve them."
Kix nodded and Ahsoka focused on the Force.
There were more and more clone troopers coming through the jungle towards them. The clones here had informed the other squads. Among the masked minds was-
Ahsoka's eyes snapped open.
"We need to get going now." She said.
The clones looked at each other, but nodded. Ahsoka found the path again and plowed through the jungle, men close behind.
There was something Dark with the troopers sent by the Empire. It seemed vaguely familiar but Ahsoka couldn't quite place where she had met them before. One thing was certain. This creature was acquainted with the Dark side of the Force and Ahsoka dreaded to think what the casualties of an encounter would be. In a heart stopping flash, Ahsoka felt the presence pick up on her probing. They knew she was here.
"Faster." Ahsoka said.
It wasn't long before Ahsoka's sensitive montrals began picking up the sound of sniffling children and whispered comfort.
"There!" Echo said, pointing with his scomp.
There was an ancient ruin, half consumed by foliage and crumbling. The sounds were coming from its black depths.
"Come on!" She called to her men and began jogging forward.
A battered figure in red emerged from the ruins. Ahsoka blinked as Commander Fox lifted his blaster to point straight at Ahsoka.
"Stay back!" He snarled. Then he froze. "Commander Tano?"
"Fox?" Ahsoka asked. "Why are you here?"
"I was the one who warned the Jedi." He said, lowering his blaster. Though he still had his helmet on, Ahsoka thought he still seemed wary. "General Yoda had me help with the younglings."
"Congratulations on doing something right." Jesse said. There was a bite to his tone. "About time."
"Jesse." Ahsoka said.
"Do I hear Ahsoka?" A melodic voice asked.
Master Ti emerged as well, followed by Master Gek.
"Great." The Trandoshan Jedi grumbled. "You're back to bug me again."
Despite his words, there was a glint of fondness in his eyes.
"It is wonderful to see you, Ahsoka." Master Ti said.
"We need to go." Ahsoka said. "More of the enemy are on their way."
"Commander," Fox began. "You should know-"
"Fox." Ahsoka said. "Unless I need to know it now, it can wait."
Fox nodded and returned to the cracks. She heard him calling to the younglings. Master Ti followed. Gek stayed, eying the group they'd brought.
"Did you bring a ship that can fit us all?" He asked.
"I brought three and they should." Ahsoka said. "If we squeeze."
Fox and Master Ti emerged again, leading a large group of younglings and both holding very young children.
Ahsoka froze at the sight of a third adult figure at the back of the group of around a hundred younglings. The silhouette was familiar.
Barriss Offee stepped out of the crag. Ahsoka sucked in a breath. Immediately Kix, Tup, and Jesse stepped forward, blasters trained on Barriss.
Barriss took a step back, though she did not seem surprised. Her eyes flicked to Ahsoka. Ahsoka very determinedly did not meet them.
"What the hell is that traitor doing with you?" Jesse snapped.
All eyes went to Barriss, who shrank at the attention.
"Barriss is under my protection." Master Ti said. "A- last request from Master Unduli."
The news that Master Luminara was dead barely registered to Ahsoka. She was focused on not letting the maelstrom of emotions Barriss invoked overwhelm her. Jesse, Tup, and Kix did not lower their blasters. She realized Echo and Tech had raised theirs as well, with Wrecker following suit.
"I would not suggest bringing Barriss Offee with us." Tech said. "She is a known traitor."
"She is unarmed." Master Ti said. "I will not leave her to die."
"She is a security risk." Tech said. "She could very likely turn us over to the Empire."
A youngling began to cry.
"I don't like it either." Fox said. "But we don't have time-"
"I-" Barriss began to speak. "I will not betray you. The younglings are innocent of the crimes of the Jedi. I will not risk them."
"Since when have you cared about innocence?" Jesse spat. "Commander Tano was innocent!"
Ahsoka gritted her teeth and shook her head.
"We need to go. They have a Force user with them." She said, though her voice was unsteady. "It wouldn't be safe to leave her behind."
"Leaving her behind isn't our only option." Tup said quietly.
"Sorry, but it's not exactly the Jedi way to murder unarmed opponents." Gek said with a sigh.
"We're not Jedi." Echo said.
"And neither can we allow the death of someone who cannot fight back." Master Ti said softly.
There was a moment of silence. Ahsoka tried to sort through her feelings. It would be so much easier to let her men quickly execute Barriss. She wasn't a Jedi, she shouldn't care-
"Stun her." Ahsoka said.
Her men immediately obeyed, switching their blasters to stun, and Barriss was hit with at least four stuns bolts. She fell without a sound.
Master Ti sighed and shook her head, but did not protest further.
"I'll accept it." Gek said with a shrug.
He picked up Barriss and slung her over his shoulder.
"Wrecker, Kix, help with the kids." Ahsoka said.
Wrecker laughed and hurried forward. He scooped up the most frightened children, tucking them into the crooks of his arms, and bounced them up and down. Kix followed suit, talking quietly to the younglings.
"They're getting closer." Ahsoka said. She had managed to control the tempest of emotions. "Let's go."
She turned and plunged back into the jungle. She could sense the clones and the Force user drawing nearer. And there was something else, familiar, but not in a good way. It was hard to sense, like it wasn't completely organic.
Grievous.
And he was very near.
Ahsoka cursed. She hadn't noticed him, distracted by Bariss and the new Force user.
"What's wrong?" Jesse asked.
"Grievous is almost on top of us." Ahsoka told him in a low voice. "If he finds us, I'll distract him. Lead the others back to the ship."
Jesse stiffened slightly, but then nodded. He likely knew that clones stood little chance against the cyborg.
"Let the others know discreetly." Ahsoka said. "Don't scare the kids."
Jesse gave another nod. The other clones in the group soon perked up, alert. Jesse must have used their internal comms.
Ahsoka fell back to walk beside Gek. She did not look at Barriss' limp form, nor did she confront the emotions seeing her old friend had caused. Gek side eyed her.
"How big of a problem?" He asked.
"Grievous sized." Ahsoka told him. "I think the two of us can handle him if necessary. The others can go on ahead."
"Master Ti isn't just sunshine and star dust." Gek said. "I'd say she'd be more useful than me."
"The younglings need Master Ti right now." Ahsoka said. She could feel the calming waves of Master Ti's efforts in the Force. "Panicking kids is the last thing we'd need."
Gek sighed but shrugged.
"Fine." He said. "Get one of your men to take this one."
Ahsoka called Tup over and the new ARC reluctantly tossed Barriss over his shoulder.
"Don't hurt her." She told him.
Grievous' group was drawing nearer. Ahsoka could swear she could occasionally hear the droid General's annoying cough. She glanced at Gek and nodded.
"Keep going." She said into the comms. "Let Master Ti know what's going on."
She and Gek slowed their paces, letting the group go ahead.
"Anything I need to know about Grievous?" Gek asked as he pulled out his lightsaber.
"He's a coward." Ahsoka said, releasing her own sabers from their electrostaff hiding place. "The second he thinks he could lose, he'll run. We can't let that happen."
"Don't worry." Gek said with a toothy grin. "I was born for the hunt."
Ahsoka shivered at his expression.
"We have to make it seem that it's just the two of us, and that they've found us by-" Ahsoka was interrupted by a storm of mechanical coughing.
In unison, Gek and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers and began deflecting the barrage of bolts heading their way. The mix of droids and clones came into view, Grievous bringing up their rear. Ahsoka gritted her teeth as Grievous began to laugh. He really was obnoxious. He raised his hand, and the firing stopped.
"Jedi fools!" Grievous crowed. "So few of you left! And you still put out a distress call, knowing that we could trace it!"
Gek barked out a laugh.
"Maybe we wanted you here!" He said. "Maybe I just wanted a challenge."
"With a group of younglings in tow?" Grievous said. If he had a normal face, Ahsoka was sure he'd be sneering. "Where are they, Jedi? Tell me and I will make it quick!"
Gek snorted and shifted into a Form VI stance.
"You seem to think that you're the hunter here, cyborg." He said, eyes narrowing. "But you are nothing but prey."
He lunged forward. Ahsoka reached out and wrapped the Force around the battle droids. Even as they began to fire again, she crushed them. A spike of pain pierced her head, as expected, but a new nausea cramped her stomach. She stumbled briefly, but quickly returned to form.
The clones began to fire at both her and Gek. Gek dodged between them with a grace that contradicted his massive form. He caught three of Grievous' lightsabers with his own, holding his saber in one claw. Grievous swung his fourth weapon, but Gek caught his robotic wrist without looking.
Ahsoka leapt high, cresting over Grievous and landing adroitly behind him. Grievous only just managed to catch her attack with one of his sabers. Grievous turned his head, eying her.
"Troopers." He barked. "Execute yourselves."
Ahsoka's eyes widened as the blaster bolts stopped firing and each trooper brought their blaster to their heads.
"No!" Ahsoka cried, leaping back.
She immediately called the Force to her. She caught each trooper's finger as each attempted to fire. Grievous laughed. Ahsoka clenched her jaw, but remained focused on keeping these men from killing themselves.
Pain was radiating from her head, her stomach heaved, and she tasted blood as it dripped from her nose onto her lips. Still, she kept the men's fingers frozen.
Gek and Grievous clashed again. Gek was good. She had sensed it when they had sparred so long ago, but he wasn't holding back now. Grievous kept up, but only barely. Gek was feral in his pristinely executed moves. Ahsoka sensed that he was barely holding himself back from a true berserker's rage.
Grievous did what was expected of him- he disengaged. Then, he stabbed the nearest clone trooper in the side. The man cried out and Ahsoka nearly lost her concentration. Grievous slashed two other troopers and they fell. Ahsoka realized with a jolt that they were still alive as Grievous fled into the jungle.
She was reaching her limit.
Ahsoka shifted her grip on the Force, clicking each blaster to stun. Then she released and the men stunned themselves. It was too much. Ahsoka fell to her hands and knees and vomited. Her stomach acid burned her throat as it forced its way up. Something warm ran down her face from her eye as she retched. Ahsoka knelt for a moment, gasping for breath. She wiped her cheek. Blood, not tears, stained her hand as she drew it away.
Nausea from fear, not her overuse of the Force, felt like it was mangling her insides as she stared at the blood. It was- it was like when she had been on the run with Rex. She was losing control of her body. She was using the Force too much. The Dark Force user was creeping closer and closer.
She still had a mission to complete.
Ahsoka crawled to the nearest injured clone, jerking his helmet off. His expression was pained, yet that was the only emotion displayed. He tried to lift his blaster up, but Ahsoka knocked it out of his hand.
She realized that Gek had taken off after Grievous. Good. She was in no condition to deal with the cyborg.
Ahsoka began removing the clone's armor. She'd call Kix and once he arrived, hopefully Gek would be finished with Grievous. She had the feeling that it wouldn't take long.
Gek had been having a pretty Force-awful day. Master Ti had shown up with a bunch of mewling younglings, a traitor, and a clone commander with a log up his ass. Then they'd had to leave his life's work to protect a bunch of kids that he was obligated to help because of the kriffing Jedi Code, and his own damn conscience.
This, though- hurtling through the forest with fleeing prey- that was making up for it.
Gek wasn't like most of his kind. He didn't feel the need to hunt every kriffing thing that moved. His passion was in the sciences. But that didn't mean he didn't have hunter's blood in his veins. That didn't mean he didn't love stalking scum that deserved it.
Grievous was agile but he hadn't been living in this jungle for the last thirty years. Gek knew how to move through these trees. Grievous didn't.
It also helped that the Force on Kaladin IV practically begged to help.
Gek cherished the spike of shock in the Force when Grievous realized the hunter was nearing. He also quite enjoyed the feeling of crunching metal as he tackled the cyborg into a tree. They both fell, landing on their feet.
"Sorry, but you don't get the coward's way out." Gek said. "Might as well face me now. Unless you want to be chased through the jungle until your parts rust."
Grievous glared at him, ready to flee again.
"Tano's not with me." Gek said, spreading his arms. "Unless you don't think you can handle one measly Jedi."
Grievous scoffed and ignited his lightsabers again.
You'll face me, now that I'm alone. Gek thought as he pulled his own saber out. Gek knew he could kill this idiot, even by himself. He had gotten a good sense of his skill when they'd clashed. Grievous was only alive because he ran.
Gek balanced himself as Grievous jumped at him. Gek let the Force guide his body, moving in and out of the strikes. Grievous' movements became frantic and Gek could tell he was trying to disengage. Gek let him. Grievous leapt backwards and began to flee.
Gek hurled his saber after the fleeing cyborg. The pale blade spun in the air, pulled by the Force, before shearing Grievous in half. Grievous cried out as he fell to the ground. Gek grinned as he sprinted to where Grievous was attempting to scuttle away on his arms. Gek leapt and landed on Grievous, crushing the coward to the jungle floor. Gek's lightsaber came at his call and he reignited it.
"First hunt in years," Gek said. "And it's you. What a disappointment. "
He slashed down and cut through Grievous' withered, wretched heart. The cyborg gave out one last pained cough, before twitching a final time.
Gek stepped off the shell, surveying his work.
"Either Jedi today are incompetent," He said. "Or I'm not as rusty as I thought I was."
Ahsoka strained against the pain her use of the Force caused her. Kix hovered next to her. She ignored him and did her best to forget the agony. She could not leave behind the troopers she was lifting. It wasn't as taxing as stopping them from killing themselves, but the nausea wasn't fading and her nose continued to bleed.
"Commander." Kix pleaded with her. "We can only take so many. The shuttles will be nearing capacity as is.
Ahsoka looked helplessly at him. She couldn't leave them. She couldn't.
"Commander, you're killing yourself." Kix went on. "Please. I know it's hard, but they're alive, they're okay. They won't die if we leave them."
A lump formed in Ahsoka's throat.
"It's not their fault." She said. "They shouldn't have to serve the Empire."
Kix shook his head.
"I know." He said. "But you can't help them if you're dead."
Tears began to stream from Ahsoka's eyes. She wanted to save them all. She couldn't.
Her head twinged with pain as the Force reminded her of the Dark creature on her trail. If it caught them, and she was like this-
More than just these men will die.
Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut.
Sacrifices must be made in war.
She hated that the choice was in her hands. Their sacrifices should be theirs to make. Would these men choose to stay behind so that others could live?
She knew the answer.
Ahsoka let half of the troopers fall to the jungle floor.
Kix relaxed somewhat.
"Come on." He said. "We should catch up."
Ahsoka nodded wearily. They weren't far from the ships. She tried not to think of the men she was abandoning.
A faint echo in the Force made Ahsoka jolt.
"Grievous is dead." She muttered.
Kix looked at her.
"You're kidding." He said. "Where was this guy during the war?"
Ahsoka shrugged. All she knew was that Grievous being dead lifted a load off her shoulders.
Within minutes, Gek came jogging through the trees. He had two troopers clutched under his arms and two more tossed over his shoulders. Ahsoka stared.
"You forgot some." Gek said with a grunt.
Ahsoka nearly cried again. Only Kix's firm hand kept her moving forward.
The shuttles soon came into view. Wrecker, Jesse, and Tup came jogging to meet them.
"Woah!" Wrecker said when he saw the floating troopers. "Can you do that to me?"
"Not now, Wrecker." Ahsoka said. "I'd appreciate it if you could take these from me."
They complied and Ahsoka released her grip on the Force with a gasp of relief. She was barely upright. She pushed down the panic her condition was causing. She knew the problem. She was using the Force too much.
Kix moved in to support her as she stumbled.
"May I give you a hypo for the pain?" He asked.
Ahsoka took a deep breath and nodded. She flinched as he applied the shot, but she didn't panic. That was good. She needed to be able to trust her head medic again. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Kix." She said.
"Of course, Commander." Kix said.
The tone in his voice, a quiet gratefulness, let her know that he understood that she had forgiven him.
Wooo a lot to unload in this chapter. Try not to be mad at Tech. He is just being practical and honestly he does not care for the regs too much. If it comes to their lives or Wrecker's, Tech is going to choose Wrecker without losing sleep about it. I also came up with the concept of the will of the Force being more flexible in some places. Basically it's more willing to do what the Jedi/Force User wants. If the Force can be stronger in the Light or Dark in a place, why not this?
I really liked the idea, since in this universe the CIS and the Republic merged without the CIS being defeated, of clones and droids being forced to work together. Not that a lot of the clones can mind at this point.
Ahsoka is finally accepting her men's decisions. It needed to happen, man. Plus she had to decide to let those troopers go. A hard few minutes, though I chickened out in doing much damage.
Oooo spooky Dark side presence! Who's it gonna be? (I already know, of course)
Man, the clones would have executed Barriss without a thought, man. Especially Tup, Jesse, and Kix. Not only did she frame Ahsoka and kill clones, a lot of the 501st place the blame of what happened to Rex with the Karkadoan on her.
Who forgot that Grievous was alive in this universe? I didn't! And since I think he's a coward, he gets to die at the hands of Gek. Gek is a joy to write. Like, the part from his perspective was just SO MUCH FUN. Grievous is also one hundred percent the type to kill/maim his men to distract the enemy.
Uh oh, Ahsoka, don't over do it. Just because you can do spectacular feats of Force, doesn't mean you should.
And finally Ahsoka lets things be normal between her and Kix. It's been a while since that fiasco, but they needed this moment.
I'm sorry for the 3 mentions of Rex this chapter. Next chapter will more than make up for it, I promise.
Stay safe, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!