Chapter 6 – To Defeat a Sith Lord

Author's Note: In which Anakin, Ahsoka, and the clones arrive on Tatooine. :D

To the guest who reviewed: We'll do our best! :')

Warning: General lack of regard for one's life; not exactly suicidal thoughts, but sort of. ;-;

~ Amina Gila

Anakin only takes a moment of relief before hastily contacting Obi-Wan with the news. With nothing else needed on Teth, the Republic forces are withdrawing back to safety. Good. He's saved a lot of lives today, but it doesn't change that over a hundred people died for that Huttlet. Only ten people of Torrent Company survived the battle. This was wrong. They shouldn't have sacrificed so many for something like that. He should have done something better.

Even now, the last thing Anakin needs is for Jabba's guards to try killing him and Ahsoka when they get there, and Padme won't have the proof yet unless Anakin gets someone out there sooner to investigate. "You should update the Chancellor," Anakin tells him. "There might be something that can be done from Coruscant. For all we know, one of the Hutts could have been involved."

Obi-Wan looks thoughtful. "Very well," he agrees after a pause that lasts much too long in Anakin's opinion.

The hologram flickers off, and Anakin turns back to the others. "Alright, let's see if we can't get this ship fixed up on the way," he announces. He's going back to Tatooine. Again. The place that holds so many memories, that he never, ever wants to lay eyes on again. At least if he's working, it'll give him something else to focus on.

Dooku is going to have a lot of droid forces waiting for him, more than two fighters. Of that, he is certain. They need the guns working first, and the shields up if possible.

And Dooku is going to be waiting when they get there.

Ahsoka leaves the cockpit with Rotta, and Anakin has hardly been more relieved. He can't stand the smell or feel of the slug, child or not. It's eating at him, reminding him of things he really doesn't want to think about. He doesn't have time to be distracted right now.

The journey is a lot less lonely than it was last time from what he recalls, even if it's largely quiet. The clones that don't settle down to rest help him with the shuttle. The battle took a toll on everyone, and Anakin tries not to think about how he failed so many of them, and now they're going to have to work on rebuilding. It's not a replacement. You can't replace people; he's learned that well. It's a matter of rebuilding trust, experiences, friendships... everything, and now they have to start anew. All because of a Hutt.

He wishes he could leave a message for Padme, but there's not time. He has to wait until he's on the way back to Coruscant.

He finds himself thinking of Ahsoka again, wondering what he's going to do about her. He still doesn't know. He wants to take her, but he can't do it. It feels like he's going to lose her all over again if he doesn't accept her, but all he wants is for her to be happy. Even if it hurts him. No, he can't think about that right now. He can't afford to lose composure in front of his men. He has an image to live up to.

That's when Ahsoka enters, cheerfully announcing that Rotta's fever broke. Admittedly, the only reason Anakin cares is that they have to get him to Tatooine, or the Republic will lose those trading routes, and that will throw off his future knowledge.

The guns and shields have made it to fully operational by the time they exit hyperspace. Maybe they'll actually be able to land properly this time.

Anakin struggles to hold back the surge of emotions nagging at him when he sees the twin suns and dust bowl again. The place where he was nothing. The place where his mother died. Where he killed the Raiders. Where he used the Dark Side. Where he fought – will fight – Dooku. The place where... where... no. No time for those memories.

"Attack ships closing!" Ahsoka yelps in alarm. The scanners beep on the controls in front of her, indicating the droid fighters heading in. "Somebody doesn't want Stinky home in one piece."

Anakin glances over at the scanners as he dives the ship downwards, away from the laser fire. There are... six of them? This isn't good. These are no vulture droids. They're MagnaGuards, and those things are tricky, not purely stupid. The ship doesn't have very strong shields, either.

"Rex, get the Huttlet secured. This may get a little rough." Ahsoka would've jumped at the chance, but Anakin would very much like someone to help him fly, and Rex could hardly do that. The captain has never been one for flying, not even in the future Anakin saw.

"This is quite the welcome hope party," Ahsoka mutters as the clones get themselves situated in the back. Anakin finds himself mildly amused that they all know to sit in the places where they're least likely to be thrown around, even though this is the first time they've ever been in a position like this. They know him so well. Sometimes, he thinks Rex and the clones are the only people who really, truly know him. Them, and the older Ahsoka, who's already gone.

Anakin decides not to comment that it feels appropriate as he spins aside from more shots. He senses the tenseness of the clones – Rotta is still sleeping – but also, their trust. They trust him to get them out of this mess. To get them to safety. They trust him, even though he let their brothers die. He needs to try harder. He needs to be better. He doesn't deserve their trust.

Luckily, the guns are already working, so it takes avoiding laser fire on Anakin's part and Ahsoka's shooting to take down the first fighter. They've done this so many times before it hurts to see it happening again. She doesn't remember him.

Force. His little Snips doesn't even remember him anymore.

He's stuck in the past. It's almost laughable. The things he does sometimes. He's gotten himself trapped two and a half years in the past. After being killed by falling off a cliff.

If this is the Force's sense of humor, he isn't sure how much he can actually appreciate it.

"I assume you know how to use the guns on this." Anakin can sense the laser fire getting dangerously close and pulls them safely out of the way. If only Ahsoka was a better shooter, the MagnaGaurds would already be destroyed. The ship shudders as a barrage of blaster bolts strikes true but are dissipated by the shields. "Get 'em, Ahsoka!"

"Your crazy flying is making that difficult!"

Anakin swings the ship around, so the guns are directly facing three of the fighters pursuing it from behind. "Then fire!"

And she does, she hits one of the fighters, only for one to swerve up and the other down, closing in on the ship from four sides. The Twilight increases speed, spinning down towards the surface of the planet. The ship rocks again. "I don't know how much more the shields can hold," Ahsoka warns.

"Not much. You need to hurry and shoot those down." He's trying every trick he knows, but there's only five ships up here, four against one, and they aren't in a fighter. There really isn't much he can do, especially with Ahsoka grumbling in the background about how he's not letting her hit anything.

She's not fast enough. The ship is shaking, and the alarm beeps a warning – the shields are almost gone. Anakin flies them closer to the surface of the planet. If they crash, he has to make sure they're at least nearby Jabba's palace. Another series of blaster fire strikes the ship right before Ahsoka blows up the fighter. They only have one left by the time the shields give out.

"Just get that fighter," Anakin commands, swerving sideways. The Twilight jolts, and Ahsoka yelps. They've been hit. It's not bad, but they're plummeting towards the surface. Again. Why do these things always happen? This ship is still so slow. He has endless modifications to do yet, and he's not used to flying this old version of the shuttle. The other fighter comes looming into the viewport. Anakin reaches for the guns, taking it down in a moment.

"You know, if you're flying wasn't so crazy, I could have gotten that one a long time ago," Ahsoka huffs.

"Hang on," Anakin warns, opting to ignore her. "This landing could get a little rough." This time, with the clones here, the ship feels so much more like home.

"Crashes are rough," the Togruta informs him cheerfully. "Landings are not."

"Then it's a crash landing!" Anakin shoots back as flames start licking their way across the front of the ship. It's too bad the shuttle is in as bad condition as it is. The damage was slight, only enough to throw it a little off-balance. It normally should never be enough to make it crash. He suppresses his annoyance, instead hastily reaching over to contact Obi-Wan. He has to get the message they've reached Tatooine out before the ship hits the ground. He thinks he can get it on the ground without wrecking the communication system, but he doesn't want to risk it.

"Obi-Wan, we've reached Tatooine," he says the moment the hologram flickers to life, "But we ran into some old –"

"Anakin, did you get shot down again?" he asks with mild amusement.

"Yes!" Ahsoka shouts, leaning over with a smug smirk.

"The ship's too slow!" Anakin protests, "And we might need reinforcements, depending on what Dooku has for us on the ground." Because somehow, he can't help but think it'll be worse. The Sith knows Anakin has some clones with him. Ventress probably told him. There's going to be more than three MagnaGuards waiting for Ahsoka. He doesn't let himself think about it anymore.

"I'll be there," Obi-Wan promises before the connection breaks.

The ship plummets down towards the sand, gliding across it gracefully to a stop. It was cushioned a lot, so he can be certain the ship wasn't damaged any farther, but Ahsoka is bracing herself with her hands on the edge of the control panel to keep from going face-first into it. Anakin stands up. "Alright. Time to get moving."

**w**

They crashed farther from the palace than before, so Anakin can only be grateful that it's still very early. It's positively sweltering outside, but they can't wait in the ship. It's too risky. The faster they get Rotta back to Jabba, the better. This time, the journey doesn't feel lonely, even if it does at the same time. It's the constant chatter in the background that stops his thoughts from spiraling as he remembers how much he doesn't want to be here. Memories nag at the back of his mind, of things he hasn't thought about since last time he was here.

Anakin honestly feels bad for making the clones come out when they're this exhausted, but he can't leave them there. If Dooku found them, they'd be killed. At least if they're together, Anakin knows he can watch over them. You were with Ahsoka. And Obi-Wan. It didn't save either of them.

He'd much rather exhaust them than come back to the Twilight and only find their bodies. Like his mother. Like Ahsoka. Like Obi-Wan. Shut up. He doesn't want to know how difficult it's going to be to sleep the next time he tries.

The walk is full of a lot of idle chatter on everyone's parts. With everyone giving Ahsoka a crash course on how to be a good commander to more details about how the clones work, and Anakin finally deciding to ask her a thing or two about her classes, not because he doesn't remember but because he doesn't want her to wonder how he mysteriously knows when they get back to the Temple. And again, what to do about her. He can't train her alone.

He's literally mid-thought when one of the clones – Del – makes an off-hand remark about wondering when Obi-Wan will arrive that he's struck with the idea. It's very uncommon, and Ahsoka will be frankly insulted he considered her that difficult of a padawan, but it'll work. That's the important part.

"So, this is home?" Ahsoka asks, snapping him back to the present. She's been waiting to ask that all this time, hasn't she?

"No." He'd have to be insane to call a planet as nightmarish as this 'home'. Then he realizes with a start that he can't really, truly call the Temple 'home' anymore, either. Not after what they did to Ahsoka. Padme is really the closest thing to home he has now. He wants to call Obi-Wan his home, but he can't. He's – he's too afraid to. He can't bear the thought of being so close only to lose him again.

"Well, there's still a lot of things we can talk about out here," Ahsoka announces cheerfully. "Like the sand."

"See that skeleton?" he asks dryly, pointing. "It's a krayt dragon. It's been blasted dry by the sand."

"Really? Can it do that to anything?" She sounds intrigued, not horrified.

Anakin stumbles to a stop, a long-suppressed memory struggling to resurface, but he crushes it down. Now is not the time to remember her. "The desert is merciless," he retorts darkly. "It takes everything from you."

"That's a happy thought. It won't take us, right, Rex?"

"I don't know how our armor would hold up against a sandstorm, little'un."

"It wouldn't," Anakin interjects. "It gets through even the smallest cracks." No, he's not going to think about what would happen if a sandstorm suddenly struck out here. It didn't last time, and things have already changed, but he can't possibly have changed the weather on a different planet.

They continue in silence, the temperature slightly lessening. It's going to drop once the sun sets, but Anakin is fairly certain they'll already have made it to the palace by that point. Except he can feel something, a ripple of cold that almost drops the temperature despite the heat. "We're not alone," he warns darkly. He knows that presence. Far, far too well. A sensation that haunted him from Geonosis. One that always came with a promise of pain.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asks. He can hear – and sense – the underlying note of fear in her voice.

"It's the Dark Side of the Force. Dooku. He's coming for the Hutt. It's time for us to split up." He doesn't want to, but it's the only way. Ahsoka and the boys can get Rotta down that path, hopefully unnoticed. Regardless, he's not going to risk their lives like that. If Dooku fights them, he'll could kill them.

"We'll face it together, Master."

"No. Not this time. I've fought him before. I know how he fights. You don't." Try five times before. The first time, he lost his arm. The second, he... ran. He should've finished it there. He doesn't let himself think past that, but he knows one thing with certainty. He has to end this fight here and now. This is his chance. For all he knows, it could be his only chance.

Even if he can't do anything else, even if there is no way to make the Council trust him, at the very least he has to show them that he can be useful. He has to kill Dooku. Somehow.

"You may run into some droids on the way, so be careful." Anakin climbs the slope to the ridge, pointing out the narrow path. "See that gully between the rocks? Follow it to the palace. Try to stay in the shadows. The droids may pick you up anyway, but don't draw unwanted attention to yourselves. It's still daylight, and there's not much room to hide."

"Understood, sir," Rex responds.

Anakin nods, looking over at the other men. He doesn't know if this fight will cost him. He never does. This may well be the last time he sees these men. He remembers them, all of them, but it doesn't stop him from ingraining their faces – and Force signatures – forever into his mind just in case it's the last time.

"Master..." Ahsoka's quiet protest draws his attention back to her.

"Ahsoka, I need you to trust me on this one." He wonders if she picks up on the slight note of pleading in his tone. She needs to listen. If only she had before. None of the mess with her leaving the Order would have happened had she listened to him. "Besides, I know Dooku, and you're an expert at stealth." He's almost surprised when no one else argues. "Now, I need the backpack. We need to make a decoy, so it looks like I'm still watching over Stinky while you bring the Hutt back to his father."

Anakin watches the group disappear before slowly setting off again. He tries not to let his thoughts wonder to the last times he was here. It doesn't matter anymore. The planet is blurred over with centuries of pain. Will the rain come, or was all that dreams and pointless wishes, too?

The temperature is continuing to drop for reasons not entirely physical. It's so easy to always say he's ready, but the knowledge he's about to face down a Sith Lord with no backup whatsoever hangs heavily over him. He remembers well what happened every other time they've fought. Anakin can only hope his knowledge of Dooku's fighting style will help. Dooku – this version – has only fought him once, and he wasn't at his best.

And this is a fight Anakin must win. He can't afford to lose.

A dark part of his mind wonders what would happen if he gets killed again. Or captured. He shies away from the thought. No, if he trusts the Force like he did last time they fought, he has nothing to fear.

The Sith's presence is approaching rapidly, getting steadily closer, and Anakin's fear is only mounting. He tries to tap it down, center himself, but it works even less than usual. This is his chance. His purpose. He's supposed to defeat the Sith, and – and he has to. That's all that matters. And if it costs him his life... he lost it once already. He doesn't have anyone anymore, anyway. His carelessness should probably be concerning, but now he's falling into a single-minded focus. This is his one chance to prove his usefulness, and he can't fail.

Maybe if he succeeds, he'll earn some small measure of respect. Unlikely. They never cared before, no matter what he did or didn't do.

He found the true person behind the bombing, and no one said a word to him. He wonders, honestly, if they didn't suspect him as much as they did Ahsoka but couldn't make a move against him, solely because they had no proof. Their apologies to her weren't even sincere. That's why he can't train her. If he does, the Council won't trust her. Their suspicion will fall on her, too, instead of only him. He won't let that happen.

A part of him wonders what there was about Ahsoka, a child as gifted as her, that made no one want her. They dumped her off on him because no one else wanted to take care of her, not even Obi-Wan.

Ahsoka... what will happen to her and Rex? There were more droids in the space battle this time. How much will they run into this time? Will they be alright? Will Padme?

The distant sound of an approaching speeder draws him back to the present. No, he has to focus on Dooku. Anakin comes to a slow stop atop the sand hill. For a moment, he plays with the idea of taking the speeder and making a run for it, but no. He won't do that. He has to defeat Dooku. He doesn't know if he's ready, but he almost succeeded last time. Last time, when he hadn't slept or eaten in days, not to mention being injured. His body is far more energized now than he remembers it being in... he doesn't even know, but it's been months, at least. A year, probably.

Anakin has all the advantages. He nearly killed Dooku last time. Yes, he was using the Dark Side, but if that's what it takes to win... this is war. If he doesn't do what he has to, he'll lose everything.

The Sith Lord's speeder parks at the edge of the hill, and he dismounts. "Surrender the Huttlet or die, Skywalker."

Sorry, not sorry. Impossible. "Come get it," Anakin retorts, eyes narrowing.

"Very well." Dooku raises a hand, and blinding bolts of all-too-familiar blue-white lightning crackles towards him.

Anakin ignites his lightsaber and raises it, and the lightning crackles harmlessly across the blade down to the hilt. He pushes back against the onslaught, keeping it as far from himself as possible. He tries not to let the mere sight of it affect him. The memory of every other time they fought. It doesn't work.

Raw, icy fear wraps around him. This is the man who took his arm, who tortured him countless times. Anakin wants to lunge at him, but he learned what happens the first time. He won't make the same mistake twice. So, instead, he waits until Dooku comes at him. Their lightsabers clash, and Anakin releases a flurry of attacks, fueled by fear and desperation.

He needs to bide his time, to wait until he sees an opening in his opponent's defenses, but it's difficult to keep himself calm and level. Dooku was trying to throw him off-balance with the lightning, wasn't he? Trying to distract him, uncenter him? No. He won't let it work. Anakin pulls back for a brief moment, throwing himself into the Force to guide him. It will protect him. He has nothing to fear.

"Your training has come a long way, boy," Dooku remarks as the lightsabers come together in a saberlock.

"You have no idea," Anakin mutters darkly. He's doing his best to press the attack, but he can't slip up or let himself get sloppy. Every time he's fought Dooku, it's meant nothing but pain. Obi-Wan's not going to get here on time to help. Like he did last time. He's on his own. He can only hope he's learned enough.

A Force-shove catches him off balance, throwing him down the sandy slope. He rolls to his feet, grabbing his lightsaber again when Dooku jumps after, swinging his lightsaber down in what would have been a killing blow. He's being more aggressive than last time. It seems as though he's already realized Anakin's far better than he used to be.

He doesn't know why, but that's the moment he suddenly finds himself remembering the last time he fought a Dark Sider. Barriss never could have done something like that alone. She's not crafty enough, nor has the resources. He doesn't know where the thought came from, or more importantly, why no one realized it before. He almost wishes he could do further investigating, but he can't, and the one thought that floods his mind in a rush is that if Dooku was in part responsible for what happened to Ahsoka, Anakin is going to make him pay.

Anger spiking to a whole new level, Anakin shoves him back. His feelings are of the Dark Side, but he's past caring. "Now I remember," Dooku muses when Anakin comes at him again. "This was your home planet, wasn't it?" Does he know? Anakin wonders. About what happened here?

It doesn't matter. Either way, Ahsoka and his men are about to be ambushed, and Anakin has to go help them. He doesn't have time to stop and think, so he doesn't. They won't be safe – no one will be safe – until Dooku is dead.

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